Galatians 2:11-16 Don’t Compromise the message

Intro Story:

When I was in grade 5, I had a teacher who lived on a farm. His name was Mr Reinkema. So, for a special outing, he took us all to his farm on a school day for us to learn about different animals and how the farm runs.

At the time, my 10 year old self really wanted to fit in with these 2 boys who were really popular. As we toured our teachers farm, i followed those boys around and really tried to make an impression to get them to like me. But, these boys were not Christians. They didn’t act very nice, and sometimes used bad language. But, because they were popular, I wanted to be like them and for them to like me.

As we walked along, I remember stepping in some mud. It was the kind of mud that sucks your foot in and you have to work to get it out. I was wearing shoes, and as I tried to get my foot out, the mud pulled my shoe right off my foot.

I remember thinking, “O, those boys are watching me. How can I impress them so they will like me? I thought to myself, how would they act. If I act like them, then I will be able to fit in with them and maybe they will like me. So, at that moment, as I pulled my foot out of the mud, and my shoe came off, I used some bad words. I knew it was wrong. It was not words I usually used. But, because I wanted those boys to like me, I chose to do what I knew was wrong.

Have you ever had a time like that? Or maybe for you it was the opposite. You see someone doing really well and because you aren’t doing so well, instead of encouraging them, you try to pull them down. Uncle Bill calls that “crabs in a bucket.” If you aren’t doing well, then you don’t want anyone else to do well either, so you make fun of them. Or you treat then badly. Instead of representing Christ and doing what makes God look good you think about yourself.

In the passage today, we are going to learn that Peter did something very similar. Let’s read Gal 2:11-13

But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

Ok, let’s go work our way through these verses.

Gal 2:11 But when Peter came to Antioch,

Last week Bill talked about Paul’s visit to Jerusalem where he took his message and made himself and his message accountable to the leaders of the church. It was there his message was tested, and it is there the Apostles showed they agreed with his message.

Sometime after that, Peter came to visit Paul and the Gentile Christians in Antioch.

Paul says, “I had to oppose him to his face for what he did was very wrong.”

Had Paul been on my 5th grade class outing, He would have “opposed me to my face.” He would have said, “David, what are you thinking? You are a Christian. You represent Jesus. Jesus doesn’t use bad words. Jesus doesn’t try to get popular kids to like him by doing bad things. What you do represents Him. What do you think you are doing? What you did was very wrong!

1. The message of the Good news must be defended

We represent Jesus in everything that we do and say. Anything that we do or say that distracts or hinders those around us from seeing a picture of Jesus, must be dealt with. And when we see fellow Christians acting like they did before they were saved, or acting in a way that you know is wrong, and is hindering those around them from seeing Jesus, we should say something to them.

What I was doing on my class trip was very wrong. What I was doing hurt Jesus reputation, and it hurt those boys chance of hearing and believing the gospel. You too, when you act like a crab in a bucket, you hinder those around you from seeing Jesus.

Paul said of Peter, “I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong.”

So, what had Peter done that was so wrong?

Gal 2:12 When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision.

Peter was eating and drinking with Gentiles freely. But, when some FRIENDS of James came from Jerusalem (James refers to the church in Jerusalem) Peter acted different. What was happening here? It was like I acted to try and get those boys attention, to get them to notice me and to like me. I don’t know exactly what Peter’s motivation was. But we do know that:

He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision

Peter was afraid of being criticized by these men. It may not have been like i was, changing my behavior in order to be accepted. Peter was doing the opposite. He was changing his behavior out of fear of being criticized.. fear of losing his acceptance with these men.

This group who came from Jerusalem, Paul says.” They insisted on the necessity of circumcision.” They were people who supported the belief that salvation was through believing what Jesus did, PLUS circumcision. In Peter’s actions (eating with Gentiles, then not eating with them when these “friends” showed up) he was agreeing with them. By his actions he was declaring the gentiles to be unclean.

But, this was the whole reason why Paul had gone to Jerusalem. This is why he had met with Peter James and John! And they had agreed with him that circumcision doesn’t save! Circumcision is not what makes you clean, it’s faith in what Jesus did!

Paul had made himself accountable to them. He had tested his message with them. They had agreed with him! And yet when these “friends” came from Jerusalem, Peter, who was supposed to be the example, the leader, changed his behavior and compromised the message and failed to display Jesus.

2. Peter compromised the message of the good news

Gal 2:13 As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

Remember the tone, of this letter. Paul is very strong, because this is a major problem. We must guard the message of the good news. Peter’s actions did not just affect himself, it affected everyone who witnessed his life. His hypocrisy even affected Barnabas.

What is hypocrisy? It’s what Peter did here. At one moment he was eating and fellowship with the gentiles. But, then when these “friends” came, he changed his behavior and ignored the gentiles. In English some people would say he was “two faced.” In pidgin we would call this tubel. He was acting one way with one group, and the opposite with the other group.

• Peter ate with gentiles when important Jews were absent-
• When important Jews came he would not eat with gentiles-
• Peter’s hypocrisy affected others

There is was very wrong. Peter was living calaboosed by the fear of man instead of living according to what he knew was true.

This was peer pressure at its worst! In following these guys Peter compromised the message of the good news and he led others astray by what he did. He was living by the fear of man. He was not living to please God, he was living to please someone else. When we live by the fear of man it hinders us from living for God fully.

But, why was Paul sharing this story? These believers were being tempted with the same thing. These false teachers (the ones Peter consider his “friends”) were trying to get the Galatians to follow the law again. They were saying that the Galatians weren’t saved if they didn’t become circumcized. By sharing this story, Paul is making it clear that Peter was wrong, and that those guys who were adding circumcision to salvation were wrong too!

Paul is sharing this story for us also. Any religious group that teaches that you need to add something to what Jesus did is wrong, no matter how “spiritual” it sounds.

3. Paul publicly confronts Peter for his hypocrisy

Gal 2:14  When I saw that they were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all the others, “Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions?

As Paul observed what was happening, he could see that Peter’s hypocrisy was causing others to follow and instead of leading them toward the truth of the gospel, it was leading them away.

It’s a very serious thing for us, by our actions, to lead people away from Jesus. We must be vigilant to defend the message of salvation. We should not be compromising the message. In everything we do and say, we must be thinking about the fact that we represent Christ. As a Christian, Christ is who should be seen through our lives. When that is not happening, we need a Paul to come and set us straight.

Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions?

Paul reminds Peter where he has come. God had revealed to him personally that it was OK to discard the Jewish laws. God had showed him that there is no one that He considers unclean… and they are clean not because they keep the law, but because of their faith!

Peter, what are you thinking? You know you are free from the Jewish law, and the Jewish traditions. Whether your “friends” are or not, you are. So, why are you trying to make the gentiles go back to them? You know better than that!

You know, this makes me think of what other religious groups do today. For these Gentiles, the false teachers were telling them they needed Jesus plus the Jewish traditions. But what do false teachers today tell us that we need to add to faith or belief in Jesus?

• Some add tambus or things we have to forsake or give up: You have to give up buai. You have to dress up nice. You have to stop smoking or stop using bad language. Now it’s true that none of those things are a good picture of Jesus. But, working hard to give up these things does not make you right with God!
• Some add religious ceremony or sacrament. Praying to Mary. Saying the words of the rosary or other prayers. Going to church or to Mass. Taking communion. Being baptized.

If we apply Paul’s words today it would sound something like this, “You know the truth, salvation does not come from these things, so why are you now trying to make these believers follow your religious traditions in order to be saved?”

Gal 2:15-16  “You and I are Jews by birth, not ‘sinners’ like the Gentiles.

• Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law.
• And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law.
• For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.”

“You and I are Jews by birth, not ‘sinners’ like the Gentiles.

Paul is continuing the story of what he said to Peter. He reminded Peter of their position. You and I are “not sinners” like the Gentiles. He doesn’t mean they were without sin, it simply means they are part of God’s chosen people and the Gentiles were not. It was a privilege being God’s people.

Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law.

Being part of God’s people as a Jew meant living by and obeying the law. But, God had made it clear, as we saw in verse 14 that the Jewish tradition and the Jewish law needed to be “discarded.” Paul says, “You know that a person is made right by faith, not by obeying the law!

And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law.

We need to know that we are only made right with God by faith. But knowing isn’t enough. We need to believe that we are made right with God ONLY because of our faith, and NOT because we have obeyed the law. We are made right with God ONLY by faith, not be observing tambus or religious ceremonies and sacriment. We are made right with God ONLY by faith, not because we live right and go to church! We are made right with God ONLY by faith!

For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.”

1. We know that salvation comes by faith
2. We believe we are made right with God by faith alone.
3. We have experienced that no one can be made right with God through obedience to the law.

We have all tried. Israel has tried since Moses gave them the law, and not one Jew has been able to be made right with God by obeying the law! NOT ONE! Because of our sin nature, it is impossible for us to be saved by keeping the law. It is only by faith in what Jesus did. The word is done! There is nothing left for me to do, just believe!

1. The message of the Good news must be defended

In your life, be vigilant to defend the good news… you represent Christ… strive to be the best picture of Christ in everything

We know that salvation comes by faith. Don’t let anything or anyone tell you otherwise. Stand in that truth. Defend it in your own life, but also when you see others being led to believe something else, ask God to help you share the truth with them.

Live by it… defend it… don’t compromise by accepting / believing any other gospel

We are made right with God ONLY by faith, not be observing tambus or religious ceremonies and sacriment. We are made right with God ONLY by faith, not because we live right and go to church! We are made right with God ONLY by faith!

Are you believing in Christ alone? Or are you trying to add to what Jesus did by your own effort

2. Peter compromised the message of the good news

You know the truth. You have believed the truth, and you have experienced being made right with God because of your faith in Christ. Don’t compromise that by acting in a way that distracts people from the message like Peter did.

You represent Christ. Everything you do and say should reflect Him to others.

How are you compromising the message of the good news?

3. Paul publicly confronts Peter for his hypocrisy

If Paul were here, would there be things he would confront in your life? *like my 5th grade self…”

• Know the truth – We are made right with God by faith alone
• Believe the truth – There is nothing we can do to add to what Christ has done!
• Live by the truth – You represent Christ. Don’t compromise the message. Live in such a way that people are drawn to Jesus because of you, not repelled.