We're here in the Church
of Paul in Pisidian Antioch.
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This church was built upon
the foundation of an earlier
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Jewish synagogue where Paul
and Barnabas would have come
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to present Jesus as
the Christ, as the Messiah.
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They preached Jesus
here, He was exalted.
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The Jews the city became
quite agitated with Paul because
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he was not requiring Gentiles
to become Jews before they
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accepted Jesus as Messiah.
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He was not requiring
that they be circumcised.
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Paul would return to Antioch
filled with joy and the Holy
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Spirit at what God
had done here and in the
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surrounding cities of Galatia.
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But the Jews would continue
to agitate on this issue.
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It cause the Council
of Jerusalem to be held
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and we read about in Acts 15.
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The Council of Jerusalem
was specifically over the issue
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do you have to
become a Jew to be saved?
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Acts chapter 15, let me
read you the first two verses.
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Did you notice that? Unless
you are circumcised according
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to the custom of
Moses, you cannot be saved.
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In other words, accepting
Jesus as your Messiah is not
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sufficient for salvation.
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You must add to
that circumcision,
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circumcision? yes circumcision.
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They were saying that
you had to be come a Jew
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in order to be saved.
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Ultimately the
matter is settled.
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You do not have to be
circumcised to believe in Jesus.
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That is, you do not
have to become a Jew,
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in order to be saved.
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This settled the
issue, or did it?
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Judaizers, that is people who
believed in Jesus and yet were
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Jewish came to some of
the areas here in Galatia and
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began to stir up people,
misleading the converts that had
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come to believe in
Jesus in this very synagogue.
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Paul picked up his pen
and wrote the letter to the
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Galatians to
deal with this issue.
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He says, I am amazed at
how quickly you are abandoning
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the Gospel, you are turning
away to another gospel which
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is really no gospel at all.
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There is only one gospel,
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the Gospel of Jesus
Christ as the Christ.
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Paul writes some of his
most heartfelt teachings to the
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churches here in the
region of Pisidian Antioch.
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He goes right to the
very heart of the matter by
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exulting Jesus as Lord of all.
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Let me share with you a
few kernels of truth from the
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letter that Paul wrote
to the churches of Galatia.
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Paul describes.
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How Peter had to be rebuked
by Paul when he came up to
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Antioch because even
after the Council of Jerusalem
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Peter would not have
fellowship with the Gentiles.
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when the Jewish believers
came up from Jerusalem,
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Paul said that there
cannot be a two-tiered
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Christianity, there
cannot be a premier Jewish
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Christianity and a
Gentile Christianity.
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No we must all be one in Jesus.
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He writes in verse 15
of chapter 2 of Galatians.
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Often people tell me, Tony
in olden times, Jews were made
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righteous by observing
the law, but it is very
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interesting that Paul
says no one will be righteous
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by observing the law.
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Then why was the law given?
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What is the role in
the dimension of the law?
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Did Paul observe the law?
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Of course, in our
series we see, time after time,
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Paul observing the Sabbath.
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In Acts 13 he came right
to the synagogue and shared
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with both Jews and
Gentiles about Jesus
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here on the Sabbath.
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In verse 44 records that
the next Sabbath almost the
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entire city came together
to hear the word of the Lord.
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Paul, was a Sabbath keeper.
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In Acts chapter 16, Paul
comes to the Roman colony in
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Philippi, another colony
like a colony here in the city
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of Pisidian
Antioch but in Macedonia.
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When he arrived, he discovered
there was not a Jewish
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community in the city.
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There were only a
few women and they
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were out by the river.
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Luke wrote that, we came
into the city and went out by
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the river on the
Sabbath where prayer was
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wont to be made.
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And there he shared
Jesus with Lydia and the others
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who had gathered.
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Later on in the same story,
it records that they went out
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to the river
again on the Sabbath.
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The same wording is
used, that special wording to
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describe Sabbath worship.
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Chapter 17, Paul goes to
Thessalonica and there he goes
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into the synagogue on the
Sabbath and presents Jesus.
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Yes this was Paul's
custom, Paul's habit.
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When Paul was a Philippi,
there is a fascinating insight
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that happens, Paul is accused
of being a Jew and teaching
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Romans things
that were unlawful.
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You see it was okay in the Roman
world to be a Jew, but it was
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not okay to proselytize Romans.
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So he was accused of
being a Jew, isn't that curious?
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Paul was a Sabbath keeper,
and when the Romans looked
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at Paul they did not see a
difference between Paul and
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the Jewish community.
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As a matter of fact, when
Paul was leaving for Macedonia
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for the last time, it
records in the book of Acts that
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spent Passover here, Acts 20:6.
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Paul celebrated the
feast of unleavened bread,
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or Passover, at Philippi.
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Paul was Jewish, the people
a Philippi looked upon him
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as a Jew, they accused
him of being a Jew and turning
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the whole world upside down.
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Now he's trying to
come in and convert Romans.
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Even at the end of his career,
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Paul was celebrating Passover.
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When he passed from Assos he
did not stop at Ephesus because
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he intended to reach
Jerusalem for Pentecost.
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Notice Acts 20: 16.
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Paul wanted to reach
Jerusalem for Pentecost.
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He wanted to celebrate
the giving of the law to God's
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people in the
great city of Jerusalem.
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Paul pressed on,
yes Paul was Jewish.
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He understood there was a
difference between Jews and
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Gentiles, was that difference
about the day of worship?
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Oh no my friend it was
not, the difference was over the
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aspect of having
to become Jewish.
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The Council of Jerusalem
declared that you did not
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have to become
circumcised to become a believer
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if you were Gentile.
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There is a very interesting
relationship between two
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of Paul's
companions, Timothy and Titus.
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Timothy, who is from
this very area, the region of
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Lycaonia, had a Jewish mother.
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Paul had him circumcised,
Timothy's mother was Jewish
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and his father, this Greek,
he had him to be circumcised.
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But Titus was 100% Greek
and Paul did not require him to
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be circumcised, he noted
the difference between people of
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a Jewish background,
and a Gentile background.
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Yet we have seen in
Paul's teachings that he is not
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teaching two different
days of worship, one on the
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Sabbath for the Jews,
and another were Gentile
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Christians on the
first day of the week.
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Oh no, notice the
consistency of Paul's teachings
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throughout the book the Acts.
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Let me read to
you Acts chapter 21.
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Some have believed that
Paul was teaching Jews not to
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not circumcise their children.
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We have already seen that
he had Timothy circumcised,
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but did not have
Titus circumcised.
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So to counter this, the
elders in Jerusalem suggest that
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Paul participate in this
rite of purification of the
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Temple, which Paul agrees to do.
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He is Jewish, and so he
goes up to celebrate that.
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Of course the devil uses
this as an opportunity to
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accuse Paul through
certain parts of the rattle that
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he has brought a Gentile
into the Temple and has no
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regard for the
customs of the fathers.
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Paul time after time
counters this argument saying
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that he has done
nothing against the fathers or
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the customs of Moses.
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In Acts chapter 23:1.
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Paul says I have not done
anything against God or the
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teachings that I have
received, I have only accepted
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Jesus as my Messiah.
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He comes down to
verse 6 and says.
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Yes Paul was vindicated
even by the Pharisees.
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If he was teaching
gentiles to observe another day
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of worship, do you
think that the Pharisees would
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have supported
him? Of course not.
00:14:25.74\00:14:28.12
Paul had focused on
the issue of justification,
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are we justified by believing
in Jesus as our Savior,
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as our Messiah, or
are we justified by
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just being circumcised?
00:14:38.36\00:14:40.59
Paul said that no one,
not a Pharisee, not a son of
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the Pharisee, no one
could be justified or made
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righteous by observing the law.
00:14:48.21\00:14:50.64
This would be a gift
from God, a gift of faith in
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Jesus as the Messiah.
00:14:55.23\00:14:57.51
But first I want to
share with you one more passage
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before we leave this teaching.
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It is Acts 24, Paul
is on trial before Felix.
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Before Felix, Paul testifies
that he believes in the
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law and the prophets.
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Could he do that in a
clear conscience, if he was
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teaching a
different day of worship?
00:15:42.22\00:15:44.59
Of course he couldn't, and
Paul is brought to Rome, he
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has the same testimony.
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Acts 28:17-19.
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He says I've done nothing
against the customs of Judaism
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and yet I was arrested and
had to appeal to Caesar and
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that is why I am here.
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Paul can say this with
a clear face because he
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had a clear conscience.
00:16:23.61\00:16:25.25
It was the truth, Paul
was celebrating the Sabbath.
00:16:25.29\00:16:29.86
Paul was observing
Passover and Pentecost,
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seeking to honor his Lord.
00:16:34.35\00:16:37.03
Paul had not established
a separate day of worship.
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How did the first day of
the week arise, well that is a
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subject for another teaching.
There are several verses that
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do talk about the first day
of the week and we will explain
00:16:48.03\00:16:51.92
those in their setting.
00:16:51.96\00:16:53.72
There is a very
confusing passage to some people
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that happened at Alexander
in Troas and we will go there to
00:16:56.90\00:17:00.89
that site to be able
to teach on that subject,
00:17:00.93\00:17:03.78
but right now I want to
have this clear in our minds.
00:17:03.82\00:17:09.13
Paul was observing God's
Sabbath as a Jewish Christian.
00:17:09.16\00:17:13.61
Paul was teaching Gentile
converts to observe God's
00:17:13.64\00:17:18.06
Sabbath as Gentile Christians.
00:17:18.09\00:17:20.84
There was harmony in the church.
00:17:20.87\00:17:23.67
Worship on the first day
of the week would arise in
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a far later time, but
that will be the subject of a
00:17:29.30\00:17:32.26
teaching from Troas.
00:17:32.30\00:17:34.26
Now let's go back to
Galatians and try and
00:17:34.29\00:17:37.35
tie these threads together.
00:17:37.38\00:17:39.70
Paul wrote to the church
year, the city of Antioch,
00:17:39.73\00:17:42.32
Derbe, and Lystra,
Iconium, and he comes down
00:17:42.35\00:17:45.59
to chapter 3:1.
00:17:45.62\00:17:48.82
Paul says you have been
bewitched, something happened
00:18:04.15\00:18:07.27
by a spell of sorcery to
take you away from believing in
00:18:07.31\00:18:10.40
Jesus and put your
heart into another gospel.
00:18:10.43\00:18:14.07
How could it happen to
the people in the city who
00:18:14.11\00:18:17.72
worshiped in the synagogue?
00:18:17.75\00:18:19.52
Verse 6.
00:18:19.56\00:18:20.96
Paul goes right back to
the beginning, consider father
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Abraham, he believed God
and it was credited to him as
00:18:30.68\00:18:34.34
righteousness, he was not
made righteous because of what
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he did, because of his good
Acts, he believed and it was
00:18:38.89\00:18:43.33
credited to him as righteousness
00:18:43.36\00:18:45.75
Understand then that
those that believe are
00:18:45.78\00:18:48.81
children of Abraham.
00:18:48.85\00:18:50.42
Did you catch that? God
announced that He would preach
00:19:05.40\00:19:08.71
the gospel ahead
of time to Abraham.
00:19:08.74\00:19:11.85
Abraham is saved by the
same gospel that I am saved by.
00:19:11.89\00:19:15.84
The same gospel
that you are saved by.
00:19:15.87\00:19:18.15
The difference is, he
looks forward to Messiah, and we
00:19:18.18\00:19:21.91
look back to Messiah, the
same Messiah saves us all.
00:19:21.95\00:19:25.50
No one can be made righteous
by observing the law that
00:19:25.53\00:19:29.05
Paul has already said.
00:19:29.09\00:19:30.90
He comes down to verse
10 and talks about the very
00:19:30.94\00:19:34.78
heart of the matter.
00:19:34.82\00:19:36.19
Paul says that
some are under a curse.
00:19:47.97\00:19:50.80
Who is under a curse? The
people that observe the law,
00:19:50.83\00:19:54.39
no, you have to read
the passage carefully.
00:19:54.42\00:19:58.32
Paul says.
00:19:58.36\00:19:59.57
They are relying upon the
observance of the law for their
00:20:06.24\00:20:09.91
salvation and they
come under a curse, why?
00:20:09.94\00:20:14.00
Paul quotes the law
and explains what he means.
00:20:14.04\00:20:18.06
Paul quotes that
passage from Deuteronomy 27:26.
00:20:24.75\00:20:29.31
The people who were
cursed are not the ones who are
00:20:29.35\00:20:33.88
obedient, but the
ones who were disobedient.
00:20:33.91\00:20:36.89
Cursed is everyone does
not do everything that is
00:20:36.92\00:20:40.73
written in the book of the Law.
00:20:40.76\00:20:42.19
The problem is precisely
this, all have sinned and come
00:20:42.23\00:20:47.53
short of the glory of God.
00:20:47.56\00:20:49.41
Therefore, all
are under the curse.
00:20:49.44\00:20:52.80
The law condemns all
of us to the second death
00:20:52.83\00:20:57.90
because of our sins.
00:20:57.94\00:21:01.01
Paul says we have a problem,
the law is perfect and just
00:21:01.04\00:21:05.48
and good, but it was never
given as a means of salvation.
00:21:05.51\00:21:09.91
Let's read on Galatians 3:11.
00:21:09.95\00:21:15.40
Again Paul quotes
scripture, Leviticus 18:5.
00:21:29.18\00:21:33.20
He is saying that the
man that does these things
00:21:33.24\00:21:37.23
will live by them.
00:21:37.26\00:21:40.40
If you obey the law, you
will live, if you disobey
00:21:40.43\00:21:44.73
the law you will die.
00:21:44.77\00:21:46.53
That is a simple term of
the old covenant that was given
00:21:46.56\00:21:49.69
to Adam and Eve in
the Garden of Eden.
00:21:49.73\00:21:51.21
When God said stay away
from the tree, and you will live
00:21:51.25\00:21:54.25
forever, but if you come
and eat of the tree you will
00:21:54.28\00:21:57.25
certainly die, obey
and live, disobey and die.
00:21:57.28\00:22:01.21
Unfortunately our first
parents disobeyed and they
00:22:01.25\00:22:05.43
bequeathed to the human
family the legacy of death.
00:22:05.47\00:22:09.58
Because of their act we died
a first death, but scripture
00:22:09.62\00:22:15.58
says that we all
have sinned and became
00:22:15.61\00:22:17.80
short of the glory of God.
00:22:17.84\00:22:19.50
Because of our sinful acts,
we must die the second death.
00:22:19.54\00:22:24.35
Yet God loves the human family,
00:22:24.38\00:22:28.84
He did not want us to die.
00:22:28.88\00:22:30.70
So Paul shares the most
incredible message ever heard.
00:22:30.73\00:22:34.39
With the church here at
Galatia you notice verse 13.
00:22:34.42\00:22:38.04
And once again he
quotes from scripture,
00:22:47.64\00:22:49.55
Deuteronomy 21:23.
00:22:49.59\00:22:51.93
Paul says, Christ has redeemed
us from the curse of law.
00:22:51.97\00:22:58.14
I love that passage, Jesus
redeemed us from the curse of
00:22:58.18\00:23:04.32
law, what was
the curse of the law?
00:23:04.35\00:23:06.08
The curse of the law was
disobedience, when I disobey
00:23:06.12\00:23:10.50
I come under its
condemnation, under its curse.
00:23:10.54\00:23:14.16
It condemns me to eternal
death, but Paul says Jesus
00:23:14.20\00:23:17.86
redeemed us from the
curse of disobedience.
00:23:17.89\00:23:21.67
He redeemed us from the
curse of death by becoming
00:23:21.71\00:23:25.87
the curse for us, incredible.
00:23:25.90\00:23:29.57
Jesus became a curse for us.
00:23:29.61\00:23:33.21
2 Corinthians 5:21, "for
God had made Christ to be sin"
00:23:33.25\00:23:37.32
"for us who knew no sin,
that we might be made the"
00:23:37.36\00:23:41.39
"righteousness of God in him. "
00:23:41.43\00:23:43.49
Jesus took my sins,
your sins, upon Himself.
00:23:43.52\00:23:47.43
He took the sins of the
entire world upon His pure holy
00:23:47.47\00:23:52.01
nature, for Christ has redeemed
us from the curse of the
00:23:52.05\00:23:56.56
law by becoming
the curse for us.
00:23:56.59\00:23:59.03
He took the curse of our
disobedience and took the
00:23:59.07\00:24:04.13
curse of the
second death upon Himself.
00:24:04.16\00:24:08.27
For Christ has redeemed
us from the curse of law by
00:24:08.31\00:24:13.75
becoming a curse for us.
00:24:13.78\00:24:15.43
Peter wrote to the
church in this area by saying,
00:24:15.47\00:24:21.58
Jesus bore our sins in
His own body on the tree.
00:24:21.61\00:24:27.65
Jesus took our sins, and
because of that, it crushed out
00:24:27.69\00:24:33.98
He is pure and holy life.
00:24:34.01\00:24:35.87
He died for our sins, to
make an atonement for our sins,
00:24:35.90\00:24:40.75
to be able to make us
just as if we never sinned.
00:24:40.78\00:24:44.33
Paul says that is the only
way that anyone can be made
00:24:44.37\00:24:48.31
righteous, Abraham look
forward to that and we look back
00:24:48.35\00:24:52.26
to that, it is the same event.
00:24:52.29\00:24:54.24
Paul says for it is written,
cursed is everyone who hangs
00:24:54.28\00:24:58.52
on a tree, I have to go to
the heart of the matter and
00:24:58.55\00:25:02.76
share the gospel with you.
00:25:02.79\00:25:04.78
Cursed it is
everyone who hangs on a tree.
00:25:04.82\00:25:07.58
When Jesus was arrested
in Jerusalem, the Pharisees,
00:25:07.61\00:25:11.92
Sadducees put aside their
differences and came together
00:25:11.96\00:25:16.23
to arrest Him.
00:25:16.27\00:25:17.74
They wanted Him to be executed.
00:25:20.60\00:25:24.56
They took Him before
Pontius Pilate, he said you have
00:25:24.59\00:25:27.01
a law you judge Him.
00:25:27.05\00:25:28.57
They said we
can't put Him to death.
00:25:28.60\00:25:30.27
What happened with
Stephen a few years later?
00:25:30.31\00:25:33.60
They took him out to
Lions gate and they stoned him.
00:25:33.63\00:25:37.60
Paul was there as Saul
Tarsus, the great persecutor of
00:25:37.63\00:25:41.38
the church, but they did
not want Jesus to be stoned.
00:25:41.42\00:25:45.42
They wanted Him to be
crucified because the law said,
00:25:45.46\00:25:49.43
cursed is
everyone who hangs a tree.
00:25:49.46\00:25:52.20
They believed if you were
stretched between heaven and
00:25:52.24\00:25:54.69
earth upon a cross, that God
the Father would have nothing
00:25:54.72\00:25:57.14
to do with it and have
to turn His back on Him.
00:25:57.17\00:26:00.35
That is why Paul would
write later on, the cross is
00:26:00.39\00:26:03.50
foolishness to the Greeks,
but a stumbling block to Jews.
00:26:03.53\00:26:08.02
They believe that anyone
put on a tree was cursed by God.
00:26:08.05\00:26:12.89
Yet Jesus took the very
curse Himself for us, that He
00:26:12.92\00:26:17.51
might forgive our sins
and grant to us eternal life.
00:26:17.54\00:26:22.05
The Jews look back on two
great people in Jewish history,
00:26:22.09\00:26:27.74
Paul writes
about it in Galatians.
00:26:27.78\00:26:29.32
Abraham and Moses.
00:26:29.35\00:26:32.28
Moses gave the law and
Paul explains, the law was given
00:26:32.31\00:26:36.49
to reveal sin, never
as a measure of salvation.
00:26:36.52\00:26:42.32
They got it mixed up, Paul
brings them back to the focus of
00:26:42.36\00:26:47.65
salvation by grace
through faith alone.
00:26:47.68\00:26:51.79
That is the substance of
his message to the church here
00:26:51.82\00:26:55.72
in Galatia, and to
churches throughout
00:26:55.76\00:26:58.10
the world everywhere.
00:26:58.14\00:26:59.99
As the sun sets here Pisidian
Antioch on the Sabbath I
00:27:00.02\00:27:04.56
invite you to
join me as we pray.
00:27:04.60\00:27:06.68
Father in heaven we thank
you for the time when Paul and
00:27:06.72\00:27:10.71
Barnabas walked up that
difficult road, that passage up
00:27:10.75\00:27:14.71
through the mountains
that was so dangerous from
00:27:14.74\00:27:17.57
Pamphylia to Pisidian Antioch
where they preached in this
00:27:17.61\00:27:20.73
synagogue, sharing
the gospel on the Sabbath.
00:27:20.77\00:27:23.54
We thank you also for the
mighty message of Galatians that
00:27:23.58\00:27:26.52
Paul sent back to this church
and to the churches in the
00:27:26.56\00:27:30.08
region to clarify the issues
of salvation and how we are
00:27:30.11\00:27:33.60
saved by grace through
faith alone in Jesus Christ.
00:27:33.63\00:27:36.92
Oh Father, we thank
you so much for that.
00:27:36.96\00:27:40.18
We thank you for that perfect
and complete rest that we
00:27:40.21\00:27:45.29
find in Jesus, for Jesus
indeed bore the penalty of our
00:27:45.32\00:27:50.08
sins, taking the curse upon
Your sinless nature, that we
00:27:50.11\00:27:54.15
might be made just as if
we had never sinned because
00:27:54.18\00:27:58.18
we believe in You.
00:27:58.22\00:27:59.90
Thank you for that complete
rest that we have in You, and
00:27:59.93\00:28:03.45
the rest that is symbolized
by Your Sabbath that we can
00:28:03.49\00:28:07.64
rest fully and completely
in You for our salvation we
00:28:07.68\00:28:11.80
pray, in Jesus name Amen!
00:28:11.84\00:28:15.37