Transformation and Grace
Galatians 1:10-24 (NIV)
10 Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. 11 I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. 13 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. 14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus. 18 Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days. 19 I saw none of the other apostles--only James, the Lord’s brother. 20 I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie. 21 Later I went to Syria and Cilicia. 22 I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only heard the report: "The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy." 24 And they praised God because of me.
Look at your neighbor and say neighbor. He never leaves us the way he finds us
Illustration: Does anyone remember the toys they had back years ago. They were called transformers. They would be toys that you could transform. It would be a car, but if you made a few changed to it, turned this piece this way and that piece that way it would turn into a fighter jet. Or some sort of a robot. It was actually a cartoon. Big tractor trailers would turn into war machines. They are making a movie of it now. About these machines that transform into different things
Intro: Paul one day had a divine encounter with the Christ and His life was never the same. (Explain the Damascus road experience) His life changed forever. He was transformed
This is what we should think about when we think of grace and what happens to us when we encounter it. Grace transforms. It takes what it finds and makes it into something else. Not just an abstract thing but something that is actually tangible. It’s a transformation that can be measured and seen. When we encounter grace and accept it through faith it has the power to transform us into something God wants us to be.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NCV) 17If anyone belongs to Christ, there is a new creation. The old things have gone; everything is made new!
Galatians 6:15 (NCV) ..”The important thing is being the new people God has made
When we have a Damascus road experience there is always a transformation.
What changed about Paul’s life? And can we apply these principles to our own life?
Trouble in the text:
- The Galatians church was starting to desert the gospel.
o Which is salvation by faith.
o What they were doing was mixing the law, particularly circumcision with faith.
o They were saying that to be saved you had to accept Jesus but also be circumcised and follow the Jewish tradition.
o Paul was against this and was trying to show them their error.
- But they weren’t just going to believe him at face value.
o No, he was a persecutor of the church.
o They didn’t even accept him as an apostle. So before Paul could show them their error he had to show them he had the authority to do so.
- Thus he gives them his testimony.
o He tells them about the transformation that took place in his life
o As proof of His authority
- You see all who come to Christ have a testimony.
o It’s the proof of the change
o We have something to say about what God has done for us.
Where he found us
• It usually starts with where He found us (I once was Lost)
How he changed us
• And how he changed us (the transformation but now I am found) I was blind but now I see.
Where He is taking us.
• What he is doing now
This is what we see in Paul’s defense of his ministry. (What he did for Paul He can and does do for us)
I. His priorities were transformed
a. He went from a people pleaser to a God pleaser
Galatians 1:10-24 (NIV)
10 Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ
- Oh what life would be like if we started to want to please God over men.
- Sure wanting to be accepted is a natural occurrence.
- No one likes rejection.
- But when Christ comes into our life we realize that there is more importance of being accepted by God and to please Him
o Our hearts long for His acceptance
That’s Ok
But never at the expense of His acceptance
o And he has accepted us
o He calls us friends
o He calls us His children
o He calls us His bride
o How much more acceptance do we need?
Illustration: I remember when I first started to say grace in public. I was a little nervous. I remember praying with Brother Jeff in the parking lot.
Application:
- That’s a hard transformation for many.
- Too often we worry about what people are going to think about us.
- Or what we now stand for.
- But that doesn’t matter. In the big scheme of things the only thing that matter is what God thinks
- If we do that we will make better decisions in life
And the truth is His transforming power turns us into people who want to please Him.
- As children of the “most high” God we need not to worry about what people think about our faith,
- all we need to worry about is what God thinks about our faith
b. From a destroyer of the church to a builder of the church
Galatians 1:13 (NIV)
13 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.
• Paul was so passionate about Judaism that he felt it was ok to kill people who were preaching Christ. He did everything he could to stop this moving called the way.
• People were preaching Christ crucified and a new way to God and he felt it must stop
• It was his priority in life
• Was actually on his way with orders in hand to kill Christians when he met Christ
i. Now he was trying to build the church
a. Now here is writing a letter to them about grace.
b. What a change
This is what God offers us
- To build his church
Mark 1:17-18 (NIV)
17 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."
- He puts a passion in our hearts to share the truth to those who need it
- He puts a passion in our hearts for the hungry
o We want to feed them
- He puts a passion in our hearts to the hurting
o We want to pray with them
- For the lost
o It causes us to reach out to everyone
- When this happens God puts people in our path to minister to
Our lives become attractive to people
Illustration: now I know many of us were not like Paul. We weren’t with letter in hand trying to destroy the gospel of Christ. But if you think about many of our behaviors were destructive to the gospel. Our behaviors can be just as destructive to the message as what Paul was doing.
Example: When we walk by the hungry, when we ignore the lost. When we don’t reach out
The elections are coming up and many will vote for politicians that support gay marriage, abortion and are trying to destroy the faith that we stand on.
Application: we need to be careful on how we behave and what we do because it can be destructive for others and the message. But our behaviors should be behaviors that build the church and lead people to the cross.
II. His heart for people was transformed
Galatians 1:14-16 (NIV)
15 But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles
a. He was against gentiles
i. Now he was to preach to them
- From hating a race to loving all people
- I heard that this town might have some prejudices in it. Although I haven’t ran into any personally I have a story
Illustration: Black man was a coach in football wouldn’t come to church because Summertown was prejudice.
I heard some don’t like me because I am half Italian and Puerto Rican. That’s Ok I don’t hold it against them that their not..
We can love everybody
Application: if we have prejudices God can change our heart. We need to make sure we aren’t that way.
III. His message was transformed
a. He went from advancing a dead way of life to advancing the gospel (traditions)
Galatians 1:14-16 (NIV)
14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles
a. Had a message of Law
i. Now he had a message of freedom
Galatians 5:1 (NCV) 1We have freedom now, because Christ made us free. So stand strong. Do not change and go back into the slavery of the law
b. Had a message of Rules to get right with God
i. They were restrictive and harsh
ii. Now he has a message of love
Mark 12:30-31 (NIV)
30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ’Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these."
c. His focus and fanaticism had been placed upon religion and its traditions, rituals, and ceremonies and
i. not on God
b. Now he preaches grace
ii. Freedom in Christ
iii. Freedom from sin
iv. Now he was advancing the gospel
- When Grace grips us we also can be transformed like that.
- We also proclaim a new message salvation to all
- Sins can be forgiven
- By faith in Jesus Christ
Application: We should take time to examine e ourselves to see what message we have. If we were to be an outsider looking in to your life what is your message? Does anyone want to hear it from you? We need to live our lives around the center of this message.
Closing: The power of God is amazing in what it can do. It can turn the ugly into the beautiful. It can turn the hopeless into the hopeful.
It changed a murderer like Saul into a church builder named Paul
It changed a coward name peter into a rock in which the church is build upon.
Closeing: Will you allow it to change you today?
When we have our encounter with Christ many things occur.
- They occur at different times and in different ways.
- But the challenge of the encounter will always cause us to change.
- Our priorities are transformed
o People pleasers to God pleasers
o To builders of His church
- Our heart for people is transformed
o We care about the Lost
o We care about the hungry
o Regardless of race
- Our message is transformed
