1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:06,720 For your life today in Galatians, we're going to be 2 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:10,840 looking at who gets the glory for your life. 3 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:16,720 If it hasn't happened already, I imagine it has. 4 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:21,400 A Christian brother or sister is going to break your heart there, 5 00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:24,640 or if you're not a heartbreaking kind of person, they're going to 6 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:27,920 irritate you, disappoint you, infuriate you. 7 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:30,960 There's going to be a break in a relationship. 8 00:00:32,439 --> 00:00:36,600 And we know that we're supposed to sustain Christian unity. 9 00:00:38,480 --> 00:00:41,880 But I would say that it is only with the grace of Jesus that 10 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:48,000 that can begin to happen. And so as we think today about a 11 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:54,320 conflict in the churches in Galatia with Paul and how he 12 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:58,600 responded, I just want to say I'm aware that we often have in 13 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:01,960 our own hearts and our own relationships brokenness, 14 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:04,599 disappointment, anger, or heartbreak. 15 00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:12,040 So we're going to go to Galatians Chapter 1, and I want 16 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:16,200 to recontextualize you to the social pressures that Craig 17 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:19,920 mentioned last week were happening for these people. 18 00:01:20,320 --> 00:01:23,240 All right? The first thing is that in their 19 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:27,840 communities, it was the norm to worship idols. 20 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:32,720 It was the good luck charm. Everybody knew who was doing it. 21 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:37,560 And if you weren't doing it, guess what happens when there's 22 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:41,520 a flood, When there's a drought, it's your fault. 23 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:44,080 And you brought this curse on the whole community. 24 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:48,920 So there was some stress on Christians that they needed to 25 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:52,600 be doing what would appease their community. 26 00:01:53,120 --> 00:01:56,920 There was also what was becoming the most popular worship was 27 00:01:56,920 --> 00:02:01,800 worshiping Caesar. So now this has got political 28 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:03,720 issues. And who's going to approve you 29 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:07,120 for work permits and the equivalent of that of the day 30 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:10,960 this started to have who was going to get to rise to power? 31 00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:16,680 They needed to have the approval of the community so that they 32 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:19,360 could flourish economically and politically. 33 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:25,240 Now there was what was called the Jewish pass on idol worship. 34 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:27,120 And the agreement went something like this. 35 00:02:27,640 --> 00:02:31,680 All right, we get you are weird and you can't worship idols. 36 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:37,400 So instead of praying to Caesar, we're going to let you pray for 37 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:41,560 Caesar. And they had a agreement that 38 00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:44,520 let everything let them not have to worship. 39 00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:52,240 And so the early church was a Jewish sect from all external 40 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:56,360 observations, and they were benefiting from the Jewish past. 41 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:01,800 And there was fear. But you don't look Jewish and 42 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:04,920 you don't act Jewish. And when you go to the local 43 00:03:04,920 --> 00:03:08,040 gymnasium, in the local baths and you take off your clothes, 44 00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:10,080 you really men don't look Jewish. 45 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:14,120 And so you are going to get us in trouble with the government 46 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:20,040 and with our communities. And so the social pressure was 47 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:25,400 profound for our Christian brothers and sisters to conform 48 00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:28,920 to get the Jewish pass. Do you get it? 49 00:03:28,920 --> 00:03:33,720 There was economic pressure, there was social pressure and 50 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:38,760 there was religious pressure. So now we're going to read in 51 00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:41,640 Galatians one starting with verse 10. 52 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:46,640 AM I now trying to win the approval of human beings or of 53 00:03:46,640 --> 00:03:48,560 God? And, and just so you know, you 54 00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:52,480 hear attitude of my voice because Paul's writing right 55 00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:55,080 here is hot and heated and hurried. 56 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:58,440 It's not his pretty prose. He is giving them a bit of a 57 00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:02,240 what for here. Am I now trying to win the 58 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:04,600 approval of human beings or of God? 59 00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:08,720 Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please 60 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:11,280 people, I would not be a servant of Christ. 61 00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:15,360 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I 62 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:19,040 preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any 63 00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:23,800 man, nor was I taught it. Rather, I received it by 64 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:33,120 revelation from Jesus Christ. Paul starts off with Whose good 65 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:40,160 job was he looking for? And he said, I am looking for 66 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:42,960 the good job from my Heavenly Father. 67 00:04:44,640 --> 00:04:47,920 Jesus talked about the well done, good and faithful servant. 68 00:04:49,840 --> 00:04:52,240 We want that. I believe that you probably 69 00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:54,640 wouldn't be here this morning if you didn't want the well done, 70 00:04:54,640 --> 00:04:57,760 good and faithful servant, the good job from the Lord. 71 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:01,920 But the problem is, is that we also have the social pressures. 72 00:05:02,440 --> 00:05:06,880 We have familial pressures. And so I think that words from 73 00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:14,360 Matthew chapter 6 matter. Let me just turn there in 74 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:16,680 Matthew 6, starting with verse 19. 75 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:22,920 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moths 76 00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:26,120 and vermin destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 77 00:05:26,680 --> 00:05:29,600 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths 78 00:05:29,600 --> 00:05:33,400 and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in 79 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:36,640 and steal. For where your treasure is, 80 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:41,640 there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. 81 00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:46,800 If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of 82 00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:51,120 light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, 83 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:54,920 your whole body will be full of darkness. 84 00:05:55,640 --> 00:05:58,680 If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that 85 00:05:58,680 --> 00:06:02,960 darkness? No one can serve 2 masters. 86 00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:08,400 Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be 87 00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:12,360 devoted to the one and despise the other. 88 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:16,360 You cannot serve both God and money. 89 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:27,280 We know this, but often our lives look like people who are 90 00:06:27,280 --> 00:06:34,040 serving multiple masters because we actually want our parents, 91 00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:37,600 our peers, and for those of you still in school, we want our 92 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:39,400 profs. Good job. 93 00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:47,600 And so we become divided in our actual hearts because we're 94 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:49,520 looking for more than one approval. 95 00:06:53,800 --> 00:07:00,760 When we were singing this morning, we were singing about. 96 00:07:01,040 --> 00:07:05,400 I'm not called to tend to grief. And you may or may not know, but 97 00:07:07,640 --> 00:07:10,560 Craig's mom passed away and her funeral was this week. 98 00:07:11,760 --> 00:07:17,640 And in the mountains where she's from, we're supposed to plant 99 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:19,720 flowers next spring on the grave. 100 00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:24,640 And all of a sudden, I had a panic and I looked at Craig as 101 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:27,240 we were leaving. I'm like, flowers. 102 00:07:27,400 --> 00:07:28,760 How are we? Who do we get? 103 00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:31,200 What? How do we come back now? 104 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:36,320 Of all the heartbreak that the last six months has had in his 105 00:07:36,320 --> 00:07:39,760 mom's health, you may realize he's been traveling to take care 106 00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:41,280 of her. But even when he was here, he 107 00:07:41,280 --> 00:07:44,840 was being called or texted almost daily for medical 108 00:07:44,840 --> 00:07:49,360 decisions. All of the things that have gone 109 00:07:49,360 --> 00:07:52,360 on in the last six months. Worrying about flowers for next 110 00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:54,600 spring is really a bit ridiculous. 111 00:07:56,200 --> 00:08:00,240 But as we sang today about tending the grave, I realized I 112 00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:03,280 was feeling guilty because I'm not going to get to do my job, 113 00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:07,960 probably to put the violets that she always put for her mom's 114 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:14,000 grave. And I remembered something that 115 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:19,720 Craig said years ago. He says my call to Vancouver and 116 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:26,440 to follow Jesus may end up costing my parents more than it 117 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:33,440 has cost me. And sometimes the following 118 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:37,600 after Jesus means that there are some people that get 119 00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:41,799 disappointed. Paul is writing a letter in 120 00:08:41,799 --> 00:08:45,840 Galatians one to people that aren't just disappointed but 121 00:08:45,840 --> 00:08:53,160 they're now maligning him. Sometimes we have that division 122 00:08:53,160 --> 00:08:56,520 between are we serving 2 masters because we have more than one 123 00:08:56,520 --> 00:09:01,320 division of life. When I was a first time mom, you 124 00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:04,080 may or may not know, but I was like four times around. 125 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:08,040 But on the first one, I had this real, Oh my gosh, what am I 126 00:09:08,040 --> 00:09:09,400 doing? Well in many areas. 127 00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:12,200 But one of the tears was I really wanted to be with this 128 00:09:12,200 --> 00:09:17,800 child, but then I wasn't developing a career or I'd let 129 00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:21,120 it stall and go back. And I was realizing that I'm 130 00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:24,640 getting my first choice of life, taking care of this baby, but 131 00:09:24,640 --> 00:09:27,920 I'm grieving and mad about not getting to do my second choice. 132 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:32,320 And I was a divided person for a little bit because I had more 133 00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:34,840 than one vision of how to live my life. 134 00:09:35,680 --> 00:09:40,880 And so when you think about no one can serve 2 masters, think 135 00:09:40,880 --> 00:09:45,120 also, whose approval do we want? What pressures come in on you? 136 00:09:45,560 --> 00:09:50,080 Our lives are not at risk in the same way that the church in 137 00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:54,360 Galatia may have been, but there are still social pressures that 138 00:09:54,360 --> 00:10:00,760 are economic, that are around politics, that are around family 139 00:10:00,760 --> 00:10:06,160 issues that come in and make us want to try and please our 140 00:10:06,160 --> 00:10:11,280 peers, our professors, our parents, and their visions of 141 00:10:11,280 --> 00:10:14,280 our life, while we also want God's good job. 142 00:10:14,920 --> 00:10:21,360 And so Paul is making clear and very blunt in these verses who 143 00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:25,040 he is serving. Y'all took my marker out. 144 00:10:25,160 --> 00:10:29,880 Just give me a second. So I'm going to start to say, 145 00:10:30,400 --> 00:10:34,800 when we have conflict, I think it's often around different 146 00:10:34,800 --> 00:10:37,400 visions of reality, different visions of life. 147 00:10:37,840 --> 00:10:41,800 And we think our brothers and sisters should have the same 148 00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:45,800 understanding and should have the same ways of thinking. 149 00:10:46,320 --> 00:10:50,560 And so Paul is here and he's basically correcting them and 150 00:10:50,560 --> 00:10:54,400 he's saying in no uncertain terms, y'all are going the wrong 151 00:10:54,400 --> 00:10:57,440 way with the gospel you were making. 152 00:10:58,280 --> 00:11:02,000 Now this is a paraphrase, but they were making more rules than 153 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:04,920 God had. They were going to make people 154 00:11:05,160 --> 00:11:09,720 get circumcised, follow Jewish dietary laws so that they could 155 00:11:09,720 --> 00:11:15,240 be politically safe. And they were saying when Paul 156 00:11:15,240 --> 00:11:21,200 said it was not necessary, that Paul didn't have the authority 157 00:11:21,200 --> 00:11:25,040 to say that, that they needed to be listening to the apostles. 158 00:11:25,600 --> 00:11:28,600 And so now Paul comes to tell his story. 159 00:11:29,200 --> 00:11:36,520 And in his story he talks about how Jesus revealed himself to 160 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:43,880 him and then through him. So let's read in verse 11. 161 00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:47,760 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I 162 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:52,320 preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any 163 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:57,080 man, nor was I taught it. Rather, I received it by 164 00:11:57,080 --> 00:12:00,720 revelation from Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my 165 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:04,560 previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the 166 00:12:04,560 --> 00:12:06,920 Church of God and tried to destroy it. 167 00:12:07,160 --> 00:12:11,400 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age, among 168 00:12:11,400 --> 00:12:15,240 my people, and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my 169 00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:18,520 Father's. But when God, who set me apart 170 00:12:18,520 --> 00:12:23,640 from my mother's womb and called me by His grace, was pleased to 171 00:12:23,640 --> 00:12:27,120 reveal his Son and me so that I might preach him among the 172 00:12:27,120 --> 00:12:32,600 Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human 173 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:35,880 being. I did not go up to Jerusalem to 174 00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:40,520 see those who are apostles before I was, but I went into 175 00:12:40,520 --> 00:12:44,440 the into Arabia later. I returned to Damascus. 176 00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:49,280 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted 177 00:12:49,280 --> 00:12:53,120 with Cephas and stayed with him 15 days. 178 00:12:53,480 --> 00:12:57,440 I saw none of the other apostles, only James, the Lord's 179 00:12:57,440 --> 00:13:00,560 brother. I assure you before God that 180 00:13:00,560 --> 00:13:04,000 what I am writing to you is no lie. 181 00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:09,920 Now, yes, Paul is giving a testimony here. 182 00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:13,080 You can read in Acts, if you want, the other three tellings 183 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:17,520 of the miraculous way Jesus did reveal himself. 184 00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:23,720 But let me tell you why there's a kind of speech we often get 185 00:13:23,720 --> 00:13:30,520 into to justify ourselves. Paul is not so much justifying 186 00:13:30,520 --> 00:13:35,000 himself we're going to see, but he is justifying the work, the 187 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:37,840 call, and the revelation of Jesus. 188 00:13:38,240 --> 00:13:39,880 So I want us to look at a diagram. 189 00:13:39,880 --> 00:13:42,560 There's a lot to unpack, and I'm not going to unpack it all. 190 00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:48,840 But what I want you to see is that when something happens 191 00:13:48,840 --> 00:13:52,120 between us, there's an event. I see or hear something. 192 00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:57,200 And then before we feel and act, we tell ourselves a story. 193 00:13:57,680 --> 00:14:01,480 Now, let me tell you why this matters, because we believe 194 00:14:01,480 --> 00:14:02,880 we're not always conscious of this. 195 00:14:03,160 --> 00:14:04,960 We believe our story's the truth. 196 00:14:06,080 --> 00:14:13,360 And so when our story is coming out, we can't believe the other 197 00:14:13,360 --> 00:14:16,240 person is doing this. And do you see this little tell 198 00:14:16,240 --> 00:14:17,640 a lie? That's not from the diagram, 199 00:14:17,640 --> 00:14:19,200 That's from my culture of origin. 200 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:22,680 When somebody was telling a story and you didn't believe it, 201 00:14:22,800 --> 00:14:26,040 or maybe you believed it. But now today we might go 202 00:14:26,040 --> 00:14:30,440 really, well, we'd say tell a lie like you got to prove this 203 00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:34,640 is true, OK. And so they had a whole story 204 00:14:34,640 --> 00:14:39,400 created that Paul was LAX on what God wanted. 205 00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:45,080 And so he is being labeled and attacked. 206 00:14:45,720 --> 00:14:48,720 The churches are withdrawing from his teaching. 207 00:14:49,400 --> 00:14:55,600 And the reason Paul is coming in to tell a story is he's calling 208 00:14:56,000 --> 00:15:01,240 out their tell a lie. Now what he is doing is that 209 00:15:01,240 --> 00:15:04,880 they had a story that they really should only now listen to 210 00:15:04,880 --> 00:15:08,960 the Jerusalem apostles and that he, Paul was telling something 211 00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:13,960 different. So when you were in conflict, 212 00:15:14,280 --> 00:15:18,880 when you were hurt, when you're angry, disappointed, whatever 213 00:15:19,080 --> 00:15:27,240 your emotional volume is. So if I live through something, 214 00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:32,400 my emotional volume gets loud quickly, both joyfully and 215 00:15:32,560 --> 00:15:36,000 negatively. Some people, Craig will be like, 216 00:15:36,240 --> 00:15:39,360 yeah, I don't think I've ever experienced quite that much 217 00:15:39,480 --> 00:15:44,600 fury, or it's just his volume of options is not quite as loud as 218 00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:47,160 my emotions. So when I'm saying conflict, 219 00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:55,600 think however you experience that, realize that we can act 220 00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:58,680 like the story we're telling ourselves is the truth. 221 00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:02,760 And the way the Lord broke me of this, in some ways it doesn't. 222 00:16:02,760 --> 00:16:06,400 I'm not fully saved at it is Craig and I had a really good 223 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:12,360 friend, really honourable character and all of a sudden he 224 00:16:12,360 --> 00:16:14,920 became the most unreliable friend we had. 225 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:18,160 And you know, you think, OK, he's got something going on, but 226 00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:19,720 we're close enough that we would know. 227 00:16:19,760 --> 00:16:25,040 We knew his extended family, we knew his roommates, we knew so 228 00:16:25,040 --> 00:16:29,480 much about and he was just unreliable and and we couldn't 229 00:16:29,480 --> 00:16:37,000 figure out what was happening. And about a year later, it came 230 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:40,720 out that he had a life threatening chronic illness, was 231 00:16:40,720 --> 00:16:44,200 worried about judgement that would go with the illness and 232 00:16:44,200 --> 00:16:50,240 didn't tell anybody like he told no one. 233 00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:55,120 His medical team knew. And for actually, I said it was 234 00:16:55,120 --> 00:16:57,560 a year later, but it wasn't. It was a couple of years later, 235 00:16:58,040 --> 00:17:02,920 no one knew. And I realized that in trying to 236 00:17:02,920 --> 00:17:06,640 understand the behavior that hurt me and I didn't understand, 237 00:17:06,960 --> 00:17:11,119 I had told myself a bunch of stories trying to make it make 238 00:17:11,119 --> 00:17:16,800 sense. And so Paul gives them some 239 00:17:16,800 --> 00:17:21,440 clarity and the thing that Paul does is he starts to tell them 240 00:17:21,839 --> 00:17:30,520 all about their life. I think if we can go back to 241 00:17:30,960 --> 00:17:33,880 verses 11 and 12 for just a second, all right? 242 00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:40,880 He, Paul tells them that he received what he had preached by 243 00:17:40,880 --> 00:17:46,840 a revelation from Jesus Christ. Do you see the veil there? 244 00:17:47,360 --> 00:17:51,120 So the word here for revelation is related to apocalypse, but 245 00:17:51,120 --> 00:17:53,800 we're not talking about some random zombie apocalypse. 246 00:17:54,120 --> 00:17:57,040 We're talking about the revelation of God. 247 00:17:57,760 --> 00:18:01,640 And in this, do you remember when Jesus died, what happened 248 00:18:01,640 --> 00:18:07,000 to the veil? It was torn, and it was torn 249 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:09,880 from top to bottom. Not the easy way of bottom to 250 00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:13,160 top. When Jesus died and was 251 00:18:13,160 --> 00:18:17,760 resurrected, the Holy of Holies was opened up for us to have 252 00:18:17,760 --> 00:18:22,000 access to God. And God chose to step in and 253 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:25,880 reveal himself in a very unique way to Paul on the road to 254 00:18:25,880 --> 00:18:28,880 Damascus with the light, with the scales. 255 00:18:29,240 --> 00:18:34,680 And he is saying, I received an unveiling of who Jesus was. 256 00:18:35,800 --> 00:18:40,040 And when we say that we are following Jesus, very few of us 257 00:18:40,040 --> 00:18:42,040 have a shining light kind of moment. 258 00:18:42,680 --> 00:18:46,560 But what we all have is a way where Jesus has revealed himself 259 00:18:46,560 --> 00:18:51,240 to us through Scripture, through experience, through the still 260 00:18:51,240 --> 00:18:55,440 small voice. And so we want to become people 261 00:18:55,560 --> 00:19:00,480 who can say that I receive the revelation of Jesus. 262 00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:04,120 He is giving it to you. I hope you're receiving it. 263 00:19:04,600 --> 00:19:08,240 And so why is he saying this is because in the story they're 264 00:19:08,240 --> 00:19:11,840 saying he's nothing. And he's saying I am not on my 265 00:19:11,840 --> 00:19:14,240 own something. But because of the revelation of 266 00:19:14,360 --> 00:19:18,360 Jesus, I have something to say that you need to hear. 267 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:26,240 Now, in Galatians 113 through 17, Paul is pulling out. 268 00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:29,640 We might call it a race card, but here he's pulling out his 269 00:19:29,640 --> 00:19:32,000 religious card. And because we don't have the 270 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:33,720 same background, we might miss it. 271 00:19:34,080 --> 00:19:38,840 But he's like I persecuted for Judaism, the Church of God, I 272 00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:42,120 was advancing. He was highly educated, He was 273 00:19:42,120 --> 00:19:45,520 zealous. And then when even when he says, 274 00:19:45,520 --> 00:19:48,240 but when God who set me apart from my mother's womb. 275 00:19:48,560 --> 00:19:52,680 Did you notice when we read this morning in Isaiah 49, he is 276 00:19:52,680 --> 00:19:58,000 nodding to this passage and then he's also nodding to Jeremiah's 277 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:03,360 call. So we can't catch all the echoes 278 00:20:03,560 --> 00:20:06,360 and the illusions that Paul is making or I can't. 279 00:20:06,360 --> 00:20:10,200 Y'all might be able to without some of the but he is letting 280 00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:13,280 them know I'm as Jewish as they come. 281 00:20:13,280 --> 00:20:15,280 Don't you be calling me out for that. 282 00:20:15,520 --> 00:20:18,920 I know the truth and that is what he's actually saying when 283 00:20:18,920 --> 00:20:21,720 we read it. Then he goes on and says I was 284 00:20:21,720 --> 00:20:26,760 pleased to and called me by his Grace was pleased to reveal his 285 00:20:26,760 --> 00:20:30,240 son in me. Guess what that word reveal is? 286 00:20:30,240 --> 00:20:33,800 If it's your own Bible, you're looking at circle revelation and 287 00:20:33,800 --> 00:20:36,760 circle reveal, and those are both unveiled. 288 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:43,640 And I want to say that Jesus is being unveiled in you and you 289 00:20:43,640 --> 00:20:47,520 may be not as clear because Paul knew I might preach him among 290 00:20:47,520 --> 00:20:50,600 the Gentiles. He knew specifically because 291 00:20:50,640 --> 00:20:54,200 Jesus said specifically. But you have Jesus being 292 00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:56,520 unveiled in you and you're like, well, I don't know. 293 00:20:56,640 --> 00:20:59,480 Well, you know enough from Scripture about telling the 294 00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:03,880 truth, about loving your neighbor, forgiving your those 295 00:21:03,880 --> 00:21:05,800 that wronged you, loving your enemies. 296 00:21:05,800 --> 00:21:09,440 There's enough of that that you know that Jesus is being 297 00:21:09,440 --> 00:21:11,960 revealed in you. And if you're having trouble 298 00:21:12,200 --> 00:21:17,480 finding the revelation of Jesus in your own life, then sit down. 299 00:21:18,640 --> 00:21:23,560 Sit down with Josh or Susan or Peter or Michaela with your life 300 00:21:23,560 --> 00:21:27,000 group leader with me. And when Craig comes back with 301 00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:30,400 him, sit down with Prince and brothers and sisters in Christ 302 00:21:30,400 --> 00:21:33,600 that know you and say, where do you see Jesus revealed in me? 303 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:40,640 Because Paul could come back to the stories they were telling 304 00:21:40,640 --> 00:21:44,720 themselves and he could call out, tell a lie because he knew 305 00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:47,160 what was Jesus was revealing in him. 306 00:21:47,480 --> 00:21:49,600 He knew his call and then he goes on. 307 00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:52,640 My immediate response was not to consult any human being. 308 00:21:56,440 --> 00:22:02,760 The gospel that Paul was preaching came from Jesus, not 309 00:22:02,760 --> 00:22:06,920 from people. When you share what God has 310 00:22:06,920 --> 00:22:13,360 done, are you a parrot? Are you a parody, or are you 311 00:22:13,360 --> 00:22:16,240 sharing the word that Jesus has given you? 312 00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:23,200 Because people have no not much patience for a parrot. 313 00:22:23,800 --> 00:22:31,280 They scoff at the parody of sharing the faith, but they want 314 00:22:31,280 --> 00:22:36,280 to know somebody has met and that Jesus is being revealed in 315 00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:40,040 them. Now he goes on to tell them he 316 00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:42,240 didn't go to Jerusalem, but he went to Arabia. 317 00:22:42,240 --> 00:22:45,160 Guess what? That's another place where he's 318 00:22:45,160 --> 00:22:48,800 going. Let me show you how Jewish I 319 00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:50,680 was. I went where Elijah went. 320 00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:53,960 I went where Moses went. I am not nothing. 321 00:22:53,960 --> 00:22:57,800 I went for three years to meet with the Lord in the places the 322 00:22:57,800 --> 00:23:04,400 prophets went. And sometimes Joshua was talking 323 00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:07,840 about the retreat. We do go away because we need to 324 00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:11,200 meet with the Lord. There is business that only God 325 00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:17,360 can do in our hearts. And then he later returned to 326 00:23:17,360 --> 00:23:21,120 Damascus, his hometown. Three years later, he went up to 327 00:23:21,120 --> 00:23:23,080 Jerusalem. Now here's what's funny about 328 00:23:23,080 --> 00:23:24,560 that. I would miss this. 329 00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:29,960 But when he was going to Jerusalem three years later, one 330 00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:33,560 of the observers said, you know, it would have been easier if he 331 00:23:33,560 --> 00:23:39,560 didn't share that detail. And here's why, because they're 332 00:23:39,560 --> 00:23:42,160 going, see, I knew it. I knew it. 333 00:23:42,600 --> 00:23:46,520 You went. And if he just kind of glossed 334 00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:48,280 over that. But when you're in conflict, 335 00:23:48,280 --> 00:23:52,400 just tell the truth. I also want to point out Paul is 336 00:23:52,400 --> 00:23:56,720 not in conflict with the people. He is in conflict with the 337 00:23:56,720 --> 00:23:59,440 distortion of the gospel of Jesus. 338 00:24:00,720 --> 00:24:06,160 So his hot and heated is because he loves the grace of Jesus and 339 00:24:06,160 --> 00:24:12,000 what he wants to do in people's lives and they're trying to add 340 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:20,040 on more rules. So I ask you in the next slide, 341 00:24:22,600 --> 00:24:26,880 I couldn't find a rational all the torn veil looked like horror 342 00:24:26,880 --> 00:24:31,280 films with some Halloween tour. So I couldn't find an image that 343 00:24:31,280 --> 00:24:34,680 worked. So I want you to imagine the 344 00:24:34,680 --> 00:24:43,000 torn veil in the Holy of Holies. Jesus did that not just for 345 00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:46,080 Paul, not just for the churches in Galatia, but for us. 346 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:51,760 So how is Jesus revealed in you in this week? 347 00:24:53,360 --> 00:24:59,120 What is the unveiling of the power of the grace of the truth 348 00:24:59,200 --> 00:25:01,200 of the gospel in your life this week? 349 00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:06,920 When we're in conflict, we need to go back and re inhabit and 350 00:25:06,920 --> 00:25:11,920 revisit what is the good news that Jesus has for us, for our 351 00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:17,120 relationships, for our communities, for our future, 352 00:25:17,400 --> 00:25:21,600 because this conflict was ultimately connected to fears 353 00:25:21,600 --> 00:25:25,640 about their future and their safety because of the social 354 00:25:25,640 --> 00:25:31,840 pressures. And so where is Jesus being 355 00:25:31,840 --> 00:25:33,840 revealed in you? Now? 356 00:25:35,200 --> 00:25:39,360 Let's look at what happened. There was some praising of God 357 00:25:39,360 --> 00:25:45,400 because of me. So in verse 21, then I went to 358 00:25:45,400 --> 00:25:48,600 Syria and Cilicia, I was personally unknown to the 359 00:25:48,600 --> 00:25:51,160 churches of Judea that are in Christ. 360 00:25:51,760 --> 00:25:56,000 They only heard the report that the man who formerly persecuted 361 00:25:56,000 --> 00:26:01,920 us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy and they 362 00:26:01,920 --> 00:26:09,440 praised God because of me. So really what happened is that 363 00:26:10,120 --> 00:26:16,080 the gatherings, the called out ones of Judea were in Christ and 364 00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:23,840 they praised God because of me. Who's praised God because of you 365 00:26:23,840 --> 00:26:29,800 this week? And maybe they don't know it's 366 00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:35,200 Jesus in you, but we in the original moment are not just 367 00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:37,120 doing that for you to meet each other. 368 00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:39,840 We're actually having the original moment. 369 00:26:39,840 --> 00:26:44,480 So you, like Paul can say here is how Jesus was revealed in my 370 00:26:44,480 --> 00:26:49,400 week and because of this I'm praising God or someone else was 371 00:26:49,400 --> 00:26:55,760 enriched in praising God. And so I have to be honest, I 372 00:26:55,760 --> 00:27:02,040 remember reading Paul's letters as a teenager and I didn't like 373 00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:05,960 them. I was like, this is not somebody 374 00:27:05,960 --> 00:27:09,920 I'd want to be friends with. He's right arrogant isn't he? 375 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:13,600 Who goes around saying well they're praising God because of 376 00:27:13,600 --> 00:27:16,600 me. Like it's not it's not OK. 377 00:27:17,040 --> 00:27:21,480 But what he is doing and the reason for the seemingly self 378 00:27:21,480 --> 00:27:26,360 justification that I didn't know the I this time I'm remembering 379 00:27:26,360 --> 00:27:31,480 him being appalled. The reason was not to protect 380 00:27:31,480 --> 00:27:35,400 himself and it was not to self promote. 381 00:27:36,720 --> 00:27:42,360 But the reason he is saying that God got the glory is because 382 00:27:42,360 --> 00:27:47,520 that is what he's calling out for in the church in Galatia or 383 00:27:47,520 --> 00:27:53,160 churches, and that the churches were willing to break unity for 384 00:27:53,160 --> 00:27:55,960 their social, political, economic safety. 385 00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:01,960 What are you willing to break Unity for? 386 00:28:07,120 --> 00:28:12,240 And how do you use the stories of the work of God in your life? 387 00:28:13,480 --> 00:28:15,560 Are they to make yourself look good? 388 00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:19,040 Are they to make somebody else feel guilty? 389 00:28:19,800 --> 00:28:21,360 That's awkward, but I think we can. 390 00:28:21,800 --> 00:28:26,640 Or are the stories of your life the natural overflow in your 391 00:28:26,640 --> 00:28:35,960 speech, bringing glory to Jesus because that is what a life is 392 00:28:36,160 --> 00:28:40,480 in Christ is to do. So we have a bunch of crazy 393 00:28:40,760 --> 00:28:47,360 pictures. Thank you, Canva, good job. 394 00:28:47,720 --> 00:28:51,640 I've been watching a show, Mika a little bit with me, and my 395 00:28:51,640 --> 00:28:54,920 favorite character does a good job all the time. 396 00:28:54,920 --> 00:28:59,040 I like the character, I like the show, but it makes it cutesy. 397 00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:03,200 But it is not wrong to long for approval. 398 00:29:03,200 --> 00:29:08,480 It is natural, it is human. We are actually wired to one 399 00:29:08,480 --> 00:29:13,240 approval. But where I think we struggle is 400 00:29:13,240 --> 00:29:16,800 when we have more than one master whose approval we want. 401 00:29:18,320 --> 00:29:23,480 And so I ask you, whose approval are you seeking? 402 00:29:24,400 --> 00:29:30,080 Recognizing that when I choose God's approval, there's a cost 403 00:29:30,680 --> 00:29:32,920 to other people, not just myself. 404 00:29:35,240 --> 00:29:40,840 And then I say, what is the revelation of Jesus that you 405 00:29:40,840 --> 00:29:45,440 have had in your life? And in that revelation, think 406 00:29:45,440 --> 00:29:51,280 about it, Jesus had come to do business with Paul on the road 407 00:29:51,280 --> 00:29:56,160 to Damascus, and then Jesus had business for Paul to do and 408 00:29:56,160 --> 00:29:59,680 sharing the good news. And that is what Paul is about 409 00:29:59,680 --> 00:30:02,000 here. I am going to protect the truth 410 00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:06,720 in the gospel. And then I come back to where 411 00:30:06,720 --> 00:30:10,920 are you? Angry, hurt, disappointed, some 412 00:30:10,920 --> 00:30:18,760 type of conflict instead of cheap, Let's hold hands and sing 413 00:30:18,760 --> 00:30:20,480 kumbaya. And I'm not above that. 414 00:30:20,480 --> 00:30:23,120 As a Mama, my children started acting the fool and couldn't 415 00:30:23,120 --> 00:30:24,920 work it out. They'd have to sit on the sofa 416 00:30:24,920 --> 00:30:28,520 as kids and hold hands and sing kumbaya just because I had no 417 00:30:28,520 --> 00:30:30,600 other strategy by then when we got there. 418 00:30:30,840 --> 00:30:33,840 But they would start laughing and it actually helped a little. 419 00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:37,280 So I'm not saying I'm not above hold hands sing kumbaya, because 420 00:30:37,280 --> 00:30:41,520 sometimes to make a wake forward in heartbreak means I have to 421 00:30:41,520 --> 00:30:45,040 sit where I don't want to sit. And this is not what you're 422 00:30:45,040 --> 00:30:50,160 going to get on an Instagram app or a podcast because our society 423 00:30:50,160 --> 00:30:54,840 has decided it is perfectly fine to cut off people that make me 424 00:30:54,840 --> 00:30:59,240 uncomfortable. But the Gospel of Jesus has said 425 00:30:59,480 --> 00:31:03,480 that if I can bring dead bodies back to life and resurrect 426 00:31:03,480 --> 00:31:06,440 Jesus, I can resurrect relationships. 427 00:31:06,960 --> 00:31:10,880 So when you are in conflict, hurt, disappointment, anger, 428 00:31:10,880 --> 00:31:14,560 whatever your tone for the the break in the relationship is, 429 00:31:15,160 --> 00:31:21,400 where is Jesus? How is he getting lifted up in 430 00:31:21,400 --> 00:31:27,320 the midst of the heartbreak? And so follow the glory. 431 00:31:28,200 --> 00:31:32,640 And when the glory goes to him, you can be pretty sure that is 432 00:31:32,640 --> 00:31:37,240 messy and hard and uncomfortable as the working it out is. 433 00:31:37,680 --> 00:31:41,240 If Jesus is getting some glory, you're right where you need to 434 00:31:41,240 --> 00:31:47,680 be. Let's pray Jesus. 435 00:31:47,680 --> 00:31:52,440 I thank you for Paul who knew how to be human. 436 00:31:53,360 --> 00:31:59,200 He knew how to correct and confront and tell a church when 437 00:31:59,200 --> 00:32:03,720 they were going the wrong way. He knew when to not share all of 438 00:32:03,720 --> 00:32:07,560 his business and when to tell a bit of a testimony of what you 439 00:32:07,560 --> 00:32:11,120 had done. Lord, I pray for all of us 440 00:32:11,120 --> 00:32:14,440 today. We would seek first Your 441 00:32:14,440 --> 00:32:17,440 Kingdom. We would live for your approval, 442 00:32:18,840 --> 00:32:22,240 that we would remember all the ways you have revealed yourself 443 00:32:22,240 --> 00:32:25,120 to us. And then we would allow you to 444 00:32:25,120 --> 00:32:28,920 reveal yourself in our lives, in our words, in our relationships, 445 00:32:28,960 --> 00:32:34,080 in our actions. And I pray that you we get the 446 00:32:34,080 --> 00:32:38,160 glory for how we handle hard things. 447 00:32:39,800 --> 00:32:45,480 We love you and we just ask for more grace knowing this and 448 00:32:45,480 --> 00:32:47,520 doing this. That's the chasm. 449 00:32:47,840 --> 00:32:52,480 Give us courage to act in Jesus name, Amen.