Galatians 2

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Galatians 2:15–19 ESV

15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. 17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God.

Read vss 15-19

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Intro

There is a phrase that is repeated over and over again, in one of the songs we occasionally sing...

In the first verse we sing:

“I have decided to follow Jesus”

In the second verse, we sing:

“The cross before me, the world behind me”

In the third verse, we sing:

“Though none go with me, still I will follow”

And then.. in every single verse..

The phrase that is repeated.. over and over..

Is: “No turning back, no turning back”

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There are certain individuals who’s lives are gifted with incredible idealism and discipline..

and amongst these gifted individuals..

this statement is made.. with great conviction..

NO TURNING BACK. NO MATTER WHAT!!! ++

These idealistic and disciplined individuals often face a unique challenge.

…where as, the one who struggles in their flesh day in and day out doesn’t generally develop a problem with legalism. They have other unique challenges of the flesh…

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But the one with strong idealistic discipline… - The one who has declared, THAT NO MATTER WHAT… they are not TURNING BACK… - they face a unique challenge… because, the flesh is weak, and they are still in the flesh… and that weakness reveals itself differently in different people.

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One person might struggle in obvious ways… with addiction, pornography, gluttony, dishonesty, greed… - their deeds are are obvious and accepted as being socially immoral.

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But the one who declares… no matter what… that they will not turn back… the one who banks on their own will power to not commit immoral deeds of sin… - well, the weakness of their flesh finds a different route of expression… and usually… they end up being legalistic and judgmental.

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for them… fellowship w/other believers is difficult..

find fellowship w/other believers difficult..

Because they don’t understand..

Why others cannot, and will not adhere to the same disciplines as they do. ++

They say: “no turning back”..

And they believe it.. completely..

Others say.. “no turning back”

And it’s merely a dream… ++

Others agonize with the reality of their flesh..

Maybe now… for a season.. .. they have a zeal and commitment to the Lord..

But soon, that zeal and commitment is going up against the passions and desires for the things of the world.. It’s going to face their own struggles with depression… their own conflicts with addiction… their own curses that their unique lives have heaped upon them…

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And soon.. the passions and desires of the world.. are going to win out.. ++

And we remember that line… in that song…

it’s… “following Jesus.. The Cross before me.. the world behind me.. though none go with me… “

No matter what..

I’m not turning back..

From following Jesus.. ++

To the world.. to the pressures of those who don’t want me to follow Jesus..

No way.. not an option..

No turning back.. no turning back.. ++

And it’s a statement.. that causes shame.. to rise up w/in us..

It inflicts w/in us.. those feelings of guilt..

We begin to feel like failures.. loosers.. no-good to God or anybody.. ++

What’s the use.. I might as well forget living for God all together and buy a case of Michelob, kick the dog, subscribe to all the movie channels and stay home on Sundays and sleep in…

Why?

Because I turned back.. - I didn’t want to. I didn’t mean to. But I struggled, and I failed. - So… what’s the use?

I’m always turning back..

I turn.. from the cross that is before me..

To the world that is behind me..

Over and over again..

What’s the use???? ++

In the past 20 years, we have been in fellowship with people, who are now out of fellowship.

Many of them are empty.. because those folks who once sat there, are now involved in one of our church plants..

Many of them.. are empty.. because they grew discontent with this church.. or became offended by someone.. or burned a bridge with a person here..

And so.. instead of being committed to the family..

Instead of working out the problem..

They participated in the Great American Pastime amongst believers..

-The reasons for that are many - But one of the reasons… concerns this all too common struggle.

And they shifted into another church..

A lot of those empty seats..

Those people are still.. in fellowship..

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But.. there are many..

Where individuals once sat regularly.. where individuals made themselves part of this family..

They grew frustrated with their own “turning back”..

And they grew frustrated with their own “turning back”..

And they said.. “What’s the use?”

Right now.. they’re sleeping in… - they’re going to get up in a bit, open a bottle of Michelob and kick the dog…

They left an empty seat here in our midst..

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And right now..

Maybe your seat.. is feeling threatened.. that soon.. it too will be empty..

Because you too.. are about to give in to the frustration..

And you’re thinking about the case of Michelob.. the movie channels.. the dog.. and the fishing shows on ESPN…

And you’re moving there slowly..

To that place where you too are about to ask:

“What’s the use?”

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Paul said.. in vs. 18..

SLIDE 2 -

Galatians 2:18 ESV

18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor.

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“For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.”

And that’s where the frustrations over our own personal weakness can lead us.. - TO GO BACK.. .and rebuild that life which was lost and w/o Jesus..

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It’s one thing.. to fall.. to turn back under the pressure of our own weakness..

.. to give heed to the lust of the flesh.. the lust of the eyes.. or the pride of life..

But.. when we ask ourselves the demonic question… “What’s the use?”

Where we ask ourselves the demonic question… “What’s the use?”

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And we will repent.. and turn back again to following Jesus..

The answer… could be tragic.

Or.. the next step could be insanity..

And we might make that choice..

To build again.. those things… that lifestyle.. those motivations..

That were destroyed.. in the cross of Christ.. ++

Paul’s talking about it.. in the book of Galatians..

To establish the righteousness of man, upon the works of the law..

Is.. to destroy.. the work that Jesus did on the cross to their own benefit.. ++

Jesus offered righteousness.. freely.. by GRACE!

No merit of man..

No works..

Just the act of receiving.. that which was given.. ++

Before a life is redeemed under the blood of Jesus Christ..

It exists w/in the legal system of the law..

Where man gains a sense of good.. of self worth.. of well being..

Not by being in Christ..

But rather.. in his own works.. in his own methods.. in his own performance… ++

And they say of themselves.

That they are good.. they are peaceful.. they are happy..

Why? Because they have accomplished certain works in their life..

To merit the reward of feeling good about themselves... ++

Paul led the believers into that place..

where they received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior..

They were forgiven..

And they had righteousness.. justification.. forgiveness.. holiness..

Extended unto their lives.. freely.. ++

Not because they deserved it.. Not because they earned it. Not because they had a good long record of ‘not turning back’..

But rather.. because it was given freely.. by Grace.. in JX.. ++

But many.. to whom Paul was writing..

Were going back to that old system of the law..

They were building again.. that system for themselves..

The one.. that was destroyed in the cross.. ++

And instead of receiving justification freely..

They began to work for it.. and attempted to earn it..

By their works.. by the law.. by way of tradition.. ++

This is where the heart of chapter two is leading us..

to that place..

to that challenge..

to that issue..

the one that deals with the past..

that deals with another life..

that deals with another motivation.. ++

Not the life.. that we have in JX.. where we are forgiven.. where we have hope for eternal life..

But rather.. that life that we once lived..

That is outside of JX..

The life that is lived for self.. ++

What’s the use?

We’ll consider this question..

as we get to the end of chapter two..

Let’s look at the first ten verses…

SLIDE 4

Galatians 2:1–3 ESV

1 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. 2 I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain. 3 But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek.

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SLIDE 5

Galatians 2:4–6 ESV

4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— 5 to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. 6 And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me.

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SLIDE 6

Galatians 2:7–8 ESV

7 On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised 8 (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles),

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SLIDE 7

Galatians 2:9–10 ESV

9 and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

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(summarize)

The content we are going to focus on today comes later in the chapter… but briefly, let’s get caught up with the first half..

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In verses 1-10.. Paul continues to give his personal defense..

He has already made it clear.. that he received his message, and his commission.. from God..

And he’s not a copy-cat.. or a charlatan, or a poser in any way..

He met Peter and James.. three years after his conversion.. ++

But it brief..

After 14 years of ministry.. Paul returned to Jerusalem..

Not because he had to prove anything to them..

Not because he sought out their stamp of approval..

No.. he went.. because God revealed this need, directly to Paul

He went up.. by revelation. ++

He shared the ministry that God had given him.. to the Gentiles..

He shared the disputes and conflicts that he was facing.. over the issues of the law..

And even the church in Jerusalem.. approved.. ++

Paul had with him, in Jerusalem, an uncircumcised Gentile believer..

And the leaders in Jerusalem did not compel him to take on the Hebrew sign of the covenant.. ++

To settle things on this issue.. the church in Jerusalem put out an official stand on this issue..

It’s recorded in .. ++

And of the Gentile believers.. the only thing they were asked to do:

Was to abstain from things offered to idols, from blood.. from things strangled, and from sexual immorality.

Essentially.. they were not bound to the law..

But, were encouraged to veer away from those things which had idolatrous associations..

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SLIDE 8

Galatians 2:11–13 ESV

11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

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SLIDE 9

Galatians 2:14–16 ESV

14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?” 15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

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It’s not abundantly clear what’s going on here..

but we can conclude a few things.. ++

Before this group of believing Jews came from Jerusalem..

Peter would eat with the Gentiles..

Remember, in the early days of the church..

They regularly had these love-feasts..

It was part of their gathering.. they would have a pot-luck.. ++

Peter attended fellowship gatherings with believers in Antioch.. and in doing so.. also ate meals with the Gentiles..

Which.. to a religious Jew.. was a terrible thing to do..

For.. to share a meal w/someone.. was an act of unity and oneness..

And if a Jew were dipping his bread in the same bowl bean-dip as the Gentile..

He was becoming one with a Gentile..

And to a Jew.. this was unheard of. ++

But.. Peter understood the grace of God.. and knew that eating w/Gentiles was not an issue..

Until.. some of his comrades from Jerusalem showed up..

Suddenly.. Peter began to feel a little peer pressure..

And when the church in Antioch came together..

There developed… a new division.. ++

The Jews from Jerusalem were apparently.. uncomfortable with the idea of eating w/Gentiles..

So Peter.. gave heed to their prejudice..

And participated.. in a division.. ++

Obviously.. there must have also been some kind of an encouragement to the Gentile believers..

Either by example.. or by instruction..

To practice something in a Jewish manner..

For Paul says.. in vs. 14.. that Peter’s actions were compelling the Gentiles to live as Jews.. ++

Paul reminded Peter..

“Hey.. you lived like them.. you ate with them..”

And now.. you are going to portray an opposing message? ++

Peter wasn’t concerned with impressing Paul..

But.. when his fellow apostle.. the guy whom most believe as being the head-honcho back in Jerusalem..

… sent some fellow believing Jews up the Antioch..

Peter.. felt the need and the compulsion..

To impress these guys.. - to cater to their prejudice, in spite of how he had been behaving up until that point. ++

Imagine.. they all came together in a home..

And the food comes out..

The Gentile believers are going through the line.. – having some shrimp.. a piece of bacon.. some mutton.. a glass of milk..

And now.. they’re looking at Peter.. wondering why he’s holding back.. ++

He chowed down heartily before..

Now.. he’s backing away.. behaving differently.. What’s up? ++

Almost everyone knows peer pressure.. in one form or another..

Bob get around the folks at church.. and Bob knows the right thing to do and say… Bob is doing great as a spiritual man, at church with the Christian people..

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And then.. one guys at work says: “Hey Bob.. let’s hang-out.”

Five minutes later.. Bob finds himself staring at a shot of Jack Daniels in a Strip joint.. wondering..

“How in the world did I get here?” ++

And we’ve all asked similar questions.. one way or another..

Why am I doing this?

How did this happen?

Why did I allow myself to make this decision?

Why do these people have such a strong influence on me? ++

And.. inevitably.. we consider our knowledge of right and wrong..

We consider the struggle.. to live for God..

We think about the difficulty.. of denying the flesh..

And.. in the face of our failures.. the demonic question arises..

“What’s the use?” ++

SLIDE 10

Galatians 2:17–19 ESV

17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God.

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When someone gives you a present..

maybe.. you feel a tinge of guilt.

“ahh.. I don’t deserve this.. I can’t receive this.. you shouldn’t have done this.. “ ++

Why do we act this way?

Because.. receiving a gift.. hits a sensitive part of our pride..

We think.. “I didn’t earn this.. now, I automatically have a sense of obligation towards the one who gave this to me.”

The reality is.. “No.. we have to sense of obligation.”

If it is truly a “gift given”.. there are no strings attached.. and there is no expectation for something in return.. ++

But.. our pride demands it.. and is only satisfied.. if, we feel like we’ve paid for the gift.. or, that we’ve earned the gift..

So.. we try to show up the one who gave us the gift..

And give them something bigger..

And.. by doing so.. our pride is satisfied. ++

This is precisely why people have a problem with.. “salvation by grace”

Before grace.. it was an issue of law.. and the pride was satisfied.. because you felt like you earned that sense of justification..

Now.. we receive grace freely..

You can’t give anything back.. that will satisfy your compulsion.. to “repay”..

God does not want us to “repay” Him.

Nothing we could ever do.. would contribute a penny to the billion dollar debt that God has paid on our part..

No way.. ++

Okay.. that’s the reality..

But.. I still want to “feel” like I have done something..

I still want to “feel” like I have earned it.. or I have repaid it..

That’s why.. it was so appealing.. for the believers in the early church..

To embrace.. the traditions and the laws. ++

And so.. they would create for themselves.. a method.. a lifestyle.. a mentality..

That was contrary to Christ..

That was the life they lived.. before Jesus forgave them.. and redeemed them.. and justified them… ++

Now… they’re going back..

Here in.. is the warning.. of vs. 18..

A warning we all must heed..

It’s one thing.. to slip and fall, because we are week..

It’s another thing .. to accept it.. and to turn our backs on grace..

And build again.. a mentality.. a motivation.. a lifestyle..

That was destroyed.. in the cross of Christ. ++

Every time I drive my car… I probably break a traffic law or two..

Not because I intend to..

But.. I’ll speed.. or I’ll forget my blinker when I shift a lane..

Every time.something like this happens.....

Do I ask the demonic hopeless question:

“What’s the use?”

I might as well never drive again. ++

I’m pretty sure if you walked around downtown for more than 20 minutes.. you will probably jay-walk. You’ll cross the street in the wrong place… you’ll start in the cross walk before the green man lights up.. YOu are a jaywalker. ..

There was a little Jay-walking going on..

And I’m convinced.. every time Dave does that walk..

He anticipates the walk sign.. starts out early… before it says “Walk”..

Every time.. there are minor infractions of jay-walking going on..

“What’s the use?”

Might as well not walk again. ++

We keep on eating food..

even though we had that candy bar.. even though we ate too many fries.. even though we had seconds on steak…

“What’s the use?”

Might as well not eat food any more. ++

No.. we don’t do that.

We keep on driving.. keep on walking.. keep on eating..

We got to get places.. we got to get nourishment..

Just because we’re bad at doing it right.. doesn’t mean we stop doing it all together.. ++

I want to live for God.. but I keep on messing up..

What’s the use?

Might as well live for myself.. ++

We only make this resolution out of guilt..

We are disappointed in ourselves.. and we can’t handle being disappointed in ourselves..

So, to overcome the disspointment..

We change our standards.. and lower the threshold of right and wrong..

To do this.. we have to either change the principles of Christianity..

Or scrap it all together.. ++

Some say.. “I can’t handle making God mad all the time.”

And of course… we all know… that this is wrong thinking about God.

You’re not making Him mad..

You are surrounded by abounding grace..

You are covered by the blood of Christ..

You are living, by His righteousness. ++

So.. as long as God is pleased with His son.. He is pleased with you..

I know that doesn’t make senses..

But that’s grace.. ++

And God is further pleased..

When you come to Him.. w/repentant hearts.. and ask for His help.. His strength.. His intervention.. ++

So what drives us away?

Our own guilt.. our own disappointment.. our own shame..

These feelings w/in us.. that are alive and strong..

They exist..and behave.. in complete and total disregard to the grace of God..

To think clearly.. about ourselves.. and about God..

We need to put these things to death.. ++

These emotions.. are our links.. our connections..

To the law..

And remember.. when I say law.. I don’t always mean the OT law..

I mean.. the laws that we.. as emotional human beings..

Feel like we need to adhere to.. ++

The laws that our pride.. our guilt.. and our sense of obligation force us to practice..

So that we can earn.. the feelings that give us comfort and satisfaction… ++

To overcome this false drama..

We need to put these things in a place.. where they are not blinding us.. or deafening us..

And Paul let’s us know.. where they need to be.. ++

ON the cross!

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If I rob a bank.. and I am shot in the head.. and I fall down dead..

They’re not going to drag my corpse into the court room, and convict me.. ++

No.. I’m dead.. I’m out of the system..

That’s the message here..

In Christ.. we are to consider ourselves dead..

To the systems of our flesh..

To the desires of sin..

To the obligations of guilt

To the compulsions of pride..

To the surrender of despair..

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Salvation by works… salvation by law… we are out of that system. We are dead to it. Through the law… I died to the law, so that I might live to God. ++

Conclusion

Vs. 21.. should rock our socks..

“I do not nullify the grace of God… “

Why Paul? What happens if I do?

Then Christ died in vain.. ++

Now.. here’s how this plugs into our lives..

Because we are bummed out..

We feel bad.. because we sing the song “no turning back”

But we turn back..

We fail.. we are loosers.. we are bums..

What’s the use? ++

When we feel like.. we have failed too many times.. to receive another portion of grace..

When we get to that point..

We are insulting the cross..

We are declaring it’s work as being cheap.. and limited.. ++

We are inadvertently declaring a message to Christ..

Saying.. “His death was in vain.”

Hey Jesus.. that death on the cross thing.. thanks for doing that..

But.. it just wasn’t good enough for me.. ++

I get so frustrated w/myself.. I just.. don’t think the grace you have for me..

Is enough…. ++

The reality we need to accept..

is.. “We Are Weak.”

That’s part of what makes God so big.

That’s part of what makes grace so incredible.

That’s part of what inspires us to worship.

That’s part of what drives the reality home w/in us..

We need God.. ever so desperately..

We don’t need to turn back.. and re-create some lifestyle..

That re-explains God..

That closes God out of our lives.. ++

We don’t need to lower the standards..

By changing our perception of scriptural truth..

Or.. by dismissing that which we one considered truth..

We don’t need to satisfy.. our internal longing.. to feel justified by worldly actions..

No… we just need to crucify the flesh.. and the desires there in..

And accept the fact.. that God is going to forgive us continually..

And pick us up.. day after day.. ++

No turning back… but… darnit.... you turned back to the world… again..

And God is there… looking out the window, like the prodigal’s father… waiting for the opportunity to run to you and put that robe and that ring of forgiveness back on you as quickly as possible… to slaughter the fattened calf of blessing for you again…

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YOu have not turned back too many times… if you are still able and willing, to cry out for help and for that ongoing forgiveness. ++

We are weak..

But don’t let this be the revelation that keeps us in a place of complacency and despondency..

Don’t let this be the thing that keeps us.. weak and disengaged spiritually.. ++

No way..

Our weakness magnifies grace..

And magnified grace..

Compels thanksgiving.. love.. and devotion.. ++

You’ve heard it from me many times.. you’ll hear it many times again..

Grace is not our excuse to sin..

Grace.. is our reason to be thankful..

Our reason to be devoted..

Our reason.. to have a heart that honors god.. ++

If we truly recognize grace..

We’ll pray more.. we’ll worship more.. we’ll serve more.. we’ll be in fellowship more.. we’ll seek out His word more..

If we disregard grace.. and focus more.. on our own pride.. our own sense of personal disappointment..

Then we will not know.. or experience.. the blessings that God has in store for us..

Conclusions..

Band / Invitation!

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