WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:01.760 Galatians chapter 2. 00:00:01.840 --> 00:00:05.519 We're gonna be starting off in the first 10 verses there this morning. 00:00:05.679 --> 00:00:15.679 Um now I don't know if you've noticed, I'm sure that you have, but we're kind of heading into that part of the fall now uh where the weather is starting to kind of finally starting to get a little bit colder. 00:00:15.919 --> 00:00:18.879 Hey, today was maybe not the best example of that. 00:00:19.120 --> 00:00:22.239 That's a little bit warm out there, but have you noticed some of the mornings are a little bit chilly? 00:00:22.320 --> 00:00:24.960 I don't know if you had to scrape ice off of your windshield yet. 00:00:25.039 --> 00:00:27.280 I think I've had to do that once uh so far. 00:00:27.440 --> 00:00:33.920 But it got me thinking this week about the time in my life uh where I was just the coldest. 00:00:34.079 --> 00:00:38.880 Can you think back to like an actual time where like I was never more cold than I was in that moment? 00:00:39.039 --> 00:00:40.640 For me, I can easily remember it. 00:00:40.719 --> 00:00:55.920 It was my first year of college, and uh a bunch of friends and I, actually students and I in my first year of college, uh, went kayaking late fall uh up in like, I don't know, Algonquin Park or something like that, like in these rapids, right? 00:00:56.079 --> 00:00:57.280 Seemed like a good idea at the time. 00:00:57.439 --> 00:00:58.560 It was a terrible idea. 00:00:58.719 --> 00:01:01.600 It was so, so cold. 00:01:01.759 --> 00:01:02.479 It was frigid. 00:01:02.560 --> 00:01:04.480 And so we were out in the water and we were going through rapids. 00:01:04.640 --> 00:01:11.040 We had, I don't know, we had uh like like wetsuits, partial wetsuits, but our hands were exposed, our faces, of course, were exposed. 00:01:11.120 --> 00:01:12.400 We had helmets on and all of that. 00:01:12.560 --> 00:01:16.719 But after about, I don't know, like an hour of doing that, I'm sure it took a lot less. 00:01:17.040 --> 00:01:18.400 We were numb. 00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:21.359 And all I remember is when it was all kind of said and done. 00:01:21.439 --> 00:01:24.239 I remember we took turns going, kind of going into the van and getting changed. 00:01:24.319 --> 00:01:29.760 And I was I was in the van and um I was I I couldn't feel my hands. 00:01:29.840 --> 00:01:33.599 My hands, you know when they're so cold that they just they hurt, they just ache. 00:01:33.680 --> 00:01:36.640 And you're trying to kind of blow on them, but even that hurts. 00:01:36.719 --> 00:01:38.319 It's like feels hot and burning. 00:01:38.480 --> 00:01:40.159 I remember that it was an awful feeling. 00:01:40.239 --> 00:01:46.640 I mean, I was trying to like just pull my pants up with my wrists, like it was the most pathetic thing in the entire world. 00:01:46.879 --> 00:01:48.239 I was freezing. 00:01:48.319 --> 00:01:53.280 My hands were so cold that I literally I couldn't hold on to anything. 00:01:53.439 --> 00:01:53.760 Right? 00:01:53.840 --> 00:01:55.519 They just they just stopped working. 00:01:55.760 --> 00:02:04.640 Okay, well, the book of Galatians, as we have been kind of working our way through the first chapter so far, is obviously on the importance of the gospel, right? 00:02:04.799 --> 00:02:05.680 The importance of the gospel. 00:02:05.760 --> 00:02:12.879 It's the it's the good news that Jesus Christ alone saves us and and he satisfies us. 00:02:13.120 --> 00:02:26.879 Okay, we're we're not saved through our moral behavior, we're not saved through our our good works, and we don't find lasting satisfaction as believers in anything that the world has to offer us. 00:02:27.039 --> 00:02:35.360 Okay, through the through the gospel, as we've already been talking about, we learn just how much our God loves us. 00:02:35.759 --> 00:02:38.639 He loves us so passionately. 00:02:38.879 --> 00:02:39.120 Right? 00:02:39.280 --> 00:02:45.520 And all of that, that's supposed to inform our our identity, who we are as people. 00:02:45.599 --> 00:02:50.800 It gives us that that inner security that we so desperately want inside. 00:02:51.680 --> 00:02:58.560 It gives us endless joy, it gives us exciting, real, lasting purpose in life. 00:02:59.520 --> 00:03:00.800 Here's the thing, though. 00:03:00.960 --> 00:03:07.680 Okay, on a on a heart level, you and I, we we forget all of that all the time. 00:03:08.080 --> 00:03:08.400 Right? 00:03:08.639 --> 00:03:12.800 We we forget in our hearts and we drift away from all of that. 00:03:12.960 --> 00:03:20.800 You know, Christians everywhere, you know, still think that that they need to impress God through their behavior. 00:03:21.120 --> 00:03:26.879 I I still need to earn his favor through my performance. 00:03:27.039 --> 00:03:32.639 Okay, we we forget that Jesus already did all of that for you in your place, he did it all. 00:03:33.120 --> 00:03:37.439 You know, or or or some of us think that, yeah, Jesus is really great. 00:03:37.599 --> 00:03:43.439 Okay, but but true, real, lasting satisfaction is not found in him alone. 00:03:43.599 --> 00:03:46.159 It's found in other things or in other people. 00:03:47.199 --> 00:03:51.120 It's found in in having like a huge bank account. 00:03:51.439 --> 00:03:58.879 It's found in having the nicest car or or or sexual pleasure or you know, having a you know super fit body. 00:03:59.520 --> 00:04:05.439 It's it's it's as though our hearts are like my frozen kayak hands, right? 00:04:05.520 --> 00:04:13.840 They they have a hard time hanging on to the truth and the reality of Jesus Christ's awesome gospel. 00:04:14.319 --> 00:04:14.639 Right? 00:04:14.719 --> 00:04:17.839 Our hearts, they just don't function properly. 00:04:18.879 --> 00:04:31.279 They have a really hard time hanging on to all of that, uh, believing in it, resting in that awesome truth, finding hope and and finding joy in that. 00:04:31.600 --> 00:04:32.800 We love to go to other things. 00:04:32.959 --> 00:04:37.360 We love to kind of let go of it and run in a different direction. 00:04:37.600 --> 00:04:38.000 Right? 00:04:38.160 --> 00:04:39.759 And and maybe you found this. 00:04:39.920 --> 00:04:40.480 Have you found this? 00:04:40.720 --> 00:04:44.160 You just find that the truth of the gospel just keeps slipping from your grasp. 00:04:44.560 --> 00:05:10.000 Okay, well, today our our our passage that we're gonna be looking at in the first 10 verses of Galatians chapter 2 uh shows us a situation that the that the early church kind of found themselves in where they were faced with uh with a pretty serious challenge that required that they hold firmly to the truth, the message, the reality of the gospel, or or suffer. 00:05:10.240 --> 00:05:11.920 All right, so let's take a look at this here. 00:05:12.000 --> 00:05:15.360 I'm gonna read this verse, starting in verse 1, chapter 2. 00:05:15.439 --> 00:05:16.240 It says this. 00:05:16.560 --> 00:05:24.319 Hey, then after 14 years, I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas taking Titus along with me. 00:05:24.560 --> 00:05:26.399 Okay, this is Paul, of course, talking. 00:05:26.639 --> 00:05:41.279 He says, I went up before 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 that I was not running or had not run in vain. 00:05:42.160 --> 00:05:48.160 But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. 00:05:48.480 --> 00:06:05.040 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, to them we did not yield in submission, even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. 00:06:05.680 --> 00:06:15.199 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. 00:06:15.439 --> 00:06:30.720 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, for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised, worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles. 00:06:30.959 --> 00:06:46.480 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 Barnab uh Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 00:06:46.720 --> 00:06:52.480 Only they asked us to remember the poor for the very thing I was eager to do. 00:06:52.800 --> 00:06:53.519 Let's pray. 00:06:58.480 --> 00:07:02.639 God, hopefully we are starting to recognize just how fickle our hearts are. 00:07:03.920 --> 00:07:16.079 Lord, how slow and and and hard our hearts can be at really truly grasping the truth and the awesome reality of the good news of Jesus Christ. 00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:18.480 Lord, you have died to rescue us. 00:07:18.639 --> 00:07:24.399 You have died to fulfill us, you have died to satisfy us and bring us hope. 00:07:24.560 --> 00:07:26.560 Lord, you have done it. 00:07:27.680 --> 00:07:32.160 Lord, forgive us for the times where we think that we need to add to all of that. 00:07:32.399 --> 00:07:36.959 That I need to somehow bring my efforts and my work to the equation to the table. 00:07:37.040 --> 00:07:38.639 Lord, that is so backwards. 00:07:39.439 --> 00:07:48.000 And so, God, I pray that as we again plumb into the depths of the gospel here, Lord, I pray that our hearts would remember it. 00:07:48.319 --> 00:07:51.600 Lord, I pray that we would hold on to it firmly. 00:07:52.399 --> 00:08:01.199 Lord, not loosely where we where we drop it, but Lord, firmly where it is ours and where it informs how we live, God. 00:08:01.439 --> 00:08:05.040 It's not just a Sunday school story that we tell little kids. 00:08:05.199 --> 00:08:08.079 Lord, it is the truth that governs my life. 00:08:08.319 --> 00:08:09.439 Lord, would you do this? 00:08:10.160 --> 00:08:12.240 Lord, we need you desperately. 00:08:12.399 --> 00:08:14.800 Your church is hungry for you, Lord. 00:08:15.759 --> 00:08:18.480 Would you meet that need with yourself? 00:08:19.199 --> 00:08:21.680 Would you give us your presence today, Lord? 00:08:21.759 --> 00:08:23.839 Would you be honored through this time? 00:08:24.639 --> 00:08:27.279 We pray it all in Jesus' righteous name. 00:08:29.439 --> 00:08:29.920 Amen. 00:08:30.639 --> 00:08:35.519 All right, well, first thing here, you've got some notes in your hand, and I know you've probably got a pen and you're ready to go here. 00:08:35.759 --> 00:08:37.039 All right, well, here's the first thing. 00:08:37.120 --> 00:08:41.039 It says we must hold firmly to the message of the gospel. 00:08:41.279 --> 00:08:45.759 All right, realizing that our ministry fruitfulness is at stake. 00:08:46.000 --> 00:08:46.720 It's at stake. 00:08:46.799 --> 00:08:47.679 Do you realize that? 00:08:47.919 --> 00:09:00.240 Okay, so last week we talked about how Paul was responding to accusations from some false teachers that were kind of coming in and running amok in this uh kind of brand new Galatian church. 00:09:00.320 --> 00:09:05.440 And they were, and so they were claiming that that Paul got his gospel message that he was proclaiming. 00:09:05.519 --> 00:09:08.559 They were they were claiming that he he just kind of made that up, right? 00:09:08.720 --> 00:09:20.639 He he invented that, he kind of came to it through his his own reasoning, or or maybe he just kind of got it from the from the Jerusalem apostles, from kind of mission headquarters and all of that. 00:09:20.720 --> 00:09:23.679 He just he just went to them, they kind of told him, and that's what he's sharing. 00:09:23.759 --> 00:09:27.759 And of course, they weren't big fans of the Jerusalem apostles either. 00:09:27.840 --> 00:09:34.480 They had, you know, already, okay, they had already been slamming them as well and saying that that gospel was false. 00:09:34.559 --> 00:09:39.120 And and Paul was like, no, that's not accurate at all. 00:09:39.279 --> 00:09:45.440 He's like, the gospel that I got, the gospel that I have been proclaiming for all of these years, I got straight from the mouth of Jesus. 00:09:45.600 --> 00:09:46.960 I got it, I got it straight from him. 00:09:47.039 --> 00:09:51.519 You remember it says, uh, it says from Revelation, direct revelation, verse 12 showed us last week. 00:09:51.679 --> 00:09:52.960 He got it straight from Jesus. 00:09:53.120 --> 00:09:59.039 Jesus himself spoke it to him and told him what the gospel is and what he is to do with that. 00:09:59.200 --> 00:10:06.000 Okay, and he says this he says, I was proclaiming that gospel, you know, way before I ever met the other apostles. 00:10:06.799 --> 00:10:10.720 Okay, now it kind of brings us up to our verse, verse one, he says this. 00:10:10.879 --> 00:10:14.639 He says, Then after 14 years, okay, so that's a pretty significant amount of time. 00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:22.480 Then after 14 years, I went up again into Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. 00:10:22.720 --> 00:10:34.720 Okay, so all these years later, he goes, he goes now back to Jerusalem to finally meet with kind of the bit of a larger council of the apostles and the you know the disciples of Jesus. 00:10:34.799 --> 00:10:36.080 And and who does he bring with him? 00:10:36.159 --> 00:10:41.200 Well, he brings with him his you know two of his most trusted ministry partners. 00:10:41.360 --> 00:10:42.080 That's what he brings. 00:10:42.240 --> 00:10:45.360 He brings uh Barnabas and Titus. 00:10:45.679 --> 00:10:46.720 And he brings these two guys. 00:10:46.799 --> 00:10:51.600 Now, Titus, he's gonna play a really kind of important uh role here going forward. 00:10:51.679 --> 00:10:54.639 We'll get to all of that in just a minute, but keep going here, verse 2. 00:10:54.799 --> 00:10:56.159 Okay, so he goes up. 00:10:56.320 --> 00:10:56.799 Uh why? 00:10:56.960 --> 00:10:58.159 Why does it say that he goes up there? 00:10:58.320 --> 00:11:00.799 Because of uh because of a revelation. 00:11:01.039 --> 00:11:02.559 Okay, so what do you notice about this? 00:11:02.720 --> 00:11:05.519 Who's directing all of this here sovereignly? 00:11:05.679 --> 00:11:07.120 Okay, the answer is Jesus, right? 00:11:07.200 --> 00:11:12.639 Jesus is the one, right, who is who has gotten, has urged Paul through direct revelation, made it very clear. 00:11:12.799 --> 00:11:15.120 I want you to go to Jerusalem and meet with these guys. 00:11:15.200 --> 00:11:22.159 It's amazing to see the incredible sovereign hand of the Lord on the early church. 00:11:22.480 --> 00:11:25.440 And listen, nothing, nothing has changed. 00:11:25.679 --> 00:11:25.919 Right? 00:11:26.080 --> 00:11:31.519 Jesus isn't like I used to kind of you know care about what was going on here and in the in and in the details, but now not so much. 00:11:31.600 --> 00:11:34.720 No, it's the same exact thing uh today. 00:11:34.879 --> 00:11:36.000 Okay, the exact same thing. 00:11:36.080 --> 00:11:49.919 So he goes out because of a revelation, okay, and it says that he set before them, though privately, before those who seemed influential, the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles in order to make sure that I was not running or had not run in vain. 00:11:50.559 --> 00:12:00.399 Now, at first glance, when you kind of read that, the way it kind of strikes you is like maybe Paul is thinking, oh no, you know, well, what what if I've actually been proclaiming the wrong gospel all this time? 00:12:00.559 --> 00:12:10.720 You know, what if what if my message, you know, isn't accurate and you know, I I better go to these guys and make sure that what I've been teaching has been, you know, right all along. 00:12:11.120 --> 00:12:13.039 Okay, but that can't be what he's saying here. 00:12:13.200 --> 00:12:13.360 Right? 00:12:13.519 --> 00:12:15.759 That can't be that can't be right for a few reasons. 00:12:15.840 --> 00:12:25.759 Well, first of all, you know, after getting his message directly by revelation from Jesus Christ, why in the world would he feel like he needs to go get authorization from a person? 00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:26.159 Right? 00:12:26.240 --> 00:12:26.960 There's just no chance. 00:12:27.039 --> 00:12:28.240 That's not that's not what he was doing. 00:12:28.320 --> 00:12:29.759 It's he wouldn't go that way. 00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:30.159 Right? 00:12:30.399 --> 00:12:32.960 Another reason, why would he wait 14 years for this? 00:12:33.200 --> 00:12:33.440 Right? 00:12:33.679 --> 00:12:40.080 If he was in any way unclear about what the gospel was, don't you think he probably would have tried to figure this out like in day one? 00:12:40.320 --> 00:12:44.159 It's not like 14 years of uh of preaching the wrong thing. 00:12:44.240 --> 00:12:46.799 No, that that can't be it either. 00:12:47.440 --> 00:13:01.600 And also don't forget that Paul already told the Galatian church, he's like, if I change my mind here on what this message is, even if an angel were to appear before you and and change the message, okay, what did he say about that? 00:13:01.840 --> 00:13:05.120 He said I he concludes himself, I should be accursed. 00:13:05.440 --> 00:13:06.159 I should be accursed. 00:13:06.240 --> 00:13:07.279 He repeats it two times. 00:13:07.440 --> 00:13:09.039 Okay, so that that can't be it. 00:13:09.200 --> 00:13:14.879 Paul wasn't doubting, okay, the message here that he'd been proclaiming all of these years, but here's what he was concerned about. 00:13:15.120 --> 00:13:18.960 He was concerned about the fruitfulness of his ministry. 00:13:19.200 --> 00:13:21.200 He was concerned about that for sure. 00:13:21.279 --> 00:13:30.559 Now just imagine the scene here, and imagine what would have happened if the Jerusalem apostles did not endorse Paul's gospel. 00:13:30.960 --> 00:13:35.279 Okay, can you imagine if they said, mm, no, that's not actually uh accurate at all? 00:13:36.080 --> 00:13:44.080 What if they didn't stand up against these false teachers who were adding works of the law to the gospel that that Jesus Christ did at all? 00:13:44.159 --> 00:13:47.360 Can you imagine the damage that would have been done here in the early church? 00:13:47.600 --> 00:13:53.600 It would have cast an extremely negative shadow over Paul and over all of his uh ministry for sure. 00:13:53.679 --> 00:14:02.559 It would have allowed the false teachers to creep in and feel like, all right, now we've got our rule of the roost here, and it would have allowed them to completely destroy the Galatian church. 00:14:03.679 --> 00:14:06.720 See the stakes here, how high it is. 00:14:07.759 --> 00:14:15.120 Paul's concern that his concern was that all the work that he had done all of these years, all these 14 years, right? 00:14:15.200 --> 00:14:19.840 All the work that he was going to do, it was gonna be, as he says he puts it here, in vain. 00:14:20.720 --> 00:14:22.320 That's what my concern was. 00:14:23.039 --> 00:14:28.480 And now we're gonna unfold more of this as we go here, but but Paul and the apostles, it's really cool. 00:14:28.559 --> 00:14:43.919 They they hold firmly to the true message of the gospel here, which ensures that all the ministry that had been done and all of the future ministry that would take place in future, you know, days, weeks, months, years, centuries, all of that uh doesn't fall apart. 00:14:44.080 --> 00:14:44.399 Right? 00:14:44.559 --> 00:14:50.799 It would remain uh fruitful and grow and bear even more fruit uh going forward. 00:14:50.960 --> 00:14:58.960 You can just see here that the that the leaders here, Paul and the other Jerusalem disciples, they're uniting over this difficulty and they're galvanizing. 00:14:59.039 --> 00:15:04.799 And hey, listen, they're gonna go do even more fruitful ministry, and we're gonna see that happen here as we go. 00:15:05.440 --> 00:15:16.960 Now, all of that what's taking place here in this context uh in Galatia, okay, that and in Jerusalem, that all might seem a little bit remote to us. 00:15:17.919 --> 00:15:22.879 What does that have to do with you know the 21st century church? 00:15:23.120 --> 00:15:23.440 Right? 00:15:23.759 --> 00:15:34.080 That's great to hear a story, Pastor Mike, about what you know Paul and the apostles kind of dealt with here, but uh but it doesn't really matter uh anymore, does it? 00:15:34.480 --> 00:15:36.720 Well, well, think about it. 00:15:36.960 --> 00:15:42.639 When God protected the Galatian church then, okay, what was he doing? 00:15:42.879 --> 00:15:46.399 He was protecting us now, he was protecting the church going forward. 00:15:46.879 --> 00:15:49.360 The message of the gospel remained intact. 00:15:49.440 --> 00:16:03.279 There was a uh a threat of works being added to the message of grace here, and the Lord preserved all of that again, so there would be much more fruitful ministry going out uh across the world until the Lord returns. 00:16:03.600 --> 00:16:06.720 Okay, that is a huge deal, right? 00:16:06.879 --> 00:16:13.360 That is a that is a big thing and an awesome thing, just to see the way that the Lord has has preserved his word. 00:16:13.679 --> 00:16:16.720 And listen, we need to be like these guys in here. 00:16:17.039 --> 00:16:24.320 We need to hold firmly to the gospel today because whether you understand it or not, our our fruitfulness is actually at stake. 00:16:24.559 --> 00:16:28.480 Our fruitfulness depends on it just like just like theirs did. 00:16:29.039 --> 00:16:37.840 Now, you you may not think that that this type of thing could still be an issue today in today's church, uh, but let me tell you, it is. 00:16:38.080 --> 00:16:39.440 Okay, it is today. 00:16:39.600 --> 00:16:47.200 Again, the issues that we are faced with in in today's context, in the 21st century, it's not it's not circumcision, right? 00:16:47.360 --> 00:16:48.879 It's not it's not food laws. 00:16:48.960 --> 00:16:52.720 We're not pushing those things on people uh for sure. 00:16:52.960 --> 00:17:05.119 Okay, but you better believe that we are all still tempted to fall into good works or enough anti-gospel systems of salvation and living. 00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:08.000 Let me give you an example of this. 00:17:08.240 --> 00:17:33.359 Okay, one of the most common for sure, and and seemingly innocent anti-gospel messages that's that's out there today and plaguing churches and infiltrating Christians of of all different ages and threatening the fruitfulness of believers in the church is the false gospel of behavior modification. 00:17:33.759 --> 00:17:35.599 Okay, are you uh are you aware of this? 00:17:35.759 --> 00:17:36.960 Have you heard of this? 00:17:37.200 --> 00:17:40.240 Okay, it is it is rampant in the church. 00:17:40.480 --> 00:17:50.720 It is rampant through, you know, in children's ministry, in youth ministry, it's it's it's rampant all up in the way into adult ministry as well. 00:17:50.799 --> 00:17:56.559 And what is what is behavior modification and the false gospel of that? 00:17:56.720 --> 00:18:00.799 Well, well, it's an exclusive focus on the law. 00:18:01.039 --> 00:18:06.880 Okay, it's an exclusive focus on rule keeping and external behavior. 00:18:07.039 --> 00:18:15.440 All right, it really is, but but in a way that completely severs it from the bigger picture and from the truth of the gospel. 00:18:15.920 --> 00:18:19.680 Okay, so let's use let's use children's ministry as an example here. 00:18:19.839 --> 00:18:23.839 All right, and trying to help you see how this can be a problem. 00:18:24.000 --> 00:18:26.319 It can be a problem in our parenting uh as well. 00:18:26.640 --> 00:18:37.359 In children's ministry, uh what we can what we can do is we can we can tell kids that they need to what obey their parents and you know and don't lie and love their sister. 00:18:37.519 --> 00:18:40.400 Okay, this is how we you know this is how we sometimes operate. 00:18:40.480 --> 00:18:42.480 In other words, what are we trying to get them to do? 00:18:42.799 --> 00:18:45.839 Behave like good little boys and girls, right? 00:18:46.000 --> 00:18:49.920 Behave well, okay, which which kind of sounds right, right? 00:18:50.000 --> 00:18:53.519 I don't think we should have zero focus on on behavior, right? 00:18:53.599 --> 00:18:56.400 I think that's uh that's a bad plan as well. 00:18:56.640 --> 00:18:59.920 And so it sounds kind of right, but what's what's the problem with all of this? 00:19:00.160 --> 00:19:04.400 We're focusing on on rules and law and behaving and performing and all that. 00:19:04.480 --> 00:19:05.359 What's the problem? 00:19:06.240 --> 00:19:09.200 They're not good little boys and girls, right? 00:19:09.359 --> 00:19:10.000 They're not. 00:19:10.160 --> 00:19:15.359 Yeah, they may be very cute, they may be very sweet, but if you're a parent, you know. 00:19:16.559 --> 00:19:16.880 Right? 00:19:16.960 --> 00:19:17.359 You get it. 00:19:17.440 --> 00:19:29.279 Your kid, you know, you you have all the Instagram posts of your cute little family, and you've got all that going, but you know, behind closed doors, your kids can be difficult, right? 00:19:29.440 --> 00:19:32.640 It can be it can be very, very hard, right? 00:19:32.720 --> 00:19:37.759 And the reality is our kids are broken and lost. 00:19:38.000 --> 00:19:42.720 Okay, and and trying to behave well does not fix that. 00:19:42.960 --> 00:19:47.359 It does not fix their brokenness, it does not fix their lostness. 00:19:47.759 --> 00:19:54.480 Okay, the message of of behavior modification is barely even half of the message that they need to hear. 00:19:54.640 --> 00:19:56.559 That's barely half of it. 00:19:56.799 --> 00:19:59.519 Now, don't get me wrong, they do need the law. 00:19:59.839 --> 00:20:02.799 Okay, I'm not saying they don't need rules and they don't need all of that. 00:20:02.960 --> 00:20:08.160 They do need to know what God's standards are, they do need to go know what God expects of them. 00:20:08.319 --> 00:20:10.720 They need to know that they should obey their parents. 00:20:10.880 --> 00:20:15.200 Okay, that they they should not lie and that they should be kind to their sister. 00:20:15.440 --> 00:20:21.759 Okay, but if we if we end the message there, okay, they leave kind of thinking, what? 00:20:22.960 --> 00:20:30.559 They leave thinking, well, okay, well, if I I guess if I just sort of obey you know pretty well, I guess, you know, then I guess I'm I guess I'm all good. 00:20:31.200 --> 00:20:39.119 I guess I guess the Lord and I are are good, and and you know, I guess, you know, I guess maybe He'll love me then if I do all of that. 00:20:39.599 --> 00:20:41.440 Do you see the danger in this? 00:20:41.759 --> 00:20:46.079 Do you see the danger in in behavior modification? 00:20:46.559 --> 00:20:52.079 Because kids learn very early on to base the relationship with God on what? 00:20:52.640 --> 00:20:55.200 Their performance, not Jesus Christ. 00:20:55.440 --> 00:20:57.200 And then what ends up happening? 00:20:57.359 --> 00:21:00.079 They they grow up and they move into youth group. 00:21:00.240 --> 00:21:03.920 And then what happens in youth group when it's about behavior modification? 00:21:04.319 --> 00:21:09.119 It's just it's just laws and rules and performance and behavior repackaged. 00:21:09.279 --> 00:21:10.720 It's just a bunch of different rules. 00:21:10.880 --> 00:21:17.839 It's don't shrink, don't drink, don't smoke, don't have sex, you don't do all of those things, you're a good little Johnny, off you go. 00:21:18.559 --> 00:21:20.160 And then what happens? 00:21:20.319 --> 00:21:22.880 They grow up from there and they become us. 00:21:23.200 --> 00:21:23.519 Right? 00:21:23.599 --> 00:21:26.000 And then we've got again, it's just repackaged again. 00:21:26.160 --> 00:21:35.759 It's not like, well, I should probably be a good husband, and I should probably you know pay my taxes, and there's this book called the Bible I should probably you know read. 00:21:35.839 --> 00:21:39.200 So I'm gonna you know check mark all the boxes, you know, there. 00:21:39.279 --> 00:21:48.880 And again, it's it's performance, performance, performance, and and before too long, you know, we've just basically behaved through our whole lives like a bunch of circus animals, right? 00:21:49.039 --> 00:21:52.240 Like trying to please our master over and over again. 00:21:52.319 --> 00:21:54.319 And we wonder why is my heart hard? 00:21:54.559 --> 00:21:54.720 Right? 00:21:54.880 --> 00:21:56.559 Why do I not care about the Lord? 00:21:56.720 --> 00:21:59.759 Why do I why am I so slow to obtain and and receive? 00:22:00.400 --> 00:22:02.160 And love the gospel of Jesus Christ. 00:22:02.319 --> 00:22:03.200 Well, I have the reason why. 00:22:03.279 --> 00:22:04.799 It's because we don't spend any time in it. 00:22:04.960 --> 00:22:05.599 We don't know it. 00:22:05.680 --> 00:22:06.400 We don't teach it. 00:22:06.480 --> 00:22:08.400 We're not discipling people in it. 00:22:08.559 --> 00:22:11.839 And so they grow up years and years, and we're the product of this. 00:22:12.079 --> 00:22:13.599 Where we're like, I don't care about church. 00:22:13.680 --> 00:22:15.200 I'm just gonna come here, I'm gonna show up. 00:22:15.279 --> 00:22:18.240 But the gospel is not driving me towards greater love for Jesus. 00:22:18.319 --> 00:22:22.400 It's not driving me towards greater obedience because I actually want to. 00:22:24.000 --> 00:22:27.359 I'm doing it as just a big behavior sham. 00:22:32.960 --> 00:22:35.680 Okay, so done with that garbage. 00:22:35.920 --> 00:22:37.119 Can I tell you that right now? 00:22:37.279 --> 00:22:38.079 Is that like clear? 00:22:38.240 --> 00:22:39.759 I hope I'm being really clear about this. 00:22:40.319 --> 00:22:40.720 Right? 00:22:41.039 --> 00:22:41.680 Barf. 00:22:41.920 --> 00:22:54.319 Okay, holding, holding firmly to the message of the gospel, okay, back to our kids again, all right, means not falling prey to this false gospel of behavior modification. 00:22:54.559 --> 00:22:54.799 Okay? 00:22:55.359 --> 00:23:03.920 Refusing to ruin their fruitfulness and our fruitfulness because we've got the message kind of half right. 00:23:04.319 --> 00:23:10.559 We're focusing on them just behaving well and complying with all of the rules, and that's that's basically it. 00:23:11.039 --> 00:23:19.279 Again, give them the law so that they know what the rules are, they know what the standards are, they know that God is holy, all of that, but then also show them the rest of the story. 00:23:19.599 --> 00:23:22.559 That's what we are committed to in our church. 00:23:23.039 --> 00:23:28.480 That's what faithful people are doing down the hallway in Harvest Kids right now as we speak. 00:23:29.119 --> 00:23:30.960 I heard a message not too long ago. 00:23:31.039 --> 00:23:40.160 It wasn't in our church, but it was to a bunch of kids, and literally it was, you know, bring them to the law, show them that if they obey their parents, it will go well with them. 00:23:40.319 --> 00:23:44.960 Okay, so obey your parents, obey your parents, obey your parents, off you go. 00:23:45.680 --> 00:23:47.599 Behavior modification. 00:23:48.079 --> 00:23:50.000 Where's the Jesus in that? 00:23:50.160 --> 00:23:54.000 Where's the reality that listen, they can't possibly obey the law. 00:23:54.240 --> 00:23:55.759 They're broken, they're lost. 00:23:55.839 --> 00:23:57.920 That's why Jesus had to come. 00:23:58.480 --> 00:24:00.720 He came and did it in their place. 00:24:01.440 --> 00:24:04.319 Show them their lostness, show them their brokenness. 00:24:04.400 --> 00:24:05.759 We will do that at this church. 00:24:05.920 --> 00:24:11.119 Do it in your homes as well, and then point to how awesome Jesus is for taking care of that little problem for us. 00:24:11.359 --> 00:24:11.680 Right? 00:24:11.839 --> 00:24:12.319 Show them. 00:24:12.480 --> 00:24:17.200 Point to the gospel, point to point to what he has done. 00:24:18.319 --> 00:24:30.240 Righteousness does not come from outward performance, from behavior, because our hearts are warped and sinful and in need of a complete and total rescue. 00:24:30.720 --> 00:24:32.480 And we can't carry out that mission. 00:24:32.720 --> 00:24:33.839 Only Jesus can. 00:24:33.920 --> 00:24:34.640 And guess what? 00:24:34.880 --> 00:24:35.759 Did right? 00:24:36.000 --> 00:24:37.599 He did it through the cross. 00:24:37.920 --> 00:24:49.920 And so our job as the church on all levels, harvest kids, harvest youth, young adults, adult ministry in your homes, husbands, be leading in this with your wives and with your kids. 00:24:50.160 --> 00:24:59.440 Be leading, proclaiming the gospel, making sure that you are doing that accurately, okay, faithfully and consistently. 00:25:00.079 --> 00:25:02.079 You don't do it once a year at Easter. 00:25:02.160 --> 00:25:03.440 I'm gonna read the Easter story. 00:25:03.519 --> 00:25:04.160 No, constantly. 00:25:04.799 --> 00:25:18.559 When you're talking with your wife, when you're talking with your kids, when you are praying between you and the Lord, remind yourself of the gospel constantly, holding firmly to it, so that we can be a church that is truly fruitful. 00:25:18.880 --> 00:25:20.000 Do you want that? 00:25:20.480 --> 00:25:27.680 A church full of people of all ages, driven by the good news. 00:25:28.079 --> 00:25:29.039 Driven by it. 00:25:29.279 --> 00:25:32.960 On a heart level, passionately in love with Jesus. 00:25:33.119 --> 00:25:38.559 Not because, well, hopefully he'll, you know, he'll help me out if I do that, and I'm kind of manipulating him through it. 00:25:38.720 --> 00:25:42.400 No, passionately in love with Jesus because he first loved us. 00:25:42.640 --> 00:25:43.039 Right? 00:25:43.119 --> 00:25:44.319 That's the driving thing. 00:25:44.480 --> 00:25:50.319 Hearts responding to what he has done, and a church on fire for ministry. 00:25:50.559 --> 00:25:52.240 On fire for ministry. 00:25:52.720 --> 00:25:54.400 Here's the second thing. 00:25:55.039 --> 00:26:04.880 We must hold firmly to the message of the gospel, refusing to fall back in to a works-based mentality, refusing to go back down that road again. 00:26:04.960 --> 00:26:06.000 Verse 3, take a look. 00:26:06.160 --> 00:26:12.000 It says, But even Titus, who was with me, he was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. 00:26:12.160 --> 00:26:19.920 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in, who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that it might bring us into slavery. 00:26:20.160 --> 00:26:29.839 Okay, to them we do not yield in submission, even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel may be preserved for you. 00:26:30.160 --> 00:26:30.799 For you. 00:26:31.200 --> 00:26:33.599 Okay, I kind of told you that we'd be coming back to Titus, right? 00:26:33.680 --> 00:26:35.039 Well, well, here he is. 00:26:35.200 --> 00:26:41.279 Okay, that he was not forced to be circumcised was a big deal. 00:26:41.519 --> 00:26:51.039 Okay, this was a really big deal, okay, because it was proof that the apostles themselves in Jerusalem were holding firm to the gospel message. 00:26:52.079 --> 00:26:55.200 See, Titus, okay, Titus was a Greek. 00:26:55.359 --> 00:27:00.240 Okay, meaning that he was he was a Gentile, he was non-Jewish. 00:27:00.480 --> 00:27:04.799 Okay, but the the Jerusalem apostles, what ethnicity were they? 00:27:05.359 --> 00:27:06.640 They were Jews, right? 00:27:08.000 --> 00:27:09.359 They were Jewish. 00:27:09.839 --> 00:27:20.000 And and so they grew up immersed in in Judaism, and you know, circumcision was was a very important component of the law. 00:27:21.039 --> 00:27:25.599 Being circumcised was was an Old Testament sign that you were one of God's chosen. 00:27:25.759 --> 00:27:35.039 And so it was a really important thing that would happen to uh to firstborns or to their males at the eighth day that they were born. 00:27:35.200 --> 00:27:38.079 Okay, circumcision was was huge. 00:27:38.720 --> 00:27:40.400 Okay, but here what's happening. 00:27:40.640 --> 00:27:46.319 Okay, these Jerusalem uh uh apostles here, okay, they were putting their money where their mouth was. 00:27:46.559 --> 00:27:48.240 Okay, they were putting their money where their mouth was. 00:27:48.319 --> 00:27:54.319 They were correctly teaching that salvation was purely an act of grace that we receive by faith. 00:27:54.480 --> 00:27:57.599 Okay, it's not by works of the law, okay, not at all. 00:27:57.759 --> 00:28:14.079 Okay, and when confronted with uh with an opportunity to revert back into law-based-based living and to make Titus feel as though he had to become culturally Jewish, like us, and get circumcised in order to be truly pleasing to God. 00:28:14.160 --> 00:28:17.759 When they had the opportunity to do that, they stood their ground. 00:28:18.000 --> 00:28:22.079 They stood firm and actually lived out what they believed. 00:28:22.160 --> 00:28:30.880 They refused to fall back into a works-based mentality by insisting that Titus become like one of them culturally. 00:28:31.119 --> 00:28:35.440 Okay, this was a this was a mammoth win for the church. 00:28:36.160 --> 00:28:38.079 This was huge, huge, huge for them. 00:28:38.160 --> 00:28:45.200 And it was a it was a devastating blow to these false teachers that were slipping in, obviously, right here in Jerusalem. 00:28:45.359 --> 00:28:46.720 Paul hints at that. 00:28:46.880 --> 00:28:50.079 And then, of course, we know that it was happening back at our church in Galatia. 00:28:50.240 --> 00:28:56.720 Okay, because these guys held firmly to the truth of the gospel, and they didn't let go of that. 00:28:56.880 --> 00:29:04.880 The message was preserved for those congregations, and of course, preserved uh for believers everywhere, including us. 00:29:05.200 --> 00:29:17.359 Now, in an effort to kind of you know contextualize this for us today, because again, the issues for us aren't circumcision and uh food laws and all of that. 00:29:17.680 --> 00:29:18.880 So good question, ask her. 00:29:19.119 --> 00:29:24.799 What are the, you know, or what are some of the works-based mentalities that churches today can fall into? 00:29:25.039 --> 00:29:27.440 Okay, what are some of these works-based mentalities? 00:29:27.519 --> 00:29:29.200 And we're gonna have these on the screen, just two of them. 00:29:29.359 --> 00:29:34.160 Okay, here's the first one: elevating our traditions to non-negotiables. 00:29:34.480 --> 00:29:38.319 Elevating our traditions to non-negotiables. 00:29:38.559 --> 00:29:39.920 Okay, a couple examples of that. 00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:43.200 How about how about music style in the church? 00:29:44.160 --> 00:29:44.480 Right? 00:29:44.640 --> 00:29:46.160 You ever, you know, you've heard about this before. 00:29:46.240 --> 00:29:47.680 We've been in the church for decade after decade. 00:29:47.759 --> 00:29:57.039 You've heard about the worship wars, and you know, it's wrong to have drummers, and you know, we shouldn't, you know, it shouldn't be loud, and we shouldn't be, you know, a different style of music that I like. 00:29:57.119 --> 00:30:14.880 And, you know, there's this tradition of a certain style of music in the church, and and instead of just kind of holding that loosely and kind of going with whatever style kind of reaches the most people and does all that, instead of that, no, I'm gonna hold firmly to this and these traditions that I've that I've got, I'm gonna I'm gonna raise those to non-negotiables. 00:30:15.839 --> 00:30:17.359 Non-negotiables. 00:30:17.680 --> 00:30:19.599 It's style of music, things like that. 00:30:19.920 --> 00:30:21.039 Gotta have that style. 00:30:21.200 --> 00:30:23.759 It's it's um clothing. 00:30:23.920 --> 00:30:25.200 Okay, clothing in the church. 00:30:25.279 --> 00:30:29.279 You remember back in you know the old school days where it was like everybody has to wear a suit. 00:30:29.440 --> 00:30:29.759 Right? 00:30:29.920 --> 00:30:30.880 Everyone has to. 00:30:31.279 --> 00:30:32.799 A pastor has to wear a tie. 00:30:32.880 --> 00:30:35.119 I think I've worn a tie like once here. 00:30:35.680 --> 00:30:36.000 Right? 00:30:36.079 --> 00:30:37.599 And and and and that's what it used to be. 00:30:37.680 --> 00:30:42.000 And there used to be this thing where you've gotta wear you know your Sunday best, right? 00:30:42.160 --> 00:30:44.559 As though God cares about what's on the outside, right? 00:30:44.640 --> 00:30:46.720 I think the scriptures talk about that quite a bit. 00:30:46.960 --> 00:30:47.279 Right? 00:30:47.359 --> 00:30:49.920