The Book Of Galatians – Chapter 2:11-21 - Message 5 – Paul Reprimands The Apostle Peter Publicly Series

THE BOOK OF GALATIANS – CHAPTER 2:11-21 - MESSAGE 5 – PAUL REPRIMANDS THE APOSTLE PETER PUBLICLY

We are continuing the series in Galatians, following the letter that deeply impressed Paul’s heart because the gospel he preached was being mangled. In this message Paul had to reprimand Peter publicly because Peter failed in the very matter Paul was fighting against.

[A]. THE EVENT THAT PETER MUST HAVE COME TO REGRET

{{Galatians 2:11-13 “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, and the rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy,”}}

We take up the study today and do the second half of chapter 2. Paul continues his personal account so the Galatians would know the whole matter of trying to make Christians keep the Law or parts of the Law. Certain men had come from Jerusalem and tried to add to the gospel especially in circumcision, the Sabbath, and keeping portions of the Law. Paul had appealed to his own personal experience in the previous message and now again in this one, he does the same.

[B]. REVISION

Galatian churches had a problem. They had departed from the pure gospel of grace that had saved them and were being told to adopt Jewish customs from the Law. This made Paul very mad (to use the vernacular) so he is providing his own history and the revelation of his gospel. His work was troubled by those wanting to make the Gentiles keep the Law and to put them into bondage. These actually came from the church in Jerusalem and they must have been meeting there.

I said last time I did not understand why the church at Jerusalem did not deal with this problem because many years had passed, and they must have been clear about the gospel of grace, surely? I can’t understand why the Jerusalem church still sanctioned parts of the Law for believers.

Paul stood on no man’s reputation. He dismissed the reputation of the disciples/apostles at Jerusalem. That does not mean he dismissed them. Their reputation (that is, they were the disciples of the Lord) meant nothing to him. He stated that those who were carrying this error and bringing the Gentiles into bondage were to be accursed and called them false teachers. Later in Galatians he said they can go and mutilate themselves. The problem should have been solved with the Council meeting at Jerusalem where the issue was decided, but even so, still it persisted after that. Galatians is the letter to the churches to try to right this evil teaching. Paul was so conscious of the grace of God, more than any other Apostle I would say, but all this false teaching just kept smashing away at the grace of God. Paul would have none of it because the gospel of grace was God’s direct revelation to him in the clear cut outline of the true gospel.

The Body of Christ is one. It is made of Jew and Gentile, free and slave, and all people groups yet it is one Body, one Church, one Bride.

[C]. PERSONAL EXAMINATION – WHERE DO WE STAND?

If I invited you to come to the front here if you have never let the Lord down, would you come? Would you think of coming? No one would want to come because we are sinful creatures saved by grace still retaining the old nature and we have so many failures. (I am making it a public issue for the sake of the argument).

If I asked if you have let the Lord down, then come out, would you? It would be pointless and a waste of time doing it because we would all be standing there. However we would not want to come out in public view because we are ashamed of the old nature that disgraces us far too many times. We do let the Lord down but we don’t like to admit it.

Some of us would be hiding quite serious ways in which we let the Lord down; things we might be ashamed of, but if they were recorded for all to see, how would you feel? Devastated? Ashamed? Worthless? POOR PETER. It was all out in the open for 2000 years. This man who loved the Lord battled just like we do with the old nature and fears and failure. Remember how he got caught up in the moment and in his own strength and was able to walk on the water - for a brief time - then reality led to failure. How did he feel? Remember his boast that he would die before betraying the Lord in the Lord’s greatest need? Yet he failed very miserably and all through his years I don’t think he forgot that failure. The devil recalls our failures. Not only is he the accuser of the brethren before God but he is the accuser TO the brethren.