Galatians Week 3 • Galatians 2:1-10

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Good morning.

There we go.

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If you've got your Bibles, go ahead and open up to Galatians chapter 2.

Galatians 2 · chapter mention

So we're going to continue on in our study this morning.

So we've been in Galatians for the last couple of weeks, and what we've gotten out of the

first week and last week is we kind of walked into Paul's welcome as he greets the church

at Galatia, as he welcomes them in this letter.

And then Paul does something kind of neat or kind of different than what we're maybe used

to, is that Paul begins to go through almost this section of his autobiography.

And what we saw last week was kind of the first part of that.

And in the first two weeks, what we kind of lay the truths that are going to continue to

ring out each and every week of what we study is that the gospel is how we enter into the

kingdom.

There's going to be this debate of what's going on within the power and the working of what

Paul is doing, what Paul's challenging the church with through the power of God.

And what he's going to focus in on is the understanding of the gospel and that in the gospel, what we

see in the gospel, what we experience is the gospel is how we enter into the kingdom.

And that is the gospel in the gospel alone that is through Christ and through Christ alone that

is in the work of the cross and the cross alone.

It's because the tomb is empty through all of these things is how we enter into the kingdom,

that it is Jesus Christ alone who saves.

And that's the first foundational truth that we have.

But then he doesn't just leave there.

He continues on about more of the gospel, that not only the gospel is how we enter into the

kingdom, but that the gospel is how we live as a part of the kingdom.

And here's the important part for us, for you and I that are believers, many of you in here have been

believers for 20, 30, 40 years, or whether you've been a believer for five years or five days or for

five minutes, that the gospel is still needed by all of us who were saints, all of us who were saved,

all of us who have been redeemed, that the gospel is how we live as a part of the kingdom,

that the gospel sets the standard, the authority in our life, and we live our life as the spirit of God

transforms us out of the truth that comes from the gospel.

So what we establish and what we work with is who needs the gospel?

Everyone.

Not just to save them, but as a part of their lives of who they are.

And so Paul wants an accurate understanding of what the gospel is for the people of Galatia,

both to be saved and how to live.

And then Paul goes into the first part of his autobiography as Paul begins to talk about the

transforming work of what the gospel did in his life as a lost person, and then the authority of

what the gospel establishes in his life as he is now Paul the apostle.

And it's amazing, transforming work of what we see.

And what we see in that is the power of the work of what the gospel does.

That Paul, when he was saved, was saved.

And in that, a transformation begins to happen and take place.

That he is no longer Saul, who he was before, but as he shares the power of his story,

which is rooted in the power of the gospel, we see that the gospel doesn't simply change us,

but it transforms us.

An interesting thing that it does is it takes what was old and it makes it new.

It takes what was dead and makes it alive again.

So it's not that Paul's changed.

It's that Paul's been transformed.

And so that story rings true for him and for everyone who's ever been saved

and everyone who will ever be saved.

That there's a transforming work that happens and takes place with inside of us through the power of the gospel.

And so he looked at last week the power of his story and we walked away.

And I got a lot of encouraging comments back from you guys in this.

And I hope that this story rings true.

That is as shocking as Paul's story was, that the power that existed in his story

is the same power that exists in my story, the same power that exists in your story.

Coming to Christ, our stories may be different.

Some may be more quote unquote boring.

Some may be more provocative.

But in all of those things, the power of the gospel saved what was lost, saved what was old,

saved what was dead, and made it found, made it new, and made it alive again.

So we walk out of here with the encouragement that this, yes, there's power in Paul's story,

but there's power in your story and in your story and in your story when it's the power of the gospel that saves.

And so this morning, Paul kind of continues on in this autobiographical story

as he lays the foundation for the church of Galatia of what the gospel does.

And so let's continue reading, starting in chapter 2, verse 1.

Paul says,

Then after 14 years, I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me.

I went up because of a revelation and set before them, though privately before those who seemed influential,

he's talking about the other apostles here, the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles

in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain.

But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek.

Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in, who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus,

so they might bring us into slavery.

To them we did not yield in submission, even for a moment,

so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.

And from those who seemed to be influential,

what they were makes no difference to me.

God shows no partiality.

Those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me.

On the contrary,

when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised,

just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised,

for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised,

worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles.

And when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars,

perceived the grace that was given to me,

they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me,

that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised,

only they asked us to remember the poor the very thing I was eager to do.

So what in the world is going on here?

So there's a gap in time in this biography that Paul's sharing.

And he's talking about an event from where we left off last week

to the event that he shares that happens 14 years later.

And Paul comes to Jerusalem and he appears before what is known as the Jerusalem council.

It's the other apostles who are there.

And he brings with him Barnabas and Titus.

And it's going to be an interesting piece that we understand specifically

that he brought Titus with him to this meeting.

As this meeting was largely, if not solely, filled with Jewish Christians who had converted.

But Titus comes.

Titus is a Gentile.

Titus is the one who would not observe the law.

Titus is the one who would not embrace the culture.

Titus is the one who physically, in everything that he had been doing,

continued to be Gentile outside of being saved by the work of Christ

and being transformed by the power of the gospel.

And so this is what we see come into this meeting.

So for what reason did they go?

Well, in verse 2, it says that he came as of a revelation from God

to make sure that Paul was not running or working in vain.

To make sure that the work that he was doing,

not that he needed their permission,

not that he needed their authority,

but to make sure that the gospel work that was happening,

not just in Paul's ministry as he was called to the Gentiles,

but was also the gospel that was working as Peter took the gospel

and took it to the Jews.

And that the work that they had was remaining the same.

So why in the world, in the story of all of this,

as Paul was laying out this letter to the church at Galatia,

why is this so important with them?

It's because Paul knew that what Paul was teaching was the true gospel.

And Paul's addressing the hearts of the leaders and the members of the Jewish Christians at the church of Galatia

as they've come in and they've tried to adapt away from the gospel to where they say this,

that if Gentiles are going to become Christians,

then it's not just enough to be Christians,

but that you must be Jewish Christians.

Specifically speaking, concerning the law of circumcision.

So if you're going to get saved, then this is what you must do.

Do you see what begins to happen here?

That the gospel isn't enough.

That the gospel is not what saves you.

That what saves you is who you are,

what's not what saves you or what you are doing,

and not what's being done in you.

That the power of the gospel is not enough.

And so Paul goes to him and says this,

look, here's what you've got to understand.

The gospel that I share,

the gospel that I proclaim to you,

which is not the gospel you are teaching,

is the gospel that's accepted.

Is the gospel that's being taught.

That just as God revealed it to me,

that God revealed it to Peter,

and all of the apostles in the Jerusalem council,

that this is the authority in which we reign in,

in which we rule in,

in which we live in.

Paul's telling them like,

look, what I'm about to tell you,

it's true.

Not because I say so,

but because God says so.

Because there's men like Titus,

who were different than us,

but who has been transformed

by the power of the work of God.

And it's so important that we all teach the same gospel.

Church, there are things in this church that we're going to disagree on.

There are convictions that God grants us

in how we live our life and the things that we do.

There are denominational issues when we look between a church like us,

who's Baptist in a Methodist church,

or a Presbyterian church,

or a Pentecostal church that are going to be different.

And guess what?

That's okay.

On some of those things,

if we stand before God one day,

we'll find out where some of us were right,

where some of us were wrong.

But what must be central

in order for a church to be a church

is found in what the gospel is

and the proclamation of that gospel.

So that's what we want to center in on.

So what's some things that we can glean

from this passage of Scripture?

What can the church at Galatia glean

from this passage of Scripture?

Well, there are two things that I want to focus in on this morning.

And the first one is this.

Is it what I do or what I am?

This is an important part for us to dive into

and to have some perspective of who we are

and in what saved us

and in the reality of how we live our lives.

Is it what I do or is it what I am?

I love what Paul does here.

I'm going to kind of take a side note back to last week.

Paul continues on in his story.

Paul continues on in the authority

of what God's called him to do

as he lays it out in front of the church before him,

as he appeals to them.

Notice, he doesn't immediately go

into a theological argument.

What Paul does is Paul continues in on telling his story.

This ties back to last week, church.

There is so much that is in your story

that people can argue with.

There's so much power that's in your story

as a result of what God's done.

There's so much authority in your story

as we go through

where you have the opportunity

to share about the transforming power of the gospel,

not through what you've learned,

not through what you've been taught,

not through what you've heard someone else talk about,

but as a follower of Christ

through what you have experienced,

through what you've been transformed through,

and through what God has used in your life.

Paul goes all the way back to the details of a meeting

to say this,

watch what God does.

But here's what we've got to be careful of.

So many of us,

when we talk about our story,

we think only back to what God did

in the moment of salvation.

But what Paul brings into his story

is not just what God did,

but what God's doing.

And I think that's where the rubber meets the road

for so many of us.

That when we talk about what our Jesus story is,

we can look back to what God did five years,

10 years,

15 years,

30 years ago when he saved us.

But the power of the story

is not just what happened years and decades ago,

but what is happening right now.

And that's the litmus test for us.

Is God transforming you now?

Can you point toward what God is doing?

Can you use what life has cast out

as God molds you and shapes you

into what he has for you to be?

And this is what he does.

And the important part here,

going back to his story of,

is it what I do or is it what I am,

is that Paul talks about

what happens in the Jerusalem council

is the acceptance of Titus.

And the council accepted him.

Why?

Why did they accept him?

It's not based off of their standards,

but it's based off the standards set by God.

And they said in verse six,

that God shows no partiality.

Here confirmed in this moment

by Paul and the apostles

to the church of Galatia

is this,

that Titus is accepted,

not because of what he has done,

but Titus is accepted

because of who he now is

in light of the cross.

Tim Keller said this

in his commentary on Galatians.

He said,

externalities are to do with our doing,

but internalities have to do with our being.

And Christianity is about who I am in Christ,

not what I do for him.

Love the power of the truth of that.

You see,

when the focus is what I do for Christ,

then I am at the center of my faith.

But when the focus

is on Christ

and who he is

and who I am

in him,

in him,

then it's Jesus.

What makes you acceptable before God?

What makes anyone acceptable before God?

The biblical truth

of what makes anyone accepted

before God

is perfection.

Perfection is what gives us

the right

to be before God.

Not mostly perfect,

not partially perfect,

not sometimes perfect,

but fully perfect.

And so in Christ,

what we find

is total perfection,

not in our works,

but total perfection

in Christ.

And what God gives us

in the law

is to show us

that when we line up

the Ten Commandments,

when we line that up

in our life

and we have that step back

realization

is that we haven't just

mildly disobeyed these,

but at our heart,

yours and mine,

we've destroyed these.

And so what Jesus comes to do

is so that we are found

in him

that we are made

perfect in him.

So that in Christ,

it's not that the law

is abolished,

but for us,

what we find in Christ

is that the law

is fulfilled.

And here's the danger

of how this practically

plays out in our life.

When we're found

not in Christ,

but we seek to find ourselves

in what we do for him,

is that many of us

live every single day

trying to earn

the love of God.

And the reality is

that when we do this,

we live in a posture,

we live in a mindset,

we live in a life

that says this,

if I don't do this,

then God won't love me.

And we live in a sense

of guilt.

We live in a sense

of shame.

We live in a sense

of spiritual abuse

because we've connected

God's love for us

and our ability

to appease him

when we seek

to earn the love of God.

Another way

that that transforms

for us

in an equally destructive

but opposite manner

is many of us

live thinking

because of the things

we do,

now we deserve

the love of God.

And in that moment,

it ceases to be grace.

In that moment,

we cease to present

ourselves before him.

And so we live our life

because I do this,

then God must love me.

And in both of those,

the transformation,

the change of who we are,

is not found in him,

but it's found in us.

It's found in us.

Church,

the hope of the gospel

doesn't say

that I'm good enough.

The hope of the gospel

says because I'm not

good enough.

He is.

The hope of the gospel

says that I'll never

do anything

in order to be loved,

but simply,

in spite of all

that I've ever done,

I am loved.

We think about life

with a parent and a kid.

We were sitting around

joking and having

a conversation

at the table last night.

And I looked

at my daughter.

She's not in here

this morning.

I said,

girl,

you're pressing me,

right?

I said,

I'll always love you,

but right now

I'm not liking you

a whole bunch,

right?

And she started dying

laughing and came over

and gave me a kiss

and said,

do you like me now?

And I said,

yes,

I do,

sweetie,

right?

But when we think

about that,

the unconditional love

of what's there.

look at your past

of what you've done.

Look at your present

of what you're doing

and think about

what you're capable

of in the future.

And nothing,

nothing that you could

ever do,

nothing that you've

ever done

or nothing that you

were doing

can ever separate

you from

or make God

love you more.

It's just

who he is.

And what we find

from this,

the fruit that this

begins to bring

out in our life,

which is going to be

a huge focal point

of the book

of Galatians,

is that the gospel

brings with it

freedom.

The gospel

brings with it

freedom.

Now,

let's explain this

really quickly.

Another conversation

that we had

the other day,

my daughter said,

we live in a free

country,

don't we?

And I said,

yes,

we do,

we absolutely do.

She said,

so does that mean

then that I can do

anything I want to do?

And I said,

well,

let me explain

something about

the country you

live in.

There is great

freedom,

but this house

that you live in

is a dictatorship,

right?

And me and your

mama run it.

So this is how

this is going to be.

But there is,

there's great freedom.

But we've

confused freedom

oftentimes with meaning

that we get to do

whatever we

want to do.

And we know

that that's not

freedom.

In fact,

that's the opposite.

Many times that's

what enslavement

would look like

as sin controls.

But the gospel

that we know

brings freedom.

So what is

that freedom?

What does this

look like?

What is Paul

pushing toward?

When he talks

about the threat

that comes up

in verse 4,

let me reread

this to you.

He says,

yet because of

false brothers

secretly brought in

who slipped in

to spy out

or to bring out

or to take away

our freedom

that we have

in Christ

so they might

bring us

into slavery.

So Paul says

this,

that there are

those that are

imparting things

on you

to remove you

from the freedom

that we have

in Christ.

And over the next

weeks,

we are going to

talk about what

this freedom

looks like,

but we see

two instances

in this passage

of scripture

that point us

to the freedom

in the gospel.

The first freedom

that we see

is this,

is that the gospel

brings cultural

freedom.

The gospel

brings cultural

freedom.

In my life,

God has given

me the opportunity

to share the gospel

in many different

places,

in many different

settings,

and praise God

he's given me

the opportunity

to do it

in many different

cultures.

The first place

that I ever

share the gospel

as a follower

of Jesus Christ,

was in North

Charleston

in a housing

project

at a place

that was foreign

to me,

even though it

was an hour

and a half

away from my

home.

I sat there

on the front

porch with a

man who just

the day before

had gotten

out of prison

for armed

robbery.

Shared the gospel

with him.

Later on,

my first year

in ministry,

God gave me

the opportunity

to go into

tribal villages

in rural

Zimbabwe

where people

worship their

ancestors

and share

the gospel.

God has

allowed me

to go into

poverty-stricken

Haiti where

voodoo is

accepted by

many,

even among

some who

claim to be

Christians,

and allowed me

the opportunity

to share

the gospel.

God has

allowed me

at a very

special time

to go to

the country

of Bolivia

at a conference

that was being

placed for

parents whose

kids had

special needs.

And in the

entire country

of Bolivia

at that point

in time,

specifically that

these families

were families

with kids

with autism.

And there

were five

professionals

in 2009,

five professionals

in the entire

country of

Bolivia

that worked

with kids

with autism.

And the

churches

didn't want

them,

the schools

didn't want

them,

and the

government

didn't want

them.

And God

gave us

the opportunity

to go in

and tell them

that they were

loved and

that they were

valued and

their kids

were loved

and their

kids were

valued and

God gave us

the opportunity

to share the

gospel.

Completely

foreign and

different from

the culture

that I was

in.

God gave me

the opportunity

to go to

Taiwan and

to meet

in a

church that

was very

similar to

the church

at Galatia

where the

people there

battled with

legalism to

share the

gospel.

And then

recently had

the opportunity

this past

year to

go to

India where

so many

men and

women and

children had

submitted

themselves to

a false

religion to

a lie and

God gave us

an opportunity

to share the

gospel.

You see,

the truth

of the

gospel.

The freedom

that comes

from the

gospel is

this.

Whether I'm

sharing the

gospel in

Lexington,

South Carolina

or in

Port-au-Prince,

Haiti,

whether I'm

sharing the

gospel in

North Augusta,

South Carolina

where I'm

from or in

Jaipur,

India,

whether I'm

sharing the

gospel in

New York

City or

North Charleston,

the gospel

doesn't

change.

It's the

exact same

from culture

to culture.

It's the

work of

Christ.

It may be

taken through

a translator.

My illustration

may have to be

through soccer,

not football.

But the

gospel

doesn't

change.

Church,

and there's

freedom that

comes from

that.

I don't have

to worry if

I'm sitting

down with

someone who

just walked

out of

prison or

a Bible

study.

The gospel

remains

true.

And there's

freedom in

that.

There's freedom

in that.

The power

of the

gospel.

But then

secondly,

what we

see is

the gospel

brings

emotional

freedom.

Paul talked

about earlier

about this,

that I may

run this

race,

that I may

do all

of this

in vain.

And what

I began to

get the

imagery of

with this

is the

picture of

a treadmill.

Right?

Now,

I don't know

about you,

but I've

been trying

to with

this new

year.

My boy

Robbie

Gimmel's

in here.

Robert's

been trying

to help

me stay

on track

with getting

fit and

healthy.

And he

takes me

out and

we mountain

bike ride

together and

he makes

me want to

die midway

through it.

Every time

you go

mountain biking

with Robbie,

Robbie says,

oh, not too

much farther,

right?

And we

just have

to keep

going,

right?

And we

don't know

how much

too far

there is.

But I've

been trying

to get back

in shape.

And we've

got a

treadmill at

our house.

And so

what I do

every so often

is I get

on the

treadmill.

And I

hate running

on the

treadmill.

So my wife

said, if you

hate running

on the

treadmill,

why don't

you run

outside?

And I

said, because

I hate

that more,

right?

I just

hate running.

But I

run on the

treadmill.

And here's

what I

figured out

about the

treadmill

that I

like.

I like

the fact

that if

it's cold

outside,

it's warm

inside,

right?

I like

the fact

if it's

raining

outside,

it's dry

inside.

But what

I hate

about the

treadmill

is this.

just staring

at the

wall

in my

bedroom

as I'm

running

on the

treadmill.

I don't

feel at

the end

of it

that I've

accomplished

anything

other than

the fact

that I'm

dripping

buckets

of sweat.

Paul talks

about the

fact that

in slavery

what happens

is this.

It's the

burden of

what begins

to happen

that when

we submit

ourselves

to the

slavery

that spiritually

speaking

we feel

like we're

exerting

all of this

energy but

yet spiritually

speaking

we're not

getting

anywhere

because we're

living to

what has

enslaved us.

That we're

living to

what holds

us back

and that

what the

gospel does

is the

gospel brings

us emotional

freedom.

The gospel

gives us

the opportunity

to say

that Christ

has set me

free from

my past.

that Christ

has set

me free

from my

present.

That even

praise God

that right

now

he set me

free

from things

that want

to enslave

me in my

future.

And so that

my journey

with him

is not on

a treadmill.

It's not

on work

that won't

get me to

where I

long to

go.

But instead

what the

gospel does

is it

pushes me

farther and

farther along

the path.

So the

scenery changes

and the

end changes.

Do you know

what's not on

a treadmill?

A finish line.

It's not.

Maybe that'd

make me feel

better about it,

right?

There's no

finish line

on the

treadmill.

But when

Paul talks

about this

life,

he talks

about the

finish.

And he

talks about

when that

day comes

and when

God calls

us home

that we've

finished

the race

that's set

before us.

when you're

bound

emotionally

to your

sin,

when you're

enslaved

to what

you've

done,

you can't

run

the race.

Church,

it's time

we get

off the

treadmill

and we

get in

the race

that God

has lined

up for

us.

Now,

Paul's

going to

talk about

this.

It doesn't

mean that

now we

just get

to do

whatever

we want.

But instead

there's great

implications

of

the law

and what

God has

saved us

for.

But now

what we

live in

is we

live in

no longer

a system

of slavery

but now

we live in

a system

of salvation.

Now we

live in

a system

of hope.

Now we

live in

a system

of joy

so that

we can

run

the race

that God

has set

before us

for his

glory

and for

his name.

Would you

pray with

me?

God, we

thank you

for your

power

and for

your work.

Lord, we

thank you

for what

you've

done

through the

hope of

the gospel.

Lord, we

thank you

that the

gospel that

comes, that

the gospel

brings

freedom.

Lord, to

set us

free.

The hope

that we

have

life is

not found

in who

we are

or what

we've

done, but

it is

found in

who you

are, Lord,

and what

you've

done.

So that,

Lord, we

rest in

that we

are in

Christ, and

if we

are in

Christ, we

are a

new

creation,

being

transformed

and being

made new

by the

power of

your

Spirit.

Lord, as

we go

into a

time of

response,

Lord, speak

through our

hearts,

Lord, may

we ask

the question,

do I

find myself

living in

what I've

done or

in who I

am, of

who you've

made me

to be?

With

every head

bowed and

every eye

closed,

Christ, is

your faith

found in

you, or

is it

found in

Christ?

Do you

stand before

God with

your list of

things that

you've done

to justify

you, or

do you

stand before

God being

justified,

being made

new by

the work,

the power

of Christ?

Every sin

paid for

being set

free.

Lord, we

ask that

you work

in the

hearts of

people,

that you

draw them

to you.

And it's in

Jesus,

and we

pray.

Amen.

thanks again

for listening

to the

Willow Ridge

Church weekly

podcast.

We hope

that you

enjoyed

listening to

this week's

message.

If you'd

like to

learn more

about who

we are

or explore

additional

resources,

visit us

online at

www.willowridgechurch.com

or by searching

for Willow Ridge

Church on

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