WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.820 we're going to think about Paul's testimony of God's amazing grace. 00:00:07.440 --> 00:00:12.980 But before we get there, just something that I guess we're all very much aware of 00:00:12.980 --> 00:00:16.480 when it comes to where we get our information from. 00:00:16.539 --> 00:00:19.900 It's important that we find the right kind of sources, 00:00:19.900 --> 00:00:24.199 that we find reliable sources for information. 00:00:24.960 --> 00:00:29.679 Now that the school term is in, you find the school playgrounds rife 00:00:29.679 --> 00:00:34.179 with all kinds of stories, all kinds of crazy exaggerations. 00:00:34.299 --> 00:00:35.179 Who do you trust? 00:00:35.960 --> 00:00:42.100 I still remember being in primary three and being told one particular playtime 00:00:42.100 --> 00:00:49.719 by a very excited older boy that somebody around the corner had spat in somebody else's eye 00:00:49.719 --> 00:00:52.159 and that eye was now hanging by a stalk. 00:00:53.620 --> 00:00:58.719 I was absolutely traumatized by this piece of absolute nonsense. 00:00:58.719 --> 00:01:01.159 Who we listen to matters. 00:01:01.619 --> 00:01:07.019 We know that, you know, university, college, school, where our sources come from, 00:01:07.079 --> 00:01:13.359 what footnotes we access makes all the difference between good grades and bad grades. 00:01:13.480 --> 00:01:17.219 The ideal for us when we're looking for the right kind of information 00:01:17.219 --> 00:01:20.939 is to find reliable sources, first-hand sources of information, 00:01:21.719 --> 00:01:23.599 people that we can trust. 00:01:23.599 --> 00:01:28.140 And that's so important when we come to think about the Christian faith. 00:01:28.239 --> 00:01:29.640 We apply that to Jesus. 00:01:29.819 --> 00:01:34.699 You think about how many different ideas there are about Jesus going around today. 00:01:34.799 --> 00:01:38.659 There are multiple perspectives from those who would say that he's a fiction, 00:01:39.539 --> 00:01:44.560 those who would say that he is just a wicked imposter leading people astray, 00:01:45.199 --> 00:01:49.619 to some kind of spiritual guru, to a good teacher, to what the Bible says, 00:01:49.620 --> 00:01:52.040 the Son of God, Savior of the world. 00:01:52.920 --> 00:01:54.579 Where do we find our authority? 00:01:54.740 --> 00:01:56.359 Which voice do we listen to? 00:01:57.120 --> 00:02:00.960 And then we apply that to the idea of salvation. 00:02:01.200 --> 00:02:04.480 And what we see in the book of Galatians is that there's two different views 00:02:04.480 --> 00:02:06.400 of how a person is saved. 00:02:06.460 --> 00:02:08.860 How does a person get right with God? 00:02:08.860 --> 00:02:14.800 Do we listen to those messages that say that we need to do something for ourselves, 00:02:14.880 --> 00:02:16.660 we need to attain a certain level, 00:02:16.740 --> 00:02:20.340 that we need to prove ourselves to God if he is to accept us? 00:02:21.180 --> 00:02:26.140 Or the non-religious view of salvation that says that we are only somebody 00:02:26.140 --> 00:02:29.180 if we have achieved whatever it might be, 00:02:29.300 --> 00:02:33.280 right job, right relationships, right financial security. 00:02:33.280 --> 00:02:38.939 Or do we believe that salvation is by grace alone, 00:02:39.120 --> 00:02:41.500 through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone? 00:02:42.159 --> 00:02:47.099 What are we going to trust when it comes to thinking about salvation? 00:02:47.300 --> 00:02:51.800 And so we find Paul here continuing to defend his gospel, 00:02:52.219 --> 00:02:53.699 saying to us very clearly, 00:02:54.300 --> 00:02:55.520 Jesus is my source. 00:02:56.159 --> 00:02:58.240 Jesus is my teacher, 00:02:58.819 --> 00:03:02.439 so you can trust my gospel message. 00:03:02.439 --> 00:03:04.979 And as he does that, 00:03:05.079 --> 00:03:07.560 Paul also continues to highlight for us 00:03:07.560 --> 00:03:09.780 the good news of God's grace. 00:03:10.400 --> 00:03:13.479 And he does that through telling his own story. 00:03:13.919 --> 00:03:16.039 He uses his personal testimony 00:03:16.039 --> 00:03:20.680 to speak to others of the grace of the Lord Jesus. 00:03:21.539 --> 00:03:23.599 And as Roddy was alluding to, 00:03:24.180 --> 00:03:26.120 the way that we share our stories 00:03:26.120 --> 00:03:28.579 can be really powerful to other people. 00:03:29.060 --> 00:03:31.280 It might help skeptical people who are wondering, 00:03:31.280 --> 00:03:33.539 does this Christianity thing work? 00:03:34.379 --> 00:03:38.360 Does knowing Jesus make any difference in life and in experience? 00:03:38.560 --> 00:03:40.939 And so what we find today in our passage 00:03:40.939 --> 00:03:44.379 is Paul uses his story and his experience 00:03:44.379 --> 00:03:47.460 to, first of all, back up the authority of his message. 00:03:47.539 --> 00:03:50.020 You should listen to me because this came from Jesus. 00:03:50.500 --> 00:03:53.599 But also he's going to show how the gospel of grace 00:03:53.599 --> 00:03:55.420 has changed his own life. 00:03:55.419 --> 00:04:00.219 And then that gives us an opportunity for us to think for ourselves, 00:04:00.339 --> 00:04:03.899 how can we use our stories to highlight, 00:04:04.079 --> 00:04:08.979 to celebrate God's grace through Jesus with others? 00:04:10.019 --> 00:04:11.759 So, first of all, 00:04:12.259 --> 00:04:16.019 Paul's testimony defends his gospel message. 00:04:16.159 --> 00:04:17.919 We began reading at verse 10, 00:04:18.180 --> 00:04:22.060 and verse 10 contains an implied accusation. 00:04:22.060 --> 00:04:23.920 So Paul says, 00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:31.600 So here's the accusation. 00:04:32.160 --> 00:04:34.519 Paul is a crowd pleaser. 00:04:35.160 --> 00:04:37.519 He's more concerned for his own personal glory 00:04:37.519 --> 00:04:39.319 than he is for God's glory. 00:04:39.720 --> 00:04:42.160 He's changing the message to make it acceptable 00:04:42.160 --> 00:04:43.720 to the crowd before him, 00:04:43.819 --> 00:04:45.660 giving people what they want to hear. 00:04:45.660 --> 00:04:49.300 Now, we only need to look back a few verses 00:04:49.300 --> 00:04:52.840 to find Paul's defense against that chart. 00:04:53.720 --> 00:04:56.520 So in verses 6 through 9, 00:04:56.920 --> 00:04:58.760 if you were here last week, you'll remember, 00:04:59.160 --> 00:05:00.600 but just to refresh your memory, 00:05:01.140 --> 00:05:04.960 Paul effectively says to his readers, 00:05:05.500 --> 00:05:07.860 If you accept any gospel message 00:05:07.860 --> 00:05:10.460 other than the one I have given to you, 00:05:11.120 --> 00:05:13.260 let that person who teaches it or receives it 00:05:13.260 --> 00:05:15.200 be eternally condemned. 00:05:15.660 --> 00:05:18.460 Now, that's not the kind of language 00:05:18.460 --> 00:05:20.660 that would be described as people pleasing. 00:05:21.260 --> 00:05:24.220 And you think about his gospel of grace 00:05:24.220 --> 00:05:25.900 in verses 3 to 5. 00:05:26.480 --> 00:05:28.700 In that, again, we find the language 00:05:28.700 --> 00:05:30.600 is not that of a people pleaser. 00:05:31.040 --> 00:05:34.700 He's very clear that people are sinful, 00:05:35.200 --> 00:05:37.040 sinners before a holy God. 00:05:37.720 --> 00:05:41.200 He's very clear that Jesus needed to give himself 00:05:41.199 --> 00:05:44.000 as a substitute and as a sacrifice 00:05:44.000 --> 00:05:47.180 in order to rescue people from sin, 00:05:47.259 --> 00:05:48.379 to bring them to God. 00:05:49.000 --> 00:05:52.599 And this gospel of grace is all about God getting glory, 00:05:53.019 --> 00:05:57.300 not us getting glory for having made our way to God. 00:05:57.759 --> 00:06:00.439 So this is not a people pleasing message. 00:06:00.839 --> 00:06:02.379 And that's the case because, 00:06:02.759 --> 00:06:04.539 as Paul describes himself in verse 10, 00:06:04.540 --> 00:06:06.300 he is a servant of Christ. 00:06:07.260 --> 00:06:09.379 He knows the message he's received. 00:06:09.760 --> 00:06:11.700 He knows the one whose honor he pursues. 00:06:11.760 --> 00:06:13.760 So he's not going to soften the message. 00:06:14.200 --> 00:06:17.460 He's not going to lessen the offense of the gospel 00:06:17.460 --> 00:06:19.860 because he cares for God's glory 00:06:19.860 --> 00:06:21.600 and the honor of Jesus. 00:06:21.600 --> 00:06:24.900 Now the danger for us, 00:06:25.560 --> 00:06:27.580 when we talk about our stories, 00:06:28.160 --> 00:06:31.560 is that fear of man can be in us. 00:06:32.340 --> 00:06:35.400 We can be really worried about how people will hear 00:06:35.400 --> 00:06:38.900 the truth of sin and judgment 00:06:38.900 --> 00:06:40.800 and their need of a savior. 00:06:41.460 --> 00:06:44.260 And so we can maybe try and lessen that, 00:06:44.480 --> 00:06:46.500 soften the blow somewhat 00:06:46.500 --> 00:06:50.820 because we don't want to be losing people's approval back. 00:06:50.819 --> 00:06:57.920 Or maybe we just really want people to come to believe in Jesus. 00:06:58.060 --> 00:07:00.480 And so we make it sound quite easy. 00:07:01.079 --> 00:07:05.259 So maybe we lessen the idea of the cost of discipleship. 00:07:05.860 --> 00:07:08.759 We don't think about submitting to Jesus as Lord 00:07:08.759 --> 00:07:11.000 or that call to obedience. 00:07:11.620 --> 00:07:14.699 We can make it sound really straightforward. 00:07:15.079 --> 00:07:17.300 But that's not what Paul does 00:07:17.300 --> 00:07:21.480 because he wants to be faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:07:22.379 --> 00:07:24.879 Now there is a second accusation against Paul 00:07:24.879 --> 00:07:26.340 that he defends himself from 00:07:26.340 --> 00:07:28.660 and that's in verse 11 and 12. 00:07:29.319 --> 00:07:29.960 So then he says, 00:07:30.060 --> 00:07:31.000 I want you to know, brothers, 00:07:31.080 --> 00:07:32.319 that the gospel I preached 00:07:32.319 --> 00:07:34.360 is not something that man made up. 00:07:34.980 --> 00:07:36.840 I did not receive it from any man, 00:07:36.920 --> 00:07:39.100 nor was I taught it. 00:07:39.439 --> 00:07:42.379 Rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. 00:07:42.379 --> 00:07:44.600 So the second accusation seems to be 00:07:44.600 --> 00:07:48.399 that Paul's gospel is unreliable. 00:07:49.680 --> 00:07:54.339 That either it's a creation of his own imagination 00:07:54.339 --> 00:07:56.279 and not to be trusted, 00:07:56.719 --> 00:07:59.959 or that he has borrowed from secondhand sources 00:07:59.959 --> 00:08:03.379 and that somehow his message is less than 00:08:03.379 --> 00:08:05.959 that of the other disciples, 00:08:06.159 --> 00:08:07.620 the other apostles. 00:08:07.620 --> 00:08:12.360 Now perhaps there is a reason why 00:08:12.360 --> 00:08:14.620 the Judaizers, 00:08:15.540 --> 00:08:17.519 the Jewish people who are coming to Galatia 00:08:17.519 --> 00:08:19.040 telling them they need to follow the law, 00:08:19.300 --> 00:08:20.579 perhaps there's a reason why 00:08:20.579 --> 00:08:22.920 this group of people were suspicious of Paul. 00:08:23.600 --> 00:08:25.139 After all, he is now saying 00:08:25.139 --> 00:08:27.540 that the way to salvation, 00:08:28.120 --> 00:08:29.740 the way to be acceptable to God 00:08:29.740 --> 00:08:32.720 does not involve becoming Jewish, 00:08:32.940 --> 00:08:35.600 does not involve following the Jewish law. 00:08:35.600 --> 00:08:38.740 And so there's a level of suspicion, 00:08:39.340 --> 00:08:42.340 wondering whether his message is credible. 00:08:43.040 --> 00:08:44.740 And so Paul says to them, 00:08:45.000 --> 00:08:47.899 again, I received this message 00:08:47.899 --> 00:08:51.659 by direct revelation from the Lord Jesus. 00:08:52.180 --> 00:08:54.420 And so it has authority. 00:08:54.899 --> 00:08:56.659 And to back up that claim, 00:08:56.759 --> 00:08:59.440 he goes to his personal testimony. 00:08:59.600 --> 00:09:01.920 He goes to his story. 00:09:02.340 --> 00:09:03.779 And when you look at his timeline, 00:09:03.779 --> 00:09:06.319 so verse 13 to verse 24 00:09:06.319 --> 00:09:07.939 is one of Paul's timelines, 00:09:08.059 --> 00:09:10.059 one of his accounts of his coming to faith 00:09:10.059 --> 00:09:11.899 and how Jesus changed him, 00:09:12.139 --> 00:09:13.959 we'll see that it centers around 00:09:13.959 --> 00:09:15.819 his conversion to Christ. 00:09:16.159 --> 00:09:18.659 That point where he stops being an enemy of Jesus 00:09:18.659 --> 00:09:20.559 and becomes a friend of Jesus, 00:09:20.659 --> 00:09:23.899 where he bows the knee to receive Jesus as Lord. 00:09:24.799 --> 00:09:26.120 But there is in his story 00:09:26.120 --> 00:09:28.299 a pre-conversion stage, 00:09:28.319 --> 00:09:29.179 and this is important. 00:09:29.179 --> 00:09:30.559 So in verse 13, 00:09:30.659 --> 00:09:32.679 we're told certain things about Paul 00:09:32.679 --> 00:09:35.059 before he was a follower of Jesus. 00:09:35.859 --> 00:09:38.599 For you've heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, 00:09:38.959 --> 00:09:42.899 how intensely I persecuted the church of God 00:09:42.899 --> 00:09:44.779 and tried to destroy it. 00:09:45.359 --> 00:09:47.359 I was advancing in Judaism 00:09:47.359 --> 00:09:49.799 beyond many Jews of my own age 00:09:49.799 --> 00:09:52.000 and was extremely zealous 00:09:52.000 --> 00:09:54.599 for the traditions of my father. 00:09:54.719 --> 00:09:56.919 So there's two things going on in Paul's life. 00:09:56.919 --> 00:10:00.399 On the one hand, he's this really strict, zealous Jew 00:10:00.399 --> 00:10:03.399 trying to keep all the laws of God 00:10:03.399 --> 00:10:06.539 and wanting to be seen as keeping all those laws, 00:10:06.620 --> 00:10:07.779 while at the same time, 00:10:08.299 --> 00:10:10.299 hating Jesus, hating the church, 00:10:10.439 --> 00:10:12.879 being a determined persecutor 00:10:12.879 --> 00:10:15.539 of this new faith. 00:10:16.919 --> 00:10:18.639 And the point is important 00:10:18.639 --> 00:10:20.219 because he's basically saying to us, 00:10:20.259 --> 00:10:21.659 look, there's no way that I was 00:10:21.659 --> 00:10:23.480 hanging around with the disciples. 00:10:23.480 --> 00:10:25.539 I wasn't spending time with them, 00:10:25.600 --> 00:10:26.539 receiving the gospel, 00:10:26.539 --> 00:10:27.580 because I hated them 00:10:27.580 --> 00:10:28.860 and I would have put them in prison, 00:10:29.399 --> 00:10:30.620 given the opportunity. 00:10:31.220 --> 00:10:33.279 So his pre-conversion defends the fact 00:10:33.279 --> 00:10:34.779 that his gospel comes from Jesus 00:10:34.779 --> 00:10:37.580 and then he talks about his conversion, 00:10:38.180 --> 00:10:40.440 which is very dramatic, 00:10:41.300 --> 00:10:43.159 like that bottle. 00:10:43.159 --> 00:10:45.559 But when God, 00:10:46.120 --> 00:10:48.000 who set me apart from birth 00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:50.360 and called me by his grace, 00:10:50.500 --> 00:10:54.799 was pleased to reveal his son in me. 00:10:56.799 --> 00:10:58.399 The thing about Paul's testimony 00:10:58.399 --> 00:11:01.199 is that his transformation was very dramatic. 00:11:02.059 --> 00:11:03.799 We find him on the Damascus road, 00:11:03.879 --> 00:11:04.419 Acts chapter 9. 00:11:04.480 --> 00:11:06.339 He's not looking to find Jesus. 00:11:06.799 --> 00:11:08.860 In fact, he's looking to find the followers of Jesus 00:11:08.860 --> 00:11:10.299 so he can throw them in prison. 00:11:10.299 --> 00:11:13.639 But Jesus comes to him on the road to Damascus 00:11:13.639 --> 00:11:16.759 and reveals himself to Paul physically. 00:11:16.899 --> 00:11:19.179 He sees the risen Lord Jesus 00:11:19.179 --> 00:11:23.339 and Jesus is revealed to him spiritually. 00:11:23.620 --> 00:11:25.259 He now sees with the eyes of faith 00:11:25.259 --> 00:11:27.459 this one who he wanted to persecute 00:11:27.459 --> 00:11:28.939 as a false Messiah. 00:11:29.199 --> 00:11:32.219 He now understands this is God's son, 00:11:32.599 --> 00:11:33.500 God's savior. 00:11:34.099 --> 00:11:35.459 The spirit worked in him. 00:11:36.099 --> 00:11:37.500 Jesus, the son of God, 00:11:37.500 --> 00:11:39.799 revealed himself to him. 00:11:40.299 --> 00:11:42.819 And so that conversion wasn't a process 00:11:42.819 --> 00:11:44.439 where he's talking with the apostles, 00:11:44.599 --> 00:11:47.039 where he's learning the gospel from anyone else. 00:11:47.039 --> 00:11:49.759 He's hearing it directly from Jesus. 00:11:50.299 --> 00:11:51.779 And then post-conversion, 00:11:52.139 --> 00:11:53.579 he's very clear again 00:11:53.579 --> 00:11:56.459 that nobody else gave me this message. 00:11:57.459 --> 00:11:59.039 So verse 16, second half of it, 00:11:59.859 --> 00:12:01.879 I did not consult any man, 00:12:02.439 --> 00:12:03.979 nor did I go up to Jerusalem 00:12:03.979 --> 00:12:06.399 to see those who were apostles before I was, 00:12:06.839 --> 00:12:08.439 but I went immediately into Arabia. 00:12:08.440 --> 00:12:09.580 So he's saying, 00:12:09.700 --> 00:12:11.060 there was nobody else teaching me. 00:12:12.180 --> 00:12:13.980 The gospel message that I received, 00:12:14.060 --> 00:12:15.200 that I'm bringing to you, 00:12:15.660 --> 00:12:18.400 came to me directly from the Lord Jesus. 00:12:19.060 --> 00:12:22.880 So it comes with authority to you as a church, 00:12:23.040 --> 00:12:24.500 he says to these people. 00:12:24.760 --> 00:12:28.680 And he gives three important pieces of evidence to that effect. 00:12:28.679 --> 00:12:32.959 First of all, we discover that he spent three years in Arabia. 00:12:34.059 --> 00:12:36.939 No disciples, no apostles around there. 00:12:37.599 --> 00:12:39.239 We don't know what he was doing, 00:12:39.299 --> 00:12:41.579 most likely reading the Old Testament, 00:12:41.739 --> 00:12:43.399 seeing how it pointed to Jesus, 00:12:43.979 --> 00:12:46.799 reflecting on what Jesus had revealed to him 00:12:46.799 --> 00:12:47.839 on the road to Damascus, 00:12:47.899 --> 00:12:49.359 and revealed to him subsequently, 00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:52.219 thinking about how the historical events 00:12:52.219 --> 00:12:53.679 of the life, death, and resurrection 00:12:53.679 --> 00:12:55.819 bring salvation to the world. 00:12:55.820 --> 00:12:57.900 But anyway, he spent three years in Arabia, 00:12:58.340 --> 00:13:00.340 and far away from the apostles. 00:13:00.980 --> 00:13:02.980 And then in verse 18, he tells us, 00:13:03.080 --> 00:13:05.140 well, after three years, he did go to Jerusalem, 00:13:05.900 --> 00:13:07.400 but only for 15 days. 00:13:08.420 --> 00:13:10.140 We read about this in Acts chapter 9, 00:13:10.200 --> 00:13:11.660 verses 26 to 28. 00:13:11.960 --> 00:13:12.960 And when you read that, 00:13:13.160 --> 00:13:15.660 those 15 days are largely spent preaching. 00:13:16.160 --> 00:13:17.220 So he did meet Peter, 00:13:17.660 --> 00:13:18.640 he did meet James, 00:13:18.879 --> 00:13:20.100 but he's spending most of his time 00:13:20.100 --> 00:13:22.300 preaching the gospel that he already knows. 00:13:22.940 --> 00:13:24.220 Peter isn't teaching it to him, 00:13:24.220 --> 00:13:25.460 Peter isn't correcting him. 00:13:25.700 --> 00:13:27.740 It's not in a time of intensive teaching, 00:13:27.740 --> 00:13:30.040 because he already has the gospel. 00:13:30.279 --> 00:13:31.980 And then after those 15 days, 00:13:32.440 --> 00:13:34.259 in verse number 21, 00:13:35.019 --> 00:13:36.019 we're told that later, 00:13:36.660 --> 00:13:38.240 I went to Syria and Cilicia. 00:13:38.379 --> 00:13:40.820 So 15 days in the center in Jerusalem, 00:13:40.879 --> 00:13:42.320 but then he goes straight up to the far north, 00:13:42.399 --> 00:13:44.040 to Syria and Cilicia. 00:13:44.160 --> 00:13:46.259 Again, far from the center of faith and power, 00:13:46.379 --> 00:13:47.920 far from where the apostles are. 00:13:48.139 --> 00:13:49.220 All of this to say, 00:13:49.220 --> 00:13:51.920 I'm getting my message from Jesus. 00:13:52.139 --> 00:13:54.700 Jesus was my teacher. 00:13:55.220 --> 00:13:58.300 Therefore, the gospel that I brought to you, 00:13:58.360 --> 00:14:00.500 which is all about grace alone, 00:14:00.779 --> 00:14:02.680 not needing to convert to Judaism, 00:14:02.940 --> 00:14:04.620 is the one to listen to. 00:14:06.220 --> 00:14:09.120 There is a point for us today. 00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:15.299 Where do we go to find God's divine revelation? 00:14:16.139 --> 00:14:20.720 Where do we look for our source of ultimate authority? 00:14:21.720 --> 00:14:24.980 We go to God's inspired word. 00:14:25.460 --> 00:14:27.139 We go to the Bible. 00:14:28.019 --> 00:14:30.120 With a multitude of perspectives, 00:14:30.279 --> 00:14:31.960 online and in print, 00:14:31.960 --> 00:14:36.180 will we let God teach us who he is, 00:14:36.660 --> 00:14:39.100 what he is like and what he has done? 00:14:39.759 --> 00:14:42.519 Will we submit to God's words 00:14:42.519 --> 00:14:45.120 over anybody else's word? 00:14:45.920 --> 00:14:49.280 Will the revelation of Jesus as Lord and Savior 00:14:49.280 --> 00:14:53.540 be at the center of our storyline of faith 00:14:53.540 --> 00:14:55.660 as it was for Paul? 00:14:55.720 --> 00:14:58.019 And if so, we need the word of God 00:14:58.019 --> 00:15:00.460 to direct us and keep us. 00:15:00.460 --> 00:15:05.259 So Paul's testimony defends his gospel message, 00:15:05.480 --> 00:15:07.940 but it does something else as well. 00:15:08.480 --> 00:15:11.160 Paul's testimony reminds us again 00:15:11.160 --> 00:15:13.879 of God's amazing grace. 00:15:16.759 --> 00:15:20.420 Grace was something that we spent a lot of time on last week, 00:15:20.639 --> 00:15:23.540 and grace is something that we will spend time on this week 00:15:23.540 --> 00:15:25.740 and in subsequent weeks. 00:15:26.580 --> 00:15:28.139 I think I said last week 00:15:28.139 --> 00:15:31.259 that Martin Luther, the great reformer, 00:15:31.319 --> 00:15:34.100 talked about the need to beat the gospel 00:15:34.100 --> 00:15:36.059 into our heads continually, 00:15:36.220 --> 00:15:39.620 that this message that Jesus suffered and died 00:15:39.620 --> 00:15:41.319 to deliver us from sin and death 00:15:41.319 --> 00:15:44.139 is the most important message that we will ever hear, 00:15:44.679 --> 00:15:47.039 but it's a message we can be so quick 00:15:47.039 --> 00:15:48.819 to lose hold of, 00:15:49.439 --> 00:15:51.879 to start trusting in ourselves 00:15:51.879 --> 00:15:53.340 or thinking there is something else 00:15:53.340 --> 00:15:55.660 that we need to bring to the table. 00:15:56.180 --> 00:15:58.720 So Luther reminds us to beat the gospel 00:15:58.720 --> 00:16:00.160 into our heads continually. 00:16:01.240 --> 00:16:03.740 Perhaps we can use a picture or two 00:16:03.740 --> 00:16:04.759 to help us to think of it. 00:16:04.899 --> 00:16:06.200 So maybe like me, 00:16:06.240 --> 00:16:07.920 you're old enough to remember the days 00:16:07.920 --> 00:16:09.420 before digital television, 00:16:10.080 --> 00:16:12.379 those days of the big wooden cabinets 00:16:12.379 --> 00:16:14.740 and the aerials on the top, 00:16:15.379 --> 00:16:18.879 where sometimes to get the tube to kick in properly, 00:16:18.980 --> 00:16:20.500 you had to whack it on the side 00:16:20.500 --> 00:16:22.440 to get that image to come through. 00:16:23.220 --> 00:16:27.259 Or maybe we can think of those vending machines 00:16:27.259 --> 00:16:29.580 that don't quite work the way they're supposed to, 00:16:30.019 --> 00:16:31.240 where you put your money in 00:16:31.240 --> 00:16:32.240 and you make the selection 00:16:32.240 --> 00:16:33.860 and you're waiting for the thing to drop 00:16:33.860 --> 00:16:35.259 and there's nothing. 00:16:35.720 --> 00:16:37.379 And again, sometimes you just need to give it 00:16:37.379 --> 00:16:38.860 a good pounding on the side 00:16:38.860 --> 00:16:40.360 and then the penny drops 00:16:40.360 --> 00:16:42.899 and the goods come out. 00:16:43.539 --> 00:16:46.379 For us, we need to keep hearing 00:16:46.379 --> 00:16:49.039 the gospel of grace alone 00:16:49.039 --> 00:16:51.799 so that the penny drops. 00:16:52.659 --> 00:16:54.339 And as the penny drops, 00:16:54.439 --> 00:16:57.159 the spiritual fruit would come from us, 00:16:57.199 --> 00:16:59.240 that our lives would be marked by joy 00:16:59.240 --> 00:17:02.000 and worship and security and hope 00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:04.119 because we understand that we're saved 00:17:04.119 --> 00:17:07.139 only through what Jesus has done for us 00:17:07.139 --> 00:17:10.319 and trusting in the cross alone. 00:17:11.420 --> 00:17:14.399 So Paul needs to keep coming back to this 00:17:14.399 --> 00:17:17.519 because we can lose sight of it so quickly. 00:17:17.519 --> 00:17:21.500 Why does Paul keep highlighting grace in Galatia? 00:17:22.420 --> 00:17:23.480 Well, he'll say to them, 00:17:23.539 --> 00:17:26.099 you are a church that started by grace. 00:17:26.160 --> 00:17:28.900 You absolutely believe in Jesus Christ alone 00:17:28.900 --> 00:17:29.740 for your salvation. 00:17:30.160 --> 00:17:32.519 But now some of them are falling back 00:17:32.519 --> 00:17:33.680 on personal performance. 00:17:34.220 --> 00:17:35.400 Now, some of them were thinking, 00:17:35.779 --> 00:17:36.400 oh, hang on a minute. 00:17:36.500 --> 00:17:38.940 I need to keep up with those dietary laws 00:17:38.940 --> 00:17:41.119 and be circumcised and keep certain festivals 00:17:41.119 --> 00:17:43.720 in order to earn acceptance from God. 00:17:43.720 --> 00:17:46.160 So they started with grace. 00:17:46.259 --> 00:17:47.480 They started with the Spirit. 00:17:47.600 --> 00:17:49.240 They started trusting in Jesus alone. 00:17:49.680 --> 00:17:52.920 But now they're tempted to be adding works 00:17:52.920 --> 00:17:54.779 in order to be accepted. 00:17:56.180 --> 00:17:59.960 Maybe you know this in your personal experience. 00:18:00.539 --> 00:18:02.819 As Christians, perhaps you know this 00:18:02.819 --> 00:18:03.819 as your personal experience. 00:18:03.819 --> 00:18:06.819 You believe, absolutely believe 00:18:06.819 --> 00:18:09.779 that Jesus paid for your sins. 00:18:10.819 --> 00:18:12.319 But then you find yourself, 00:18:12.379 --> 00:18:13.159 and this is my story, 00:18:13.279 --> 00:18:15.279 easily slipping back into, 00:18:16.559 --> 00:18:18.939 but staying in God's favor is down to me. 00:18:19.980 --> 00:18:22.419 So many times in my teenage years, 00:18:22.500 --> 00:18:24.079 I felt like I had to have 00:18:24.079 --> 00:18:25.720 a fresh conversion experience 00:18:25.720 --> 00:18:27.359 because I messed up so badly. 00:18:27.500 --> 00:18:28.519 I thought, well, there's no way 00:18:28.519 --> 00:18:30.139 that God would want anything to do with me. 00:18:30.140 --> 00:18:31.800 I need to start all over again. 00:18:32.960 --> 00:18:34.640 Or perhaps you want to believe, 00:18:34.700 --> 00:18:35.759 you really want to believe 00:18:35.759 --> 00:18:37.000 that salvation is a gift 00:18:37.000 --> 00:18:39.020 that you receive by faith alone, 00:18:39.860 --> 00:18:41.920 and you feel that you've got hold of that, 00:18:42.780 --> 00:18:43.820 but then you mess up 00:18:43.820 --> 00:18:45.980 and you find yourself totally devastated. 00:18:46.160 --> 00:18:47.940 And instead of going back to the cross 00:18:47.940 --> 00:18:49.920 and finding hope and forgiveness there, 00:18:50.560 --> 00:18:51.800 you're just beating up inside 00:18:51.800 --> 00:18:53.280 and you don't know where to go. 00:18:53.900 --> 00:18:55.560 And it's a sign of how quickly 00:18:55.560 --> 00:19:00.020 we can lose hold of the gospel of grace. 00:19:00.920 --> 00:19:04.300 I remember reading a number of years ago 00:19:04.300 --> 00:19:07.560 a heartbreaking story of a Christian family 00:19:07.560 --> 00:19:12.060 who adopted a child from an abusive background 00:19:12.060 --> 00:19:16.840 and hearing that story of just the painful process 00:19:16.840 --> 00:19:18.120 of trying to help the child 00:19:18.120 --> 00:19:20.980 to understand their place in the family. 00:19:21.160 --> 00:19:23.640 You know, the child would hoard food 00:19:23.640 --> 00:19:24.759 and hide it away 00:19:24.759 --> 00:19:27.640 because they were so used to food being taken away. 00:19:27.640 --> 00:19:30.160 The child, if it had done something wrong, 00:19:30.220 --> 00:19:32.540 would run away and go into hiding 00:19:32.540 --> 00:19:35.620 because they were so used to receiving a beating 00:19:35.620 --> 00:19:38.680 whenever things went badly in the previous family. 00:19:38.680 --> 00:19:43.400 That long, patient, painful process 00:19:43.400 --> 00:19:45.000 of trying to teach a child 00:19:45.000 --> 00:19:46.960 you're in this family because of love 00:19:46.960 --> 00:19:48.600 and because of grace. 00:19:48.600 --> 00:19:52.400 You've been adopted and you are delighted in 00:19:52.400 --> 00:19:56.100 is a hard one in personal experience 00:19:56.100 --> 00:19:58.160 and it can be hard for us spiritually. 00:19:58.820 --> 00:20:01.440 Hard for us spiritually to believe, 00:20:01.440 --> 00:20:05.440 to really believe that we've been adopted by God 00:20:05.440 --> 00:20:07.140 through grace alone. 00:20:07.960 --> 00:20:10.380 That even when we sin and fail 00:20:10.380 --> 00:20:12.740 that God still loves us. 00:20:13.039 --> 00:20:15.620 That can be a really hard message to hold on to. 00:20:16.080 --> 00:20:20.660 And so Paul uses his letter to celebrate grace, 00:20:20.740 --> 00:20:22.680 to call the church back to grace. 00:20:22.740 --> 00:20:26.320 And let's see how he uses his story to do this. 00:20:26.319 --> 00:20:30.200 Let's look, first of all, at his pre-conversion again, 00:20:30.299 --> 00:20:33.079 his time before he was a follower of Jesus. 00:20:35.339 --> 00:20:37.200 So what he clearly does for them, 00:20:37.200 --> 00:20:39.679 he's very honest about what he was like. 00:20:40.399 --> 00:20:42.879 He'll say, I was incredibly religious. 00:20:43.619 --> 00:20:45.319 You are trying to be religious, 00:20:45.740 --> 00:20:48.480 but I was far more religious than you, 00:20:49.119 --> 00:20:53.039 yet I was not made acceptable to God 00:20:53.039 --> 00:20:55.419 because of my religious performance. 00:20:56.319 --> 00:20:58.740 And he'll also say in verse 13, 00:20:59.119 --> 00:21:01.200 I was incredibly violent. 00:21:02.039 --> 00:21:03.539 I was a persecutor. 00:21:03.619 --> 00:21:06.000 I was happy to see Christians arrested, 00:21:06.639 --> 00:21:08.299 beaten and killed. 00:21:08.779 --> 00:21:14.240 Yet there was grace from God for me. 00:21:15.539 --> 00:21:17.419 So you get this wonderfully honest picture 00:21:17.419 --> 00:21:18.299 that he presents. 00:21:18.919 --> 00:21:19.539 Here is Paul saying, 00:21:19.639 --> 00:21:21.119 I was unable to save myself. 00:21:22.159 --> 00:21:24.599 Here was I undeserving of God's kindness 00:21:24.599 --> 00:21:27.619 that Jesus came to me and Jesus loved me. 00:21:27.719 --> 00:21:29.859 And he does that so that God will get glory. 00:21:30.740 --> 00:21:33.839 Because Paul understands that it's only God's grace 00:21:33.839 --> 00:21:36.500 that was able to tear down the barriers of resistance 00:21:36.500 --> 00:21:37.559 in his own heart. 00:21:38.119 --> 00:21:38.799 Because as you said, 00:21:38.899 --> 00:21:40.240 Paul was not looking for Jesus. 00:21:40.759 --> 00:21:42.279 Paul positively hated Jesus, 00:21:42.399 --> 00:21:44.619 was determined that Jesus was a liar. 00:21:45.319 --> 00:21:46.599 And at the same time, 00:21:46.899 --> 00:21:49.779 Paul was incredibly proud of his own religious performance 00:21:49.779 --> 00:21:52.180 and felt like that was certain 00:21:52.180 --> 00:21:55.539 to give him the standing with God that he needed. 00:21:56.700 --> 00:21:58.759 And then we move on to the way Paul talks 00:21:58.759 --> 00:21:59.920 about his conversion. 00:22:01.059 --> 00:22:03.079 You see even the way the language shifts. 00:22:03.180 --> 00:22:04.339 In verse 13 and 14, 00:22:04.460 --> 00:22:04.720 he says, 00:22:05.119 --> 00:22:05.960 I, I, I. 00:22:06.259 --> 00:22:07.339 Verse 15 and 16, 00:22:07.420 --> 00:22:09.279 he begins to focus on God. 00:22:09.359 --> 00:22:10.500 What does God do? 00:22:10.579 --> 00:22:13.220 What does God's grace do in his life? 00:22:13.279 --> 00:22:14.019 Well, first of all, 00:22:14.079 --> 00:22:18.700 we're told that God set him apart from birth. 00:22:19.779 --> 00:22:24.059 So here he is saying it was God's choice to save him. 00:22:24.960 --> 00:22:26.460 It was all about election. 00:22:26.599 --> 00:22:28.440 Before he was even born, 00:22:29.119 --> 00:22:30.980 God had decided to save. 00:22:31.500 --> 00:22:32.819 Why does he do that? 00:22:33.319 --> 00:22:34.980 To say very clearly, 00:22:35.500 --> 00:22:37.720 this is all about God's undeserved kindness. 00:22:37.839 --> 00:22:39.160 This is God's grace. 00:22:39.940 --> 00:22:40.940 This is not merit. 00:22:41.379 --> 00:22:43.259 I was chosen before I was born. 00:22:43.259 --> 00:22:48.200 And Paul can say some, 00:22:48.200 --> 00:22:50.339 some wonderful things because of that. 00:22:50.440 --> 00:22:50.539 So, 00:22:50.640 --> 00:22:53.039 so maybe we find ourselves asking the question, 00:22:53.559 --> 00:22:55.660 if he was chosen before he was born, 00:22:55.740 --> 00:22:58.559 then why did God wait so long to save him? 00:22:58.660 --> 00:23:01.339 Why did Paul have this career of, 00:23:01.339 --> 00:23:04.039 of sort of being a really proud religious person 00:23:04.039 --> 00:23:06.299 and then persecuting and hating the church? 00:23:06.299 --> 00:23:09.139 Why didn't God save the church some misery? 00:23:10.139 --> 00:23:13.519 And Paul answers in saying that it's all about 00:23:13.519 --> 00:23:17.299 God knowing the timing that gives him the most glory. 00:23:17.980 --> 00:23:21.639 He knows when is best and what is best for his own glory. 00:23:22.000 --> 00:23:24.399 And he talks about that in his letter to Timothy. 00:23:24.539 --> 00:23:25.859 In 1 Timothy chapter one, 00:23:26.279 --> 00:23:28.019 verses 15 to 17, 00:23:28.879 --> 00:23:31.339 Paul writes to Timothy and effectively says, 00:23:31.339 --> 00:23:35.679 that Jesus saved me as the very worst of sins. 00:23:37.299 --> 00:23:39.659 That part of the reason for that delay 00:23:39.659 --> 00:23:41.980 was that Paul would have this trajectory 00:23:41.980 --> 00:23:44.939 so that he could then celebrate this amazing grace. 00:23:45.039 --> 00:23:47.759 Jesus saved me as the worst of sinners. 00:23:47.919 --> 00:23:49.740 And he kind of says to himself, 00:23:49.919 --> 00:23:51.019 like I'm an example. 00:23:51.139 --> 00:23:53.419 I'm like a great big neon sign saying, 00:23:53.779 --> 00:23:56.720 God's grace can save anyone. 00:23:57.179 --> 00:23:58.579 If God can save me, 00:23:58.659 --> 00:24:00.159 if Jesus can rescue me, 00:24:00.160 --> 00:24:03.779 then there is nobody who is beyond the grip of God's grace. 00:24:04.759 --> 00:24:08.360 And so he says that he is set apart from birth. 00:24:08.779 --> 00:24:10.940 And then in verse 15, continuing, 00:24:11.440 --> 00:24:11.960 he says, 00:24:12.120 --> 00:24:15.259 and God called me by his grace. 00:24:15.360 --> 00:24:17.759 So there was this eternal election. 00:24:18.440 --> 00:24:22.000 And then that choice was worked out in time 00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:26.820 when he was called by God's grace on the Damascus road. 00:24:27.380 --> 00:24:28.400 And notice again, 00:24:28.400 --> 00:24:29.160 he doesn't say, 00:24:29.259 --> 00:24:32.400 well, Jesus came to me because I was really religious 00:24:32.400 --> 00:24:33.720 and I was doing really well. 00:24:33.780 --> 00:24:34.519 And so of course, 00:24:34.960 --> 00:24:36.900 Jesus would be glad to have me on his team. 00:24:36.980 --> 00:24:37.500 No, he says, 00:24:38.220 --> 00:24:42.100 Jesus saved me by grace alone. 00:24:43.519 --> 00:24:45.080 And then he goes on to say, 00:24:45.440 --> 00:24:46.700 continuing in verse 15, 00:24:47.080 --> 00:24:51.420 God was pleased to reveal his son in me. 00:24:51.420 --> 00:24:54.240 Why was Paul saved? 00:24:54.900 --> 00:24:57.720 Because of God's good pleasure alone. 00:24:58.660 --> 00:24:59.840 It is grace again. 00:25:00.019 --> 00:25:01.759 Paul is not contributing anything. 00:25:01.920 --> 00:25:04.539 None of us contribute anything to our salvation. 00:25:04.960 --> 00:25:06.900 It's God's good pleasure. 00:25:07.360 --> 00:25:11.060 God loves us only because he loves us. 00:25:11.720 --> 00:25:12.920 And because of that, 00:25:13.240 --> 00:25:14.120 we can have security. 00:25:14.640 --> 00:25:17.180 We can have joy in the family of God. 00:25:17.180 --> 00:25:21.799 And what Paul says is that meeting the risen Lord Jesus 00:25:21.799 --> 00:25:24.120 changed everything for him. 00:25:24.220 --> 00:25:27.279 As God's son was revealed in him, 00:25:27.320 --> 00:25:29.860 as those facts of the historical Jesus 00:25:29.860 --> 00:25:33.080 are now revealed to him to be absolutely true, 00:25:33.460 --> 00:25:37.360 they hit his heart and they transform his life. 00:25:37.359 --> 00:25:40.359 But he doesn't stop there. 00:25:42.099 --> 00:25:44.359 To make sure that they don't get the impression, 00:25:44.539 --> 00:25:46.219 well, you're saved by grace, 00:25:46.919 --> 00:25:47.759 but then after that, 00:25:47.839 --> 00:25:49.539 you work out your own salvation 00:25:49.539 --> 00:25:51.919 by blood, sweat and tears. 00:25:52.459 --> 00:25:54.959 No, as he talks about his post-conversion, 00:25:55.059 --> 00:25:56.339 his life after Jesus, 00:25:56.479 --> 00:25:58.419 there are three truths that stand out 00:25:58.419 --> 00:26:02.279 that also celebrate and highlight grace for us. 00:26:03.079 --> 00:26:03.839 First of all, 00:26:03.859 --> 00:26:06.179 when we think about his new mission, 00:26:06.180 --> 00:26:08.340 verse 15 again, 00:26:08.420 --> 00:26:10.180 when God who set me apart from birth 00:26:10.180 --> 00:26:11.440 and called me by his grace 00:26:11.440 --> 00:26:13.500 was pleased to reveal his son in me 00:26:13.500 --> 00:26:16.340 so that I might preach him among the Gentiles. 00:26:16.360 --> 00:26:19.120 That's God's mission for Paul 00:26:19.120 --> 00:26:21.400 to preach Jesus among the Gentiles. 00:26:22.320 --> 00:26:23.840 And this speaks of grace 00:26:23.840 --> 00:26:25.700 because before that, 00:26:26.140 --> 00:26:27.900 what was Paul's relation to the church? 00:26:28.100 --> 00:26:30.640 He was trying to destroy the church. 00:26:31.160 --> 00:26:32.360 And now by God's grace, 00:26:32.460 --> 00:26:34.340 he'll be used to build the church. 00:26:34.420 --> 00:26:36.080 The people will hear the good news of Jesus 00:26:36.079 --> 00:26:37.980 and will be drawn into the church. 00:26:39.480 --> 00:26:40.720 And connected to that, 00:26:40.779 --> 00:26:42.559 there's this wonderful new impression 00:26:42.559 --> 00:26:45.159 that God's people have of Paul. 00:26:45.500 --> 00:26:46.579 So in verse 23, 00:26:48.019 --> 00:26:51.199 these churches that he hadn't been known to previously, 00:26:51.419 --> 00:26:52.819 they only heard this report. 00:26:53.240 --> 00:26:55.480 The man who formerly persecuted us 00:26:55.480 --> 00:26:58.419 is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy. 00:26:58.679 --> 00:27:01.299 And they praised God because of him. 00:27:01.299 --> 00:27:02.099 So before, 00:27:02.659 --> 00:27:03.599 if Saul came anywhere, 00:27:03.700 --> 00:27:05.099 if Paul came anywhere close to a Christian, 00:27:05.220 --> 00:27:07.000 Christians would scatter in fear. 00:27:07.379 --> 00:27:09.980 But now there's this word spreading 00:27:09.980 --> 00:27:11.720 around the Christian community, 00:27:11.859 --> 00:27:13.039 around this part of the world, 00:27:13.319 --> 00:27:15.919 about God's amazing transformation 00:27:15.919 --> 00:27:17.059 that he's worked in Paul, 00:27:17.359 --> 00:27:19.759 that Christians are being encouraged. 00:27:20.299 --> 00:27:21.539 They're praising God 00:27:21.539 --> 00:27:25.220 because of what's happened in Paul's life. 00:27:25.720 --> 00:27:27.619 Because now he's preaching 00:27:27.619 --> 00:27:30.059 to build the church up. 00:27:31.299 --> 00:27:34.299 The last thing about his post-conversion, 00:27:34.659 --> 00:27:36.480 his time after meeting 00:27:36.480 --> 00:27:39.039 and being a follower of Jesus 00:27:39.039 --> 00:27:41.019 that highlights grace, 00:27:41.379 --> 00:27:42.779 takes us back to verse 10 00:27:42.779 --> 00:27:44.720 and to the new motive 00:27:44.720 --> 00:27:45.879 and the new center 00:27:45.879 --> 00:27:47.419 that he has in his life. 00:27:48.460 --> 00:27:49.359 It's really significant. 00:27:49.799 --> 00:27:49.919 You know, 00:27:49.940 --> 00:27:52.700 he's been accused of being a people pleaser 00:27:52.700 --> 00:27:54.180 in verse 10. 00:27:54.579 --> 00:27:56.240 Notice the last sentence 00:27:56.240 --> 00:27:58.119 in verse 10. 00:27:58.119 --> 00:28:01.459 If I were still trying to please men, 00:28:01.739 --> 00:28:03.559 I would not be a servant of Christ. 00:28:03.599 --> 00:28:04.500 What's he saying there? 00:28:04.799 --> 00:28:05.179 He's saying, 00:28:05.899 --> 00:28:06.039 yeah, 00:28:06.059 --> 00:28:07.239 that used to be my story. 00:28:07.819 --> 00:28:09.479 I used to be a people pleaser. 00:28:09.859 --> 00:28:10.419 But now, 00:28:10.979 --> 00:28:11.899 I live for Jesus. 00:28:12.359 --> 00:28:12.799 Before, 00:28:12.959 --> 00:28:15.039 I was controlled by the fear of man. 00:28:15.219 --> 00:28:17.959 I wanted to look good to other people. 00:28:18.079 --> 00:28:20.879 I wanted to be seen to be really religious. 00:28:21.039 --> 00:28:21.579 But now, 00:28:21.679 --> 00:28:23.179 I've been set free from that. 00:28:23.859 --> 00:28:24.039 Now, 00:28:24.079 --> 00:28:25.979 I'm a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:28:28.119 --> 00:28:29.199 Maybe we have that. 00:28:29.739 --> 00:28:31.139 We talked before the summer 00:28:31.139 --> 00:28:33.299 about the fear of man, 00:28:34.059 --> 00:28:35.079 where we have that sense 00:28:35.079 --> 00:28:36.579 that we just really feel 00:28:36.579 --> 00:28:37.359 that we need 00:28:37.359 --> 00:28:39.359 to look good to others. 00:28:40.099 --> 00:28:41.079 We have that sense 00:28:41.079 --> 00:28:42.719 of just wanting to fit in. 00:28:43.719 --> 00:28:45.079 We want to be accepted. 00:28:45.219 --> 00:28:46.739 We fear the loss of approval. 00:28:47.000 --> 00:28:48.079 And Paul is saying 00:28:48.079 --> 00:28:49.979 that was his center. 00:28:50.159 --> 00:28:51.599 This is a worship issue. 00:28:52.759 --> 00:28:54.319 Jesus has set him free 00:28:54.319 --> 00:28:55.719 from worshiping 00:28:55.719 --> 00:28:57.459 other people. 00:28:57.460 --> 00:28:59.400 from having his identity 00:28:59.400 --> 00:29:00.680 rooted in what other people 00:29:00.680 --> 00:29:01.400 thought of him. 00:29:01.900 --> 00:29:03.079 That there's been this wonderful 00:29:03.079 --> 00:29:04.200 change in his life. 00:29:04.500 --> 00:29:05.940 That the gospel of grace 00:29:05.940 --> 00:29:07.220 has come to him 00:29:07.220 --> 00:29:08.039 and now he understands, 00:29:08.160 --> 00:29:08.240 well, 00:29:08.539 --> 00:29:09.660 Jesus Christ has 00:29:09.660 --> 00:29:11.680 done everything I need 00:29:11.680 --> 00:29:12.519 so that now I am 00:29:12.519 --> 00:29:13.920 completely accepted 00:29:13.920 --> 00:29:15.620 by God the Father in heaven. 00:29:16.500 --> 00:29:17.360 Why does it matter 00:29:17.360 --> 00:29:18.299 what other people feel? 00:29:18.799 --> 00:29:20.640 And so his life is changed. 00:29:20.740 --> 00:29:21.539 He knows he's been 00:29:21.539 --> 00:29:22.799 washed by the blood 00:29:22.799 --> 00:29:23.600 of the Lord Jesus. 00:29:24.019 --> 00:29:25.440 The perfect record of Jesus 00:29:25.440 --> 00:29:26.340 has been credited 00:29:26.339 --> 00:29:27.079 to his account 00:29:27.079 --> 00:29:28.419 and now he's got freedom. 00:29:29.559 --> 00:29:31.599 And believing this gospel 00:29:31.599 --> 00:29:33.659 is what gives us freedom. 00:29:34.579 --> 00:29:35.439 If we understand 00:29:35.439 --> 00:29:36.199 that we have 00:29:36.199 --> 00:29:37.740 the approval of God 00:29:37.740 --> 00:29:38.500 through faith 00:29:38.500 --> 00:29:39.319 in Jesus Christ 00:29:39.319 --> 00:29:40.199 then that can set us 00:29:40.199 --> 00:29:41.119 free from fear. 00:29:41.720 --> 00:29:43.000 That can allow us 00:29:43.000 --> 00:29:44.639 to live for Jesus 00:29:44.639 --> 00:29:45.639 with courage 00:29:45.639 --> 00:29:47.019 in a sometimes 00:29:47.019 --> 00:29:48.359 hostile world. 00:29:49.119 --> 00:29:50.240 So here is Paul 00:29:50.240 --> 00:29:51.240 and he's telling 00:29:51.240 --> 00:29:52.119 his story 00:29:52.119 --> 00:29:53.259 in order to try 00:29:53.259 --> 00:29:54.720 and beat the gospel 00:29:54.720 --> 00:29:55.259 of grace 00:29:55.259 --> 00:29:56.200 into their hearts 00:29:56.200 --> 00:29:57.680 so that they might 00:29:57.680 --> 00:29:59.019 trust Jesus 00:29:59.019 --> 00:30:00.160 and not 00:30:00.160 --> 00:30:01.860 in themselves. 00:30:04.339 --> 00:30:05.539 One of the reasons 00:30:05.539 --> 00:30:07.059 why we're making 00:30:07.059 --> 00:30:08.440 time for testimony, 00:30:08.600 --> 00:30:09.200 one of the reasons 00:30:09.200 --> 00:30:10.539 why as elders 00:30:10.539 --> 00:30:11.480 we're talking more 00:30:11.480 --> 00:30:12.360 about our faith 00:30:12.360 --> 00:30:12.940 together 00:30:12.940 --> 00:30:14.539 is because 00:30:14.539 --> 00:30:15.779 of the power 00:30:15.779 --> 00:30:16.839 that there is 00:30:16.839 --> 00:30:18.900 in personal testimony. 00:30:19.500 --> 00:30:20.680 When we talk about 00:30:20.680 --> 00:30:21.600 the difference 00:30:21.600 --> 00:30:22.640 that Jesus makes 00:30:22.640 --> 00:30:23.259 to us, 00:30:23.660 --> 00:30:24.240 we're talking 00:30:24.240 --> 00:30:25.140 not just to minds 00:30:25.140 --> 00:30:25.820 but we're talking 00:30:25.820 --> 00:30:26.380 to hearts. 00:30:26.460 --> 00:30:27.140 This is what Jesus 00:30:27.140 --> 00:30:27.900 has done for me. 00:30:27.980 --> 00:30:28.660 This is what Jesus 00:30:28.660 --> 00:30:30.280 means to me. 00:30:31.040 --> 00:30:32.040 And Paul uses 00:30:32.040 --> 00:30:32.700 his testimony 00:30:32.700 --> 00:30:33.920 in a wonderful way. 00:30:34.060 --> 00:30:34.280 You know, 00:30:34.320 --> 00:30:35.360 Paul has a unique 00:30:35.360 --> 00:30:35.840 testimony 00:30:35.840 --> 00:30:38.460 but so do we all. 00:30:39.380 --> 00:30:40.160 Our testimonies 00:30:40.160 --> 00:30:40.940 are not likely 00:30:40.940 --> 00:30:41.900 to be perhaps 00:30:41.900 --> 00:30:42.700 as dramatic 00:30:42.700 --> 00:30:44.780 as Paul's 00:30:44.780 --> 00:30:46.200 but each one 00:30:46.200 --> 00:30:47.220 is a miracle 00:30:47.220 --> 00:30:48.120 of grace 00:30:48.120 --> 00:30:49.580 to celebrate. 00:30:50.380 --> 00:30:50.820 Each one 00:30:50.820 --> 00:30:51.660 is a testimony 00:30:51.660 --> 00:30:52.460 of God's 00:30:52.460 --> 00:30:53.680 saving grace 00:30:53.680 --> 00:30:54.860 in our lives 00:30:54.860 --> 00:30:55.420 and the same 00:30:55.420 --> 00:30:56.500 truths that are 00:30:56.500 --> 00:30:57.220 the foundation 00:30:57.220 --> 00:30:58.240 of Paul's testimony 00:30:58.240 --> 00:30:59.340 are the foundation 00:30:59.340 --> 00:31:00.180 of ours too. 00:31:01.340 --> 00:31:02.100 That by nature 00:31:02.100 --> 00:31:03.200 we are unable 00:31:03.200 --> 00:31:04.240 to save ourselves. 00:31:04.940 --> 00:31:05.560 That there was 00:31:05.560 --> 00:31:06.220 a time when we 00:31:06.220 --> 00:31:06.740 were weak 00:31:06.740 --> 00:31:07.360 and lost 00:31:07.360 --> 00:31:07.900 and helpless 00:31:07.900 --> 00:31:09.820 but by God's 00:31:09.820 --> 00:31:10.400 grace 00:31:10.400 --> 00:31:12.040 we were chosen, 00:31:12.600 --> 00:31:13.420 we were called, 00:31:13.560 --> 00:31:14.240 we were saved, 00:31:14.340 --> 00:31:15.920 we were sent out 00:31:15.920 --> 00:31:17.240 as followers 00:31:17.240 --> 00:31:17.920 of Jesus. 00:31:17.920 --> 00:31:19.820 So just like 00:31:19.820 --> 00:31:20.360 Paul, 00:31:21.000 --> 00:31:21.680 we have this 00:31:21.680 --> 00:31:22.600 wonderful opportunity 00:31:22.600 --> 00:31:23.539 to share 00:31:23.539 --> 00:31:25.100 our stories 00:31:25.100 --> 00:31:26.380 so that we can 00:31:26.380 --> 00:31:26.880 help people 00:31:26.880 --> 00:31:27.620 understand 00:31:27.620 --> 00:31:28.680 who Jesus is. 00:31:28.980 --> 00:31:29.700 So that we can 00:31:29.700 --> 00:31:30.259 help people 00:31:30.259 --> 00:31:31.320 to find Jesus 00:31:31.320 --> 00:31:32.039 for themselves. 00:31:32.800 --> 00:31:33.360 That we can 00:31:33.360 --> 00:31:34.180 give glory 00:31:34.180 --> 00:31:34.900 to the God 00:31:34.900 --> 00:31:35.539 of grace 00:31:35.539 --> 00:31:36.980 as we tell 00:31:36.980 --> 00:31:37.640 our stories 00:31:37.640 --> 00:31:38.380 of what he's done. 00:31:39.380 --> 00:31:40.160 Thank you. 00:31:40.300 --> 00:31:41.140 Thank you. 00:31:41.560 --> 00:31:42.140 Thank you.