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Galatians Week 2 • Galatians 1:10-24

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  1. Hi, and welcome to the Willow Ridge Church weekly podcast.

  2. This is where you can find audio for our current and past sermons.

  3. We hope that you enjoy this week's installment, and be sure to check back next week to hear

  4. the latest message.

  5. Thanks for listening.

  6. Amen.

  7. Good morning.

  8. Glad that you guys are here with us.

  9. If you've got your Bibles, go ahead and open them up to Galatians chapter 1.

    Galatians 1 chapter mention

  10. That's where we're going to be this morning as we are in week two of our series.

  11. We're going to kind of recap a couple of things, some foundations that we are building off of

  12. as we work through this series together.

  13. And as we work through Galatians each week, we're going to be building on a gospel issue

  14. that Paul is dealing with and that Paul is working through with the church at Galatia.

  15. As Paul has planted this church, he's now left this church, and he's writing back instructions

  16. for where they are in their growth as they journey in the walk with their walk with the Lord corporately

  17. together.

  18. There you are.

  19. Good to see y'all.

  20. Where they are corporately together is as they walk with the Lord as a family of believers.

  21. And the first thing that's going to kind of be this gospel truth that we center on, that

  22. we understand each week is this, that the gospel is how we enter into the kingdom.

  23. That's going to be a primary focus on understanding.

  24. And we talked about that last week, a lot about that last week.

  25. And if you weren't here, go back and listen to it.

  26. You can do that from our website or you can check out our podcast, right?

  27. We've got that as well now.

  28. And so you can go back and understand what we mean when we understand the gospel and what

  29. the gospel shows us about ourselves, what the gospel shows us about Christ, what the gospel

  30. shows us about God, and what a life saved by the gospel then begins to look like.

  31. So the gospel is how we enter into the kingdom.

  32. And the important primary aspect of that is that it is the gospel and the gospel alone that

  33. saves us.

  34. There is no other way.

  35. There is no other faith.

  36. There is nothing else that saves us other than Christ and Christ alone.

  37. And so that's what we preach.

  38. That's what we teach.

  39. That's what we share with our lost friends and neighbors is that it is centered in on that

  40. Jesus Christ is at the heart of the gospel.

  41. The biblical Jesus is centered into that.

  42. And if you remove Jesus from the gospel, if you remove any aspect about who he is, if you

  43. remove any aspect of what he's done, if there's any part of the gospel that is in void of Jesus,

  44. if there's any part that's void of the cross, if there's any part that's void of the blood,

  45. if there's any part that's void of his death, that's void of his burial, that's void of his

  46. resurrection, it is no longer the gospel.

  47. Jesus in a very plain way says that he says that I am the way, the truth, and the life.

  48. And get this, big words for us to understand as we talk about the gospel, that no one, no

  49. one comes to faith, comes to eternity, comes to salvation, except by him, through him, the

  50. power of Jesus in the gospel.

  51. And so this is the first foundation that the gospel is how we enter into the kingdom.

  52. But there's a part of this, a tension that Paul's going to address, that we're going to

  53. work together through as a church, is that we feel when we hear the word, or you say the

  54. phrase, who needs the gospel?

  55. Like if I were to ask us today, who needs the gospel?

  56. Like I hope we begin with a laundry list of lost people whose lives we are invested in.

  57. So side note, if all you're doing is hanging out with Christians, we're missing the point.

  58. That the gospel is the hope for lost people.

  59. But here's the reality for you and for me, that it's not just lost people that need the

  60. gospel.

  61. It's not just lost people.

  62. It's not just people who have, in quotes, backslidden.

  63. It's not just people who are wandering a different way, but that it is all of us who need the

  64. gospel.

  65. And so what we begin to understand is not only is the gospel how we enter into the kingdom,

  66. but the gospel is how we live as a part of the kingdom.

  67. And so it's the gospel that molds us and shapes us and changes us through the power of the work

  68. of the Holy Spirit, that I am dependent on the gospel.

  69. So I have been saved for 18 years, 19 years, and I need the gospel just as much today as I stand

  70. here before you and preach that I did the day that I got saved in Toccoa, Georgia, when God revealed

  71. his truth to me.

  72. I need it just as much right now as I did then, as I walked this journey with him.

  73. And so what we begin to find out with the gospel is that for us, the gospel sets the standard,

  74. that the gospel works in us now so that the gospel can work through us.

  75. And what we have to realize and what you have to look at your own life and examine, what we

  76. have to walk through with each other and begin to examine is this, is there tangible fruit of

  77. the gospel evident in your life?

  78. Like, Cain, when you look at your day, when you look at your thoughts, when you look at

  79. your words, what do you see?

  80. Do you see sin?

  81. Do you see religion?

  82. Do you see you?

  83. Or do you see a tangible working of the gospel in your life of where this has taken place?

  84. And so it's what Paul begins with.

  85. But then he also is going to continue on this morning in a neat kind of rare moment that

  86. we don't oftentimes get in scriptures as we get a snapshot into Paul's testimony, as we

  87. get a snapshot into his story of what's going on.

  88. And what we're going to find in this is a little bit of an echo of what we talked about last

  89. week, but this time in an aspect that's made personal in his life.

  90. And this week, what we're going to look at is the power of the gospel.

  91. The power of the gospel.

  92. Here's the problem that Paul's trying to address in the church.

  93. Here's very specifically of what is taking place in here is this division that is happening

  94. between believers over the gospels, between the Jews and the Gentiles.

  95. The Jews who have come to faith first and are Christians and trying to follow what God's

  96. called for them.

  97. But then as the Gentiles become a part of that, the non-Jews, a division that tries to

  98. take place.

  99. And here's where the division is centered around and what Paul's trying to try to correct and

  100. what Paul's going to show about himself is, yes, it was believed that the gospel is what

  101. saves you.

  102. But then there was this other part about the gospel that was being added to about, and then

  103. there are these things that you must do, not out of a transformed heart, not out of a

  104. desire to be obedient to the Lord, but that this must happen and must take place in order

  105. for you to be saved.

  106. And so Paul's going to kind of come down through as we go through this and say, no, no, no,

  107. we're missing it when we add anything to the gospel, is that it is Jesus, not Jesus plus

  108. anything, that it is through Christ and Christ alone.

  109. And what we're going to gain is this, not that we shouldn't be obedient to what God's

  110. called us to do, God does call us to that.

  111. But the obedience that comes from the gospel, the obedience that comes from walking with

  112. the Lord, the obedience that comes from Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, is the fruit

  113. that comes from the gospel, not obedience so that we might obtain the gospel.

  114. And so it's what Paul begins to lay the groundwork.

  115. Paul says here, for my now seeking the approval of man or of God, or am I trying to please man?

  116. If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

  117. For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel.

  118. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a

  119. revelation of Jesus Christ.

  120. For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently

  121. and tried to destroy it.

  122. And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people.

  123. So extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.

  124. But when he who had set me apart before I was born and who called me by his grace was pleased

  125. to reveal his son to me in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately

  126. consult with anyone, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me.

  127. But I went away into Arabia and returned again to Damascus.

  128. Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him 15 days.

  129. But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord's brother.

  130. And what I'm writing to you before God, I do not lie.

  131. Then I went into the regions of Syria, of Cilicia, and I was still unknown in person to the churches

  132. of Judea that are in Christ.

  133. They only were hearing it said, he who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith

  134. he once tried to destroy.

  135. And they glorified God because of me.

  136. So Paul, in this section of this letter, there's two different sections that we're going to look at.

  137. He's going to encourage them of having a holy fear of God,

  138. but then he's also going to share his personal story of redemption.

  139. The first thing that we've got to look at, that we have to wrestle within ourselves

  140. as we understand the gospel is this.

  141. In our life, is it the fear of God or is it the fear of man?

  142. Here's personally what's going on in Paul's life.

  143. As Paul's speaking to the gospel and the gospel only,

  144. as Paul is acknowledging that he is bringing the hope of the gospel to the Gentiles,

  145. as he's breaking away from his race, as he's breaking away from his people,

  146. there's accusations that are being made against him,

  147. that he's changing the gospel, that he's changing the standard,

  148. that he's doing whatever he can to appease the Gentiles in order to bring them into faith,

  149. that Paul is being a people pleaser for them.

  150. And so the church begins to honestly do one of the things that the church does well.

  151. They begin to eat their own.

  152. They begin to sinfully begin to destroy each other.

  153. Unfortunately, it's what the lost world associates with many congregations and many denominations,

  154. as we seek to attack as opposed to unify,

  155. but that's a separate issue that we can talk about later.

  156. And so Paul seeks to set the record straight.

  157. The power of verse 10,

  158. for I am now seeking the approval of man or God, Paul asks,

  159. or am I trying to please man?

  160. If I were still trying to please man,

  161. I would not be a servant or this word literally translated slave to Christ.

  162. Paul says,

  163. no, no, no, you got to understand that I am not surrendered to man,

  164. but I am surrendered to the Lord.

  165. So when it comes to your life and mine,

  166. when it comes to our obedience and the transformation of the gospel,

  167. when it comes to the boldness of the words that we say,

  168. when it comes to,

  169. even for those of us now that are trying to figure out,

  170. is this gospel what we surrender to or not?

  171. The questions that I think we must ask ourselves is this,

  172. whose approval are you seeking?

  173. Who are you and I in our life trying to please?

  174. Because our approval and our goal to please

  175. will establish who we are seeking to obey

  176. and who has ultimate influence on our life.

  177. That when our life is lived with a matter and a desire

  178. to come before the Lord,

  179. to seek Him, to please Him,

  180. no matter what,

  181. then everything else gets pushed to the side.

  182. Because the reality is,

  183. if we live boldly for the gospel,

  184. there will be parts of us that are not pleasing to others.

  185. There will be parts of us that do not gain the approval to others

  186. because the gospel at the core within itself is offensive.

  187. The gospel at the core within itself tells me

  188. and tells others that I am not okay.

  189. And neither are you without the hope of the gospel.

  190. It's the part that we looked at and tried to understand last year,

  191. or last week,

  192. that we needed rescuing,

  193. that we were dead in our trespasses and sins,

  194. that we were incapable of anything good apart from Christ.

  195. And so when we begin to flesh this out,

  196. what does that look like?

  197. Now this isn't giving us permission to be offensive to everyone.

  198. This isn't giving us permission to walk into work tomorrow morning

  199. and be hated because of who we follow.

  200. In fact, Paul within his life has the desire to love everyone.

  201. In fact, in 1 Corinthians 9,

  202. he even talks about that he wants to be all things to all people

  203. in the hopes that some may come to faith.

  204. But the reality is when we live boldly for the gospel,

  205. when it comes to who we are going to please in this world,

  206. that the gospel does create a divide.

  207. Do we fear God or do we fear man?

  208. Because we can't fear both.

  209. Paul uses the word servant or slave in this.

  210. And the reality is what scripture teaches

  211. is that we can't serve two masters.

  212. It's Christ and Christ alone.

  213. So what does it mean to fear God?

  214. What does it look like to have this in our lives?

  215. I love what Joel kind of shared for the moment there

  216. as he talked about the beauty of that,

  217. of the awesomeness of the gospel,

  218. what the gospel does,

  219. that the gospel does cause us in our life

  220. to be filled with the awe of the wonder of God.

  221. That sometimes as we're in his presence,

  222. we can't speak.

  223. Sometimes within his presence,

  224. we're just overcome by who he is.

  225. To be in fear of God means that above anything else,

  226. that there's this attraction to his greatness.

  227. That it's what draws us,

  228. it's what pulls at our hearts,

  229. and that what comes from that

  230. is this holy desire to be obedient.

  231. And so Paul begins at the very beginning of this

  232. by establishing as we go through this,

  233. what we have to work out within ourselves

  234. is in your life, church, in my life,

  235. who do we seek to please?

  236. Is it Christ and Christ alone?

  237. Or is it anything else?

  238. But then what we're going to see

  239. is we're going to see the power of Paul's story.

  240. Now Paul's not,

  241. if you don't know the story of Paul,

  242. Paul's not this guy that was raised up in the church

  243. and this is all that he's ever known

  244. and he was molded and shaped for this

  245. and has been a dynamic leader of the Christian faith

  246. his entire life.

  247. Quite exactly the opposite.

  248. That he wasn't before a man named Paul,

  249. but before that he was a man named Saul.

  250. And as Saul, his goal in life,

  251. and this is what he alludes to,

  252. was to end Christianity.

  253. And here's what's important for us to know.

  254. His goal to end Christianity

  255. was not through conversions.

  256. He wasn't trying to take Christians

  257. and move them into Judaism.

  258. His goal to end Christianity

  259. was to destroy it.

  260. And he would destroy it.

  261. His means were through imprisonment and execution.

  262. Like we can call this Saul

  263. before he gets saved and becomes Paul

  264. a lot of different things.

  265. We can call him a bad man.

  266. We can call him a sinful person.

  267. We can call him evil.

  268. But I think a better explanation

  269. to resonate in our hearts

  270. who Saul was was Saul was a terrorist.

  271. seeking to create fear through death.

  272. A lot of the tactics

  273. and a lot of the things

  274. that we hear of

  275. happen in other parts of the country.

  276. This is what Saul lived out.

  277. You can read in the Bible

  278. where he orchestrated,

  279. approved,

  280. and empowered public executions.

  281. This was who this man was.

  282. But he had an encounter with Jesus.

  283. He had an encounter on the Damascus road.

  284. And when God saved him,

  285. God changed him.

  286. Everything down to even his name

  287. of who he is.

  288. And what we see

  289. of what Paul shakes out for us here

  290. is the power of his story.

  291. And what we're going to notice

  292. are some key aspects

  293. of what he focuses in on

  294. in his story

  295. as he seeks to share

  296. the power of the gospel.

  297. And the first thing

  298. that he shows us

  299. is the power of God.

  300. Let's reread

  301. verses 11 and 12.

  302. He says,

  303. Paul didn't get saved

  304. at youth camp.

  305. Paul wasn't talked

  306. into something.

  307. Paul didn't come

  308. to a worship service

  309. that his friends

  310. brought him to.

  311. Paul wasn't raised

  312. in the church.

  313. Now all of those things

  314. are how people get saved

  315. and I praise God for it.

  316. But what Paul

  317. is establishing here

  318. and at any point in time

  319. when anyone gets saved,

  320. that it happens

  321. only through

  322. the power of God.

  323. I appreciate so much

  324. how Chad prayed for me

  325. and how Joel prayed for me.

  326. And how Isaac prayed for me

  327. before the service.

  328. That the words

  329. that I speak

  330. that God may use them

  331. in his power

  332. if anyone needs

  333. to be saved.

  334. Do you see the difference

  335. of what's there?

  336. That it's not through

  337. the appeal of man,

  338. it's not through

  339. the cunningness of man,

  340. but it is through

  341. the power of God

  342. that salvation happens.

  343. And so Paul says,

  344. look,

  345. I didn't receive it

  346. from any man.

  347. It wasn't taught

  348. through me,

  349. but that salvation

  350. comes in power

  351. alone through God

  352. so that it is understood

  353. that in all of us

  354. when salvation happens,

  355. God saved you

  356. and God saved me.

  357. The power of what

  358. has taken place.

  359. We can't miss that.

  360. The same God

  361. that spoke the world

  362. into the existence

  363. is the same God

  364. who saves.

  365. The same miracle

  366. that took place

  367. as life was created

  368. is the same miracle

  369. that takes place

  370. when someone gets saved

  371. at seven or 77.

  372. That's the power

  373. of God

  374. of what's happening.

  375. But he also talks

  376. about this.

  377. He talks about

  378. the power over sin

  379. starting in verse 13.

  380. He says,

  381. for you have heard

  382. of my former life

  383. in Judaism,

  384. how I persecuted

  385. the church of God

  386. violently

  387. and tried to destroy it

  388. and I was advancing

  389. in Judaism

  390. beyond many

  391. of my own age

  392. among my people.

  393. So extremely zealous

  394. was I

  395. for the traditions

  396. of my father.

  397. But when he

  398. who had set me apart,

  399. focus on verse 15,

  400. this is what you want

  401. to underline,

  402. but when he

  403. who had set me apart

  404. before I was born

  405. and who called me

  406. by his grace

  407. was pleased

  408. to reveal

  409. his son to me

  410. in order

  411. that I might

  412. preach him

  413. among the Gentiles.

  414. There's two parts

  415. that we see here

  416. in the power

  417. over sin

  418. for the gospel.

  419. And the first

  420. is this,

  421. it's the power

  422. of the gospel

  423. over sin,

  424. not the power

  425. of the gospel

  426. in spite of sin.

  427. It's important

  428. of what the power

  429. reigns

  430. is over,

  431. not in spite.

  432. You see,

  433. because the struggle

  434. that you and I

  435. currently face

  436. is not because

  437. the weakness

  438. of the gospel.

  439. It's not because

  440. the weakness of God

  441. as we battle

  442. through sin

  443. in our life

  444. because the power

  445. of the gospel

  446. is the power

  447. over sin.

  448. But it's the power

  449. of our humanity

  450. that still wants

  451. to ring true in us.

  452. It's the power

  453. of the brokenness

  454. that we still

  455. try to hold on to.

  456. The reality is

  457. is that when God

  458. saves us,

  459. he gives us power

  460. not in spite of sin

  461. but that God

  462. gives us power

  463. over sin.

  464. And what we begin

  465. to see

  466. is the beauty

  467. of the battle.

  468. What we begin

  469. to understand

  470. is that's where

  471. the fruit of faith

  472. comes from.

  473. It's the power

  474. over sin

  475. that I see

  476. and that I recognize

  477. and that I'm

  478. repentant for

  479. and that I'm battling

  480. with the sin

  481. that's in my life.

  482. Does it mean

  483. I'm there yet?

  484. No.

  485. Does it mean

  486. I'm perfected?

  487. Absolutely not.

  488. In this side

  489. of eternity,

  490. I will never be.

  491. But it's the battle

  492. through it.

  493. It's the battle

  494. over it.

  495. And I think

  496. the struggle

  497. for many of us

  498. is when we see sin,

  499. when sin is examined,

  500. when sin is pointed

  501. out in our life,

  502. are we offended

  503. by it?

  504. Are we repentant

  505. of it?

  506. Or are we indifferent

  507. to it?

  508. And I think

  509. as the church

  510. we have to examine that.

  511. I think as the church

  512. we have to battle

  513. with that,

  514. you know the sin

  515. that's in your life.

  516. You know the struggles

  517. that are there.

  518. You know the battles

  519. that you face.

  520. The question is this,

  521. do you hate it

  522. or do you love it?

  523. Do you repent of it

  524. or do you excuse it?

  525. The battle over.

  526. But the second part,

  527. the focus there

  528. in verse 15,

  529. was we read that together.

  530. But when he who had set me apart

  531. before I was born

  532. and who called me

  533. by his grace

  534. was pleased to reveal

  535. his son to me

  536. in order that I might

  537. preach him

  538. among the Gentiles.

  539. Here's what Paul's

  540. talking about here.

  541. All that stuff

  542. that he did,

  543. all the executions

  544. that were there,

  545. all the persecution

  546. that took place,

  547. that through the power

  548. over sin,

  549. through the power

  550. of the gospel,

  551. that God's plans for him,

  552. that God's purpose for him

  553. had not changed

  554. and they are larger

  555. than the sin

  556. that's in Paul's life.

  557. And so what Satan

  558. would try to hold him back

  559. is you can never go

  560. to that church

  561. and proclaim hope to them.

  562. You persecuted them.

  563. You imprisoned them.

  564. You threw them in jail.

  565. What are they going

  566. to say about you?

  567. You had their loved ones

  568. executed.

  569. But Paul says,

  570. no, no, no, no, no.

  571. There's the difference

  572. of what's there

  573. because before I committed

  574. all of these sins,

  575. before I was even saved,

  576. God had set me apart

  577. for the hope

  578. of the gospel

  579. to bring faith

  580. to the Gentiles.

  581. Church,

  582. as we're in our world,

  583. as we're in our life,

  584. let me tell you this.

  585. There are a thousand

  586. different things

  587. you've done

  588. and I've done

  589. that Satan wants

  590. to tell us

  591. that we're disqualified

  592. for the gospel

  593. because of it.

  594. But because of the power

  595. that God has over sin

  596. because of who he is

  597. and because of the gospel,

  598. you are not disqualified.

  599. But the power

  600. of the gospel

  601. qualifies you.

  602. You see,

  603. if you can look back

  604. on anything

  605. that you feel like

  606. you've done in your past

  607. to qualify you for this,

  608. then you've missed

  609. the point to begin with.

  610. But it's through

  611. the power of the gospel

  612. over sin.

  613. We continue on

  614. in verse 16

  615. and we see

  616. the power

  617. of the Spirit.

  618. He says,

  619. I did not immediately

  620. consult with anyone

  621. nor did I go up

  622. to Jerusalem

  623. to those who were

  624. apostles before me.

  625. But I went away

  626. into Arabia

  627. and returned again

  628. to Damascus.

  629. Then after three years

  630. I went up to Jerusalem

  631. to visit Cephas

  632. and remained with him

  633. fifteen days.

  634. But I saw none

  635. of the other apostles

  636. except James,

  637. the Lord's brother.

  638. And what I am writing

  639. to you before God,

  640. I do not lie.

  641. So Paul gets saved

  642. and here's his journey.

  643. He wasn't immediately

  644. discipled.

  645. He didn't return

  646. to the home base

  647. of Christianity

  648. to go and study.

  649. What Paul did

  650. was he went away

  651. and he spent time

  652. with God.

  653. And so what we see

  654. as he begins to tell

  655. of the work

  656. that God's doing,

  657. we see the fruit

  658. of the relationship

  659. of what Paul

  660. is working through

  661. between him

  662. and God alone.

  663. That Paul

  664. in his need

  665. to be discipled,

  666. Paul in his need

  667. to grow,

  668. that his foundation

  669. for both of those

  670. rests in God

  671. and God alone.

  672. And here's what

  673. I want to tell you

  674. is this happens

  675. through the power

  676. of the Spirit.

  677. It's not that we

  678. don't need discipleship.

  679. Absolutely

  680. we need discipleship.

  681. I need individuals

  682. speaking into my life,

  683. molding me

  684. and shaping me

  685. and working in ways

  686. to help me grow

  687. in my relationship

  688. with the Lord.

  689. But can I tell you

  690. that my relationship

  691. with God

  692. can never be

  693. solely linked

  694. to a relationship

  695. with an individual,

  696. but the foundation

  697. of my relationship

  698. with God

  699. must be connected

  700. to my relationship

  701. with him.

  702. And within that,

  703. there's a battle.

  704. Within that,

  705. that's a struggle.

  706. Within that,

  707. that's a working

  708. through of maturity

  709. of what we must do.

  710. But church,

  711. I want to tell you this,

  712. there's beauty

  713. in the struggle.

  714. There's perseverance

  715. that comes from

  716. the struggle.

  717. So when you dive

  718. into God's Word

  719. between you

  720. and the Lord

  721. depending on the power

  722. of the Holy Spirit

  723. and you don't understand

  724. everything

  725. or maybe you don't

  726. even understand anything,

  727. can I tell you,

  728. don't set it down

  729. and walk to someone else

  730. to get their opinion

  731. of what it might say,

  732. but stick with the battle,

  733. stick with the struggle

  734. and watch through

  735. the power of the Holy Spirit

  736. what God is going to do

  737. as God's Spirit

  738. reveals to you.

  739. It's the power over it.

  740. Paul,

  741. the greatest church planter

  742. we know

  743. got saved

  744. and didn't run

  745. to seminary.

  746. Paul,

  747. the greatest church planter

  748. we know

  749. got saved

  750. and he ran

  751. to the feet of God.

  752. He said,

  753. in your power,

  754. teach me.

  755. And then lastly,

  756. and we'll conclude

  757. with this,

  758. what we see here

  759. in Paul

  760. is the power

  761. of a story.

  762. Let's start reading

  763. in verse 21.

  764. He says,

  765. then I went

  766. into the regions

  767. of Syria

  768. and Cilicia

  769. and I was still

  770. unknown

  771. in person

  772. to the churches

  773. of Judea

  774. that are in Christ.

  775. They only were

  776. hearing it said,

  777. he who used

  778. to persecute us

  779. is now preaching

  780. the faith

  781. he once tried

  782. to destroy.

  783. Let's read that again.

  784. Here's what they're saying.

  785. He who used

  786. to persecute us,

  787. he who used

  788. to try to kill us,

  789. he who used

  790. to,

  791. has killed

  792. some of us,

  793. who used

  794. to throw us

  795. in jail,

  796. who used

  797. to have us beaten,

  798. who used

  799. to have our houses

  800. burned down,

  801. who used

  802. to perform

  803. public executions,

  804. he who used

  805. to do these

  806. things is now

  807. preaching the faith

  808. he once tried

  809. to destroy

  810. and they glorified

  811. God

  812. because

  813. of me.

  814. The power

  815. of

  816. a story.

  817. What makes

  818. Paul's story

  819. powerful?

  820. What makes it

  821. powerful?

  822. I don't think

  823. what makes

  824. Paul's story

  825. powerful

  826. is his sin

  827. because then

  828. the glory

  829. would be on

  830. the sin.

  831. I don't think

  832. what makes

  833. Paul's story

  834. powerful

  835. is Paul.

  836. When you look

  837. at the power

  838. of Paul's

  839. story,

  840. of what it

  841. comes from,

  842. of everything

  843. that it is,

  844. it's because

  845. the power

  846. of Paul's story

  847. is focused

  848. on God

  849. and the gospel.

  850. And that's

  851. the power

  852. of his story.

  853. That's why

  854. for you

  855. and for me

  856. that we can

  857. look at our

  858. lives regardless

  859. of our journey

  860. to faith

  861. and if we

  862. focus in

  863. on the big

  864. title things

  865. of what we

  866. see Paul

  867. focus in on,

  868. there's the

  869. same power

  870. that's there

  871. because it's

  872. the power

  873. of the Holy

  874. Spirit

  875. working through

  876. us.

  877. when I'd

  878. gotten saved,

  879. I'd been

  880. saved maybe

  881. two or

  882. three months

  883. and I was

  884. riding back

  885. from a,

  886. we'd gone up

  887. to Clemson's

  888. FCA and I

  889. got put in a

  890. car with

  891. somebody that I

  892. didn't know

  893. and he began

  894. to talk

  895. and he said,

  896. hey man,

  897. how about you

  898. share your

  899. testimony with

  900. me?

  901. I said,

  902. sure.

  903. And so we

  904. began to talk

  905. and I began

  906. to lay out

  907. my story

  908. of what God

  909. had done

  910. in my life.

  911. I began to

  912. tell about all

  913. of the horrible

  914. things that I've

  915. done.

  916. I began to

  917. openly confess

  918. and I think

  919. for a moment

  920. the guy's kind

  921. of sitting

  922. there like

  923. white knuckle

  924. in the steering

  925. wheel going

  926. are good

  927. grief,

  928. right?

  929. And I

  930. talked about

  931. the day

  932. that God

  933. saved me.

  934. I talked

  935. about what

  936. God was

  937. doing.

  938. I talked

  939. about what

  940. it looked

  941. like and

  942. the call

  943. for the

  944. future.

  945. I talked

  946. about the

  947. hope that

  948. I had and

  949. the opportunities

  950. to share

  951. with others.

  952. And I

  953. said,

  954. what about

  955. you?

  956. What's your

  957. testimony?

  958. And he

  959. said,

  960. man,

  961. it's nothing

  962. like yours.

  963. It's boring.

  964. He said,

  965. man,

  966. I've never

  967. not known

  968. a relationship

  969. with God.

  970. From the

  971. time that I

  972. was very

  973. young,

  974. I trusted

  975. my life

  976. to Christ.

  977. And every

  978. day I've

  979. tried to be

  980. surrendered to

  981. the gospel

  982. and God's

  983. plan for me.

  984. He said,

  985. I'm 22

  986. years old

  987. now.

  988. He said,

  989. I've tried

  990. to walk

  991. with faith.

  992. I've tried

  993. to run

  994. from struggles.

  995. I've slipped

  996. and I've

  997. fallen.

  998. I've made

  999. decisions that

  1000. I shouldn't

  1001. have and I

  1002. repent.

  1003. And he

  1004. said,

  1005. so I

  1006. kind of

  1007. feel like

  1008. my story

  1009. is void.

  1010. I kind

  1011. of feel

  1012. like my

  1013. story is

  1014. broken.

  1015. I kind

  1016. of feel

  1017. like my

  1018. story isn't

  1019. filled with

  1020. this great

  1021. aha moment.

  1022. And there

  1023. was another

  1024. buddy of mine

  1025. sitting in the

  1026. back seat.

  1027. And he

  1028. said,

  1029. you know,

  1030. when it

  1031. comes to

  1032. stories,

  1033. we try to

  1034. rank them.

  1035. We try

  1036. to rank

  1037. them through

  1038. the shock

  1039. factor.

  1040. We try

  1041. to rank

  1042. them because

  1043. let's be

  1044. honest,

  1045. some of

  1046. our stories

  1047. are G

  1048. rated,

  1049. some of

  1050. us not

  1051. so much.

  1052. And based

  1053. in our

  1054. sin,

  1055. in the

  1056. past,

  1057. we try

  1058. to determine

  1059. the power

  1060. and the

  1061. effectiveness

  1062. of the

  1063. gospel in

  1064. our life.

  1065. Let me

  1066. tell you,

  1067. church,

  1068. whether you

  1069. got saved

  1070. at seven

  1071. and all

  1072. you've

  1073. known as

  1074. the Lord,

  1075. or whether

  1076. you've

  1077. run from

  1078. him time

  1079. and time

  1080. again,

  1081. pursuing all

  1082. of the

  1083. things that

  1084. we're not

  1085. going to

  1086. talk about

  1087. in here.

  1088. It's not

  1089. the power

  1090. of your

  1091. sin.

  1092. It's the

  1093. power of

  1094. the gospel.

  1095. Whether you

  1096. talk about

  1097. Mary,

  1098. the mother

  1099. of Jesus,

  1100. or the

  1101. apostle Paul,

  1102. both came

  1103. from different

  1104. routes.

  1105. Both came

  1106. with different

  1107. stories,

  1108. but both

  1109. ended at

  1110. the same

  1111. throne,

  1112. the throne

  1113. of Jesus.

  1114. Would you

  1115. pray with

  1116. me?

  1117. God, we

  1118. thank you so

  1119. much for

  1120. this morning.

  1121. Lord, we

  1122. thank you for

  1123. the power of

  1124. the cross.

  1125. We thank you

  1126. for the power

  1127. of God that

  1128. works,

  1129. that the

  1130. power of the

  1131. gospel is

  1132. found in you

  1133. and you

  1134. alone, God.

  1135. And then it

  1136. gives power

  1137. over sin,

  1138. that in our

  1139. life that we

  1140. no longer live

  1141. as the

  1142. defeated, but

  1143. we live, we

  1144. stand in the

  1145. victory.

  1146. Lord, that you

  1147. give us even

  1148. in the

  1149. struggles, Lord,

  1150. the opportunity

  1151. to see and

  1152. to acknowledge,

  1153. to repent,

  1154. to be broken

  1155. of because of

  1156. the power over

  1157. sin.

  1158. But also,

  1159. Lord, that our

  1160. sin, our

  1161. past,

  1162. doesn't

  1163. disqualify us,

  1164. but you

  1165. qualify us,

  1166. that you've

  1167. chosen, that

  1168. you've appointed,

  1169. that you've set

  1170. into place for

  1171. all of us.

  1172. Lord, plans to

  1173. live boldly and

  1174. faithfully for

  1175. you.

  1176. Lord, we thank

  1177. you for the

  1178. power of the

  1179. Spirit.

  1180. Lord, the same

  1181. Holy Spirit

  1182. that lived in

  1183. Paul is the

  1184. same Holy Spirit

  1185. that lives in

  1186. us.

  1187. Lord, that's

  1188. hard for us.

  1189. Lord, I know

  1190. that's hard for

  1191. me so many

  1192. times, to

  1193. understand that

  1194. level of

  1195. connection that

  1196. I have with

  1197. you.

  1198. Lord, and I

  1199. pray that in

  1200. our foundation of

  1201. our faith,

  1202. Lord, I thank

  1203. you that you

  1204. give us so

  1205. many different

  1206. people who

  1207. step into our

  1208. lives to help

  1209. mold us and

  1210. shape us.

  1211. But, Lord,

  1212. before we bow

  1213. down, before we

  1214. become dependent

  1215. at the feet of

  1216. a pastor or

  1217. the feet of

  1218. an author, at

  1219. the feet of a

  1220. teacher, a

  1221. small group

  1222. leader, Lord,

  1223. that we become

  1224. broken and

  1225. dependent at the

  1226. feet of a God

  1227. who speaks to

  1228. us.

  1229. So, Lord, have

  1230. us struggle, have

  1231. us become

  1232. disciplined, have

  1233. us build the

  1234. spiritual muscle

  1235. that we need to

  1236. persevere

  1237. through, or so

  1238. that we can

  1239. experience the

  1240. sweetness when

  1241. you speak to

  1242. us, and that

  1243. we, we can

  1244. hear from God.

  1245. Lord, I thank

  1246. you for the

  1247. power of our

  1248. stories.

  1249. for every man

  1250. and woman and

  1251. child that has

  1252. been saved, where

  1253. there's power in

  1254. their story.

  1255. From the

  1256. addict that's

  1257. been pulled out

  1258. of the street to

  1259. the kid in Sunday

  1260. school, where

  1261. there's power in

  1262. every story.

  1263. with every head

  1264. bowed and every

  1265. eye closed.

  1266. I want to end

  1267. with what I

  1268. began with.

  1269. This morning,

  1270. whose approval

  1271. do you seek?

  1272. God's or man's?

  1273. If it's the

  1274. approval of God,

  1275. I'll tell you

  1276. where it

  1277. begins.

  1278. It begins at

  1279. the cross.

  1280. Jesus, if there's

  1281. anyone here, they

  1282. don't know you as

  1283. their Lord and

  1284. Savior, I pray

  1285. that today would

  1286. be their day of

  1287. life eternal, life

  1288. everlasting, or

  1289. draw their hearts

  1290. to you, speak

  1291. hope to them, or

  1292. draw them with

  1293. your spirit, bring

  1294. them to your

  1295. throne of mercy,

  1296. have them respond

  1297. in who you are

  1298. fully, so that the

  1299. power of the

  1300. gospel would be

  1301. made known to

  1302. them, Lord, and

  1303. they would run to

  1304. you, and they

  1305. would cry out to

  1306. you, Lord, and

  1307. they would be

  1308. broken for their

  1309. sin, Lord, they

  1310. would be set free

  1311. from their shame

  1312. so that they can

  1313. live in the

  1314. boldness of the

  1315. cross, and the

  1316. power of the

  1317. gospel.

  1318. It's in Jesus' name

  1319. we pray, amen.

  1320. thanks again for

  1321. listening to the

  1322. Willow Ridge Church

  1323. weekly podcast.

  1324. We hope that you

  1325. enjoyed listening to

  1326. this week's message.

  1327. If you'd like to

  1328. learn more about who

  1329. we are, or explore

  1330. additional resources,

  1331. visit us online at

  1332. www.willowridgechurch.com

  1333. or by searching for

  1334. Willow Ridge Church

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