New Identity in Christ

Thomas Cackler

Galatians • Sermon • Submitted 6 years ago

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Because the gospel message is divinely inspired, its effects are divinely applied.

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Introduction

Every life tells a story - every life is proof of something that is true.

This past week, a new lead in a decades old case led to the arrest of the “Golden State Killer” after nearly 30 years.

And, of course, it was hard to miss the that a court found comedian Bill Cosby guilty of crimes that happened years ago.

Paul is continuing here his argument that he did not come up with this gospel that he originally told the Galatians.

Both of these lives are proof that crimes will be punished - sin will not go unchecked.

Odds are you won’t outrun the human authority.

But even if you are, their lives remind us that ultimately justice will be served.

As we return now to our look at Galatians, Paul is continuing here his argument that he did not come up with this gospel that he originally told the Galatians and uses his life as the proof for his argument.

Paul established these churches, most likely on his first missionary journey that we read about in Acts.

And later, he got word that they had abandoned the gospel for a false, or counterfeit gospel that added to - the Judaizers said that they could not be really saved unless they were circumcised as well.

And in doing this - they criticized Paul and his teaching. Saying he wasn’t a “REAL” apostle. He wasn’t really from Jerusalem.

And if we remember last week, I laid out the case that there is only one true Gospel.

I mentioned that Paul was attacked by the Judaizers who said he made up the gospel he shared and gave them something different.

That he botched it and aren’t the Galatians lucky that they came along to set the record straight.

So, Paul is defending the message he gave as not his message but God’s message and his transformed life is proof.

Paul gives to us a beautiful picture of the Gospel Message - that no one is too far away from God’s Grace and that everyone is in need of God’s Grace.

This is the Gospel, that we have been saved by grace through faith and not of ourselves, it is the gift of God.

Paul’s life transformed life through God’s grace is proof that the gospel he shared is not only true but the ONLY gospel we should listen to.

Paul was a bad man who thought he was doing a good thing.

EX - Paul’s life was one where he did the wrong things for the wrong reasons … but thought he was on the right track.

Paul was a Pharisee’s Pharisee.

Zealous beyond his years.

Paul established these churches, most likely on his first missionary journey that we read about in Acts.

Protective of his way of life and the teachings of his religion.

And later, he got word that they had abandoned the gospel for a false, or counterfeit gospel that added to - the Judiazers said that they could not be really saved unless they were circumcised as well.

So when people started abandoning his group’s belief’s to follow this Jesus? Well, Paul went off.

And if we remember last week, I laid out the case that there is only one true Gospel. And I mentioned that Paul was attacked by the Judiazers who said he made up the gospel he shared and gave them something different.

He was bad - persecuting the church and doing what he thought God wanted.

So, Paul is defending the message he gave as not his message but God’s message.

But, while Paul was a bad man who acted against God, he firmly believed that he was doing the right thing.

The simple truth is that Paul was convinced that he was doing the right thing.

These “Christians” were a blight on the world and an embarrassment to his nation - they had to be stopped.

His persecution wasn’t just because he didn’t like them - he was convinced that it was the right thing.

IL - Doing the right thing?

We all have times where we think we are doing the right thing only to find out later that it is not.

Proverbs 16:25 ESV

There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

I contend that few, if any, people act in a manner that they believe to be wrong.

You see the temptation and you give in.

A few weeks ago, I was chatting with someone about abortion.

Man, says he is a Christian, argued that sometimes abortion is the proper answer given what might happen to a woman or the child.

And then you give in.

We would argue that abortion is wrong. But the abortionist doesn’t view themselves as doing something wrong.

I believe that Scripture teaches us that all life is precious. But he isn’t sitting in his evil lair trying hurt people.

They think they are

Generally speaking, people don’t say, “Hey, I know this is the wrong thing to do, but I’m going to do it anyway.”

That’s why we don’t trust our own hearts. We must look to an objective standard

AP - Ask the question: What is the standard for my life?

Paul’s standard was a religion that added to the requirements of God to keep people in line and to keep power over them.

This is the very essence of legalism.

And why it is so contrary to the gospel truth.

But we all are prone to legalism and to adding to or taking away from the Gospel hope that God gives to us.

Paul’s standard for his life - how he viewed everything changed after meeting Jesus.

Maybe today you are sitting here and you are resting on your own goodness to get into God’s kingdom. Stop it!

Paul knew that if anyone could get into glory by being religious - Paul could. So, religion won’t save you .

And we know that being good won’t save you - the prophet Isaiah says in

Isaiah 64:6 NLT

We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.

We are not good enough, we cannot be good enough and we will never be good enough.

If the standard for heaven is Goodness - none of us will be as good or righteous as Jesus.

But maybe you say, I get that, I have repented. I have trusted in Christ. Now, I’m free to do whatever I want.

NO! That’s not right either.

If our standard is the gospel, then, as John the Baptist reminds us in

Matthew 3:8 ESV

Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.

Remember, faith in trust in Jesus Christ is more than saying sorry you got caught. It is belief that everything he said about himself is true.

And if he is indeed God made flesh and he did die and rise again for the payment for sin - should we also then obey his teachings such as loving our God and our neighbor?

If we trust Jesus for our life eternally, we need to obey his commands contemporarily as well.

The gospel is bigger than just “Jesus died so I can go to heaven”. It’s also that Jesus died and rose again so I can bear the fruit of the Spirit we will look at later on in

Galatians 5:22–23 ESV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

The gospel reminds us that Jesus Christ redeems our past, repurposes our present and revives our future. That is our compass and standard for life.

Paul was set apart by Jesus for the purpose of the Gospel.

EX - Paul continues by telling this Church that he was called and set apart for the gospel.

As we look again at v.15, we see that Paul is making some bold claims about Jesus Christ.

That God had called Paul by his grace.

It pleased God to reveal the truth about Jesus to him.

He gave Paul a job to do - that is preaching about Jesus to the gentiles.

That God had set Paul apart for the work he was to do from before he was even born!

Because of this calling - and the fact that Paul was taught by Jesus Himself, Paul did not run back to Jerusalem to learn from them. He learned directly from Jesus Christ.

As we piece together Paul’s life from his different letters and from Acts, we conclude that Paul, after his Damascus Road encounter with Jesus was led out into the deserts of Arabia to be taught by Jesus for 3 years - the same amount of time the other Apostles had with Jesus.

And because Paul had this message come directly from Jesus, he did not need to stop and collaborate with others regarding it.

Despite the critics claims, Paul was not a Jr. Apostle who botched the teaching of the Jerusalem church. Instead, he was a full apostle, taught by Jesus.

God saved Paul by the gospel and then called him in the gospel to proclaim the gospel to a lost world.

AP - View Your Life as a Calling

We view calling as something that happens to “other people”

For example, we view pastoral ministry as a “calling”.

Or our friends the Tierney’s who are “called” to serve in Africa. Or our friends the Ropps who are “called” to serve in the Philippines.

But did you know that you too are called? Consider

1 Peter 2:9 ESV

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Every single one of you today who are believers in Jesus Christ are called - out of darkness, into light to be a royal priesthood and a holy nation.

We are called to be a chosen people for God, living by His commands and instructions.

So, let me ask you, who are you making intercession for?

And then we are called to go and tell others about Jesus and what He has done for each one of us, just as Paul did.

No, you may not be called to pastor, plant a church, go to Africa or to the Philippines (but if you are, come talk to me).

Paul made intercession for the Galatians by proclaiming Christ and His Gospel the first time and then by proclaiming it again when they got it wrong.

But before I was called to pastor, I was called to be a Godly husband to my wife and to lead her.

And I if I were to stop being a pastor, I’m still going to be a father to my boys and I have a responsibility to raise them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

And even if all that went away, I’m still a Christian called to make disciples.

My point is this - Paul knew that Christ called him to preach the Gospel. What has Jesus called you to do?

Be a parent? A spouse? A student? A farmer? A factory worker?

Yes - and he has called you to proclaim his name and help others grow in their faith.

The grace of God in Paul’s life led others to worship.

EX - The effects of Paul’s life and ministry led others to praise God.

As we go back to the text, verses 23 and 24 point out that those around Paul saw a marked difference in his life.

And because Paul’s life had changed - that he went from a persecutor of the church to one who lived to proclaim the gospel hope -

Others recognized this in Paul’s life and told others.

And they all praised God for it.

Now, to be sure, Paul’s transformation was so radical that people sat up and took notice.

But, to be sure, God’s work in Paul’s life caused others to sit up and glorify God as a result.

AP - Does your life lead others to praise God?

I know what you are thinking - how is my life going to lead others to God?

I’m always struck

Well, when your life is transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ - it changes everything about you.

I remember being asked by a staff member at Newton if I would do her grandmother’s funeral.

She had lived out of state for most of the last 20 years and the family moved her back because of declining health and she was in a care center there in Newton.

I agreed - mostly because I wanted to thank that staff member for her hard work .

In talking to the daughter, I will never forget how she said to me, “Pastor, I want you to know that Mom knows Jesus and she loves Jesus.”

As we continued to talk, I could tell just how grateful the daughter was for her mom - that she knows Jesus and loves Jesus.

And as I conducted that funeral, I told everyone to be thankful for this life - to be thankful to God for what He had done in her life and through her life to bless others.

Friends, you don’t have to be a missionary in a far away country or a pastor or a famous evangelist. You just need to believe the Gospel is true and let Jesus transform your life.

Asking him to grow the fruits of the spirit in your life.

Listening to the Spirit when it says to move and act.

Loving God with all that you are and loving your neighbors as yourself.

This is the sort of life that honors God - not one that is a big life but a transformed one by the power of the gospel.

People didn’t praise God because of Paul’s ministry. Look again at the text -

People were glorifying God because the one who once persecuted the gospel is now proclaiming the gospel.

This enemy of God is now a friend of God. The enemy of the church has become a member of the family.

And if God can transform and redeem a life such as that - well, there is hope for anyone of us as well.

First, is your life radically transformed by the gospel message?

Conclusion - Transformation that leads to transformation

Can people tell that there is a difference in your life because of Jesus?

And it may not necessarily be “I found Jesus on July 14, 1991” and before that I was a drunk criminal who sold stolen merchandise from the backseat of my car and now I serve in the soup kitchen and take care of widows and orphans. Although it could.

No, what I’m talking about is are you growing in holiness? Are you different today than you were yesterday because of the grace of God?

I can tell you that my wants and desires have changed since I became a Christian.

Are you growing in holiness daily as you reflect and see your life renewed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

When we are transformed, we should be like Archibald Orr Ewing, a successful business man in Glasgow, who went to China as a missionary.

Through communion with his Lord Jesus Christ, his features became so radiant that the people there gave him a new name—`Mr. Glory-face'.

Do people call you Mr or Miss Glory-face? Do they see that the power of Christ has changed you?

The beauty is that Paul is showing us what happens when the gospel changes a person. His very life is proof of the gospel power and of gospel truth.

Second, are you living your life in such a way that you get the credit or does God?

He reminds us that although he used to be a man who thought he was good but was living outside of God’s law, he can be redeemed.

There is a way to live in such a way that gives credit to God or to get credit yourself.

I remember many years ago, preaching a message like this saying “I don’t want to get the glory. I want Jesus to get the glory.”

And then that redemption process is more than just for me - God uses our redemption as part of a larger story to redeem fallen mankind.

And as we see God working in the lives of the redeemed, it should cause us to fall on our faces in joyful worship.

Someone walked up to me and said, “I was so encouraged by your message but I don’t know if I should tell you that or not because you said you don’t want to get the credit!”

Friends, this is the gospel - that, as one of my favorite authors Jerry Bridges famously wrote, no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace and no one is beyond the need of God’s Grace.

In all seriousness, if we are radically transformed by the gospel, do I serve to get the reward or do I serve so that God gets the glory?

I’m just telling you what is in the Bible.

And as we close, I want to share a story that Lee Strobel, the author of “The Case For Christ” among others shares -

How can I tell you the difference God has made in my life? My daughter Allison was 5 years old when I became a follower of Jesus, and all she had known in those five years was a dad who was profane and angry. I remember I came home one night and kicked a hole in the living room wall just out of anger with life. I am ashamed to think of the times Allison hid in her room to get away from me.

God should get the

Five months after I gave my life to Jesus Christ, that little girl went to my wife and said, "Mommy, I want God to do for me what he's done for Daddy." At age 5! What was she saying? She'd never studied the archeological evidence [regarding the truth of the Bible]. All she knew was her dad used to be this way: hard to live with. But more and more her dad is becoming this way. And if that is what God does to people, then sign her up. At age 5 she gave her life to Jesus.

God changed my family. He changed my world. He changed my eternity.

Friends - that’s the power of the Gospel. And a crucial way that we prove the gospel is true is thought our own transformed lives.

Paul’s life told the story of the gospel. Does yours? Let’s Pray.

Benediction

Romans 12:2 ESV

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.