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Good evening to everyone. You 
can turn in your Bibles with me to the book of Galatians. 
If we continue a study through the book of Galatians, we're 
picking up where we left off last time, which is always a 
good way to go. Galatians chapter 1, you'll remember 
last time we looked at verses 11 through 17. Paul beginning the defense of 
the gospel of saving grace by virtue of a reflection, an autobiographical 
reflection, and bringing these points and pieces of his life 
and ministry to the fore to argue for the authenticity of his gospel 
as it was being challenged, both the authenticity of his gospel 
and the authority of his apostleship being challenged by these false 
brethren, by these Judaizers, by these errorists who came in 
seeking to pervert the gospel of saving grace. We'll read the 
section beginning at verse 11 of chapter 1, and then we'll 
continue through to chapter 2 Verse 10, once again the word of God. 
But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached 
by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from 
man nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation 
of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my former 
conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure 
and tried to destroy it. And I advanced in Judaism beyond 
many of my contemporaries in my own nation. being more exceedingly 
zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when it pleased 
God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me, 
through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach 
Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh 
and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles 
before me, but I went to Arabia and returned again to Damascus. 
Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, 
and remained with him fifteen days. But I sought none of the 
other apostles except James, the Lord's brother. Now concerning 
the things which I write to you, indeed before God, I do not lie. Afterward, I went into the regions 
of Syria and Cilicia, and I was unknown by face to the churches 
of Judea, which were in Christ. But they were hearing only, he 
who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once 
tried to destroy, and they glorified God in me. Then after 14 years, 
I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas and also took Titus 
with me. And I went up by revelation and 
communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles. But privately to those who were 
of reputation, lest by any means I might run, or had run, in vain. Yet not even Titus, who was with 
me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. And this occurred 
because of false brethren secretly brought in, who came in by stealth 
to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that 
they might bring us into bondage, to whom we did not yield submission 
even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue 
with you. But from those who seemed to 
be something, whatever they were, it makes no difference to me. 
God shows personal favoritism to no man. For those who seemed 
to be something added nothing to me. But on the contrary, when 
they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed 
to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter, for 
he who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to 
the circumcised, also worked effectively in me toward the 
Gentiles. And when James, Cephas, and John, 
who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given 
to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, 
that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 
They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing 
which I also was eager to do. Amen. Well, let us pray. Heavenly 
Father, we thank you for your word. We rejoice. in your truth 
as it's been given to us. We thank you so much that you've 
revealed to us in your word the doing and the dying and the rising 
again of Jesus Christ, our blessed Savior. And we pray that you 
would be with us by your spirit. Help us to be illumined as we 
engage in this act of preaching. And we pray that in this act, 
Lord God, you would be honored and glorified. And throughout 
the entirety of this worship this evening, you would be honored 
and glorified. And we pray in Christ's name, 
amen. Well, just a reminder of what 
Paul's doing in this book. Essentially, it's a banner Christian 
book that is the defense of the doctrine of justification by 
faith alone. There had been those who had 
come into the churches seeking to pervert the gospel of Jesus 
Christ, seeking to add to the finished work of Christ, specifically 
by adding circumcision and adherence to the Mosaic calendar and Mosaic 
precepts in order to be saved. Christ was not enough, in essence, 
and things needed to be done, there were works and deeds, and things that needed to be 
done in accordance with the Mosaic institutions in order to be finally 
and effectually saved by God, which is obviously a perversion 
of the doctrine of justification by faith alone, the very heartbeat 
of the Christian faith, a doctrine that preaches not ourselves, 
but a doctrine that preaches Christ and Him crucified, the 
perfection of his work alone for the salvation of sinners. 
And what Paul is doing in this section here is that he's giving 
an autobiographical defense of the true gospel. And he's really 
opening up what we read in verses 10 through 12 just notice these 
verses again because Everything that follows really up until 
the end of chapter 2 and verse verse 16 and we could say even 
to the end of chapter 2 is an opening up of But I make known 
to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not 
according to man. for I neither received it from 
man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation 
of Jesus Christ." And then you hear this, or you read this, 
four in verse 13, and there are a number of these fours, or a 
number of thens, that mount one upon the other in order to hold 
forth the true apostleship of Paul, not just for the end, that 
the apostle Paul would be honored and glorified, but so that the 
doctrine of justification by faith alone would continue with 
them, and that God would be glorified. And so, we want to look this 
evening then at verses 18, verse 18 of chapter 1 through chapter 
2, verse 10, under two simple heads. First, the glory of God 
in the mission of the Apostle Paul, and secondly, the continued 
defense of the true and only gospel. So first off, the glory of God 
in the mission of the Apostle Paul, we see this in verses 18 
through 24, so the remainder of chapter one. We see the glory 
of God in the mission of the Apostle Paul, and under this 
head, the first thing that we see is the authenticity of Paul's 
gospel, argued from his independence. Notice the language that we read 
in verse 18. So he's demonstrating here that 
though he went to Jerusalem, He did not go to Jerusalem in 
order to somehow avail of the instruction in the gospel of 
Jesus Christ by one who is a leader at Jerusalem. Now, he did go 
there, and no doubt he was able to perhaps fill in some gaps 
that the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ would have had with 
respect to the life and with respect to the ministry of Jesus 
Christ, but he's arguing for He's arguing for the fact that 
he did not receive this gospel from man He did not receive the 
gospel from Peter. He did not receive the gospel 
from James the Lord's brother He did not receive the gospel 
from the other apostles at Jerusalem, but he received it from the very 
revelation of of Jesus Christ. Again, the end of verse 12. But 
he did go to Jerusalem and it must have been a it must have 
been a wonderful thing for Paul to go to Jerusalem and to meet 
with Peter. Imagine going to meet with one 
of the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, to glory in the 
same gospel that you both share, that you both rejoice in, to 
glory in the gospel that Peter received from the very direct 
instruction of the Savior, and that Paul also received from 
the selfsame Savior, though not enjoying three and a half years 
of his earthly ministry. But these two come together, 
and they meet and they talk about gospel truth for 15 days. It must have been great for these 
two to get together, that the one commissioned to the circumcised 
and the one commissioned to the uncircumcised to come together 
and to leave recognizing the obvious harmony of the gospel 
that's being proclaimed by both of them. The weight here, or 
the thrust, is that Paul did go to Jerusalem three years after 
his conversion, but as we'll read later, nothing was added 
to him, nothing was corrected, nothing was instructed with respect 
to the true and saving gospel. Paul went after three years. 
He had been proclaiming the true and saving gospel for three years, 
And then after those three years, he goes to see Peter. There's 
some weight of independence being declared here in verse 19 when 
he writes, but I saw none of the other apostles except James, 
the Lord's brother. What's lurking in the background 
here is that the false teachers, these errorists, these heretics, 
the Judaizers, were probably arguing for something of the 
veracity of a Jerusalem gospel against the veracity or the non-veracity 
of Paul's gospel, that there was a conflict between what Paul 
was preaching and what really is the gospel, that Christ isn't 
enough. not quite enough, but much rather 
there needs be circumcision and mosaic precepts added to the 
finished work of Christ. And so we'll see here that this 
proves not only the harmony of the Jerusalem gospel and Paul's 
gospel, but it proves the very thing Paul is trying to argue 
for, that he did not receive the gospel from man, but he was 
taught it through the very revelation of Jesus Christ. And we have 
this wonderful oath regarding the true origin of Paul's gospel. This bracketed phrase in verse 
20, Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed 
before God I do not lie." He's giving in essence, he's making 
an oath before God that God would judge him if he is lying with 
respect to the truth of the gospel that he preaches. and with respect 
to this account of going to Jerusalem, that he didn't receive the gospel 
from men, but he received it from God. Perhaps there were 
reports that Paul received instruction by Peter, by James, and by the 
Jerusalem leadership, And that's where he got his gospel. But 
he brings out the very truth that he got it from God. He received 
it from the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he calls 
down a curse upon himself, essentially, if he's lying. This is how important 
the gospel of justification by faith alone is. is to the Apostle 
Paul. And this is how vitally important 
it should be to the modern church. As we read this book, we ought 
not to think ourselves detached from the things that are going 
on here in Jerusalem or in Galatia. in Syrian Antioch, where Paul 
possibly is, where he's writing this letter. We have an intimate 
connection to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are of 
the same church, the same faith, and the same baptism as the Apostle 
Paul, as these Galatian saints, and as our brothers there in 
Jerusalem. We have the same doctrine of 
justification by faith alone, and we ought not to count it 
a small thing when those seek to either subtly or explicitly 
pervert the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul would have nothing of it. 
Remember, he had already called, in essence, a curse upon himself 
if his gospel was not the true gospel. We read that in verses 
8 and 9. Verse 9, as it's a measure of 
repetition, as we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone 
preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, 
let him be accursed. And the Apostle Paul says, even 
if we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel, let 
him be accursed. So Paul knows that the very doctrine 
of our salvation is at stake, the very doctrine, the truth 
and the glory of justification by faith alone. We see as well 
here, under the glory of God and the mission of the Apostle 
Paul, the authenticity of Paul's gospel argued from its reception. How was the gospel of Paul received? Notice what we read here, what 
we see beginning at verse 21. Afterward, I went into the regions 
of Syria and Cilicia, and I was unknown by face to the churches 
of Judea, which were in Christ. But they were hearing only he 
who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once 
tried to destroy. And they glorified God in me. 
the authenticity of Paul's gospel argued from its reception, and 
I think there's something of the teeth of rebuke in these 
particular verses here by the Apostle Paul. If we're allowed 
to, in a wholesome measure, read into the words, notice, I was 
unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ. 
He was known to the faces of those in Galatia to whom he obviously 
preached in his missionary journey. He goes up through the region 
of Southern Galatia to preach. And in those cities, Pisidian 
Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, Derby, Lystra, Derby, he comes back 
through those self-same cities of Southern Galatia on his return 
back. And he visits with them. comes in to see how they're doing, 
comes into their churches to see how they are faring in their 
lives with Christ, and according to the gospel of Jesus Christ. 
So, these whom he had not seen gloried in a glorified God in 
him, but these to whom he's writing now, even though he had seen 
them, nevertheless, they are falling away from the very gospel 
that he proclaimed. I think there could be something 
of a rebuke here. These two didn't even see me, 
but heard of the preaching of the gospel by a former persecutor. They glorified God in me, and 
you are being stolen away to glorify in foreskins, severed? You're being stolen away to boast 
in foreskins, in circumcision, in mutilation. You're being stolen 
away to glory in adherence to Mosaic precepts in order to be 
saved. What a wonderful thing we have 
here. What a wonderful thing it must have been to be those 
who can say he who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which 
he once tried to destroy. I don't know if many of us here, 
if any of us, could enter in to that sort of amazing contrast. There were some who would have 
been, and we read in the book of Acts, who were the recipients 
of the persecuting activities of the apostle Paul. Remember 
what we read here, he who formerly persecuted us, and we read before, 
the one who sought to destroy the very Christian Church, this 
one who did all of this, the madness of opposition and engaged 
in the tyranny of persecution, is now preaching the very faith 
he once tried to destroy. I don't know if we know anything 
of that. We know those who have opposed the truth. We hear of 
those who oppose the truth, but how often if ever have we heard 
of one who is so violently and vigorously opposed to Christianity, 
who is one complicit in the stoning deaths of believers, think godly 
Stephen, who by grace comes to faith and preaches that faith 
which he once tried to destroy. You know what one of the things 
Paul is also doing here is He's calling upon these, remember, 
he marvels that they had so soon turned away from the gospel of 
grace to another gospel which is no gospel at all. He's marveling 
that I was just with you and now I have to write to you that 
you've turned away from the gospel which is the perfection of the 
saving activities of Jesus Christ to a gospel that includes the 
chopping off of foreskins. And he wants to argue for the 
veracity of his gospel by once again emphasizing that he was 
opposed to it. vigorously and violently, and 
yet God in His grace condescended to pull him from out of that 
darkness, from out of that deadness, into the life and light of Jesus 
Christ. It is only a true gospel which 
can be preached by one who is taken from that darkness to the 
marvelous light of proclaiming the riches and the excellencies 
of Jesus Christ. We see wherein true glorying 
lies, verse 24, and they glorified God in me. Turn with me to chapter 
6 for a moment. Chapter 6, because we see another 
contrast here. Notice in chapter 6, at verse 
12, as many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, 
these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may 
not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For not even 
those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have 
you circumcised, note, that they may boast in your flesh. And here we see back in Galatians 
1, in that final verse, that these glorified God in Paul. The true gospel glorifies God. It glorifies in God. The true 
gospel boasts solely and alone in Jesus Christ. The false gospel 
boasts in circumcisions. The false gospel boasts in the 
flesh. The false gospel boasts in self. In fact, the very next verse, 
that we read in Galatians 6 is that blessed verse by the Apostle 
Paul, but God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified 
to me and I to the world. The true gospel glorifies God. Wherein does true glorying lie? It lies solely and alone in God 
and in Christ whom he has sent. So secondly now, we see the continued 
defense of the true and only gospel. As we move into chapter 
two, we see here that the same discourse or the same writing 
is continuing, this autobiographical defense of the true and saving 
gospel. And what we wanna see here under 
the continued defense of the gospel is three things. First, 
ensuring the catholicity of Paul's gospel. Secondly, the uncompromising 
demonstration of the gospel's liberty. And thirdly, apostolic 
unity for the cause of the gospel. So first, notice, ensuring the 
catholicity of his gospel. We see here, then after 14 years, 
I went up to Jerusalem. I went up again to Jerusalem 
with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me. This is It comes 
with the same weight, though it's greater, because if we can 
do math properly, we'll see it's greater. But it comes with the 
same weight of verse 18 of chapter 1. Then after three years, I 
went up to Jerusalem. We now see then after 14 years. And so a lot of time has passed 
here where the Apostle Paul again is preaching his gospel that 
does not come from man, but that comes from God. And this after 
14 years probably refers to after his conversion. If we're thinking 
of the timeline with respect to Galatians and with respect 
to the corresponding narrative in the book of Acts, this is 
most likely 14 years after his conversion, just like the then 
after three years was after his conversion. But this is not just 
a chronological marker, but a further demonstration of Paul's apostolic 
authority. After 14 years, as the apostle 
to the uncircumcised, he proclaimed his gospel, which is the very 
gospel of Jesus Christ, to those to whom he traveled throughout 
his missionary journey. And so we see here that he goes, 
he goes with Barnabas, taking Titus, and he goes up by revelation 
and communicates to them that gospel which he preached. And 
this is important language here as well, and I went up by revelation. Now that isn't just recollecting 
the fact that he went by the Spirit, revealing to him where 
he must go, but it's to continue to argue for the fact that he 
bears a measure of apostolic independence in the sense that 
he received his commissioning from God and his instruction 
from the risen Christ. In other words, he didn't go 
up to Jerusalem by being compelled to do so by Jerusalem leadership. It wasn't Peter, it wasn't James, 
it wasn't the other apostles that said, come to Jerusalem 
that we might check in on your gospel. We have to make sure 
that we give it the Jerusalem stamp of approval in order for 
you to keep on preaching your particular gospel. No, he goes 
up by revelation. He goes up by God, just as his 
gospel came from God, so too does this traveling to Jerusalem 
come from God. He goes up by revelation and 
communicates to them the gospel which he preaches among the Gentiles. And notice, but privately to 
those who were of reputation, lest by any means I might run 
or had run in vain." This doesn't mean that Paul somehow questioned 
his gospel, or that he was not confident in his own gospel, 
but he recognized that as he was going out proclaiming the 
truth of Jesus Christ, He did not want to have his preaching, 
his ministry, Barnabas's ministries hindered by Jerusalem opposition 
to the gospel that they were proclaiming. There's a lot that 
Paul does to be everything to all men. We'll see an example 
here in just a couple moments with respect to the circumcision 
of Timothy compared to that of Titus, the non-circumcision of 
Titus. But Paul here says that he uses 
this language less by any means I might run or had run in vain, 
again, not because he lacks a measure of confidence in his gospel, 
but because he wants to be unhindered. He was unhindered by the Jerusalem 
church because it was the same gospel as we'll see and as we 
have seen. we see here this uncompromising 
demonstration of the gospel's liberty this these verses three 
to five the uncompromising demonstration of the gospel's liberty and there's 
there's I think something of a of a central banner to Paul's 
ministry that we see in verse 5b But notice the language here 
first with regards to the uncompromising demonstration of the gospel's 
Liberty and we see at first in the non circumcision of Titus 
yet not even Titus who was with me being a Greek was compelled 
to be circumcised so What Paul is doing here, in order to argue 
for the authenticity and the veracity of his gospel, is to 
demonstrate that the Jewish leadership, the Jerusalem leadership, that 
is, the Jerusalem Christian leadership, did not compel Titus to be circumcised. It's in a sense a gotcha moment, 
sort of, for the Apostle Paul. If it is the case that Christians 
that Gentile Christians are to receive circumcision and to adhere 
to Mosaic precepts Then know this that Titus was not compelled 
to be circumcised so therefore The gospel of justification by 
faith alone is the true gospel. And this gospel that these heretics, 
this gospel that these errorists are seeking to propagate, is 
false. Not even Titus, who was with 
me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. This so-called 
gospel, which is no gospel at all, that demands the circumcision 
of adherents, is a false gospel. that is damned to hell. Notice 
the language continues, and this occurred because of false brethren 
secretly brought in, who came in by stealth to spy out our 
liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring 
us into bondage. That's the design and that's 
the intent. That's the vile design and intent 
of these Judaizers to bring acolytes into bondage. To put upon themselves 
a yoke which they are not to bear. Remember, Jesus Christ 
said, my yoke is easy. They are not to be brought back 
under the yoke of the ceremonial law. Paul will use some glorious 
language when we get to chapter 5. Stand fast, therefore, in 
the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free, and be not 
entangled again by a yoke of bondage. so these were were seeking 
to spy out liberty that it sort of means that they were you know 
lurking about these these Christians these Gentile Christians peeking 
over the shoulder if you were and seeing if they were going 
to adhere to the Mosaic precepts looking to see if they're being 
circumcised looking to see if the the Apostle Paul is is treating 
badly the Mosaic law and and the ceremonies of Moses. They're spying out their liberty, 
these false brethren brought in, and their design, their intent, 
is to bring Christians into bondage. And we see this glorious, uncompromising 
demonstration stated in verse 5, to whom we did not yield submission 
even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue 
with you. Why is Paul doing what he's doing? Why is Paul going about his earthly 
ministry? Why is Paul writing epistles 
to churches? It's Galatians 2, 5b, that the 
truth of the gospel might continue with you. And 2,000 years removed 
from this, this is what the churches of the Lord Jesus Christ are 
to do. They're to not yield submission 
even for an hour to those who seek to pervert the gospel of 
Jesus Christ. We're not to give them the stage. 
We're not to give them the mic. We're not to shake, if you will, 
religious and theological hands with them. We're not to go on 
a conference circuit and laugh and smile while we welcome them 
up on the stage to talk about theology. We're to withstand 
them to their face, as we'll see later, though Peter was not 
a Judaizer. were to not yield submission 
even for an hour to those who would pervert the gospel, because 
it is the very heartbeat of Christianity. The doctrine of justification 
by faith that is our very peace is at stake, and Paul would have 
nothing of it, his companion in this, Titus, and of course 
Barnabas would have nothing of it. We also see here, lastly, 
apostolic unity for the cause of the gospel, this long section 
here. Verse six to verse 10, apostolic 
unity for the cause of the gospel. The first thing that we see here 
is that Paul's gospel was not modified by the Jerusalem leadership. Notice what we read in verse 
six. But from those who seem to be something, whatever they 
were, it makes no difference to me. God shows personal favoritism 
to no man. For those who seem to be something 
added nothing to me. There's two things that are going 
on here. One of the things that's going 
on in the language, they added nothing to me, is going back 
to what the Apostle Paul has already argued, that he received 
his gospel from God and not from man. They didn't add anything 
to him. They, of course, when they sat 
together, when they talked together, he would have heard about those 
blessed things that obtained during the earthly ministry of 
Jesus Christ. You know, Paul was preaching 
the gospel of Jesus Christ, but he didn't give a narrative of 
the things that happened in the life and times of Jesus Christ. 
But the point here is that they didn't add to his gospel, they 
did not correct his gospel, they did not modify his gospel, they 
added nothing to me. I think we should also understand 
here, like we noted with Titus not being circumcised, that they 
did not add to the message of the gospel as if to correct him, 
to correct him in that he was somehow erroneous to say that 
were justified by faith alone and not by the works of the law, 
they added nothing to me. And then he continues the next, 
but on the contrary, the apostolic unity that we see for the cause 
of the gospel, Paul's continued ministry is affirmed by the Jerusalem 
leadership. We see this language here, they 
saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me as the 
gospel for the circumcised was to Peter. We see the unity captured 
in that these two proclaimers, these two apostles of the Lord 
Jesus Christ, are of course of the same God. For he who worked 
effectively in Peter, that is literally he who energized Peter 
for the apostleship to the circumcised, also energized me toward the 
Gentiles. We have similar language, if 
you just move with me here as we move towards a close, in 1 
Timothy chapter 1, Paul is, though to a lesser degree 
in the way of size and space and the amount of words used, 
speaking with respect to his autobiography, his conversion, 
his commissioning as an apostle, Notice what we have at verse 
14, the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant with faith 
and love, which are in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying 
and worthy of all acceptance that Jesus Christ came into the 
world to save sinners of whom I am chief. However, for this 
reason, I obtained mercy that in me first, Jesus Christ might 
show all long suffering as a pattern to those who are going to believe 
on him for everlasting life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, 
invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever 
and ever. Amen. Now if anyone is wondering 
why I just read that text, it's because I realized that that's 
not the text I wanted to read, but had I not finished it, we 
would miss the glorious language that's captured there as he ends 
with this doxology. If we back up to verse 12, 1 
Timothy 1 and verse 12, and I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord, who has 
enabled me because he counted me faithful, putting me into 
the ministry. That's similar language moving 
back to Galatians 2, this language of energizing, or as the language 
is here, working effectively. The same God who worked effectively 
in Peter also worked effectively Paul toward the Gentiles. And so the Apostle Paul is driving 
home the unity. There's not a disunity between 
Jerusalem and Antioch, if you will, Jerusalem and Paul, but 
rather there is a glorious harmony, a glorious unison between the 
two proclaimers of the gospel, between these two between these 
two apostolic missions, if you will, in the early church. Your 
gospel, in other words, Judaizers, you arguing from any vantage 
point other than the simple madness of your own minds and the devilish 
influences that are upon you, you arguing for this gospel that 
says Jesus Christ is not enough? You arguing for this gospel that 
includes the lopping off of foreskins as requisite for God's acceptance 
of a sinner? You guys are off, and the apostles 
and myself are those who are proclaiming the truth, the riches 
and the excellencies of Jesus Christ as exclusive in the salvation 
of sinners. I don't know if we can really 
imagine, except perhaps those who grew up in the Roman Catholic 
Church, like Jim and I, or perhaps those who have been the recipients 
of a more subtle heaping upon the true and saving gospel, but 
do we appreciate the error and the weight and just the opposition 
to the gospel that the Judaizers were bringing in the time of 
the Apostle Paul? You know, we perhaps can't wrap 
our minds around this notion that these would be stolen away, 
that they would so quickly turn away from the gospel of grace, 
having heard of this glorious Jesus, who himself is our peace, 
who has secured our salvation. having been preached of a holy 
God, having learned of a God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, 
who cannot look upon sin approvingly, who abominates sin, wickedness, 
transgression, depravity, having received the message that we're 
all sinners that we all fall short of the glory of God that 
we are rightly condemned before this most holy God for any and 
all trans transgressions committed in his sight and that the only 
way of salvation is the doing and the dying and the rising 
again of Jesus Christ he himself being our justification to to 
then to to Hear of and to see these owning that glorious gospel 
Receiving that glorious gospel, but then after you've gone through 
them preach to them and come back Through the churches visiting 
them you hear that they are moving away, being stolen away from 
that glorious gospel? Do you not hear what I preached 
about the holiness of God? Do you not recall what I proclaimed 
with regards to your own sinfulness? Do you not recall the riches 
and the excellencies of Jesus Christ? Having received the preaching 
of so glorious a Savior, you're now going to add things to that 
gospel? In this day, it was circumcision 
and adherence to the Mosaic law. In our own day, it can be these 
proclivities and these fancies that so-called preachers and 
so-called ministers and so-called reverends will heap upon the 
people as burdens to be obeyed in order to be accepted before 
God. It is only by grace through faith in Jesus Christ that we 
are saved. And that's the Apostle Paul's 
proclamation. And he is doing this, even unto 
certain death, that the truth of the gospel might continue 
with them. In closing, two quick things. We see the vital importance of 
justification by faith alone, both the doctrine and the people's 
grasping of the doctrine. So the doctrine itself, the theology 
of justification, is absolutely vital. As we'll see perhaps next 
time, or the time after that, the very crosswork of the Lord 
Jesus Christ is sullied and trampled upon by these Judaizers. When 
we step away from the historic and the biblical and confessional 
doctrine of justification by faith alone, we trample upon 
our God, we trample upon the seriousness of sin, and we trample 
upon the perfect finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ. The 
theology is not only at stake, or not only vitally important, 
but our grasping of it. Your Christian peace and your 
Christian happiness and your Christian joy does not depend 
upon the ebbing and the flowing of your own works and your own 
deeds. I think very often, because the 
flesh does lust against the Spirit, as we'll see in Galatians 5, 
because the flesh does lust against the Spirit, we can very often 
have our minds and our souls stolen away by notions that our 
Christian joy and peace depends upon ourselves, upon how good 
we've been this week. upon our church attendance, upon 
our attendance to the means of grace. That our joy and peace 
depends upon our works and our deeds and our doings and our 
strivings. Paul wants these Christians, 
these Galatians, to understand that Christ is their peace. In fact, Paul does write that 
to the Galatians. He himself is our peace. Perhaps 
bringing forth the prophet Micah to the fore. The promised one 
who is from everlasting will be our peace. Jesus Christ is 
your peace, not your own Bible reading. Read your Bibles, but 
the frequency of your Bible reading is not the foundation or the 
ground of your peace. Obey the law with joyful Christian 
hearts because you have been saved. Don't obey it in order 
to somehow fill up the emptiness of your peace. It's for your 
sanctification, not your justification. Your peace is found in Christ. 
So when you are, when your soul is in that place of darkness, 
when the rains and the storms of frowning providence can roll 
in and blast down upon your soul, don't seek your peace and your 
comfort and your happiness anywhere, save for the God of justification 
by faith alone. Save in Christ who secures our 
justification and him alone. And then secondly and lastly, 
the importance of an uncompromising, faithful ministry. The ministers 
of the Lord Jesus Christ are to be uncompromisingly faithful 
in their proclamation of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And 
praise God that we've had Pastor Butler for coming up on 30 years. a fallible man, but a faithful 
man, uncompromising in his faithfulness, to week in and week out proclaim 
this God and this Jesus of justification by faith alone. Taking his motions and his movements 
from the Apostle Paul, who's stoned, who's shipwrecked, who's 
whipped, who's beaten, who's battered, who's opposed, who 
is ultimately put to death, that the truth of the gospel might 
continue with us. the importance of an uncompromising 
faithful ministry. We need that in the churches 
of Christ today. We don't need ministers, and 
we may say with some ministers so-called, who have a truck with 
and who engage in theological joining of hands with those who 
oppose the doctrine of justification by faith alone. It's no small 
thing. You know what? A little variation on the truth. If we just smuggle in just a 
little bit of works, is that really that bad? If we're brought 
in by Christ into the New Covenant, but we kind of keep ourselves 
in, isn't that okay? That's abominable. That's anathema. That doctrine is damnable, according 
to the Apostle Paul. And so Christian ministers need 
to vigorously, without the dancing of a politician's feet, uphold 
justification by faith alone, even unto death if need be, because 
that's the very heartbeat of Christianity. And if you're here 
this evening and you're a saint of the Lord Jesus Christ, rejoice 
in justification by faith alone. The spirit does lust against 
the flesh, the spirit wins. The Spirit wins, and so find 
your peace, not in anything you've done, will do, or can do, but 
find your peace solely and alone in the perfect doing, the perfect 
dying, and the glorious rising again of the Son of God incarnated. And if you're outside of Christ 
this evening, believe on Him. Whatever your station may be 
in your sinfulness and in your unbelief, the only way to salvation, 
the only way to everlasting peace, is in this glorious Christ of 
justification by faith alone. Believe on Him and you will have 
everlasting life. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, 
we rejoice in your goodness to us through the revelation of 
Jesus Christ, through the revelation that we have in the scriptures. We thank you that we can connect 
ourselves 2,000 years back to that Apostle Paul, that uncompromising, 
faithful minister of the gospel that endured much that we might 
know the peace of Christ. We thank you for your gifts to 
the church, faithful ministers throughout the ages who have 
carried that baton, who have carried that torch and passed 
it on, that the gospel of saving grace might move forward victoriously. And we know that it is because 
of the triune God and because of the Spirit sent, we do pray 
that you'd help us to glory in the peace that we have in Jesus 
Christ and so to glory in our God. And do go with us now, help 
us to live our lives in a manner worthy of the gospel of grace. 
And we do pray that you give us your spirit, that we may do 
so. And we pray in Christ's name, amen.