PAUL’S STORY IS OUR STORY
A young lady goes out on a blind date and the first thing her friends ask is, “So, what’s his story?” They want to know all the details – where does he work, where did he grow up, what kind of car does he drive? It seems everybody has a story, and we want to know it. We are fascinated in knowing tidbits from other people’s lives. The media has picked up on this apparent fascination. There are magazine articles and TV programs, all dedicated to relating the biographies of the rich and famous. It seems no detail is left out; nothing is sacred. As we listen to those stories – of the modest upbringing of movie stars, the all-to-real problems celebrities face – we learn they aren’t different than any of us.
Everyone has a story. This also applies to the apostle Paul. Today, we encounter a portion of Scripture, in which Paul tips his hand and lets us in on some rather intimate details. The one thing we learn is the apostle Paul was a lot like you and me. In fact, PAUL’S STORY IS OUR STORY. It’s a story of God’s amazing grace. Like Paul, we too have been: 1) Made into a Reliable Witness, and 2) Given a Reliable Message.
1) Made into a Reliable Witness
When we think of the apostle Paul, perhaps words such as courageous, bold, or heroic come to mind. He was the apostle to the Gentiles. Much of the New Testament contains various letters had had written to pastors and congregations in order to instruct and encourage. Paul was a reliable, unyielding figure. He stood strong in the faith. In fact, he was imprisoned and eventually martyred for his faith in Jesus. Yet, Paul tells us a different story. He tells the story of a man who was wholly unreliable. He admits: “Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief.”
This was not for a lack of zeal. Paul confessed that he was a Pharisee of Pharisees. He was passionate for what he thought was the will of God. In his letter to the Galatians he makes this confession: 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. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.” Notice the apostle says that, in spite of his zeal, he was ignorant. He was an unbeliever. He had the Scriptures. In fact, Paul was an exemplary student of Scripture. Yet, his heart was hard, his eyes were blind. He failed to see Christ. All of Paul’s efforts to achieve wisdom resulted in ignorance. There’s a warning here for us. What are we zealous for? Quite often we are zealous for what we think is God’s will. We become passionate for what we think God wants us to have and do.
We become zealous with our jobs, with our personal time, even with our families. We pour so much of ourselves into what we consider important because we want to feel good about ourselves. We want tangible proof that we’re O.K. Simple blessings are, then, turned into obsessions. Pursuit of physical happiness becomes our goal.
And at the end of the day, what do we find? We find people so tired and so drained because we’ve poured ourselves out that we can’t muster the energy to even pray. Our zeal to achieve what we think is important leads us to ignore the greater things. We ignore God’s Word. We fail to meditate on it. We do not trust it with our hearts. We fail to trust God with our lives. And in the process, we become ignorant.
Just like the apostle Paul, we are unreliable. We pour ourselves out in an attempt to look good to ourselves, our neighbors, even before God. Yet, we prove to be nothing more than blasphemers and persecutors as well. To ignore God’s Word is to not trust it. This is blasphemy. It is an open defiling of his holy Word. And just think of the example we tend to set to those around us? What impression do we give to our families or our friends when they see that God’s Word is less than important in our lives? This is persecution by example. We persecute the church with our lack of zeal for the Lord. We hinder the proclamation of his Gospel when we ourselves fail to let it shine first-and-foremost in our own lives.
Yet, what amazing grace and mercy our Lord showers upon us! Even as we are busy pouring ourselves out into our own selfish desires and pursuits, God is just as busy pouring his mercy out on us. Consider Paul’s words: “The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” That is an amazing testimony of God’s faithful love! Even as we are tempted to foolishly abandon God, he still seeks us out.
God pours himself out on us. He is merciful. He fills us with good things. The greed and selfishness that motivates our sinful zeal is replaced with faith and love in Christ our Savior. This happens as God reminds us of the love he has shown to us in Jesus. Jesus poured himself out for us. He poured out his very life-blood for us, so that we might be his own. What wondrous love Jesus has showered upon us. This same amazing grace was poured out on the apostle Paul. It transformed him from ignorant persecutor into wise messenger. That same message changes us. It transforms us to be reliable witnesses as well. The Gospel leads us to focus on Christ, not ourselves, and to pour ourselves out for him in response to his great love. This message transforms us from selfish, ignorant creatures into people worthy to serve him. We now possess the wisdom of salvation. Christ has poured himself into our hearts and minds by his Word.
Christ considers us worthy to be his witnesses. What a statement! In light of his grace Jesus allows his love to be showcased in our lives. We’re simply the trophy cases. If you were to walk into a school gymnasium, somewhere down some hallway you’d find the trophy case. What would stand out? It would be the trophies, ribbons, the plaques and other awards. Take those away, and what do you have? You’ d have just an empty cabinet whose purpose is unclear. Put the trophies back and its obvious that cabinet is meant to display those trophies. That’s how it is with our lives. God has filled us up with the trophies of his grace. Our lives showcase Jesus’ trophies. His life, suffering, death, and resurrection are displayed in us. We showcase our faith in these truths to those around us.
2) Given a Reliable Message
God has plans for his people. He had plans for Paul, whether he knew it or not. His life was changed. God had proven his mercy by fashioning Paul into his reliable witness. He made him into a trophy case for Christ. Then he went on to fill him with those good things. He gave him a most reliable message to proclaim – the Good News of Jesus.
Paul describes this good news with a single word: trustworthy. He says: “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst.” Trustworthy means to be reliable. The apostle is saying that the gospel can be trusted. This is the content of God’s grace, which he has so abundantly poured into our hearts and lives. We can trust this message. It’s not Paul’s opinion. He didn’t fashion this together on his own. This is completely God’s doing. He showers us with his love.
And why? It’s because God is so merciful. Mercy means pity. God has pity on us because we are so wretched. We are ugly, not beautiful. We are evil, not good. And still God considers us worthy because of his great love. The Lord is so patient with us. Paul confesses this in his own life: I was shown mercy, so that in me the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.” God is patient. He doesn’t just tolerate or put up with us, he actually loves us. Paul says all of this happened so that his life might serve as an example of how our patient God deals with each of us. Paul’s story is our story. And what a story it is! It’s definitely one worth telling.
The reason we can share our story is because it is reliable. It’s not one of our own making. This is God’s story of grace and mercy in our lives. Most people like to talk about themselves. It’s important to share our experiences and knowledge with others. There’s actually a need for us to do this. This is what makes us human. Think of the story we have to share. Ours is Paul’s stories – a story of people who once were lost but found; that were blind but now can see. We have a wonderful story to share. Think of the opportunities there are to share this story. We can share it on the playground or the ball field. We can share it in the lunchroom as we munch a sandwich. We can share our story with people sitting next to us in the airport terminal. We can share it with a neighbor who is suffering personal pain or loss.
As we share this story we are giving God all the glory and praise. We are worshipping him. Paul shared the story of his life with us. He admitted he was the worst sinner ever born, and yet God still loved him. He shared his story. And what did that lead him to do? It led him praise God for who he is. Paul actually breaks into song in praise to the Lord: “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Paul praises God for who he is. In reality, Paul tells us that God is the complete opposite of us. We are mortal, more than visible, as we are stuck within this physical realm. God is above us. He is not like us. For this he is to be praised with honor and in glory. The reason for the praise is that we have the promise of life eternal. God transforms us. We, too, will dwell with God within that inaccessible light. Christ has made it possible. The unfathomable becomes fathomable through the blood of our Savior.
So what’s Paul’s story? It’s an example of how God turned what was “worst” into something reliable and wonderful. What happened to Paul – the worst of sinners – is an example of what has happened to us. And so we share this story. The Bible says that we are always to give the reason for the hop we have. So, when somebody asks, “And just what’s your story?” we can say with the apostle Paul, “I’m a forgiven sinner in Christ Jesus. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.” Amen.
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