session 4 stand your ground - clover...
TRANSCRIPT
session 4
stanD your GrounD
122 S E S S I O N 4 © 2013 LifeWay© 2013 LifeWay
The PointNever compromise when the issue is a matter of biblical right and wrong.
The Bible Meets LifeFor many of us, our preferred way of dealing with conflict is not to deal with it
at all. We ignore it and hope the conflict goes away on its own. While there are
some conflicts that may be minor enough to dissipate on its own, many do not.
And there are some conflicts we should walk away from, in the sense of letting
go of what we want in the matter (as we saw in the previous study). However,
there are some issues on which we should not compromise by giving in, walking
away, or ignoring. When conflict is caused because of an issue of right and
wrong, it’s time to stand our ground.
The PassageGalatians 2:1-14
The SettingIn response to opposition from some of the people in the Galatian churches,
Paul defended his ministry to the Gentiles. He explained that even the leaders in
Jerusalem affirmed his ministry to the Gentiles and the truth that the gospel is
for all people, free from any Jewish rules or rituals. This was an uncompromising
truth that led Paul to confront Peter when Peter’s hypocritical actions made a
distinction between Jews and Gentiles.
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Galatians 2:1-14 (HCSB)
1 then after 14 years i went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking titus along also. 2 i went up according to a revelation and presented to them the gospel i preach among the Gentiles—but privately to those recognized as leaders—so that i might not be running, or have run the race, in vain. 3 But not even titus who was with me, though he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. 4 this issue arose because of false brothers smuggled in, who came in secretly to spy on the freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us. 5 But we did not give up and submit to these people for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would be preserved for you. 6 now from those recognized as important (what they really were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism)—they added nothing to me. 7 on the contrary, they saw that i had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter was for the circumcised, 8 since the one at work in Peter for an apostleship to the circumcised was also at work in me for the Gentiles. 9 When James, Cephas, and John, recognized as pillars, acknowledged the grace that had been given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to me and Barnabas, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 they asked only that we would remember the poor, which i made every effort to do. 11 But when Cephas came to antioch, i opposed him to his face because he stood condemned. 12 for he regularly ate with the Gentiles before certain men came from James. however, when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, because he feared those from the circumcision party. 13 then the rest of the Jews joined his hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. 14 But when i saw that they were deviating from the truth of the gospel, i told Cephas in front of everyone, “if you, who are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel Gentiles to live like Jews?”
Key Words
Greek (v. 3) – The word designated a non-Jewish person (a Gentile) who spoke the Greek language, observed Greek customs, and absorbed Greek learning. To Jews, Greeks were pagans.
circumcised (v. 3) – Jews removed the foreskin of a male’s genital as a sign of membership in God’s covenant community. Jews were required to perform the rite on all Jewish male babies.
Cephas (v. 9) - The Aramaic word for “rock,” referring to Peter.
right hand of fellowship (v. 9) – The gesture of shaking right hands was used to ratify a covenant.
What does the Bible say?
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GEt iNto thE StuDYDISCUSS: Ask the opening question
on page 103 of the Personal Study Guide
(PSG): “When have you drawn a line
in the sand?”
SAY: “Last week we discussed the impor-
tance of standing down in some conflicts.
But sometimes we need to stand up. The
key is learning when to stand down and
when to stand your ground.”
GUIDE: Explore what factors might be
important in determining whether or not
it’s time to take a stand, using the story in “The Bible Meets Life” section on page 104
of the PSG. The story is that a Christian responsible for prayer was asked to refrain from
using the name of Jesus in that prayer.
READ: Call on a volunteer to read The Point at the top of that section: “Never com-
promise when the issue is a matter of biblical right and wrong.”
ENHANCEMENT: As you introduce Paul and Peter, highlight the theme of this six-
session study, using Pack Item 5: “When Relationships Collide.”
TRANSITION: The focus of our Bible study will be discovering how to stand our
ground effectively.
PRAY: Ask for God’s discernment to help us recognize when to take a stand, and how
to do so.
Notes
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Notes
Galatians 2:1-5
1 Then after 14 years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking
Titus along also. 2 I went up according to a revelation and presented to them
the gospel I preach among the Gentiles—but privately to those recognized
as leaders—so that I might not be running, or have run the race, in vain. 3 But
not even Titus who was with me, though he was a Greek, was compelled to
be circumcised. 4 This issue arose because of false brothers smuggled in, who
came in secretly to spy on the freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, in order
to enslave us. 5 But we did not give up and submit to these people for even an
hour, so that the truth of the gospel would be preserved for you.
READ: Invite a volunteer to read Galatians 2:1-5 on page 105 of the PSG.
DISCUSS: Question #2 on page 106 of the PSG: “How would you describe
the freedom we have in Christ?”
GUIDE: Ask group members to call out reasons freedom in Christ is a critical issue.
After several comments, note that Paul went to Jerusalem to defend this freedom.
SAY: “For many of us, our preferred way of dealing with conflict is not to deal with
it at all. We can learn from Paul how to stand our ground.”
GUIDE: Prompt learners to find reminders about Paul using the “Galatians 2:1-5”
section on page 106 of the PSG. Briefly, these are:
Paul was passionate about what he believed. Paul knew what God
wanted him to do and so he willingly suffered to see the mission of the
gospel grow.
God knew what He was doing. God uses the experience, heart, and
temperament of people for Kingdom purposes.
TRANSITION: Paul did not act alone. Church leaders encouraged him in his
work. The next verses show how they did that.
StuDY thE BiBLE10 minutes
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Galatians 2:1-5 Commentary
Paul was thrust into a conflict whose outcome would affect the course of the church. He had preached
the gospel in Galatia, won converts, and established churches. After he left the area, Jewish-Christian
teachers (Judaizers) came and insisted that to be full-fledged Christians, Gentile converts would need
to become Jewish proselytes. When Paul received news of this, he passionately defended the gospel
truth that salvation comes through faith in Christ—period. His Letter to the Galatians laid out the true
gospel he preached. People are not redeemed by faith plus legalism; they are forgiven by grace through
faith. After a brief greeting (Gal. 1:1-5), Paul began to battle for the gospel. He expressed shock that the
Galatian believers turned to the Judaizers’ pseudo-gospel so soon after heeding God’s call to salvation
(vv. 6-10). He answered the false charge he was not really an apostle (vv. 11-24). He demonstrated the
gospel is neither divisive nor different from the church’s received doctrine.
Barnabas, Paul’s early mentor and his partner in the first missionary journey, accompanied Paul
to Jerusalem. Paul also took Titus with them. Titus was an early Gentile convert to Christianity and
a coworker in Paul’s ministry (2 Cor. 8:23). Toward the end of his ministry, Paul wrote Titus, who was
working on the island of Crete, and called Titus his true son in their common faith (Titus 1:4). Titus would
prove invaluable in Paul’s missionary endeavor. That the group went up to Jerusalem to confer with
the Jerusalem church reflected the city’s elevation and religious significance.
Paul did not go to Jerusalem on his own or at the Antioch church’s urging, and the Jerusalem church
did not summon him. He went in response to a revelation, a divine disclosure. Paul’s purpose for
meeting with the Jerusalem believers was to lay out for their consideration (presented to) the gospel
he consistently preached among the Gentiles, likely including Jews living in the various areas. Paul’s
concern was that Gentile converts have equal standing with Jewish Christians. Paul well may have taken
Titus to Jerusalem as a trial. Paul was contending for salvation by grace though faith alone, without any
appended Jewish rituals. Titus was a Greek, an uncircumcised Gentile. Paul stressed that the Jerusalem
church and its leaders did not demand that Titus be circumcised. He was not compelled to submit to
the Jewish rite.
The issue of whether Titus, a Gentile convert to Christianity, should be circumcised probably arose during
the meeting in Jerusalem rather than sometime earlier. Pseudo Jewish-Christians (false brothers)
either were planted in the Christian community by non-Christian Jews or were helped to infiltrate the
Christian ranks by members of the church. The picture is that of spies or defectors sneaking into inside
positions. The purpose was to spy on genuine believers’ freedom … in Christ Jesus (relationship
with God through grace alone) with the false claim to have the right or authority to pass judgment on it.
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Notes
Galatians 2:6-10
6 Now from those recognized as important (what they really were makes no
difference to me; God does not show favoritism)—they added nothing to
me. 7 On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel
for the uncircumcised, just as Peter was for the circumcised, 8 since the One
at work in Peter for an apostleship to the circumcised was also at work in
me for the Gentiles. 9 When James, Cephas, and John, recognized as pillars,
acknowledged the grace that had been given to me, they gave the right hand
of fellowship to me and Barnabas, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles
and they to the circumcised. 10 They asked only that we would remember the
poor, which I made every effort to do.
READ: Invite a volunteer to read Galatians 2:6-10 on page 105 of the PSG while
the rest of the group listens for ways church leaders encouraged Paul.
SAY: “God used men like Barnabas, James, Cephas, and John to encourage Paul
in his work. They recognized that Paul was entrusted with reaching Gentiles while
Peter reached Jews.”
DISCUSS: Question #3 on page 107 of the PSG: “Why was it significant that
these men gave Paul their support and approval?”
SAY: “Affirmation of godly people can be one measure of whether we are aligning
our lives with Christ’s teaching and the Word of God. It can also help us know if we
are taking a stand in the right places and in the right ways.”
TRANSITION: Not all believers will do the right thing all the time. In the next
verses we’ll find how Paul confronted Peter.
StuDY thE BiBLE
tip: Evaluate yourself and your teaching often. Ask yourself: “What seemed to help group members connect with the Scripture?”
5 minutes
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Galatians 2:6-10 Commentary
Paul stressed that in the private meeting with the Jerusalem church’s leaders (2:2), they added nothing
to him—to the gospel he preached. They did not instruct him to add works of the law to faith as a
requirement for salvation. Possibly, Paul also indicated the leaders added nothing to his commission
as an apostle. They conferred nothing new to him. Paul described the leaders as those recognized
as important. Jerusalem believers respected their leaders. These leaders contrasted sharply to the
pseudo-Christians to whom Paul referred in 2:4. His statement did not mean he was indifferent to the
leaders’ status as apostles and to their association with Jesus; rather, he was not concerned about their
commissioning him. Paul’s opponents could charge he was inferior to the other apostles, but God
showed no favoritism; He did not show deference (favor) because of their position.
The church leaders recognized he had been entrusted with proclaiming the gospel to the
uncircumcised. Peter had been commissioned to proclaim the gospel to Jews, the circumcised; Paul
had been designated to take the good news to Gentiles, the uncircumcised. Both had special ministries.
Their areas of work differed, but their message was the same. They proclaimed one gospel. Their action
refuted the claim of Paul’s enemies that he was not an apostle or at best an inferior one. The same God
called and equipped both men for their ministries to different audiences. Paul identified the Jerusalem
church’s leaders with whom he met privately: James, Cephas, and John. These men were pillars of
the church; they had the valid reputation of giving solid leadership. They provided strength and stability.
Paul referred to the privilege of taking the gospel to the Gentiles as grace. He viewed his missionary
work as God’s gift to him. The three church leaders acknowledged that gift of grace and gave the right
hand of fellowship to Paul and Barnabas. Interestingly, James, Peter, and John took the initiative to
shake hands as a sign of accepting Paul’s God-given ministry. The gesture of clasping hands expressed
unity; was a recognized guarantee of friendship; and affirmed the participants’ shared life in the Spirit.
The leaders agreed on general directions of labor. Paul and Barnabas would work primarily among the
Gentiles; the Jerusalem leaders would work primarily among Jews. The only request the church leaders
made was that Paul and Barnabas remember the poor. This meant more than keeping them in mind
or even praying for them; the leaders asked that Paul and Barnabas continue to take action on behalf of
poverty-stricken believers. The leaders may have referred to Judean Christians in general or primarily
to the believers in the Jerusalem church. Christians in Judea suffered severe economic hardship. Such
compassionate ministry was a work Paul already had done. As representatives of the church in Antioch
of Syria, Paul and Barnabas had brought famine relief to Christians in Judea (see Acts 11:27-30). Paul
already had exercised efforts to help the poor.
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Notes
Galatians 2:11-14
11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he
stood condemned. 12 For he regularly ate with the Gentiles before certain
men came from James. However, when they came, he withdrew and
separated himself, because he feared those from the circumcision party. 13
Then the rest of the Jews joined his hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was
carried away by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were deviating
from the truth of the gospel, I told Cephas in front of everyone, “If you, who
are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel Gentiles
to live like Jews?”
READ: Invite a volunteer to read Galatians 2:11-14 on page 105 of the PSG.
GUIDE: Ask the group to summarize how Peter was being hypocritical.
DISCUSS: Question #4 on page 108 of the PSG: “How do you know
whether you’re standing your ground on biblical principles or
personal preferences?”
DO: Direct members to use the activity on page 109 of the PSG.
The Conflict of Compromise:
A married friend confesses to being unfaithful and asks you to keep it a secret.
Keeping the secret would affect me by:_______________________________
Keeping the secret would affect my friend by:__________________________
Keeping the secret would affect my church by:_________________________
DISCUSS: Question #5 on page 109 of the PSG: “What role does love play
in how you stand your ground?”
GUIDE: Prompt the group to search Galatians 2:11-14 to find the sequence of what
happened to Cephas (Peter) and why. Use the commentary on the facing page.
TRANSITION: Next we’ll find how we can specifically take a stand.
StuDY thE BiBLE
tip: You don’t have to give the answers. Let group members search the Bible verses and find the answers. Let the Holy Spirit do the teaching.
15 minutes
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Galatians 2:11-14 Commentary
The church in Antioch had become the center of the Christian movement and Paul’s base of operations.
Barnabas had enlisted Paul to help in the work there (Acts 11:25-26). Later, the church sent out Barnabas
and Paul as missionaries and thus took the lead in taking the gospel to Gentiles. At some point, when
Peter came to Antioch, Paul boldly stood up against him in a face-to-face confrontation. Peter was a
respected church leader, but he was in error, and Paul did not hesitate to call Peter’s attention to the
misstep publicly. By his puzzling and unacceptable behavior, Peter condemned himself.
When Peter visited Antioch, at first he regularly enjoyed table fellowship with Gentile believers. In the
Antioch church, Jewish Christians and Gentile believers ate together, perhaps sharing the love feast
that included celebrating the Lord’s Supper. They ignored or rejected strict Jewish dietary practice that
precluded Jews eating with uncircumcised Gentiles. When Jewish-Christians from the Jerusalem church
came to Antioch, however, Peter gradually withdrew—separated himself from table fellowship
with Gentile believers. The visiting representatives were members of the circumcision party, Jewish
Christians who insisted Gentile converts be circumcised and keep the Jewish law. Peter feared them,
perhaps fearing they would report his conduct to the Jerusalem church with the result that his influence
in the church would be diminished or his work among Jews would be hampered. Peter’s retreat under
pressure gave tacit approval to the Judaizers’ insistence on circumcision and obedience to Jewish law as
necessary for salvation. He knew better than to withdraw from association with Gentile believers. God
taught Peter a pivotal lesson concerning Gentile inclusion in His grace (see Acts 10:9-48).
Peter’s experience taught him that God does not show favoritism but accepts and forgives every
person who places faith in Christ. Peter’s treatment of Gentile believers in Antioch denied that truth.
Incredibly, Peter allowed fear to overshadow God’s dramatic lesson concerning Gentiles. In Galatians
2:11-14, Paul described Peter’s withdrawal from table fellowship with Gentile believers as hypocrisy that
influenced the rest of the Jewish Christians. Surprisingly, even Barnabas, Paul’s fellow worker among
Gentiles, was caught up and swept along by their hypocrisy. They pretended their behavior issued from
obedience to Jewish law; in actuality it was a result of fear. That is, they gave a false impression.
Paul’s confronting Peter had a redemptive purpose: to bring Peter back to conduct that was true to the
gospel. When Paul saw that Peter and the Jewish Christians were deviating from (literally, “not walking a
straight course” in moral conduct) the truth of the gospel, Paul addressed Peter in front of everyone,
pointing out Peter’s inconsistent behavior. How could Peter reverse himself and force Gentile believers
to adopt Jewish customs? Peter’s alarming example could have had a devastating influence on Jewish
Christians, leading them to associate with Gentile believers only if those believers kept Jewish customs.
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Notes
LiVE it outGUIDE: Prompt group members to choose from the “Live It Out” section on page
110 of the PSG.
> Draw the line in the sand. Determine your non-negotiables and make sure
they are consistent with biblical teaching.
> Practice what you preach. If you’re asking someone to live according to a
biblical principal, be certain they can see it in your life.
> Call others to stand with you. Mentor and disciple someone else in
embracing biblical teaching.
Wrap it Up
SAY: “The goal of any confrontation is to be redemptive. If truth is being
compromised or ignored, we should do what is necessary to correct the situation.
That’s a line worth drawing in the sand.“
5 minutes
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My group's prayer requests
Additional suggestions for specific groups (women, men, parents, boomers, and singles)
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Teaching Points
When it comes to rights, we often teach our kids about their own freedom to express themselves however they choose. We encourage them to share their beliefs without fear. But what about a teacher’s right to do the same? Have you ever wondered what a teacher can or can’t say, especially in terms of shaping your children’s beliefs? And does it make a difference if those teachers are for or against your views?
to continue reading “teaching Points” from HomeLife magazine, visit BibleStudiesforLife.com/articles.
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