Sermon Tone Analysis

Galatians 2:11-14

Have you ever wondered why you struggle with the same sins all the time?

The things that you thought would stop immediately after you became a Christian?

Maybe you've read books about it, gone to counseling to improve on it

Joined Bible studies, created boundaries

But nothing seems to change.

I believe that the passage we read this morning can help us understand the answer to that and at least one other question.

Review

If you have been following this series with me, you know that Paul has used the first several paragraphs of his letter to argue that he is a bonafide messenger of Jesus, with an untainted message from Jesus.

So far, he has shown that his message is independent of anyone including:

Human teaching (1:13-17)

The major Judean churches (1:18-24)

The Big Three (2:1-10)

My apostleship (a fancy way of saying he was a direct speaker for Jesus) and my Gospel (the message Jesus taught him to share with everyone) are valid, because in addition to the fact that I have never been formally trained in the message of the apostles, everyone including the three most famous religious leaders in the church shook my hand and said, "we're glad you're on our side now."

Introduction

So Paul began his letter with an argument that traveled from broad to narrow terms.

From nobody commissioned me, to not the Church in Jerusalem, to not the big three to this week, not even Peter.

In fact, I'm going to share a story with you about my second, (SECOND) interaction with Peter.

Simon Peter, also known as Cephas was one of the apostles, one of the big three (Peter, James and John) and in each instance in the gospels where the apostles are listed, he is first among equals.

Peter was the most popular leader in the Church at least for the first 15 years.

The Holy Spirit told Peter that he was supposed to get up and preach to the Jews on the day of Pentecost.

That was the first Christian sermon after Jesus rose from the grave.

Peter was a very important and integral core of leadership in the first century church.

Before we can go much further, and in order understand just why Paul got up in Peter's face we have to understand what the issue at hand really is.

What grounds does Paul have for even getting up in Peter's face?

Don't we believe that the Holy Spirit convicts people of sin?

Was this even a sin?

So, what was the problem?

What was happening?

Explanation

Peter's Visit to Antioch

If you follow the timeline through the NT history book (Acts) you know that just after Peter was miraculously rescued from prison that he left Jerusalem for a while because the religious leaders were not happy with his attempts at proselytizing the Jews in the temple and the marketplace.

The Bible doesn't tell us exactly where Peter went, just "to another place."

However, after Paul in Barnabas returned from Jerusalem (which is where they received the right hand of fellowship from Peter, James, and John) they went to Antioch (Acts 13).

The Bible again doesn't say how much time lapsed from the end of Acts 12 when Paul and Barnabas were in Antioch and when they left at the beginning of Acts 13, but it's possible that this is when this event that we just read happened.

Peter was in Antioch where there were Jews and Gentiles and they were in community together.

Enjoying life together.

That meant that according to Jewish law, those Jews were unclean in a number of ways

Under the law they weren't to eat with Gentiles

Under the law they weren't to eat food offered to idols, or bacon, or other meats that would have been a part of everyday life for a non-Jew.

Peter knew the law, but don't forget Peter had also had a vision (recorded in Acts 10).

He was hungry, sitting on the roof of a building and God shows him a sheet filled with all sorts of animals (like a big picnic blanket) and inside of it are every type of animal you can think of of.

God says, "Eat up, Peter."

Peter says, "No way God!

I have never eaten anything that is unclean."

God responds, "Don't call anything that I've made clean, common."

Now try that carnitas burrito.

More importantly, is that Peter at first wasn't sure what this meant until the Holy Spirit says, "a few guys are looking for you.

Go with them."

Peter goes with them and they take him to a house filled with Gentiles and here is what Peter says,

Peter preached the gospel to them and baptized them and then went back to the church and said, "Hey everyone, God just revealed to me that anyone can be saved by faith because the Holy Spirit was clearly on these Gentiles because they were speaking in tongues and extolling God."

And here is what happened:

Everyone is pumped.

Man!

The Gentiles are worshiping our God!

This is amazing!

And then (I imagine) a deacons meeting is called by the board of deacons and he says, "I am all for Gentiles being followers of Christ.

That is just great.

Should we be a little concerned about what Moses said?

I mean, how many hundreds of years have we lived under the law?"

What about our identity?

What happens to Jew-ness?

What about the good name that we have in our community?

I've seen the way that some of these Gentiles eat?

There is fat and blood and grease slinging everywhere when they eat those vile baby-back ribs.

"Yeah, I bet they're not circumcised either.

And I'm just not sure they are aware of our holy days and resting on the Sabbath."

Can we just pause to talk about these food laws?

Eating Kosher

Basically, the Bible (Lev.

11; Deut.

14) prohibits the consumption of (1) all four-footed animals except sheep, goats, cattle, and a few kinds of deer,5 the most notable prohibition being pork; (2) shellfish and molluscs;6 (3) birds of prey;7 (4) most insects (except locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers);8 (5) swarming land creatures (like lizards, crocodiles, chameleons, and weasels);9 and (6) dead animals (which should be obvious).

Furthermore, for food that was permissible there was a further restriction: no food could be consumed that had either fat or blood (Lev.

3:17).

In the passage of history, Jews added other prohibitions, like Gentile meat and wine (cf.

Dan.

1:12–16), because both could have been contaminated through idolatry.

One other prohibition was the eating of food that was not properly tithed, though Pharisees debated this point quite heatedly.

What does this all mean?

If you trace the dietary restrictions back to their origin you will land in the second and third books of the Bible (Exodus and Leviticus.)

After God had rescued the Israelites from the land of Egypt (out of slavery) he initiated an agreement with them called the Mosaic covenant.

The agreement essentially said, "I will bring you in to the land of Canaan (which I promised to your forefathers) and you will obey my commandments."

Agreed?

Agreed.

God's presence descended on the top of Mount Sinai and he told Moses all that he wanted Israel to do.

Moses relays the message to the Hebrew people and then returns to the mountain to receive the rest of the instructions from God.

The people become restless because of Moses' absence and raise up a leader (Moses brother) and pressure him in to building an altar and molding an image that they could worship.

Aaron complies.

God tells Moses that the people have already abandoned the covenant and that he should wipe them out and restart with just Moses; Moses pleads with God not to do this.

God's anger subsides and Moses returns with instructions on building the tent of meeting.

The place where God's presence would dwell with the people.

They construct this extremely detailed and ornate tent that is filled with all sorts of Garden of Eden like imagery and symbolism and God's presence fills the tent, but Moses is unable to enter the tent.

The beginning of Leviticus God speaks from inside the tent out to Moses who is outside the tent.

The book of Leviticus is 27 chapters of instructions and laws that were given to the priests (who would enter the tent and be a mediator between the people and God and God and the people) and purification laws that were given to the people so that they pure and therefore acceptable to God.

Don't forget that last part; Let's get back to the story...

Peter Leaves the Table

We were talking about how Peter was enjoying community with Gentile Christians, but that comes a messy ending when (v. 12)

Peter acts like he's sitting at the table with another woman when his wife walks in the door at a restaurant.

Popping up trying to make it look like he didn't know this other woman.

This is the same guy who went to bat for the Gentiles in front of the church in Jerusalem; the same guy who shared his vision about Gentile inclusion to the church and worshiped God with the church because the Gentiles were turning to Christ.

What happened Peter?