Latest / Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast / #14806 - Grace Confronts Hypocrisy - Galatians 2:11-21

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#14806 - Grace Confronts Hypocrisy - Galatians 2:11-21 · Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast

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Welcome to the study of God's Word with pastor and author Ed
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Taylor, recorded live at Calvary Church in Aurora, Co.
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To learn more about the many resources available through
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Abounding Grace Media or to tune into our live stream services,
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visit us online at Calvary Co dot Church or download our free
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Calvary Church app. Now.
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Here's Pastor Ed to take us into our study.
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Amen. Open your Bibles to Galatians
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chapter 2. Would you Galatians chapter 2?
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When you get there, we're going to pick up in verse 11 where we
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left off last time I've entitled our Bible study.
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Grace confronts hypocrisy. Grace confronts hypocrisy.
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Hypocrisy is real, and it exists in the church.
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I mean, it exists in our society, but it's real in the
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church. Hypocrisy, something we need to
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be careful of, something we need to pay attention to.
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Hypocrisy is a sin and a big problem in the church.
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God help us to be men and women of truth.
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Why? Because truth, fidelity, being
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trustworthy matters. It is a big part of your
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testimony. It is how you are able to build
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bridges when someone trusts you with the significant portions of
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their life as you share life with them.
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I'm sure you've heard it. I'm sure you've heard it in your
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conversations with others where they say, you know, I'm not
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going to church. I don't want anything to do with
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church. I don't want anything to do with
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Christians because, you know, Christianity and churches are
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filled with hypocrites. And I've heard on a more than
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one occasion, but before you're so quick to be defensive on that
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statement, I have learned over the years, I'm not so quick to
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be defensive on that statement because it's not entirely
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untrue. There is a lot of hypocrisy in
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the Church of Jesus Christ today.
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It's not entirely untrue. There's hypocrisy at King
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Soopers, There's hypocrisy at Safeway, there's hypocrisy at
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your workplace, but there's also hypocrites in the church, and
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it's very unfortunate. Hypocrisy needs to be dealt with
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in your life. It's important that you choose
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to live a life of integrity and develop your character.
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Be a woman that people can trust.
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Be a person with one face. Not 2 often will describe
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hypocrisy as being 2 faced. Have you heard that 2 faced?
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It actually is a pretty accurate definition for the Greek word.
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The Greek word used in the New Testament for hypocrite is the
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word hupakritas, and they just took that word and made it into
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an English word, hypocrite. Very accurate word.
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It comes to us from the Greek plays, from the stage.
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You know, in Greek plays, when a person wanted to play a part,
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they would put a face of mask on their face.
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So for example, if they wanted to play a part where they were
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happy, then they would put a mask over their face that had a
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smile. And so on the outward you would
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see the smile, but it would mask or it would cover what the
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reality was. So that then if they wanted to
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play a character that was sad, then they would switch out that
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mask and put a sad mask on. And now you see the mask, but
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you don't see the reality. Hypocrisy is putting on a mask
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and it's good to pause here today and make sure that we
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understand what hypocrisy is and isn't.
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As we get into the text today, hypocrisy, if you're taking
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notes, is not. Let's start number one with
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hypocrisy is not describing someone who believes something,
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strives to live it, but fails and falls short.
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That's not hypocrisy. For example, you were here today
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as a Christian. You love God, you're learning
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about him, you're reading his word, but you still make
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mistakes. You still sin.
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People still see failure in your life.
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That's not hypocrisy. That's normalcy that makes you a
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normal believer who you desire to to live a godly life.
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You desire you're rearranging your whole life to follow God,
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but you're not perfect. That's not hypocrisy, that's
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normal. Every believer falls short now
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and then. It's a regular part of the
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normal Christian life. That's not hypocrisy.
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A hypocrite #2 is. So we looked at what a hypocrite
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is not. Let's now understand what a
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hypocrite is. A hypocrite is someone who lives
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a lie. We could just stop there, but
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it's a walking liar, a hypocrite.
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You can see the significance of this sin.
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The sin of dishonesty, the sin of being disingenuous, the sin
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of being duplicitous, the sin of being dishonest, disloyal.
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And on the list can go. A hypocrite is someone who lives
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a lie, wanting everyone to believe something about them
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that simply isn't true in the church.
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That is that sense of you want somebody to think something
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about everything's fine, everything's good, I'm here for
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you and I'm here to serve you. But all the while you're a
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manipulative, deceitful person and you put on a mask for church
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hypocrisy. Of course, that's in its worst
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case. But Jesus, when he described the
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false teachers, remember, what did he say?
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He says that they come in sheep's clothing.
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The wolves come in sheep's clothing.
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You could say the sheep's clothing is a mask.
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They're pretending to be something that they're not.
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They're wearing a mask. And Paul deals with this issue
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here in Galatians chapter 2 of someone very prominent wearing a
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mask. And as he's displaying the grace
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of God to the churches in Galatia.
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By way of review, remember Paul wrote a letter to the churches
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in Galatia that he planted because they were being ripped
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off by false teaching. There was a movement in the
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early church to want to add something to the gospel.
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And let me just say for a moment here that you can add nothing to
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the gospel. Once you attempt to add
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something to the gospel, it is no longer the gospel, the
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gospel, the good news that we are saved by faith, that God
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sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to die on our
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behalf, to exchange our sinfulness for His sinlessness,
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our unrighteousness for His righteousness, our imperfections
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replaced by His perfection. Remember the gospel.
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He made Him who knew no sin to become sin for us that we might
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enjoy the righteousness and become the righteousness of God
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in Christ. We are saved by our simple faith
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and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and what He has done for
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us. We received the benefits of His
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laborers, His sacrifice of Him giving Himself for us.
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It's so important that our hearts receive and that we
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believe in Him and that we trust in Him and that we grow in our
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hearts and our love toward Him. That's how the churches were
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planted. And then not too long after Paul
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left, these guys roll into town and begin to add to the gospel.
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They begin to say you cannot be saved by faith alone, you must
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be saved by faith. And and it was in that moment
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that they left the gospel and began to RIP off the people, in
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this case in the Galatian region.
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The issue they were dealing with was the work of circumcision and
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keeping the law. So they would come in and say,
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you can't listen to Paul. He's a liar, he's a deceiver.
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He's not even a real apostle member.
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They're attacking his credibility, his integrity.
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Don't believe him. Because really what the gospel
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is is it you're saved by the blood of Jesus Christ and
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circumcision, you're saved by the blood of Jesus Christ and
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you have to keep the law the rest of your life.
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And Paul hears about that and says, no, no, no, no, no.
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Let's get back to basics. Let me remind you of the grace
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of God, that you are saved by grace through faith.
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Do you know we're 2000 years after this?
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We are 2000 years in the life and the history and the maturity
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of the church, and this still exists.
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It exists among us now. It has changed a little bit,
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this legalism. I haven't met too many people.
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I mean, really, I don't think I well, I have met actually, I
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have met some that make the inference that in order to be
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saved you have to get circumcised.
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Like, whoa, no thanks. Or you in order to be saved, you
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have to keep the law or a set of rules and regulations that go
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back to the law. I have heard variations of that.
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But most of the time there are people that still want to come
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along your life and say your simple faith in Jesus is not
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enough. Your simple faith in Jesus isn't
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enough. You need to add something.
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And isn't it interesting when someone comes with that message,
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They always have what you have to add.
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They always have some package of works ready to deliver to you so
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that your life now will no longer be by faith, but now by
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faith and works. And so you'll have someone you
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know. Or you can't be saved unless
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you're water baptized. You can't be saved unless you
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read this book. You can't be saved unless you
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follow this man. You can't be saved unless you do
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all these good deeds. You can't be saved unless you go
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to church multiple times. And on and on the list goes.
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But you see, all of these works, they are given to us.
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You see, we're not saved by works.
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We're saved for works. The very different, very
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important distinction here that you need to understand that your
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salvation, your faith in Jesus Christ will lead you to be water
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baptized, obeying God. Your belief in Jesus Christ as a
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believer will lead you to want to read your Bible.
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It will lead you to want to be in church.
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It will lead you to all these wonderful, what the Bible calls
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works of righteousness, but they don't save you.
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Only the blood of Jesus Christ saves you.
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A believer participates in all these, but when an unbeliever
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reads the Bible and isn't born again, the Bible doesn't change
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them. They have to repent of their
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sins. An unbeliever comes to a baptism
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service and go, well, I think I want to do that.
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I think I need to be well. When an unbeliever gets into the
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waters of baptism, the only thing that happens apart from
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repentance, if they don't repent and believe on the Lord Jesus
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Christ, you know what happens to that person?
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They get wet. That's all that happens.
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There is no power in the water to save.
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There is no power in the law to save.
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We'll see that today. There is no power in good works
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to save. The gospel is the opposite.
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The gospel says this. You are saved by faith in Jesus
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Christ and his finished work. You don't come.
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I don't come to God with all my works and say God save me.
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I come to God with empty hands and say God save me.
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And what does he do? He gives me these good works
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that I get to participate in. Very, very important.
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Well notice now as Paul it has to deal with hypocrisy in the
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church and you may if you read ahead you know who it is, but
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you may be surprised by who is playing the hypocrite in this
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episode, verse 11. But when Peter came to Antioch,
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remember Antioch is the church that sent them out to church
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plant. This is Paul's home church.
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Peter comes to Antioch. I withstood him to his face.
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Paul says because he was to be blamed, for before certain men
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came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles, but when they
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came he withdrew and separate himself, fearing those who were
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of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews also
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played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was
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carried away with their hypocrisy.
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But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the
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truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, If you
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being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews,
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why do you compel the Gentiles to live as Jews, we who are Jews
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by nature and not centers of the Gentiles, knowing that a man is
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not justified by the works of the law.
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We'll get to that verse in a moment.
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Antioch is the home Church of Paul.
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This is where Paul and Barnabas were sent out on the missionary
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journeys. Peter had come to visit, and I
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want you to notice how the visit went.
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When Peter came to visit the Gentile church in Antioch, he
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had no problem enjoying the believers in in and he had no
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problem eating with the Gentiles, hanging out with them,
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talking to them, sharing life with them.
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No problem at all. No doubt he ate food that was
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not kosher because he understood it's not the food.
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Peter in the book of Acts earlier on, God dealt with this
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in his life. He received that vision that
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came down of the animals and he's all no, I would never eat
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that. And God said no, no, no.
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And this was the summary for Peter.
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The summary was this what I've called clean, don't you ever
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call unclean. And though Peter gets it.
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And what was the very next thing God was prepping him for?
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Cornelius's house, where he would take the gospel to
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Cornelius, the first Gentile family that we see get saved in
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the book of Acts, where God unleashed the gospel upon the
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whole world, that the gospel from the very beginning, God's
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heart was for every tribe, tongue, and nation, not just for
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a small select group. And Peter knew this.
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He knew this we see even later on because he's eating with the
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Gentiles, enjoying them. There's no issue.
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He's a believer eating their believers, eating, enjoying
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life. And what would commonly be
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called, you can jot it down in your Bibles if you'd like, but
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this would be like an agape feast.
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The early church would get together and eat, and it's not
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uncommon. We like to eat as believers.
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We get together too. You know what, what they call a
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agape feast, we used to call potlucks, but then somebody go,
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oh, we don't believe in luck, so now they're pot blessings,
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whatever. We just come together and we
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eat, you know, we come together, we bring food and just leave
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your rhubarb at home. But like you can bring anything
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else. Leave your Brussels sprouts too.
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You can bring anything else not. And we go like you just come
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together and you share a meal together.
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This was the early church. They'd come in someone's house,
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they'd come together for fellowship, Bible study, they'd
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eat a meal together to have communion together.
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Acts chapter 2, verse 42. We have studied all this.
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That's where he was and he just came and enjoyed fellowship.
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Today we would say he came to church and worship with the
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Gentiles. That's how.
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Oh, we'd say it until things changed.
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It says here before certain men came from James, which means
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they came from Jerusalem. Probably very legalistic Jewish
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believers, could even be a few Judaizers among that group.
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They show up and Peter changed. And what happened to Peter, the
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man that enjoyed meals with the uncircumcised?
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He became a hypocrite. I believe that he was not a
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lifelong hypocrite. I believe this was episodic,
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which is what most of we experience.
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We have these episodic times in our lives when we're not real or
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we don't give the full story. If you don't believe me, I'll
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give you an example that it may affect most of us here today.
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You come to church, you come to work, you're meeting someone and
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they say how are you doing? And you say fine when you're not
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fine. Hypocrite, because they asked
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you how you're doing and you don't want to tell them.
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So you put on a face, you put on a smile.
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Oh, I don't want to bother anybody.
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I mean, you have your motives. It doesn't mean that you did it
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necessarily on purpose, but you did because you chose not to be
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real and authentic. There'll be many times I
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received feedback in our Bible studies here, maybe from the
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radio or even from the congregation here.
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So, oh, Pastor Ed, I just so appreciate your transparency.
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And it kind of breaks my heart because I would, I always think,
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well, what did you expect? What do you want from me and the
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pulpit? You want me to be fake?
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Do you want me to? And I know they're not saying
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that, but I know the pulpits are filled with so many fake people
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today that transparency becomes a value when it should just be
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normal. We should be telling people the
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truth we share in our life, not really worrying about what
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people are going to think about us.
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Notice what he says here. We know the motive Now we know
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why he became a hypocrite right there in verse 12, because he
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feared those of the circumcision.
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Not too long ago we had a Bible study in chapter 1, verse 10.
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If the fear of man or people pleasing is an issue in your
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life, Just a couple weeks ago we studied that one verse and we
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did a whole Bible study to help you fear God more than you fear
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man. It's so important because if you
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fear man, you're going to be doing things that you typically
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wouldn't do. The Bible says in Proverbs 29,
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verse 25 that the fear of man is a snare.
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It's a trap. But whoever trusts in the Lord
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shall be, shall be safe. So that one verse tells me that
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when I fear man, I leave the safety of abiding in Christ.
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Because when I'm in Christ, it doesn't really matter what
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people think about me. Everybody has an opinion, but
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only God's opinion matters. And you'll really value that
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when you're abiding in Christ. He fears man and he chooses to
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abandon the Gentiles. He withdraws from them, refuses
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fellowship to those that he enjoyed prior to this visit.
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It was so bad, notice in verse 13 at the end that even Barnabas
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was carried away by the hypocrisy.
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Peter, This doesn't surprise me so much with Peter because
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Peter's a big personality. You know, when he did faith
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steps, he did big ones. Like he's the one only other
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person recorded in the history of humanity besides Jesus to
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walk on water. I mean, he was big when he took
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a step of faith. It was big.
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It was dramatic and amazing. But when he fell, his falls were
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pretty hard. Big steps, big falls.
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This is a big fall in the early church.
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A very well esteemed, well respected leader, not acting
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like he was taught by Christ. I don't have time to develop
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these. You can take them.
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I encourage you to jot them down.
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I could develop them all into Bible studies, but I want to
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give you some life lessons related to this issue of
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hypocrisy before we go on to the rest of the text that will be
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helpful for you. If you're taking notes, jot them
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down. Things to chew on, things to
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think about this week on this topic of hypocrisy from this
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issue with Peter #1 fear God more than you fear any man.
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It's a simple statement. Pray it into your life if you
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need to. Those of you that are just
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afraid of other one's opinions. And you, you know, again, we, we
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when we illustrated fearing man, some of you go, I don't have any
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problem fearing man. But then I, I reminded you, does
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anybody ever know what it's like to walk on egg shells?
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And hands went all away and the flag started waving.
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So many hands went up when I said that walking around egg
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shells is a form of fearing man. Or you're just trying to
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delicately get through and try to don't, not, don't disrupt
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anything. Don't.
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Yeah. So you don't want to deal with
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the consequence of what might happen if you told them the
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truth or if you said something. So you just keep it to yourself.
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Don't fear, man #1 #2 stay sensitive to other believers
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that are different than you. Invite them into your life.
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Here. Peter's eating with the
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Gentiles, that was very good, but stay sensitive to them.
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Have in your friend group. Have in your your desire to
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reach people, people that are different than you, where you
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can value the humanity in front of you.
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People that are that, that have a different background, people
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that might be of a different skin color, people that that
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come from a different part of the country.
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Like get involved when we start seeing the short term mission
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trips ramp up again, Go, go, go and then go some more.
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See the world, serve the people, expand yourself and broaden
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yourself beyond on what wherever you are today because Peter, he
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may have made a different decision if he valued the people
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that were in front of him more than he feared God, more than he
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feared man. Thirdly, I want you to consider
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this this week, cherish and develop personal friendships and
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fellowship. Again, they build on one
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another, but this one's a little different because in the
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friendship and fellowship, as you're gathering together, even
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in this church family, I started thinking, I wonder how the
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Gentiles felt when Peter abandoned them.
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You were just eating with me, man.
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Like we were just sharing. And now you, now these guys kind
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of, you don't want to talk to me anymore.
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You don't want to be around me anymore.
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I wonder how they how, how their feelings were hurt.
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Again, you're like, man, I don't go to church because they're
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hypocrites. Well, don't be so quick to
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defend that. Like hypocrisy exists and it's
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felt by real people. The scent of hypocrisy hurts
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people. Not only the person is a
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hypocrite, but it hurts you think of the Gentiles.
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Like when you develop these personal friendships and
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fellowship, you begin to think about how God will use you in
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your, in their life. You begin to care about them
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more than yourself. It's very powerful.
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And #4 this comes from Barnabas, from the angle of Barnabas.
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And that is this. It's so important you get this.
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You ready. Even if someone is influential
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in the church, even for someone that's influential in the
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church, if they do something wrong, don't follow them.
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That was a silent room. I kind of set you up for a yes,
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Amen. But I didn't get anything out of
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it. If someone in the church let me,
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let me personalize it. If you ever see me do something
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wrong, do not follow me in that wrong.
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I just set you guys up again, OK?
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Let me let me go out and come back in.
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I'm really serious about it because we live in a day and age
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where everybody's failures are exposed and everything.
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Like, even if someone you respect and honor, if they're
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doing something wrong, don't follow them.
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Don't let their bad behavior be an excuse for your bad behavior.
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Someone's sin doesn't give you permission to sin and even
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someone you respect and honor and follow and and do ministry
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and do life together, if they do something bad like Barnabas here
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watching Peter, don't follow them.
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You keep your eyes on the Lord. Very, very important.
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Otherwise you can say, well, you know, I'm just going to follow
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them with it. No, no, no, That's where people
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get ripped off. Again, Paul is writing to the
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Galatians saying this issue you guys are dealing with, it's not
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an unusual issue. I had to deal with this in
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Peter's life. I had to speak up.
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I had to tell them what you're doing is wrong, man.
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What you're doing is wrong. Not only that, but notice in
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verse 14, hypocrisy is described in this instance as not being
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straightforward about the truth of the gospel.
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What's the truth of the gospel? The Gentiles are saved the same
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way Jews are saved by grace through faith.
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And through Peter's behavior, he sent mixed messages as a leader
24:22
in the church that somehow Gentiles were less and so he's
24:29
not worthy of his time because he feared man and Peter, he
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stood. Our Paul stood up to Peter and
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says, hey, I told him before in front of everyone, what you're
24:41
doing is wrong. The way you're behaving right
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now, it's not right. We're Jews and Gentiles, we're
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all saved the same way as is really what verse 14 and 15 is
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saying. Then he gets to verse 16 and he
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says knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the
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law. Now, if you like to write in
25:02
your Bibles, I'm going to give you things to mark.
25:04
I want you to mark them. It's OK to write in your Bible.
25:06
It's OK to highlight them different colors.
25:08
You got to see this. This is really one of the core
25:12
teachings of the book of Galatians, but it's also one of
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the core teachings of the Bible, the whole Bible, this one verse
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so powerful that's testified and confirmed throughout the rest of
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the Scriptures. And I want you to see it because
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some of you, you'll be set free today.
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Some of you, you just your eyes will be open.
25:28
Some of you, you'll see it clearly.
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So he says look, knowing that a man so this is settled doctrine
25:35
settled when in the early church back then Acts 15 but it's
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always been the heart of God knowing that a man is not
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justified by the works of the law, but by what does your Bible
25:45
say by faith circle the phrase by faith, faith in Jesus.
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Even we have what does your Bible say?
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Even we have believed circle that believed in Jesus, not by
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works of the law, for by the works of the law no flesh will
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be justified. Now skip that.
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Not that we might be justified by faith.
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So circle by faith three times. You notice that by faith, by
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faith believe 3 * 1 of the reasons why I think it's three
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times here is because Peter was a three timer.
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Did you know that Peter was a three timer when he denied
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Jesus? How many times?
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3 when Jesus came to restore him?
26:25
How many times 3 when it's mentioned here in the life of
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Peter, maybe that was a reputation that he had, that he
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was a three timer. Well, here you go, three times.
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I want you to understand this. Paul says it's by faith.
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It's by faith, it's your belief. Understand that.
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But not only that, three other things are mentioned or one
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other thing is mentioned three times.
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Did you notice that you got to hear it out loud?
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I'll just read it to you. We are not justified by the
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works of the law that we might be justified not by the works of
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the law. By the works of the law, no
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flesh will be justified. Did you get it?
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You are not saved by works. You are not saved by works.
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You are not saved by works. In this case, what they're
27:09
dealing with is the law. But any works, you, none of us
27:15
are justified by works. And now some of you might be new
27:18
to the Bible. You go.
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What do you mean justified? What does that mean?
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Glad you asked. Justifies a technical word,
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theologic word if you like to study it.
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I did Bible studies on this. That's one of the advantages, by
27:30
the way, of teaching through the whole Bible verse by verse that
27:32
you can go back to other places and we taught on that.
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So I taught on justification, glorification and sanctification
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in the book of Romans. You can just look it up online
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or on our app if you want to go in deeper, but I'm going to give
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you a definition that's way down on the lower shelf so you can
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pick it up because I want you to understand it.
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Men have spent their whole life writing books on this topic, but
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I'm just going to give it to you a very simple way so you can
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remember it. Justification is a synonym for
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being born again. It was the moment in time,
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millisecond in time, you were declared righteous in the eyes
28:08
of God, or what Jesus would say is born again.
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This is how you remember it, that by the blood of Jesus
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Christ, when you and I were justified, because that happened
28:17
in an instant moment, instantly you were justified.
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This is what it means that when you and I were born again, God
28:24
now sees us. You ready, just as if I never
28:29
sinned. That's what the blood of Jesus
28:32
Christ has done in your life, that in Christ, he doesn't see
28:36
all of your failures. He doesn't see all of your
28:38
weakness. He doesn't see all of your past.
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He sees Jesus in you. He sees the righteousness of
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Jesus on you and upon you. He sends his Holy Spirit to
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dwell in you. You have been justified.
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So when he says we haven't been justified by works, we haven't
28:54
been justified by works, we haven't been justified by works.
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What he would be saying and what how we would say it today is you
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are not born again by works. You are not saved by works.
29:05
You are safe for works. They do come, but you have to
29:09
have them in the right order. And he says it very clearly.
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Three times on both, both of them, three times.
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Faith, faith, believe. No, no, no, to works.
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We're not justified by works, but by faith.
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Even the Jews knew that the law couldn't save a person even they
29:28
knew. I used the same illustration.
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So by now you're going to know it, you're going to remember it,
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and that's a good thing. But I think of our driving
29:34
habits when we're driving through and we see the speed
29:37
limit sign, I want you to remember this about that.
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Not only does it tell you as you compare the number to your
29:42
speedometer, let's just say the number on the sign is less than
29:46
your speedometer. So right away that sign is
29:48
revealed to you that you're a Sinner.
29:51
In that moment, you're a speeder, you're not keeping the
29:54
law, you're a law breaker. That's what that little sign
29:56
just showed you. You looked at the number, you
29:58
looked at your speedometer and you should conclude what a
30:01
Sinner I am. But you know, like that's,
30:03
that's what it is. Now let me add another part to
30:06
this illustration. That sign has no ability to help
30:13
you stop speeding. It has none 0.
30:18
All it can do is reveal to you that you're sinning.
30:22
It can show you the divine standard or the city standard,
30:27
but it's not able to get off the pole, chase you down the street,
30:30
jump in the car and take your foot off the off the
30:34
accelerator. It can't do that.
30:36
It's an inanimate object. It doesn't.
30:38
It can't do that. That's what Paul is saying in
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relation to the law and salvation.
30:43
The law can do a lot of things, reveal to you, show you, tutor
30:47
you. It can't save you.
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It has no power. It leads you to the one who does
30:55
save you, God through his Son, Jesus Christ.
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It's important that we understand that because in your
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life you can replace grace with works very easily and very
31:10
quickly. The essence of Paul's letter to
31:13
the Galatians is that we're saved by faith, not by works.
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So it's important to pause and just ask a few questions in self
31:21
examination today. Are you trying to earn God's
31:26
favor through your good works? Are you trying to earn God's
31:30
favor through your devotions or through your regular church
31:33
attendance or by memorizing verses or handing out gospel
31:37
tracts or all sorts? Is is that is your motive behind
31:41
that? I am, I am good with God because
31:44
I do good. Do you think God loves you just
31:48
because you do things for him? Do you think you're in the right
31:52
standing before God because you don't do bad things?
31:55
Now that you've avoided that and you've done that, and now
31:59
because you're doing good and not doing bad, now God must love
32:02
you? If so, then you have left the
32:05
simplicity of the gospel because God loves you, period.
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And all your behavior, all your decisions are not going to cause
32:17
God to love you anymore or any less.
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It does have everything to do with your enjoyment of
32:24
relationship, though. I mean, I know it's a good, good
32:29
choice to be in fellowship. And you're like, Oh, you know
32:31
what, I need to be in church more often.
32:33
You do or I need to read my Bible more often.
32:36
That's right. And my prayer life can improve
32:39
for sure. And I really need to obey this
32:42
one Scripture like some of you, you just brand new.
32:44
We had people respond to the gospel.
32:46
You need to be water baptized. Yes, you do need to be water
32:48
baptized, but not to earn God's favor, but because God has
32:53
already given you his favor. It's a big difference.
32:56
I was thinking today, you know how many parents I've again, how
32:59
many parents would look at your kids and say, you know what,
33:02
you, you got to prove to me every day that you're my kid.
33:06
Like they get up on Wednesday, where's your ID?
33:08
Where's your ID? Show me, prove to me, you know,
33:11
do this work and that'll prove that you're my son.
33:14
Do this thing and I'll prove. And you know, if you do 10 other
33:16
things, I might show you more love.
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That's not a healthy parenting style.
33:23
It's not good. No parent that loves his kids,
33:26
no parent that loves her kids would ever do that to them.
33:30
But you automatically love your kids.
33:33
They're just, it's automatic. You look at even when they do
33:37
things that may not reflect the culture and character of your
33:40
family, you love them nonetheless.
33:42
Why? Because they're your kids.
33:45
They're your kids. How much more than a human
33:52
parent showing love to their kids does our Heavenly Father
33:55
show us love? If our kids turn their back on
33:59
us, I think of the prodigal son and just went and lived the
34:01
right. Will we stop loving them?
34:04
No never. Our prayer lives will increase.
34:08
Come home, come home, come home. Please stop hurting yourself.
34:14
The blessings of God do not depend upon what we do or don't
34:17
do. The blessings of God don't
34:19
depend upon what we say or don't say.
34:21
No, the blessings of God are based on his love working
34:24
through your faith. It's so simple.
34:27
We, we often take the credit for things only God does because you
34:30
look at your life right now, you're sharing your testimony.
34:32
Oh, you won't believe the things that I've changed ever since I
34:34
got AI, became a Christian. I stopped cussing, I stopped
34:37
drinking, I stopped partying and you don't know what you wouldn't
34:39
believe what I'm doing now I'm going to church, I'm reading the
34:41
Bible and you're like, why? Why do you do that?
34:44
Well, because I'm a Christian. No, that's not why you do that.
34:47
The reason you do that is that God has revealed His love to you
34:51
and you're saved. And now He's put those desires
34:53
in your heart. They weren't there before.
34:56
We can't take credit for any of that.
34:58
The only thing we can take credit for is how much we enjoy
35:02
following Jesus, how good it is, what a great life he's given me,
35:07
what changes he's brought in my life, what he's going to, what
35:10
he's done and what he's doing only makes me excited for what
35:12
he wants to do. But it's not because of my good
35:15
works, my moral decisions. You know I'm, I am now
35:20
personally I, I believe that I am providing and giving and
35:25
helping make society better. I really do.
35:27
There was a time of my life where I was a drain on society.
35:30
Now, as a born again believer, I believe I am contributing to the
35:34
good of society. I believe that with all my
35:37
heart. But why?
35:38
Is it because now I just want to be a good citizen?
35:41
Is that why? Because I just want to make good
35:42
moral decisions and that's it. Now I'm a Christian, so now I'm
35:46
going to follow the list and I'm going to do all these good
35:48
things. I say no.
35:51
The reason why I am a contributor society today is
35:54
because of all that God has done in my life.
35:57
I am a responder. He initiates it.
36:00
He works in your life. He works in my life.
36:04
And we have to have that in order.
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Now a couple of things before we go.
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First of all, it, it was once said, and I believe it to be
36:12
true, that if you, if the doctrine of grace is taught
36:15
properly and it's understood properly, it will be very
36:19
offensive to some. And I'll tell you who it's going
36:22
to be offensive to those of you that have spent your whole life
36:24
working to please God. And you got some guy coming up.
36:28
What do you mean? I don't have to do any?
36:29
What are you talking about? Have I done all these good works
36:32
for nothing? Oh, no, no, no, no, if you
36:35
haven't done all these good works for nothing because the
36:37
world is better placed because of your good works.
36:39
But don't think for a moment that all your good work somehow
36:42
earned you special favor with God.
36:45
It's only the blood of Jesus Christ that saves you.
36:50
You may ask, does all this, does this mean that all these great
36:53
things don't mean anything? No, they do.
36:56
Does it mean that I can live any way I want and just without any
36:59
restraints? No, no, no.
37:01
That's not what Paul's teaching at all.
37:03
The truth is this. You ready?
37:05
Sin will ruin your life. It will always demand the wage,
37:12
and the wage is always death. Sin will always ruin you.
37:15
It will destroy your family. It'll wipe out your health.
37:18
It'll demolish your joy. It'll bring you down to the
37:21
lowest depths of despair. You'll start to think about
37:23
suicidal thoughts. You'll start to hurt the people
37:26
that love you. But what Paul is saying, he's
37:29
not saying go ahead and sin all you want because it's grace.
37:32
No, no, no, no. What he's saying is that grace
37:35
will change you and your behavior will follow the work of
37:39
art. You don't have to look to any
37:40
list. You don't have to look to
37:42
anything because usually what happens is this, and you'll see
37:45
it in your own life. You have a bad day, you have a
37:47
bad week and immediately got to get back to church.
37:50
Got to get back to church. Why?
37:51
Well, you know, I'm out of God's favor.
37:52
I need to get back in God's favor.
37:54
No, no, no. You need to get back to church
37:55
for sure, but not to gain God's favor.
37:58
You had a bad week. You yelled at the kids, had a
38:00
bad day. As a parent, you go, whoa, man,
38:02
I need to pray more. Yeah, you do need to pray more,
38:05
but not to gain favor with God. He loves you already.
38:09
Your prayer life is to be in tune with him so that your
38:12
desire to express love to your kids, the motive is very
38:15
important. It's not to stay saved or to get
38:19
saved. Our Christian activity comes out
38:24
of relationship. I I think of the singles in our
38:27
church that get married, they have a change of relationship.
38:31
And if a single person that gets married wants to continue to
38:35
live a single life, they're going to have a hard time in
38:38
their marriage. Can I get any man on that?
38:40
Because automatically you have a new relationship, you're going
38:44
to live differently. Automatically you don't even
38:46
know how to live differently yet, but you'll learn.
38:49
She'll tell you, don't worry. It's true.
38:58
It's true. It goes both ways, but your
39:02
change in relationship changes your behavior automatically
39:09
because you want to, not because you have to.
39:12
That's where verse 20 comes in. Notice he says I have been
39:16
crucified with Christ. That's a new identity.
39:19
It's no longer I who live. That's a new behavior, but
39:22
Christ lives in me and that's the new power and the life that
39:26
I now live in the flesh. That's your humanity.
39:29
You live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave
39:32
himself for me. I don't set aside the grace of
39:35
God. Paul says if righteousness came
39:37
through the law, then Christ died in vain.
39:40
And that's the point he makes. He goes like Christ did not die
39:43
in vain because he is is exhibit one in grace.
39:48
But he also had Titus with him. Titus is an exhibit like we know
39:52
Christ did not die in vain. So you got to back up and go,
39:55
OK, wait a minute, if Christ didn't die in vain, which is
39:59
true, it wasn't empty or worthless that he died, then you
40:02
got to back up and go, OK, I see the grace of God.
40:05
It's God in me, the hope of glory.
40:07
It's His strength, His wisdom, His help.
40:10
Verse 20 was life changing in my life.
40:12
It's the second verse that I ever was told to memorize after
40:16
Proverbs chapter 3 verses 5 and 6.
40:18
I was struggling. Very legalistic as a new
40:20
believer, very difficult things going on in our marriage.
40:24
If you've ever, if you're married to a legalist or you
40:26
know 1, you know how hard it is to be with them.
40:28
So I'm struggling and in the in the hallway of the children's
40:31
ministry, some brother came up and go, how you doing?
40:34
And I'm going, I'm horrible. Marie's mad at me and I'm a
40:36
horrible legalist, whatever I said.
40:39
And he was so gentle and so kind.
40:40
He says, I know what you need. You need to memorize this
40:42
scripture. I go, what is it?
40:43
Tell me which one. He took me right here.
40:45
And he said, Ed, you're not living.
40:47
You're not living in the power of Jesus in your marriage.
40:50
And I didn't even understand what that meant yet.
40:53
But I do know this. I put this scripture in my heart
40:56
and for 35 plus years God has used it to change my life and
41:01
remember that I'm not living this life in the energy of Ed or
41:06
the wisdom of Ed. It's not my Bible knowledge or
41:09
my prayer time or my study time that God will use in your life.
41:13
It is his. It is his power, his strength,
41:16
his word, his direction, his gifts.
41:19
It's all Jesus and 0 you and 0 me.
41:24
That's grace. Again, I anticipate these
41:29
questions. Go, what do you mean you don't
41:30
have to do anything. I don't mean that at all.
41:33
I need to present myself to God, a living sacrifice.
41:36
I need to come to him daily. But it's not just need.
41:39
I want to. This is my new desire, my new
41:43
why? Because he put his life inside
41:45
of me. It is the grace of God, the
41:48
grace of God. Again, what is a church?
41:51
The grace of God. It's not of works.
41:55
I've been crucified with him under the law.
41:59
I get tired, guilty, condemned, shame ridden.
42:03
But in Jesus Christ he gave me freedom from sin and he wiped
42:07
away the guilt and the shame and he's given me the strength to
42:11
do. It's by the death and
42:13
resurrection of Jesus where there's absolute proof there is
42:16
no other way to heaven except through the grace that is shown
42:19
through him and him alone. Paul was a champion of grace.
42:25
He defended it before the church and the message of grace is ours
42:29
today. Freedom in Jesus Christ, true
42:31
freedom, freedom from the demands of the law, freedom from
42:35
the besetting sins, freedom from addictions.
42:38
Any religious system that someone man has designed to try
42:41
to make you righteous, you're free from it all.
42:44
You're free from any cult, any false teaching, any weird family
42:48
thing that you grew up with, you're free.
42:50
You're a new creation in Christ. All things have passed away.
42:54
Behold, all things have become new.
42:56
And that's the message of Galatians.
42:58
But it's the message of Christianity that in Christ you
43:02
are set free. You have a new identity.
43:06
You don't bring your old identity with identity with you.
43:08
You know, you crucify it. You reckon the old man dead you
43:14
are. The only thing that gets
43:16
resurrected is new life, not old life.
43:19
And nobody wants to meet the old you.
43:21
Did you know that I don't want to meet the old you and you
43:24
certainly don't want to meet the old me?
43:26
But praise God, we get to gather together in the newness of
43:30
Christ. The gospel is good news, not bad
43:33
news, and available to anyone that will come to Him today.
43:39
Amen. Amen.
43:41
We pray that you've been encouraged by this Bible study,
43:43
delivered live from the sanctuary of Calvary Church.
43:47
For prayer, call us at 87730 Grace that's 877-304-7223.
43:56
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43:59
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44:05
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44:08
Be blessed as you worship Jesus this week.