Would you turn to Galatians chapter
one? We're gonna look at verses 17
through the end of the chapter, but I'd like to begin reading
in verse 13. For you have heard of my conversation
in times past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted
the church of God and wasted it and profited in the Jews'
religion above many mine equals in mine own nation, being more
exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. when it pleased God, who separated
me from my mother's womb and called me by His grace to reveal
His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the heathen. Immediately I conferred not with
flesh and blood, neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which
were apostles before me. But I went into Arabia and returned
again unto Damascus. Then after three years, I went
up to Jerusalem to see Peter and to bode with him 15 days.
But other of the apostles saw I none, save James, the Lord's
brother. Now the things which I write
unto you, behold, before God I lie not." Evidently people
were accusing him of lying. Afterwards, I came into the regions
of Syria and Cilicia and was unknown by faith unto the churches
of Judea, which were in Christ. But they had heard only that
he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith
which he once destroyed. And they glorified God in me. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you for your
word that reveals to us who you are and how you saved by your
dear son. Lord, we ask that you would,
by your spirit, by your grace, shut up every one of us to Christ. And cause us to call on his name. To save us from our sins. How
we thank you for him. Lord, we pray for your. Blessing
upon this assembly. We pray for your blessing on
each home. We pray for your healing hand
to be upon those of our number who are sick. Lord, we. Pray that your gospel would be
preached in the power of your spirit and that we might be enabled
to worship your dear son. And what we're asking for ourselves,
we pray for all your people, wherever they meet together.
Now, Lord bless us for Christ's sake. In his name we pray. Amen. Now, according to first Corinthians
15. Paul was the last apostle to
physically see the Lord Jesus Christ. You'll remember that
when, or before he ascended, he was here for 40 days and went
back to glory, but evidently he came back to earth to have
this visitation with the apostle Paul. It's recorded in Acts chapter
9, Acts chapter 22, and Acts chapter 26. Remember when the
Lord appeared to Paul as a great light and Paul fell to the ground
and the Lord made himself known to Paul. Now I think it's interesting
how he says in verse 13, for you've heard of my conversation
times past in the Jews religion, how the beyond measure I persecuted
the church of God and wasted it. He wanted to destroy the
church. He hated Jesus Christ. He hated his church. He wanted
to destroy it. He says, I profited in the Jews
religion above many mine equals in my own nation, being more
exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. But when it pleased
God, who separated me from my mother's womb, That's true of
you too if you're a believer. He separated you from your mother's
womb. And called me by his grace to
reveal his son in me that I might preach him among the heathen.
Immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood. When Christ revealed himself
on the road to Damascus to the apostle Paul, He didn't have
to go to Peter or John and consult with him to see if what he had
seen and what he was taught was true. He said, I didn't have
to confer with flesh and blood. And don't you love the way humanity
is called flesh and blood? Nothing more. I think of what
the Lord said to Peter when He said, whom do men say that I
am? And everybody said, well, they say good things about you.
Whom say ye that I am? And Peter answered, thou art
the Christ, the son of the living God. Remember what the Lord said
to him? Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah, flesh and blood has
not revealed this to thee, but my father. Now, if I am saved,
if you are saved, I want you to think about this. Flesh and
blood didn't reveal the gospel to you. It was God himself by
his spirit. And you don't really need to
consult with flesh and blood to see if this is okay. It's
the truth. When God teaches you, you know. Now he says in verse 17, I didn't go up to Jerusalem to
them which were apostles before me. I didn't have to go consult
with them. But I went into Arabia and returned
again unto Damascus, then after three years." Now, evidently,
he spent three years in the wilderness, the desert of Arabia, with Jesus
Christ teaching him the gospel. Turn with me for a moment to
Ephesians chapter three. Just one epistle over, Ephesians
chapter three. Paul is writing to the church at Ephesus, and if you'll
remember, he introduced this epistle with what God has done
before the foundation of the world. according as he had chosen
us in him before the foundation of the world. And somebody might
be thinking, Paul, how do you know what happened before time
began? You weren't there. Where's your information coming
from? How do you know this is true? So let's see what Paul
tells us. You know, this also might have
been when he was brought up into the third heavens. He tells us
about it in 2 Corinthians, and he says, I heard unlawful things,
things which are not lawful for a man to utter. He's not talking
about bad things. It's talking about some kind
of heavenly language that was so glorious that he couldn't
even repeat it. What do you say about something
like that? You just bow. How mysterious, how glorious. But let's look at what he says
to the Ephesians. For this cause I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus
Christ for you Gentiles, If you've heard of the dispensation, the
stewardship of the grace of God, which is given me to you for
your sake. How that by revelation, he made
known unto me the mystery. How do you know this stuff, Paul?
He made it known. He made known the mystery, the
great mystery of the faith and the gospel. As I wrote afore,
in a few words, whereby when you read, you may understand
my knowledge in the mystery of Christ. Now he was evidently
in the desert for three years as the Lord taught him the gospel. And we're reading his epistles
even today, knowing this came directly from Jesus Christ. This is a divine book. and Paul was divinely inspired. Now, back to Galatians chapter
one, verse 18. Then after three years,
this teaching of Christ, I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter
and abode with him 15 days. I would like to heard what all
they talked about, wouldn't you? Just over two weeks they were
together Paul was telling Peter what the Lord had taught him.
Peter, no doubt, was in complete agreement. They're both apostles
of the Lord, taught directly by the Lord. But Paul felt no
need to check out his message with them after Christ revealed
himself. Now, they would be in agreement,
but Paul said, I didn't confer with flesh and blood at first.
Now, verse 20. But, or verse 19, but of the
apostles saw none save James, the Lord's brother. And James
is the writer of James. He is the Lord's brother, his
brother in the flesh. And he pastored the church at
Jerusalem. And there would be some things
you can read about in Acts that went on, and actually it's going
to be brought up in Galatians chapter two, some things that
came out of this church that were not good. And that's what
Acts chapter 2 is all about. But he says in verse 19, but
other of the apostles saw none save James, the Lord's brother.
Now, the things which I write unto you, behold, before God,
I lie not. Now, why is he saying this? Because
people were accusing him of making this up. You see, if they could
prove that he just made this stuff up, it would take away
from the authority of everything he said. And that is why he is
letting them know, I'm not lying. This is what God has taught me.
And I think it's so significant. In the book of Acts, three times
we read of this time when Christ appeared to him. And he's saying,
I'm not lying about this. This is the truth. You see, if people thought he
was lying, it would take away from the authority of him speaking
as directly from Christ. Now, verse 20, now the things
which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not. Afterwards,
I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia, Gentile churches,
and was unknown by face unto the churches of Judea, which
were in Christ Jesus. They'd never seen me. This is
the church of Jerusalem. This is where John, Peter was. They never saw me in the flesh. I was unknown by them. They had
never seen me. They heard the other apostles,
but they had not heard of me. And I love the way he says, I
was unknown by faith under the churches of Judea, which were
in Christ. Christ was in them, that's true,
but that's not what he says. He says they were in Christ. Now, I wish I could express the
way this ought to be expressed. All of God's salvation is in
Christ. All of God's love, all of God's
acceptance, Everything God has for the sinner is in Christ. And that's why I would so desire
for me and you to be shut up to Christ to where we can look
nowhere else but him alone for everything God has for the sinner. These churches were in Christ. And that is exactly what Paul
meant when he said in Philippians chapter three, oh, that I may
win Christ and be found in him. Is that your desire right now?
Your greatest desire is simply to be found in Christ so that
when God sees you, all he sees is his dear son and you in him. And that's where your acceptance
is, in Christ. He says in verse 22, I was unknown
by faith unto the churches of Judea, which were in Christ Jesus,
but they heard only. that he which persecuted us in
times past. Now this is talking about Paul's
great persecution of the church. And we've looked at this, but
I want to look at it again. Turn with me to Acts chapter 7. Verse 57. Then they cried out
with a loud voice and stopped their ears. This is to the preaching
of Stephen right before they stoned him. Can you imagine?
I think about this, what he was saying that made him go like
this. We can't stand this. And they stopped their ears. They
didn't want to hear what he had to say. And ran upon him with one accord
and cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their
clothes at a young man's feet whose name was Saul. This was
the first introduction we have to Saul of Tarsus. He was in
on this stoning. He was the one who precipitated
it. And he's showing his approval of it by them taking their jackets
and clothes off and put them in his feet so they could be
free to stone this man to death. Saul of Tarsus, verse 1, chapter
8. And Saul was consenting unto
his death. He was a great agreement. He
loved it. This man needs to be put to death. Verse three, as for Saul, he
made havoc of the church, entering into every house and hailing
men and women and committed them to prison. Now, everybody knew
about Saul of Tarsus. He was the enemy of the church.
Watch out. If he gets access to you, you're
going to jail or you're going to be put to death. This is what
everybody knew about Saul of Tarsus. Look in verse chapter
nine. And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter
against the disciples of the Lord, went into the high priest
and desired of him letters to Damascus, to the synagogues,
that if he found any of this way, I love that. The way of
Christ, the way of grace, the way of salvation, the way of
peace. Christ said, I am the way. He
said, if he found any of this way, what's he going to do? He desired of him letters to
Damascus, to the synagogues, that if he found any of this
way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound
unto Jerusalem, chained up, bound to be punished." Now you can
imagine what a reputation this man had in the church. Even though they didn't know
what he looked like, they heard of him and they were afraid of
him. 26 for a moment. Here's Paul's testimony beginning
in verse 9. He says to Agrippa, I verily
thought with myself that I ought to do many things contrary to
the name of Jesus of Nazareth. I thought I was serving God in
doing this. I really believed I was doing the right thing,
stamping his name out. Verse 10, which thing I also
did in Jerusalem and many of the saints that 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. I was
all for this. Whereupon, as I went to Damascus
with authority and commission from the chief priest, this is
when the Lord appeared to him." Now, this is all the things that
he was guilty of. Do you remember when Ananias
said to the Lord, Lord, I've heard by many of this man. The
Lord said to Ananias, you go to Saul of Tarsus. And Ann and
I said, I've heard by many of this man how much evil he hath
done to the saints at Jerusalem. And he has authority from the
chief priest to bind all that call upon my name. God said,
go thy way. He is a chosen vessel to me,
to bear my name among the Gentiles, Israel, And the kings of the
earth, he is a chosen vessel unto me to bear my name. I'm
going to show him what great things he must suffer for my
name's sake." Isn't that a glorious thought? His name is so glorious, it's
a privilege to be allowed to suffer for his great name's sake. Now this is the Apostle Paul. Go back to our text in Galatians
chapter one. Verse 23 once again. But when
they had heard only that he which persecuted us in times past now
preacheth the faith. Something happened to Paul. He
now preacheth the faith which he once destroyed. Now I love the way It says he
preaches the faith. That's another title of the gospel,
the faith. Salvation by faith, not by works.
And the gospel is called the faith, the faith of God's elect,
the acknowledging of the truth, which is after godliness, the
way of faith. When Paul was getting ready to
die, he said, with regard to himself, I have fought a good fight. You can read about this in 2
Timothy chapter 4. I fought a good fight. How'd
you do that, Paul? I finished my course. I persevered
all the way to the end, looking to Christ and preaching Christ. I've finished my course. I've
kept the faith. But they heard with he which
persecutors in times past now preacheth the faith which once
he destroyed. He was so eager, or I was so
eager to kill anybody who believed the gospel. Now look what verse
24 says. And they glorified God in me. Now what does that mean? They
glorified God in me. They saw what the Lord had done
for me and they glorified God in me. Let me read to you the
amplified version. And they were glorifying God
as the author and the source of what had taken place and all
that had been accomplished in me. Now, if Paul saved, here's
what this means. If Paul saved, it had to have
been God that did it all. He had to do it all because Paul
was so wicked, so given over that the only way he could be
saved is if God by his grace did it all. Now let me ask you
a question. Is that the case with you? The only way you can be saved
is if God did it all. Now I want you to turn with me
to 1 Timothy chapter 1. You see, if you and I are saved,
we are saved the exact same way the Apostle Paul was. Now that
doesn't mean you're going to see a great light physically,
but you're going to see a great light spiritually. You're going
to see who he is. You know what's going to happen
when you see who he is? you're going to hit the dirt.
And for the first time, you're going to be blind. You won't
be able to see why God would have anything to do with you.
And then you're going to hear his voice. And that's what happened
with Saul. And that happens with everyone
whom the Lord saves. Now let's look in first Timothy,
beginning in verse 12. Well, let's start in verse 11. According to the glorious gospel
of the blessed God. And I could just as easily read
according to the gospel of the glory of the blessed God. Which was committed to my trust. Remember, we were looking earlier
at how the Lord taught him three years the gospel. And Paul says,
this was committed to my trust. What a sacred trust. And do you
know that if the Lord has saved you, he's committed the gospel
to your trust? It's been entrusted with you,
what a sacred trust. Look what he says in verse 12.
And I thank Christ Jesus. our Lord, who hath enabled me,
for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry."
Now, by the grace of God, I'm faithful to the gospel. And there's
only one reason. He enabled me. You know that,
don't you? He enabled you. Putting me into
the ministry. Paul said, I didn't put myself
into the ministry. God put me into the ministry. Verse 13, who was before? Do you have a before? This is so important. Who was
before? A blasphemer and a persecutor
and injurious. This was the This is what I was
before God saved me. That's all you could say. A blasphemer. I blasphemed God's name. I persecuted
those who loved him. I was nothing but an injury to
anybody that was around me. There wasn't one thing, good
thing, that could be said about me. I was this. Who was before? A blasphemer,
a persecutor, an injurious, but I obtained mercy because I did
it ignorantly. in unbelief. Now does this mean
that the reason he obtained mercy because he just didn't know what
he was doing, he was ignorant, he didn't know any better? No. What this is saying is I was
so desperately ignorant and wicked in what I was doing that the
only way that I could be saved is if God had mercy on me. Only way I could be saved is
to obtain mercy from the living God. Verse 14, and the grace
of our Lord was exceeding abundant. It overflowed with faith. and love, which is in Christ
Jesus, that faith he gave me in Christ, that love he gave
me to Christ is all in Christ. It's never, nothing is ever independent
of the Lord Jesus Christ. All God has for the sinner is
in Christ. Verse 15, this is a faithful
saying. And it's worthy of all acceptation. Everybody in this room, everybody
outside of this room, everybody ought to look at this as the
best thing they've ever heard. That Christ Jesus came into the
world. He was before he came. He came
into the world and here was his purpose for coming into the world
to save who? Sinners. Not the elect, although
he did come to save the elect. Not believing sinners, although
he did come to save believing sinners. Not repenting sinners,
although he did come to save repenting sinners. But that no
adjective is put before this word. It just said he came into
the world to save sinners. Are you a sinner? If you are, he came to save you
and he's incapable of failure. If he came to save you, saved
you must be, if you're a sinner. Now, verse 16, how be it for this cause? He said, this
is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.
I'm the worst man to ever live, is what he's saying. And he believed
that. He believed that. Albeit for
this cause, I obtain mercy that in me first, Jesus Christ might
show forth all longsuffering for a pattern. I'm a pattern. To who? To them which should
hereafter believe on him, to life everlasting. I'm a pattern. If God saves you, he's going
to save you according to my pattern. How will you save Paul? Well,
God separated me from my mother's womb. He chose me in Christ before
time began. He came in time and worked out
my righteousness and in his death he put away my sins. And in his
resurrection, I was justified. And he appeared to me. He revealed
himself to me in this great light. And I hit the dirt. Blinded for the first time before
I saw him, I could see all kinds of reasons why God would save
me. When I saw him, I hit the dirt blinded. And then he spoke
to me the gospel. I love what. He says in his testimony,
Ananias came to him, here's what he heard, the God of our fathers
hath chosen thee. That thou should know his will,
his will of redemption, his will of salvation, and see that just
one. You see the only way you can
be saved is if God is just and saves you by his justice through
the Lord Jesus Christ and the gospel. You see that just one
and hear the voice of his mouth, for thou shalt be his witness
to all men of what you've seen and what you've heard. And so
the church's glorified God, Paul said, in me. They knew that if
I'm saved, there's only one reason I could be saved, because salvation
is by His grace. And we believe it's the same
way with us, don't we?