“The Good News Message”

**INTRODUCTION 

Hello and welcome to "Key to the Kingdom." My name is Bret McCasland. Have you ever taken your own food into a restaurant? That's an unusual question, isn't it? And yet there are some people who do that very thing. Such a person might take his or her own food into a restaurant because they believe that what the restaurant serves will not be sufficient and they will still be hungry. Or, they may not even like the food they receive and so they want to take something of their own just in case they don't like it. And so, they carry some food with them in case they might need it. None of that makes much sense to me. In fact, doing something like that sounds rather strange. Well, in today's lesson on “Key to the Kingdom,” we will consider what that looks like spiritually. What is it we can add to what Jesus has already done for us, in regards to our eternal salvation? And if so, what would it be? Or, is what Jesus did for us by dying upon the cross to remove the sin in our life really sufficient? You know, when it comes to the salvation of the Lord, Jesus has provided all we need. There is nothing else that needs to be added to it, whether we like to think so or not. Everything has already been provided by what Jesus did in His sacrifice for us. I hope you will stay tuned to this program for the next few minutes as we talk about the Good News message of the Lord that comes through our faith in Jesus Christ. I invite you now to open up your heart and your Bible as we begin to study together.

**LESSON

Few people would argue with the statement, the Apostle Paul was the greatest spokesman for Jesus Christ this world has ever known. You know, Paul represented the Lord very well. Immediately after he received his salvation he began to share with others what Jesus meant to him and how Jesus had changed his life and had given him salvation. He was an ambassador for the Lord. Paul even wrote these words in 1st Corinthians chapter 9, “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel.” He almost pronounced a curse upon himself; that if I don't do this, then I'm not in a very good way. And so he took every opportunity to preach and to share and to retell the story of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The first mission trip he took was to the region of Galatia, located in Central Asia. And today that area is known as Turkey. He, along with his friend Barnabas, traveled throughout the area, and then they went south on to the island called Cyprus. And as they traveled, they shared the Good News message of Jesus Christ with as many people as possible. They would stop and they would tell the story, and they would gather in this synagogue and work among these people, retelling the Good News message. Now, some rejected what they had to say, and yet many did not. Paul and Barnabas performed miracles in some places and they were persecuted in other places. On one occasion, Paul brought a curse upon a magician who opposed their message. While in another place he was beaten with stones and he was left to die. Even though some opposed these early efforts in regards to the story of Jesus, many still became followers of the Lord. And it must have been quite interesting to travel with Paul and to take part with him in that ministry. The story of their travels in the area of Galatia is found in Acts chapters 13 and 14. In fact, the longest recorded message about Jesus Paul ever shared is found in chapter 13, verses 16 through 41, some 25 verses. He encouraged those who heard him to believe in Jesus and that Good News message. Beginning with Jewish history, he spoke about the true and the living God of Israel. He told the stories of Abraham, Moses, Samuel and David, and he told how God through them and others brought salvation into this world. And that salvation eventually came through David's descendant in the person of Jesus Christ, the one and only Son of God. And through his message about Jesus, Paul made it very clear Jesus had come to bring salvation to all people. Now, the most important part of the story Paul shared revolved around Jesus’ death on the cross, His burial in a tomb, and then His resurrection from the grave just three days later. Many others also shared that very same message about Jesus over and over again, and they too receive the same kind of response Paul received. Some accepted that Good News message, while many others rejected it. But for all of those who believed in Jesus, they received the free gift of salvation. And once they did, they became part of God's family. And yet there was a problem. After many responded to the Good News message of Christ, there were some who came in to destroy the good work that had been done. They taught something totally different than what the Apostle Paul and other good representatives of the Lord had already taught. And such false teachers diluted the story of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. They began to say you need to add other things to what Paul taught in order to make your salvation worthwhile, to make it legitimate. Now, having said all of that, Paul now writes a letter called Galatians, and he is going to address that very problem which has now surfaced among many people throughout that area. Notice what he wrote in the 1st chapter of Galatians, beginning with verse 6. <I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel -which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you have accepted, let him be eternally condemned!> The Apostle Paul could not believe the very ones who had received the salvation which Jesus offered to them were now abandoning it. They were following the teaching of those who claim to, claimed that Paul was not even a true apostle. And these false teachers said Paul's message was fine, it was good, but it needs some additional work. And so Paul wrote this letter to address that very issue, and he wrote it out of frustration and out of surprise and out of anger. He was frustrated with these people for not standing firm on the salvation they had already received. He was quite surprised that they had ventured away from that Gospel message that he shared with them. But then he also expressed some anger in regards to those false teachers who were now leading astray these new believers. Many of the people who had received the message about Jesus were not Jews. They were non-Jews. They were called Gentiles. And these Gentiles were allowing this different kind of teaching, this different kind of message in regards to salvation, to change their thinking, to change their behavior. And they were confused. They did not know for sure what to do or how to respond and how to put it all together. But the gospel they now followed was not based on faith in Jesus. It was based on faith in themselves. Yes, they were being taught that other things needed to be added to their faith in Jesus in order for them to be 100% approved by God. They needed to become like the Jews. They needed to keep certain laws and things that the Jews had kept down through the years. And many people believed that false teaching. Many of these Christians throughout Galatia were beginning to make some of those adjustments and changes. And Paul condemned them for such behavior. He condemned them for following such false teaching. Now, in the passage we just read there in verses 8 and 9, we find two statements saying the same thing. And in biblical literature, when a thought like that is repeated, it simply draws extra attention to it. It is something that Paul really wanted to highlight, or to emphasize, there in verses 8 and 9. In other words, he wanted to get across a very important point. And here it is: If you are moving away from the message which I have already shared with you, you are cutting yourself off from God. And if that was the case, then these people would eventually lose their salvation. They would be eternally condemned. Now, no doubt those were some very strong words from the Apostle Paul, and one might question them. Why were so, why was Paul so adamant in telling them about the dangers of drifting away from that original message? What was his point? The point was simply this: Paul loved these people. They had responded positively to him up front, but now they were drifting away and he did not want to see that happen. He wanted these Christians to remember salvation comes in Jesus Christ, alone, and faith in Him. And the only thing that can save them spiritually is that Good News message about Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. And that message cannot be changed in any way. There is nothing they could do to add to it. There is nothing they needed to take away from it in order to make that message any better. And yet that is the very thing these Christians in Galatia were trying to do. That was the influence that these false teachers had upon them. And they believed those false teachers and they thought maybe we can add to it just a little bit. Maybe we can make it a little bit better or a little bit more secure. We can just perhaps envision the apostle Paul as he writes these words, shaking his head, and he said, oh, no, you are headed in the wrong direction. And so Paul makes a very clear point. None of it matters. The salvation Jesus has purchased is all you need. There is only one authoritative message, and that is the one I have already shared with you. Don't venture away from it. Don't allow other people to convince you, you need something else, that you need to add something to make it better, because nothing else will work. There is something else here in this letter to the Christians throughout Galatia that we need to notice. Its interesting that Paul does not congratulate them on their faith. He does not even commend them for the good works they are doing in the name of the Lord. And why is that? Well, if they didn't get their faith in their relationship with God right through Jesus Christ, then the rest of it didn't matter. Oh, it would be nice if they did some good works and perhaps they were doing some in order to secure their salvation, in their own mind. And Paul did not commend them for that, because you have the wrong motivation for doing it. These people had turned their back on the true Gospel message. And so throughout this letter, Paul addresses his deep concern for them. I want to go back to chapter 1 and notice the first five verses of that chapter, where he introduces himself. He lets them know that he is the one that was there with them in the beginning; and then he makes a very important point. Listen to what he wrote, beginning in verse 1 of that first chapter of Galatians, to the churches in Galatia. <Paul, an apostle —sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead -and all the brothers and sisters with me, to the churches in Galatia: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.> As Paul began this letter, he identified himself as a true apostle. I am one of those who has been especially identified by God. He stated that the message he shared with them came from God, himself, and from nobody else. Now, he’s not trying to trick anybody. He's not trying to confuse these people. He's saying go back to the very beginning and remember what I did when I was among you. And he made the point, there in verse 4. Jesus is the one who gave Himself to deliver you from this present evil age. When He gave His life, as He died upon the cross, His sacrifice covered their sin. Those people needed to be reminded of that. And as their representative, Jesus took their place. He took away their sin. He paid the price for their salvation. He rescued them and saved them for all eternity. And that was the very same message he had shared with them originally, way back in Acts chapter 13. Well, he reminded them of it once again here in this letter. And evidently they had even forgotten what they were taught, or perhaps most importantly, they were easily influenced by these false teachers. Whatever it was, they had been led astray, and Paul wants to get them back on track. Paul reminded them, you don't have to measure up to someone else's expectations. You don't need to keep proving yourselves by doing what others want you to do. Yes, there is no need to put your trust in any one or in anything else. And yet they were trying to add to what they had already received, and that would not bring about any good. In fact, it would bring about much harm, even to the point that they would be eternally cut off from God. You know, Paul reminds them, he reminds even us today, there is only one true and reliable way to receive and to keep our salvation. It comes as a result of God's grace, which is demonstrated when we put our faith and belief in the one and only Son of God who died on our behalf. What these Christians thought they needed was something they already had, and that is faith in Jesus Christ. Nothing else was needed. So Paul's message, no doubt, was trustworthy. It was reliable, unlike the message of these false teachers. They had no credibility. They just sold themselves to these Christians. They sold them a bill of goods, as we might say today. But what Jesus did upon the cross was a direct result of God's love for people and the grace He extends to all people who receive the sacrifice of His one and only Son. And above everything else, Paul wanted them to remember that: Don't forget where your salvation comes from and stay close to the Lord. He wanted them to know without a doubt that when they put their faith in Jesus Christ they received deliverance from their sin and there's nothing that needs to be added to it. And if that was not the case, then they would be seeking to please men instead of seeking to please God. And certainly that was not Paul's goal. Everything he did was to honor the Lord as the one who had saved him. That was his primary purpose in life. And he pursued that purpose with great passion and zeal and enthusiasm. And he wanted everybody to receive the same salvation which he had received. Now, about this time, you might be asking yourself the question, well, why do I spend so much time retelling the story of what happened with the Apostle Paul there in Galatia? Why spend so much time looking at some of these verses here in the letter called Galatians? In other words, why is this story so important for us to hear today? Let me offer two things for us to consider, today. Number one, we are all guilty of sin. Now, we don't talk much about sin, it seems, in our world today very much anymore. We ignore the sin in our lives. We perhaps even dismiss it as not being a big problem. We might even tolerate a little bit of sin from time to time thinking, well, God doesn't notice, or He will overlook that little sin we might commit. The problem with those attitudes is that the sin is still there. Ignoring or dismissing or even tolerating that sin, no matter how big or how small it might be, doesn't make it go away. It’s still there. It still causes a problem that has to be dealt with in some way or another. But when we decide to put our faith in Jesus, the sin is taken away. And as we notice there, in the words of Paul in chapter 1, verse 4, God delivers us from the sin and from the evil of this present age. And as Paul goes on to point out in chapter 3, our full response to that salvation is to give our total and 100% allegiance to Jesus Christ. And this is the way he describes that, in chapter 3, verses 26 and 27. <You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.> Just as sin was prevalent in Paul's day, it is still prevalent in our world today. We see that every day and wherever we go. And yet Jesus has rescued us from that sin. And He did that when He died upon the cross. He set us free from that sin, which seems to cling so closely. And yet there is no other message that will set us free from that sin. There's no other person who makes that kind of offer. It is only by God's grace and through our faith in Jesus that we can have our sin problem dealt with and overcome. As it was with these Christians in Galatia, we cannot allow any false teaching to jeopardize what we already have in Christ alone. But here's a second thing I want us to remember: To abandon our faith in Jesus is to abandon God's grace. God loves us more than we will ever know. He gave us the greatest gift He could possibly give to us when He offered His one and only Son to die on our behalf. And by His grace, we receive that free gift of eternal life. But when we seek to add to what God has already done for us, then we jeopardize what we already have. In fact, we read in chapter 5 and verse 4, we fall away from God's grace; and how tragic that is! When we want to create our own set of rules or standards by which to live, we essentially reject what God has done for us. And that type of attitude, or that type of belief or behavior, basically tells God, Your great sacrifice wasn't enough. Let me add something to that. How do we think God responds? God did everything He could possibly do to save you and me, and we take that at face value. Nothing else needs to be added to it. What are we to learn, then, from Paul's message to these Christians in Galatia? It's only through God's grace and faith in His son, Jesus, that we find eternal life. If Paul were with us today, I think he would want us to consider two things. Number one, do we know what we believe and in whom we have received our salvation? And hopefully the answer is absolutely yes; it’s in Jesus Christ. But then secondly, are we standing firm on the Good News message of Jesus Christ, and are we not allowing anybody or anything else to distract us from it? My hope for us today is that we know the only true source of our eternal salvation is in Jesus Christ and in Him alone. And I also trust we will never allow anyone or anything to move us away from our faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

**VIDEO CLIP

There are many things in this world for which we hope. We hope to enjoy good health. We hope to have a nice retirement, when that time comes. We hope for the sun to shine or for the rain to go away. It seems we always are living with a hope or expectation of something in the future. And that only makes sense. We are people who live on hope, and that's okay. We even hope for an eternal home in heaven after we pass away. We look forward to that eternal life. When we read about that kind of hope in the Bible, it is not something that may or may not happen, like rain or sunshine or whatever else might be. But the hope that we read about in the Bible is more of a promise. It is the assurance of something that will happen. And that is true for those who belong to the Lord. As Christians, we have an assurance. We have the promise that we will spend an eternity with God. And for that, we can be very thankful. We can know that it is something that will happen in the future. And with that in mind, we don't have to live with worry and anxiety. We don't have to wonder where our eternal life will be because we know. And we know because we are walking with the Lord every day. We have received that free gift of salvation and we have the assurance of where we will spend our eternal home. I hope today that you have that kind of hope, that you are living with that kind of assurance, the promise of seeing the Lord and being with Him for all eternity.

**CONCLUSION

Thank you for joining us for today's message on “Key to the Kingdom.” I hope this message about putting our faith in Jesus Christ, and in Him alone, reminded us of the promise of eternal life. This message is available to be seen or heard again through our website at keytothekingdom.com. There is no cost or obligation to download this or any other lesson, in written, audio or in video format. I invite you to look at the various titles and to access any which might be of interest to you. While on the website I hope you will take time to notice some of the other resources which are available. They include one minute and two minute devotional thoughts as well as free Bible studies, and there is absolutely no cost for any of them. It is always a pleasure to share these weekly messages with you, and I trust they assist you in growing closer to the Lord. Thank you again for joining us in our message today. And I trust that you will join us again next time, as we continue to study the Bible on “Key to the Kingdom.”