Mark Sherratt (00:00:07) - Well, welcome everyone. I trust everyone is enjoying the weather. Yes, yes. Yeah, you can talk to me really good. We really do give you a warm welcome. If you're watching online or it's your first time here at Christian Center, it's great to have you. Um, with us, we are in the book of Galatians for several weeks to come and, uh, doing some teaching, um, from that book. In week one, um, pastor Billy talked to us, um, and introduced the book and the background, particularly, uh, of the book of Galatians to set the scene for the series. And last week, pastor Kme came and shared with us about God's amazing grace and his peace that is available to all of us and to every generation. And you know it. So I hope that as we study this book, that um, it will help you, uh, to deepen your understanding of the gospel, about our freedom from the law, who we are in Christ, our identity, and also life in the spirit.

Mark Sherratt 00:01:18) - You know, the churches to which this letter particularly was addressed were, were caving into, uh, teachers, false teachers who said, you cannot be a Christian unless you observe Jewish ceremonial law. You couldn't do that. And so the Apostle Paul wrote, uh, this particular, um, epistle to correct this false gospel. And he said, it's actually gonna lead to spiritual slavery if you do that. And in contrast to the freedom and life that there is through the death of Jesus Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit that is in our lives. And he teaches very clearly the Apostle Paul, that man is saved only by God's grace through faith in Christ. That's what he was teaching. No additions are required and we boldly declare the same truth. Today, man is saved only by God's grace through faith in Christ. He's the way, the truth and the life. No man goes to the Father except through Jesus Christ. It's the same message. No additions to that message are required for your salvation. That's good news. Now, last week we learned a little bit about Pastor Kwame's past, didn't we? Do you remember? I mean, the Bad Bits  before he met Jesus. I can remember some years ago I had the opportunity to invite an ex mafia boss, got his picture on here, um, called Michael Francis. Does anybody remember that? Yes. It was a powerful testimony and uh, he came and shared it with us. And, uh, he was a very unlikely character.

Mark Sherratt (00:03:20) - If you go to YouTube and type in the name, you'll actually hear messages from Michael, um, up to an hour. You can listen to his testimony. I'll tell you all about what he had to do. And some of it is freaky man of what was expected of him in New York. His father was one of the most reputable criminals, um, of all time in, in, uh, in, in New York. So he was raised and bought in that, uh, culture, if you like. Well, in one of the sentences, a 10 year sentence that he got in prison, the Holy Spirit revealed Jesus to Michael in his life. As he was listening, uh, uh, sorry. As he was reading the Bible, somebody had had taken a Bible. One of the gods had dropped a Bible in there, and Michael's first reaction to the Bible was to pick it up. And he threw it across the cell, it hit the wall, and he didn't want to have anything to do with it. But over time, he spent time opening the book and started to read Holy Spirit works on that. And through that, Michael tells the story of how he encountered Jesus in such a powerful way. It completely revolutionized his life. And he went from a life of crime to become a preacher of the gospel to all nations.

Mark Sherratt (00:04:42) - I can remember sitting here that night thinking that night thinking, who would've ever have believed that, that a mafia boss could find Jesus in prison by himself radically transformed and commissioned to take this message of Jesus Christ and preach it across the world? I thought, it's amazing, don't you think, sir? I do. Well, today we talk about a revelation of Christ for the unlikely. In Galatians chapter one and verse 12 to 24, this little

Mark Sherratt (00:05:42) - That the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man nor as I taught it. Rather I received it by revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the Church of God and tried to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among the people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when God who set me apart from my mother's womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being. I didn't go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was. But I went into Arabia later I returned to Damascus.

Mark Sherratt (00:06:39) - Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted to CFAs. That's Peter and stayed with him for 15 days. I saw none of the other apostles, only James the Lord's brother. I assure you before God that I am what I am writing to you is no lie. Then I went to Syria and and s um, and Licia. I was personally unknown to the churches in Ju that are in Christ. They only heard the report. The man who formally persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy and they praised God because of me. Paul, who you know formally was known as Saul before his conversion tells us how he became a follower of Jesus. But more accurately, I think it should be really said. It's how Jesus actually made him his follower. And he shares his testimony not just for general inspiration or to point people to himself.

Mark Sherratt (00:07:48) - Rather he wants to point people to God's amazing grace that is revealed in him. And through him, that's what he's wanting to do. His testimony also begins to refute the claims of false teachers who are undermining his authority as an apostle. And his message that man is saved by God's grace through faith in Christ. Nothing else is required. So that's what is happening. Now in his testimony, Paul proclaims three truths that I think are really important. The first one in his testimony, Paul refutes the idea that he, that he came to his gospel message through his own reflections, through his own reasoning or his own thinking. In fact, he said in verse 11 that we read, I want you to know brothers and sisters, that the gospel, I priest is not from human origin. This is not from human origin. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it.

Mark Sherratt (00:09:00) - Rather I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. And this message was received directly. Paul is saying from God, that's why we can trust this message. It came from God. He then goes on to recall, Ave spent time in Arabia and Damascus. He then explains that you know what his life was like before his conversion. He says in verse 13, you've heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how instantly I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. And we need to understand the Bible is actually giving us a picture of how Paul was before he was a Christian. He was not a nice guy. He was the kind of guy who was so violently opposed to Christ, that even when he was watching the faith and the certainty of Christian martyrs, it had no effect on him whatsoever. You can read that in Acts chapter seven.

Mark Sherratt (00:10:03) - It had no effect on him. Didn't bother him at all. His mission was to destroy the church, to destroy Christians. However, his conversion to me, again as I read it just this week, is a strong evidence of direct re, uh, revelation if you like, sealing his a authority as a an apostle. It seals that. Let's read the story. Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus so that he found any, uh, there who belonged to the way that's the church, become Christians, whether men or women didn't matter who it was, that he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. And as he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?

Mark Sherratt (00:11:04) - Who are you? Lord? Saul asked, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. He said, now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do. The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless. They heard the sand, but they didn't see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes, he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus for three days. He was blind and did not eat or drink anything. See, right there, arisen Savior Jesus Christ, the king of kings, the Lord of Lords, the creator of all things actually came in time and space to Paul in splendor and glory. That's what happened. The other men who were there with Paul actually were witnesses and they recognized the very presence of God in that place. This was not just a dream. This was not just Paul's own teaching or reflection or reasoning or some thinking. Jesus Christ revealed himself to Paul and he instructed him and commissioned him as he did with any of the other apostles before him. In this moment, he reveals himself. So Paul's making this defense. This has nothing to do with my message. This was given to me by God.

Mark Sherratt (00:12:43) - The second thing he proclaims in his testimony is that he undermines the claim that the gospel message was actually derived from any man. So he's saying it didn't come from me and my own thoughts. And it didn't come from any outside influence. It says this, but when God who set me apart from my mother's womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his son to me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult with any human being. That experience it had, that conversion experience. He didn't go and share it with anyone. There was three years that passed where between Paul's conversion if you like, and a journey that took place to go to Jerusalem to talk to the Lord's disciples three years. And that's where he was in Arabia that we've read and in Jerusalem, him,

Mark Sherratt (00:13:47) - And this is where Paul spent time alone with, with God time in prayer time in studying the Old Testament scriptures, time when he would ask many questions where the Holy Spirit, I'm sure open Paul's eyes to see the eternal truth of God's eternal plan and purpose in Jesus Christ, the savior of the world, and for his church that was gonna come through our generation after generation to generation. This was God preparing Paul for what was ahead. You know, before God reminded me, just bef as I was reading this, how before God actually uses people, he spends time preparing them. Whether that's colleges, whether it's time in service, whether you're being coached or whether you're spending time in a small gripper, you know, and you're leading, you're learning from other people around you. You're studying scriptures, you're, you know, all this prep. God is at work and was at work in the Apostle Paul's life.

Mark Sherratt (00:14:53) - And he goes on to say that after three years, I did go up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with CFAs Peter and stayed with him 15 days. I was, uh, I saw none of the other apostles, only James, the Lord's brother. And I sure you before God that I am what I'm writing is not a lie. And then I went to, uh, Syria and Licia. Now thoughts, teachers at that time were undermining Paul's authority, as we've said, as an apostle. And they as one who had heard directly from God, that was the challenge. They didn't believe that. And therefore they knew he got something. And they called him what was known as an an apostle, but with a small a, not a capital A, because to be a capital A, you had to have had direct revelation from the Lord Jesus Christ. And so they were challenging that and they were actually challenging him with his message. And they were saying that you've actually learned this. You've picked it up from the capital A apostles back in Jerusalem, the hq.

Mark Sherratt (00:15:54) - And Paul is refuting that He didn't, they were saying, Paul is not giving you the full gospel, new converts that are coming to Christ. You know, he hasn't given you the entire message. And there are other things that you must do to add to your faith in Jesus in order to be fully accepted and valued and become pleasing to God. That's what they were saying. And Paul clearly says from the start of his message that his message was not from man, that he was a capital a apostle revealed directly to him by the risen Christ himself. So he said, my message didn't come from my own thinking. I didn't sit down, just work this out. It didn't come because I was trained or instructed from somebody else. It came from God. And he also proclaimed thirdly in his testimony, he shows by going to Jerusalem, that this God-given message that he'd received actually checked out with the message that the other apostles, other apostles had actually received from Jesus himself.

Mark Sherratt (00:17:07) - Paul went up to the apostles in Jerusalem for accountability to be on the same page. He wanted unity. He didn't want to, you know, the thoughts of being out there where thoughts teachers would attack him to be saying that he's preaching a different kind of gospel. And so he goes there to visit his accountability and he, and as he shared his testimony and the message that he had received from Jesus, it all squared up with the message and the commission that the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ, the disciples, had received personally from Jesus. What was that message? While it's recorded in Luke 24, for us, Jesus said to them, these are the words I spoke to you while I was with you. That's his disciples. Everything must be fulfilled. What is written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms.

Mark Sherratt (00:18:01) - Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures and he told them, this is what is written. The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead. And on the third day, and in the His name, repentance and forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed where to all nations beginning in Jerusalem. You are my witnesses of these things and behold, I'm sending the promise of my father upon you, but remain in the city until you have been clothed with power from un high. And he's talking about the Holy Spirit God, the Holy Spirit, the spirit of Jesus Christ who was to come and fill them. Now, we read personally here, Paul was saying, you know, I was unknown to all the churches in jure at that time who were in Christ. They didn't even know me. I didn't go and share my testimony or share my story with them individually.

Mark Sherratt (00:19:01) - I didn't do that. They only heard the report. The man who formally persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy, note their response. It says, and they praise God because of me. I like little statements like that because I think Christianity is so full of judgmentalism. People like to point the finger and judge someone else and you know, and, and, and, and condemn that, you know, but they re praise God and gave glory to God of what he had done in Paul's life and for the message that he'd been given. This is important because Paul's account here in Galatians in chapter one actually eliminates the claims. Like that's just what Paul thinks. That's just what Paul kind of puts forward. And it's not what the capital a apostles are all about in Jerusalem. No, no, no. They were in agreement with that message. Now, Paul's testimony here doesn't just establish his apostleship, if you like, and his authority, which we can all take confidence and strength in him. His message squared up with the disciples and it's the message that's recorded for us and it's the message that we put our own faith and trust in, right? It came directly from Jesus,

Mark Sherratt (00:20:31) - But it not only establishes apostleship, it also illustrates to us the amazing grace of God, amazing grace of God. And Paul comes back to this amazing grace of God time and time and time and time again all throughout the epistles. And do you know friends? Can I say so should we, we should come back to the grace of God time and time again in our own lives, in our prayers, in our thoughts, in our witnesses, as we share our faith in our preaching and teaching from this platform. When you don't feel good enough, when you don't kind of think you, you, you've achieved enough, you think you somehow you've gotta add something to your faith to be loved by God. You need to come back to the cross, come back to the grace of God again and a grain and again, and know you are loved.

Mark Sherratt (00:21:28) - Paul experienced God's amazing grace in his li in his life. It not only transformed his life, but it continued to transform his life. And that's something my friends, that only God can do. It's only God who brings such a radical change in someone's life, certainly in the life of the Apostle Paul. But I want to say in the life of Michael Francis in my life, in Pastor Kwame life, that we heard his story last week. And many people in this auditorium as well will testify that God's grace came and changed them. And we can all experience that grace. We can all experience that transformation, not trying to be something but how God comes into our lives and transformers. And if you've not experienced that grace, you've not experienced God's forgiveness, you've not experienced the incredible peace within yourself that only the grace of God brings to you, then you good news is you can find it today because today is the day of salvation.

Mark Sherratt (00:22:43) - Now is the appointed time you can receive Jesus. You can receive grace. It doesn't no matter what your background is, how bad you've been or whatever you have, have, have whatever you've done. The Bible calls us to experience the grace, the grace of God friends, before his conversion, Paul was a man who had done some terrible things to to God's people. And yet he was a religious guy. He was in church. He was, he was, he was right there. And he'd done many, many religious deeds he'd spent years seeking to live according to the Jewish customs and traditions as we've already read. He said, I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among the people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my father's. There was nobody greater or better than him. He was at the top of his class being trained under the hands of gaal, who was the absolute top teacher of the day. And yet all that religion, all that observance of the laws and traditions didn't make him right with God. That's what he's saying. As false teachers we're encouraging gentile Christians, you know, to become full converts of Judaism and add to their faith in Jesus these observing of these ceremonial laws, including abstaining from certain foods and circumcision. Ouch.

Mark Sherratt (00:24:16) - You had to, you had to go through a system of laws and you added those two, this faith in Christ. And Paul says, no, no, no, no. I've been there folks, I've done that. But I'm not here boasting in that. I'm telling you the truth. I've done all of that. You cannot make yourself acceptable to God by being zealous or the most meticulous keeper of lo of moral, ethical, cultural, or religious laws. You can't do it. It's impossible. You can't save yourself. I can't save myself. And as we heard last week, grace is free. Grace is free. Somebody say thank you Jesus. Grace is for you like free things, don't you? Yes. When Tescos puts that up on there, buy one, get one free man. I'm in the queue.  God knows us and he offers the most amazing eternal gift, the gift that will give you past your death life, eternal life in the presence of God.

Mark Sherratt (00:25:29) - And he gives it free to every man who will believe in him. And he offers this grace free gift on merited favor of God. You don't have to work for it working powerfully on the mind and the heart to change your life. And there's no clear example to all than the Apostle Paul's testimony that salvation is by grace alone is the greatest testimony, not through moral or religious performance. And though Paul's scars were very deep, very, very deep killing Christians, putting them in prison, even he was invited in to God's family, invited into God's eternal plan. And it is God's grace that calls us friends out of a life of sin. It's God's grace that calls us out of a life of religious works. It's God's grace that calls us out of religious activity to somehow thinking that we can earn salvation. You can't.

Mark Sherratt (00:26:38) - It's by faith in Jesus. I believe we sang it this morning, didn't we? Now, with some gods and passion, we need to sing it at and proclaim it every day of our lives because we believe in Jesus. We believe who he was. We believe he died on the cross. We believe he paid for my sin. We believe he rose from the dead. We believe that he conquered death and sin. We believe that he gives eternal life to all who believe on him. Amen. I believe that. Amen. We believe that. And I'm reminded that no one, as I look at the life of the apostle Paul is too good that they don't need the gospel or too bad that they can't receive the gospel. We're all in need of the gospel. And Paul was deeply religious, yet he needed the gospel. He was also deeply flawed. Yet he could be reached by Jesus through the gospel message. And in fact, as Paul looks back on his life in verse 15, he recognizes that God's sovereign grace was working in his life long before even he was saved long before his conversion. It says, God set me apart from birth.

Mark Sherratt (00:27:53) - Wow, isn't that an incredible statement? What he's meaning there is that grace was actually shaping and preparing him all his life for the things that God was gonna call him to be. God was present in his life. God's present in your life, whoever you are, and he's been molding and shaping and calling you. And Paul was to become this instrument that would be used for God's glory to build his church across the world for generations to come. Our suffering. God has been working all along to use Paul to establish him in his faith, the very faith that he was opposed to. I think that's incredible. It was one of those moments like eyesight here, listen to frat Michael Franze thinking this can't be true. This is amazing. Like this is that guy that is amazing Grace, standing on this platform, sharing this test that was amazing. Great. I was godsmack and jaw was on, almost on the floor. I haven't got that bigger mouth.

Mark Sherratt (00:29:06) - And Paul's saying the same thing as I look at his life. This is amazing Grace. It's an amazing story. And it reminds me of the story of Joseph who told his brothers that their efforts to reject him and sell him as a slave had actually been the means of God, establishing Joseph in Egypt to deliver his people, you intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to establish what is now being done, the saving of many lives, God, working in our lives before we even came to faith in his autobiography, surprised by Joyce c s Lewis, who was an author and preacher, he's up on the left hand side of the screen in a minute, was actually taught by his teacher, professor Kirkpatrick nicknamed the Great Knock. Kirk Kirkpatrick was an a, a academic, this guy over here with his wife, great mustache,

Mark Sherratt (00:30:03) - A debater and a logician. And he was also a a, an atheist. And he intended to indoctrinate Lewis in his own unbelief. He taught Lewis how to build strong arguments and also how to present convincing truths of beliefs to people. He would've ever known this, but Lewis came to Christ and he became a Christian and he, he, he actually turned out that the knock this professor had actually trained him so well and he became the greatest defender of the Christian faith in the 20 20th century. CS Lewis, you know who he is, don't you? Yes, Yes.

Mark Sherratt (00:30:49) - The gospel gives us a pair of spectacles you see, through which we can review our own lives and see God's preparing us and shaping us even though we are filled with failures, we are full of sin to become vessels that God changes, to be used by him to share this message in the world. God's grace finds us, God save Paul. Not because he was pleasing to God, because he wasn't, but it says in verse 15, it's by grace. It was by grace that God chose to reveal his son to me, that I might preach among the Gentiles. See, God set his loving grace on Paul, not because he was worthy of it. Somebody hear me this morning, not because he was worthy of it. You can't earn God's love and favor, but simply because God took delight and pleasure in doing so, it comes from him. You see, this is how God has always worked. As Moses told God's people in Deuteronomy seven, the Lord did not set his affection on you and chose you because you were more numerous than other peoples. For you were the fewest of all the peoples, but it was because he loved you. How amazing is that God loves us and God loves us. He, he doesn't love us because of how he's going to use us. Although when we do find him and we find his purpose in life, we will actually become more fulfilled in our lives.

Mark Sherratt (00:32:24) - But he loves us simply because he loves us. This is the kind of love that, and it's the only love that you'll ever be offered, that you'll be securing. And that's what God offers to us. This is God's amazing grace and peace that's available to all. And I love to ask the question, will you receive it? Will you receive it? Because God is for you. He's not against you friend. You were made by God, for God. And until you understand that, life will never make sense, never make sense. God's grace changed the apostle Paul's life. It changed Michael Francine's life. It changed my life and many people in this auditorium. The question is, if you don't know Jesus, I want to tell you, it can change your life too. No matter what you've done wrong, how bad you feel this morning, whether you feel worthy or not. You say, God could never love me. Mark, you've got no idea what, what's going on in my life. No, but God does. And by grace and your faith in him, you can be transformed. And if you're a Christian, you should be being transformed, continually renewed and coming alive with this stuff cuz this will keep you strong in your faith.

Speaker 1 (00:33:47) - Let's bow our heads as we close. If you've never asked Jesus to come into your life, you've never asked him to forgive your sin, you've never responded to and you found yourself in here today, I want to ask you, why not invite him today to come into your life, to forgive your sin, get to know him. Say God right now in this seat, I'm asking you, I want to get to know you. I'm hearing today from the message that your grace is enough and you love me for who I am, not what I have to be or do, but for who I am. And I receive you as my savior and my Lord today in Jesus' name. Forgive me of my sin. I want to enter into become part of your family. I give my life to you. Transform me and change me in Jesus name. Maybe just wipe every head is bad. If you prayed that prayer, I'd love to pray for you. Maybe just show me, would you raise your hand? Say, mark, I'm I, I'm ask Jesus into my life. I'm asking him this morning. Somebody quickly, somebody doing that. Thank you. Somebody, somebody else. Thank you. Somebody else. Thank you. Somebody else. Put your hands back down. Thank you, sir. Somebody else.

Mark Sherratt (00:35:03) - You put your hands down, Lord Jesus, for these people who are responding to you today, I pray that you would reveal yourself powerfully to them. May your grace just fill their hearts and life right now. May you put a hunger inside of them to know you. May you help them and transform their lives. Bring a change in the name of Jesus Christ today. I ask it. Oh man. Oh, amen.

Speaker 0 (00:35:35) - Thank you for watching. Hey, if you're watching online and you made a decision to just put a thumbs up, up in the chat and somebody will talk to you right there about some next steps that you can take in becoming a Christian guys to my left and right. We're gonna have people down at the front here just to pray with you. If you gave your life to Jesus, maybe you responded for the first time, you're welcome just to come and talk to somebody. Ask somebody to pray for you. If something spoke to you from the message and you just need God's grace to fill your life, come and talk to some people. Let them pray with you today. You know, don't be shamed of ever coming forward for prayer. It, it's God loves humility. He loves us to come before him. We need him, we need each other. And that request of prayer just helps us to connect. Amen. Have a wonderful Sunday.