Sermon Tone Analysis

Story

Joseph -

ILL - Mom’s ice incident - define her story/my story 

Ill - my testimony

define by introversion

Story.

My Story

Our ego side blinds us to others personhood

Pace in moment misses the here and now

ILL - Pic of family (parents)

Success blinds us to story serving

Envy blinds us to celebrating others.

Detachment

From our storyTo His story

Promised land 15%

See pic

Everyday I’m camping - LIE

ME

My Story

ILL - Pic of family (parents)

ILL - Pic of family (parents)

WE

GOD

Metanarrative ______

Narrative ___

Micro-narrative _

Before we unpack this second chapter of Galatians, let’s set the stage with some background information: Paul wrote to the churches in southern Galatia after having a hand in starting them on his first missionary journey to Asia Minor.

Upon arriving back in Antioch from his first missionary journey after eighteen months on the road, Paul received a report that the churches he had started in Galatia had fallen into hard times—specifically, they had fallen into error.

A group of Judaizers—those who sought to make living under the Mosaic Law a requirement of the Christian faith—had gained an influence in the Galatian churches.

Church is no stranger to controversy - if you come to faith thinking the church is perfect you’ll be sadly disappointed.

God is preparing us to be that perfect bride but we all have a ways to go.

ILL - almost church split over where we should pray before a service.

Some controversies are trival; some are huge like poverty, justice, gender equality, racial divides.

It was this last one that emerged early in the early church.Paul wrote the book a few months before his attendance at the Jerusalem Council in AD 49, a meeting where the apostles would take up this very topic ().

Paul’s letter speaks wisdom and clarity into the first real controversy that plagued the church in its early years—the relationship between Christian Jews and Christian Gentiles.

Paul’s tone is aggressive because he was passionate that people embrace unity in Christ, no matter their racial distinctions.

For him, this was no minor issue, as he went so far as to call the Galatians deserters of Christ, people turning from the truth toward a gospel contrary to the one they had received from Paul ().ILL - racismWhen the Galatians fell away so quickly from the gospel of grace Paul had preached to them, they also made clear their disloyalty to Paul’s authority as an apostle.

Therefore, Paul began the letter to the Galatians by spending two chapters defending that very issue.

If they could discredit Paul they could discredit his message.

Paul shores up his message and his God-given authority.In Chapter 1 - CODY: “Another Gospel Is Not THE Gospel” … “Jesus + Nothing = Everything”Chapter 2 begins in vv.

1-10 with Paul outlining some of his personal journey as a leader of the early church and the false leaders that emerged to try and impose something other than the true Gospel on Gentile believers.Pick up the story in verse 11.Why are these verses in Galatians?

Paul was defending in leadership to the Galatians emphasizing his Gospel came directly from Jesus not human teachers and his message was the same message approved and proclaimed by the other apostles.

But in case the Galatians or his opponents refused to accept his leadership or message he recounts an incident with Peter in Antioch when Paul issued the sternest of rebukes.

Peter - fisherman turned follower of Jesus; went from a denier of Jesus at the crucifixion to a powerful leader and preacher in the early church in .

But some things were going off the rials by .

The former fisherman was so drenched in his Jewish tradition that it was hindering his ability to fish for people.

It took a spectacular vision and encounter with a centurion named Cornelius.

Cornelius was a Gentile considered unclean by the Jews.

No good Jew would defile himself by going to the house of a Gentile.

But in Peter’s vision God spoke to Peter declaring that nothing or no one that God has created should be considered unclean.

Peter became a huge proponent of this PARADIGM SHIFT - Gospel was leap frogging not only over regional barriers but social barriers.

GREAT NEWS FOR US!

This was a major turning point in the church and the understanding of what the Christian life was all about.

Jews who would not even eat with Gentiles or even enter their homes could now embrace them as brothers and sisters.Somewhere after Peter’s great revelation and support for Gentile believers something went off the rails.

Peter went from a great advocate for Gentile freedom to succumbing to pressure from some of these false leaders.

When representatives came from the Jerusalem church came to Antioch they tried to impose the Jewish laws again on the Gentile believers.

Peter and Barnabas were intimidated by their forcefulness and withdrew from the Gentiles.

Maybe it was fear, wanting to maintain their image, or to be accepted - but whatever the motive they changed.

Peter hadn’t gone all the way back into legalism but his actions were not consistent with his message.

He was sending MIXED MESSAGES.

He was blurring the message of the Gospel and obscuring the freedom it provides.

Paul recognized the GOSPEL and the FUTURE of the church was at stake so in v. 11 he opposed Peter to his face…got all up in grill in front of other people.

“Peter, you’ve been eating ham sandwiches with Gentiles and now you want them to only eat kosher.

You’ve been demonstrating freedom in Christ and now you want to demand bondage to the law.

“Paul calls Peter out on his chameleon move in front of some prominent Jews.

He then emphasizes that our identity in Christ is rooted in justification by faith, not works!We don’t know for sure how Peter responded but we do know that when they arrived at the Jerusalem Council, which convened to discuss this very issue of legalism and requirements on the Gentiles, it was Peter who spoke out clearly on releasing the Gentiles from the burden of the Law and to recognize them as equal recipients of God’s amazing grace!Paul’s confrontation shut down Peter’s mixed messages:It reset Peter’s perspective and put his leadership back on the right pathIt reaffirmed Paul in his ministry so that he could continue to follow God’s call and plan to build the early churchIt reminded the church that the Gospel, the message of the finished work of Christ, is the only thing that advances us towards holiness and releases us from hypocrisy

God’s story

Gen - Revelation

Story of creation, redemption and the re-creation.

Graciously includes our story

Our story comprised of multiple episodes

Proper perspective:

God - purpose for us - circumstances found inside His story