As you know, the sermon series that we are on is based on taking a close look at Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Paul made it clear to the church in Galatia that the Gospel was all about Jesus and nothing else. Jesus plus nothing equals our savior. He reminds the Galatians that adding anything to the Gospel takes us to a place of slavery not freedom.
We conclude the series this weekend. As we take our final look at Paul’s call to all Christians to continually return to the Gospel to live our lives, he reminds us that the good news of Jesus is all about how He has rescued us from sin, death, misery, and hopelessness. Before anything else, the Gospel is a Gospel of rescue. When we return to this, we are empowered to live our lives as ones who have been rescued. We do this through faith and holding on to the hope we have in Jesus Christ.
Hope is a word that does not translate well. In English, when one says “I hope,” it comes across as being unsure. We hope things will be well, but maybe they won’t be. That’s not what Paul means. In the Greek, hope carries with it a certainty. Perhaps we don’t see God moving, but we are certain (we hope) that He will. Your life may not be where you want it to be, but because of Jesus we have certainty (hope) that Jesus will be faithful, true to his promises and tomorrow is bright and assuredly hopeful (certain).
I invite you to join me this weekend as we continue to grow as a congregation and explore Paul’s final word to the Church in Galatia and to us. To live into the hope God has given us in Jesus Christ is to believe in both the sufficiency and sovereignty of God! See you this weekend!