Sunday, May 30, 2010

Sermon notes

From Persecuting to Preaching Christ                          Rolling Hills Church

Gal 1:10-24[1] 30 May 2010

 

Two weeks ago we opened Galatians and covered the first five verses to learn the author, recipients, and the greeting. Last week we zeroed in on Gal 1:6-12 and let four words outline the message: astonished, accursed, approval, and authority. When I taught about Paul I brought out the need to emphasize his credentials to the Galatian churches.  Paul's credentials and call being critical to his message being received. This week we'll dig deeper on that.

Gal 1:10-24

10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel.

12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it.

14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.

15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace,

16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;

17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days.

19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother.

20 (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!)

21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.

22 And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.

23 They only were hearing it said, "He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy."

24 And they glorified God because of me. Shall we pray?

How many of you have a china cabinet? It's a deal where you take the dishes you value most and you put them away, often on display for their beauty and worth; but you eat your meals on the Walmart plates, right? Some china sets are passed down from generation to generation having only been looked at, packed, shipped, and stored, but never used. Hold that thought there, OK? We'll come back to that.

Let's step back from this text for a minute to see a bigger picture of the book of Galatians:

-       Chapter One: There is only one gospel, and it comes from Christ Himself: accursed is anyone who preaches another.

-       Chapter Two: The apostles confirm Paul's gospel, and it is bigger than the apostles: it is about grace (justification of the wicked) alone through faith alone in Christ alone

-       Chapter Three: Faith/promise contrasted with the law

-       Chapter Four: Faith/promise illustrated through sons and slaves

-       Chapter Five: Freedom in the Spirit: walk in the Spirit

-       Chapter Six: Instruction after rebuke: Fulfill the Law of Christ, and boast only in the cross

The overarching message of this book is that Grace (and that includes justification) comes through faith alone in Christ alone.

Today we want to focus on the truth that Christ saved Paul, gave Him the gospel, and called Paul to preach the gospel to the Gentiles,

Three phases of Paul's life are shown here, and we're wise to consider them for a few minutes together:

Pre-conversion: Persecuting the Church

Acts 8:1-3 And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.

Acts 9:1-2 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

Acts 22:4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women,

Acts 26:9-11 "I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

Paul also referred to his own guilt in 1 Cor 15, Phil 3, and 1 Tim 1. There is no question that this man was directly, violently opposed to the church – even to the point of death for believers. He wants to establish this truth, and I am doing the same today: before his conversion to faith in Christ, Saul persecuted the church to the death.

Conversion: Saul's take-down and call on the road to Damascus

Acts 9:3-9 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do." The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

This is the actual story of Saul's conversion, and it's told again in chapters 22 and 26 of Acts as Paul defends his gospel. I think we can agree on a couple of things about Saul's conversion to faith in Christ, three to be sure:

1)   His conversion isn't a standard procedure. In other words, we can see that others in the Bible weren't converted in the same manner, and neither were most of us. Neither off of a horse nor out of a car nor off of a path of great persecution of Christians were most of us saved, but certainly from our opposition .

2)   Saul's conversion was definitely a sovereign act of God. God alone saved Saul; you couldn't rightly call him a seeker, would you agree? And God had a plan before saving Saul; it wasn't a random act, and it was far bigger than saving a few Jews in Damascus from unpleasantness. "But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;".

3)   Something had been bothering him about this Christ. Listen to the phrase Jesus used (Paul quoted only here) in Acts 26:14. '…It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' Goads. Possibly the testimonies of Stephen and others, their faith, their Christ-like suffering as he himself had persecuted them. Goads. Conviction? Was he regenerate and fighting it?

Post conversion: Paul received the gospel, preached the gospel, and was persecuted for preaching the gospel.

Mark of an apostle: walked with Christ three years, received the gospel from Christ, and was sent out by Jesus to preach this gospel.  Acts 1:21-22 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us [three years] --one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection."

So here's Saul's story: converted, spent three years alone with Christ receiving the gospel, and then began preaching Christ in earnest. His gospel, when he did go to Jerusalem, perfectly matched the gospel Peter was preaching. But we must keep this in mind: This gospel is bigger than both of these men. The church subsequently lost sight of this, and we'll consider that more next week.

Paul has a simple, three-fold emphasis here in verses 10-24 of chapter one:

-       My call is from God. God is the one who saved and called me, through Christ

-       My message is from God. This gospel was given to me by Christ; it was a revelation from Him, not man.

-       God is glorified as I have obeyed Him.

The only possible reason he would go from persecuting Christ to preaching Christ is Christ! He saved Saul and called him to preach the message of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone! Saving persecutors and calling them to preach Christ glorifies God.

Now here is why Paul is writing this:

False teachers had obviously corrupted not only the gospel message but also the gospel messenger as much as they could in the eyes of the young converts. They gained a hearing in these churches by saying , "The message was incomplete and the messenger was insincere."

So Paul is writing this portion to boldly clarify this:

There was no need to question his motive, as false teachers surely had assumed. He was certainly diligent in persecuting Christ before He became diligent in preaching Christ. No way was this a man-pleasing, money-making scheme!

There was no need to question his message, as false teachers surely had accused. This gospel had come from Christ alone.

What do we take away from this message today?

Christ alone gives the gospel, and it is always over the messenger. This isn't about Paul or Peter, or about James or any early-church preacher; this is first and foremost about the gospel!

False teachers will often work to discredit the messenger when attacking the message.

That is why it is important for pastors to be above reproach (1 Tim 3). Church, validate the men who are called pastors by biblical qualifications only, and don't stoop to current cultural values only when observing leaders.

That is why it is equally important for the church not to condemn the character of pastors without clear proof (1 Tim 5:17-19).

So here is some wisdom for us from this text today, church, and those who sit among the church:

Deal with the message. If this is the true gospel, then repent of your sins and believe it. Stop messing around with excuses, listening to lies about pastors, Christians, or so-called hypocrites. Don't listen any longer to the distracting, sin-enhancing lies of the devil. The MESSAGE of the gospel is true, so believe Christ is God, and your only hope of escaping God's wrath is through His death on the cross and resurrection from the tomb! Repent from sins, and believe and follow Jesus Christ; here, now, today, and forever. Your only option is to reject the message of the gospel, and that means you are rejecting the One who alone can provide you a safe haven from God's wrath against the unjust.

Live the message; don't pay it lip service. Back to the china cabinet. Folks, the Scriptures aren't written to be honored, respected, and yet – ignored in favor of traditions either from history or current culture. Pharisees like Saul had the Scriptures and knew them but routinely exalted the teachings of rabbis over God's Word! It's like they encased it in glass to be displayed with great honor while they ignored it and used tradition of men daily – similar to how we treat fine China.

But God's Word isn't to be displayed and paid lip service to; it is to be sought, used, eaten daily, and worked into the fabric of our thinking about life! God's gospel MUST direct our decisions, values, morals, and bring us to relationship with HIM, or it is simply USELESS to us.

Paul didn't bring God glory by displaying the message of the cross; but rather by believing it and by preaching it as He was told!

Let's pray.

 

 



[1] All Scripture, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (via E-Sword Software) © 2001 Crossway Publishing. All Rights Reserved

Sunday, May 23, 2010

There is No Other Gospel

There Is No Other Gospel              Rolling Hills Church

Gal 1:6-12[1] 23 May 2010

 

Gal 1:6-12

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel--

7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.

9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel.

12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

I think we can see the text in the light of four words today; astonished, accursed, approval, and authority. These are strong words, and this is strong language. Let's pray, and dig in.

Astonished and Accursed, vs 6-9. I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-- not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

Astonished. Astonished that you are turning so quickly from God. Deserting God; "him who called you in the grace of Christ". God is the gospel here; it is God who is contrasted with "a different gospel"! The truth that the Galatian churches had heard must be understood and valued in order to rightly grasp the depth of Paul's concern; these people had seen God in the glory of Christ! 2 Cor 4:4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. Looking to, believing in, and receiving Christ is to look to, believe in and to receive God Himself! So troubling new believers, offering them a different, distorted, or contrary gospel was opposed to believing God Himself. Serious. or offering a gospel, It was relationship with God that Christ brought the Galatian churches, as Paul preached Him crucified, buried, risen and coming again.  So what Paul is astonished (and this is a strong, strong word here; amazed, or to be astounded) about is that they were so quickly deserting God for another gospel, which is no gospel at all. God, in all His glory, majesty, and splendor, is Who these circumcision teachers were robbing the church of. Paul was astonished because this was a grave issue; a life and death issue.

Deserting. This isn't a term we take lightly, even today. Throughout history in any organized military the punishment for deserters has been death; often immediately inflicted without the benefit of courts or trials. As late as WWI desertion was still a death sentence by court martial; during the Civil War it was often a bullet from a ranking officer in the battle, and to make an example to deter others.[2] I'm not saying those who turn from Christ should be shot; I am saying to turn from the gospel is to turn from forgiveness, hope, and eternal life found in Christ alone. Accursed. Regardless of who they are, let them be accursed. Accursed is the one who brings you another gospel to deceive you away from life and into death. Devoted to destruction.

Accursed is the one who distorts the gospel of Christ, to make it more or less than it is.

Accursed is the one who brings a gospel contrary to the one gospel you've received.

Now from what I understand of the language Paul wasn't calling down a curse on these men; he was acknowledging that they were accursed already because of their attack on the gospel.

Paul's strongest language throughout his writings was reserved for his greatest enemies – the false teachers. Why? Because their work is satanically led and powered; they are 'false prophets', Jesus said, and 'of their father the devil', who is 'a liar from the beginning'.  Jesus said this referring to the deception of God's Word in the garden, 'Did God actually say?' and then the huge lie, 'You will not die!'. Of course, he was wrong, and the Satanic lie these young Galatian Christians was exposed to was such a lie, one that could again lead to death! So let the preachers of such a lie be accursed, anathema, or 'devoted to destruction'. Such language should hold us!

Approval and Authority, 10-12. For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. Here in verse 10-12 we'll consider what Paul was seeking and what he gave away.

Approval of man. Paul was very definitely not living his life for this. He was risking his life to preach the gospel to man for God's approval. He saw early on that man's approval wouldn't be bought by the message of the cross; that currency only cost him such approval. For a bit of a modern comparison: today academics who hold fast to the theory of Creation or even to the theory of Intelligent Design do so often at the cost of their advancement in their chosen career fields. To hold to these views could cost you raises, positions of honor and prestige, tenure, and even your job. Such men and women must decide; will I pursue and write of true science, or the religiously accepted party line of evolution? For true science often contradicts evolution at its base. Stephen Meyer has written a book called Signature in the Cell which unpacks this thesis: the best explanation for the origins of biological information is that it comes from an intelligent source, a mind. In a debate with a theistic evolutionist named Steve Matheson, Matheson said this of Meyer's argument: "I buy that, I get it, it's, it's obvious. But I see the world differently than you do"[3]. Matheson recognizes the good science, but holds fast to his faulty science due to his faulty worldview. Matheson is honored, and Meyer is vilified.

Now that illustrates that these academics must either please man in their current culture or seek truth; but it's not a direct life/death situation for them. The people in the churches of Galatia would have to make this call; either please and placate the Judaizers who were adding circumcision to the gospel in trying to reconcile law and grace, or stand on grace through faith alone at the expense of the acceptance of man. Paul had already made that choice. He sought the approval of God, not of man, and that was what he challenged the young believers on now.

Paul's personal dilemma was this: please man and live a safe, good life while people die in their sins; or please God and offer eternal life in the truth of the cross and risk your own life repeatedly. By God's call and power – which we'll see more next week – Paul preached Christ. Want to know more sad truth? Many mainline denominations of past glory have traveled down this road of seeking man's approval at the expense of the gospel, and they have STILL faded into oblivion! What reward was promised by the lure of the false gospel has proven empty as well as the lie itself, and now those liars will face an Unhappy, Holy God.

Authority. This is a Scriptural Issue: is the gospel taught in the Old Testament and by the apostles THE gospel, and is it from God? Paul's adamant writing was YES! It is a battle still brought to the gates of the church today. Some argue that the church created the Bible, the Canon. This is how many think of God's Word today, and they are wrong – and dangerously so. It is consistent in Scripture, however, that the Word of God ALWAYS creates the Word of God. God spoke men and women into existence. God called Abraham, and the 'people of God' were created; Abraham didn't created the Word of God, but the Word of God created Abraham! God sent His Son who was and who preached the truth. He sent the apostles into the world with this Gospel[4].

I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

The church only recognized the Word of God, and that on two grounds; apostolicity and inspiration. Was this written by an apostle or someone in his circle, and 2) does this book bear the marks of inspiration? Does it line up with the Hebrew Bible, what we call the Old Testament? For example; Gnostic writers taught that all material, all matter was evil; and when the church Fathers held these Gnostic up to the light of the Scriptures, they pointed the contradiction with the truth in Gen 1 and 2 – God created it all and saw that it was good! Thus they strongly refuted the lies of the Gnostics and held up the truth of the gospel.

The Word of God creates the people of God: God's people do not create God's Word.

Church, this issue of authority hasn't gone away. It is raging today as emergents and liberals in massive churches and small ones write books that disdain the Authority of the Scriptures. We must hold fast to this truth; The Bible is our standard for all of life, practice, and ministry. We have no other truth, no other gospel.

Authority of the gospel message comes from God, and through Christ our Lord.

Authority of the gospel message has come from Christ our Lord through the Apostles to us today.

So… Astonished. Accursed. Approval. Authority. These were grave issues that faced the Galatian churches, and I say they are grave issues that we face still today.

Astonished: Amazed and astounded. Astonished that believers would turn from God to another gospel. Tell me, what is your connection to God – is it Christ alone? What is your love for, enjoyment of, and hope in – is it God alone through Christ alone? On what threads are you holding fast to the truth? Are they strong and well kept, or are they thin and oft-neglected? Would the apostle be amazed or astonished at how easily we disobey God, or turn from this life-giving gospel to write our own or to buy that of some false teacher? Or would he be encouraged at how we hold fast to Christ and His Word through the challenges of our day?

Accursed: accursed is the condition of those who teach another gospel, a distorted gospel, a gospel contrary to the truth. Do you fear the wrath of God enough to tell the truth about God and His glory, about Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life? You're not doing anyone any favors by distorting or contradicting it, and you're putting yourself in grave danger. Also, let us be discerning in who we listen to and follow, for false teachers still abound, church! This isn't a past-tense issue; as long as there is a true gospel, then false gospels will abound. 

Approval. The approval of man is deceptive, empty, and dead. We are tempted to fit in, be valued, and to toe the party line so, so often! Folks, this cross doesn't fit well in the vehicle of many cultures; will you leave it by the curb to get in, or will you walk with your cross?

Authority. Let us hold fast to God's good Word, being fed well and strengthened on this pure gospel, that we were and are sinners, needing to be saved from the penalty our sins have deserved from God. Jesus Christ came and paid this price, bringing to us salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. This message is authoritative, exclusive, singular, and beautiful. It is the message of life, hope, forgiveness, and adoption. Have you received this good news, this Son of God, this Savior and Lord? There IS no other gospel.

 



[1] All Scripture, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (via E-Sword Software) © 2001 Crossway Publishing. All Rights Reserved

[2] interesting article about this found at http://www.civilwarhome.com/desertion.htm

[4] This point was excellently made and supported by Ligon Duncan in his message at the Together for the Gospel Conference in Louisville, KY that I recently attended.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Working the Blog

We're trying to perfect the art of posting sermon notes for your availability.
Also, since so many people have requested them (my mother).
Hope this is helpful!
Grace... PJ

Sermon Notes 5-16-2010

To the Churches in Galatia                    Rolling Hills Church

Gal 1:1-51          16 May 2010 

We begin a study through the book of Galatians today. It is a very intense book of six chapters, and it is focused on preaching the gospel again to a people who have received the gospel – and are now considering another gospel. Let’s read the first five verses, the introduction of the book.

Gal 1:1-5

1 Paul, an apostle--not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead--

2 and all the brothers who are with me, To the churches of Galatia:

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,

4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Today we’re going to consider the author, recipients, and the greeting, and we’ll get in a little background of Galatians as we go. First, let’s pray, shall we?

Lord, make the book live to me today.

Show me Yourself within your Word.

And show me myself, in light of your good glory.

And Lord, show us our good Savior.

And Lord, make the book live to us. Through Christ I ask this, amen. 

Author: Paul, the Apostle, along with brothers. Credibility established here is significant, because Paul is writing this letter to do what Jude urged the saints themselves to do when he wrote 1:3 of his letter: “…contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints”. Let’s go back and review Paul’s credibility and his call, shall we? Just briefly, for we’ll get into that a bit more next week.

Acts 9:3-6 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do."

So the Lord sends this man Ananias to go and pray for Saul that he would be given his sight back; but he was very reluctant to go, thinking he was going to feed the wild animal that had been ravaging the church in Jerusalem.

Acts 9:15-16 But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name."

Now we go to Acts 26, where Saul – now called Paul – is imprisoned, and is testifying before King Agrippa as to why the Jews want him dead. Instead of defending himself legally, Paul uses this opportunity to share the gospel.

Acts 26:14-18 And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' And I said, 'Who are you, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles--to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'

What he wants these churches to know and to be re-enforced in is this: Christ Himself had given and had sent Paul to this gospel work. This truth was from God, and it was THE gospel. That’s critical from the very word ‘go’ in this book, because the issue the apostle is addressing is turning from grace through faith alone back to the law, represented in an over-arching way by taking circumcision back up. So Paul is writing back to these churches that he had gospel-preached into existence (of course, through Christ’s power and help) to reinforce the gospel of grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone to the glory of God alone.

Recipients: the churches of the southern part of the province of Galatia (now in Turkey). These are young believers who came out of Jewish synagogues and off the streets of these cities where they preached the gospel. Paul and Barnabas established a custom on their first missionary journey of going to the Jews in town first at the Synagogue and preaching Christ – the fulfillment of the OT Scriptures. Then they would take the gospel to Gentiles in town who were open to hear it. The towns we’re concerned with here in this letter are probably the island of Cyprus, Perga, Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, and Lystra; these were the cities hit on their first missionary journey. Let’s go back to Acts 13 and see how this came about…

Acts 13:14-16 but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, "Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it." So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: "Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen.

Now in vs 17-41 is a fine, fine gospel message Paul preached. Christ crucified, buried, risen, and the fulfillment of the OT prophecies of a Savior. When he ended the sermon, this was the response…

Acts 13:42-48 As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God. The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, "'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'" And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

So these were Jews, Gentile proselytes to Judaism, and other Gentiles who heard the message and believed in Christ. THAT is who Paul is writing back to. On a side note here we see three things:

The preaching of the gospel is how God calls the elect to Himself. Our responsibility is the preach the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit, and leave the results to God. Some will believe, others will not. Since the resurrection of Christ it has been this way, and it will be until He returns. Ours isn’t to know who He is calling to Himself, ours is to be faithful with the message.

The preaching of the gospel often brings division and persecution. When we aren’t facing either, we should wonder if we are preaching the cross of Jesus Christ.

The preaching of the gospel was the means for starting local New Testament churches2. It is still a good place to put our hope for a church start, and must be the foundation! Now the greeting…

The Gospel Greeting: Paul not only establishes his authority, but he is preaching the gospel right out of the gate as well. It is a common greeting, but it a little more brief and direct.

Grace and peace. Not just the absence of conflict, but a positive blessing of well-being as well; more of the OT shalom idea3.

Grace from God our Father. God the creator is the giver of all grace: both common graces and the saving grace that comes through the faithful preaching of the good news of Jesus Christ.

Grace from our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul here shows again that God the Father and God the Son are both God, and are One. Later in the book he explains the power and the work of the Holy Spirit in bringing the gospel to people, so the doctrine of the Trinity is taught here in Galatians, and begin here in the greeting. This is a common practice for Paul.

Jesus, who gave Himself to deliver us from this present evil age. We are saved not only from the wrath of God, and the power of sin in our lives, but from the pull of the world on our souls, which Paul refers to as ‘this evil age’. 

Jesus, who died according to God’s will. This was God’s plan from the beginning; it is not a reactionary plan B, it was the plan from before times eternal.

God, who is forever glorified. Glorified in and through us as we worship God through Christ in spirit and in truth.

Closing

So that is the author, the recipients, and the gospel greeting for the book of Galatians. Paul the Apostle writes to saved people from Jewish and Gentile backgrounds who are being told another gospel, and he is determined to hold them to the one true gospel.

Church, if you are Christians, you came to Christ through faith in Him alone for salvation. I want you to read this book this week, and let this truth challenge your faith, to see that it resides in Christ alone for your life. Our hope must be held fast to Him, and to Him alone for our right standing with God.

Grace and peace are from God alone. And without grace, there is no peace. Let’s pray.

This is a Blog for hosting Pastor Jeff's Sermon notes! Hope it works out well for you!