THE DEFENSE OF THE GOSPEL PART 1

NO OTHER GOSPEL  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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The truth of the gospel must affect every part of our lives.

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In the years prior to the American Civil War there was an interesting situation that frequently occurred within the Southern Presbyterian Church. Philip Ryken in his commentary on Galatians (pg. 59) writes:
“In those days it was customary for Presbyterian elders to give their parishioners tokens signifying that they were eligible to participate in the Lord’s Supper. Sadly, in some churches African slaves were not given the customary silver token, but one made of base metal. Nor were they allowed to receive the elements until all the white church members had been served. This was a divisive and prejudicial way of handling an ordinance that God intends to signify our union together in Christ. Whether the elders believed the gospel or not, their actions clearly denied it.”
This morning, as we continue on in our study of Galatians, we come to a very difficult passage, . It is not difficult to understand the text. It is difficult because our text demonstrates a problem in the life of one of the most beloved characters in all of Scripture — the Apostle Peter.
Peter, referred to as Cephas in our text, was the outspoken leader of the twelve apostles. He was an impetuous man by nature, and often given to the side effects of having foot in the mouth disease. I identify with Peter in that I am often careless, and my carelessness will from time to time cause problems for me or even for others.
As a side note, we all have unique personalities and characteristics that I believe are given us by design of the Creator. It is as difficult for a careless person to overcome his or her propensity towards carelessness as it is for a perfectionists to give up his or her propensity toward perfectionism. In a very real sense we are what God designed us to be. That however does not let us off the hook for problems that we create as a result of our unique personality traits.
I believe that Paul probably qualified as a genius. He could not only see how A would lead to B, but he could see how it would lead to Z and every letter in between. I, on the other hand, have a hard time just seeing how A leads to B sometimes.
Today, as we look at our passage we will review the overall thrust of these first two chapters of Galatians, which is namely that Paul is defending his apostleship, and the gospel that he preached among the Gentiles. Then we will look at the agreement in Jerusalem, followed by the division in Antioch. Throughout all of this I want you to keep in mind that the truth of gospel must impact every area of our lives.
Let’s read together.
REVIEW
Paul’s Apostleship was under attack
Paul’s message was under attack
Paul did not receive his gospel from man
He was not taught the gospel before conversion
He was not available to be taught it after conversion
His message was confirmed by the Jerusalem Pillars as being the true gospel
His apostleship was confirmed as well
Paul received his gospel by revelation
I. AGREEMENT IN JERUSALEM ()
A. Agreed on the Gospel Message
B. Agreed on the requirements for Gentiles
C. Agreed on the apostleship of Paul
II. DIVISION IN ANTIOCH ()
A. Antioch – An Experimental Church
1. Jews evangelized Gentiles
2. Jews and Gentiles Worshiped Together in the Same Boy
3. A New Name – Christian
4. -30; 5:6; 6:14-16
B. Peter vs. Paul
1. Peter’s stay in Antioch
a. He was apparently there for a lengthy visit – “prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat…”
b. He was there, probably sometime after the conclusion of the first missionary journey of Paul & Barnabas
c. He was probably desiring to see this Experimental Church and evaluate it for himself
d. Many believe that Paul was absent for a time. And it was during his absence that the men from James came
e. When Paul returned he saw a change in things at Antioch
2. Peter’s Knowledge Regarding the Gospel and Gentiles
a. incident
b. Private Council in Jerusalem
c. Peter was without excuse
d. Sometimes godly people act in ungodly ways
3. Peter’s Actions Affected Others
a. The rest of the Jews followed suit
b. Barnabas was led astray
i. This may have had ramifications that led to the split between Paul & Barnabas in
c. The Gentile believers were being led to think they had to become Jews in order to have fellowship with the Jewish believers
4. The Straight Forward Truth of the Gospel
a. By grace alone
b. Through faith alone
c. In Christ alone
i. His Deity
ii. His Perfection
iii. His Substitution
iv. His Resurrection
III. THE TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL MUST AFFECT EVERY AREA OF OUR LIVES
A. The Gospel Affects Our Church Life
B. The Gospel Affects Our Home Life
C. The Gospel Affects Our Work Life
D. The Gospel Affects Our Political Life
E. The Gospel Affects Our Recreation
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