A Freedom That Could Only Come From God, Part 2

Today on Summit Lane with Jeannie Greer gospel gives you lenses to see how in your life. God is putting talents and abilities and opportunities that he intends to use to make you a vessel of his race. Even your failures in your sense, you begin to recognize or something that God allowed you to experience so that you could tell other people who were caught in the same failures and sent about the hope that you have found in Jesus. As always, I'm your host Molly benefits you out there are fans of those fixer-upper TV shows they take the worst house on the block and turn it into the envy of all the neighbors right well the truth is our Christian journey instantly looks like that. After all, Paul's transformation from a Jesus hating Pharisee to the passionate Christ follower is nothing short of miraculous and beautiful. Guess what you are a follower of Christ. Your stories a miracle to today. Pastor Jenny explains that your testimony is powerful proof of the truth of the gospel is part of our new teaching series called freedom in the in between. Looking at Galatians chapters 1 and 250 turn there now starting often our most persuasive evidence for Jesus's existence is the story the personal story of what he has done in our lives will see I share that because in the last half of Galatians 1.

Paul is going to use his story as is evidence of the truthfulness of his gospel. He says I want you to know brothers and sisters that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin. I did not receive it from a human source, and I was not taught it.

It came to me by a direct revelation of Jesus Christ's Paul wants to show these Galatians that there is in fact only one true gospel and that is the gospel that he Paul is preaching and so part of this case for that is that only a resurrected Jesus with real resurrection power could have changed Paul's life the way that Paul's life changed.

Paul seems to be responding. By the way to a specific rumor going around Galatia that he had plagiarized bits and pieces of the gospel that you heard from other apostles just you taking little scraps and Reese reassembled it into a brand-new gospel without the apostles permission and that Paul's gospel was different than that of the other apostles and he was twisting it to his own selfish agenda and Paul says Galatians why submersible. I was never even around the other apostles for about 17 years to be able to plagiarize them here so explains that verse, verse 15 but when God, who for my mother's womb set me apart and called me by his grace on the road to Damascus was pleased to reveal his son in me so that I should preach among the Gentiles, watch I did not immediately consult anybody to go to Jerusalem, but those should become apostles before me. Instead I went to Arabia read that the desert by myself and then I came back to Damascus. Verse 18 that after three years I did go up to Jerusalem and got to know Cephas that's the nickname for Peter and I stayed with Peter about 15 days, but I didn't see any of the other apostles while I was there except for James Lord's brother got to meet him and I declare to you on the side of God. I'm not lying what I write to you then. After 14 years what the three of them at 70 I went up again to Jerusalem and presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles first time 17 years and I really spent any time with the apostles as a group. It is just impossible for me to plagiarize from them what even around them know. He says he said my gospel can straighten Jesus Christ.

So it is the real one. And then you can offer three lines of evidence to try to prove that his gospel is divine now. Two of these pieces of evidence are what we call objective evidence in one piece is what we would call a subjective evidence I objective evidence is usually is about verifiable facts subjective on subjective evidence is where you talk about the effect that the experience had on you. Our objective evidence piece number one, Paul makes this claim, only an actual vision of a resurrected Jesus could explain the conversion of Christianity's number one enemy into its number one emissary is to say this in verse 13. He's going to say you know you know about my former way of life.

In Judaism you know that I was a Jew of the Jews you know that I hated Christians and I now he says, verse 23 promote the faith that I once tried to destroy Paul says, how else could you explain the conversion as dramatic as mine, except that I actually encountered a resurrected Jesus objective evidence number two is to be this said my message perfectly aligns with that of the other apostles and the prophets. Paul says it's amazing. It's miraculous.

Even when I finally got to confer with the other apostles.

After 17 years when I was say and what they were saying exactly the same usually says that chapter were throwing up Jerusalem presented in the gospel that average among the gentle.

This is amazing.

I wanted to be sure that I was not running and had not been running in vain even after seeing the resurrected Jesus.

Paul said if what I've been saying and contradicted what the apostles were saying that I would've known even after seeing the resurrected Jesus I would've known that I got some wrong.

Listen to what Peter says about Paul. At the end of his second letter.

I love this. Our dear brother Paul also speaks about these things in all his letters, in which there are some matters that are hard to understand women then taught any unstable twist them to their own destruction as they also to the rest of the Scripture to do things. You see, there one discourages you find the book of Romans, Galatians, sometimes hard to understand. Be encouraged to second thing. Most important, you should see is that Peter considered Paul's letters to be Scripture Peter recognize that the letters that Paul was writing were not just the letters of a Christian zealot. They were the word of God itself.

There is one unified witness that came out of the apostolic community and was a gospel that was exactly the same preached by all the apostles and Paul so again, objective evidence, number one is that the Paul gives only a resurrected Jesus could explain the conversion of Christianity's number one enemy into its number one emissary objective evidence number two pulse is my message aligns perfectly with that of the other apostles. Now we come to the subject of evidence in the subject of evidence is Jesus changed my life. Jesus changed my life. Paul's and explain three ways that he experienced Jesus in his personal life.

Listen, you probably have not experienced or probably haven't seen a visible manifestation of the resurrected Jesus like Paul did, but if you actually met Jesus.

If you actually met Jesus. These three things, these next three things a Paul says about how Jesus saves his life will also be true, how we change yours right for this part of his story will be similar to how you can tell your story first thing he says is one I can see how God pursued me verse 15 when Paul starts talking about his conversion.

He talks listen as if God were the one who is doing the acting and Paul was the one who was being acted upon. You see for 15 but when God for my mother's womb set me apart called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his son to make this one is doing the actions in the verse, God is doing the acting. Paul is doing these one who is being acted upon.

Somebody was had a genuine experience with Jesus usually feels like it was less about a decision that they made for Jesus and more like something that happened to them, less something that they took up and more something that took them up. Every person I know who it had a serious walk with Jesus for any length of time not always bring a Christian or a child. But if you walk with Jesus for any length of time you can look back and recognize that God was the one who was at work in your salvation you start to see how God was putting people in your life, putting questions in your heart putting you in random conversations, sometimes even putting you in painful situations as an attempt to draw you to himself, and you can see how God himself was the one that drew you into the truth of the gospel, CS Lewis Alec arises his conversion to the story of one of the characters in the voyage of the Dawn treader which is one of the Chronicles of Narnia. The character's name is Eustis Eustis as a young boy who has developed an evil heart. And that is symbolized in him by him taking on the hard and scaly skin of a Dragon all over his body. About halfway to the book he comes to his senses and he wants to get rid of his Dragon skin wants to become a boy again. So he goes to Asselin who is the lion who represents Jesus as is Asselin can you change me back into a boy. In essence, is yesterday takes into this fountain of pure water to so that he can bathe in this pure water and asked him says on this water will change back and will boy the first, but first you gotta scrape off that Dragon skin before you get in the water and soap. Eustis takes his claws and guess scrape off the skin and it works is able to get down below the scales and get back to the skin of the of the boy.

The disgrace of all 12 is a big pile of dead Dragon skin beside him and then he and the goes to step in that the fountain of pure water, and when he does he notices that his skin has all changed.

Back in a Dragon skin so he does it again. He ripped the skin off again. He says it's uncomfortable and painful, but I got it off and I tried a second time again before I could get my foot in the water and change back to Dragon skin extended in 1/3 time within 1/4 time you every time to forget the water changes back Dragon see him. Finally he looks at Asselin's has asked that I can't do it. I can't change my scanning houses and I know you can't. I just wanted you to see that is a back and do it so we succumb near the Lewis as he reaches out his lines. Paul to peel away uses the scales in his will, he says the very first here that he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart. When he began pulling the skin off it hurt worse than anything I've ever felt in my life.

But when it was done it was done in the skin, stayed off Lewis is describing his own conversion Lewis that God put things into my life to tear me down to try to demonstrate my need for God. He put me flat on my back so I finally be looking the right direction. That's what God does with you and you start to see that there's a guy who's part of one of our prison campuses every week and we have two campuses in the prison to join us each weekend. We love you guys and then ladies or their way correctional in on their part of our church family. But one of the guys is just an incredible story that I that I heard undisguised, white-collar criminal who's been in prison for 14 years. All signs point to him being innocent that he was set out by others in power in the pretty prestigious company he worked in the end of a high-paying job. He was set up by others in that company to take the fall for some shady dealings.

The company was doing and so they they framed him so that he would get the RAV4 they would be able to go three and when he when he was convicted he lost everything I'm restoring you here.

It is absolutely heartbreaking and he says listen this is was still even though I am innocent. I thank God for this wrongful prison sentence because before this happened.

I thought I was God so God let this happen to be to show me what God and in here in prison. I found the real God. And I wouldn't trade now. What I found in God for all the freedom and all the riches in all the world can you look back into your life and see how God was writing your story how he was drawing you getting your attention moving you to look to him. Part of that. By the way is recognizing how God is shaped you to be a part of his mission.

Just you or Paul took that and when I was pleased to reveal his son in the selected preacher mama mama Gentiles. Paul recognize that even given opportunities and experiences and talents that God intended to use in his mission.

You could almost say that that Depaul sold a good God will Christ to Paul so that he could reveal Christ through Paul. The same thing is true of you when you have your experience the gospel. The gospel gives you lenses to see how in your life. God is quick, talents and abilities and opportunities that he intends to use the make you a vessel of his race.

Even your failures in your sense, you begin to recognize or something that God allowed you to experience so that you could tell other people who were caught in the same failures and sense about the hope that you have found in Jesus.

Since the first thing Paul says about people really met Jesus that to be true in your life as you can see the evidence of God's role in working in the second thing he says is God became even more real to me when I was alone. God became even more real to me when I was alone after Paul met Jesus said, I did spend time with anybody. I went off to the desert by myself during that time.

During that time Jesus worked in my life and he was so real to me. Listen to me I would never counsel anyone, particularly not a new believer, to separate yourself from other believers. But one thing is true. If you genuinely met Jesus.

When you are alone in your relationship with Jesus is just as real if not more so is when you're with others. In fact I would say that sometimes been surrounded by excited Christians all the time to keep you from realizing that you've never really had your own experience with them. But all you're doing is you're caught up in the excitement of other people's excitement to see. Listen, you cannot piggyback off of somebody else's experience with God is a story often tell our staff to illustrate something else, but it applies here. Story grandfather grandson sitting on a porch on the country, the grandfather's home with 10 dogs under the porch and all of a sudden one of the dogs that all taken out of the dogs had perks up lets out a single gap bark and tears off across the field. When that happens all the other dogs snap out of their slumber.

They all start barking gap and chase off after that one.the grandfather to the grandson and says let me tell you what is about to happen is just a minute about 10 minutes. One by one those the last nine dogs. You can come back one by one with her tongue out of their tail between your legs and get back on the porch and there to go back to sleep in about 10 minutes.

All the back is in about 30 minutes.

The first will come back and you have a rabbit in his mouth is you want to know why he can have the rabbit. You know why he's getting endorsed 30 minutes and not in it now because he's more athletic or better. It's just that he's the only one that actually solve the rabbit. Now here's how we describe our church. It's great to be a part of church like this when there's a lot of people excited about Jesus, but there are some of y'all that are just barking and yapping because somebody else is barking and yapping just like the you grandfather said they're all barking, yapping just because the one dogs all the rabbit men on the water, barking so go get tired and come back.

You see there's a real danger when you're part of a church like this when they get swept up in a movement but you have no real experience.

Jesus underwrote that's proven by the fact that you don't actually meet with him in private. You don't actually read his word a lot and cling to his promises.

You don't gain insight into decisions you're making from his will through his spirit. You don't have times where you regularly lay down the burdens of your heart at his feet and begin to trust him with them when you really had an experience with Jesus. He is as real to you, if not more so when you're alone as you are when you are with others.

Beware of Christianity overshadowing you, but not penetrating, and that is a real danger in a church like this third thing Paul says God took away Jesus took away my hate and my fear that's my experience. What is it were not for my hate my fear.

You see that in verse 23 I now preach the faith once destroyed throughout this book, pause and explain how the pride and the fear and the hate that used to characterize his life and driving were gone she that always happens to a believer when you don't know God you're filled with all kinds of insecurities and fears we just used Paul as an example because your stories on the same as is, but it will have similarities before Paul came to know Christ. Paul had been in constant competition with others, driven by the pride to show that he was superior to them. You can see that in what he says I advanced in Judaism beyond all my contemporaries.

I was a Jew of the Jews, his desire to prove himself made him constantly jealous of others is the pride always from that insecurity you try to show everybody that you're something in that jealousy made them hate other people that hate ultimately led him to murderous violence like CS Lewis said pride like spiritual cancer in each of the very possibility of love, because pride listen is inherently competitive pride when a private matter that I'm smart really matters. I'm smarter than you write it matter from good-looking athletic just that I'm there look even more thought it and you matter from a good Christian. It only matters of them a better Christian than you are. That's why Lewis said proud people can never get along. People with other vices. They get along drunk like to get drunk together more people like to get together and swap stories about immorality, the proud people. He says they always have each other, if not the quickest way to know that you have pride is that somebody else's pride ticks you off is I how often do you get mad when somebody disrespects you are snobs you wouldn't care about your opinion or hurt. You didn't treat you with respect you deserve it and taking a notice to you or shows off in front of you is are the reason you're mad is because they're trying to demonstrate there something in there something this is given away or something. This and the reason there something to take you all for their boats and about as good as you would other people think you're some nuts what you hate when they show there something pride comes at a insecurity because you like to demonstrate that you're something to be considered worthy of love and acceptance that was Paul's life. By contrast, he said the gospel real gospel gave me security because the real gospel showed me that I was not saved by how good I was. I was saved because of what Jesus did in my place. The real gospel taught me that God didn't love me anymore because what I Doni that love me less because what I haven't done these is love is a gift he gave me in Christ, and that in Christ to have the absolute approval of the only one whose opinion really mattered anyway and that gave me security and that security led me to humility rather than make me proud may be humble because I didn't do anything to set myself apart when I was secure when I was humbled and I began to feel love toward others and I became generous. I was saved as a desperately lost center by sheer act of kindness on God's part.

How could I ever show pride hostility to others. It's like we say here, the summit church people who really believe the gospel will come like the gospel they become generous instinctively. How could they not become generous God save them by an act of generosity. Paul said that's the evidence and I met the true God. My hate and my fear gone. When people encounter my story.

All they can do is shake their head and glorify God because of me, their attention is directed to the greatness of the God who saved me, not an impeccable life that her salvation by the way, for Paul that's like his. Like trump card that it his messages from God is a mark of the true gospel is that his story this gospel glorifies God not man. All other religions. You see, glorify, man. All of you say how so well every other religion teaches you that you save yourself by how good you are we to be able to have the Buddha are the five pillars of Islam are you the sacraments, and for your good enough to get good karma. Whatever will be saved, will they all got in common is that if your say this because of what you did your the Savior you get the glory. The gospel turns that on its head and says no, God saved you when you were unworthy solely because of his grace, and therefore he alone deserves all the glory and that rather than raising up and crushing those who sinned against him and in in rewarding the victorious righteous God Lord himself or his enemies and died for them and that is a special, unique kind of glory that is particular to Christianity and demonstrates that the gospel is different than every other religion of the world that consistently glorifies man Christianity is the only religion that celebrates a God who humbled himself. Therefore when you hear the often repeated claim that is made by people like out of her the other day by that great prophetess of our time.

Queen Latifah when she said and I quote the gods of the religions have different names when you peel back the layers all the religions are teaching the same thing just love others and be kind when she says that know that she cannot possibly be talking about Christianity because Christianity teaches a reverse message and that is you're not saved by your goodness your say, by God's grace and God alone gets the glory which is life CS Lewis said of course Christianity is from God. For who else would've bought it out to see there is there is your objective and subjective evidences for the truth of the gospel. The objective our gospel is given to us by resurrected Jesus Christ and nothing else explains the events of the first century. Besides that objective evidence number two is that all the apostles are saying the same thing as with all the prophets that go back to history. Subjective evidences Jesus change my life as it affects your questions. I want to present to you the gospel is objectively verifiable. Have you believed it.

Not gospel you're making up at the gospel but apostles believed and died for. And it's this, make sure you understand. You couldn't do anything to save yourself. You were doomed because of your send you the verdict on your's life was death death in hell forever, and God in his mercy and compassion.

Love you and different you would. You couldn't do for yourself by sending his son to die in your place of it if you would repent of your send and receive Jesus as Savior. He would did you have been in salvation and his righteousness as a gift and there's only one way to come to God is a broken, humble, desperate, dead center black hearted wretched for God, I need to be saved. You alone will get the glory. My salvation because I got nothing to offer. That's the gospel is objectively verifiable. Have you believe. Number two, it's subjectively evidenced have you experienced can you point to those things in your life. Assessing the evidence. A guy working at me. I can see I can see how God is getting the glory for my salvation. I can see I can see how how how all these things are true. Paul enjoyed my hate my fear and she's real to me in my private life. Have you experienced every experience that never been transformed by the power of the gospel led to help you learn more about what it means to be a follower of Christ. Send us a note while you're on Taittinger.com or give us a call at 866-335-5220 you're listening to summit life Bible teaching ministry of pastor, author and theologian Jamie Greer our message today as part of a new teaching series in the book of Galatians called freedom in the in between these daily broadcasts are available because generous friends like you have stepped up and helped us cover the cost to they were thankful would be an understatement. We truly couldn't do this without your partnership with us in the gospel when you get today will show our thanks by sending you a custom summit life Bible. This comes with a custom reading plan to take you through the Bible in a year and it's not dated, so you can start using it now. Nothing speaks to the very core of who we are as a ministry, which is simply paying God's word in your hand. Please accept this gift as a thanks for your generosity for the Senate life Bible one time gift for when you become a monthly gospel partner by calling 663-3524. Give online.com and sign up for our email is the best way to stay at the daily notified whenever we won't miss out on that go along.

Jamie Greer.com I'm not even if it's sure to listen my name is free from superficial different will see you Monday here and send in my career. 19