Galatians 1:13-24
~15 min read
NOTE: The video recording of this sermon was split into two parts due to technical issues.
TRANSCRIPT
***RECORDING PART 1***
Our text for this morning’s message is taken from Galatians 1:13-24. Just to recap what we had learned in our previous message and for the benefit of those who are joining us for the first time. The background of this passage was that the Judaizers were trying to undermine the authority of the Apostle Paul. They accused Paul that he was not a legitimate apostle, he was self-appointed. He was not amongst the original apostles whom Jesus had personally called, taught, and commissioned. So where did his message come from? Based on what authority did Paul have to speak for God. Actually, they were trying to attack his message because if they succeed in undermining his authority. Then no one would want to listen to him. Therefore, even when Paul was defending his apostleship, the sole purpose was to defend the integrity of the gospel.
Sometimes when pastors and preachers try so hard to defend themselves against false allegations and false accusations, people will say, “Why are you so defensive? Why are you afraid and worried?”. Well, we are concerned about God’s truth not about ourselves. If the people succeed in undermining our authority, then no one would want to listen to us. So, Paul had to defend himself and in verses 10 to 12 he said, “I am not a man-pleaser. If I’m a man pleaser I should not be the servant of Christ. And if the gospel I preach to you is according to men, then it will be devised by men. It will mean nothing but the gospel I preach to you is not through men. It is not human either in nature or in authority. It is completely divine in origin.” That was where we ended our last message.
I. Paul the Persecutor (v13-14)
So, this section was still a continuation of Paul’s defence against the Judaizers. Here Paul talked about his life. How God had saved him and called him from a persecutor to a believer and to a preacher. The title of our message is “But When It Pleased God”. It is taken from verse 15. Our first point is “Paul the Persecutor”. Let us begin with verse 13 “For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it”. “My conversation in time past” means my former way of life. The Galatians knew who Paul was in the past. How he had persecuted the church exceedingly, the believers, the Christians and wasted it, which means destroyed it. He was instrumental in the killing of Steven, the first Christian martyr. He created great havoc in the church at Jerusalem– breaking up families, sending believers into prison. In fact, the persecution was so devastating that the believers had to flee from Jerusalem, and they were scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. Only the apostles remained at Jerusalem.
If you can, turn with me to Acts 26:10-12. You can have a brief picture of who Paul was before his conversion. Acts 26:10-12 let me read for you, verse 10, “Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.” In those days the Jews would cast their votes as to the fate of the Christians whether to kill them or to put them into prison. And Paul said, “As for me my voice, my vote was to kill them. And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme” – which means he tried to force them to renounce their faith by blaspheming the name of Jesus Christ – “and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities. Whereupon as that was what happened when I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priest to arrest the Christians there and then to bring them back to Jerusalem to be prosecuted.” And then he went on to say, “All of a sudden something happened.” On the road to Damascus Jesus appeared to him, saved him, called him to be an apostle. So, Paul was a violent persecutor.
Now back to our text in verse 14, “And profited in the Jews’ religion above many [my] equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.” Everyone knew that the Apostle Paul was the brilliant student and prodigy of the famous Jewish rabbi Gamaliel. The Jews’ religion is a reference to Judaism. He was profiting in Judaism, which means he was progressing. He was moving up in the religious ranks. He was quickly being recognised as a spiritual leader in Israel. In comparison to his contemporaries, he was far ahead, far above many of them because he was exceedingly zealous of the traditions of his forefathers. His personal religious life, his Jewish scholarships, his persecution of the Christians, all combined together made him the most respected Jewish rabbi at that time.
Why did Paul talk about the past? Take a moment and consider this: from Paul the persecutor, Paul the most respected Jewish rabbi, all of a sudden, he became Paul the Apostle. How could you explain this sudden transformation? Was Paul’s remarkable transformation caused by his own people, the Israelites? Most certainly not. They were encouraging him to continue persecuting the Christians. In fact, his conversion to Christianity was an embarrassment to them. Was his transformation caused by the Christians whom he was persecuting? How could it be? Remember they were all running away from him. I don’t think any one of them would ever dream that Paul who was then called Saul would ever be a Christian, let alone an apostle.
In other words, it was humanly impossible for Saul the rabbi to become Paul the Apostle. Apart from God’s sovereign grace, it is a miracle of God’s grace. His life was a miracle of God’s grace. My friends have you ever considered your former way of life? Before your conversion how God has saved you? Isn’t it truly a miracle of God’s grace? Some of us may be thinking ‘But my conversion is not as dramatic as the Apostle Paul.’ Some people think that their conversions have to be like a rags to riches kind of testimony in order to be a miracle of grace.
Let me share with you this testimony. Many years ago, at a worship service in a particular church. There was a district judge sitting at the pews and beside him was a former criminal – one of the most notorious men in that city. They worshipped together. They sang hymns together. They partook of the holy communion together. At the end of the service as the judge was walking out of the church with the pastor beside him. The pastor turned and said to him, “Isn’t it a miracle of God’s grace?” and the judge replied, “Indeed it is a miracle of God’s grace”. Then the judge realised that the pastor was referring to the converted criminal. How his life was transformed. So, he quickly said, “No. I was referring to myself as a miracle of God’s grace.”
The pastor asked, “What do you mean?” The judge said, “For the former criminal, he had faced years and years behind bars. Because of his crimes, he had lost his family, he had lost his children, he had lost everything. So, when he heard the message of the gospel that is able to save him and free him from the bondage of sin, naturally, he would embrace it. But for me, I had everything working for me. I was trained in Harvard, I was a top lawyer and became the youngest judge, successful, wealthy, I have a beautiful family, wonderful children, a big house etc. It takes a miracle for me to come to my spiritual senses and believe in the gospel. That is why I’m referring to myself as a greater miracle of God’s grace.” My friends the truth of the matter is every believer, your conversion, my conversion we are all miracles of God’s grace.
II. Paul the Believer (v15-16a)
Our second point is “Paul the Believer”. Verse 15: “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace”. Have you ever paused and considered you own conversion? How were you saved? And why were you saved? Paul said his conversion was according to the sovereign goodwill and purpose of God. “But when it pleased God” even before the foundation of the world, God had already chosen him to be his child. Even before Paul was still in his mother’s womb, God had already separated him, elected him, chosen him, appointed him for a particular purpose, to be his child. My friends can you ever fathom this thought? If you are a believer, even before you are born, when you are still in your mother’s womb, God had already separated you, elected you, chosen you, appointed you to be his child. In Jeremiah 1:5 God said to Jeremiah, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee,” – the same meaning as separated or set apart, chosen – “and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” Another verse Luke chapter 1 verse 15. Even before John the Baptist was born the angels said…
***RECORDING PART 2***
… the chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. As I look back upon my life, I consider my former way of life. I was living in sin. I was living aimlessly, meaninglessly, but God had already chosen me to be his child even when I was in my mother’s womb. And He brought me to a situation whereby I heard the gospel and I responded to the gospel, and He called me to serve Him. He equipped me with the knowledge of His Word in the Bible college. He opened doors for me to serve Him in the prison ministry and in the church in Singapore and then He led me to Bethel BP Church in Melbourne. So, I would say this God saved me so that I might preach the gospel amongst the prisoners and in the church in Singapore and finally here in Bethel BP Church, right? That was God’s purpose for me but what about you? What is God’s purpose in saving you? Are you able to say, 'God has saved me so that … ?' How would you fill in the blanks?
Yesterday our youth had a Bible study. In most Bible studies they would be asked to fill in the blanks. If you were to fill in the blanks for your life, ‘God has saved me so that _________’, how would you fill up those blanks? ‘God has saved me so that I might faithfully serve Him as a deacon all the days of my life. So that I would be a Sunday school teacher. So that I would serve in the elderly ministry or as a missionary or as a preacher etc.’ How do you fill in those blanks? Have you ever asked God, why did you save me out of the millions and millions of people out there? Why have you saved me? For what purpose?
My friends, God has a sovereign purpose in saving you, giving you eternal life, bringing you to heaven. Those are just the blessings that come with salvation but what about His sovereign purpose? He wants you to serve and glorify Him while you still have breath on this earth. What have you been doing for Him? Don’t waste your life just focusing on the things of this world. The things of this world will soon perish. Naked you come, naked you go. It is so sad if you have this understanding: 'God has saved me full stop and I don’t know why.' Or 'God has saved me so that blank. I do not know how to fill in those blanks.' Or you have lived your life just for yourself, ‘God has saved me so that I may earn more money, I may have a bigger house, a bigger car, I save up for my retirement, travel around the world, enjoy my life, eat, drink, and be merry.’ My friends your life has absolutely nothing to do with the glory of God. How can it be? As a believer God has saved you. The chief end of man is to glorify Him and to enjoy Him forever. I pray that all of us will be able to say God has saved me so that I might do this and that for Him.
III. Paul the Preacher (v16-24)
So, for Paul he was a persecutor. He became a believer, and he knew that God had called him to be a preacher. That is our final point, “Paul the Preacher”. Remember the Judaizers had said that Paul was an illegitimate apostle, he was self-appointed. So, where did his message come from? Did he get it second hand from the apostles? So, they were trying to undermine his apostleship and Paul said this in the second part of verse 16, “immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood”, which means when he received the message directly from God, he did not ask any man, nor did he consult anyone for advice or understanding. Verse 17: “Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me” — He did not go up to Jerusalem to consult the apostles in regards to the revelation he had received from Jesus Christ — “but [instead] I went into Arabia, and returned again onto Damascus.” What did he do? He immediately went to preach the gospel in Arabia, which was east of Damascus. And then he returned back to Damascus where he stayed for about three years ministering the word of God faithfully as a preacher.
Verse 18: “Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.” Although eventually he did see the Apostle Peter at Jerusalem but notice it was only for fifteen days. Fifteen days would be too short to be fully instructed by the Word of God or in the Word of God. Even then it was three years after his conversion, nor did Paul see any other apostles. Verse 19: “But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord’s brother.” Here James was the half-brother of our Lord Jesus Christ. He was the elder of the Jerusalem church. So, Paul’s visit to Jerusalem was not to learn more about the gospel or the Word of God. It was to meet these two men, to get to know these two leaders of the church. The Apostle Peter and James the elder.
Verse 20: “Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not.” Why did Paul have to say all these things? And then he says, “I lie not. I’m speaking the truth, God is my witness. I did not consult anyone. I did not ask anyone for understanding. I have received direct revelation from Christ Himself.” Why must Paul stress all these things? You see Paul was not part of the original twelve disciples of Christ. He did not spend time with Christ like the other disciples being taught by Him. He was special. He was called to be an apostle to the Gentiles. If his gospel was received from the other apostles, the Jews would not accept him because they would think that Paul was merely convinced by the disciples of Christ. They would reject him. If Paul had received his gospel from anyone else let’s say the Jews. The Gentiles would not accept his message because they would be thinking that he was just merely someone convinced by the Jewish converts, and this is a new teaching. The only way Paul could preach with authority was that his message must come directly from Christ. And the Lord Jesus Christ revealed to him.
That was why Paul said in verse 11 – we have considered this in our last message but just look back to verse 11, “But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught” — There’s nothing wrong about being taught the gospel but for Paul, he had received it directly from Christ — “but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Can you see that? He received it directly by the Lord Himself. And what did Paul do immediately after he received the gospel from Christ? He was faithful. He went on to be a preacher. Verse 21: “Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia”, which was also his hometown Tarsus. So, Paul remained in Tarsus teaching and preaching the Word of God until Barnabas came to look for him and ask him to help in the ministry at Antioch in Syria. At that time there was a revival in Antioch, Syria. So, the apostles sent Barnabas to minister to the brethren in Antioch. Remember the disciples at Antioch, they were the ones who were first called Christians, Acts 11:26. So, Barnabas went, he taught the disciples there and when he needed help the first person he thought of was Paul the preacher. And he went in search of him, found him in Tarsus brought him to Antioch and they ministered at Antioch. From there they went on the first missionary journey.
Verse 22: “And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ”. Throughout his missionary journeys, Paul had returned back twice to Jerusalem, but he did not visit the churches of Judaea. And because he did not know the brethren there that was why he said, “I was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea”. They did not know him, but the interesting thing was that Paul said in verse 23, “But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.” Isn’t it amazing that people who did not know him personally had heard about him. This was the man who once persecuted the gospel now he is preaching the gospel. From a persecutor to a preacher. Who is able to do that? Only God Himself is able to transform the life of Saul.
Finally verse 24, “And they glorified God in me.” He did not say, “And they glorified me”. That would be self-glorification, God forbids. He said, “And they glorified God in me.” If Paul had wanted the people to glorify him all he needed to do was to remain in Judaism. He would be the most respected Jewish rabbi at that time. They would have glorified him but once he was saved by the Lord Jesus Christ everything changed. It was not about himself it was about glorifying his God. His concern is about glorifying his God. Came out of Judaism, became a preacher and when they saw that they glorified God in him.
My friends, that is how you and I should live our lives as well. Perhaps there was a time in our former lives before our conversions we were blaspheming God, we were using God’s name in vain, we were living in sin, we were doing horrendous things, we were walking according to the course of this world, we were laughing at Christians, we were rejecting the gospel again and again, we despise preachers, pastors, ministers. But when the Lord saved us, “But when it pleased God” everything changed. From then onwards our lives, our worship, our services, our givings, our families, our children, our resources, everything we want to use for the glory of God. We want the world to know not who we are. We want the world to know who our God is. We want the world to know He is the one who has saved us, transformed our lives. We are what we are today by His grace and when they see our lives, they glorify Him in us. My friends if people were to look at your lives today, will they say the same thing like they said to Paul? “And they glorified God in me.” Will they glorify God in us? I pray that all of us will live our lives in such a way that when people see how we live they will glorify God and they will continue to glorify Him in us until the Lord takes us home. Or until our Lord Jesus comes in the rapture. Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven, we thank Thee for this opportunity to consider this portion of scriptures as we are studying through the book of Galatians. Help us to draw spiritual and valuable lessons that we may apply into our lives. We thank Thee for every opportunity Thou has given to us. That we may come and read and understand Thy infallible and inerrant Word. And we pray that Thou will continue to teach us, help us not just to be hearers only but to be doers of Thy word as well. We give Thee thanks and we pray all this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
THE BOOK OF GALATIANSA Letter To The GalatiansA Letter To The GalatiansGalatians 1:1-5
The Danger of Preaching Another GospelThe Danger of Preaching Another GospelGalatians 1:6-9
Be a God-Pleaser, not a Men-PleaserBe a God-Pleaser, not a Men-PleaserGalatians 1:10-12
But When It Pleased GodBut When It Pleased GodGalatians 1:13-24
Standing for the Truth of the GospelStanding for the Truth of the GospelGalatians 2:1-5
One Gospel, Different MinistriesOne Gospel, Different MinistriesGalatians 2:6-10
The Need to Confront Sin (Part 2)The Need to Confront Sin (Part 2)Galatians 2:14-16
The Need to Confront Sin (Part 3)The Need to Confront Sin (Part 3)Galatians 2:17-19
Dead, Yet Alive!Dead, Yet Alive!Galatians 2:20-21
Remember How You Were Saved!Remember How You Were Saved!Galatians 3:1-5
Saved by FaithSaved by FaithGalatians 3:6-9
The Age Old Promise of the GospelThe Age Old Promise of the GospelGalatians 3:6-18
Christ Bore Our CurseChrist Bore Our CurseGalatians 3:10-14
Will God Keep His Promise?Will God Keep His Promise?Galatians 3:15-18
Why Then Have the Law?Why Then Have the Law?Galatians 3:19-22
What the Law Meant to Us?What the Law Meant to Us?Galatians 3:23-29
The Son of God Became the Son of ManThe Son of God Became the Son of ManGalatians 4:1-7
No More a Servant and Child, But a SonNo More a Servant and Child, But a SonGalatians 4:1-7
Until Christ Be Formed In YouUntil Christ Be Formed In YouGalatians 4:8-20
Freedom in Christ or Bondage to WorksFreedom in Christ or Bondage to WorksGalatians 4:21-5:1
By Faith Or By Works!By Faith Or By Works!Galatians 5:2-6
The Dangers of False TeachersThe Dangers of False TeachersGalatians 5:7-12
The Christian FreedomThe Christian FreedomGalatians 5:13-15
The Works of the FleshThe Works of the FleshGalatians 5:19-21
The Fruit of the Spirit (Part 2)The Fruit of the Spirit (Part 2)Galatians 5:22-25
Restoring the Sinning BrotherRestoring the Sinning BrotherGalatians 5:26-6:5
Restoring the Sinning BrethrenRestoring the Sinning BrethrenGalatians 5:26-6:6
You Shall Reap What You SowYou Shall Reap What You SowGalatians 6:7-10
Living for the Praise of MenLiving for the Praise of MenGalatians 6:11-13
Living for the Glory of GodLiving for the Glory of GodGalatians 6:14-18
