In our humanity, what we try to do is manage the flesh. That's all you're doing. You haven't changed a bit. Dr. Tony Evans says God isn't looking for behavior control.
He's after hard change. God wants transformation, not management. He wants change from the inside out. This is the alternative broadcast, featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr. Tony Evans.
Peer pressure isn't just a teenage problem. And it's certainly nothing new. Today, we'll hear about a moment when culture clouded conviction in the early church, an incident that reminds us of the crucial role God's grace plays in our lives. Let's join Dr. Evans as he continues our study in Galatians chapter 2.
We left off with Paul's confrontation with Peter when Peter was eating with the Gentiles. He was raised as a segregationist. The Jews segregated themselves from the Gentiles. They only dealt with the Gentiles if they had to, because the Gentiles. Like the pork.
was viewed as unclean. They justified their segregation by religion. Paul, however, was eating too. And it says that In verse 11. He opposed Peter to his face.
Because he stood condemned. In other words, he wasn't practicing his real Christianity. He says in verse 14, Peter was not acting straightforward about the truth of the gospel.
So, it wasn't a social issue alone or a racial issue alone. It was a theological and spiritual issue. That the gospel was at stake. The very Issue a message of the cross. was tied up in this Segregation.
Paul didn't care how he was raised. He didn't care what his mama taught him, what his daddy taught him. All that was irrelevant when he came to the cross. There was a new standard by which he was to Evaluate and measure his actions.
So verse 14 said, I said to Cephas in the presence of all. If you being a Jew Okay, his history and background and religion. Live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews. How is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like the Jews? How are you?
asking them to be like us. When you are acting the way you're acting. Knowing that a man is justified not by the works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ. Even so, we believed in Jesus Christ, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ, not by works of the law. Peter was acting.
based on an Old Testament law-driven Worldview. Based on the law, The Gentiles are unclean. But Paul says that's not how the gospel works. We're in a new A realm now, a new dispensation. Since by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified, he says in verse 16.
But if while seeking to be justified in Christ, We ourselves have also been found sinners because we're contradicting Christ. Is Christ then the minister of sin? May it never be. That word may it never be is pronounced in Greek meganoita, and meganoita means heavens forbid. It's a very strong negation.
He says Is that if you are saying, I'm saved by Christ. But then you're functioning in the segregationist. Way based on how you were raised. Then are you saying Jesus Christ is a minister of sin? In other words, your action.
is indicting Christ who you said saved you.
So, you're contradicting the Christ who you declared is your Savior. We have a lot of that today. We have people who contradict their faith. by their action, including in the area of race. Paul doesn't care how you were raised.
That Paul doesn't care what your background was. All that is real. It's not to be denied. He doesn't deny that Peter is Jewish. That's his history.
That's his background. If Paul were here today. He would say, you don't deny your humanity, you being a Jew. That's who you are. That's your history.
That's your background. But that's never to interfere. with your relationship with Christ.
So that you are dragging Christ into a sinful. Response and reaction. based on your humanity. Peter has gone back to the law in his relationship with the Gentiles by his actions. Paul uses this to want to explain to Peter and to those who are listening.
Peter knew it. He wasn't operating on it. That we must die to the law if we're going to live to God.
Now, he's going to hit this topic a whole bunch. He's just. He's just kind of warming up right now. Because he now comes to the single most Powerful one verse. Maybe in the Bible, certainly in the New Testament.
to describe the Christian life. I have been crucified with Christ. And it is no longer I. Who lived? But Christ lives in me.
And the life which I now live in the flesh, in my humanity. I live by faith in the Son of God. who loved me and gave himself Four. Me. A butterfly emerges from a caterpillar because it has been transmuted.
It has been transformed, it has been metamorphosized into something else, or something else has emerged from it. The caterpillar doesn't become a butterfly. because it worked to do it. For the caterpillar to try to create a butterfly existence. is like a believer living under the law.
You're trying to create spirituality. And that is law. That is a performance-based approach. to acceptance with God. He says That's not how you do it.
Unfortunately, Churches have not helped with this. Because the churches have either Preached law And I talked, you know, we talked about many people growing up in legalism. which is the use of the law to try to become spiritual.
So they either grow up in legalism and wind up hating it. Or They grew up in Substitution. You're saved because of the substitutionary work of Jesus Christ on the cross. He died in your place, he died in my place. He was my substitute.
When I go to Jesus Christ and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal substitute, I am saved, born again, forgiven, redeemed, justified. and i'm made a child of god when i place faith alone in christ alone for the gift of eternal life As my substitute. The reason why Believers are not going to be judged. From the standpoint of our eternal destiny, Is because of the substitutionary work. of Jesus Christ.
for our salvation. But here's Paul's point. Paul's point is that the substitutionary work of Christ does not only relate. to when you got saved. Notice the words.
I have been crucified with Christ. I have been. And back there, when I got saved, I got identified with Jesus' death as my substitute on the cross. That's what happened. I was saved back there.
I have been already. And it is no longer I who live. Oh Way Matt now, he's moved from... What happened back there? him living now.
It is no longer I who live. But Christ lives, present tense, In me. The butterfly is inside the caterpillar. Christ lives in me. Everyone who comes to Christ for salvation.
Christ is now living inside of you. The life of Christ through the Holy Spirit is living inside of every believer. the life which I now live.
So he You're not talking about what happened back then. He's talking about me living now. I now live.
So, my everyday, when I get up in the morning, when I go to work, when I do what I do, the living life that I now have. In the flesh, in my physical humanity. My day-to-day living. I live by faith in the Son of God. So How do you get saved?
By faith in the Son of God for the forgiveness of your sins. But now he says, oh, I didn't just do that to get saved. That's how I roll right now. I operate right now like I operated the day I got saved. I live by faith.
In the Son of God. And guess where the Son of God? Christ lives. In me.
So I'm not living by what I can produce. I'm living by what he produces. The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.
Well, wait a minute. He just said he gave himself for me because I have been crucified with him. That's when he gave himself up. Oh, he didn't just give himself up. Back there.
He keeps giving himself up. Because he says Who loved me and gave himself up for me. And I'm living by He's living in me. There's more to discover about how Christ's life, not just His death, transforms our own. and doctor Evans will share that with us when he returns in just a moment.
When grace is misunderstood, or worse, replaced by legalism, Our freedom in Christ is at risk. That's what makes this series from Galatians so important. Dr. Evans unpacks what it really means to live under grace, not guilt. And how to stand firm in the freedom Jesus provides.
Right now, we're offering the complete 11-message Galatians audio collection as our thank you gift when you support the ministry of the alternative. And as an added bonus, we'll also send along a copy of Kingdom Prayer, Dr. Evans' powerful book on how to bring heavenly power to bear on earthly problems. Visit tonyevans.org to make your request or call our resource team any time of the day or night at 1-800-800-32-22. I'll share that contact information again after Part 2 of today's message.
Here's doctor Evans, once more. Most people understand about the substitutionary death of Christ. but not the substitutionary life of Christ. Turn your Bibles to Romans chapter But God demonstrated, verse 8, but God demonstrated his love toward us. And that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
He loved us.
So he died for us. Much more, say much more. That is on top of that. Having been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through him. The word saved means to be delivered, but he's talking to people who've already gotten saved.
So he means, he says, God is still in the delivering business.
Now, watch this, verse 10. For while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son.
So salvation. Much more, say much more. On top of all that. Having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his what? Life.
So there is a saving by his death. That gets you to heaven. But in verse 10, he says, having already been reconciled, you're already saved for heaven. He is now still saving folk by his life.
So there is a salvation that goes beyond. You're Forgiveness of sins and your gift of eternal life for heaven. There is a living life salvation that Jesus is operating. The Bible says that Jesus Christ ever lives to make intercession for the believer. That is, to intervene on our behalf.
That's an intercessor. He intervenes on our behalf. That's what He does. That's His full-time job through the work of the Holy Spirit and the life of the believer. Jesus Christ intercedes on our behalf.
because he is alive. Paul says back in Galatians 2. That this substitutionary life of Christ is operating. Smell. But for this life to operate There must be an identity with Christ.
Satan wants Satan wants to do what we fear a lot: identity theft. Paul says, My identity. Is with the living Christ in me.
So he wants to He wants to work through your hands, your feet, your mind, your toes, your walk, your talk. express himself.
So over and over and over again, the Bible want you to know that this is how you are to now Identify yourself. You are to look at yourself this way. Christ has deposited himself in my Soul. His spirit has merged with my spirit. And it's deposited in my soul.
to express itself through my body. His life.
So the issue is not you doing better. The issue is him being free to be himself. in you. and you will do better. It's not in you trying harder.
It is in him. being free to be him.
So, this is a whole different way of looking at. being a better Christian. Jesus Christ, who provided substitution. for your eternal life. has also provided substitution for your temporal life.
So whatever is you're needing saving from. He saves by his life. A lot of people memorize verse 20, but who do not. See the connection to verse 21 and back to verse 19.
So let's tie them together. I do not nullify the grace of God. To nullify means to cancel. I do not cancel the grace of God. For if righteousness comes through the law, Then Christ died needlessly.
Many Christians cancel grace every day. They get saved by grace, but they then try to live by law. which means you nullify grace. And yet, Most of our Christian experience often is driven by legalism, that is A performance-based approach. gain.
acceptance by God and victory in our Christian lives.
So, in our humanity, what we try to do is. Manage the flesh. And for a while you can do it. For a while, you can grit your teeth and do better. You can manage the flesh.
But that's all you're doing. You're managing it. You haven't changed a bit. God wants Transformation, not management. He wants change from the inside out.
It's then when you say, Lord. In my humanity, I don't want to do this.
However, right now, I am not trusting my humanity. Because you live inside of me. I am giving you permission now to express yourself in me. about this issue. I'm putting it on you.
I'm exercising faith in the Son of God. The Bible says Jesus is the fulfillment of the law. In other words, he has kept every commandment perfectly. In his life on earth. He never broke because he's without sin, so he never broke any of God's rules.
He's perfect.
So if anybody knows how to obey the father, the son does. Because he's obeyed him. Perfectly. And guess where the sun is now living? In you.
It says, Christ lives in me.
So the one living in you knows how to completely obey the father. Since he knows how to completely obey the Father, giving him permission to obey the Father. Through your humanity. Gives you the experience of divine liberation. By grace, because grace is something God gives you.
not something you earn. In a performance-based approach to Christian living, it's based on what I do to get God to accept me. Grace says it's what Christ has done to make me acceptable.
Now, I'm not uninvolved. Paul says, yet I live because. It's my hands, it's my feet, it's my ears, it's my lips. It's my humanity, so it's not like. You know, God is doing something apart from me.
He is expressing himself. Through me. As I learned to He's going to talk about it later on in the book. Walk in the spirit. Because this is just another way of talking about walking in the spirit, or that is walking or living your life.
on the divine influence. We've all seen AI. A dog on a leash. You've seen a dog on a leash. You've seen a dog on a leash not wanting to be on a leash.
It's pulling it and pulling it. You know what a leash is for? You know what you're trying to do? You're trying to keep the dog from running away. You know what a leash is for?
To control them. You want to control them. You don't want them going this far. And you decide how far you want them to go by how long the chain is on the leash. That's what the law is.
It's a leash. designed to control you from not doing this and not doing that and don't do that and don't do that it's a leash But I also know that you've seen dogs walk with their masters without a leash. Yeah. They're walking beside their master without a leash. Why is that?
Because that means there's a relationship there. And that dog is not gonna wander off. because the dog doesn't want to leave the master. The stronger the relationship, the less need you have for a leash. The law is used.
to hold people hostage. to not doing wrong. Whereas grace is design. to make you want to do right. The law says You have to, you ought to, you're better.
Grace says, I want to. It's a whole different disposition. through your identity with Christ. Dr. Tony Evans on the amazing difference grace makes in our lives.
And if that's something you're ready to experience for yourself, you can see He's back right now with this invitation for you. salvation, redemption, and eternal life. The Bible says, By grace are you saved through faith. That is God gives it away. But he won't let you buy it.
earn it, or go to church. or any other religious activity to try to make yourself worthy for it. And as a result, The Bible says God gets the credit and the glory and we don't get the share in it, which is why He demands that it's free. Not only does this grace save us, but this grace sustains us.
So even if you are already a Christian, but you're backslidden, grace is ready to kick in, if you will, and get you steered in the right direction. Once more.
So would you go to God and ask him for The free gift of grace, which He gives away when faith is exercised. You say, Well, what do you mean exercising faith? I mean believing. that what Jesus did he did for you personally. This is not just generic.
It has to be personal salvation and personal restoration.
So you say to the Lord, I personally receive you as my Savior. or I personally return to you as my deliverer, and I'm looking for your gracious supply to deal with my sin. and to give me your salvation. To follow up on what doctor Evans has been sharing and to find out more about what it means to live under a life of God's grace, we encourage you to visit Tonyevans.org and click the link at the top of the home page that simply says Jesus.
Now one final note before we close for today. I want to encourage you to take advantage of that special offer I mentioned earlier. Tony's complete 11-part Galatians series, along with a copy of his powerful book, Kingdom Prayer. We'll send the full audio collection and book to you with our thanks when you make a donation to help support Dr. Evans' ministry here on this station and others like it around the world.
Just visit tonyevans.org or or call 1-800-800-3222 to make your donation and resource request. That's Tony Evans.org or by phone at 1-800-800-3222. When we try to fix a problem ourselves, we can often end up making things worse.
Well, tomorrow, Dr. Evans explains why relying on our own strength short-circuits God's grace. and how the Christian life is meant to run on faith from start to finish. Be sure to join us.
