Participants: Tony Moore
Series Code: IFP
Program Code: IFP000015
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01:39 We're here in the Church of Paul in Pisidian Antioch.
01:42 This church was built upon the foundation of an earlier 01:46 Jewish synagogue where Paul and Barnabas would have come 01:49 to present Jesus as the Christ, as the Messiah. 01:53 They preached Jesus here, He was exalted. 01:58 The Jews the city became quite agitated with Paul because 02:02 he was not requiring Gentiles to become Jews before they 02:05 accepted Jesus as Messiah. 02:08 He was not requiring that they be circumcised. 02:11 Paul would return to Antioch filled with joy and the Holy 02:15 Spirit at what God had done here and in the 02:18 surrounding cities of Galatia. 02:21 But the Jews would continue to agitate on this issue. 02:24 It cause the Council of Jerusalem to be held 02:29 and we read about in Acts 15. 02:32 The Council of Jerusalem was specifically over the issue 02:35 do you have to become a Jew to be saved? 02:39 Acts chapter 15, let me read you the first two verses. 02:57 Did you notice that? Unless you are circumcised according 03:00 to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved. 03:02 In other words, accepting Jesus as your Messiah is not 03:06 sufficient for salvation. 03:08 You must add to that circumcision, 03:12 circumcision? yes circumcision. 03:15 They were saying that you had to be come a Jew 03:17 in order to be saved. 03:34 Ultimately the matter is settled. 03:36 You do not have to be circumcised to believe in Jesus. 03:40 That is, you do not have to become a Jew, 03:43 in order to be saved. 03:45 This settled the issue, or did it? 03:49 Judaizers, that is people who believed in Jesus and yet were 03:55 Jewish came to some of the areas here in Galatia and 04:01 began to stir up people, misleading the converts that had 04:06 come to believe in Jesus in this very synagogue. 04:09 Paul picked up his pen and wrote the letter to the 04:12 Galatians to deal with this issue. 04:15 He says, I am amazed at how quickly you are abandoning 04:19 the Gospel, you are turning away to another gospel which 04:22 is really no gospel at all. 04:24 There is only one gospel, 04:26 the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the Christ. 04:29 Paul writes some of his most heartfelt teachings to the 04:33 churches here in the region of Pisidian Antioch. 04:37 He goes right to the very heart of the matter by 04:41 exulting Jesus as Lord of all. 04:44 Let me share with you a few kernels of truth from the 04:48 letter that Paul wrote to the churches of Galatia. 04:52 Paul describes. 05:03 How Peter had to be rebuked by Paul when he came up to 05:07 Antioch because even after the Council of Jerusalem 05:11 Peter would not have fellowship with the Gentiles. 05:14 when the Jewish believers came up from Jerusalem, 05:17 Paul said that there cannot be a two-tiered 05:21 Christianity, there cannot be a premier Jewish 05:24 Christianity and a Gentile Christianity. 05:28 No we must all be one in Jesus. 05:32 He writes in verse 15 of chapter 2 of Galatians. 06:05 Often people tell me, Tony in olden times, Jews were made 06:09 righteous by observing the law, but it is very 06:12 interesting that Paul says no one will be righteous 06:16 by observing the law. 06:18 Then why was the law given? 06:21 What is the role in the dimension of the law? 06:24 Did Paul observe the law? 06:26 Of course, in our series we see, time after time, 06:31 Paul observing the Sabbath. 06:33 In Acts 13 he came right to the synagogue and shared 06:38 with both Jews and Gentiles about Jesus 06:41 here on the Sabbath. 06:43 In verse 44 records that the next Sabbath almost the 06:47 entire city came together to hear the word of the Lord. 06:51 Paul, was a Sabbath keeper. 06:54 In Acts chapter 16, Paul comes to the Roman colony in 06:58 Philippi, another colony like a colony here in the city 07:03 of Pisidian Antioch but in Macedonia. 07:05 When he arrived, he discovered there was not a Jewish 07:08 community in the city. 07:10 There were only a few women and they 07:13 were out by the river. 07:15 Luke wrote that, we came into the city and went out by 07:18 the river on the Sabbath where prayer was 07:20 wont to be made. 07:21 And there he shared Jesus with Lydia and the others 07:26 who had gathered. 07:27 Later on in the same story, it records that they went out 07:32 to the river again on the Sabbath. 07:35 The same wording is used, that special wording to 07:38 describe Sabbath worship. 07:41 Chapter 17, Paul goes to Thessalonica and there he goes 07:46 into the synagogue on the Sabbath and presents Jesus. 07:51 Yes this was Paul's custom, Paul's habit. 07:54 When Paul was a Philippi, there is a fascinating insight 07:59 that happens, Paul is accused of being a Jew and teaching 08:04 Romans things that were unlawful. 08:06 You see it was okay in the Roman world to be a Jew, but it was 08:10 not okay to proselytize Romans. 08:13 So he was accused of being a Jew, isn't that curious? 08:17 Paul was a Sabbath keeper, and when the Romans looked 08:21 at Paul they did not see a difference between Paul and 08:25 the Jewish community. 08:27 As a matter of fact, when Paul was leaving for Macedonia 08:30 for the last time, it records in the book of Acts that 08:33 spent Passover here, Acts 20:6. 08:50 Paul celebrated the feast of unleavened bread, 08:52 or Passover, at Philippi. 08:55 Paul was Jewish, the people a Philippi looked upon him 08:58 as a Jew, they accused him of being a Jew and turning 09:02 the whole world upside down. 09:04 Now he's trying to come in and convert Romans. 09:06 Even at the end of his career, 09:09 Paul was celebrating Passover. 09:12 When he passed from Assos he did not stop at Ephesus because 09:19 he intended to reach Jerusalem for Pentecost. 09:22 Notice Acts 20: 16. 09:37 Paul wanted to reach Jerusalem for Pentecost. 09:40 He wanted to celebrate the giving of the law to God's 09:44 people in the great city of Jerusalem. 09:48 Paul pressed on, yes Paul was Jewish. 09:52 He understood there was a difference between Jews and 09:56 Gentiles, was that difference about the day of worship? 10:01 Oh no my friend it was not, the difference was over the 10:05 aspect of having to become Jewish. 10:08 The Council of Jerusalem declared that you did not 10:11 have to become circumcised to become a believer 10:13 if you were Gentile. 10:16 There is a very interesting relationship between two 10:19 of Paul's companions, Timothy and Titus. 10:23 Timothy, who is from this very area, the region of 10:28 Lycaonia, had a Jewish mother. 10:32 Paul had him circumcised, Timothy's mother was Jewish 10:37 and his father, this Greek, he had him to be circumcised. 10:42 But Titus was 100% Greek and Paul did not require him to 10:47 be circumcised, he noted the difference between people of 10:52 a Jewish background, and a Gentile background. 10:55 Yet we have seen in Paul's teachings that he is not 10:58 teaching two different days of worship, one on the 11:01 Sabbath for the Jews, and another were Gentile 11:04 Christians on the first day of the week. 11:07 Oh no, notice the consistency of Paul's teachings 11:11 throughout the book the Acts. 11:13 Let me read to you Acts chapter 21. 12:25 Some have believed that Paul was teaching Jews not to 12:28 not circumcise their children. 12:30 We have already seen that he had Timothy circumcised, 12:33 but did not have Titus circumcised. 12:36 So to counter this, the elders in Jerusalem suggest that 12:40 Paul participate in this rite of purification of the 12:44 Temple, which Paul agrees to do. 12:47 He is Jewish, and so he goes up to celebrate that. 12:51 Of course the devil uses this as an opportunity to 12:54 accuse Paul through certain parts of the rattle that 12:57 he has brought a Gentile into the Temple and has no 13:00 regard for the customs of the fathers. 13:03 Paul time after time counters this argument saying 13:07 that he has done nothing against the fathers or 13:11 the customs of Moses. 13:13 In Acts chapter 23:1. 13:23 Paul says I have not done anything against God or the 13:26 teachings that I have received, I have only accepted 13:28 Jesus as my Messiah. 13:30 He comes down to verse 6 and says. 14:17 Yes Paul was vindicated even by the Pharisees. 14:20 If he was teaching gentiles to observe another day 14:23 of worship, do you think that the Pharisees would 14:25 have supported him? Of course not. 14:28 Paul had focused on the issue of justification, 14:31 are we justified by believing in Jesus as our Savior, 14:35 as our Messiah, or are we justified by 14:38 just being circumcised? 14:40 Paul said that no one, not a Pharisee, not a son of 14:44 the Pharisee, no one could be justified or made 14:48 righteous by observing the law. 14:50 This would be a gift from God, a gift of faith in 14:55 Jesus as the Messiah. 14:57 But first I want to share with you one more passage 14:59 before we leave this teaching. 15:01 It is Acts 24, Paul is on trial before Felix. 15:31 Before Felix, Paul testifies that he believes in the 15:36 law and the prophets. 15:38 Could he do that in a clear conscience, if he was 15:42 teaching a different day of worship? 15:44 Of course he couldn't, and Paul is brought to Rome, he 15:49 has the same testimony. 15:51 Acts 28:17-19. 16:10 He says I've done nothing against the customs of Judaism 16:14 and yet I was arrested and had to appeal to Caesar and 16:18 that is why I am here. 16:20 Paul can say this with a clear face because he 16:23 had a clear conscience. 16:25 It was the truth, Paul was celebrating the Sabbath. 16:29 Paul was observing Passover and Pentecost, 16:34 seeking to honor his Lord. 16:37 Paul had not established a separate day of worship. 16:40 How did the first day of the week arise, well that is a 16:44 subject for another teaching. There are several verses that 16:48 do talk about the first day of the week and we will explain 16:51 those in their setting. 16:53 There is a very confusing passage to some people 16:56 that happened at Alexander in Troas and we will go there to 17:00 that site to be able to teach on that subject, 17:03 but right now I want to have this clear in our minds. 17:09 Paul was observing God's Sabbath as a Jewish Christian. 17:13 Paul was teaching Gentile converts to observe God's 17:18 Sabbath as Gentile Christians. 17:20 There was harmony in the church. 17:26 Worship on the first day of the week would arise in 17:29 a far later time, but that will be the subject of a 17:32 teaching from Troas. 17:34 Now let's go back to Galatians and try and 17:37 tie these threads together. 17:39 Paul wrote to the church year, the city of Antioch, 17:42 Derbe, and Lystra, Iconium, and he comes down 17:45 to chapter 3:1. 18:04 Paul says you have been bewitched, something happened 18:07 by a spell of sorcery to take you away from believing in 18:10 Jesus and put your heart into another gospel. 18:14 How could it happen to the people in the city who 18:17 worshiped in the synagogue? 18:19 Verse 6. 18:27 Paul goes right back to the beginning, consider father 18:30 Abraham, he believed God and it was credited to him as 18:34 righteousness, he was not made righteous because of what 18:38 he did, because of his good Acts, he believed and it was 18:43 credited to him as righteousness 18:45 Understand then that those that believe are 18:48 children of Abraham. 19:05 Did you catch that? God announced that He would preach 19:08 the gospel ahead of time to Abraham. 19:11 Abraham is saved by the same gospel that I am saved by. 19:15 The same gospel that you are saved by. 19:18 The difference is, he looks forward to Messiah, and we 19:21 look back to Messiah, the same Messiah saves us all. 19:25 No one can be made righteous by observing the law that 19:29 Paul has already said. 19:30 He comes down to verse 10 and talks about the very 19:34 heart of the matter. 19:47 Paul says that some are under a curse. 19:50 Who is under a curse? The people that observe the law, 19:54 no, you have to read the passage carefully. 19:58 Paul says. 20:06 They are relying upon the observance of the law for their 20:09 salvation and they come under a curse, why? 20:14 Paul quotes the law and explains what he means. 20:24 Paul quotes that passage from Deuteronomy 27:26. 20:29 The people who were cursed are not the ones who are 20:33 obedient, but the ones who were disobedient. 20:36 Cursed is everyone does not do everything that is 20:40 written in the book of the Law. 20:42 The problem is precisely this, all have sinned and come 20:47 short of the glory of God. 20:49 Therefore, all are under the curse. 20:52 The law condemns all of us to the second death 20:57 because of our sins. 21:01 Paul says we have a problem, the law is perfect and just 21:05 and good, but it was never given as a means of salvation. 21:09 Let's read on Galatians 3:11. 21:29 Again Paul quotes scripture, Leviticus 18:5. 21:33 He is saying that the man that does these things 21:37 will live by them. 21:40 If you obey the law, you will live, if you disobey 21:44 the law you will die. 21:46 That is a simple term of the old covenant that was given 21:49 to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. 21:51 When God said stay away from the tree, and you will live 21:54 forever, but if you come and eat of the tree you will 21:57 certainly die, obey and live, disobey and die. 22:01 Unfortunately our first parents disobeyed and they 22:05 bequeathed to the human family the legacy of death. 22:09 Because of their act we died a first death, but scripture 22:15 says that we all have sinned and became 22:17 short of the glory of God. 22:19 Because of our sinful acts, we must die the second death. 22:24 Yet God loves the human family, 22:28 He did not want us to die. 22:30 So Paul shares the most incredible message ever heard. 22:34 With the church here at Galatia you notice verse 13. 22:47 And once again he quotes from scripture, 22:49 Deuteronomy 21:23. 22:51 Paul says, Christ has redeemed us from the curse of law. 22:58 I love that passage, Jesus redeemed us from the curse of 23:04 law, what was the curse of the law? 23:06 The curse of the law was disobedience, when I disobey 23:10 I come under its condemnation, under its curse. 23:14 It condemns me to eternal death, but Paul says Jesus 23:17 redeemed us from the curse of disobedience. 23:21 He redeemed us from the curse of death by becoming 23:25 the curse for us, incredible. 23:29 Jesus became a curse for us. 23:33 2 Corinthians 5:21, "for God had made Christ to be sin" 23:37 "for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the" 23:41 "righteousness of God in him. " 23:43 Jesus took my sins, your sins, upon Himself. 23:47 He took the sins of the entire world upon His pure holy 23:52 nature, for Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the 23:56 law by becoming the curse for us. 23:59 He took the curse of our disobedience and took the 24:04 curse of the second death upon Himself. 24:08 For Christ has redeemed us from the curse of law by 24:13 becoming a curse for us. 24:15 Peter wrote to the church in this area by saying, 24:21 Jesus bore our sins in His own body on the tree. 24:27 Jesus took our sins, and because of that, it crushed out 24:34 He is pure and holy life. 24:35 He died for our sins, to make an atonement for our sins, 24:40 to be able to make us just as if we never sinned. 24:44 Paul says that is the only way that anyone can be made 24:48 righteous, Abraham look forward to that and we look back 24:52 to that, it is the same event. 24:54 Paul says for it is written, cursed is everyone who hangs 24:58 on a tree, I have to go to the heart of the matter and 25:02 share the gospel with you. 25:04 Cursed it is everyone who hangs on a tree. 25:07 When Jesus was arrested in Jerusalem, the Pharisees, 25:11 Sadducees put aside their differences and came together 25:16 to arrest Him. 25:20 They wanted Him to be executed. 25:24 They took Him before Pontius Pilate, he said you have 25:27 a law you judge Him. 25:28 They said we can't put Him to death. 25:30 What happened with Stephen a few years later? 25:33 They took him out to Lions gate and they stoned him. 25:37 Paul was there as Saul Tarsus, the great persecutor of 25:41 the church, but they did not want Jesus to be stoned. 25:45 They wanted Him to be crucified because the law said, 25:49 cursed is everyone who hangs a tree. 25:52 They believed if you were stretched between heaven and 25:54 earth upon a cross, that God the Father would have nothing 25:57 to do with it and have to turn His back on Him. 26:00 That is why Paul would write later on, the cross is 26:03 foolishness to the Greeks, but a stumbling block to Jews. 26:08 They believe that anyone put on a tree was cursed by God. 26:12 Yet Jesus took the very curse Himself for us, that He 26:17 might forgive our sins and grant to us eternal life. 26:22 The Jews look back on two great people in Jewish history, 26:27 Paul writes about it in Galatians. 26:29 Abraham and Moses. 26:32 Moses gave the law and Paul explains, the law was given 26:36 to reveal sin, never as a measure of salvation. 26:42 They got it mixed up, Paul brings them back to the focus of 26:47 salvation by grace through faith alone. 26:51 That is the substance of his message to the church here 26:55 in Galatia, and to churches throughout 26:58 the world everywhere. 27:00 As the sun sets here Pisidian Antioch on the Sabbath I 27:04 invite you to join me as we pray. 27:06 Father in heaven we thank you for the time when Paul and 27:10 Barnabas walked up that difficult road, that passage up 27:14 through the mountains that was so dangerous from 27:17 Pamphylia to Pisidian Antioch where they preached in this 27:20 synagogue, sharing the gospel on the Sabbath. 27:23 We thank you also for the mighty message of Galatians that 27:26 Paul sent back to this church and to the churches in the 27:30 region to clarify the issues of salvation and how we are 27:33 saved by grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ. 27:36 Oh Father, we thank you so much for that. 27:40 We thank you for that perfect and complete rest that we 27:45 find in Jesus, for Jesus indeed bore the penalty of our 27:50 sins, taking the curse upon Your sinless nature, that we 27:54 might be made just as if we had never sinned because 27:58 we believe in You. 27:59 Thank you for that complete rest that we have in You, and 28:03 the rest that is symbolized by Your Sabbath that we can 28:07 rest fully and completely in You for our salvation we 28:11 pray, in Jesus name Amen! |
Revised 2014-12-17