Gospel Centered Church's are Authentic

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Galatians 2:11–14 CSB
11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned. 12 For he regularly ate with the Gentiles before certain men came from James. However, when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, because he feared those from the circumcision party. 13 Then the rest of the Jews joined his hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were deviating from the truth of the gospel, I told Cephas in front of everyone, “If you, who are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel Gentiles to live like Jews?”

Gospel Centered Churches are Authentic…they are full of Authentic People who understand and have been transformed by the power of the Gospel...

Let me tell you what Im not saying before we dive into the passage this morning...
I am not saying that we should be complacent in our authenticity...
Paul’s words apply here...
Im not saying that we should celebrate sin and brokenness
God isnt please with sin and brokenness…he died for it...
What I am saying is this…because the gospel is true…we must embrace who we really are…so that we can experience who God really is...

Truth #1: Inauthenticity Is a Big Problem

Galatians 2:11 CSB
11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned.
So far in the verse…all we know is that Peter and Paul have a sharp disagreement when Peter comes to Antioch.
So much so that Paul says “I opposed him to his face...” You know how it looks when a baseball coach disagrees with an umpire goes out to tell him how good he is at his job?
That’s what I imagine this moment would have been like there in Antioch.
Paul uses a word that historians would use during this time period to describe what would happen when two opposing military units would go to battle with each other.
So Paul is literally saying that He went to war against Peter...
Why? Paul says he went to war because Peter… “stood condemned”
Paul’s wording in this phrase “stood condemned” is sharp. What Paul is saying is that Peter had behaved in a way that made him criminal before God and and man. He was guilty...
And the question ought to be…guilty of what?
Let’s read it together…
v. 12— “for he regularly ate with the Gentiles before certain men came from James.”
Paul says that the reason that he opposed Peter and the reason why he was condemned was because he changed his table manners…You’re like, “What? He changed his table manners?”
Yes...
Read it again...
Galatians 2:11–12 CSB
11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned. 12 For he regularly ate with the Gentiles before certain men came from James. However, when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, because he feared those from the circumcision party.
Paul says that the reason why Peter was condemned here in Antioch was because…at one point he was eating with the Gentiles…and then out of fear of the men who had come from James…whom he calls “the circumcision party” he stopped…He switched tables…he stopped eating at the Gentile lunch table…and he only ate with Jewish people.
We need to pause here and talk about why this is such a big deal. Because if we dont understand the role that eating meals had in the 1st century we will miss the entire point of the passage.
Fellowshipping Around the Table in our day and age is significant…When we invite someone over to a family meal it is a big deal…however in the first century sharing a meal with someone had far greater cultural implications that it does today...
One historian put it this way
“It would be difficult to overestimate the importance of table fellowship for the culture of the Mediterranean basin in the first century of our era. Mealtimes were far more than occasions for individuals to consume nourishment. Being welcomed at a table for the purpose of eating food with another person had become a ceremony richly symbolic of friendship, intimacy, and unity. Thus betrayal or unfaithfulness toward anyone with who one had shared the table was viewed as particularly reprehensible. On the other hand, when persons were estranged, a meal invitation opened the way to reconciliation.”
So...To a first-century Jew, far more surprising than Peter stopping eating food with Gentiles would have been the fact that he had started eating with them in the first place.
Every Jewish person in the first century would have been taught that you couldn't eat at the Gentile table because if you did, you would have been unclean. The Old Testament had a long series of laws in place that kept worshippers from being “unclean.” Jews were taught that if you ate certain foods, or touched certain people you were unclean…and therefore unable unacceptable in God’s presence…
These ceremonial laws had a good purpose…they were grounded in the holiness of God. The law was intended to teach people that in order to enter into fellowship with God, you had to be cleansed.
This was the reason why Jesus came…he was the sacrificial lamb of God who came to cleanse people of their sinfulness…of what made them unclean before God.
John 3:16–17 CSB
16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Jesus didn't come to condemn…he came to cleanse
Jesus came…and he sat down at the unclean tableat our table…so that we could have fellowship with God.
And Peter finally understood this truth…in fact Peter himself preached this very message
Acts 10:34–36 CSB
34 Peter began to speak: “Now I truly understand that God doesn’t show favoritism, 35 but in every nation the person who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 He sent the message to the Israelites, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all.
So for Peter to share a meal with Gentiles here is what he was communicating that he accepted Gentiles, affirmed Gentiles, embraced Gentiles, and wanted to befriend Gentiles.
But something changed...
Look what Paul says...
Galatians 2:12–13 CSB
12 For he regularly ate with the Gentiles before certain men came from James. However, when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, because he feared those from the circumcision party. 13 Then the rest of the Jews joined his hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.
Hypocrisy…there’s the word…this was Peter’s sin…Paul confronted Peter…because Peter was a hypocrite...
Peter was pretending…he was acting like a Rolex…when in reality he was a Fake…he was a Folex...
And this is where I want to hammer down for a few minutes this morning…because I think in the Christian church today…we got a problem…and our problem is Inauthenticity...
3 Truths I want us to see about Inauthenticity this morning:
Inauthenticity Damages Our Own Souls
God doesn't want fake people...
When you live a lie…you do damage to your own soul.
Inauthenticity Damages Other People
First…it’s contagious
Galatians 2:13 CSB
13 Then the rest of the Jews joined his hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.
Even sweet Barnabas…the “Son of Encouragement” was led astray...
Here’s the point…your sin…no matter how private it may be…never just affects you.
This is why hypocrisy and inauthenticity is so important…because it is contagious...
Have you ever said this: “I cant be honest with those people…they dont struggle with the same things I struggle with…they wont understand…” —> That is what a culture of hypocrisy creates...
Church…because the gospel is true…we have got to learn to get honest with God and with one another...
Ephesians 4:25 CSB
25 Therefore, putting away lying, speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, because we are members of one another.
James 5:16 CSB
16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.
The sooner we get authentic with each other in the church…the sooner we can experience the grace of God avaliable to us in Christ Jesus...
3.Inauthenticity in the Church Damages Our Gospel Witness
When we live inauthentically…what we communicate is that the gospel isnt true.
When we pretend to have it all together…we are saying that what Christ did wasnt enough…we are unknowingly or knowingly communicating that it is Jesus+Our Ability to look like we got it all together.
So how can we start?
Repent of your inauthenticity
Tell God…and tell someone else…Right now...
“Hey man…Ive been living like a fraud…im struggling...”
Join a group...
Circles are better than rows...
In gatherings like this its almost impossible to be real…
This is why we have small groups...
If you arent in a group…you need to be...
So…are you a Rolex…or are you a Folex this morning? Are you real—authentic---or are you fake...
During this song of response..let’s get real with god...
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