Would you turn back to Galatians,
the second chapter? Now, I'm attempting to bring
one message out of each epistle that gives the meaning of the
epistle. I cannot obviously preach verse
by verse through a whole book in one. I could, but you all
get up late if I did. but I want to just bring one
message. I've already looked at Romans
1 and 2 Corinthians, and we're going to look at the message
of Galatians tonight. Verse 5, chapter 2, the end statement,
that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. It was in danger of leaving. And he prays that the truth of
the gospel might continue, might remain. Now, in some respects,
Paul's epistle to the Galatians is unlike any of his other epistles. When he wrote to the Romans,
he said to all that be of Rome, beloved of God, called to be
saints. He said to the church at Corinth, to the church of God, which is
at Corinth, sanctified in Christ Jesus. He said to the Ephesians, to the saints were at Ephesus
and to the faithful in Christ Jesus. He said to the Philippians,
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. As a matter of fact,
if you read those epistles, you would probably think the Philippians
may have been his favorite as far as people go. He said to
the church at Colossa, to the saints and faithful brethren,
which are at Colossa. He said to the Thessalonians,
to the church of the Thessalonians, which is in God, the father and
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now he commended every one of
these churches, but look in verse six of Galatians chapter one,
what he says to this church, I marvel that you are so soon
removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ
unto another gospel." Now, it's been said that the letter to
the Galatians is a condensed version of Romans, and I would
agree with that. It could be called a condensed
version of Romans. When Paul wrote to the Romans,
he was defining the gospel. And when he wrote to the Galatians,
he was writing to some people where it appeared the gospel
could be leaving. And the theme of Galatians is
the recovery of the gospel. When he said that the truth of
the gospel might continue with you, it was in danger of not
continuing. Now that is a solemn thought. Galatians 1, 6, I marvel that
you're so soon removed. Galatians 2, 5, he lets us know that the gospel
was in danger of leaving. He said in chapter three, verse
one, oh foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you that you should
not obey the truth? He said in Galatians four, nine,
how turn ye again to weak and beggarly elements? Where unto
you desire to be in bondage? He said, I'm afraid of you. That's
what he says to these people. I'm afraid of you. Lest I've
bestowed labor upon you in vain. Where is the blessedness you
speak of? There was a time when you didn't
feel the way you do now. He said, I travail in birth until
Christ be formed in you. He's saying by that, I'm afraid
he hadn't been. That's what he's saying to these
people. He actually said, I stand in
doubt of you. Tell me you the desire to be
under law. Don't you hear what The law says,
stand fast in the liberty that's in Christ Jesus and don't be
entangled in the yoke of bondage. You did run well. Who did hinder
you? What happened? That you should
not obey the truth. This persuasion that you have
cometh not of him that calleth you. A little leaven leavens
the whole lump. And I think of what he said in
chapter five that Drew just read, if you bite and devour one another.
Now that's what law does. It causes people to bite and
devour one another. If you bite and devour one another,
take heed that you be not consumed of one another. And he concludes
this epistle with these words, from henceforth, let no man trouble
me. Like, I'm finished with this.
I'm not talking about this anymore, for I bear in my body the marks
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he's talking about the scars
he had in being beat up for the gospel. And he said, I'm not
going to discuss this matter with you any more. Don't let anybody trouble me. Now you can see why I said that
this epistle is very unique from all of the other epistles. All
the other epistles, he commends them. Every one of them, even
the Church of Corinth, he commended them. But there is no word of
commendation to the Galatians. And This book can actually be
summarized by that fifth verse in chapter two, where I want
the truth of the gospel to continue with you. He was afraid it was
going to leave. He was afraid it would be no
more. And he desired that the truth of the gospel might continue. Now, let's start back up in chapter
one, verse six. He said, I marveled. I am utterly amazed. I'm dumbfounded by this. Now
I remember one time Brother Mahan made a comment on this, and he
said to the people he was preaching to, he said, now I would not
be amazed by anything I heard that any of you did. I would
hope it wouldn't be happening, but I wouldn't be amazed by it.
I wouldn't be amazed by it. I know myself. I know you. I
wouldn't be amazed. But here's something I would
be amazed by. If any of you left the gospel of grace. And that's
what he's saying to these people. I am amazed that you are so soon
removed from him that called you to the grace of Christ and
to another gospel. Which is not another, they're
not two gospels. What you're pursuing is not another,
but there be some that trouble you and would pervert, would
change the gospel of Christ into a different message. And this
is what you're going after. He says to this church, you're
going after another gospel, a gospel that does not save. Now look
what he goes on to say, but though we, and look at the strength
of this language. But though we or an angel from
heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that, which we
preached unto you, let him be. That word is damned. Now Paul is speaking under the
inspiration of the Holy spirit. Somebody says that's harsh. No,
it's not. If anybody preaches any other
gospel than the gospel I preached unto you, let him be accursed. Just in case you didn't hear
me in verse nine, as we said before, so say I now again, if
any man preach any other gospel unto you than that which you've
received, let him be accursed. Now that's strong language, isn't
it? This is the warning he's giving this church. Now, he says
in verse 11, I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached
of me is not after man. The gospel that I've preached
was not derived by any human source. I didn't learn it from
man. There's other places where he
tells us how he was brought up into the third heaven and taught
the gospel by the Lord Jesus Christ himself. He didn't have
Peter or James or John teaching him anything. He was taught directly
by the Lord Jesus Christ. And he says, I certify you, brethren,
I assure you this, that the gospel which was preached of me is not
after man, for I neither received it of man, knew as I taught,
but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. Now that is an apostle. There were 12 apostles and they
were all taught the gospel directly by Christ himself. And he's reminding the Galatians
who had changed or were in the process of changing his message
and not believing it. He's reminding him the gospel
I preached is from the revelation of Jesus Christ himself. Now he talks about his. progress
in the Jews' religion before God saved him. He says, for you've
heard of my conversation times past in the Jews' religion, how
that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God and wasted
it. and profited in the Jews' religion
above many mine equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly
zealous of the tradition of my father's." I was going somewhere.
I was somebody in the Jews' religion. But, verse 15, but. Now, you want to know what grace
is? But. But God stopped me. but God intercepted
me. Now, if you're a believer, you
have a but you were going in this direction
and happy to do it. Paul said, I thought I was serving
the Lord, but I love that scripture in Ephesians 2, 4, and you, Hathi
Quicken, who are dead in trespasses and sins, wherein in times past
you walked according to the course of this world, according to the
prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in
the children of disobedience, among whom also we all had our
conversation in times past in the lust of the flesh, fulfilling
the desires of the flesh and the mind. We were by nature children
of wrath, even as others, but God. but God. But when it pleased God. When is a man saved? When it
pleases God. Best answer, when it pleases
God. When it pleased God who separated
me from my mother's womb God had his hand on me before time
began. He's referring to God's electing
mercies. If you're a child of God, do
you know he separated you from your mother's womb? His hands
always been on you eternally. When it pleased God who separated
me from my mother's womb and called me by his grace, the invincible,
irresistible grace of God for this purpose to reveal his son. Now, salvation is the revelation
of His Son. You find out who He is. It really
is that simple. You find out who He is and everything
else just falls into place. You begin here, who He is, and
you'll believe everything in the Bible. He's the God-man.
He's the Creator. He's the Sovereign of the Universe.
He's the Cause. He's the Independent One. He's
the Lord of Lords. He's the King of Kings. To reveal
His Son, and I love the next words, in me. You know, it won't do me any
good for Him simply to reveal His Son to me, because I'll lose
that. He must be revealed in me. me Christ in you the hope of
glory and I know this if I have saving faith it's Christ in me
the hope of glory Christ in you to reveal his son in me that
I might preach him there's the subject matter of our preaching
him who he is what he accomplished among the heathen. Immediately, I conferred not
with flesh and blood." Now, you know what that means? He said,
when Christ taught me the gospel, I didn't go up to Jerusalem to
check it out with John and Peter and see if I was right. I didn't
need to do that at all. I didn't make any consultation
with the flesh. God taught me this. And I knew
it was true. And if everybody in the world
turned thumbs down on it, that's okay because I know what God
has taught me. And I was not looking for the affirmation or
the approval of any human being when God taught me the gospel.
Remember he said I certify you brethren the gospel which was
preached to be is not after man it's not derived from any human
source. I conferred not with flesh and
blood neither when I went up to Jerusalem to them which were
apostles before me but I went into Arabia. There's another
passage where it says he was there for 30 years in a desert. That's where he went to seminary,
where God was teaching in a desert, the gospel. Oh, what a teacher
the Lord is. And returned again into Damascus.
And then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter.
This is three years later. And I bowed with him 15 days.
But other of the apostles saw I none save James, the Lord's
brother. James was the pastor of the church at Jerusalem. He
was the brother of the Lord, and the Lord appeared to him
after the resurrection. He was mentioned in 1 Corinthians
15 as one of the ones that the Lord appeared to, to teach the
gospel. Now the things which I write
unto you, behold before God, I lie not. Afterwards, I came
into the regions of Syria and Cilicia and was unknown by face
unto the churches of Judea, which are in Christ. But they'd heard
only that he, which persecuted us in times past now preached
the faith, which he wants destroyed. You know, when he first came
to Jerusalem, people were afraid of him. Barabbas, not Barabbas, Barnabas
said, He's good. I've heard him. He's preaching
the gospel. But everybody else was scared
to death of him. You see, he was a murderer. He
was mad against the gospel of Christ. And now that faith which
he once labored to destroy, he preached, and they glorified
God in me. Then 14 years after, chapter
2, verse 1, then 14 years after, I went up again to Jerusalem
with Barnabas and took Titus with me also." Now, let's see
what was going on here. Turn to Acts chapter 15. Hold
your finger there in Acts chapter 2, and he's giving us this autobiographical
information. Verse 1, Acts chapter 15, this
is what took place. And certain men which came down
from Judea taught the brethren and said, except you be circumcised
After the manner of Moses, you cannot be saved. Now these people
came from the church of Jerusalem. They didn't come from a false
church, but they came with a false message. Except you be circumcised. True salvation is by grace. True
salvation is in Christ. But except you be circumcised,
after the manner of Moses, you cannot be saved. When therefore
Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation within.
They determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain other than
them should go up to Jerusalem under the apostles and elders
about this question. Now that is what Paul is referring
to when they went up to Jerusalem about this issue of these men
saying you needed to be circumcised. Now back to Galatians chapter
two, he said, now I went up by revelation and communicated unto
them. apostles that gospel which I
preach among the Gentiles." I wasn't checking it out with him to see
if I'm right or possibly wrong. He said, I let him know exactly
what I was preaching, but privately to them which were of reputation
that were held in repute that were highly esteemless by any
means I should run or had run in vain." Now, what he is saying
is, is when I came into Jerusalem, I went to them privately to let
them know the gospel I preached because I didn't, if they didn't
agree with it, I didn't want there to be a public dispute.
I just wanted to let them know the gospel I preached. He wasn't,
once again, he wasn't looking for affirmation. He wasn't looking
for them to approve of what he's saying. This is the gospel that
God taught me. Now verse, he talks about what
took place in Acts chapter 15, but neither Titus who was with
me being a Greek was compelled to be circumcised. They were
saying Titus. Now Titus was, you're familiar with the book
of Titus. He was a young man who preached the gospel and he
grew up a Gentile. He had never been circumcised.
And these people were telling him, you need to be circumcised.
So what did Paul say to that? But neither Titus, who was with
me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. And that because
of, look what he calls these people, false brethren. They call themselves brethren,
but they are false brethren. What did they do? Unawares and
private, secretly brought in who came in to privately spy
out our liberty, which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might
bring us into bondage. And that's what these false brethren
wanted to do. They wanted to bring them into
bondage. You need to do something. Now,
understand this. If there's anything you need
to do before God can do something for you, You know what that is?
Salvation by works. It is bondage. And these false
brethren hate liberty. They hate liberty. They can't
understand it. They can't understand this thing
of being free, owing nothing, being without debt, serving not
because you're afraid of what's going to happen or what you're
going to lose, but because you love. They could not grasp that. All they could hear in the gospel
is, if you preach that people live like devils. That's what
they'll do. They couldn't understand the
gospel. So what did Paul say about these people? To whom we
gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour, that the truth
of the gospel might continue with you. Now, if Paul would
have submitted, okay, Titus, let's keep them happy. Go ahead
and go through circumcision and then maybe they'll listen to
you. The truth of the gospel would not have continued because
he would be saying by that, there's something needed other than Christ. There's something needed other
than grace. And this would have been a complete
denial of everything he stood for. And he said, we wouldn't
be subject to their desires and wishes, no, not for an hour,
that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. If he would have submitted to
Titus being circumcised, and before I go on, somebody said,
well, why did he have Timothy be circumcised? Well, that's
a good question. No one was telling Timothy he
had to be circumcised. And he knew that those Jews would
have a hard time listening to somebody who'd never been circumcised.
No one was telling Timothy he had to be circumcised, so Paul
said, you know what, for the gospel's sake, go ahead and do
this. Not to be saved, but here when they said, you need to do
this to be saved, I'm not gonna do it. We're not gonna give.
Subject to this, no, not for an hour. If Paul would have done
this, look at Galatians 2.16, knowing that a man is not justified
by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ.
That would have been a denial of that. You also need to be
circumcised. That's not enough. By grace he
is saved would be wrong. You are complete in him would
be in error. Him perfecting forever them that
are sanctified would be wrong. The entire gospel would be denied
if he let one work in. Now, he said, we didn't give
place to this, not for an hour, that the truth of the gospel
might continue with you. If we cave in, the truth of the
gospel won't continue. Now, every local church, I hope
this local church lasts well after I'm dead. It might not.
Might not. Might blow up tomorrow. I realize
that. I mean, we're just, who knows what's going to happen.
But don't you want the truth of the gospel to continue here?
that the Lord causes it to continue for years. So that our children
and our children's children, our children's children's children,
if the Lord doesn't come back, we'll hear the gospel. Now look
what he says in verse six, but those who seem to be somewhat
held in esteem is what he's talking about. Whatsoever they were maketh
no matter to me. God accepts no man person. For
they who seemed to be somewhat in conference, they added nothing
to me." They didn't say, well, here, you need to say this too.
You need to add this to the message. No, they were in complete agreement
with what I was preaching. Peter, James, John, they didn't
add anything to it. They were in complete agreement. They added nothing to me, but
contrary wise, when they saw the gospel of the uncircumcision
was committed unto me as the gospel of the circumcision was
unto Peter. For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship
of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles.
And when James and Cephas or Peter and John, who seemed to
be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they
gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship that we should
go into the heathen and they into the circumcision. Only they
would that we should remember the poor the same which I was
forward to do. But, now he talks about another
event and this is key to understanding the epistle of the Galatians. He talks about another event
that actually took place. But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face. And this was done publicly. Now,
I try to put myself in Paul's place, coming to Peter, the apostle,
and publicly reprimanding Peter. Now, there better be an awful
good reason to do something like that. Quick to reprimand. I've always
been so quick to reprimand. I wish I wasn't like that. It's
ugly. It's ugly. Quick to correct people. But
here is a time when it was inspired by the Holy Spirit and was utterly
necessary. But when Peter was come to Antioch,
I was stood him to the face because he was to be blamed. What he
did was as wrong as it could be. What did he do? For before
that, verse 12, for before that certain came from James, that's
the church of Jerusalem of which James was the pastor. Before
that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles.
I reckon they were having pork chops. They were enjoying the Gentile
way of doing things and he was eating with them and fellowshipping
with them and they were having a good time. But when they were
come, He was intimidated. He was intimidated
by these Jewish believers. You know, anytime I'm around
somebody that you feel intimidated by, I don't like it, do you?
Well, Peter was intimidated by these guys. Now, one of the things
that tells me they were jerks. Anytime somebody intimidates
somebody like that, they just got problems. But they intimidated
Peter by their religiosity, For before the certain came from
James, he did eat with the Gentiles. But when they were come, he withdrew
and separated himself, fearing them, which were of the circumcision,
intimidated by them. And the other Jews dissembled
likewise with him, insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away
with their hypocrisy." That's the word. Now here's what he
did. He's sitting there eating with the Gentiles. These guys
come from the church at Jerusalem that were Jews. And he felt intimidated. And he thought, they're going
to think ill of me. They're going to think poorly
of me for eating with the Gentiles. They won't agree with this. So
all he did was get up and move tables and sit down with the
Jews. Now, what was he saying by that?
The Gentiles are saved. No doubt. But if you practice
these Jewish practices, you're more saved. Now that's exactly
what he was saying. And you want that to deny love?
Christ is all. That is a complete denial of
Christ is all. Somebody said, did it need to
be treated so severely where he publicly embarrasses? and
reprimands Peter over that? Well, he did. And why did he
do it? Verse 14, but when I saw that
they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, there's
that phrase again. Remember he said, I want the
truth of the gospel to remain with you. Here we have that phrase
again. When I saw that they walked not
uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter
before them all, if you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles
and not as do the Jews, and he was, he was even with the Gentiles. He wasn't, remember when God
appeared to him and said, what God has cleansed, call him not
thou common. And he had understood this. He was the one who said,
we believe that by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we
should be saved. Even as they, he didn't say, uh, they'll be
saved. Like us, the Gentiles will be
saved. Like us Jews, us Jews, us religious
Jews will be saved. Like the healing Gentile. Uh,
he understood that he said that, but now he's going back. He's
pulling back. So Paul says, before everybody,
this was public. If thou being a Jew, livest after
the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compelst
thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? We who are Jews
by nature are not sinners of the Gentiles. Now, what did it
get us? He's not saying the Gentiles are sinners and Jews are not,
but they thought that. They thought that. And he said,
we who are Jews by nature are not sinners of the Gentiles,
knowing that a man is not justified. by the works of the law, but
by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus
Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not
by the works of the law for by the works of the law shall no
flesh be justified." Now, law. Don't miss this. If there's anything
you need to do before God can do something for you, that's
law. That's all it is. If there's
something that you must do before God can do anything for you,
you've got to get this straightened out. You've got to get that straightened
out. You've got to do this. You've got to stop doing that.
Then God can do something for you. That's no different than
saying you've got to keep the 10 commandments perfectly in
your flesh before you can be saved. That is law. Now, justification. Don't ever
forget, justification means I have never sinned. I stand before
God's law without guilt. When the Lord said I make all
things new, he actually gives you a new history. And it's all
good. It's all perfect. It's all righteous. There's no skeletons in the closet. There is no sin. That's what
justification is. And I'm justified by the faith
of Christ. I love the King James because
it's the only version that says by the faith of Christ. All the
other versions say by faith in Christ. I'm not justified by
faith in Christ. I'm justified by the faith of
Christ. Knowing. That a man is not justified
by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Jesus
Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not
by the works of the law for by the works of the law shall no
flesh be justified. But if while we seek to be justified
by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners is therefore
Christ the minister of sin. And don't forget who he's speaking
to. These Jewish believers just couldn't get hold of what I just
said about justification. You mean to tell me that you
stand before God without sin even though you sin? Why? Something's wrong with that.
That's making Christ the minister of sin. That's what they were
accusing him of. But if while we seek to be justified
by Christ, we ourselves are found sinners, is Christ therefore
the minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build again the things
which I destroyed, all I do is make myself a transgressor. Now,
what was it he destroyed? Any thought of salvation by works.
But if I try to raise that back up, raise the law back up, all
I do is make myself a transgressor. By the law is the knowledge of
sin. Now, we're gonna rack this up,
looking at these last three verses. For I threw the law. Now, don't miss that. Somebody says, the law's useless.
No, it's not. I love God's law. It's holy and
just and good. I remember hearing a preacher
say one time, we might as well throw the Ten Commandments in
a trash can. I just winced when he said that.
It's God's holy law. I, through the law, being fully
honored, Christ honored that law, and all its demands were
met in my place by what my Redeemer did for me. I, through the law,
am dead to the law. It now has nothing to say to
me that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ. Now notice this. He doesn't say
it's just as if I were crucified with Christ. He didn't say that
at all. He said, I am crucified with
Christ. Now, what this is a reference
to is the believer's union with Christ being united to him eternally. When he was crucified, I was. In the Beloved, I went to the
tree. I am crucified with Christ. When He died, I died. Nevertheless, I live. You know why? Because He lives.
He said, Because I live, you shall live also. Not only did
I go with him to the cross and was buried with
him in the tomb. Scripture says buried with Christ
when he was raised from the dead, I was raised from the dead too. I'm crucified with Christ, nevertheless,
I live yet not I. You know, when I say I live,
it feels creepy to me. It did to Paul. Not I. Don't misunderstand me. Not I. I'm not talking about anything
I have done. But Christ liveth in me. And the life which I now
live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me. and gave himself for me. Now, if God loves everybody and
Christ died for everybody, that verse is meaningless, isn't it?
Utterly meaningless. This is what only the believer
can say. He loved me. That's the hardest thing I have
to get a hold of. I see people talk about things
that are hard to understand. This is the most amazing thing.
I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene and wonder
how he could love me, a sinner condemned unclean. He loved me and he gave himself. He gave himself for me. I love these final words. I don't
frustrate. And that doesn't mean that God
wants to give him grace and Paul was able to frustrate God's purposes.
Doesn't mean that at all. I don't make meaningless. Render void and know. I don't
frustrate the grace of God. You see, if righteousness come
by law, if there's anything that I can do, if there's anything
that I can do that will move God to do something for me, then
the death of Christ was utterly vain. Strong language, isn't it? Only in the proclamation that
Christ did not die in vain, but that he accomplished everything
he intended to do. Only in that proclamation. He completely saved, nothing
else is needed, circumcision, works, efforts, your decision,
your experience, it's not needed. When he had by himself purged
our sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on
high from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his
footstool and only by the proclamation of his completed work where nothing
can be added to it and nothing can be taken from it. Does the
gospel the truth of the gospel continue. May the Lord cause
the truth of his gospel to continue in my heart in your heart in
the preaching of the gospel. Let's pray together. Lord, how we thank you for the
truth of thy gospel. And Lord, we ask in Christ's
name that you would cause the truth of your gospel to be received
by us in the love of it, and that it might be burned in our
hearts, and that we might be enabled in this time, in this
day, to preach the truth of the gospel And Lord, by your grace,
may it remain for Christ's sake. In his name we pray, amen.