Paul's Epistles - Galatians
Part 3 – Paul’s
Conversion
Pastor Bruce A.
Shields
House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org
INTRODUCTION
Ø Began looking at Paul’s ministry in 2011 starting with
the beginning of his journey in Christ. The foundation and start of the story
found in the book of Acts.
Ø Examined Acts 4 - 20 in 2012
Ø Finished Acts and selected chapters of Revelation
in 2013
Ø Studied Romans & started I
Corinthians in 2014
Ø Then completed I Corinthians & II
Corinthians in 2015
109 sermons and nearly four years later, I
pray you are beginning to get a grasp on the life and ministry of Paul, as well
as get an understanding from the book of Acts how a church is to operate, and
through Paul’s letters, see how we are to correct the issues we face in a
modern church.
Leaving II Corinthians, we have
begun looking at Galatians.
If you remember, the Galatian church was
founded in a land taken by the Gaul’s, whose historical persona was to embrace
change, even look for it.
This made their conversion easy, but the
double edge sword was that is also made their straying from Truth just as easy.
Paul sends them an epistle (letter) we
call Galatians.
He begins his letter with explaining he is
a true Apostle, and there is no other gospel
We will now examine Paul’s epistle
(letter) to the Galatians whose message is of Christ as the Deliverer, from the Law to Liberty!
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE Galatians 1:11-24
I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I
received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
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. 14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of
my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my
fathers. 15 But when God, who set me apart
from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might
preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not
to consult any human being. 17 I did not go up to Jerusalem to
see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I
returned to Damascus.
18 Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas
(Peter) and stayed with him fifteen days. 19 I saw none of the other apostles—only
James, the Lord’s brother. 20 I assure you before God that what I am writing you is
no lie.
21 Then I went to Syria and Cilicia. 22 I was personally unknown to the churches of
Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only heard the report: “The man who
formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they praised God because of me.
I.
ORDAINED BY GOD
a.
Ordination comes from God not a church
i. The gospel I preach
is not of human origin
ii. I did
not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it
iii. I
received it by revelation from Jesus Christ
b.
Paul was clearly ordained by God
i. You know how
intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it
ii. But God
set me apart in my mother’s womb
iii. He
called me by His grace
iv. He
revealed Jesus to me so that I would preach among the Gentiles
c.
We are all called to be priests
i. 1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's
special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out
of darkness into his wonderful light.”
ii. 1 Peter
2:5 “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but
chosen by God and precious
to him— 5 you also, like living
stones, are being built into a
spiritual house[a] to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God
through Jesus Christ.”
iii. Paul says, “my immediate response was not to consult
any human being. 17 I
did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I
went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus.
18 Then after three years, I went up to
Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas {Peter} and stayed with him
fifteen days. 19 I
saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord’s brother. 20 I assure you before
God that what I am writing you is no lie.
iv. Paul
ordained, set aside by God, called into the ministry, not taught by man, but
having spent three years in study before setting forth to fulfill his calling
by God to minister the gospel to the Gentiles.
II.
PREDESTINATION
a.
Predestination does not override freewill
i. God, who set me apart from
my mother’s womb and called me by his grace
1.
God, knowing all, knew Paul would one day chose
to serve Him, therefore, in his mother’s womb, Paul was “set apart”, or
“Sanctified”
2.
Being sanctified means to be separated for a
special holy purpose.
3.
A “calling”
4.
Paul’s was to preach the good news of Christ to
the Gentiles.
ii. God knew Paul
would convert in Damascus before he was born, and therefore, predestined him to
be the bearer of good news to the Gentiles
iii. God did not
“make” Paul convert, He did not create him “saved” and the path, although
created before Paul’s birth, was actually created in response to Paul’s
submission to the Lord and accepting Him as his savior.
b.
Many are invited, few chosen
i. We are reminded in Matthew
22:1-14 about the wedding invitations
1.
It is a parable about God trying to invite
all to be with Him in heaven.
2.
The King (God) sends his servants to those
invited (the Jews) to come to his sons (Jesus’) wedding banquet (Wedding
representing the acceptance of the New Covenant with Jesus for Salvation), but
they refuse.
3. Then he sent more servants (prophets), but they paid
no attention, continuing to do their own thing. The rest
seized his servants (prophets), mistreated them and killed them.7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and
destroyed those murderers and burned their city (destroyed the Temple).
4. “Then he said to his servants (preachers of the
gospel), ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to
come (Those who reject Christ). 9 So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ 10 So the servants (preachers) went out into the
streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled
with guests. (everyone was given the opportunity to accept Jesus as their Lord)
5. “But when the king came in to see the guests (judgment day),
he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes (Covered in the
white garment of salvation described in Revelation). 12 He asked, ‘How did you get in here without
wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was
speechless. (We will be without excuse on judgment day)
6.
“Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand
and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth.’ (Those who reject Christ will be cast into Gahanna, the
final hell, eternal separation from God)
7.
“For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
a.
Who will be chosen? Those who have accepted Jesus
Christ and received the white garment before judgment day...
b.
Remember, the bad as well as the good were all
given opportunity to accept Christ, and in this parable, it does not say “the
bad were all kicked out”, rather, the ONE who did not accept Jesus.
c.
We are all predestined
i. Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;”
ii. Because
God knows yesterday, today and tomorrow, He knows you, and all of your choices
you will ever make before you were ever created.
1.
Does this mean you cannot chose? No...He
knows your freewill choices, He does not make them for you.
2.
Therefore, He bases callings, protection,
benefits, etc, on your submission and obedience to Him.
III.
THREE YEARS
a.
What 3 means biblically
i. Paul waited 3 years
before starting his calling.
ii. Waited
is a poor choice of words, more than likely spent time with the Lord, reflected
on the Holy Spirit and instruction from the Lord and became “complete” before
heading out to fulfill his calling.
iii. 3
represents “completion” in scripture.
b.
Examples in scripture
i. Peter denied Jesus
3 times, meaning he completely rejected the Lord out of fear for his life.
1.
Of course, the Lord forgave him asking
Peter 3 times if he loved him. Showing Peter completely loved Jesus.
ii. There
are 27 books in the New testament, which is 3x3x3, or 33
iii. Jesus
prayed 3 times in the garden of Gethsemane
iv. placed
on the cross on the 3rd hour of the day
v. died on the 9th
hour (3pm)
vi. there
was then 3 hours of darkness
vii. 3 days
and 3 nights before His resurrection
viii. it goes
on and on.
c.
Completeness before mission is essential
i. Completeness is
essential!
ii. All
things must be done in God’s timing.
iii. The
Lord gave specific instructions and training to the disciples for approximately
3 years before going to the cross and ascending.
iv. The
Lord, through the reading of His Word and instruction from the Holy Spirit
prepares us for ministry.
v. The bible even
warns churches not to allow elders or deacons to be new converts.
vi. We
currently have Bud Kramer, Dale Keel and Kurt Ulman. When need arises, we may
add to that list.
CONCLUSION - Paul’s letter so far,
vs 1 Paul, an apostle – sent not from men nor by a man,
but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead
vs 6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the
one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a
different gospel – 7 which is really no
gospel at all.
vs 10 am I trying to please people? If I were still trying
to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
vs 11 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the
gospel I preached is not of human origin.
vs 23, 24 The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching
the faith he once tried to destroy.’ 24 And
they praised God because of me
Paul has set the stage, establishing the fact he is
an apostle, ordained by God, not man, and the gospel he preached is of God. He
is fully converted, and complete in his instruction from the Lord.
Paul will now build upon this foundation in the
letter to show why his life and instruction was of God, how he has authority to
correct, and where the Galatians have gone wrong and need to return to the
Lord.
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