Power

Series & Text Context

We are well into our exposition of Galatians, and what we suggested is the statement that can summarize the theme is this book is, don’t mess with the gospel. The apostle Paul wrote this book, and he had a burden to make this point clear the the Galatian churches because messing with the gospel was happening there. Paul had laboured among these people. He preached the gospel to them and many of them responded in faith. This lead to churches being planted in the region. We can assume, in light of the fact that churches were planted, leaders were raised up and appointed as elders. The word of God was being preached and the ministry of the gospel continued after Paul left. But, apparently soon after Paul’s departure, things began to unravel. There were some among these churches who began to preach a different gospel, and many were buying into the false teaching. This was heart-breaking to Paul, and he responded by writing this letter to urge them to not mess with the gospel.

So far in chapter 1, Paul has made the point that:

We must be moved by the gospel to help guard against not messing with it. (1:1-5)

We must be rooted in the gospel. (1:6-10)

And today, we will consider another of of Paul’s emphases about the gospel. It’s one, when stated, may appear on the surface to be obvious and perhaps not particularly substantial or consequential in light of this familiarity. But what I want to suggest today is that if we miss this simple yet profound truth about the gospel; if we fail to appreciate this truth, we will be vulnerable to the many false gospels in play in the world today and be more likely to mess with the gospel ourselves. It is crucial we understand this truth of the gospel today and what impact this truth should have on our lives.

To this end, let’s read the final verses of Gal. 1.

Galatians 1:11–24 ESV

For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” And they glorified God because of me.

Introduction

I don’t expect that Newton’s Laws of Motion occupy much of our thoughts in everyday life, but they certainly help to explain some of the common experiences in our lives. Newton proposed 3 Laws of Motion. I want to quote the 3rd one:

Whenever one object exerts a force on another object, the second object exerts an equal and opposite on the first.

We refer to this as the law of conservation of momentum. Every applied force has an equal an opposite reaction. If a car hits a brick wall, the wall exerts a reciprocal force on the car.

This particular law is especially relevant to firing a gun. I know some here are gun owners and shoot guns at gun ranges. But when it comes to firing a gun, something referred to as recoil velocity is an important consideration. So not only does firing a gun move a bullet forward from the gun, it also cause the gun to be pushed back with the same velocity the bullet was ejected from the gun. I’m sure this is not as precise an explanation as it could be, but essentially, firing a gun not only shots a bullet forward, but it also causes kick-back. The stronger the caliber of the gun, the stronger the kick-back.

Now all the science aside, it turns out there are plenty of people who shoot guns who do not appreciate recoil velocity, let alone Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion. Why do I say this? Because of myriad of videos that one can view online of people shooting a gun and hitting themselves in the face with the gun, seemingly dislocating their shoulder or being knocked over. And what nearly all of these examples show is a lack of appreciation of the power of the gun they presumed to shoot. What was the evidence that they underestimated the power of the gun? Yes, the fact that they were knocked over, but it was also evident in thee way they were holding the gun before firing it. Often they were holding the gun loosely and away from their bodies. Sometimes, holding a shotgun with one hand, stretched out away from their shoulder. They didn’t have a for grip on the gun, and presumed to be able to shoot it with such a careless grip because they didn’t understand nor appreciate the power of the gun.

And church, I would suggest this dynamic can be in play when it comes to our understanding and handling of the gospel. Paul tells us what the gospel is:

Romans 1:16 ESV

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

The gospel is the power of God, and I suggest that our understanding of the gospel and he way we handle the gospel reflects our appreciation of this fact. The gospel is the power of God, and what I think the concern Paul is raising with the Galatian churches and what I suggest continues to be a concern today is that

FCF: The power of the gospel is often underestimated.

Many of us readily acknowledge that:

the gospel is true

the gospel is good news

the gospel provides peace

the gospel is important

But to think of the gospel as powerful, what does that actually mean? When it comes to our lives. To those of us who profess Jesus as Lord and as Savior, what does or should the fact the the gospel is powerful mean? Without necessarily realizing it, I think there are some in the church that marginalize the power of the gospel because if we truly recognize it as the power of God, then it will have a significant impact of our way of life. On our every day life. And when it comes to our everyday lives, we prefer there to be a certain level of familiarity, predictability, comfort and convenience, and to concede that the gospel we have professed to believe is powerful is to commit to yielding to its powerful impact on our lives it is meant to have.... which will impact our lives’ familiarity, predictability, comfort and convenience.

So the truth regarding the gospel that I think is clear in our text today, and one that I think most of us will agree is familiar and, at least at first consideration, need not to be stated because of how familiar this idea is to us is that:

The gospel is powerful.

This statement is familiar, but if we believe it to be true, it will have a significant impact on our lives.

What about the gospel makes it clear that it is powerful?

The gospel is revelation. (11-12)

vss 11-12 is very similar to v. 1

Galatians 1:1 ESV

Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—

The point here is that both Paul’s authority as an apostle and the message that he proclaims is from God and not from man.

The gospel is revelation. it is from God.

v. 11 lit = not according to man

Now why was Paul so concerned to make this clear that both his authority and his message was from God and not man? Keep in mind, Paul had already preached the gospel among the Galatians. Many professed Christ as a result.

Judaizers

The English word “Judaizer” connotes the practice of imposing Jewish religious and social customs on others

The people of these churches were buying into their message, and part of what they were saying was that Paul was a fraud. He wasn’t a true apostle. He wasn’t one of the original 12. He never spent time with Jesus. In fact, he used to seek to silence anyone who was a follower of Jesus.

Paul will provide us with some more explanation regarding the trustworthiness of his authority and message, but what’s important for us to see here is that the gospel is revelation.

end of v. 12: But I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

through = by means of. Paul, in other words, received the gospel by means of a revelation of Jesus Christ.

When did this happen? On the road to Damascus. Jesus confronted Paul in a vision.

And note in verse 11 that the gospel is not man’s gospel. In other words, man did not make it up. And then v. 12 makes clear that man did not give the gospel nor taught the gospel to Paul. So not even the other apostles taught Paul the gospel. He received it by a revelation.

This is the power of the gospel. The fact that it came to some by direct revelation from Jesus, and now we preach this same message. And we must know that the message we have is a message of power. It is the power of God. It is from God.

The message of the gospel is that the basis of anyone’s acceptance from God is the forgiveness of our sins apart from our effort. It is through Christ and His redemptive work alone. The Judaizers were preaching something else. That people needed to continue to obey the law to earn God’s favor. To ear God’s forgiveness. But what Christ revealed both through His earthly ministry and through Scripture today is that our fellowship with our creator is based on His merit. Not our own.

What about the gospel makes it clear that it is powerful?

The gospel produces transformation. (13-14)

Notice the first word in v. 13. For. This means that what Paul is about to say is substantiating he claimed in vss. 11-12.

In vs. 11-12, Paul claimed that the gospel is not from man, but a revelation of Jesus Christ. It’s revelation.

In. vss 13-14, Paul talks about his life before Jesus confronted him on the road to Damascus. Explaining that he was a zealous Pharisee, who excelled in Judaism and took great pride in persecuting the church… those who followed Jesus.

How does Paul’s dark past help to substantiate that the gospel is revelation?

That the gospel is not an invention of man, but is from God is what explains how such a significant, radical transformation could take place in a person. Pau’s conversion and transformation defied logic or human understanding.

As one commentator put it:

Galatians (2) Paul’s Life before Christ (1:13–14)

there was nothing in his religious background and preconversion life that could have in any way prepared him for a positive response to the gospel.

Believing the gospel… Placing our faith in the gospel transforms lives. Yes, the transformation is ongoing, and those who believe the gospel continue to struggle against sin and temptation.... but what’s important to recognize is that believing the gospel changes everything.

It changes our posture to sin. instead of being a slave to sin we wage war against sin. Instead of living for self, we deny ourselves in order to live lives centered on Jesus and His gospel. Instead of living in fear, crippled by doubt and worry and anxiety, we enjoy a peace that surpasses all understanding. Total, ongoing transformation. A display of the power of the gospel.

And this makes sense only when we understand how God arranged all of this. The gospel came from Him, but our ability to believe it and place our faith in it comes from Him as well. Looking at v. 15

Galatians 1:15 ESV

But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace,

Paul was set apart by God to believe the gospel before he was born. And Paul was called by God to believe the gospel and to be His apostle who would proclaim the gospel to the Gentiles and who would be used to author the majority of the NT by the grace of God. Paul was who he was and did what he did by the grace… the unmerited favor of God.

This displays the power of the gospel. The sovereignty of God. The salvation and transformation of people by the gospel is God’s work from beginning to end. This is the power of which we, the church, have been made stewards. To believe the gospel, trust in the gospel, sacrifice for the cause of the gospel.... all of it is from God and by God and for God.

The gospel is powerful

Something else that points to its power is that

The gospel establishes our destination. (15-24)

From a zealous Pharisee who persecuted Christians to what Paul describes in vss 15-24. He was a man with a plan and on a mission. But now he was a man, yielding to God’s plan, and pursuing God’s mission for him. Destination.

V. 16 makes clear his mission was to preach to the Gentiles. This was his target audience. But he didn’t launch right out like we might expect. Here’s the time line layed out in vss 17 - 22:

Went to Arabia before going to Jerusalem. Why is this important. This shows that Paul was engaged in the gospel ministry even prior to meeting any of the other apostles. This is again, addressing the charges that Paul was a fraud. He began his ministry as an apostle before ever meeting another apostle.

Then from Arabia, Paul returned to Damascus. We assume he continued his preaching ministry there as well.

He stayed in the region of Damascus for 3 years and then went to Jerusalem to get to know Cephas (Peter) and didn’t interact with any other apostles except the brother of Jesus.

Notice what he says in v. 21. He not lying. Before God, he is telling the truth. Why does he say this. Again, he’s making clear that the accusations that he was given the gospel by one of the other apostles and now trying to pass himself off as an apostle himself is false because he didn’t even interact with another apostle until over three years after he began his preaching ministry. He was with Peter for 2 weeks.... that’s it.

Then after getting to know Peter, he went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. And while we do not know very much about what happened here, it seems his ministry produced fruit.

Acts 15:41 ESV

And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

And Paul makes clear that he was still unknown in the churches of Judea, but while the people recognized that he used to persecute them, now was preaching the gospel to them. And for that they glorified God.

A transformation of his destination in life. Preaching the gospel, people responding in faith, churches planted. Paul was holding all of this forth to demonstrate the legitimacy of his authority and message.

Conclusion

The gospel is powerful.

And when we acknowledge this, we recognize that the gospel produces change in those who believe it. Living lives centered on the gospel will lead us to live differently. Church, let’s make it our prayer, that as we experience the power of the gospel, and as others see the power of the gospel in us, that those around us will respond like the people did to Paul in v. 24:

Galatians 1:24 ESV

And they glorified God because of me.

This is pursuing the glory of God in all things among all people. Living by the power of the gospel.