Sermon Tone Analysis

Paul has been a little testy with the folks he is writing to—these Galatians, and for good reason.

He is obviously frustrated, he can’t believe what he is hearing about the road they are going down and he just wants to make sure they understand how he is feeling and that they would understand the truth.

Paul has been a little bit rough with the speech that he has been using and now Paul’s true feelings come out for the church in Galatia.

His pastors heart shows up and he talks about their history together, Paul is reminiscing with them.

It’s interesting.

Scholars don’t believe that Paul’s destination was supposed to be Galatia.

It is thought that Paul came to Galatia because of an ailment that he suffering from.

No one really knows what the ailment was because he doesn’t actually say but there are some educated guesses that we can take from his writings.

He says in verse 13 “you know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first.

And so he is in a place that he didn’t plan to go, because of a sickness he didn’t want.(remember that our plans aren’t always God’s plans)

The detour that Paul had to take ended up being a divine appointment.

Paul may have never gone to Galatia and started these churches without this detour.

And it was all because of a physical ailment.

Sometimes the difficulties you and I go through are actually designed by God to bless us, or bless someone else, or more importantly, to glorify God.

So Paul’s ailment..

It wasn’t fun, it wasn’t good.

Paul will talk about how bad it was when he recalls praying to God three times to remove the thorn in the flesh that he had and remember God’s answer, My Grace is Sufficient for you.

Its a pretty famous fact.

It wasn’t fun, it wasn’t good.

Paul will talk about how bad it was when he recalls praying to God three times to remove the thorn in the flesh that he had and remember God’s answer, My Grace is Sufficient for you.

Some people think that Paul had Malaria which was a problem in that area and the highlands of Galatia was a way to escape that.

Apparently you get very bad headaches from it that can even hurt your eyes.

Others think that Paul had epilepsy.

They think this because of verse 14 that says even though my condition was a trial to you you did not scorn or despise me.

The Greek means literally, you did not spit on me.

In ancient times, if someone had epilepsy or a seizure they concluded that it was a demonic spirit attacking and the way to protect yourself would be to spit at that person because that is how the spirit would enter, through the mouth.

Probably the most famous explanation of Paul’s ailment is that he had an eye disease.

Some think that the vision he had of Christ on the road to damascus had permanently affected his eyes for the rest of his life, even causing them to continually ooze, which would have made him a disgrace to those whom he would encounter.

But the point is that besides all that, these Galtians treated him with love.

When they could have culturally condemned him, they loved him and accepted him.

They were loving, and they loved Paul, why would they now in verse 16 call him their enemy?

I want to back up just a little bit and talk about the main point of this whole section of Scripture.

With all of that background information Paul begins this by saying in verse 12

12 Paul says become as I am.

He is saying IMITATE ME, be like me!

Paul’s main goal as a preacher/as a discipler is to make people like he is, as he imitates Jesus.

That is what disciple making is all about.

He says, “Become as I am.

Become as I am.

This is a theme for Paul’s writings, He says it also in 1 cor 11 1

1 Cor

Then again in Acts

This is the goal or should be the goal of the whole Christian church.

In our church, we say Be Disciples, Make Disciples.

But that isn’t unique to this church at all, that is what every church, every Christian has been called to.

So Paul has a desire for people to be like he is.

What does he mean?

So who was Paul?

What are people to become if they are to become as he is?

Paul is a preacher, and a pastor.

And what that might sound like to you is that Paul is over people, above people, Like there is some sort of hierarchy that Paul has.

In one sense yes, but really, Paul just loves people.

He has the heart of a pastor.

So when Paul says he has a desire for people to be like he is, it is not because of an ego, or an accomplishment, no—Paul just loves people and all the assurance and all of the intimacy of a relationship that Paul enjoys with Jesus, he wishes on those to whom he ministers to.

That is what a discipler is.

Let’s get really basic.

When Paul says become as I am… What is Paul?

Paul is first and foremost a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Paul recognizes that Jesus is the son of God, that faith through Jesus and only through Jesus can we have salvation.

Paul is all over this in this letter because the Galatians are tempted to think that Grace is not enough for their salvation.

In the case of the Galatians they were being told that they needed to be circumcised in order to be on God’s right side.

Paul says they should know better.

So Paul wants them to become as he is and wants them to be disciples of Jesus.

He is first and foremost a disciple of Jesus.

Then what is Paul?

Paul is A discipler of other people.

He disciples others.

He shows other people Jesus.

What else is Paul?

Not only is Paul a disciple of Jesus Christ, but Paul is

A discipler of other people.

He disciples others.

He shows other people Jesus.

Pauls message is important but not only important but

Paul has a pastor’s heart.

What that means is that he loves people.

And this is How a pastor feels about His message and the people he encounters.

The people in his care.

I am actually speaking more about what it means to be a disicipler.

I think this is really important because I think that this is one of the main reasons why Christianity may be on the decline.

And Christianity is on the decline.

I spent an hour this week looking at different articles and different surveys that talk about the numbers and why people are leaving the church.

And they are, they are leaving.

People are moving away from God. Particularly young people.

I read one survey that said that 90% of students who grow up going to church will leave the church by the time they are a sophomore in college.

That’s heartbreaking!

And that hits close to home for me.

I know about this first hand because I was a youth pastor at one time.

And I see and hear about the students who’s lives I was part of and now as those students have become adults I see the path that, yes, most of them have taken, and it’s not in the right direction as far as Christ is concerned.

Most of them aren’t walking with the Lord.

It truly breaks my heart because I would have never guessed that would be the case.

I would have told you—knowing this kid and that kid that they were going to be a mighty force for God, but they walked away.

They just leave.

I know adults who used to be connected in the body of Christ who now never show their faces in church.

It breaks my heart.

Some may want to say.

The enemy has done this.

You may want to believe that it is because of the enemy that Christians are leaving and aren’t having the deep relationship with God that they want to have.

And that could be a part of it.

He hates those who are effective for Christ.