Sunday, November 8 · Hope Church
Sunday Worship (9:00am Service)
Paul's confession that he is what he is only by the grace of God becomes the sermon's pattern for gratitude: grace converts, grace keeps training, and grace leaves no one owing their past. The pastor sets Paul's pedigree and his persecution of the church side by side to show that neither earned nor blocked the grace he received.
The passages
But by the grace of God I am what I am. His grace which was given to me was not futile, but I worked more than all of them; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
1 Corinthians 15:10
…though I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If any other man thinks that he has confidence in the flesh, I yet more: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the assembly; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, found blameless. However, I consider those things that were gain to me as a loss for Christ. Yes most certainly, and I count all things to be a loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and count them nothing but refuse, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith,…
Philippians 3:4–9
“I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, instructed according to the strict tradition of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as you all are today.
Acts 22:3
But one stood up in the council, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, honored by all the people, and commanded to put the apostles out for a little while.
Acts 5:34
The saying is faithful and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.
1 Timothy 1:15
In him we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace…
Ephesians 1:7
…for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast.
Ephesians 2:8–9
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to the intent that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we would live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age;…
Titus 2:11–12
Go deeper
Why did Paul count his pedigree and religious credentials as loss once he had Christ?
Paul had every advantage a first century man could hold: tribe, schooling, standing, authority. He lists them and then files them under loss, because knowing Christ made the ledger read differently. The pastor's point is that none of it made Paul who he was.
…though I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If any other man thinks that he has confidence in the flesh, I yet more: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the assembly; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, found blameless. However, I consider those things that were gain to me as a loss for Christ. Yes most certainly, and I count all things to be a loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and count them nothing but refuse, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith,…
Philippians 3:4–9
“I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, instructed according to the strict tradition of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as you all are today.
Acts 22:3
For you have heard of my way of living in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the assembly of God and ravaged it. I advanced in the Jews’ religion beyond many of my own age among my countrymen, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
Galatians 1:13–14
How did the man who approved of Stephen's stoning become the apostle who wrote that grace overflowed to him?
Saul stood by and held the cloaks while Stephen was stoned, and he went on dragging believers from their homes. The pastor does not soften it. The same man calls himself the worst of sinners and says mercy met him anyway, and grace did not quit after that.
For I am the least of the apostles, who is not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the assembly of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am. His grace which was given to me was not futile, but I worked more than all of them; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
1 Corinthians 15:9–10
They threw him out of the city and stoned him. The witnesses placed their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.
Acts 7:58
But Saul ravaged the assembly, entering into every house and dragged both men and women off to prison.
Acts 8:3
…although I used to be a blasphemer, a persecutor, and insolent. However, I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. The grace of our Lord abounded exceedingly with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. The saying is faithful and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.
1 Timothy 1:13–15
The law came in that the trespass might abound; but where sin abounded, grace abounded more exceedingly,…
Romans 5:20
What does it mean that grace teaches and trains a person rather than only forgiving them?
The pastor reads Titus as saying grace did not walk away after Paul was saved. It stayed, instructing him, correcting him, changing what he loved and where he was going. Grace lands a person in a new life and then keeps working on them in it.
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to the intent that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we would live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age;…
Titus 2:11–12
…for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them.
Ephesians 2:8–10
For sin will not have dominion over you, for you are not under law, but under grace.
Romans 6:14
…being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:6