Latest / The Daily Word / March 12 - Don't Overcomplicate the Gospel
Transcript
- Brandon Dirmann: Welcome once again to the daily word podcast. My name is Brandon and I'm one of the pastors at our church and man I'm so thrilled that you're joining us today for this podcast simply a daily podcast that we're taking time to Every day share from the life journal reading plan the Bible reading plan that we use as a church You can use whatever plan you want But the one that we use and we're taking time every day to share out of the New Testament portion of that reading plan in hopes of encouraging you, strengthening you, and also reminding you that God wants to meet with you as you spend time daily and deeply with Him. Today is March the 12th and our reading today it is in the New Testament, Galatians chapter 3, and I want to read to you from verses 2 through 5. Here's what it says, Paul is writing, this only I want to learn from you. Did you receive the Holy Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain if indeed it was in vain? Therefore he who supplies the spirit to you and works miracles amongst you, does he do it to you by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith?" The Apostle Paul is writing to the Church of Galatia and so much of this letter that he's writing centers around him. ⁓ Correcting them to say it gently and asking the question. How is it that you receive the good news of Jesus Christ by faith? Experience the power of the Holy Spirit the filling of God's Spirit by faith How is it that you were free from the law and legalism and you turned to surrender and obedience to Jesus? How is it that you went from that? to to where you are right now and that is trying to He asked this question, In other words, It's a great question for us to consider as we continue on our spiritual journey wanting to grow and mature in Christ. Because if we're not careful, the tendency is to, the more mature we think we are, to take more control. You know, when I first got saved, I didn't know anything. And when I first got saved, I was a wreck. I thank you that God, found me and he saved me and simply by faith, he forgave me of my sins and he filled me with his spirit. But now, Now that I'm a mature believer, now I have the responsibility to do it myself. And we get into this weird mentality where it's like, well, it's what Paul said. Hey, how come you started in the Spirit? How come you started just by faith and trust and a reality that God loves me so much and I can't do this without Him? And He's forgiven me of my sins and He's covered me by His grace. He's given me a spirit and he's empowering me and helping me every day to how have we gone from that to becoming these these master and doctor degree, you will, Christians that we know so much and why I got to do this and you got to do these 10 steps and you got to have these disciplines and there's nothing wrong with having spiritual discipline and there's nothing wrong with growing and understanding and there's nothing wrong with 10 steps to this and 15 tricks and there's nothing wrong with that, I guess, unless it's taking you away from the pure and the simple gospel. The pure and the simple gospel that is God so loved the world that he gave his one and only begotten son that whoever would believe in him, whoever would put their trust in him would be saved and would not perish. We can over complicate it, can't we? And I guess what I'm trying to say and what I'm processing as I'm writing in my journal today is that we ought not to over complicate it. And we ought not to never get away from the simple yet profound truth and the reality that we are desperate for Jesus. That we need Jesus. We absolutely need Him. That we can't do it without Him. And at the end of the day, all of us, we are in need of His grace and His power and His Spirit to keep on filling us and helping us and finding us and... We're not made perfect. We're not matured by the works of our flesh and striving and trying and doing better No, we're made perfect by the Spirit of God which we receive by faith more and more and more Empowering us and leading us and helping us and so I just want to encourage you today that wherever you are Would you not get away from the simple truth and reality of the gospel? Having been made perfect by the work of the spirit having been made perfect by faith in Christ. Would you not get away from simple faith and trust in Jesus? Would you not overcomplicate it? Would you not try to now in your own efforts and abilities make yourself perfected? Maybe today for you it's just taking time to stop and consider and to remember the simplicity with which you started. Maybe today it's reminding yourself that you didn't find God but God found you. Maybe today it's reminding yourself that God has freely and fully forgiven you of all of your sins and you have not earned or deserved any of it. Maybe today it's reminding yourself that even the discipline you do have, it's discipline that is empowered by the grace of Jesus Christ. May we not like the Church of Galatia stray away from the simple gospel and the simple reality of by faith receiving Jesus finished work and His Spirit and by that alone being perfected being matured and being led every day in the life that God wants us to live. So today, wherever you are, wherever you're listening, let me just read it to you again. The apostle Paul writes, this I want to learn from you. Did you receive the spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith? Can I just echo those words? Can I ask you the question? Did you receive the forgiveness of sins? Did you receive God's spirit and His power at work in you because you earned or deserved it? simply because you heard the gospel and you believed it and you received it. Paul continues, are you so foolish? Can I ask you today, are you being foolish in this, that having begun in the spirit you're now being made perfect by the flesh. Here's what Paul writes, I'll remind you, it's he who supplies the spirit and works miracles amongst you. He doesn't do it by the works of the law, but he does it by the hearing of faith, by putting faith and trust in Jesus. So here's my prayer today, God today in wherever we are, would you help us to not overcomplicate it? Would you help us to not in our own strength and ability make ourself perfect and figure this out? But would you help us to always have a pure and a simple childlike faith that remembers and daily calls upon the power of God to be at work in us, the love of God to be perfected in us in the grace of Jesus. to fill us and overwhelm us and empower us in every way. We thank you for it today in Jesus' name, amen. Hey, today I pray that you were encouraged by this episode. I pray that it blesses you. Love you so much. Don't forget, like, subscribe, share this with a friend today and help us continue to help more people. We'll see you tomorrow on another episode of The Daily Word podcast.