Galatians 2

Oh, yes. I was supposed to announce that the children need to if you like to go to Sunday school, the children can go with sister Roberta downstairs to our Sunday school class so you don't have to listen to me talk.

Thanks. So just thankful to be here in so so blessed to be a part of this church family. And if anything up today on Pastor appreciation day my prayers sent up as you gym was saying those oh beautiful words about me with Lord. I'm so thankful for my wife. She's not here today. She's with her sister and Jackson and and that I could not do ministry without her. So thankful for her and all that. She's she does and that words being weird and all that stuff was off because Sarah was in the background making things happen then and Gracie Stephen graciously and I did the best you could write so Anyway, so thank you. So with all that said we're going to be in the house of the book of Galatians today. We started our new series last week and Galatians.

We're going to be in chapter 1 and we're going to read verses 10 through 24 are going to be the passages of scripture that we're going to cover this morning. That's to the end of chapter 1. I want you guys to know I'm already going to be a sixth of the way through the book of Galatians in just two weeks. So I'm not going to slow it down a little bit, right? it's getting so these are the introductory passages of scripture. There's not a lot of teaching going on at this point Paul's about about ready to give us the what for on what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is and how important it is to keep the Gospel of Jesus Christ pure. He's going to teach us these things but these passages is opening his introduction to the letters really him defending his apostleship. These false teachers had coming and claiming to be Christians. Who said yes, you need Jesus, but you need to add the works of the Jewish Traditions as well. You need to ask circumcision enough. They call you need to become a Jew first and then you can receive Jesus as Messiah. The begin to pervert and change the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved where does by grace through faith? Not of works. It is a gift of God lest any man should boast in Although we today some 2000 years later do not have to wear you were not worried about anyone in the church saying You must be circumcised or become a Jew to be a Christian first. The spirit of this letter is is rampant the false teaching people and religions who would desire to take the pure Gospel of Jesus and perverted and add work to it. Says you need Jesus, but you need to do these things as well. Is it the exact same argument that Paul is writing against in this book? And although the particulars the the judaizers we would call them is not the the threat for us today in the church. There's many false teachings many religions out there that say you need Jesus plus these things. And so Paul is riding to the churches in the Glade regionally galatian region to demonstrate to them first his authority to proclaim the gospel of grace. And that's what we're going to cover today. So if you have your Bibles with you, we're going to start in brushton, and hopefully the The passage will be on the screen as well. If you'd like to follow along there as well. There's also Bibles underneath the seats for you to be able to follow along. Galatians chapter 1 verse 10 the word of the Lord says that's where I am now trying to persuade where am I now trying to persuade people or God? We're on my striving to please people if I were still striving to please people I would not be a servant of Christ by wanted to know brothers and sisters that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin for I did not receive it from a human source, and I was not taught it but it came I buy a revelation of Jesus Christ. Free of heard about my former way of life in Judaism. I intensely persecuted God's church and tried to destroy it. I advanced in Judaism Beyond mini contemporaries among my people because I was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. The one God who from my mother's womb set me apart and called me by his grace was pleased to reveal his son and me so that I could preach him among the Gentiles. I did not immediately consult with anyone. I did not go up to Jerusalem to those who had become Apostles before me instead. I went to Arabia and came back to Damascus and then after three years, I did go up to Jerusalem to get to know cephas and I stayed with him 15 days. But I didn't see any of the other Apostles accept James the Lord's brother verse 20 goes on I declare and the side of God. I am not lying and what I write to you. Afterward I went to the reasons of Syria and Celestia and I remain personally unknown to the Judean churches that are in Christ. They simply kept hearing he who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith. He wants to try to destroy. And they glorified God because of me. You pray with me Father God become before your throne of grace and mercy Lord and Sunday school. We were reminded what Christ has done. He is torn The Veil The Veil that represented our separation from you because of our sin because of his sacrificial work on the crossroad of the veil has been torn and we can boldly all those who are in Christ. Jesus vullaby come before your throne.

And presenter requests in our in our hearts and our our concerns to you Lord. We have access to you through Jesus and we're so thankful for that God. And so we come to your throne this morning and we just ask that you would work in our hearts God do your spirit the spirit of God would do it work that you would transform as we open up your word that your spirit would Transformers from the inside out that you would would make us a little more like Jesus this morning God through your power. Do the power of the spirit in-dwelling us God? We ask that you would also minister to those who are hurting this morning who have hurts that none of us know about except for you God. I pray that you would Minister to them. That they would be reminded if your lava freshen a new. But they would find the piece that you have given and Jesus and that they would be able to to just rest in your presence. and your power God we are grateful for our country and we pray for our country this morning Lord. We pray that you would move the hearts of the leaders. Towards Godly things. That they would seek the common good of the people and not their own selfish desires.

Father we pray that our freedoms would remain intact that we can open your word and freely and boldly proclaim the good news that you've reserved for us and revealed to us.

So many concerned before you leave this morning Lord. We know you're in control arrest in that we just asked if you would meet with us now For Your Glory steak. We ask these things in Christ precious name. Amen. Alright, so we have this passage of scripture that Paul's ultimately defending his apostleship is apostille Authority and so we can see here we can read between the lines that these judaizers Paula and what kind of just review this again. This is a map of Paul's First Missionary Journeys. And so we see here that he went up into the region that is called galatia and that's in modern-day turkey and that's kind of right there. That's a really bad Circle but that's turkey and that's where in those towns are Iconium and Antioch and lystra Paul went into the town's the Gentile towns and they begin to Proclaim Jesus. You begin to show that this Jewish Messiah had come God In the Flesh of common that even though they were Gentiles and they were not on the Mosaic law of the day 2 We're sinful. They were delicious. They were separated from their Creator God because of their sin. and he proclaimed to these Gentiles that they too could Embrace and enjoy eternal life that is found in Jesus Christ alone, because it was not just for the Jewish people but for the entire world, And so he established these churches in that area. And he went on and it and it was in around. 4647 Ada is Paul's first missionary journey, and so he went on to establish other churches as he win it to the second and third missionary Journeys and we can follow what Paul did in the book of Acts. That's why we know so much about these areas and what the churches who the churches were and all that cuz it's all found an accent. We're going to be going into that today because it's truly in the storical account, right? We are we're not just believing in folklore here. This is our historical events that God has preserved for us that we can see God working in human history. And so yes, we're taking the time to go through in and allow Paul to defend his apostleship today, but that's super important for us. Even these two thousand years later because as false teachers of people who presented false gospel presented false gospel, we can stand on the apostleship in the authority that Paul was given by Jesus Christ and when he declares the gospel to be salvation is through Grace by faith alone or by grace through faith alone. We can stand on his authority and saying that and we can reject any other false teaching. They wants to add to Jesus or change who Jesus is reject those things because we stand on the authority of God's word. We stand on the apostolate authority of Paul. And we contend for the faith that was once delivered to the Saints. Even today and so it's important for us to understand Paul's Apostolic Authority. The Paul wages his Defence of his Apostle Local 13 verse 11 for I want you to know brothers and sisters that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin. He remember he began his letter last week and verse 1 says Paul an apostle. Not by a man not through man. It wasn't given to me by some Council of a church that says you and I we now bequeath you in the parcel ship. It wasn't through man. It was through Jesus Christ and God the Father. It was from above. Pause will see you saw the resurrected Lord with his own eyes. This is a requirement for an apostle. He saw them him. Until he gets dig a little deeper in these verses here. Not a human Origins worst. Well for I did not receive it from a human source, and I was not taught it but I came by revelation of Jesus Christ for you have heard about my former way of life in Judaism. I intensely persecuted God's church and tried to destroy it. interesting Here's Paul. An apostle of Jesus Christ whose story is that he wants persecuted Christ Church.

You guys on to reveal his story I advance in Judaism Beyond many contemporaries among my people because I was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. I'm so Paul's giving his story. his testimony I was testifying to what his Encounter With Jesus Christ did in his life. And we all hopefully everyone in the sound of my voice this morning have a story. A testimony of what Jesus Christ has done in your life people ask me. How do you witness? You testify to what Jesus Christ has done in your life. That's how you would miss. I was this I met Jesus and now

I'm child of God. Has nothing to do with me.

house broken

everything this world had to offer failed with pimped empty and Hollow felt like I had this emptiness and hauling ass to my heart and then I met Jesus. The Emptiness is nolo. What's your story? I know there's those in this audience this morning that can say I was saved at Age 4. I called Upon Jesus. I knew I was a sinner and ask him to save me and so my stories not it's kind of boring. a boring story

my prayer for my children. But they don't have to carry the scars. But it is to walk in this evil age. And walk without God. I'm trying to please and satisfy their flash because they don't have the Holy Spirit within them. The guide them into all truth another wise my prayer for my kids. What's your story? Your testimony of what Jesus has done Paul often in his interaction when he's going to the synagogue give them his testimony this story and see a little bit of that in his letter to the Philippians Church Paul wrote to talk about a little gives us a little more inside as far as who Paul was before he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus because although I have reasons of her confidence in the flesh if anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh. I have more circumcised The Eighth Day all the nation of Israel of The Tribe of Benjamin all these things that we would Mark you out as a really good Jewish person or leader Boston to check all the boxes. Is salvation or reconciliation or a relationship with God is found in religious works. I am your man. He's saying a Hebrew born of Hebrews regarding the law a Pharisee regarding zeal. You not only have the law but he was zealous for his religion. How does he prove his Zeal by persecuting the church?

He was essentially Isis. He would go into towns and dragged out men and women and imprison them. He signed off on the Margaret in the murder of Stephen.

Persecuting the church regarding the righteousness. That is the law blameless. He's like look if rice is his truly comes by the law. I was blameless.

Will see his story is in the other books as well. But he goes back to Glass Galatians 1 14 through 16 us to Paul was before he encountered Jesus. He says my remind you again their license 114 advance. And did you guys even beyond my contemporaries? He sent under the feet of Gamaliel the one of the top teachers and in the Jewish traditions and rabbis. He was born in Tarsus. He was he was a Roman citizen. He had everything you could ask for this world could give. Because I was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors that goes on verse 15, but one God who from my mother's room set me apart. And call me by his grace.

encounter Jesus and he says just so you know when he says and call me by his grace. He's demonstrating to us when God called him by his grace and we had nothing to do with his self righteousness and have nothing to do with who Paul was as the perfect Jewish person blameless in the in the law. They had nothing to do that because God from my mother's womb. Set me apart. And call me by his grace.

Grace is truly unmerited. God's love is truly has nothing to do with our own righteousness. It is God's gracious call.

It's a merited verse 16. He was pleased to reveal his son in me. So that I could preach him among the Gentiles. I did not immediately consult with anyone. And so Paul says this is he says he got called me from my mother's womb. And and so he's he's also appealing to the Jewish traditions of of of like the Prophet Jeremiah the prophet Jeremiah when God went to Jeremiah. He's told Jeremiah and in Jeremiah 1:5 I chose you. Before you I formed you in the womb. I sent you a part before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the Nations and so is Paul is arguing for his apostleship of Jesus Christ. He's appealing back to the Old Testament. Just as Jeremiah was called does God said before I formed you in the womb I set you apart Paul as using that same language in his argument for his apostleship. The God and mark them out before he was even born.

And then this is a story. This is his testimony next chapter 22. The actual account of Jesus are Paul's encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus as in Acts chapter 8 and 9, but there's a lot of different stories in between there and so in Acts chapter 22, he's before a mob in Jerusalem is about ready to get beat yet again and whipped and scores and thrown into prison yet again, and before they do he knows his time is short and so he gives his testimony to these people that are about ready to persecute him. And so in this testimony we see his Encounter With Jesus. acts 22 verse 1 says that's brothers and fathers listen now to my defense before you when they heard that he was addressing them in Aramaic that became even quieter because that's the Jewish people would speak in Aramaic. He continued I'm a Jew born in Tarsus of cilicia, but brought up in the city. He was a Jewish or he was a Roman citizen, but yet he was raised in Jerusalem educated at the feet of Gamaliel. I can't get that name right Melba. Denali I think you according to the strictness of our ancestral law. I was zealous for God. Just as all of you are today. He's like I was once one of you. zealous for the traditions of the fathers I persecuted this way are the people of the way that's what washes Christians were called. Right? Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life and so is almost an insult term the P all those of the people of the way. I persecuted this way the people the way to to the death. arresting and putting both men and women in jail as both the high priest and and the whole Council of Elders can testify about me is like look your religious leaders. They can testify who I was After I receive letters from them to the brothers, I travel to Damascus to arrest those who were there and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished. He was going to Damascus to persecute Christ Church.

And I was I was traveling. And approaching Damascus. About noon and then Tim's light from Heaven suddenly flashed around me. And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me sauce. saw why are you persecuting me? I answered. Who are you Lord? He said to me I am Jesus of Nazareth. The one you are persecuting.

And so we must ask why is Jesus saying you're persecuting me when he's actually persecuting the church. Jesus is taking this pretty personally. Does the church is his bride? Persecuting his church, either you Paul was persecuting Jesus.

I am the one Jesus and that it's the one you're persecuting rs9. Now those who were with me saw the lights, but they did not hear the voice of the one who is speaking to me. And I said what should I do Lord?

That's often the response. We should have we encounter Jesus right Paul's encounter and testimonies pretty unique. It's not the regular. Principle that we would see in the normal encounter. Our testing was probably don't include walking down the road and seeing a bright light and being blinded for a few days. But we should all have a personal testimony and how you came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. It should be an encounter a conviction of the Holy Spirit of your need of your sinful condition and your needs to be saved and receive him his accomplice work in your account. Everyone should have that testimony. And that that's typically how it goes, especially now, right? We we proclaim the gospel. We rely on the spirit of God to do the convicting and those things.

But we need to always emphasize the fact that salvation is not found in a prayer. Salvation is not found in a religion or a baptism or a work or being a Baptist or being a presbyterian salvation is found in a personal Encounter With Jesus Christ. I'm receiving them believing him. Turning from in abandon all hope in anything else and trusting in Christ accomplished work alone. That is salvation. Just as Paul encounter Jesus personally, he gives us testimony.

I said what should I do Lord, and that should be our next response right? Let me know in the New Testament context. It's be baptized. The first step of obedient should be baptism identifying with the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and then take up your cross daily and follow him. We see Isaiah this beautiful Vision when he sees us Beauty vision of Heaven the holy God of gods the Angels around him saying holy holy. Holy is the Lord hears who's going to go out and tell the world about who I am. He says here. I am send me. Turn counter God in the special saving way after he's been purged and and his sins are cleansed as if he wants to serve God. Paul What should I do Lord, the Lord told me get up and go into Damascus and there you will be told everything that you have been signed assigned to do and since I couldn't see because of the brightness of the light. He was blind on the road to Damascus. I was led by the hand of those who were with me and went in to Damascus and someone named and an ass a devout man according to the law who had a good reputation with all the Jews living there came and stood by me and said brother saw regain your sight. Not very our I looked up and saw him. And he said the Lord. Are the god of our ancestors is appointed you to know his will. To see the righteous one.

To see with his own eyes the Glorious resurrected Jesus. And to hear the words from his mouth. Since you will be a witness for him to all people. Of what you've seen in her? It is the call the Christian even today to be a witness for him to all people of what Jesus has done for you for what you have seen and heard enough. Why are you delaying he says And an ass with a good old Baptist get up and be baptized.

Get up and be baptized and wash away your sins. Calling on his name. We know baptism is a it's a means in which we Proclaim to the world that we now identify with Jesus's death burial and Resurrection in this we stand in the waters of baptism. We are identifying with our death That We are the world we are in Christ and then in his death we are dying with him and our old nature are dying and we go into the Waters of baptism come up in newness of life in a new creation being born again, and we're identifying with that and in the specially in the Jewish sense of of what a circumcision was, right? We're always pointing to the fact that Paul is writing this letter for my being reminded of the fact that Paul is writing this letter to a church that's being attacked by false teachers. You say You must be circumcised and so he says look circumcision. We identified with the Old Testament those who are in the New Testament now identify not by circumcision, but by baptism Going to the Waters of baptism baptism is not a means of Grace or a way to be saved. It's more of an identification for claiming to the Lord that you now identify the Christ and the true means and which we are saving our sins are washed away our by calling on his name. receiving him as Savior call him trying out to him Lord. I'm a sinner.

I cannot save myself. Will you save me?

Will you give me the means to believe and receive Jesus as my savior?

Get up. He says to fall and be baptized and wash away States calling on Jesus's name for 17 going back to Galatians chapter 1 Paul goes on to demonstrate that he was taught by Jesus himself. I did not go up to Jerusalem to those who became Apostles before me and said I went to Arabia and came back to Damascus until he's trying to establish the fact that he did not go sit under the apostles the 12 apostles back in the in the in the Church of Judah in Jerusalem. The Lord kept them separate from that instead. I went to Arabia more than likely by Sinai. Who knows what what was going on? I want to ask Paul what those three years were like, Instead I went to Raven came back to Damascus and then after three years, I did go up to Jerusalem to get to know cephas. Who is Peter. And I stayed within 15 days. There's a yes three years later. I met cephas. I finally met Peter the Apostle but I only stayed within 15 days not nearly enough time for for Peter to be able to explain or teach Paul what the gospel was. What was more this time when when Peter and Paul had this opportunity to say, well, this is what the Lord told me to teach What about you? And this was a be a time when they could say over teaching a different gospel, but that wasn't the case. It was the same gospel a gospel of salvation by grace through faith alone. I stay within 15 days, but I didn't see any other than Apostles except James. So obviously these false teachers are coming. So you can't trust Paul's not part of the 12. He's not part of the Church of Jerusalem. How can we have the policy in? This is why Jesus Mark me from my mother's womb to be an apostle. I declare in the sight of God. I'm not lying and what I write to you as you interesting as you parse the Greek in this verse and inverse 20, I declare in the sun. I'm not line with a right to do what with Paul is really saying is if I'm lying I'm dying. How's my jokes? Fell flat?

You testified I am not lying what I write to you. And after what I went after I went to the rights reasons of Siri and Celestia and I remain personally unknown to the Judean churches. He's like like I wasn't Fond Du I was is BC and verse 23, they kept hearing he who formerly person gives us now faces the faith. He wants to try to destroy. He's like, I'm in the region. I'm hearing these people glorify God because of what God has done in me that the one that was persecuting us is now teaching the faith is like what I was not wrapped up and being elevated. I kept a low I was under the radar. And they glorified God because of me he says. He's defending his apostleship. He he gives his testimony as how Jesus encountered Paul. And that's the basis in which for us today. We can having a surety what Paul wrote is from God. It is God's inspired word to us.

God is Not fickle. God is not changing his unchanging you never wavers. He doesn't decide the gospels this one day and then the way of Salvation is this way or and then the next day changes his mind we can having a surety that God has revealed to us how we can have a relationship with him. Through the apostolic writings that God has put a promise to reserve for us. So what's our take away today? We have this lots of history today, right? That's why hopefully we can take away the fact of the importance of having our testimony. And if you can't think of a time and once you've encountered Jesus work Jesus as shown you maybe today's the day when the spirit is revealing to you. You need to abandon hope in your membership form a band and hoping and how many times you go to church abandoned hoping your self-righteousness and Frost and received Jesus as the only means in which God will accept you as you receive Jesus your takes upon your sin and he gives you your rights as those talk about it Sunday school, but a gift we stand in the righteousness of Christ, but you must encounter Jesus personally. So that's our first take away the second one is and I love this because I can beat myself up pretty good. about the wrap and I truly am when I look myself in the mirror in the morning.

Paul's testimony is proof positive that God's grace is truly unmerited.

Here's a self righteous availeth, dude. Going and persecuting the Church of Christ. You're Paul Saison. God doesn't look on it. So you don't pause a pretty good guy.

He deserves it.

all the murder the persecutor does church yet. He's a recipient of God's unmerited love. If Paul can be saved by God's grace praise be to God anyone can be saved by God's grace. Secondly my maybe Endeavor to live our lives for God's glory and not to please people I was struck by verse 10 as I begin to study. I've mentioned it last week, but I wanted to start verse 10 because I was reminded of how important this first truly is. He says for Mi now trying to persuade people. We're God. Where am I striving to please people? What are we living for? How easy it is to live life to please others.

How different my life would be? If I chose to live to please God. And not care. What others thought.

Paul demonstrates this in his Ministry time and time again His one goal was not to be looked up to by people or please people as one go with 50s God. standing firm for the truth and we can take this first in the context of what we'll see in in Galatians chapter 3 in 1 Peter is with some eating with Gentiles and all the sudden. There's some people from the Jerusalem Church shows up and they mutter to feeder wiring with Gentiles. We know the walls and broken down with Peter all of a sudden retracting begins to eat with the Jewish people not the Gentiles and Paul calls them out. Peter you're a hypocrite.

Dinner at that moment was living to please people. I'm not God, but God give us the grace. And the means and then power of the spirit to live to please God. I'm not people let's pray father. We love you because you first loved us. We're so thankful God for your goodness.

your grace

is overwhelming help us Lord to live to please you. The stand for the faith once delivered for the Saints. Help us to be your lights. Help us to be the salt. Help us to demonstrate your love. To those around us who desperately need you. We asking price precious and Powerful name. Amen. Have a time of invitation. This is our last song. This is just a time for you to interact with what may be the spare does late on your heart this morning. If you don't know Jesus as Savior of never had that personal encounter, I can't save you but I can show you from the word how you can have a saving relationship with Jesus who can save you and will save you. for the gym