Background to Galatians SAUL BEFORE HE WAS PAUL (Shaul before he was Paulus)

SAUL BEFORE HE WAS PAUL (1) Philippians 3:7-8 7Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of the Messiah. 8  More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing the Messiah Jesus my Lord. WHAT IS HE TALKING ABOUT – WHO WAS HE? (Hints from Acts and from Paul’s letters)

SAUL BEFORE HE WAS PAUL (2) TODAY’S THEMES: Appreciation for the background history and personality of “Saul” before he was “Paul” 2. Re-enforce: Saul/Paul never intended to “start a new religion” separate from Jewish faith; that is not the “before” and “after” of his life. Saul did not “convert” from Judaism to Christianity.

SAUL BEFORE HE WAS PAUL (3) TODAY’S THEMES: 3. The “before” and “after” as Saul to Paul saw it: – HISTORY: God’s work “before Jesus” and “God’s gift of Holy Spirit” and “after” these gifts as God continues keeping the promise to Abraham - PERSONALLY: “before” is before meeting the resurrected/exalted Jesus and “after” meeting Jesus

SAUL BEFORE HE WAS PAUL (4) TODAY’S THEMES: 4. God honors even misplaced “sincerity” because God is very gracious 5. No background or personality quirks keeps God from already having plans to work through you if you are willing

SAUL BEFORE HE WAS PAUL (5) TODAY’S THEMES: 6. Even the most “zealous for God” need a lot of GRACE and FORGIVENESS – 7. CELEBRATE GOD’S AMAZING GRACE

ACTS @ SAUL (1) 7:58 – “a young man named Saul” 9:1-2 “Saul went to the high priest and asked for letters to the synagogues in Damascus” 18:3 – “he was a tentmaker as they (his friends) were”

ACTS @ SAUL (2) 21:39 Paul replied, "I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city…  22:3  "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city (Jerusalem) at the feet of Gamaliel, educated strictly according to our ancestral law, being zealous for God, just as all of you are today.  

ACTS @ SAUL (3) 22:27-28 “The commander went to Paul and asked, ‘Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?’ ‘Yes, I am,’ he answered. 28Then the commander said, ‘I had to pay a huge price for my citizenship.’ ‘But I was born a citizen,’ Paul replied.” 23:12-17 – his sister and brother-in-law are also a part of the elite circles in Jerusalem. And, are equally zealous in opposing followers of Jesus.

PAUL’S LETTERS @ SAUL (1) Philippians 3:3-6 3For it is we who are the circumcision….5 (I was) circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the Torah, a Pharisee; 6as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the Torah, faultless.

PAUL’S LETTERS @ SAUL (2) Galatians 1:10, 13-14 10Am I now trying to win human approval, or God’s approval? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of the Messiah….   13For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. 14I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.

PAUL & LUKE @ SAUL THE PERSECUTOR (1) 2 Corinthians 5:16 16So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded the Messiah in this way….

PAUL & LUKE @ SAUL THE PERSECUTOR (2) Acts 7:57-8:1 57At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at Stephen, 58dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. 8:1And Saul approved of their killing him. 

PAUL & LUKE @ SAUL THE PERSECUTOR (3) Acts 8:2-3 & 9:1-2 8:2-3Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison…. 9:1Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

PAUL & LUKE @ SAUL THE PERSECUTOR (4) 1 Timothy 1:13-15 I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the trust and love that are in Jesus the Messiah. 15Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Jesus the Messiah came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.

SOME OF WHAT SAUL TO PAUL DID NOT GIVE UP (1) not his personality – still a pusher, planner, passionate, smart, determined… not give up his pride in being Jewish – “of the circumcision” “brothers” “my kin” “given the covenant”

SOME OF WHAT SAUL TO PAUL DID NOT GIVE UP (2) not give up the comfort of sometimes being around people from the same Jewish cultural, religious, and ethnic background as his – Col. 4:10-11 Not give up his Roman Citizenship - a major privilege in the Roman Empire

SOME OF WHAT SAUL TO PAUL DID NOT GIVE UP (3) not give up love of the Torah –every letter his instructions about how to live summarize and quote Torah not give up his willingness to work with his hands to support himself when necessary not give up his passionate zealousness for God

SOME OF WHAT SAUL TO PAUL DID NOT GIVE UP (4) not give up his trust that God’s covenant with Abraham controls history - not give up his Jewish faith to convert to “Christianity”

Some of WHAT SAUL DID GIVE UP TO BE PAUL “Before” and “After” meant… (1) VALUING ANYTHING IN HIS LIFE MORE THAN HE VALUED HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS PERSONAL CAREER PRIVILEGE AMONG PEERS – he choose to leave a “certain ministry status” for a future questioned by church and synagogue FAMILY APPROVAL – once pride of family as protégé of Gamaliel, later brother-in-law in on plot to kill him! PERSONAL PRIDE in thinking he could by will, intellect, and action please God

Some of WHAT SAUL DID GIVE UP TO BE PAUL “Before” and “After” meant… (2) PRIVILEGED (not pride or comfort in being Jewish) STATUS as an Ethnic/Observant JEW. We were privileged in God’s revelation process, but no longer. Jesus’ death and resurrection was God’s way of opening up the privileged relationship with God to anyone in the world who wants it – no matter, race, status, gender, ethnicity, etc.! (before/after) The belief that God could not allow the MESSIAH who was to be God’s Agent to “save the world” to be executed

COMMUNION: Some of what SAUL TO PAUL MEANS FOR US (1) 1. GOD WILL NEVER ASK YOU TO GIVE UP YOUR PERSONALITY or the THINGS YOU APPRECIATE ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND. But, GOD WILL ASK YOU TO MAKE ALL OF THAT LESS IMPORTANT THAN YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO GOD THROUGH JESUS 2. YOU CANNOT POSSIBLY HAVE DONE ANYTHING GOOD ENOUGH OR IMPORTANT ENOUGH CULTURALLY, VOCATIONALLY, OR RELIGIOUSLY THAT YOU DO NOT NEED JESUS’ LOVE & FORGIVENESS - GRACE 

COMMUNION: Some of what SAUL TO PAUL MEANS FOR US (2) 3. YOU CANNOT POSSIBLY HAVE DONE ANYTHING BAD ENOUGH THAT GOD DOES NOT WANT  To Be with you in God’s Family Forgive you and transform you step by step Work through you to bless others 4. So - RENEW YOUR DECISION TO LET JESUS BE THE “BEFORE” and “AFTER” IN YOUR LIFE

COMMUNION: Some of what SAUL TO PAUL MEANS FOR US (3) 5. CELEBRATE GOD’S AMAZING GRACE – like SAUL and like PAUL – you and I need this amazing grace that God wants to continue giving to us – to you