Galatians Series (2)
Notes
Transcript
Peter held Accountable for his faults
Peter held Accountable for his faults
We can look at this text in a few different ways.
I won’t have time to cover them all but i do want to point them out to us for growth purposes.
1. The Boldness of Paul - being right is more important that being popular
2. The Bigness of Peter - He took his rebuke because he was wrong and did not allow sins to compound.
Do you know what is the biggest contributer to staying in legalism is???
PRIDE
Tonight i want us to look at
FREE TO BE WHO AND WHAT I WANT TO BE!
But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 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. And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 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?”
We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners;
I wand to look at 3 main things we find in this text
The Faulty Actions of Peter
The Faithful Love of Paul
The Freedom from the Law
All 3 of these could be preached as a sermon individually.
I want to give a brief overview of the first two then focus on the last one.
I. The Faulty Actions of Peter.
a. What constitutes a Fault?
The Word of God.
God told Him that He had made it all clean.
Acts 10:9-15 “The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.””
God wasn’t just showing here that Peter could eat any kinds of food, but that he also could eat with any kinds of people.
The Gospel had broken down the racial barrier.
Peter had been going along with what God had told him. We don’t know how long but for kong enough for others to notice.
b. What was Peter’s Fault?
Some might say -
He was struggling between Religious Oppression - in Legalism
and
Religious freedom - in Christ
He was but it’s much simpler than that.
Some might say -
Lack of Growth
He had a relapse here, but this wasn’t because he didn’t know any better.
His Problem to plainly state it was the same as it was after Jesus had been arrested
He feared man more than God - v.12
a. he feared man’s opinion over God’s Approval
b. He feared man’s method over God’s Message.
Peter’s fear of man had caused him to undermine the gospel
Doesn’t religious liberty say that we can eat or not eat and it’s up to the individual?
Yes, there was nothing wrong with eating the Gentiles food or not eating it.
The wrong came when
“he withdrew himself and separated himself” out of fear of the religious peoples approval. v.12
Peter gave the idea that the Gospel had different levels for different people.
but it’s a level playing field at the cross
you and I are just as saved, called, and enable as Paul was.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
c. What did his Fault cause?
Ineffective Evangelism
He turned from his missions, and shortened his reach.
How many of the gentiles, he had built a relationship with, would want to converse with him now?
2. Invalid Example
He didn’t just change sides - He took others with him
With Great Power come great responsibility
Luke 12:48
But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.
We conclude that Peter was at Fault for choosing legalism over grace.
II. The Faithful Love of Paul.
Some may say that Paul was out of place. In today’s world that would sure be the opinion.
Some would say since Peter was being a legalist then Paul was being a liberalist.
I would tell that from scripture that Paul didn’t condone
Legalism
Paul didn’t lead people to
Liberalism
Paul’s ministry was dedicated to telling everyone of the
Liberating power of the Gospel.
He was faithful to do that in Love as we see here in our text
He loved God enough to not let this happen
After what God had done for Paul, he knew that God could do the same for all people. Paul knew that Satan wanted to pervert the Grace Gospel with a if you’re Good Enough Gospel.
“Legalism gives a false look of God.”
God sent Jesus to take away the Curse that the law tells us we have on us.
For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.
Legalism tries to take away the The completeness of Jesus on the Cross.
If Jesus did it all then we don’t have to do anything but receive Jesus.
2. He Loved Peter enough to help him so this would not happen again
“Legalism is concerned simply with external conformity and is blind to internal motivation.”
- R.C. Sproul
“Legalism is a subtle danger because no one thinks of himself as a leglaist.”
Phillip Yancey
“Legalism does not consist in yielding obedience to the law. Rather, it is to seek justification and good standing with God through merit of works done in obedience to the law instead of by faith in Christ.”
-Sam Storms
Paul loved Peter enough to correct him. We know this wasn’t an easy task because of who both were.
3. He loved People enough to fight against anything that came in the way of the ministry of the gospel.
Tullian - “Legalism breeds a sense of Entitlement that turns us into complainers.”
III. The freedom from the Law.
we are ultimately free to be WHO and WHAT we want to be.
A great definition of What Christian Liberty is is this -
We have the Freedom that is given by Christ to do what we choose!
1 Corinthians 8-10 & Romans 14 gives us Paul’s explanation of Christian Liberty
We are free to Enjoy Liberty
We are Free to Exercise Choice
We are Free to Endure Consequences
Somethings we gather from Freedoms
Freedom is Personal
Freedom is not to be Pushed
Freedom is not to be Poisonous
As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written,
“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess to God.”
So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.
Freedom that we enjoy should liberate us to a level of serving God at our best
while never binding anyone else to our conviction of service.
God’s Word is our Authority not mans opinions or practices.