Good morning, everyone is great. Day to be here, to worship, God,
together to sing his praise, to put him back in his place that
he needs to be in our lives to put him first.
And this is a great place to be to, to have everything the way
it should be at least for a day, at least for a couple hours in
our week. He is the first and most
important thing in this room, he is the first and most important
thing we're going to talk about and study about think about sing
about and pray about. Out and he is first here today.
And I know he's been glorified by what's been done here today
and I pray that he'll be continued to be glorified in the
confession. And the agreement that we have
on his word, as we study through the book of Galatians.
If you want to turn your Bible there, in order to have the funk
big enough on the screen to accommodate our whole audience,
I need to have only a little bit at a time.
So you may benefit by having the scripture in front of you as it
might be a little confusing. If they're just Snippets at a
time. You might want to have Relations
one in front of you. We're going to walk through the
whole chapter today and we just came off of Hebrews and there's
a very similar thread here, going through the book of
Galatians as we cover in Hebrews.
So I think this is a good time to to walk through it.
And we may have several of our other teachers who pick up where
we leave off today and Galatians, but we'll be going
through the book of Galatians over the next several months.
So, in this book, I have we're going to do a quick overview
this And maybe a little outline and things like that.
Galatians, chapter 1 is mostly about Paul and his conversion
who he is and the defense of Paul himself.
So a little bit of background for this letter as we open up.
Paul and Barnabas set up several churches, and the Roman province
or region of galatia. So, this is not written to a
single church. This is not a city of galatia,
it's a region of galatia. So, Paul and Barnabas went and
set up those churches in the first trip in Acts chapter 13,
through verse through chapter 14, we read about this where the
churches were set up and their second trip featuring Silas.
When he went with them, where they went and visited, the
Brethren is Acts chapter 16. Now it is estimated by Scholars
that Paul was about 15 years into his Christian Life at this
point, so he's established and he's going to go through and
describe his conversion a little bit here.
So he's a seasoned man in the faith and and he is he's
prepared. Now, at this point to defend
himself and to give the if affirmations as a preacher of
the Gospel that he's going to give The whole premise of this
letter is that there were judaizers basically Jewish
people are a people who wanted to press the Jewish law on the
Christians in this time. So as we read in Hebrews, they
were thinking about going back. This is a similar thread.
There are judaizing teachers, who are pushing these galatian
people these galatian Christians to go back to the Old Law And
basically to tack on well you can be a Christian but Paul's
Missing a couple things, you gotta, you gotta also do this.
You also have to be circumcised. You also have to really do this,
if you want to be in God's family.
And this debate is featured in The Book of Acts chapter 15
where there's a big kind of debate coming together and
budding heads in in Antioch. And what's happening at this
point is the gospel was first preached to the Jews, but at
this point the jute, the gospel has gained so much traction with
the outside world outside of the Jewish Nation.
The now there's a conflict going on, it's no longer the Jews are
God's Has only special people, it is a seed, there's a seed of
faith that is going to live on through God's people and the
Jews don't like that. Necessarily one of the first
things these judaizers and teachers do is they try to
discredit Paul himself and his apostleship in order to
undermine his teachings of faith in Christ?
And one of the things they leaned on is that this doctrine
of Faith leads to loose living. So we're going to go through
this throughout the letter. There's a little background.
And I think if there's one thing csis statement, one theme or big
picture statement for this letter.
If you're trying to get the essence of the book of
Galatians, is this verse in Galatians, 5:1, where Paul says
Stand Fast, therefore in the liberty and the Freedom by which
Christ has made us free? And do not be entangled again
with the Yoke of bondage, that yoke of bondage.
He's talking about the Old law and what they're trying to tie
people in and bind them up in. And so there's the whole theme
of the book that we want to live free.
We want to live at peace and joyful and the freedoms that
Christ has given us. And so we'll get more into what
that means. Later on the letter and I read
this one, quote about the book of Galatians.
One man said, Galatians is a passionate letter, the
outpouring of the soul of a preacher on fire for his Lord.
Deeply committed to bring his hearers to an understanding of
what saving faith is. That's a well said, here's a
quick outline today. Are we're going to cover just
about the first couple points in this outline and it's going to
start out with Paul's defense of his own apostleship.
We're going to do an introduction before verse 11 and
chapter one, but around the next whole chapter is going to be
defending. Paul's apostleship.
And the first section, you might call the divine origin of his
gospel. So where did call Paul's message
come from came straight? From God, we're going to talk
about his relationship to the apostles, and how Peter and his
early years. As a Christian, we're going to
talk about the Jerusalem Council, how he was sanctioned
by James cephas and John. We're going to talk about the
rebuke of Peter. This is a, this is an
interesting event where one of the other Apostles gets stood up
to his face. It says, and will learn a lesson
on Suffocation by faith. The second section is going to
begin in chapter 3 where Paul had been begins defending.
The gospel of justification by faith.
So where they wanted to be justified by The Works of the
law and circumcision of the flesh.
The message that Paul brings is in, he's defending is
justification by faith. And now go on through about the
end of chapter 4, he's going to give five arguments, he's going
to give the personal argument At the scriptural, the Practical,
the sentimental, and the allegorical arguments, all
things we will cover and lessons to come.
And finally, this is where all of the applications going to
really hit and it's going to land.
Whoever gets this chapter is going to have a lot to to chew
on into work through because chapters 5, then the beginning
of six is all about. He's done his defense and now he
gets to move on to the good stuff.
He gets to move away from all these.
He has to take care of and finally into now stand fast in
the liberty and the freedom. He's gonna say and it's a
liberty that exclude circumcision.
It's a liberty, that fulfills the Old Law, they don't have to
worry about the looseness that they're accused of because they
are fulfilling the Old Law in the way that they're living.
Now as Christians, they will live in Liberty, which is one
led by the spirit. We're going to talk about and
Liberty with a sense of Of responsibility.
And after that there will be a conclusion to this letter.
Okay. So now here we are going to
start in Galatians chapter 1, beginning in verse 1.
It says they're appalled and Apostle.
The word Apostle means sent from God and he's saying not from men
nor through man but through Jesus Christ and God the Father
who raised him from the dead, Okay?
So pop pole is starting right after he says his name and his
title. He's immediately jumping into a
defensive. He's saying, I am not or my
gospel. My apostleship is not from Men.
I didn't get this stuff from any of the other Apostles.
I didn't get the gospel from the apostles.
I didn't get the permission to be an apostle, from the from the
other Apostles. He says, I didn't get that
through any man, but through Jesus Christ himself and God,
the Father, who raised him from the dead.
If you remember, Paul's conversion in the book of Acts,
he is met by Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus and he has
stopped, he's blinded. There's this whole scene where
he just, he Goes down and he has, he stopped in his tracks.
He is given blindness as a, as a, as a comparison between his
spiritual blindness and his physical blindness.
He's shown that he cannot see. And once he has converted, he
regains his sight and he is able to go on and teach the gospel.
So he is met by Jesus Christ himself when Jesus says, why are
you persecuting me? He didn't get his apostleship by
the laying on of hands or through the other Peter James or
John or any of them. He got it straight from God.
He says but through Jesus Christ and God the Father Now, God
wants us to first know, in this letter, the first thing he
pointed out. He makes it clear that he raised
Jesus Christ from the dead, the God, who we are going to talk
about and the gospel that we're going to talk about is one who
raised Jesus from the dead first.
Now, this is important because Paul is going to talk about
spiritual resurrection and Romans chapter 6, God physically
resurrected Jesus proving that he can.
Spiritually. Resurrect us proven that he can
spiritually. Bring us back from the dead and
as we learned in Hebrews chapter 6 that he can cleanse us from
dead works. So our God is a God that raises
the dead and many different ways.
Paul himself was raised to walk in newness of life.
We get to share in that. And ultimately, we can trust Our
God because of this statement. If our god did not raised Jesus
from the dead, we would have no confirmation that we can be
raised from the dead. It's like if if you were to
okay, there's this product called a saw stop and in
construction a table saw is a very dangerous tool.
So what they do is they put this tool called a soft stop on the
blade mechanism and motor. And if that saw blade, it's got
technology on it. That that saw blade touches any
skin. It'll immediately stopped and
all All you will get, you won't cut your finger off, you'll get
a little prick. Maybe we'll blood.
Like you just drew blood with the blood draw.
That's all. It'll happen.
They've got this amazing technology now made no.
Imagine if the person who invented that technology said
it'll work but I'm not going to test it on myself.
I'm not going to I'm not going to put my own finger risk.
You would you would question their product, but when you
watch those guys who invented that product, the saw stop, they
stick their finger on there and ban the mechanism stops.
They still have their finger intact, you believe them and you
trust them with your hand, with your saw because they prude with
their own. Jesus was the first fruits from
the dead. He came and proved God's message
was valid because I'm going to sacrifice my own son.
I'm going to sacrifice my own life.
So you can now trust that your life is in good hands, your
spirit, your eternal life is in good hands.
You can trust me. God, put his own arm and Isaiah
the in Isaiah it says that the arm of God, extended to us, he
put his own arm on the line, it goes on to say, so he gives us
the introduction and he says, and all the Brethren who are
with me, so to the churches of galatia.
Again here we're not talking to one church, but Churches and
region of galatia. And I think that's likely
because this problem it's spread so widely than it needed to go
out to all the churches. Now, when he says, and all the
Brethren who are with me and many letters, he'll give an
introduction sometimes it includes like Timothy and so
maybe it was written along with Timothy.
I don't believe this is him and his co-workers writing together
and the Brethren who are with him.
I believe this is a core jollity.
I believe it's a It's of showing respect and a greeting from the
Brethren. Not necessarily.
I'm writing this note this letter with the Brethren, and I
say that because as you read on, in verse 6, he's going to use a
lot of I statements, I Marvel, I am amazed, and I cannot believe.
And those denote that Paul is writing this from himself.
And I think this who all the Brethren is is more of a
formality and a show of Christian love and writing that
he's including the and who are with him.
Verse 3. He says grace to you and peace
from God, the father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Some of the most moving and Powerful Concepts in the Bible
are written in the introductions and the closing of letters.
Have you ever noticed that they often don't get a lot of
attention? Because it might not take a ton
of time to explain the essence of Grace and peace, for example,
I could say grace is unmerited favor.
We get something from God. We do not deserve.
We never earned. Doesn't take a long time to
understand that. Peace is the comfort and the joy
that we get from knowing that it doesn't take a long time to
understand and explain the essence of something.
It takes longer to explain the ins and outs of working through
sin. And the pain, we may cause how
to handle the communion responsibility, how to handle
divorce biblically or maybe an unbelieving spouse.
It takes longer to explain those things. but peace and grace are
often more easily felt than explain, because I cannot
explain to you fully and you can explain to me fully the depths
of fear, the depths of concern, when you really realize That you
were in danger of spending eternity away from God.
I cannot explain to you the internal feelings that that
brings in the fear, and the reality, and the Soul separation
from God. And even once you've joined and
once you start to follow that, God, the continual failures.
We experience. I can't explain that to you and
you can't explain that. To me.
You can't explain to me the depths the full depth of the
pain, you felt. And your life's experience that
bring a longing for grace and for peace in your life that
extends beyond what you've seen here.
I think we get to the point that we almost forget that there is a
Time coming and we can't imagine that there is a Time coming when
we can have true Grace and true. Peace.
And that because of that we can have confidence today that we
have that grace extended to us now.
And in eternity, now piece can spill over into our into our
physical Life, as we prepare for an eternal life of peace.
I think we forget that. Because as Paul says, he fights
that inner fight all the time. Paul said I beat my body into
subjection. I War Within Myself.
And so it's hard to fully, explain the depths that make
this statement that Grace comes to us.
And peace comes to us, it's hard to contact to communicate that
in a few words. When it's a life of experience
that, you know, that on the inside, when the people on the
day of Pentecost were approached with the gospel for the first
time, they learned that they were enemies with God that they
were enemies. And had an enemy that had a
legion of angels. Twelve thousand Angels ready to
just wipe them all out when they realized.
I'm at odds. I'm an enemy on the other side
of the line from God, they said, what do we do?
Men and Brethren. They are fearful.
And at the start of the New Testament, he could have been a
vindictive, God. He could have been an Angry God
but he starts out almost every letter.
With these words, grace to you. And peace from God, the father,
and our Lord. Jesus Christ, not God, the
father, and a hardened vindictive, Jesus, the son who
went through a lot. And so, he's just not really
here to entertain you guys. Now, And not a loving Jesus who
would sacrifice, but a bitter father, who wanted revenge for
the suffering of his son. No both God the father and the
Lord, Jesus Christ are coming United with united front of good
news that they're offering Grace and peace.
Praise God for his goodness. Despite the line that we drew,
he says this father. And our Lord, Jesus Christ who
gave himself for our sins, that he might Deliver Us from the
present evil age. This word deliver doesn't mean
delivering from the presence of, but from the power of, we're
delivered from the power of this evil present age.
Now, there are many perspectives on this world, we're living in
right. Now, many people could say there
are so many Souls out there who are good and you are seeking and
longing for the gospel who have a need for the gospel.
And that's true. You could also say the world is
evil in there. So many bad things around me.
That is true. You could also say, you know,
there's a lot of people who are trying to do good to improve our
world, to environmentally improve things, to try to do
good things in the world, for, for homeless and needy.
That's true. Ew.
But the big umbrella that we live under, after all those
things might be true as we live in evil age.
We live in an evil age because I think it's as simple as this.
The devil's influence is over this age.
The devil's influence caught and the pain and the suffering from
sin. When sin entered the world has
created an evil age, no matter what good.
We might see here, the dividing line is because there's going to
be an age where the devil no longer has influence with a
devil is banished away from here.
So, we are in a present evil age.
I think we forget or can't really fathom a life without
this kind of evil influence. It's coming, there will be a
time but right now, we get deliverance from this present
evil age in the power of the devil's influence, according to
the will of God according to the will of our God and Father to
whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
You know this statement Glory forever and ever as proprietary
proprietary to God No other entity in the world can say that
they will be glorified forever and ever.
Our God is the only one that can be and will be glorified forever
and ever. A lot of times we use hyperbole,
you know, we say, I've been going through this seems like
forever or I've been or this is going been going on for forever
and ever. It has it.
There's only one person who is forever and ever and you has
been and he will be glorified forever and ever, Our God Alone
can claim that Verse 6. Paul is going to jump in after
his introduction here. Now, he says, I Marvel that you
are turning away so soon from him who called you and the grace
of Christ. Now, you notice many of the
letters. He starts with a thank you.
I'm so thankful, and every time I think of you, I'm thankful and
I'm blessed to know you and all these things, Paul here jumps,
right into his letter. And he's it's because he is
frustrated, there's a problem and he needs to get right.
He says that you are turning away.
So soon. It's estimated.
This letter is around 5060 ad, this is the church's Nova know
that long he says. So soon from him, who called you
in the grace of Christ. Now, why in the world did you
just jump straight into this? Did to this to this criticism
and we have to remember that God always has the best interest of
everyone involved. So it is best for these people
that they hear a direct aggressive message from Paul.
And I wonder kind of why that is we, you know, we learn from the
New Testament that went that to some we are to be gentle and
long-suffering and and to be more patient as we coax them
along and with others. It says to snatch out of the
fire. It seems like Paul here is going
with more of the snatch mentality.
And it's, it's often treating The people in the New Testament
are often treated that way with this type of problem, when they
are going back to the Old Law or holding people to the Old Law.
And that's because they are trying to take away the saving
freedom and so he is angry about that.
He's frustrated by that, they're trying to just take away the
saving freedom. and I believe, maybe it's because This is a
mindset issue, some sins. Take time to overcome and
struggle, back and forth, you win some, you lose some but
understanding accepting what truth is and we're truth come
from and where you need to put, your faith is not an issue, that
takes a lot of back and forth and struggling win loss.
We need to be snatched away from him and tality here.
And the Paul, the Apostle, one of them to be snatched away from
a mentality. You cannot turn back to buying
things from the Old Law away from the grace, that is in
Christ. Goes on to say they're being
called from the grace of Christ to a different gospel, which is
not another gospel, but there are some who trouble you and
want to pervert which means to distort or turn around the
gospel of Christ. And the old King James, it says
another gospel here, instead of different and there's two words
used there is another of the same kind and then there's
another of a different kind and he says you haven't got another
Gospel of the same. Find.
You've got a gospel of a different kind, it's not even
gospel, you're not getting good news at all.
There are some who trouble you with this gospel and want to
distort. The pure simple gospel of
Christ. Why would someone want to
pervert the gospel of Christ? I think to understand that we
might need to think about a couple reasons.
Number one, I believe the gospel offends, our pride, it tells us
the gospel tells us that we need a savior that we cannot save
ourselves. We need a savior.
We are hopeless. And for a lot of men, they don't
want the help of other people. I know, speaking for men,
specifically. We don't want anybody's help.
We got this, we can handle it. It offends, our pride that we
can't save ourselves. I can't save my family.
It gives us no credit and instead gives credit to the
saving work of Jesus Christ. The Gospel offends, our pride,
the gospel offends, our wisdom We are saved by something that
many men call foolish. Why would God all infinite God,
die, a humiliating your disgraceful death?
Why wouldn't that God stand up for himself?
You know, one of the most common phrases I hear my class for my
students. They kind of say jokingly
sometimes but personally I wouldn't take that they say that
all the time personally, not. I would not me, I wouldn't take
that and there's this common idea that if somebody says
anything to you, that's that as somewhat disrespectful.
You got to stand up for yourself.
You can't take that. I heard one person it was on a
podcast saying I lost a lot of respect and I lost all respect
for Christians because I realized how little they will
defend themselves. And what I mean by that is I
think what Jesus intended of us. We don't have to war and fight
with people. It's not productive to fight
with people who aren't going to listen.
But the reality is, a lot of people see God's plan as
foolishness we learn. I believe it's in the book of
Romans. Romans, it's foolishness to
those who are perishing. And certainly, I believe the
gospel offends, our knowledge. It goes against many and every
natural law that we see around us that a dead man.
Jesus rose from the dead and lives eternally now at the side
of the father that goes against our knowledge or study or
science that we are familiar with.
And so I believe this gospel offends in many ways and so
there are people who want to distort or pervert the gospel I
love Christ for many different reasons, but even if we or an
angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we
have preached to you, let him be accursed.
This is a strong statement. If we pull saying even, I if me
or any people who are with me or even if an angel from heaven,
Now, that's a big statement. That's overstepping, you know,
they revered Angels, because Angels delivered God's word in
the Old Testament. As we learned Hebrews, Angels,
were judge forces of judgment and they could destroy.
And so, when he basically points his finger up and says, if there
isn't even any Angels Spiritual Beings, who preach a different
gospel than what we have preached to you, let him be
accursed or damned or judged, that is a serious.
Statement, as we have said before.
So, I now say, again, if anyone preaches, any other gospel to
you than what you have received, let him be accursed misapplied,
then specifically, to the context of a gospel that was
drawing them back to the old law, but are also applies today,
there are different gospels. There are people who have
claimed to have been given a message from God.
And cave and tablets. Even if they might teach some
good things. There is a curse placed on
anyone who would detract or turn away others.
From the pure simple word of God.
And so you might say how can we know them?
What to trust if Paul saying even if I teach it, how do we
know what to listen to remember. This is by inspiration.
Holy Spirit, he's got this. It's also confirmed by this holy
spirit so you don't have to worry about who to trust because
back then they were confirming this message with signs and
wonders things that you could not doubt.
You could not question if you have a sincere heart.
So, you don't have to worry, or wonder, who can I trust?
And personally, I need God's pure simple word.
Recently, I've got to listen to a lot of podcast and, you know,
from any areas of life and people have got opinions about
everything and there are people on both sides of that opinion.
You will debate for hours, about that opinion about everything
from parenting to Fitness to religion to personal
Improvement. I'm so glad I get the pure
simple word of God and then when I listen to this, when I read
this, nothing else can talk to me.
Nothing else can pollute that. I'm reminded this week of how
serious that is because I was studying in my classroom with a
couple of students who were in there for, for a Bible Club
where they come in and want to talk about the word except
Thursday. And, and one of the questions
when I'm brought up is they said We are supposed to be out doing
God's Will and we have to be doing we required to do that.
How do I know that? I'm not teaching people wrong.
And the sincerity of that question.
The honesty of that question is obvious.
These are innocent young kids who are who are just developing
their own minds. That made me angry for all of
the misinformation for all of the mistruths and wrong.
That is out there because The word is simple.
There are so many things out there to detract, and to
distract and to turn people away from that, it made me Furious
and sad. When that kid asked that
question because I know there's a good chance, there's some of
those kids who are in there are going to follow another way.
And so Jesus said, in Matthew 18 verse 6, whoever causes one of
these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better
for a millstone were hung around his neck and he He were drowned
in the depths of the sea, a millstones, a giant concrete.
Wait, he said it'd be better. If one of them was Chuck to the
bottom of the ocean without hung around their neck.
We have a responsibility, I have a responsibility to teach God's
word and truth and hopefully in Simplicity sometimes we need to
have conversations that get a little deeper and so I'm not
saying anything that isn't just plain and simple is is wrong.
We need to have all the conversations.
But the Simplicity of God's word can never be detracted from
because it is intended to be a message of Purity for all
generations, to never be distorted.
He goes on to say in Galatians, 1:10, for do I now persuade men
or God? If I was really trying to get
people on my side when I have said something, like, if anyone
preaches to you I'm gonna put a damnation and a curse on him
even an angel. When I say that, if I was trying
to be a man pleaser or a men, Persuader, no, you don't talk
like that. He says, do I now persuade men
or God obviously God, or do I seek to please men, obviously,
not Not for if I still pleased men, I would not be a
bondservant of Christ. He says, basically you can't do
both, we are going to have a primary concern of one or the
other. We're going to be either
concerned about what all people think.
We're going to be concerned about what God thinks.
There's really always one or the other in our lives.
I believe. He says, I would not be a
monster of. I could not be a servant a true
servant of Christ. If that was the case.
May we work on shifting, our Focus from not being so worried
about what other people think. Doesn't mean that we're not good
and kind of people, obviously we have to learn people and treat
them well. But ultimately who were trying
to please Is our God. This is where he begins his very
pointed defense of his apostleship and he's wanting to
wanting to show that this message was from God.
He goes on to say in verse 11 but I make known to you
Brethren. That the gospel which was
preached by me is not according to man.
So this is kind of his whole what?
He's focusing. His next several verses on is
he's trying to convince them that the gospel is not from man.
For I neither received it from man, nor was I, I taught it but
it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Again, nobody can say that unless they are able to back up
their word with Miracles and signs and wonders.
Okay. So Paul was able to say that and
the apostles were able to say that For you.
I've heard of my former conduct and Judaism, how I persecuted
the Church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it.
This is in direct contact or a direct relation to what he just
said. It's not according to man
because you know how I was persecuting this movement.
I did not come up with this. I did not orchestrate this
because clearly I was trying to destroy it wouldn't make any
sense for me for this to be my idea of that was the one
fighting against it. Verse 14.
And I advanced in Judaism Beyond many of my contemporaries in my
own Nation being more exceedingly zealous for the
traditions of my father's. Put yourself in Paul's shoes for
a second. We can all be saved.
I leave. We are saved.
Just like Paul was saved, but not every conversion and not.
Every you say not every response, to the gospel, is the
same. So as we sympathize and
understand Paul's argument here, we have to understand what he
went through. Not many people shift, this
severe of a direction sometimes, if our routine gets messed up,
we get all flustered. Much less when our whole world
gets turned upside down. Like Paul's did, he said my
whole youth? I was growing, I was improving,
I was at the top of my game. He was exceedingly zealous for
God's work if this was about self-promotion.
He would have stayed where things were good.
People try to undermine Paul, but if he was really trying to
seek his own needs, he would have stayed where it was good.
Because in this judaic system, we have to remember, it wasn't
just a religion, it was a societal system.
And so he was able to have a high place in that Society
because of what he was doing. He was able to have a good job.
Many people today if their preachers their work isn't
considered like, it's Not like I socially.
Oh that's a great job. You have, you know it's not like
they are just chomping at the bit to have a career where
they're moving up in the world of preaching.
It's a service people who preach do it because they would do it
for free if they haven't with the right heart.
That's not the case for Paul and not date.
It was a good job. They likely would have been
probably paid well, socially respected, unlike our society
today. So imagine being on track for
both your God's service and social winner.
Like Paul was And then have everything just crumble in front
of you. The emotion behind this.
It's interesting here. That Paul says he was
exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my father's, he's
able to admit that his zealousness had turned into
something that wasn't zealous for God's will anymore.
We know that he was zealous for God but he's able to admit he
was now the zealous for the traditions and it's hard to
remove from that verse 15. But When it pleased, God, who
separated me from my mother's womb and called me through his
grace. To reveal his son in me that I
might preach him among the Gentiles.
I did not immediately confirm with flesh and blood.
So we go back now. This God separated him from his
mother's womb, this is highlighting the Eternal.
And for known purpose of God. This is highlighting God's plan.
Before Paul was even born God separated him from his mother's
womb from the time, he was born and called him.
Through his grace, God had a plan through all of this.
He might say, you know, why why didn't God get Paul started
Young on this process? Why didn't he grooming like
Jesus? When he was 12 years old?
He was doing his father's will. None of this plan would have
worked out the way that God wanted in Les.
Paul had been through what he had been through two, then bring
the gospel like he did. And this passage, it says this,
he is separated from his mother's womb.
This denotes a place of Safety and Security.
He just said, He was locked in and zealous for the traditions
of his father's. So when he then says he was
separated from his mother's womb, I believe he's talking
about the Eternal purpose, but I believe he's also saying he was
separated from his, the Traditions, the safety compared
to his mother's womb that Safety and Security from his ancestors.
He lost that. God called him out of that out
of the womb and out of that Safety and Security and called
me through his grace. To reveal his son in me that I
might preach him among the Gentiles.
He says, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood.
So let's pause there. If Paul was trying to promote a
gospel that was man's idea, he would have gone to men to
orchestrate this player, but he didn't, he didn't go immediately
to talk to people, flesh and blood Nor did I go up to
Jerusalem to those who are Apostles before me?
I didn't go. Hey guys, let's go.
Join up for us in Jerusalem. Have this great party?
No, I didn't do that. He said, but I went to Arabia,
way out there in the the peninsula of Arabia would have
been kind of a deserted direction to go away from all
these other things, he went to Arabia and returned again to
Damascus. Then after three years, I went
up to Jerusalem to see Peter Her and remained with him fifteen
days so he still making this point.
If this was about people and people-pleasing I would have
done this. If you're a people pleaser, you
jump to the crowd and you go to the people who when buddy buddy
up with you he's like I didn't do that.
Three years. He went to Jerusalem after that.
Then he went to see Peter, this word.
See his story. Oh, means for my from what I
understand, more like to visit to get to know Peter, he didn't
go up there to say hey Peter, can you teach me the gospel you
were up there just to get to know Peter and to see him and he
would have stayed 15 days if that wasn't the case.
You know, when we travel now that sounds two weeks is a long
time but if you're traveling on foot you better stay somewhere.
At least 15. Is to make your journey worth
it. So that wasn't a long trip.
He just came got to know Peter and he went on.
From here, on through part of chapter 2, he's showing them
that the Apostle Paul had just enough contact with the
apostles, to demonstrate perfect agreement, but also to prove his
purity of his work and his intentions.
He's going to say I met with them.
Things were good. I went on my way showing that
they were, there were agreement. They were United in the gospel.
But not long enough to be like yeah, I was just making this big
plan on our own. Paul was also not an
isolationist. He went alone to Arabia but we
don't know what he did there. He wasn't isolationist me.
Like he was just trying to hunker in his fate to himself.
He just wasn't approaching the gospel with bad intentions and
people-pleasing. Okay, verse 19, but I saw none
of the other Apostles except James the Lord's brother.
Now concerning the things, which I write to you indeed before
God, I do not lie, this is not how corrupt man made plans.
Go, he would have gone to all the big wings if you're going to
hop companies and try to be high up in that company you go talk
to all the CEO. You talk to the CFO is and all
the high people. He signs see any of them except
for James, the Lord's brother. I'm telling the truth. afterward
I went into the regions of Syria and cilicia and I was Unknown by
face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ, they
didn't even see him. if your people pleasing, you want to see
people's face, The last verse of our last couple verses of what
we're going to study, but these people who hadn't seen him by
face or hearing Only He Who formerly persecuted us.
Now, preaches, the faith he wants.
Try do it, destroy? And their only response, and
they glorified God in Me. Praise God for God's saving work
through Paul, his conversion of Paul.
And we can, we can understand how big of a switch.
How big of a game changer that is to take And from the other
side, so to speak and put them into God's plan and his purpose.
We learned New Testament, Jesus Says by their fruits, you shall
know them. And when God is glorified by the
preaching of Faith, Paul was producing good fruit already
even though he wasn't doing it to please all these people.
So there's our lesson, there's our first chapter of the book of
Galatians. Today, we've started the path
through and we're going to get into the meat more this letter,
but I think we can all learn that.
We need to Please God first we need to preach his gospel and
faith and follow his plan, and not be worried so much about
other people. And if you are ready to start
your walk today with Christ, or if you are ready to make
something right on your walk, we can take care of that today.
If you want to start the walk, it takes hearing the word of God
to produce faith in you. We've started a little bit
today, we have to then respond with repentance agreeing.
That I'm going to change my life.
Paul turn a 180 degrees. He was converted.
We have to be able to confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of
God, who saves and be baptized for the remission of our sins.
We thank you for listening to our podcast, put on by the
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