Luke 4:4 "but by every Word of God."

New International Version
Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone.'"
New Living Translation
But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say, 'People do not live by bread alone.'"
English Standard Version
And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’”
New American Standard Bible 
And Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE.'"
King James Bible
And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
Holman Christian Standard Bible
But Jesus answered him, "It is written: Man must not live on bread alone." 
International Standard Version
Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'One must not live on bread alone, but on every word of God.'" 
NET Bible
Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'Man does not live by bread alone.'" 
Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Yeshua answered and said to him, “It is written: a man does not live by bread alone, but by every utterance of God.”
GOD'S WORD® Translation
Jesus answered him, "Scripture says, 'A person cannot live on bread alone.' " 
Jubilee Bible 2000
And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
King James 2000 Bible
And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
American King James Version
And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
American Standard Version
And Jesus answered unto him, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Jesus answered him: It is written, that Man liveth not by bread alone, but by every word of God. 
Darby Bible Translation
And Jesus answered unto him saying, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
English Revised Version
And Jesus answered unto him, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone.
Webster's Bible Translation
And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
Weymouth New Testament
"It is written," replied Jesus, "'It is not on bread alone that a man shall live.'"
World English Bible
Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'"
Young's Literal Translation
And Jesus answered him, saying, 'It hath been written, that, not on bread only shall man live, but on every saying of God.'

Fundamental Grace Part 7- Fools, Faith, and the Flesh

“O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” (Gal. 3:1-3)

It is imperative that we know what we believe. One of the saddest commentaries on today’s society is that so many Scientology groups, Mormon churches, Jehovah’s Witness halls and segment of dozens of other cults are filled with former Bible-believing Baptists. Many former Catholics have left the Baptist church and returned to Catholicism. That may be difficult for you to fathom, but it happens because too many of them did not know what they professed to believe.

I would never do anything publicly to embarrass my church, but sometimes I feel it would be good to give the congregation a quiz on some basic Bible facts and issues that all of us should have known for quite some time. I love teaching a class of new converts and showing them basic truths from the Word of God, because you can see so plainly when the light bulb comes on and they get it. It is so cool to teach something from the Bible and hear a person say, “I never knew that. I never saw that before.”

The other great thing about teaching that class is that I am constantly reminded and reaffirmed concerning the doctrines of the faith. They are simple and straightforward; there is nothing magical or mystical about them. If you follow God’s Word, you will have success, but if you reject it, you will find yourself in a world of hurt. There is an old song entitled, “Trust and Obey.” That sums it up. Do what the Bible says and trust the Lord, and you will be in good shape.

While I enjoy begin constantly reminded of these great truths, I am also reminded of how many people do not know what they believe. We must be able to defend truth.

With this in mind, consider the STINGING INDICTMENT from Paul in verse 1. Some people say, “I wish our pastor preached like the Apostle Paul.” Be careful what you wish for. Paul was brutal. He didn’t cut his audience any slack.

He starts the third chapter by calling the Galatians foolish. No one in his right mind would want to receive a letter like that. If you break that word down in this context, it refers to someone who is mentally lazy and careless in study. He was telling the church at Galatia, “You were unwilling to study and solidify what you believe.”

I hope everyone reading these words is faithful to church for every regular service and anything else that is going on, but if you are learning your doctrine only in the four or five hours you are at church each week, you will be weak. You must take time to do this, and it is hard work. People who say, “I just don’t have the time,” are the main reason our generation cannot defend what it believes.

Theologically, Baptists as a group are lazy. Just as we are commanded to worship or to witness, we are commanded to “study to shew thyself approved unto God,” according to II Tim. 2:15.

Also in verse 1, Paul referred to how the people were charmed and led astray by false teaching. They were flattered with false promises, perhaps by using the occult, to emphasize feeling over fact and emotion over truth.

So many churches and religious movements today are advising people not to let doctrine “divide” them. If you put doctrine in its proper place, you can’t help but divide people because not everyone believes the same thing. That is just common sense.

During my first two years as a pastor in Texas in the late 1990s I was invited to be part of a citywide rally with patriotic and political overtones. At first I went because I wanted to see what it was like, and I sat on the platform with men from other denominations in the area, but eventually I decided I was just not comfortable there. Not everyone on that platform believed the same things I did. My decision was solidified some time later when I attended a funeral at a church with which I agreed on almost nothing, and I was asked to give a eulogy because the deceased woman’s daughter was a member of my church. After I spoke, the man who followed me spent his entire sermon talking about tongues and gifts of the Spirit because he knew the room was filled with Baptists. He never talked about the deceased during his sermon.

As we left the service, the husband of my church member (who is lost to this day as far as I know) told his wife, “There was more Bible in what your preacher said in five minutes than what the other guy said in an hour.” That confirmed in my heart that I could not be part of a program with someone who would waste an opportunity to present Christ and choose to try to convince a crowd of people about something else.

One of the saddest things a church member can say to me is, “My children are going to Such-and-Such Church. I don’t agree with everything they believe, but at least they are going to church.” I would submit that it is better to stay out of church than to go to a wrong church, because they will not be taught a lie. There is probably a better chance for the Lord to get hold of their hearts out on the street in their daily lives than if they are soothed by false teaching and wrong doctrine every Sunday.

The situation with the Galatians was a failure of faith. The people were leaving the faith of Christ and moving into a fleshly realm. Anyone who has been around Christianity for very long knows that more Christians walk by flesh than by faith, and that is a dangerous thing. If you fool around too long without properly educating yourself from the Word of God, you eventually come up with your own flesh-centered doctrine. At that point, as we see so often in today’s society, truth becomes irrelevant.

The final phrase of verse 1 suggests that Christ was openly and publicly preaching when these people were alive, and they had received His death burial and resurrection for their salvation before turning away. No works were taught or preached during Christ’s ministry, so these changes had come later.

Notice in verse 2 the SPIRITUAL INVESTMENT made by Paul in the lives of the Galatians. In saying, “This only would I learn of you,” he is expressing his desire that someday they could teach him, instead of him always having to teach them. He was saying in essence, “I wish that you could get this so I wouldn’t have to keep showing it to you.”

In his letters to the Corinthians, Paul mentioned that he wanted to give the people meat but had to give them milk instead because that was all they could handle. I have often wondered what he was referred to in that passage. Here is a deep theological truth that many Christians need to get hold of today: Grow up! At some point you need to start digging out the truth on your and making it personal. Stop living off the labor and teaching of others. Your pastor is there to get you started; you need to crank it up and get going on your own.

Since the Galatians weren’t getting it, Paul had to establish the doctrine once again. In asking the basic question at the end of verse 2, he pointed out that they were trying to finish in the flesh what they had started in faith. Living in the flesh for God is not too far from living in the flesh for Satan. When you stop living by faith, you are in trouble. Faith is what makes you grow and move forward for God. Faith, grace and mercy are not just salvation terms; they are also sanctification terms. Having a church full of people who were saved by faith but are living in the flesh is what produces a lot of castaways and wrecked lives.

Look at Rom. 1:17. “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” When you were saved you did not eliminate the flesh factor, but you gained the faith factor. To have victory, you need to live by faith just like you were saved by faith.

The Bible says in Rom. 10:16-17, “But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” You may have thought those verses referred to salvation, but they are actually about Christian living. The problem that I see in our families is that we are not living by faith. You must have faith to continue in the Christian life.

Why is so little done spiritually in the home? Why do you depend upon Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night to feed your family? If you want your children to grow, they have to be fed a steady diet of faith. It has to be modeled and demonstrated for them on a regular basis. If you are going to live by faith, you need to invest in that. A good movie lasts two hours, and a good ball game is longer than that. It doesn’t take many such events to eat up a lot of time. We frequently feed other things more than we feed our faith. Our lives are so chaotic that you have to work to fit spiritual things into your schedule.

Your giving is a way to model your faith. Going above your tithe with special offerings and giving to missions will stretch you and your family. Perhaps you would like to take your family on a mission trip, and you know you must trust God to provide the resources for that. What a great way to model your faith in front of your children.

Read Eph. 1:13-14. “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” The Holy Spirit is in you, but you still have your flesh. You must make a conscious choice to both fortify and feed that part of you by continually submitting yourself to Him, or you will fortify and feed the flesh. A lot of folks are starving the Spirit of God while fattening the flesh. Paul teaches over and over throughout the New Testament that there must be a crucifying of the flesh so the Spirit of God can have liberty in our lives, to do for us and through us what He wishes to do. We need to take a good look at what we are feeding and fortifying.

The SANCTIFICATION of our flesh is addressed in verse 3. Sanctification is the process by which we become spiritually mature. Paul uses the word “perfect” in this case. “Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?”

Salvation is instantaneous. Once it is done, it is done. You do not lose your salvation. In the Bible, the words “all” and “eternal” mean exactly what we have always known them to mean every single time. Once you trust Christ, you are saved all the time and forever.

On the other hand, sanctification is not instantaneous. It is the process or perfection or maturation. If you had a child, you would be sad if he or she were still in an infant stage by the fifth or sixth birthday. You want your children to mature in every way – physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally.

You may have been saved 50 years, but if you have not progressed spiritually you are still an infant. As a pastor I have changed a lot of 60-year-old diapers in my lifetime. It is amusing to me to see a senior citizen throw a spiritual fit like a middle-school student, and I have seen plenty of them.

Salvation takes an instant, but sanctification takes the rest of your life until you meet the Lord. I know a 92-year-old man in my church who is a wonderful Christian, and he would tell you, “I haven’t arrived, but I am making progress.” He has a fantastic walk with God, but he is still working on it.

You don’t arrive in a weekend. It’s a long journey and you are going to mess up along the way, but God knows that and has already placed those missteps under the blood. He wants you to keep moving forward, not backward, in His grace and with His help. How does He do this?

* By paying our sin debt. According to II Cor. 5:21, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” We have the ability to mature as Christians because we are already saved. God gave Christ the authorization to take our place, and as we accept His death, burial and resurrection as payment for our sin, we take on His righteousness as He takes our sin. The eternal security of our salvation is a solid foundation upon which we can build a victorious life, and any theology that causes you to constantly question your salvation is a wicked tool to keep you in spiritual infancy.

* By providing grace to live victoriously, as we see in Rom. 6:14. “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” Living the Christian life is physically impossible in the flesh. You cannot possibly be a good enough Christian on your own.

* By giving us the Person of the Holy Spirit. Rom. 8:13 says, “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” When you are saved, you get the Holy Spirit sealing you and indwelling you. You do not have to give in to sin anymore because He is working in you and through you. When you lead control of your fleshly desires to Him, He will lead you into righteousness.

* By removing the penalty of sin. Rom. 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” This is a doctrine that must be taught clearly. We are not under the guilt of sin anymore. “I have to tell God about this awful thing I did.” He knew about it when He died on the cross, as He bore all of our sins for us. It is already paid in full.

* By removing the power of sin. Look at Rom. 8:9. “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” The power of sin is no longer controlling you when you move toward the Spirit and away from the flesh. Sometimes people doubt their salvation because they are seeing sin in a different light, and that is because the Holy Spirit is working.

* By removing the presence of sin. One day, the words of I Cor. 15:50-53 will come alive for us: “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” One day the Lord will take us all home to be with Him, and sin will never be a problem again.

Faith saves you, but it also grows you and matures you. If you thought you were saved by works, you could keep working from now on and never be saved. When there is an emptiness of self and a trust in Him alone, and you recognize the utter hopelessness of a life without Him, you have no choice but to trust by faith. The same faith that saved you is what will keep you growing in Christ.

We all should work for God as a way of demonstrating our faith, but our works do not impress God. To be honest, just doing what you should be doing as a Christian should not impress any of us. We should expect each other to be in church, to tithe, and to tell others about Jesus. God expects that from us as well.

There should be some things about our lives that set us apart from the world, but if live your entire life to please others or ultimately please God by your works, it will lead to a life of frustration because you are never going to do enough. It will always be a case of, “What have you done for me lately?” Churches built on performance-based faith eventually fall apart because no one can maintain that level of pressure.

We all need to get back to the attitude of living our lives for God because we love Him and want to give Him our best, not to impress Him.

Fundamental Grace Part 6- The Law

“We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” (Gal. 2:15-21)

In verse 15 Paul gave a clarification of the law, reminding them not to add Judaism to the gospel. Just because they kept the law as Jews did not mean they still were not sinners just like the Gentiles. It doesn’t matter what race or culture you may be. All of us are sinners. It is a sin problem, not a skin problem. Paul stressed that Jews were sinners just as Gentiles, and that all men and women are justified before God by faith.

The law is important, but you can do everything you are supposed to do and follow every rule you know of – and still split Hell wide open. Works alone justify no one. The Bible says in Rom. 4:2, “For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.”

Think about Nicodemus in John 3. If any man had the right to point at his own good works and say, “Look at me,” it was Nicodemus. But while men may applaud his good works, God will reject him if He does not see his faith.

The works of the law are outward in nature. We are not justified by that, but by believing in Jesus Christ by grace through faith. James says that if are justified by Him, there will be an outward expression of that. In other words, when we are justified before God, our works will justify us before men. However, being justified before God does not give us the right to do whatever we want. Grace demands otherwise and motivates us to demonstrate to others that what we have is real. There is no contradiction between the writings of Paul and those of James regarding faith and works. They go hand in hand – faith toward God and works toward men. You cannot show men your faith unless you show them your works.

It is hard for you to be a witness about the life-changing work of God when the things in your own life are not life-changing. If Christ is working in your life, things should be different. The law is not a bad thing; after all, it is about how we live. There are still some things that are right in this world and some that are wrong. God wrote a very important Book that, among other things, shows us how to live.

The law is our schoolmaster. It is not the goal, but a means to the goal, which is to glorify God. We glorify Him in part by the way we live.

* The law cannot save or justify us in or by itself.

* What the law cannot do, only faith can do.

* Keeping the law is a byproduct of faith.

If you are not changed by the grace of God and a new creature, there is something wrong. You still have the same flesh, and temptation is still a great enemy of the believer, but there should be an inward desire to please God. If that is not there, you can keep all of the rules and do all of the good things you want to but you will still be the most miserable person in the world.

“Pastor, So-and-So used to go to church here with us and now he is so far out in the world. What happened?” He was never very far into Christ, and that is how he can get so far out in the world. I am in favor of Christian education because I believe it is a Biblical principle, but one problem with Christian education over the years is that it educated the character of many young people without transforming their hearts. They learned a lot of facts about the Bible without grasping what a difference Christ can make in a person’s life. I got right with God at 21 years of age, and it was a few years after that before I really got hold of what this is all about and realized that it is not about being a programmed robot that does this and doesn’t do that. It is about a relationship with a loving God who does not get furious every time I mess up.

The idea that God is pleased with you when you do good and mad at you when you do bad is just wrong theology. He already demonstrated His love by sending Christ to die for us. Nothing you do is going to make Him like or you hate you, because He has an unconditional agape love that is so different than anything we understand in the natural realm. He showed us His love when we were unlovable – and most of us could admit that we are still unlovable.

Rom. 3:20 says, “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” The law cannot fix me, but the law can show me some things I can continue to work so I will draw closer to the Lord.

Look in that same chapter at verse 28. “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” Did you know that a man can trust Christ and go to Heaven having never had time to do good deeds by the law, yet God is still pleased with Him? It is salvation by grace through faith that gets a person to Heaven, not baptism or any other work.

You might say, “I don’t believe in deathbed salvation.” Well, I do. All you have to do is repent and believe (which is done in one fell swoop, by the way). It is not a process; you turn from sin to receive Christ. It doesn’t matter at that point if you got baptized or did anything else. I want you to be saved, baptized and growing in the Lord, but you have to be saved first. That is the most important part.

For years in so many of our churches we were concerned with the exterior and forgot to deal with the interior. If Christ gets hold of a man’s heart, He will also get his clothing, his attitude and his wallet. When I was running from God, there was not much I wouldn’t try, but when I hit the altar and gave my life to Him it was not difficult for me to take out my earring, cut my hair and straighten up in general. There were some issues with my flesh because of strongholds I had developed in certain areas, but I did not want to stay where I was. God had to work through me and give me strength, but something inside me cried out, “I want something different than this!”

This was possible because when I was young, I was taught some things that laid a foundation in my life. Even though I got away from that for a while, when God got hold of my heart it was still there. Don’t throw the foundation away, and when the time comes for God to work it will still be in place.

Verse 17 gives us a question about the law. Now since we are not first-century Jews we do not know exactly how they were thinking, but it was probably something like this: “If we identify ourselves as sinners like the Gentiles, does God receive the blame for our actions? We are children of Israel.”

Jews must be saved like Gentiles to go to Heaven. They do not get a pass just because they are God’s chosen people. They are the apple of His eye, but they must be born again. There is a teaching today called separation theology that claims Israel will always be separated, but that is not so. All men must go through the cross.

But the question here remains whether our sinful state is an indictment of God. I wish I had the space to address it here, but God is getting quite a beating in some theological circles these days for various things. “If God were a loving God, there would be no tsunamis or earthquakes,” they say after a catastrophic event. “I don’t know anyone could serve a God that would allow this to happen.” The opposite end of that theology is the assertion that God is not made at anybody, and everybody is going to Heaven. That is universalism, and it is the source of a massive debate among some of our Southern Baptist friends because of some new emergent church pastors.

Both ends of that spectrum are wrong. First of all, the Bible says that God is angry at the wicked every day. His justice demands payment. Love is not God’s only or greatest attribute; holiness is. That is why you hear the words, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty.” You don’t hear, “Love, love, love.”

God is holding sinners accountable for their choices. I believe that God puts in every one of us an understanding that He exists, and His Word says that those who seek Him will find Him. If someone on the darkest part of any continent looks up at the stars and truly wants to know where God is, I believe that God will go to whatever lengths necessary to make Himself known to that person.

On the other hand, before we blame God for every bad thing that happens on the map, we must recognize that if we acknowledge the presence of God we must also note the active presence of His archenemy, Satan. A recent poll I saw indicates that 80 percent of students on college campuses claim to believe in God – not necessarily the God of the Bible, but some sort of supreme deity. In that same poll, fewer than 30 percent stated that they believe in a literal Satan. By his own design, Satan has gotten himself identified with ghosts, goblins and things that go bump in the night. One of the most notable lines from a popular film in the 1990s was this: “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world that he doesn’t exist.” Even a growing number of evangelicals deny the existence of Satan.

In this life we are stuck with the effects of sin and its curse. Did God want any of that for us? He designed this world perfectly, and it was perfect until sin appeared. Satan set it all in motion in the Garden of Eden, and all that we see now is the cause and effect of man’s choice to reject God. One day He will take away all of this, but for now we have to deal with it.

All of this leads us to Paul’s answer to the question in verse 17. The answer is, “God forbid.” God did not make us sinners; each of us chose to be a sinner. Not one of us has to sin, but we all choose it. James 1:14 says, “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.” People do what they want to do because they want to do it. Maybe they didn’t mean to do it in the manner that they did. Perhaps they intended to start with just a little sin. But the consequences of sin are incalculable and left only up to God.

A young man or young woman might set out to please self a certain amount, but over time and because the wiles of the devil, that person goes farther and farther until one day ending up in a place no one ever intended to be. “I didn’t mean to do that,” you say. Well, you did mean to sin; you just never expected it to take you this far. No one ever became an alcoholic without taking that first drink.

If you are involved in something you never planned to be involved in, that is not God’s fault. You are not in a mess because God failed you or put in you some desire you cannot overcome. There is no alcoholic gene or homosexual gene. Now I believe that there are certain predispositions and common temptations or family issues that may come into play, but you will never convince me that God is wrong and He made you in such a way that you must sin. You can’t excuse your bad temper because you are Irish or your alcoholism because you are a Native American. God is not responsible for our sinful state.

In verse 18 we address the keeping of the law. Paul talks about this very intelligently in legal terms, pointing out that after hammering home the point of it being all about Christ, if he were to turn around and say it were something other than Christ it would be a transgression of the law, which is sin. (By the way, any transgression of the law is sin. Just like doctrine transcends generations, so does sin. If it was wrong a hundred years ago, it is wrong today.)

The end of the law is Jesus. It always leads you to Him, because when you come to the end of the law you realize that it cannot save you and was never intended to save you. The law is our teacher. Lester Roloff used to say, “Living the Christian life is impossible outside the power of God.” When you realize that, it reinforces our need for Jesus. The law is meant to point us to Christ, because in and of itself the law never satisfies. The frustration that comes from not being able to live right in our own flesh and under our own power is a constant reminder that we have no hope of meeting God’s standard of righteousness apart from His grace and the shed blood of Christ. In short, it is not about me. It is all about Him.

That brings us to verse 20, which is the conclusion of the law. My life is all about the grace and mercy of Christ, and what I do is not to impress anyone else or because of some weak attempt to accumulate good works on my own. It is God working in me and through me.

How many times have you gone to the altar about some sin in your life, confessed it to God and purposed in your heart to stop that particular sin, as sincerely as you possibly can, only to get right back to it within a day? We have all done that, especially me. Not only did I return to that sin, I began enjoying it again.

Here is what I learned based on those experiences. I have to give myself to God the best way I know how and say, “Lord, I can’t quit this on my own.” Instead of trying to run away from whatever sin or problem is in my life at any particular moment, I just have to start running toward Jesus.

If you went home tonight and Jesus was physically sitting the car with you, and He walked into your home with you to spend the evening, you would have a pretty good night. Since that is not the case, we need to find people who best emulate Jesus in their own lives and make them our most important influences. We should want to be around people are more like Him and will draw us closer to Him than those who would draw us away from Him. If so, we would find ourselves at more church functions and safe activities that emphasize spiritual growth, which would help us live more like we should.

As we focus less on ourselves and our sin and more on Christ, we find that we are not living our lives but Christ is living through us. Quit focusing on what you want to stop doing and pay more attention to what you know you should be doing. When you do that, in time Christ will take away the pull of that unwanted thing and give you more of a taste for what He would have you enjoy. You will never stop if you only think about stopping, because you think about it so much that you will want to start again.

We have made serving God so much about a list of requirements that no one can serve God anymore. It became so difficult that people resigned themselves to the fact that they couldn’t meet the requirements and just gave up. Not everyone is going to be at the same level, but when people get involved at their own level it helps them get victory over whatever needs conquering.

When you pour your life into others and try to minister to them, you will forget about what was troubling you and you will stop doing whatever was such a stumbling block because you will be too busy serving others. Then the law is not a burden but a blessing, because your life is no longer your own, but it belongs to Christ. Let go of that burden and embrace the joy of serving the Lord.

Fundamental Grace Part 5 The Gospel

“But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter; (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:) And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision. Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do. But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?” (Gal. 2:7-14)

Notice first in verses 7-8 the COMMITMENT OF THE GOSPEL. The brethren here recognized a great truth. Paul had been given an anointing, or a calling, or a mission to the Gentile world. (By the way, you should be saying “Amen” right now because that is how you had the opportunity to be saved. Unless you have a unique lineage, someone had to bring the gospel out of Judaism so that you could eventually hear it.) The other apostles saw that Paul had the gift to reach the Gentiles, just as Peter had the gift to reach the Jews. God showed them that they could take the gospel to both groups.

They were committed to people. They knew that the mission of the church was to reach the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. God showed them that there would not be angels appearing or mystical writings across the sky to communicate the gospel. A preacher is sent, the message is heard, and people receive Christ. That is how it is supposed to work.

As Christians, we either make it happen or we don’t. The gospel has been committed unto us. Look at II Cor. 4:5-7. “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”

Verse 7 makes it pretty clear. The treasure is the gospel. The vessel is me (or you). The gospel has been to you so that you can distribute it throughout your sphere of influence. God’s plan since creation has been to spread out around the world with this message. We do not build communes to bring people in; we build churches and send people out. There are many methods, but the best one is when you and I share the good news of Jesus Christ to another person in a one-on-one situation.

The apostles were committed for a purpose, and we should be as well. Your main job on Earth is to magnify Jesus Christ through your life. Your chosen vocation, whatever it may be, is simply a tool to help you do that. It is a way for you to meet people.

When people in my church tell me how they have given out tracts or talked to someone about the Lord, it excites me. Even if no one gets saved, they have done their job. It is God’s job to bring them in, and it is our job to get the word out.

One of my men operates a fast-food restaurant and it has become a ministry for him. What a great opportunity he has – many of his employees are teenagers with no knowledge of the Bible, some of them without parents. He is able to answer so many questions that they have about life and about God. The average person on the street thinks his job is to cook chicken, but his main job is to magnify Christ. Of course, he should do a good job for his employer and not steal his time. But when the opportunity presents itself, he should make much of Jesus. That is our purpose.

Notice in verse 9 their COOPERATION IN THE GOSPEL. The older I get, the more I understand the words of Paul Chappell: “Teamwork makes the dream work.” This is not about a one-man show. It is about everyone doing something to further the gospel. In this passage each man went in a different direction so they did not cross into each other’s lanes, but every one of them was getting the job done.

On a recent Wednesday night we had a number of people saved at our church. It started when one man fueled up our bus. Someone else drove that bus, and several people went out and invited folks to come. During the service there were nursery workers who did their part, and anyone who helped visitors feel welcome did something important. For every person who trusted Christ, there were as many as ten people who played a role. It is never about just one person.

I learned years ago that I cannot do it all myself. God puts people in a church for a certain time and season. He knows our needs and sends us the personnel to take care of them. I do not have any idea how much money each family in my church gives, but I have been told of instances where one family moved away and their giving was replaced by another family that came to us at exactly the right time. We are all just small pieces of a large pie, and together we can do so much more than we can do alone.

The CONSIDERATION FOR THE GOSPEL is noted in verse 10. Paul was instructed to preach to the poor, and he noted that he had already set his mind to doing just that.

Look at what Jesus said in Luke 14:12-14. “Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.” The point here was not to target the affluent or any demographic group for your own advantage, but to go after those who can do nothing for you.

One day I took a picture of our church buses all lined up in a nice row, and I posted it on Facebook with these words: “The bus ministry is still the best evangelistic tool we have for reaching boys and girls with the gospel.” Many people insist that the bus ministry is only a financial drain, and the rising costs of gas and insurance seem to support that argument. It would be cheaper to stop running buses, but someone needs to go get those poor kids who otherwise could not come to church. Occasionally I will hear someone say, “Pastor, we need to go after the up-and-comers, the one who can bring money into the church.” I learned a long time ago that if you reach children, widows and others who cannot help you, God will send you people who can help you.

God save us from the mentality that we only target a certain culture, demographic or color. If you are not comfortable around all types, then it will take you a few million years to get used to Heaven, because that place will look like a rainbow. As the old children’s song says, they are all precious in His sight.

If you are unfamiliar with a church, take a look at the choir. That is usually an accurate representation of the church itself. Some members come from difficult backgrounds and may be struggling today, and others are more successful and stable. There are all ages, colors and backgrounds. One person who was in church since childhood may sit next to another who was saved out of a messy adult life. It is a microcosm of the entire church.

There was a time when every family that joined a church was a mom and dad with two or three kids. It is almost never that simple anymore. There are so many different family structures now that you sometimes need a scorecard to keep up with who is related to whom. That is the world we live in. If you cannot work with broken families, you will not build a church today. You must have a mindset to work with hurting people and give them room to grow. Not everyone is going to come in with Bible in hand, ready to plug right in as a faithful, tithing member. Some are going to be spiritual infants that you have to bring along slowly and gently. Instead of insisting that they be right with God before they set foot in church, get the heart of Jesus and meet them where they are.

I have found that some of the greatest Christians come from the most difficult backgrounds. Having a consideration for the gospel means that you are reaching people who may not help your bottom line but will make your heavenly line look really good.

The final verses of this passage cover the CONFLICT OVER THE GOSPEL. It looks like Paul and Peter had a public disagreement, based on verses 11 and 14. If you look carefully, you can see that there was a Biblical reason for this conflict.

Peter was exhibiting signs of racism, being friendly with Gentiles one day and then shunning them when his Jewish friends were around, as verse 12 indicates.

Our practices separation for ministry, but not segregation. When we began our current children’s program some people thought we were segregating, but we determined that it was more effective to make separate groups because some children have been raised to be more disciplined in their behavior and already know a considerable amount about the Bible than others. Rather than expel the kids who just can’t sit still or let them scare off some of the other kids, we decided to adapt so that we could minister to them. As these young people grow, we move them to the other department and disciple them appropriately. But we respect everyone regardless of where they come from, and we do not separate based on color.

Paul told Peter that he was treating people the wrong way because of their cultural background, and it was having the wrong kind of influence on others, as noted in verse 13. This is the only negative comment you will read about Barnabas in the Bible. He was a powerful man of God, but he let himself get carried because of Peter’s reputation. This is a reminder to us that our bad decisions always affect someone else who is looking up to us. I am convinced that much of the trouble in our churches is not because of the majority, but because of a handful of people who are influencing many weaker, younger Christians.

Paul gave a Biblical response in a public forum. It was an open sin that needed an open rebuke. A lot of things we concern ourselves with are really none of our concern, but this was not that kind of situation. He also rebuked him personally, not by sending him a letter but by meeting him face to face. A letter does not show tone or diction, and thus it is not as personal. Paul also did not go around and talk to everyone else about it first. The way he handled this situation was a good lesson for those who witnessed it, as they learned how to properly deal with such matters.

I believe that this was a passionate, issue-only rebuke. Paul had no other motive but to see the gospel given to the Jew and the Gentile alike. He wanted only to get this problem fixed so everyone could move forward for the cause of world evangelism. It could be that he raised his voice, but it was his passion, which should not be confused with anger. We would do well to give people a little room when someone is passionate and does not mean harm. The cause of Christ could always use some more passion.

Paul’s life backed up his message in a way that Peter probably took it the right way. If someone has the reputation of a jerk, that is what people will assume in most cases. In contrast, if a person is known to be consistent and solid, he will get the benefit of the doubt.

There are going to be problems in our churches, and good people will say some strange things. If are going to grow, we must learn that good people should have room to disagree and to correct one another when necessary and when done properly.

It is important to remember that Paul stayed within the boundaries of the problem. He rebuked Peter with the precepts of the Word of God. He didn’t say, “Oh, by the way,” and then bring up something Peter did four or five years earlier. They dealt with this issue and it was over.

Too much of what we see in our world today is over preference, pride, and personality. Some people are too sensitive, and others are not interested in helping someone as much as cutting them down. We get our feelings hurt at church so often it is not scriptural at all.

How many church splits are over something Biblical? How many are because of pettiness, or politics, or something so meaningless? I have heard of very few churches dividing over the virgin birth, but plenty who went their separate ways because they couldn’t agree on the color of the carpet. It is petty and pitiful. It destroys churches and breaks the heart of God.

Some things are important enough to fight over. If you are teaching another gospel, that calls for a confrontation. Let’s make sure what we say is right and in the right spirit. The gospel is worth fighting over, but it is not to be trampled over by petty things. Our mission is too important, and we must move forward in the right spirit.