Communauté et discipulat

The Blessings of Christ Crucified (Galatians 1:1-5)

2011.09.04Rev. Eddie Byun

Because Christ was crucified and raised, believers receive their assignment, their atonement, and their freedom from this present evil age, and so must fight for Korea and its generation with the gospel.

Christ's resurrection gives us our assignment (v. 1)

Paul introduces himself as an apostle, sent not by men but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead. He points to the resurrection at the very start because it marked the new age in redemption history, and the old law has been fulfilled in Christ. Our work for God is not the foundation; God's completed work through the cross is. Because of Christ crucified, we have an assignment to declare grace, preach the gospel, and make disciples of all nations, beginning right where God has placed us.

Christ's atonement removes our condemnation (vv. 3-4)

Jesus gave himself for our sins, which means he made amends for what sin had broken. Sin draws God's righteous wrath, demands just punishment, and leads to eternal death and separation from God. Christ absorbed all of that on himself, taking the punishment that should have been ours and giving us his righteousness and his home. Because he bore our sin, we no longer need to live in fear of condemnation. This is the second blessing of Christ crucified.

Christ delivers us from this present evil age (vv. 4-5)

Paul writes that Christ gave himself to deliver us from this present evil age. Abolition is the term for ending slavery, and Jesus is our great abolitionist. A power in this world binds, chains, and destroys people, and no one can overcome it alone. Only Jesus can set us free from sin and from the darkness of this age. Because he has already won this victory on the cross, all glory belongs to him forever.

Korea is under attack, and the church must fight for this nation

Satan is working hard to kill off this nation, and its future is not meant to be suicide, abortion, divorce, and enslavement. Suicide is now the leading cause of death among Koreans in their twenties, and elderly people increasingly choose to die as family and society turn away from them. Abortion is estimated at around 350,000 cases a year, and there are over 1.2 million divorced households in the country. The church must not stand idly by, but must pray, repent, and intercede to turn the tide in abortion, adoption, and abolition.

Pornography is shaping a generation toward destruction

Korea spends more per capita on pornography than any other country, and half of Koreans buy it through their smartphones. Children as young as eight are becoming addicted, and a nine-year-old boy distributed pornography to his classmates at an elementary school. In interviews with perpetrators of sex trafficking against young children, every one had become hooked on porn as a child. Seeds of sexual immorality grow into weeds of violence, so parents, teachers, and every Christian must help disciple the youth of this nation.

Apply to Life

  • Let us receive our assignment in Christ and declare grace and make disciples right where God has placed us in Korea.
  • Let us rest in Christ's atonement and live free from fear of condemnation.
  • Let us pray, fast, and fight for this nation through efforts against abortion, for adoption, and for the abolition of human and sex trafficking.
  • Let us honor the elderly and restore dignity to families in our communities.
  • Let us guard the young from pornography and disciple them in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This summary was made automatically from the sermon's captions and may differ from the sermon.

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