Tracing our pattern in Paul

Here's the continuation of yesterday's post:

In Acts 9 the Lord Jesus Christ Himself comes and appears to the Apostle Paul, and just as Christ walked with the 12 apostles on the earth and personally communicated with them, from heaven He communicates personally with one man, makes him an apostle and directly gives him the information, and hence the authority.

Ephesians 3: [1] For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, [2] If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to youward:

In other words, Jesus Christ personally communicated this information to the Apostle Paul. His authority came directly from God.

When he says this about being an apostle by the commandment of God, it's important to understand that in the face of people rebelling against his authority. By the way, how were they doing that?

I Timothy 1: [7] Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.

The law's scriptural, it's just not dispensational. Moses is not our authority today; Peter and the 12 apostles are not our authority today. That's who taught the law--the Mosaic Law, the Messianic Law. Paul says, "That isn't what's going on today."

When you say something like that you have to have the authority behind you to say it. Who gave Paul the right to change the message? Paul didn't change the message; Paul delivered the change that God made.

I Timothy 1: [16] Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

One of the important things to remember about the Apostle Paul is that his salvation, his walk and his experiences were also lived out for our benefit; he was a pattern (a template) for us and he was put through various trials in life that we might have a pattern.

I mean, Paul lived his life to "those which should hereafter believe." He lived 2,000 years ago. He didn't even know we were coming and yet he lived and experienced things that are the pattern for us. We can trace in the life of Paul way back then the pattern that I can find in myself and in the grace of God.

You look at Paul and you see the trials and God's grace that got him through it. You see Paul in difficulties, and you see the answers that he found in the Lord Jesus Christ. You know what that tells you? When you're going through a trial and you know, almost anything you go through if you study Paul's life, you'll find a similar situation.

II Corinthians 1:3 is one the most powerful passages to me: [3] Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;

That word comfort--the prefix "com" means "with." "Fort," you know the idea of fortitude, strength. Comfort is to come along and give you some inner fortification; some inner strength. We're strengthened by His Spirit in the inner man "who comforteth us in ALL our tribulation." Well, that pretty much covers everything.

As a pastor I get stuff all the time about difficulties, trials, problems. And when they happen in your life you almost think like you're the only person they ever happened to. 

II Corinthians 1 continues, [4] Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

[5] For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.

[6] And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.

You see, the Apostle Paul understood that his life was going to be a pattern. He recognized that he'd been made an example of what God now wants to do and have us to understand about suffering and he says, "If we suffer our consolation is for you to see how to be consoled and comforted in suffering."

You say, "Well, what kind of trouble did Paul have?" Keep reading:

[8] For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:
[9] But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:
[10] Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

I read that and I say, "Woah." Down South they used to say about a guy who got all down in the mouth and in the dumps, 'He's lower than a snake's belly in a wagon rut.' In other words, he's depressed! He's got the blues.

Paul said, "We despaired even of life. We had the sentence of death in ourselves." You see what the rest of verse 9 says: "that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead."

I've said many times to you, "When you come to the end of yourself, God's grace is made perfect in our weakness." Our weakness is when we're tossed to and fro and come to the end of ourselves. We have no other resources but Christ. And when you've had everything else taken away . . . you know, we let it go kicking and screaming, but when it all goes away what you have left is what really counts and it's the Lord Jesus Christ and His grace.

Now understanding that, when Paul says, "I'm an apostle by the commandment of God," I look at that and think, "You know what it took to make Paul an apostle?!"

In Acts 9, Paul was on his merry way to Damascus. He was the head honcho of his group, he was a Pharisee of the Pharisees, he "profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals," as he says. He was on Easy Street heading for Gravy Street. He had all of the religious pedigree.

There's a real contrast about what goes on in Philippians 3:

[4] Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:
[5] Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;
[6] Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

I mean, you talk about profiting in religion, confidence in the flesh, trusting in your own ability. Paul had it and you know what it took to get Paul out of all of that? It took a direct, divine intervention from God Almighty on the road to Damascus to change everything.

Look at verse 7: [7] But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

There came a time when all that trust in himself went out the window because he had an encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ and it changed everything. That took place in Acts 9.

Acts 9 begins, [1] And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,

[2] And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

Think about what that's telling you. Paul's not satisfied to see Stephen killed and the Pentecostal believers scattered; now he's 'breathing out threatenings and slaughter.' He's trying to kill these dudes; destroy them.

So he goes unto the high priest. Now, just think about that. He's got access to Mr. Big. That's like you going to Washington and knocking on the White House and saying, "I'd like to see Barack." You know how far you'd get? The first guy you'd encounter, he's going to say, "We need you to come right over here and sit in this little padded truck for a few minutes." You're not going to get anywhere.

But there are people who could just walk up there, show a badge and walk right in. That was Paul. Now, that's a very small group of people who can do that. He was an elitist; he said, "I profited above many my equals. The high priest knows me. The people in charge of Israel's government trust me."

Paul 'desired of him letters to Damascus.' He becomes the official representative of his nation in persecuting the Pentecostal believers. Boy, when you see that . . .  He says in I Timothy 1, "Before I was a blasphemer, a persecutor and injurious."

But he had a lot to trust in. He had all of this self-righteousness, all this religion, all these heresies. He had all of the ordinances. He had the pedigree, you know, "circumcised the eighth day." He wasn't a proselyte, a Johnny-come-lately; he was a thoroughbred with the tribe of Benjamin--that's the great, famous tribe that was special.

"You remember, when Jacob had his boys, Benjamin was that last boy; he was a special one because Joseph got sold off. He was the one that when Joseph was in Egypt and the brothers came down to get food, he told them, "You can't have any more food unless you bring Benjamin." Benjamin's a special guy in Israel. Paul said, "I'm the elite, man." He had all this stuff that he trusted in; this religious pedigree he had.

Acts 9: [3] And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:

[4] And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

Now, that was kind of a startling encounter and that encounter began that thing over there in Philippians when he gives his testimony: "All those things I trusted in I counted, past tense, but loss for Christ." You see, it began on the road to Damascus. He learned that all the things he was trusting in, all of his righteousness, all of his profiting in religion, had availed him nothing.

[5] And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
[6] And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

You know what he'd been doing with all his religion? He'd just been kicking against the pricks. He had never really been brought face to face with God. He'd just been doing his own thing, kicking against the truth of God and now all of a sudden, here's the presence of God.

He hears the voice; this is the light of God's countenance that shines on him. He hears the voice saying to him, 'Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?' You see what he says immediately; I love that. "Who art thou, Lord?" Now, he knew it was God. First time in his whole life he had ever really encountered God.

He had all his religion; it never got him to God. Now God showed up and Paul says, "Who are you?" Now, I don't know about you, but in the back of my mind I have the idea that he said, "Who are you?Please don't say Jesus!" Maybe I'm wrong; that's just my idea.

What did Paul want to know? He didn't want to know what new religion, what new religious rite . . . He didn't ask, "What new regulation do I need to follow?" You know what Paul wanted? He wanted to know the Lord. He wanted to know who He was.

He had a desire to know HIM and He answered, "I'm Jesus whom thou persecuted." And Paul, trembling and astonished, said, "Lord." He acknowledges that Jesus Christ is Lord and what he's saying there is, "All of a sudden, suddenly, personally, I come to see that the answers to my problems, the answers to all the things I need, the answer to life, is not in my righteousness, in what I'm doing."

"Who art thou, Lord?" "I'm Jesus." There's the answer. The righteousness of God is Jesus Christ Himself. That's why Paul says in Philippians 3:9 that his desire is to be found in Him: [9] And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Paul came to understand that that was the deal; he got it right there. All that religion he had--all that status, privilege--it all got swept away and he counted it loss that he might know Christ.