Drew Boswell

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“Who Do You Say I Am” Mark 8:27-9:1

Christ’s Power Over Every Need

The Gospel of Mark Sermon Series

“Who Do You Say That I Am?”

Mark 8:27-9:1

Introduction

The captain of the ship looked into the dark night and saw faint lights in the distance. Immediately he told his signalman to send a message” “Alter your course 10 degrees south.”

Promptly a return message was received: “Alter your course 10 degrees north.”

The captain was angered; his command had been ignored. So he sent a second message: “Alter your course 10 degrees south–I am the captain!”

Soon another message was received: “Alter your course 10 degrees north–I am seaman third class Jones.”

Immediately the captain sent a third message, knowing the fear it would evoke: “Alter your course 10 degrees south–I am a battleship.”

Then the reply came “Alter your course 10 degrees north–I am a lighthouse.”

In the midst of our dark and foggy times, all sorts of voices are shouting orders into the night, telling us what to do, how to adjust our lives. Out of the darkness, one voice signals something quite opposite to the rest- -something almost absurd. But the voice happens to be the Light of the World, and we ignore it at our own peril.[1]

God Is Patient With Us As We Take Steps of Faith (vv. 27-30)

And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” 30 And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.

It is in this isolated area, as they are in between crowds, Jesus takes this opportunity to begin teaching the disciples about his journey to the cross, which is about six months away. “It was time that the disciples reveal how much they had been influenced by their environment as well as the direct instruction of Jesus.”[2]

(v. 1) “he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” – and in their response we see a similar list in Mark 6:14-15 “King Herod heard of it, [Jesus going from village to village teaching and healing] for Jesus’ name had become known. Some said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” 15 But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” The world had their own definition of who Jesus was – today the world defines Jesus as they want Him to be (good man, good teacher).

(v. 29) “But who do you say that I am?” – After all the healings, storms on the sea, casting out demons, feeding of thousands, months and months of hearing Him preach . . . Who is Jesus? Jesus had used the phrases, “he who has an ear let him hear,” and “He who has eyes to see, let him see” . . . They have been with Jesus all this time – Has Jesus been successful in showing them who He is?

It is as though the disciples in that back country are standing at a crossroad. To go down one road leads to a further understanding of God, Jesus, and spiritual growth, but everyone seems to be against them, and there is the pain of bearing a cross.

As they look down the second path the world in support of them, there is applause, there are no problems, no suffering, but Jesus is not there. They have to choose between the world and Jesus – you can’t take both roads at the same time. Jesus patiently waits for the answer.

Peter responds, (v. 29) “You are the Christ”— Jesus does not use the word Messiah “to avoid political complications and a revolutionary movement (see Mark 6:45).”[3] But here, he accepts the title Messiah, and “Peter’s confession revealed real insight into the nature of Christ’s person and mission, but this concept of Jesus’ messiahship was far from being perfect. Peter still had much to learn of Messiah’s suffering, rejection, and death, as the immediately incident reveals.”[4]

(v. 30) “And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.” Jesus does not want them to give a view of Him as the Messiah, because they did not understand and needed further instruction. When they were sent out two-by-two (Mark 6:7-13) they cast out demons, healed the sick and “proclaimed that people should repent.”[5]

Here, they understand that He is the Messiah, as predicted by the Old Testament, but they did not really know what that meant or entailed. Jesus “had not come to establish a political kingdom. His victory would be that of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53.”[6]

Mark shows us in this chapter that everything is a process. Salvation, healing (Mark 8:22-26; the man’s healing took two steps), the growth of the kingdom often takes place in stages.

Following God’s Will Is Not Without Pain (vv. 31-33)

31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.[7] 32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Jesus again refers to himself as “the Son of Man,” (and in the gospel over 81 times). Son of Man was the preferred title by Jesus because it, unlike the term Messiah, was not full of assumed meanings and would not distract from His God-appointed mission.[8]

But there is an OT background in the person who would come as the Son of Man. Daniel 7:3-14 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”

Jesus here makes three predictions, 1. That he must suffer many things, included in that suffering is being rejected by the elders and chief priests, 2. Be killed, 3. After three days be raised from the dead. This secret is now being revealed to the disciples, “And he said this plainly.”

Jesus tells his disciples plainly that to follow Him will be a path of pain and suffering. Jesus has shown himself to be the promised Messiah, and now He is beginning to show them that the Savior must suffer to the point of death – A suffering servant.

For Peter, the Messiah was a symbol of strength, not weakness. In Peter’s mind Jesus represented God, and God could not fail, Jesus would be successful, not lose to the religious leaders. Since Jesus is the Christ, God is with Him! Peter pulls Jesus aside and rebukes him – the same word for silencing a demon earlier.[9]

“Peter’s attempt to dissuade him from going to the cross is the same temptation he had experienced from Satan at the outset of his ministry. Satan offered him the option of using the world’s means of accomplishing his mission. Peter was opposing the divine will.”[10] What Peter doesn’t understand is that if Jesus is to be Christ, then He must endure the cross. That has been the plan from the beginning. Hebrews 9:22 “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”

“Peter’s suggestion represented a very real temptation for Jesus – one that must be rejected forcefully. Jesus is demanding that they accept his mission and his demands for discipleship. Even though Peter had Jesus’ best interest at heart, he was being used as an instrument of Satan (not possession).”[11] God’s Word does not change, we must align our thoughts, wishes, feelings, desires to it – not try to move it to our will.

Jesus’ family came earlier to collect Him because they were concerned for him, Mark 3:20-21 “Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. 21 And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.” We must be careful, that like Peter and Jesus’ family, we do not let our personal desires for others to cloud the plan that God has for them. We don’t want those we love to suffer or endure heartache, but it may just be the plan God uses to redeem many.

When Peter hears Jesus saying these words, he is horrified, and he allows his own wishes to cloud the truth of Jesus’ words, so Jesus says, “Get behind me, Satan!” – the world does not give the answer to the one big problem we encounter each and every day of our lives – our brokenness because of our sin, and separation from our Creator.

Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”

Also, while Jesus explains that the Savior must suffer, but (v. 31) “and after three days rise again,” Jesus is showing the disciples that he knows that there is pain and suffering coming in the days ahead, but also there is life as well.

What Does Jesus’ Suffering Mean For His Followers? (vv. 34-9:1)

34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. 9 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”

Many would rather take the cross out of the picture, remove it from the church steeple. Get rid of the blood and gore, the scourging, spitting, mocking, and clean Jesus up. Make Him safe, just focus on the “love your neighbor,” and “turn the other cheek.” But Jesus says, (v. 34) “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

Suffering is not only the destiny of Jesus, but everyone who would be a follower of Christ. Jesus gives two requirements of disciples, (1) denial of self, (2) taking up one’s cross and following Jesus. 1) denying self – “It is the same word used of Peter’s denial of Jesus, and means “let him make himself a stranger” to himself.”[12]

2) “take up his cross” – “When criminals carried their crosses, it showed those who were watching the identity of the one who had authority over the criminal.”[13] By denying oneself, taking up one’s cross and following Jesus, a disciple acknowledges that he is submitting to Jesus’ authority.

In Luke 23:26 Simon of Cyrene was forced to carry Jesus’ cross on the Via Dolorosa “And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus.”

Our choice, is often like Peter’s; we choose our own self-interest – what works best for me, what I believe to be most beneficial for me. When you become a follower of Jesus you lay that self down and crucify it. You then take up Christ’s will for your life.

You have to lose and deny yourself, “For whoever would save his life will lose it,” and it is in this process of giving your life to Christ, and then having faith in His plan for your life, and seeking to follow His will, that true living is gained.

There is nothing more important than this (daily) decision of being safe and saving yourself from pain, suffering, loss, etc. and the loss of the life that God intends for you to have, “36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” –

Jesus wants everyone to fully understand the cost of being a Christ follower. Luke 14:28 “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?” There is pain for the sake of others, we lay our lives down so that others may know who Christ is, and the exchange is our souls, we gain a life of purpose and fulfillment. There is death and sacrifice, but there is also resurrection and eternal life.

Jesus rebukes Peter because there is the temptation to not follow God’s plan. We face the same temptation, and the harder and painful the task, the more we are tempted to avoid it. But to be a follower of Christ, is willingly to face those things head because it is the will of God.

A couple of years ago, it was becoming clear to me that God was calling us from where we were to somewhere else – So we had a family meeting and I began to share this with the family. Their reaction was, “Dad, can’t you just work here, get a job here,” and my response is that “we have to go where God tells us to go.” So, my soon to be senior and incoming freshman high school student, would be moving to a potential new school, my wife would leave a job she loved, and we would go to a church where I would serve as pastor. It would have caused less pain for my family to stay – and I could have got a job in the community – but it would be at the expense of waking away from a calling.

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[1] http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/l/lorship_of_christ.htm

[2] Archibald Thomas Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Volume 1 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1932) 334.

[3] Robertson, 334.

[4] Frank E. Gaebelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 1984) 694.

[5] Mark 6:12

[6] Max Anders, Holman New Testament Commentary, Mark (Nashville, Tennessee; Holman Reference, 2000) 135.

[7] Three passion announcements in Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:32-34.

[8] Gaebelein, 695.

[9] Larry W. Hurtado, New Testament Biblical Commentary, Mark (Peabody Massachusetts; Hendrickson Publishing, 1989) 137.

[10] Gaebelein, 696.

[11] Anders, 136.

[12] George Arthur Buttrick, The Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 7 (Nashville, Tennessee; Abingdon Press, 1953) 770.

[13] Anders, 136.

“The Righteous Shall Live by Faith” Galatians 3:1-14

Grace Abounds

A Sermon Series Through the Book of Galatians

“The Righteous Shall Live by Faith”

Galatians 3:1-14

 Introduction

In Genesis 4:3-7 there is an account of where Cain and Abel brought an offering to the Lord. Cain’s is a works-righteousness offering of grain instead of an animal sacrifice. “In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. 6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted?2 And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, and you must rule over it.”

God told them what the acceptable offering so that their sins would be covered, but man has sought, from the beginning, to make himself right with God through his own goodness and merit. Abel’s offering was given in faith (a trusting in God’s prescribed way). Cain rejected the Word of God, and tried to present himself before God the way he thought was good.

Paul had preached to the churches in Galatia the gospel (faith in the work of Christ alone). In that true gospel they had received salvation, the Holy Spirit, and were free from the curse of the law. But somehow, they are being persuaded by false teachers to turn from God’s Word – the gospel given through Paul – to a trying to please God by earning His love by following the law.

The Foolishness of Trusting Works Shown In Their Own Lives (vv. 1-5)

“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—

(v. 1) “To be foolish is the opposite of wisdom (Romans 1:14), and it highlights a person’s lack of true understanding of a situation or matter.”[1] In the ancient world many believed in the evil eye, and Paul is saying that it seems like someone has put a spell on them – hypnotized them. “The Greek term frequently carried the idea of a wrong attitude of heart, a lack of faith that clouds judgement.”[2] They were not applying what they knew from Paul’s teaching. To be bewitched is put feelings over facts, emotion over clear understanding of truth.

The Galatians had never known the law – they were Gentiles, which shows us how easy it is form humanity, even those who were taught by an apostle to accept the idea of earing God’s favor by works. Even those who have experienced the freedom of God’s grace can be bewitched into sliding toward works based religion. You have the God given resource of Scripture, and when you encounter something (false), you begin to rely upon your whims, impulses, and fallen nature. This the same as Eve’s sin, “it seems good to me.”[3]

Those that profess to follow Jesus are not to live a life on the basis of good-feelings, or our inclinations, but on the revealed truth of God’s Word. If we don’t then we will be . . . Ephesians 4:14 “. . . tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”

Paul in his proclamation of the gospel had explained “Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified . . .” The crucifixion of Christ was central to the gospel that Paul preached. 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 “And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” When Paul would preach the gospel, it was focused on the cross – the focus (first) is on what has been done for us. The essence of the gospel is not how to live, but what God has done for us – the action He has taken.

“A Christian is not someone who knows about Jesus, but one who has “seen” Him on the cross.”[4] Paul uses the words, “publicly portrayed “ but it is when we perceive how graphic the cross was and that one such as Jesus would endure that for them. Paul’s teaching gave them a clear and graphic depiction of what Jesus endured on the cross.

“crucified translated[5] indicates that the crucifixion was a historical fact that had continuing results.” 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” With this same idea in mind, “He is still righteous to keep on forgiving our sins.” We don’t need to pick up (ceremonies, the law, dietary law, circumcision, etc.) where Jesus’ forgiveness ends, because Jesus’ forgiveness never ends.

You Cannot Add to the Completed Work of Jesus’ Death on the Cross

The Spirit of God is mentioned several times, and Paul is not questioning whether they had or had not received the Spirit of God; he knew they had “And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 13:52. Paul personally saw how God had moved in their lives, and how joyous they were in their salvation. What he is questioning is “Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?”

The Spirit of God is the presence of God with a person. How is it that you came to have God’s presence with you? You had been separated from God because of your sin, now He dwells within you. How did this come to be? The indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit is inseparable from the new birth.

The presence of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life is the final proof (a guarantee) that salvation is by faith, and not by following the law. The Spirit also advances in the life of a Christian (sanctification), He is how we grow in our faith, push sin out of our lives, and grow in our knowledge of Him; “He says that the same Spirit entered your life should be the very same way the Spirit advances in your life.”[6]

There Is No Such Thing As Extra Holy Spirit

“If a person has received eternal salvation through trust in the crucified Christ, received the fulness of the Holy Spirit the same moment he believed, and has the Father’s Spirit-endowed power working within him, how could he hope to enhance that out of his own insignificant human resources by some meritorious effort?”[7]

The Foolishness of Trusting Works Shown From Scripture (vv. 6-9)

6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? 7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

(v. 6) Paul begins to show from Genesis 15:6 that Abraham, the father is the Hebrew people, that he was made righteous before God by his faith. God made a promise to Abraham, and Abraham believed God. Paul is saying before Abraham did any work of obedience (like offering his son Isaac on the alter), or obeyed any of the laws of God – which came much later, he was already justified because he trusted God.

“The history of salvation for Paul begins with Abraham, to whom the gospel was preached in advance (v. 8), and reaches its climax in Christ. The promise made to Abraham finds its fulfillment in Christ, to whom indeed it primarily referred. But between the promise and the fulfilment there intervened the age of law . . .”[8]

Paul is addressing the question of “what is the gospel, and what is not the gospel?” Abraham is an example of a man who believed God’s promise and was saved. The promise to the Gentiles is the same promise, we are saved by faith – believing God’s promise of salvation through Jesus. It is our faith that makes us a child of Abraham, not a blood line.

The Curse of the Law (vv. 10-14)

10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”[9] 12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.”

The word of God was given to the Jewish people, but they were to be a blessing to the world by sharing His Word with the world – so the word of God is for all people. (v. 10) Deuteronomy 28:1-6 “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. 3 Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. 5 Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 6 Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.”

15-19 “But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. 16 Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field. 17 Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 18 Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. 19 Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.” The blessing and curses come upon a person based upon their faithfully following and obeying God’s Word, or not. So how then does the law become a curse? Paul has already said earlier in 1:9 “. . . If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.” A false gospel leaves one cursed.

All of mankind stand cursed before God because no one can keep the law. So, (v. 13) “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.” To redeem something is to buy it back. Jesus bought us back from the curse, by becoming a curse for us. “He took the full measure, penalty, and consequences of disobedience to the law of God on Himself. He who was free from all sins lived a life of perfect righteousness. Jesus had imputed to Him the sin of His people and came under the curse of God.”[10]

In ancient Judaism a criminal who was executed, usually by stoning, was then tied to a post, a type of tree, where his body would hang until sunset as a visible representation of rejection by God. “It was not that a person became cursed by being hanged on a tree but that he was hanged on tree because he was cursed.”[11]

We get a picture of what the curse looked like while Jesus was on the cross, Matthew 27:36 “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus had the filth, vile, and disease of sin – the world’s sin on him (he became sin) and in that He became God forsaken. The Father’s hatred of sin, the wrath of God poured out upon Jesus. The one who kept the word of God, and was worthy of blessings, became the curse for those who had broken God’s law and deserved to be cursed.

“. . . they unwittingly placed themselves under God’s wrath rather than his blessing, because they could not live up to the law and they would not submit to His grace.”[12] When a person responds to Christ’s work on the cross by faith, it is a response to God’s grace and it leads to justification and eternal life.

 Perfection Allows No Exceptions

(v. 14) “ so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.” In Genesis 15:5 God told Abraham, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” Abraham’s children who will be countless, are those that like him, believe (have faith) the Lord and because of that belief with be credited with the righteousness of Christ. When the person is saved, they receive “the promised Spirit.” God comes and lives within in you.

Conclusion

Imagine a friend gave you a luxury villa in Spain. You can go there and live there as often as you wish. Your transportation there is just a phone call away, “please gas us the jet we are going to the villa.” Clothes are provided already packed on the plane. When you arrive all expenses are paid. Your friend has spared no expense and you have absolutely no needs – everything has already been thought of (towels for the beach, an envelope full if tip money) You have gone and come back with your family for years.

Then one day you say to yourself “I think I should pay my way.” So you reach into your wallet and pull out your monopoly money and you start flashing it around as if it could buy anything. You look ridiculous – everyone who sees it is embarrassed for you. You sit outside at the airport waiting for the car to arrive that you said you would pay for this time and it never arrives – they don’t take monopoly money. Isn’t it ridiculous to try and substitute our worthless attempts to earn our way into heaven, and pleasing God – at the expense of leaving Jesus behind, to ignore His gift of grace?

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[1] Matthew S. Harmon, Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary, Galatians (Bellingham, Washington, Lexham Academic, 2021) 126.

[2] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Galatians (Chicago, Illinois; Moody Bible Institute, 1987) 63.

[3] Genesis 3:6

[4] Timothy Keller, Galatians For You (USA; the good book company, 2013) 65.

[5] Perfect passive participle

[6] Keller, 68.

[7] MacArthur, 69.

[8] F. F. Bruce, New International Greek Testament Commentary, Commentary on Galatians (Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1982) 154.

[9] Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 4:3

[10] R.C. Sproul, For Freedom Christ Has Set US Free, Galatians (Sanford, Florida; Ligonier Ministries, 2022) 65.

[11] MacArthur, 78.

[12] MacArthur, 77.

“The Importance of Preserving the Gospel” Part Two Galatians 2:9b-21

Grace Abounds

A Sermon Series Through the Book of Galatians

“The Importance of Preserving the Gospel”

Part Two

Galatians 2:9b-21

Review

When the Gospel is Preserved There is Unity (vv. 1-2)

The Preservation of the Gospel Requires Effort (vv. 3-5)

When the Gospel is Preserved Christians Are Free To Serve God Differently (vv. 6-9a)

 Introduction

Prayer

When the Gospel is Preserved We Learn to Give Grace to Others (9b-10)

that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

After the meeting at Jerusalem, as they are parting ways, the Christians in Jerusalem asked that the Christians in Galatia to remember the poor. Both are eager to serve the poor – saying “let us share our resources to meet a common goal.” Acts 4:32 “Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.” The unity that comes from the gospel drives us to seek common goals and objectives. The Christians in Jerusalem were suffering because of persecution, poverty, and difficulty – Paul and the churches in Galatia were eager to help them, “they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.”

Remember Paul’s point has been to show his apostolic authority and the true gospel – then he ends this account with a quote that seems out of place, “remember the poor.” How do these things go together? Caring for the poor was important to Jesus, “Matthew 25:41-46 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Jesus’ expectation of His followers was that they would give the thirsty water, give the hungry food, give the naked clothes, visit those in prison, etc. It would be a characteristic of “the righteous.”

Right belief leads to right actions. Those who have received grace will live by grace, and will give grace to those around them. Those that believe they are self-righteous will expect those around them to live a self-righteous life like they do. I made it – you need to work hard so you can make it too. I’m not going to give you something you could earn yourself if you work hard enough. This is the opposite of grace.

There are churches that remember the gospel (right beliefs) but forget the poor. There are churches that remember the poor, but never mention the gospel. The Christ-like Christian’s life is driven to share the gospel (sin, separation from God, Jesus’ death on a cross, faith) and then live out that grace by serving others (helping the poor).

When the Church Caves to Culture Barriers Go Up (vv. 11-14)

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?”

In Galatians 2 Paul is referencing and earlier gathering of Christians at Antioch where Cephas (Peter), Barnabas, Paul, and different groups are present. But the Gentile Christians are being made to feel like second class Christians because they were not keeping ceremonial Jewish food laws. Cephas/Peter’s withdrawal and his sitting apart from the Gentiles “was sending a clear message about what counts: reliance upon the law and its works to secure favor with God, rather than trust in God’s provision in Christ alone.”[1]

Cephas “seems to have started to ‘live like a Gentile’ (Gal. 2:14), probably in the sense that he had ceased to observe Jewish dietary restrictions.” In response to a heavenly vision (Acts 10:9-16; 11:4-10), he had tossed out an important Jewish identity marker, which many Jews went to great trouble to keep, and for which they sometimes endured deprivation, and even death.”[2]

This was a common teaching for the Jews to, “separate yourselves from the Gentiles and do not eat with them, and do not perform deeds like theirs. And do not become associates of theirs. Because their deeds are defiled, and all their ways are contaminated, and despicable, and abominable.”[3]

But when certain people were around, Cephas would change back. “The (cultural) pressure was strong enough that all the Christian Jews in Antioch except Paul succumbed to it. There is a level of disappointment and personal pain behind Paul’s phrase “even Barnabas.” Paul’s talk of hypocrisy assumes that all of them – even Barnabas – knew it was wrong to buckle to this pressure.”[4]

The gospel tears down boundaries, our falsely identifying with the wrong things puts those barriers back in place all over again. These are barriers between believers, and it pollutes the gospel. The church must be open to welcoming people into the church who may be culturally different. To subtly exclude someone by simply distancing yourself from them because they do not “keep the rules” is a contamination of the gospel.

Faith In Christ Leads to a Transformed Life (vv. 15-16)

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.

(v. 15) It was a normal for Jews to presume upon God’s grace because they possess God’s Law (Romans 2:17-24). The Jews would say, which Paul may be quoting directly, “We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners.” But this is common for all of humanity. We deceive ourselves into thinking everything’s ok with who they are. “I think what I am doing is okay, therefore God must also be ok with it.”

Matthew 3:7 “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’” They were not turning from their sin and bearing fruit of a godly and holy life, they didn’t even think they were sinners.

For the Jewish follower, there is no need for transformation or change from their sin, because they are from a lineage of Abraham. There are also people who identify with the Christian religion who also presume upon God’s grace. Maybe they have gone to a certain church for a number of years, or have been baptized – but we can’t speak of how they have impacted the world for Christ, or people they have led to the Lord, or how they have been a disciple maker – but when they were seven they were baptized. The Jews were doing this with circumcision. There was no heart felt seeking after God, desiring to live for him – just empty self-righteous rule following.

The temptation of Peter and all the other believers there (except for Paul), is to answer the question, “what is their identity?” this same way. Are they Jewish and followers of the law (and that’s how they want to be known), or are they Christians which require breaking from the law and to live by faith. But you can’t hold an identity of the two things at the same time.

Paul is showing that the Jewish people should know that no one is capable of keeping the law in its entirety and at some point has to rely upon God’s grace and mercy. Psalm 143:2, The psalmist is asking God, “Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.” The law’s intended purpose was to show humanity that you cannot live a life that pleases God, no one is perfect. Jesus says in Matthew 5:48, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

(v. 16) This is a question of how is a person made right before God? Paul uses the word, “justified,” (dikaioo) – “to make or declare righteous.” “The group of Judaizers who contended that the Gentiles had to become Jews to be saved.”[5] This included circumcision and following dietary laws. The law plus Paul says, “because by works of the law no one will be justified.”

“. . . but through faith in Jesus Christ” – “Faith is trust. It begins with knowledge, so it is not blind. It builds on facts, so it is not speculation. It stakes its life on the outcome, so it is not impractical. Faith is trusting Christ and proving his promises.”[6]

Christians Constantly Identifying With Christ (vv. 17-21)

17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

(v. 17) “we too were found to be sinners,” When Paul compares himself to the teachings and life of Jesus, he realizes that as high as he had climbed in the Jewish world, and as passionate as he had been to the law (even killing and imprisoning Christians), he was still the “chief of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15).”

(v. 18) “For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor.” – “When he [Peter] lived like a Gentile, he tore down the ceremonial law. When he lived like a Jew, he tore down salvation by grace.”[7]

“From Paul’s own testimony, we know that Paul continued to be not only accused of being in violation of the Law but punished because of it. Thus, when he would visit synagogues, he’d be brought up on charges and then flogged with a whip or a stick.”[8] “Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned (2 Corinthians 11:24-25).”[9]

(v. 19) “For through the law I died to the law,” – To try and keep the law is a form of slavery. One is always striving to be good enough to please God, to be perfect, yet to fail time and time again. Then through Christ’s death and taking the curse of sin upon himself, he has freed us from the law. When we reach back down and put the shackle back on our legs, we enslave ourselves all over again.

(v. 20) “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” – It is the union of the vine and the branch (John 15:1-6). Paul is connected (abiding) to Jesus, and no longer to the world. When a person places their faith in Christ there is a part of them that dies, that part that focuses on ourselves. That part is crucified with Christ – then emerging is a new birth, a new life – that is Christ living in me. Our identity is Christ (period). For the Christian, it is no longer you who live, but Christ who lives in you.

Our walk with Jesus will draw us into more and more the things that are important to Jesus. In our lives, we will begin to look more and more like Jesus, and less and less like our old selves (before Christ.) Christ’s life eventually led to the cross, and so our lives will reflect this selflessness and giving of ourselves for the sake of others.

Many Christians are good with healing with Christ, singing with Christ, praying with Christ, studying the Bible with Christ, but crucified with Christ is a whole other level. Jesus gave up everything for the sake of others, so Paul says, “It is no longer I who live.” Jesus says to those who desire to be his followers, “take up your cross and follow me.”

The way we begin our walk with Christ is how we continue in our walk in Christ. The way we start the race, is the same way we finish the race – radical trust in Jesus.

“Those [identifying here in this passage as Jewish Christians] are going back to a life in which Christ and his loving, self-giving death in not central.”[10] In Romans 6:6 Paul uses this same imagery, “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.”

Faith in Jesus Christ Is not just head knowledge of His existence. It involves the whole person. There are people who say they are Christians, but their definition of faith does not involve a life change. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: . . . 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” A saving faith in Christ results in a transformational change to conform to the image of Christ. “The Christian life is one of conformity with Christ.”[11]

Therefore, the Christian is not lawless, but you have freedom in Christ. It is not an abandonment of the morality of the law (honor your parents, truth telling, putting God first, do not covet other people’s stuff, don’t committing adultery, etc). This is the fear of people who tend toward being self-righteous; if we don’t have rules and keep traditions, then the world will spin into chaos. So, they add to the gospel (Jesus plus the law). They believe that you have to appear different than the world (like the Jewish “circumcision group”) Then how will the world know that you are a Christian?

John 13:35 “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” They will know we are Christians by how we show the love of Christ in the world around us. It is much harder to show your heart (an inward change), than it is to follow a rule – because it requires a close relationship with Christ (to abide in Him.) Doing what Christ teaches is much harder than putting a sticker on your car (an outward show).

(v. 21) “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.” – Paul is saying that if all we had to do was keep the law, then people should keep the law. Jesus would not have had to die, if all humans had to do was be good. When the Jewish Christians kept the law, they “nullify” God’s grace – as if to say that they did not need it. Also, if the law is added to the gospel, then that also means that Christ’s death was not adequate to cover all the sin of mankind – there is something else needed.[12]

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[1] Todd Wilson, Preaching the Word, Galatians (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Publishing, 2013) 76.

[2] Frank Thielman, Expository Commentary, Vol. X (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Publishing, 2020) 599.

[3] Thielman, 599.

[4] Thielman, 599.

[5] Archibald Thomas Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Volume IV, The Epistles of Paul (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1931) 289.

[6] Frank E. Gaebelein, General Editor, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 10 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 1976) 449.

[7] Robertson, 289.

[8] Which goes back to the pressure to follow the law (Gal. 2:1-14); did they fear suffering the same treatment as Paul had suffered?

[9] Wilson, 85.

[10] Thielman, 599.

[11] Jervis, 74.

[12] L. Ann Jervis, New International Biblical Commentary, Galatians (Peabody, Massachusetts; Hendrickson Publishers, 1999) 70.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith." Ephesians 2:8

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