Sermons

In Galatians 2:15-21 Paul is speaking to those who had also been raised in the faith. He says, "we ourselves are Jews by birth." Paul is beginning to make the case that birth into a religious family does not save you, for he goes on to say that we have been justified by faith and not by works of the law.

The Apostles probably did not fully understand the real world implications when they decided that circumcision and food laws were not to be added to the Gospel. It didn't take long to arrive at the truth, but it would take time to iron out the details in the real world. It didn't take long for Peter to flip flop. It's what Peter did well. He also repented well. Although Peter knew that nothing was to be added to the Gospel, he still did not live out his theological convictions. Peter agreed with the decision to not force Jewish tradition on Gentiles and yet he continually followed the rules which became a problem for the church in Galatia. Consequently, Paul and Peter were in a battle.

Imagine the setting. All of the greatest players are in the room. They have all the authority to make things happens. It is do or die time. A conflict has arisen and this group of people has been asked to bring a resolution. Whatever they decide will set the tone for billions of people until the end of time. What could cause such a commotion? What could bring so much intensity to one room? Circumcision.

We don't often see what God is doing through someone until the whole plan unfolds. Paul was one of those guys. Before he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul, then called Saul, was on his way to destroying the church and crushing the Gospel--or so he thought. The church must have wondered what God was up to every time Saul showed up in their town to wreak havoc. This man was relentless. And yet, in the end, God used Paul to change the world.

When we add even a small addition to the Gospel we have no Gospel at all. This is what Paul is saying in the first verses of Galatians. We are free to follow Jesus and Jesus alone. We can't add good works, self-righteousness, traditions, churchianity, Christianese, or even our brand of doctrine to the Gospel. The Gospel is the Gospel all by itself. It doesn't need our help to improve upon it.

Have you ever heard of a person who made a complete turnaround in their life? Maybe you were shocked by the turnaround because this person seemed like a lost cause? Paul was that man. He was once called Saul and he made it his mission in life to kill Christians and crush the advancing Gospel of Jesus. That is, until Jesus met him on a road and told him otherwise.

What are your worries about tomorrow? What is on the agenda? What is bothering you? W hat gives you great concern? Is it your job? Your kids? Your lack of a spouse? The spouse that you have? Money? Success? What gives you great consternation? What seeds of doubt have been planted concerning the future. God makes promises about the future in the Bible. He tells us that there will be good times, bad times, and that ultimately, He will win, Jesus will rule, and we will be made like Jesus. It is a pretty great future when you think about it for a minute.

The doctrine of assurance is so important to the lives of Christians because it gets at the heart of the nature of salvation and of God's character. Our war with sin has been won already, but in the battles left to fight until we're glorified, Christians often get discouraged. One of the most unfortunate and darkest ends of this discouragement is when one believes that they are no longer under the grace that saved them in the first place. This is a horrible predicament, because they are left in a position where they still believe in the existence of God and his justice, but now feel they are under his judgment. This obviously can be completely debilitating in every area of life.

There is perhaps no more fertile soil for seeds of doubt than suffering. Suffering can produce feelings of animosity toward God, feelings of isolation, or perhaps a full-out denial of God. Psalm 46:1 says that "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." This is true, and should bring us assurance. But the working out of this truth is hard, because we are temporal people who live our lives one day at a time. God's purposes in suffering usually take time (sometimes a very long time) to be revealed, and sometimes it never is fully.

Is doubt the enemy of faith? Is it a sin to doubt? Can doubt be a good thing? Is it okay for a Christian to doubt? Doubt can destroy us or it can lead us to deeper knowledge of God. Doubt can be the cause of anxiety or reliance on Jesus. To be sure, every human being that has ever walked the face of the earth has struggled through doubt, but Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith gives us good reason to lean into Him when we doubt.