Authentic Christianity Changes People

1. Read: Galatians 1:11-24

2. About the Text:

1) Galatians is about authentic Christianity.

2) Some were perverting the gospel (Galatians 1:7).

3) Paul wrote to the churches of Galatia to remind them what Christianity really was.

4) We have many that pervert the gospel today.

5) We need Authentic Christianity.

3. Paul was an authentic Christian.

1) He talks about how he received the gospel and changed because of it.

2) What did he do to change?

4. Ref. to S, T, P, O, and A.

1. Paul started listening to the right person!

2. The Gospel is not according to man

1) So many people listen to men instead of God.

2) We must be like to Bereans – “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11).

3) We must try the spirits – “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).

3. The gospel is through revelation of Jesus Christ.

1) “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you” (John 16:13-14).

2) “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began” (Romans 16:25).

3) “And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!’” (Mark 9:7).

4. We have that revelation today!

1) “How that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets” (Ephesians 3:3-5).

2) “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30-31).

1. Paul abandoned his “Former Conduct.”

1) Paul persecuted the church.

2) He tried to destroy it.

3) He advanced in Judaism.

4) He was zealous for the traditions of the fathers.

5) “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:7-8).

6) “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief” (1 Timothy 1:12-13).

2. What does our “Former Conduct” look like?

1) “For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another” (Titus 3:3).

2) “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

3. To be an authentic Christian, we must abandon our “former conduct.”

1) “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 3:2).

2) “Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31).

1. God called Paul

1) We know what this looked like from Acts 9, 22, and 27.

2) He said, “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19).

3) “Not disobedient” is a double negative. It means Paul obeyed!

2. We know what Paul did.

1) “Then [Ananias] said, ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth. For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord’” (Acts 22:14-16).

2) “However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life” (1 Timothy 1:16).

3. How do we obey God’s call today?

1) “He called you by our gospel” (2 Thessalonians 2:14).

2) “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Romans 1:16).

3) Death, Burial, and Resurrection – 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.

4) “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3-4).

5) “in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:8).

1. Paul’s relationship with the church.

1) Paul was initially unknown to the churches of Judea.

2) They heard about his conversion.

3) They initially did not accept him – “And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple” (Acts 9:26).

4) Barnabas helped him to be accepted – “But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus” (Acts 9:27).

5) “So he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out” (Acts 9:28).

6) They glorified God in him.

2. We must be faithful to the Lord.

1) It is not enough to just “be baptized.”

2) Baptism is where life in Christ begins!

3) “that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10).

4) “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25).

3. How can we be faithful today?

1. Authentic Christianity changes people when we . . .

1) Listen to the Right Person

2) Repent of our Sins

3) Obey the Gospel

4) Stay Faithful

2. Invitation