SERIES: THE MAIN THING SESSION EIGHT, WINTER 2018 PAUL: JESUS CHANGES EVERYTHING WHO WAS PAUL? One of the most influential persons to ever live. Other than Jesus, the most important figure in the spread of the Christian faith. He lived at the as Jesus. He was born to Jewish parents and was also a citizen. Philippian 3.5-6: (I was) circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. He was mentored by the most respected teacher of his day. Acts 22.3: I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. Even among the elite students of Gamaliel, Paul rose to the top. Galatians 1.14: I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. Full of potential and promise educated, zealous and uncompromising Paul was selected to a dangerous, blasphemous sect which proclaimed that the Messiah had come and his name was Jesus. Galatians 1.13: For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. Acts 9.1: Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. Yet no one in the first century did more to spread the Christian faith and no one suffered more for doing so than Paul. Acts 9.3-6: As he neared Damascus suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? Who are you, Lord? Saul asked. I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, he replied. Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do. Over the next 30-35 years, Paul dedicated his life to promoting what he once believed was blasphemy.
2 2 Corinthians 11.23-29: Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked I have been in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Paul was put to death during the time of. He traveled thousands of miles, founded dozens of churches, and wrote many letters to encourage those congregations, thirteen of which we have in the New Testament. As the early church wrestled with the question Must Gentiles who put faith in Jesus also convert to Judaism and be circumcised? it was Paul more than anyone who understood and fought for the truth that the coming of Jesus was more than the fulfillment of Judaism; it was God coming into the world, throwing his arms open to anyone who would come in faith. WHICH BOOKS DID PAUL WRITE? The epistles beginning with Romans and with Philemon. WHEN WERE PAUL S LETTERS WRITTEN? From the late 40 s or early 50 s to the middle or late s. Nine were written to churches and four to individuals. WHAT OCCASIONED PAUL S EPISTLES? Many different issues, theological, pastoral and personal. No one was more religious, more committed, or more righteous before the law than Paul. But after he met Christ on the Damascus Road, everything changed: how he saw himself, how he approached God, what he trusted for salvation, and the purpose of his life. 2 Corinthians 5.17: If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come. What changes when you put faith in Jesus? Your identity, your status, your heart, your with God, your destiny everything. 1 Corinthians 15.3: For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures This is Paul s core message because the death and resurrection of Jesus changes everything.
3 1. HOW WE OURSELVES. Philippians 3.6: As for righteousness based on the law, faultless. Before coming to faith in Christ, Paul saw himself as moral and righteous, meeting all of God s requirements. Philippians 3.4-6: I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I obeyed the law without fault. After he met Jesus, how did he see his life prior to trusting in Christ? 1 Timothy 1.15: This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners and I am the worst of them all. Ephesians 2.2-3: You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. Romans 7.14-15, 24: So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Before meeting Jesus, he was in himself, in his efforts, and in his righteousness. Looking at that same life after he met Christ, Paul saw himself as sinful and dead in his transgressions. Mother Teresa: The closer you are to the light, the bigger the shadow. If you don t feel your need for a Savior, it s not because you have done everything so right. It s because you are so far from the light of Christ that you cannot see the in your heart and in your deeds, and you are lost. After meeting Jesus, Paul was no longer proud of his righteousness, but by his sin. He no longer looked to himself for salvation, but he saw his need for mercy and grace. Philippians 3.7-8: I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ The Gospel tells us that we are much off than we know. But also that there is more hope than we can imagine.
4 2. OUR WITH GOD. Romans 3.23-25: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood to be received by faith. Justification: God s pardon of guilty men and accounting of them as righteous based on the representative law-keeping and redemptive death of Jesus Christ. When we accept Christ through faith, what he accomplished on the cross is to us and now we are forgiven and deemed righteous in the sight of God. The word for justified in Greek is a legal term, meaning to be declared. The moment you put faith in Christ, your status changed from guilty to forgiven, from enmity with God to reconciled to God, and from condemned in your sins to in Christ. HOW WE BECOME RIGHT WITH GOD Human Nature The Gospel 1. Our merit 1. God s mercy 2. Our goodness 2. God s 3. Our virtuous works for God 3. The work of Christ on the cross for us 4. Something we earn 4. Something we re given 5. Religion 5. 6. Do 6. Done 3. OUR WITH GOD. Romans 8.15-16: The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God s children. Abba was a Jewish child s name for father, best translated as Daddy or. What does it mean that you are God s son? It means you bear his name, he is committed to you, and he will provide for your needs. But more than anything else, it means that he you. 4. OUR FOR SERVING GOD. 1 Timothy 1.12-14: I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him, even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus.
5 Before meeting Jesus, Paul labored to earn God s approval. After meeting Jesus, his motive for serving God and doing his work was. Samuel Taylor Coleridge: I can never forget that the reading of this Pauline letter, when I was a boy in my teens, exercised a more decisive influence upon my thought and imagination than was ever wrought upon me before or since by the perusal of any piece of literature. The romance of the part played by Jesus Christ in making my personal salvation possible and in mediating God s cosmic plan set my spirit aflame That was my encounter with the Cosmic Christ. The Christ who was and is became the passion of my life. I have to admit, without shame or reserve, that as a result of that encounter, I have been unable to think of my own life or the life of mankind or the life of the cosmos apart from Jesus Christ. He came to me and challenged me in the writings of St. Paul. I responded. The years that have followed have been but a footnote to that encounter. UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES 1. Spring Mission Trip to Honduras: April 18-21. Register on the church website under Missions. Always a great trip. $1300. 2. ReEngage: Every Tuesday Night, 6:30 pm in the Harvest. Marriages in any condition can benefit. Start any week, no need to register. www.thewoodlandsumc.org/reengage 3. Family Promise: A ministry for homeless families who stay in area churches and receive job training. Needs people to become involved as workers and in leadership positions. If interested, email Chris Havern at chris.havern@hotmail.com. 4. Small Group: If you are interested in a small group for yourself or for your wife and you, send an email to rrenfroe@twumc.org. 5. God s Garage: God s Garage is hosting a work night for TWUMC men (sons welcome age 13+) on Thursday March 8th, 6-8:30pm. Fellowship while repairing vehicles for widows, single moms and others in need! RSVP to Chris chrispcwilliams@gmail.com, 281-455- 4670 or Ted, tedwyrick@aol.com 713-560-4443. No experience is necessary! Wear work clothes (that will get dirty) and closed toed shoes and a happy heart. 12340 FM 2854, just south of Conroe TX (24mins from TWUMC). 6. VBS 2018: Operation Arctic is fast approaching and Children s Ministry would love the men of Quest to serve the children of our community as we explore the coolest book on the planet! Serve as a shepherd to groups of 10-12 children as they walk through a week of crafts, recreation, missions, Bible study and worship. June 11 th -14 th 9:00am 12:15pm Register at https://my.thewoodlandsumc.org/page/413?registrationinstanceid=28 The Woodlands United Methodist Church www.thewoodlandsumc.org