Gospel-Driven Behavior

Kent Pletcher

Galatians • Sermon • Submitted 2 years ago

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Galatians 2:11–16 (ESV)

11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

Opening Prayer

Self-Righteousness is a Stumbling Block

Self-righteousness, which is at the core of our sin nature...

And the power of sin in our fallen nature...

Is so powerful that it will take a complete make-over...

Body & Soul to release us from it.

This will take place when we are finally, as the Apostle Paul says in Romans 7...

Delivered from this body of death by Christ at the consummation.

Self-righteousness and our innate pursuit of increasing it...

Is so ingrained into our fallen nature that we can easily fall back into it.

When Paul says...

Galatians 2:15 (ESV)

15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners;

He’s alluding to the Jewish understanding of that statement...

Gentile sinners = those who do not follow the Pharisaical subscribed clean laws.

This would have been explained to the Galatians.

I’m sure the False Teachers were using this terminology to convince them of their need to keep the Ceremonial Laws.

Because the Ceremonial Laws of the Jewish nation had been misused...

And instead of them being used to drive them to the mercy & grace of God for acceptance...

It led them to believe that they could somehow make themselves presentable to God...

Which means a righteousness of their own...

Self-righteousness.

The gospel is ANTI-Self-righteousness.

The gospel does away with all self-righteousness.

You cannot cling to Christ and self-righteousness at the same time.

And, that is what is at stake here...

And, in our lives, as well.

Paul tells us here...

Galatians 2:14 (ESV)

14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

There is a critical statement here made by the Apostle Paul...

And, it answers a critical question.

Who/What is the Authority for the People of God?

Although this statement can point to Paul’s authority as an Apostle of Jesus...

It does something far greater...

It shows Who/What has the greatest authority.

Sure Paul, Peter, John…they’re Apostles.

But, there is an Authority that all must submit to...

Including the Apostles.

The gospel has authority over the Apostles...

Because the gospel is:

God’s Word.

God’s message.

God’s good news.

And God is the Ultimate Authority...

Our Authority is God & His Word.

This is why Paul stated earlier that whether he or an angel from came and preached another gospel...

Let them be cut off from God.

So, Paul is establishing something here...

While he is making his point about the gospel that he preaches.

And, the authority of God and His Word.

He is, at the same time, establishing that the gospel must not be changed...

It must be defended, no matter the cost.

And, we defend it...

Not only in statement (words), preaching, conversation...

But, also in the way we live.

Notice the Charge Against Peter

Galatians 2:14 (ESV)

Notice what Paul says here.

It’s very important.

It wasn’t you Peter, you broke a commandment by violating Article #365.21

Paul says, you’re not living in step with the truth of the gospel.

The Pharisees had developed a system of 613 laws.

365 negative commands.

248 positive laws.

For example, in the Mosaic Law, one of the commandments is to keep the Sabbath holy.

This meant that the Jews were not supposed to work on Saturdays.

But to clarify this, the Jewish scholars created thirty-nine separate categories of what “work” means.

And within those thirty-nine categories there are many sub-categories.

So to follow the rule of not working on the Sabbath, there are literally numerous sub-rules to follow, including how many steps you can take, and how many letters you can write on the Sabbath.

Does that sound like a yoke that was easy? No way.

By the time Christ came it had produced a heartless, cold, and arrogant brand of righteousness.

It was a system that had eroded into finding its identity in rules.

And used those rules to exalt in self.

I think this passage characterizes this...

Luke 18:10–14 (ESV)

10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Now, before we are too harsh on the Pharisees...

Can we not see our self in that same light?

Do we not behave like the Pharisee at times?

Has not a huge portion of “Christianity” reverted to rules...

And look down at sinners? (as if we are inherently better)

A large portion of Christianity...

Has eroded into finding its identity in rules.

And uses those rules to exalt in self.

What Paul is saying here is this...

Peter you’re not living the truth of the gospel.

And, the truth of the gospel is there is only one identity that reconciles us with God.

There’s only one way we can be righteous.

There’s only one way to truly have incorruptible value.

And, that is by union with Jesus Christ.

Listen, when we put our faith in Christ.

We are united to the King.

We are given a new identity.

We were enemies of God, on our part.

Now, we are sons and daughters of God.

We were once rebels to the kingdom.

Now we are citizens of the kingdom.

We have laid aside our old identity.

And put on a new one.

And, here is the thing about identity.

What ever we are finding our identity in...

And it shifts from day to day, hour to hour, even.

What ever we are finding our identity in...

Is what we are finding our self-value in.

And, self-value is self-righteousness.

Peter’s conduct is not in step with the truth of the gospel...

Because he shifted back to finding his identity/value in being a Jew...

Rather than finding his identity/value in being in Christ.

The Difficulty in Not Looking Back

Oh, how difficult it is to break from this mindset.

Paul is saying that he understands the temptation to fall back.

Even the Apostle Peter fell back into it.

We are, by our fallen, sin nature, oriented towards things that we perceive will add value to us.

And that is because we are driven by self-righteousness.

And self-righteousness is often driven by rule keeping.

Because rule keeping allows us to perceive that we are valuable to the rule makers...

And, to the others who keep the rules.

It makes us feel better than the rule breakers.

Even if our rule is “no rules, just right”...

That is still a rule.

So, we like rules.

We like our own rules.

Or rules we like/agree with.

Are we to think that rules are bad? No.

It’s how we use rules...that is bad.

As Paul said of his fellow kinsmen...

Romans 10:2–4 (ESV)

2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

The laws that God gave the Jews were not bad.

Every one had a specific purpose and role to play in the life and religious activity of the Jews.

But the rules were not intended to gain the faith of the people.

They were intended to drive the people to the only One worthy of our worship & trust...

And that is God.

So, Peter has fallen back to finding his identity in the rules.

The Ceremonial/Clean laws.

Rather than expressing through his behavior that his identity is in Christ, alone.

The gospel says...

Trust the Lord and not our rules.

That doesn’t mean we don’t have rules...

It means we don’t trust them for the end result.

And, we don’t trust in our keeping of the rules.

We trust nothing or no one, but Christ, alone.

Our faith is not in our faith.

Our faith is not in our repentance.

Our faith is that we have been given infinite value for infinite time in the person and work of JC.

There will be no value that passes the grave...

But the value that we find in Jesus.

And, the value that has been given us is because of:

the atoning blood of Christ applied to our sins.

the perfectly kept covenant applied to our life.

Self-righteousness will not only reveal itself as a delusion...

But, it will work against you in the end.

An Appeal

Don’t go back to rules in Statement or Living.

Abide in Christ.

Trust in Christ.

Depend upon Christ.

Find your identity & value in Christ.

Closing Prayer

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