Grace Vineyard Oceanside Podcast

The backstory of the letter to the Galatians.

Acts 13-14 ; Paul and Barnabus begin planting churches in the region of Galatia. The Judaizers undermine Pauls message with a false gospel of salvation by works. In response Paul writes a letter to the churches in the region of Galatia to remind them of the true Gosple of Grace.

Galatians 1:1-11

1 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— 2 and all the brothers and sisters[a] with me,

To the churches in Galatia:

3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

No Other Gospel

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— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!

10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Paul Called by God

11 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin.

The Transformative Power of the Gospel

May 16, 2021

Notes:

 

“The Gospel is always relevant, always transformative, and is always our central message”

--Phil Strout, The Greatness of the Gospel Booklet

 

“The Gospel is the Good News that God intervened on behalf of humanity in the person of Jesus Christ. ‘The Gospel rests upon the history of Jesus Christ. His birth, obedient life, atoning death, physical resurrection from the dead, and His ascension into heaven.’  In the end, He will set all things right as it was intended.”                                                                       --Phil Strout, The Greatness of the Gospel Booklet

 

Romans 12:1-2

12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.

 

Galatians 5:19-25

19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.

 

2 Corinthians 5:17-18

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

 

John 3:3-18

 

3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

 

4 "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"

 

5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

 

9 "How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.

 

10 "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? 11 I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven — the Son of Man.  14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

 

16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

 

Philippians 2:12-13

12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed — not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence — continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Chaplain Jason DiPinto teaches on training for our Spiritual Battles

Matthew 24:1-8, 36-51 (ESV)

1 “Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” 3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.45“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51 and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Point 1: We must always BE READY for whatever our CALLINGS or our LIFE requires

Point 2: When we train, we crawl, walk, run.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Philippians 2:13

13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

I Corinthians 9:24-26

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.

Matthew 25:34-40

34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and

On Resurrection Sunday, pastor Ron Ohst calls us to "Take Your Place" - the place God has always intended for people to take, and now because of Jesus' victory on the Cross over sin and Satan, and because Jesus' resurrection on the 3rd day has inaugurated New Creation, we can indeed take our place.

There are three common threads in Revival History:

Some kind of crisis

Unction on the church to pray

A heart to repent  -- 1st in the church, 2nd in the world at large

The Holy Spirit plays a specific role in this process, as Jesus described in John 16:8-11

John 16:8-11 8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10 in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

Welcome

You're invited to join us as we build growing communities of worshippers,

who are becoming like Christ, empowered to do His work.

 

Join us as Pastor Ron shares God's timely truth for our current circumstances.

 

If you would like to partner with us in this season, you can find out more about Christ's work in our community at Gracevcf.org

Welcome

You're invited to join us as we build growing communities of worshippers,

who are becoming like Christ, empowered to do His work.

 

Join us as Pastor Ron shares God's plan for us to fight and win our spiritual battles together.

 

If you would like to partner with us in this season, you can find out more about Christ's work in our community at Gracevcf.org

 

The Belt of Truth

Our Primary text today is Ephesians 6:10-18:

 (New International Version and New Living Translation)

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

 

Exposing the Devil’s Schemes

Not everything you think is true, so think about what you think about.

Not all of your thoughts come from your own mind – your thoughts can also come from God speaking, and even from demons.  This is why we must know the Truth of God’s Word in order to discern the truth of our thoughts.

 

Acts 8:26-27

26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road — the desert road — that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." 27 So he started out...

 

 The devil will use unhealed past offenses and wounds to deceive you about present circumstances

 

 Loving confrontation and forgiveness (giving up the right to get paid back for what was done to me) can bring powerful healing for both the offended and the offender

 

 Triangulation – telling a third party about the offense – can spread the deception 3 ways, and none of those involved walk in freedom

 

Luke 17:1-4 NKJV

17 Then He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!  …  3 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."

 

The Protection of Seeing Things as They Really Are

 

 Truth can be defined as that which conforms to reality; to the way things really are.

 

 The only One who can fully see things in our lives as they really are is the One who is outside, above, and beyond our world: the triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

 

John 14:6-10

6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. ...

 

John 17:15-22  Jesus praying to the Father for us

15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

 

John 16:12-13

12 "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes,

Welcome

You're invited to join us as we build growing communities of worshippers,

who are becoming like Christ, empowered to do His work.

 

Join us as Christian Twombly shares how Jesus has led him into an Authentic life, and the continuing effects it has had.

 

If you would like to partner with us in this season, you can find out more about Christ's work in our community at Gracevcf.org

Welcome

You're invited to join us as we build growing communities of worshippers,

who are becoming like Christ, empowered to do His work.

 

Join us as Pastor Ron shares God's plan for us to fight and win our spiritual battles together.

 

If you would like to partner with us in this season, you can find out more about Christ's work in our community at Gracevcf.org

 You can follow along below with the Handout from Sunday:

Ephesians 6:10-18 (New International Version and New Living Translation)

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

We need to know that we are in a spiritual battle (verses 11-12)

“If there is a single key area of faith and practice that divides Northern [hemisphere] and Southern [hemisphere] Christians, it is this matter of spiritual forces and their effects on the every-day human world.  This issue goes to the heart of cultural definition and worldviews.”

–Philip Jenkins, The Next Christendom

“What I am suggesting is that we engage in a critical re-evaluation of our Western worldview on one important issue – the actual existence of good and evil spirits…We must…strive toward making this as important a part of our worldview as it was for Paul.  The powers of darkness are real, we need to be conscious of their influence, and we need to respond to them appropriately.”

– Clinton Arnold, Powers of Darkness: Principalities and Powers in Paul’s Letters

 

We fight spiritual battles together

§ Every “you” in Ephesians is written to the church as a community, not to individuals.  It’s “you together”, not “each of you individually”.

§ Ephesians 4:1-6 could best be understood to say

4 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you [together] to live a life worthy of the calling you [together] have received. 2 [You together] Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 [You together] make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit— just as you [together] were called to one hope when you were called— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

 

§ Ephesians 6:10-11, 13 could best be understood to say:

10 Finally, you together be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. 11 You together put on the full armor of God so that you together can take your stand against the devil’s schemes…

13 Therefore you together put on the full armor of God [help each other get dressed for battle] so that when the day of evil comes, you together may be able to stand your ground…

 

We fight our battles with the Lord’s strength and power, not our own

  Our power is “resurrection power”

Ephesians 1:18-22

18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strengt

Welcome

The Grace Vineyard Podcast is back! 

You're invited to join us as we build growing communities of worshippers,

who are becoming like Christ, empowered to do His work.

 

Join us as Pastor Ron continues his message on how the good news of how God brings us into Times of Refreshing.

 

If you would like to partner with us in this season, you can give and find out more about Christ's work in our community at Gracevcf.org

 

Interested in learning more about some of the men Ron mentioned? 

Here are some resources:

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God Sermon

& the wikipedia page on Charles Finney