Listen here:

Please remember that sermon notes are meant to act as a guide and may not be exactly what was preached.

Galatians 2:1-10

But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone – Galatians 1:15-16

The Gospel of Christ and His Kingdom is this: Jesus Christ paid the penalty for humanities sins! In doing so, He had become the Savior of all who would accept His sacrifice and live the Christian life as citizens in the Kingdom. Eternal life is found in The Kingdom of God and is now possible through the blood that was shed and the life that was given! The gospel of Christ is the message Paul preached. It is the true Gospel of Jesus’s life, death, and sacrifice on our behalf and of His resurrection for our justification which gave us peace with God: Romans 5. The Kingdom of God is attained only through recognizing Jesus Christ as Lord and King and accepting Him as the personal Savior of all who would enter that Kingdom.

The Gospel does not change. It may be called the Gospel of the Kingdom or the Gospel of Christ, who came preaching the Kingdom of God. They are tied together, as only King and Kingdom can be. A kingdom is where a King is followed in obedience.

The Gospel is the reality of redemption found in our Lord Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. That is the good news, that is the True Gospel!

Calling: When we speak of “calling” we are talking about what Paul experienced on the Road to Damascus, as well as what each of you has in your own personal salvation experience. Each and every human being is called to come to Christ for salvation, redemption, justification, and the new life that is found in Him! In 2 Peter 3:9, the Holy Spirit tells us that God wants none to perish and all to come to repentance. That same thing is said in Titus and 1 Timothy about all coming to salvation.

And we, like Paul, who have answered that call (the Church, the redeemed of the Lord, Christ followers, believers) are also called to go and make disciples. This is the mission given to the church, to spread the Gospel while being witness of the Gospel. How that calling is fulfilled differs from congregation to congregation. And in those congregations, that calling that they have is fulfilled differently from person to person. Same Gospel, different callings; like Peter’s and Paul’s – one to the Jews and one to the Gentiles.

Some of you are placed within the congregation to encourage, help, teach, and/or equip others to go, some are here to take the Gospel to Wal-Mart, some into the local schools, all are called to carry the Gospel from here to there—wherever “there” may be. But we all have:

Responsibilities – both in the church and as Christians to take the Gospel into our work places, homes, and to our families, friends, and co-workers. You are not just a Christian on Sunday mornings. You are either a Christ Follower 24/7 or you are not one! You can’t be like a wave of the sea, tossed to and fro.

Would your co-workers know that you are a Believer if someone asked them about you? Would the first thing they say be that you are a Christian? God has placed you where you are to spread the Gospel, to make disciples, and I truly believe that we will be held responsible for those lives we come in contact with.

Did we even attempt to tell them of the Gospel, that God sent His one and only Son to live as a man, to be the perfect sacrifice?  That Jesus died for them, paying the penalty for their sin? That He rose on the third day so that we could be justified in God’s sight, forgiven, and set free from the bondage to sin?  !!!

You and I, together, are responsible for the calling that is placed on this congregation – to reach out into the communities around us, to go and be the Church to those that do not know the Gospel, that is our responsibility.

You, and you alone, are responsible to God for your spiritual growth and the knowledge you have of Christ and His Gospel. Ours, as a Church, is to make sure that you have opportunity to grow spiritually and to gain knowledge… FB, class

When Paul returned to Jerusalem he went to the “Pillars of Christendom,” to others that had been taught by Christ, to do what? To make sure that the Gospel he preached was the true Gospel of Christ, that he had not drifted from the true Gospel, to make certain that he had not run in vain, that what he was teaching had not been defiled or perverted in any way! See vs. 5  – so the Truth

Paul, in spreading the Gospel to King Agrippa in Acts 26, told him about the calling he had received from Christ.

“I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.”

You can lose the focus of your calling and become disconnected from the church when you are not seeking to grow spiritually, when the concerns of this world and busyness of life are a priority over Christ and His Gospel. We need to have Paul’s tenacity and devotion to the Father’s will! There is great joy in not only beginning well in our Christian faith, but also to end faithfully! It is God’s desire that each of us could say at the end of our lives, “I was not disobedient.”

In Hebrews 3, we are called to be faithful to our calling, in Acts 1, Jesus calls us to be witnesses of the Gospel, and in 2 Corinthians 5, we are called to be ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us where He has us, imploring others on behalf of Christ, to be reconciled to God. and, above all, we are called to Love

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. Are you faithful in fulfilling your calling to spread the Gospel?

Digging Deeper

• What Gospel are you following?
• Are you answering your calling?
• How are you being responsible?

Further Reading: Acts 15:1-35, Acts 26:19, 2 Corinthians 5:10-21, 1 Timothy 2:3-4, Titus 2:11-14, 2 Peter 3:9, Hebrews 3, Acts 26:14-20, 1 Corinthians 15:58, Colossians 3:23-24, Jeremiah 4:4, Romans 2:28-29, 1 Corinthians 7:17-19