GALATIANS 2:11-16 | THE ONLY TWO RELIGIONS
Notes
Transcript
TEXT: GALATIANS 2:11-16 | THE ONLY TWO RELIGIONS
TEXT: GALATIANS 2:11-16 | THE ONLY TWO RELIGIONS
INTRO
INTRO
EXPLANATION: Over the past couple weeks we have read as Peter came to Antioch and at first seemed to confirm the position that Paul had taken and the message he had preached.
EXPLANATION: Over the past couple weeks we have read as Peter came to Antioch and at first seemed to confirm the position that Paul had taken and the message he had preached.
But as we saw, somewhere along the way a group of Jewish religious leaders showed up and when they did, Peter found himself afraid, and thus he removed himself from his fellowship with the Gentile believers.
This forced Paul to confront Peter about his refusal to take a clear stand for the Gospel.
We saw last week why this was so important in Galatians 2:14
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?
This is the point of Paul recording this situation for the church at Galatia.
He had told them back in Galatians 2:5
To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.
He wasn’t interested in giving one second to someone who was preaching a gospel that contradicted the only true Gospel, no matter who it was, and that included the pillar of the faith, Peter.
What Paul then begins to dive into, would really become a theme throughout his writings.
It was his passion here in the book of Galatians and it would continue throughout the rest of his life.
For the very first time in his writings, Paul delves into the justification the believer experiences, that isn’t based in our works or keeping of the OT Law.
It is based in faith!
APPLICATION: We live in a day when religion is everywhere.
APPLICATION: We live in a day when religion is everywhere.
You can find churches or places of worship in almost every small town across the mountain NW, and you can find an array of religions in the larger towns and cities.
There are denominations for every letter of the alphabet and the list only grows week after week and month after month.
Even here in Whitehall you can find any number of religious institutions that go be various names where you can learn all sorts of diverse things.
But I am here to tell you this morning, there are actually only two categories of religion.
There aren’t actually thousands of religions, there are only two.
It’s a reality that Paul dealt with in his day and it is the subject that we will deal with this morning.
By the end of the service this morning, I hope your heart is settled in just which way you should go in your life and with your eternity!
OPTION 1: RELIGION OF WORKS
OPTION 1: RELIGION OF WORKS
EXPLANATION: Peter’s actions had given credence to the religious Jewish leaders who held firmly to the OT law.
EXPLANATION: Peter’s actions had given credence to the religious Jewish leaders who held firmly to the OT law.
There were 613 OT laws.
Many people know about the 10 commandments and believe that’s where it ends, but that is just the beginning!
There were actually 613 laws that a religious Jew was to keep.
But it went beyond that.
The religious sect didn’t believe that was enough, so they added to the 613 laws and made their own requirements in addition to those mentioned in the Scriptures.
This resulted in hundreds and even thousands of additional rules and regulations that someone would need to keep to be abiding by the “law”
The Gentiles, however, had no such rule system.
Paul would eventually write about this over in Romans 2:14
For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
The Gentiles hadn’t been given the OT law like the Jews and thus weren’t bound by it.
Now with that being said, we see the reality that even a person without the Bible, knows that their must be a God.
Because the Gentiles, who didn’t have the law, often followed the teachings contained within the law.
ILLUSTRATION: That’s why if you were to go to a tribe in Africa or in Fiji or Vanuatu, there would be certain laws that are in place in those tribes.
ILLUSTRATION: That’s why if you were to go to a tribe in Africa or in Fiji or Vanuatu, there would be certain laws that are in place in those tribes.
You can’t steal from someone else
You can’t take the chiefs wife
Why? Because God wrote it on their hearts that there are certain things that are right and certain things that are wrong.
Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
It is written in the hearts and on their conscience.
EXPLANATION: You see thats what is so interesting about those that claim to be an atheist.
EXPLANATION: You see thats what is so interesting about those that claim to be an atheist.
You see, they claim that they don’t believe in God, but God says He doesn’t believe in them.
Every person is born with the knowledge that their is a greater power, a higher being, a God.
They have to be taught and told that their isn’t one.
Here in Galatians, Paul was dealing with a people that believed their was a God, but they believed the way to Him was by the keeping of the law.
So Paul confronts Peter in v.14.
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?
“Peter if you say that you believe that anyone can receive the Gospel, and you as a Jew have spent time eating with the Gentiles, why are you now acting like those same Gentiles have to become like the Jews?”
Why are you making it seem that they need to follow the OT Law to be justified.
Justified is an important word that Paul uses here and it’s important that we understand what it means.
The be justified is to be declared righteous.
Someone said it is like “Just as if I had never sinned”
So Paul says to Peter, “you are acting like it is by keeping the law that you can be declared righteous”
You are following the religion of works!
APPLICATION: I was told recently by someone, that they despise organized religion.
APPLICATION: I was told recently by someone, that they despise organized religion.
And I just looked at them and said, “I do to!”
There will be more people that spend eternity in a lake of fire because of religion than just about anything else!
Because religion says, do these things and you will be “justified”
It is the exact same thing that Paul was dealing with here in Galatians!
And the truth is, we want religion!
I know some say they don’t, but in reality, we do!
We like the checklist!
ILLUSTRATION: There are two types of grocery shoppers: The list shoppers and the impulse shoppers
ILLUSTRATION: There are two types of grocery shoppers: The list shoppers and the impulse shoppers
And God usually puts the two together in a relationship.
When Tressa and I go to the store, she always wants to have a list.
It helps save money.
It makes sure we don’t miss anything
It saves time!
I am the impulse shopper.
I’m constantly asking myself, what sound good to me right now.
As I’m walking through Costco, I see things that sound good and I’m putting that in my cart.
They made the samples for shoppers like me!
Impulse shoppers are the reason sugar cereal exists
If you really sat down and read what was in the ingredients, you would never buy it!
But in that moment, it just looks so much better than the unflavored wheat puff!
APPLICATION: But while that may work when you are shopping for groceries, it isn’t the way we want to live with important things.
APPLICATION: But while that may work when you are shopping for groceries, it isn’t the way we want to live with important things.
ILLUSTRATION: When a surgeon is performing a surgery, there is a process that they are going through.
ILLUSTRATION: When a surgeon is performing a surgery, there is a process that they are going through.
When someone is performing a surgery on me, I want them to go through a checklist.
I don’t want spare pieces being left over like what happens when we don’t follow directions assembling a crib!
APPLICATION: When it comes to the most important thing, where you are going to spend eternity, we feel more comfortable with a list.
APPLICATION: When it comes to the most important thing, where you are going to spend eternity, we feel more comfortable with a list.
If I can just check off the religious boxes, then I can know that I’m gonna make it.
So religion tells us we need to do various things.
Across pretty much all religions, there is the requirement to live an honest life.
I need to be a good person.
All religions have various boxes you need to check off.
Most say you have to attend their place of worship
Most say if you are attending you should probably give some of your money to them.
Some add other things like you have to be baptized.
You have to eat and drink certain things
And most say you have to do something to pay for your wrong that you do.
Usually that is tied into the other things that were mentioned before.
And the truth is, we like the list.
Because if we check off those boxes, then we will know that we have done the things required to gain access to eternal life.
But here is the problem, it’s the same in Paul’s day as it is in ours:
Which list is right?
Which religion has the correct list?
So we end up doing what the religious Jews were doing and just adding as many things as we could just to try to make sure we were covering all of our bases.
Because we don’t want to miss something.
ILLUSTRATION: You know in a lot of ways, it’s a lot like what Paul saw when he was on Mars hill in Athens.
ILLUSTRATION: You know in a lot of ways, it’s a lot like what Paul saw when he was on Mars hill in Athens.
The people there were ultra spiritual and ultra religious.
In fact Paul gave them another name: Superstitious.
They had altars to every God they could come up with!
They were so concerned that they didn’t want to miss one that they created an altar and on it’s title were written the words, “The unknown God”
Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.
For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.
Paul said, you are trying to check all your boxes and make sure you complete all of your lists!
You are so religious!
APPLICATION: And that is the truth of many today, and possibly even many in our church.
APPLICATION: And that is the truth of many today, and possibly even many in our church.
You are here today, because you want to make sure you check all your boxes.
Religion demands it, and so you want to make sure you do your part.
And the truth is, it doesn’t matter what house of worship you walk into, if you are relying on your works in religion to get you to heaven, every religion will lead you to the same place.
A very real lake of fire for all of eternity!
But we are all as an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; And we all do fade as a leaf; And our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
It doesn’t matter how pretty and polished you may appear, at the end of the day, you are still a sinner.
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Paul said it this way at the beginning of Galatians 2:16
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
In v.15, he tells Peter we are Jews not Gentiles, and we know that this is true!
Paul echos this thought again over in Romans 3:20
Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
He makes abundantly clear, one of the primary purposes of the law was to show just how broken we are, not to give a checklist to keep to obtain eternal life!
Friend, any religion that begins in the first person to obtain eternal life, is based in works and leads to the same destination.
“How do you know you are going to heaven?” If your response with “I did…” It’s the wrong answer.
So that brings us to option 2, and really the heart of what Paul is trying to get across.
OPTION 2: RELATIONSHIP OF FAITH
OPTION 2: RELATIONSHIP OF FAITH
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
EXPLANATION: Paul makes things abundantly clear here in v.16
EXPLANATION: Paul makes things abundantly clear here in v.16
3 times in this one verse he states and restates that it isn’t by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ!
Paul would say it this way a little later in chapter 3
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
It was the law that brought us to the realization that we need Christ!
Friend, if we only had the 10 commandments we still would fall short.
I mean, let’s be honest, how many of you actually know them?
If your eternal life were dependent on keeping the law, don’t you think you should at least know what they were.
And the truth is, there aren’t just 10, there are 613!
It’s impossible to keep the whole law!
And James 2:10
For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
No there is no salvation found in the keeping of the law or the earning of God’s favor by your good works.
This is what the religious Jews couldn’t wrap their heads around.
And it’s what most people struggle to understand today!
APPLICATION: We think there must be some amount of good that we can do to obtain eternal life.
APPLICATION: We think there must be some amount of good that we can do to obtain eternal life.
But that is us thinking in our transactional human relationships.
If I do something for someone, they will owe me something in return.
Very rarely if ever is there truly “no strings attached”
But that isn’t how it works with God.
Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
You see friend, the eternal life that is offered to you and to me is not obtained by any good works that we can do.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
No Romans 6:23 says
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
EXPLANATION: What Paul was striving to get through to those Galatian believers through this example of Peter and the Gentile believers at Antioch, is there was only one Gospel.
EXPLANATION: What Paul was striving to get through to those Galatian believers through this example of Peter and the Gentile believers at Antioch, is there was only one Gospel.
And that Gospel only came by faith in Jesus Christ!
For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
APPLICATION: Friend, what are you counting on to get you to heaven?
APPLICATION: Friend, what are you counting on to get you to heaven?
ILLUSTRATION: I heard about a guy that found a golden lamp in the sand and when he rubbed it, a genie popped out.
ILLUSTRATION: I heard about a guy that found a golden lamp in the sand and when he rubbed it, a genie popped out.
He presented him with 3 wishes, anything he could want.
Naturally his first wish was to be the richest man who ever lived and with a wave of his hand, the genie made it happen.
He then asked for good health and long life, and once again with a wave of his hand the man was healed of all ailments and felt stronger than he’d ever felt.
This man had always wanted to go and visit Hawaii, it was a dream, but he was scared to fly and being on a boat on the ocean made him sea sick so he asked for a bridge to Hawaii.
The genie responded to the man, “that would be an enormous undertaking! The pillars that would have to go down to the bottom of the pacific. The concrete and steel would require and incredible amount materials and would exhaust the earthly resources. Surely there must be something else you want.”
The man thought for a few moments more and finally settled, “I would like to understand the mind of my wife. I want to know how she thinks, and why she makes the decisions she makes. What does she truly want, so I don’t have to hear her settle for ‘everything’s fine’ anymore.”
And with that the genie began to wave his hand once again as he asked the man, “Do you want that bridge with two lanes or with four?”
APPLICATION: If you want to go to Hawaii, there are only so many ways to get there.
APPLICATION: If you want to go to Hawaii, there are only so many ways to get there.
You can’t just do it your way.
You can have the shiniest, fastest car there is, but it isn’t going to get you to Hawaii.
No you have to get on the boat or on the plane!
Friend, how are you going to get to heaven?
If you are depending on your religion of works, according to the Word of God, you won’t make it there.
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
No, it is only through a relationship of faith in Christ that you can have eternal life!
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
Friend, I want today’s message to be crystal clear to everyone that is here today.
When you walk through the doors of this church this morning, I want it to be clear in each and every heart today.
If you are relying on a religion of your works to get you to heaven, you are on the road to a lake of fire.
Just as real as I am standing here today, one day you will stand before Christ, and on that day, if you have been relying on your works, you will be condemned for all of eternity.
There is no escape at that point, it will be too late.
Why don’t you trust in Christ this morning right where you are seated.
Friend, if you are here today and you have made that decision and you have put your faith and trust in Christ before, you don’t ever have to do it again.
God is so good that He promises when you put your trust in Christ, He gives you eternal and everlasting life.
And I’m not real smart, but I know everlasting, means it lasts forever.
You cannot lose it.
So my question to you, is why are we so focused on the trivial parts of the Christian life, and so unconcerned with the one thing that truly matter… telling others about how they can have everlasting life!
I hope today you will see the simplicity of the Gospel, and you will purpose to tell someone about it this week!