(1 Cor 15:9,10 Phillips) I am the least of the messengers, and indeed I do not deserve that title at all, because I persecuted the Church of God. But what I am now I am by the grace of God. The grace he gave me has not proved a barren gift. I have worked harder than any of the others – and yet it was not I but this same grace of God within me.
This morning we continue our series “Grace that is Simply Amazing.” There are many layers to the man we know as the Apostle Paul. We will spend this week in sort of a reintroduction to a man I am sure you have read countless times. His writings, under the unction of the Holy Spirit, give us the bulk of instruction on how to live as a New-Testament believer. It’s ironic to think that the same man who has been used by God to make the greatest impact on New-Testament converts, once rejected the New-Testament (or New-Covenant) altogether and vehemently persecuted anyone who claimed that Jesus is Lord. This is just another example of God’s grace and another reason why Paul, like Moses and David, is a grace-case.
Paul was likely born between 5 BC and 5 AD in Tarsus, a south-central Turkey city just 20 km inland from the Mediterranean Sea. He was born in Turkey to both Jewish and Roman parents. Paul was born a Roman citizen (see Acts 22:25-29) and raised in a devout Jewish family in one of the largest trade centers on the Mediterranean coast. Not only was Tarsus a trading hub, but Paul’s hometown was renowned for its university, one in which students could receive a superior education. Paul was raised as “Saul of Tarsus,” a Roman-Jew, raised in Turkey, in the middle of a bustling city which was also a great college town. Suffice is to say that Paul had an interesting background and God used Paul’s diversity for His glory.
Let’s fast-forward from the background to our passage in Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth. You must understand that Paul was not one of the original Apostles. He did not walk with Jesus. Paul was not there when Jesus healed a man who had been lame for 38 years. He was not there when Jesus healed a blind man who had been blind from birth. He was not there when Jesus took a little boy’s lunch (two sardines and five biscuits) and fed 5,000 with it. He was not there when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead after rigor mortis had set in. What was Paul doing during this time? Paul was studying the Law and developing a zeal that led to him become the worst enemy of the church. When Stephen (the first Christian martyr) was stoned to death, Paul was too young to throw a stone, but he held the coats of the men who did. Later Paul led the charge against Christianity and he terrorized all those who named the name of Jesus. It was only by God’s grace that Paul came to Christ, was Born-Again, and he then spent three years in pseudo-isolation in order to get ready for his true life’s assignment.
Paul knew he was not deserving of the title, “Apostle.” Actually, Paul knew he was not deserving of God’s use at all, but when thinking about what God was able to do through his life, he could only attribute it to Grace. Later Paul wrote, “I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power” (Eph 3:7). We will learn more about this amazing man in the days to come.
So what does this mean to you today? A few quick things:
1. Your background does not disqualify you. God knows your past, like He knew Paul’s past, and He can use both you and your past for His glory. You might look back and think that some of things that happened to you in your past is a liability to God, but He can find a way to make it an asset. You are completely unique. No one else on the planet has your background (your past) or your divine assignment (your purpose).
2. Your past failures do not disqualify you. Grace is amazing because through it God looks past your failures and flaws in order to focus on His Kingdom plans and purposes for your life. Grace puts the emphasis on God and not you.
3. Your inability to earn God’s righteousness does not disqualify you. God knew you could never earn a right-standing with Him, so He sent His Son to earn it for you. In a society that believes you must work hard and earn everything you get, the message of grace is often rejected, because it is not understood. By grace God freely gives you both the assignment and the empowerment to fulfill it. You did not (nor will you ever be able to) earn it. All you can do is receive it.
Closing Confession: Father, like Paul, I too am not worthy of the assignment You have given me. I could never earn the right to do what You have called me to do. I could never be good enough to be used of You, for Your glory. I have messed up more times than I want to remember. I have failed too many times, I have violated Your Word and Your ways repeatedly, and in my own estimation I would have already disqualified myself from my life’s assignment. Not only that, but when picking someone to do what You have called me to do, I probably would not have picked myself. However, through your amazing grace I have come to realize that I cannot disqualify myself from what Jesus qualified me for. You called me by grace, not because I deserve it. You looked at my background, and instead of saying “No,” You chose to find a way to use my background as part of my testimony. My mess is now part of my message. My stress is now part of my story. My tests (even the ones I failed), are now part of my testimony! I know I don’t deserve it, but by faith I receive Your assignment for my life and I access the Grace (the empowerment) to accomplishment it. You freely give me everything I need in order to accomplish Your Kingdom plans and purposes for my life. When I mess up – which is more often that I would like – I simply repent, I receive forgiveness from You, I forgive myself, and I keep going. I was saved and called by Your grace; and it is Your grace that keeps me going when I feel like giving up. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
