The Defense of the Gospel

Sermon Notes

Galatians 2:1–10 (NLT)

1 Then fourteen years later I went back to Jerusalem again, this time with Barnabas; and Titus came along, too. 2 I went there because God revealed to me that I should go. While I was there I met privately with those considered to be leaders of the church and shared with them the message I had been preaching to the Gentiles. I wanted to make sure that we were in agreement, for fear that all my efforts had been wasted and I was running the race for nothing. (Acts 15:4 3 And they supported me and did not even demand that my companion Titus be circumcised, though he was a Gentile (Acts 15:1).

4 Even that question came up only because of some so-called believers there—false ones, really—who were secretly brought in (Acts 15:1). They sneaked in to spy on us and take away the freedom we have in Christ Jesus. They wanted to enslave us and force us to follow their Jewish regulations. 5 But we refused to give in to them for a single moment. We wanted to preserve the truth of the gospel message for you.

6 And the leaders of the church had nothing to add to what I was preaching. (By the way, their reputation as great leaders made no difference to me, for God has no favorites.) 7 Instead, they saw that God had given me the responsibility of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as he had given Peter the responsibility of preaching to the Jews. 8 For the same God who worked through Peter as the apostle to the Jews also worked through me as the apostle to the Gentiles.

9 In fact, James, Peter, and John, who were known as pillars of the church, recognized the gift God had given me, and they accepted Barnabas and me as their co-workers. They encouraged us to keep preaching to the Gentiles, while they continued their work with the Jews. 10 Their only suggestion was that we keep on helping the poor, which I have always been eager to do.

Observations

Fourteen years later, Paul went to Jerusalem.

He got the approval of the church leaders in Jerusalem.

He was challeged by so called believers who tried to take away their freedom they had in Christ.

These false teachers taught that if you wanted to be saved, you needed to obey the law.

The church leaders had nothing to add to what Paul was preaching regarding the gospel.

God called Paul to preach to the Gentiles while He called Peter to preach to the Jews.

Both Paul and Peter were called by God to minister to the gospel.

They continued the work with the apostles full approval.

It didn’t matter if Paul or Peter where ministering to completely different groups of people, God called both and both had to respond by faith.

From Paul’s perspective, I really appreciat his committment to preserving the truth and making sure that everything he was doing was not to the detriment to the gospel.

This is generally a good indication that his ministry truly was from God as opposed to him doing stuff of his own accord.

Sermon Outline

Sadly, there have been many leaders, over the years, in the church, who have used their position of power to as a tool of oppression on the very people they should be protecting.

But lets not just single out church leaders. Congregations have used positions of power to lead a church down a poor path even at the opposition of their pastor and church leadership team.

I know that in my ministry I have been guilty of both.

Henri Nouwen says there is “the power that oppresses and destroys… I want to show how that power is disarmed through powerlessness, and finally I want to proclaim the true power that liberates, reconciles, and heals.”[2]

We relinquish power when we truly listen to those who’ve been marginalized. We receive from them as we genuinely listen to them, and respond.

We relinquish power (and we use what power we have for good) when we use all our energies to make sure the marginalized are heard, respected, honored, and responded to.

We relinquish power when we seek to give power away, and move the margins to a welcoming center—a multi-voiced, multi-peopled, multi-cultural, new creation, new humanity center.

We relinquish power when we notice those who’ve been disempowered or silenced because of their race, gender, class, or disability, and give power away by opening space for those voices to be heard and those gifts to be used. We choose not to be heard, at least for a time, so that others can be heard. We embrace a listening and learning posture. We open space for others.

We relinquish power when we say “no” to opportunities, so that other voices can be heard. We relinquish power when we say “yes” to justice and action, so that other voices can be honored.

We understand that justice, reconciliation, and healing cannot occur until we give power away. Graham Hill - The Global Church Project Blog - ‘THE CHURCH HAS ABUSED POWER TOO OFTEN. HERE’S HOW WE CAN CHANGE.

The church today is craving authentic Christianity and the sad reality is that it it witnessing more a of a self obsorbed for of Christianity that seeks only to oppress people and not allow them to live in the the freedom they have in Christ.

So, what makes a church Authentic? How do we know that a church is seeking to best represent the same God it confesses?

The best way we find that out is by asking three important questions:

Are the people living in this freedom they have in Christ?

Are they being taught another gospel?

Are they endeavering to excel in this freedom they have in Christ?

So this leaves us determined that as a church we know where we stand in our pursuit of the gospel as a local body of believers.

Are we living in the freedom that Christ has given us?

Are we feeding off a alternate gospel that seeks to strip you and others oif your freedom?

Are you truely excelling in this wonderful liberty by which Christ has given us.