Let’s pick up our study this week in Galatians 2:11-14, “But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, "If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?” Peter was playing the hypocrite by withdrawing from the Gentiles when his Jewish buddies would show up. I think that Paul found this particularly disturbing since Peter was the first to be used of God to share the gospel with the Gentiles in Acts 10.
By definition, hypocrisy is “a feigning to be what one is not, a concealment of one's real character or motives, or one who assumes a false appearance.” How many of us have not done that? It reminds me of a story about King Louis XIV. Francois Fenelon was the court preacher for King Louis XIV of France in the 17th century. One Sunday when the king and his attendants arrived at the chapel for the regular service, no one else was there but the preacher. King Louis demanded, "What does this mean?" Fenelon replied, "I had published that you would not come to church today, in order that your Majesty might see who serves God in truth and who flatters the king."
We must be careful that we are not the same way. It’s so easy to pretend and God absolutely despises it. I can’t even begin to tell you how many have told me that the reason they don’t go to church is because of the number of hypocrites that are found there. Yet, that same person will deal with hypocrites every day at work and sees no problem in taking their money. As a pastor, my response to these poor delusional souls was always, “Hey, one more will not hurt! Can I look forward to seeing you Sunday?”
Building Lives International
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Monday, October 6, 2008
Ten Days
The other night in my Revelation discipleship class at FBC, we came to the portion of Scripture in Revelation 2 where it says in v.10, "Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested and you will have tribulation for ten days." The question arose about the "ten days". Most commentaries (I.e. John MacArthur) say that "ten days" simply represents a short period of persecution. However, Tim LaHaye has a very interesting take on it that one of my students pointed out. He says that there were ten persecutions: eight of which the Church of Smyrna had to endure. Check out the ten persecutions that he lists. Could each one of these represent one of the "ten days"?
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Adjustments and Announcements
You may notice that I removed several links for my site. I am in the process of reformatting them and downloading them to this website. I'll get them back up plus many more as I can. I've also began a Discipleship Class at First Baptist Church. I'll begin recording those this Sunday in MP3 format and uploading them. God bless each of you!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
A Little Harsh
Let’s pick up our study in Galatians 2:6, “But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man's person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me:” In this verse, Paul is referring to the apostles whom he had never sought in regards to the revelations that he had received after his conversion on the Damascus Road in Acts 9. At first glance, it seems a little harsh. However, most believe that the literal translation is a little harsher than what Paul really meant for it to be. He is just stating that they agreed with him and acknowledged that all men are the same before God. Paul had no hostility toward the other apostles as the verse would seem to indicate.
Notice vv.7-8, “But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision (Gentiles) was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision (Jews) was unto Peter; (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)” Paul was known as the apostle to the Gentiles while Peter was known as the apostle to the Jews. However, it was the same gospel. Gentiles aren’t saved one way and Jews another.
Notice v.9, “And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.” Again, the translation about them “seeming to be pillars” is a little harsh. He is simply saying that an agreement was made about who was to go with whom.
Notice v.10, “Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.” Part of the agreement was also that the poor should be remembered. Jesus had a very special place in his heart for the poor. He said in Mark 14:7, “For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always.” James also said in James 1:27, “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”
Notice vv.7-8, “But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision (Gentiles) was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision (Jews) was unto Peter; (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)” Paul was known as the apostle to the Gentiles while Peter was known as the apostle to the Jews. However, it was the same gospel. Gentiles aren’t saved one way and Jews another.
Notice v.9, “And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.” Again, the translation about them “seeming to be pillars” is a little harsh. He is simply saying that an agreement was made about who was to go with whom.
Notice v.10, “Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.” Part of the agreement was also that the poor should be remembered. Jesus had a very special place in his heart for the poor. He said in Mark 14:7, “For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always.” James also said in James 1:27, “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”
Thursday, September 25, 2008
The Bondage of Legalism
Let’s pick up our study again today in Galatians 2:4-5 where Paul is speaking of those who were trying to put them back under the Law of Moses. Jesus told the Pharisees in Matt 23:25 you are “Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!” I read an illustration several years ago that comes back to mind as I think of what is like to trying to live under the Law. It goes something like this, “Professional golfer Tommy Bolt was playing in Los Angeles and had a caddy with a reputation of constant chatter. Before they teed off, Bolt told him, "Don't say a word to me. And if I ask you something, just answer yes or no." During the round, Bolt found the ball next to a tree, where he had to hit under a branch, over a lake and onto the green. He got down on his knees and looked through the trees and sized up the shot. What do you think?" he asked the caddy. "Five-iron?" "No, Mr. Bolt," the caddy said. "What do you mean, not a five-iron?" Bolt snorted. "Watch this shot." The caddy rolled his eyes. "No-o-o, Mr. Bolt." But Bolt hit it and the ball stopped about two feet from the hole. He turned to his caddy, handed him the five-iron and said, "Now what do you think about that? You can talk now." "Mr. Bolt," the caddy said, "that wasn't your ball." Yep, that about sums it up! Legalism takes all of the fun out of being a child of the King.
Some say today that you have to keep the Sabbath to be saved. Well, what about the rest of the Law: sacrificing animals for sins, stoning fornicators, etc… Why just that one? Paul reminds us in Galatians 5:1-4, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage…if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing…every man that is circumcised…is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.” In other words, you either live under the Law or accept the completed work of Christ on Calvary when He kept the Law for you. You can’t do one without forfeiting the other.
Some say today that you have to keep the Sabbath to be saved. Well, what about the rest of the Law: sacrificing animals for sins, stoning fornicators, etc… Why just that one? Paul reminds us in Galatians 5:1-4, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage…if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing…every man that is circumcised…is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.” In other words, you either live under the Law or accept the completed work of Christ on Calvary when He kept the Law for you. You can’t do one without forfeiting the other.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
New Feature
My son Dane, who knows infinitely more about computers than I will ever know, placed a "Followers" gadget at the bottom of my blog. Click it and register if you would like to automatically receive notices when I update the blog. God bless each of you!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Our Liberty
Let’s pick up our study in Galatians 2:3 where it says, “But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.” This verse speaks to the fact that circumcision was deemed not necessary in order for the Gentiles (anyone that is not a Jew) to obtain for salvation. That was decided at the council that took place in Jerusalem in Acts 15. It essentially established that salvation was not by keeping the works of the law, but by grace alone.
Notice vv.4-5, “And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.” The false brethren spoken of here are those who had questioned the new found “liberty” from the law that was now theirs in Christ.
Obviously, in Paul’s ministry, he had met a lot of these guys. He spoke of them in 2 Corinthians 11:26 when he said that he had suffered at the hands of “false brethren.” Make no mistake about it. They are still around today. Peter spoke of them in 2 Peter 2:1-3 when he said, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you.”
With that in mind, what is our liberty? No more bondage to the Law (3:25, 5:1, 4:9)! In contrast to the two commands of Christ, (love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, and mind and your neighbor as yourself), the Pharisees had developed a system of 613 laws, 365 negative commands and 248 positive laws. Unfortunately, by the time the Lord Jesus came it had produced a heartless, cold, and arrogant brand of righteousness. As such, it contained at least ten tragic flaws. (1) New laws continually need to be invented for new situations. (2) Accountability to God is replaced by accountability to men. (3) It reduces a person's ability to personally discern. (4) It creates a judgmental spirit. (5) The Pharisees confused personal preferences with divine law. (6) It produces inconsistencies. (7) It created a false standard of righteousness. (8) It became a burden to the Jews. (9) It was strictly external. (10) It was rejected by Christ.
Notice vv.4-5, “And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.” The false brethren spoken of here are those who had questioned the new found “liberty” from the law that was now theirs in Christ.
Obviously, in Paul’s ministry, he had met a lot of these guys. He spoke of them in 2 Corinthians 11:26 when he said that he had suffered at the hands of “false brethren.” Make no mistake about it. They are still around today. Peter spoke of them in 2 Peter 2:1-3 when he said, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you.”
With that in mind, what is our liberty? No more bondage to the Law (3:25, 5:1, 4:9)! In contrast to the two commands of Christ, (love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, and mind and your neighbor as yourself), the Pharisees had developed a system of 613 laws, 365 negative commands and 248 positive laws. Unfortunately, by the time the Lord Jesus came it had produced a heartless, cold, and arrogant brand of righteousness. As such, it contained at least ten tragic flaws. (1) New laws continually need to be invented for new situations. (2) Accountability to God is replaced by accountability to men. (3) It reduces a person's ability to personally discern. (4) It creates a judgmental spirit. (5) The Pharisees confused personal preferences with divine law. (6) It produces inconsistencies. (7) It created a false standard of righteousness. (8) It became a burden to the Jews. (9) It was strictly external. (10) It was rejected by Christ.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Desert Theological Seminary
Today, we are going to pickup in Galatians chapter 2. This chapter is very interesting to me in that we find Paul comparing the gospel that he had been preaching with the gospel that the apostles had been preaching to see if they were the same. Remember that Paul had not sat under anyone’s teaching, but had received his training at what I like to call Desert Theological Seminary (that’s the time that he spent in the desert after his conversion experience in Acts 9). It was apparently then that he received much of his knowledge of who Jesus really was and what he was to then do about it.
Notice v.1, “Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also.” “Then after fourteen years” means that Paul had not been there since his last visit in 2:18 right after his conversion. We do know that Paul did return to Jerusalem with the “collection for the saints” in Acts 11:27-30, but because he did not meet with the apostles at that time; he did not refer to them here.
Many feel that this occasion was the same occasion as recorded in Acts 15 with the Jerusalem Council that concluded that the Gentiles did not need to be circumcised. That being the case, Titus was exhibit A at that council meeting as proof that the Gentiles were being saved even though they had not been circumcised according to Jewish law as given by Moses in the Old Testament.
Notice v.2, “And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.” Again, Paul wanted to make sure that the revelation that he had received while at DTS (Desert Theological Seminary) about grace was the same as that of the apostles. If circumcision and law were required for salvation, Paul had been preaching the wrong gospel. We also see some humility in Paul and that’s a far cry from where he was before his conversion, when by his own admonition, he was an arrogant and insolent man like many of us before we got saved. However, those attributes certainly should not mark our lives since we have come to Christ. Both are sinful.
Notice v.1, “Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also.” “Then after fourteen years” means that Paul had not been there since his last visit in 2:18 right after his conversion. We do know that Paul did return to Jerusalem with the “collection for the saints” in Acts 11:27-30, but because he did not meet with the apostles at that time; he did not refer to them here.
Many feel that this occasion was the same occasion as recorded in Acts 15 with the Jerusalem Council that concluded that the Gentiles did not need to be circumcised. That being the case, Titus was exhibit A at that council meeting as proof that the Gentiles were being saved even though they had not been circumcised according to Jewish law as given by Moses in the Old Testament.
Notice v.2, “And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.” Again, Paul wanted to make sure that the revelation that he had received while at DTS (Desert Theological Seminary) about grace was the same as that of the apostles. If circumcision and law were required for salvation, Paul had been preaching the wrong gospel. We also see some humility in Paul and that’s a far cry from where he was before his conversion, when by his own admonition, he was an arrogant and insolent man like many of us before we got saved. However, those attributes certainly should not mark our lives since we have come to Christ. Both are sinful.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Updates
I just realized today that many of the links off of my blog are not working. This is because the website that they were hosted on changed domain names. I am in the process of pulling them up one at a time and reposting them directly on my site. Some of them are complete already. Bear in mind that anything that has a link through www.borderlandcc.org does not work now. I'll get them all up and working as soon as I can. God bless each of you.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Jesus' Family
Let’s pick up our study in Galatians 1:18 where it says, “Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.” As we discussed last week, from the time of Paul’s conversion until the time he arrived in Jerusalem was three years because he was not seeking their approval.
Notice vv.19-20, “But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother. Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not.” Upon his arrival in Jerusalem, Paul also sees an apostle that he refers to as "James, the Lord's brother." The Lord had brothers? Hang on now; I’m going to get a little controversial here; but that’s okay, I’ve got the Bible on my side. One of the most unsubstantiated and contradictory doctrines espoused by the Roman Catholic Church is the perpetual virginity of Mary. This doctrine teaches that Mary never had any other children after Jesus. However, the Bible clearly teaches that Mary and Joseph had more children after Jesus. In actuality, Jesus had at least four brothers and two sisters. It says in Mark 6:3, “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.” I’m sure that some are offended at me right now as well.
To further press the point, the Bible also tells us that Jesus’ brothers were married. It says in 1 Corinthians 9:5, “Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?” Notice that it says “the brethren of the Lord”. That is not referring to spiritual brethren but biological. Also, the Bible says that his brothers had a hard time believing in him as the Messiah. In John 7:1-9 it says, “…His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest.” They were literally daring Jesus to go Judea: to his own hurt of course. These were Jesus’ brothers. My grandmother used to tell me, “Son, as long as you have family, you’ll never lack for enemies.” The older I get, the more I realize how true that is!
Notice vv.19-20, “But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother. Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not.” Upon his arrival in Jerusalem, Paul also sees an apostle that he refers to as "James, the Lord's brother." The Lord had brothers? Hang on now; I’m going to get a little controversial here; but that’s okay, I’ve got the Bible on my side. One of the most unsubstantiated and contradictory doctrines espoused by the Roman Catholic Church is the perpetual virginity of Mary. This doctrine teaches that Mary never had any other children after Jesus. However, the Bible clearly teaches that Mary and Joseph had more children after Jesus. In actuality, Jesus had at least four brothers and two sisters. It says in Mark 6:3, “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.” I’m sure that some are offended at me right now as well.
To further press the point, the Bible also tells us that Jesus’ brothers were married. It says in 1 Corinthians 9:5, “Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?” Notice that it says “the brethren of the Lord”. That is not referring to spiritual brethren but biological. Also, the Bible says that his brothers had a hard time believing in him as the Messiah. In John 7:1-9 it says, “…His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest.” They were literally daring Jesus to go Judea: to his own hurt of course. These were Jesus’ brothers. My grandmother used to tell me, “Son, as long as you have family, you’ll never lack for enemies.” The older I get, the more I realize how true that is!
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