Last week we concluded a series entitled, “The Fulfilled
Life.” Through this series, we examined the Beatitudes and their implication
for us on a daily basis. We saw the progression of these attitudes and growth
that they produce. Simply put, we must recognize our spiritual bankruptcy,
which should lead to mourning and submission. Out of these three come a hunger
and thirst for righteousness. The pursuit of God in this hunger will produce
four things in our lives: we will be merciful, we will be pure in heart, we
will be peacemakers, and strange enough, it will invite persecution into our
lives. It is my hope that in the days ahead you will continue to meditate on
these Beatitudes and seek to appropriate them into your life.
For the next few weeks we will turn our attention to the
book of Galatians. If you were to ask me in a phrase what Galatians is about, I
would tell you that it is a rather impassioned defense of the clear and simple
gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus had revealed Himself to Paul on the road to
Damascus. From there the Lord worked in Paul’s life turning the chief persecutor
of the church into the chief propagator of the gospel. When people realized
that they could not defeat the gospel, they decided to add to it. Paul was
having none of this.
The gospel is clear and simple; we are sinners deserving of
hell and Christ endured the full wrath of God because of it. If we will
recognize that, and abandon the life we are pursuing, and instead pursue the
will of God, we will be saved. That’s it! Nothing more, nothing less. To add
anything to it is to take everything away from it. This is why Paul is so
impassioned.
While there is a risk that this series could seem like
Christianity 101, I pray you would not approach it that way. I pray that you
would have an open heart and an open mind toward what God desires to say to
you. I trust that God will give us a clearer understanding of the Gospel as
well and a deeper passion. May this gospel work deeply in our lives, but also propel
us to share the good news with others.
Honored to be your pastor,
Darrell
