Paul's Defense

Paul's Defense | Galatians 1:11-2:10 September 10, 2023 Last week, we opened our new series in the book of Galatians, which was Paul's letter to a group of gentile Christians in the southern region of Galatia. Paul's letter, as we learned last week, was to address a primary issue: a false Gospel was disrupting the church. Paul had to defend this gospel and his authority as an Apostle, who had the role of preaching the Gospel. We left off in Galatians 1:10 with these words: 10 FOR AM I NOW SEEKING THE APPROVAL OF MAN, OR OF GOD? OR AM I TRYING TO PLEASE MAN? IF I WERE STILL TRYING TO PLEASE MAN, I WOULD NOT BE A SERVANT OF CHRIST. In large part, this section we'll cover this morning is a continuation and expansion of that verse, as Paul continues his defense of the gospel, and the source of that gospel. Let's pick up the letter with Galatians 1:11-2:10: 1:11 FOR I WOULD HAVE YOU KNOW, BROTHERS, THAT THE GOSPEL THAT WAS PREACHED BY ME IS NOT MAN'S GOSPEL. 12 FOR I DID NOT RECEIVE IT FROM ANY MAN, NOR WAS I TAUGHT IT, BUT I RECEIVED IT THROUGH A REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST. 13 FOR YOU HAVE HEARD OF MY FORMER LIFE IN JUDAISM, HOW I PERSECUTED THE CHURCH OF GOD VIOLENTLY AND TRIED TO DESTROY IT. 14 AND I WAS ADVANCING IN JUDAISM BEYOND MANY OF MY OWN AGE AMONG MY PEOPLE, SO EXTREMELY ZEALOUS WAS I FOR THE TRADITIONS OF MY FATHERS. 15 BUT WHEN HE WHO HAD SET ME APART BEFORE I WAS BORN, AND WHO CALLED ME BY HIS GRACE, 16 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; 17 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. 18 THEN AFTER THREE YEARS I WENT UP TO JERUSALEM TO VISIT CEPHAS AND REMAINED WITH HIM FIFTEEN DAYS. 19 BUT I SAW NONE OF THE OTHER APOSTLES EXCEPT JAMES THE LORD'S BROTHER. 20 (IN WHAT I AM WRITING TO YOU, BEFORE GOD, I DO NOT LIE!) 21 THEN I WENT INTO THE REGIONS OF SYRIA AND CILICIA. 22 AND I WAS STILL UNKNOWN IN PERSON TO THE CHURCHES OF JUDEA THAT ARE IN CHRIST. 23 THEY ONLY WERE HEARING IT SAID, "HE WHO USED TO PERSECUTE US IS NOW PREACHING THE FAITH HE ONCE TRIED TO DESTROY." 24 AND THEY GLORIFIED GOD BECAUSE OF ME. 2:1 THEN AFTER FOURTEEN YEARS I WENT UP AGAIN TO JERUSALEM WITH BARNABAS, TAKING TITUS ALONG WITH ME. 2 I WENT UP BECAUSE OF A REVELATION AND SET BEFORE THEM (THOUGH PRIVATELY BEFORE THOSE WHO SEEMED INFLUENTIAL) THE GOSPEL THAT I PROCLAIM AMONG THE GENTILES, IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE I WAS NOT RUNNING OR HAD NOT RUN IN VAIN. 3 BUT EVEN TITUS, WHO WAS WITH ME, WAS NOT FORCED TO BE CIRCUMCISED, THOUGH HE WAS A GREEK. 4 YET BECAUSE OF FALSE BROTHERS SECRETLY BROUGHT IN-WHO SLIPPED IN TO SPY OUT OUR FREEDOM THAT WE HAVE IN CHRIST JESUS, SO THAT THEY MIGHT BRING US INTO SLAVERY- 5 TO THEM WE DID NOT YIELD IN SUBMISSION EVEN FOR A MOMENT, SO THAT THE TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL MIGHT BE PRESERVED FOR YOU. 6 AND FROM THOSE WHO SEEMED TO BE INFLUENTIAL (WHAT THEY WERE MAKES NO DIFFERENCE TO ME; GOD SHOWS NO PARTIALITY)-THOSE, I SAY, WHO SEEMED INFLUENTIAL ADDED NOTHING TO ME. 7 ON THE CONTRARY, WHEN THEY SAW THAT I HAD BEEN ENTRUSTED WITH THE GOSPEL TO THE UNCIRCUMCISED, JUST AS PETER HAD BEEN ENTRUSTED WITH THE GOSPEL TO THE CIRCUMCISED 8 (FOR HE WHO WORKED THROUGH PETER FOR HIS APOSTOLIC MINISTRY TO THE CIRCUMCISED WORKED ALSO THROUGH ME FOR MINE TO THE GENTILES), 9 AND WHEN JAMES AND CEPHAS AND JOHN, WHO SEEMED TO BE PILLARS, PERCEIVED THE GRACE THAT WAS GIVEN TO ME, THEY GAVE THE RIGHT HAND OF FELLOWSHIP TO BARNABAS AND ME, THAT WE SHOULD GO TO THE GENTILES AND THEY TO THE CIRCUMCISED. 10 ONLY, THEY ASKED US TO REMEMBER THE POOR, THE VERY THING I WAS EAGER TO DO. It's easy to get caught up in all the details of this account. People like to create timelines and compare it to the account in Acts. They like to speculate what Paul was doing in Arabia, and other things from the passage. It would be a great bible study, and I'll put some references and a link to a timeline of all of this in the Newsletter for your personal study, but for our purposes today, I'm not too sure that's the most important thing to focus on. Let me give you an example. When I was on a criminal jury case many years ago in LA County, and the young man was being charged with possession of marijuana with the intent to sell. The trial lasts at least a few days, and I remember one of the days the prosecution called the investigating and arresting officer to testify. During their testimony, they spent (it seemed like) hours discussing the street, the surrounding areas, the building itself, the layout of the living room, the color of the curtains (I may have made the last couple of parts up). As I'm sitting there, I can't help but think, "what does this have to do with anything?" It was useful for the arresting officers and the district attorney to go to trial, but for the jury, it was not important. Not to say that these details are not important, but they were more important for the churches in Galatia than they are for the church on Thornydale Rd. today. I submit that Paul's purpose and process is more important for us today than the places where he began his ministry. Let me be clear. All Scripture is breathed out by God and is useful, but if we get too caught up in the details, we miss the big picture for us today. With that said, here is our main idea from the text, Paul's ministry teaches us that: If we are called to be saved, we are called to serve. As we saw previously, Paul's purpose of this section was to prove that his calling was from Christ, and his Gospel was from Christ. So, what he does here is maps out his testimony as a proof of a divine calling. But, as stated, what's most important for us today is to understand what this means for us today. So, for the rest of our time today, we will be ... APPLYING PAUL'S MINISTRY First, we must ... * Listen to God's Word before man's word (1:11-14, 16) o Verse 14 reveals that Paul was advanced beyond his years in both the Law and in traditions. o Judaism, as you may recall, teaches a works plus faith salvation. o Paul was neck deep in his religious zeal. So, for him to listen to the revelation of Christ, instead of leaning on his education or the Apostles, it solidifies his commitment to God's calling, God's gospel, and God's purpose for him. o Frankly, it is easy to lean on others for information instead of listening to God. o We do it every day, you know. * When we lift up a pastor and his words * When we watch the news and trust it as the absolute truth * When we listen to government or medical experts on things critical to our lives * Our teachers * We can go on an on ... o Paul realized that he must be still and listen to God o Next, we learn that ... * Your past does not disqualify you from God's Kingdom (1:13-14) o Paul describes his past here, and notably his role in trying to destroy the church. The language used here actually speaks to an excessive use of force and violence. o Acts 9:26 reveals that the apostles in Jerusalem were afraid of Paul. Last week, we were reminded that Christ appoints Apostles. These two points alone provide proof that Paul was not appointed by men. o For you and me, it means that we come to Christ as we are. We don't have to get our lives together before we can follow the Lord, He cleanses us. o I'm sure you've heard this before, but God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called. o Paul was unfit to serve God in that capacity - until God got a hold of His heart, commissioned him, and sent him out. o Paul continues this when he proclaims ... * God called you from the womb (1:15-16) o Paul's not unique in this statement. Jeremiah 1:4-5 states: 4 NOW THE WORD OF THE LORD CAME TO ME, SAYING, 5 "BEFORE I FORMED YOU IN THE WOMB I KNEW YOU, AND BEFORE YOU WERE BORN I CONSECRATED YOU; I APPOINTED YOU A PROPHET TO THE NATIONS. o How about Luke 1:15-17, when the angel was speaking to Elizabath and Zechariah about their son, John. The angel says of John: 15 FOR HE WILL BE GREAT BEFORE THE LORD. AND HE MUST NOT DRINK WINE OR STRONG DRINK, AND HE WILL BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT, EVEN FROM HIS MOTHER'S WOMB. 16 AND HE WILL TURN MANY OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL TO THE LORD THEIR GOD, 17 AND HE WILL GO BEFORE HIM IN THE SPIRIT AND POWER OF ELIJAH, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS TO THE CHILDREN, AND THE DISOBEDIENT TO THE WISDOM OF THE JUST, TO MAKE READY FOR THE LORD A PEOPLE PREPARED." o God called Paul in a unique way, particularly in his role as an Apostle. o No wonder he had to defend himself. o For the others - even Matthias from Acts 1 - they were easy to identify as Apostles, but here, as we learn from our passage today, Paul had minimal contact with the Apostles in his first 14 years of ministry. o Next, we should ... * Reflect on God's calling in your life (1:16-17) o Verse 17 is one of those verses that the scholars and experts like to speculate on. o At the end of verse 16, we read from Paul, I DID NOT IMMEDIATELY CONSULT WITH ANYONE, then in verse 17, we read that he went to Arabia. o Why Arabia? We don't know for certain. Paul doesn't give us more detail, nor does Luke in the book of Acts. o I read this about Arabia during that time, and Paul's possible activities while there: [Arabia was] "a thinly inhabited terrain, extending from the Euphrates in the west far to the north, he immediately turned away from all human influence in order to reflect in solitude on the matter of his calling, and on the turn which his life was now taking." o It's a theory, based on the geographical and historical context. o Because we know that Paul was not swayed or influenced by others, nor tradition, nor religion, we can conclude that - whether in Arabia, or elsewhere - Paul reflected and spent the time needed with the Father to receive the fullness of his calling. o In 2 Corinthians 12:2 and 7, Paul speaks of one of these special revelations he received from God. Verse 2 states: I KNOW A MAN IN CHRIST WHO FOURTEEN YEARS AGO WAS CAUGHT UP TO THE THIRD HEAVEN-WHETHER IN THE BODY OR OUT OF THE BODY I DO NOT KNOW, GOD KNOWS. Then, he continues in verse 7 with: SO TO KEEP ME FROM BECOMING CONCEITED BECAUSE OF THE SURPASSING GREATNESS OF THE REVELATIONS, A THORN WAS GIVEN ME IN THE FLESH, A MESSENGER OF SATAN TO HARASS ME, TO KEEP ME FROM BECOMING CONCEITED. o You see, Paul had special revelations from God, in which made his calling and his conversion unique and special. o But the lesson for us here is to remember. To reflect. To worship. God has a special plan and purpose for each of us. We've all been called to make disciples. o Spending personal time with the Lord reveals that to us. o Next we must, * Engage in fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ (1:18) o Paul finally goes up to Jerusalem. o Three years after his conversion, he goes up for the purpose of meeting Cephas, or as we know him, Peter. o The word used in the ESV is "visit" which indicates a meeting for the purpose of knowing someone. He wanted to meet Peter, one of the pillars of the Church. o His reasoning for mentioning this visit was to show that, "yes, I went to Jerusalem, but only met with Peter and James for 15 days. I saw no one else, therefore, no man gave me my gospel." o But, what's critical here, is that Paul made it a point to connect with Peter, even though he did not "need" to. o Later we see that Paul had Barnabas and Titus with him for his second trip to Jerusalem, and all throughout his letters, we see how Paul worked with others to do ministry. o We cannot do ministry, life, or Christianity alone, we need one another. o This can be accomplished by attending and participating in a small group, or by serving somewhere. o Maybe the Lord is speaking to you this morning to get plugged in somewhere, if so, let us know. o Next, Paul provides an example for us to ... * Share the Good News (1:21-24) o In verses 21-24 we see that Paul went into Syria and Cilicia, and there we see that many came to glorify God because of his work. o What this shows us is that Paul didn't take his calling and conversion for granted. o He took action and carried it out. o Paul knew from the very beginning that his purpose was to share the Gospel to the Gentiles - see Acts 9:15. o Paul says in his letter to the Romans that one must hear the Word of God to be saved, since faith comes from hearing. o Paul practiced this in his ministry following his conversion. He became a zealot once again, this time for the right cause. o What's your cause? o Are you known for sharing Jesus with others? Or are you known for something else? Verse 23 reveals that Paul was known by the cities. His testimony was powerful and effective for the spread of the Gospel. o How are you using your testimony for the Kingdom? o Finally, we get into chapter 2, where we see two things from Paul that we can learn from. o First, * Unity is critical (2:1-9) o This first section in chapter two shows Paul's meeting with the Apostles, most likely around the time of the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15. o Verse 9 is the critical verse in this section. He speaks first of the "pillars" of the church, Peter, John, and James. o But, more importantly, he states that they agreed to his gospel account, and that they joined together with fellowship. o This is great! They acknowledged Paul as an apostle, appointed by Christ, to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles. o A couple of things we can learn from this: * First, we must rejoice in the successes of others within the Kingdom of God. * Second, God give us different roles in the same calling of proclaiming the Good News. o For example, Peter was the apostle to the Jews, but we know that he also preached to the Gentiles. o And Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles, but we know that he also preached to the Jews. o The unity is found in Christ alone. o Paul's Gospel was Christ's Gospel. Paul's Gospel was Peter's Gospel. The Gospel remains unchanged. The Gospel remains sufficient. o Next, the Apostles did have one thing to add to their interaction with Paul and Barnabas in verse 10, namely: * Service will always be primary in ministry (2:10) o Back in Acts 11, Paul went to Jerusalem to help with the famine. o In 1 Corinthians 16, Paul urges the churches in Corinth to make a collection for the church in Jerusalem, then he follows up on this in 2 Corinthians 8. o The work of a Christian, particularly one in ministry, should always include service. o As a community of believers, we are expected to look after one another, both physically and spiritually. This morning, we saw that Paul's ministry reminds us that: If we are called to be saved, we are called to serve. Paul was called and commissioned by Christ to preach to the Gentiles. Through his testimony, we have learned so much about ministry and about Christian living. The foundation is all found on the Gospel message, the one that Christ gave to Paul, the same one that the other Apostles preached. By adding Paul, the Gospel message reached countless Gentiles, indirectly to include you and I today. Let us not dilute or distort this gospel through addition or subtraction or through poor witness. Instead, let's be active Christians in our faith, and through our service to others. Let's ensure that Christ is elevated in all that we do. Let's reach more for the Kingdom. The Gospel is transforming, and we see that through Paul's life. Is that seen through yours? Let's pray. 2