Questioning Legalism

Galatians 3:1-5

April 6, 2014

 

I was talking with Sandy Sandlin this past week

And he shared a story with me I think you’ll appreciate.

 

In 1947 the General Mills Company invented a woman as a pioneer baker to help women. That woman’s name was Betty Crocker. And Betty Crocker was to instantly be a busy mom’s best friend.

 

Betty Crocker supplied a cake mix that only required water in order to bake a cake. All the other ingredients were present.

Just add water and bake.

 

The invention failed miserably. No one would buy it, no one would use it.

The think tank came together a few years later and revolutionized their strategy.

 

In 1952 the secret powder was changed.

Now, in order to bake a cake, you needed two ingredients.

Water and an egg.

 

And the rest is history.

 

Why did the first and easier mix fail where the second greatly succeeded?

Answer: People were more comfortable if they at least did a little work themselves.

 

In her book “Something from the Oven: Reinventing dinner in 1950’s America”

Laura Shapiro wrote:

 

“Looking for reasons why so many women who could benefit from cake mixes seemed to be ignoring them … Ernest Dichter [came up with an] analysis in the course of a study he was carrying out for General Mills. After interviewing women and exploring the emotions that surrounded cakes and baking, Dichter reported that the very simplicity of mixes — just add water and stir — made women feel self-indulgent for using them. There wasn’t enough work involved. In order to enjoy the emotional rewards of presenting a homemade cake, they had to be persuaded that they had really baked it, and such an illusion was impossible to maintain if they did virtually nothing. “This is typical of what the average housewife said: ‘Yes, I’m using a cake mix; it saves me a lot of trouble but I really shouldn’t,'” Dichter wrote later. His advice was to leave the homemaker something to do — for instance, add the eggs — whenever she made a cake from a mix. She would feel she had contributed something of herself, and the mindless nature of the task would no longer plague her.

According to Dichter, his client — and, by implication, the other manufacturers — seized on this wisdom and promptly reformulated their mixes, leaving out the dried eggs. Women started adding their own fresh eggs, stopped feeling guilty, and cake mixes became a success. Over the years this story came to be a favorite among other consumer experts, who often rounded up more psychological studies to reinforce Dichter’s analysis. The egg theory, with its emphasis on the homemaker’s personal investment in the cake, set the tone for much subsequent advertising (“You and Ann Pillsbury can make a great team”) and has been widely acknowledged as the insight that saved cake mixes.”

And wrapped in that story is the very heart of legalism.

 

People don’t accept something that is too good to be true.

They fell better if they can do a little of the work themselves.

 

Now granted, they don’t want to pick the grain, mill the flower,

And bake the cake from scratch – that’s too much.

 

But they’d sure feel better if they could at least add an egg.

 

What a picture of religious legalism.

People don’t want to go the whole distance and atone for their own sin,

But they would feel a lot better if they could just add a little to it for good measure.

 

And that is precisely the problem the Galatians are facing.

You will remember that they had been led astray by the Judaizers.

 

Led astray, not only from the gospel, but from the God of the gospel.

 

Galatians 1:6 “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;”

 

They had bought the Judaizer theology that Jesus + Law = Salvation.

And Paul is rebuking that heavily.

 

Over the last few weeks we saw Paul’s rebuke of legalism

From a theological point.

 

Paul exposed the true fruit of legalism.

Legalism:

• Divides the Body

• Distorts the Gospel

• Deserves Rebuke

• Destroys Sinners

• Disputes Christ

• Disregards Grace

 

I can’t think of anything else that can accomplish that much harm.

 

Legalism is the most dangerous of cancers to infiltrate the church.

 

William Hendricksen said it best:

“A supplemented Christ is a supplanted Christ”

 

And this helps explain Paul’s animosity toward legalism.

Paul was one who had learned first hand the futility of legalism.

 

Philippians 3:7-9 “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,”

 

Paul knew that all of his legalistic methods proved to be utterly worthless in regard to obtaining righteousness before God.

 

Paul had no use for it any more.

 

And what really has him angered now

Is the fact that so many who know that same truth

Are choosing to return to that worthless legalism anyway.

 

And that is where we are in the letter.

Paul now hits the Galatians right between the eyes.

 

What we find in these 5 verses are 5 questions.

Questions meant to challenge their logic and their new way of thinking.

 

Paul is very simply questioning legalism.

 

Let’s look at them.

#1 IN REGARD TO THEIR SEDUCTION

Galatians 3:1

 

Now you have already figured out that

Paul is not trying to win a popularity contest here.

 

“You foolish Galatians…”

Is not the type of phrase that earns you a lot of friends.

 

But understand what Paul is saying here.

He’s not calling them stupid, so much as he’s calling them lazy.

 

Remember the two men on the road to Emmaus that Jesus encountered?

Luke 24:21-27 “But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened. “But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive. “Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.” And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.”

 

Jesus said those men were foolish. Why?

Because they weren’t taking into account

All that the prophets had spoken.

 

They weren’t dumb, they were gullible to believe what they heard,

And too lazy to search out the truth on their own.

 

And that is precisely where we find the Galatians.

 

They weren’t doing the work, they weren’t practicing discernment,

They were just buying every argument,

Simply because it seemed like it made sense.

 

THAT IS FOOLISH!

 

1 Thessalonians 5:21 “But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;”

 

Listen, only a fool believes everything he hears.

We are called to test, to discern, to examine.

 

Ephesians 4:14 “As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;”

There is a good analogy.

Don’t be like children.

In what sense?

Children are gullible and they are undiscerning.

 

If you didn’t watch out for a child

They would either sweeten or poison themselves to death within a year.

 

They don’t know not to take candy from strangers…

They are gullible and trusting and undiscerning.

 

We are called not to be like that.

• Christians are called to have discernment and understanding.

• We are called to know better than to fall for a foolish argument.

 

And those who do, merely show their laziness

In regard to searching out the truth.

 

Paul is angry at the Galatians because they are lazy.

 

“You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you…”

• Paul wants to know who “charmed” them.

• Who held the swinging watch in front of our face?

• Who sold you the snake oil?

• Who fooled you with smoke and mirrors?

 

Someone came in and gave you such a slick argument

That you didn’t even bother checking out the truth of it.

 

You just bought it because it tasted good.

Some false prophet amazed you with his presentation and slick argument,

But you didn’t even check him out.

 

That is so dangerous, because that is precisely how false prophets work!

 

2 Timothy 4:3-4 “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.”

 

That is precisely these false teachers,

Telling you too much of what you want to hear.

 

2 Peter 2:1-3 “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”

 

That word “exploit” in the Greek means “to make merchandise of you”

It is were we get our word emporium.

 

They are snake oil salesmen who talk too fast and feel too good,

But you had better check them out first.

 

And that is Paul’s first question.

“You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?”

 

That is to say, you know all about the crucifixion of Jesus.

You know all about what it accomplished.

You know all about its purpose

 

And yet you are now walking away from it.

Who sold you that bill of goods?

Who seduced you?

Who hood winked you into that decision.

 

They didn’t go that route by studying the word,

Someone deceived them.

 

And Paul wants to know who.

 

In Regard to their Seduction

#2 IN REGARD TO THEIR SALVATION

Galatians 3:2

 

Here is question number 2 and here Paul appeals to their experience.

 

Now experience can also be dangerous if not also discerned by the truth.

But experience based upon truth is powerful.

We call that a testimony.

 

And Paul is appealing to that here.

“This is the only thing I want to find out from you; did you receive the Spirit by works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?”

 

Now why would Paul ask such a question?

 

B/C the presence of the Spirit equals the presence of salvation.

The absence of the Spirit equals the absence of salvation.

 

1 John 4:13 “By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.”

 

1 John 3:24 “The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.”

 

The presence of the Spirit equals salvation.

 

And so Paul is here asking.

I just want to know how you got saved.

 

Did you get saved after you read the Law and obeyed it?

Or did you get saved after you heard the gospel and believed it?

Which was it?

 

You know the answer when you look at your own life, just like I do.

We got the Holy Spirit…we were saved when we believed.

 

Acts 10:44-48 “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered, “Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.”

 

And this is the same point Paul spent all of Romans 4

Making in regard to Abraham.

 

Romans 4:9-12 “Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, “FAITH WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.” How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised; and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised.”

 

And again it is clear.

Salvation doesn’t occur when you finally obey the Law enough.

Salvation occurs when you trust Christ.

 

Their Seduction, Their Salvation

#3 IN REGARD TO THEIR SANCTIFICATION

Galatians 3:3

 

And this is really the main point of the questioning.

 

“Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

 

Do you understand the line of thinking here?

 

They were justified in the sight of God by faith apart from works,

But now they think they are going to fully please God

By going back to works.

 

Works weren’t needed before,

But all of a sudden they think they are needed now.

 

Let me tell you what is actually occurring.

 

The Galatians are actually saying that the work of Jesus on the cross was enough to forgive them, but not enough to glorify them.

 

The work of Jesus on the cross was enough

To start the salvation process, but not enough to finish it.

 

In order to reach final glorification

It is still going to take some sort of works from you.

And that is so foolish!

 

What are you going to add to the cross?

2 Peter 1:2-3 “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.”

 

We already have everything we need.

Christ did not short us in any way.

 

His death was more than enough not only to justify you,

But also to sanctify you, and to glorify you.

 

Who would be so foolish as to say that the death of Christ is not enough?

 

And yet that is what legalism says.

It challenges the sufficiency of the cross.

Legalism says that whatever Christ did on the cross, it was partial at best.

However far the atonement went, it was still incomplete.

 

If you are going to be truly perfect.

If you are going to be totally glorified.

Then there is still a checklist of things you need to accomplish.

 

THAT DIMINISHES THE WORK OF THE CROSS

 

And if the cross is not enough there are so many strange passages in Scripture.

 

1 Corinthians 2:1-2 “And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”

 

If what Jesus did was not enough then it seems to me that

His death shouldn’t have been all Paul preached about.

 

Seduction, Salvation, Sanctification

#4 IN REGARD TO THEIR SUFFERING

Galatians 3:4

 

Now, the word “suffer” here can also be translated “experience”

 

Paul is talking about their salvation experience.

Paul is talking about the day they received God’s Spirit.

 

And he asks, “Did you suffer so many things in vain?”

 

That is to say, was all of that pointless?

Was all of that of no value?

 

Apparently receiving the Holy Spirit was not that big of a deal to you, because you are running back to the Law to try and get better.

 

But that is what legalism does.

It convinces you that believing in Christ

And receiving His Holy Spirit is an insignificant thing.

 

Legalism would rewrite Paul’s statement in Philippians.

 

It would say it like this:

“But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of obeying the Law. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of obeying the Law, for which I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain the Law, and may be found with it, not having an experience of my own derived from the with Christ, but the righteousness which comes from the Law on the basis of obedience,”

 

Isn’t that foolish?

I have to tell you, I don’t know of any experience in my life

That I value more than my salvation experience.

 

That night in Brownwood, TX when Jesus confronted my spiritual poverty and offered to me His perfect righteousness, it was hands down the greatest day of my life.

 

• August 8, 1998 (wedding) was a big day

• October 11, 2003 (Zek) was a big day

• May 11, 2005 (Hannah) was a big day

• January 8, 2007 (Zech) was a big day

• February 19, 2009 (Abigail) was a big day

 

But none of those days are as big as the day I was born again.

 

But if were to now run to the Law in order to be pleasing to God

I would in effect be saying that that day wasn’t all that great.

 

I would be saying it was “in vain”

That I received Christ’s Spirit, it was futile.

 

And that would be foolish

 

Their Seduction, Their Salvation, Their Sanctification, Their Suffering

#5 IN REGARD TO THEIR STANCE

Galatians 3:5

 

Here comes the conclusion.

Here is the “so then” we have been waiting for.

 

Since you have now answered the questions and have decided that:

• I was saved by hearing with faith

• I am also perfected through faith

• My experience with Christ was not in vain

 

That being the case Paul then has one final question.

 

“So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?”

 

Paul is simply asking, how do you think God works?

What do you think prompts God?

 

And the answer is obvious.

 

Everything God does in your life He does in response to faith,

Not works of the Law.

 

And so Paul wants to know:

WHAT IS YOUR FINAL STANCE?

 

Are you going to walk away with the opinion that works still matter?

Or are you going to walk away with the belief that faith is enough?

 

YOU HAVE TO MAKE A CHOICE.

 

And let me tell you, everyone in this place has to make this choice.

 

You have to decide in your Christian walk

Whether or not Christ is enough.

 

You have to decide whether or not faith in Him is in fact sufficient.

 

In short you have to determine whether salvation is by faith alone,

Or if it is by faith and something else.

 

In that same conversation I had with Sandy this week, he was lamenting a conversation he had with another preacher who adamantly denied that salvation was by faith alone.

 

The preacher’s main argument being that Ephesians 2:8 does not use the word “alone”

 

What other thing could it be?

And the answer is nothing.

 

IT IS BY FAITH ALONE.

IT IS BY TRUSTING IN CHRIST ALONE.

It is not by works…

It is not by effort…

It is not by ritual…

 

But you have to decide that in your Christian life.

You have to decide if what Christ did was enough,

Or if you need to do something else.

 

And that is precisely where Paul has the Galatians.

Decide!

 

• You know of Christ crucified…

• You know how you received the Holy Spirit…

• You know what prompted God to work in your midst…

 

What was it?

Faith in Christ or works of the Law.

 

AND FRIENDS THE ANSWER IS OBVIOUS, IT IS FAITH.

 

Do not return to works, it is not what God is seeking,

And if some slick salesman has come in and convinced you of that,

Then he is corrupt and you are foolish.

Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone.

 

And still people won’t believe it because it is too good to be true.

 

They would feel more comfortable

If they could just add an egg to their water.

 

They would feel more comfortable

If they could just add circumcision to their salvation.

 

But when you do that,

You question the effectiveness of what Christ did,

And that is not faith, and that cannot save.

 

Trust in Christ – Trust in Christ Alone

 

The Small Faith of Abram

Genesis 16:1-16

April 6, 2014

 

As you know we have been the last several weeks

Studying the life of this man named Abram.

 

And we’ve seen a great parallel to the truth of God’s salvation.

 

Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;”

 

And while that verse is truly depicted in every life that gets saved,

It is not found clearer anywhere than in Abram’s life.

 

Abram was first off a man of grace.

And now he is just becoming a man of faith.

 

In fact last week as we studied chapter 15

We finally saw Abram give God the faith that God was looking for.

 

Genesis 15:6 “Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.”

 

That is not to say that Abram had no faith before that point, for he did.

• It took faith to leave Ur

• It took faith to enter Canaan

• It took faith to stay there

• It took faith to separate from Lot

• It took faith to turn down the King of Sodom

 

Abram had faith.

But until Genesis 15 he did not have saving faith.

 

That is to say that whatever Abram’s faith was,

It was not a faith great enough to cause God to justify him.

 

That is until chapter 15

On that day, Abram placed the trust of his whole heart on God.

 

So Abram has given his whole heart to God.

• He is a man of faith

• He is a saved man

• He is a follower of God Most High

 

But DO NOT ASSUME that Abram is now a finished product.

 

After all, many of you in here have also surrendered your whole heart to God, and placed your faith in Him, but you also know that you are not yet a finished product.

 

Faith must first be GIVEN

And then faith must be GROWN

The goal is to move from being a person of faith

To a person of great faith

 

It is a reality that our faith starts small and must be grown.

 

Just listen to the various encounters that Jesus had with His disciples.

Did they love Him? Yes

Did they trust Him? Yes

Where they chosen by Him? Yes

 

But they were far from a finished product.

 

TURN TO: Matthew 8:23-27

 

There is a familiar story.

Matthew is relating Jesus’ power over fallen nature.

Jesus calmed the storm with a spoken word.

 

But we also find a measuring point with the disciples.

• They had seen Jesus turn water to wine

• They had seen Jesus cleanse a leper

• They had seen Jesus cast out demons

• They had seen Jesus heal Peter’s mother-in-law

 

But still at this point they only had “little faith”

And Jesus not only exposes that but rebukes them for it.

 

TURN TO: Matthew 14:28-33

 

You remember this one as well.

Jesus is walking on water and Peter wants in on it.

Peter walks out to Jesus, but gets overwhelmed by the circumstances and begins to sink, crying out to Jesus.

 

And again we get a benchmark, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

 

The disciples were giving Jesus some of what He wanted,

They just weren’t giving Him enough of it.

 

TURN TO: Matthew 16:5-12

 

There you can actually pick up on the frustrating tone of Jesus.

 

Not only does He reveal again their “little faith”

But He also reveals how unnecessary that little faith is.

 

By now, having witnessed all they had witnessed,

Their faith should have been greater, but it wasn’t.

 

It is obvious that Jesus is extremely interested in the faith of these men.

 

TURN TO: Matthew 17:14-20

 

Again you have Jesus exposing the most glaring deficiency of His disciples and that is that their faith is small.

 

Now, simultaneous to Jesus exposing the disciple’s little faith,

He also took opportunity to praise the great faith around Him.

 

TURN TO: Matthew 8:5-10

• There is the centurion and Jesus purposely praised him

 

TURN TO: Matthew 15:21-28

• There again, is great faith, and again from an unlikely source.

 

Are you getting the point?

Jesus is working on the faith of His disciples.

He is taking them from men of little faith

And turning them in to men of great faith.

 

TURN TO: Luke 22:31-34

 

There Jesus tells Peter specifically of the plan.

I have prayed for you.

I want your faith to endure.

I want your faith to be great.

 

And I show you all those just to be consistent with you

To make sure you understand that God first brings us to faith,

And then He works to make that faith great.

 

HE GROWS OUR FAITH.

 

And that is where we are in Genesis 16.

Does Abram have faith? Yes

But it is little faith.

 

Now, we know where Abram is headed.

Genesis 22:9-14 “Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the LORD it will be provided.”

 

That is where Abram is headed.

And that is GREAT faith!

Hebrews 11:17-19 “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, “IN ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS SHALL BE CALLED.” He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.”

 

So Abram is headed to great faith.

Right now he has little faith.

 

• Let me show you that little faith.

• Let me show you why it is little.

• And let me show you what God is going to do in order to grow it.

 

There are 5 points to this chapter.

#1 THE CIRCUMSTANCE

Genesis 16:1

 

Well we all know about excuses.

We’ve all made them in the past.

And that is what we have here.

 

It reminds us that we don’t exhibit weak faith because we want to.

We exhibit weak faith because of circumstances we don’t understand.

 

• The disciples were in a storm…

• Peter was sinking in the waves…

• The demon wasn’t coming out of the boy…

 

And here, it had been ten years and still no son.

 

See down in verse 3, “After Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan…”

 

When you realize a decade had passed between chapters 15 & 16

We can better understand the dilemma Abram and Sarai were in.

 

“Now Sarai, Abram’s wife had borne him no children…”

 

• Abram only had one wife, that was Sarai

• God had promised Abram a son from his own body.

• But ten years of trying had yielded no success.

 

Now that was only half of the circumstance.

 

Here was the other half: “and she had an Egyptian made whose name was Hagar.”

 

Sarai could look in the mirror and see that she was getting nowhere.

However, when she looked over her soldier she saw a possible solution.

 

And, bear in mind that God had yet to specify

That the promised seed was coming through Sarai.

God had merely said that the seed would come through Abram.

 

Now certainly, since God is opposed to adultery, Sarai should have known that as long as she lived, she was also part of the promise.

 

But ten years of trying had caused her to consider that maybe God was going to use another woman to bring about the fulfillment of the promise.

 

Sarai is in a tough circumstance

And that is fertile ground for weak faith to show up.

 

The Circumstance

#2 THE CONSPIRACY

Genesis 16:2-3

 

• Well, Sarai hasn’t been successful in a decade…

• Hagar looks like a suitable option to Sarai…

 

(2-3) “So Sarai said to Abram, “Now behold, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my maid; perhaps I will obtain children through her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. After Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram’s wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife.”

 

Now I know that is just about as heinous as it can be to you and me.

And I’m not trying to make light of this.

 

What Abram and Sarai did here was polygamy, adultery, fornication

It was sin and heinous in the sight of God.

 

However, it was the common practice of the culture of their day.

 

It was definitely wrong, but let me confidently say that

It probably didn’t seem as wrong to them as it does to you.

 

TAKE GLUTTONY FOR EXAMPLE

A big deal to us? No

A big deal to Abram? Yes

 

I point that out because I want you to understand that it was not that hard for Sarai to come to this decision – she only had to look around her.

 

Everyone around her was already doing this sort of thing,

So it was not a stretch in her mind to do the same.

 

And “Abram listened to the voice of Sarai”

In a moment of weakness they chose sin.

 

And incidentally, if you want the point to this story,

The New Testament gives us that point.

 

Galatians 4:21-31 “Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not listen to the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman. But the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise. This is allegorically speaking, for these women are two covenants: one proceeding from Mount Sinai bearing children who are to be slaves; she is Hagar. Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother. For it is written, “REJOICE, BARREN WOMAN WHO DOES NOT BEAR; BREAK FORTH AND SHOUT, YOU WHO ARE NOT IN LABOR; FOR MORE NUMEROUS ARE THE CHILDREN OF THE DESOLATE THAN OF THE ONE WHO HAS A HUSBAND.” And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise. But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also. But what does the Scripture say? “CAST OUT THE BONDWOMAN AND HER SON, FOR THE SON OF THE BONDWOMAN SHALL NOT BE AN HEIR WITH THE SON OF THE FREE WOMAN.” So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman.”

 

According to Paul this story depicts the age old decision

That we all make many times in our life.

Will we walk by faith or will we walk by the flesh?

 

SMALL FAITH IS INDICATED WHEN WE TOO QUICKLY

RESULT TO THE FLESH FOR THE ANSWER

 

What Abram is doing here is trying to secure the promise of God

By his own fleshly ability.

 

The New Testament correlation is when someone tries to obtain God’s promise of salvation through their own human efforts.

 

Salvation is God’s doing.

He offers it, He grants it, He secures it, He performs it

 

It is NOT accomplished through works of the flesh.

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

 

When we try to usher in God’s promises through our own strength,

That is the flesh and that is weak faith.

 

That is precisely what Abram was doing.

• He knew the promise of God…

• He believed the promise of God…

• He desired the promise of God…

 

He just tried to obtain it according to his flesh and not his faith.

 

It is safe to say that Abram is still a work in progress

(Aren’t we all?)

 

The Circumstance, The Conspiracy

#3 THE CONSEQUENCE

Genesis 16:4-5

 

This passage is not primarily about the regret of sin, but it easily could be.

 

For you can easily see that sin never pays off like you expect.

What seemed to be a brilliant idea and an effective way

To usher in the promise turned out to have less than favorable results.

 

(4) “He went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her sight.”

 

I doubt Sarai saw this one coming.

• One day Hagar was a more than compliant servant.

• But Hagar ambitiously dreamed of something more.

 

And when she was promoted to status of wife, and then able to conceive,

She developed a disdain for Sarai.

 

In Hagar’s mind she now had more claim on Abram than Sarai did.

 

We aren’t there yet in the story of Genesis,

But this isn’t much different than the feud between Rachel and Leah.

 

Both of those ladies tried to win the heart of their husband by conceiving children.

 

We hear statements from Leah like:

Genesis 29:34 “She conceived again and bore a son and said, “Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore he was named Levi.”

 

It was very much about status and rank.

• And in Hagar’s mind she now outranked Sarai.

• In Hagar’s mind she was now more important.

 

She carried Abram’s offspring, Sarai did not.

And Hagar began to despise Sarai.

 

And if you will notice Sarai was none too happy.

(5) “And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done me be upon you. I gave my maid into your arms, but when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her sight. May the LORD judge between you and me.”

 

One would do good to ask

If their little plan had turned out like they hoped?

 

One could surely see that Abram did not think this thing through,

And now he is caught in the cross hairs of Sarai.

 

IT DIDN’T WORK OUT AS PLANNED.

This is how sin works

(And this is not new)

 

Do you see the parallels to the garden?

• Woman is convinced she is missing something…

• It is God’s fault that she is missing it…

• A simple yet sinful solution is offered…

• The husband consents…

• And then we get an undesirable result…

 

The scheme of sin doesn’t ever change much, does it?

 

I can assure you that walking by the flesh

Will not have the desired effect you are searching for.

 

The Circumstance, The Conspiracy, The Consequence

#4 THE COVER UP

Genesis 16:6

 

Well, when you make a mistake,

Most of us just desire to get out from under it as quickly as possible.

 

And that is precisely what Sarai does.

(6) “But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your maid is in your power; do to her what is good in your sight.” So Sarai treated her harshly…”

 

In case you missed it, what just happened there

Is that Abram chose Sarai over Hagar.

 

That was all the authority Sarai needed.

Hagar carried Abram’s son, but Sarai carried Abram’s heart.

 

And Sarai rode that advantage to its fullest extent.

She took back her place of prominence over Hagar.

 

And the result?

Hagar “fled from her presence”

 

So let’s take a little inventory of where we’ve come.

• We have circumstances we don’t understand

• We have a decision to sin and walk by the flesh

• That decision brought about unfavorable circumstances

• And so they did everything they could to remove those circumstances

 

And so at this point do you see Abram’s little faith?

And do you see why it is little?

Abram believed in the Lord

But you and I can easily see that Abram is far from a man of great faith.

Abram is still very much a man of flesh.

 

He solves his problems with fleshly solutions,

And then tries to eliminate the consequences of those bad decisions.

 

That is a vicious cycle of bondage.

Follow the flesh – reap the consequence – use the flesh to solve it

 

But it looks like Abram’s problem is solved, for Hagar just bolted.

 

But is it over?

No, not by a longshot.

 

GOD IS ABOUT TO GROW ABRAM’S SMALL FAITH

 

The Circumstance, The Conspiracy, The Consequence, The Cover Up

#5 THE CORRECTION

Genesis 16:7-16

 

Now if you spend much time trying to figure out the point of Moses,

This can be a tough part of the story.

 

I was particularly curious

• Why God spared Hagar…

• Why God promised to bless Ishmael…

• And mostly, why God was so adamant that Hagar go back…

 

In my way of thinking, many problems could be solved if

Hagar had died in the wilderness and that child had never been born.

 

After all, we’d be right back on track with Abram and Sarai

Waiting for the fulfillment of the promise.

 

But instead, God goes after Hagar

(7-8) “Now the angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from and where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.”

 

Incidentally this is the first appearance of “the angel of the LORD”

Since it is clear that this is in fact God, many believe this to be a Christophony

(a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus)

 

And here God pursues Hagar.

He is “on the way to Shur” (that is back to Egypt)

 

Just for curiosity sake, where do you suppose Sarai picked up Hagar?

Hagar is headed home back to Egypt, and God comes and finds her.

 

“Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from and where are you going?”

 

Notice God specifically calls her “Sarai’s made” not “Abram’s wife”

 

God is reminding Hagar of the importance of submission.

You are Sarai’s made and you don’t have the right to flee

Just because you don’t like your circumstances.

 

And Hagar says, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.”

 

But as you will see, that is not ok with God.

(9) “Then the angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself to her authority.”

 

Submission matters to God, and God is sending Hagar back.

 

BUT THAT IS PECULIAR THAT GOD WOULD DO THAT.

 

WHY?

Because in just a few chapters

God is going to command that they send Hagar away.

 

Genesis 21:8-14 “The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. Now Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking. Therefore she said to Abraham, “Drive out this maid and her son, for the son of this maid shall not be an heir with my son Isaac.” The matter distressed Abraham greatly because of his son. But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the lad and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named. “And of the son of the maid I will make a nation also, because he is your descendant.” So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder, and gave her the boy, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered about in the wilderness of Beersheba.”

 

Why did God bring her back,

If all along He knew He was going to have the drive her out?

 

Because this story isn’t about Hagar,

It is about God using Hagar to grow Abram’s faith.

 

And that is seen in the coming promises.

 

(10-12) “Moreover, the angel of the LORD said to her, “I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be too many to count.” The angel of the LORD said to her further, “Behold, you are with child, And you will bear a son; And you shall call his name Ishmael, Because the LORD has given heed to your affliction. “He will be a wild donkey of a man, His hand will be against everyone, And everyone’s hand will be against him; And he will live to the east of all his brothers.”

 

God makes a promise to Hagar that rivals the promise made to Abram.

“descendants…too many to count”

 

And here is the point.

“And you will bear a son; and you shall call his name Ishmael”

 

“Ishmael” means “God Hears”

 

Now, this boy is not going to be like Isaac, he’s going to be a fighter and a man of division, and a man at odds with others and separate from Israel.

 

God is not going to let this man share in Abram’s inheritance,

But it is very important that Hagar take this boy named “God Hears”

Back to Abram.

 

Then look at the second part.

(13-14) “Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees”; for she said, “Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?” Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.”

 

So here Hagar names God “A God who sees”

And she named the well where she had stopped “Beer-lahai-roi”

Which means “The Well of the Living One who sees me”

 

And then you will notice that Hagar

Returned to Abram and Sarai and had the son.

 

(15-16) “So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to him.”

 

And we know that Hagar told the story to Abram.

We know that because Abram named the boy

As the Lord had commanded Hagar.

 

NOW FOLLOW THE STORY.

Why did Sarai give Hagar to Abram to begin with?

Because she could have no kids and it had been ten years.

 

Why did Abram agree?

Because Sarai could have no kids and it had been ten years.

 

Who did they blame for this problem?

God

 

(2) “the Lord has prevented me from bearing children”

So these two had agreed that God had abandoned Sarai.

(That was their thought)

 

But then (after all the mess) Hagar returns to Sarai in submission (really was God who spoke) and brings with her a living reminder.

 

• She comes with a child named “God Hears”

• And she comes with a story of how “God sees”

 

And for the next 14 years Abram and Sarai would have a living testimony in their midst named “God sees”

 

It had been ten years since the promise.

It will be 13 more until its fulfillment.

 

Do you think they would ever be tempted to walk by the flesh again?

Sure they would

 

But God had a testimony to teach them to walk by faith and not the flesh.

 

The point to all this is that when we come to Christ,

We don’t start out with great faith.

 

We start out with little faith

We start out with small faith

If truth be told we are still pretty attached to the flesh

 

And God goes to work on us to grow our faith

And turn our small faith into great faith.

 

How does He do that?

(I’m sure in several ways)

 

But one of the ways (which we see here) is by living reminders of past failures, to teach us that the flesh is never the best solution.

 

So when you are discouraged

Because your past failures seem to pop up in front of you.

 

Don’t let them drive you to despair.

Let them do in you what God intends.

Let them teach you to walk in faith next time.

 

That is how God takes a person of little faith and begins to grow it.

 

Until we get to the point where we don’t just trust God for salvation, but we trust Him for everything.

 

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

 

The Reality of Legalism (part 2)

Galatians 2:15-21

March 30, 2014

 

As you know we are studying the book of Galatians.

Paul is defending his gospel

And the main aspect he is defending is: “Justification by Faith”

 

This book teaches that salvation is the total work of Jesus,

And that since we are saved by Christ,

We are also made pleasing by Christ.

 

After the blood of Christ was spilled,

There is absolutely nothing else that must be done to please God.

His blood is perfect…

His blood is sufficient…

 

1 Peter 1:17-21 “If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.”

 

And so we learn to fully trust Jesus in order to be made pleasing to God.

 

It does not make obedience void,

But most definitely changes the purpose of obedience.

 

Our obedience is not a means of salvation.

Our obedience is a fruit of salvation.

We don’t obey to earn God’s favor, we obey because we love God.

 

And this concept is absolutely foundational to the Christian faith.

And perhaps that is why Satan is attacking it.

 

He has sent his workers, the Judaizers,

To undermine, attack, and distort, the true gospel of God.

 

And so Paul is writing this letter

To set the record straight on this foundational truth of God.

 

But as you know, recently,

Paul has had to fight more than just the Judaizers.

Last week we learned that Paul

Had to oppose Peter in regard to this issue.

 

Peter believed just like Paul did, but Peter had allowed his walk

To veer away from the doctrine he taught.

 

Galatians 2:11-13 “But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.”

 

He allowed a test of fame and popularity to influence his Christian walk, and due to his “fear” his actions distorted the true gospel of God.

 

By one seemingly insignificant act,

Peter displayed legalism, and confused the church.

 

Last week we said that there were three immediate effects of legalism.

We say why legalism is so dangerous.

 

1) The Body was Divided

(13) “The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy”

 

In one swoop, the Church was once again divided along racial lines.

Regardless of what was taught, it became apparent that being Jewish mattered,

And those who were not were obviously “second class”.

 

2) The Gospel was Distorted

(14) “But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the gospel”

 

By their action, the Jews were giving a distorted picture of the gospel.

Regardless of what they may have preached, their actions taught

That there was some benefit in outward ritual.

 

3) The Rebuke was Deserved

(14) “I said to Cephas in the presence of all, “If you being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

 

He was essentially asking Peter if you have to be Jewish to be saved.

 

If Peter said “Yes”, then Paul would ask him why he lived like a Gentile.

If Peter said “No”, then Paul would ask why he pulled away from the Gentiles.

 

But none the less, we saw those three IMMEDIATE effects of legalism.

It Divides the Body

It Distorts the Gospel

It Deserves a Rebuke

 

Tonight we see “PART B” of Paul’s sermon,

In which he reveals to Peter the INEVITABLE effects of legalism.

 

The immediate effects of legalism were bad enough,

But if Paul had not confronted Peter, this is where they were headed.

 

3 inevitable effects of legalism.

#1 SINNERS ARE DESTROYED

Galatians 2:15-16

 

Of course we bear in mind here that Paul is still addressing Peter,

But he is doing so in front of everyone.

Both Jew and Gentile alike are listening to Paul’s confrontation.

 

And here Paul simply gives Peter a theology lesson.

 

(15) “We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles;”

 

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

 

“We are Jews by nature”

In other words, he is reminding Peter of their prestigious past.

 

1) We are God’s chosen people

2) We have the Law

3) We have the covenants

4) We have the patriarchs

5) We even have Jesus in the flesh.

 

A Jew had an inside track to the word of God.

 

Romans 3:1-2 “Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God.”

 

In the world, Jews had an advantage when it came to finding God,

For God had revealed Himself to them greater than to anyone else.

 

“We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles;”

We had an advantage. We were special.

 

And then comes a very important word to our text.

(16) “nevertheless”

 

In short Paul just brought up an obvious advantage,

And in one word rendered it useless.

 

The Jews may have had an inside track,

But that inside track was still not enough.

 

WHY?

“nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus”

 

Sure the Jews had the Law, but the Law could not save.

We may have been Jews with an advantage but we still needed Jesus.

 

Paul reminded Peter of this precious doctrine that Peter knew very well.

The only way for man to be saved is by faith in Jesus.

There is no other way.

 

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

 

Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

 

And that being the case Paul even continues and reminds Peter

That they had both acted upon that precious truth.

 

(14) “even we believed in Christ Jesus so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law;”

 

Still speaking with a hint of sarcasm Paul says, “even we”.

 

“Even us prestigious, all important, chosen Jews believed in Jesus, because recognized that He was the only way of salvation.”

 

And through Jesus we were “justified”.

 

WHAT DOES “JUSTIFIED” MEAN?

We are no longer guilty, we just in God’s sight.

 

And this does not come through works,

It only comes through Jesus.

 

No man can do enough to make himself just in God’s sight

Because 1 million good deeds cannot nullify one evil one.

 

And of course Peter knew this.

John 6:66-69 “As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. So Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. “We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”

 

Even at the Jerusalem council Peter said:

Acts 15:11 “But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”

 

Peter had figured out that Jesus was the only way of salvation,

And Paul is simply reminding him of that here.

 

And then Paul throws the ultimate reminder on him.

“since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.”

 

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

 

It is the same thing Paul told the Romans.

Romans 3:19-20 “Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.”

 

No one, not even in the Old Testament,

Was ever saved by works of the Law.

 

AND THAT IS THE FIRST DESTRUCTIVE EFFECT OF LEGALISM.

It teaches people that they please God through works,

And that is impossible.

 

Therefore all it does is DESTROY SINNERS

 

By insinuating that there was value in being Jewish,

Peter was misguiding Gentiles as to the way of salvation,

And also giving false assurance to Jewish non-believers.

 

Peter was promoting legalism,

AND THAT NEVER HELPED ONE SINGLE SINNER GET SAVED.

 

It instead deceives them into FALSE ASSURANCE,

Thinking they are saved when they are not,

And works only to secure their destruction.

 

For what is more dangerous than a lost person who doesn’t know it?

What is more deceptive than to convince a lost person that they are saved?

 

If you want to see the horrid effects look to the sermon on the mount.

Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

 

Those were people who had convinced themselves that they were saved

Because of something they had done.

 

And even Jesus had a tough time convincing them they were lost.

Their legalistic routine had actually secured their destruction.

 

That is what legalism does.

Instead of saving sinners, it secures them under wrath and destruction.

 

Sinners are destroyed

#2 JESUS IS DISPUTED

Galatians 2:17-19

 

Here, Paul asks Peter a question.

(17) “But if while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin?”

 

FOLLOW PAUL’S THOUGHT HERE.

We believe that a man is saved by faith apart from works.

Therefore we don’t concern ourselves with the old Law.

 

In fact Jesus taught us this.

Matthew 15:11 “It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”

 

Matthew 15:15-20 “Peter said to Him, “Explain the parable to us.” Jesus said, “Are you still lacking in understanding also? “Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? “But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. “These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.”

Of course that was an incident

Where dietary restrictions were seemingly broken by Jesus.

 

The point is that in following Jesus,

We look like sinners to the legalist people of the world.

What Paul wants to know is if we are.

 

ARE WE SINNING AGAINST THE LAW BY FOLLOWING JESUS?

• We don’t worship on Saturday…

• We eat unclean meat…

• We don’t worship in the temple…

• We cut the hair on our temples…

 

Are we sinning against the Law by following Jesus?

 

And if so, “is Christ then a minister of sin?”

 

DO YOU SEE PAUL’S POINT?

Has Jesus only made us all bigger sinners?

Because Peter withdrew from the Gentiles,

It made it appear that eating with the Gentiles was wrong.

 

However, this was something that Jesus had taught him was ok.

(Remember Acts 10?)

 

Therefore Paul is asking Peter if Jesus actually encourages sin?

 

“May it never be!”

 

Jesus never taught sin, condoned sin, tolerated sin, endorsed sin, encouraged sin, or even tried sin.

 

We are not sinning against the Law by following Jesus.

 

Matthew 5:17-19 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

 

Through Jesus we fulfill the Law.

The Political Law

The Moral Law

The Sacrificial Law

 

Through Jesus we fulfill the Law, we don’t break it.

 

To see it illustrated by Jesus, listen to this incident.

Matthew 12:1-8 “At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat. But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath.” But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions, how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone? “Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent? “But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here. “But if you had known what this means, ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A SACRIFICE,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. “For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

 

Notice in this passage they are not accusing Jesus of sinning,

They are accusing Jesus of tolerating sin.

 

Jesus says they aren’t sinning against Me, and I am God.

“For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

 

The disciples weren’t sinning against God, because Jesus is God,

And to obey Him is to obey the Law.

 

You do not sin against the Law by following Jesus,

You would be sinning against the Law by failing to follow Jesus.

 

And that is Paul’s point to Peter.

“Peter you are making it look like Jesus told you to do something that is not ok.”

 

And then Paul goes further.

(18) “For if I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God.”

 

Paul reminds Peter of what salvation really is.

“through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God.”

 

The Law did not save us, but rather, the Law condemned us.

Romans 7:7-12 “What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “YOU SHALL NOT COVET.” But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead. I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me; for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”

 

The Law showed up and showed me that I was a sinner.

This then led me to look for salvation, which I found in Jesus.

 

“through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God.”

 

But Paul’s point here is:

“If I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor.”

 

In other words.

I figuratively destroyed the Law as a means for salvation.

If I now return to the Law for salvation,

Then in essence I am saying that I was sinning to follow Jesus.

 

DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?

 

If I follow Jesus for a little while,

And then revert back to that old form of legalism,

Regardless of what I say, my life indicates

That I thought following Jesus was sinful.

 

That is what Paul is revealing to Peter.

“Peter, you are accusing Jesus of teaching sin, and also saying that following Jesus is sinful. Otherwise, you would not have so quickly run back to your former way of life.”

 

AND THAT IS YET ANOTHER INEVITABLE EFFECT OF LEGALISM.

 

It DISPUTES the integrity of Jesus.

 

You cannot follow Jesus and legalism,

For they do not go in the same direction.

 

Is this not what the Pharisees deduced?

They chose legalism, and so they had no choice

But to condemn Jesus as A SINFUL LIBERAL

Who disregarded God’s Law.

 

He ate with sinners and tax collectors…

He ate with unwashed hands…

He healed on the Sabbath…

 

And because they chose legalism,

They condemned Him as a demon-possessed, law breaking blasphemer.

 

That is what legalism does.

It destroys sinners and it disputes Jesus.

 

Jesus certainly did not promote legalism.

If you do, then you must dispute Jesus as the Savior.

 

Sinners are destroyed, Jesus is disputed

#3 GRACE IS DISREGUARDED

Galatians 2:20-21

 

And here we have that famous quote by Paul.

As he stood in the midst of the assembly, in full view of Jew and Gentile.

 

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

 

And one more time Paul reveals

Why we no longer seek to be saved by the Law.

 

WHY ARE WE NO LONGER UNDER LAW?

 

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live”

Romans 7:1-6 “Or do you not know, brethren (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives? For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband. So then, if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man. Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.”

 

When we trust in Christ, we are united with Him.

That means that His death became our death,

And the Law no longer had jurisdiction over a dead person.

 

Now we “live by faith in the Son of God, who loved [us] and gave Himself up for [us].”

 

That is the true gospel of God.

And Paul has just reminded Peter of the utter danger of legalism.

It is contrary to the true gospel of God.

 

The true gospel is that I am justified before God because of faith.

• When I trusted in Christ I shared in His death

• And then I shared in His resurrection

 

My sin was imputed to Him

His righteousness was imputed to Me

I don’t live by my works, I live by faith in what He did.

 

And then Paul gives the final point.

“I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”

 

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

 

If you must earn your salvation by works of the Law:

• Then what is grace?

• Then why the cross?

 

Those who seek to live by legalism and endorse legalism,

Really have no need for the cross of Jesus.

 

AND THIS IS YET ANOTHER INEVITABLE EFFECT OF LEGALISM.

• Not only do sinners remain in their sin…

• Not only is Jesus eventually viewed as an enemy of the Law…

• But eventually grace and the cross vanish as unimportant…

And think about it.

When Peter left the Gentiles to join the Jews, what looked the most important at that point?

 

The cross of Jesus, or the circumcision of the Jews?

That is the effect of legalism.

 

And can there be anything worse

Than diminishing the sufficiency of the cross?

 

That is why Paul refused to just ignore Peter’s act,

And that is why Paul is writing this letter to the Galatians.

 

Legalism, even in it’s smallest forms, cannot be tolerated,

For it:

• Divides the Body

• Distorts the Gospel

• Deserves Rebuke

• Destroys Sinners

• Disputes Jesus

• Disregards Grace

 

Legalism cannot be allowed to endure.

 

Through Faith – part 2

Genesis 15:7-21

March 30, 2014

 

As you know we are studying through the book of Genesis.

We have called it “The Gospel According to Moses”

 

And most recently we have been seeing that gospel

Form into shape centered around the life of Abram.

 

Abram was a pagan idol worshiper who loved the world.

And yet Abram was also a recipient of God’s amazing grace.

 

• God visited Abram

• God called Abram

• God promised Abram the land of Canaan

• God protected that blessing for Abram

• And God pruned away lesser blessings from him

 

We call that grace.

And we know that “By grace are you saved…”

 

And Abram was certainly a man of grace.

 

But grace is only the first part of the gospel, there is a second.

 

Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;”

 

We are saved “by grace…through faith”

 

And so having witnessed the grace in Abram’s life

It is now time to start seeing the faith.

 

God requires faith.

Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

 

As we said last week:

“Faith is the only currency God accepts”

 

And if you will recall it is faith that God has been producing in Abram.

• God taught Abram to trust His promises

• God taught Abram to trust His protection

• God taught Abram to trust His plan

 

God has been growing Abram’s faith.

 

And last week this call for faith began to come to a head.

 

We looked at the first 6 verses of Genesis 15.

Let me revisit those briefly.

#1 PERSEVERANCE REWARDED

Genesis 15:1-5

 

You will remember that God told Abram “Do not fear”

 

What cause did Abram have to fear?

Well, if you will remember in chapter 14 Abram just made the life changing decision to stop seeking the benefits of the world and to start seeking the blessing of God.

 

Formerly Abram was a man of the world

Who was used to obtaining all that he could.

 

But in chapter 14 he was met with a decision.

 

The King of Salem offered him a BLESSING.

The King of Sodom offered him a BRIBE.

 

And for the first time in his life Abram turned down the world

That he might know the things of God.

 

And for everyone in here who has ever done anything similar

YOU KNOW THAT THIS IS A SCARY REALITY.

 

But God told Abram not to fear,

For He would “shield” and “reward” him for his decision.

 

However, Abram did have one major obstacle in his mind

That he was having trouble justifying.

 

Abram could not have kids.

And if you’ll remember God had even removed Lot from the equation.

 

So now, it didn’t matter what God would give him

Abram would not be able to leave it to anyone.

 

(2) “Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, since I am childless..?”

 

It wasn’t that Abram doubted that God COULD or even that God WOULD.

He just didn’t understand why God SHOULD.

 

Ecclesiastes 2:21 “When there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge and skill, then he gives his legacy to one who has not labored with them. This too is vanity and a great evil.”

 

That is where Abram was.

“God, would you give me all of this just so I can leave it to my servant?”

 

But if you will remember we said that

Abram was listening to the promise of God while looking in the mirror.

 

And if you do that, you won’t believe them either.

 

God told him to stop looking in the mirror

And start looking out the window.

“Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them…so shall your descendants be.”

 

God told Abram that he would have a son

And through that son he would have numerous descendants.

 

It is obvious that God was rewarding Abram’s decision

To choose Him over the things of the world.

 

It was Perseverance Rewarded.

 

And then came the pinnacle verse.

#2 PARDON RECKONED

Genesis 15:6-7

 

And we only made it half way through this point last week.

 

But after God made the promise to Abram, Moses records:

“Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.”

 

Abram didn’t just believe the Lord, he “believed in the Lord”

Abram chose to place his faith God.

 

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

Let’s say you come to me and say,

I’m thinking about quitting my job and starting my own business.

 

Then I say, “I believe you”

(I don’t think you’re lying, I think you’ll do it)

 

But suppose I say, “I believe IN you”

(that’s a whole different thing)

 

Abram “believed in the Lord”

 

Not only did he not think God was lying,

Abram fully believed God was able, and would accomplish it.

 

The faith Abram had here was not intellectual or academic

This was genuine trust in God from Abram’s part.

 

And as we noted, this is not strange, or peculiar, or backward.

Abram had no reason not to believe in the Lord.

• Had God ever steered him wrong?

• Had God ever reneged on a promise?

• Had God ever not done what He said?

• Had God ever deceived him?

 

NO.

The faith Abram gave to God was the most natural and logical thing

That could have happened.

 

It wasn’t weird or quirky or bizarre, it was extremely fitting.

Abram had no reason not to believe in the Lord.

 

And if the story had ended there,

It would have all the warmth and pageantry of a nice novel.

 

But it is the next statement that literally blows our minds

“and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.”

 

WHAT!?

 

Now we are on a whole new playing field.

If you think a son and descendants are valuable,

That all pales in comparison to what God gave him here.

 

God gave Abram “righteousness”

 

WHY IS THAT SO IMPORTANT?

Because you can’t see God or go to heaven without it.

 

To have eternal life you must be righteous.

• You must be “holy as I am holy”

• You must be “perfect as Your heavenly Father is perfect”

 

God does not tolerate sin.

 

Romans 1:18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,”

 

Salvation then, is above all else a quest for righteousness.

It is the most valuable commodity you could ever possess.

 

Proverbs 11:4 “Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, But righteousness delivers from death.”

 

AND GOD JUST GAVE IT TO ABRAM.

 

And we saw how.

GOD TRADED HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR ABRAM’S FAITH.

• God doesn’t accept works…

• God doesn’t accept tradition…

• God doesn’t accept sincerity…

• God doesn’t accept morality…

• God doesn’t accept bribes or promises or intentions…

 

God only accepts faith.

And we learn from Abram that if you will give God faith

He will give you righteousness.

 

And this payment is all possible because of

The transaction that Christ made on Abram’s behalf.

 

2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

 

Abram’s sin was imputed to Christ

His righteousness was imputed to Abram

 

And the same is true for those of us who have trusted in Christ.

 

SO ARE YOU BEGINNING TO SEE THE IMPORTANCE OF FAITH?

You can’t obtain righteousness without it.

 

So Abram believed God and Abram received righteousness.

Abram was just saved.

 

He went from being Abram the pagan,

To Abram, the child of the living God.

 

And after God justified Abram He then said this to him:

(7) “And He said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.”

 

This is God recounting what He has done in Abram’s life,

And it is nothing short of monumental.

 

It helps us remember who gets the credit for salvation.

Abram here believed, but we still don’t give credit to Abram for salvation.

THIS WHOLE THING IS WHAT GOD HAS BEEN DOING.

 

DO YOU KNOW WHY ABRAM BELIEVED?

• Because that is the way God wanted it.

• That is the way God ordained it.

 

God says, I “brought you out of Ur”

 

You didn’t come out – I brought you out

You didn’t leave of your own accord – I performed it for you

 

For those in here who are saved, the same can be said for you.

• You didn’t leave the world…

• You didn’t leave sin…

• It wasn’t your idea…

 

God did that in your life.

He is the reason you are no longer in your old life.

 

And get this:

I “brought YOU out”

 

• What about all the others who lived in Ur?

• What about all the others who still remain worshiping gods that cannot

save?

 

God did a special thing for Abram, and Abram could have nothing but gratitude for that tremendous act of favor toward him.

 

And God brought Abram out for a purpose.

“to give you this land to possess it.”

 

I brought you out to bring you in.

I removed you that I might bless you.

 

I mean to give you this land, and I mean for you to keep it.

It is yours and it is yours to possess.

 

WHAT A PLAN GOD HAD FOR ABRAM!

 

God determined to save and bless Abram.

God gets all the credit for that.

 

And is that not the plan He had for each of us?

Ephesians 2:4-9 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ ( by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

 

He called us out of a life of sin; out of the world.

That He might give us a better country;

A heavenly one, and that we might possess it.

 

What God is doing in Abram’s life and what God is doing in your life

IS IN YOUR BEST INTEREST.

 

Trusting God was the best thing Abram ever did

And it is the best thing you’ve ever done.

God delivered Him – God blessed Him – And God gave Him righteousness

 

Perseverance Rewarded Pardon Reckoned

#3 PROOF RENDERED

Genesis 15:8-16

 

And here is a part that we can all identify greatly with.

We fully understand Abram’s question here.

 

In addition to granting him the necessary righteousness for salvation

God had also promised Abram a country a son and a nation.

 

But notice Abram’s question.

“He said, “O Lord God, how may I know that I will possess it?”

 

Some might be tempted to critique Abram here

For what now looks like a lack of belief.

 

First he believes God and now he wants a sign?

That isn’t it at all.

 

Abram isn’t in search of a sign, Abram is in search of security.

 

And might I remind you that:

The search for security is neither unnatural nor unnecessary.

 

We need security.

And the beauty is that God wants you to have it.

 

Notice what God does here for Abram.

(9-10) “So He said to him, “Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds.”

 

Now these scene may seem a little strange to you, but it obviously wasn’t to Abram. (And I promise it wasn’t to the children of Israel)

 

He understood what was occurring here.

God was about to make a covenant, a guarantee, a promise.

Abram understood that God was about to take an oath.

 

And the sacrifice of these animals

Is a picture of the blood that will ratify the promise.

 

Hebrews 9:16-18 “For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it. For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives. Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood.”

 

The “first covenant” spoken of there was not this one,

It was the covenant of the Law given through Moses.

 

But the picture is the same.

When you read the word “covenant”

You can better understand it if you call it a “will”.

 

When someone makes an offer of inheritance

You don’t collect that inheritance until the one offering it dies.

Death is required to put it into effect.

 

And here we have the symbolic death

Which will put into effect the covenant God is making with Abram.

 

And so Abram readies the scene.

 

(11) “The birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.”

 

This indicates that it did not happen instantly.

There was some time that lapsed.

 

God is making a covenant, but He is not jumping through hoops.

 

Just as a side note, God is more than happy to answer your prayers and to give assurance and security, but He does not always do it at your beck and call, nor as quickly as you might always like.

 

Abram was getting some assurance,

But he was having to be diligent about it.

 

(12-16) “Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. “But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions. “As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. “Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.”

 

And there is the statement Abram was waiting for.

“Know for certain…”

 

There is no reason to doubt Abram for God has said it.

 

But pay special attention to what else God said.

For God mentions some things

That must have come as a bit of a surprise to Abram.

• Your descendants will be slaves and oppressed 400 years

• You will die before all that happens

 

WHY MENTION THAT?

 

Because God wants Abram to know that the presence of hardship

Does not equal the forfeiture of the promise.

 

Neither difficulty (slavery)

Nor delay (400 years)

Are indicators that God has forgotten or that He has changed His mind.

 

Sometimes that is the way we feel about it.

 

We hear the promises of God, we read the promises of God,

And yet let a little hardship come or let the promises delay

And we instantly go to asking if God changed His mind.

 

Casting Crowns has a song:

“Lord I was sure by now, that You would have reached down, and wiped our tears away, stepped in and saved the day. But once again, I say amen, and it’s still raining”

 

Maybe you’ve been there.

You certainly aren’t alone.

 

Remember John the Baptist?

Matthew 11:2-6 “Now when John, while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM. “And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.”

 

John is in prison and was not seeing the fulfillment of what he expected.

 

Hence the, “Are You the Expected One..?”

 

John had an expectation of Jesus being the Messiah.

Why wouldn’t he? God promised that the One he saw the dove lighting on was in fact the savior of the world.

 

But John was suffering, and it was continuing

And he wondered if somehow the promise was wrong.

 

We are all prone to such thinking.

 

That is why Jesus told His disciples the night before He was crucified:

John 16:1-4 “These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling. “They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. “These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me. “But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. These things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.”

 

Jesus told the disciples of their coming hardship ahead of time.

 

WHY?

Why would Jesus tell John not to stumble?

Why would Jesus mention the coming hardship?

Why would God tell Abram about this coming difficulty?

 

BECAUSE GOD DOESN’T WANT ABRAM’S FAITH TO STOP

FAITH MATTERS TO GOD

 

(13) “God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years.”

 

There will be DIFFICULTY, but it will end in deliverance

(14) “But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions.”

 

There will be a DELAY, but it will end in prosperity

(15-16) “As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. “Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.”

 

That also explains to all of Moses’ congregation

Why the slavery in Egypt had to last so long.

 

You know through all those days of brick making and pyramid building, when they were crying out to God, “How Long?”

 

I bet they never figured it was because God

Was not yet willing to judge the Amorites.

 

Understand that when your hardship lasts longer than expected, God has a reason, it may not be a thing in the world you would have ever guessed.

 

BUT GOD IS GIVING ABRAM SECURITY

BECAUSE HE WANTS ABRAM’S FAITH TO ENDURE.

 

And God wants you to know for certain as well!

1 John 5:11-13 “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

 

In fact, that is much of the reason to why God gave you the Holy Spirit.

 

Ephesians 1:13-14 “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation — having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”

 

God gives you security

God promises you are His

Because even in difficult times, God wants your faith to endure.

 

So when enduring slavery, trust God

When enduring hardship, trust God

Don’t quit giving Him faith – it is valuable!

 

Perseverance was Rewarded Pardon was Reckoned Proof was Rendered

#4 PROMISE RATIFIED

Genesis 15:17-21

 

Here God gives the guarantee that Abram was wanting.

(17) “It came about when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces.”

 

Many have wondered why the symbols of an oven and a torch?

 

The “smoking oven” pictures the dark slavery.

 

Deuteronomy 4:20 “But the LORD has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, from Egypt, to be a people for His own possession, as today.”

 

Isaiah 48:10 “Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.”

 

The “flaming torch” pictures the light of God’s deliverance in the midst of the darkness.

 

Zechariah 12:6 “In that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot among pieces of wood and a flaming torch among sheaves, so they will consume on the right hand and on the left all the surrounding peoples, while the inhabitants of Jerusalem again dwell on their own sites in Jerusalem.”

 

By those pieces passing through the middle of the sacrifice

God was reinforcing that the hardship of Egypt

Does not indicate a void of the promise.

 

And God passed through the pieces

In order to ratify or “sign” that covenant.

 

(18-21) “On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates: the Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Rephaim and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Girgashite and the Jebusite.”

 

Not will give, but “have given”

 

• God made the promise…

• God drew up the paperwork…

• God signed the agreement…

• IT IS DONE – AND GOD IS LIABLE

 

AGAIN WHY?

Because God wants Abram’s faith to continue.

 

AND OF COURSE ABRAM’S FAITH DID

 

Hebrews 11:13-16 “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.”

 

DON’T UNDERVALUE THE IMPORTANCE OF FAITH.

• WHY DID GOD SAVE ABRAM? – By Grace

• HOW DID GOD SAVE ABRAM? – Through Faith

 

Faith is the response that God wants to His grace.

He simply wants you to believe in Him and to keep believing in Him

 

And it is so important that you cannot be saved without it.

Without faith it is impossible to please Him.

 

THE QUESTION THIS MORNING IS – DO YOU?

 

• Have you recognized God’s grace in your life?

• Have you heard God’s promise for your future?

• Are you willing to believe in Him to secure it?

 

Don’t let difficulty upset your faith,

God knew about that before He made the promise.

Just continue believing in Him.

 

Abram did and God was not ashamed to be called his God.

 

God gives grace – and He wants faith in return.

 

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

 

The Reality of Legalism

Galatians 2:11-14

March 23, 2014

 

Last week, we saw Paul give a recount of a prior event in his life.

 

His point was to give vindication to God’s gospel,

As the one and only true gospel,

And the one that God has chosen to protect.

 

• Paul spoke of how he went to Jerusalem in order to have a meeting with the

big-wigs of the church to determine their official doctrine on circumcision.

 

• Of course while they were there, Paul says that God showed up and

determined what our official position would be.

 

• The only choice that anyone could come to was that I was a true apostle of

God, that salvation was by grace alone through faith alone, and that faith

was the only thing that Gentiles needed to offer God in order to be saved.

 

Any notion of additional works…

Any notion of legalism…

Had to be thrown out the window.

 

God’s gospel is that man is saved by grace through faith.

 

Tonight Paul continues giving illustrations from the past

In order to drive home his point.

 

Now Paul relates a time when Peter came to Antioch,

And Paul reveals an altercation the two had at that time.

 

One could see many reasons why Paul mentions this confrontation

• To defend his own apostolic authority.

• To reveal to the Galatians that his rebuke is not personal.

• But mostly to show the Galatians the destructive effects of both practicing legalism, and letting it endure.

 

Perhaps it is possible that the Galatians failed to see

Just how dangerous their flirtation with legalism had become.

 

After all, it is just circumcision. It’s not like it was some carnal practice.

Why was Paul getting so bent out of shape?

 

Well as you and I know, it was not circumcision that got Paul so irate.

Acts 16:1-3 “Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. And a disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, and he was well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted this man to go with him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.”

It was in the very regions of Galatia that Paul circumcised Timothy.

So we know circumcision wasn’t the issue.

 

In fact, Paul even wrote to the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 7:19 “Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God.”

 

Paul’s disgust was not over the actual practice of circumcision

But the legalism which was enforcing it.

 

And tonight, Paul will reveal to the Galatians

That regardless of the actual event it inspires,

Legalism is a dangerous cancer that has no place in the Church.

• It doesn’t matter if the issue is circumcision…

• It doesn’t matter if the issue is Saturday worship…

• It doesn’t matter if the issue is baptism…

• It doesn’t matter if the issue is what direction you pray in…

• It doesn’t matter if the issue is where you eat your meals…

 

If legalism is the motive behind it, it must be dealt with.

 

And to reveal that point,

Paul recalls a confrontation with Peter in which legalism had reared it’s ugly head.

Only in this event the issue wasn’t in regard to circumcision, but in regard to where you eat your meals.

 

There are two main points tonight.

#1 THE EVENT

Galatians 2:11-12

 

You will notice right off the bat that Paul recalls an event

In which he and Peter were at odds.

 

“But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.”

 

Now we are all aware of Peter.

One moment the hero, the next moment the goat.

One moment confessing Christ, the next moment rebuking Him.

 

In the passage we studied last week, we just saw Peter standing before the counsel and giving brilliant testimony as to how God used him to bring salvation to the Gentiles.

 

Of course the hero of the day was God, but Peter was certainly on the right team.

 

Well, according to Paul, after that event, Peter then traveled to Antioch.

This was in the region of Galatia.

 

Most likely Peter, having won a major victory with the decision of the counsel, was now (in typical Peter fashion) acting out on their decision.

 

Since Gentiles were now part of the family, Peter was going all the way.

But when he got there, it eventually led to an altercation.

 

Paul says, “I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.”

 

Some translate it that Peter was “self-condemned”.

The idea is that deep down, whatever Peter did,

He knew that it was wrong when he did it.

 

Paul was God’s agent of conviction to openly confront Peter’s condemning action and pull him back onto the straight and narrow.

 

WHAT WAS IT THAT PETER DID?

(12) “For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision.”

 

And so now we have a clearer picture.

 

When Peter came to Antioch, he came with proper motives.

• These were brothers,

• These were free,

• These were made clean by Christ,

• So Peter could openly and freely fellowship with them.

 

In fact, “he used to eat with the Gentiles;”

 

No doubt this spoke of casual fellowship,

But also of the partaking of the Lord’s supper with them.

 

Formerly such action was strictly forbidden, as Gentiles were seen as unclean, But now, because of the blood of Christ,

There was absolutely nothing wrong with Peter’s actions.

 

In fact, God had personally taught this lesson to Peter.

READ ACTS 11:1-18

 

And all Peter was doing was walking in his new found freedom.

 

BUT THEN SOMETHING HAPPENED

“the coming of certain men from James”

 

It is probably better understood that these men

Merely said James had sent them, but that he actually did not.

 

In fact, we read last week, that even James was aware

That there were some people who pretended to act on his authority

That he in no way approved of.

 

Acts 15:24 “Since we have heard that some of our number to whom we gave no instruction have disturbed you with their words, unsettling your souls,”

 

No doubt it was men like this who came to Peter.

• They were legalists.

• They were Judaizers.

• They were outward Jewish zealots, and they wore their religion on their garments.

 

They were the Christian version of the Pharisee

(Not true Christians, just as the Pharisees were not true Jews).

 

But they walked around in their outward legalism,

Putting their piety on display, and no doubt

Looked down on anyone who was less holy than they.

 

And their condescending attitude eventually got to Peter.

 

“but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof,”

 

The Greek text indicates here that Peter’s action

WAS NOT A SUDDEN BREAK, but a gradual one.

 

Peter knew what he was doing was wrong,

And therefore did not immediately do it,

But did it stealthily so as not to attract attention to himself.

 

• He gradually began to pull away from the Gentiles.

• Declining their invitations…

• Eventually skipping their love feasts…

• Until he began to “hold himself aloof,”

 

Just like a scene from a school play ground in which someone seeking popularity is seen talking to the wrong type of kid, Peter pulls away and joins the crowd.

 

Paul even tells us why he did it.

“fearing the party of the circumcision.”

 

Paul says Peter did it because he feared them.

 

It is important to note that the Judaizers claimed to be Christian,

And so they would have had NO PHYSICAL THREAT over Peter.

 

That could not possibly have been what Peter feared.

Rather, Peter feared the loss of status, or being verbally maligned by them.

 

And because Peter feared their verbal jabs,

He pulled away and fell into their same ways of legalism.

 

NOW LET’S ANALYZE THE SITUATION

 

Is it that big of a deal?

 

I mean, it’s just eating meals.

 

And certainly there are no commands that say who you have to eat with.

Why worry about such a little, insignificant event?

 

#2 THE EFFECTS

Galatians 2:13-14

 

As we read those two verses,

Hopefully you saw the disastrous effects of Peter’s choice.

 

Let’s look at three things that arose

From Peter’s little insignificant display of legalism.

 

1) THE BODY WAS DIVIDED (13)

 

Peter made a small, sly, and secretive choice not to eat with Gentiles,

But to separate from them.

 

Surely no one would notice, and it wouldn’t be that big of a deal.

 

“The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy”

 

Now certainly we understand that Peter was a man of much authority and clout, and we do learn again that teaching of the Lord, “To whom much is given, much is required.”

 

The esteemed of the world must be even more careful how they walk.

That is even why Paul told Timothy:

 

1 Timothy 5:19-20 “Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning.”

 

Certainly Peter’s status in the church did not help the situation.

 

Regardless of how hard he tried, his decision became obvious and

“the rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy.”

 

It was just one little choice,

And now the Church has been split right down the middle.

 

HOW BAD IS THE SPLIT?

“with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.”

 

WHY DID PAUL MENTION THAT?

• It was not to get Barnabas in trouble, but to reveal the scope of the division. Barnabas was “The son of encouragement.”

• Barnabas accepted everyone (Remember John Mark)

• Barnabas was as easy to get along with as anyone in the world.

 

So when he falls into the division, it is a serious division.

 

One little choice by Peter to follow legalism,

And the entire church at Antioch was split right down the middle.

 

This is one of the reasons that legalism is so dangerous.

IT IS THE NATURAL INCLINATION OF THE HUMAN FLESH.

 

• Your flesh desperately wants to fall into legalism.

• Your flesh desperately wants a reason to glorify itself.

• And if you open the door, it can carry you away in an instant.

 

All Peter did was secretly go along,

And the entire church was split asunder.

 

GOD DOES NOT WANT HIS CHURCH SPLIT

 

Romans 15:7 “Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.”

 

1 Corinthians 1:10 “Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.”

 

God hates division in the body,

And that is precisely what legalism accomplishes.

It cannot be tolerated.

 

But that is not the only effect of legalism.

 

The Body was Divided

2) THE GOSPEL WAS DISTORTED (14a)

“But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel”

 

This is the real issue at hand.

 

Peter never verbally preached a sermon,

And there is not one recorded by any of the other Jews either.

 

But, by pulling away from the Gentiles,

It is obvious that the message they believe

Is that regardless of the work of Jesus on the cross,

There is still an obvious advantage to being Jewish.

 

Their action attacked the sufficiency of the work of Jesus.

 

Their action said that the blood of Jesus on the cross

Could not make a Gentile equal with a Jew.

 

And of course this is an absolute heresy!

 

John 12:32 “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.”

 

That statement by Jesus was one of

The greatest statements of sufficiency He ever made.

 

His death may be limited in application,

But it is absolutely unlimited in sufficiency!

 

It magnifies other truths He gave:

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

 

John 4:21-24 “Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

 

Paul wrote on this very topic to the Ephesians.

Ephesians 2:13-22 “But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”

 

The point to all those passages is that the blood of Jesus

Is 100% sufficient by itself to save the vilest sinner

And transform him into a child of God.

 

And amongst children of God there is NO DISTINCTION

Paul will say later:

Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

 

The point is that

When we act like there is benefit in any work of the flesh,

Rather it be circumcision, baptism, or who you eat with,

We are taking away from the sufficiency of the death of Christ.

 

That was actually the message that Peter was now preaching.

 

By holding himself aloof,

• He preached to everyone that it was still beneficial to be Jewish,

• And therefore all the Jews separated as well,

• And any lost Gentile would be drastically confused as to how to be saved.

 

One little, silent act of legalism and:

The Body was Divided

The Gospel was Distorted

 

3) THE REBUKE WAS DESERVED (14b)

“I said to Cephas in the presence of all, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

 

Now of course that is not all of the rebuke.

We will finish this discourse next week.

 

But here Paul has Peter over a barrel.

 

Peter, are you saved by being Jewish?

If Peter answers no: Then why are you magnifying Judaism?

If Peter answers yes: Then why do you live like a Gentile?

 

Paul had already nailed Peter’s action in verse 13 as “hypocrisy”

 

Peter’s actions did not match his heart,

And HYPOCRISY ALWAYS WARRANTS A REBUKE from the Father.

 

You cannot claim that the blood of Jesus

Is sufficient to cleans us from all sin

And then require a person to do something else

In order to be saved.

NOW, WHY DID PAUL MENTION THIS ALTERCATION TO THE GALATIANS?

 

Because they needed to understand

The magnitude of the decision that is before them.

 

IN OUR DAY OF BLIND TOLERANCE,

LEGALISM CANNOT BE TOLERATED.

 

Legalism is no laughing matter.

It is lethally destructive,

And the Galatian church must not fall into it’s trap.

 

THE SAME IS FOR US

• We must watch out for this doctrine of Satan which always places too much emphasis on the work of man.

 

• And we must be careful to avoid it, for the consequences of yielding to it are nothing short of disastrous.

 

Legalism divides the body, distorts the gospel, and deserves a rebuke.

 

And that means that any expression of it

In our lives, our church, or our message must be rooted out.