Aug 9 Sun AM
Galatians 1:1-5 Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)
2 And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia:
3 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,
4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
5 To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
All of us need to be ministered to. Not our flesh, but our spirit. When you preach the true gospel, it ministers to your spirit. It’s imperative that you find what church you are supposed to be in. When times are tough, there’s no one that can minister to you like your pastor.
Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
God is looking for a people who will do something for His kingdom. Jesus didn’t come to be served. He came to serve. He didn’t come to get; He came to give. He gave of Himself. Where are you serving in the kingdom of God? Where are you giving of yourself? Church is not something you come to when you feel like it or when you need something. That is not the way the Christian life works. You have to have a servant’s heart!
Matthew 20:20-29
Every person has to cultivate and keep that servant heart. It requires something of you. You won’t walk in what God has for you with a mentality of receiving. It has to be about what you can give. If you seek first His kingdom, He will take care of your needs. God will accept you wherever you’re at. But He will not leave you there. He wants you to experience something totally different than the mess you are in. For that to happen, it hinges on you and your willingness to give yourself to Him. The battle of your life is about how much of yourself you will give up to Him. How much of your will, will you give up to Him. It’s easy to differentiate a person who has a heart for God and a person who has a heart with selfish motives. If you have a heart for God, He will help you through your mistakes. You have to cultivate that heart! Being a servant is vitally important.
It is a problem when a church will allow anyone to serve in ministry without expectation of growth and dedication. That is a secular church. We are not that. It’s not biblical. Most younger people have normalized alternate lifestyles and families because it’s what has been shown to them out in the world. It’s a problem of the heart. Church is not about entertainment. It’s about biblical discipleship. If the goal of the congregation is to fill the seats and give them an experience rather than make disciples, then they have been secularized. We are to be disciples!
Luke 9:18-23 18 And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, whom say the people that I am?
19 They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again.
20 He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God.
21 And he straightly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing;
22 Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.
Do you like to be rejected? Jesus was rejected by everyone around Him, even His own family. Living the Christian life is not about getting everything that you want all the time. There Is going to be sacrifice! There will be times you experience rejection. It will cost you, and you must be prepared for that.
Luke 9: 23-24And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.
You must be willing to give up what you want in life for what He wants. The day will come when what you’re doing here is over and you’re in eternity with Him. If you give your life for Him, you will find true happiness. If Jesus is only presented as personal savior and not Lord over all, you have become secular. When you only want to be saved but not transformed, you have become secularized. God has something for us to accomplish! We’re not here just to gather and have a party. We give our lives up to Him, then the blessings will come.