You are Called
Good News: Grace! A Look at Galatians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— and all the brothers who are with me,
To the churches of Galatia:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
1. Called by God
1. Called by God
Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—
Paul the Man
Paul the Man
Paul said to have been small, bald, and crooked legs.
Galatians (1) The Sender (1:1–2a)
The word “Paul” in Greek literally means “small,” or “little.”
Christians in Corinth made fun of his physical appearance: “His bodily presence is weak” and his “speech of no account” (2 Cor 10:10).
He testified to having some kind of “thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor 12:7)
Background: Pharisee, studied under Gamaliel
Paul’s Calling
Paul’s Calling
Conversion
Conversion
Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”
Apostleship
Apostleship
“And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that very hour I received my sight and saw him. And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard.
And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”
Seal of approval:
Galatians 1:1 (ESV)
Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—
We Are Called by God
We Are Called by God
Galatians 1:6 (ESV)
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—
Romans 1:1–6 (ESV)
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God . . . including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 4:4–6 (ESV)
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Fifthly, those who love God are also described as those who have been called according to his purpose.
John Stott
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
The reason the church is called the ekklesia is that the church is the company of people who have been called out of the world by God.
R. C. Sproul
2. Called to Speak
2. Called to Speak
Galatians 1:2 (ESV)
. . . and all the brothers who are with me,
To the churches of Galatia:
Called to a People
Called to a People
Churches of Galatia: would include Pisidian Antioch, Lystra, Iconium, & Derbe
Present-day Turkey
Paul and Barnabas had come into the city of P. Antioch to preach the Gospel to the Jews, but they rejected it. And so God gave them a different people to speak to:
And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,
“ ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ”
And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.
Called to Speak Grace
Called to Speak Grace
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
slide: Grace - χάρις - “a gift that gives joy”
peace: shalom
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace and peace.” This greeting celebrates how the gospel works. Grace comes first, and as it fills our lives through the Holy Spirit, it brings shalom — peace, reconciliation, wholeness.
R. Kent Hughes
who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
Galatians: Verse by Verse (The Salutation and Power of the Cross (1:3–5))
This is one of the primary themes of the letter—that salvation comes to us not by means of the law but entirely by the atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross
Note: The grace to be proclaimed is according to the will of God
We Are Called to Speak Grace to Specific People
We Are Called to Speak Grace to Specific People
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
We must remember that this fruit is produced to be eaten, not to be admired and put on display. People around us are starving for love, joy, peace, and all the other graces of the Spirit.
Warren W. Wiersbe
People need grace—they are looking for peace, forgiveness, true contentment and joy.
3. Called to Glorify God
3. Called to Glorify God
to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Glory = Honor, Lift High
Glory = Honor, Lift High
Glorify Forever
Glorify Forever
Literally, “for the ages of the ages” - forever, eternity
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
Galatians (3) The Greeting (1:3–5)
“So glorious is this redemption that it should ravish us with wonder.”
