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Tired of Trying to Measure Up?
May 4, 2026 · 42 min
The pressure to perform, the weight of guilt, and the fear of falling short can leave you exhausted. Yet what if you could finally stop striving and step into real freedom? The good news is—you can.
Series Set Free - A Study In The Book Of Galatians May 4, 2026 · 42 min · Set Free - A Study In The Book Of Galatians
The pressure to perform, the weight of guilt, and the fear of falling short can leave you exhausted. Yet what if you could finally stop striving and step into real freedom? The good news is—you can. ...more Show the full description Show less The pressure to perform, the weight of guilt, and the fear of falling short can leave you exhausted. Yet what if you could finally stop striving and step into real freedom? The good news is—you can.
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The Good News of Grace 0:00 There's lots of questions about what the gospel is in our culture today and in the church. So we're gonna be diving into Paul's letter. We're gonna be talking a lot about the0:12 gospel and grace. Galatians chapter 1 verse 6. Here's what Paul said, here's what he said. He says, I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting.0:24 Woah, right off the bat. Deserting the 1 who called you to live in the grace. Everybody say grace. Grace. The book of Galatians is about grace. We're gonna look at what grace is. We're gonna look0:35 at what grace isn't. The grace of Christ, and you're actually turning, Paul says, you're actually turning to a different gospel. The word gospel is0:47 literally translated from the Greek biblical text as good news. Everybody say, good news. Man, I love good news. I I love when somebody comes up and says, man, I got good news. Your spirit's open. It's like, ah, I can't0:59 wait. If somebody comes up to you and says, man, I got some bad news. All of a sudden you protect yourself. You're like, woah. Can you give it to me later? Nobody wants bad news. I mean, I don't want bad news. I I mean1:10 just the word bad news. Everybody say bad news. Man I don't want to hear bad news. It's like, ah, email me. It's like I ain't read it, come on now. But good1:21 news, your spirit gets open. The word gospel is the Greek word, ouangelion. That's literally, and it means good news, good message. Paul1:33 says the gospel is good news, not bad news. It's good news. Everybody say good news. Your spirit's open. It's like I'm ready for it. Give it to me. Good news. Paul says the gospel1:45 is good news, not bad news. It's good news. The gospel encompasses the totality of what Christ did for us on the cross. How we were reconciled1:57 in our sin, we're reconciled to God. We're redeemed from our sin. Yes. There is definitions of the gospel. I've taught it for years. I've been the pastor here. Church of King started 26 years ago. And I've given you the2:08 definition many times. What is the gospel? It's the it's the virgin birth of Christ. The the Christ is sinless. He lived a sinless life. It's the life, it's the death, it's the burial and the resurrection of2:20 Christ. The virgin birth, the sinless life of Christ, the death of Christ on the cross, the burial of Christ, the resurrection of Christ. Absolutely. That is the definition. Paul writes2:32 in first Corinthians. Here's what he says. For I passed on to you what was most important that after Christ has died for our sins, just as the scripture said, he was buried and he was raised from the dead2:44 end of the third day, just as the scripture said. The gospel of grace. That is the technical definition. Life, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. But it's more than that. It's got2:56 to go from your head to your heart. I know a lot of people that can recite the gospel, the life, the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Christ, but it's never transformed their life. Because they they they've3:08 never allowed the gospel to penetrate the core of who they are. I've shared Christ with people just like you guys. I've been a Christian since I was in college and shared Jesus with people. And you3:20 get to this moment, you're like, you know, you know, what it means to follow Christ. And people say, listen, I want my life to be better. Pastor, does the gospel make your life better? Absolutely. But it's more than just3:30 making your life better, it transforms you. The gospel is transformation. Look, you can go to Dale Carnegie life and your life can get better, but how many know it doesn't transform your heart? Nothing wrong with3:41 that, but Jesus transforms. Everybody say transforms. In other words, like you're going 1 way, you're boom, you're transformed, you go another way. I love testimonies.3:54 I love we don't have time when our church was smaller, you know, we'd have testimony night, you know, people come up here and you know, and he'd give them the microphone. Of course, you know, they'd go on and on so the4:03 pastor, I'd have to get closer and closer to him. You know what I'm talking about. Precious sister, precious brother, come on somebody. Give somebody else a chance, you know what I'm talking about. But but I love I love4:12 stories of transformation. I love And 1 of the stories, man, I remember as a young believer, I heard about Nikki Cruz, and Nikki Cruz who was the notorious gang leader for the Mau Maus in New4:23 York City, and as a young man. And and then God sent a young preacher, David Wilkerson, who started Teen Challenge. Matter of fact, we've got literally our whole Teen Challenge group over at West S1A campus,4:35 and and we love those guys. Can we just honor all the Teen Challenge that watches us every week? Come on, we love you guys at our West Coast 1 8 campus. And I love that story that that that God sent a preacher, a4:47 young preacher to reach another young guy who was hardened in sin. And let me tell you something, he didn't His life didn't just need to get better, it needed matter of fact, David Wilkerson wouldn't give4:59 up. How many are grateful that God doesn't give up on us? And he kept preaching Christ to me, preaching Christ. He got gloriously born again. Nikki Cruz got born again. Matter of fact, The Cross and the Switchblade, it's5:11 a powerful book. It sold millions of copies. It was a movie, and then Nikki's life, Run Baby Run. Nikki's still alive. David's gone on to heaven. David Wilkerson, somebody that I've looked up to for years. And and Nicky5:22 Cruz is still preaching the gospel, 86 years old. He's preaching over 50000000 people. Can I tell you? Not just because his life got better, but he was transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. How many are grateful5:34 for that? The power of the gospel. Pastor, I'm not behind literal physical prison walls. Well, maybe you're not. We have a lot of people that watch us in correctional5:46 correctional facilities all over Louisiana and Mississippi. We're honored to have you each week. But maybe you're imprisoned by pain of your past. Trauma, shame, something that happened to you. Something that maybe you5:57 did or something that somebody else did to you. Maybe it's a prison of addiction. A prison of something that feels like it's trapping you emotionally, spiritually. Well the6:09 reality is the gospel Here it is. The gospel of Jesus Christ, it goes to the core of who you are. It's not just psychological, it's spiritual transformation in your heart.6:21 The reality is the gospel is not just about getting us to heaven. Absolutely we receive Christ. It's the message of the good news that Christ died on the cross in your place, and he was raised from the dead to give you6:31 life, so that you don't have to live in a Christ less eternity, but you can be in heaven forever with God if you'll put your faith in Christ. But it transforms you in the here and now. The gospel transforms you in the6:43 here and now. We're gonna talk a lot about the gospel. We're gonna talk a lot about grace. Everybody say grace. There's lots of definitions. Grace, the unmerited favor of God. I never really understood that, so I'm gonna6:54 give you the Steve Robinson version. Here it is. Here's here's here's Grace is God doing for you, what you can't do for yourself. You couldn't save yourself, couldn't7:06 heal yourself, couldn't restore yourself, couldn't redeem yourself. Jesus, by his grace, everybody say grace. The Bible is all about God's grace. We're gonna learn a lot about grace. The book of Galatians, which was a7:18 letter Paul wrote to the churches in Galatia. It's all about the gospel and it's all about grace. What is grace, pastor? God doing for you7:31 what you can't do for yourself. Christianity is not us pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. That's not what it is. It is God doing for us what we could not7:43 do for our selves. And here's what's so cool about Christianity that that when you're forgiven, you're washed clean. Here it is. Please don't miss the other side of the gospel. It's the blood of7:55 Christ washes you, but then you're given a gift. The gift of the Holy Spirit, and it's Christ in us. Listen, I want everybody to hear me all of our location. There's only 1 person that8:07 can live the Christian life, and it's Jesus. And that's why you can't live the Christian life in your own strength. You can't It's not about your will power. It's about Christ living. Matter of fact,8:18 the theme verse of the whole book of Galatians, we're gonna be talking about this. I'm gonna be teaching our whole message on it next week. You don't wanna miss it. It's Galatians chapter 2 verse 20. Here's what Paul8:27 said, I have been crucified with Christ. It's no longer I that live, but Come on, can you say those next 3 words with me? But say it, Christ lives in8:39 me. Pastor, I just know it's so hard to live the Christian life. Absolutely in your own strength it is. I'm not suggesting there's not trials and there's not tribulation, there's not trouble. Of course there8:51 is, but it's Christ living in you. It's Christ living his life. If there's only 1 person that can live the Christian life, it's Jesus. That's why we need Christ in us living his life through us. How many are all grateful9:03 for the power of the Holy Spirit on the inside of us? Let me tell you, I've seen these bumper stickers for years. Christians aren't perfect, they're just forgiven. They're more than forgiven, they're also transformed,9:14 and they're given a gift to the Holy Spirit. That's the power of Christ on the inside of us. The gospel gives us a brand new identity. You're no longer you're no longer a prisoner of your past. You're no9:26 longer a prisoner to rejection. You're no longer a victim to sin and circumstance, but you're an overcomer. That's the Christian life. I love what Tim Keller says. Here's what he says, the gospel is not just the ABCs9:38 of Christianity, it's actually A to Z. Another preacher said it's not just the diving board, but it's actually the pool, and you don't go you don't We don't grow beyond the gospel as Christians, we grow deeper9:50 in the gospel. Of what it meant, of what Christ really did for us on the cross and who we become. A new person in Christ. A new perspective in Christ. We have new power10:02 in Christ. The problem is is that we drift. We drift, Paul writes about, from the simplicity that's in Christ. Those of you that went to the beach this summer, you know you know10:13 exactly how it happens. It's just you just you get in the water. Right? You get in the water, and those of you maybe that went to the Gulf Coast, and and you're like, okay, there's my hotel. There's my condo. Okay,10:23 there's the flag. You just kinda hanging out there maybe by yourself with some friends or buddies or kids or grandkids, and you don't realize it. And I'm not talking about getting caught in a rip current. Just the10:35 natural currents, just kind of the normal natural currents. Nothing really radical. And you're just kind of hanging out, having fun out there. And you don't realize it,10:47 but you drifted. I'm not talking about getting pulled under. I'm just talking about you're just allowing yourself just to kind of go. And you turn around and you don't realize you actually drifted. Everybody say10:58 drift. Drift. You drifted about 50, 75 or 100 yards down the beach. There's a gospel drift that all of us have to be aware of.11:10 Paul was aware of a gospel drift. The true gospel has not changed in 2000 years. And the same challenge that faced Paul is the same challenge that11:22 faces us today. That's actually why he wrote the letter to the churches in Galatia. Galatia is now in modern day Turkey. I'm gonna pull a map up in just a moment. This letter was written about 15 or 2011:34 years after Jesus's death and resurrection. Paul knew all about the importance of not drifting. Paul's mission initially was to destroy the church before he knew Christ. And then11:45 after he came to Christ, he knew the gospel and he knew the grace of God and he was he was really fired up about it. The reality is is that when Paul wrote this, Paul was concerned. He was concerned because11:58 there was a group that had come into these churches. Galatia, again let me show you the map real quick. If you guys can pull that up for me and you'll see. Galatia, modern day Turkey. It doesn't it doesn't fill Turkey12:09 today, but it's part of that. It was written about 20 years after. It's a letter. Paul was concerned. Galatia primarily consisted of Gentile believers in Jesus, non Jews.12:22 But there was a group of what's called Judaizers. And they had snuck in and they were telling Christians, they were telling these believers, it's faith in Christ plus circumcision. It's12:33 faith in Christ, but you still have to honor dietary laws. And in other words, it's faith in Christ, but you've also gotta still honor the Jewish holidays. In other words, and if you don't do that, guess what? You're not12:45 right with God. Concerned just like all of us should be concerned today. The the simplicity of12:57 Christ is really Jesus plus nothing. That's what it means to know Christ. That it's the blood of Christ, our faith in Christ. Not our faith in circumcision, not our faith in dietary loss, it's faith in Christ that saves13:08 you. It's Christ plus nothing. Paul was concerned. Paul was concerned about how they were adding things. Galatians chapter 1 verse 6, here's what he said, I am astonished that youAvoiding the Gospel Drift 13:20 are so quickly deserting the 1 who called you to live in the grace of Christ, and you're turning to a different gospel. Everybody say, Different gospel. Which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are13:32 throwing you into confusion, and they're trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. He's writing to this churches, modern day Turkey, but in Galatia. Jewish, they were gentile believers, they were13:44 being infected by Judaizers. They were saying, it's Jesus, but it's plus some things. He goes, no, no, no, no, no it's not. But even if we are an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the13:55 1 that we preach to you, let him be under God's curse. We've already said, so now I say again, if anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you've accepted, let them be14:07 under God's curse. Strong language. Woah. Paul was fired up. He's fired up because he knew the danger of the drift. He knew the14:19 danger of what happens when we start adding things to the gospel. Why is that pastor? By the way, you're gonna see next week, this is gonna shock you. He actually rebukes Peter, because Peter14:31 got caught up in a gospel drift. Yes, Peter, the apostle Peter. And all of us are subject to that. All of us can fall prey to that. The reality is is that we we we we have a hard time accepting grace. We we14:43 somehow feel that we have to add to it. Let let me be very very very clear. The gospel is not about what you do to be acceptable to God. The gospel is all about what Christ has done to14:55 make you right before God. It's the finished work of the cross. Pastor, I mean I just I thought, you know, I get nervous pastor. I've gotta I gotta pray and I gotta No, no, no. All of the Christian15:06 things that we do for God Let me just help everybody. Christian disciplines and good works are important, but that's not to make you right with God. It's because you're right with God to grow in your relationship with15:16 God and others. It does not make you right with God. Prayer does not make you right with God. Feeding the poor. All those things are good. We're gonna talk about that next week. We're gonna talk about sanctification next15:28 week. We're gonna talk about Christian work next week. But the reality is, is that Christ in us brings transformation. The gospel is not about us doing. The gospel is about15:40 what Christ has done. Let me give you guys 4 what I would call false gospels, and I'm gonna highlight this so all you guys can see this. Number 1 is what I would call the gospel of15:52 religion. Like Judaizers, this 1 says this, you gotta add to the gospel. People will say this, you gotta behave a certain way, dress a certain way. There are Christian churches16:04 in certain denominations that say that you gotta belong to their church to even go to heaven. Are you with me? There's literally churches that say, unless you Let me just help everybody. I'm a pastor, I believe you16:16 should be a member of a church, But going to a particular church, Christian church does not get you into heaven. It's your faith in the blood of Christ that gets you into heaven. Are you with me?16:30 The reality is is that the gospel of religion says you gotta belong to that particular group to be right with God. No, you've gotta belong to Christ to be right with God. Amen. The gospel of religion is a false gospel.16:41 Number 2 is what I call the hyper grace gospel. This 1 says do whatever you want. This is pervasive in the body of Christ right now. This 1 says do whatever you want, God will forgive16:53 you. There's no repentance, there's no confession of sin, there's no accountability. Can I help everybody? Grace is never a license to sin, it's empowerment to overcome sin.17:05 Very, very important. I'm gonna be teaching next week, do Christians repent after they get saved? Absolutely. 1 John one:nine is written to Christians that we confess our sin.17:17 The 7 churches in the book of Revelation, 5 Jesus said repent. Everybody say repent. Repent. A hyper grace gospel is an overemphasis on 1 thing and it actually I17:29 believe moves into a false gospel. Doesn't bring accountability. We're gonna talk about that next week. How many of y'all excited about this series? Are y'all fired up about this? Here's17:40 another 1, what I call the broad path gospel. This 1 says there's many ways to God. Just be a good person, don't hurt anybody, be true to yourself. Do you. Where's that in the bible?17:53 Just do you. Be true to yourself. Christianity is 1 option among many. The problem is Jesus made it really clear. He says, I am the way. Everybody say, the way. Not a way, not a preferred18:05 way, but the way. And so there's big mixture, that's called universalism. The bible doesn't teach that. The gospel says that Jesus is the way18:17 into relationship with the father. Let me give you another 1, the gospel of works. This 1 says, it's a false gospel. This is a false gospel. Paul says, beware lest you depart. Don't desert18:29 the true gospel. Don't drift, you're you're 100 yards down. This this 1 says this, here it is. If I'm good in my life, if the good in my life outweighs my bad, then I'll be accepted by God when I die,18:41 and I stand before him 1 day. In other words, there's some people believe that. Are you going to heaven? I hope I hope so. Anybody that says they hope so does not know the gospel.18:53 Because you don't hope so, you know so. Not based upon pride or arrogance, it's in the furnished work of the cross. In other words, you think you can get up I mean some people literally believe it's God's got a19:02 clipboard. What you got? Well, I mean I I you know I I was mad 1 day, I was mean 1 day, I cursed somebody out 1 day, I wasn't nice 1 day, I wasn't19:14 You you boy you're adding them up.19:15 But but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but but19:17 but but but but but but but but but but but but but19:17 but I fed I bought a turkey for somebody who was poor. Okay, that was a positive. Okay, but come on over here. How many of y'all know that getting into heaven is not doing more good than bad? How many19:29 know all of our righteousness are as filthy rags? You better have faith in the blood of Christ to get you into heaven. It's not your works, it's the work of Jesus on the cross. Now let me qualify, because somebody's19:41 gonna take a YouTube clip and misquote me, so let me qualify. Christian works are important, Christian works are after you get saved, not in order to get saved.19:54 Works are important. Christian disciplines are important. Bible reading, prayer, all that's important. We're gonna talk about that's all part of sanctification and doing good, but that does not make you a Christian.20:06 This is really important. It's a false gospel. It's called the gospel of works. Again, 1 step away from grace. Man, Paul goes, be careful. Galatians chapter 1 verse 6, I'll read it20:18 1 more time. I'm astonished that you are so quickly deserting the 1 who called you to live in the grace of Christ, and you're turning to a different gospel. Maybe that's where you are right now. Maybe you've been trying20:29 to redeem yourself. Maybe you've been trusting in your own righteousness, hoping that you get to heaven 1 day and God says, You know what? You are a pretty good guy. You did more good than bad. Come on in. It's not the20:41 gospel. It's not It's all level at the cross. It's do you trust Christ as your savior? Do you believe that he died in your place? He was buried and rose again on the third day. The20:52 reality is is that we have to trust Christ. What's Paul's life? What does Paul's life teach us about the true gospel? Let Let me give you 3 things. This is gonna be a 6 week study. We're gonna be going chapter 1, chapter21:04 2, chapter 3, and I believe each week the fire of God's word is gonna burn in your heart. It's gonna put a faith inside of you. Faith comes by what? Say it. Hearing and hearing by God's word. What Paul's21:16 life teaches us about the true gospel, number 1, encounter Jesus. Look what Paul said. I want you to know, I'm gonna go verse by verse. By the way, I will read just about every verse. I'm not gonna be able to teach on21:28 every verse, but I'm gonna wet your appetite where you'll be able to dig like a noble Berean, go much deeper into God's word. Paul says, I want you to know brothers and sisters that the gospel I preach is not of human21:40 origin. I did not receive it from any man nor was I taught it, rather I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. What was Paul saying? Paul was saying, I had an encounter with21:51 Christ. There's a lot of people that go to church, they've never had an encounter with Christ. I mean they've never been transformed with Christ. They wanted to add Jesus onto their life, but22:03 they've never met Christ. What happened Pastor Duke Paul? I'll tell you what. By the way his name wasn't always Paul. His name first was Saul, and the bible actually said he had letters in his hand. He had letters in his22:15 hand. He was a Jewish zealot. He was a religious zealot. He was on the way to Damascus, Syria, modern day Syria, Damascus. It's still a city today. And the bible say he had letters in his hand to do what? To throw22:26 Christians in prison, to torture them and ultimately to kill them. Do you know the Bible says in Acts chapter 8 Read Acts chapter 8 and Acts chapter 9. There was a young man named Saul that was superintending and22:38 overseeing the first Christian martyr's death. His name was Stephen. And the Bible says that literally, Saul, who became Paul, was on the road to Damascus and the Bible said he had22:50 an encounter with Christ. And he was knocked to the ground and the Lord started talking to Saul and he realized and he realized, oh my gosh, my whole life I was living for myself23:02 and now I've met Christ. What happens is is that when you try to live the Christian life in your own strength and you've never truly been born23:14 again. 1 day a religious leader came to Jesus and he said, he goes, What must I do? I mean, how do I get into this thing? And Jesus goes, You need to be born again. Born again? What does it mean to be born again? You'reShow more In this video 0:00 The Good News of Grace13:20 Avoiding the Gospel Drift23:20 Encountering Christ Through Paul's Life37:08
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