True Gospel in a Confusing World. Luke 7:1 10; Galatians 1:1 12. And ask you which you would prefer it wouldn t be a hard choice

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1 True Gospel in a Confusing World Luke 7:1 10; Galatians 1:1 12 If I were to hold up a chunk of metal and a ten dollar bill And ask you which you would prefer it wouldn t be a hard choice The Ten Dollar bill is worth $10 and you can buy something The chunk of metal you would have to figure out what it was and sell it. If I were to tell you that the metal was silver, it would peak your interest but still pose a problem and how do we know that it is pure silver, worth something valuable and it would take some work to redeem it. But if I told you the ten dollar bill was counterfeit worth nothing And the 10 ounces of silver were pure silver, Authenticated by Engelhard and worth $220. Once again the choice would be obvious As long as we knew what was real, and true And worth something. Well today s lessons from the Gospel of Luke and Paul s Letter to the Galatians are about authenticity and worth and truth, but instead of applying those adjectives to currency and precious metal they are applied to the Gospel and faith.

2 What makes the Gospel true and not just another Spiritual fad? What makes the Gospel into the living Word of God and not just a clever word spoken by a person or group? Wouldn t it be nice if there were a stamp that you could put on a church or a preacher and that would authenticate the message This message is 100% pure Presbyterian, pure Christian this message is 100% Reformed. I used to be part of the presbytery group that checked preachers for For their orthodoxy for their right belief as they applied to preach. I took it seriously andwould test to see if their statement were Sufficiently Trinitarian, did they mention the sacraments, Did they consider the Bible the inspired word of God (and what did that mean to them) It was a fun exercise in theological sparring but did it authenticate the Gospel that they would eventually preach with their words but also their actions and their livesand that s the question Paul is asking to the Galatians Is the Gospel you are hearing really the Gospel of Jesus Christ? And Paul answers the questions with one word GRACE.

3 He starts with grace: Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to set us free From from the present evil age. Paul was challenging the Christian community then and us now, Are we preaching the Gospel of the Grace of God revealed in Jesus Christ Or are we preaching the age old works righteousness of the Pharisees? And are we preaching with our lips or are we actually living And believing this Gospel of Grace the way that the Roman Centurion did enough to stake our reputation And our lives and the lives of our loved ones On this Gospel of amazing grace of God Revealed in Jesus Christ. Isn t it something that of all the people Jesus encountered, He was amazed at the faith of this Roman Centurion. Perhaps it was because he put his money where his faith was Building the temple for his Jewish friends in the community; Perhaps it was that he had Jewish friends even though he was Gentile And perhaps it was he cared enough about his slave to take a chance and come to Christ and confess his dependence on Jesus for healing; He was a man who not only spoke but lived his faith in his community.

4 And so for me, that is the message of Paul and Jesus today When we look to the Gospel to see if it is true and pure and right. Is it centered on the Grace of God revealed in Jesus Christ And is it a Gospel that we are prepared to live with all our heart and soul and mind and strength. The letter of Paul to the Galatians is a disturbing letter. Usually he starts his letters with words of affirmation But in the Letter to the Galatians he starts with the Radical expression of Grace when he reminds us that Jesus Christ gave himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age. This is lived out grace revealed in Jesus Christ and one expects The next line to be something like he wrote to the Pillipians: I thank God for you partnership in the Gospel Or the Ephesians Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. But instead Paul says: I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and turning to a different Gospel. You see for Paul it s all about grace. He had tried the legalistic approach to religion and he was good at it. Later in Galatians he says I advanced in Judaism beyond my age. (Gal. 1:14)

5 He was a do gooder, an over achiever, a fast tracker but it wasn t sufficient. It took a spill off the donkey to get Paul to the place the Centurion was where he knew that all his power and influence and self righteousness wasn t enough to save him and he wasn t enough to save the world so he was made blind so that he could see the grace of God. What about us? Do we live totally dependent on the grace of God revealed in Christ Or do we secretly continue try to earn our salvation and in turn judge those around us out of our self righteousness? Do we invest a lot of our energy trying to retaliate toward those Who harm us or are we able to embody the radical grace of God And pray for those who wish to do us harm? Do we care about the least of our brothers and sister and work On their behalf to feed, clothe and house our diverse family in Christ Or do we write off the weak and the lonely and the meek? W know what Jesus preached and lived in the Beatitudes In Chapter 6 of the Gospel of Luke (right before today s Gospel) Jesus said: Blessed are the poor love your enemies judge not lest ye be judged

6 Jesus was preaching and teaching and living out the Grace of God And one of the most powerful men, the Centurion who was part of the Occupying Roman forces in Palestine, somehow got it. He was the head over 100 soldiers who would follow his every command, He had the endorsement of the Jewish community who said He is worthy of having this done for him. I cringed when I read that line. How many times have I heard that line in reference to someone Who is in need of food or housing or transportation? Is he or she worthy. And yet this Centurion who had built the synagogue, loved the people, Commanded 100 troops did not fall into the trap. Lord do not trouble yourself, for I am NOT worthy To have you come under my roof. But only speak the word and let my servant be healed. There s hope for us. We are people of power. We don t think we are and yet in Jesus world we are. When we confess our dependence on Christ, when we not only believe but live that radical grace of Christ love others whether they are brothers and sisters, neighbors, strangers, or enemies than we are living the true Gospel of Grace revealed in Jesus Christ. Amen