Paul, an Apostle

Driving home: May I suggest that that is precisely the effect that a letter coming from a man named Paul would have upon everyone who knew anything of what he was prior to God's grace visiting him in transforming power?

Martin imagines receiving letters from Madeline Murray, Abby Hoffman, or Hugh Hefner claiming to be 'servants of Jesus Christ.' This illustrates the shock and amazement that would accompany such a claim, paralleling the astonishment at Paul's conversion given his past.

Suppose I reached into my pocket this morning, and pulled out of it a letter that looked like a bona fide, genuine piece of paper that came through the U.S. mails, at that slow rate that it comes these days especially. And I tore it open, and I opened it up, and the first words went like this.

4:03 - 4:25 Read in full sermon

The point: May we be encouraged, as we are told in this fourth stanza, as we think of those who seem to be the least loved, to have their names affectionately attached to the name and people of Jesus Christ.

Martin quotes a hymn describing Saul's conversion on the Damascus road. This vividly portrays the dramatic transformation of Paul from a persecutor to a bondman of the Lord, reinforcing the theme of God's sovereign grace.

This man, Paul, as he writes these things, he does not write them as a cold, calculating religious lecturer caught up with and infatuated by his own philosophical meanderings about God and man. No, no. Here's a man who every time he thinks that he is tenderly attached to Jesus Christ, cannot help but feel his heart beat with gratitude to the God of grace who arrested him and revealed his Son to him. The words of that hymn in our own hymn book are tremendous words and I would just pause here for a moment by way of application before we move on to his office. Hymn number 404. We sing the gloriou...

10:58 - 12:04 Read in full sermon

Driving home: And all that we need for life and godliness is bound within the pages of this book and though the illuminating work of the spirit goes on with greater or lesser degrees until Christ comes revelation has ceased and theref…

The imagery of the church as a temple built upon the 'foundation of the apostles and prophets' with Christ as the cornerstone is used to explain that the apostles laid the unique, non-replicable foundation, and God is now only building the superstructure.

for if you look at the context you'll see that our Lord spoke these words unto that little group he was with the apostles verse fourteen and when the hour was come he sat down and the apostles with him and he says to the apostles I give to you a peculiar place of authority that no one else will share and he calls it here judging the twelve tribes of Israel now turn over to Ephesians two twenty the apostle is dealing with the subject of the church in this paragraph and it's not our purpose to go into a detailed exegesis this morning we'll do that when we come to this part in our study but notic...

44:25 - 45:54 Read in full sermon