March 27, 2022 - Uncompromised Truth
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As you know - if you’ve been with us or following along the past couple of months, the apostle Paul has spent his time in this book of Galatians - REVISITING work that he had ALREADY DONE...
having established churches in Galatia
He had preached the gospel to them...
They had embraced it...
BUT NOW?
Today we’ll start with the verse we ended with last week...
12 Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong.
13 You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first,
14 and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus.
15 What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me.
16 Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?
17 They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them.
18 It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you,
19 my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!
20 I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.
A theme that runs through this passage - is one that I hope and pray will become a theme that runs throughout our lives…till the day we drop!
And it relates to the title of this sermon....
SLIDE:
Uncompromised Truth
If we think about the apostle Paul’s life - we know that prior to his CONVERSION - he was an UNCOMPROMISING man...
AND YET - the area of life where he WAS uncompromising - was his RELIGION...
He was ....well - let’s have Paul explain himself...
4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more:
5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;
6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
Paul - prior to his conversion - was VERY confident in his - RESUME...
He was UNWAVERING in his resolve - to destroy the church...
1 And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
2 Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him.
3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.
For Paul (Saul), it was very BLACK and WHITE...
If you professed Christ - you deserved to die...
And so Paul - being a man - UNDER THE LAW - viewed the BELIEVER in Christ - as the ENEMY!!
Paul - as a Jew - viewed the Gentile - as DEFILED!
Paul was uncompromising…!!
But then what happened?
He’s CONVERTED...
TRANSFORMED on the inside - to now - LOVE the church!
He went from PERSECUTING the church - to now DEFENDING the church!!
He went from DENOUNCING the message of Christ - to now PROCLAIMING the message of Christ!
And PART of proclaiming the message - entailed - ESTABLISHING the churches in Galatia!
INITIALLY - that message was - embraced!
Believed!
AND YET - Paul leaves - and then False Teachers come and begin teaching a FALSE GOSPEL!
A works-based Gospel!
How will Paul handle this?
SLIDE: Uncompromised Truth: From Contextualization to Comprehension
Uncompromised Truth
Uncompromised Truth
v12
12 Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong.
The apostle Paul’s approach to evangelism, is one that many people have argued about over the centuries...
Paul would often CONTEXTUALIZE the message of the gospel - in order to help those hearing him - COMPREHEND what he was saying.
If we were to look at a definition of Contextualization, it would be this: There’s quite a few variations but this one works...
SLIDE: Definition
Contextualization: a process or description that places an idea or piece of information within its setting, whether that is historical, geographic, or conceptual.
And so in the arena of Christianity and the Gospel - to contextualize the Gospel - is to take the [gospel] - and to take the current [culture] - and to bring the 2 TOGETHER - in order to AIDE in comprehension.
Now we DEAL with this all the time in every day life...
*Math (think back to your elementary Math classes)
When kids are starting to learn Subtraction, it’s a hard concept for them to understand.
They maybe had just learned how to ADD...
But subtraction is another ANIMAL in their little brains...
AND SO - what do we do?
We TEACH subtraction this way - “Joe has 5 apples on the table. His neighbor comes and takes 2 of them. How many apples does Joe have left?”
What did I just do there?
I contextualized the math equation (5 - 2 = 3) in order the help a 5 year old understand SUBTRACTION...
We all use this type of approach when teaching our kids about the world...
NOW - of course - when we think about Contextualizing the Gospel…we have to be careful!
So throughout history - there has been this wide SPECTRUM of approaches to Contextualization...
FROM...
Contextualizing SO MUCH that the truth itself is COMPROMISED...
*maybe you WATER the message down SO MUCH that it gets lost...
to
No Contextualization AT ALL - leading to a lack of understanding
And so - What did Paul say in v12?
12 Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong.
We spoke last week about this verse - in that PAUL - by embracing Christ ALONE for this salvation - had TURNED FROM the LAW - - AS his salvation!
And so - in a sense - Paul had become - LIKE a GENTILE - not having the LAW
But Paul would have ALSO - lived that out - He would have DINED with the Gentiles…EVEN as a JEW -
and in doing so - he would have PUT on DISPLAY - a contextualized Gospel
Obviously - in the 1st century - It would have made complete sense if there would have been a REALITY TV show called - CULTURE WARS
The tension between Jew and Greek - was extremely HIGH!
And so the Gospel - is what?
The Good News of Jesus - His life, death, burial, and resurrection!!
THAT’s the Gospel....
NOW - HOW the Gospel plays out in the 1st century = is to BRING together Jew and Gentile...
AS ONE - by FAITH!
Paul - would have PUT that on display!
He brought the Gospel INTO that “Jewish - Gentile” context…(of course he was a Jew)
But that’s not the only type of contextualization found in scripture...
In the Bible, we see Daniel and his three friends were fully immersed in the Babylonian culture without giving in to influences that might draw them away from their God (Daniel 1-2). Their willingness to accommodate earned them an audience with the Babylonian king, and their refusal to compromise truth eventually led to the king’s acknowledgement of God (Daniel 4).
When Paul spoke to the Athenians, he not only mimicked the Athenian style of argument, but he also used their own writers to bolster his points (Acts 17:22-34). In other words, Paul understood Greek culture and contextualized the gospel in order to gain a hearing.
22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.
23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.
24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,
25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,
27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,
28 for “ ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “ ‘For we are indeed his offspring.’
29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.”
33 So Paul went out from their midst.
34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.
What did Paul DO here?
He contextualized the Gospel -
He USED THEIR false religion - to POINT to the TRUE God - and the WORK of Christ!
And yet....
There are OTHER clear biblical examples of contextualization in the New Testament.
Jesus preached to Samaritans and Gentiles without requiring them to conform to Jewish practices.
Peter’s dramatic vision of Acts 10 showed him that he needed to modify his approach to the Gentile culture; this he did, and a Roman centurion came to faith in Christ as a result.
Paul’s statement that he would be “all things to all men” (1 Corinthians 9:22) indicates his willingness to contextualize the truth for his hearers, whoever they may be. - - And DISPLAY that truth!!
And, finally, in Revelation we see that the Lord Jesus has redeemed people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation (Revelation 5:9; 14:6). The gospel is truly cross-cultural and must be presented in a way that each culture can apprehend.
Listen to this amazing story of contextualization - from a time closer to us today...
Don Richardson was a missionary - and tells of his effort to bring the gospel to the Sawis Indians, a tribe of cannibalistic headhunters in Papua New Guinea. He faced tremendous obstacles in a culture that honored deceit and betrayal.
In their new home in the jungle, the Richardsons set about learning the native Sawi language which was daunting in its complexity. There are 19 tenses for every verb. Don was soon able to become proficient in the dialect after a schedule of 8–10 hour daily learning sessions.
Richardson labored to show the villagers a way that they could comprehend Jesus from the Bible, but the cultural barriers to understanding and accepting this teaching seemed impossible until an unlikely event brought the concept of the substitutionary atonement of Christ into immediate relevance for the Sawi.
Missionary historian Ruth A. Tucker writes:
As he learned the language and lived with the people, he became more aware of the gulf that separated his Christian worldview from the worldview of the Sawi: "In their eyes, Judas, not Jesus, was the hero of the Gospels (Their culture HONORED deceit and betrayal), Jesus was just the dupe to be laughed at." Eventually Richardson discovered what he referred to as a Redemptive Analogy that pointed to the Incarnate Christ far more clearly than any biblical passage alone could have done. What he discovered was the Sawi concept of the Peace Child.[4]
Three tribal villages were in constant battle at this time. The Richardsons were considering leaving the area, so to keep them there, the Sawi people in the embattled villages came together and decided that they would make peace with their hated enemies. Ceremonies commenced in which young children were exchanged between opposing villages. One man in particular ran toward his enemy's camp and literally gave his son to his hated foe. Observing this, Richardson wrote: "if a man would actually give his own son to his enemies, that man could be trusted!"
And THAT was it - this Peace Child custom - within that culture - would provide them with a CONNECTION to understanding God - GIVING His Son - Jesus - as an offering of PEACE - between God and man...
And FROM THERE - many villagers converted to Christianity, and a translation of the New Testament in Sawi was created . The world's largest circular building made strictly from un-milled poles was constructed in 1972 as a Christian meeting place by the Sawi.
WOW -
you can see how Richardson needed to FIND A WAY - for these indigenous people to BE ABLE to understand and comprehend - the goodness of God -
The mercy of God...
WHEN - as a culture - they HONORED - deceit and betrayal!
Contextualization HELPED the people comprehend the truth of the Gospel!
*So how do you feel WE DO - in regards to being intentional about explaining the gospel in a way that it's understandable to the audience listening?
Do we consider the CONTEXT of our audience...?
Now - maybe we think that because we live in the same country as our audience....that we have the same context....
But that doesn't necessarily have to be true...
Would you agree that someone who grew up in Parma would have a different view on life (different customs/cultural background) than someone who grew up - AMISH?
Think of the backgrounds that might impact their understanding...
Remember how Paul approached the Athenians...He brought the gospel INTO THEIR belief structure...
Used their own IDOL to speak the truth into their lives.
How could we approach someone who grew up AMISH?
What aspects of their upbringing could we USE to explain the Gospel?
Amish Shunning: The amish are shunned - not only for sinful behavior based on scripture, but also for breaking various rules (owning, using banned technology, etc.)
We could take them to the Jew / Gentile relationship in Scripture and explain how Christ tore down the wall of hostility between Jew and Greek. (Those doing the SHUNNING look to those being SHUNNED like Jews looked at Gentiles)
Farming Lifestyle: We've all seen how hard the Amish work - day in and day out...
We could point them to God's GRACE by reminding them that they can prepare the land all they want...plant as many seeds as they want...BUT THAT there are factors OUTSIDE their control as to whether anything will GROW!
And that the same thing applies to Salvation! God is the one who is in control...God is the one who gives the growth! GOD SAVES US!
And that our good deeds are merely EVIDENCE that we truly trust on Christ ALONE for our salvation!
We can point them to an APPLE TREE to show them the difference between WORKS and FRUIT of the Spirit!
Paul understood the importance of COMPREHENSION - on the side of the listener
And so he would - when needed - Contextualize the message - for that to happen - WITHOUT compromising the truth!
WHY?
Because Paul knew this...
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Paul knew that his ABILITY to effectively contextualize the message - wasn’t going to CHANGE a HEART...
He knew his DELIVERY wasn’t going to change a HEART...
It would be the TRUTH of God that changes the heart...
AND SO - UNCOMPROMISING - was Paul
And we need to know this:
SLIDE: Uncompromised Truth: Truth Trumps Tolerance & Togetherness
Uncompromised Truth
Uncompromised Truth
In Paul’s heart and mind - TRUTH - trumped - TOLERANCE & TOGETHERNESS
And we know this to be TRUE for Paul - by just looking at how this whole book of Galatians came to be.... and especially our text today...
In looking at our text today - we can see - The reversal of roles (Paul once shunned Gentiles - now being shunned by them)
Paul was a self-proclaimed Pharisee when it came to the LAW...
4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more:
5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;
This guy TERRORIZED people!
He would have looked at Gentiles as the SCUM of the earth! Pre-conversion!
He would have - SHUNNED them!
But now - the roles are reversed!
They’re now SHUNNING him...
13 You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first,
14 and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus.
Paul it seems had some bodily ailment - when he first came to Galatia...
One that would have POTENTIALLY caused others to want to - maybe - avoid him...
He says here that this illness was a - TRIAL to the Galatians - YET - they embraced Paul and his message!!
And yet - NOW?
15 What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me.
16 Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?
We can hear the reversal that takes place...
These people would have HARMED themselves for Paul and his message...
And i think this plays into the reason that Paul is so UTTERLY SHOCKED - when he heard that the people had turned to a false gospel!
*Ever have your kids get angry with you - BECAUSE you told them the truth about something??
How many of you could ever have said to your kids - Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?
Most of us right?
What is that a SIGN OF??
Answer = Pride!
Well - we see this in the text...
17 They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them.
We can HEAR it in the verse no?
The Galatians were hearing the False Gospel - and it was making them FEEL GOOD...
WHY?
Because Self-Righteousness OFTEN DOES!!
They were living life off the LIST…!
Check - ahh YEAH that felt good!
Check - yeah that felt good too!
And here in this verse you can actually hear the - BATTLE of PRIDE taking place!
They make much of YOU - and they want you to make much of THEM!
This is the MANTRA of self-righteousness!!
Self-Righteousness is a FUEL of pride!
And so Paul KNOWS THIS - and he knows that these people are making their way - BACK to infancy!
Their MATURITY level - even if they’re saved - is DECLINING…!
And Paul acknowledges this!
18 It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you,
19 my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!
20 I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.
Paul says - “my little children, FOR WHOM I am - AGAIN in the anguish of childbirth UNTIL Christ is formed in you!”
Paul’s saying - I’m having to RETEACH the elementary truths of the Gospel...
Paul knows these people need MILK again...
They’re not even close to the MEAT of God’s truth…They need MILK...
…the basic truths of God’s truth...
And Paul is showing us that...
he’s willing to FORGOE - BEING FRIENDS with the Galatians - for the sake of - TRUTH!!
Which MEANS - Paul - HERE IN Galatians - is NOT - ULTIMATELY seeking their HAND in friendship...
BUT SEEKING their HEART for Christ!!
Paul KNOWS that these people - the Galatians - are TURNING from the TRUTH - and therefore TURNING FROM HIM....
YET - Paul’s not CAVING!
- He’s not going to DO WHAT the false TEACHERS were doing - in MAKING MUCH of the Galatians...
Paul wants to OFFER them - TRUTH - in a way they can UNDERSTAND!!
And he’s willing to LOSE them as friends!
We can do much to learn from Paul here!
- The MOMENT - that I become MORE interested in - you BEING my friend OVER you being a child of God - is the MOMENT that I’m no longer FIT to be your pastor!
- SHOW me the door.
TRUTH - Matters MOST - and it mattered for the Galatians....!
SUMMARY:
We’ve seen that Christianity ENTAILS -
Uncompromised Truth
From Contextualization to Comprehension
Truth Tumps Tolerance & Togetherness
Contextualization:
Have we considered the CONTEXT of those in our circles?
Their backgrounds...
their history
their experiences / culture
RELIGION?
Do you know any Mormons
Jehovah’s Witnesses?
Catholics?
All of these Religions - are trying to EARN a place with God
They’re trying to BE GOOD enough - to get to God…!
Well - what would Paul say to them?** (no one is justified by works of the law - turn from God)
KNOWING those things can help us in DELIVERING - THE Gospel to THOSE people
Helping them understand what Christ has done...
And here’s a way to think about this:
Finish this line: You are what you....EAT
That’s the popular saying right?
But here’s the ACTUAL truth!
You are what you - Digest
Those people who have trouble DIGESTING certain foods - KNOW EXACTLY what I’m talking about!!!
And it can be the same with the Gospel!
I’m not denying that God is SOVEREIGN over salvation…He is!
But the apostle Paul was able to PROCLAIM the message - in ways that helped his audience not JUST HEAR the message - but DIGEST the message!
The Bible actually tells us that New Believers - (infants in Christ) are NOT READY for meat…it says - they NEED MILK.
Well that’s contextualization!
ALL the while - Paul knowing that TRUTH is what MATTERED!
TRUTH Trumps Tolerance and Togetherness:
Paul was willing to EMBRACE rejection
He was willing to FORGO THEIR INTOLERANCE of him...
For the sake of - TRUTH
Why?
Truth saves!
Do we believe that ENOUGH - to operate the same way!
Are WE willing to embrace REJECTION - for the sake of Truth?
Let’s pray
The Lord’s Table
This brings us to the Lord’s Table…a time for each of us to reflect on our lives, to examine ourselves spiritually, and to remember the cost of our faith. We were bought with a price, and these elements remind us of this.
Have you experienced the Saving Power of Christ at the cross?
What is the GOOD NEWS of Jesus??
Jesus Christ was delivered up for your trespasses...(every single one of them (past, present, and future) and He was RAISED for your justification.
Do you believe?
The bible says all men have fallen short of the glory of God...
That there is not one man who is good, no not one...
That no one seeks for God. (Romans 3)
That all men are in rebellion against God.......and that our sins, before a Holy God, deserve death. (Romans 6)
That's the bad news.
The Good news?
The bible says that there is a way to be reconciled to God.
That God sent His Son Christ to pay your debt...and that only thru the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ will we find justification before God.
Only thru faith in Jesus Christ and His work on the cross will we be saved.
We either come to God on His terms or we don't come at all.
Will you believe?
Will you GET YOUR EYES OFF of you, and gaze upon your Savior!
He IS your God.
Could it be that you see HIM today for the very first time?
I ask because IF you haven't…If you HAVEN’T SURRENDERED to Christ ALONE for your salvation....
you should not partake.
The Bible says not to take this lightly. Scripture says – “ whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.
Take time now and examine yourself before the Lord.
22 While they were eating, He took some bread, and after a blessing He broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is My body.” 23 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 And He said to them, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. 25 Truly I say to you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
“do this…in remembrance of me.”
Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Amen