Don't Give In

Scripture Text: Galatians 2:1-10

1 Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. 2 I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain. 3 Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. 4 This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. 5 We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.

6 As for those who were held in high esteem—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism—they added nothing to my message. 7 On the contrary, they recognized that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised. 8 For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle to the Gentiles. 9 James, Cephas and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised. 10 All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.

Sermon Notes

Paul continues to tell the story of his interaction with Peter and James and the other apostles. He is concerned that his brothers and sisters in the churches of Galatian know that he was called as an apostle by the Lord Jesus, and that he was received as an apostle by Peter and James. In my opinion, Peter jumped the gun when he and the other apostles chose Matthias to take the place of Judas. Jesus chose the Eleven, and only Jesus could choose the Twelfth. He did so by choosing Saul of Tarsus.

Grace is Always Under Assault:

“This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves” (Galatians 2:4).

• Some people cannot endure the radical freedom of grace—freedom from the law that enslaves us. The Lordship of Christ is not enough for them. They must have the lordship of the law.
• This is why Paul said they want to “make us slaves.”
• When someone tells me that I must worship on a certain day or eat a certain food or belong to a certain church, or I am lost, I just want to rap them on the head. I want to knock on their skull and ask if anyone is home. “Have you lost your mind?” I want to ask them. “Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death.” I am fine with you worshiping on any day you choose. I am fine with you eating a certain diet if you wish. I am happy for you to dress a certain way when you come to church. I am glad for you to wear your hair anyway you want. But do not impose your manmade rules on me.
• All legalism is me trying to make you more like me, not more like Jesus.. You are uncomfortable with me being different from you because you see yourself and your people as the standard of all spirituality and morality. So it is very disturbing for you that my table manners and diet and dress vary from yours. It makes you more comfortable for me to be like you in these superficial ways. But it does not make me any more like Jesus than I was before.
• Some people believe that grace contributes to sloppy living. Those who believe that the practice of a certain moral code is what makes a person a Christian are not better than those who hold to grace alone. They are simply picking their sins. They may be full of self-righteousness, arrogance, and conceit. But because they practice a code of external conduct, they feel they are superior to others. Jesus said, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence” (Matthew 23:25). Having fallen into the trap of rule-keeping as the road to salvation, they do not extend grace to themselves or to others. And they do not receive the grace of God for their own sins, either.
• Those who refuse grace magnify human efforts to be righteous. They emphasize certain sins to avoid and certain good works to do.
• They give weight to their laws by suggesting that you cannot really be saved or right with God unless you are keeping these laws.
• Everything and anything we add to the grace of God minimizes the role of God in our salvation and magnifies our own human effort. At the bottom of legalism is pride that wants to be first, even before God.

Do Not Give In For a Moment:

“We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you” (Galatians 2:5).

• Grace is the only way to come into fellowship with God.
• Grace emphasizes the sanctity of every human life. There is no hierarchy of value among humans. All are of infinite worth in God’s sight. This is the message of grace.
• We need conviction here.. You need to dead set on grace, not wavering about it. Stand fast in this truth.
• We need determination here, a rock-solid resolve that we will never give in. Do not give in to anything that adds other requirements to salvation in addition to the gift of God in Christ. It is only grace, or not grace at all.
• We need to go with God, not with people, no matter what their credentials are.
• Paul said, “As for those who were held in high esteem—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism—they added nothing to my message” (Gal. 2:6).
• Even Peter and James would not be able to sway Paul from the message of grace.

Give the Right Hand of Fellowship:

“James, Cephas and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me” (Galatians 2:9).

• “The right hand of fellowship” is a term used only here in the Bible. It is about a greeting and a covenant. When you “shake on it,” you are giving each other the right hand of promise. You are sealing your pledge.
• When God’s grace is extended to another person and they are saved, it does not matter who they are. They are brought into the fellowship of the church. Whatever color, whatever nationality—this is of no consequence. They are our brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. Christ has received them, and we must receive them.

Remember the Poor:

“All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along” (Galatians 2:10).

• There are many works of compassion that might have been listed here. Prisoners are visited. Hungry are fed. Thirsty receive water. Naked are clothed. Strangers are taken in. But when you think about it, the term “poor” includes all those who are hurting and in need whether they are sick or blind or depressed. The poor are those about us who need our help in a variety of ways.
• The grace of God makes me remember the poor.
• “Blessed are the poor,” Jesus said (Luke 6:20).
• Jesus said that his credentials included: “The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor” (Matthew 11:5).
• Thank you for remembering the poor. You work all week long. But in Care Effect many of you remember the poor. You take an evening out of every week to remember them. You remember them, not simply with your tithes and offerings, but with your time, your love, and your witness.
• The poor are easy to forget. You get into your daily routine. Your normal path does not take you to the homes of the destitute. You begin to forget them. You dismiss them.
• We stereotype them. They should work harder, we say to ourselves. Let them get a job. Most of the poor in our community are children and their single mothers. That is who they are. That is why James and the prophets link widows and orphans. The fathers and husbands are dead and gone. In biblical times, most men were dead by age 40. Wars raged and disease decimated communities. The widows and orphans of our day are largely those who have been abandoned by their deadbeat husbands and fathers. As in biblical times, single mothers and fatherless children are having the hardest time of all. So you drive a Mercedes. Means nothing to me. Is the woman you impregnated getting proper prenatal care? Are the babies you left behind well-fed? Do they live in a clean and safe home? Are they getting a good education? Are you taking care of your progeny? Divorce and unwed motherhood makes a mess of family life, I know. But if you are the Dad, your #1 job is caring for the kids.
• We indulge ourselves. You are working hard, as you should. You are getting ahead, and that is good. You are making enough money to have extra to give away. That also is good. You decide you are going to spend the extra on yourself. That’s okay, I guess, if you are still remembering the poor. But realize that your choices reflect your values.
• We forget the grace of God toward us. That is our first forgetfulness. The poor are second.