This morning we continue with our series entitled, “Refined Focus”, with an emphasis on “Focusing on God’s Finished Work”. We have been looking at the life and call of the Apostle Paul. Let’s get back to it.
Here are some of the highlights we have covered from the Apostle Paul’s life:
— He was raised to be a Pharisee of the Pharisees, mentored and groomed to be part of the Jewish religious elite.
— He fought against the cause of Christ with all his might.
— He participated in the murder of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, even though he was too young to actually throw any of the stones that killed Stephen.
— As soon as he was old enough, Paul was cleared to lead the movement against Christianity.
— God knocked Paul off his high-horse (literally) on the road to Damascus and He revealed to Paul that he was called to preach the Gospel he was fighting against. God specifically revealed to Paul that he was called to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles.
— Paul wasted no time and he immediately attempted to preach the Gospel in Damascus. He preached to Jews. They did not accept him and he was almost killed.
— Paul went to Jerusalem to meet with Jesus’ disciples. They did not accept him, but Barnabas asked the team to give Paul a chance. Paul preached in Jerusalem, to Jews again, and he was almost killed again.
— The disciples sent Paul home to Tarsus and as soon as Paul left, there was peace in the region.
— Paul spent three years in Tarsus, by himself, learning to hear from God and developing his relationship with the Father. Paul to die to his old identity (Saul of Tarsus) in order to embrace the identity he was called to (The Apostle Paul).
— After three years the Gospel spread to the Gentiles in Antioch. Barnabas was assigned as the local Pastor. He needed help, so he took it upon himself to go to Tarsus and recruit Paul. Paul and Barnabas preached the Gospel in Antioch to the Gentiles. This was the fulness of God’s timing. The message was received. Paul was preaching to the right people this time. And the message was so effective that believers of Jesus were called “Christians” first in Antioch.
So what does this mean to you today? As I ask you to put yourself in Paul’s shoes for a minute, as we seek to glean a few golden nuggets from his life.
1. God is not looking for you to fulfill His divine assignment in your own strength.
a) The moment the Apostle Paul was converted and the Lord revealed to him that he was called to preach the Gospel, he immediately began to preach. He did not know what he was doing, but all he knew how to do was to “do”. Paul had been running hard his entire life. God needed him to learn. God needed him to rest in his divine assignment. God needed him to die to self. And all Paul wanted to do was preach. This did not work for Paul and it will not work for you. You can’t “do” what God called you to do with human ability. You must learn to die to the point where God’s divinity can flow through your humanity.
b) Resting in God’s finished work is counter-intuitive for hard-charging, bold, confident, assertive people with type-A personalities. The Apostle Paul was beyond type-A. He was what I call a hyper-type-A. So he wasted no time getting to work for God, but at that point in his life God was not looking for work. God was looking for a relationship. Many Christians get so busy attempting to do the “work” of the church that they don’t slow down long enough to have a relationship with the God of the church.
c) I think one of the reasons why I like the Apostle Paul so much is because I am a hyper-type-A, just like Paul was. There’s nothing I don’t believe I can do, by God’s grace. But the fact that I have to put a quantifier on the statement, “by God’s grace”, is a reminder that my life is not my own. Prior to coming to Christ, like the Apostle Paul, I did whatever I decided to do and I did it with all my might. But since coming to Christ, like the Apostle Paul, I have had to learn to only focus my time, energy and effort into those things the Father already planned for me to do. While there are many things I could do, like Paul learned, everything is not beneficial and everything is not God’s will. We must learn to REST in God’s finished work. If God did not plan it, then we should not want it. But if God planned it, no one can stop us from attaining it, because it will be God Himself working through us, giving us the words, and performing the work.
2. God will allow you to be stripped down, so you can be built up in Him.
a) Paul spent three years dying to his old ways before he could be used of God. I’m not sure how long it will take for you, but you can be sure that God is going to require you to die before He starts living through you.
b) Success in Christ is more a matter of dying than it is trying. Paul knew how to try, but God needed him to die. What was true for Paul is true for you.
Closing Confession: Father, this is a season of refined focus for me. I bring my life into focus in 2016. You called me from the foundations of the world, by Your unearned and amazing grace. The day I accepted Your Son as my Lord was the day I began my transition from the person I became on my own, to the person You called me to be. For You to live through me, You require me to die. So I die to my old man. I die to my old ways. I die to relying on human strength and human ability. I am not the captain of my own ship. I am not the king of my own castle. You are my Lord. I live for You. Not only that, but You actually live IN me and THROUGH me, for Your glory. So I don’t pursue life on my own. I REST in Your Finished Work! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
