WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.560 Well, have you ever heard it said that the Bible is just stuff made up by men, it's just human ideas written down. 00:00:09.279 --> 00:00:17.500 ! Have you ever heard someone say that? Or have you ever heard people say, it doesn't matter what you believe, provided you're sincere about it. 00:00:18.080 --> 00:00:23.920 If you follow a religion, that's fine, you just need to be sincere about it, and if you are, that's all that really matters. 00:00:23.920 --> 00:00:31.700 I know I've heard those things quite a lot, but in these words here, Paul attacks both of those ideas. 00:00:32.700 --> 00:00:41.160 He shows us they are false. He shows us, first of all, that what he writes is not merely man's ideas, but it's from God. 00:00:41.859 --> 00:00:45.120 And he shows us that being sincere about something is no great help. 00:00:45.200 --> 00:00:50.140 You can be sincere about being able to fly and jump out a window and crash land and kill yourself. 00:00:50.140 --> 00:00:56.359 Sincerity makes no difference. What is important is what you believe in. 00:00:57.340 --> 00:00:59.899 I've heard a couple of things that Paul is going to show us in these words. 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:08.859 Let me just put a bit of context here. Paul is writing to this young church because he is very worried that they are trying to add to the good news message of Jesus. 00:01:09.859 --> 00:01:15.180 And in doing so, they're destroying the good news and are potentially making a shipwreck of their lives. 00:01:15.180 --> 00:01:19.120 But there was an accusation that the false teachers were using. 00:01:19.980 --> 00:01:25.880 They were saying, don't listen to this guy Paul. What does he know? He's just trying to be popular with people. 00:01:26.520 --> 00:01:31.340 He's just teaching other human ideas. He's just passing on ideas he's already heard. 00:01:32.960 --> 00:01:34.780 And people today say that kind of thing, don't they? 00:01:34.840 --> 00:01:37.340 It's, you know, the Bible, that's just some guy's ideas. 00:01:37.460 --> 00:01:40.040 Some men wrote it down. It has no authority. 00:01:40.040 --> 00:01:49.200 Well, look at what Paul says, first of all, and why the reason the message he is preaching is God's message, not his message. 00:01:50.040 --> 00:01:54.880 We'll look at his argument there first, why this is God's message, not a man's message or his message. 00:01:55.219 --> 00:02:02.960 And then secondly, we'll see how this gospel, how meeting Jesus Christ, completely transformed Saul's life. 00:02:03.700 --> 00:02:08.560 And as we meet Jesus Christ, he will completely transform our lives too. 00:02:08.560 --> 00:02:12.319 So let's look at that. First of all, you can see Paul's main point if you look at verse 11. 00:02:12.979 --> 00:02:20.080 I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel, the good news message that was preached by me is not man's gospel. 00:02:22.000 --> 00:02:23.360 This isn't a human idea. 00:02:23.719 --> 00:02:29.780 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. 00:02:30.340 --> 00:02:34.480 In other words, this came straight to me from the Lord Jesus himself. 00:02:35.020 --> 00:02:36.719 God revealed this message to me. 00:02:36.719 --> 00:02:40.319 Now what's his evidence for that? That's quite a bold claim, isn't it? 00:02:40.800 --> 00:02:42.080 Muhammad made a similar claim. 00:02:42.520 --> 00:02:43.740 God spoke to him up the mountain. 00:02:44.280 --> 00:02:45.180 He wrote down the Koran. 00:02:45.979 --> 00:02:47.740 Does Paul have any better evidence? 00:02:48.699 --> 00:02:49.680 Well, yes, he does. 00:02:50.759 --> 00:02:53.639 He says the evidence is the change God has brought about in me. 00:02:54.419 --> 00:02:55.780 You see his old way of life. 00:02:55.860 --> 00:02:56.659 Look at verse 13. 00:02:56.939 --> 00:02:58.860 You've heard about my former way of life. 00:02:58.860 --> 00:03:03.760 How I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 00:03:04.140 --> 00:03:06.400 We call it a snapshot of that in the reading from Acts. 00:03:07.080 --> 00:03:13.180 The word there for try to destroy it is a word also used in the original language for burning down villages. 00:03:14.220 --> 00:03:15.340 It means destroy. 00:03:15.740 --> 00:03:17.040 It's like an act of war. 00:03:17.580 --> 00:03:19.520 And that was Paul's aim. 00:03:20.300 --> 00:03:20.740 Why? 00:03:21.460 --> 00:03:25.040 Because he was zealous, he says, for the traditions of his fathers. 00:03:26.659 --> 00:03:29.760 In other words, for the religious traditions passed down to him. 00:03:30.379 --> 00:03:32.320 He thought he was doing God's job. 00:03:32.900 --> 00:03:33.980 Persecuting this church. 00:03:34.300 --> 00:03:35.600 Trying to destroy this church. 00:03:35.939 --> 00:03:37.460 He thought it was heresy. 00:03:38.080 --> 00:03:43.980 He thought anyone who called Jesus Lord and God was a heretic who deserved death. 00:03:44.759 --> 00:03:49.139 So as Paul headed to Damascus, he thought he was on God's side. 00:03:49.259 --> 00:03:51.139 He thought he was doing God's work. 00:03:51.560 --> 00:03:53.780 He didn't think he needed forgiveness. 00:03:54.859 --> 00:03:56.259 He thought he was in the right. 00:03:57.599 --> 00:04:00.639 So he had this attitude towards Christ, this attitude towards the church. 00:04:01.139 --> 00:04:02.739 You see his attitude towards himself as well. 00:04:02.799 --> 00:04:03.579 Verse 14. 00:04:03.819 --> 00:04:08.139 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age, among my own people. 00:04:09.179 --> 00:04:11.719 He was a man on a stellar career path. 00:04:13.979 --> 00:04:17.000 Well respected, well admired, great authority. 00:04:18.779 --> 00:04:20.060 So what changed? 00:04:21.259 --> 00:04:22.740 Well, God grabbed him, didn't he? 00:04:22.779 --> 00:04:24.399 Look at how God grabbed him. 00:04:24.439 --> 00:04:25.120 Verse 15. 00:04:26.060 --> 00:04:29.240 When he, that is God, who had set me apart before I was born, 00:04:29.620 --> 00:04:31.139 and he called me by his grace, 00:04:31.639 --> 00:04:33.860 was pleased to reveal his son to me, 00:04:34.379 --> 00:04:37.319 in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles. 00:04:38.480 --> 00:04:41.319 So God changed Paul's life around completely. 00:04:41.319 --> 00:04:45.620 He revealed Jesus to him. 00:04:47.379 --> 00:04:49.019 He revealed Jesus to him. 00:04:49.339 --> 00:04:51.219 At that point, on the road to Damascus, 00:04:51.860 --> 00:04:55.740 Saul made a wonderful discovery and a terrible discovery. 00:04:56.600 --> 00:04:59.019 The terrible discovery was that this Jesus, 00:04:59.439 --> 00:05:01.740 whom he had been trying to obliterate, 00:05:02.120 --> 00:05:04.180 this Jesus who he stopped people worshipping, 00:05:05.439 --> 00:05:07.980 that this Jesus was actually alive and kicking, 00:05:07.980 --> 00:05:09.720 and was God's own son. 00:05:11.160 --> 00:05:12.480 That was a terrible discovery. 00:05:13.600 --> 00:05:15.020 But the wonderful discovery, 00:05:15.680 --> 00:05:17.120 was that Saul, like Paul, 00:05:17.640 --> 00:05:19.480 like Jeremiah the prophet in the Old Testament, 00:05:19.580 --> 00:05:23.660 had been set apart by God from before his birth even. 00:05:24.060 --> 00:05:25.680 God had a purpose for him. 00:05:25.680 --> 00:05:30.400 And Paul, for the sake of showing the Galatians, 00:05:30.480 --> 00:05:31.160 and showing us, 00:05:31.400 --> 00:05:31.900 that this is all, 00:05:32.439 --> 00:05:33.900 is God's message he's preaching, 00:05:34.379 --> 00:05:35.660 underlines it straight away. 00:05:35.740 --> 00:05:36.360 Verse 16. 00:05:36.879 --> 00:05:38.800 I did not immediately consult with anyone, 00:05:39.439 --> 00:05:40.600 nor did I go up to Jerusalem, 00:05:40.740 --> 00:05:42.139 for those who were apostles before me. 00:05:43.079 --> 00:05:44.199 In other words, Saul's saying, 00:05:44.660 --> 00:05:45.860 I got this message, 00:05:46.019 --> 00:05:47.560 God revealed Jesus to me. 00:05:48.120 --> 00:05:49.500 He revealed the truth to me. 00:05:50.360 --> 00:05:51.460 And I got it straight from God. 00:05:51.519 --> 00:05:54.180 I didn't need to go and consult with the leaders in Jerusalem. 00:05:54.180 --> 00:05:56.959 I didn't need to get it verified by somebody else. 00:05:57.959 --> 00:06:01.000 Rather, I went off to do what God had told me to do. 00:06:01.780 --> 00:06:03.500 You see what Paul is arguing here. 00:06:04.160 --> 00:06:05.120 He wants us to know, 00:06:05.220 --> 00:06:06.340 that the message he preached, 00:06:06.759 --> 00:06:08.060 is not something he made up. 00:06:09.259 --> 00:06:11.060 It's not something other people told him, 00:06:11.079 --> 00:06:12.840 or a rumour that was going around at the time. 00:06:13.439 --> 00:06:15.340 It's not something he had to check out with other people. 00:06:16.680 --> 00:06:19.040 Rather, it was a message God gave him, 00:06:19.480 --> 00:06:20.800 to preach to others. 00:06:20.800 --> 00:06:23.300 Now that's important, 00:06:23.460 --> 00:06:26.879 because in the days Paul wrote this letter, 00:06:27.660 --> 00:06:28.360 there were people saying, 00:06:28.460 --> 00:06:29.819 he wasn't really teaching the truth, 00:06:29.879 --> 00:06:30.939 it was just his own ideas. 00:06:32.240 --> 00:06:33.879 People today love to dismiss, 00:06:34.439 --> 00:06:35.759 love the Bible, 00:06:35.860 --> 00:06:37.680 particularly love to dismiss the Apostle Paul, 00:06:37.759 --> 00:06:38.120 don't they? 00:06:39.439 --> 00:06:41.860 Oh, he's a male chauvinist. 00:06:42.319 --> 00:06:42.800 Oh, he's too fundamentalist. 00:06:43.740 --> 00:06:45.120 He's not inclusive enough. 00:06:45.639 --> 00:06:47.460 His attitude to sexuality is all wrong. 00:06:47.519 --> 00:06:48.500 He's not enlightened enough. 00:06:48.500 --> 00:06:49.439 We've grown up, 00:06:49.500 --> 00:06:50.879 we've grown past his ideas. 00:06:52.300 --> 00:06:53.560 And yet Paul claims, 00:06:54.199 --> 00:06:55.180 the message he had, 00:06:55.439 --> 00:06:56.779 came straight from God. 00:06:58.379 --> 00:06:59.339 What's the evidence? 00:07:01.180 --> 00:07:03.899 Well, why else would he turn his back on a promising career? 00:07:05.399 --> 00:07:07.160 Why else would he forego, 00:07:07.160 --> 00:07:09.839 the status and privilege he had, 00:07:10.139 --> 00:07:11.399 in Judaism of the day? 00:07:12.500 --> 00:07:13.800 To become an outlaw, 00:07:14.120 --> 00:07:15.379 who was hounded by the Jews, 00:07:15.459 --> 00:07:16.319 wherever he went. 00:07:16.319 --> 00:07:20.860 The answer surely is that God changed his life around. 00:07:22.399 --> 00:07:23.699 As Paul was going to Damascus, 00:07:23.759 --> 00:07:25.639 he had no felt need of Jesus. 00:07:25.800 --> 00:07:27.459 He had no felt need of forgiveness. 00:07:28.439 --> 00:07:29.699 But he was shocked, 00:07:30.500 --> 00:07:33.000 and transformed by what God did. 00:07:34.800 --> 00:07:36.800 We'll see in a moment exactly how he was transformed. 00:07:37.779 --> 00:07:38.980 I hope we can see first of all, 00:07:39.060 --> 00:07:40.800 that Paul's main point here, 00:07:41.159 --> 00:07:42.279 the message he received, 00:07:42.379 --> 00:07:43.259 the message he preaches, 00:07:43.259 --> 00:07:44.860 the message he writes down here, 00:07:44.920 --> 00:07:46.279 the message we have in our Bible, 00:07:47.000 --> 00:07:48.339 is not man-made. 00:07:48.800 --> 00:07:50.000 It's not a human idea. 00:07:50.099 --> 00:07:51.240 It comes from God. 00:07:52.000 --> 00:07:54.339 And one little element of the evidence we have for that, 00:07:54.759 --> 00:07:56.500 is how Paul's life was turned around. 00:07:58.039 --> 00:08:00.779 But let's look more closely at how Paul's life was turned around. 00:08:00.879 --> 00:08:02.439 In what ways was it changed? 00:08:03.120 --> 00:08:05.839 We'll see how encountering the true Jesus changed him, 00:08:06.159 --> 00:08:07.240 and can change us. 00:08:07.300 --> 00:08:09.120 It really changed in three different ways particularly. 00:08:09.780 --> 00:08:11.139 It changed Paul's view of himself. 00:08:11.939 --> 00:08:13.920 It changed the goal of Paul's life. 00:08:14.439 --> 00:08:17.000 It changed the motivation for Paul's actions. 00:08:18.180 --> 00:08:18.720 So first of all, 00:08:18.740 --> 00:08:20.519 it changed Paul's view of himself. 00:08:21.639 --> 00:08:23.379 See, Paul thought he was a really good guy. 00:08:24.500 --> 00:08:25.280 Look at verse 14. 00:08:25.360 --> 00:08:28.480 I was advancing Judaism beyond many of my own age, 00:08:28.519 --> 00:08:29.240 among my people. 00:08:29.699 --> 00:08:32.500 So extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. 00:08:32.980 --> 00:08:34.500 He's on this great career path. 00:08:35.960 --> 00:08:37.580 Philippians chapter 3, verse 6, 00:08:37.580 --> 00:08:39.379 talking about his former life. 00:08:39.480 --> 00:08:39.740 He says, 00:08:40.240 --> 00:08:41.920 As for righteousness under the law, 00:08:42.320 --> 00:08:43.379 I was blameless. 00:08:44.259 --> 00:08:45.440 People looked at me, 00:08:45.800 --> 00:08:47.120 and I was perfect, 00:08:47.460 --> 00:08:49.139 according to the religious rules of the day. 00:08:50.400 --> 00:08:52.080 See, he thought all his efforts 00:08:52.080 --> 00:08:53.320 put him in God's good book. 00:08:53.920 --> 00:08:56.240 He thought he was a really nice guy. 00:08:56.520 --> 00:08:59.139 He thought he was doing God a massive favour. 00:08:59.139 --> 00:09:03.519 And yet he was then shocked, wasn't he? 00:09:03.860 --> 00:09:04.779 What did God do? 00:09:06.500 --> 00:09:08.799 He revealed Jesus Christ to him. 00:09:09.860 --> 00:09:10.319 You see that? 00:09:10.379 --> 00:09:10.939 Verse 12. 00:09:12.840 --> 00:09:15.720 I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. 00:09:16.319 --> 00:09:17.159 Verse 16. 00:09:17.539 --> 00:09:20.019 God was pleased to reveal his son to me. 00:09:21.059 --> 00:09:22.340 Now why did God do it? 00:09:22.340 --> 00:09:26.280 It was by grace, wasn't it? 00:09:26.600 --> 00:09:27.440 Verse 15. 00:09:30.040 --> 00:09:32.080 When he set me apart from before I was born, 00:09:32.139 --> 00:09:33.680 he called me by his grace. 00:09:33.800 --> 00:09:35.040 God didn't do it, in other words, 00:09:35.300 --> 00:09:36.259 because Paul was good, 00:09:36.519 --> 00:09:37.360 because Paul was nice, 00:09:37.460 --> 00:09:38.280 because Paul was religious. 00:09:38.680 --> 00:09:39.780 God did it entirely 00:09:39.780 --> 00:09:41.960 out of his own generous kindness, 00:09:42.139 --> 00:09:43.160 extravagant kindness, 00:09:43.580 --> 00:09:44.920 to an undeserving man. 00:09:45.960 --> 00:09:47.019 So why God did it? 00:09:47.080 --> 00:09:48.240 What did God do? 00:09:48.240 --> 00:09:50.660 He revealed his son Jesus. 00:09:50.659 --> 00:09:54.480 He wanted Paul to have a right view of Jesus, 00:09:54.579 --> 00:09:55.519 and having a right view of Jesus, 00:09:55.620 --> 00:09:56.740 he had a right view of himself. 00:09:57.899 --> 00:10:00.439 Now what did Paul understand? 00:10:00.559 --> 00:10:01.539 What did Paul grasp 00:10:01.539 --> 00:10:03.740 as God revealed his son to him? 00:10:03.779 --> 00:10:05.399 Has he got that revelation of Jesus 00:10:05.399 --> 00:10:06.899 on the road to Damascus? 00:10:07.699 --> 00:10:08.779 Well we can say lots of things. 00:10:08.839 --> 00:10:10.600 Let's just say two things, first of all. 00:10:11.939 --> 00:10:12.659 First of all, 00:10:13.360 --> 00:10:15.100 Paul saw at last 00:10:15.100 --> 00:10:18.339 that Jesus is the eternal son of God 00:10:18.339 --> 00:10:19.419 in human flesh. 00:10:20.659 --> 00:10:23.860 That Jesus is the eternal son of God 00:10:23.860 --> 00:10:24.639 in human flesh. 00:10:24.959 --> 00:10:26.379 He was not a heretic 00:10:26.379 --> 00:10:27.419 claiming to be God. 00:10:27.679 --> 00:10:28.399 He was in fact 00:10:28.399 --> 00:10:29.699 the second person of the Trinity. 00:10:30.120 --> 00:10:31.059 God on earth. 00:10:31.399 --> 00:10:32.799 Now raised new life again. 00:10:33.799 --> 00:10:34.459 That's important. 00:10:35.059 --> 00:10:35.980 That's important for Paul, 00:10:36.100 --> 00:10:36.259 because 00:10:36.259 --> 00:10:38.219 as a Jew 00:10:38.219 --> 00:10:39.059 he'd always been brought up 00:10:39.059 --> 00:10:40.579 to believe that God is just one 00:10:40.579 --> 00:10:41.679 and there is only one God. 00:10:41.679 --> 00:10:44.739 And he's suddenly 00:10:44.739 --> 00:10:45.839 confronted with Jesus 00:10:45.839 --> 00:10:46.859 as the son of God. 00:10:48.259 --> 00:10:49.299 It's revealed to him 00:10:49.299 --> 00:10:50.959 that God is three persons in one. 00:10:51.259 --> 00:10:52.279 Yes, God is a unity, 00:10:52.479 --> 00:10:53.939 is one Godhead, 00:10:54.019 --> 00:10:55.299 yet there's Father, Son and Spirit 00:10:55.299 --> 00:10:56.839 in the one Godhead. 00:10:57.939 --> 00:10:58.419 And Saul 00:10:58.419 --> 00:11:00.620 finds Jesus revealed to him. 00:11:00.659 --> 00:11:01.539 So he realises 00:11:01.539 --> 00:11:03.459 Jesus is not some creation, 00:11:03.939 --> 00:11:05.019 not some mere mortal, 00:11:05.899 --> 00:11:07.179 he's not some being 00:11:07.179 --> 00:11:08.579 somewhere between God and man 00:11:08.580 --> 00:11:10.020 as some different sects 00:11:10.020 --> 00:11:10.860 and cults teach. 00:11:11.980 --> 00:11:13.420 He is God eternal himself. 00:11:14.620 --> 00:11:15.020 And secondly, 00:11:15.139 --> 00:11:15.580 Saul found out 00:11:15.580 --> 00:11:17.200 that Jesus is God's promised king. 00:11:17.820 --> 00:11:18.680 So in the Old Testament, 00:11:18.800 --> 00:11:19.160 for example, 00:11:19.240 --> 00:11:20.440 in 2 Samuel chapter 7, 00:11:20.840 --> 00:11:21.740 the son of God 00:11:21.740 --> 00:11:23.020 is a title 00:11:23.020 --> 00:11:24.940 for God's chosen king 00:11:24.940 --> 00:11:25.540 for his people. 00:11:26.759 --> 00:11:27.620 So Saul found that 00:11:27.620 --> 00:11:29.080 Jesus is God himself, 00:11:29.660 --> 00:11:30.639 but also Jesus is 00:11:30.639 --> 00:11:32.300 God's ruler and king. 00:11:32.700 --> 00:11:33.700 So the very one 00:11:33.700 --> 00:11:34.879 Saul would be trying 00:11:34.879 --> 00:11:35.700 to put an end to 00:11:35.700 --> 00:11:37.620 was in fact the one 00:11:37.620 --> 00:11:39.519 whom God was using 00:11:39.519 --> 00:11:40.740 to fulfil his purposes. 00:11:42.120 --> 00:11:43.179 So in that moment 00:11:43.179 --> 00:11:44.960 that Saul sees 00:11:44.960 --> 00:11:46.139 Jesus revealed to him, 00:11:47.360 --> 00:11:48.799 he completely changes 00:11:48.799 --> 00:11:49.659 his view of himself. 00:11:49.919 --> 00:11:51.120 He's no longer a good guy 00:11:51.120 --> 00:11:52.039 doing God's work. 00:11:52.639 --> 00:11:53.539 He now sees 00:11:53.539 --> 00:11:54.940 he is God's enemy. 00:11:56.080 --> 00:11:57.240 He is God's enemy. 00:11:59.120 --> 00:12:00.820 He thought his religious zeal 00:12:00.820 --> 00:12:02.080 and niceness was good. 00:12:03.139 --> 00:12:03.600 Actually, 00:12:04.120 --> 00:12:05.299 it was a way of rebelling 00:12:05.299 --> 00:12:06.019 against God. 00:12:06.019 --> 00:12:07.759 And that's actually 00:12:07.759 --> 00:12:08.539 a warning to all of us, 00:12:08.579 --> 00:12:08.939 isn't it? 00:12:09.579 --> 00:12:11.179 We can think we're good people, 00:12:11.679 --> 00:12:12.819 we can think we're very religious, 00:12:12.960 --> 00:12:13.659 we're doing nice things 00:12:13.659 --> 00:12:14.199 for God, 00:12:15.699 --> 00:12:16.259 and yet actually 00:12:16.259 --> 00:12:17.860 if we don't grasp 00:12:17.860 --> 00:12:19.220 who Jesus is, 00:12:19.779 --> 00:12:21.039 however zealous we are, 00:12:21.139 --> 00:12:22.720 however enthusiastic we are, 00:12:23.419 --> 00:12:24.120 we can be running 00:12:24.120 --> 00:12:25.879 headlong against God's program 00:12:25.879 --> 00:12:26.919 and God's ways. 00:12:27.639 --> 00:12:28.840 And we can be 00:12:28.840 --> 00:12:29.659 God's enemies. 00:12:29.659 --> 00:12:32.279 So that's the first thing 00:12:32.279 --> 00:12:33.159 that was transformed 00:12:33.159 --> 00:12:33.740 in Saul. 00:12:34.459 --> 00:12:35.539 His view of himself 00:12:35.539 --> 00:12:36.679 that was all caught up 00:12:36.679 --> 00:12:37.419 with his view of Jesus. 00:12:39.059 --> 00:12:39.779 The second thing 00:12:39.779 --> 00:12:40.299 that was transformed 00:12:40.299 --> 00:12:42.100 was his whole goal 00:12:42.100 --> 00:12:42.839 of his life. 00:12:43.559 --> 00:12:44.379 The goal of his life 00:12:44.379 --> 00:12:45.500 was turned upside down. 00:12:46.559 --> 00:12:46.699 See, 00:12:46.779 --> 00:12:47.079 formerly 00:12:47.079 --> 00:12:48.439 his goal was to 00:12:48.439 --> 00:12:49.879 persecute and destroy 00:12:49.879 --> 00:12:50.360 the church, 00:12:50.399 --> 00:12:50.819 wasn't it? 00:12:51.120 --> 00:12:51.679 But now 00:12:51.679 --> 00:12:52.579 the persecutor 00:12:52.579 --> 00:12:53.679 has turned preacher. 00:12:54.679 --> 00:12:55.539 Verse 16, 00:12:55.659 --> 00:12:56.919 God called on him. 00:12:57.419 --> 00:12:57.979 God is pleased 00:12:57.979 --> 00:12:58.899 to reveal his son to me 00:12:58.899 --> 00:12:59.819 in order that I may 00:12:59.819 --> 00:13:01.339 preach him among the Gentiles. 00:13:01.959 --> 00:13:02.679 As a good Jew, 00:13:02.779 --> 00:13:03.099 it must have been 00:13:03.099 --> 00:13:04.759 an absolutely horrendous idea 00:13:04.759 --> 00:13:05.279 for Saul 00:13:05.279 --> 00:13:06.240 to go to the Gentiles. 00:13:07.039 --> 00:13:07.699 But now 00:13:07.699 --> 00:13:09.139 his life is so transformed 00:13:09.139 --> 00:13:09.860 that instead of trying 00:13:09.860 --> 00:13:11.039 to put an end 00:13:11.039 --> 00:13:13.059 to the church, 00:13:13.199 --> 00:13:13.839 he's preaching 00:13:13.839 --> 00:13:15.379 so the church is built up. 00:13:15.919 --> 00:13:16.679 Not only that, 00:13:16.919 --> 00:13:18.039 he's going to the Gentiles, 00:13:18.039 --> 00:13:18.979 his very enemies, 00:13:19.360 --> 00:13:20.000 to preach that. 00:13:21.039 --> 00:13:22.019 The persecutor 00:13:22.019 --> 00:13:22.959 turns into the preacher. 00:13:23.360 --> 00:13:24.439 He has a new goal 00:13:24.439 --> 00:13:25.159 in his life 00:13:25.159 --> 00:13:26.939 because that is the purpose 00:13:26.939 --> 00:13:27.980 which God saved him. 00:13:29.120 --> 00:13:29.399 Now, 00:13:30.860 --> 00:13:31.459 you and I 00:13:31.459 --> 00:13:32.240 are not called to be 00:13:32.240 --> 00:13:33.439 the apostles to the Gentiles. 00:13:34.279 --> 00:13:35.120 That only happened 00:13:35.120 --> 00:13:35.579 to Saul. 00:13:36.959 --> 00:13:38.179 But we all live life 00:13:38.179 --> 00:13:38.899 with some goal, 00:13:38.980 --> 00:13:39.319 don't we? 00:13:40.240 --> 00:13:40.959 And as I read this, 00:13:41.019 --> 00:13:41.740 I have to ask myself, 00:13:42.059 --> 00:13:42.419 truly, 00:13:42.579 --> 00:13:43.379 what is my goal? 00:13:45.459 --> 00:13:46.620 Am I just interested 00:13:46.620 --> 00:13:47.399 in my own career? 00:13:47.959 --> 00:13:49.100 As Saul also was, 00:13:49.179 --> 00:13:49.939 part of his persecuting 00:13:49.939 --> 00:13:50.399 the church, 00:13:50.779 --> 00:13:51.639 was to build his own 00:13:51.639 --> 00:13:52.500 career in Judaism. 00:13:53.659 --> 00:13:54.379 Am I interested 00:13:54.379 --> 00:13:55.299 in my own reputation 00:13:55.299 --> 00:13:56.799 as Saul was? 00:13:58.639 --> 00:14:00.360 Or am I primarily, 00:14:00.820 --> 00:14:02.259 is my goal primarily 00:14:02.259 --> 00:14:04.320 to preach Jesus Christ 00:14:04.320 --> 00:14:05.659 to let others know 00:14:05.659 --> 00:14:06.939 this glorious news 00:14:06.939 --> 00:14:08.460 that we can be forgiven 00:14:08.460 --> 00:14:10.200 and made whole again 00:14:10.200 --> 00:14:12.220 by the grace of God 00:14:12.220 --> 00:14:12.939 in the Lord Jesus 00:14:12.939 --> 00:14:14.299 and not by our own 00:14:14.299 --> 00:14:15.179 religious works? 00:14:17.259 --> 00:14:18.240 What's your goal? 00:14:19.840 --> 00:14:20.659 What's your goal? 00:14:20.700 --> 00:14:21.919 What do you desire in life? 00:14:21.919 --> 00:14:24.159 What is the longing 00:14:24.159 --> 00:14:25.000 of your heart? 00:14:26.519 --> 00:14:27.639 And how does that line up 00:14:27.639 --> 00:14:28.860 with God's great program? 00:14:30.740 --> 00:14:31.620 Well, Saul had a new view 00:14:31.620 --> 00:14:32.699 of himself and of Jesus. 00:14:33.319 --> 00:14:34.240 He completely transformed 00:14:34.240 --> 00:14:35.179 the goal in his life. 00:14:35.799 --> 00:14:36.279 And thirdly, 00:14:36.319 --> 00:14:36.839 he had a completely 00:14:36.839 --> 00:14:38.259 transformed motivation. 00:14:39.139 --> 00:14:40.059 Look at verse 10. 00:14:40.179 --> 00:14:41.699 See what his old motivation was 00:14:41.699 --> 00:14:42.899 and what his new motivation is. 00:14:43.740 --> 00:14:44.419 Verse 10. 00:14:44.479 --> 00:14:45.059 For am I seeking 00:14:45.059 --> 00:14:45.959 the approval of man 00:14:45.959 --> 00:14:46.659 or of God? 00:14:47.240 --> 00:14:48.000 Or am I trying 00:14:48.000 --> 00:14:48.819 to please man? 00:14:48.820 --> 00:14:50.240 If I was still 00:14:50.240 --> 00:14:51.740 trying to please man, 00:14:52.180 --> 00:14:53.080 I would not be 00:14:53.080 --> 00:14:54.620 a servant of Christ. 00:14:54.720 --> 00:14:54.980 Literally, 00:14:55.160 --> 00:14:56.700 a slave of Christ. 00:14:57.560 --> 00:14:58.360 See what Paul is saying 00:14:58.360 --> 00:14:59.460 about his old way of life? 00:15:00.280 --> 00:15:00.640 Actually, 00:15:00.720 --> 00:15:01.640 he was a people pleaser. 00:15:02.360 --> 00:15:02.680 Actually, 00:15:02.740 --> 00:15:03.600 he was a people pleaser. 00:15:04.240 --> 00:15:05.480 That's what he wanted to do. 00:15:07.379 --> 00:15:07.960 And for Paul, 00:15:08.460 --> 00:15:09.500 for Saul as he was then, 00:15:10.180 --> 00:15:11.300 being deeply religious 00:15:11.300 --> 00:15:12.200 was a great way 00:15:12.200 --> 00:15:13.240 of being a people pleaser. 00:15:14.760 --> 00:15:15.720 We please people 00:15:15.720 --> 00:15:16.620 for all sorts of reasons, 00:15:16.720 --> 00:15:17.080 don't we? 00:15:17.080 --> 00:15:19.200 And being religious 00:15:19.200 --> 00:15:20.840 can be a great way 00:15:20.840 --> 00:15:21.780 of pleasing other people, 00:15:21.879 --> 00:15:22.240 can't they? 00:15:23.500 --> 00:15:23.879 It might be 00:15:23.879 --> 00:15:24.879 we can please our parents 00:15:24.879 --> 00:15:25.420 when we're younger 00:15:25.420 --> 00:15:26.700 because they take us 00:15:26.700 --> 00:15:27.320 along to church 00:15:27.320 --> 00:15:28.820 or to the mosque 00:15:28.820 --> 00:15:29.400 or to the temple 00:15:29.400 --> 00:15:29.800 or whatever. 00:15:31.580 --> 00:15:32.720 Sometimes we can 00:15:32.720 --> 00:15:33.660 please other people 00:15:33.660 --> 00:15:34.500 by our devotion 00:15:34.500 --> 00:15:35.600 because they're impressed 00:15:35.600 --> 00:15:35.940 with us. 00:15:36.000 --> 00:15:37.060 So we go up in their views 00:15:37.060 --> 00:15:38.100 because we're serving 00:15:38.100 --> 00:15:39.120 so hard in church 00:15:39.120 --> 00:15:40.720 or we are so involved 00:15:40.720 --> 00:15:41.680 in so many things. 00:15:43.420 --> 00:15:44.400 Sometimes we just want 00:15:44.400 --> 00:15:46.140 to please other people 00:15:46.139 --> 00:15:46.580 because we want them 00:15:46.580 --> 00:15:47.179 to like us, 00:15:47.220 --> 00:15:47.539 don't we? 00:15:51.919 --> 00:15:53.220 And whenever people pleasing 00:15:53.220 --> 00:15:54.179 is our real motive, 00:15:54.299 --> 00:15:54.919 we just end up being 00:15:54.919 --> 00:15:55.699 a slave to someone 00:15:55.699 --> 00:15:56.399 else's desires, 00:15:56.500 --> 00:15:56.840 don't we? 00:15:58.019 --> 00:15:58.399 Whether that's 00:15:58.399 --> 00:15:59.019 our parents 00:15:59.019 --> 00:15:59.740 or our family 00:15:59.740 --> 00:16:00.580 or our friends 00:16:00.580 --> 00:16:02.279 or to the fashions 00:16:02.279 --> 00:16:03.399 and customs of the age. 00:16:04.600 --> 00:16:05.819 And Paul is confessing here 00:16:05.819 --> 00:16:06.799 he was a people pleaser. 00:16:08.120 --> 00:16:09.080 That got him promoted. 00:16:09.220 --> 00:16:10.240 He's advancing beyond others 00:16:10.240 --> 00:16:11.360 in his age 00:16:11.360 --> 00:16:11.960 in Judaism. 00:16:13.720 --> 00:16:14.319 There are people 00:16:14.319 --> 00:16:14.860 following him 00:16:14.860 --> 00:16:15.300 helping him 00:16:15.300 --> 00:16:16.139 going to Damascus. 00:16:18.139 --> 00:16:18.779 And yet, 00:16:18.919 --> 00:16:19.440 his motives 00:16:19.440 --> 00:16:20.460 have now changed. 00:16:21.700 --> 00:16:22.300 His motives 00:16:22.300 --> 00:16:23.080 have now changed. 00:16:23.180 --> 00:16:23.740 He's now 00:16:23.740 --> 00:16:25.100 trying to please God. 00:16:26.220 --> 00:16:26.680 If I was still 00:16:26.680 --> 00:16:27.399 trying to please man, 00:16:27.460 --> 00:16:28.139 I would not be 00:16:28.139 --> 00:16:29.220 a servant of Christ. 00:16:30.580 --> 00:16:31.180 You can see that 00:16:31.180 --> 00:16:31.620 if you look down 00:16:31.620 --> 00:16:33.159 at the end of the story. 00:16:33.240 --> 00:16:34.360 Verses 18 to 24. 00:16:34.500 --> 00:16:35.019 We won't read it 00:16:35.019 --> 00:16:35.779 all again now. 00:16:36.659 --> 00:16:37.600 But as soon as God 00:16:37.600 --> 00:16:38.500 has got hold of his life, 00:16:38.539 --> 00:16:39.080 what does he do? 00:16:39.680 --> 00:16:40.399 He doesn't go out 00:16:40.399 --> 00:16:41.000 to Jerusalem 00:16:41.000 --> 00:16:42.159 to get in 00:16:42.159 --> 00:16:42.620 with the people 00:16:42.620 --> 00:16:43.779 in power in that day 00:16:43.779 --> 00:16:44.699 in the church. 00:16:45.500 --> 00:16:46.139 He goes out 00:16:46.139 --> 00:16:47.539 into Arabia. 00:16:48.659 --> 00:16:49.439 Presumably to preach 00:16:49.439 --> 00:16:50.600 the gospel for three years 00:16:50.600 --> 00:16:51.139 is when he then 00:16:51.139 --> 00:16:52.679 comes back to Damascus. 00:16:53.220 --> 00:16:53.839 If we read on 00:16:53.839 --> 00:16:54.939 in Acts chapter 9 00:16:54.939 --> 00:16:55.419 we find he had to 00:16:55.419 --> 00:16:56.480 lower it out of the basket. 00:16:57.179 --> 00:16:57.679 Rumor must have 00:16:57.679 --> 00:16:58.559 got back to the king 00:16:58.559 --> 00:17:00.240 in Damascus. 00:17:00.639 --> 00:17:01.079 But this man 00:17:01.079 --> 00:17:01.740 is a troublemaker. 00:17:01.839 --> 00:17:02.439 Get rid of him. 00:17:04.319 --> 00:17:05.000 So Saul immediately 00:17:05.000 --> 00:17:05.980 goes to preach 00:17:05.980 --> 00:17:06.420 the gospel 00:17:06.420 --> 00:17:06.779 because that's 00:17:06.779 --> 00:17:07.039 what he's been 00:17:07.039 --> 00:17:07.660 called to do. 00:17:08.059 --> 00:17:08.539 He immediately 00:17:08.539 --> 00:17:09.160 doesn't go 00:17:09.160 --> 00:17:09.960 to become popular 00:17:09.960 --> 00:17:10.500 unsuccessful. 00:17:10.819 --> 00:17:11.319 He isn't even 00:17:11.319 --> 00:17:12.299 known in person 00:17:12.299 --> 00:17:13.920 we read in verses 23 00:17:13.920 --> 00:17:15.180 to the people 00:17:15.180 --> 00:17:15.700 the Christians 00:17:15.700 --> 00:17:16.380 in Judea. 00:17:16.920 --> 00:17:17.860 Because none of that 00:17:17.860 --> 00:17:18.200 mattered. 00:17:18.279 --> 00:17:19.079 But what did matter? 00:17:19.920 --> 00:17:20.940 Look at verse 24. 00:17:22.000 --> 00:17:23.019 They heard that Saul 00:17:23.019 --> 00:17:23.640 was now preaching 00:17:23.640 --> 00:17:24.200 the gospel. 00:17:24.620 --> 00:17:25.220 Preaching the faith 00:17:25.220 --> 00:17:26.140 he once tried to destroy. 00:17:26.620 --> 00:17:27.799 And they glorified 00:17:27.799 --> 00:17:29.240 God because of me. 00:17:30.740 --> 00:17:31.519 See how Paul's 00:17:31.519 --> 00:17:32.539 motivation has changed 00:17:32.539 --> 00:17:32.840 around? 00:17:33.319 --> 00:17:34.019 He's no longer 00:17:34.019 --> 00:17:35.059 pleasing men 00:17:35.059 --> 00:17:36.720 but he's pleasing God. 00:17:36.799 --> 00:17:37.519 He wants God 00:17:37.519 --> 00:17:38.400 to be glorified. 00:17:38.740 --> 00:17:39.500 He wants Christ 00:17:39.500 --> 00:17:40.279 to be made known. 00:17:42.639 --> 00:17:43.680 Now what about me? 00:17:43.779 --> 00:17:44.299 What about you? 00:17:45.639 --> 00:17:46.740 Are we people pleasers? 00:17:47.359 --> 00:17:48.720 Or are we God pleasers? 00:17:50.299 --> 00:17:51.779 If I look at my own heart 00:17:51.779 --> 00:17:53.379 what lies at the bottom 00:17:53.379 --> 00:17:54.180 of all my desire 00:17:54.180 --> 00:17:55.139 to please other people? 00:17:57.000 --> 00:17:57.460 Well it's actually 00:17:57.460 --> 00:17:58.339 fear isn't it? 00:17:59.259 --> 00:18:00.180 Fear of rejection. 00:18:00.539 --> 00:18:01.379 Fear of missing out. 00:18:01.539 --> 00:18:02.619 Fear of not being popular. 00:18:03.740 --> 00:18:04.599 Fear of offending. 00:18:07.519 --> 00:18:08.740 But what Saul found 00:18:08.740 --> 00:18:09.400 is that having been 00:18:09.400 --> 00:18:11.279 accepted by God's grace 00:18:11.279 --> 00:18:12.879 having been set apart 00:18:12.879 --> 00:18:13.819 having been loved 00:18:13.819 --> 00:18:14.819 and chosen by the 00:18:14.819 --> 00:18:15.980 living God for a purpose 00:18:15.980 --> 00:18:17.879 there's no fear left 00:18:17.879 --> 00:18:18.240 is there? 00:18:19.700 --> 00:18:20.359 See the gospel 00:18:20.359 --> 00:18:21.720 deals with our insecurity. 00:18:23.200 --> 00:18:23.660 If we know 00:18:23.660 --> 00:18:24.759 we're accepted by God 00:18:24.759 --> 00:18:25.420 not because of what 00:18:25.420 --> 00:18:26.099 we do but because 00:18:26.099 --> 00:18:27.200 of what Christ has done 00:18:27.200 --> 00:18:29.660 then it matters 00:18:29.660 --> 00:18:30.740 a whole lot less 00:18:30.740 --> 00:18:31.440 if other people 00:18:31.440 --> 00:18:32.579 do not accept us. 00:18:34.259 --> 00:18:34.940 And so pleasing 00:18:34.940 --> 00:18:35.740 other people 00:18:35.740 --> 00:18:37.519 can become a whole lot 00:18:37.519 --> 00:18:38.359 less important 00:18:38.359 --> 00:18:40.480 than pleasing the God 00:18:40.480 --> 00:18:41.259 who loved us 00:18:41.259 --> 00:18:42.079 and called us 00:18:42.079 --> 00:18:43.120 and saved us. 00:18:44.579 --> 00:18:45.380 Why should we need 00:18:45.380 --> 00:18:45.940 the praise and 00:18:45.940 --> 00:18:46.900 affirmation of people 00:18:46.900 --> 00:18:48.519 when in Christ 00:18:48.519 --> 00:18:49.259 God calls us 00:18:49.259 --> 00:18:50.180 his beloved children? 00:18:52.079 --> 00:18:52.640 You see how this 00:18:52.640 --> 00:18:53.599 worked out in Saul's life 00:18:53.599 --> 00:18:54.420 he was happy to lose 00:18:54.420 --> 00:18:54.980 his status 00:18:54.980 --> 00:18:55.940 in Judaism. 00:18:56.539 --> 00:18:57.319 Happy to lose 00:18:57.319 --> 00:18:58.420 the reputation he had. 00:18:58.799 --> 00:18:59.599 Happy to be hounded 00:18:59.599 --> 00:19:00.279 and persecuted 00:19:00.279 --> 00:19:01.559 as we see if you read 00:19:01.559 --> 00:19:03.099 on through his life story. 00:19:03.099 --> 00:19:05.659 Because what he really 00:19:05.659 --> 00:19:06.839 wanted was to 00:19:06.839 --> 00:19:07.519 please God 00:19:07.519 --> 00:19:08.959 and not please people. 00:19:10.039 --> 00:19:10.500 There's a song 00:19:10.500 --> 00:19:11.199 we sometimes sang 00:19:11.199 --> 00:19:11.980 at my old church 00:19:11.980 --> 00:19:13.459 which has this great verse 00:19:13.459 --> 00:19:15.299 Take all my cravings 00:19:15.299 --> 00:19:16.359 for vain recognition 00:19:16.359 --> 00:19:18.379 fleshly indulgence 00:19:18.379 --> 00:19:19.879 and worldly ambition 00:19:19.879 --> 00:19:21.919 I want so much 00:19:21.919 --> 00:19:22.799 Lord to make you 00:19:22.799 --> 00:19:23.399 the focus 00:19:23.399 --> 00:19:24.779 to serve you 00:19:24.779 --> 00:19:25.419 in secret 00:19:25.419 --> 00:19:27.399 and never be noticed. 00:19:29.359 --> 00:19:29.619 And I think 00:19:29.619 --> 00:19:30.719 Saul could say that 00:19:30.720 --> 00:19:31.799 because he'd been 00:19:31.799 --> 00:19:32.680 transformed by 00:19:32.680 --> 00:19:33.740 meeting Jesus Christ. 00:19:35.299 --> 00:19:36.019 He had a new view 00:19:36.019 --> 00:19:36.819 of himself 00:19:36.819 --> 00:19:38.400 that he was a rebel 00:19:38.400 --> 00:19:39.100 who desperately 00:19:39.100 --> 00:19:40.160 needed God's grace. 00:19:40.900 --> 00:19:41.420 He had a new 00:19:41.420 --> 00:19:43.120 change of the goal 00:19:43.120 --> 00:19:43.700 of his life. 00:19:44.500 --> 00:19:45.160 His goal came 00:19:45.160 --> 00:19:46.220 to preach Christ 00:19:46.220 --> 00:19:47.180 instead of to 00:19:47.180 --> 00:19:48.120 kill off the church. 00:19:48.799 --> 00:19:49.519 It changed his 00:19:49.519 --> 00:19:50.680 motivation in life. 00:19:51.779 --> 00:19:52.380 His motivation 00:19:52.380 --> 00:19:53.279 was now the glory 00:19:53.279 --> 00:19:53.839 of God 00:19:53.839 --> 00:19:55.120 rather than 00:19:55.120 --> 00:19:56.019 pleasing other people. 00:19:56.019 --> 00:19:59.440 If we meet Jesus 00:19:59.440 --> 00:20:01.279 day by day 00:20:01.279 --> 00:20:03.119 he will change us too. 00:20:03.220 --> 00:20:04.019 Let's pray shall we?