Galatians 1: 10-
This week we will pick back up in Galatians 1: 10-12 continuing our study through the whole book of Galatians. This is our verse by verse study. We won’t be skipping around or skipping over any verses. I believe this to be the best way to study Gods word and to receive a deeper understanding of the Truth he has given to us.
Last time we spoke on the introduction of this book, and gave some back story surrounding the writing of this book. Paul is battling an outbreak of false teachings among the church in Galatia. We find Paul in a moment of time where he must defend not himself, but his authority from God and the Truth. To recap from last time: I want to remind you that Truth is consistent, it is absolute, It is eternal and does not need to change. We do not change Truth to fit our life styles, we instead change our life styles to fit with the Truth. Truth is God and Gods word is our written representation of this Truth. God is absolute and there for Truth is absolute. There is no way to change it or interpret it outside of the way God has given it to us.
Galatians 1: 10-12 “10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”
Paul begin this passage with a question. This question is meant to begin the basis of his defense. Paul Is asking the Galatians if what he is doing, the work he does, the Gospel that he preaches, his actions in anyway, were designed to bring himself glory or God. He then follows up with answering his own question explaining to them that the Gospel and the work he does is not of his own creation but from God.
If you do not know much about Paul, he was very famous in his time. He was the chief persecutor of the Christian Church. He was a celebrity of among the Jewish society, and believed to have been a very wealthy person. If he was not wealthy then his success was sure to bring him anything he could have desired. Paul gave up all his success, all his glory, all his riches. He turned from a life oriented towards living for himself to follow Christ. Next week we will really dive into the life of Paul, talking about his conversion to Christianity and the revelation he speaks of in verse 12.
Paul throughout his Gospels tell the same story. A story that does not make him the focal point, but Jesus. He travels throughout the world living on donations and meager earnings to preach the Gospel of Christ 1 Thessalonians 2: 1-8. Paul suffered imaginable persecution, ridicule, and imprisonment for the Gospel. If he was living for himself, he would have surely given up the Gospel and saved himself the hardship and suffering. For Paul was not living for himself, he was not living a life of worldly gain or making richest like a televised pastor. Pauls whole life was dedicated to not his own pleasures, or comfort. Paul lived to serve God so salvation might come to the gentile world. Paul was living for God on Earth to the best of his ability to earn not wealth for the here and now, but for the richest he would receive in heaven Colossians 3: 23-24. Paul set his heart on God and dedicated his life to follow Gods plan. He knew that Gods will was bigger and greater than anything he himself could achieve on this planet. Paul chose to drop everything to follow Christ, and share the Gospel, knowing that he would have nothing while alive but everything when he died for all eternity 2 Corinthians 4: 17-18.
Scripture is clear that to follow Christ is to give up this world. It does not mean that you must live as Paul poor and traveling; however we are called to stop pursuing the things of this world and pursue Christ. This takes a mentality shift, we no longer make our lives about a grand dream, strive to achieve the highest status, or a fancy new car in our driveway; instead we strive to build a relationship with Christ, and share Gospel with as many people possible. Jesus even tells us that we cannot serve two masters Matthew 6:24, and James tells us that cannot with of two minds. We cannot strive for worldly success while striving to please God at the same time. James tells us that we have to choose between living as part of this world, or living for God James 4: 1-10. The world is onemaster and God is our other master. We can only serve one, we will never be able to live in a way that allows these two masters to coexist in our lives. The goals of the world and the plans of our creator God are in complete contrast to one another. You cannot both be part of the light, while living in the darkness. The world is of sin and has been disfigured and corrupted by Satans hand. God is pure and righteous, He is Truth and cannot allow corruption to exist in his kingdom.
When we dedicate our lives to following Christ, we are choosing to turn from the darkness of the world to be in the light of God. With this choice we are dedicating ourselves to Gods plans and his glory. God will use our every success and our every failure to bring him worship. Paul expands on this when he teaches, that not matter if we die or live, no matter if we spend our lives poor or rich, on the mission field or driving a corvette, we do it for Gods glory Romans 14:8. This does not give us the freedom to live careless or without regard to God, chasing our own passions. Instead we must choose to make every action, every goal, and spend every precious second of our lives to the glory of Christ.
Many may think that you don’t have what it takes to serve Christ, or maybe you are serving Christ, but feel ill equipped to preach his Gospel. Well, the first thing you need to know is that the Gospel is not something you craft, or create. The Gospel has already been written and given to us by God. Luke 12: 8-12, reminds us that we do not need to have fancy words, or create arguments defending God, He will defend himself, He will give us the words we need to do his will with aid of his Holy Spirit.
Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 1:10-17, that the Gospel is from God and not man. He tells us to not follow the individuals who teach the gospel, but follow the God who has given the gospel to these teachers. We are not the authors of Gods word, only the message bearers, and it is our responsibility to get that message out. We do this by talking to our colleagues, our friends and our family. We share with them the Gospel, explain the forgiveness that comes from God. Share with them how that forgiveness comes through Jesus, who died on the cross as a blood sacrifice for our sins. Tell them how he conquered death and was raised back to life so that we too may be raised back to life. Talk about the barrier Jesus destroyed so that sin would not prevent us from having a personal relationship with the Creator of all things. Tell them about the eternal rewards, hope and strength we have in Jesus. Do not be scared to share your own testimony and the ways God has changed your life. When you become a Christian, God is adding you to his Kingdom and his Gospel. The Gospel does not change but it effects each of us differently. God speaks to us in different ways. How God has changed your life might be the answer for someone else, and your story might be the tool God uses to change someone else’s life.
God does not call us all to live as Paul, He calls some of us to be teachers, doctors, lawyers, bus drivers, construction workers, pilots, ministers, or military members. Gods plan for our lives is greater than anything we could, or will ever dream up on our own. God gives us these precious lives to serve him, and the more we serve him, and the better we use the tools to serve him, the greater the reward we will reap, once we have departed the chains of this world to the freedom of his glory.
Let’s look at the Parable of the Talents, Jesus speaks about here in Matthew 25: 14-30. A master goes out of town and leaves money to each of his servants. When the Master returns he finds all but one of his servants had taken the money and doubled it while the masters was away. The one who did not double his money, returned the same amount back to the master. The master rewarded the servants who had done well, and punished the servant who did nothing with his money.
God is the same with us. He has given us our lives and each of us are bestowed with tremendous gifts, talents, and life styles. God expects us to take every thing he has given us, invest it into His Kingdom and grow His Kingdom with the gifts He has given us. Paul in this passage of Galatians, is saying exactly the same thing. God bestowed the revelation of Jesus Christ upon him, and he knew it was his responsibility to spread it throughout the world; so others might be saved and the Kingdom of Heaven grown. Paul did not want his life wasted. He wanted to see his life serving the One True God.
Thank you for joining us this week. Below are this weeks reflection questions. I encourage you to keep a journal with your answers. This allows you to go back and look at your past answers to see where you have improved. These questions will help set a framework for the rest of our study through Galatians. If you need any assistance, prayer support, a bible, or just have a question feel free to contact us, or leave an anonymous comment on this blog post.
What are your goals for your life?
Are these goals self-centered or are they focused on living for God?
Are you scared to give up your dreams to follow the plan God has for your life?
What gifts, talents, and blessings has God already given you?
How can you use these gifts to honor God?
Where do you waste your time?
What things can you get rid of in your life to follow Jesus more?
John Piper writes a book called “Don’t Waste Your Life”, It is an excellent read, and a real self reflection. Check it out and let us know what you think.
God Bless
Kyle Statham
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