Galatians 1:11-24
F B Meyer – Some young men belonging to the
Salvation Army came to old Andrew Bonar, and
they said:
” Dr. Bonar, we have been” all night with God.
Can’t you see our faces shine? “
The old man said: “Moses wist not (was not aware)
that his face shone,”
“When you have got the real article you do not need
to advertise it, the public will come for it; but the
man who has got what we call in England,
Brummagem ware, a sham, must puff it.
If you have got Christ in you, people will not glorify
you, they will glorify Christ in you, and they will
say: “Teach us about Christ who has made you so
fair.”
“They glorified God in me.” Dear brother ministers,
when you get this, they will not glorify your
sermons, they will not glorify your intellect, and
they will not glorify your eloquence; but they will
glorify God who shines through you as the
Shekinah shone through the temple of old.
This morning we are going to finish examining the first
chapter of Galatians.
As I mentioned last week, this section of the letter
describes Paul’s conversion or his testimony of his
salvation.
Last week we read of Paul being astonished because the
Galatians were deserting the gospel that Paul had
delivered to them.
We also read that the Judaizers were distorting the
gospel by adding to God’s grace. They were teaching
that the gospel was grace plus the law, or grace plus
circumcision.
Our text this morning is Galatians 1:11-24.
Galatians 1:11-12
Salvation is a Gift from God
Now Paul asserts that the gospel did not come from man,
and that he was not taught the gospel.
The gospel came from Jesus Christ.
The Judaizers had likely told the Galatians that Paul was
preaching an incomplete gospel – lacking the law and
circumcision.
Paul makes it clear that he received the whole gospel of
the grace of Jesus which is sufficient for our complete
salvation.
The Judaizers are the ones that were adding to the
gospel.
God revealed it to Him because He had big plans for Paul.
Jesus revealed Himself to Paul on the Damascus road.
He called him out for persecuting Him and other
Christians.
And He turned him into a new creation.
This was by no means due to anything Saul/Paul had
done.
In fact, it was in spite of the horrible things Saul had
done.
Salvation is the free gift of God.
Galatians 1:13-14
Salvation Causes Life Transformation
Now Paul begins to describe what his life was like before
Christ.
Every testimony about Christ should include at least
three sections.
Life before Christ
Encounter with Christ
New Life In Christ
In these verses Paul reminds the Galatians of his former
life as a persecutor of Christians. He admits that he
violently tried to destroy the church and was very zealous
for the traditions of his fathers.
Turn with me to the book of Acts.
Acts 8:3 “But Saul was ravaging the church, and
entering house after house, he dragged off men
and women and committed them to prison.”
Acts 9:1-2 “But Saul, still breathing threats and
murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to
the high priest and asked him for letters to the
synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any
belonging to the Way, men or women, he might
bring them bound to Jerusalem.”
Paul was as far away from Christ as he possibly could be.
Listen to how he describes the lostness of unbelievers to
the church at Ephesus.
“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in
which you once walked, following the course of this
world, following the prince of the power of the air,
the spirit that is now at work in the sons of
disobedience— among whom we all once lived in
the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires
of the body and the mind, and were by nature
children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”
Ephesians 2:1–3
No matter what your testimony sounds like, we were all
children of wrath because we have all sinned and fallen
short of God’s glory.
When we share our testimony, we should make sure that
we don’t spend too much time on the before Christ part.
Paul spent the first part of his life persecuting
Christians.
But God had other plans for Paul.
Paul continues his testimony by sharing about his
encounter with Christ.
Galatians 1:15-16
Notice how Paul understands that salvation is due to
God’s grace and revelation.
He states that God set him apart before he was born.
This helps us understand the sovereignty of God.
Paul also mentions that God called him by His grace.
This is that free gift we talked about last week.
Paul also mentions that God revealed Himself to Paul.
He sent Jesus to the Damascus road to save a persecutor
of the church.
Acts 9:3-9 “Now as he went on his way, he
approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from
heaven flashed around him. And falling to the
ground he heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, why
are you persecuting me?’ And he said, ‘Who are
you, Lord?’ and he said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are
persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you
will be told what you are to do.’ The men who were
traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the
voice but seeing no one. Saul rose from the ground,
and although his eyes were opened, he saw
nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought
him into Damascus. And for three days he was
without sight, and neither ate nor drank.”
If it weren’t for God revealing Himself to us, we could
never come into a relationship with Him!
Paul mentions that God called him so that he could
share the good news with the Gentiles.
Remember, God saves us and He calls all believers to
take the good news into the world.
Paul spent the second part of his life promoting the
life changing gospel of the grace of Jesus Christ.
Let’s look at the rest of the chapter.
Galatians 1:17-24
Before Paul set off of his first missionary journey he
spent some time alone with God in Arabia before
returning to Damascus to preach the gospel.
Jesus set a great example of getting up early and
spending time alone with God in prayer.
Paul didn’t rush out to begin his training.
He spent time with God learning the Scriptures and
understanding the character of God.
We know that Paul wasn’t one of the 12 apostles who
spent 3 years walking and talking with Jesus.
But he did spend 3 years meditating on and likely
memorizing much of the Scripture. God prepared him for
all he would suffer for Him. cf. Acts 9:16
After three years Paul went up to Jerusalem to visit Peter
and he saw James there as well, but he didn’t interact
with the other apostles.
Salvation Prompts us to Share our Testimony
Paul calls himself an unknown person to the churches of
Judea.
This is a mark of humility. He wasn’t seeking his own
glory or recognition. He was preaching the good news of
the gospel.
But his reputation was growing.
The people heard that the one who used to persecute the
church is now preaching the faith he once tried to
destroy.
People understand a transformed life.
When you are saved you are transformed.
The old goes away and God makes you a new
man/woman.
He fills you with the Holy Spirit.
Anyone who knew Paul before would see a drastic change
in his life.
That change is our testimony. We can’t change ourselves.
The self-help industry is an $11 Billion industry.
And the sad thing is that apart from Christ we can not
affect any lasting change in our life.
We are only changed by Christ!
And that change is what we should be talking about with
our unsaved friends, neighbors, and family.
APPLICATION
Our application this morning is simple.
If you are a believer you have a testimony.
God wants you to share that testimony to bring Him
glory.
Share Your Testimony
Raise your hand if you have ever shared your testimony
with someone.
Raise your hand if you have ever written your testimony
down.
Remember, sharing your testimony should be in three
sections.
Life Before Christ
Encounter with Christ
New Life in Christ
Just a couple of reminders:
Don’t spend too much time on your life before Christ.
This part is to highlight the fact that we have all sinned
and need a savior.
Don’t set unrealistic expectations about salvation.
God isn’t going to make you rich and remove all problems
in your life.
But He does promise to be near to us and comfort us and
teach us through every trial we encounter.
Will you Share your testimony with someone this
week?