“Lest We Forget”
By Brother Kenneth Ray
August 14th,
2011
Click here to download printable sermon
notes in pdf format.
Galatians 1:1-16
…an
apostle, not of man, neither by man…
Paul
greets us
in this passage with some very clear info.
He makes it clear who he is:
An
Apostle, not of man, neither by men, but by Jesus Christ and God the
Father who
raised Him from the dead. Paul
is clear
in his understanding: Jesus
is
Lord. It was Jesus
who gave Himself for
our sins that He might deliver us from this present world. He is telling us, maybe
reminding us, of some
basic things that we, as people seeking God, need to know. Simply put, Jesus is the
source of our
salvation.
Participation
is
the engine of a thriving fellowship, or life in Christ.
We have to know who we work for; who carries
the heavy load when we think that we’re assisting.
It’s all about God; when God moves, God
moves.
Paul
doesn’t
have the power. It’s
like a bucket. An
empty bucket doesn’t really do much good
by itself; you have to put something in it, like gas, or water, or
Gatorade. The
bucket is not a source of
power. Lest we
forget; we’re just
vessels. God has to
move through
you. Paul is saying
that he’s an
Apostle, but God is the power. Unless
God does something, then nothing is really happening.
If God moved when I spoke His Word, I didn’t
do it; it’s Jesus Christ that does everything.
Lest we forget, and I start thinking, “Man, I can
really pack ‘em in the
house!” It’s really
all about Jesus
Christ. A basic one
on one about
Christianity; it’s a relationship with God, not coming to church.
How many
here
know that you are special? Even
if
you’re one of a set of twins, you are different from your twin, you’re
not
really identical. God
made you that way. God
made you special, even if you don’t see
it. God don’t make
no junk. By Him we
live, and by Him we can be kept in
a state of salvation.
Genesis 2:7
… into his
nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul…
What’s
special
about dust? nothing. What was special was what
happened after God formed man from
the dust; He breathed
the breath of life into him, and he became a living soul. That’s what makes us
special. The dust
just became our skin. In
fact, most of the dust around your house
is just dead skin. So
what does it mean
when it says that we are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27)? Is God made of dust?
John 4:24
…God is a Spirit…
So
God is a
Spirit, and we have a living soul in the same fashion.
You are much more than your physical
appearance. It’s so
easy in our society
to get caught up in making sure that you’re wearing the right clothes,
or the
right shoes, or that you’re wearing the right hairstyle, but those
things do not make you special. The good Lord will admire
you as His
handiwork. A Ford
truck is not made in
God’s image. You
know what? I make that
screwdriver look good. You’re
the thing
that’s special.
Ephesians 4:8
…he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto
men.
What gifts
did
he give us? Well,
he told us in verse
eleven:
Ephesians 4:11-12
apostles … prophets … evangelists … pastors,
and teachers
So,
he not only
told what He gave us, but also why He gave it:
For the perfecting of the saints, for the
work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body.
What did He equip us with?
He equipped us with ability, whether physical
or spiritual, and he told us to go, teach and baptize (Matthew 28:19). He said, “And I, if I be
lifted up from the
earth, will draw all men unto Me.” (John 12:32)
We don’t even have to draw them.
You just have to teach.
You are a
bucket, a container (made of dust).
He
gave you the ability to be the temple of the Holy Ghost (1 Corinthians
6:19). Don’t forget
Who’s doing the
work. You have to
make decisions. Lest
we forget.
Galatians 1:6
I marvel that you are so soon removed from Him
that called you…
They
are not
trying to stop you from going to church.
They are trying to break that connection that you
have with Jesus. Satan
is trying to separate you from Jesus.
It’s not ‘another’ Gospel, because, without
Jesus, there is no Gospel. Some
would
pervert the message, “Oh, just go to church.”
Church is not more important than God.
Galatians 1:11
But I certify you, brethren, that
the gospel which was preached…
I
didn’t write
these words; I didn’t just make them up.
Galatians 1:12
…neither was I taught it,
but by the revelation of Jesus
Christ.
God
reveals
things to you.
Galatians 1:16
To reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him
among the
heathen;
For Paul,
what was revealed was that he was to preach.
What is it for you?
1 Corinthians 12:28
…after that miracles, then gifts of
healings, helps, governments…
If you can’t do
anything else, you can help. And
I don’t
mean that the gift of helps is a lesser gift.
If you can make someone’s life easier, that’s
awesome. To be a
Christian means to be
Christ-like. Christ
said that he came
here to be about His Father’s business.
If you claim to be Christ-like, don’t be about
Kenneth Ray’s business;
don’t be about Christian Fellowship’s business, be about your Father’s
business. Let God
be God.
Hebrews 10:39
…not of
them who draw back into perdition…
If
we forget, or if we draw back, then others may not see Christ in us. We will not live life to
the fullness, or the
specialness, that God intended. Use
your
gifts. Make full
proof of thy ministry—certify
it. Stop quoting
the Bible so much, and
live it.
Sermon
notes by Pete Shepherd
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