Clash of the Titans

Today on Renewing Your Mind whole world, so he blew a gasket in public. I withstood him to his face and then in verse 14 he said to Peter and the odds before them. All this was a public showdown.

The Clash of the Titans and the church in Antioch and it's a reminder that conflict within the church is not a modern-day phenomenon but also shows us the power of God at work in bringing about reconciliation today on Renewing Your Mind, Dr. Derek Thomas Texas back to this crucial event involving these two high profile apostles to help us understand why Paul was willing to confront Peter and how Peter found forgiveness for his lapse into old habits will want to huge Antioch Antioch northwest of Jerusalem on the sea coast somewhere between 75, 80 miles northwest of Jerusalem on the Mediterranean coast, and before we go there and read a passage of Scripture will be referring to sections before this and after this, but the section read just a few verses from Galatians chapter 2 and this is Paul talking after-the-fact about an incident that Took Pl. in Antioch. I'm beginning to read chapter 2 of Galatians verse 11 but when Cephas Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned for before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles, but when they came, he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party and the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

But when I saw that the conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel. I said to Cephas before him all if you do would you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew having to force the Gentiles to live like Jews well I need to expand a little on what's on here and Antioch is home base for the apostle Paul's missionary journeys. After the persecution the project in Jerusalem. Many of the Jews fled some of course remained and some of them settled in Antioch and a church began. And by now. This church is largely Gentile Christian rather than Jewish Christian and jerk is home base the church from which the apostle Paul will launch his first missionary journey the church to which he will report back after his first missionary journey and begin his second as he begins his second. Looking back over his first missionary journey. He makes a conclusion through many tribulations we enter the kingdom of God and that seems to be a life lesson through many tribulations we enter the kingdom of God.

The date as far as the incident to the book of Galatians comes a few years later.

Of course about the incident that Paul is reporting in Galatians 2 somewhere in the mid 40s 20+ years after the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus and Paul is recalling something to the Galatians, something of great importance, something that actually was embarrassing and crucially important festival. We need to go back to Jerusalem because there's a problem in Jerusalem is a problem in Antioch the first of all there's a problem in Jerusalem. Jerusalem is mother church. James is there James, the Lord's brother is – imagine the stories that James could relate and also Peter. Peter is in Jerusalem, and John, James, Peter and John, you could not get a trio more noble and more closer to the Lord Jesus than that.

After all, although Paul, it seemed Jesus on the Damascus Road. He hadn't spent three years with Jesus watched him get up in the morning. Watched him eat his breakfast.

Sit with him. Talk with him no Saul of Tarsus and never ever experienced any of that.

So there's some costs to the church in Jerusalem is Saul of Tarsus has disappeared for 10 years he's been studying and now it's time, although he had been in Jerusalem once before. Now 14 years of past and he's coming to Jerusalem, perhaps with a view to gaining the support of the Jerusalem church but it's more than that. I think the Jerusalem church were deeply suspicious of him on several levels is a genuine using the real thing is he a spy to undo the fledgling church. After all, she had been responsible for almost destroying the early church, and what was Paul's view of the ceremonial law of the boundary markers that differentiated between Jew and Gentile. What about food loss.

What about the Sabbath in the Jewish calendar, the Shabbat versus the Lord's day and what about circumcision in Galatians 2 we will going to exhibit. He tells of the Titus and Gentile was not forced to be circumcised later when the issue of justification by faith is not at stake.

Timothy was in a similar position was circumcised for advantageous purposes. The Jerusalem church is still in flux, but was still the temple.

I don't think by this time they are offering sacrifices in the temple, but there certainly visiting the temple that observing the Jewish now Jewish Christian identity, but the boundary markers are still present and in particular the issue of circumcision is not being settled. What's going on in Antioch now a largely Gentile Christian church Gentiles being us to comply with the ceremonial markers at the end of this meeting in Jerusalem, and there is some agreement they parked seemingly on company, though the matter has not been finally settled in my view that this incident is that Paul is recorded and for that matter, the letter of Galatians itself comes before acts 15 and the Jerusalem Council where these issues were finally settled.

Paul talks as he recalls this visit, he makes to Jerusalem.

He talks about's bodies being present. That's a loaded term.

Who are these spies.

I despise a Peter or John or James are they spies of the Sanhedrin court have a Pharisees.

The civil authorities checking out what's going on my desk by the tone Paul employs this word spies. There were spies on behalf of James and the Jerusalem church underlining once again a deep suspicion on both sides between the Jerusalem church in the Antioch church.

This is the fledgling Christian church and it's in trouble when Paul goes off about those who seems to be important. You can read about it as he recalls the stories talking about James and Peter and John, but perhaps especially James, the Lord's brother that he seems to be important. Of course it was important. His very presence was important to his every word would be prone to has a direct line to the Lord Jesus and Paul says it made no difference to him. God. God shows no partiality. He has no interest nor is he going to bow to those who may feel that they are important tender voice needs to be heard all to say that will personalities in the room. This is there often are in the contemporary church.

Well, if there are problems in Jerusalem. There are problems in Antioch and as Paul returns to Antioch. Evidently one of the things that they had agreed upon was that the Jerusalem church delegates James and John in particular, Peter Peter, who had already been in Antioch and featured made prep several trips to Antioch, but this was perhaps the first time for James and John and Paul refers to them as the men of James that underlines the importance of James and they come to Antioch and Peter well lesson Peter Peter falls apart before this visit, Peter had loved sitting with his Gentile Christian brothers and sisters at table eating with them talking with them having fun with them.

Fraternizing with having fellowship with them. But now that the men of James and walked into the room and it's mealtime Peter decides not to set the table with the Gentiles. He sits with his Jewish Christian friends. What's the issue of the menu.

Perhaps they can crimp crab. There was a seaport food that Jews never ate they were contrary to the kosher laws of Leviticus 37.

The new writing chapter 17. Three chapters on kosher food in the Old Testament but the Gentiles Gentile Christians now never observe these rules and Peter perhaps for the very first time it began to taste well. Bacon for what was it something else was. It's the desire on Peter's part two well suck up to the Jerusalem folk because they were influential. They were men of importance. They were men who could well further his career or was it cowardice.

Was he just afraid of the reaction of these influential men from Jerusalem and ended he was embarrassed to be in a position where he might be questioned and he might have to give some kind of defense for his actions.

Whatever it was it affected not just him, but Paul makes it clear it affected sweet Barnabas, the wonderful godly son of encouragement.

Barnabas and Paul well. He blew a gasket in public. I withstood him to his face and then in verse 14 he said to Peter, and he adds before them. All this was a public showdown. The Clash of the Titans and the church in Antioch. Oh, if I could go back in time to one place. Well, that's a really difficult issue to decide upon, but I would love to have been a fly on the wall to see the Clash of the Titans, Peter against Paul not remember. Up until this point in the acts of the apostles. For example, before the Jerusalem Council. Up until accepted. 12 who reigned supreme in the early Christian church. It's not all it's Peter. Peter is the one to whom Jesus and said you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church. He is the one who preached on the day of Pentecost. He and John were the ones imprisoned in next two and again in acts chapter 4, he is the one to whom Jesus had shown the vision and job the sheet between clean and unclean animals send and lessen the life lesson about kosher food, nothing unclean and curious stumbling stumbling before the one who will dominates the second half of the acts of the apostles and one who will write the major part of the New Testament. The apostle Paul, what is the issue for Paul.

Why such a public fuss because in his actions. He had effectively said you may be a Christian you may be a Gentile and you may come to faith in Jesus Christ.

But there is something else that you need to obey and without it you can never be assured of your true status. You must obey the food loss you must obey the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament and for Paul it wasn't justification by faith alone in Christ alone, apart from the works of the law no justification by faith alone in Christ alone, plus obedience to the ceremonial law it was that damnable plus that, for Paul would send you to hell. I doubt that that's what Peter was actually thinking when he did this. I think he did it as a knee-jerk reaction to a lifelong habit that he had learned from his earliest days that he just didn't associate with Gentiles, but in the action that he performed there was an unintended consequence of enormous magnitude.

It reminds me of the 19th century when the British reigned in India in the time of the garage and there was an outbreak of snakes, cobras, to be precise, who killing people by their venomous bites and so the authorities decided that the way to deal with this was to offer rewards that she brought the heads of the dead cobra I you will be given a handsome reward and it worked under population of cobras went down and down and down until a year later it began to increase, and then more and then more to the point that there were more cobras now than they were before the first incident of it. What was happening. People were breeding cobras and selling them and then giving them to the authorities and still making a profit. The law of unintended consequences for the apostle Paul peters's reaction was a denial of the very Gospel itself. Purity of the gospel that here I stand and I can do no other parts of the gospel of Martin Luther, the article of the standing or falling of the church. Justification by faith alone in Christ alone, apart from the works of the law. It might have seemed on one level attribute issue, Bacon for shrimp before the apostle Paul in this public setting. It was in fact a denial of the gospel, Peter was saying you Gentile Christians you can come to faith in Jesus Christ.

But you also need to obey the ceremonial law. It was the damnable plus I we saved by grace alone, apart from works that for the apostle Paul was the question will mimic for quick applications and I won't elaborate on the first, some things are more important than others in a Paul talks about that in first Corinthians 15 in the chapter on the resurrection I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received Festival that he talks about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus there festival the things that I festival and the things that are second of all, underthings spread, frankly, that 1/3 of all the things that are hundreds of all that everything is worth dying for things that are first of all, yes, that was dying for, knowing the difference between things that are first and things that are second will make you wise.

Secondly, there is a difference between public sin and private sin. This is public. Peter's action for public and they needed to be dealt with publicly but not everything is public. Social media is awash with comments and and pharisaical opinions from all kinds of people, including Christians were talking about actually private things and should remain private. But they're being aired publicly and violating so many principles of Scripture some things, a public some things private and once again knowing the difference will make you wise. Thirdly, how the mighty can fall.

This is the apostle Peter in for a while. The greatest apostle of all plenty. False false cataclysmic and publicly in the church of Antioch and Paul addresses him down. What was his sin well, let's put a word on it. He just had a knee-jerk reaction to the Gentiles. It was a learned behavior for a race of people that he had learned from his earliest youth want you to see something here and it's something that our modern culture needs to understand that something that the modern church needs to understand that whatever the sin and it may be a sin of bias against one section of society rather than another based on race, color, education, or whatever it is, but this forgiveness is forgiveness for that and dinner cancel culture society where there is absolutely no forgiveness. I think this biblical principle needs to be taken to heart.

Unfortunately, one thing is more important than any other, and nothing here is the gospel is the most important thing of all the Paul he was willing to go public. He was willing to earn for himself a reputation for being well what would could you use narrow gaps initially petulant, but no, this is appointed principal.

I fully expect Paul to have been stern and I fully expect Paul to have been resolute.

Maybe there was some emotion in the room and maybe that wasn't the Paul did this for one reason, not for his honor. Not for his reputation not for his advancement. Not that he might be seen publicly to be better than the apostle Peter. This wasn't one of linen ship. It was about the gospel, pure and simple.

When the gospel astonished when the gospel is compromised. Paul stands firm and I think knowing those times is important for you and for me there is a time to stand up and be counted. There is a time to say that with Martin Luther here I stand I can do no other to go against conscience is not otherwise no good and and we need to learn when that opportunity arises and to stand firm to be ready to be counted among Jesus's disciples well for these disciples doing just that would cost them their life's and eventually it would cost Peter his life crucified roughly the same time as the apostle Paul in Jerusalem crucified upside down by his own request for he did not feel worthy to die in the same way as his Savior.

Yes, this was a momentary lapse, a colossal one to be sure on Peter's part.

There was forgiveness and there was usefulness afterwards tremendous tremendous usefulness and those I think that some of the lessons learned from Galatians chapter 2, set timely messages in it. We live in a society divided over so many things health decisions political ideologies ethical convictions but it must be different in the church. It is different when you think about it because we have what the world doesn't have. We have the Holy Spirit to convict and guide us. We stand firm for the gospel but we stand willing to forgive. Glad you joined us today for Renewing Your Mind timely where been there all week. We have been pleased to feature exclusive messages from Harlequin or teaching fellows messages that are never aired here in the program. These special devotionals are part of the large library of exclusive messages reserved for later ministry partners there good example of the extra discipleship resources that are made available to those committed to supporting beginners gospel outreach on a monthly basis. This study dependable giving means. This teaching continues to expand and reach more people year after year, and his way of saying thank you.

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