Good weekend to you my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,
Have you ever felt fully energized because your purpose and direction was clear? Perhaps you’ve experienced the opposite, when you felt lethargic and struggling to discern what your next steps should be or if what you were doing had any value at all? I have found myself in both situations during my lifetime.
Join me again alongside the apostle Paul and Barnabas as they wrestle with disturbing news that came to them from some of the towns they had visited and brought to those people the Gospel of Jesus. Do you remember those towns? Perga / Pisidian Antioch / Iconium / Lystra and Derbe, all of which are in modern day southern Turkey. The story of that first missionary journey is told in Acts 13 & 14 and we spent several days traveling with Paul and Barnabas.
As we watch, Paul is writing a letter, as directed by the Holy Spirit, to the Christians in all those towns. Why? Because word has come to Paul and Barnabas that some false teachers had stirred up the Christians there and they were doubting some of what Paul had taught them. The letter Paul wrote is called Galatians and it’s in our Bible.
In the second chapter of Galatians, Paul spends some time reminding his readers of the very clear assignment he had received from Jesus. Paul had gone to Jerusalem to discuss it with the apostles, and they had agreed that Paul had “…been entrusted [by God] with the task of preaching the gospel to the uncircumcised (Gentiles), just as Peter had been to the circumcised (Jews). For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the Jews was also at work in me (Paul) as an apostle to the Gentiles.” (Gal. 2:7,8) Now because Paul had been Saul the Pharisee it would seem more logical if God had commissioned Paul to the Jews, and fisherman Peter to the Gentiles, don’t you think? But have you learned, my friends, that very often God does NOT do what seems logical to us?
As we followed Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey, we saw that whenever they arrived in a new town Paul always took them to the Synagogue, where Paul challenged the Jewish men of that town to consider Jesus the Christ as their long-awaited Messiah. And because of his tremendous Pharisee training, Paul was very convincing in his arguments and presentations. But Paul also experienced a great response from the Gentiles in every town, and that’s why this clarity from God was so important. Paul, was to be the primary spokesman of Jesus to the Gentiles and Peter, was to be the primary spokesman of Jesus to the Jews!
In fact, Paul reported to the Galtian Christians that “James, Peter and John, those esteemed as pillars of the faith…agreed that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the Jews.” (Gal. 2:9,10)
But in the second half of Galatians 2, Paul presents a sad scenario, yet one that was important that he relate to the Galatian Christians because it dealt with the troubling reports he had heard about their confusion with the Gospel. As you read through Galatians 2:11-21 you’ll see Paul relates a time when he had to confront the apostle Peter for hypocrisy which confused many people, even Barnabas. (Gal. 2:11-13) Paul wrote: “We who are Jews …know that a person is NOT justified by God because of the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ…” (Gal. 2:15,16)
Then as now, in every part of the world, people struggle believing FAITH in Jesus Christ, and HIS completed work of atonement death and resurrection, is enough. It’s enough for God to apply Jesus’ payment to our sinfulness and declare us forgiven, justified, righteous! Everywhere we human beings naturally want to earn our acceptance by God. We want to earn our way to heaven. But if God accepts ANY human effort as completing the work of Jesus, then that means Jesus’ atonement death and resurrection is not enough!
So, Paul summarized this powerful reality with this clear statement: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Jesus Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me!” (Gal. 2:20) That my friends is one of the verses in Scripture you might want to memorize! It’s vital to understand, isn’t it? Obviously, none of us was also crucified on the cross with Jesus, so what does Paul mean here? He means my full sin repentance and my full trust in Jesus Christ rejects my sinful self and yields my life fully to Jesus as my Savior and my King.
Therefore, every day I live, from that moment of my salvation on, I live by faith that the Son of God, Jesus Christ, is now empowering me to live my life for God’s glory and honor. It’s as though Jesus is living His life in me!
Paul concluded this powerful second chapter with this declaration: “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Jesus Christ died for NOTHING!” (Gal. 2:21) WOW! That is very powerful, isn’t it? Do you remember Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, only hours before His crucifixion TWICE prayed to God the Father these words: “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.” (Matt. 26:39,42) But there was NO other way for the sinfulness of the human race to be dealt with, than the death of God the Son!
Now we need to pause here and consider these questions:
1. Just as God sent Paul to the Gentiles, whom Paul, as a Pharisee, had hated, so God may invite you or me to join with the Holy Spirit in accomplishing something contrary to our personal desire, in fact it may be outright offensive to us.
Have we set aside our personal agenda and are we living fully submitted to Jesus Christ and His glory, even if it’s difficult for us? Is your life mission clearly from God?
2. Do you and I sometimes doubt the sufficiency of Jesus’ death and resurrection and try to earn God’s favor, God’s blessing, even God’s forgiveness? Do we understand how that mocks what Jesus accomplished?
The powerful “lessons learned” notes are ready to take you deeper at the link below, and then a powerful worship song to draw us to Jesus in worship, and let’s meet here on Monday with Paul.
