The Gospel of Christ – Part 2

Galatians, chapter number one, Galatians one. We started our study on Sunday night on the book of Galatians. And again, this is written to a group of people who were trying to intermingle the law with grace. They were trying to add works to salvation, and they were trying to add a lot of the Jewish tradition, faith in Jesus Christ. And so here we understand the whole purpose of the law. And Paul is going to get to that. When we get to chapter number three, he is going to explain to us what the law was for and the purpose of all of that. But we are going to get there as we progress through the book. But here he’s got to deal with some of the things that we are struggling with in the church. And we dealt specifically with it on Sunday night, dealing with another gospel and how to recognize another gospel. We gave four different aspects of recognizing another gospel and something that was not the true gospel. And we’ll give you a chance to go back and listen to that if you if you missed it. But starting verse number eleven is where we’re at. We’re going to finish chapter number one tonight, and we’re going to finish that first part of the outline that I gave you, the summons for the Gospel of Grace. And again, this is the whole series is entitled the Gospel of Grace. And so we’re going to deal with the summons aspect and wrap that up tonight. Look at verse eleven. But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in Jews religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God and wasted it, and profited in the Jews religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace to reveal his son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen, immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood, neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me. But I went to Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus. Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. But other apostles saw I none, save James, the Lord’s brother. Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not. Afterwards I came into the region of Syria and Cilicia, and was unknown by face unto the churches of Judea. Which were in Christ, but they had heard only that he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed. And notice verse twenty four. And they glorified God in me. This is really the testimony of a changed life and what God can do in us and through us. Praise the Lord by his good grace. But let’s go ahead and we’re going to get into this passage here and deal with the urgency of the gospel call. You see, right after Paul got saved, he got called into the ministry and we see the urgency of what God had called him to do. Let’s go ahead and pray for Father, we love you. We thank you for the truths thank you for the truths of the word of God. We thank you for the things that you’ve shown us already as we began the study on Sunday night. And there’s so much more, Lord, that I know you have for us and specifically in the urgency of the gospel message. Lord, we don’t know how much time we have here on this earth. We don’t know how much time we have left. We don’t know how much time until you come again, Lord, we don’t even know how much time others have left that we can be able to get the gospel to them. Lord, I pray that you’d help us to see the urgency around us, to see the need to reach everybody we can with the gospel message. Help us to take some truths, apply them to our lives, give us a bigger burden for souls. We’ll praise you and thank you. We ask you, saying in your name we pray. Amen. There’s four aspects that we’re going to deal with tonight in dealing with the urgency of the Gospel of Christ. But I want you to notice that right after he dealt with the fact of somebody coming in and perverting the gospel, right after he dealt with the fact that others were coming in and bringing another gospel. He reiterates the fact in verse eleven that he didn’t preach his own doctrine. He reiterates the fact that I didn’t come to you with the truth that I wanted you to receive. I didn’t just make all of this stuff up. This was something that God gave to us and, and we are simply giving to others. I am kind of reminded in this passage right here of what he tells Timothy over in second Timothy two two the things which thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men. And this is exactly what Paul was doing time and time again in his ministry. But I want you to Notice here in verses eleven, twelve, we see the necessity of the gospel reception. The necessity of the gospel reception. Here he was telling them in the previous verse, if somebody brings you another gospel, let him be accursed. And then he says as a transitional statement in verse number ten, he says, I don’t preach to please men. I preach to please the God that saved me, and I want to be a servant of Christ in the right way. And so then he says in verse eleven, I certify you or I give you full authentication. I give you full assurance in your life, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. He said, I didn’t make this stuff up. I didn’t come to you on my own accord. I didn’t tell you all the things that I want you to do for me or for others. No, I’m giving you something that God gave to us. Verse number twelve. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. Now, I’m going to say this here. I know there are some people that will say, and they’ll twist some of these verses to be against church attendance or to be against the Sunday school ministry or even to be against Bible college, to say that they haven’t learned from other men, but that God himself had taught them. Listen, God wants us to receive all kinds of different education that we’re able to receive. And we need to make sure that the things that we’re getting though, we’re getting from the Lord. God can use absolutely anybody in our lives to teach us the things of God. But it’s only by the understanding of the Holy Spirit inside of us that we’re able to process and feed on the things that he gives us. And so this is not a verse that is against Sunday school attendance or against discipleship attendance or against any of that. This is a verse that enhances that, ok? And we need to understand that. Notice what he says. I didn’t receive it of man, neither was I taught it. But by the revelation of Jesus Christ. Let me go ahead and make this statement as well. In your Christian life, there are some things that man can teach you, but there are other things that only God can teach you. I think of what the disciples asked Jesus Christ over in Luke, chapter eleven. The disciples came to him and they said, lord, teach us to pray. You see, you can learn how to preach, you can learn how to give a speech. You can learn how to deal with people and become a people person. You can learn. There’s even A book I got in my office, I think, by Stephen Covey, the Seven Traits of a Highly Effective Person. And there’s books that you can read on all these different charismatic things and having the right kind of charisma and even spirit and attitude, all of that stuff. You can learn this from it. But listen, there are only some things that only God can teach you. And the only way that you can learn how to pray. Listen, I can give you class after class after class on how to pray, but you don’t learn how to pray until you start praying. You’re not going to learn how to walk with God until you start walking with God. There are some things that you’re only going to learn when you start doing them. Brother Thoreau and I would talk about it time and time again when he was pastor here and we had discussed different aspects of the ministry. And one of the things that we commonly discuss, Brother Anthony, you were in several of those meetings is there’s several things that you can learn in Bible college, but there’s some between the lines stuff that you’ve got to learn on the job or in the ministry. There’s things that’s behind the scenes that you’re not going to learn in a class. You’ve got to learn on the job doing it. You see, there were things whenever I was waiting tables at a restaurant that I could learn from anybody else that was there in the business. I could learn from any of the other waitstaff, different things to do, different ways to enhance your serving in different ways to be better at your job and your employment. But there were some things about running the business that I could not learn until I got alone with the owners of the business and I began to help in different areas of that ministry or of that aspect of the business. And so there are things that we can only learn from when we spend time with God. But here we have the necessity of the gospel’s reception. Notice the gospel excludes the revelation of man in verse eleven, but it will always include a revelation from God in verse number twelve. Again, he reiterates the fact that he did not receive this of man. He did not get this from somebody else. He didn’t just pick up a book that was local in town and say, oh, we’re going to take this and run with it. That’s not how the ministry works. He got it from God himself. And there were some things that God did for him and did in his life. So we see the necessity of the gospel is reception. And by the way, if Paul did not have a receptive spirit about himself, then God would not have used him to write fourteen books of the New Testament. God would not have used him on three different missionary journeys to start over twenty five different churches in the Asia Minor area. But because he had a receptive spirit and he was willing to be used by God and willing to learn some difficult truths, then God used him in a great way. I think sometimes in our own Christian life and this little sidebar side thought. I think sometimes in our own Christian life that we limit God using us because we don’t want to have to go through the hard things in the Christian life. Paul was willing to go through some hard things, but because of that God revealed some things to him that he didn’t reveal to others. Think of the apostle John who had the opportunity to receive the revelation of Jesus Christ. He’s the only person who God pulled outside of time and showed him time. The way he sees it in a panoramic view from beginning to end. And then he got to write about some of it. He didn’t get to write about all of it because the angels even told him, don’t write that down. But he was only able to see that. Listen, after he was boiled in the cauldron of oil, exiled to the isle of Patmos and left for dead. And while he’s exiled, he was still in the spirit on the Lord’s day, praising God and trying to walk with the Lord. So there are some things that only God can reveal in our lives. Here we see the necessity of the gospel is reception. Secondly, I want you to notice verse thirteen and fourteen. The nature of the gospel is to rescue. This is what the gospel does. The gospel rescues us. Every one of us. We all have a testimony. Every one of us all have a past. We, we all have a place where we used to be before we got saved. But then we heard the gospel, then we got saved and now we’ve been rescued, now we’ve been redeemed, now we’ve been given a second chance at life. And now God can use our lives in a certain way. Look at verse thirteen. For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews religion. Notice he refers to it as a religion. Because listen, religion doesn’t change your life relationships do you listening? Religion doesn’t change your life. Your relationship with Jesus will. He said, you heard of my conversation of the way I live my life in the Jews religion or in the traditions. How that beyond measure. He says you can’t even calculate it. It’s beyond Measure, it’s beyond consumption. You wouldn’t even believe it if I explained it to you. That’s what beyond measure is. It’s unmeasurable. It cannot be measured. But even if I tried to measure it or explain it to you, people wouldn’t believe it. That’d be like the riches of Solomon. They were unmeasurable, and people wouldn’t even believe it. Remember the Queen of Sheba? She came all the way from. Was it Egypt to come and to view his treasures. And she even said, you haven’t even told all the story. She couldn’t even believe it. Here, beyond measure. He says, I persecuted the church of God and wasted it. I look up this word wasted. It means to destroy or to ravage. He made it his personal goal to destroy the church. But not just to destroy. To ravage it. Now, that word ravage is very animalistic. That would be what the Romans would do and the Spartans and the Carthaginians would do. Whenever they would come into a city and a town and they would conquer it, they would take and spoil the place. And they would burn it all to the ground. And take the spoils of war and take the children and the women and all the different aspects. And many of them would be crucified upon post and burned alive. They ravaged the place. Here in American history, if you like to study the Civil War. It’s one of my favorite wars, the Civil War. You had a general who’s known as General Sherman for the Union Army. General Sherman was notorious for the destruction places that he had gone to. As a matter of fact, there’s a part of the Civil War where General Sherman goes from one town and he canvases all the way down to Georgia. And they call it Sherman’s March. And he literally just desecrated everything in his path. As they went down through there. They ravaged the cities and the villages, the towns they destroyed. They burned them to the ground where nothing was left and they had to rebuild. That’s what ravage means. That’s what he means when he says he wasted it. He wasn’t just going in and persecuting this early church. When we talk about persecution, we have a very light esteem or a light view of it. He literally went in to destroy everything that pointed to Jesus Christ. And then he ravaged the place. This was his purpose and this was his plan. But. But for the gospel, you see the nature of the gospel. When the gospel was revealed to him, it rescued him from this. Notice what it rescued him from in verse thirteen. We See, it rescued him from a dead religion. He said he had a conversation in time past in the Jews religion. It was just tradition. It was just things that he did. It was the things that he was taught in. And by the way, the Bible says over in the book of Philippians that he was a Pharisee of Pharisees, that nobody could contend with his knowledge of the tradition. But that’s exactly what it was. It was dead. Dead and vain. Tradition. Tradition’s never saved anybody. By the way, there’s no such thing as a grandchild when it comes to God. You’re either a child of God or you’re not. Nobody is just birthed into a family just because their parents got saved, now their grandchildren. That doesn’t work that way. We are all called sons and daughters of God. We are all children of God. You see here he was rescued from a dead religion, but also he was rescued from destructive repression. From destructive repression. Now, we don’t hear a lot of speculation, but let me give you a little bit of a. A thought can neither be proven nor disproven. But let me give you a little bit of a thought because of the type of person that Paul was before he got saved. Now think of this. And because of the testimony that Paul has in the book of Acts where the demons recognize him and say to somebody else, jesus I know, and Paul, I know, but who are you? Have you ever wondered if because of his destructive tendencies before he got saved, if he ever had a demon latched to him? You ever thought about that? Because it was in his nature to want to kill. Listen, that’s demonic in and of itself to want to destroy somebody to the point to where they couldn’t do anything. And that’s what drove everything inside of him, was his hatred towards the Christians. So here he had destructive repression. He had things deep on the inside. Listen, God rescued him from this. I’m not saying he was demon possessed. I’m just giving you an opinion, an idea, a thought to provoke a little bit of study. Paul was a man who was used greatly by God, but God redeemed him and salvaged him from the other side. So we got to understand Paul wasn’t just a notable Pharisee. Paul was one that everybody feared. Everybody. Paul was one who could get ahold of absolutely anybody at any time. He had quite the sway, or as we would say, different people say today. He had a lot of clout. He had a lot of prestige about himself. Here he was delivered. He was rescued from dead religion. He was rescued from a destructive repression. But also verse fourteen, he was also rescued from dangerous rituals. Look, it says. And profited in the Jews religion. Paul was a rich man. He profited not just by the clout that he had received, but also by all the money that he received from the things that he was a part of. As a matter of fact, all those things. In Philippians chapter number three, he says, I do count them, but dung, he said, I’ll get rid of every bit of it because it’s worthless to me. But he profited. He made money in the Jews religion. He profited in many ways, not just monetarily, above many my equals in mine own nation. Notice what he says. Being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions, my fathers, he was driven by fulfilling vain traditions from the dangerous rituals that he was a part of, from the legal aspect. And by the way, the reason that Paul makes these statements is because he’s going to deal with the rituals later on in this book. He’s going to deal with the aspects of the law later on in this book. So he’s got to lay the foundation of, look, I was saved out of all that. I was redeemed out of all that. God salvaged my life and gave me a new opportunity to serve, serve Him. So I know exactly where that lifestyle leads and where it comes from. He uses that as the premise and the foundation to teach them what the law’s purpose was. And by the way, it says later in Galatians, the law was our schoolmaster to point us to Christ. It was never meant or intended to save anybody. So here the nature of the gospel is to rescue. God wants to rescue our lives or redeem our lives, salvage our lives from a life of tradition. God never intended for his people just to go through sacraments and traditional worship. Now let me explain that. We are very traditional in the way we operate and we always will be. Amen. We’re not changing and we’re not modernizing and we’re not contemporizing. We’re not doing any of that stuff. We’re going to stay traditional, but we’re not going to do things just because it’s a tradition. Traditions will never usurp the authority of God. Does that make sense? And here Paul was living a life with the Jews, and the Jewish tradition was, well, we’ve always done it this way. We’ve always sacrificed this way, we’ve always done this, we’ve always done that. And they would not listen to the redeeming grace of Jesus Christ. They would not Understand that their perfect lamb had come and the sacrifice was already made and they didn’t have to continue in those vain traditions. You see, there are times where we’ve got to make sure that we are not doing things just simply out of tradition, but because the word of God tells us to. Are you listening? There are a lot of churches today, and not just Baptists, just churches all across the board that do things simply because it’s been a tradition for as long as they’ve been around. If you were to ask many of them that would be on the deacon board or even on the staff, they wouldn’t have a clue as to why they did some of the things they did. It was simply a tradition. Listen, I told you whenever you voted me in this pastor that we’re going to follow two things. We’re going to follow our Bible and our bylaws because our bylaws were voted on based because of the Bible that we believe. Amen. Those are the things that we’re going to follow. We’re not going to follow a tradition just because some other church did it this way. Then we’re going to do it this way. No, we’re going to do what the Bible says. Amen. And we got to make sure that we don’t get zealous in just fulfilling traditions because other people have done it that way before. The purpose of the Gospel is to rescue us from dead religion. Let me tell you, there are some churches today who are steeped in dead religion. Brother Thoreau used to always say there’s just ice cold churches. You could skate down the hole or down the aisles. Ice cold. Okay, dead religion. And we’ve got to make sure that we have the power of God in everything that we’re doing when we come to church. We got to come to church with the power of God. We got to come to church seeking after God’s hand in our lives. We got to come to church ready and willing to hear from God. That’s how we steer clear of that dead religion, of that vain tradition. We come with a purpose, not just, oh, it’s six o’, clock, we got to be at church. No, no, it’s time to come to church. It’s time to meet with God. And then God meets with the people who are already prepared to meet with him where he doesn’t have to fight all the different spirits that are in here. So here the necessity of the gospel is reception, but the nature of the gospel is to rescue. Thirdly, I want you to notice the nearness of the Gospel is found in Revelation, not the book, but in Revelation. Revelation from God, Verse fifteen. But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace. Notice God has a preference for us from birth. God will do everything throughout our lives with the sole purpose of drawing us to Him. Now it’s our choice whether or not we get saved. It’s our choice whether or not we trust in his redeeming grace. But everything that God does in our lives, he does with a purpose to draw us to Him. Understand that. See verse fifteen. It pleased God who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace. It reminds me of Jeremiah’s testimony where Jeremiah said that when I was in the belly of my mother, you knew me there. It reminds me of David’s testimony in Psalms one hundred thirty nine, where he says, I was fearfully and wonderfully made by you. You see, this is a reality. We’ve got to come to a point in our life where we recognize and we realize that everything that God has allowed in our lives, he’s allowed for the sole purpose to draw us to Him. Now, whether or not we did draw to him, that’s on us and how we handle situations. But here, his preference is for us from birth. Verse sixteen. To reveal His Son in me. Notice there’s a comma at the end of verse fifteen. So he’s not done yet. He’s continuing the thought that God had separated me. God had called me. Why? To reveal His Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen. Immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood. Notice, not only does God have a preference for us from birth, but God also has a purpose for us. You see, when God saves us and we choose to trust in his good grace, his purpose in our lives, and he’s predetermined according to Romans, chapter eight, verse number twenty nine, that we should be made into the image of the Son of God. We can be conformed into his image. So here his purpose, his plan is, once we get saved, then he wants Jesus Christ to be revealed in our lives. He wants to reveal His Son in us and through us. And then notice that I might preach him among the heathen. You see, the reason Jesus Christ needs to be revealed in our lives is so that when we go out into this world, he can be revealed to others because of our lives. He needs to be revealed in us so that when we go into the world, we can preach him who others see. You see, there are times where Our Christian life. When Christ isn’t being revealed in us, then others don’t see how a Christian ought to act. Others don’t see how a Christian ought to live. And then others may even wonder and be shocked when we tell them that we even go to church. Why? Because Christ hasn’t been revealed in us. When Christ is revealed in us, others will take note and see. And that opens a door of opportunity for us to preach him among the heathen. You see, because people are going to ask questions. People are going to wonder why you do the things that you do. People are going to wonder why you have the spirit that you have in the situation that you’re in. And if Christ has been revealed in you, they’re going to see you handle things differently. They’re going to see us respond in a different way. And Paul here deals with this. Our purpose is twofold. It’s for Christ to be revealed in us and then for us to reveal Christ to the world. Listen, we can’t reveal someone to the world that we’ve not had revealed to us. Remember Mark three fourteen. Jesus calls his disciples that they would first be with him, and then he sent them forth to preach the gospel. They couldn’t talk of a person they had never spent time with. It’s the same way in our lives. We can’t talk to others about Jesus Christ if we never spend time with Jesus Christ. We can’t tell others about the good things that God does in our lives if we’re not experiencing good things that he’s doing in our lives. Which means we got to spend time with God. He’s got to be revealed in us so that we can go and reveal him to the world. This is the nearness of the gospel. You see, the gospel message we know is defined as the good news of Jesus Christ. It’s the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We know, and we say it oftentimes, especially when we get geared up for our missions conference. The gospel is only good news if it gets there in time. But the reality is this, the Gospel is also only good news if it’s been revealed. If it’s been revealed, it’s got to be revealed. You see, we’ve got to make sure that we’re revealing Jesus Christ to everybody we come in contact with. By the way, notice I think this is quite interesting how he states this. Look at verse sixteen. This is the purpose that God gives him. To reveal his Son in me. Why? That I might preach him among the heathen. Notice what he says right after this there’s a semicolon. And right after this, there’s another thought or an independent clause. Immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood, he said. Right after I figured out what God had for me. Right after God revealed himself to me. I didn’t go and ask everybody else what their opinion was. Immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood. You see, when Paul was on the road, on the Damascus road in Acts chapter nine, and he was heading to go persecute more Christians, the bright light shone. God knocked him off his high horse. He got saved right there. He got taken to Ananias house. You remember that? It wasn’t Ananias house. Ananias came to him. Let’s go back to Acts nine. I got to tell you this properly. I’m going to be guilty of heresy up here. Lord, help us here. Lord, help us here. The Bible says that he arose and they brought him into Damascus. Acts nine, eight. He was there three days without sight. Neither did eat or drink. Then Ananias comes to him. God reveals to Ananias what he should do. Ananias tells him in verse thirteen. Lord, I have heard many. I have heard by many about this man. How much evil he hath done unto thy saints at Jerusalem. He said, God? We talk about the same guy. You ever had an argument with God? God? Do you know what you’re asking? Really? Have you ever been there? Oh, this is great. Verse fourteen. And here he hath authority from the chief priest to bind all that call on thy name. You’re asking me to go to this guy? I’ve heard all about him, and I know what he does. And he’s got authority in this place right here. And I’m supposed to go over there willingly? God? This doesn’t make sense. But God said, here, go that way. Why? He is a chosen vessel unto me. To bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and children of Israel. I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake. Look at verse seventeen. Ananias went his way and entered into the house. And putting his hands on him, said, brother Saul. By the way, why do we call each other brother? So and so? Because that’s what they did. All of our cues we take from the word of God. Why do we shake hands? Because the Bible says they extended the right hand of fellowship. That’s why we shake hands. It’s all in the Bible. Here he laid his hands on him and said, the Lord appeared unto thee in the way thou camest and sent me. That thou Mightest receive thy sight and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And then Saul was there certain days with the disciples at Damascus and then preached Jesus Christ. You see here, God had revealed himself to them. Paul didn’t have to ask what everybody else’s opinion was. He knew what God told him to do. You see, Listen, there’s a lot of people that get talked out of the will of God because they talk to everybody else before they talk to God. Are you listening in the same vein? There’s a lot of people that get talked into the will of God because they talk to everybody else, but they don’t ever talk to God. By the way, that’s where you would get the term Mama called and Daddy called because they spend all their time trying to please everybody they’re talking to rather than pleasing the only one that really matters, and that’s God. Here. God has a purpose and a plan for us. He has a preference. He has a purpose. And then verse seventeen, he has a plan. We’re in Galatians one. Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me, but I went to Arabia and returned again unto Damascus. Easily he could have gone to Jerusalem. Easily he could have gone to the megachurch in the area which was where all the apostles were. He could have gone there. But that’s not where God wanted him. You see, we’ve got to be careful to do the things that God wants us to do, not just the things that we want to do. Here. God has a plan for us from birth. I think it’s quite interesting that he could have gone to where all the other apostles were, but God sent him unto Arabia and then to Damascus. You see, he went to where others weren’t going or didn’t want to go. And by the way, all the missionary journeys he went on, he set that same precedent. He went to places nobody else wanted to go to. He went to places nobody else cared about. Listen, we, as Cornerstone Baptist Church, we need to be known as the people who go to those that are forgotten about. We need to be known as the church who’s interested in those who. Society is already cast off because everybody needs somebody to give them a chance. Everybody does. And we may not always be the greatest. We may not be the richest. We may not have all the things that everybody else has got. Things. But the reality is we have a God who can provide whatever is needed if we just go, if we would just do what it’s called us to do. The nearness of the gospel is revelation. The closer we get to God, the closer we’re going to be willing to get to others to reach them for God. Notice, lastly, the need of the gospel is results. You see, the purpose of spreading the gospel is ultimately for souls to get saved, right? It’s not to make a name for ourselves. It’s not just so we can check off a list and say, well, we passed out that box of tracts. No, it’s so that we can reach people with the gospel. We got to go out and do what God’s called us to do. But there are results that are expected when we do these things. A sower who goes out and sows seed, he expects a crop, right? Eventually, sooner or later. And so as a child of God, as we’re inviting folks to church and we’re witnessing to people, sooner or later we’re going to expect to see some results of what God’s been doing. His word will not return. Void verse eighteen. Notice. Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter and abode with him fifteen days. Verse nineteen. But other of the apostles saw I none save James, the Lord’s brother. By the way, James was the second pastor at the church of Jerusalem. Paul was the. Or Peter was the first one. James was the second one. We dealt with that before when we talked about the Book of James two years ago here. Notice. This ought to be a result of getting the gospel out first. We ought to be able to get acquainted with the brethren. You see, Paul was not a lone ranger out there doing his own thing. Oh, look at that, Paul. He’s special. God gave him fourteen books. He don’t associate with us. We’re not his kind. Paul wasn’t that way. Paul went to everybody. He fellowshipped with everybody. By the way, that’s why he was able to say, and I believe he wrote the book of Hebrews. That’s why he was able to say, let each esteem others and let’s provoke one another to good works. Then he says, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, he understood the importance of Christians meeting together. Listen, think of it this way. One of the simple, important truths on why Christians ought to be able to meet together and we have church service. If we don’t encourage one another, then who’s going to encourage us? The world’s not always going to encourage us to do right. They’re going to say, do whatever feels good, do whatever is easy. And so we come and we’re able to provoke one another to good works, encouraging one another in the progress and trust the process. So here we’re able to get acquainted with the brethren. Here, God saw fit for him to meet up with them, to fellowship with them, get a little bit of a refreshing, and then keep moving forward for the things of God. Then you’ll notice in verse number twenty and twenty one, we ought to not just get acquainted with the brethren, but also we ought to get assurance from the brethren. Look now, the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not. Afterwards, I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. So here he’s talking about the missionary journeys that he was on and all the different aspects there. Here he was testifying of what God had done. As a matter of fact, he was saying, go check it out yourself. I’m not lying to you. He was giving them full access to his life. He was assuring them that he wasn’t trying to lead them astray. By the way, this is the same church that just had somebody else bring him another gospel. This is the same church that was being led astray by somebody else. So he had to be very vulnerable to them and let them know, look, I don’t have any ulterior motives. I’m trying to help you, you understand? There’s going to be some people that you’re going to meet and some people that you’re going to be in contact with that think that you have ulterior motives for inviting them to church. You just want my money. No, we want you to know Jesus. We want you to learn of his good grace like we’ve learned of his good grace. No, no, no. You just want me for a number. No, we don’t. God’s going to grow his church however he wants to. But you’d be shocked, Brother Nick. You know, you’d be shocked at how many people think that the church has an ulterior motive. And guess what? They’ve gotten that idea. And they’ve learned that from a lot of the televangelists, okay? From a lot of people that have, quote, unquote, burn them in the ministry. So when you come across as being genuine, sometimes people are shocked by that because that’s rare. Genuine, authentic, those are rare to find. But here he’s being very vulnerable to them, giving them all the assurance they need about Him. Notice verse twenty two and twenty three. We see that we ought to be accepted by the brethren. It was unknown by the faith unto the churches of Judea which were at Christ. But they had heard only that he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which Once he destroyed and it says, and they glorified God in me. Listen. If anybody had a reason to be judged when they walked through the doors of a church, it would have been Paul. He walked in with everything exposed. They all knew his past. They knew everything about it. They heard his name before he even entered into the town. They knew he was coming. But notice what happens. He was accepted by the brethren. Again, you can go back to Acts chapter number nine. Ananias. We don’t hear much about him. Barnabas. We hear a lot about him. He was one of Paul’s men that went with him on the missionary journey. At one time it was Barnabas and Saul. And then it became Paul and Barnabas. At one time, Barnabas was the one training Saul. And then Saul became Paul. There was a little bit of a name change. And he began to be the leader of the group. But listen, Paul wouldn’t have been where he was were it not for Ananias being willing to accept him. Listen, not everybody can do that. As much as we’re going to preach it. And as much as I’ll tell you that we ought to love God and love people. As much as I say that I’m not naive enough to think that there aren’t people in our church who still are going to have a critical viewpoint of certain folks when they walk in. The reality is this. We have no right to judge anybody. None. No right, you understand? There are going to be people. As much as you try to love people. There are going to be people who accuse you of being judgmental just because of the stands that you take. Bless you, sir. I got called judgmental this week. It is what it is. I apologize to the person if they felt judged. I told them it’s not my intention. It’s never my intention. I love everybody. I try to help everybody. I can. Not always able to. But some people are just going to feel judged. We can do everything in our power to be willing to accept people. And guess what? We should. Because believe this. Chalk it down. Study your Bible. You’ll see it in Acts nine. If it wasn’t for Ananias accepting Paul. I wonder if Paul would have done those great things that he did for God. Now listen, God had already chosen him to do great works. But don’t you think it made it a little bit easier knowing that he had somebody on his side? Don’t you think it made it a little bit easier, a little more comforting to know that he had somebody in his corner? I’m not going to pull out the pom poms. But bless God, I’ll be your biggest cheerleader. I’m not going to wear the bows and stuff, but I’ll cheer yawn for Jesus. What am I saying? I’m saying we ought to accept others because somebody accepted us. I tell you all the time, I can go back to person after person after person that invested in my life. I can give you name after name after name. But each one of those people that invested were also people who accepted me. We’ve all got a past. Most of us aren’t proud of it, but we’ve all got a past. But thank God, it’s all under the blood. Praise the Lord. Here he now preaches the same gospel he once destroyed. He was accepted by them. But then verse twenty four, he was appreciated by him. Notice what they did. They glorified God in him. Notice they didn’t give him glory. They gave the God in him glory. And that’s the way our lives ought to be lived. Not that we receive glory for what God did, but that God receives glory from us and others for what he did with our lives. Because again, Paul was able to say to the church at Corinth, I am what I am by the grace of God. And every one of us too can say the same thing. I am where I am today because of the good grace of God. We ought to thank God for that. Thank God for it. Go ahead and stand with me. Here we have the gospel of grace that we’ve been given. Don’t ever take lightly what God has done in you. Don’t ever take lightly what God chooses to continue to do in your life. Let’s be willing to take the same gospel we were given. Turn around and give it to someone else. Let’s pray. Father, we love you. Thank you for the truths. Help us to understand the urgency of the gospel, the need that we have to share the good grace of God. We’ll praise you. We’ll thank you for what you allow in our lives. We love you, Lord. We ask this thing in your name we pray. Amen. As the pianist plays. You come as God’s laid it on your heart. God’s given us an opportunity to preach his word.

Scripture Reference

Galatians 1:11-24

Introduction

Title: “The Gospel of Christ – Part 2” — Preacher: Dr. Terry LeQuieu. In this sermon Dr. LeQuieu continues his study in Galatians chapter 1, focusing on Paul’s testimony and the urgency of the Gospel of Grace. The passage shows how the true gospel differs from false mixtures of law and works, how God reveals and commissions His servants, and how transformed lives are both evidence and instruments of the gospel.

Quote from Preacher

But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Outline

Necessity of Gospel Reception
1. Paul’s gospel was not of man but of God — Galatians 1:11-12.
2. Church learning and discipleship have value, but true understanding comes by the Holy Spirit. Dr. LeQuieu warns against twisting Paul’s statement into an excuse to avoid solid biblical instruction (2 Tim. 2:2; Luke 11:1).
3. Application: cultivate a receptive spirit—be teachable before God and men. God uses both faithful teachers and the inward teaching of the Spirit.
Nature of the Gospel: To Rescue
1. Paul’s testimony — rescued from dead religion, destructive repression, and dangerous rituals (Gal. 1:13-14).
2. Dead religion versus living relationship — religion without Christ changes nothing; relationship with Christ changes everything (illustration: Pharisee background, “Pharisee of the Pharisees”).
3. Warning against empty tradition: traditions must never replace Scriptural authority. The gospel frees from ritual and points to the finished work of Christ (cf. Gal. 3).
4. Application: evaluate church practices by Scripture; testify of redemption and encourage others out of dead habits into living faith.
Nearness of the Gospel: Revelation (God’s Prior Work)
1. God’s preference and purpose from birth — “separated me from my mother’s womb” (Gal. 1:15).
2. God reveals Christ in the believer “that I might preach him among the heathen” — revelation creates responsibility. You cannot reveal what you have not received (cf. Mark 3:14).
3. Immediate obedience — Paul “conferred not with flesh and blood” after his conversion. Do not be over-talked out of God’s calling by human opinions.
4. Application: seek God’s revelation in prayer and Scripture; obey promptly when God reveals a direction (compare Acts 9:10-17).
Need of the Gospel: Results
1. Conversion ought to produce visible fruit — Paul’s subsequent ministry, journeys, and fellowship with apostles are results that authenticated his calling (Gal. 1:17-24).
2. Christian fellowship matters — acceptance, assurance, and appreciation from the brethren are part of gospel life. The church should receive and encourage repentant sinners (Ananias, Barnabas examples in Acts).
3. Results are not for personal glory but to glorify God. Paul was “glorified” by the brethren because God was glorified in his life (Gal. 1:24).
4. Application: measure ministry success by changed lives and God-glorifying fruit, not public acclaim or numbers.

Summary

Dr. LeQuieu’s sermon through Galatians 1:11–24 makes three central points: the gospel is received by revelation from Jesus Christ and not manufactured by men; the gospel rescues men from dead religion, destructive patterns, and ritualism; and the revelation of Christ in the believer compels him to preach and produces measurable results for God’s glory. Paul’s radical conversion shows God’s sovereign work—His choosing, revealing, and sending—yet human responsibility remains: receive, obey, and share. The transformed life should lead to fellowship with other believers and to the glorifying of God alone.

Quote to Ponder

When it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen, immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood.

Application for the Week

Practical steps to live out this message during the coming week. These are simple, concrete, and designed to help young adults mature in faith while holding to the KJV truth.

Daily Seek Revelation
1. Spend 10–20 minutes each morning in prayer and Bible reading asking the Holy Spirit to reveal Christ to you (start with Galatians 1:11–16 and Mark 3:14).
2. Journal one thing God reveals—how He has separated you, called you, or is revealing Christ in you.
Testify of Rescue
1. Write a one-paragraph testimony of where you were before Christ and how He rescued you. Prepare to share it with a friend or small group.
2. Invite one person this week to attend a Sunday or midweek service, not to add numbers, but to offer them an opportunity to hear life-changing truth.
Practice Immediate Obedience
1. If you sense God prompting you to make a phone call, visit, or prayer for someone, do it the same day—don’t “confer with flesh and blood” until you obey.
2. Memorize Galatians 1:16–17 and repeat it when you feel uncertain about God’s direction.
Invest in Fellowship
1. Attend a midweek Bible study and come prepared to encourage two people. Ask how you can pray for them and follow up midweek.
2. Be quick to receive newcomers—offer a warm welcome and a listening ear. Remember Ananias and Barnabas’ example: acceptance unlocks ministry.
Evaluate Tradition by Scripture
1. List one church practice you do because “it’s always been done” and study its biblical basis this week. Bring your findings to a leadership or discipleship conversation.
2. Pray for courage to change or defend traditions based on Scripture, not sentiment.

May God bless you with revelation, a heart for the lost, and courage to live a life that glorifies Him alone. Share your results next Sunday so we can rejoice together over how God is working.