1. Even though Paul had to privately and publically correct Peter, they were still united.

Transcription

1 ï» back t title page SERIES: THE GREATNESS OF GRACE TITLE: THE GRACE OF THE SUMMONS TEXT: GALATIANS 2:15-18 INTRO: Here, Paul intrduces the subject f Justificatin, a subject he will deal with mre thrughly in ch. 3. The Wrld seeks justificatin n ne level r anther, but mst peple d nt understand what it means t be truly justified. Many try t justify their sin after a sermn Yeah, but What is justificatin? Webster 1828: IN THEOLOGY -Remissin f sin and abslutin frm guilt and punishment; r an act f free grace by which Gd pardns the sinner and accepts him as righteus, n accunt f the atnement f Christ. Paul teaches the Galatian believers 3 Truths that Justificatin is nt based n in this Scripture. I. JUSTIFICATION IS NOT BASED ON ORIGIN 2:15 a. Desn t Matter Wh Yur Friend Is We i. Here, Paul is referring back t Peter; a cntinuatin frm 2:14. ii. By referring back t Peter, Paul shw tw truths: There was NO DIVISION between Paul and Peter. 1. Even thugh Paul had t privately and publically crrect Peter, they were still united. 2. Paul knew hw t give crrectin, and Peter knew hw t receive crrectin. There will be n NAME DROPPING t get int heaven. 1. Peter was cnsidered at that time ne f the leaders f the NT church. 2. Peter and the church hld n special keys t the gates f heaven.

2 Nt base n rigin wh yur friend is b. Desn t Matter Wh Yur Family Is Wh are Jews By Nature bred, and educated Jews. i. We wh belng t the Jewish natin - wh have been brn, ii. Many Jews f that day, and ur day tday, think that they have sme srt f eternal relatinship with Gd just because f their birth. The Jews as a natin are Gd s chsen peple here n earth, but the nly way int heaven is by repentance f sin and faith in Jesus Christ and it is the same plan fr all peple. Jhn the Baptist tells the Pharisees in Luke 3:8 Bring frth therefre fruits wrthy f repentance, and begin nt t say within yurselves, We have Abraham t ur father: fr I say unt yu, That Gd is able f these stnes t raise up children unt Abraham. v. The same is true fr many wh grew up in a Christian hme. But being brn in a Christian hme des nt make ne a Christian. vi. I was brn in a hspital, but that did nt make me a dctr. c. Desn t Matter Wh Yur Fe Is Nt Sinners f the Gentiles i. Paul is nt saying that Gentiles are sinners and nt the Jews. ii. Paul was the same ne wh wrte: Rmans 3:23 Fr all have sinned, and cme shrt f the glry f Gd; because they were Gd s chsen peple But many Jew s did regard themselves abve the Gentiles nt vertically. T many peple tday make their cmparisns hrizntally and v. Dn t lk t thse arund yu, but t the One abve yu. d. ORIGIN II. JUSTIFICATION IS NOT BASED ON OBLIGATION 2:16 Obligatin smething that must be dne because f legal r mral duty. Paul gives 3 reasns why we are nt bligated t d smething in rder t be justified. a. We are nt bligated t d smething in rder t be justified because f the Weakness f ur Functining - Knwing that a man is nt justified by the wrks f the law, i. This speaks t bth the mral and ceremnial law f the OT.

3 ii. The Jew knew the law better than any ther natin, and therefre knew that there was nne that kept the entire law. will bligate Gd t justify us. There is n amunt f keeping the Law, r ding gd wrks, that There is nt ne single verse in the Bible that says, D x amunt f gd deeds and yu can g t heaven. v. Biblical Christianity is nt the keeping f Laws in rder t btain righteusness, but the exercise f faith unt justificatin. b. We are nt bligated t d smething in rder t be justified because f the Witness f ur Faith - but by the faith f Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith f Christ, and nt by the wrks f the law: i. Paul wrds it this way t the church f Ephesus Eph. 2:8-9 and their wrks f the law. ii. Everyne has faith. Many f the Jews had faith in their heritage Many tday have faith that their gd will ut-way their bad. But the nly faith Gd will accept is faith in His Sn. law. v. And this faith is a witness f its superirity ver the wrks f the what justifies us tday with Gd. vi. Our faith in Jesus wrk n the crss, and nt ur wn wrks, is Weakness f ur Functining, Witness f ur Faith c. We are nt bligated t d smething in rder t be justified because f the Wrks f ur Flesh - fr by the wrks f the law shall n flesh be justified. i. Paul here references Psalms 143:2 And enter nt int judgment (judicial verdict) with thy servant: fr in thy sight shall n man living be justified. ii. Just as the psalmist warned abut standing n trial in frnt f any persn because smene smewhere culd find the dirt n yu we will nt be able t stand befre Gd after we die and enter int heaven by any wrks f ur flesh. and nt Rtten Steps f Religin. d. Origin, Obligatin Justificatin cmes frm faith in a Risen Saviur f Righteusness III. JUSTIFICATION IS NOT BASED ON OURSELVES 2:17-18

4 a. Here, Paul deals with the fact f sin AFTER salvatin. b. We urselves - These tw verses puts everyne n the same plane as sinners. c. Befre salvatin and after salvatin, we are all still sinners. d. Vs. 18 Peter had publically said that there was n difference between Jew and Gentile, but his actins cntradicted it. e. Paul is telling them that nce we cme t the realizatin that gd wrks and deeds cannt justify them fr salvatin, they shuld nt return t the Law after salvatin. f. It wasn t gd enugh befre, it can t be gd enugh afterwards. g. S many Christians say they are saved, but yet they still live the same lifestyle as befre they gt saved. h. That is nt what Christ ministers. i. When there is n changed life, it means there prbably was n changed heart. CLOSE: Everyne here tday needs t cnsider where their justificatin cmes frm: Are yu depending upn yur: Origin Christian family, Christian natin Obligatin wrks i.e. baptism, church membership Our self gd ut-way yur bad. Justificatin nly cmes by repentance f yur sin and placing yur faith in the risen Sn f Gd wh was crucified fr yur sins. Merlin Carthers, authr f the bk Prisn t Praise, had firsthand experience f what it is like t be declared righteus. During Wrld War II, he jined the army. Anxius t get int sme actin, Carthers went AWOL but was caught and sentenced t 5 years in prisn. Instead f sending him t prisn, they judge tld him he culd serve his term by staying in the army fr 5 years. The judge tld him that if he left the army befre the five years ended, he wuld have t spend the rest f the term in prisn. Carthers was released frm the army befre the five year term had passed, s he returned t the prsecutr s ffice t find ut where he wuld be spending the remainder f his sentence. T his surprise and delight, Carthers was tld that he had received a full pardn frm President Truman. The prsecutr explained: That means yur recrd is cmpletely clear. Just as if yu had never gtten invlved with the law.

5 This is what Christ did fr us n Calvary; this is what we celebrate during Easter - Christ s death, burial, and resurrectin fr ur justificatin. A cmplete pardn frm sin awaits thse wh will trust in Christ fr their salvatin.