A better Gospel… (3 things)

• 1^st – Serving God or man… vs. 10-12 (3 things)
  • 1^st – 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 not 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…
  • 2^nd – 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!
  • 3^rd – 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 do 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!
        
• 2^nd – Paul’s salvation – in God’s time… vs. 13-19 (3 things)
  • 1^st – 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 dependant on Him rather than on the familiar…
    • The question is why did Paul have 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…

• 2^nd – 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 – an 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!
• 3^rd – 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 – it 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…
      
• 3^rd – The churches reaction to Paul’s salvation… vs. 20-24
  • After Jerusalem Paul traveled into Syria and Cilicia (Tarsus – Paul’s home town)…
    • 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…

It will not just be you who recognize the calling – it will be obvious to everyone!

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…