Sermon Tone Analysis

Born Free!

(Slide) “Whoso would be a man must be a non-conformist.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

I read once a prayer offered up at an ordination of some deacons.

(Slide) “O Lord, grant that these brethren may never want to be like other people.”

Now sorry, did not get where that prayer quote came from originally but it is true, we are not to be conformist, we are not to be like each other, each of us has a calling, each of us has a story, each of us is an individual that makes up the body of Christ.

Each of our conversion stories are different.

Speaking of being non-conformist we do need to be careful that the wrong kind of individualism can destroy vs. fulfill.

The passage before us today is the story of God’s call of Saul of Tarsus to Paul the Apostle.

His Freedom! was a threat to those who believed in conformity.

(Slide) The Charge - Paul’s non-conformity is proof that his message and his ministry were not really of God.

(Slide) The Defense - Paul will start to make his defense drawing back to his history and his conversion

Paul, in writing to the churches of Galatia sets out to prove his apostleship was from God not from man.

His gospel came from revelation of Jesus Christ not from man

Gal

Paul states his theme and his ministry are of divine origin, not from man.

He did not invent the Gospel, not did he receive it from from man, but by Jesus Christ who is the author and perfecter of our faith (Heb12:2).

Message and ministry were divinely given so anyone who adds to or takes from is doing so in danger of divine judgment according to

John had revelation of Jesus Christ, so did Paul!

Results were the same, they were not conformed to this world but transformed by the washing of the Word.

God’s word, divinely given.

The facts of his conversion not only substantiate his claim, but provide evidence to us for our faith in Jesus.

Paul will draw for us, or paint for us several pictures to prove his claim, drawing back to his past.

I. Before His Conversion - The Persecutor

Before his conversion he was a persecutor of the church - In Jerusalem

He breathed murderous rage in other places

But come on, he was doing it for a good cause, for what he felt was right.

Act26:

Is this not similar to what we are seeing today in the world?

People being at rage against Christianity?

People who want to see Christians die or to shut up.

Paul had it all going on for him

Paul was several things

(Slide) Status, he was known, up and rising

(Slide) Advanced in Judaism - Gal1:14

(Slide) Had position of religious power - Act26:9-10

(Slide) Had advanced training with Gamalial

(Slide) He was advanced above his contemporaries - Gal1:14

(Slide) He was zealous for his ancestral and religious traditions (Gal1:14)

Gal

(Slide) He was a Hebrew of Hebrews

SO you can also say he was a Hebrew of Hebrews; a Pharisee of Pharisee’s.

Raised as son of a Pharisee

So with all this, before his conversion he was doing what he thought was right, serving God with zeal and he was naturally prejudiced against the people of the way (Christians) and against Jesus.

(Slide) So who could convert a man like this?

His friends wouldn’t - you will see they were upset with him and his conversion and they wanted to take his life

His enemies couldn’t - They were afraid of him and would not go near him, it took the Word of the Lord to get Ananias to go to Saul in the first place

Even after the conversion Christians were very leery of him and were not quick to accept him.

So what about you, when you became a Christian did people question you?

Wonder why, what is different, were leery of you or thought maybe it was a “phase and will grow out of it?”

Now time to look at the results of his conversion, for the complete story you can look at Act9:9-18

II.

After the Conversion - The Believer

(Slide) Having already addressed his past character and conduct, now Paul goes on to his conversion; it was a crucial part of his defence against their claim.

Paul is using his past to defend the gospel and that is an important fact, just as you when you share your story you are sharing the gospel message, it is not about you, it is about Him who worked on you, who now works in you and works through you.

(Slide) Does (v.15) sound familiar to something else you may have read in the bible?

(Slide) So calling, appointing from before the womb is something God did!

(Slide) God revealed Jesus Christ to Paul

(Slide) God called him through grace to be an apostle

(Slide) God was pleased

Called in same manner as Jeremiah, as John the Baptist, see this is just reminder that

(Slide) Salvation is by God’s hand not mans.

God’s grace not man’s effort, God’s nature not man’s character.

God calls us through His Word today.

See God wants all to be saved, to come to repentance according to 2Pt3:9!

God converted Saul; God converted you!

God did it through Christ

(Slide) Previously Paul had religion

(Slide) Previously Paul had reputation and recognition

(Slide) But he did not have Christ

You can have all the world but not have Christ and at the end you have nothing for Christ is everything.

Paul counted everything a loss before Christ

Phil

God did not do it just for Paul’s sake, it was done for others sake, Paul says he was all things to all people so that he may win them to Christ (ok its my paraphrase of 1Cor9:19-23)

Only God could take a Pharisee, a Hebrew of Hebrew and make him minister to the dogs, the Gentiles

God did it for God’s glory; not for the glory of Paul, but for the glory to God because of what God had done in Paul.

Man was created to bring glory to God.

And man is saved to glorify God

1Cor6:9-10

Let your life be lived to bring glory to God, to Paul it was at great expense, beatings, prison, being left for dead, loss of friends, family, status and finances.

Let Paul’s example, giving glory to God, his motivating factor be our motivating factor, to bring glory to God.

After conversion - The Preacher

fr

He preached it immediately - no formal training

Status

Paul was to preach to the Gentiles, he did not go and seek human council; he did not even go to Jerusalem for 3 years.

He

HE was

Paul upon conversion had preached in Damascus then went to Arabia, then back to Damascus then to Jerusalem

Act

We do not know exactly how long Paul was in Arabia, could be the upwards of the 3 years, the Apostles we discipled by Jesus for 3 years, so it’s possible Paul was too.

Then Paul went back to Damascus, a place that was not too happy with him, they did not like the fact Paul had become a Christian and now he is coming there preaching Jesus?

Risky business, they were out for blood.

It was after 3 years he went to Jerusalem to see Peter

No way in 15 days he was taught the gospel and became the evangelist he did, only God could do it.

and Paul did not meet with all the Apostles, only Peter and James the Lord’s brother.

Interesting fact (v.20) Paul was willing to swear that he is saying is true.

To the Romans, that was a big deal and cases were decided on when and if someone was willing to swear on something.

IT was time for Paul to take his ministry home.

Gal1:21-22