Paul's Gospel Shaped Life

Opening Comments:

Please meet me in your copy of God’s Word in Galatians 1:10-16. The book of Galatians is all about the fact that there is only one true Gospel. The Word Gospel means “good news” and the message of the gospel is that Christ came to save sinners. That through His death, burial and resurrection from the grave he purchased our sin debt in order that we might be saved from the wrath of God. When we place our faith and trust in Christ for the forgiveness of sins, God takes that faith and credits the righteousness of Christ to our account. From that moment on, we are his children and we are to live our lives in light of the fact that He is our father and as such we desire to live a life that brings him honor to the best of our ability. Not in order to gain favor, but because we already have his favor through Christ. The gospel is truly that simple and to add anything to it, which is what was happening in Galatia due to the influence of false teachers, or to take anything away from it, is to pervert the gospel. There is only one Gospel.

However, while attacking the Gospel, these false teachers in Galatia were also attacking the Apostle Paul. In a sense they were saying that he was a false teacher and not them. So, in our text before us, Paul continues his defense of himself by laying out for us the defining characteristics of his calling and his life.

Lets read our text together this morning, this is the Word of the Lord, let it speak to us.

Galatians 1:10–16 NKJV

10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. 11 But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. 14 And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, 16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood,

Galatians 1:17–24 NKJV

17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. 18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. 20 (Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.) 21 Afterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ. 23 But they were hearing only, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God in me.

Introduction:

The Galatian churches were under attack from false teachers. It was a two pronged attack that sat out to pervert the gospel and to malign its messenger, the apostle Paul. In the preceding 9 verses, Paul has declared that there is only one Gospel. A declaration that he will later go on to give theological depth and practical application too. Now, beginning in v.10 and through the rest of the chapter, Paul will give an autobiographical defense of his calling and his message. Allow me a moment to set the stage for you regarding the accusations that were being set against him in Galatia.

They were accusing Paul of being inconsistent in his life and message...

They said that he was seeking approval from men instead of God. That this is the very reason that he had not included circumcision in his gospel presentation. By doing so, he would be more readily accepted by gentiles.

They were also accusing Paul of living a duplicitous life by saying one thing to one group and something different to another. They accused Paul of living by the law when he was around Jews and then living a looser life when he was around gentiles.

In v.10 Paul fires off two questions to his detractors: Am I now seeking the favor of men or of God? Do I seek to please men? He then goes on to answer his own question by saying, that if he were still living to please men than he could not be the servant of God that he claimed to be.

You see, there was a time in Paul’s life when he was a people-pleaser. When he desired the approval of men more than he did the approval of God. But those days were passed. Gaining favor, acceptance, approval, honor, position, and wealth no longer mattered to him like they did.

He only wanted to have the approval and favor of God, and had become a slave to Christ.

In vs.11-24 we see a stark contrast between Paul’s life before Christ and Paul’s life after he came to Christ and they are distinctly different from the other.

One is shaped by gaining the approval of others by holding to the law and man-made tradition and the other is marked by the being led by the gospel of Christ. By giving us this autobiography Paul proves his detractors are not telling the truth of his motives. So, let us unpack these two distinct parts of Paul’s life and glean from them application for our lives today.

1. Paul’s religion shaped life. (v.13-14)

Paul’s former life as a pharisee was marked by 2 very significant facts:

A.) He was a zealous persecutor of the church. (v.13)

Acts 8:3 NKJV

3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.

Acts 9:1–2 NKJV

1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

Apparently, it was Paul (Saul) who had launched the persecution of the church that came from the Jewish side, on the day that Stephen was stoned for preaching Christ. He was acting swiftly to wipe out the church whom he viewed as being sinful because it did not adhere to the Jewish traditions (Torah and Mishna).

Believers were frightened of him, so they ran. But he acted quickly and acquired permission form the high priest to follow so they could be caught before they got too far and the church would grow any larger.

He was bent on doing violence and even murder if it meant stamping out what he viewed as a threat to his faith. His only goal was to wipe believers off the face of the earth.

Havoc— to utterly rack or lay waste. to devastate, ruin, or wipe out.

B.) He was the supreme example of self-righteousness. (v.14)

Philippians 3:4–6 NKJV

4 though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

Paul declares in v.14 that he “advanced or profited” in the jews religion. The word translated as “advanced” means- to chop ahead, as in blazing a trail through a forest.

Paul is literally saying that he was mowing down anything in his path that stood in front of his jewish traditions. Notice, he was bent on killing or imprisoning anyone who dared not adhere to the traditions of Judaism .All the while his stock as a Pharisee grew and he became more and more self-righteous thinking that in persecuting the church he was gaining favor with God.

Notice where Paul’s commitment was laid though, in religion and in the traditions of the religious leaders.

His focus and fanaticism had been placed not in God but in his religious traditions, ceremonies and rituals.

Paul had done all the “right things” except for one, he wasn't actually following God. He was zealous but he had missed the mark and was headed in the wrong direction.

Application: Like many people, Paul was sincere in his beliefs. But sincerity cannot bring salvation if you do not sincerely believe the truth. A person can be sincerely wrong, sincerely misguided. It’s possible for a person to be so consumed with religion that they miss Jesus entirely.

2. Paul’s gospel shaped life. (v.11, 15-24)

When Paul came to Christ, there was a radical change that took place in his life.

Tell story of Paul’s conversion from Acts 9

A.) Pauls conversion (v.15-16a)

God set Paul apart and called him by grace.- Paul acknowledges here it was all of God’s grace and none of his own self-righteousness that resulted in his salvation.

Application: No ones salvation is as a result of anything they do. It is all of God’s grace.

Ephesians 2:8–9 NKJV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Titus 3:5–6 NKJV

5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

2. God’s desire was for Paul to be a vessel used to reveal Christ.

“Notice the phrase “in me” . God’s primary call to Paul at his conversion was the same that it is to all believers.

Application: God’s desire is for all believers to both to know Christ and to make Him known.

B.) Paul’s call (v.16b)

Paul’s was called by God to preach Him among the gentiles.

Notice the difference in Paul. Before Christ, he preached and promoted religious tradition that was handed down from Men and the more approval he won from Men.

But, once Paul was a believer, he set out to preach the Gospel and bring pleasure to God alone.

No longer did he preach tradition but now he preached the Gospel of God. (v.11)

A Gospel that wasn't handed down by tradition but was revealed to him through direct revelation from God.

In vs.17-24 Paul goes through great length to show just how little he cared to have any approval from man like he did before.

Upon believing in Christ and answering Gods call Paul journeyed to Arabia where he spent 3 years being given direct revelation and training from God alone. Then returned to Damascus to preach the Gospel to a people he once sought to persecute. Spends three years there and finally makes his way to Jerusalem to spend 3 weeks with Peter and James. The he journeys to Syria and Cilicia (Tarsus) where he preaches the gospel to his hometown.

This whole time, Paul’s only concern is knowing Christ and making him Known.

Conclusion:

Do you see the stark difference in Paul’s life?

A religion shaped Paul had no mercy to offer others, only condemnation. No grace for others, only judgement for not holding to his traditions. He was filled with murderous rage for anyone who dared oppose him instead of a genuine love for others. He was literally all of the things that his detractors were accusing him of.

But, a Gospel shaped Paul was full of mercy, wanting all to hear the gospel so they could experience the change that he had experienced. He was full of grace because he knew all that he had been forgiven of and he was so consumed with a love for God that he sought nothing but to please him and so full of a love for others that he was willing to traverse the gentile world so that they could here of Christ.

Which is shaping your life today? Are you being shaped by religion or the gospel?

Are you concerned with what others think about you, or consumed with living for the Lord?

Notice with me vs.23-24- This is Paul’s testimony. He went from a life filled with wreaking havoc, to a life focused on bringing glory to God. What is your testimony today, is your life consumed with glorifying God?

Give the gospel to the sinner and call the Christian to repentance.