Father, we come to your word written.
We confess before you that
without the help of your Holy Spirit,
we cannot really understand your word.
And Father, so we ask that your Holy Spirit
would move in our lives,
that your Holy Spirit would make your word alive to us,
and that your word would touch our hearts
so that we may perfectly love you
and worthily magnify your Holy Name.
And we ask this in the name of Jesus,
your Son and our Savior.
Amen.
Please be seated.
So I don't know how many of you know this,
but there's always an 8 o'clock service
before the 10 o'clock service.
I guess we didn't have it for some of the summer
when we were here in the school,
but for most of the time there is.
In fact, for a while this morning,
it looked like there was just going to be Barbara and me,
and then three other people came.
So we did a little service,
and one of the things I do at the service
is I give a shorter form of my sermon.
And one of the things you're going to notice in a moment
is that the sermon's about people-pleasing,
amongst other things,
but that's one of the issues, about people-pleasing.
I'm sure this is a very helpful service.
This will be a very helpful sermon for you
because you all have friends
who have problems with people-pleasing,
and so you'll learn things to share with them,
but none of you have to deal with it.
Anyway, so I do this sermon on people-pleasing,
and then in the service,
after the sermon,
in that service,
you have the offertory,
and then you have the confession.
And so I'm sitting down,
I'm kneeling down,
and I have a little bit of a,
you know, like 10,
20 seconds of silence
before we say the words of the confession.
And I always say,
you know, what should I confess?
I ask, you know,
Father, show me what I should confess my sins about.
And then it really,
it hit me like a lightning bolt
that I was depressed,
mildly depressed,
because I didn't think my sermon
had been very successful.
In other words,
the reason it wasn't successful
because I wasn't sure if people liked it.
So I had done a sermon on people-pleasing,
and then I was depressed
because I didn't think I'd please them.
So you see,
I need a lot of prayer.
I'm sure.
And,
but the,
the,
we are going to look a little bit
about people,
at people-pleasing.
You know,
people-pleasing,
it's a little bit of a,
not,
it's not a complicated thing.
It's a,
it's a very present problem.
Some people
don't have a problem
with people-pleasing at all
because they are socially maladjusted.
At different times,
there's nobody here in the church
like this right now,
I don't think,
but at certain times,
we have had somebody
who's been a part of our church
for a while,
and they don't pick up
any social cues at all,
period.
I remember one fellow
who's,
who's now gone to be with Jesus,
but he was part of the congregation
for four or five years,
and part of the hard thing
for the congregation to realize
was that you had to be
basically rude with him
because he wouldn't pick up
the normal cues,
right?
So one of the things
he had a problem with
would be putting his arm
around women,
for instance.
So the woman had to say,
I almost said his name,
you know,
don't do this.
It's wrong.
Like,
you have to be really
blunt and direct.
So those are people,
there are some people
who are just basically
socially maladjusted.
They don't pick up people,
they don't people-please
because it's sort of as if
they don't even understand
entirely that there are people.
And there are some people
who are just healthy.
I don't know what it is.
They have the right genes,
they have the right parents,
they had the right school,
the right coach,
the right teachers.
They're just pretty balanced
and they rarely seem to struggle
with people-pleasing.
But for most of us,
it's a bit of a problem.
And in fact,
what I'm about to say
might actually depress you
a little bit
because,
well,
look what the Bible says.
It can be actually
sort of depressing.
If you turn your Bibles
to Galatians 1,
verse 10,
Galatians 1,
10,
that's where we began
the text that Jeremiah
read this morning for us.
We're going through
the book of Galatians,
by the way.
That's why we're looking
at this next week.
We'll do chapter 2,
verse 1 to 10.
We're sort of going through.
It'll take us 13 weeks.
This is week 2.
And here's what Paul says.
He's just said
that those who change
the gospel,
let them be accursed.
And I talked about that
in last Sunday's sermon.
You can go online
and listen to it.
And then in verse 10,
he says,
For am I now seeking
the approval
man or of God?
Or am I trying
to please man?
If I were still
trying to please man,
that's human beings,
I would not be
a servant of Christ.
Now that's a pretty
hard saying, isn't it?
If I were still
trying to please man,
I would not be
a servant of Christ.
If you could put
the first point up,
here's what Paul's saying.
It'll come up.
The more I am motivated
by people pleasing,
the less I serve
Jesus Christ.
The more I am motivated
by people pleasing,
the less I serve
Jesus Christ.
That's what the Bible said.
If I were still
trying to please man,
I would not be
a servant of Christ.
Now for some of us,
this is really depressing.
As soon as I raise
the topic of people pleasing,
you think, oh yeah,
that's a big problem
that I have.
I wish I could be
free of it.
And now I go ahead
and share the really
good news with you
that to the extent
you have that problem,
you're not following Jesus.
So I've just added
an extra large burden
on your back.
And now I'll say
the end of the sermon,
go in peace to love
and serve the Lord.
And off we go,
even more depressed
than we were before.
because now we're not only
have a people pleasing problem,
but Jesus has said
that we're not following him.
Now, just a couple of things.
The text,
if you look at the text again,
if I were still trying
to please man,
I would not be
a servant of Christ.
Just to try to,
just chill out, right?
What is it the Bible
is saying here?
First of all,
it's not saying
that you're not a Christian.
Okay?
This letter is written
to Christians in a church.
So the Bible text
isn't saying
if you're a people pleaser,
you're not mine.
No, it's not saying that.
It's saying something
which if we think about it
is actually true
to the extent
that I am concerned
about people pleasing
when the pointy edge
of the gospel,
when different commands come
that might mean
that I have to be different
than the way Canadians are
or think
or do things
that Canadians think
are weird,
like pray
or go to church
or stuff like that,
the more that we're consumed
with people pleasing,
the harder it's going to be
to do that.
But the text isn't saying
you're not a Christian.
Okay?
It's just saying
it's affecting
your discipleship,
not your salvation.
Now, here's another thing
because some of us
might say,
well, you know,
George,
this is sort of
vaguely interesting,
but I don't have a problem
with people pleasing.
If you could put up
the next point.
Here's the thing
which often goes
in many of our hearts.
We human beings
are so deeply controlled
by people pleasing
that we don't often recognize
that the way we move away
from people pleasing,
or at least we think
we're moving away
from people pleasing,
is just moving into
two different forms
of people pleasing.
When I get sick
of people pleasing,
I move to either
pride,
narcissism,
or cynicism
and despair.
Now, why are these
basically both forms
of people pleasing?
And it's interesting,
right?
Because,
like,
what is it that
our culture
basically says
around marriage?
Our culture says
around marriage
that we need
to find somebody
who's going to be
our soulmate,
who can
encourage us
and keep us going
in our projects
and can affirm us.
Well, that's what
our culture says.
Our culture says
around our own
personal thing
that nobody can tell you
how to be happy.
You have to choose
how to be happy yourself,
make yourself happy.
You have to do
all of these things.
Basically,
what it's actually saying
is it's exalting
people pleasing
where I now move
to the point
where I say,
well, I'm not going
to try to please
you folks.
You should please me.
It's still a form
of people pleasing,
right?
But I've given up
on the idea
of trying to please
you folks.
I now want to say,
why am I trying
to please you folks
if you knew
how wonderful I was
and if you knew
how my needs
are just so important
and more important
than yours?
So you should please me.
And, you know,
a lot of models,
a lot of TV,
you know,
we want to move
towards a place
where there's nothing
to forgive or forget,
where we're marching
only to our own drummer
and people have
to affirm
and applaud us.
And so it looks
as if we're moving
away from people pleasing,
but all we've done
is sort of just said,
everybody has to please me.
You're still in a
people pleasing world.
And another very
common thing,
and it's funny
because there's a lot
of Christians
who think that
cynicism and despair
is a form of holiness
and spiritual maturity,
but it's not.
And one of the ways
that we deal
with the people pleasing
problem is we've just
basically been
not very good at it.
And because we're not
very good at people pleasing,
then we say about people,
everybody's stupid,
everybody lies,
everybody sins,
everybody's a hypocrite,
nobody's going to do
the right thing.
Then we'll say they're dumb,
they're stupid,
nothing works,
institutions break down,
okay?
But, you know,
when we get that way,
first of all,
that is not a form
of holiness.
That is a sick form,
a sickness of a problem
or a form of a problem,
another form of that
basic problem
of people pleasing.
Our desire to please people
and to get a sense
of self-worth
and identity
from people's affirmation
of us
has failed.
So we don't sort of
look for a solution
to people pleasing,
we just sort of gag on it.
But still deep down,
and you can often see it
because there'll still be
attempts to people please,
but it's just another form
of people pleasing.
It's one that's despaired
on being successful
at it,
but does not have
an alternative of it.
Why do we know
that this is not
a form of spiritual,
some of you might say,
no, George,
it is this form of holiness.
Look at Romans chapter 3,
for all have sinned
and fall short
of the glory of God.
Look at the,
look at Psalms,
like Psalm 58
and Psalm 109
about how people's mouths
are like snakes' holes
and vipers
and no,
no,
no.
Everything in the gospel
is centered around the fact
that for God so loved the world
that he gave his one
and only son
to the end
that all that believe in him
will have eternal life.
God loves people.
He knows they're sinners,
but he loves them.
So this text here
in verse 10 again
where it says,
if I were still trying
to please man,
I would not be a servant
of Christ.
It's a challenge
for those of us
who choose pride
and narcissism.
It's a challenge
for us who choose
cynicism and despair.
It's a prize.
It is a,
it is,
it applies to us
who just have
a straight up form
of people pleasing
that keeps messing up
our lives.
And,
it has,
it has a,
it has a word
to all of us.
But it's really
weird
because it looks
as if
Paul just sort of
throws that line in,
if I were still
trying to please man,
I not would be
a servant of Christ.
And some of you
who remember the text
might say,
but George,
you know,
he says that,
but then he ignores it.
It's a,
it's as if he's
one of these guys,
George,
that just sort of
throws a bomb
into the room
to get everybody
stirred up
and then leaves
and go somewhere else.
And that's a little bit
what it seems like
here in the text.
If I were still
trying to please man,
I would not be
a servant of Christ.
Oh,
then I took him
to talk about
how I saw Jesus
and how I was violent
and how I became
a Christian.
And it just seems
as if on one level
as if he drops a bomb
and then moves on.
But actually,
it's really interesting
that what he does
is in an indirect manner,
he goes directly
to the heart
of the issue.
So look at
what he does next.
And by the way,
to show you
that he hasn't just
sort of dropped the bomb
and moved on,
look at verse 11.
And in the ESV,
it has the word for.
In other words,
okay,
I've just said
this big statement.
I've said a couple
of big statements.
If you change the gospel,
if you change the gospel,
you're accursed.
And if you're trying
to plead to the extent
that you're trying
to be a people pleaser,
to that extent,
you're not being
a servant of Christ.
And then he says for.
So he's connecting.
He's going to start
explaining this.
He's going to look
a little bit more deeply
into these two different
things that he said
and the other things
that he said
in the first nine verses.
And so look what happens
here in verse 11 and 12.
For I would have you know,
brothers and sisters,
that the gospel
that was preached by me
is not man's gospel.
It's not a human gospel.
It's not a gospel
from flesh and blood.
For I did not receive it
from any human being,
nor was I taught it,
but I received it
through a revelation
of Jesus Christ.
Now, well, here's the first thing.
If you could put up
the point, Andrew.
So one of the things,
I talked about this
a little bit last week,
and it's very relevant
here again,
is the gospel.
Paul is saying
the gospel is not
the product of human genius.
And it doesn't matter
how that human genius
is formed.
And the way it talks about
in the original language,
it's not only that
it's not that he himself
was a genius,
it's also not the case
that he went and met somebody
who was a religious
or philosophical genius
and he learned from them.
And it's not that he was part of,
I don't know,
like the Christian equivalent
of Princeton, Yale,
and Harvard,
and Stanford,
and he just went
to the right place.
And it's not the case
that he was in
the most spectacular church
or the most spectacular
social group
or that he had
spectacular parents.
What he's claiming,
listen to it again,
verse 11,
for I would have you know,
brothers and sisters,
that the gospel
that was preached by me
is not man's gospel.
It didn't come
from human beings.
To make it clear,
it says he has
continued more denials.
He did not receive it
from any person.
He was not taught it,
but instead,
he received it
through a revelation
of Jesus Christ.
And the word revelation
in the original language
literally means
God making clear
what human beings
cannot know.
It would be as if,
like to give a bit
of a human analogy,
there's a big black box here
and it's lead lined
and, you know,
has a Faraday,
you know,
it just,
it's no attempt
to get inside
and figure out
what's going on
is in it.
And unless somebody
somebody who has
the, you know,
the key to open
the locks
because it's locked down,
unless somebody
picks up the box
so we can see
what's inside of it,
we could never
possibly know it.
And that's what
Paul is saying.
If you could put up
the next thing.
What Paul is saying
is that Jesus Christ
himself
revealed to Paul
a capital,
this isn't the greatest
grammar in the world,
I apologize for it,
that's why the capital
he is so handy.
It's not revealing
to Paul who Paul is,
but Jesus Christ
reveal himself,
revealed to Paul
who he is,
that's Jesus,
and what he accomplished
in his life,
death,
and resurrection.
That's what Paul
is claiming
happened to him.
It's a very,
very,
very big claim.
But remember,
he's beginning by saying
and all the way
through his writings,
he's never,
ever,
ever claims
that there's something
special about him,
that there's something
that's because
Jesus chose him
because he was a genius,
as we're going to see
in a few more lines.
Paul is going to say,
I'm actually the least
likely person on the planet,
one of the least likely
people on the planet
for this to happen to
happen to be me.
He's making absolutely
no claim about him
being special at all.
But what he's saying
here is very,
very,
very important,
even for this
people-pleasing issue.
How do I get this?
Yeah,
some of,
a few years ago,
some,
I don't know what it was,
some type of a
fundraising event
and it was going to be
a very fancy restaurant
and I don't think
my wife could come
with me for some reason
but I think I had
two or three extra tickets.
They gave us like
four tickets
so I took three of my kids
to this fancy meal
in a fancy restaurant
and it was a table
of eight or ten.
I think it was a table
for eight.
Maybe it was either
eight or ten,
it doesn't matter.
So,
you know,
I'm there with my kids
and,
you know,
we're all enjoying
the big meal
and of course,
what do you do
at a table?
Well,
I don't know,
you try to make
conversation,
right?
So,
I mean,
one thing we could
have just done
is I could have
ignored the other
people on the table
and just talked
to my kids.
Always an option,
right?
But who wants
to be the person
who ignores
everybody else
on the table
and just talks
to their own group,
right?
So,
I try to make
conversation
and,
I don't know,
like I'm sort of
good at it,
you know,
I talk,
ask them about sports,
weather,
like just about
every music,
like the topics
there and every
time I ask the
other people a
question,
I always got
a one word
answer with
one exception.
Towards the end
of like my
tenth attempt,
two of them
went like this,
rolled their
eyes at me.
I felt like
saying,
listen,
I'm doing all
the heavy lifting
here.
you folks
were only
giving me
one word
answers,
like,
come on,
work with
me,
don't roll
your eyes,
like I'm
getting desperate,
you know?
In fact,
I was never
able to succeed
to get them
to a conversation,
we ended up
just chatting
with each other.
Like I just,
at some point
in time,
I exhausted
all conversation
starting gambits
with them.
And so,
I just talked
to my kids,
you know,
it's just a
really awkward
table.
But here's the
thing,
and this is the
way human beings
are.
You know,
I know that
we can stalk
people,
and I don't
know,
what's the word
in social media
where you go
looking on
Facebook and
all,
what's it,
creeping?
What's it
called?
Okay,
so I know you
can do
creeping,
okay?
But fundamentally,
if you want to
know somebody,
you have to
talk with them,
and they need
to reveal
themselves.
Like,
nobody likes
it.
If you were
to meet
somebody,
and then after
a while,
you realize,
no,
I'm meeting
you for the
first time,
but no,
they know all
these things,
about you,
that would
creep you
out and
freak you
out,
right?
Because that's
not normal
human behavior
in case you
were wondering
about it,
okay?
Or it's not
admirable
human behavior.
But basically,
when human
beings,
I mean,
you know,
I don't know,
like some of
the engineers
and scientists
in here,
they could
figure this
out.
It's completely
passive.
All of the
effort to know
just comes
from us.
This is
completely
passive.
And as you
move up,
you know,
dogs,
there's not
much to know
about dogs.
They just love
human beings,
and they're
always your
friend,
and they're
always wondering
when they're
going to get
more food to
eat,
and they're,
you know,
optimistic.
You know,
but fundamentally,
most of the
knowing and the
caring comes from
human beings.
But when it
comes to knowing
another human
being,
the human
being has to
reveal himself
or herself.
Well,
if it's just
that way with
us,
with another
human being,
if you think
about it,
then with
God,
we can't
even creep
God.
Unless God
chooses to
reveal himself,
we can know
nothing about
him.
Like,
if I can't
know something
about these
four people
at the table
without them
revealing
themselves,
how on earth
can I possibly
think that I
will know
anything about
God unless he
reveals himself?
But you see,
so this is the
thing about this
text.
On one hand,
it's a very,
very big claim
that Paul is
making,
but on
another hand,
it's a very,
very reasonable
claim because
when we think
about it for a
second,
if there really
is a God
that does exist,
then it can't
just be that
we human beings
by our poetry,
by our philosophy,
by our science,
by our metaphysics,
by our rituals,
by our sheer
desire and anger
that we can ever
possibly know God,
we are going to
be completely and
utterly dependent
upon God to
reveal himself.
There's other
reasons given
and it's another
sermon as to why
it might be
reasonable,
to believe that
Paul actually
had a revelation
from God,
but his
fundamental point
is a completely
valid one and
it's also a
really,
really important
one because
what it's saying
is that God
is completely
the opposite
than the four
people at the
table.
That long
before I even
wanted to talk
to God or
even would think
that God would
want to talk
to me,
that he comes
to my table
and opens
himself up
to me,
to have a
relationship
with me,
that he takes
all the
initiative
and he takes
the initiative,
he reveals
himself so he
can be known
and he reveals
himself because
he wants to
know me and
be in a
relationship with
me.
See, one of the
real problems we
have with people
pleasing, you see
how in an
indirect way Paul
is starting to
actually deal at
the heart with
this problem of
people pleasing
because part of
the thing that
motivates those
of us who are
people pleasing
is that we get
our sense of
worth and some
of our identity
from having
people like us
and communicate
that they like
us.
And it's as if
we don't have a
stable enough
identity or a
stable enough
sense of our
own value that
we're always
needing this type
of affirmation
from other
people.
Like how on
earth can I be
a good pastor
if the congregation
doesn't like my
sermon?
Woe is me,
there's something
wrong with me
because I need
to have that
type of affirmation.
And so right
from this very
start when Paul
seems to not be
talking about the
problem with
people pleasing,
he's saying,
listen, God is
the one who came
to sit at your
table to make
himself known so
you could know
him and he could
know you.
God did that to
you.
You didn't go to
God's table and
are now trying to
drag a response
out of him.
And you're
going to see in
a moment, he's
going to say,
while I was
off following
human tradition,
while I was
off consumed
with prejudice,
when I was
off consumed
with violence,
when the last
thing that was
on my mind was
to actually sit
down with God
and ask him
questions, when I
was consumed with
all of these other
things, he came
and sat down and
talked with me.
And what he did
for me, he'll do
for you.
Could you
put up the
next thing,
Andrew?
This helps us
to understand
why Paul, in
chapter 1, verse
8 and 9, says
if you change
the gospel, you're
doing something
accursed.
Human beings,
I can proclaim
what God has
revealed about
himself, but I
cannot reveal
God.
Only God can
reveal himself.
See, and that's
why sharing the
biblical gospel is
so important.
Because God has
revealed himself.
Paul, in the
gospel, is saying
Jesus revealed
who he is and
what he's
accomplished on
the cross, and
all I'm doing is
passing on what
he revealed to
me.
And as I pass
on what he
revealed to me,
God continues his
work of revelation
to coming to
human beings,
ordinary,
fallible,
finite,
sometimes highly
disreputable human
beings like you
and me.
And to change
that is to
take the place
of God.
I can do a
better job of
revealing God
than God can
do of revealing
himself.
And once we
put it in those
terms, that's
unbelievably arrogant
nonsense.
I'm going to be
better at God
at revealing God.
Oh, yeah?
No, you're not.
And it's also
part of the thing
why, you know,
in evangelism and
stuff, one of the
main things of
evangelism is not
just that we have
some opportunity
where we can bear
witness to Jesus,
but that we pray.
Because all we can
really do is
proclaim what God
has revealed about
himself to others,
but God still
has to do the
work.
He does all the
work.
All we can do is
pray for our
family, pray for
our loved ones,
pray for our
neighbors, pray for
our co-workers,
that God would
touch their hearts
with the gospel.
people.
Now,
I lost my place.
There we go.
Not the end of the
world when you lose
your place.
Oh, yeah.
There's a thing
that is just coming
up in the text,
which has really,
really troubled
lots of Christians
because it seems to
talk about
predestination.
In fact, not only
does it claim
about predestination,
it actually talks
about predestination
and election.
And this is very,
very frightening
and hard for a lot
of us Christians.
And it's funny,
it's easy when,
if you were doing
a Bible study around
this, that you get
off the rabbit
trail trying to
figure out how it
works without ever
realizing that what's
going on in the text
continues to
indirectly,
directly talk about
this human problem
we have of people,
pleasing.
But let's see
what the text says.
Look at verse 13.
Remember,
it's just talked
about Revelation.
And then there's
a four there,
verse 13.
For you have heard
of my former life
in Judaism,
how I persecuted
the church of God
violently
and tried to
destroy it.
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.
Now just pause
here for a second.
You know,
one of the things
you're supposed to do
when you do sermons
is you're supposed
to cut out all the
chaff and everything
like that and just
have your singular
point.
And so this next
point actually
doesn't really fit
with the sermon.
But I just sort of
felt compelled
to point it out
to you.
Could you put it
up, Andrew?
Paul repents
of his zeal
for violence,
his prejudice,
and his pursuit
of human-made
tradition.
But note,
he does not
repent of being
Jewish.
This is going to
be really important
for the rest
of the letter.
When a Jewish
person becomes
a Christian,
they don't cease
being Jewish.
They become
a completed Jew.
And when pagans,
like most of us,
become Christians,
we become at one
with our Jewish
brothers and sisters
who become
completed Jews.
But God has not
given up on the
Jewish people
and the promises
have not ceased
for the Jewish
people.
They still are part
of God's plan.
being Jewish
doesn't make you
go to heaven.
But those
who are in the
lineage of Abraham
and Isaac
and Jacob
and Moses
and the inheritors
of the promise,
Paul never
repents
of being Jewish.
Salvation
is from the Jews.
That's what Paul
says in the book
of Romans.
Salvation is
from the Jews.
So just
want to
point that out
and it's going
to become
increasingly important
because what's
going on
in the gospel
in the book
of Galatians
is that
people
have come
to the church
and are trying
to improve
the gospel
by saying
that you have
to keep
all of the
Jewish rules
and all of the
Jewish traditions
and all of the
Jewish laws.
Not just the Torah
but the traditions.
and so it's
going to be
very important
because Paul
as the letter
goes on
is going to
show how
the gospel
emerges out
of the Old
Testament
and how
Jesus fulfills
the Old
Testament
and this
complicated
relationship
between
Judaism
and the
Messiah
and pagans
and receiving
the Messiah
and so I just
thought I'd
throw it in.
But here's
the troubling
part for probably
most of us
about election
and predestination.
verse 15
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.
And just
pause here.
It's those
first few
verses which
are the first
few words
which are a
little bit
problematic
to a lot
of Christians.
What Paul
is going to
do after this
he's just
sort of
setting
some of
the facts
straight
to help
make it
known
why
it's
just
people
who
are
going
to
doubt
that
he
got
all
of
this
gospel
from
Jesus
alone
and
why
it's
a
reasonable
thing
to say
he
gives
some
facts.
And
those of
you who
like
reading
commentaries
a lot
of
commentary
writers
go to
town
on this
bit
because
they
try
to
fit
all
this
in
with
the
chronology
and
how
long
he
the main
thing
is
and
this
is
actually
sometimes
things
are a bit
helped
by
knowing
the
original
language
in this
case
it's
actually
even
starker
in the
original
language
Paul
says
in
verse
16
or
verse
15
that
God
set
him
apart
before
he
was
born
in
other
words
that
God
was
working
in
his
life
in
such
a
way
preparing
him
for
salvation
that
even
when
he
was
in
the
mother's
womb
his
mother's
womb
God
was
at
work
and
then
just
to
make
it
even
harder
for
us
he
says
that
God
called
him
that
it
wasn't
a matter
of
Paul
calling
out
to
God
but
whenever
Paul
did
call
out
to
God
it
was
only
because
God
had
been
calling
out
to
him
first
so
if
you
look
at
what
Paul
is
saying
here
Paul
is
saying
that
even
in
his
mother's
womb
God
was
at
work
preparing
him
for
salvation
that
even
in
the
midst
of
his
violence
and
his
prejudice
and
his
pursuit
of
human
traditions
that
God
was
calling
Paul
and
that
when
Paul
becomes
a
Christian
it's
not
because
Paul
was
on
a
religious
quest
but
because
God
in
the
person
of
his
son
comes
and
actually
reveals
himself
to
Jesus
and
converts
him
and
Paul
is
saying
that
right
from
the
womb
right
throughout
his
life
and
even
in
his
salvation
it
all
the
initiative
comes
from
God
and
some
of
us
get
very
worried
if
you
could
put
up
the
next
point
Andrew
here's
what
Paul
is
trying
to
communicate
God's
grace
is
not
a
threat
to
my
free
will
but
it
does
remove
every
conceivable
ground
for
my
boasting
when
I
was
in
my
previous
church
out in
the
country
in
a
place
called
Eganville
I
looked
after
a
church
in
Eganville
a
place
called
Killaloo
Tremor
which
is
just
a
sign
on
the
side
of
the
road
and
Klontarf
also
just
a
sign
on
the
side
of
the
road
and
you
know
but
there
would
be
people
as
I
got
to
know
the
people
these
working
class
country
people
very
well
I
would
start
to
learn
a
little
bit
about
the
rivalries
and
the
way
they
viewed
each
other
and
it
wasn't
unusual
for
people
for
me
to
hear
people
say
to
their
daughters
or
their
sons
well
we
don't
act
that
way
because
we're
a
Smith
oh
you're
a
Smith
when
I
did
a
funeral
of
a
woman
and
this
was
this
so
I'm
from
Montreal
when
I
moved
to
place
so
then
I'm
in
Ottawa
and
I
go
to
Eganville
and
Killaloo
and
Tremor
and
I
discovered
that
there
was
a
decades
long
prejudice
Killaloo
has
700
people
in
it
but
people
would
say
well
I'm
from
sorry
I'm
from
Killaloo
I'm
not a
hillbilly
like
those
people
in
Tremor
and
I'm
thinking
you're
from
a
village
of
700
people
this
is a
ground
of
boasting
that
you're
not
a
hillbilly
like
those
Tremor
people
I've
been
there
like
six
years
the
Tremor
congregation
become
richer
and more
populous
in the
Killaloo
congregation
there was
always
problems
relating
to
them
and
it's
a
decade
long
self
perception
of
they're
Killaloo
people
compared
to
hillbillies
they're
in
Killaloo
sorry
I didn't
say
that
I really
hope
my face
didn't
register
complete
and utter
shock
when they
let it
slip
you know
but
here's
the thing
we can
be proud
of our
lineage
we can
be proud
of our
family
we can
be proud
of our
community
we can
somehow
think
it gives
a special
status
and
what the
Bible
here is
saying
is that
the
initiative
from the
beginning
of the
beginning
of the
beginning
to the
end
is all
God's
he
does
everything
I do
not
he does
not
love me
because
I am
a
Sinclair
he does
not
love me
because
I was
born
in
Montreal
he does
not
love me
because
I am
a
Canadian
he does
not
love me
because
I have
university
degrees
he does
not
love me
because
I
maybe
am
a
most
of
the
time
an
all
right
dad
and an
all
right
husband
he
doesn't
love me
for
any
of
these
things
I
have
not
contributed
I have
nothing
that I
can ever
boast
about
there
is no
secret
that might
come
there is
no
childhood
memory
there is
no
memory
from
something
early
in my
marriage
that
might
come
to me
now
or
come
to me
later
on
and
that
when
I
realize
that
it
will
mean
that
God
will
no
longer
love
me
because
he
knew
me
from
the
time
I
was
in
my
womb
and
he
did
everything
to
save
me
there
is
nothing
that
might
happen
to
me
next
week
or
in
10
years
that
I
do
that
now
it
means
that
God
is
going
to
say
I'm
not
going
to
love
George
and
Jesus
isn't
going
to
die
for him
on
the
cross
anymore
because
if
one of
the
reasons I have
problems
with being
a
people
pleaser
is
that
I
think
that
my
there's
times
that
I
think
my
worth
and
my
identity
come
from
my
ability
to
please
people
but
we
can
see
here
that
as
the
gospel
begins
to
grip
us
then
the
one
who's
created
us
the
one
whom
we
were
made
for
the
one
whom
we
will
be
with
for
all
eternity
that
for
him
what
does
it
say
in
the
beginning
of
our
service
almighty
God
unto
whom
all
hearts
are
open
all
desires
known
and
from
whom
no
secrets
are
hid
and
it
means
that
in
the
gospel
when
I
receive
the
gospel
God
there
is
no
secrets
in
my
past
present
or
future
everything
was
open
to
God
and
still
he
loved
me
still
he
sent
his
son
to
die
upon
the
cross
for
me
it's
not
just
that
he
declares
his
love
but
that
his
love
was
costly
his
love
dealt
with
that
which
for
which
I
should
be
justly
punished
his
love
dealt
with
the
righteousness
that
I
really
need
to
be
clothed
and
clean
for
heaven
that
at
every
point
in
time
from
my
moment
of
birth
to
the
moment
of
my
death
for
all
eternity
the
initiative
was
all
God's
all
was
known
by
God
all
was
done
by
God
all
was
accomplished
by
God
I
can
add
nothing
I
can
subtract
nothing
it
is
all
done
by
God
and
God
is
unchanging
and
as
this
grips
a
person
it
starts
to
bring
a
healing
to
this
whole
complicated
mess
of
being
a
people
pleaser
I
lost
track
of
my
points
can
you
put
them
up
we'll
just
as
I
am
gripped
by
the
gospel
I
die
to
people
pleasing
and
move
to
living
for
God's
glory
and
moving
to
living
to
God's
glory
is
not
that
we
then
become
indifferent
to
people
the
irony
is
that
the
more
we
are
free
from
being
people
pleasers
and
the
more
we're
gripped
by
the
gospel
to
live
for
God's
glory
because
God
is
the
creator
and
sustainer
of
all
things
and
loves
people
it
means
that
as
we
live
for
his
glory
we
actually
can
effectively
love
people
like
the
love
and
well
being
of
people
get
thrown
in
as
we
pursue
God's
glory
gospel
the
more
I
know
that
he
knows
me
perfectly
deeply
and
personally
yet
he
loves
me
and
he
loves
me
because
he
loves
me
God's
love
is
pure
it's
not
motivated
by
need
by
emptiness
it's
not
motivated
by
calculation
by
quid
pro
quo
it's
not
motivated
by
him
proudly
waiting
for
us
to
meet
certain
standards
it's
not
that
he
sort
of
forced
to
love
us
he
loves
me
because
he
loves
me
and
on
one
level
for
human
beings
that's
a
terribly
frightening
thing
because
we
want
to
have
some
degree
of
control
of
the
other
person
loving
us
but
in
dealing
with
God
we
have
no
control
he
loves
me
because
he
loves
me
Andrew
if you
could
put
up
the
prayer
could
everybody
stand
I
don't
do
it
every
week
but
often
I
sort
of
try
to
put
together
a
prayer
to
try
to
weave
together
the
different
things
in
the
sermon
it'll
be
available
on
the
web
page
it's
a
version
of
the
prayer
which
is
also
in
your
bulletin
but
it'll
be
on
the
web
page
if
you
find
this
helpful
I'll
just
read it
out
loud
and
then
I
invite
you
to
pray
it
with
me
heavenly
father
I
confess
that
sometimes
I
am
a
people
pleaser
sometimes
I
am
proud
and
narcissistic
true
confession
I
needed
spell
check
help
to
spell
the
word
narcissistic
but
sometimes
I
am
cynical
and
despairing
I
thank
you
that
even
though
you
know
me
perfectly
still
you
love
me
and
sent
your
son
to
die
for
me
and
save
me
please
pour
out
the
holy
spirit
upon
me
and
make
me
disciple
of
Jesus
gripped
by
the
gospel
learning
to
live
free
and
well
by
living
for
your
glory
in
Jesus
name
amen
so
I
just
going
to
invite
you
to
join
with
me
in
praying
that
prayer
heavenly
father
I
confess
that
sometimes
I
am
a
people
pleaser
sometimes
I
am
proud
and
narcissistic
sometimes
I
am
cynical
and
despairing
I
thank
you
that
even
though
you
know
me
perfectly
still
you
love
me
and
sent
your
son
to
die
for
me
and
save
me
please
pour
out
the
holy
spirit
upon
me
and
make
me
a
disciple
of
Jesus
gripped
by
the
gospel
learning
to
live
free
and
well
by
living
for
your
glory
in
Jesus
name
amen
father
that
is
the
prayer
of
may
you
work
powerfully
in
each
of
our
lives
and
us
as
a
congregation
that
it
might
be
true
in
Jesus
name
amen
who
and
him
don't