Sunday Night, June 27, PM

Get your Bibles out Joe DeForest is gonna come preach for us tonight looking forward to what he has to share.

Brother, come on up and preach for us Glory be unto

God Tonight we'll be in Galatians. We'll open up there.

We'll be in Galatians 1 18 we'll be reading through chapter 2 verse 13

The last time God gave opportunity We looked at the first 17 verses of Paul's epistle to the

Galatians and this is a letter that showcases Paul Contending for the true and only gospel he fights against the false gospel of faith plus works brought to the

Galatians by false teachers by Judaizers who promoted that one needs Christ Yes, but also needed to be circumcised and live under law

Paul knows what is at stake for the Galatians Getting the gospel right and he rightfully is concerned for them

After he finishes his intro of the letter where the the gospel of grace spills forth in his writing

The Apostle states he marvels that the believers at Galatia are turning away so soon

Deserting the gospel for another one a false one, which was no real gospel.

No real message of hope for sinners There is one gospel and no other

Paul boldly declares the consequence of those Who reject the grace -filled gospel of Jesus Christ and replace it with a man -made gospel?

He says of those teachers. Let them be anathema. Let them be devoted to holy destruction those teachers who would not just Keep themselves from trusting fully and rightly in Christ, but also keep others from trusting in Christ Strong words to be sure in a strong way to open his letter

Yet Paul is not out to please man, but to preach that gospel that is not according to man it was through the revelation of Jesus Christ that this gospel came to Paul who was formerly

Saul a severe persecutor of the true church a highly intelligent Jew who devoted himself with zeal and the highest effort in his work in Judaism But it pleased

God to grant Saul mercy to save him and appoint him as Paul the

Apostle to preach the gospel and This message that changed Paul radically is not according to man

But is a divine message that points to Jesus Christ and calls sinners to repent and place their faith in him alone to save this is the gospel that Paul fights for and And reading further in the letter, we'll see that in his contending for the gospel

That Paul demonstrates how it is a message not dependent on man So beginning in chapter 1 verse 18, let's read the word and see what

God has said Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to see

Peter and remained with him 15 days But I saw none of the other Apostles except James the

Lord's brother Now concerning the things which I write to you indeed before God I do not lie

Afterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia and I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ But they were hearing only

He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy and they glorified

God in me Then after 14 years, I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas and also took

Titus with me And I went up by revelation and communicated to them that gospel which

I preach among the Gentiles But privately to those who were of reputation Lest by any means

I might run or had run in vain Yet not even Titus who was with me being a Greek was compelled to be circumcised

And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty

Which we have in Christ Jesus that they might bring us into bondage To whom we did not yield submission even for an hour that the truth of the gospel might continue with you

But from those who seem to be something whatever they were it makes no difference to me God shows personal favoritism to no man

For those who seem to be something added nothing to me but on the contrary when they saw that the gospel for the

Uncircumcised had been committed to me as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter For he who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the

Gentiles and When James Cephas and John who seemed to be pillars

Perceived the grace that had been given to me They gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship that we should go to the

Gentiles and they to the circumcised They desired only that we should remember the poor the very thing which

I also was eager to do Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I was stood him to his face because he was to be blamed

For before certain men came from James he would eat with the Gentiles But when they came he withdrew and separated himself fearing those who were of the circumcision and The rest of the

Jews also played the hypocrite with them so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy

This is God's Word. Let us pray Heavenly Father Thank you for this day

Thank you for your word, which is without error Thank you for the direction and the light it sheds upon us to give us knowledge of our theology of you

To give us knowledge of Jesus Christ the Savior To give us knowledge of how we should then live

We thank you Lord for Jesus Christ And it's in his name we pray amen

Paul spoke on the true gospel not being according to man just a bit earlier in the first chapter

He has given a brief personal testimony and spoken on how he did not receive the gospel from man

Not even from another Apostle No, he received it directly from Jesus Christ And he continues with this idea that the gospel is not according to man in verses 18 through 20 of chapter 1

After his conversion Paul spent Time in Arabia and eventually came back to Damascus There was no contact with another

Apostle and it was three years until he went to see Peter Three years pass and what was

Paul doing during this time? He was at work hard at work preaching the gospel, which he had received from Jesus Christ and now

He comes to Peter and spends 15 days with him there are many moments in the

Word of God I wish I could just be there for many conversations. I could just not necessarily be a part of but just listen and observe what happens and first and foremost absolutely the

Walk and the talk that Jesus takes with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus To hear

Jesus speak and beginning at Moses and all the prophets He expounded to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself

And what wonders would there be in listening to the Apostle Paul speak with the

Apostle Peter for the first time? To hear how

Paul inquired of his Lord while he was on earth during his earthly ministry where do you think

Peter would start and To hear how Peter might have inquired about Paul's conversion and intently pay attention to the glory of Christ that Paul would tell him

To hear of how Paul was hard at work Receiving a gospel directly from Jesus Christ and not from man

To hear also of who Paul was beforehand before Christ What wonders were there to hear these two speak of their

Lord and God? The text doesn't tell us what they talked about or how their time together went specifically but one thing is clear as William Hendrickson puts it the two men were meeting on perfect equality on a foothold of equality

Neither received his commission or his gospel from the other As Paul mentions as well that the only other possible he had contact with during his time here was

James the brother of Jesus He didn't work with these disciples to craft a message

He didn't receive the gospel message from these Apostles from these believers. His gospel was not according to man

Paul makes this point before God before God he makes this point He does not lie.

He is willing in full and complete confidence To state his truthfulness He swears to have told the whole truth and nothing but the truth

Regarding these things Regarding the very gospel of God This gospel is not according to man

Paul has shown that he has neither received it from man, nor was he taught it by man

The gospel the personal work of Jesus Christ Was not thought up conceived by man

It was not created by the Apostles of Jesus Christ even and then passed around and somehow made it to today

It's not man -made and as Hendrickson puts it. It's not of human origins

Man cannot create a method of salvation Yet the gospel is divine.

It is from heaven created by omnipotent God of all things It's the redemptive good news that the triune

God purposed before time began Not according to man, but according to the will of the

Father by the obedience and work of the Son Revealed to dead sinners by the

Spirit It's according to God's grace and by faith in Christ alone sinners like you and I can be forgiven

Are redeemed, are washed, are sanctified and justified before God R .C.

Sproul mentions a statement when preaching on Galatians. He said consider the source consider the source

Doing so with any message who the author is where does it come from will determine how much faith you put in that message

When you receive a news article do you consider the author do you consider where it comes from?

Yeah, those guys they do some good work. They Tell it to you straight the organization that is coming from it's always trustworthy on the other hand

Those writers never give you the straight truth. They never tell you what's up Not trustworthy at all.

Would you trust the salvation created by a sinful man? Many do sadly, but through the illumination of the

Holy Spirit Through the fear of God working in us to show us the way We see the folly of such

Gospels such false Gospels But what if God was the source what if God was the author of the message?

the one who is absolutely holy The one who is righteous and true with no potential of turning or changing

It's his gospel and the only gospel that effectively leads sinners to repentance in Jesus Christ to salvation in Christ alone

It's not according to man The message is completely trustworthy Because the author is completely trustworthy

Let this truth ever build your faith For the Christian faith is not a blind one but it takes the knowledge the reality the truth of who

God is who we are and what he has done and believes it By the grace of God we say in our souls

Lord you are right and trustworthy. I am a sinner. I am wrong.

I believe you I believe your gospel and I trust in Jesus Christ who died my soul to save Dwelling upon the trustworthiness of the gospel and Upon how the

Lord is utterly trustworthy Will build your faith Let this truth fortify your hope

Your certain expectation that Christ will continue the work he has begun in you

For he who is trustworthy to save you is also trustworthy to deliver you into final glory

Let this truth cultivate your joy Knowing it is

Christ who saves Christ who has secured all that was needed for you for he has spoken.

It's finished It is finished There is nothing that needs to be added to your salvation for Christ has accomplished it all on the cross and as our risen

Savior as The gospel is of divine origin and it being from God and focusing on the person and work of Jesus Christ The true message is not according to man, and it's also not dependent on man

And we see this starting in verse 21 of chapter 1 of Galatians After meeting with the

Apostle Peter Paul continues on to Syria and Cilicia Where he continues his work the work of preaching the gospel to the

Gentiles Across different lands across the world and some believers in Judea hear of Paul What he is doing?

They don't know him by face, but word most definitely spread of the man who severely and zealously persecuted the church but now

Preaches the gospel which he tried so hard to snuff out What was their response to this message?

This message that he who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy

Paul writes and they glorified God in me They glorify in God for the marvelous work that he accomplished in the life of a persecutor of the church

They hear of what God has done and they recognize it as authentic. This is the true grace of God at work

This is the true gospel being preached By a former very committed enemy one changed by grace

These believers at Judea were not apostles or spiritual leaders, but everyday believers simple in lifestyle unknown to the world, but nevertheless personally known by Christ as part of his flock and They recognize in praise to God that Paul has changed

That he preaches the real gospel and it's not just the everyday

Christians that recognize this But it's also those spiritual leaders of the day of the early church

For after 14 years Paul goes up to Jerusalem with his fellow workers Barnabas and Titus They go up by revelation by special direction from God himself to preach that gospel that they preach among the

Gentiles At Jerusalem during this time there was a gathering of believers and unfortunately some unbelievers to discuss and figure out a particular topic that had been previously brought up and that was

Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses you cannot be saved

So the early church meets to figure out This topic and it's recorded in Acts 15 this

Jerusalem Council They meet to discuss this idea and to try and answer the questions.

Is circumcision needed for salvation? Is following the law of Moses needed to be right with God?

As Paul and Barnabas and Titus come to this council But before they speak about their work preaching the gospel to the

Gentiles They meet with the spiritual leaders Peter James and John Paul writes that they meet with them privately lest by any means

I might run or had run in vain The Apostle wanted to ensure that he his delegation and these spiritual leaders at Jerusalem Were all on the same page and of the same mindset regarding the gospel

Going forth to the Jew and the Gentile and they were indeed on the same page

We see this as Paul continues describing that his brother in Christ Titus Was not compelled to be circumcised

So why would Paul mention this why would he bring up Titus? The text here says he was a

Greek Titus was a Gentile not circumcised standing in Jerusalem in Jewish territory believing by faith in Jesus Christ The private interview with Paul and company and Peter James and John Goes very well so that Titus is not compelled to be circumcised

And Paul states here in this particular letter why Titus might be compelled why was this an issue potentially?

Because of false brethren secretly brought in who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus that they might bring us into bondage and Yes, indeed they were the enemies of the gospel

Judaizers who promoted another gospel Very likely part of the same group that now at the time of Paul's writing

Seeks to trouble the believers at Galatia seeks to promote to them a false gospel similar to the one in Jerusalem This group of enemies at Jerusalem were the reason why some believers

Would be misled to believe that one would be needing to be circumcised in order to be made right with God Paul wasn't going to let this attack at Jerusalem slide

By the grace of God the Apostle contends for the gospel once again at Jerusalem He states to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour as always by the grace of God He contends and does not give them any more ground

He comes back to the private interview in his writing with Peter James and John and Before he gets to their response to him explaining his work among the

Gentiles He addresses in his letter to the Galatians an accusation that was brought against him by the false teachers at Galatia troubling those at that church and Seeking to promote another gospel.

They sought to undermine the Apostle Paul to dismantle his credibility and To tell the believers at Galatia to trouble them that Paul had no authentic authority

His gospel was not right They pointed to the Jewish leaders of the church

Peter James and John as the real authentic Apostles The false teachers promoted these men as pillars of the faith people of reputation certainly something and Paul identifies these men like so as pillars of the faith as Seeming to be something of reputation

Because in his writing he doesn't do this out of respect out of disrespect for the other Apostles but to combat the accusations that the false teachers brought against him and To also speak on the idea that God shows personal favoritism to no man

The Apostles Peter James and John as well as Paul and the rest They were certainly unlikely servants that God used to make an impact for the kingdom

By the grace of God working in them and around them They were indeed spiritual leaders equipped by God in the ministry that he gave unto them

Yet this does not mean that they were the spiritual elite that they were the special special people of God That they were close to the top of the pyramid right underneath Jesus Christ Yes, Jesus Christ appointed them gave them authority but they were saved by grace by faith in Jesus just like every other believer that has ever lived or will ever live as Under shepherds they were to be faithful with what they were given in the task that God gave unto them.

They were not cornerstones of the church but stones nonetheless And they were not above the

Apostle Paul Another leader appointed by God as Hendrickson has stated Peter and Paul met on equal footing as servants of the

Most High God saved by grace And Paul has already begun to combat the accusations brought against him

Stating in the earlier parts of his letter that his authority is not from men But from God giving his personal testimony and showing that the gospel that he preached was not rejected by fellow believers, but actually joyfully accepted by believers and This is how the leaders at Jerusalem react to Paul's gospel his work among the

Gentiles promoting the gospel of faith not of works Concerning these leaders

Paul states that they added nothing to me Speaking on how he preached the gospel to the

Gentiles the other Apostles Respond with nothing to add They didn't come to Paul and say your gospel is lacking here.

It needs to be fixed here. It needs to be adjusted They had nothing to add to him. They see that God is at work in Paul and Barnabas and Titus Contrary to adding something to them

They recognized that the Lord is effectively working in Peter For the salvation of the

Jews and working effectively in Paul for the salvation of the Gentiles and This was not in giving each ethnic group of people different Gospels, but it was

Merely dividing the work giving the same gospel to all the believers to both

Jew and Gentile Perceiving the grace God has given them Peter James and John gave

Paul and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship They committed to the work of the Lord together in fellowship and respect

Wanting to continue in the work that the Lord already established between them Peter James and John make

Sure to address one more thing. They asked Paul to remember the poor remember those who are needy who are lacking in various needs and Paul likewise was also concerned with this work and eager to do so Remembering the poor demonstrates in a very outward sign that these two groups of believers

Are unified in the gospel of Jesus Christ Both groups of servants were part of the church, which seeks to remember the poor and show mercy to those who are suffering

The leaders at Jerusalem recognized the true gospel that Paul and company preached and labored in Yet everything did not go so well later on Those there arose another situation in the

Church of Antioch Antioch was a new frontier for the church For redemptive history really it was the first recorded church body to bring

Gentile and Jew together as Christians And it was at this church that the term

Christian was first applied to followers of Jesus Christ this body of believers

Represented a brand new day for the church Yet there arose a significant issue and Paul describes the situation

The Apostle Peter had come to Antioch and had begun to distance himself from Gentile believers

Why did Peter do this? because of certain men that came from James not

Indicating that they were faithful servants under the guidance of James, but from the same church body where James served at They came in as Judaizers and Before their arrival

Peter had no issue with eating with brothers and sisters who were Gentiles But after their arrival he began to distance himself and to eat with only the

Jews What was the motivation for Peter to do so to begin to distance himself?

The text says that Peter was fearing those who were of the circumcision He had allowed the fear of man an unholy fear to rule his heart and his mind rather than the fear of God Which is a right and holy fear that is beginning of wisdom

This action led others to do the same to follow the same path that Peter was foolishly going down The rest of the

Jews also played the hypocrite with them so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy Yes, Barnabas too, that man who is a co -worker and encourager for Paul in the gospel and the preaching to the

Gentiles The gospel of faith not of works even Barnabas was carried away The brand -new day at Antioch was getting dark

The wall of separation between Jew and Gentile that had been torn down by the gospel of God's grace

Was starting to be rebuilt Yet Paul by the grace of God Does the

Christian thing in this situation? He writes I Withstood him to his face before them all

Paul knows what is at stake for the believers at Antioch? Getting the gospel, right?

But now he contends not against outside forces against spies coming in from the outside to bring spiritual bondage to Christians he contends against the

Apostle Peter and Against the Jews that are following his example As a beloved brother as a faithful servant of Jesus Christ Paul has the courage to face off against his fellow

Apostle and brother and Tell him you're out of line The gospel is not according to man.

It's not created Not defined not established by man. It does not change with time or culture

It does not change with the current beliefs or understandings or wisdom of men It is not dependent on man

And it's not dependent on true believers, it's not dependent on spiritual leaders

It's not dependent on Peter The Apostle Peter and if the reader of Galatians is familiar with the rest of the

Word of God He has to stop and think about the Apostle Peter for a moment that simple fisherman who

Was called by Christ himself and said I will make you a fisher of men He saw demons cast out the sick healed lepers cleansed a dead man rise from the grave

He's mentioned as the first of the twelve if not always most of the time He had a bold faith and was very impulsive in his speech

He failed many times as when he was walking on water he took his eyes off of Christ and began to sink

He strongly asserted to Jesus at one point. I will never leave you Yet after the arrest of the

Savior and being asked the question. Are you not one of his disciples? Peter answers three times.

I don't know the man. I don't know him After the burial and resurrection of Christ Peter along with John here are the news of the empty tomb and They book it to the scene.

They find it empty and later they encounter the risen Christ Very much scarred, but Mary very much physically alive

They're commanded to go to preach the gospel across the world

Across the world and Peter's the one who preaches at Pentecost. He is the one who boldly proclaims.

Therefore, let all the house of Israel know Assuredly that God has made this

Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ He with the other

Apostles faithfully minister in the church give them godly guidance in this new age and He's later seen with John standing before the

Jewish priests and the Sadducees the two Apostles are instructed not to preach or teach

Jesus Christ any longer and in response the two say Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God you judge

For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard Peter was the

Apostle who received the vision of the sheet from God he heard in the vision what

God has cleansed you must not call common and shortly after Peter by God's direction came to the house of Cornelius a

Roman centurion a Gentile There the Apostle preached the gospel and the center and the centurion and other

Gentiles were saved authentically by the power of God and The church's response then

God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life And at that very council in Jerusalem Where Paul and Barnabas and Titus came to where many believers gathered as well as many spies

Regarding the issue unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses. You cannot be saved

Peter after much dispute rose up and spoke this Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago

God chose among us that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe so God who knows the heart

Acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us and made no distinction between us and them

Purifying their hearts by faith. Is it any wonder that many considered

Paul a pillar of the faith? He had seen so much. He had done so much by the grace of God.

He had preached so boldly He had tasted and seen that the Lord is good

He had seen his risen Christ and been appointed by him personally, but now at Antioch he sins

He fails once more He withdraws from eating with Gentile believers fearing those who are of the circumcision

I don't believe that Peter was abandoning the gospel completely or preaching another

But as Paul puts it in verse 14 They were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel and their actions presented them as playing the hypocrite

Stating one thing when the group of Judaizers wasn't there Gentile and Jew there is no distinction in Jesus Christ But when the group comes in they live differently they live

To say there is a distinction and we will physically separate accordingly Paul here shows to the

Galatians That the gospel is not according to man and it's not dependent on man

Even when someone like Peter an Authentic believer a real Apostle sins and does not hold the gospel correctly

This does not change the gospel. It remains the same. It's not dependent on man

It's not dependent on spiritual leaders Whether fake ones or authentic ones saved by grace

It's not dependent on Peter. It's not dependent on Paul It's not dependent on any believer

It's not dependent on you. The gospel is not reliant on your performance or your works

For like Peter we Christians of today have seen so much we have seen the

Lord work mightily We have seen his power. We have done so much more than we ever thought we could by the grace of God We have tasted and seen that the

Lord is good Yet we still sin We still struggle against the flesh, but the gospel remains the same

It's not dependent on us or our works For it's a gospel not according to man

But according to the will of our God and Father according to his mercy and actually it's dependent on a particular man on The man who is utterly sinless completely righteous and fully

God himself One who never fails one who is worthy The gospel is dependent and relies on Jesus Christ For it is his message

About his person and his work. The gospel does not change because Christ does not change

He is the same yesterday today and forever Therefore his gospel does not change it remains the same through all times and culture and is not

Dependent on fallen man We have no need for Popes for high priests

First privileged special leaders to create or interpret salvation for us

We don't rely upon men for our salvation. We rely upon God His message is enough

Christ is enough for us The question that should be asked by every individual

How can a sinner like me be saved is answered by the gospel repent and believe

For the kingdom of heaven is at hand May we never replace this gospel or distort it

May we never believe that there is another message by which sinners can be saved Fallen man

Cannot achieve salvation for himself We have no capability to do so There's nothing we can do no hope we can create that will ever suffice for our need our need that is met in Jesus Christ May we determine to know nothing among those around us

But Christ and him crucified and may we determine to know nothing within our heart of hearts within our very soul

Nothing but Christ and him crucified Let us remember that the gospel is not dependent on us or our works

So that when we sin we may know and rest in the fact that our position in Christ does not change

Regardless of the sin we commit the severity of it regardless of the number of times we sin

Our position in Christ remains the same We still stand before a holy

God with a record that is perfect and spotless our justification Stands because Christ stands our sanctification is still being worked out even through your personal failures and sins

For God takes what is meant for evil and uses it for good This gospel is not of works but one of faith

And one of grace and Christ is still enough for you He's still enough

He has not changed his gospel has not changed. It's the same gospel that it was last

Monday It's the same gospel that it was last year It's the same gospel when you first believed

It's the same gospel that Paul contended for And it's the same gospel that God purposed before time began and just like Peter through all of his failures

We grow in grace We grow in grace When the

Lord allows we will next examine how Paul specifically confronts Peter. What does he say to this

Apostle who's out of line? The Apostle who's playing the hypocrites

Everything written so far in Galatians has led up to Paul's speech here And in his speech, he will bring the main idea of the letter of Galatians he will bring

The main thought he wishes the Galatians to rest in and believe That the gospel is of faith and not of works

Let's pray Father we thank you for your gospel

We thank you that it does not change We thank you for Jesus Christ And though we were sinners you demonstrate your love for us and that you send

Christ to die for us While we were yet sinners You save us Lord you pluck us out of this present evil age and The gospel that saves us is the same gospel

During our walk with you Christ is still enough.

He does not change his gospel does not change May we never believe that our times require another gospel another message

May we never believe that the gospel is outdated or unneeded For yes our times change or cultures change

But our need doesn't change For we are still sinners Thank you for justifying us for washing us

For making us spotless before you Lord through your Son Jesus Christ Thank you

Jesus for Enduring the cross for us and for our salvation and Send Christ's name we pray.