Dance Lessons: A Hill to Die On
Galatians 2:1-10
Chenoa Baptist Church
Pastor Jefferson M. Williams
02-16-2020
Here I Stand
In 1521, Martin Luther was summoned to appear before the Diet of Worms. This was a general assembly of the estates of the Holy Roman Empire. Martin’s 95 theses, and his writing after that, had sparked the beginning of what we now know as the Protestant Reformation and the mother church was not happy.
Johann Eck laid out all of Martin Luther’s books and pamphlets on a table and asked if he was the author and if he stood by their contents. Martin confirmed that he was the author but asked for a day to pray before giving his second answer.
The next day the chamber grew quiet as Martin Luther stood and said:
“Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. May God help me. Amen”.
We have an idiom in English that describes Luther’s actions that day - this was his hill to die on. The true Gospel, salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, was so important to Luther that he would be willing to give his life to see it flourish.
Martin had a great example to follow. The Apostle Paul had decided that contending for the true Gospel was the hill he was willing to die on. It consumed him and it fueled his outrage at false teachers that would lead his spiritual children astray.
Chapter One is Done
We’ve finished chapter one. We’ve pushed off from the shore and we are now moving into deeper waters.
Last week, Paul used his extraordinary testimony to show that the Gospel that he preached was not made up but was from God and was powerful to change hearts.
Last week, Paul gave us a quick overview of his salvation story but this week he’s going to zero in on a specific meeting he had in Jerusalem with the apostles.
Remember, that Paul and Barnabas had planted churches in the region of Galatia and now false teachers were coming behind them and questioning Paul’s authority, his apostleship, and accusing him of watering down the message.
They were teaching “Jesus +” theology. Yes you had to put your faith in Christ for the forgiveness of your sins but you also had to be circumcised, follow the dietary laws, and the Mosaic rules. In other words, you had to become a Jew to become a Christian.
Paul was astonished that these baby believers were so quickly deserting the true Gospel. In fact, he goes so far as to say if anyone preached a Gospel other than the one we preached, they need to be sent straight to hell before they can drag anyone else there.
The book of Galatians is a manual for learning to dance to the rhythm of grace, freedom and joy.
Those who dance are thought crazy by those who cannot hear the music.
If you missed any of the opening sermons of this series, go to our Facebook page and you can watch them all.
Turn with me to Galatians 2.
Prayer.
Paul’s Companions
“Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also.” (Gal 2:1)
Fourteen years after that amazing experience on the dusty road outside of Damascus, he went up to Jerusalem. Remember from last week, that he had made a quick trip to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and briefly met James.
There were probably others with him but he highlights two of his traveling companions - Barnabas and Titus.
Barnabas’s real name was Joseph. Barnabas was a nickname. It means “Son of Encouragement.” He was a Jewish leader from Cyprus, a Levite, who we first meet in Acts 4 when he sold a field and brought the prophets to the apostles to use to help the poor. He was generous and wise.
Last week, we saw that the other apostles were scared of Paul but in Acts 9 we see Barnabas advocating for him and introducing him to the other leaders.
In Acts 11, Barnabas is sent to oversee the churches in Antioch and he went and found Paul and they teamed up to lead the churches for an entire year.
Barnabas accompanied Paul on his first missionary journey through the region of Galatia and was a well-know trusted Jewish leader.
Barnabas’s assessment of Paul’s ministry would be very important to the leaders in Jerusalem.
But Paul also brought Titus. Titus had come to Christ as a result of Paul’s Gospel ministry. He was very close with Paul who called him a “true son in the faith.” He would later provide leadership for the chaotic church in Corinth and then oversee the churches on the island of Crete. In fact, archeologists have found a cornerstone with the name Titus inscribed on it in Crete! But at this time, he’s a young man, probably around twenty years old.
Oh yeah, he was also Greek. He was a bacon eating, uncircumcised, BBQ smoking former pagan Gentile!
Why would Paul bring him to this meeting? Titus was going to serve as a real life test case. Martin Luther wrote:
“Paul took Titus along…in order to prove that grace was equally sufficient for Gentiles or Jews, whether in circumcision or without it.”
Titus was obviously born again but he wasn’t circumcised, he had no idea what the dietary laws were and probably know very little about Moses or the Law.
He stood out like a sore thumb.
I once took my senior pastor to an Illini game. They were facing Wisconsin and he was the biggest badger fan I had over known. When I picked him up, he was dressed in all red - Wisconsin sweat shirt and hat. And he ever brought this stuff toy Bucky Badger that played the Wisconsin fight song.
If you have ever been to an Illini game, everyone has on orange. Everyone except Brian. When they would score he would hold the stuff badger up and play the fight song. Someone behind us told him to put the badger down and no one will get hurt.
Would the leaders in Jerusalem force him to be circumcised? The very future of the Gospel of grace hung in the balance.
The Content of Paul’s Message
“I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain.” (Gal 2:2)
Paul was not summoned to Jerusalem by the apostles like a child being summoned to the principal’s office.
He said he went in response to a revelation. We find that revelation in Acts 11:
During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.) The disciples, as each one was able, decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea. This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.” (Acts 11:27-30)
Paul’s main mission on this trip was to bring financial gifts from the churches outside of Jerusalem.
But while we was there, he met privately with the leaders of the church where he laid out the message that he had been preaching for fourteen years.
Was Paul doubting the message he preached? Not likely. He had been given the message directly from Jesus Himself and he had planted dozens of churches and seen perhaps thousands come to faith in Christ.
But he knew that if the Jerusalem apostles tried to add anything to the Gospel his ministry was going to be significantly harder.
So he laid the whole story out. Now it was in the apostles’ court. What would they say in response to Paul amazing account?
Before we see the answer Paul informs us that the Judaizers were even present at this meeting!
Paul Confronts the Judaizers
“Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.” (Gal 2:3-5)
Much to these false teachers surprise, Titus was not required to be circumcised. This would have been a huge blow to their argument. They wanted to drive a wedge between Paul and the other apostles.
Paul said that they were involved in espionage. They had wormed their way into the meeting to spy out the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves.
Paul will write these words later in chapter 5:
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Gal 5:1)
If Titus, and other Gentiles, were forced to be circumcised, then they would have been obligated to obey the whole Jewish law, which can not save.
Paul knows this is a hill he has to die on and doesn’t give into them, even for a moment. Why? “…so that the truth of the Gospel might be preserved for you.”
This verse really stood out to me this week. Paul is contending for the Gospel against the false teachers for the Galatian believers, who were mainly Gentiles. Paul knew this was a watershed moment.
Would the false teachers win and Christianity become another Jewish sect or would the Gospel be for all people in all cultures?
Would it be Jesus + Nothing = Everything or Jesus + external Jewish rule keeping?
He was fighting for the Gospel, for his spiritual children in the churches in Galatia, and for us all these years later.
Spurgeon wrote:
“It is impossible for us to estimate how much we owe to the apostle Paul of all who have ever lived, we who are Gentiles owe more to him than to say other man. See how he fought our battles for us. When our Jewish brethren would have excluded us because we were not of the seed of Abraham according to the flesh, how bravely did he contend that, if we were partakers of the same faith, Abraham is the father of all the faithful that he was loved of God, and the covenant was made with him, not in circumcision, but before he was circumcised, and that we are partakers of that covenant.”
Paul’s view of Circumcision
Let’s stop for a moment and answer a question that some of you might have? What’s the deal with circumcision? Why is it so important?
In America, more than 80% of men are circumcised and it is usually done in the first couple of days of life. For the most part, this has nothing to do with religion but is a health issue.
But for a first century Jew, it meant everything:
It was commanded in the Old Testament.
It was a mark of holiness that set Jewish males apart as holy to the Lord
It was a mark of the covenant and a doorway to the whole Law.
It reminded him at the most intimate times of his life that his body was not his own and that he should honor God with all the parts of his body.
Paul was circumcised and, as a Pharisee, he had taught that a person must be circumcised to be a Jew.
The Judaizers demanded that these new Gentile believers be circumcised:
“The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.” (Acts 15:1)
But now, he dances to a different rhythm:
“Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” (Gal 5:2-6)
What a completely radical transformation of thought! Titus didn’t need to be circumcised. Circumcision was a symbol and Christians were not to have their foreskins removed to be saved but have their hearts circumcised.
The Apostles Confirm Paul’s Ministry
“As for those who were held in high esteem—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism—they added nothing to my message. On the contrary, they recognized that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised. For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle to the Gentiles. James, Cephas and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised.” (Gal 2:6-9)
Now, is Paul being snarky? Is he saying that the apostles aren’t important or that he doesn’t respect them?
Not at all. Of course he respects those who led the church in Jerusalem. But he is being a little snarky toward the Judaizers.
They were elevating the Jerusalem apostles above Paul. Paul understands that God doesn’t show favoritism and that he is just as much an apostle as they are.
But the false teachers were saying,
“Okay, James is the Lord’s own brother and Peter and John spent three years with Jesus. Who exactly is Paul again?”
One thing that I’ve learned and Brad Pitt taught me this is that name dropping is not cool.
When given the opportunity to add, subtract, edit, or tweak his message they didn’t. They recognized that Paul’s story was their story. They understood that God was working in Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles just as He was working in Peter’s mission to the Jews.
That doesn’t mean that Paul never preached to Jews. We know that because he got thrown out of more than one synagogue. And Peter obviously shared the Gospel with Gentiles like Cornelius. The message was the same but their contexts and methods would be very different.
Charles Spurgeon once said that “George Whitfield and Charles Wesley might preach the Gospel better than I do, but they cannot preach a better Gospel.”
Peter was sharing the Gospel with people who understood the concept of a Messiah, the Law, Moses, and the Patriarchs.
In fact, on another visit to Jerusalem, Paul participated in an official church meeting that settled the Gentle question once and for all:
“It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.” (Acts 15:19-20)
Why should they abstain from food sacrificed to idols? Because they were pagans and that was part of their old way of life. And why should they avoid sexual immorality? Because that was part of the practices in the pagan temple.
Notice what James didn’t say that Gentiles had to do - be circumcised, follow the dietary laws (they could keep eating their pork sandwiches), or celebrate feast days (those were a shadow/symbol of Christ).
Jesus had fulfilled the Law for us, in our place, when we couldn’t. We are no longer under law but the church was starting to learn to dance to the rhythm of grace.
Paul was preaching to pagans who had never heard of any of that. All they understood was that they were sinners and that Jesus died in their place, for their sins, to redeem them and give them a relationship with God.
Can you imagine this meeting?
This past summer, I stood in Independence Hall and was overwhelmed with the history of that space. George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Maddison, James Monroe, Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Rush all stood in that room at one time.
In the meeting we are studying today, Peter, James, John, and Paul wrote 21 of the 27 New Testament books! Some people even think Barnabas wrote Hebrews so it could be 22! What an amazing thought. I would have loved to be in that room!
The Judaizers were wanting to sow discord and drive a division between Paul and the other apostles. But much to their horror, Peter, James, and John gave Paul the “right hand of fellowship” confirming their unity when it come to the true Gospel. (Why is it always the right hand?)
The only thing that they asked Paul to do was to remember the poor. That was the very reason that he had traveled to Judea in the first place:
“All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.” (Gal 2:10)
There had been several famines in the land and the population was very poor. Also, once they became Christians many of them were disowned by their families, expelled from the synagogue, and lost their jobs.
What better way to promote the unity of the churches than for Paul to show up with a love gift from the Gentle churches around the region to minister to them?
Applications
We must contend for the Gospel.
Ray Pritchard states:
“Unity matters, and because it matters, we must stand for the truth of the Gospel. And where the true Gospel is preached, we have the basis for Christian unity even though we differ on lesser issues.”
Two weeks ago, The Church of England issued a statement of guidance for their ministers that affirmed the Biblical position that sexual activity was reserved for marriage between a woman and a man.
Last week, after a week of online furor and a letter signed by 3,000 people, including many pastors, the Church apologized: “We recognized the division and hurt this has caused and that we have jeopardized trust.”
Do you understand? They apologized for trying to hold their pastors to a Biblical position on marriage and sex.
The true Gospel doesn’t change, even if it is politically incorrect or seen as “outdated.”
I don’t know how long I will stand in this pulpit but my prayer is that after I’m gone the truth of the Gospel will remain with you.
As a church, we can partner with any church that preaches the truth of the Gospel even if we differ on modes of baptism or songs we sing in service.
2. Remember the poor
Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote this:
“The violence of poverty and humiliation hurts as intensely as the violence of the club.”
Jesus said that the poor will always be among us (Matt 26:11) but He also said that He was sent to proclaim good news to the poor (Luke 4:18).
Liberals can get this wrong when they seek to alleviate physical poverty but neglect spiritual poverty. They give people bread and water but not the bread and water of life.
Conservatives can get this wrong when we proclaim the Gospel but ignore the physical needs of the people.
James shames us in this attitude:
"What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:14-17)
We are called to identify with the poor:
“Come ye sinners, poor and needy / weak and wounded, sick and sore / Jesus ready stands to save you / Full of pity, love and power.”
And we are called to open our eyes to the poor and share with them out of our abundance.
Transformation Church in South Carolina just celebrated their ten year anniversary. They have partnered with RIP Medical Debt to erase four million dollars of medical debt for local residents who live below the poverty level.
Eastview Christian Church paid off all of the school lunch debt at all the schools in McClain County.
Here in little Chenoa, you guys have given almost $700 to the mercy fund and we have had the opportunity to bless several families in our community!
