Page 3 of 6
SERMON STUDY NOTES
SERIES: A Celebration of the Biblical Gospel
TITLE: The Compelling Reasons for Preaching the Gospel -Pt. 2
TEXT: Titus 1:1-4
PURPOSE: To continue the process of equipping Christians with the basic facts of the Gospel so that they can give a reasonable defense for believing, living, and proclaiming the gospel.
INTRODUCTION AND REVIEW
The series title, "A Celebration of the Biblical Gospel" is intentional and provocative. Why? Because the stress is on The Biblical Gospel, you may be asking, "Is there another kind?" No! But let me call your attention to Gal.1:6-9. In this paragraph, there are several phrases and terms that hold the key to our batter understanding the importance of preaching the "biblical gospel." Notice verse 6. Isolate the phrase "turning away." Dr. John MaCarthur masterfully opens up this passage beginning with this verse. He states that the phrase "turning way" is better translated "deserting." The Gr. word was used of military desertion, which was punishable by death. MaCarthur continues. "The form of this Gr. verb indicates that the Galatians believers were voluntarily deserting grace to pursue the legalism taught by the false teachers. You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by the law; you have fallen from grace (5:4). "Estranged" means, "to separate" or "to be severed." The word for "fallen" means "to lose" one's grasp on something. Paul said, "I marvel that you are turning away so soon - literally, easily or quickly. In other words, these believers were responding to the false teachers' heretical doctrines. Verse 6 goes on to talk about a different gospel. That is, a perverted and adulterated gospel - Judaizers' human perversion of adding various requirements, ceremonies, and standards of the Old Covenant as necessary prerequisites to salvation. These false teachers perverted the gospel of Christ.