Sunday, September 24, 2017 - New Heights Christian Church, Kent, WA - Pastor Micah AdamsonTitle: Galatians 1b: Paul's Apostleship is from God

Text: Galatians 1:11-24Galatians 1:11-12 (NIV84)

11 I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.

Introduction: The events leading to the reformation show that God can sovereignty use bad things for good.

o In 1453, Muslim Turks conquered the capital of the Eastern Christian empire in Constantinople, and Greek speaking Christians fleeing West brought the Greek New Testament to Europe.

o By 1516, the Bible was translated into modern Latin for the first time in over 1,000 years.o By 1517, Martin Luther was reading the NT and pointing out parallels between the gospel taught

by the Church of his day and the Galatian heresy refuted by Paul in Galatians. The teachings in the 1st & 16th century were not identical, but they shared one thing in common:

o They both added other things to the gospel of justification by grace, through faith, in Christ. The message of the Protestant Reformation can be summed up by the 5 “Solas” found in Galatians:

o Grace Alone: We are justified by God’s unmerited favor, not be earning it.o Faith Alone: We are justified by trusting God’s grace, not by works of the law.o Christ Alone: We are justified by Jesus’ work of obedience, not our own or anyone else’s.o Scripture Alone: We can find the truth about justification from the Bible as our final authority.o God’s Glory Alone: God is the only one who deserves the credit for saving us.

We studied Peter’s letters last year, and are studying one of Paul’s letters this year: (Galatians).o Peter and Paul wrote to the same churches (1 Peter 1:1, Galatians 1:2).o Peter and Paul agree on the same gospel – and both tell us that (2 Peter 3:15-16, 1 Cor. 15:11).o But, Paul has a special emphasis on justification by faith in Christ apart from works of the law,

due both to the problem he addresses in Galatians and his pre-Christian life as a Pharisee.o The Galatian heresy is pretty close to what Paul believed before he believed in Jesus.

Summary of Galatians: Personal - Revelation: God revealed to Paul in the NT that people can only be saved by trusting

God’s promise to rescue us from God’s wrath and to make us into God’s people in Christ. Historical/Theological - Justification: The OT teaches that we can only be justified before God by

grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone (adding our own work to save us denies the gospel). Practical - Sanctification: And yet, in the New covenant we are sanctified by the Holy Spirit by

believing in Jesus and end up obeying God as His children instead of failing to obey as His slaves.

Outline of Galatians: Chapter 1-2: Revelation: The Source of the Gospel: it came directly from God (0 OT quotes)

o Galatians 1:1-10 Paul's Gospel is from Godo Galatians 1:11-24 Paul's Apostleship is from Godo Galatians 2:1-10 Paul's Gospel is the same as Peter's Gospelo Galatians 2:11-21 Paul calls Peter to live in light of their shared Gospel

Chapter 3-4: Justification: The Content of the Gospel: it’s found in the OT (13 OT quotes)o Galatians 3:1-14 The Old Testament teaches salvation by faith apart from works of the lawo Galatians 3:15-29 The Old Testament teaches salvation by promise instead of performanceo Galatians 4:1-20 We are saved from being slaves to the law to being Sons of Godo Galatians 4:21-31 We are saved by being sons of promise, not sons of slavery

Chapter 5-6: Sanctification: The Effects of the Gospel: it changes lives (1 OT quote)o Galatians 5:1-15 Freedom from the slavery of the Lawo Galatians 5:16-26 Freedom from the slavery of Sino Galatians 6:1-10 Resisting sin as Christians

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o Galatians 6:11-18 Relying on Christ instead of the lawRunning Start: Galatians 1:6-10 (NIV84) – Paul's Gospel is from God

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!

10 Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. The Galatians’ quick change of gospels as shocking as the Israelites’ quick change of gods,

and the perversion of the truth is just as subtle (Exodus 32).o Worshipping the true God who saved them vs. worshipping an idol of the true God. o Justification by faith in Christ [alone] vs. Justification by faith in Christ + works of the law.

Paul warns in no uncertain terms that God will judge anyone and everyone who changes the gospel.o The message of the gospel has always been over the messenger even before the NT was written!o The Apostles didn’t claim they had the right to change the gospel since they were sent by Jesus.

Paul is willing to risk his friendship with the Galatians in order to serve as Jesus’ faithful messenger.o The Apostle’s Creed describes the Church as: “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic”.o Apostolic = Biblical (believing the gospel that the apostles originally taught found in the NT).

Galatians 1:11-24 – Paul's Apostleship is from GodGalatians 1:11-12 (NIV84)

11 I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. Paul’s gospel is:

o Not made up by man = Falseo Not received from any man, nor taught by any man, but revealed directly by Jesus = Trueo Paul frequently told the story of his previous life and conversion/call on the Damascus road.

(Acts 9:1-19, 22:1-21, 26:1-23, Philippians 3:1-10, 1 Timothy 1:13, 1 Corinthians 15:7-11).o Peter made these same claims to defend his preaching against false teachers.

2 Peter 1:16 (NIV84)16 We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. Peter’s gospel is:

o Not cleverly invented stories = Falseo Eyewitnesses of Jesus’ majesty, power, and coming = Trueo Peter, Paul, and all four gospels, call Peter as an eyewitness to the facts of the gospel.

Objection 1: But, isn’t this claim of first hand revelation the same thing that all false prophets claim?o Yes. But, their gospels never match the gospel the apostle’s preached; Paul’s did.o Yes. But, they are claiming a counterfeit version of revelation that really is true for the apostles.

Objection 2: But, doesn’t Paul say that he received his gospel in 1 Corinthians 15?1 Corinthians 15:1, 3-5 (NIV84)

1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand….

3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. Yes. Both Paul and those he preached his gospel to received it. But, who did they receive it from?

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Paul calls Peter and the other Apostles as witnesses to help assure us that the gospel is true. But, Paul lists himself on the short list of people who are first hand witnesses to the resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15:8 (NIV84)8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

Galatians 1:13-14 (NIV84)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 Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. Paul told the story of his previous life so often that he’s sure the Galatians have heard it.

o People often talk about Paul’s pre-conversion zeal as evidence that he was already doing great things for God, he just needed to be straightened out a little.

o But, the way Paul tells the story, Paul wasn’t inclined to believe the gospel at all. There were faithful Jews who were looking forward to the promise and believed the gospel

when they heard it: Mary, Ananias, Anna, the apostles, etc., (but, Paul wasn’t one of them).o Paul describes his previous way of life in Judaism as advancing in Judaism faster than others.

Paul was trying to get ahead (possibly even trying to get ahead with God), but selfishly.o Paul describes his zeal as zeal for traditions, not zeal for God.

Traditions = both Biblical and non-biblical (Mark 7:11-13). Zeal for religious traditions that are contrary go God are worse than no zeal at all. But, even zeal for God’s real laws, without zeal for God, is empty.

o Paul describes himself with violent language: as a persecutor and destroyer of God’s people. Church of God = Believers in Jesus from all nations called to be God’s assembly of people. Paul saw his conversion from Judaism to Christ as a move to becoming one of God’s people.

Galatians 1:15-17 (NIV84)15 But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus. Set apart from birth/from before birth = a common way for prophets to speak of their calling.

o Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:5), Isaiah (Isaiah 49:1), John the Baptist and Jesus (Luke 1).o Paul is saying that God always had it planned for him to be His messenger, even before he

believed and even before he was born. Called by God’s grace/pleasure = Paul was not called because he was good, but because God

wanted.o Called is related to the word church that Paul was trying to destroy. Now, he’s a called one too.

God reveal His Son in/to/through Paul = Paul’s call was also His conversion. o Paul saw who Jesus was and it changed him in order to share Jesus with others.

Preacher to the Gentiles = Paul had a plan for Paul to be the primary missionary to the Gentiles.o This is where God’s sovereignty comes in. Paul upbringing as a Jew born in a Gentile city

educated in Jerusalem, made him an ideal missionary to Greeks and Greek speaking Jews. Not even consult or go see those who were apostles first = Paul accepted his call directly from Jesus.

o The other apostles who were called directly by Jesus didn’t have to ask anyone’s permission to go out and start speaking for Jesus, and neither did Paul.

Went to other parts of Arabia and then back to Damascus, which is in Arabia.o Acts 9 tells us that Paul was preaching in Damascus as soon as he believed, so that’s probably

what he did in other parts of Arabia too.o But, some speculate Paul visited Mt. Sinai where Moses got the law - also in Arabia (Gal. 4:25).

Galatians 1:17-24, 2:1b (NIV84)17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus. 18 Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days. 19 I saw none of the other apostles—only James,

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the Lord’s brother. 20 I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie. 21 Later 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.

1 Fourteen years later I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas… The believers in Judea hadn’t met Paul, but he was famous enough they heard he became a

Christian.o The persecution Paul helped start by stoning Stephen had a big effect on the life of the church.o Paul calls the church in Judea as his witness of the fact that they didn’t teach him the gospel.

Paul calls God as his witness that he is not lying: he really didn’t learn his gospel from the apostles.o Since Paul was taught the gospel by Jesus Himself, then Paul is an apostle just as the twelve.

Was James an apostle? (Acts 15:13, 1 Corinthians 15:7, Galatians 1:19, James 1:1)o James was Jesus brother who saw Jesus after His resurrection and became a leader in the early

church and wrote a book of the Bible. The wording here could mean that Paul met two apostles: Peter and James. Or it could mean that Peter was the only apostle Paul met, but he also met James.

Reconstructing/Harmonizing Paul’s travels in Acts and Galatians Map: These Roman territories are adjacent South to North: Judea, Arabia, Syria, Cilicia, and Galatia

o Jerusalem in Judea, Damascus in Arabia, Antioch in Syria, Tarsus in Cilicia, Galatia is north. A major subplot in Acts is the movement of the gospel from the Jews to the Gentiles (with Gentile

converts to Judaism as a the first bridge of sharing the gospel with Gentiles).o Paul is introduced within this subplot in Acts as the primary character who is trying to keep the

gospel from reaching Gentile converts to Judaism.o Paul was not only a persecutor of Christians, Paul was a persecutor of Christians who were first

Gentile converts to Judaism. o This is significant for Paul’s concern that the Galatians not be forced to become Jews.o The Galatian heresy is a direct contradiction of Paul’s testimony of salvation by coming to faith

in Christ even though Paul was already a Jew performing works of the law.

Acts 1-5: The beginning of the transmission of the gospel from the Jews to the Gentiles Acts 1 = Jesus returns to heaven. Acts 2 = The Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost and Jews and converts to Judaism from all over the

Roman world are converted by Peter’s preaching (including people from Turkey around Galatia). Acts 3-5 = Peter and John (and the other apostles) have a successful preaching and miracle working

ministry in Jerusalem before they are persecuted by the Jewish Sanhedrin that executed Jesus.

Acts 6-11: Resistance to the transmission of the gospel from the Jews to the Gentiles Acts 6 = The church grows to include a lot of Greek converts to Judaism and the apostles choose 7

deacons (with Greek names including: Philip and Stephen) to help them care for the Greek widows. Acts 6-7 = Stephen has conflict with Greek converts to Judaism, and is killed after preaching a

sermon where he concludes that the Jews have always disobeyed God. Acts 7-8 = Paul was at Stephen’s execution and started persecuting Christians after it. Acts 8 = Philip moved due to the persecution, preaching to half Jewish Samaritans (Peter and John

sent to check on them) and to the Ethiopian convert to Judaism, ending up in Caesarea, near Joppa.o Acts 9 = Interlude: Paul’s conversion story

Acts 9-11 = Peter moves to Joppa, then goes to Caesarea, preaching to the first Gentile who is not a convert to Judaism, and then defending his actions at a church meeting in Jerusalem.

Acts 9: Conversion of the persecutor of the transmission of the gospel from the Jews to the Gentiles Acts 9 = Paul leaves Jerusalem to persecute Christians in Damascus in Arabia where he is

converted.4

o 3 year gap where Paul is elsewhere in Arabia? Paul preaches in Damascus until he’s persecuted out of town.

o 3 year gap where Paul is elsewhere in Arabia? Paul returns to Jerusalem where he preaches until he’s persecuted of town due to conflict with Greek

speaking Jews (and goes back to Tarsus in Cilicia).o Paul was only in in Jerusalem for 15 days. Barnabas (who was in Damascus?) vouched for Paul

and introduced him to the apostles (at least Peter and James). Acts 11-15: Success of the transmission of the gospel from the Jews to the Gentiles Acts 11 = Due to the same persecution Paul started in Jerusalem, Barnabas moves to Antioch in

Syria preaching to Greeks who are converted and starts the first church of Gentile non-converts to Judaism.

Barnabas get Paul from Tarsus in Cilicia to come help him in ministry in Antioch in Syria.o A total of 14 years since Paul’s conversion have passed.

Barnabas and Paul go from Antioch in Syria to Jerusalem in Judea to deliver a gift to help with a famine that the Holy Spirit predicted through Agabus (Titus goes with and John Mark comes back).

Acts 12-13 = Paul and Barnabas return from Jerusalem in Judea to Antioch in Syria where they were sent off on their first mission trip at the prompting of the Holy Spirit (they take John Mark with them).

Acts 13-14 = Paul’s first mission trip through Galatia making both Jewish and Gentile converts returning to Antioch in Syria after strong Jewish persecution on this trip (John Mark leaves them).o Peter visits Antioch followed by Jerusalem Jews who cause Peter to stop eating with Gentiles?o Paul writes Galatians?

Acts 15 = The Jerusalem Council is called after Jews from Jerusalem go to Antioch to tell the Gentile Christians they have to convert to Judaism by getting circumcised and keeping the law.

Recap: Note: Paul’s argument here is very personal and is primarily about God revealing the gospel to him.Galatians 1:11-24 (NIV84) – Paul's Apostleship is from God

11 I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. 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 Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.

18 Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with 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 Later 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. Paul’s argument here is very personal: Paul confesses his own sin of legalism.

o The false teachers wanted to do to the same thing to Gentile converts to Christianity that Paul had wanted while he was persecuting them: They wanted Gentiles to become Jews to be saved.

o The Galatian heresy is the opposite of the truth found in Paul’s testimony of conversion. Paul had works of the law, but he didn’t have faith in Jesus, so he didn’t have peace with

God. The Galatians had faith in Jesus, so they did have peace with God. The false teachers wanted the Galatians to trade their peace with God for works of the law.

o Do you struggle with legalism?

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Do you have a hard time trusting that Jesus can actually save you or others by His righteousness in your place?

Do you trust your works to make up for your sin instead of trusting God’s grace in Jesus? Do you realize how exacting God’s law really is? If you are going to be saved by following

the law you have to obey all of it all the time and never mess up even once.o It’s common (and helpful) to warn about “cheap grace” where Christians don’t take the Biblical

commands to struggle against sin very seriously since they know they will be forgiven anyway. But, I think we are in just as much danger of “reasonably priced law” where Christians agree

that sin is bad to some extent, but think they can easily make up for their sin by being good. You can’t be good enough to make up for your sin. But, the good news is that Jesus always

did everything right and died to save us and give us His righteousness. Paul says Jesus personally told him to have faith in Him instead of trusting in his own works. Paul’s argument is primarily that God is the one who revealed the gospel to him.

o The three elements of saving faith can be summarized as: Knowledge: Do you know the facts of the gospel about Jesus dying and rising for your sin? Ascent: Do you agree that the facts of the gospel about Jesus are actually true? Trust: Do you trust in Jesus to save you from your sin as you only hope?

o Paul’s testimony in Galatians is that trusting in Jesus is your only hope to be saved from God’s punishment for your sins. (There is actually no hope in trusting in your own works).

o But, Paul’s testimony here in Galatians 1 is focused on convincing us that the gospel Paul preaches is actually true.

o You can trust that Paul’s gospel is true since God revealed it directly to Paul, just as He revealed it directly to the other apostles. (All of the apostles testify that we are saved the same way.)

o Are you tempted to believe in other versions of the gospel instead? Are you tempted to think that having the gospel found in the Bible isn’t good enough? Are you tempted to look for modern day revelation to add to the Bible? Are you tempted to look for a list of rules to follow to save you? Are you tempted to look for more amazing spiritual experiences instead of believing that

what God says about Jesus in the Bible being all you need to save you is true?o If you are tempted any of these ways, Paul says, trust the gospel I preach. It really is from God.o Do you struggle with believing that…

The Bible is historically accurate and has been copied and translated correctly? Jesus really claimed to be God in the Bible? Jesus really died and rose again to prove that He is God? God really will judge everyone guilty for their sin even if they do good things from now on? Jesus’ resurrection proves that He can take away God’s punishment of death for sin? Jesus’ righteousness really can be counted as yours and your sin can be counted as His? Trusting in Jesus really is the only hope that you or anyone else has of being saved?

o I have struggled with believing these things. If you struggle, please ask. There are answers. This good news taught by Paul of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, as

revealed in the Bible alone as our ultimate authority, so that God alone gets the glory, really is true.

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