When it pleased God

Paul Begins His Defense

Prayer

Good Morning,

So last week we briefly looked at Galatians 1:11-24, and we talked about Paul’s testimony and what that was. This week we will be in the same section but we will only be looking at Galatians 1:11-16a. Paul begins to establish his authority, compared to the false teachers, and he will continue this theme all the way through verse 21 of Chapter 2. Paul’s authority in Galatia had been undercut by these false teachers who had entered the churches in this region. His first claim of authority comes based on his conversion and calling and we will be focusing on that today. If you could please open your Bibles to Galatians 1 and we will read verses 11 through the first part of verse 16. If you are using a pew bible we are on page 1074.

Read Galatians 1:11-16 “For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;”

Paul did not receive the Gospel from Men

Paul is a very unique individual. He was there for the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7 and therefore heard the Gospel from man. If you could turn with me there, and I will start in verse 52. If you have a pew bible that is page 1014.

Acts 7:52-56 “Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.” Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.””

We see Stephen before he was stoned telling the Pharisees, the Righteous One (or Jesus), whom they had betrayed and murdered was standing at the right hand of God. If you now look at Acts 8:1-3 “And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.”

Saul, now called Paul, had heard the Gospel from man and at that point rejected it. Paul at least understood what it was that Stephen had proclaimed. He understood that Jesus had been crucified, and rejected the idea that Jesus had been resurrected and now stood at the right hand of God. He rejected the fact that Jesus was equal with and was God.

But then we see in Act chapter 9, Jesus confronting Saul directly, his conversion, and Jesus telling Ananias the role He had for Saul to the Gentiles. In our verses here in Galatians at the end of verse 12, that he recieved it through a revelation from Jesus. The word revelation here has this idea of revealing something that had previously been hidden. Saul was given something that, at least to him, was very new and different from what he had known before. For anyone here who is a little confused by the Saul/Paul thing, Saul is the Hebrew form of the Greek name Paul, but as his ministry is to Gentiles he tends to go by the Greek or Gentile form of his name.

This leads us into Galatians 1:13-14. He emphasizes his former zeal for Judaism.

Paul was a Hebrew of Hebrews

Galatians 1:13-14 “For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.”

If the false teachers in Galatia are in fact Judaizers, which the context of the letter would seem to indicate, this call to his former life would have a huge impact. Look at Philippians 3:3-7 This is what Paul says as far as his former way of life. “For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.”

The Gospel Paul was preaching was radically different than that of his former life. What is so fascinating about these two verses is the fact that Paul recognizes that what he was zealous for was not from God, but it was man’s traditions. The Judaism that Paul advanced in had little to do with God. Look what Jesus says in Mark 7:9-13 “And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban” ’ (that is, given to God)— then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.””

You see that understanding here in Paul, when he says he was so extremely zealous for the traditions of his fathers. He knows that he was advancing man’s ways and not God’s. He doesn’t hide from that fact and it actually adds to his authority because of all people he knows what is being lost for what it is he is now preaching. We must be careful in doing the same. We must remember to avoid man’s traditions for God’s Gospel. There is a place for tradition but not at the expense of the Gospel.

But when He was pleased...

Galatians 1:15-16a are two of the most profound verses for the Church in Scripture. Why, you ask? Well lets look at them.

Galatians 1:15–16 ESV

But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;

So I generally prefer the ESV because it is usually very word for word, but a bit easier to read than the NASB or the Young’s Literal Translation, it tends to not be as clunky as you are reading. So don’t hear me say it is bad, or that that if it is all you have there is a problem. However, I think in this instance we miss a bit of the nuance of these two verses. This is part of why when studying for teaching one must use multiple translations. That however is a whole other topic. Look at these verses in the Young’s Literal Translation.

Galatians 1:15–16a YLT

and when God was well pleased—having separated me from the womb of my mother, and having called me through His grace— to reveal His Son in me, that I might proclaim him good news among the nations, immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood,

Look at what Paul is saying here, Paul was separated from his mother’s womb by God. Meaning everything Paul had experienced up to this was for one purpose. He was called by the grace of God for one purpose. Paul’s birth, Paul’s training as Pharisee, Paul’s birth as a Roman citizen, something that most would have to buy, even how God allowed Paul to persecute the Church all built up to display Christ in Paul. Paul understood that. He understood that the whole trajectory of his life was set for this purpose, to proclaim Him (or Christ) the Gospel to the nations or Gentiles.

Paul’s life all culminated to this one point in time, when God was well pleased to reveal His Son in him, in Paul. That reveals something about the very nature of our salvation. If we go back to the ESVs wording, God had set Paul apart, for far more than revealing the Son to Paul. Paul was set apart so that Christ might be revealed in him. Christ was supposed to be revealed in the way Paul now lived, in the way Paul now talked, moment by moment, day by day, year by year. Later, in chapter 2 Paul will say it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. Paul’s life was to reveal Christ and so should ours. Look at 2 Corinthians 4 with me. I am going to start in verse 7

2 Corinthians 4:10–11 ESV

always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

2 Corinthians 4:7-11 “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.”

Sorry I realized this late but the bulletins says for question 2 How, this was my fault it should be why, I didn’t realize until yesterday that I sent Marc the wrong question. But why did God set Paul apart and why is this somehow profound? Paul’s salvation was about more than Paul. Yes Paul was saved, and yes, if your faith is in Christ you and I are saved. But brothers and sisters, our salvation has a much bigger purpose than us. It is first for God’s glory, but second look at what was to happen.

Galatians 1:16 “was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles,”

Paul was brought to salvation, so he could go preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. Paul, this Hebrew of Hebrews, who perfectly kept the Jewish laws and customs, was to share the Gospel with those who previously had been thought to be excluded from God. Because of this sentence, this part of God’s plan of redemption, you and I are now able to become children of God. Unless you are a descendant of Abraham, which most of us are not, we, up to this point, were considered outside of God’s plan or people. Now Paul says in Romans 10:12

Romans 10:12 ESV

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.

Paul was set apart for the sake of Gentiles and by extension for our sake. He was sent to non-Jews. His ministry had a specific purpose behind it. Peter recognized Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles in Galatians 2:7. Paul’s life and ministry was set apart for us the Gentiles. And if you have a Bible in your hand you can recognize that. Much of the NT was written by him and the Book of Acts has most of his ministry to the Gentiles recorded.

What does this mean for me?

Make sure your zeal is for God and not for the things of man.

Make sure what we are most zealous for are of God not the things of man. In today’s age, traditions seem to be being torn down, but each of us have things that we are passionate about. Things that we begin to fight for. Whether it is things in politics, sports, entertainment, or even how people should or shouldn’t act, if the zeal is more for that than sharing Christ with those around you, we have fallen into the same trap that Paul did as a Pharisee.

2. Our lives should display Christ more than ourselves.

That is not an easy feat. It is a moment by moment struggle. If we have placed our faith in Christ, we have been crucified with Him. We must die to ourselves, our wants, our desires, and look to Jesus. He is our life. I am going to read this to you, it comes from a song called All I have is Christ written by Jordan Kauflin, it is verse three and the Chorus.

Now, Lord, I would be Yours alone And live so all might see The strength to follow Your commands Could never come from me O Father, use my ransomed life In any way You choose And let my song forever be My only boast is You

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ Hallelujah! Jesus is my life

This life we are living should display Christ not ourselves, but the strength to follow this comes from Him not ourselves and we will see that in Galatians 2 verse 20.

3. You are set apart for someone or a group of people.

God has let you go through everything in your life for the purpose of bringing others closer to Him. Everything you have gone through, every decision you have made, good or bad, God has allowed. Like Job, we may not always know why, but like Paul we have people in our lives who we are called minister to or we can go out and minister to. That looks differently depending on how God has made and gifted us. I will leave you with this quote:

The special person called to do missionary work is every person who is a member of the church of Christ. The call does not come to a chosen few, it is to every one of us.

Oswald Chambers