READING: GALATIANS 1:1-5. TITLE OF SERMON: AIM: THE GOSPEL AND GOD S APOSTLE Believe that it is by grace you have been saved through faith. Introduction Good times don t teach you to pray. Spiritual struggle, despair, hardships, teach you to pray. If anyone faced these Paul the writer of Ephesians did. In this closing portrait of the living church, Paul teaches us about prayer. He went through the fire of trial and found the restoring power of prayer. Intro to Galatians - Why study this letter? Themes: How you are made right with God? Justification. It teaches us about the importance of the cross as the only way to be saved. The subtle lure of false religion. Understanding your relationship with Jesus Christ and how to live in freedom. How you live in response to what Christ has done for you by serving others. This letter is also a window into the heart and life of the Apostle Paul. You get to see what motivated him learn what should motivate you in Christian life. You ll discover what fired Paul up and ought to fire you up. Some things in church life Paul simply accepted, he tolerated, it wasn t a big deal. But things which compromised the essence of the gospel fired Paul up into a compassionate rage. Background: Date - It is the first of Paul s letters. This letter was probably written shortly before the Council of Jerusalem, AD 48/49 between his second and third missionary journey. Ancient Galatia was a region in the highlands of central Anatolia in modern Turkey. Galatia was bounded on the north by Bithynia and Paphlagonia, on the east by Pontus and Cappadocia, on the south by Cilicia and Lycia, and on the west by Phrygia. During his second missionary journey Paul, accompanied by Silas and Timothy (Acts 16:6), visited the "region of Galatia." Galatians 4:13 tells us Paul got sick for a while and ended up staying there to preach the gospel. On his third journey Acts 18:23 tells us Paul travelled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples. At Lystra God used Paul to heal a man who was crippled from birth and had never walked (Acts 14:8-23). Crowd tried to sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas thinking they were gods. Paul urged them to refrain saying they were only men and that they should turn to the living God. Some Jews came along and turned the crowd against Paul. They took him outside the city, stoned him and left him for dead. Miraculously Paul survived. Acts 14:20 tells us 20 But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe. FORMATTED FOR USE AT DCF BY HANS SMIT 2014 Page 1 of 5
Paul wrote this letter to the churches in the region of Galatia. Paul addresses two major issues in this intro that were coming under attack. His authority as an apostle and the authority of his message. Since founding the churches false teachers had come in. They attacked Paul and attacked his message. They said, you must believe in Jesus but you must do more. There are some extra conditions to be a Christian. You need to follow Jewish customs, be circumcised and follow all the ceremonial laws in the OT. Same issue as in Acts 15:1 Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved. Not only did they attack Paul s message they undermined his authority as God s apostle. They said Paul wasn t one of the twelve. He wasn t with them alongside Jesus at his death and resurrection. He s just a selfappointed imposter. So how did Paul respond? He wrote to them and his greeting sets the direction for the letter. Galatians 1:1-5 Paul, an apostle sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead 1. ACCEPT PAUL AS CHRIST S APOSTLE. What is an apostle? Go back to Jesus appointing them. After spending the night in prayer Jesus called his disciples to them and chose twelve and designated them apostles. Luke 6:13 and Mark 3:14 14 Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. They were authorized and commissioned to preach and teach in His name. These twelve were unique. The term apostle is given to none other than these twelve. The apostles had no successors. They only ever refer to themselves as apostles in their letters. They call members of the church saints or brothers and sisters but never apostles. The mark of these apostles was that they were appointed and commissioned to preach by the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Paul wrote Paul, an apostle sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, This appointment was not from men or by men, but by the risen Lord Jesus Christ. Paul s commission was divine. Read Acts 9:1-6 Road to Damascus. Paul saw Jesus. This visible encounter with the risen Lord Jesus Christ and His commissioning to preach the gospel is what gave Paul the divine authority to be an apostle. Paul referred to this again and again in his letters. 1 Corinthians 9:1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? 1 Corinthians 15:8-9 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. Page 2 of 5
9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. Why is Paul s appointment as an apostle important? If you can dismiss his divine commission you can dismiss his teaching. That s why Paul defends his apostleship. It s nothing to do with pride or vanity, but because the message he preached was under threat. The gospel was at stake. Even today some theologians / Bible teachers seek to discredit the apostle Paul. Today there s a big push to reject Scriptures teaching that living a homosexual lifestyle is sinful. Because Paul addresses these issues in Romans 1, if you can discredit Paul you can discredit his teaching. One commentator has suggested that Paul's thorn in the flesh may have been his own vexatious sexuality. In his 1991 book, Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism, Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong of Newark, N.J., depicted Paul as a repressed and self-loathing homosexual. That of course is false and not at all supported by the plain reading of Scripture. And in churches today, people can question Paul s teaching. His teaching on judgment, election, end times, standards for holy living, how husbands and wives should relate. But the apostle Peter wrote about Paul. 2 Peter 3:15-16 15 Bear in mind that our Lord s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. God is calling us to accept that Paul is Christ s apostle. He has authority to teach us because he was commissioned by Christ himself. Paul s words not his own but belong to Jesus AND also to the Father. Galatians 1:1-5 Paul, an apostle sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead Both God the Father and Jesus sent Paul to be an apostle. The Spirit filled him for the task of teaching us gentles about the Lord. When you read things that Paul wrote, they are divinely inspired. It may be hard to understand, but it is God s word to you. Jesus is speaking through Paul he calls you to accept Paul s authority as God s messenger. 2. ACCEPT PAUL S MESSAGE. Paul s message is God s message to you. A message of grace and peace. Verse 3 3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ These words are filled with rich biblical significance. Grace = God s unreserved love and mercy for you. He saved you, you had nothing to do with it. You didn t earn it, you don t deserve it but he loved you and saved you that s grace. Peace restored relationship with God and with others. This brings you peace within your life. This grace and this peace are yours from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Page 3 of 5
Grace and peace come from God and our Lord Jesus - 4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, If you ve ever seen Bondi Rescue TV show about surf life savers rescuing people who could have drowned at Bondi Beach in Sydney you know the incredible relief and gratitude of those rescued. They know they were near death. They were literally plucked back to life. Jesus came to rescue us from our sins. Our sins plunge us deep into eternal death. Like an anchor they submerge us into eternal judgment and death. God must judge sin. He must punish it and our record of sin is great. Martin Luther said, our sins are so great, so infinite and invincible, that it is impossible for the whole world to satisfy for one of them. God provided a way for your sins to be forgiven. God gave his only Son to pay for your sin. Jesus, the perfectly pure, obedient son of God, gave himself to die in your place. Where you deserved the curse of eternal punishment for your sins, Jesus took the curse for you. Gal 3.13 became a curse for you. 1 Peter 2:24 GNT Christ himself carried our sins in his body to the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness. It is by his wounds that you have been healed. Through Jesus we are forgiven, saved, rescued from judgment. That s future. But he also rescued you now. Paul says Jesus has rescued you from this present evil age.as believer God has rescued you from the dominion of darkness (Col 1:13) Rescued from the dominion of Satan and his demonic forces. Your eyes have been opened. Christians aren t perfect. They re not always pure. They sometimes fall into sin. But if you re a Christian you can see. God shows you your sin. You see your need of Jesus. You see that you must ask him for forgiveness each day. You repent and turn away from your sin and trust Jesus to save you. Non-Christians can t see that. They are blinded to this present evil age. 2 Corinthians 4: 4 4 The god of this age (Satan) has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. Jesus is rescuing you from this present evil age. The Bible divides history into two ages. This age and the age to come. Jesus said that the age to come has broken into this world. Jesus inaugurated the coming age when he said the Kingdom of God is among you. When people repent and turn to Christ they come under his rule. But this present age of sin continues and non-believing people live under Satan s rule. Have these two ages running in parallel. So Christians, while living in this age, are in principle living as citizens of the age to come. Ephesians 2 says God has raised us up with Jesus and seated us in the heavenly realms with him. In principle we re already living in God s new age where all who believe surrender to Jesus as Lord and King. God came to us and rescued us from this present evil age. Some of you know what that means. You were living a life without God. You tasted the world and its fruits. You ve seen that all the things that this world Page 4 of 5
promises, fulfillment, joy, happiness, freedom, when you seek them without God, they re empty. They re hollow. They can t satisfy; because God made you for a relationship with him. Only he can satisfy you. I know that many of you, like me, dread to think where you would be today if God did not rescue you from the world, yourself and your foolish and sinful ways. Jesus gave himself for your sins to rescue you from the emptiness and despair that this present evil age offers. That is a gift from God. Because Paul says Jesus did this according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. You were rescued not because you willed it. Not because you decided you needed rescuing. No, your rescue took place because of the will of our God and Father. He mounted the rescue mission when you were dead in your sins. You were drowning in sin and he reached out and rescued you. He forgave your sin. He chose to redeem you to rescue you and give you faith. He gave you the eyes to see, the heart to respond. He poured into your heart his wonderful and glorious love and revealed to you his irresistible grace. Ephesians 2:8-9 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. That verse is a summary of the main message that Paul wanted the Galatians to hold onto and believe. That is the heart of the gospel. God saved you, he rescued you and nothing you do could earn your way to heaven. Ask you Have you accepted the authority of Christ s apostle? Or do you ignore some parts of Scripture that Paul wrote because you don t agree or fully understand them? God said, Jesus is my Son listen to him. Jesus says, Paul is my apostle, listen to him. If you reject God s apostle you end up rejecting God himself. Secondly have you accepted the simple gospel message? It s the only message that saves. Jesus died for your sin, Jesus has rescued you, now to receive that salvation, you must place your trust completely and only in Him. Church when accept God s apostle and accept His message, you will be saved. Only then can you give praise our God and Father, V5 to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Page 5 of 5