Video teaching coming soon
There is no online teaching for this study yet, but the written notes and any available study resources are still below.
These are the original teaching notes from this passage.
Review…
- The churches in Galatia…
- Galatia was not a city – it was a geographical region…
- Paul was writing to a whole group of churches in the area of Galatia…
- Paul’s first missionary journey – Acts 13 & 14 – had been in the region of Galatia…
- So, these churches were some of the first established by the Apostle…
- The problem was false teachers called Judaizers who had come into the church…
- So, Paul wrote the book to establish our freedom from the gospel of ‘Legalism’…
- It is a book that is all about the Gospel of Grace – it is the Theme of the whole book…
- Chapters 1-2 – Paul personally deals with Grace and the Gospel…
- Chapter 3-4 – Paul address the doctrine of Grace in light of the Law of Moses…
- Chapter 5-6 – Paul practically deals with Grace in the daily life of the believer…
- Galatians 1:1-9 – The Gospel of Grace…
- 1st – Paul as an example of Grace – Paul was an Apostle but the least likely of all men…
- 2nd – The message of the Gospel – Grace and Peace through the cross of Jesus
- 3rd – Rejecting Grace – the churches in Galatia had begun to follow Legalism…
- 4th – Rejecting Legalism – Paul commanded them to reject any other gospel!
- A better Gospel... (3 things)
- Galatia was not a city – it was a geographical region…
- 1st – Serving God or man… vs. 10-12 (3 things)
- 1st – Paul was not concerned about pleasing men…
- Before Paul’s salvation – before the Gospel of Grace – he lived to please and serve men…
- He had served under a religious system where he followed the rules of men…
- He had been exceedingly zealous for the traditions of his fathers…
- He even had advanced beyond all his peers – working harder than them all…
- So that by following those rules – he had become famous among the Jews…
- Famous among men – but it did nothing to make him right with God…
- Religion is not about pleasing God – it is all about looking good before men…
- Wearing the right clothes / having the right words / following the right traditions…
- It is all to impress those around us – but it has no power to save us from our sin!
- Yet many prefer ‘religion’ and ‘tradition’ to a relationship with Jesus…
- Because religion makes us look good – makes us look holy in front of others…
- 2nd – But now Paul rejected religion – he wanted to please God…
- Paul was no longer concerned about keeping the rules of religion…
- He understood the only benefit that came from those rules was pleasing men…
- If he still tried to live by those rules – as the Judaizers were telling the Galatians to…
- Then he would still be serving men – and not be a servant of Christ!
- The problem with all religions is they can do nothing to change the heart…
- They can try to make you look good on the outside – impress men…
- But God sees the heart – and without the Grace of God – it is corrupt and evil…
- Those who dedicate themselves to religion – are not serving Jesus Christ!
- 3rd – The Gospel message Paul preached – had not been taught to him by men… vs. 11-12
- The Judaizers were challenging the Gospel of Grace…
- They questioned where Paul got the message – who gave it to Him…
- As if somehow, it was just Paul’s idea – some new thing he had come up with…
- But Paul had not given the churches another religion – his own ideas…
- Religion – faith in rules and traditions – has no power to save us from hell…
- Religion is only men’s vain imperfect attempt to reach up to a perfect God…
- Paul received the Gospel as a direct revelation from Jesus Christ…
- Just as Paul had received his apostleship from Jesus – not from men…
- He also got the Gospel message from Jesus – and not from men!
- The message Paul preached was God reached down to save man!
- The Good News is not that we need to follow a lot of rules to be good enough…
- The Gospel is that could not be good enough to get to heaven…
- So, God came down and paid the price for our sin – so we could be saved…
- Do we follow the ideas of men – or the Gospel of God…
- The question is what we follow – a religion / or the Gospel of Grace…
- Do we obey the ‘revelations’ of men – or the ‘revelation’ of Jesus Christ…
- This is the contrast Paul opens up with – are you looking to serve men or God!
- 1st – Paul was not concerned about pleasing men…
- 2nd – Paul’s salvation – in God’s time… vs. 13-19 (3 things)
- 1st – Paul’s past in the Jewish religion was well known among the churches…. vs. 13-14
- Persecuting the church of God…
- Paul (then called Saul) – had consented to the stoning and death of Steven – Acts 7
- Acts 8:1 – Saul made havoc – the picture is a wild animal tearing apart another…
- And brought persecution – meaning to chase / hunt / pursue – the church….
- What is interesting is the results of the persecution – the saints were scattered…
- Jesus commanded the Apostles to go out into the whole world…
- Acts 1:8 – “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
- But up to that point the church had not moved far beyond Jerusalem…
- It is easy to get comfortable in the familiar – sometimes God shakes things up…
- It is very likely that the disciples would not have left to spread the Gospel…
- If Paul had not come against the church – persecuted the believers…
- Genesis 50:20 – “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day…”
- God allows challenges to come into our lives to stir us up…
- To make us dependent on Him rather than on the familiar…
- The question is why Paul had such hate for the Church…
- The best answer is conviction – Paul was a marked man…
- It you throw a rock into a dog pound the one who yelps got hit…
- If you have a friend or family member that is especially anti-Jesus…
- Chances are it is because God is working on their heart…
- After Paul persecuted the church in Jerusalem – he wanted to go to Damascus
- He had letters and authority from the priest to arrest anyone who confessed Jesus…
- Saul’s mindset – ‘breathing threats and murder’ – Acts 9:1
- His very breath was like a warhorse that sniffed the smell of battle…
- Saul wanted to destroy the church – hated Christians – because they were not Jews!
- Religion is always divisive – destructive – turns people against each other…
- If you are not part of MY religion – then you are wrong and must be stopped…
- We live in a community where many are very hardened towards the Gospel…
- Because they have been indoctrinated in a lifetime of traditions and superstitions…
- And they are proud and think ‘religion’ is enough to get them into heaven…
- When you dare to challenge those beliefs – you immediately come under fire…
- 2nd – When it pleased God – Jesus revealed Himself to Paul… vs. 15-16…
- Paul did not choose God – God choose Paul…
- Paul recognized that God who had brought him into the world (birth)…
- Was also the one who when in God’s timing – saved Paul by His GRACE!
- And called Paul to be an Apostle to the Gentiles – Acts 9:15…
- We are rarely patient when it comes to people believing in Jesus…
- We see people stuck in dead religion – following empty traditions…
- Showing up to church only once a year on Easter – to kiss the feet of Jesus…
- Putting their faith in wood and plastic representations of ‘the saints’
- We want slap them – make them believe in Jesus now! Today!
- But you cannot force someone to see Jesus – only God can open their eyes…
- Just as Jesus met Saul on the road – ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me’…
- Paul believed in his religion – thought it was right to persecute ‘The Church’…
- So, Jesus blinded Saul – to show him he was spiritually blind – and open his eyes…
- John 9:39 – “I have come to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”
- Those who are religious think they are right – because they cannot see the truth…
- You convince a blind man that he is seeing things the wrong way…
- Until you first help him to see – that he is blind…
- Those who cling to their religion – need to first see their religion cannot save them…
- Then they will be willing to open their eyes and look to Jesus!
- 3rd – After Paul’s conversion – he did not immediately go to Jerusalem… vs. 17-19
- Paul was saved in the city of Damascus…
- After his conversion went into Arabia (to the west) for three years…
- He then returned to Damascus for a second time – Acts 9:23-26…
- The point being Paul was not discipled or taught by any of the other Apostles…
- It was Jesus who taught him and discipled him in the Word…
- Often, we get the mistaken idea we are not able to understand God’s Word…
- We need to have someone interpret it for us – explain the Word to us…
- There are plenty of people who are willing to tell us ‘what the Bible means’…
- But the question is are they right – or is it just their opinion…
- God has given each of us His Holy Spirit – He is the one to teach us…
- John 14:26 – “But when the Father sends the Counselor as my representative—and by the Counselor I mean the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I myself have told you.”
- We can be absolutely certain that what the Holy Spirit gives us – is the truth!
- Paul did eventually try to meet with the disciples in Jerusalem – Acts 9:26-28
- But they would not meet with Saul though because they were afraid of him…
- They did believe that the man who had hunted them to death had changed…
- But although everyone else feared Saul – Barnabus believed he had changed…
- Barnabus did not see Paul’s past – only what Jesus had done in his life…
- In religion – what we do is who we are – we are defined by our actions…
- But in Jesus we are also not defined by actions – we are simply defined by Christ!
- II Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
- Not all of the disciples were willing to receive Saul…
- Paul only up spending fifteen days with Peter / and saw James (Jesus ½ brother) …
- We need to learn that not everyone will believe we have changed either…
- The only thing that matters is that Jesus has made us a new creation in Him…
- 1st – Paul’s past in the Jewish religion was well known among the churches…. vs. 13-14
- 3rd – The CHURCHES’ reaction to Paul’s salvation… vs. 20-24
- After Jerusalem Paul traveled into Syria and Cilicia (Tarsus – Paul’s hometown) …
- Paul did not spend much time in Jerusalem – with the Apostles…
- He was immediately called out by God to begin the work of spreading the Gospel…
- Paul did not need anyone to qualify him for ministry – God had prepared him…
- If you want to teach a Bible study – or serve God in any way…
- People tend to look for the diploma on the wall – the recognition of a religion…
- But the proof of the calling of God is not in the commendation of men…
- I know a lot of men who have the ‘pastoral degree’ – who are not pastors…
- And I know a lot of men who have no degree – no diplomas – who are pastors!
- The calling of God – is shown through the work of God through someone’s life!
- No one from the churches of Judea even saw Paul’s face…
- They only heard about his conversion – God saved a man who hated the church…
- The fruit from Paul’s life was obvious – and all the saints glorified God for it…
- It is not very difficult to figure out what purpose/calling God has on your life…
- All we really need to do is look at how God is using us – where is the fruit…
- If you are called to kids – you will enjoy and be good with them…
- If you are called to be a teacher – then you will enjoy and be good at teaching…
- It will not just be you who recognize the calling – it will be obvious to everyone!