Galatians 1:11-24: The Bible – God’s Word, and God’s Power
Last week I could see that Father’s Day was coming. All the advertisements in the paper told me that it was time for me to go out and buy a manly gift for my father. All week long, that’s what the newspapers have been telling you to do. Go and buy a manly gift for your father. Maybe he needs a new lawn tractor with lots of horsepower, or a big, powerful circular saw, or maybe a drill press. The louder the tool, and the more it smells like gasoline, the better. Maybe a chain saw, or a trailer hitch, or a new, giant spatula for his grill. Manly gifts for the manly father – have you bought yours yet?
Today, we are going to peek into our Heavenly Father’s toolbox, and we’re going to take a look at a very powerful tool that God uses as he works on us, his people. That tool, of course, is his Word, the Bible. It many not look as manly as a chain saw or lawn tractor, but it really is the most powerful tool, spiritual tool, on the market today. We’re going to spend some time this morning talking about this tool. We’re going to see how it is highly underrated in our world today. And, we’re going to take a look at just how much it can change a person. It is my goal that after the service today, you will have a greater appreciation for the Bible, because it is God’s Word, and it is God’s power.
During the days of the Apostle Paul, the Gospel was highly underrated. Paul had gone to the churches in Galatia, and had taught them about their sins, and had taught them about Christ, their Savior, who had taken their sins away. After Paul left, some troublemakers visited the churches in Galatia, and they told the people, “Don’t listen to Paul. What he’s telling you isn’t from God. It’s a bunch of man-made ideas. Trusting in Jesus as your Savior? His sacrifice on the cross? His resurrection? That’s nice, but it’s just something that Paul made up. Or maybe he was taught it by a bunch of other people who made it up. Don’t listen to him.”
But look at how Paul responds to the trouble-makers. Verse 11: “I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached to you 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.” The whole idea of people having their sins forgiven by the sacrifice of God’s Son on the cross – that’s not a man-made idea, Paul says here. That is something that Christ himself revealed to Paul. Later on in this section, Paul once again emphasizes that the Christians at that time didn’t even know who he was, and therefore couldn’t have taught him anything. Look at verse 22: “I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.” Paul’s main point was this – the good news, that your sins are forgiven, and that because of Christ you’re going to heaven – “that’s not something I made up, nor was I brainwashed into believing that by someone else – that teaching, the gospel, was something that Christ himself, God himself, revealed to me.”
Those trouble-makers were rejecting the Gospel because they didn’t like the message. They didn’t want to trust in Christ. Instead, they wanted to earn their way to heaven with their good works. And you know what? Things haven’t changed much over the last 2000 years. Many people today look down on the Bible, reject the message about Christ and his death and resurrection. Many people today say, “You don’t actually believe that stuff, do you? It’s a bunch of manmade ideas. It’s a bunch of fables. This isn’t from God. I’d rather just try to earn my way to heaven with my good works.
There is a great amount of pressure today, on you, as a Christian, to go along with the crowd. Today you are pressured to say with the rest of the world, “I guess this really isn’t God’s Word. It’s just another book. It’s not something to get excited about.” We live in a world where the Bible, and especially the message of the Gospel, is highly underrated.
This past week, the sports world had to repent, because they underrated the Detroit Pistons. The NBA championship took place these last couple weeks, and everyone was excited about the Los Angeles Lakers. They have the superstars, they have the hall of fame players, they have the super-coach who has already won nine championships. And everyone loves LA. And then there are those little Detroit Pistons – a team of nobody’s – they don’t stand a chance. The series begins, and those little Detroit Pistons just wallop the Lakers. It wasn’t even close. The super-team from LA got blown out of the building by the underdogs from Detroit. And now, all the sports writers are trying to figure out how they underrated the Pistons so much.
The most underrated thing in the world isn’t a basketball team. It’s a book. Hardly anyone gives this book any respect. But it is so powerful. It really is the power of God. Look at what the Gospel does to the Apostle Paul. Before Paul had contact with the Gospel, he was very anti-Christian. In verse 13, he talks about how he “intensely persecuted the church of God, and tried to destroy it.” Paul hated the Christians. And he loved his own religion of working his way to heaven. In verse 14, Paul talks about how he was “extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.” Paul wanted nothing to do with Christianity. He was all wound up about working his way to heaven. That whole idea of Jesus dying on the cross for the sins of the world – Paul didn’t want any part of that.
But then God changed him. And he used the Word, the Gospel. Verse 15: “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.” God knocked Paul off of his high horse and revealed his Son to him, the Gospel. From the moment that Paul was born, God had planned to change Paul, to make him into a Christian through the powerful Word. And it worked. Look at verse 23: “They (the Christians) only heard this report. The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy. And they praised God because of me.”
Do you see how powerful God’s Word is? It completely changed Paul, from a Christian hater to a Christian preacher. Perhaps the best illustration for this could be found in our other readings for today. What did Elijah do in our Old Testament lesson? He spoke God’s Word, and raised a person from the dead. What did Jesus do in our Gospel lesson? He spoke God’s Word, his Word: “Young man,” Jesus said, “I say to you, get up!” And the dead man sat up. In a way, God raised Paul from the dead. Paul began his life spiritually dead, trying to earn his way to heaven with his good works. But then God spoke his Word to Paul. God used the Gospel. And that’s when Paul came to life spiritually. That’s when he became a completely different person.
Ever since the day you were born, God had planned to do the same thing for you. You might think, “Well, I became a Christian because it was my choice. I chose to become a better person.” You might feel that way, but the reality is, no one can change his own soul. By nature, we are hostile to God, just like Paul was hostile toward Christians before his conversion. By nature, we want nothing to do with God. By nature, we think this book is just a bunch of nonsense about Jesus and other things – “I’m not really interested,” we might say. “I’ll just try to earn my way to heaven.” By nature, that’s who we are.
But then God comes into your life. Maybe it was when you were younger, when you were baptized with water and the Word into the Christian faith. Or maybe God came into your life when you were older, when you heard the Word. And even though the Word doesn’t look all that powerful, it changes you. Every so slowly, maybe even unnoticeably at first, the Word is what changes you. You become a Christian. You start trusting in Christ as your one and only Savior from sin. You become interested in the Bible. You start wanting to serve God. You may even begin to share your faith with other people.
How does this happen? That’s how powerful the Word of God really is. It really is the most underrated thing in all the world. And yet, that is the tool that God uses to change you.
And so, on Father’s Day, many people will show their appreciation to their fathers by sending a card, maybe buying a power tool, or making a phone call, or maybe going for a visit. How can we show appreciation to our Heavenly Father, for giving us his Word? By using it. Hearing it on Sundays. Sharing it with others. Using it on our own. May God bless you with a spirit of awe and gratitude for the Gospel – God’s Word, and God’s power. Amen.
