{"id":39,"date":"2009-02-23T16:31:15","date_gmt":"2009-02-23T16:31:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/?p=39"},"modified":"2009-05-06T00:34:48","modified_gmt":"2009-05-06T00:34:48","slug":"sunday-february-8-2009","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/?p=39","title":{"rendered":"Sunday, February 8, 2009"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cOut-godding God?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Acts 15:1-18; Galatians<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Introduction\u201d\u201d<\/span><\/em>He had been with the Agency for years and was one of their best. <\/span>He was like and trusted by his immediate supervisor, who thought he was doing a great job. <\/span>But the scene changed dramatically when his secret came out\u201d\u201dAldrich Ames was a double agent, working against the United States on behalf of the KGB. <\/span>In fact, Ames revealed the identities of several U.S. agents working in the Soviet Union, nine of whom were executed shortly thereafter. <\/span>Suddenly, the CIA lowered the boom. <\/span>No matter what they had previously thought of him\u201d\u201dthe Unites States government responded quickly and firmly, prosecuting Ames to the full extent of the law. <\/span>Why? <\/span>Because Aldrich Ames had caused the death of several Americans and endangered the freedom all Americans enjoy by his treachery. <\/span>And we\u201d\u2122d all agree\u201d\u201danyone who jeopardizes our freedom as Americans ought to be dealt with severely<\/em>!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>But interestingly enough\u201d\u201din the church<\/span> today, we are not so ready to fight for our liberty in Christ, for the freedom that we have through the Gospel!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Swindoll: <\/span>\u201cWe\u201d\u2122ll go to the wall and square off against any enemy who threatens to take away our national freedom, but we\u201d\u2122ll not be nearly so passionate as Christians under grace to fight for our rightful liberty. <\/span>Let enough legalists come aboard and we will virtually give them command of the ship. <\/span>We will fear their frowns, we will adapt our lives to their lists, we\u201d\u2122ll allow ourselves to be intimidated, and for the sake of peace at any price (even though it may lead to nothing short of slavery), we will succumb to their agenda\u201d (91).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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READ Acts 15:1-18 [The Message]<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

*Anyone that requires anything in addition to faith in Jesus for salvation is guilty of trying to out-god God, because God says we are saved by depending on Jesus alone. <\/span><\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

What does it mean to try to \u201cout-god\u201d God<\/span><\/em>?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

If we require something of ourselves or of others that God doesn\u201d\u2122t require concerning our relationship with Him, then we are acting as if we know better than God\u201d\u201dwe are arrogantly trying to \u201cout-god\u201d God! <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What does God say is required to have a relationship with Him?<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Acts 15:7-9, 11 [READ, NKJV]<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

We need God\u201d\u2122s grace, received by faith in Jesus!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Galatians 2:15-16 [The Message]\u201d\u201d\u201cWe know very well that we are not set right with God by rule-keeping but only through personal faith in Jesus Christ. <\/span>How do we know? <\/span>We tried it\u201d\u201dand we had the best system of rules the world has ever seen! <\/span>Convinced that no human being can please God by self-improvement, we believed in Jesus as the Messiah so that we might be set right before God by trusting in the Messiah, not by trying to be good.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

John 3:16 [Quote]<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

—Cup of Water + 1 Drop of Arsenic=Poison<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>(NOT Refreshment!)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Swindoll: <\/span>\u201cFaith plus works is a catchy tune. <\/span>It sounds harmless, even helpful at first. <\/span>If we listen long enough, we\u201d\u2122ll find ourselves humming it. <\/span>Then singing it. <\/span>Then living it. <\/span>Then forgetting all about grace\u201d (8).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

READ Galatians 2:1-5 [NKJV]<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

1. <\/span><\/span><\/span>Expect<\/span><\/span><\/strong> Grace-Killers Regularly<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

They\u201d\u2122ve always been around and always will be!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus dealt with the Pharisees. <\/span>Paul dealt with these guys. <\/span>You and I are surrounded by many legalists here in the Bible Belt.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Legalists usually don\u201d\u2122t know they are legalists.<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Are you consumed with religious things that are not Biblically-essential? <\/span>Are you more worried about your personal standards in the gray areas of life than personally introducing others to Jesus? <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

2. <\/span><\/span><\/span>Resist<\/span><\/span><\/strong> Grace-Killers Completely<\/span><\/strong> (5a)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Swindoll: <\/span>\u201cTrust me, legalists don\u201d\u2122t get the message if you\u201d\u2122re unsure and soft with them\u201d (113).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As soon as Paul smelled the aroma of Hell in their legalism, he told them to shut up and, no doubt, explained with vigor the freedom from any performance mentality that is ours in Christ! <\/span>He believed GOD, not religious people\u201d\u201dand so he wouldn\u201d\u2122t submit himself to their petty rules, he didn\u201d\u2122t let himself feel condemned for breaking their traditions, he didn\u201d\u2122t let anyone tell him that he couldn\u201d\u2122t know God if he ate and drank certain things. <\/span>And Paul didn\u201d\u2122t let these grace-killers intimidate anyone else either!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Is your freedom precious enough to you that you will firmly confront petty people when necessary?<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

<\/span>Galatians 5:1\u201d\u201d\u201cChrist has set us free to live a free life. <\/span>So take you stand! <\/span>Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you\u201d (The Message).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>With all your might, resist legalists\u201d\u201ddon\u201d\u2122t let anyone enslave you!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

3. <\/span><\/span><\/span>Understand<\/span><\/span><\/strong> Grace-Killers Clearly<\/span><\/strong> (5b)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Gospel<\/span><\/span><\/em> is at stake! <\/span>This is no trivial matter! <\/span>If we give in to legalism, we forfeit the only way of salvation that God has given!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Bridges: <\/span>\u201cFreedom and grace are two sides of the same coin. <\/span>We cannot enjoy one without the other. <\/span>If we are to truly live by grace, we must stand firm in the freedom that is ours in Christ Jesus\u201d (131).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Acts 15:10\u201d\u201d\u201cSo why are you now trying to out-god God, loading these new believers down with rules that crushed our ancestors and crushed us, too?\u201d (The Message).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Swindoll: <\/span>\u201cBelieving grace is one thing. <\/span>Living it is another<\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

So, here are 2<\/span><\/em><\/strong> action points to summarize what we\u201d\u2122ve talked about today:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

1. <\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/span>Don\u201d\u2122t be guilty of trying to out-god God by submitting to the fear of what others think<\/span><\/em><\/strong>. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

FEAR of Others is the passive form of out-godding God<\/span><\/span>!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Peterson: <\/span>\u201cWithout being aware of it, we become anxious about what others will say about us, obsessively concerned about what others think we should do. <\/span>We no longer live the good news but anxiously try to memorize and recite the script that someone else has assigned to us\u201d (Swindoll, 113-114).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Do not let others bind you with their rules, their standards, their personal practices, when God doesn\u201d\u2122t make the same demands<\/span><\/em>!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

–Beverages, food, clothes, activities, music styles, etc.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

–Other examples?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Mike Yaconelli: <\/span>\u201cPetty people are ugly people . . . They are people who have turned their eyes away from what matters and focused, instead, on what doesn\u201d\u2122t matter. <\/span>The result is that the rest of us are immobilized by their obsession with the insignificant . . . it is time the church quit pretending that pettiness doesn\u201d\u2122t matter . . . Pettiness has become a serious disease in the Church of Jesus Christ\u201d\u201da disease which continues to result in terminal cases of discord, disruption, and destruction. <\/span>Petty people are dangerous people because they appear to be only a nuisance instead of what they really are\u201d\u201da health hazard\u201d (Swindoll, 117).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>A lost and dying world doesn\u201d\u2122t have time for petty people in the church! <\/span>They need us to be living and proclaiming freedom in the grace of Christ that they can know by simple faith in Him!<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>But<\/span>, even as we resist what they stand for, we must love the legalist!<\/em> <\/span>God does! <\/span>Just look at what God can do with a former legalist by remembering the life of Paul!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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2. <\/span><\/span><\/span>Don\u201d\u2122t be guilty of trying to out-god God by judging others\u201d\u2122 spirituality based on human rules (my own thoughts\/\u201dconvictions\u201d\/standards or the rules of others)<\/span><\/em><\/strong>. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

LEGALISM\/Self-Righteous Judgment is the active form of out-godding God<\/span><\/span>!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCheer up! <\/span>You\u201d\u2122re a lot worse than you think you are! <\/span>But cheer up, God\u201d\u2122s grace is a lot better than you think it is!\u201d (Steve Brown\u201d\u2122s friend). <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Is your freedom\u201d\u201dand the freedom of others\u201d\u201dprecious enough to you that you will throw away your list of do\u201d\u2122s and don\u201d\u2122t\u201d\u2122s concerning life\u201d\u2122s gray areas and allow others to enjoy life under the direction of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, while you do the same?<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

News Flash<\/span><\/span>: <\/span>The Holy Spirit is big enough and strong enough to straighten out your brother\/sister if they are truly wrong about a particular practice in their lives that the Bible is not explicitly clear about!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

By the way, next week we\u201d\u2122re going to talk about \u201cHow to make sure you don\u201d\u2122t hurt others with your freedom\u201d\u201d\u201die, how we sometimes must limit our use of our freedom in order to love others.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

But make no mistake\u201d\u201dthe greater need will always be standing firm in our freedom in Christ, because there is a grace-killing pride\/self-righteousness in every person on the planet!<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Conclusion<\/span><\/em>—Live in celebration of the fact that all of our supposed and attempted goodness is nothing but dung before God, but Jesus paid it all on the cross and He is our complete righteousness\u201d\u201dwe are fully accepted by the Father if we trust Jesus<\/span>!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

If we live that way, we won\u201d\u2122t have time to try to out-god God\u201d\u201dnor will we waste time being victimized by others trying to out-god God . . . we\u201d\u2122ll stand firm in our freedom and boast in Jesus alone!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

C.S. Lewis: <\/span>\u201cGrace substitutes a full, childlike and delighted acceptance of our Need, a joy in total dependence. <\/span>We become \u201d\u02dcjolly beggars\u201d\u2122\u201d (Yancey, 273). <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Live as \u201cjolly beggars\u201d<\/span><\/em>\u201d\u201dhonest about your own spiritual bankruptcy, but confident in the full forgiveness and complete righteousness that is yours by faith in Jesus!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cOut-godding God?\u201d Acts 15:1-18; Galatians Introduction\u201d\u201dHe had been with the Agency for years and was one of their best. He was like and trusted by his immediate supervisor, who thought he was doing a great job. But the scene changed … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-messages"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=39"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":153,"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39\/revisions\/153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=39"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=39"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=39"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}