Entrusted With Christ's Gospel (Galatians 1:11-2:10)

[Read Galatians 1:11-2:10]

It’s been interesting this week as I’ve been reading/meditating on Paul’s conversion story and comparing it with my own. In many ways there are similarities, but there are some major differences.

I didn’t grow up in a Christian home. My dad grew up in the CRC church and my mom grew up in the Lutheran church. Both walked away from the church when they graduated from high school. It’s not like they completely abandoned the church, but it wasn’t very important in their life. When I was younger, I remember attending church a few times and I have some vague memories about attending Sunday School and being involved in the Christmas program, but we attended church very irregularly. Even though my parents were irregularly attending church, they still weren’t Christians. They still didn’t understand the Gospel and they hadn’t given their lives to Christ. That happened slowly over a period of time and some providential circumstances.

For me, I first understood the Gospel, believed in Jesus, and gave my life to Him when I was about ten years old. By this time both of my parents were Christians and we were members of a non-denominational Baptist church, attending church every Sunday. One Sunday the pastor was preaching about the beauty of heaven and the terror of hell. I was cut to the heart. I left the service knowing that I needed a Savior and that Jesus was the only Savior that could truly save me. I confessed and repented of my sin, and looked to Jesus in faith, trusting that his life and death were all that I needed to be right with God.

Yet, what I find interesting about my conversion story is when you begin to look at things from the outside. If you had no idea what was going on in my heart and mind, you would have seen a “good kid.” I didn’t get into trouble. I was nice to my friends. I stuck up for people who were bullied on the playground. I was a good student. You can ask my mom, I was a “model child.” Yet, I still needed a Savior. Then, to complicate things further, after I gave my life to Christ and began following Him, I went through a period of my life when I was NOT a “model child,” and I wasn’t a “good kid,” but I was still a sinner saved by grace through faith. Take a moment to let that sink in. My conversion story isn’t one where I was a messed up person and once I found Jesus I never messed up again. It’s actually the opposite. After I found Jesus and began following Him, I made all of the biggest mistakes of my life.

Paul’s story is different. He WAS really messed up before He was a Christian. Just look at the way people characterized Paul’s life before he was a Christian: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” (Galatians 1:23, NIV). This is what characterized Paul’s life before he was a Christian. He was one who persecuted the church and tried to destroy it……DESTROY IT!! He didn’t simply try to hinder it or hold it back. He tried to completely destroy the church. That’s not only what other people were saying about Paul, it’s actually what Paul says about himself. “For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.” (Galatians 1:13, NIV). That is who Paul was a man persecuting the church and trying to completely lay waste the church……until he met Jesus.

Now, like I said at the beginning, Paul and I’s stories are different, but they are also similar. Here’s the reality. From the outside, everyone could have looked at my life and said I was a “good kid,” but the reality is that I was a sinner who hated God. I was a cute, nice little boy who was living a life a of sin and hated God. That’s the truth. I realize that many people have a hard time making a statement like that. It’s harder for grandparents to say than parents, right? Parent’s are fully aware that they are raising a bunch of sinners, but grandparents sometimes forget. They can’t imagine that their precious little grandchildren could ever do anything wrong. Yet, scripture says, “As it is written: “There is no-one righteous, not even one; there is no-one who understands, no-one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no-one who does good, not even one.” “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.” “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”” (Romans 3:10–18, NIV). This is the reality of every person on earth apart from Jesus Christ. Even your cute little grandchildren. Even your favorite brother or sister. Even your sweet little grandmother. Apart from Christ, none of them are righteous; none of them do any good; none of them fear God or care about His ways.

This is also true about yourself. Apart from Christ this is who you are. This may make you uncomfortable. You may be angry at me for saying this. You may be trying to rationalize this in your head, trying to wiggle yourself free from the bleak picture this paints of humanity. Some will hear me say this and say, “I don’t think this is right. I look around at the world and see that people are pretty good. I look at my grandchildren and think they are pretty good. I look into my own heart and life and think I’m pretty good. I don’t believe this is right.” In response to that I will say with Paul, “I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 1:11–12, NIV). You may look around at the world and say this isn’t true, but the God who created the world and gives you life and breath says it is true. Who are you going to believe?

This gospel message that we preach is not something that can be weighed against human opinions or human teachings. We preach it because God has told us the truth. God looks at the world and sees that no one is righteous, that no one is seeking God, and that no one fears Him. Who are we to tell Him He’s wrong? Of course we thing we’re pretty good when we compare ourselves with a bunch of other sinners.

As some of you are finding out, I like to play softball. I’ve been playing softball for as long as I can remember. In high school, I helped to organize this “elite” softball team, all the best ball players in our school, and entered us into a tournament. We were the cream of the crop and were looking forward to showing everyone else how good we were. We showed up at the tournament, never scored a run, and were ten-run-ruled in our first two games and out of the tournament. We entered the tournament thinking we were pretty good because we had only measured our ability against those who were not very good. Once we finally came into contact with good softball players, we realized we were not good.

That’s the same with our lives. The world is filled with people who are rejecting God. If we want to measure our “goodness” with them, we are not going to get an accurate picture. Yet, when we come face to face with the perfect, holy, righteous God, we immediately become aware of our sinfulness. That’s the case over and over throughout scripture. When Isaiah find himself in the presence of the Lord he cries out, ““Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”” (Isaiah 6:5, NIV). We are sinners, sold into sin, dead in our sins. We know this to be true because God has told us that it is true, and once He has shown us this truth, we can see it everywhere.

Yet, God hasn’t left us here. Paul says, “But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles…” (Galatians 1:15–16, NIV). I realize that over the years many have tried to downplay the sinfulness of humanity. However, what I’ve realized as I’ve read the Bible and understood my own sinfulness, that I’m more amazed by God’s grace. When I fully understand the depths of my depravity, my rejoicing increasing exponentially at Christ’s deliverance of me. God didn’t complete reject Paul for persecuting His church and trying to destroy it. God didn’t strike Paul down for trying to destroy the church. He called him and opened his eyes to see Jesus. He rescued Him from his sin and death, he forgave Paul’s sin, and set his feet on the solid rock. He did that for ME too! For those who have put their faith in Christ, he did that for YOU! If you haven’t put your faith in Christ, he is willing and able to do that for YOU TOO!! It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or how far you’ve fallen. If you turn to Jesus Christ in faith asking Him to forgive your sins and renew your life, He will do it. It also doesn’t matter how “good” you think you are. You are not good enough. No one is righteous—not one. Yet, if you turn to Jesus in faith, he will forgive you of your sins and renew your life. You simply need to turn to Him in faith and trust Him.

Then God does something that really blows my mind. Not only does he forgive our sins and renew our lives, he also entrusts us with something. Paul says, “On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been to the Jews.For God, who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was also at work in my ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles.” (Galatians 2:7–8, NIV). Take a moment to let that sink in. Paul, the one who persecuted the church, tried to destroy the church, hauled people off to jail and signed their death warrant, this man, God has entrusted with the Gospel and is working in his ministry. Does that blow you away like it does me? Maybe you are so used to see Paul as the mighty apostle that it doesn’t blow you away. Let me say it a different way. You, someone who has walked away from God over and over again, someone who had repeatedly fallen into sin after sin, someone who has no righteousness in themselves, God has entrusted with the Gospel and is working through your ministry. Does that blow you away? It better.

It blows me away every single day I wake up and enter the world. How in the world can God entrust such a thing to me? I fall so far short. How in the world can God work through my ministry? I fail Him over and over again. Yet, it’s not about my works or my righteousness. I’m not saved because of my righteousness—I’ve got none—It’s all about Jesus Christ and His righteousness. He has redeemed us because of his perfect life and death—not because we deserved it but purely by his grace. He has also entrusted us with the gospel—not because we deserve it but purely by his grace. He is also working through our lives and our ministries in this world—again, not because we deserve it but purely by his grace. Let us be amazed by God’s grace in our lives and find our hearts overflowing in thanks and praise to the One who rescued us and abundantly pours out his grace in our lives.