Morning Message: Change Has Come!

Bobservations' Column
Titled - "Change Has Come!"
Written by: Pastor Bob Lawrenz

Paul has been traveling in this second section of Galatians 1. He gives testimony of the changed life he has received, and gives us an abbreviated overview of how he ended up teaching of Christ, rather than persecuting Him. He assures the readers of this letter that this change has come about because of the wonderful works of God. His knowledge of Christ was not taught to him by man, not like he was taught the scriptures of Judaism. Paul says of his new preaching, that it came by “revelation of God!”

Paul is writing this letter about 60 A.D., again from Corinth. It’s been many years since he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, but that day is like it happened yesterday. His mind is clear and his memories are fresh. The days between have not been without trials, but the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit have given him clarity, and purpose.

As he continues to preach Christ, he has learned how to maintain against the error of the Jews, and of the Judaisers. This is not new wine poured into old wineskins. This is a completely new doctrine revealed to him by the Holy Spirit; that the redeemer of the Jews has already come, and his former teachers missed it! And He speaks of one of the great mysteries of the faith, that Christ lives within us.  “Immanuel,” God with us! (Isaiah 7:14 & verse 16 of this chapter.)

The Apostle apparently preached in Damascus for a while before going to Jerusalem to meet with Peter, one of the pillars of the Church. His zeal for Christ and His gospel have thoroughly replaced the zeal he once held for Judaism. He has overcome the precepts of men that were taught as doctrines of faith, and follows the teachings of Christ through his love for God’s Word as revealed to him during his days in the desert of Arabia. A change has come!

“Preach the Word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” - 2 Timothy 4:2

Bobservations' Column:  Audio Version

Sunday Morning Message:

Galatians 1:11-24 - "Change Has Come!"

Summary/Additional Commentary & Definitions:

We are continuing our study in Galatians chapter 1 from verse 11. 

To recap, Paul is writing to the churches in Galatia because they fallen away from the gospel of grace and were embracing the claim that Gentiles must first submit to all the Mosaic Law before they could become Christians.  Shocked by the Galatians' openness to this damning heresy, Paul not only counters these Judaizing false teachers to defend justification by faith (which is the heart of the gospel), but to warn the churches in Galatia of the dire consequences of abandoning this essential doctrine. 

Paul then defends his position as an apostle and explains to them that his authority comes from Christ alone.  Paul's authority as an apostle came by the authority of Christ Himself, and the Gospel he has received and is now preaching is the same Gospel given to Him by Christ.

As we finish chapter one, we get a small version of Paul’s conversion story where Paul lays out how the Gospel transformed his life.  The Gospel brings us freedom and power to change! And no greater example of that freedom to change exists than in the testimony of a former Jewish rabbi named Saul of Tarsus, or as we most commonly know him, Paul the Apostle.

One of the things we learn as we hear Paul’s heart and story, is the power our testimony has to impact other people. While your story may not be as dramatic as Paul’s was, (actually few are), it is still your story. You need to know that more people will respond to the Gospel by your testimony than by your efforts to argue or reason someone into a decision. People will reject your arguments. They cannot ignore your testimony, and the way that following Jesus has affected and transformed you.

As they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

Saul, this fervent, Jewish rabbi who was living and breathing hatred for all things Christian and who wanted to destroy anything remotely connected to this renegade Jesus, was changed by God’s grace. “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace . . . " “To reveal His Son in me….” - Galatians 1:15-16.

When God calls, you don’t say “just a minute.” It stops you in your tracks. The call and the deed are simultaneous. The strength to do what He calls comes.

What stopped Saul, the angry and violent rabbi in his tracks, was a vision of the risen Christ just outside of Damascus. Acts 9 tells us it happened in the middle of the day; the risen Lord appeared to Saul. As we understand it, only he saw Jesus…none of those with him. The appearance and power of the resurrected Jesus knocked him to the ground, and He said, “Saul, Saul why are you persecuting ME?”

And because of that encounter with Jesus, Saul came away a new person with a new mission and direction in his life. He was transformed…changed by the grace of God.

Sunday Morning Audio Message:

Key Words and Definitions with Reference:

Make Known to You (1:11) - The strong Greek verb Paul used here often introduced an important and emphatic statement.

The Gospel . . . Not According to Man (1:11) - The gospel Paul preached was not human in origin or it would have been like all other human religion, permeated with works righteousness born of man's pride and Satan's deception (Romans 1:16).

Neither Received it from Man, Nor Was I Taught It (1:12) - This was in contrast to the Judaizers, who received their religious instruction from rabbinic tradition. Most Jews did not study the actual Scriptures; instead, they used human interpretations of Scripture as their religious authority and guide. Many of their traditions not only were no taught in Scripture but also contradicted it (Mark 7:13).

Through the Revelation (1:12) - This refers to the unveiling of something previously kept secret - in this case, Jesus Christ. While he knew about Christ, Paul subsequently met Him personally on the road to Damascus and received the truth of the gospel from Him (Acts 9:1-16).

Judaism (1:13) - The Jewish religious system of works righteousness, based not primarily on the OT text, but on rabbinic interpretations and traditions.  In fact, Paul will argue that a proper understanding of the OT can lead only to Christ and His Gospel of grace through faith (Galatians 3:6-29).

Persecuted (1:13) - The tense of this Greek verb emphasizes Paul's persistent and continual effort to hurt and ultimately exterminate Christians.

Profited . . . Above (Advanced . . . Beyond) (1:14) - The Greek word for advanced means "to chop ahead," much like one would blaze a trail through a forest.  Paul blazed his path in Judaism (cf. Philippians 3:5, 6), and because he saw Jewish Christians as obstacles to its advancement, he worked to cut them down.

Exceedingly Zealous (1:14) - Paul demonstrated this by the extent to which he pursued and persecuted Christians (cf. Acts 8:1-3; 26:11).

Traditions of My Fathers (1:14) - The oral teachings about OT law commonly known as the Halakah.  this collection of interpretations of the law eventually carried the same authority as, or even greater than, the law (Torah) itself.  Its regulations were so hopelessly complex and burdensome that even the most astute rabbinical scholars could not master it by either interpretation or conduct.

Separated Me From My Mother's Womb (1:15) - Paul was being separated or set apart to God for service from the time of his birth.

Called Me Through His Grace (1:15) - Chosen for salvation.

Reveal His Son In Me (1:16) - Not only was Christ revealed to Paul on the Damascus Road, but in him as God gave him the life, light, and faith to believe in Him.

Preach Him Among the Gentiles (1:16) - Paul's specific call to proclaim the gospel to non-Jews.

Conferred Not with Flesh and Blood (1:16) - Paul did not look to Ananias or other Christians at Damascus for clarification of or addition to the revelation he received from Christ (Acts 9:19, 20).

Jerusalem . . . Arabia . . .Damascus (1:17) - Rather than immediately travel to Jerusalem to be instructed by the apostles, Paul instead went to Nabatean Arabia, a wilderness desert that stretched east of Damascus down to the Sinai Peninsula.  After being prepared for ministry by the Lord, he returned to minister in nearby Damascus.

Three Years (1:18) - The approximate time from Paul's conversion to his first journey to Jerusalem.  During those years he made a visit to Damascus and resided in Arabia, under the instruction of the Lord.  This visit is discussed in Acts 9:26-30.

Up To Jerusalem (1:18) - Travelers in Israel always speak of going "up" to Jerusalem because of its higher elevation.

Peter (1:18) - The apostle who was the personal companion of the Lord and the most powerful spokesman in the early years of the Jerusalem church (Acts 1-12).

James, the Lord's Brother (1:19) - James was a son of Mary and Joseph and therefore a half-brother to Jesus and brother to Joseph, Simon, Judas, and their sisters (Matthew 13:55). In the Gospels, James is mentioned a couple of times, but at that time he misunderstood Jesus’ ministry and was not a believer (John 7:2-5). James becomes one of the earliest witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:7). He then stays in Jerusalem and forms part of the group of believers who pray in the upper room (Acts 1:14). From that time forward, James’ status within the Jerusalem church begins to grow. James is still in Jerusalem when the recently converted Saul arrives to meet with him and Peter (Galatians 1:19).

Syria and Cilicia (1:21) - This area included Paul's hometown of Tarsus.  He was preaching in that region for several years.  when word of revival in that area reached Jerusalem, they sent Barnabas (see Acts 11:20-26).  Paul stayed on in that region as a pastor in the church at Antioch.  With Barnabas, they went from there on the first missionary journey (Acts 13:1-3) and afterward returned to Antioch (Acts 14:26) from where they were sent to the Jerusalem Council (Acts 14:26-15:4).

Judea (1:22) - This is the region in which Jerusalem was located.

They Glorified God in Me (1:24) - Proof that the gospel Paul preached was the same one the other apostles had taught the Judean believers.