O, to (have been) an apostle
Notes
Transcript
Handout
The questions that vex the church
The questions that vex the church
Who are we?
Where are we?
Who is God?
What is wrong in our world?
How an it be fixed?
What happens if we ask these questions to the Bible?
What happens if we ask these questions to the Bible?
1 Paul, an apostle—not from men or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead—
2 and all the brothers who are with me: To the churches of Galatia.
Who are we?
We are not Paul!
Paul is an “apostle” // We are not apostles!
To be an apostle, one needed to have been called by Jesus Himself, and have been an eyewitness of His ministry on earth, present at His death and witnesses to His resurrection:
21 “Therefore, from among the men who have accompanied us during the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us—
And who are the recipients of this letter from Paul?
The Galatian Churches! (local churches!)
Christians!
Where are we?
Ask this question to the Bible, and relate it specifically to Paul,
and we see that Paul is … in Galatia?
No! Paul writes this letter to the churches in Galatia,
(where he went on his first missionary journey in about 47 AD.)
But he writes most likely it from Antioch, in Syria, in many ways a sort of Home Base for Paul!
He writes this letter in about 50AD
(And us, brothers and sisters? Where are we?
We are in the congregation of St Luke’s, here in Roseville, NSW, Australia!
(Called by God, YES! but not as disciples …)
Hold on to that thought ...
Who is God?
Who is this God we say has called us?
Again, ask Paul the question, and He will give you a straight answer!
Not just another man …(“called, not from men or by man”
1 Paul, an apostle—not from men or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead—
God the Father, who is Lord over life and death, and who sent his Son, Jesus
for a purpose …
(And your God, folks? And sometimes, perhaps, mine?)
Who is God in your prayer life/ritual?
Who is God in your fear and anxiety?
Who is God, when you negotiate life’s tricky roads towards a relationship?
You see … your testimony of who God is, (testimony, as can be seen and heard in how you live your life … in who or what you trust for your happiness and security)
… shows who you believe your God really is … !!
We should all agree that God is the final truth and standard of our existence!
All of life’s questions should be considered against this reality!
Who should I marry?
Should I marry?
Should I go to church and become a regular participant in the life of the church?
Who should I consider friends // and who deffinetely not?
… all of life’s questions!
But if your god is too small (smaller than yourself, at any rate)
who you see as your secretary, or personal assistant
who mainly has your best material interest at heart ...
Then you are confused ( the world has confused you!)
and your God is too small!
What is wrong in our world?
Again, let’s ask this question to the Bible, to Paul!
3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,
4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.
Friends, when you read the Bible, read it as God’s word!
And be open to hear so much more than we perceive at a superficial reading?
Read it for it’s pathos - it’s mood ...
Read it for it’s accepted wisdom
(bring your questions to the Bible, and expect an answer!)
Read it as an encouragement, from God Himself, for that is why He gave us His Word!
What is wrong with the world?
Here Paul spells it out succinctly:
4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.
What is wrong, is that this present, evil age, is urgently in need of a saviour
who would pay the penalty for the abundant wrong-doing in this world
to rescue, US, no less, from our enslavement to jealousy and hate and anger and self-centredness at the cost of whoever wants to get in my way to reach the pinnacle of MY … SUCCESS, or by whichever means i will reach such a worldly pinnacle!
The context for this letter that Paul writes, then is this:
Paul has been accused of being a false apostle! (But he knows who he is!)
He writes to a people who early on became Christians,
convinced that their salvation is in Jesus alone
on the grounds of his witnessed birth, death and resurrection (and the prophecies)
BUT NOW THEY HAVE BEEN CONVINCED THAT THEY MIGHT NEED TO OFFER JESUS SOME HELP TOWARDS THEIR SALVATION (
(with other words, their god is too small) and they are falling back on the Law of Moses for their salvation.)
The sacrificial system and especially, circumcision!
Why is it important that we know who Paul is (an Apostle)
and who we are (followers of Jesus, some called and equipped in a special way, but NOIT apostles!)
Why?
Because by God’s grace, Paul was called in a personal encounter with Jesus
and inspired by the Holy spirit to receive from Jesus Himself
what he was too teach exclusively)! (just like all the Apostles, directly taught by Jesus!)
In history, many men have come claiming to have a message from God, as apostles even
but there is NO evidence that their message is authentic, in the same way that the Bible is!
And the Bible is the only message from God!
And Paul was included, by the grace of God alone (therefor his salutation!)
to be the first proclaimers of this message that is now sealed as complete!
It goes to the credibility of the Bible, friends!
And it comes as no surprise that people, especially since the 19th century
have come to doubt the authenticity, the truth of the Bible!
But Paul will hold firm:
The Bible - and the message of the Bible (the Gospel)
is our only revelation of God and His love!
The moment you loose your trust in the Bible … or second guess it … or claim to have had a revelation that so called improves - or even changes it one iota
you have lost your foundation!
You will ultimately have nothing to fall back on!
You will loos all faith, except a superficial, self-serving superstious belief
in a god who is much too small!
But that is not Paul
and that is not you, is it!
So, how can it be fixed?
Next week we will see that Paul says:
“… there is no way, but the Gospel, the Good news, that Jesus, the Son of God
has come to rescue us from this evil age”
And in that sense … IT HAS ALREADY BEEN FIXED!
Jesus has fixed it and now is not the time to start searching for alternative remedies!
Jesus is the answer!
5 To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.