During that song, there are really
only two kinds of people in this world. There are people who are
amazed that Christ would die for them. And there are people
who are amazed that he wouldn't. That's the two kinds of people
there are in this world. I've entitled this message, Perceiving
grace. In verse nine, when James, Cephas,
and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was
given to me. Perceiving grace. Now, in the
passage I just read, three times we read, seems to be. Look in verse six, those who
seem to be somewhat later on the verse, they who seem to be
somewhat in conference added nothing to me. Verse nine, when
James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars seem to
be can mean a supposition. an opinion, an appearance, the
way things looked. And you know well, as well as
I do, that the way things appear to be may or may not be the way
they are. Don't you know that's so? Then we read of James, Peter,
and John perceiving something. That's a lot stronger of a word.
They perceived something. They understood something. This is more than it seems to
be. There was something they saw that made them give the right
hand of fellowship to Paul and Barnabas. And they said, we're
on the same page. We believe the same thing. We're
walking in the same direction. Now, perceiving grace. Wouldn't you like to be able
to perceive grace? It takes grace to see grace, but wouldn't you
like to truly be able to perceive grace? Whatever that means, they
perceived the grace that was given to me and Barnabas. They
understood, they recognized. Now this word perception is more
than a knowledge of facts. There is a relationship between
the one who perceives and the object of the perception. Now,
I want this perception, don't you? I want to be able to perceive. Now, this is a God-given thing.
That doesn't mean I can figure out who's saved and who's not.
That's not what I'm talking about. I don't want to be somebody who
thinks, well, I've got the gift. I can tell who's saved and who's not.
I can't. Nor do I believe anybody else can. I've known people who
think they can, but No. But turn with me for a moment
to Philippians chapter one. Look at Paul's prayer for the
Philippians. Verse nine, Philippians chapter
one. And this I pray that your love
may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment
or discernment or perception. That you may approve things that
are excellent And my marginal reading says try things that
are differing, that you may be sincere and without offense to
the day of Christ being filled with the fruits of righteousness
which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and the praise of God. Now let's go back to our text
in Galatians chapter 2. Now what he's referring to is
what took place in Acts chapter 15. Let me read it to you. You
don't need to turn it there. This is where all of Galatians
chapter 2 is surrounded is Acts chapter 15. And certain men which
came down from Judea taught the brethren and said except you
be circumcised after the manner of Moses you can't be saved.
When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation
with him, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain
other of them should go up to Jerusalem and to the apostles
and elders about this question. Paul was not going to Jerusalem
to see if perhaps he was mistaken. And he was now going to get his
doctrine straightened out. He wasn't going to see whether
the apostles agreed with him because he had been taught the
gospel directly. Turn back to Galatians chapter
one. Verse 11, he said, But I certify
you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not
after man. It was not derived from any human
source. It came directly from God. For
I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but
by the revelation of Jesus Christ. Now, if God appeared to you and
revealed the gospel to you and told you the gospel, and you
actually heard from God, you wouldn't come up to me and check
it out to see if it was right, would you? No, not at all. If God taught you the gospel,
you would have no need for anything like that. And Paul wasn't going
to Peter and James and John to find out if what he believed
was right. God taught him the gospel. He
says, I was taught it by the revelation of Jesus Christ. Verse
13, for you've heard of my conversation in times past in the Jews religion,
how the beyond measure I persecuted the church of God and wasted
it. And I profited in the Jews religion above mine equals in
mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of
my fathers. But when it pleased God, who separated me from my
mother's womb, and called me by His grace. You know, I was
driving in the car today, and I thought, why me? He separated
me from my mother's womb. Why me? Why would he make himself
known to me? That's amazing, isn't it? Oh,
why me? He separated me from my mother's
womb and he called me by his grace to reveal his son in me
that I might preach him among the heathen. Immediately, I conferred
not with flesh and blood. I didn't go to James and John
and Peter to ask them about this because God had directly taught
me the gospel. I didn't need to confer with
men." And he was speaking of the apostles when he says, I
didn't need to confer with men. Now, the apostles, Even pastors
and teachers were taught to respect somebody. If I'm a true preacher
of the gospel, you ought to respect that, you ought to respect me,
if I've earned that respect, and I ought to respect you too.
He's not talking about disrespect, but what he's talking about is
remember that these are nothing but men. The apostles are nothing
but men. Paul said, the signs of the apostle
were done through me, and you saw it, though I be nothing. Who is Paul? Who is Paul? It's
but ministers by whom you believe. What is an apostle? What is a preacher? What is a
pastor? He's nothing. When you turn on the radio, he's
just an instrument. Nothing more than that. He's just an instrument.
When you turn on the radio, you don't say, boy, that's a great
radio. No, you say, that's a great song. It's the song you're listening
to. You're not thinking about the
radio through which that song is transmitted. A pastor is nothing
but an instrument. And you know, there's not that
much to instruments. I mean, say you take a shovel.
I mean, one shovel's pretty much as good as another. I have three
or four snow shovels I use quite a bit. They're about the same. an instrument, nothing more.
And so he's not being disrespectful when he's talking about going
to Peter and James and John to confer with them with regard
to the gospel, but he said, whatever they were, they're just instruments.
Now let's go on reading. Chapter 2, verse 6. But of those
who seem to be somewhat, whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter
to me. God accepts no man's person. Well, these men are brilliant.
These men are gifted. These men are great rhetoricians. They're great orators. They've
got gifts, and God can really, God doesn't need any of that. He's God. You know, the things
that impress men do not impress God. He doesn't need any of this. He can use Balaam's ass just
as good as he can anybody else. I remember one time Henry Mahan
wrote an article and it was entitled Balaam's Ass Spoke the Truth,
but it was still an ass. And that, there's a lot to that,
isn't there, if you think about that. He said, I was not impressed. I was not impressed. God's not
impressed. God accepts no man's person. For they who seem to
be somewhat, they seem to be important and so on, in conference,
they added nothing to me. Now, you know what that means?
That means when they heard my message, they didn't add anything
to it. They said, this is the Gospel.
This is the Gospel we believe. What God has taught you is what
He's taught us. You know, if we believe, we believe the same
thing, don't we? If the Lord taught you, and if the Lord taught
me, we believe the same thing. We believe that we're nothing
and Christ is everything. We believe the Gospel. He said
they added nothing. They didn't say, well, you need
to add this to your message. You need to add baptism. You
need to add circumcision. No, they added nothing to me. They believed exactly the same
thing. You remember what Peter said he believed in Acts chapter
15. He said, we believe that through the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ we shall be saved, just like them. We'll be saved
the same way they will. They'll be saved the same way
we will, by grace. They didn't add anything. Now
you remember the issue was they were saying you need to be circumcised.
You need to keep the law along with faith in Christ. There needs
to be something else. Paul said no. They said no too.
He said, no, too, you can't add anything to the free grace of
God in Christ Jesus. I love to think about grace. I love to think about grace being
utterly and completely unmerited favor. That when God chose me,
it wasn't because he saw something in me he needed or wanted. It
was simply because he would. I love to think about Christ
justifying me by His grace. He made it to where I have a
perfect standing before God by grace. It's justification by
grace. I love to think of His redemption. How He redeemed me. When He redeemed me, He didn't
redeem me because He saw I'd be a preacher or because He saw
I could add something to His kingdom. No. He did it just because
He's gracious. Why did He save you? Because
He's gracious. They added nothing to this message. They believe this exactly. They
added nothing to this message. When they saw this, they added
nothing to me, verse 7. But contrary wise, when they
saw that 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 the apostleship of the circumcision, the same
was mighty in me toward the Gentiles. Now, not only Did they not add
anything to my message? And this doesn't mean when one
was sent to the Gentiles and the other was sent to the Jews
that there were two different messages. It was the same message. God worked mightily in Peter
toward the Jews. God worked mightily in Paul toward
the Gentiles. And something that I think is
really glorious. Peter was an uneducated man. Paul was
highly educated. Paul had what the Jews would
have respected, an education. And God sent him to the Gentiles,
and he had nothing the Gentiles wanted. Peter didn't have anything
the Jews would respect. This guy's a fisherman. He hadn't
been to school anywhere. He never went to seminary. Who's
he? And that's the man God used to
send to the Jews. Don't you love the way the Lord
works? It's glorious the way he does. And he sent Paul. And Paul, you look at the way
Paul was used mightily with the Gentiles, with us. He's the apostle
to the Gentiles. And the reason we understand
Paul a little bit easier is he's the apostle to the West. The
Eastern mind thinks differently. He's the apostle to the West.
I can understand Paul easier than I can Peter or John. I love
them all, but Paul is the apostle to the West. Peter was the apostle
to the East. This mindset, I don't understand
all the stuff I'm talking about, but it's just so. Paul was sent
to the Gentiles. Us. Peter was sent to the Jews. And you think about how both
of these men were used so mightily. I think of Peter preaching on
Pentecost and God actually saved 3,000 people in one sermon. You
think of the way Paul was used in the churches at Corinth and
Ephesus and Galatia and Colossus and Philippi and Thessalonica
and Berea. And Paul was used to expound
the gospel more than anybody else. You can read about it in
2 Corinthians chapter 12 and Ephesians chapter 3. But we read
in verse 9, and when James, Cephas, and John,
who seemed to be pillars, they seemed to be solid in the faith,
they perceived the grace that was given unto me. They gave
to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship that we should
go to the heathen and they to the circumcision. Now, James
was the pastor of the church at Jerusalem, and Peter and John
were apostles. And they seemed to be pillars,
they seemed to be stable in the truth, and they perceived something
in Paul and Barnabas. I like that language. They perceived
something. There was something they could
really see. They recognized the grace that
was given to me in Barnabas. They could see it, and they recognized
it. Now, grace is something you can see. Did you know that? It's
not just a doctrine. Grace is something you can see. Now, it takes grace to see grace.
You've got to have grace to be able to recognize grace. But
grace is something that can be seen. Turn with me to Acts chapter
11. Verse 22, the tidings of these
things came into the ears of the church, which was in Jerusalem,
and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch.
And when he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad
and exhorted them all that with purpose of heart, they would
cleave unto the Lord. There's something he saw. He saw the
grace of God. You know, it's easy to see faults. It's easy to see problems. It's
easy to see things that would be very easy to criticize. It's
easy to see that kind of stuff. But you know, it takes grace
to see grace, doesn't it? Oh, when you've got the grace
of God in your heart, you see grace. Now, James and Peter and
John perceived the grace of God to the extent that now they extended
the right hand of fellowship. That's powerful language, isn't
it? I love the thought of fellowship. Fellows in the same ship. I don't
know of a better definition than that. In the Lord Jesus Christ,
people that are in Christ together. I'm looking at some people that
I'm having fellowship with right now. This is what true fellowship
is. It's around the preaching of
the gospel. It's not just getting out together and drinking coffee
together, although that's nice, but fellowship is around the
preaching of the gospel. When you hear the message and
you say, amen, I believe that that's the way I'm saved. That's
what God's done for me. That's what I see in the scripture.
That's fellowship, fellows in the same ship. They were, they
believe the same thing and they gave to us the right hand of
the fellowship and what fellowship there is. John, you were praying in your
prayer about communion with God. What an amazing thing that we
have fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. That we have communion
with Him. That He hears us. And I know
the only reason He hears us is for Christ's sake. But He hears
us. And our prayers go up a sweet-smelling
savor to Him. There's fellowship. We hear the
Gospel. We hear His Gospel. There's fellowship. We have fellowship with the Lord
Jesus Christ. We have fellowship with God the
Holy Spirit. We have fellowship with one another. What a special
thing this is. The right hand of fellowship. It's wonderful, isn't it? What a beautiful fellowship this
is. They wanted us to go to the Gentiles
and they would go to the Jews with the same message. Only they
would that we should remember the poor. The same which also
I was forward to do. Now, remember the poor. Remember
the poor in purse. Is there anything about grace
that would cause us to not be generous to the poor? Absolutely
not. Find it a great privilege to
remember the poor. Remember the poor in circumstances.
Remember the poor in health. Remember the poor in emotional
well-being. If grace doesn't make us remember
the poor, It was not the grace of God we experienced. And Paul
says, I was zealous to do this, this thing of remembering the
poor. Ephesians 2, 8 through 10 says,
By grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves.
It's the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast,
for we are his workmanship. created in Christ Jesus unto
good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk
in them. Turn with me for a moment to
1 Thessalonians chapter 5. Not much been said about this
verse of scripture, but something we ought to certainly consider.
Verse 14. Now, we exhort you, brethren,
warn them that are unruly. Warn them. Comfort the feeble-minded,
the depressed. Support the weak. Be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for
evil unto any man. Don't ever pay anybody back.
But ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves and
to all men. Remember the poor. For the same
I was also zealous to do." Now, back to the title of this
message. perceiving grace. I want to talk
just a few moments about perceiving grace. There was something in
James, Peter, and John that gave them the ability to perceive
the grace that was in Paul and Barnabas. And they extended to
them the right hand of fellowship. Now isn't it special when you're
around somebody that you just perceive the grace of God in
them. Now, I realize that we can't know anybody infallibly. I mean, I'm looking at some people,
I have just as much hope that you're saved as I have that I'm
saved. I mean, I really believe you're saved. I really believe
I see the grace of God in you. I see that, but that being said,
we also realize that we can't know anybody infallibly. Paul thought Demas was saved.
Paul thought Demas was a brother, and he went on to write about
Demas. Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world. And he's departed. And so while
we, may the Lord, you know, if I can fall away, I will. And
if you can fall away, you will. You know, I think of people who
say they believe a believer can fall away, and they believe they
haven't. And I think, how arrogant. Do
you have that high opinion of yourself? I've kept myself, I've
not fallen away yet. I tell you what, any believer
knows that apart from the grace of God, we will fall away. I have to be kept by the power
of God through faith unto salvation. So while I'm not saying you can
tell infallibly that somebody is saved, because you can have
a good hope, but isn't it a joy to be around people that you
see the grace of God in them? You see their love for the grace
of God. You see their love for the brethren. It's just obvious,
it appears obvious that they're believers. And there are other
people who profess to be believers, But it's not that obvious. You
wonder about things they do, associations they keep, things
they say, and you don't have the same confidence that you
do in somebody else. Now, what we think ultimately
doesn't matter. I realize that. I mean, I don't
know how many times I've had people say, do you think I'm
saved? What's a matter of what I think?
If I think you are, does that mean you are? No. If I think
you're not, does that mean you're not? No, it doesn't matter what
I think. But still it's a joy to see them
make this statement that they perceive the grace of God that
was in them that made them feel confident from what they saw.
Turn with me to a scripture in 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. Verse 4. Paul says, knowing brethren beloved
your election of God. Now that's a strong statement,
isn't it? And Paul didn't have any access to the Lamb's Book
of Life, neither did me or you. I've often thought I'd like to
have access to it, just to make sure I'm in there. And I'd look
for your name after that. I'd look for mine first, but
then I'd look for you after that. But Paul had no access to the
Lamb's Book of Life. So how did he know their election
of God? For our gospel came not unto
you in word only. Now hold your finger there and
turn to 1 Thessalonians 2, verse 13. For this cause also thank we
God without ceasing, because when you received the word of
God which you heard of us, you received it not as the word of
men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually
worketh in you that believe." You didn't receive it as man's
word. You didn't receive it as the
preacher's opinion and the preacher's thought. You received it as nothing
less than the word of God. Now that's what it is to receive
the word of God in power. It means you don't believe it's
just man's word, but you believe it's God's word. Now go back
to 1 Thessalonians 1. Knowing, brethren beloved, your
election of God, for our gospel came not into you in word only,
just a man's word, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost,
and in much assurance. Now, that much assurance does
not mean you had much assurance that you were saved. Know what
that means? It means you had much assurance
that this is the gospel. That's what it is for the gospel
to come to you in power. I always question someone who,
they hear the gospel and they think something different, but
there's gospel in that too. I mean, yes, I see the gospel
in what you're preaching, but I can listen to Billy Graham
or somebody like that and I see the gospel in what he's preaching
too. You haven't heard. You haven't heard. You just haven't
heard. That's not receiving the gospel in power and with much
assurance. When you receive the gospel with
much assurance, you know that this is God's truth. I mean,
there's something in your spirit that this is it. Yes, that's
the truth. That's what happens when you
hear in power. And he said, You know what manner
of man we were among you for your sake, and you became followers
of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction
with the joy of the Holy Ghost, so that you were examples to
all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded
out the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia,
but also in every place your faith to God were to spread abroad,
so that we need not speak anything of you. This is how we know your
election of God. For they themselves show of us what manner of entering
in we had unto you, how that ye turn to God from idols, to
serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from
heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered
us from the wrath to come." Now, let me point out something very
important in this passage of Scripture. Notice it doesn't
say you turn from your idols to God. If there's something you've got
to turn from in order to turn to God, you know what? You won't
do it. You turn to God, and in turning
to God, you turn from those idols. Say, what's the difference? Big
difference. Big difference. If I'm waiting
till I get rid of all my idols before I can turn to God, I'll
never turn. I turn to God. and turning to
God. I turn from those idols, and
I wait for his Son, that one who's delivered us from the wrath
of God, the wrath to come." Now, Paul says to these people, I
know your election of God. Now, what is it that James, Peter,
and John perceived in Paul that made them extend the right hand
of fellowship? Well, I see three things I want
to point out in this text that Peter and James and John perceived
this in Paul and Barnabas, and they extended to them the right
hand of fellowship. They perceived the grace of God
in these men. Now what was it they saw? Back
to our text in Galatians chapter 2. Verse 7, the contrary lies when
they saw that 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. Now, what they saw was power. They saw the energy of God. they saw the power of God working
in these men. Now, when the Lord works in somebody,
you know what the first mark I look for? Poverty of spirit. People who
don't have anything. If they don't have that, they've
never experienced the power of God, because it's only the power
of God that can break a man. and make him think he has nothing,
and cause him to look to Christ. That's what happens when God's
power is on a man. Now, if somebody claims, I've
got all this power in my life, that man is a stranger to power.
Oh, I don't pay any attention to people's claims of, I'm this
way and I'm that way, and look at, look, I've given up, I don't
even pay attention to that. Power is when someone is made
to bow the knee to Christ and see that he is all in salvation. Now that's the mighty power of
God. Are you poor in spirit? You don't have anything but Christ.
That's the only hope you have. That's the only one you rest
in. You have no other hope, no other
joy but Christ himself because you're poor. You don't have anything
else. That's a work of the mighty power of God. He's humbled and broken. He's
kind and gracious. He believes. That's a work of
God's mighty power. He's willing, by the grace of
God, knowing only God can enable him to do it, but by the grace
of God, he's willing to die for the gospel, he believes. That's
a work of the mighty power of God. Oh, wherever grace is seen,
the power of God is seen. You see that in preaching. You
know, if the power of God is on somebody in preaching, you
hear the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit. You know
it's God's Word. You believe, you're blessed.
Somebody else might speak, it's just words. But oh, when you're
enabled by the Spirit of God to hear the gospel and power,
you know it's God speaking. I love to be in a worship service
where God's speaking, don't you? God speaking. Oh, power. Now, notice what it was they
perceived in verse 9. They perceived the grace that
was given. Now, you perceive this effectual
working power and so on, but what you perceive is grace given. Now, when you perceive grace,
you're going to perceive people who love grace. That's all they
talk about. That's all they believe. They
love the grace of God. They love being saved by grace. They love that message that gives
their God all the glory that honors the Lord Jesus Christ.
They're fanatics about grace. I love grace. I love electing grace. I love redeeming grace. I love
regenerating, justifying grace. I love keeping grace and preserving
grace. Love grace? I want to live grace. I want to be somebody who's gracious,
not just somebody who can argue for the doctrines of grace, but
someone who's truly gracious in my conduct, kind and merciful,
grace in doctrine and grace in the heart, grace in the conduct,
grace in the attitude when we perceive grace is given. You know, somebody asked, Do they preach grace where
you're going? They say, well, not like you
do. There's only one way to preach grace. There's only one way. They perceive the grace. So when
they perceived in Paul and Barnabas, number one, they perceived the
mighty working of God that did what he did for them. And they
perceived grace that was given. And they understood something
about liberty. Now, if you will remember, and
we were considering this a couple of weeks ago, they had tried
to make Titus get circumcised. You remember that? They said,
yes, salvation is by grace, but Titus needs to be circumcised.
And this is what this argument was all about. And Paul said
we wouldn't give place to him, not even for an hour, that the
truth of the gospel would continue. If we didn't, if we gave in,
leave our liberty and would be brought into bondage. Now, someone
that has the grace of God. Here's what I see when I see
grace. I see a love for liberty. A love for liberty. What do I mean by that? Well,
I've said this several times the last few weeks. You can't
be in Galatians and not talk a lot about liberty. Stand fast
in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free and be not entangled
again in that yoke of bondage, but liberty, freedom. Freedom, whoops, sorry. Freedom, number
one, is not owing anything. All that God requires, I have. I don't owe anything. I have perfect righteousness.
I have perfect acceptance. I have justification. I can't
get any more holy. I can't get any more satisfied,
God can't be more satisfied with me than He is. Now, the only
way I can know that's about faith. But if He's satisfied with the
Lord Jesus Christ, that's how satisfied He is with me, and
I owe nothing. Free grace. Don't owe any debts. I can't do any... Right now,
right now, while I'm talking to you, I can't get any more
saved, I can't get any more sanctified, I can't get any more accepted,
I can't get any more holy, I can't get any more loved by God. I
don't owe anything. Don't you love that? Would you
want it to be any other way? No, we love liberty. Stand fast in the liberty wherewith
Christ hath made us free. And when you have liberty, you
get to do what you want to do. You know, I was thinking today,
I had a lot of thoughts in the car. Why me? And I also thought the only time
I'm ever gonna feel totally free is when I never sin again. That's
when I'm gonna feel free. No more sin. What a believer's
want to is, is to be without sin. To walk with the Lord Jesus
Christ. That's our want to. And all the
sin, That's that other guy. Wasn't me, it was him. It was
him. That old man, the wretched man
that I am. I know that in me that is, in
my flesh dwelleth no good thing. And we don't use that as an excuse
for our sin, but it sure explains what we are. And the only liberty
there is, is getting to do what we want to do. Not being pushed,
not being cajoled, not being made, no, free. You know, most religious people,
they have a very unhappy religion. It's very unhappy. It's people
being made to do what they really don't want to do, and not getting
to do what they really want to do. Now, that's not free, is
it? That's not free. They perceived in Paul and Barnabas
this unwillingness to let Titus be circumcised because that was
bringing law back in somewhere and they wouldn't do it. You're
not going to put law and mix law and grace in any way because
that takes away from the liberty, the freedom. It brings us back
into bondage. So when grace is perceived, the
power of God is perceived in that person, they're broken. You find me a person that walks
in pride and arrogancy, they don't know anything about the
power of God. Power of God, first thing it brings is poverty of
spirit, and you see your need of Him. When grace is perceived,
grace is perceived, a love for the grace of God. And when grace
is perceived, liberty is loved. Now may you and I know something
about the power of God, the grace of God, and the liberty that
is in Christ Jesus. Let's pray.