“Accountability in God’s Truth”

 Scripture:   Galatians 2:11-14; Galatians 2:15-21; Acts 10:9-16; Acts 10:27-28 

Today, the lesson that comes to us from the early days of the Lord’s Church, calls us to embrace and obey the Lord’s perfect truth, and to reject the flawed and frail opinions that the world would have us accept.  Remembering Paul’s introduction in his letter to the Galatians, we read “¹¹ I want you to know that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. ¹² I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.”  (Galatians 1:11-12) In these words, we see a very dedicated heart that is centered on the Truth of God. 

 For Paul, there was no other dependable reference for him to follow, other than the truth of God – there was no Bible in those days, no true letters of instruction, no Christian guidelines for him to follow – only God’s direct inspiration and revelation. 

 He was beginning to discover that human opinions and memories were so fallible that they were, for the most part, frighteningly deceptive and that they all must be questioned and challenged at every turn!

 Read Galatians2:11-14

 As we remember from last week, Paul had begun to see deviant behavior and unfaithful lives in a number of church leaders that varied directly from what he had received from God’s inspiration.  In this passage, he addresses Peter with the most pointed accusation so far – “you live like a Gentile, and yet you force the Gentiles to follow Jewish traditions!”  What was this all about?

 His meals with Gentiles held no dietary restrictions as Jewish food did.  In Leviticus11, the entire chapter is dedicated to what is acceptable to eat, and what must be avoided at all costs.  It includes land animals of every kind, aquatic creatures, and those that fly without exception.  The laws are very specific, and for Israel, there was no possibility of exemptions of any kind.  And apparently, Peter was becoming personally selective in his dietary choices, depending on who he was eating with!

 And apparently, others were following Peter’s example.  After all, if the highest of the leadership was doing it, it must be ok!  In verse 13, Paul includes the word translated as “hypocrisy”, which implies that they were “masked” and playing a “role”, as in the Greek theater.  Paul saw their hypocrisy in the fact that they weren’t consistent in their obedience.  When with Gentiles, it would be in one way, but when eating with orthodox Jews, they adhered to Jewish law!  

 The issue with circumcision was similar, in that it was mandated in the law, and the lack thereof implied that you weren’t a Jew!  Some of the legalistic followers of Jesus felt that if you weren’t Jewish, either by birth or by conversion, you couldn’t be one with Jesus!  Again, the law was causing significant conflicts in faith! 

 As time went on, it might even become possible for the church to split in two – 1 for Jewish believers, and 1 for Gentile converts!  And the two factions would be in constant conflict with each other!  Even communion would become a sticking point!  Holy Communion was initiated at the Passover Feast, where Gentiles were never allowed to join in!  The future didn’t look very bright for the fledgling church!

 Read Galatians 2:15-21

 This section is important in Paul’s letter, for it explains the very basis for his disagreement with Peter!  They all had to come to grips with the fullness of Jesus’ teaching, that the law of Moses can never hold any hope whatsoever for salvation – not through any controls and restrictions in diet, and certainly not through circumcision, or any other law for that matter!

 But his comparison between Jews and Gentiles is also interesting, in that he proclaims that the law of Israel is ineffective for the people, while faith in Christ will accomplish all that is necessary for both Jews and Gentiles!  I don’t believe that his kind words regarding Judaism are meant to give the Jews any kind of position that would be different from anyone else.  Paul’s point that the Jews know more about Jesus than the gentiles is simply offered to say that those who have lived in faith of Christ the longest should know better than those who were coming to the Lord more recently!

 The next few verses, in tossing out the thought that Jesus might embrace sin, is really telling us that the way of Jesus Christ will never embrace what He has already told us is evil, but will, in contrast, always bring about blessings for those who follow His Way, in ways that human endeavor never could.

 But for Peter, the vision that the Lord brought to him in Acts 10 may have been God’s way of showing the church that faith has no separation and no bounds other than obedience to the teaching of Jesus Christ.

 Read Acts 10:9-16

 The lesson that comes through the vision that taught Peter that human understanding of right and wrong will never show us the truth that exists in the life, love, and word of God.  The “heavenly sheet” contained all of the creatures that Leviticus 11 sorted out between being clean or unclean.  And what does Jesus tell Peter?  Basically, that humanity should never even begin to think that they can decide and proclaim anything that they believe should be acceptable, or objectionable, whether it fits with the Word of God or not!  That difference is held fully in the prerogative of Almighty God!

 So what does Peter learn from the vision?  That all that he, and others, ever thought were sinful and unloved by God, are no where near to the truth of God and not even the most faithful of earth can imagine it without the Lord’ word for their lives! 

 Read Acts 10:27-28

 Cornelius’ entire household, family as well as servants, were present when Peter confessed “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism, but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.” (Acts 10:34-35)

 The Holy Spirit had filled the entire house, bestowing on Cornelius and his entire household the gift of tongues.  It then became apparent to Peter and his entourage that all who were baptized in the Spirit should also be baptized by water, and Peter stayed with them for several days.

 Peter, the acknowledged leader of the Christian sect, had come to the fullness of truth in Jesus Christ, and it was through this revelation that his life in faith had been completed.  And as we read further in Acts 11:1-18, he would convince others in Jerusalem of this God inspired truth.

 He had come to the realization that the fullness of Christ’s teaching was all that mattered anymore!  Loving others no longer meant that you agreed and supported  others in the ways they were living, whether it was within the Law of Moses, or in the traditions of the Greeks! 

 Loving must be in the Lord’s way - loving us regardless of who we may be, but still, He never excuses the sins we commit without our confession and seeking of His forgiveness.  In John 13: 34-35 – we read ³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  And how does Jesus love us?  By surrendering glory in exchange for a life among the likes of you and me, as well as resurrection through the hatred and death He suffered at Calvary.  And the love that we are to show in return now consists of at least 4 actions.  1) Loving Jesus in all that He taught and reveals to us through His word; 2)  loving, accepting, and trusting in all that He did for us at Calvary; 3) hating all that stands in direct opposition to the Way of our Lord Jesus Christ, and 4) showing others the same love that God has always shown to each of us!

 But we have to remember that being accountable to scripture, and calling others to that same obligation, is not the sole responsibility of the pastor!  It is the call that is upon all who refer to Jesus as their “Lord and Savior”.  May we all be that faithful throughout the life we have been given by the True and only God, and the Word that He has laid down for each and every one of us.

“A Gift to the World”

 Scripture:   Matthew 2:1-12; Matthew 2:13-15; Matthew10:21-23

 Today is the Christian celebration of Epiphany, the day that the Magi arrived to worship the newborn Christ Child.  But an even greater significance is that the Son of God had now been revealed to the world, and is no longer limited to the people of Israel.  Of course, it was never the Lord’s intent to keep Jesus a secret from others and held solely for Israel’s benefit.  But the people never saw Messiah as a gift to the world, and they never even saw Jesus in the true light of His existence!  As a matter of fact, they believed that Messiah would be God’s gift to them alone, and to no one else.

 But as we know, the Lord’s Gifts are offered to all who will believe.  God has never intended that anyone should be deprived of His grace if they will accept and follow the ways that He has laid down for all of the people of this world.   The point is, though, that we have to make a choice between the way of Jesus Christ and the ways that the world would have us follow.

 The world will never allow this to be an easy choice!  There will constantly be false teachings about Jesus, as well as worldly attitudes that are intended to lure the Lord’s people away from God’s truth.  Scripture is full of warnings regarding the world’s deceitfulness, for their ways may all sound perfectly in tune with God’s desires and commands, even though they are anything but!  But the faithful must constantly be on the alert for the slightest deviation in the word that God has set down for us, and must reject those lies outright.

 Read Matthew2:1-12

 The word Magi does not imply royalty, as the hymn “We Three Kings” might lead us to believe.  They were more in line as educated astrologers who watched the movement of the moon and the stars for signs of events that called for human attention.  When they refer to the star that led them to Jerusalem as “rising”, it was one that they had never seen before, and therefore they saw it as something of special significance, which it truly was!  When it led them to Judea, they saw it as a sign of major proportions, such as the birth of the next king of a nation might represent.

 These “wise men” obviously knew nothing of scriptural context, as they began asking where this king might have been born.  Interestingly, Herod doesn’t seem to know anything about scriptural prophesy either, and has to rely on the knowledge of his advisors.

 If we really think about this, and reflect on its meaning for our own lives, we will discover that unless we are familiar enough to understand scripture’s call on our lives, we will begin openly depending on what others tell us instead of what we should already know!  This is how false teaching can so easily become ingrained in our lives!  We just might accept anything that even remotely sounds reasonable, instead of knowing the truth before others try to lead us astray with their lies!  Unless the truth already resides in our own heart and mind, we will always be susceptible to the world’s work of destroying our true faith.

 And as Herod sends those Eastern visitors on their way, he has no intention of worshiping and rejoicing over this birth, for his only thought is to end the apparent challenge that this unknown child could bring to his reign as king of Israel!  But the entire reason for the magi’s long trip and obedient search for the child was to honor, worship, and bless him with their presence and royal gifts.  And the Lord isn’t ever going to let the world win on this one.

 God was not about to let Herod’s hatred of this Godly Gift endanger the plan that was beginning to unfold for the salvation of the world.  The Magi, again in faithful wisdom, followed the Lord’s command to return home without giving Herod any more information about the whereabouts of this God ordained king.

 Even the gifts that they presented to the Christ Child defined His divine Being.  Gold was a gift fit for royalty; frankincense was an essence that was used in the Temple; and myrrh was an ointment that was used in the preparation of bodies for burial.  Royalty, Divinity, and Death – this was to be Jesus’ reality in coming to care for our lives.

 Read Matthew 2:13-15

 As this story continues with both obedience and evil intentions being so apparent, God also sends a message to Joseph that would take him and his family out of harm’s way and away from Herod.  The king’s plan for death would not come to rest on Jesus for many years to come, and yet, as we know from the rest of this story, many other children would be ordered killed by Herod, in his crazed drive to remove the child Jesus as a threat to his throne. (Matthew2:16-18)

 The family lived in Egypt for 3-4 years before God, again, informed them that it was safe to return home.  But instead of establishing a new home in the area of Jerusalem, Joseph takes them all to the Galilee region, to live and grow in relative safety in the small town of Nazareth.

 But the beginning of Christ’s life was a historical portent of what the church was about to endure at the hands of the world’s evil.  Christian believers, as well as Jewish people, would be severely persecuted throughout the years since the birth of Messiah, and will continue until the day that Jesus returns to this place of hatred and disbelief to set all things right once again.  And yet, the way of Jesus and all that He taught will continue to be proclaimed and followed in spite of the world’s harassment, discrimination, and torment that will never abate until that day of Jesus, just as He told us that it would.

 Read Matthew 10:21-23

 Hatred, and the world’s false teaching that reinforces it, has reached the very depth that Jesus warned us about.  Families are divided in faith, friends have turned against us, and even one of our nations most precious founding principles, the freedom for speech, has been eroded to the point that there have been times when speaking about faith in Jesus has even been labeled as “hate speech”!

 But Jesus also tells us that persecution itself will never damage our faith, as long as we stand firm in His way.  We need to remember that He also tells us that when our words and example of Christian witness is no longer being received by others, that it is perfectly acceptable to move on to a new venue.  In Luke 9:5, the Lord also tells us “ ⁵ If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”  Take nothing of them with you, not even their dirt.

 In other words, we don’t have to remain in unwelcoming or abusive surroundings if our Christian witness is no longer bearing spiritual fruit for Christ!  But never think that this gives us a valid excuse for avoiding those places in the first place.  Those are the perfect places to be a witness for Christ, for these are the very people who need to hear the truth of God.  But if they choose not to listen, and take a belligerent attitude toward us, Jesus tells us to move on to another opportunity and begin to share His way with a new eyes, ears, and hearts.

 This is what the story of Epiphany is all about.  We are to go wherever the Lord leads us, but when the opposition becomes oppressive, move on to the next opportunity, and share your experience with the Lord in a new place, and with another set of potential converts.

 And through it all, may our Lord Jesus Christ be praised and glorified wherever we may find ourselves, just as those wise men from the east did over 2000 years ago.