From Law to Gospel [Part 1]

Pastor author and Bible teacher Alan Wright. This is to be wonderful, joyful things that nourishes you and throws you and thrills your soul, but there's so many cattle on the strings attached and unexpected encumbrances and obligations, or other things that come you can't enjoy it even though it's something wonderful that's pastor Alan light use for an old deliberate excited for you to hear the teaching to be the series life of Peter has presented an old church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire broadcast how to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now can be yours for your donation this month. Alan Wright industries so as you listen to today's message deeper as we send you this special offer available today. Contact us at pastoralan.org that's Pastor Alan.org or call 877-544-4860. More on this later in the program but now let's get started with today's teaching here is Alan Wright good news is for freedom that you've been set free the gospel of Jesus Christ is free is love is pure and undefiled, and un-diluted.

There is no little bit of little bit a requirement little bit aloft for you to fulfill in order to be accepted by God he's come in the person of Jesus Christ and whoever accepts Christ has become not only forgiven but the righteousness of Jesus full and free and clear, and it's just that powerful. We are still in this wonderful journey and the life of Peter and today we venture out of the gospel stories and even the stories and acts to get a story about Peter that actually comes secondhand from Paul and this is in Galatians chapter 2 some years ago we preached on Galatians and what you see in this epistle is Paul and his most passionate and even just outright angry at those outside forces that have been coming and to try to contaminate the purity of the gospel of grace and so here in Galatians 2 we learn a story that's very important in the life of Peter thriller about Peter, through Paul in Galatians chapter 2 is verse 11 but when Cephas that's the other name for Peter in Aramaic. Cephas, when Cephas 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 them so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. Last saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel. I said to Cephas, Peter.

I said to Peter before them all if you though. Would you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew.

How can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews, we ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners. Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus. In order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

But if, in our endeavor and endeavor to be justified in Christ we too are found to be sinners and is Christ the servant of sin. Certainly not for if I rebuild what I tore down I prove myself to be a transgressor for through the law I died to the law so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. I do not nullify the grace of God. You can hear him saying essentially and Peter, don't you nullify the grace of God that's with the story is about had the weirdest dream the other night. You know this is a personal thing we share these dreams because then hundreds of people going to be reading things into it and just don't read anything into it, but this is what happened. I had this dream is one is very very vivid dreams.

I don't have very many that are so vivid, but it was so visit this dream that really turned out to be a nightmare.

It shouldn't of been a nightmare because it began with a wonderful gift somebody had given my wife and I'll hundred $50 gift card to go to his sumptuous nice restaurant and we were just excited to go to this restaurant that well… I place I can barely describe it was something with the place was very extravagant place that you know you only see in your dreams.

And so it started out, and we are all excited to go but then something happened. My wife went out and bought a new dress just to go out to dinner and and so I had to start asking how much the dress cost and so I started worrying about the special dinner already and she said well it was on sale and don't don't worry about that and I said well okay will. It is beautiful and we went to the dinner and we got there and I looked at the menu and it was incredible stuff on this menu but I realize it was sinking feeling came into my mud pit of my stomach because I realized that the hundred $50 gift card was not welcome anywhere near covering the dinner at this wonderful restaurant and so we were sitting there wife looking beautiful and the menu looking very expensive and as I said okay all right is gonna cost more, but how many opportunities you get like this and so would just go ahead and enjoy it. And so we we set out to order our food and I was coming here given, and the look like she was like I'm think about getting a such as such, I'm gonna given her the not that and will look and then they came in these the seated just right. Almost next to us in a table that was within full earshot of everything that we would talk about another couple. They were couple older than us prim and proper in fact, just snooty. You know they just they just look like they were better than us, and so look like they ate their know every week and that they were seated there and I'm even that bothered me because I wanted a private nice meal with my life and now me to be having to watch everything I say as far as I know your church members on the I don't doubt you and so bother you.

Just a little bit sometimes is that you can go to IHOP to get your own personal big booth and go. The most expensive restaurant and though don't squeeze you in right next to someone else anyway was a bit bothered by that we order our food will the dream we ordered our food and came it was. It was delicious but you know not enjoy that much because it's so expensive and but then, at least, at least, I was so pleased. At least they brought something Freda brought some little bowls of sherbet and and I thought this is one of about two to me to do.

And as always we get some free dessert or something here and in the dream and I dropped one of the bowls in the fell out on the floor whereupon the snooty lady next to me lifted up her nose and she said that was my sorbet that was to cleanse my palate and now you've spilled it and I realize it wasn't a free dessert. It was the pallet cleansing sorbet and I had somehow gotten the ladies next to me and dropped it. So now I'm gonna love it and so all this goes on the server comes around and says would you like some dessert and gave us the dessert menu and same time the snooty couple nexus. They had the dessert menu's and she ordered something in fluent French and I looked at this and all I could read with the prices and I said we are stuffed we are absolutely stuff we could eat anything and so we have a backup dessert menu and our bill was $330 and so use the gift card and pay the balance of the said well I was fine. We we laughed and as we are walking away I just tell you what happened in the drink. We bumped into some people that were old acquaintances that I didn't recognize. I could remember really know them from from was it from church from a former church, was it from symbol soccer team and I had to sit and have those phony conversations where I really know that we know you and I can remember how, and that was uncomfortable and then as we were walking away from that and see your analyzing me now already. This is not about me being cheap but anyway this is just I'm to make a point. The second, and so we're walking away and all of a sudden it just to get a thought I did something really wrong, just whip my mind like that as terminal line is it honey I said I think I just completely made a mistake.

I was signing the bill and I and I did some wrong arithmetic and I left way too big of a tip, and she said oh please don't worry about I said no no I left 120 Dollar Tip Is Way too much and I said I've got to go back. I got down the change that she said please just don't worry about it and it does is move on and I said no go back, I found the manager and I said I'm sorry, I accidentally left the hundred and $20 tip Lisa when I seems about appropriate use of wasn't your bill. $1300 I said no it wasn't $1300. He said yes it was.

He said you had all that food and then you had a $300 bottle of wine. We didn't even have any why, much less $300 bottle which I whipped out the receipt and I showed to us it was no was only only $330 and I said even if I give a 20% tip. I should be only 6620 was a mistake to change it to 66 and need to him halt the following changes, 66, walked out and I woke up in a cold sweat because I hello man, it was only a nightmare was only a nightmare. I didn't actually go to the finest restaurant I've ever been to and enjoy a wonderful evening with my wife and a beautiful dress though that didn't actually happen. Talent right will have more teaching moment from today's important series pressures always find it hard to say no worry that she'll disappoint someone one thing in any relationship in paradise.

They were naked and felt no shame and entered the world they became anxious and with a nine question 19. There is only one solution.

Grace of God that lifts our shame seeks me out on exposing an exception shows the individual or in a small series is sure to bring healing and hope our night ministries. This man thinking to digital Mastercraft. Thanks for your partnership in a world separate shame. It's time to let God's grace to shame.

We missed our night ministries. Now these are the final days. This offer is being made available to you this month, 877-544-4860 come to our website pastor hour and work days teaching now continues here once again is Alan writing is supposed to be wonderful, joyful things that nourishes you and enthralls you and thrills your soul, but there's so many add-ons and strings attached and unexpected encumbrances and obligations, or other things that come you can't enjoy it even though it's something that's wonderful is like I was a bit of this lab is wonderful. Please send just enjoy and revel in it, and the whole time.

I don't enjoy it all because when I'm not having to pay something that I didn't expect that worried about having to pay so that I didn't expect this is what happened to the gospel for so many Christians is that the message of the gospel is one of glorious freedom and power, and peace is a joy in the Holy Spirit is of salvation unto eternal life. It is glorious. It is free and it is from Christ and it is not by your own doing and yeah what religion does what, what with the spirit of legalism wants to do is come in all yes yes yes yes it's a wonderful gift yes it's it's one way the nurse is good, but this might bring any and all these other think this is what Paul was so concerned about amongst the Galatian Christians is that in in the in the province of glacier where these Christians had started out filled with the Holy Spirit and living a life of grace.

The people had come and infiltrated and they were telling those Christians, but in addition to accepting Christ. You really also need to have your children circumcise you be circumcised because this was Old Testament side of the covenant, and Paul got really upset about this because he was saying no you can't start adding something to the gospel and saves Jesus plus something else in order to explain his case to the Galatian Christians call brings up this story about something that happened with Peter, our beloved Peter. This one who was like shifting sand and color rock by Jesus as one who sank in the sea who fell asleep while Jesus sweat blood and who denied Jesus three times but then became the preacher at Pentecost when thousands of people came to faith and then was used of the Holy Spirit for the healing of the sick and the raising of the debt. This Peter. This Peter who had become such a mighty man of God so full of the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and yet Paul says I had to confront Peter. What happened was that Peter had been associating because of the freedom of the gospel he been associating and eating with non-Jewish people. Gentiles anybody was not Jewish called Gentile, and according to the priestly customs and laws.

The Jewish people were not supposed to eat would Gentile Gentiles were unclean and he said to eat with them and your associating with that which is not wholly and you not supposed in Christ. What we learn is that there is no Jew or Greek is no Jew or Gentile anymore is something altogether new is happening, we are grafted together in Christ and work were one and what were all saved by the same grace is not a different means of coming into the kingdom except for the saving grace of Jesus and so Gentiles come in the saving grace of Jesus in this the same way that Peter has come into the abundant life and that is through the saving grace of Jesus. And so it is that he is associating eating with them until some people come that are sent by James that we don't know that James brother Lord had instructed these people to say this but these people came Jewish Christians and they began pressuring Peter to not associate and eat with the Gentiles anymore and maybe we have to just kind of guess at this, but maybe it's because they were putting in argument something like this, Peter. You're supposed to be preaching the gospel to Jewish people that your main call. If you go to reach Jews that don't know Christ if they see that you are eating with Gentiles. There's a question your Jewishness there a question whether you are Jewish at all and you would be better off to let them know know you're still Jewish so that you can have an entrée to reach them. It could be something like that try to convince him along that line and for whatever reason or some other argument nor pressure from these people towards Peter and so Peter slowly, the language, conveys, as you can just cut off. He just slowly moved away from eating with the Gentiles and when Paul came in Antioch and he realized what was happening that Peter used to eat with the Gentiles and now he's not Paul confronted and he confronted him face-to-face publicly which met Paul was extremely passionate about this. It meant that Paul thought this was so so important that he had to risk losing face or causing Peter to lose face as a culture that's about losing her saving face and so he wrist a lot to confront Peter about this and said to him, Peter.

What you're doing is hypocritical. Your playacting and he is so upset about this because what he was doing was Peter was demonstrating in his life. A dilution, a compromise, a poisoning of the power and simplicity of the gospel of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ so important. Sometimes when you read a story like this, or even in reading it first clamps the book of Galatians. You might go will why is this so important. This is where you should really pay attention to things that might seem like little things just a matter of who you are eating with her mentor about whether circumcised or these things it seem like little things become so big. Paul is because Paul was so in tune with the nature of the gospel and so sensitive to the Holy Spirit. John Wesley said that one of the great Christian virtues is to know the difference between the little things in the big things and to not make a little thing into a big thing and not make a big thing into a little thing. Have you ever noticed that this is one of the most subtle and yet powerful temptations common to humanity is a week, often times stomach is such a big deal out of something that is really not that big of a deal but something that is a big deal.

It's as if we completely rationalize it, and we miss it. It's some years ago and I didn't look up the reference to give you specific some of you will remember this that years ago there were some whales that were trapped in the icy waters off Alaska and so United States was trying to set them free and actually there was a joining together even though there was not that much goodwill between Russia and the United States of the time actually joined together and brought in huge machinery. Some giant kind of corkscrew that could break up the ice to help set the whales free. I don't remember how many millions of dollars were spent to try to set these whales free.

Now don't get me wrong I'm all for the freedom of whales, but I got really tickled when I saw an editorial cartoon in the midst of that and it showed a homeless person who was begging for bread and a homeless person was dressed up in a whale custom. You could see all his attention given to save a couple of whales and in the midst of it so little attention given to feeding the poor in our midst.

We are so prone towards this. I just I promise I'm not going to rant, but I just want to put parentheses here and say I feel like going on a rant about a lot of things not going to help me, Jesus not do it, but Josh McDowell is been a Christian ministry forever is always been a defender of the faith in these is it were for campus Crusade for decades. His most recent thing is he is doing some conferences that help Christian leaders especially understand what has happened with the explosion of pornography that's everywhere, and as part of this he had hired the Barna group big research group to do a study on views towards pornography and it was quite a shocking and revealing.

As you might imagine not only the use of explicit materials amongst our young people, but the attitude was the thing that got me right. And today's teaching from the life of Peter is from all the gospel stay with Sal in his back here in a moment with additional insight on this for your life, and a final word pressures always on find hard to say nowhere, he that shall disappoint someone one relationship in paradise. They were naked and felt no shame entered the world and became anxious within nine question like this painting.

There is only one solution. Grace of God that lifts our shame seeks me out unexposed shame shows the individual or in a snobbery series is sure to bring healing and hope are in my ministry for digital master class is instead. Thanks for your partnership in a world separate shame. It's time to let God's grace to shame, we are happy to see Misty and Allen Wright ministries. These are the final days.

This offer is being made available to you this month, 877-544-4860 come to our website. Pastor Aron.org I feel like we've gotten to know Peter pretty well now.

So did we see him start off as this rugged, rough fishermen and there and then eventually drift into wall base living kind of can meander back and forth what happened with Peter something that you just happen to so many believers. He at first he lived by all the self-confidence and all his bowels to God and so forth. And then he really gets the gospel and he is is a preacher of Pentecost is filled with the Holy Spirit.

But when he comes under pressure to sort of go back to some of his Jewish practices, and most notably stop eating with the Gentiles. This is something that Paul gets really upset about because there's so, so much at stake than what we learn about anger as this is the same question for us is if we start putting little seeds of the legalistic living into our gospel baseline labetalol integrates how much it contaminated. There is so very much at stake you learn therefore about what the notion of holiness really is all about and why this is such a big deal to Paul and why it needs to be such a big big deal to us. Today's good news message is a listener supported production Allen Wright ministries