Whom Do We Please? (2)

Sermons based on the Letter to the Galatians (I)

Galatians 1:1-24

1. Seek God’s approval.

2. Find out God’s mission for you.

Remember that preaching the gospel to gentiles was not popular within the Jewish Christians. Galatians had the same problem. They were not an established church, and they had a problem in seeing gentiles coming to the Lord without accepting Judaism first. Paul makes it very clear that he received a revelation from God. His revelation is to preach the Good News to all, Jews or gentiles, especially gentiles.

I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. ¹²I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.

But when God, who set me apart from birth^[a] and called me by his grace, was pleased ¹⁶to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, ¹⁷nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus. (11-12,15-17)

The heart of the message is salvation by Jesus Christ. It is the essence of anything. Without it nothing can continue in the church. Without it church life will become meaningless. Without salvation, church life could easily become a “school of ethics” without Jesus.

Two things are essential in Paul’s teaching.

-He did not contradict the Scripture. He often quoted from the Old Testament. (The Monday night Bible study group is studying the book of Romans. They reached chapter 4 where Paul gives the example of Father Abraham. How Abraham’s faith was essential in his life.)

-Also his teachings are not contradictory with the early church council. In fact, in the next chapter, he will go to Jerusalem to take their blessings.

Now let us very careful about receiving revelation from God. I have seen cult people who believe they “receive” revelations from God.

Once I heard there was man of prayer in a remote village, who had the gift of praying, called “brother Nasib”. I took my youth group, all 30 kids, to visit him. This was happening in Ainjar 12 years ago, in Lebanon. We sand some praise songs then he taught from the Bible. In the end of his teaching, He said Jesus is coming back in the year 2000. I stood up. The youth were surprised. I said, “How can you say something like this?” He said “it was a revelation from God.” I apologized, and politely said the meeting is over. I took my youth and headed home quickly.

I have seen wrong teachings, contradictory to the biblical teachings, in the name of a revelation from God. Whatever God reveals to any of us should be consistent with the Word of God.

I had a Christian friend who was Christian school principal. In the middle of the year, she suddenly told the board of the school, she received a revelation from God to leave the school to a Bedouin mission. We begged her to finish the year. Nothing convinced her. She left the school. I have difficulty in agreeing that was a revelation from God.

Paul saw a clear mission, to reveal the Gospel to the Gentiles.

What is your mission in this church?

Maybe you did not ask this question before.

Do you have a specific mission?

I encourage you to ask God to lead you for a mission. Ask God for specific mission.

We are all called to be the ministers of the Word of God.

3- Paul did not rush in his mission. He took his time, (little by little, day by day).

Paul spent 3 years in Arabia and Damascus, where God prepared him for the mission. In Chapter 2, we see that after 14 years of mission work he went to Jerusalem, to the leaders, to the council, to the apostles to share with them the mission. Paul took his time. In fact it was God’s time.

Read Acts and you see how day-by-day God revealed to him what to do, where to go, which church, which city and so on. After 17 years, he goes to Jerusalem. Time played an important role in receiving Jerusalem’s endorsement. Remember many (including apostles) had doubts, who is this Paul? How come he is called an apostle? How come he goes to Gentiles?

In the western world, we are impatient. We want quick results. We want to play the piano without practice. I had student who started taking lesson, long time ago. After four lessons, the mother said, “How come my son is not playing “karoun, karoun” song?”

Then I had students who took some lessons and started playing Beethoven’s “fur Elise”. Then they stopped. They don’t want to spend more time.

I feel sometimes we approach to our mission life half-heartedly. It is not a priority in our lives.

We all have vocations, some are engineers, some are homemakers, some are physicians. But we also should have call from God to do His mission.

I was listening to a sermon from Paul Shepherd, called “Excellent Stewardship.”

It is a sermon that motivates church members to take their ministry seriously.

Let me quote a saying from him:

“My work is what I am paid to do;

My call is what I am made to do.”

We give time to our work. Paul was a tent maker, for example. But that was means to make a living. But we should have calling from God which makes our life meaningful. We exist because we should do what God called us to do.

Paul took time in preparing his ministry. For 17 years he did not sleep and waited. He went around. He spoke, he planted churches, he found disciples.

Plan to make time for mission and ministry. If you don’t know where you can serve, talk with me, or the deacons. We could help you.

Give time.

In summary, Paul stood firm in his beliefs, pleasing God and not people. He was surprised how easily the Galatians were diverted from the gospel. How easily wrong teachings distorted the message.

His Holiness Karekin first, the late cahtolicos for Armenians said once to a group of visitors who were visiting Echmiadzin, “If we Christians knew the Word of God better, all the sects, Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, and other groups could not penetrate to Armenia easily.”

Let us be rooted in the Word of God. Let us go pleasing our Lord and not anyone else.

Let us find what is our mission and let us give time to practice it.

Amen