GALATIANS 2:11-13 | THE FEAR OF MAN
Notes
Transcript
INTRO
INTRO
EXPLANATION: The exact timing of when the events here in Galatians 2 we are about to look at actually took place is debated.
EXPLANATION: The exact timing of when the events here in Galatians 2 we are about to look at actually took place is debated.
I believe it took place following the events of Acts 15 when Paul and Barnabas made their way to Jerusalem because there was some that came over to Antioch and began to preach that works had to be added to salvation.
As we mentioned a few weeks back, Paul wasn’t the household name yet that he is today.
His popularity and notoriety was small, and so they made their was to Jerusalem to talk to the ones that really had authority: Peter, James, and John.
It was then that these “pillars” of the faith stood by the message that Paul had been preaching, and further encouraged Paul to continue in the ministry.
That makes the events we are going to look at over these next couple weeks even more troublesome.
Paul shares that Peter made his was down to Antioch, where he and Barnabas were ministering and winning people to Christ.
But what took place was unexpected.
We find that Peter had plugged in and joined in the fellowship with the Gentile believers.
What a special place this was as it was the very first Gentile church.
It was a place that pictured the grace of God having been extended to those outside of the Jewish lineage.
Praise God, because if God’s grace didn’t come to the Gentiles, I would have no hope… and I’m guessing most of you as well.
I don’t think we have very many here that are from a Jewish lineage.
It was the place where they were first called Christians.
Prior to this, they were just known those who were of “the way”
But for the first time they were called Christians, “little Christs”
What and exciting time and what an exciting group to be a part of.
And now Peter had come and was enjoying the excitement that surrounded this group of first century Gentile believers!
But then something happened, a group of Jewish religious leaders arrived.
And with them, they brought their adherence to the Jewish laws.
Peter, this pillar of the faith.
This final authority surrounding the truth of the Gospel as we saw previously.
Rather than standing against their false teachings, Peter faded into the shadows.
For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.
The guy that was once present at all of the get togethers with these young Gentile believers, now suddenly had an excuse for why he couldn’t be there anymore.
He must have stopped returning Paul’s calls and stopped responding to his texts.
The man who had walked with Christ, walked on water, preached at Pentecost, and was viewed as a pillar of the Gospel, was no longer taking a stand.
And the end of the verse tells us why, “fearing them which were of the circumcision.”
We don’t know if these were wealthy Jewish leaders
We don’t know if there was a prior connection with Peter
We don’t know if it was just because there was a group of them.
But whatever the reason, what we do know is that Peter feared them.
Now it may have been a physical fear that he was dealing with.
“What are they going to do to me?”
But I think more than likely, it was a fear of what they would think!
The fear of man bringeth a snare: But whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.
ILLUSTRATION: The desire for acceptance is a very real thing.
ILLUSTRATION: The desire for acceptance is a very real thing.
When you are growing up in school, everyone wants to be accepted.
Everyone wants to find their “group”
So you wear different clothes.
You do your hair a certain way.
Just look back at your pictures for your teenage years.
And right when you start to think, “what was I thinking to look like that” just remember it was because you wanted acceptance!
Why, because you feared rejection.
The fear of man bringeth a snare.
APPLICATION: Don’t you wish we could just always be super Christians.
APPLICATION: Don’t you wish we could just always be super Christians.
Don’t you wish that you always responded to situations the right way.
That you always gave the right answers in the right way
That you never struggled with pride, or unforgiveness, or fear?
But Peter reminds us that no matter who you are, or how bold you may think you are, or how polished you may appear, you are still a candidate to fall to the temptations you face.
Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
Even the best of of men are but men at best!
The reality is, we all fight the battle of acceptance at some level.
We don’t want to be rejected.
We want people to like us.
We want to have friends.
If your an introvert, you don’t need a lot of friends, but you still want some!
And sometimes that acceptance comes at the expense of what we know we ought to be as a Christian.
EXPLANATION: And that is where Peter found himself.
EXPLANATION: And that is where Peter found himself.
Did Peter know what was right? Absolutely.
But just because Peter knew what was right, doesn’t mean he always did it!
APPLICATION: Sometimes in your Christian life you will have the boldness of Peter at Pentecost.
APPLICATION: Sometimes in your Christian life you will have the boldness of Peter at Pentecost.
But oftentimes, in the Christian life it is easy to find yourself in the fear of Peter at Antioch.
What Peter didn’t realize, was the impact his decisions could have.
And friend, the reality is you don’t know the impact your decisions could have as well!
V.13, THE IMPACT ON OTHERS
V.13, THE IMPACT ON OTHERS
And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.
ILLUSTRATION: When I was in 3rd grade, I was in a play with the rest of my class.
ILLUSTRATION: When I was in 3rd grade, I was in a play with the rest of my class.
It was around Christmas time and our class was doing the play, “A Christmas Carol”
I was given the roll of Scrooge’s deceased friend, Marley.
I remember having fake chains dangling from me and giving a moving performance.
Surprisingly it was the last play I was asked to participate in.
When you are in a play you’re given a roll and your job is to “act” out that roll
To pretend to be someone that you are not.
To put on a different face, so to speak.
EXPLANATION: Here in v.13, there are two words that are used the contain within them similar meanings.
EXPLANATION: Here in v.13, there are two words that are used the contain within them similar meanings.
The word dissimulation is the Greek word Hypokrisei which we obviously get our english word, hypocrisy.
The word dissembled means to act hypocritically together in a group.
When the rest of the Jews there in Antioch saw Peter start acting a different way when he was with this other religious Jewish group, they two began to follow suit
Things got so bad, that Barnabas himself, the Bible says, was carried away with their hypocrisy.
Peter’s decision to act one way when he was with one group and to act a different way with another group, had costly affects!
The one who was supposed to be a pillar, turned out to be a buoy that bobbed with the waves of whichever group was around him at the moment.
He was wearing different faces, and the consequences were detrimental to those who were following his example.
ILLUSTRATION: You would think that Peter would have realized this, because this wasn’t the first time he had made a decision that affected others around him.
ILLUSTRATION: You would think that Peter would have realized this, because this wasn’t the first time he had made a decision that affected others around him.
Close to 20 years before, Peter was on a boat with some of the disciples… but this wasn’t some luxury cruise or even a fun day out on the lake.
No Peter was so discouraged, he had decided to quit following Christ.
There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples.
Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.
When Peter decided to stop following Christ and go back to his life before he met Christ, there was a boat full of Jesus’s disciples that followed him.
His decision had dire affects on others!
EXPLANATION: Now here he is again, 20 years later, turning away from what he knows is the truth.
EXPLANATION: Now here he is again, 20 years later, turning away from what he knows is the truth.
And when he did, others followed his lead.
APPLICATION: Who is watching you?
APPLICATION: Who is watching you?
It could be a family member, a son or daughter, a coworker, a spouse.
They are watching to see if what you say you believe is the real deal or not.
You say you believe the Bible, but do you live by it.
Does it really have any bearing in your life?
You say that you love his church, but do your actions demonstrate that?
Do you actually like being around God’s people, or are you the first out the door?
You say that what you have with Christ is real, but when the pressure gets turned up, do you stay faithful to him?
Friend, what will it take to make you stop following Christ?
What situation, what amount of money, what other person’s failure, would get you to stop living for God?
For some it doesn’t take much… at the first sign of struggle, you tuck tail and run.
And when you do, there are kids that are watching.
There are family members questioning if any of it was real to begin with.
There are others who will be carried away by your dissimulation!
Friend, recognize the impact it would make if you were to walk away from the truth of Gospel, and allow that to help motivate you to keep on going!
Mom, dad, your kids need to see you be real!
They need to see you staying true to this Book!
Don’t be the reason your kids walk away from God, because they knew what you had wasn’t real, because you weren’t willing to stand for it!
Blessed is the man That walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor standeth in the way of sinners, Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord; And in his law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That bringeth forth his fruit in his season; His leaf also shall not wither; And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so: But are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Friend, don’t be blown around by the uncertain winds of this world, but hold tightly to the truth!
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
THE IMPACT ON OTHERS
V.14, THE IMPACT ON THE GOSPEL
V.14, THE IMPACT ON THE GOSPEL
But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?
EXPLANATION: We will dive further into Paul’s response next week, but we see here that Peter’s decision ultimately hurt the message of the Gospel
EXPLANATION: We will dive further into Paul’s response next week, but we see here that Peter’s decision ultimately hurt the message of the Gospel
How could what he had preached be real, when he was so quick to abandon standing for it?
ILLUSTRATION: Friend, the Gospel is on trial.
ILLUSTRATION: Friend, the Gospel is on trial.
And your life has been called to the witness stand.
The evidence has been presented.
Where you went.
What you watched
How you spoke
The internet sites you visited when you thought no one was watching
The bitterness you have held against that person that wronged you
The anger you are harboring because they hurt the one you love
And over on the nightstand, or maybe on the book shelf, or maybe just sitting on the seat in the car during the week, there sits your Bible.
Dust has collected on it’s cover.
There is a musty smell that unused books collect
If you were to open it, you might find some markings from a time a while ago in which you once read it and God spoke to you.
But nothing recently.
It’s become little more than a decoration or a nuisance you have to move every time you get in your car to drive it.
Yes, the Gospel is on trial, your life is on the witness stand, and sadly, there is very little evidence of anything resembling what a Christian should be.
ILLUSTRATION: For about 6 years, Tressa and I traveled around the northwest and parts of the midwest preaching revival meetings.
ILLUSTRATION: For about 6 years, Tressa and I traveled around the northwest and parts of the midwest preaching revival meetings.
Everywhere we would go, I would preach during the meeting.
Sometimes it was 3 services, sometimes 5, sometimes more and sometimes less.
In every service there was a consistent goal, we wanted to see Christians experience revival
A stirring in their heart to get on fire for the things of God.
During those years there was a message that I preached on occasion that stemmed from a book that I had read years before.
It was a book about Christians having revival
They would read their Bibles
They would pray
They would be faithful to church
They would tell others about Christ.
The title of the book was “Return to Normal”
Because if Christians would do the things they are just supposed to do, then we would have revival.
APPLICATION: If the proof of you being a Christian was based on the life you lived last week, would there be any evidence?
APPLICATION: If the proof of you being a Christian was based on the life you lived last week, would there be any evidence?
What in your life from this past week demonstrated that you are a Christian? A “little Christ”
Sadly, for most Christians, there is little if any proof.
Could it be that the Gospel has lost it’s effectiveness, not because it has lost its potency, but because the conduit through which it is supposed to be delivered isn’t fulfilling it’s duty.
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
ILLUSTRATION: I was emptying the ashes out of our stove into a bucket to take outside.
ILLUSTRATION: I was emptying the ashes out of our stove into a bucket to take outside.
It was cold, but at that time there wasn’t much snow on the ground
There were a few hot coals but for the most part that fire was out.
I gathered up the coals into the bucket and took it outside and dumped it on the pile of branches on the hillside by our house and went back inside.
A few hours later I was inside the house, when I saw a light flickering on the wall
I looked out the window to see a raging fire.
I ran and grabbed the water hose, hooked it up and turned on the water to help control the fire.
But nothing happened.
I checked the spigot, it was on, I could hear the water, but nothing was coming out.
It was then that I realized, water had frozen in the line.
I unhooked the hose and ran it to our garage faucet and began to run hot water through it.
It took a few minutes but the water began to run out and I was able to take the hose back over and get the fire under control!
APPLICATION: You know, there wasn’t an issue with the water.
APPLICATION: You know, there wasn’t an issue with the water.
There was still a big need with the fire burning out of control
The supply was available, the need was there.
The problem was the conduit was icy on the inside.
And before that water could flow through, the ice had to be melted.
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
Christian, have you grown icy on the inside?
Is your heart and passion for God what it should be?
Is there a burning in your heart for others to know Christ?
Or have the cares of this life and the fear of man stolen away from your boldness for Christ?
It may be time today to “Return to Normal”
To ask God to stir your spirit, and give you a boldness to stand boldly for Christ!
You know, this event in Peter’s life was devastating.
Many were effected by his fear and refusal to stand.
The Gospel was hindered because he gave an unclear message with the way he was living.
But Peter got things right
And God restored his boldness.
How do I know?
Well if you were to flip some pages to the back of your Bible you would find two little books called 1 and 2 Peter.
We would learn from history that at the end of his life, Peter stood for Christ and was crucified upset down because he defended his faith.
Peter was a real person like you and me.
He struggled just like you and me.
But when he got back on track for God, God still had a purpose for him and He used him.
Friend, God wants to use you.
Don’t allow the fear of man to keep you from standing boldly for Christ.
Why don’t you ask God help you to “be normal” today
Ask Him to make you a clean conduit that is ready to be used
And make this week a week full of proof that you are a following of Christ!