Jan. 2, 2022 - To The Churches of Galatia
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Today - we begin a trek through our next book of Scripture...
The book of Galatians
Back in January of this year, we were finishing up our Old Testament Survey Series...
And I was deciding where we should head after that.
What I ended up deciding on was a path which would take us through...
the books of...
Titus
Ephesians
Galatians
Why this path?
My thought was:
Going thru TITUS - would reveal to us WHY church leadership is crucial in the church...
… a CALL to the men for Eldership
THEN - to jump into Ephesians...
Where we would see - WHAT church leadership is helping the church to PROGRESS toward...
… in pursuing the Glorification of God as Member and collective Body
To then Galatians - where we will see OPPOSITION to the truths of God and how Paul handles it.
This was my mindset 11 months ago...
And now here we are.
In order for us to understand where Paul will TAKE us in the Book of Galatians...
we need to understand the CONTEXT of his writing...
UNLIKE the book we just finished - (Ephesians) - this book here (Galatians) was written because there was an ISSUE in the church.
As we will see - False Teachers had infiltrated the churches in Galatia, and had begun to SWAY the people in their thinking...
And so PAUL hears of this - and writes this letter.
And so - let’s get to it...
1 Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—
2 and all the brothers who are with me, To the churches of Galatia:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,
4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
This of course is Paul’s GREETING to the churches in Galatia...
It’s a greeting that finds familiarity with Paul’s other greetings in the Bible...
And what I mean is this - Paul would almost always begin his letters - with an appeal to his - Apostleship...
He was always DEFENDING his apostleship...
If we circle back to v1, we’ll see this...
1 Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—
What is Paul trying to ELEVATE here?
2 things!
First - that he’s an APOSTLE...
What does it mean to be - an APOSTLE?
The word literally means...
SLIDE:
Apostle: One who is sent out
In the NT, it referred to...
SPECIFICALLY - the 12 Apostles...
Generically - others who were also sent out to proclaim Christ
Now - referring to the 12 apostles - they held a UNIQUE position!
There were QUALIFICATIONS to being UNIQUELY one of the - 12 apostles...
SLIDE:
The 12 Apostles
Saw the Resurrected Christ
Chosen by the Holy Spirit
Performed Signs and Wonders
Ok, now let’s see verses supporting each of these...
Saw the Resurrected Christ
1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord?
2. Chosen by the Holy Spirit
15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.
3. Performed Signs and Wonders
43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
12 The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works.
And so the UNIQUE position of the 12 apostles brought with it some QUALIFICATIONS...
And Paul here in our text today, as i said earlier...
- is ELEVATING 2 things in Gal 1:1...
- He made it clear to HIGHLIGHT that he was an apostle… ONE SENT...
BUT - MORE importantly - I think - is how Paul DESCRIBES his apostleship...
1 Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—
the 2nd thing Paul is ELEVATING here is this...
SLIDE: The Apostleship of Paul: Founded on the Authority of Jesus Christ
The Apostleship of Paul
The Apostleship of Paul
Let’s go back and listen to v1 again...
1 Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—
Paul here - wants to make it VERY CLEAR - that his apostleship...
…was NOT founded on the will of men
NOT founded on the preference of a few…or even HIMSELF!
BUT that he had been SENT - BY GOD...
AND THEREFORE - his message - had the AUTHORITY of Jesus BEHIND IT…!
It seems clear that Paul felt the NEED to defend his apostleship...
But it’s also something he was ALWAYS DOING....
1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,
1 Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia:
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus,
I think we get it...
Paul wanted EVERYONE to know - He was NOT OPERATING by his own measure...
He had been COMMANDED - BY GOD - to - GO
And it’s the AUTHORITY of Jesus Christ - that PROPELLED Paul...
*Now we live in a world and a society that really operates within a framework of - Authority...
We’ve always operated under Corporate structures where Authority plays itself out...
Business function best - when there is an Authoritative structure...
*Imagine your places of employment - with no authority structure…(Chaos?)
How could you run a business without an Authority structure…?
How could you run a school without an Authority structure…?
How could you manage a CITY without an Authority structure in place?
How could you manage a STATE...
How could you govern a COUNTRY without an Authority structure in place?
A problem we have TODAY - is trying to find the PROPER authority
Everyone thinks SO-N-SO would be a better Authority in this particular area or that...
These people LISTEN to people THEY BELIEVE have the authority...
WHILE these OTHER people listen to SOMEONE ELSE that THEY believe has authority to speak...
And that’s what POLITICS is all about no?
Politics is all about -
These people thinking - THAT person should be in AUTHORITY
These OTHER people thinking - This OTHER person should be in AUTHORITY
But what PROPELLED Paul?
The man who ruled at the time?
NO - Jesus Christ! The Authority of Christ
And this is something I think MANY within Christianity - fail to embrace!
*If Jesus walked in right now and said - “Hey, we’re going to all go to the Middle East, find a nearby clan of ISIS...
…and we’re going to preach to them...
How many of you would NOT go?
How many of you would HAVE to think about it?
How many of you would be like - Sweet let’s go!
Any hesitancy AT ALL - would be due to us FORGETTING about - the AUTHORITY of Jesus!
What did Jesus say to the apostles before ascending…?
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
See - it’s the AUTHORITY of Jesus - that supports the spread of the gospel!!
And it’s this AUTHORITY that should SPEAK to us - TODAY...
I know that we look out at others WITHIN the faith - and at times - we see someone we respect...
AND we think - WOW - they’re really SOLD OUT for Jesus - and the Gospel...
THEY go - ALL OUT!
How do they do that?
Part of the reason they DO THAT - is because they’ve EMBRACED that their message is founded on the AUTHORITY of Jesus...
The reason I know that…is because of WHAT the Authority of Jesus does!
SLIDE: The Authority of Jesus Christ: Anchors Our Words and Deeds in Truth
The Authority of Jesus Christ
The Authority of Jesus Christ
This here is the MAIN reason that Paul was constantly CLARIFYING that his apostleship was - FROM GOD!!
He wanted it to BE KNOWN - that he wasn’t commissioned BY THE APOSTLES themselves!
But that GOD Himself - anointed him to this work!!
See PAUL wanted his HEARERS - to KNOW that what he spoke - was GOD’S TRUTH!!
And that it could be TRUSTED!!
Paul’s SAYING - HE (GOD) sent me...
My words are FROM HIM!!
HE sent me…to you
And in CASE you FORGOT who (HE) is...
1 Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—
I have been SENT - by the God who raised JESUS from the DEAD…!
THAT miracle working God - HE sent me
THAT creator of the UNIVERSE - HE sent me
THAT CONQUEROR of DEATH - HE sent me!
He KNOWS what HE’s talking about - therefore - LISTEN to me!
*Have any of you ever been tasked with LEADING something you knew NOTHING about?
*Have any of you ever been asked to TRAIN someone on something you knew NOTHING about?
*AVANIA
*Ask me to train someone in how to properly field a ground ball....OR...
play of G-chord - OR - use our SLIDE program...
I could do that pretty well!
*Ask me to train someone to perform a heart surgery....not a chance.
We all know and have experienced - that when we DON’T know what we’re talking about -
When we don’t KNOW the subject - we’re NOT CONFIDENT OURSELVES - in what we’re saying...
BUT - what happens when you KNOW for CERTAIN - what you are talking about - AND YOU HAVE experts to verify it...
What happens in us - when we KNOW we’re holding the truth?
*Ask me how to field a ground ball....and I become - BOLD! - CONFIDENT!
SLIDE: The Authority of Jesus Christ: Emboldens Our Words and Deeds
The Authority of Jesus Christ
The Authority of Jesus Christ
Not only does this Authority anchor our words and deeds in TRUTH...
BUT - it also Emboldens our Words and Deeds
Did Paul experience this?
It would be laughable to even THINK of answering that question with a NO...
Ok, so Paul experienced this...
Have you?
23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death.
24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one.
25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea;
26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers;
27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.
Paul experienced this EMBOLDENING…AS he embraced and TRULY believed - that his message was founded on the AUTHORITY of Jesus...
*A couple weeks ago, I went out to lunch with Mark Fender… (Police Uniform)
I felt an EMBOLDENING - as I sat there - WHY?
Because Mark was dressed for work...
If you didn’t know - Mark is a Police Officer...
And MORE THAN that!!....
He’s the Chief of Police - in Strongsville!
YEAH - so I was sitting there, in a crowded restaurant - with the Chief of Police…!
AND EVERYONE KNEW I was sitting with the Chief of Police…!
I was EMBOLDENED! WHY?
Because I was sitting with - an AUTHORITY - in the City of Strongsville...
I felt like - WOW - I felt ATTACHED to that Authority!
And I looked around - thinking - Don’t think about TRYING anything!!
I’m with HIM!!
I was EMBOLDENED - probably a sinful emboldening - but nonetheless!
NOW - that’s the Chief of Police - City of Strongsville… Mark Fender
Well deserved Authority!
But how about Jesus Christ!?
Can we - BE EMBOLDENED by Him?
I HOPE so!!
Paul sure was!
AND BECAUSE Paul was emboldened - it was contagious to Christians around him...
12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel,
13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.
14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
So the brothers hear about Paul’s imprisonment, ...know that he’s there for Christ, ...and their own confidence in the Lord grows.
Wouldn’t it make sense that when they hear of Paul’s imprisonment, that their confidence in the Lord would decrease??
The world would look at Paul’s situation and say, “Where is your God?”
The world walks by sight, not by faith, and so it would see Paul’s circumstance and declare that God is untrustworthy.
Paul’s brothers in Christ however hear about his imprisonment, and their confidence in the Lord increases.
And so - BECAUSE PAUL EMBRACED - and believed in the AUTHORITY of Jesus Christ...
He BOLDLY - SPOKE the TRUTH of Christ - which lead to his own suffering...
YET - ALSO lead to the increasing BOLDNESS of his brothers IN CHRIST!!
So the AUTHORITY of Christ not only lead to Paul’s BOLDNESS - but also to his BROTHER’S boldness as well!!
THIS is what the AUTHORITY of Christ will do!!
And Jesus Himself KNEW THIS!!
If you’re at all familiar with the Bible, specifically the ministry of Jesus - you’d know that Jesus was always going at it with the Pharisees...
And the Pharisees were always asking Jesus - “By what - Authority are you doing these things?”
And we do the same thing today don’t we?
When WE ASK that question - what we’re asking is this...
Why should I LISTEN to you?
WHO ARE YOU?
The Pharisees asked Jesus the same question....
But listen how Jesus tried to convince people to listen to Him...
6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.”
Jesus knew that MANKIND comprehends the - PHYSICAL world...
Jesus could say - “You’re sins are forgiven” - - ALL DAY LONG...
But that wouldn’t convince people it was true...
So what does He do?
_ He demonstrates His AUTHORITY - OVER the PHYSICAL world to prove that He also had authority over the Spiritual world...
Embracing authority in this world - plays a huge part in our walks of FAITH...
And this ELEVATION of the Authority of Jesus - In our text today - is LEADING to something!
In our text today - Paul points to the Authority of Jesus...
WHICH MEANS - Paul’s BOLDNESS is about to RISE!
And we’ll SEE that Boldness next week - BUT before we get there...
…Paul’s BOLDNESS is going to be shown to be - BALANCED!
It’s going to be shown to be a HUMBLE-BOLDNESS...
Let’s go to our text...
1 Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—
2 and all the brothers who are with me, To the churches of Galatia:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,
4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Paul here closes this GREETING by praying GRACE and PEACE upon the Galatians...
And really just ELEVATES - who?
GOD
This is a HUMBLE boldness - Paul isn’t ELEVATING HIMSELF...
Because he has an opinion and they really need to think how Paul thinks!!!
Paul is HUMBLED - in that - IN his BOLDNESS - He ELEVATES Jesus and His truth - not himself!
Paul here - REMINDING the Galatians of ALL that God has done - IN CHRIST!!
He says - Grace and Peace to you - FROM Jesus, WHO GAVE Himself for our sins...
…to deliver us from this evil age...
…according to - - the will OF GOD
…TO WHOM be the glory - forever!!
Paul’s saying - THIS IS ALL of GOD!!
And this BRIEF Gospel message of Paul to close this greeting - is going to lead into the BOLDNESS that Paul will display next week - as he approaches the ISSUE within the churches...
SUMMARY:
We’ve actually seen Paul today - ADORN himself with the whole armor of God...
As he also prepares his HEARERS to hear what they’re about to hear...
The Apostleship of Paul: Founded on the Authority of Jesus Christ
SLIDE:
The Apostleship of Paul
The Apostleship of Paul
Paul was always pointing back to the AUTHORITY of Jesus Christ...
Which IN TURN - validated his message - - and another way to say that...
SLIDE: The Authority of Jesus Christ: Anchors Our Words and Deeds in Truth
The Authority of Jesus Christ
The Authority of Jesus Christ
And what happens when we KNOW - beyond the shadow of a doubt…that we HOLD PURE TRUTH!!
SLIDE: The Authority of Jesus Christ: Emboldens Our Words and Deeds
The Authority of Jesus Christ
The Authority of Jesus Christ
We saw it in the life of the Apostle Paul -
Can we TRUST in the Authority of Christ enough for US to be JUST AS emboldened!
Let’s Pray (Kids for Lords Table)
Lord’s Table
This brings us to the Lord’s Table…a time for each of us to reflect on our lives, to examine ourselves spiritually, and to remember the cost of our faith.
We were bought with a price, and these elements remind us of this.
For those of you who are followers of Jesus - the question we were faced with asked was:
Do I really trust in the Authority of Jesus Christ?
Examine yourselves...Shine the light of Christ on all the doubt that you cling to…
(all the fear of man that you often bow down to - Lay it down before Him)
For the rest who haven’t bowed the knee to Jesus...
The Good news of Jesus is that He provides ALL that is required to spend eternity with Him...
It’s HIS righteousness that we need
It’s HIS forgiveness that we need
It takes us - dying to ourselves and trusting in Jesus ALONE for our salvation!
Cry out to Him in faith - and receive the gift of eternal life...
BUT- IF you haven’t done that and WON’T do that - ...you should not partake in this...
The Bible says to not take this lightly.
Scripture says – “ whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.
Take time now and examine yourself before the Lord.
Mark 14:22–25 ESV
22 And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” 23 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. 24 And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. 25 Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
“do this…in remembrance of me.”
Kids come up -
He shall reign forevermore, forevermore
He shall reign forevermore, forevermore
Unto us a child is born
King of Kings and Lord of Lords
He shall reign forevermore, forevermore
Amen