Of Man or of God (2)
Notes
Transcript
Not sure yet
Not sure yet
Good morning,
Before we begin, I need to apologize to you all and ask your forgiveness. Two weeks ago when I was up here, I misspoke and told you all the wrong dates. I had my weeks mixed up and gave you the incorrect information. Now I can see that it was cleared up since you are here, but if I make a mistake or say something incorrectly, you have the right to know and I need to be willing to take responsibility for my mistake. If we are to be effectively used by God to reveal His Son through us, we must, when we sin even inadvertently, bring it to light and ask for forgiveness for it. Please forgive me for giving you the wrong information and even if it was unintentional lying to you.
I will say that this seems somewhat silly it was just dates that had been mixed up and your bulletins would have told you the correct days and times, but what if it had been something important? 2 Corinthians 5:20 tells us, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” We are His ambassadors and our speech and actions should reflect that.
Paul is not dependent
Paul is not dependent
Pray
So we are going to continue our series on Galatians today and if you could please open your bibles with me to Galatians 1:16-24. If you are using a pew bible we are on page 1074.
Galatians 1:16-24 “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.”
Two weeks ago we looked at 11 through the first part of verse 16. We saw that Paul was taught the Gospel directly from Jesus. Remember, Paul is still defending the authority, in this part of the text, we see Paul did not need to first go check with the apostles or any person about his message. We see, in verses 16 and 17, Paul did not immediately consult with anyone nor did he go to Jerusalem.
This brings us to our first point.
The Gospel is not Complicated
The Gospel is not Complicated
The Gospel is not complicated nor do you need a seminary degree to understand it, nor do you need it to understand the majority of God’s word. This is a radically different idea that most cults and false religions out there. In most of these, you must have some special enlightenment or be specially trained to truly understand. You then have to follow all the rules in order to achieve whatever reward is offered. The Gospel is so much simpler than that. We rejected God and we have earned death and Hell, but God loved us enough to send His son and pay the penalty we owed, through His life and death, He then defeated death through His resurrection and offers us the free gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.
All that is required of us is the acceptance of that free gift. I will say honestly we are the ones who complicate it and create the debates about it. I cannot honestly say I understand how God’s sovereignty and our freewill meet together. What I can honestly say is we each seem to have a choice to make accept the gift God offers us or reject it. When we accept that gift though look what happens,
Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 2 and I will be reading verses
You are Given the Mind of Christ
You are Given the Mind of Christ
1 Corinthians 2:10-16 “these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”
“For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
You don’t have to raise your hand but think how many of us here could not even begin to comprehend this book before our salvation? This is more than an ordinary book full of facts. The words contained in this are God-breathed and only able to be truly understood because of the Holy Spirit, but that is open to all. It is not exclusive. When we come to salvation we are given the mind of Christ. He begins a work in us.
Spend Time with God
Spend Time with God
Turn back to Galatians with me. I will reread verse 17 and continue into 18
Galatians 1:17-18 “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.”
We see that Paul does not immediately turn to the experts and ask them what they thought. In fact the end of verse 16 said he did not consult with anyone, no what does he do instead. He goes away into Arabia. There are a couple of theories here as to what Paul means. The first, is he spends time being taught directly by God. If you look at verse 18’s comment about it being after three years, which is the same amount of time the other apostles spent with Jesus, this makes sense. The other is that he went away to study the OT.
Turn with me to Luke 24:25-27 and look what it says.
Luke 24:25-27 “And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”
Paul may have spent this time reading the OT so he could understand better.
I understand that Paul is not telling us this, he is describing the fact that he is not inferior to the other apostles, but look at this principle we see. Paul spends time either with God, something that all of us should be doing, or spending time in God’s word, again, something that we should be doing.
Abide in Christ
Abide in Christ
I will say again, that Paul is not normal. We are not like Paul who God appointed as an apostle. We are not defending our authority as he is doing in this passage. And, it is fairly likely that no one here or in Calumet is going to go into the desert for three years after our conversion to spend with God. But we can do as Paul does in this passage and Abide in Christ. Turn with me to John 15 and I will be reading verses 4-7.
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15 4-7 “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
Paul’s entire ministry was dependent on God, just as ours is. Paul’s whole life is dependent upon God just as ours is. What is it we see Paul doing here? First we see him running to those who have been believers longer, NO. What he does first is run to God.
I don’t know how many here have ever tried to garden. I am notoriously bad at it, but I do know a couple important things about it. What happens if you water a piece of drift wood or mix up the best plant food and give it to it? Nothing. Why? There is no life in that piece of wood; there is nothing there.
The same is true for us. Other believers can pour into our lives, you could have the most eloquent pastor ever up here, but if we are not abiding in Christ none of it matters. We are like that piece of drift wood with no life in us. I do not believe you can lose your salvation, so do not hear me say that, but we are essentially useless.
Christianity is not a solo sport
Christianity is not a solo sport
Paul does eventually go to Jerusalem. Turn back to Galatians with me.
Galatians 1:18-21 “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.”
Paul does go visit Cephas or the apostle Peter and James. These are the leaders of the church in Jerusalem at this time. If you are using a NASB bible, it says to become acquainted with Cephas. This trip seems a lot like a missionary coming to meet a group of people and share what God is doing. It is much like when Karin came and shared how God was at work where she serves. We did not try to change or affect the ministry, we were simply told about it and now have the ability to pray for and support her in the work she is doing there. We know her better and she knows us better and we can see the heart she has to serve these children in desperate need.
We now have the opportunity to participate in what God is doing on the other side of the world. Amber and I can tell you there are over 100 other believers sharing in the ministry here in Calumet, beyond those who attend this church. They have supported us through prayer and other ways and because of that are working through everyone here as we serve in this community.
God is Glorified
God is Glorified
Galatians 1:22-24 “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.”
It is amazing to me how this works and God does this a lot. He uses people who have never met to be encouraged and because of that He is glorified. Here we see the churches of Judea glorifying God because of Paul. I will say that Paul is a bit famous within the churches in the area and at first it was for all the wrong reasons. Look at the first part of verse 23, “He who used to persecute the Church.” I guess famous might be the wrong word a better one might be infamous. People who had never met him knew him and they heard of the change in his life and glorified God because of him.
You may be like, hold up, Paul was well known, he had been a persecutor of the church. Yes, that is partially true. However, if you were there when we met Karin, we all heard the story of a young man who is now going to be planting a Gospel Church across the world and God was glorified because of it. He is not famous or well known, but we now know him though we may never meet him. The same is true of people here. You may be used to bring God glory to a group of people you may never meet. You may also never know about it, but if you are doing the work God has called you to, God can use it to bless others in ways we never expected.
So Remember
So Remember
The Gospel is not Complicated
1 Corinthians 15:3-5 “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
We must spend time with God
This is both in prayer and in his word. This is for the believer life. We die if we are not connected to the vine, but as we spend time in His word. We begin to think the way He thinks. We can see the world the way He does at least in part.
The Christian walk is not a solo activity and God will receive glory through you.
We are all part of one body.
1 Corinthians 12:12-13 “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.”
And God will receive glory the Scriptures promise that, so try to remember it can be through you or in spite of you.
Let us close in prayer.