Boundary Markers And Grace
Galatians “The Heart of the Gospel” Series
A Sermon By Jim Hammond from Galatians 2:1-14
What do you do when
Christians Have Differences?
Ø
Political Preferences
Ø
Personal Moral Guard RAILS
Ø
Peripheral Interpretive Controversies
Ø
Denominational Slants For example: The use or non use of
Charismatic expressions (i.e. tongues speaking) in church.
Ø
Cultural Differences --Likes and Dislikes (example: music
styles, dress, hairstyles, etc)
The Apostles recognized there would be personal
boundary differences among Christians. God went to great measures to
Bring His Leaders to a MATURE understanding. Before we go to the text of
our study we will look at Acts 10 to show how God went to great measures
to bring Peter to the point of recognizing that Gentiles were now
acceptable. God used a number of amazing coincidences. You know what
coincidences are, don’t you? Coincidences are when God acts and chooses
to remain anonymous.”
God used coincidences to
show Simon Peter that he had moved the boundary markers to include the
Gentiles. But with Peter, God was being obvious about who was arranging
these coincidences.
(Summarized the Acts 10
Story, highlighting the following verses)
Notice the “Coincidence”
of God’s timing in all this
Acts 10:9 (NIV) About noon the
following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city,
Peter went up on the roof to pray.
Notice where Peter was
coming from and the pains God took to change Peter’s understanding of the
changed “Boundary Markers”
Acts 10:28-29 (NIV) He said to them:
"You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with
a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any
man impure or unclean. [29] So when I was sent for, I came without raising
any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?"
Notice how far Peter
has come by looking at the last line of Acts 10: “Then they asked
Peter to stay with them for a few days.” And Peter did. He
enjoyed eating the food of his Gentile hosts. Picture Peter with barbeque
sauce on his beard from eating Pork Ribs! You gotta love Peter however.
He doesn’t learn lessons all at once or fast. He had some relapses along
the way. And that’s what we discover in Galatians 2.
Focus: A Christ
centered person is grace centered, giving grace to whom God has given
grace, and giving a grace centered confrontation to those who are turning
away from grace.
The Focus is two part. To
understand this two part focus I want you to see the incredible contrast
of Galatians 2:9 where Grace was given, with 2:11, where instead of giving
Grace, Paul confronts. How does one know when it is time to confront or
whether it is time to extend grace over issues with which we disagree?
Galatians 2:9 (NIV)
James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas
the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me.
They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews.
Here Grace is extended. But now jump forward just 2
verses.
Galatians 2:11 (NIV)
When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was
clearly in the wrong.
Was grace extended to Peter? Why not? When do you
know when to extend grace and when to confront?
A Review Of 3 Difficult Concepts
1. Christ Radically
Changed forever How to Be Right With God.
§
We learned that: Christ changed the Outside In
approach to an Inside Out Approach
§
We learned that: The best approach to righteousness
is not staying focused on all the boundary markers so much as it is
focusing on Christ, orbiting closer and closer to Him by the gravity of
grace.
§
We learned that: Christianity is not defined
primarily by staying within boundaries so much as it is, having the life
of Christ permeate our lives from within, drawing us closer and closer to
Him as the Center of our lives.
o
Christianity is not putting your life in a box of rules
but being captivated by Christ. (I used a Visual illustration of
Basketball representing us and the sense of freedom, then I put the
basketball in a box, representing the rules and boundaries of Religion.)
Many people feel think that’s what becoming a Christian means, learning
all the rules and following these rules rigidly from within the box. But
that is not what Christianity is all about. What Christianity is about is
more like having your heart captivated by Christ (I took the basketball
out of the box and placed it in a netted ball bag) and once your heart is
captivated with Christ your whole desire is for your life to revolve
around him (I began swinging the ball in an orbit around me). Wherever
Christ goes you go. Whatever he is up to you want to be up to. It is not
about rules but about a relationship with Jesus Christ.
§
2.
God’s Old Covenant Boundary Markers Are Different than His New Covenant
Boundary Markers
§
We learned this: As we entered into a study based on
the background of controversy behind Galatians 2:1-10, we began to
differentiate between 1) God’s Old Testament nationalistic boundary
markers, 2) God’s New Testament universal boundary markers, and 3)
personal boundary markers. What are “Personal Boundary markers”?
Personal Boundary markers are the personal applications we draw from
biblical principles. Personal applications are different from the
principles themselves.
§
We learned that: Constrictive nationalistic boundary
markers need no longer apply.
Circumcision, Dietary laws, Restrictive
Sabbath laws, Ceremonial purity laws, these things that had formed a
nationalistic and cultural barrier serving as a dividing wall could now
come down. A new transcendent reality would unite us and give us identity
rather than the old constrictive identifiers.
3.
Personal Boundary Markers may be set at different places within God’s
Universal Boundary Markers and still be correct.
§
The inside out approach does not remove all boundary
markers. There are still God’s universal principals in place to keep us
from being thrown out of orbit. We each need to establish helpful
personal boundary markers, as applications within God’s principles to keep
us from being thrown out of orbit.
§
We must be careful to see all boundary markers from the
standpoint of grace and not works, and from maturity and not immaturity.
I. Immature People
A. Define and
evaluate themselves based on performance (as it relates to
boundaries) rather than grace (as it relates to relationship with Christ)
Immature people think it’s all about rules. They see
conversion as a change from their old list of rules to their new list of
rules. Christianity is not primarily about rules; it is about a
relationship. Cult groups will give you a list of rules and boundaries
and tell you how to live every aspect of your life (wrongly, I might
add). But Jesus wants your heart, your whole heart. He wants your love,
which includes your motives, not just your adherence to rules.
What is the condition of your heart and
relationship with Christ?
That’s how you need to evaluate your life. When you
change the root you will change the fruit. How is it with your heart and
relationship with Christ? Are you holding anything back? Do you have a
personal relationship with Christ? What is it like? How often do you
draw near to him? Do you depend on him regularly?
B.
Confuse Personal Boundary markers with God’s Boundary
Markers
The Judaizers confused their old nationalistic
boundary markers as God’s universal boundary markers. Today, the reverse
has taken place. For the last 1700 years the Gentile branch has not
allowed a culturally Jewish expression of belief in the Messiah. Gentiles
have expected Jewish believers to forsake their Jewish heritage. There is
a resurgence of Messianic Believers in the last 19 years. They carefully
refer to Jesus as Messiah instead of Christ because they want to be
effective witnesses to the Jewish community. The atoning work of Christ,
and Grace must continue to be the emulsifier that unites us.
C. Impose Their
Personal Boundary Markers On Everyone
Let me give you a personal example of immaturity. As
I began to think about this, I have become convicted that I owe an apology
to a friend in Poway that I haven’t heard from in a long time. We were
together with them and just talking about many things, and the subject of
drinking came up. My friend, very graciously pointed out that his
boundary markers on the issue were set at a different place than mine.
I’m sure he saw the incredulity on my face. He read in my face a
judgmental shock. I began to try to convince him why my boundary markers
were better than his, and why in our culture he should set his boundary
markers in the same place as where I set my personal boundary markers on
this issue. We both sensed the conversation was at an impasse. The look
on his face was a look of disappointment. And I believe rightly so. He
was for the first time recognizing a dangerous form of immaturity in my
life that bordered on Phariseeism. I was imposing my personal boundary
marker on him, and shouldn’t have. My words were perceived as judgmental
words. It’s been probably 8 years and I hadn’t thought about that
conversation much until now, while studying these principles. I have not
changed my boundary markers, but I believe I have matured with regard to
understanding his boundary markers.
II. Mature People
A. Understand
Freedom In Personal Boundary Differences
B. Understand When to
Give Grace and When to Confront
Confrontation is sometimes necessary when people are
damaging the Gospel of Grace. Peter was compromising the gospel of grace
when he gave in to the pressure of the Judaizers. He was moving in the
opposite direction of Grace. The emusifier was being removed. Oil and
water was again being separated. Peter was walking in the opposite
direction of the Gospel of Grace.
That’s precisely why Paul confronts him.
Galatians 2:14 (NIV)
When I saw that they were not acting in line
with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, "You
are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it,
then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?
GRACE confronts those who are acting the part of the
Pharisee or Judaizer
GRACE confronts those who…
Ø
Define Holiness by performance instead of through grace.
Ø
Confuse personal boundary markers with God’s boundary
markers, confusing personal application with Biblical principle.
Ø
Impose their personal boundary markers on everyone.
Here’s a caution, even confrontation must be grace
based. The confrontation is aiming for the Gospel of Grace which is the
center. It is turning those back around who are going away from Christ at
the center, and grace as the gravity that draws us.
When Mature
People understand freedom over Personal boundary differences,
they become emulsifiers that hold together oil and water in a unity
that brings glory to God. We need to be the kind of
congregation that has this kind of maturity, so that people of different
stripes and boundaries find love, acceptance, and forgiveness.
The mature recognize
that there are personal boundary differences and give people grace.
The Apostles now recognized there would be personal
boundary differences between Gentiles and Jews as they worshipped God
through Jesus Christ, in Spirit and in Truth. The mature today also
recognize that there are personal boundary differences that are like oil
and water, not mixing together very well until GRACE the emulsifier is in
place!
Focus: A Christ
centered person is grace centered, giving grace to whom God has given
grace, and giving a grace centered confrontation to those who are turning
away from grace.
We all
should be aiming for the center, for Christ, by the Gospel of Grace.
|
