Called by God
Notes
Transcript
Burden: God is glorified in every story of faithful repentance and trust in Jesus.
On Tuesday night, I had the fellas in my life group over for our first gathering as a new group. Hayley and I had felt a leading to leave our awesome group and our wonderful friends of the past 4.5 years to create more space for those who are coming to Whitehill and wanting to grow deeper in their faith in Jesus.
Part of starting a new group or whenever I welcome someone new in, I like to make them share their story. Perhaps it is an annoying tick of mine- I like making people share or pray, especially when they’re not prepared! It’s more genuine and authentic that way. Afterall- if you can awkwardly share your story with your pastor, how much better prepared arfe you to share that story with those in your life?? That’s what I tell myself at least.
I like to hear the stories of how God worked in people’s lives- every one is different. Yet, every single story is one of God’s ghrace and kindness, the power of His spirit to restore the dead to life and His willingness to forgive those who put their faith in Jesus.
Your story- whatever it is, is reason to praise God and glorifies His name!
Today, we hear about Paul’s story- and how God is glorified in it. His story froms part of the defense of his faith and the Gospel he proclaimed to the Galatians.
Paul will show us that, the Gospel is God’s, the Gospel Saves and the Gospel in your own story brings Glory to God.
The Gospel is God’s
The Gospel is God’s
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.
The True Gospel originates from God, not man.
Paul here is continuing from the previous verses that Ps Brad preach on last week-
Paul has been accused of preaching a different Gospel, or lacking the appropoiate authority to teach on it.
He was also accused of having recieved the Gospel he taught from human hands. It was human wisdom and then up for human debate.
But this isn’t true. Paul didn’t recieve the Gospel from men but from Jesus himself. This is how we are confident in Paul’s Apostolic Authority- meaning he was called and sent by Jesus himself.
The Gospel Paul preached is God’s Gospel, it is not a human creation.
We can know and trust this as we see in the work and life of Jesus, as recorded in the Gospels and corroborated by Paul’s message.
We can know and trust this individually as we see the transforming power of the Gospel in our own lives.
We can know and trust this as the Gospel as preached by Paul continues to renew and revive whole communities around the world.
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It’s why we preach from the way we do, focusing on God’s written word-
His words are much better than our own. There is power in Him not in any of us.
We preach His Gospel so that, when you experience transformation in your life, it is because of God’s Word, His Gospel and the work of His Son- not because of any clever human wisdom which convinced you.
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We can also know that the Gospel preached by Paul is God’s- because in the array of human wisdom, it just doesn’t make any sense.
If you were to create your own religion, what would you create?
Would you tell a story of God’s people consistantly disobeying and abandoning trust in their God?
Would that God then be described as abounding in love and mercy for his response?
Would that God come and die like a ciminal?
Would he tell his followers that they’ll face worse?
Would you then invite people to come and be followers at the potential cost of everything in this life, an abandonment of materical pursuit and radical love and kindness to those who would hate you for it?
Probably not.
You and I would probably create a corporate ladder-esq system of growth, better followers get a better life, (pastors get ferraris), where the more obendient you are, the more convenient life or better eternal blessings you’ll recieved based on your own works. That’s a fairly human expression.
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Following Jesus in the first century brought no-one status, or wealth, or fame, or success. Quite the opposite- of all the Apostles only John would die of age. It was costly.
Following Jesus never promised one a life of comfort, or bliss, or calm. It never presented a ladder with which you could climb and recieve any of which humans clambour for.
It demanded that we show compassion to our enemies, love for our neighbours, concern for others greater than ourselves, giving over taking, forgiving over winning. A life lived in service and gratitude to the God who gives it.
C.S Lewis once said, “Christianity must be from God, for who else could have thought it up?”
The Gospel is fundamentally other worldly. And it must be.
If this world is broken, dark and chaotic- how could anything from this world save us from it?
It cannot save us from itself- instead, it is like a sinking ship- it pulls us under as it goes down.
Only the Gospel saves. The things of this world cannot save you, satisfy you or restore you. It is only in Christ alone.
That’s Paul’s story-
The Gospel Saves
The Gospel Saves
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; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.
According to worldly standards, Paul, in his former life as he describes in v13-14, had “made it”. He was a well regarded, learned and trusted Jewish teacher and leader.
Why would he throw away what he had, for something he had made up or would cost him so much? Why would he throw away his life for a lie?
Simply- the Gospel saved Paul from his former, sinful life in opposition to God. He has been renewed with the truth of the Gospel and wants to live for Jesus. That’s why. Many others have done tnhe same.
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Paul refers to his own story of salvation to refute the accusations against his name and the Gospel he preached.
The rest of Galatians points to sort of three narratives being falesly spread against Paul’s ministry.
Firstly, that his conversation was a result of his own reasoning and knowledge. That he had been opportunistic and taken the Gospel and misappropiated it for his own gain.
However, Paul wasn’t struggling with doubt, he wasn’t exploring faith attending a local Alpha course. He hated the Church and he was actively seeking to destroy it and the followers of Jesus of Nazareth.
He recounts his own hositility toward the Gospel, how he desired to destroy it.
Retelling his own story to King Agrippa, Paul says:
“I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities.
If Paul was an outcast, the accusation makes sense. But this man had the authority and approval of the high priests- he was going places
Secondly, he writes to undermine this idea he had “just got the message from HQ in Jerusalem”. His opposition had essentially said “Paul got his message from the leaders in Jerusalem, but so did we! Therefore, what we say is just as valid as Paul’s. Infact, we think Paul is missing part of the message, you need to know/do this in order to be saved...”
Paul did not recieve his orders from “HQ” in Jerusalem, but from the head himself- Jesus. He recieved no instruction from the Apostles and points out that he preached the Gospel he preached to the Galatians for three years, before meeting the other Apostles.
Which leads to Paul’s third point, after three years of preaching the Gospel in Arabia and Damascus, he finally travels to Jerusalem where he meets the Apostles.
It is here that Paul has his Gospel confirmed. Paul had not recieved the Gospel from these men, but he preached what they preached. His Gospel was true.
Paul is confirmed, appointed and approved as an Apostle of Jesus Christ- one sent and authorised by Jesdus himself in establishing His church.
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This is the narrative that is true, as Paul teaches us- the Gospel saves and he has been saved by it. It is the only narrative that can be true.
Paul had been an enemy of Jesus, by choice. In Acts 7, Paul approves the execution of Stephen- the very first martyr of Jesus’ followers. He stands and witnesses Stephen’s stoning- and pursues more. He is unaffected by the witness of those who die for the cross of Christ.
Paul was “Advancing beyond his years” to the point that the readers of this letter, knew about how zealous he was as a Jewish leader and teacher.
He was also likely a member of the Sanhedrin, a Jewish council of elites. He was commissioned by the high priests as the primary persecutor of Christians.
Paul’s success no doubt had him on a career path of prominance in Judaism. He likely desired the high preistly role, if he could vanquish these christians- if that was his legacy- the glory would be his.
He had already recieved fame, he had status and no doubt the wealth that came with it.
Yet, He calls Christ King.
Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
How does someone go from the path of Paul to counting everything as loss, just to know Jesus.
It is because the Gospel truly saves. It truly satisfies the depths of our soul. It truly restores and redeems and renews us into the image in which we were created.
It is not of this world.
Paul did not become christian out of conveniance, or cultural/social advancement, it was costly. He simply followed Jesus because He saw it was true. In his eyes, what else is there to gain but Christ?
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Let me tell you of the story of Rosaria Butterfield.
Rosaria Butterfield was a tenured professor of English and Women's Studies at Syracuse University. Her academic work focused on queer theory and 19th-century literature. She openly identified as a lesbian, was in a committed same-sex relationship, and was active in LGBTQ advocacy.
Although she had grown up in a nominal Catholic environment, she had rejected Christianity. She viewed conservative Christianity as intellectually weak and politically harmful. By her own account, she believed Christians were often driven by fear and prejudice.
In 1997, Rosaria wrote an article criticizing the evangelical movement known as the "Promise Keepers."
After the article was published, she received a large amount of mail. Most letters fell into two categories:
Hate mail.
Fan mail congratulating her for attacking Christians.
One letter stood out because it did neither.
It came from a local pastor, Ken Smith. Instead of arguing with her, he simply asked thoughtful questions about her assumptions and invited her and her partner to dinner.
Rosaria later said that this letter "didn't argue with me; it engaged me."
Rosaria spent two years attending the of nKen and his wife Flo. Together they discussed the scriptures, as well as philosophy, history and literature- always over a meal.
She began to read the bible, an attempt of course to better critique it to debate her new christian friends.
Instead, she found herself increasingly confronted by its claims.
She later wrote that rather than reading the Bible, "the Bible was reading me."
She became convinced that if Jesus really was who He claimed to be, then He demanded complete allegiance—not merely intellectual agreement.
Rosaria gave her life to the Lord and left behind her former life. Her job, her friends, her partner.
She said of this, it is not an exchange of political affiliation, but a dying to myself and a belonging to Christ.
Rosaria would later marry her husabnd Kent, have four children togetrher qand become a prolific christian author. Of her own nstory, she says:
"The gospel is not a metaphor. It is not a symbol. It is the power of God for salvation."
She did not become a christian for gain, it was costly. It was inconveniant and it held a kalidescope of the unknown. She followed Jesus simply because it was true.
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If the Gospel had not saved Rosaria from her former life, she would not have left it.
If the Gospel hadn’t saved Paul from his fromer life, he would not have preached it.
God saves us because he loves us, this is true.
Yet, the Gospel also saves each of us for a purpose.
The power of the Gospel saved Rosaria for the work she would do as an author and teacher among a church that is grappling with the advent of same-sex marriage and the prominance of the LGBT movement.
The power of the Gospel not only saved Paul, but commissioned him as an Apostle of Jesus Christ and as the most prolific NT writer.
Isn’t it confounding that God would choose a man who was the very first persecutor of His Church to be one of His greatest shepherds to it?
That’s the Gospel of Grace.
And Paul’s story of salvation still serves to point us and to urge us into praise and joy of God’s grace to us also.
In everyone story, the Gospel of Grace and it’s power glorifies God.
The Gospel in Your Story Glorifies God
The Gospel in Your Story Glorifies God
And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” And they glorified God because of me.
Over the course of this series, it may feel like we are tripping over ourselves- constantly revisiting the Gospel and the themes of Grace- but that is precisely Paul’s purpose.
He revists the Gospel again and again. Why? Becaused he knows, better than any of us, how desparatly we need to hear it again and again.
If you grabbed a note book, they’re free in the foyer, on the back we placed this nquote from Tim Keller:
“We must go back again and again to the gospel of Christ crucified, so that our hearts are more deeply gripped by the reality of what He did and who we are in Him.”
The deeper the Gospel grips your heart, I promise the greater sense of freedom you will find in this life.
Hear these words again from Paul-
Galatians 1:15–16a “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...”
It is God’s sovereign grace that called him to faith in Jesus. It wasn’t Paul, he didn’t reason himself into a life following Jesus!
God broke into time and space and placed his son, literally in the middle of the road, so that Paul would have to stop and notice. And this idea that God was pleased to do it, denotes that he had waited patiently for this specific moment in Paul’s life to do it.
Why? That’s the question I imagine we all have.
Precisely because this moment was chosen by God so that all of which preceeded it could happen. It is all to His glory and our ultimate good.
Paul, like all of us, had been living apart from God. He had be living for himself, his own glory and own desires. He had been living in opposition to God. And in doing so, had done a lot of wrong and evil.
Yet, God’s grace is that He interjects himself into Paul’s story. God had allowed Paul to pursue Judaism in its fullness. He allowed him to excel and succed. He allowed him to grow in stature.
God allowed it, so that when Paul was called by God, Paul’s knowledge of the OT scriptures; his training; experiences; failures, zeal and effort could be used powerfully for the Gospel. God used all of Paul’s story to prepare and equip him to be effective in sharing the Gospel.
Even more, Paul’s story as a persecutor of the churches in Judea would serve as an incredible testimony.
The one whom the churches feared has now become one of their champions.
Those who were God’s enemies become his people.
Those who once opposed God and Christianity now faithfully serve to advance it.
This should cause all of us to glorify God, for it is all us- God took sinners and made them new and He is glorified in them!
I think of my brothers whom I have journeyed with and those with whom I’ve just begun. I think of many of you and your stories that I have heard over coffee or after the service in prayer.
Some of us have stories of fighting and suffering through addiction, alcoholism, depression and anxiety. Others have survived abuse, sickness and homelessness. Some lived in prideful, direct opposition to God, others in passive apathy and indifference.
We’ve all struggled against our own minds and hearts, waring against pride and envy, jealousy, greed, lust, laziness, anger, selfishness. We’ve delighted in the darkness of our hearts, enjoying gossip, unforgiveness, slander, hate, lying and arrogance.
This is true for all of us.
What is also true, is Jesus died for every one of us and his death covers every one of those sins.
We all may have different stories, but they all have these two things to be true: we each have sinned against God and God so loved us He gave His Son Jesus to die for us that we would be saved from those sins.
God is glorified in your story. Your story what ever it might be, is not inadequate- it is one where God breaks through time and space to reveal His Son Jesus to save you, because He loves and so you can live for him.
In doing so, in living to serve Jesus with all that we ahve, we each have the opportunity to show God’s grace to the world.
Let me tell you- The world stops and stares at grace.
It doesn’t stop for those who chase wealth like it does.
It doesn’t stop for those who pursue comfort like it does.
It doesn’t stop for those who clambour for status like it does.
Almost every story of friendship or work place evangelism we hear of, the person who asks their christian friend about faith, generally start the sentance with “there’s something different about you....”
Grace make the world stop and stare.
// Morning Service
In the PM service, there are a number of young women who have started coming along. The YAs frequented Yamanto Village every few sundays where they got dinner and sat together on the grass. One Sunday, one of these women was working at the Subway and stopped to notice the joy and kindness in those who came through, but also the sense of community and friendship being displayed by our YA’s. So, she sent out one of the employees to enquire about who they were and discovered they all came here to Whitehill. So, the next Sunday she came with her best friend. She came again the next week with her best friend, as well as her little sister and her best friend. And she has continued to come along, finding community with our church.
// PM Service
Story - ??
Grace makes the world stop and stare and that same grace in our lives transforms us into new creations that we may be like lighthouses for a world that is sinking.
As we finish our time together, let me leave you with this reflection.
You have been called by God, in His calling you are saved by the Gospel and He is glorfied by it.
If then we are called, for a purpose that is ongoing, how might he be calling you today?
In our passage we read of Paul’s trusting in a Gospel that was revealed to him. Is Jesus revealing his truth to you today? If so, will you trust him?
We read of Paul’ former life and how God used it for the Gospel. How is God working through your story? Your family, experiences and work? How is his golden thread tying all of who you are to serve all for him?
Paul, though recieveing a miraculous vision, still travelled to Jerusalem to be verified. This highlights the need to surround ourselves with other, mature Christians. Is there a need in your life for growing you chritian counsel and voice in your life?
God is glorified in us, even for the sin that drags us to our lowest, when we repent and turn to trust in him. Is there something holding you low? Do you need to turn to Jesus today for freedom?
