Sermon Tone Analysis

*Ice Breaker – Shoe Pile*

* *

*Title*:  Don’t Mess With the Message

 

*Text*:  Galatians 1:6-10

 

*Introduction*:   

 

*Attention*:

 

History Forgotten - or rewritten \\ \\ You know......it's like the frog in the pan of hot water....drop one \\ in boiling water and it will jump out.....start with cold water, bring it slowly \\ to a boil and it will allow itself to be boiled alive.

By the same token, \\ slowly erode the principles on which this country was founded and over time \\ watch our rights be very VERY slowly removed in a manner we don't notice and pretty soon WE will be "boiled alive"!

Sure seems like that's where we are headed!

\\ \\ HISTORY FORGOTTEN \\ \\

This is worth remembering, because it is true.

It's familiar \\ territory, but.....

Those of you that graduated from school after the early 60's \\ were probably never taught this.

Our courts have seen to that! \\ Did you know that 52 of the 55 signers of "The Declaration of \\ Independence" were orthodox, deeply committed, Christians?

The other \\ three all believed in the Bible as the divine truth, the God of scripture, and \\ His personal intervention.

It is the same Congress that formed the American Bible Society, immediately after creating the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress voted \\ to purchase and import 20,000 copies of Scripture for the people of this \\ nation.

Patrick Henry, who is called the firebrand of the American Revolution, \\ is still remembered for his words, "Give me liberty or give me death"; but \\ in current textbooks, the context of these words is omitted.

Here is what \\ he actually said:  /"An appeal to arms and the God of hosts is all that is left us.

But \\ we shall not fight our battle alone.

There is a just God that presides \\ over the destinies of nations.

The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone.

\\ Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?

Forbid it \\ Almighty God.

I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give \\ me liberty, or give me death."/

These sentences have been erased from our textbooks.

\\ \\ Was Patrick Henry a Christian?

The following year, 1776, he wrote \\ this:  /"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great \\ Nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, \\ but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

For that reason alone, people of other \\ faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here."/

\\ \\ Consider these words that Thomas Jefferson wrote in the front of his \\ well-worn Bible: /"I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of \\ the doctrines of Jesus.

I have little doubt that our whole country will \\ soon be rallied to the unity of our creator."/

He was also the chairman of the American Bible Society, which he considered his highest and most important role.

\\ \\ On July 4, 1821, President Adams said, /"The highest glory of the \\ American Revolution was this: "It connected in one indissoluble bond the \\ principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity."/

\\ \\ Calvin Coolidge, our 30th President of the United States reaffirmed \\ this truth when he wrote, /"The foundations of our society and our government \\ rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to \\ support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country."/

\\ \\ In 1782, the United States Congress voted this resolution: /"The \\ Congress of the United States recommends and approves the Holy Bible for use in \\ all schools."/

\\ \\ William Holmes McGuffey is the author of the McGuffey Reader, which \\ was used for over 100 years in our public schools with over 125 million \\ copies sold until it was stopped in 1963.

President Lincoln called him the \\ /"Schoolmaster of the Nation."/

Listen to these word of Mr. McGuffey: /"The Christian religion is the religion of our country.

From it are derived our nation, on the character of God, \\ on the great moral Governor of the universe.

On its doctrines are founded the peculiarities of our free Institutions.

From no source has the author drawn more conspicuously than from the sacred Scriptures.

From all these extracts from the Bible, I make no apology."/

\\ \\ Of the first 108 universities founded in America, 106 were distinctly \\ Christian, including the first, Harvard University, chartered in 1636.

\\ \\ In the original Harvard Student Handbook, rule number 1 was that students seeking entrance must know Latin and Greek so that they could study the Scriptures: /"Let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies, is, to know God and Jesus Christ, which is eternal life, John 17:3; and therefore to lay Jesus Christ as the only foundation for our children to follow the moral principles of the Ten Commandments."/

\\ \\ James Madison, the primary author of the Constitution of the United States, said this: /"We have staked the whole future of all our political constitutions upon the capacity of each of ourselves to govern ourselves according to the moral principles of the Ten Commandments."

\\ / \\ Today, we are asking God to bless America.

But, how can He bless a Nation that has departed so far from Him?  Prior to September 11, He was not welcome in America.

Most of what you read in this article has been erased from our textbooks.

Revisionists have rewritten history to remove the truth about our country's Christian roots.

* *

*Need*:  Teens, not only have the “revisionists” changed the way we look at the History of our great country, but we are also in danger of changing the very message of the Gospel…

 

            *Bridging Sentences  *

 

*Textual Idea*:  Changing the message of the Gospel is nothing new.

In fact, Paul was dealing with this very issue with the Galatians.

As I said last week, the Judaizers came to town to purposely call into question Paul and the message of the Gospel.

It was beyond their comprehension that the Gospel of Jesus Christ could be so easy, there had to be more to it!

After all, didn’t God institute all the rules and regulations in the Old Testament?

Read Lev 5…

Now really, can you blame these Judaizers?

This Gospel of Grace and mercy was a whole new way of thinking to them, they couldn’t comprehend that it was simply by faith.

YES WE CAN BLAME THEM!

For two reasons, 1) they failed to see God’s requirement of Faith in the OT.  2) they insisted on changing the message of the Gospel.

Some of you might be sitting here tonight thinking, “I really don’t know what the Gospel is?” 

 

! 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,” 

 

Gospel means “Good News”

 

The good news is this, Jesus Christ came to be the fulfillment of the Law that we could never hope to be.

Jesus Died in your place…

 

That’s the Gospel message!

That was the message Paul went around preaching and teaching…

                       

                        And the point of the passage that we are going to look at tonight is this…

* *

*Sermon Idea*:  Don’t Mess With the Message of the Gospel!   

 

*Interrogative*:  Oh yeah?

WHY?

What happens if I do! 

 

*Transition*:  Well the text tells us that when we Mess with the Message, we are messing with God!

And when we mess with God we face eternal consignment to destruction.

*Text *– Galatians 1:6-10

*6* I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;

7 which is /really /not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!

9As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!

*10* For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God?

Or am I striving to please men?

If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.

*Body*:

 

*1) The Message Never Changes (vs 6-7) - 6* I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7 which is /really /not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

* *

* *

* *

* *

*Explanation*:

 

Amazed – Dumbfounded and shocked, couldn’t believe what he was hearing about those that had trusted Christ!

Their focus had changed!

Their bearings were off!

The result?

\\ \\

Deserting (quickly) – “To fall away or desert from one person or thing to another.”

Called – Church = Called out ones.

Grace of Christ – “of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues.”

Different Gospel – No good news at all really, because if we have to work to make God happy, how much work is enough?

What kind of peace is in that type of mindset?

How can somebody have joy and rest when they never know how much they need to do to appease a holy God?  

 

Teens, the message never changes!

It is all about Good News!

But when we get our focus off of the message, we can end up like the Galatians, 

                                                                       

*Illustration*:  /The Airplane/ 90% of the flight, the Pilot is off course.

He has to continue adjusting so that he will make his desired destination.