The Revelation of Jesus Christ in Paul (Gal 1: 11-24)
Before and After – A Transformation
My Grandfather used to tell me stories – all kinds of stories
Stories about the old days, about what it was like to grow up around Creighton, Missouri in the earlier 1900’s (20’s, 30’s)
Stories about working on the farm, how things were different
Curing meat outdoors in a smoke house
He gave me a 22 rifle one time that had a place carved out and smoothed out.
It was his best friend’s rifle, he earned it by selling newspapers.
His best friend while he was growing up had a bad eye, and he had to sight the rifle with his left eye though he was right handed.
His friend died in an accident and his friend’s dad gave him the gun, then he gave it to me.
I loved that gun – it meant more to me than any other gun I had
It was stolen along with other guns when I was getting ready to move back from Omaha.
I had other guns like a double barrel ruger red label 20 gauge by father gave me
And a S&W 357 revolver, but if I could get just one gun back from that robbery – it would be that little 22cal rifle.
Its valuable to me because of the story behind it.
I loved the stories my Grandpa used to tell me
You know what made those stories great – because those stories were from personal experience. They were little pieces of his life. Those stories made a connection between my Grandpa and me. Its how I got to know who he was before I met him.
In our passage today Paul is still defending his authority as an apostle
He is still defending the true gospel
And woven into his argument is his story. His personal testimony.
Last week for the SS Opening, Bro Richard talked about telling your story, giving your testimony and how it is a good idea to include in your story something of the person you used to be, the person you were before Christ entered your life, before Christ entered your heart and made you into a new creation – transformed you from the inside out into His disciple.
That’s what Paul is doing in our passage today. Paul has an incredible testimony, and many of the people he is writing to had probably heard his story before, and here Paul is reminding them of his story
And he is calling up that connection that he made with them when he shared his testimony.
The best stories are the ones from our personal experience. When you tell stories from your own experience, you have a connection to the story, and people can feel that connection and they can relate to it. – connects them to YOU
Paul’s personal testimony, his story, adds to his credibility, and reminds them of his integrity. It helps to renew in their mind the person they saw him to be on his earlier visit.
Gal 1: 11-24 (NIV) 11 I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. 14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus. 18 Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days. 19 I saw none of the other apostles--only James, the Lord’s brother. 20 I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie. 21 Later I went to Syria and Cilicia. 22 I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only heard the report: "The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy." 24 And they praised God because of me.
PRAY
V11-12
A Personal Appearance, a Direct Revelation – the Authority of Christ’s (Paul’s) gospel
This is part of Paul’s story. He is being a little bit of a namedropper here.
I had dinner with Billy Graham
Oh, yeah, well I got a personal visit from the resurrected Christ, in person!
There were false teachers in Galatia, who by reading Paul’s defense of himself,
it appears that they were telling the Galatians that Paul was taught the gospel by the other apostles like Peter and James, and that Paul was leaving out the all important adherence to Jewish laws and traditions – like circumcision.
These false teachers were attacking the credibility of Paul and were denying that he was a true apostle. Their argument would include the fact that the true apostles were with Jesus during his ministry and were commissioned by Jesus.
Paul is arguing here that he was also commissioned by Jesus Christ himself, on the road to Damascus - in person.
Paul’s apostle-ship did not come from some other person or persons, but directly from the source. – No middle-men.
Getting your info from the source is always better than getting it second hand.
That’s why we should trust God’s Word – His direct revelation to you and I, before we trust what someone else says.
That’s why I try to always back up what I am saying with God’s Word. – Because you can trust the source, and God is the source of truth, and God is the source of authority
Paul has the credibility of an apostle commissioned by the Savior.
Just like Peter or James
He goes on in the next few verses to explain that it HAD to be that way.
This is an important point that is easy to miss in the middle of Paul’s defense
That there was no way that anyone other than Jesus himself could have turned Paul from his former way of life.
Peter or James could not talk Paul into becoming a Christian.
Its true today, you and I cannot talk anyone into being a Christian, you can’t argue them into the Kingdom
It takes a personal encounter with the risen Christ.
Paul reminds the Galatians about what He was like before Jesus invaded his life and turned it upside down.
Transformation, change, was the last thing on Paul’s mind before he met Jesus.
13 For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. 14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
Paul had heard Stephen preach the gospel before he was martyred
Paul’s name was Saul at that time, in Acts 7 and 8we see
He is the one who watched their cloaks while they stoned Stephen to death!
He wasn’t moved by the gospel at that time,
Acts 8:1 And Saul was there, giving approval to his death.
Acts 9: 1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
This was a man obsessed with destroying Christianity, he saw it as a threat.
This was a man with Passion and ambition, with zeal – all of it put in the wrong place, he had alot of faith – all of it in the flesh, in his ability to obey Jewish law
He says he was ahead of many of his peers in Judaism, in the study of and strict
Obedience to the Jewish customs, traditions and laws
He was convinced that his relationship to the law would save him
He was convinced that He was on the right path
He wasn’t evaluating Christianity, weighing it against his own beliefs, He was trying to wipe it out, destroy it, and eliminate it completely
This is not a man who could be talked into becoming a Christian missionary –
Not by other men.
Becoming a Christian was the last thing on Paul’s mind as He traveled to Damascus
That is, until he met Jesus Christ. In Acts 9 we read about Paul being blinded by a bright light.
He asked Lord, who are you?
Acts 9:4 "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," (church = Jesus)
Later in Acts we read more of what Jesus said:
Acts 26: 17-18 (NIV) 17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.
Jesus Christ says I will rescue you, and I will send you
It takes the creator of the universe, it takes an almighty God to reach into our hearts and transform us, to change a man like Saul into a man like Paul
That is Paul’s point here – that’s why he says in vs 15
15 But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man
Paul says God chose me – God set me apart from birth. This was God’s plan before I was born, I didn’t chase Him down
Ro 3: 10-12 “There is no one righteous, not even one, 11 there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless.”
God stepped into Paul’s Life – God stopped Paul right in his tracks
God had set Paul apart from birth, called Him by his grace
And God revealed his Son Jesus Christ in Paul
God changed Paul, God saved Paul – and God saved Paul for a purpose.
God had a purpose in mind for Paul from the beginning.
God saved Paul for the purpose of preaching Jesus Christ among the Gentiles.
God saved you for a purpose too –
God had a purpose in mind for you when he set you apart from birth.
Makes sense doesn’t it? –
When you put a saddle on a horse, it would be kind of silly to put that horse out to pasture with his saddle on
You saddle the horse for a purpose – he is supposed to carry people
God saved you for a purpose – you are supposed to carry people to him
You are supposed to carry each others burdens.
God saved you for a purpose
He saved Paul for the purpose of carrying the good news of Jesus to the Gentiles
And when that happened, Paul says he didn’t consult any man
V17
17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.
Paul us continuing his argument here:
Even after my salvation I didn’t go to receive instruction from Peter and James
I went straight to Arabia, then later to Damascus – we can’t be sure what Paul did during that time. It was preparation time for Paul probably spent with alot of study and prayer, quality time with God to get ready for his mission work.
18 Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days. 19 I saw none of the other apostles--only James, the Lord’s brother. 20 I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie.
After 3 years Paul did go to Jerusalem to see Peter, but it wasn’t to learn from him
I am sure that they exchanged ideas and picked each others brains, but Paul came to Jerusalem as an equal to Peter – he just wanted to get to know him.
It was only for a couple of weeks, and he didn’t see any of the other apostles, only James, brother of Jesus.
In v 20 Paul says I assure you before God that I am not lying. It was like someone saying today “I would swear to it in court, under oath”
He is drilling it into them – these guys are wrong, I didn’t get the gospel from the other apostles, I got it from Jesus Christ – I am an apostle just like Peter or James
21 Later I went to Syria and Cilicia. 22 I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only heard the report: "The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy." 24 And they praised God because of me.
These churches in Judea hadn’t known Paul personally, but they had heard about him. They knew who he used to be, how he used to persecute the church and try to destroy it, and how he was now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.
Paul’s story is a story of transformation, of a miraculous turn-around. The persecutor had become the preacher. He is like a different person – He is a different person
He is re-born, He had died to his old self and was created a NEW creation, a new person in Christ Jesus.
Paul’s story is powerful. Paul’s story brings Glory to God
Conclusion
If you are a follower of Jesus here today, you have your own story
Each story is a little different, no two people are the same, and no two testimonies are the same.
But I can guarantee you that your story is also a story of transformation and of re-birth.
And your story can bring Glory to God as well
Have you told your story to anyone lately?
Have you told your story - Or are you like that horse – out to pasture, your saddle all dusty and unused – not carrying anyone to or for Jesus?
God saved you for a purpose
If you don’t have a story, if you haven’t been transformed – recreated by Jesus
You need to hear a story – you need to hear THE STORY
Jesus – greatest story ever told
God became flesh and dwelt among us – His name is Jesus
He died on the cross for your sins, God raised him from the dead
And He wants YOU to be a part of His story
He wants you to know that you cannot save yourself – you are lost without Him
And no other person can save you either. – Only Jesus
If you recognize that you are lost – that you are a hopeless sinner that needs a Savoir
If you throw yourself on the mercy of God – accepting the payment Jesus made on the cross for your sins
And you accept him as your LORD and SAVOIR – receive the free gift of eternal life that he offers
He wants to make that connection with you – He wants to transform you
Change your thoughts, your hopes, your dreams, and your motivations
Make you a new person – Re-born
Then YOU will have a before and after story – a story like Paul’s
