WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:08.640 Our passage of scripture today is Galatians chapter two, verses eleven through twenty-one. 00:00:09.599 --> 00:00:14.800 Again, that's Galatians chapter two verses eleven through twenty-one. 00:00:17.039 --> 00:00:22.800 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 00:00:23.440 --> 00:00:27.839 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles. 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:33.520 But when they came, he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 00:00:33.840 --> 00:00:41.520 And the rest of the Jews had acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 00:00:42.079 --> 00:00:58.079 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? 00:00:58.799 --> 00:01:03.119 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners. 00:01:03.359 --> 00:01:18.400 Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ, so that we also have believed in Christ Jesus in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law. 00:01:18.719 --> 00:01:22.959 Because by works of the law no one will be justified. 00:01:23.280 --> 00:01:30.879 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? 00:01:31.200 --> 00:01:32.480 Certainly not. 00:01:32.879 --> 00:01:38.319 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 00:01:38.640 --> 00:01:43.840 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. 00:01:44.480 --> 00:01:46.879 I have been crucified with Christ. 00:01:47.120 --> 00:01:51.680 It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. 00:01:52.400 --> 00:02:01.280 And in the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who for who loved me and gave himself for me. 00:02:01.599 --> 00:02:09.759 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. 00:02:10.080 --> 00:02:11.680 This is the word of God. 00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:27.680 Some of you will be surprised to hear that in ninth and tenth grade I played high school football in the great state of Alabama. 00:02:29.680 --> 00:02:32.400 It probably won't shock you to hear I wasn't very good. 00:02:33.680 --> 00:02:40.639 In the offseason, they would do these drills where they would see who could do the most dips and who could bench press the most and who could squat the most. 00:02:41.280 --> 00:02:46.240 And famously, whether you're a sports fan or not, you may have heard they time people's 40-yard dash. 00:02:46.400 --> 00:02:50.800 You literally just sprint 40 yards as fast as you can, and they time it. 00:02:51.120 --> 00:02:54.159 And let's just say my time was embarrassing. 00:02:54.879 --> 00:02:59.199 And they would do this thing where they would video your running. 00:03:00.319 --> 00:03:02.400 I don't know if you've ever had your running videoed. 00:03:03.919 --> 00:03:11.680 But it's hard to go back and look at yourself, just flail down that line and think, I can't imagine why I'm not faster. 00:03:12.479 --> 00:03:17.520 You know, I didn't stay on the straight line, my feet bowed in, my arms are all over the place. 00:03:19.199 --> 00:03:22.159 I couldn't stay on the line, I couldn't keep the speed. 00:03:25.199 --> 00:03:33.840 Today's passage, we're gonna talk about being brought in line or in step with the gospel. 00:03:36.560 --> 00:03:41.280 If you're wondering, if you're like, man, that wasn't, I didn't get the resolution there, don't worry, I never got faster. 00:03:41.439 --> 00:03:47.439 Uh after 10th grade, I hung up my cleats and my pads and said, I'm gonna go get ready for college because I obviously need to read more. 00:03:47.599 --> 00:03:49.120 And uh the Lord blessed that. 00:03:49.280 --> 00:03:55.680 So, yeah, shout out to all the football players who are good because it was fun, but not for me. 00:03:56.479 --> 00:04:01.199 We're gonna see today's passage talking about living a step with the gospel in three main parts. 00:04:01.439 --> 00:04:03.919 The first, it's gonna be a lot of fun, ready? 00:04:04.080 --> 00:04:06.479 The first point, condemned by sin. 00:04:06.719 --> 00:04:07.520 Oh yeah. 00:04:07.840 --> 00:04:12.639 The second one is justified by faith and crucified with Christ. 00:04:12.879 --> 00:04:18.959 Condemned by sin, justified by faith, crucified with Christ. 00:04:19.519 --> 00:04:20.720 We start in verse 11. 00:04:20.800 --> 00:04:24.560 But when Cephas came to Antioch, pause. 00:04:24.879 --> 00:04:30.480 In our last section, starting at the beginning of chapter two, it said, Then after 14 years I went up again to Jerusalem. 00:04:30.560 --> 00:04:32.560 So this is Paul still telling his story. 00:04:32.720 --> 00:04:35.519 He talked about his conversion a couple of weeks ago when Pastor J.D. 00:04:35.680 --> 00:04:35.920 preached. 00:04:36.079 --> 00:04:40.879 Last week when Sean preached, it was him in Jerusalem talking to Barnabas and Titus and the others. 00:04:40.959 --> 00:04:42.399 And here we have another transition. 00:04:42.480 --> 00:04:44.160 It's still Paul telling his story. 00:04:44.240 --> 00:04:46.480 He's still talking about the gospel that he preaches. 00:04:46.639 --> 00:04:55.600 And it says, but when Cephas, that's another name for Peter, remember we've talked about how Paul and Saul are kind of Greek and Hebrew names, same thing going on here. 00:04:55.759 --> 00:04:56.079 Okay? 00:04:56.399 --> 00:05:01.759 Yes, it is true that Jesus said, and I call you Peter, but still in certain contexts, he was known as Cephas. 00:05:01.920 --> 00:05:03.680 So Cephas comes to Antioch. 00:05:04.399 --> 00:05:09.360 Antioch was the place where we were first called Christians. 00:05:09.839 --> 00:05:12.160 It was a hub for missions. 00:05:12.879 --> 00:05:17.279 From Antioch, missionaries were sent out all over the known world. 00:05:18.720 --> 00:05:26.720 Honestly, if you had Jerusalem as kind of the original church, Antioch was your second tower if you're a two towers fan. 00:05:29.439 --> 00:05:33.040 But if that's not interesting to you, this picks up pretty quickly. 00:05:33.279 --> 00:05:38.959 Because Paul says, I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned. 00:05:40.079 --> 00:05:45.600 I love how Paul just, you know, tiptoes around things and avoids conflict. 00:05:45.759 --> 00:05:48.639 Um, he's he's like, uh, remember when Cephas came to Antioch? 00:05:48.720 --> 00:05:49.839 Yeah, I opposed him to his face. 00:05:49.920 --> 00:05:51.839 That's right, because he was condemned. 00:05:52.879 --> 00:05:54.399 That's strong language. 00:05:54.480 --> 00:05:57.600 If you read that and you go, oh, that feels that feels strong, it's supposed to. 00:05:58.079 --> 00:05:58.720 It is meant to. 00:05:58.800 --> 00:06:04.240 So that when you read it, you go, oh, okay, something big was going on here. 00:06:04.480 --> 00:06:06.800 There's already a principle for us to learn here. 00:06:06.959 --> 00:06:10.160 And it's been one of my favorite in ministry, something I learned from a mentor of mine. 00:06:10.399 --> 00:06:17.839 If a church member comes to me, or anybody visiting our church comes to me and says, Oh, have you heard about what's going on with so-and-so? 00:06:19.360 --> 00:06:22.560 The next thing I'm gonna ask you is, have you talked to so-and-so? 00:06:25.040 --> 00:06:29.040 As Christians, we're called to deal with each other face to face. 00:06:29.279 --> 00:06:30.959 I know that makes some of us so uncomfortable. 00:06:31.040 --> 00:06:32.879 Some of you are like, I'm leaving this church now. 00:06:32.959 --> 00:06:35.199 I don't ever want to be dealt with face to face. 00:06:35.360 --> 00:06:36.800 Y'all, it's for our good. 00:06:37.439 --> 00:06:38.800 This is Paul and Peter. 00:06:38.879 --> 00:06:41.360 These are like the heavyweights of the church. 00:06:41.519 --> 00:06:44.319 A lot of our New Testament is written by these two men. 00:06:45.360 --> 00:06:48.240 Paul opposed him face to face. 00:06:48.319 --> 00:06:48.800 Why? 00:06:49.120 --> 00:06:51.680 Because he stood condemned. 00:06:54.240 --> 00:06:55.839 That's serious language. 00:06:56.000 --> 00:07:00.079 We've already seen in Galatians where Paul talks about people being accursed, things like that. 00:07:00.160 --> 00:07:01.439 This carries that same idea. 00:07:01.600 --> 00:07:05.439 He's not saying, ah, Peter said some things and it wasn't quite how I would have said it. 00:07:05.600 --> 00:07:09.120 No, he's saying the gospel was at stake with Peter. 00:07:11.040 --> 00:07:12.720 The stakes are high. 00:07:14.959 --> 00:07:18.240 Verse 12, for certain men came from James. 00:07:18.639 --> 00:07:23.920 Now, before we talk about these certain men too much, this is the idea they came from James in Jerusalem. 00:07:24.160 --> 00:07:28.000 James probably wasn't sending them as like spies to mislead people. 00:07:28.160 --> 00:07:30.399 James, for all accounts, is faithful. 00:07:30.720 --> 00:07:34.480 But these are people who were Jewish Christians coming from Jerusalem. 00:07:34.560 --> 00:07:40.480 So they were still keeping some of the Jewish laws, and there was still a lack of clarity on what needed to be kept and what didn't. 00:07:40.639 --> 00:07:45.279 So they come from James, and it says he, this is Peter, was eating with the Gentiles. 00:07:45.360 --> 00:07:47.120 So he was eating with non-Jews. 00:07:47.360 --> 00:07:48.720 Why would that matter? 00:07:49.040 --> 00:07:51.920 Jews and Gentiles have different dietary laws. 00:07:53.199 --> 00:08:00.240 So for Peter to have been eating with the Gentiles means he wasn't keeping what the law of Moses said to do to eat. 00:08:01.040 --> 00:08:09.759 Because of the gospel, he was now united with these Gentile brothers and sisters and was rightly able to have freedom in Christ and eat with them. 00:08:10.160 --> 00:08:18.720 If you like bacon, shout out to the gospel, because if you were Jewish or obeying some of these laws, you wouldn't be having that. 00:08:21.920 --> 00:08:31.199 But when they came, he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 00:08:31.839 --> 00:08:32.879 Two verbs there. 00:08:33.120 --> 00:08:39.440 Peter drew back, he literally backed away from them and separated. 00:08:40.399 --> 00:08:47.200 Awfully, this brings to mind separate but equal kinds of treatments we've had in our country's history. 00:08:47.440 --> 00:08:49.120 No, the Gentiles can eat over there. 00:08:49.360 --> 00:08:51.039 We're just going to keep eating over here. 00:08:51.279 --> 00:08:53.039 Just let them do their thing over there. 00:08:53.279 --> 00:08:54.799 We're going to keep eating over here. 00:08:55.039 --> 00:08:56.639 Notice why he did it. 00:08:56.960 --> 00:09:01.279 Fearing the circumcision party, he was motivated by fear. 00:09:02.799 --> 00:09:07.519 Not because he wanted to keep the law, not because he wanted to glorify God, not because he wanted to do what was right. 00:09:07.679 --> 00:09:11.840 He was afraid of what these other people were going to say. 00:09:14.000 --> 00:09:18.159 And it led him to stop doing a good thing that he had been doing. 00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:19.759 He had been eating with these Gentiles. 00:09:19.919 --> 00:09:21.919 He wasn't doing it anymore. 00:09:22.159 --> 00:09:23.279 Verse 13. 00:09:23.519 --> 00:09:32.559 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 00:09:32.960 --> 00:09:34.080 Yo, we got Peter. 00:09:34.240 --> 00:09:35.200 We got Barnabas. 00:09:35.519 --> 00:09:35.919 These are names. 00:09:36.000 --> 00:09:37.279 If you've been in church, you've heard these. 00:09:37.360 --> 00:09:38.960 These are church leaders. 00:09:39.279 --> 00:09:42.159 This is like the big kahunas of the early church. 00:09:42.320 --> 00:09:44.960 And they're doing the wrong thing. 00:09:46.799 --> 00:09:50.240 Folks, leaders in the church can get it wrong too. 00:09:51.360 --> 00:09:52.399 We can fail. 00:09:52.639 --> 00:09:58.879 The reason we need accountability from brothers and sisters is to call us back and step with the gospel. 00:09:59.519 --> 00:10:03.200 I find it interesting that in verse 13 it says hypocritically and hypocrisy. 00:10:03.360 --> 00:10:07.600 I point out to you often if something is repeated in scripture, you need to pay attention to it. 00:10:07.840 --> 00:10:09.360 Why is this hypocrisy? 00:10:09.519 --> 00:10:13.919 Because Peter's already shown, Barnabas has already shown that they knew a better way. 00:10:14.799 --> 00:10:16.240 They knew there should be unity. 00:10:16.320 --> 00:10:18.000 They knew they had freedom. 00:10:19.440 --> 00:10:22.000 And instead they turned back to their old ways. 00:10:23.759 --> 00:10:26.799 And they excluded people that should have been included. 00:10:30.320 --> 00:10:31.600 Verse 14. 00:10:42.960 --> 00:10:46.000 Paul comes in, obviously expecting Peter to do what he had been doing. 00:10:46.159 --> 00:10:48.159 Peter, you've been eating with Gentiles, you're going to be doing that. 00:10:48.320 --> 00:10:53.360 He finds him ignoring them and leading other people to do the same. 00:10:53.919 --> 00:10:59.360 And he doesn't say, hey, we have some rules about this, Peter, you're breaking our rules. 00:10:59.440 --> 00:11:00.320 We had some agreements. 00:11:00.480 --> 00:11:01.039 No, no. 00:11:01.200 --> 00:11:02.399 This elevates. 00:11:02.639 --> 00:11:07.279 He says, you're out of step with the very gospel of Jesus Christ. 00:11:08.080 --> 00:11:10.159 That's a big charge, y'all. 00:11:10.480 --> 00:11:12.639 This shows the seriousness of sin. 00:11:14.720 --> 00:11:21.519 Some of you are saying, well, if Peter was condemned, I mean, this is the same Peter that Jesus had in his inner circle, Peter, James, and John. 00:11:22.159 --> 00:11:25.039 This is the same one who, when Jesus said, Who do you say that I am? 00:11:25.120 --> 00:11:27.360 He said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. 00:11:27.679 --> 00:11:33.679 Yes, he had denied Christ at the cross, or at his trial, rather. 00:11:33.919 --> 00:11:36.399 But he was restored by the resurrected Christ. 00:11:36.639 --> 00:11:37.679 Peter, do you love me? 00:11:37.840 --> 00:11:39.039 Feed my sheep. 00:11:39.519 --> 00:11:47.039 And he was there at the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit fell on them and he preached, and thousands came to know the Lord. 00:11:47.600 --> 00:11:49.200 This is that Peter. 00:11:51.039 --> 00:11:52.480 How does he stand condemned? 00:11:52.559 --> 00:11:56.159 And if he's condemned, then what hope is there for us? 00:11:59.519 --> 00:12:04.559 His conduct was condemning him because it was sinful conduct. 00:12:04.720 --> 00:12:11.519 If he had kept on in sin unrepentantly, there was reason to be concerned for his eternity. 00:12:15.600 --> 00:12:17.200 So Paul sees this. 00:12:24.639 --> 00:12:29.279 But it literally means he was walking with crooked feet. 00:12:29.519 --> 00:12:31.360 Remember my running the 40? 00:12:31.519 --> 00:12:33.759 How my feet did this, they call it pigeon-toed? 00:12:34.159 --> 00:12:34.799 Yeah. 00:12:36.559 --> 00:12:41.440 He says, you need to get in line with the way Jesus has taught us to walk. 00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:43.360 Because this wasn't it. 00:12:44.399 --> 00:12:47.279 I said to Cephas, before them all. 00:12:47.440 --> 00:12:52.399 Now, if there are three words in today's passage that are going to scare more people in this room than any other, that's it. 00:12:52.720 --> 00:12:53.919 Before them all. 00:12:56.320 --> 00:13:00.879 Paul did not go to Peter privately and say, hey, we got something we need to talk about. 00:13:02.159 --> 00:13:04.320 And for those of you in here, because I know several of you know your Bibles. 00:13:04.480 --> 00:13:06.320 You're like, well, Jesus says in Matthew 18, we should go. 00:13:06.399 --> 00:13:08.159 If a brother sins against me, I should go one-on-one. 00:13:08.639 --> 00:13:10.399 Is Paul now doing the wrong thing? 00:13:10.559 --> 00:13:11.919 No, why not? 00:13:13.679 --> 00:13:18.399 Because Peter is acting publicly and is leading people astray. 00:13:18.559 --> 00:13:21.120 He's causing a stumbling block to happen for others. 00:13:21.279 --> 00:13:26.080 It's something that needs to be addressed in front of everyone so everyone sees how serious it is. 00:13:26.320 --> 00:13:29.039 Some of you are so nervous that I'm going to like call somebody out and sin right now. 00:13:29.600 --> 00:13:31.919 It's not about to happen, so let's just take that off of you, okay? 00:13:32.000 --> 00:13:33.440 It's not what we're doing today. 00:13:34.879 --> 00:13:46.639 But before them all, he says, if you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews? 00:13:46.879 --> 00:13:52.960 He's saying, Peter, you were eating with the Gentiles, and now you want them to keep the Jewish law? 00:13:53.200 --> 00:13:54.480 You've already broken the law. 00:13:54.559 --> 00:13:56.639 You can't tell them to keep the law that you've broken. 00:13:57.120 --> 00:13:58.879 It doesn't make sense. 00:13:59.759 --> 00:14:03.039 Again, y'all, think of the gravity of this. 00:14:03.200 --> 00:14:06.559 Think of like the most known Christian celebrities you know right now. 00:14:06.639 --> 00:14:08.559 I don't even know who they are anymore since Billy Graham died. 00:14:08.639 --> 00:14:09.679 That was always like my go-to. 00:14:10.080 --> 00:14:12.399 But maybe John Piper, I don't know. 00:14:12.799 --> 00:14:15.919 Whoever it is out there that you think of, that you're like, this is like the Christian. 00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:17.519 And think of the other one. 00:14:17.679 --> 00:14:21.600 And imagine them publicly calling each other out. 00:14:21.840 --> 00:14:23.440 It'd be all over social media today. 00:14:23.519 --> 00:14:24.879 There'd be news headlines. 00:14:25.120 --> 00:14:27.759 Churches would be like having prayer vigils and stuff. 00:14:28.080 --> 00:14:29.360 Taking sides. 00:14:33.600 --> 00:14:36.159 Paul calls him out in front of everyone. 00:14:38.720 --> 00:14:39.360 Why? 00:14:43.759 --> 00:14:46.799 Because he was out of step with the gospel. 00:14:49.279 --> 00:14:51.759 Paul's feelings weren't just personally hurt. 00:14:53.759 --> 00:14:56.159 It wasn't just a preference that Paul had. 00:14:57.120 --> 00:15:02.399 He was concerned for his brother Peter, and he was concerned for those who were being led astray. 00:15:02.799 --> 00:15:05.679 And he says, hey, we're going to miss the gospel if we miss this. 00:15:05.919 --> 00:15:09.360 I honestly couldn't help but think of the wise words of Stanley Hudson in this. 00:15:09.519 --> 00:15:12.159 Boy, have you lost your mind, because I'll help you find it. 00:15:13.759 --> 00:15:15.519 Some of y'all are like, who's Stanley Hudson? 00:15:15.600 --> 00:15:16.320 Don't worry about it. 00:15:16.559 --> 00:15:18.960 That was just for those who might understand. 00:15:22.320 --> 00:15:24.159 Paul confronts Peter. 00:15:24.639 --> 00:15:27.200 If someone confronted you like that, how would you respond? 00:15:32.879 --> 00:15:38.080 If you did something that needed to be confronted like that, how would you respond? 00:15:40.480 --> 00:15:46.240 If you saw a brother or sister and you need to be the one to do the calling out, would you do it? 00:15:48.480 --> 00:15:51.519 I know this is we're like, oh, this is a lot of fun when we're talking about Paul and Peter. 00:15:52.159 --> 00:15:52.639 I don't want to do that. 00:15:52.720 --> 00:15:53.840 I want to think about that as a church. 00:15:54.240 --> 00:15:55.919 These are biblical principles. 00:15:56.000 --> 00:16:00.399 This is the word of God given to us, revealed to us for our instruction to make us more like Christ. 00:16:00.639 --> 00:16:03.679 God has something for us here in this confrontation. 00:16:05.440 --> 00:16:14.799 Church members, especially here, we must learn to give and receive godly criticism and encouragement. 00:16:14.960 --> 00:16:16.480 That's four things. 00:16:16.879 --> 00:16:17.200 Okay? 00:16:18.720 --> 00:16:22.320 Give godly criticism and encouragement. 00:16:22.639 --> 00:16:25.200 Receive criticism and encouragement. 00:16:25.360 --> 00:16:26.879 That's a hard thing. 00:16:27.039 --> 00:16:28.399 And it doesn't just happen overnight. 00:16:28.480 --> 00:16:33.360 If one of you is sitting back there and you're like, oh, I got a list of sins I'm about to call out, like, okay, probably too eager. 00:16:33.840 --> 00:16:35.440 It's not what we're talking about. 00:16:35.919 --> 00:16:43.840 But as we're growing in unity and community, as we are entrusting ourselves to one another, as we as members are belonging to one another, as we belong to Christ. 00:16:44.480 --> 00:16:48.320 Church, I want you to call me out like this if I'm out of step with the gospel. 00:16:49.279 --> 00:16:55.200 If it's a first-tier issue and I'm off, please stand and confront me. 00:16:56.080 --> 00:17:01.679 Paul stood for the gospel, and in a worldly sense, he was standing by himself. 00:17:05.920 --> 00:17:16.240 I think it's important that he says that his conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel and not just listing off rules because he's bringing gospel motivation rather than you just have to do what's right. 00:17:16.799 --> 00:17:18.960 He doesn't say you're not being good enough. 00:17:20.480 --> 00:17:23.039 He says you already know the truth of freedom. 00:17:24.160 --> 00:17:28.799 He's calling him to obey from salvation, not for salvation. 00:17:28.960 --> 00:17:30.480 Do we see the difference? 00:17:35.119 --> 00:17:38.079 Lest you think this is only here in scripture. 00:17:38.319 --> 00:17:42.880 In Psalm 141, verse 5, it says, Let a righteous man strike me. 00:17:43.119 --> 00:17:44.480 It is a kindness. 00:17:45.839 --> 00:17:47.119 Let him rebuke me. 00:17:47.279 --> 00:17:49.359 It is oil for my head. 00:17:49.680 --> 00:17:51.920 Let my head not refuse it. 00:17:52.400 --> 00:17:55.839 Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds. 00:17:58.240 --> 00:18:00.799 Also, just look to the life of Jesus. 00:18:01.680 --> 00:18:03.839 He was bold in his speech. 00:18:04.160 --> 00:18:12.880 He was able to differentiate what were first tier doctrines, what were second-tier doctrines, and what things were tertiary, what things just didn't matter even beyond that. 00:18:13.839 --> 00:18:23.119 But when it comes to first tier doctrines, throughout the Bible, we see prophets and we see our Messiah and we see apostles. 00:18:23.519 --> 00:18:25.200 Have boldness to say so. 00:18:26.880 --> 00:18:28.400 Say, hey, this is a problem. 00:18:28.720 --> 00:18:33.119 We have to be clear on this for your sake and for the sake of those who see you and hear you. 00:18:37.440 --> 00:18:41.599 Folks feel the weight and the problem of sin. 00:18:44.319 --> 00:18:47.759 Peter's sinful conduct was condemning him. 00:18:48.720 --> 00:18:54.079 Now this section ends without us getting like, and then Peter and Paul were reconciled, which a lot of us would like. 00:18:54.160 --> 00:18:55.200 I would like that to be there. 00:18:55.359 --> 00:18:56.240 Need some resolution? 00:18:56.559 --> 00:18:57.920 Thanks for leaving that out, Paul. 00:18:58.079 --> 00:19:01.359 But you can assume it from what we know about the rest of church history. 00:19:01.519 --> 00:19:01.839 Okay? 00:19:02.799 --> 00:19:06.640 Peter most likely heard and received what Paul is saying here. 00:19:11.039 --> 00:19:18.079 When we sin, if we continue on in it and we are unrepentant, sin leads to death. 00:19:19.680 --> 00:19:22.079 Folks, all of us are born sinners. 00:19:22.640 --> 00:19:25.519 Originally, Adam and Eve were made without sin. 00:19:25.680 --> 00:19:28.960 We're made very good, our God says. 00:19:29.599 --> 00:19:35.599 But since the fall, all of us are sinners by birth and by choice. 00:19:36.240 --> 00:19:37.920 We participate in sin. 00:19:39.599 --> 00:19:41.440 And it's not a joke. 00:19:41.759 --> 00:19:44.480 It's not something to sweep under the rug or wink at. 00:19:44.640 --> 00:19:46.000 It's dangerous. 00:19:48.240 --> 00:19:50.000 Sin is dangerous. 00:19:51.599 --> 00:19:53.200 Turn away from it. 00:19:57.680 --> 00:20:04.000 This passage is going to continue, and in some of your Bibles, you may notice the quotation marks either continue or don't. 00:20:04.720 --> 00:20:07.279 Paul seems to be saying, hey, this is what I said to Peter. 00:20:07.440 --> 00:20:11.920 And then at some point he starts also talking to the church at Galatia. 00:20:12.640 --> 00:20:17.599 We're not sure exactly what sentence that is, because it's kind of all for the Galatians. 00:20:18.160 --> 00:20:22.319 But this could have been what he continued saying to Peter, or this could have been now him just turning. 00:20:22.480 --> 00:20:27.680 I just tell you that because it's kind of unclear, and depending on your English translation, you may have quotation marks in different places. 00:20:27.839 --> 00:20:28.960 That's okay. 00:20:29.359 --> 00:20:36.640 What's good is it would have applied to Paul and Peter and to the churches of Galatia, and there's application for us today. 00:20:38.000 --> 00:20:41.839 So in the next section, we see that we are justified by faith. 00:20:42.160 --> 00:20:46.720 Verse 15, we ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners. 00:20:46.880 --> 00:20:50.799 That's Paul talking to Peter, saying, Hey, we are children of the covenant. 00:20:50.880 --> 00:20:52.079 We are children of Abraham. 00:20:52.240 --> 00:20:53.279 We were born into this. 00:20:53.359 --> 00:20:55.279 We are not born these Gentile sinners. 00:20:55.359 --> 00:20:57.519 He's using a bit of hyperbole to make a point. 00:20:57.839 --> 00:21:00.559 If you're here and you're like, I'm not Jewish, does that make me a sinner? 00:21:00.720 --> 00:21:04.720 Well, not just inherently because you're Gentile, but in their eyes, yes. 00:21:04.960 --> 00:21:06.720 We would have been seen as Gentile sinners. 00:21:06.799 --> 00:21:08.880 We were those outside the covenant. 00:21:09.920 --> 00:21:11.759 Verse 16 is good news, though. 00:21:12.000 --> 00:21:21.759 Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ. 00:21:22.640 --> 00:21:34.400 So we also have believed in Christ Jesus in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. 00:21:35.680 --> 00:21:38.000 There are several things we need to get out of these two verses. 00:21:38.160 --> 00:21:40.160 Number one is just this word justified. 00:21:40.240 --> 00:21:41.519 What does that mean? 00:21:42.000 --> 00:21:44.799 It means declared to be in the right. 00:21:44.880 --> 00:21:46.319 It's a courtroom term. 00:21:46.880 --> 00:21:52.319 If you were standing before the judge and they said, Ah, you had reason to act, you were right to do that. 00:21:52.880 --> 00:21:58.000 It is a forensic declaration that is immediately applicable. 00:21:58.480 --> 00:21:58.799 Okay? 00:22:01.440 --> 00:22:04.160 Beyond that, we really get two main points. 00:22:04.400 --> 00:22:07.920 One is that no one is born a Christian. 00:22:09.359 --> 00:22:12.960 Paul says to Peter, we're Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners. 00:22:13.680 --> 00:22:17.200 It doesn't matter if you're born Jewish or Christian, or Jewish or Gentile. 00:22:17.440 --> 00:22:18.960 No one's born Christian. 00:22:19.279 --> 00:22:21.200 You must be born again. 00:22:21.759 --> 00:22:27.039 If you're here and you say, I've gone to church my whole life, I must be good with God, that's not the gospel. 00:22:29.279 --> 00:22:35.680 The gospel is the good news of what God has done to save us in Christ, and you must turn away from your sin and trust in Jesus. 00:22:36.160 --> 00:22:37.759 You must do that. 00:22:40.720 --> 00:22:41.920 So no one's born a Christian. 00:22:42.000 --> 00:22:49.680 The second thing we get here is no one becomes a Christian by works, not by works of the law, is repeated three times here. 00:22:50.880 --> 00:22:52.160 Three times. 00:22:53.039 --> 00:22:56.799 Now he's most likely referring to the Old Testament Mosaic Law. 00:22:57.039 --> 00:22:59.519 We've joked on this, I think, some in Galatians already. 00:22:59.599 --> 00:23:02.240 I don't know a lot of people who are just like trying to do that. 00:23:02.480 --> 00:23:08.799 There are denominations, there are people applying this, trying to, but it's kind of in smaller groups, honestly. 00:23:08.880 --> 00:23:10.240 It's not widely as big of a thing. 00:23:10.319 --> 00:23:15.279 Many of you here probably aren't having that temptation that you're just like, man, I feel like I gotta keep everything in the Old Testament. 00:23:16.559 --> 00:23:17.920 Hopefully not. 00:23:18.880 --> 00:23:22.400 But we do try to justify ourselves by our works in other ways. 00:23:23.599 --> 00:23:25.839 We try to show how godly we are. 00:23:26.079 --> 00:23:28.559 We are quick to self-justify. 00:23:30.240 --> 00:23:32.400 How does it say we will be justified? 00:23:32.640 --> 00:23:34.480 Through faith. 00:23:37.359 --> 00:23:42.720 You will be declared right before God through faith in Christ. 00:23:43.920 --> 00:23:45.119 Faith alone. 00:23:45.440 --> 00:23:46.480 Sola fide. 00:23:47.759 --> 00:23:51.119 This was one of the main themes of the Protestant Reformation. 00:23:51.839 --> 00:23:53.680 This is one of the main themes of the New Testament. 00:23:53.759 --> 00:23:54.960 This is one of the main things of the Bible. 00:23:55.039 --> 00:23:56.480 It goes all the way back to Abraham. 00:23:56.640 --> 00:23:58.880 We're going to get more of that in Galatians later. 00:24:01.039 --> 00:24:08.880 Folks, if you turn away from your sin and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ right now, you will be declared righteous before God and you will be saved. 00:24:08.960 --> 00:24:11.599 Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 00:24:11.759 --> 00:24:16.480 We're just saying, God so loved the world, he gave his only son, whoever believes in him. 00:24:16.880 --> 00:24:21.039 We have to use belief because we don't have faith as a verb in English. 00:24:21.200 --> 00:24:22.079 In Greek, you did. 00:24:22.160 --> 00:24:23.519 This would be the same word. 00:24:23.599 --> 00:24:25.279 It's that trusting in Jesus. 00:24:25.359 --> 00:24:27.680 It's not just believing that Jesus exists. 00:24:28.240 --> 00:24:30.319 It's not just saying these things are out there. 00:24:30.480 --> 00:24:40.319 It is a reliance upon, it is resting in him as Savior and Lord and His complete work, not on my own works. 00:24:42.160 --> 00:24:45.359 That's one of the most freeing doctrines you can find. 00:24:46.960 --> 00:24:50.799 Folks, the gospel of Jesus Christ frees us from striving. 00:24:53.279 --> 00:24:58.400 If I said to you today, if you died, would you be with God? 00:24:59.759 --> 00:25:03.920 If you died, would you go to be in the presence of the Lord? 00:25:04.160 --> 00:25:05.440 And you said, Man, I hope so. 00:25:05.519 --> 00:25:06.720 I've been a really good person. 00:25:06.880 --> 00:25:08.079 I hate to break it to you. 00:25:08.160 --> 00:25:10.000 That is the wrong answer. 00:25:11.759 --> 00:25:14.640 None of us are going to be good enough people in our own record. 00:25:14.960 --> 00:25:16.079 None of us. 00:25:16.559 --> 00:25:18.480 No one except Christ. 00:25:20.799 --> 00:25:32.480 If you are trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior and Lord in his perfect account of the law, because he did keep the law, then you could confidently say, if I said, if you died today, would you be in the presence of the Lord? 00:25:32.559 --> 00:25:34.079 You can say, Yes. 00:25:34.960 --> 00:25:38.079 Because I trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. 00:25:38.319 --> 00:25:39.759 You can be saved. 00:25:41.039 --> 00:25:47.200 And if that sounds too good to be true, because we are so quick, we're like, okay, yes, and we just have to pause there for a second. 00:25:47.440 --> 00:25:51.279 Because something I've learned in pastoral ministries is it doesn't matter what your church background is. 00:25:51.599 --> 00:25:53.839 It doesn't matter if you have no church background. 00:25:54.160 --> 00:25:59.440 Doesn't matter if you're Church of Christ, Southern Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, on and on and on. 00:26:00.880 --> 00:26:06.559 When we talk about justification by faith, we eagerly want to get to, yes, and then. 00:26:10.160 --> 00:26:11.759 You know how we do that? 00:26:13.039 --> 00:26:15.359 Because this is part of the good news. 00:26:15.599 --> 00:26:17.279 And it sounds too good to be true. 00:26:17.359 --> 00:26:19.039 But y'all, it's true. 00:26:20.480 --> 00:26:26.880 If you've never been baptized, and you say, I believe in Jesus, what will happen to me if I die? 00:26:27.519 --> 00:26:28.960 You will go to be with him. 00:26:29.359 --> 00:26:30.799 Do I think you should be baptized? 00:26:30.880 --> 00:26:32.000 Yes, of course. 00:26:32.240 --> 00:26:34.160 But not because it saves you. 00:26:34.799 --> 00:26:40.960 Not by the washing of the body, uh pure conscience before God. 00:26:46.799 --> 00:26:48.160 It's simple. 00:26:50.400 --> 00:26:55.359 And it removes any self-pride. 00:26:56.240 --> 00:26:58.640 It removes any self-righteousness. 00:26:59.039 --> 00:27:01.200 Because faith itself is not a work. 00:27:02.000 --> 00:27:03.039 Faith is not from us. 00:27:03.200 --> 00:27:04.079 Ephesians 2 is clear. 00:27:04.160 --> 00:27:06.079 This is a gift from God to us. 00:27:07.119 --> 00:27:14.880 So if you have faith in Jesus Christ, you've been granted by God to trust in him, you will be saved. 00:27:15.279 --> 00:27:22.720 Not according to anything that you've done, but because God is gracious and saves us through faith in Jesus. 00:27:25.039 --> 00:27:28.720 You must believe in Jesus Christ. 00:27:31.680 --> 00:27:35.680 Now, if you are eager saying, okay, but but then what? 00:27:35.759 --> 00:27:38.160 I don't just believe and then go about my life, you're right. 00:27:38.319 --> 00:27:40.319 We've got a whole other point we're getting to. 00:27:40.640 --> 00:27:42.559 Crucified with Christ. 00:27:43.599 --> 00:27:52.000 Verse 17, but if in our endeavor to be justified in Christ we too are found to be sinners, is Christ a servant of sin? 00:27:52.319 --> 00:27:53.200 Certainly not. 00:27:53.680 --> 00:27:56.960 This is kind of a confusing sentence if we're not following Paul's argument. 00:27:57.599 --> 00:28:04.960 What he's saying is, does the doctrine of justification by faith, does it use Jesus' name to justify sin? 00:28:06.559 --> 00:28:11.279 Am I saying that I don't have to keep the Mosaic law because Jesus, and now that allows me to sin? 00:28:11.359 --> 00:28:12.319 And what does Paul say? 00:28:12.559 --> 00:28:13.759 Certainly not. 00:28:14.000 --> 00:28:15.519 That's not what's happening. 00:28:15.759 --> 00:28:18.640 This is a new covenant in the blood of Christ. 00:28:19.440 --> 00:28:20.640