COME TOGETHER
Sept 16, 2012 Jay Davis Robison ISA 64:4-8 GAL 3:1-8, 26-29
There are so many things that divide us our nation unsettling division
Even at VBC if we were to choose many things can divide us
Raise hand if right handed, left? Male, female, understand other sex
How many of you are outgoing or wish blabber mouths quiet?
How many of you like country music? Rap? Classical?
Root for Duke, Clemson, NC St. UNC,
Born in NC or elsewhere are many things which can divide us
not even going to in to Dem or Rep, Conservative or Liberal
We are not 1st people to be so divided Galatians also choosing sides
Churches in Northern Galatia what is now northern part of Turkey.
In conflict trouble false teachers were dividing people
Saying if you accepted Christ to keep salvation, convert to Judaism!
You gotta get circumcised! Keep OT law! Gotta become like us!”
Moderating position said Jews who follow Jesus keep OT law
Gentiles who followed Jesus did not have to
Result was the people were pointing fingers at each other
Just like people often do in today
Do you think dissention and division are pleasing to God?
How do we then come together?
1. Recognize we are all in the same boat
When Paul sees this divided church points to source of real unity
What do you SEE ? wants to remind them of the heart of our faith
Sometimes we get so caught up in our fight lose sight of big picture
When we are divided we tend to become rigid less cooperative
Paul is blunt in dealing with the people Vs 1 ESV
O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your
eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.
When Phillips explains this passage calls them not foolish but idiots
Word used there for bewitching to cast a spell with an evil eye
Most often when we are divided we major on minors
We choose up sides and start to steel ourselves for a battle
Paul said don’t you remember what its really all about
Jesus Christ’s crucifixion made you right with God
Paul says the heart of our unity is in Christ alone
The issue is TRUSTING vs TRYING
Trying points to our efforts to do what is right
But the cross reminds us our righteousness is not enough
In order to come together Paul asks a basic question Vs 2 TNIV
I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the
Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?
Holy Spirit comes to us in faith unity is what Jesus has done for us
OT prophet Isaiah says when we continued to sin vs God’s ways
Our righteousness as filthy rags, we are given over to sin all in need
We struggle to live out what we cannot do ourselves
Sam was a young family man passionately in love with Jesus.
He was full of joy, funny a delight to be around. Loved to witness
His love for Jesus was infectious and many were drawn to Christ.
Desiring to walk closer to God Sam & his wife attended strict Bible
conference then stringently follow teachings. Sam’s spirit changed
In desperate attempt to walk closer to Christ he became judgmental
his joy turned into guilt. His once infectious attitude disappeared
friends began to draw away as none felt good enough anymore.
Linda never felt “good enough.” All her life told that she’d never
amount to anything. Never received encouragement from family.
In desperate attempt to feel loved, made a series of bad decisions
which only made the condemnations even worse.
Alone, aloof and in agony she has no where to turn but to God.
But she doesn’t cry out to God cause she isn’t “good enough.”
Abraham is seen by the Jews as father of their nation
He is the example they seek to follow Vs 7 TNIV
Paul says Those who have faith are children of Abraham
Abraham was not made right w\God because did everything right
No because he followed God in faith
So as we follow in faith and children of Abraham
So what difference does law make? Should we ignore it?
The law does two things:
IT TEACHES US RIGHT FROM WRONG
We need a defining morality to keep society from chaos
Can’t ignore law and all do what we want
I prefer left handed drive on left side natural
Law shows how far short we come in our sin
IT PREPARES US FOR A BETTER WAY
The law points us to our need for salvation
Have you ever broken the law? Broken God’s laws? Sure
should not make light of that law required more than we can do
Law shows us our need for salvation points us to Christ
And the law itself has the ability to make us want to disobey.
Isaiah said God you are the potter we are the clay
Following Christ is a decision to let his Spirit overtake
the drift of my life and begin reshaping it
Change to put on Christ Alone he is our hope
2. A Picture OF GOD’S FAMILY
Since faith has come there is a new solidarity different now
We are not servants under a strict disciplinarian
In Christ you are children of God through faith. Vs 26 TNIV
Paul points to Baptism as new start for those who follow Christ
Why Baptism is important for us, into water
But there is baptism to put on Christ showing we follow him
Buried into water to signify old life passed raised to new life
In that new life we strive to follow Christ that means we continue
to deal with our sins, but salvation not based on being perfect
Jesus did that for us, but want to please him give all to God
Paul knows our prejudices can divide us listen to his words Vs 27-28
All who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on
Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female.
For you are all one in Christ Jesus. Vs 27-28 NLT
Pointing to new life in Christ after baptism transcends everything
Old discriminations are meaningless they had them as we do
Racial prejudice, Jews said Gentiles created to stoke fires of hell,
Gentiles said Jews were barbarians
Social standing slave or free
Ethnic differences have divided us intra-racial prejudice
Sex there is no male or female
Of course these distinctions still remain
but we are as one formed together in Christ enrich each other
Thanksgiving in Jewish prayer book that he was not born a Gentile,
slave or a woman Paul repudiates these very discriminations
What would you add to Paul’s list? What other prejudices divide us
Race, social standing rich or poor or in between, male or female
Only one thing can wipe our the ever sharpening distinctions
and separations between people
We are all debtors to God’s grace and all in Christ
Doesn’t matter if we have not done same sins
Reality is we’ve all fallen overboard drowning
When we are all debtors to God’s grace
and all are in Christ, then we will all be one.
There is no difference in the Church between any members.
We’re all children of God No matter what our $$ status sex race
We come together at cross all discriminations destroyed in Christ
We’re saved by the mercy of God, it’s grace that levels us all off
In family of God we are Discovering ALL OF US ARE UNIQUE
Paul says we follow Christ put on new clothing
New clothing is not a uniform in which I lose my identity
New clothing we have from God is tailor made
Paul is speaking about an equality status and unity of purpose
But there is as much diversity in discipleship
as there are persons in discipleship God works in our lives
Becoming a Christian does not mean losing our personhood
it means discovering it, affirming it, celebrating it God will use it
Only you can be THE BEST YOU
CS Lewis illustrated this by pointing to salt. If a person had never
tasted salt and we put some on tip of his tongue would say that’s
strong, sharp powerful stuff.
If told him used in western cuisine extensively
Would say it will kill the taste of everything else it is so strong
Actually the opposite is true,
it brings out the unique tastes of food it does not negate them
When my life is blended with the life of Christ
brings out my unique form of discipleship
You are a part of a family now..
Pastor Craig Barnes says "When I was a child, my minister father
brought home a 12-year-old boy named Roger,
whose parents had died from a drug overdose.
Was no one to care for Roger, so Barnes’ folks decided they’d just
raise him as if he were one of their own sons.
At first was quite difficult for Roger to adjust to home free of drugs
Every day, several times a day, I parents saying to Roger: ’No, no.
That’s not how we behave in this family.’ ’ No No
Don’t have to scream fight or hurt others to get what you want.’
Or ’No, no, Roger, we expect you to show respect in this family.’
And in time Roger began to change.
"Now, did Roger have to make all those changes in order to
become a part of the family? No. He was made a part of family
simply by the grace of my father and mother.
But he did have to do a lot of hard work because he was in family
It was tough for him to change, and he had to work at it.
He was motivated by gratitude for incredible love he’d received.
Do you have a lot of hard work to do now that Spirit has adopted
you into God’s family? Certainly. But not in order to become a
son or a daughter of heavenly Father.
You make those changes because you are a son or daughter.
Whenever we revert back to old ways or addictions to sin
Holy Spirit will say ’No, that’s not how we act in this family.’" (Craig Barnes, author and pastor of National Presbyterian Church, Washington, D.C.; from sermon "The Blessed Trinity," 5-30-99)
Accepting other PEOPLE, ALL OF THEM All the barriers and
boundaries fall down Fight through our prejudices
We can give lip service to the blessing of our uniqueness instead of
internalizing it do we really believe VBC better with all of us
Sometimes we wish God spoke w\one voice our voice to everyone
But Christ speaks through all people who follow him
part of struggle to hear him through others
Acceptance and affirming others is a continuous
often frustrating process but it is critical
God’s vision for us is
ABOUT REPLACING APPREHENSION WITH APPRECIATION
MORE INSPIRED THAN IMPOSED
MORE PERSONAL THAN POLITICAL
REDEMPTIVE RATHER THAN RHETORICAL
NOT SURROUNDED BY FENCE BUT EASILY ACCESSIBLE.
Jesus loves the Little children all the children of the world
Discriminations, prejudices, bigotry; will establish
GOD HAS CALLED US TO REACH THEM! He has created us ALL in His image, and saved us all by His grace. All need the cross
So we recognize our differences but look at one another most of all
In the shadow of the cross
Jesus said ask and it shall be given unto you
Seek and you shall find
Knock and the door shall be opened
