Grace & Peace Calling
Point
1. Paul became an apostle not by the acts of man but through Jesus Christ and God the Father.
2. Paul expresses grace and peace from God, the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3. Jesus gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of God the Father, to whom we glorify always.
Personalize
Paul begins Galatians affirming his calling before the people. While Paul was away many false teachers had come in and questioned the words of Paul and his legitimacy as a teacher and leader. The false teachers were promoting the law and the need for circumcision. Paul affirms the church in Galatia that his calling is from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Being confident in our calling is important as we move forward in serving Christ. This confidence does not come from the recognition or certificates of man but by the calling as made evident of the Holy Spirit's work in our lives.
I began my call journey early in my life. In the summer of my senior year in high school, the Lord's call became very evident in my life and my wife's. The summer of 1980 was a time of confirmation and preparation for what God was planning for our life of ministry. Later this calling was affirmed by others in our church fellowship and in our ministry. The calling did not originate in the affirmation of others but it began with the Holy Spirit's prompting and equipping. I knew the Lord had called us to the Lord's service and my wife and I yielded to His call.
The message of our calling takes shape as we proclaim grace and peace into situations and into the lives of others. Our message is not of man, but of the transformation Jesus Christ can make in the life of an individual. Martin Luther wrote in his commentary on Galatians: "The greeting of the Apostle is strange unto the world, and was never heard of before the preaching of the Gospel. And these two words, grace and peace, comprehend in them whatsoever belongeth to Christianity. Grace releaseth sin, and peace maketh the conscience quiet. The two fiends that torment us are sin and conscience. But Christ hath vanquished these two monsters, and trodden them under foot, both in this world and the world to come". Grace overcomes the consequence of sin, which is death and separation, and peace brings about the resolution to our conscience that we are forgiven.
Prayer
Lord may we have the confidence of our calling within our lives and may we be messengers of the Gospel as we proclaim grace and peace into the lives of others. In a world of searching and unrest, we desire to be the messengers of good news. Reveal to us to whom and where you desire for us to speak "grace and peace" so you will be glorified.
Created 7 months ago
