“Brother, I Have Found the Messiah.”
Galatians 1: 11-24
Robert Warren
January 20th, 2002
Galatians 1: 11-24
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. 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. But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, 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. Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days. I saw none of the other apostles– only James, the Lord’s brother. I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie. Later I went to Syria and Cilicia. I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” And they praised God because of me.
A lot of people say that they can not witness of their faith to others. They want to evangelize to others and tell them the Good News that Jesus Christ came not to condemn the world but to save it. They sincerely want to see people get saved and experience the joy of salvation and life in Christ. They want others to know the joy and forgiveness that they enjoy. They want to share some of the sweet deliverance that they know. They want to feed the spiritual hunger in others that they once had. It’s been said that witnessing to others is like one beggar showing another beggar where to find bread. But somehow, most people say that they can not witness.
They say that they just don’t know what to say. They don’t know the bible well enough to lay out all the arguments to convince the skeptical that the Bible is the true word of God. They can’t speak well enough to persuade others to make that leap of faith. They are afraid that they will turn their friends off and alienate people with their faith. They are simply fearful that they can not present the gospel truth to those who lost in such a way that they will lead them to Christ. A lot of people feel that witnessing is like handling dynamite: one wrong move and the whole thing will explode in their face.
But the thing is, this is simply not true. All of us who know Christ are able to lead other people to Christ. Proclaiming the gospel is not something reserved only for preachers and missionaries. You don’t have to have a seminary education to accurately proclaim the Good News. You don’t have to have an ability to craft clever arguments and quote Greek to let people know about the cross of Jesus. All you have to have is a testimony about what Jesus did for you. If you know Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can witness.
In fact, most of us are Christians not because of a well-written sermon or a book on theology, we are Christians because some normal, average person told us about what Jesus did for them. One of my favorite people in the bible is the Apostle Andrew. What do you know about Andrew? Probably not a lot. He was not one of the inner circle like Peter, James and John. He didn’t do anything that makes him stand out like Thomas or Jude. He didn’t write any books of the bible like Matthew or Peter. Most of the times that he is mentioned in the bible he is doing the work of a servant: gathering loaves and fishes, passing messages on to Jesus, or doing work in the background. He is one of those people who are content to do work without any notice: he’s not the kind who get up in front of people or assume jobs in leadership. But, the story of the church would not be the same if it were not for this quiet, unassuming apostle because of what he did for his brother. He was there when John announced that Jesus was the Messiah, and so he was one of the first people to follow Jesus. Then, John 1:40-42 tells the incredible thing he did next: Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). Then he brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).
You see, when Andrew found his savior, he didn’t go out and preach on the city streets. He didn’t write letters to everyone he knew. He didn’t go and start a church. Instead, he shared his testimony: he went to his brother, one-on-one, and told him that he had found the Messiah. A few verses down, we hear about another little known apostle, the Apostle Philip. Verse 45 says, “Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote– Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. He didn’t get into an argument with the cantankerous Nathanael, he just said, “Come and see.” Both of these men were soft-spoken and simple, but they brought their friends to Christ with a simple testimony about what they had found: a savior.
Our scripture today is written by Paul, a person who is very well-spoken. He can write powerful words with authoritative arguments. He can lay down logic that will make your head spin. He is not afraid to wrestle mentally with those who would resist the Gospel. But here in the first chapter of Galatians, we see none of that. Here, he is merely sharing his testimony about how he came to be a Christian. In fact, he tries valiantly to deflect any attention from himself: this is not about how he chose Christ but about how Christ chose him.
He gives all of the credit and praise to the Gospel that Jesus saves. The gospel that 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. Paul goes out of his way to make it clear that he boasts in nothing except the saving grace of Christ. Actually, he wants it to be very clear that he does not deserve to be a Christian at all; that if it were up to him earning salvation that he would be lost indeed. For you heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. He was a sinner. He did not learn about the gospel and accept it as a matter of knowledge: he declares that he didn’t even know any of the apostles who were preaching the gospel. To be honest, he admits that it was a bit of a surprise when people heard that a jerk like him was actually a Christian: verse 23 and 24, They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” And they praised God because of me.
There is no mistaking it: Paul was the last person in the world who you would have expected to become a Christian. He was a devout Jew who believed that this new Christian church was the worst kind of heresy. He stood by while Christians were killed and even made a name for himself as one who personally persecuted the church. He doesn’t go into great detail, but you can be sure that he would have had no trouble beating or even killing those who gave their life to Christ.
But he became one of the greatest preachers of the Gospel that the world ever knew. He personally wrote more of the New Testament than any other person. He established churches all over the Roman world. But this is not to his credit, but to the glory of God. And that is what his testimony is about here in our scripture today. The basis for all of his work for Christ is here in his testimony. But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, 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. God called him by grace, set him aside for good works, and sent him to preach to the Gentiles. This is Paul’s testimony. Sure, he could quote the Old Testament. He could lay down strong arguments. He could debate with the best of them. But his testimony was simple: Jesus called him and saved him.
Every single one of us in this room who has met Jesus at the cross has a testimony. You might not know the bible well. You might not be able to get in front of a crowd and speak. You might not be able to argue well. You might not be able to write so much as a tract that would lead somebody to Christ. But if you are saved, you have a message to share: you once were lost, but now you are found. You were blind, but now you can see. God set you apart, called you by his grace, and was pleased to reveal His Son to you so that you could share your testimony with the lost. No matter who you are or how you came to the Lord, you have this testimony to share, and you are indeed called to share it.
Paul shows us that anyone can witness. He didn’t come about being a Christian in the way you imagine: he was in the process of trying to destroy the church when he met the Lord on the road to Damascus. He calls himself a sinner of the worst kind, but Christ came in and made a difference. He did not become a Christian because he was raised in the church. He did not learn about Christ at a bible college. His family was not Christian. But his testimony is just as valid, if not more.
Today, I want you to see that we all have a testimony to share if we know Christ. Whether you were raised in the church or raised in another religion, you have a testimony. Whether you lived a clean life or were drowning in sin before you knew Christ, you have a testimony to share. Whether you look like a Christian or you look like a biker, you have a testimony to share. You don’t have to preach on the streets or shout it from the rooftops, but you do need to tell others about the grace that God showed you through Christ.
I’m going to shut up and show you that all of us have a testimony with some help from my friends. I’ve asked a few people from the congregation to briefly share how they came to Christ. I’ve purposely asked people of different backgrounds. Some were raised in the church, some were raised in other faith traditions. Some lived relatively clean lives, some not so clean. Some came to Christ young, others later in life. They are all different, but they share one thing: they know my Jesus.
I hope that you benefit from this in a number of ways. First, if you don’t know Christ, I want you to see that Christ takes you where you are, no matter where you’ve been. You don’t have to be born in the church, raised by Christians, or live a perfect life: Christ wants you where you are right now. Second, I hope that hearing the testimony of your friends here will inspire you to know Christ in a deeper, more personal way as you hear what Christ has done in their lives. Finally, I want everyone in this room to know that you do have a testimony to share in the hopes that you will go to those in your life one-on-one to tell them that Jesus saves. It’s the most effective way to save the lost and grow the church.
Let us all be like Andrew: The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah.”
