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3:00It was in your designs all along that the gospel would be proclaimed to the very ends of the earth. Father, it is your desire that all who would hear would come under the blessing of Abraham. And so, Father, it's in this knowledge that we have gathered this morning, this message has reached us: news of forgiveness of sins in the name of Jesus, who you sent to take away our sins, who you sent to the cross, through the grave, and to be raised for our justification and resurrected life with you. Father, we thank you that your grace has been made known to us. It has reached our ears and hearts. And, Father, it's for that reason we have gathered this morning to thank you and to continue to proclaim and celebrate this great grace which is in Christ Jesus. May you be exalted here this morning. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. Again, good morning.

4:16Please turn in your Bibles to Galatians chapter 1. Galatians chapter 1. Today is a day of new beginnings. I want to start a series that really begins sitting at the feet of Paul. Not sure exactly what that study is going to look like over the long haul, but it took us eight years to get through the writings of John. So we'll see how this works with Paul. But he really is one of the largest figures in the New Testament. And so as we're stepping into the world of Paul, I want to spend some time getting to know Paul to even prepare us for what's ahead. And inevitably, as we start studying the life of Paul and stepping into his life, we step into the world of missions.

5:22The world of missions. There is a master behind the missions. There are missionaries in the mission. And there is certainly a message of that mission. We'll be learning that here just as a way to introduce to you the book of Galatians. Why am I beginning in Galatians? Well, that's the first people group that Paul encounters. And so as we spend time over the next few weeks, just really introducing the book of Galatians, we step into the world of Paul. We step into that first.

6:00Missionary journey, and we come to this first group of people that the gospel is going to be shared. And we will learn the actual gospel that Paul proclaimed. And then we'll, as we go through Galatians, see that message defended. And so let's just read Galatians chapter 1, verse 1 through 5. Paul, an apostle, not sent from men, nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead, and all the brethren who are with me. To the churches of Galatia, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins so that he might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen.

7:13I really want to preach one word of this today. Look at chapter 1, verse 1. Paul. That's as far as we're going to get today. Paul. Who is Paul? Who is this? Man, Paul. Well, the first thing to understand about missions as we prepare our hearts for missions is that missions itself is an expression of God's grace. Grace. God and His favor extending out to the world. But it's not just some haphazard grace. It is deliberate. It is calculated. It is specific. It is sovereign. It is grace under control. And so, as we think about Paul's life, we can't help but understand and really reflect upon God's sovereign grace in missions. God is sovereign. He is in control of the mission as an expression of his grace, to the glory of his grace and name.

8:26First thing we need to understand about missions is that it is clearly under Christ's authority. We already know that. Matthew 28:18, we understand that missions itself is under Christ's authority. He is the mastermind behind it. Matthew 28:18, Jesus came up and spoke to them, to the disciples that had gathered there in Galilee. He said, All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations. Baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. There's the mission: go, make disciples. Be going to the nations. You're not going to make disciples unless you go to them. Go to the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Spirit, and teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you. There's the mission. Jesus is the mastermind behind it, and it goes in his authority. And because of his authority, we are to go.

9:45Because of his authority, the disciples were to go. And because of his authority, that all authority has been given to him, we can expect that the nations will obey. It is going to accomplish its purpose, even as the gospel goes to the remotest parts of the earth. In fact, you remember at the beginning of Acts chapter 1, verse 6, the disciples had come together and they were asking Jesus, and they said to him, Lord, is it at this time you're going to restore the kingdom to Israel? Is Israel now the time that we're going to put Israel back in its place and reach its glory beyond. And then he said to them in verse 7, it's not for you to know the times or the epochs which the Father has fixed by his own authority. Then he goes on to say, This is what you do need to know. Verse 8: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses in both Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and even to the remotest part of the earth. You know what the book of Acts is about? It's a record of God's grace reaching out from Jerusalem and extending to the remotest parts of the earth, to all the nations.

11:20That is the epoch we live in right now. We can expect that this epoch that the Father has fixed by his own authority will continue until the time fixed by the Father's authority. It will continue. The mission itself is under Christ's authority. But the second thing to understand about missions is that not only is the mission under Christ's authority, but the missionaries themselves are under Christ's authority. Not only the mission, but the missionaries are under his sovereign grace accomplishing his sovereign purpose for the purpose of glorifying him. And until that mission is completed, that Jesus commissioned, that he promises to be with, until that mission is completed, we can expect God to continue to raise up ministers to accomplish his mission.

12:32We know that. This is how missions began. We step into the world of Paul. Acts 13, chapter 1, or chapter 13, verse 1. The phrase, to the remotest part of the earth, really begins there. Excuse me a second, I'll set this down. Acts chapter 13, 1, to the remotest part of the earth. That phase in the mission effort begins. And it begins with the man whose name means little. Paul. Begins with the man whose name means little or small. And yet there is no smallness associated with the impact that this man has had on our world.

13:31One commentator said it like this: from every point of view, we come here to one of the high points in human history. His name means little, but his shadow is of the greatest of all time. Another commentator says it like this: No single event, apart from the Christ event itself, has proved so determinate for the course of Christian history as the conversion and commissioning of Paul. Paul, that was his Roman name. It would have been the personal name used by his Gentile friends. Saul was his Jewish name. This was the name his parents would have given him at birth. And it's not connected to his Roman name. It's just his name.

14:37But it's evident that Paul was convinced that God had prepared him for his missionary service. And this is evident in chapter 1, verse 15 and 16 of Galatians. Just look down a little bit and you can see it. Verse 15, but When God, who had set me apart even from my mother's womb, and called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles. Interesting, Paul, as he had come to that point where he had received and understood Christ, and he was called through Christ's grace. When his Son was revealed in him for the purpose of proclaiming him among the gospel, among the nations, Paul was able to look back and realize that his whole life had been prepared for this purpose. Even before he was born, even long before Paul was a believer, God was preparing him for ministry.

16:05Isn't that interesting? God is that sovereign. Today, I want us to start looking by way of introduction to the life of Paul and the book of Galatians. I want to start looking at some of the ways that God prepared Paul to be a missionary to the Gentiles. And I want to do so so that even as we're going through and looking at the General General Looking at this, Paul recognized that he is still very much doing the same thing. I want you to start considering the ways in which God has uniquely prepared you for the ministry that he has set before you. Because what he has done with Paul, he does with all of his missionaries. He is at work, it is his mission. Both the mission and the missionaries are under his sovereign control, the glory of his grace. And so just step in. Even before Paul was a believer, God was at work in his life, preparing him for what he had for him to do. And so that's where we're going to start this morning. We'll just see how far we get.

17:26But it's clear at the very beginning that God determined when and where Paul lived. You remember Paul's message in Acts chapter 17? Nice thing about Paul is we have so many sound bites from him. It's like putting a microphone in front of his mouth. We have so much autobiographical information from Paul himself. We don't have that about the other writers near to the degree as we have with Paul. But Paul knew that God had set the limits and boundaries of every single person on human, on planet earth, everyone who had been born and lived, and everyone who would be born and who would live. He says this in Acts chapter 17 when he's preaching to the Athenians. In verse 26, he says, And he made from one man every nation of all mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation. And the language is very strong there.

18:43Paul is recognizing that God has fixed and has commanded or appointed the times of every human being and the fixed boundaries of where they would live. In other words, what Paul understood about God and preached is that God determines when and where every single person lives, including you and me. But Paul also knew this very well about himself. So when Paul lived, when? Well, this deals with the times. Look at the. Having determined their appointed times, what were the appointed times that God had set for Paul, which would include his birth and his death? Think about it like a gravestone. We have a bunch of them over there. And if you walk through a gravestone, you see so-and-so's name, date of birth, date of death.

19:56And you can think of it the same way: God's times, there is an appointed birth, appointed day of death. God is in control of our appointed times, and Paul knew that about himself as well. It's what he said in Acts chapter 7:26, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation. Notice this would include Paul's birth. When was Paul born? Well, many good scholars think of it around 5 BC. There's a range. There's a range. Now, it could be that I would recognize that we can't know precisely for sure the exact date, but I think we can get within a 10-year range certainly. Within a 10-year period. Many scholars and most historians would place it around 5 B.C. There's a couple of rules. Reasons for this.

21:05Here's a picture of a well that commemorates Paul's birth or marks it there in Tarsus. And so that would put about the time of Jesus' birth. That's about the time, if you're looking at 5 BC. But there's a couple considerations that lead people to make this conclusion. In Acts chapter 7, verse 58, you remember there's a young man by the name of Saul who is there when Stephen is being stoned. And it says, when they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him, speaking of Stephen, and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul.

21:51Word young is usually there refers to a man somewhere between the ages of 24 and 40. So young, if you're between those age, you're still young. So even if you're 39, 40 even, you can still be young. Isn't that encouraging? So at the time of Stephen's stoning, he's somewhere in that age range. But another detail about the stoning is that it's very clear that Paul has a very unique relationship, a very special relationship with the Sanhedrin at that time. He has authority. He has district authority, and he may have very well been a member of the Sanhedrin, which would put him at a minimum of 30 years old. So a young man, somewhere older than 30, but younger than 40. That's at the time of Stephen's stoning. But another verse in Philemon, chapter 1 and verse 9, the only chapter, Paul is appealing, and he says this: since I am such a person as Paul the aged, he refers to himself as Paul the aged.

23:14And so that term can refer to somebody who's 55 and older. So, I am Thomas the aged. So, anybody beyond 55, and anybody who wants to tell you that the 55 is still middle-aged, not being very biblical. Plus, if it was middle-aged, why does IHOP give you the 55 senior citizen discount if I'm still so young? But, no, so you've got these two brackets. And Philemon is written somewhere around 62 AD. And so, when you. Put all these considerations together, it makes a number of scholars, I think, and make a good case that 5 BC, somewhere around the time of Jesus' birth, is when Paul was born. And so this would put him in his 30s, upper mid-30s, really, 36, 37, 38, somewhere in that range when Stephen was stoned in 33 AD. So that's his birth, fixed by God. Let's talk about Paul's death for a moment. Paul's death. According to reliable tradition, he dies during Nero's persecution sometime in 66 or 67 AD. There's a picture of Nero of all the, or not a picture, a statue. And of all the statues I found, I couldn't help but pick the one with the bird on his head.

25:02He was a madman. And those of you who know history, he was a madman and has been remembered by such. A man who history, even Romans, do not look back on with great esteem at all. Paul, on the other hand, wow, a man of noble esteem who's left an impression upon this world that dwarfs. Anything Nero could have ever imagined. But it's under Nero's persecution that Paul was executed. It's believed that he was executed by beheading by the order of the imperial court.

25:49He didn't suffer crucifixion like Peter. He didn't go through burning or death by the beasts, probably because he was a Roman citizen. And the beheading had to be quick, and it would have been. So these suggest, these dates suggest that Paul was somewhere in his late 60s or even about 70 when he died. So if you think about the life and times of Paul, when are they? Well, his birth around 5 B.C., his conversion shortly after that stoning of Stephen, somewhere around 37 years old.

26:40His first missionary journey, he would have been about 51 years old, sometime around 47 A.D. So if you think you're 50 years old and God isn't ready to start using you, just pay attention to when Paul started out on his first missionary journey. His death, somewhere around 66 AD, would put him about 70 years old. And so you have the life and times of the Apostle Paul from about 5 B.C. to about 66 AD, give or take, and you'll see some people with these dates. And like I said, I think you could easily get it within a decade.

27:27These dates seem to be pretty close to the mark. And so he said, he understood that his life and times were in his hand. He tells us that your life and my life is in God's hands. Your time, the time of your birth, the time of your death is in his hands. And he does this and continue what Paul was saying to the Athenians in Acts chapter 17, 26, having made from one man every nation and mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, so that they would seek God if perhaps they might grope for him and find him, though he is not far from each of us, for in him we live and move and exist.

28:26So Paul had the answer for life. What is the meaning of life? Well, Paul came to understand that life is about seeking God. It is about finding God and it is about living for him. Seeking God, finding God, and living for him. And it's to this end that Paul gave himself to Christ's purposes. He gave himself to help others seek God, to help others find God, and to help others live for God. Can you think of a better way to spend the few days that you have than doing this, helping others seek God, helping others find God, and helping others live for God? This is the great commission, masterminded by Jesus himself.

29:20What are you doing with the days that God has given you? What are you doing with them? Are you seeking for God yourself, finding him and living for him? Are you helping others seek and find and live? That's where life is. That's the life that God has imagined for us, desires for us. And nothing but a crime would keep you from walking in that. So the boundaries. God determined not only when Paul lived, but also where Paul lived. So the boundaries of Paul's life, this would include his geographical boundaries and limitations and the extent to which he traveled.

30:19We understand place of birth. God determined. God is sovereign in his missions, sovereign in his grace, very calculated, deliberate. Where was Paul born? Well, Paul said this of himself in Acts 21: I am a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city. He also says again in chapter 22, I am a Jew born in Tarsus of Cilicia. So, what is he saying there? Well, he's saying it's a very significant city. Tarsus is very significant.

31:09And everybody knew it. What was significant about Tarsus? Well, first of all, it was the capital city of Cilicia. It's a capital city, had a strong alliance with Rome. In fact, Mark Antony. Would and there's an arch there commemorating the alliance that Mark Antony and Cleopatra made, Cleopatra VII. So there's an alliance with Rome. Also, another significance of Tarsus was its location. Its location, it was located, you can see it on a map there, Tarsus, modern, put it on a modern-day map. It was in a fertile plain about 10 miles inland from the Mediterranean Sea. And you can see there on a satellite image, Tarsus. You can see the little, the Tarsus mountains, mountain range, and you can see the little fertile valley and plain that it was in. You can also see that it was near the Cilician Gates. That was that famed place, mountain pass that really east-west traffic would have to go through. So it had a very prominent east-west connection point, travel way.

32:44So its location was significant, but also its industry. It was known for its, really, its linen and fabric material. Producer of linen from flax and from straw is also known for its goat hair type material that it would make for tents. It was also, and you can, by the way, you can see these tents, they can get, still make them today, and these tents get pretty elaborate today. You can make them very nice. But there's another material that they would make tents out of, and another other type tarp-like materials, and that would be leather from the goat skins themselves. In fact, you can see the Roman tents liked to use this material. And here's a picture of a Roman tent made out of these goatskin products that Tarsus was known for.

34:01You can see how this would play into the life of Paul. You think about that, how providential that would be. Roman tents. I am sure that wherever Paul went, there were those military contracts that had been let out, and they were always looking for people to make tents for their troops. And others, I mean, and other obviously used. And this would allow Paul to move with a very small load. There's a lot of debate on whether he worked on these or not, but I think he did. And he didn't have to be a tanner. He could work with the leather materials. That was fine. And so that's probably what he did. And it allowed him just a few little tools to carry with him. And so he could take his trade with him, and he was very good. This was a trade, certainly an industry of Tarsus, that no doubt played a role in God's sovereign grace of the gospel going to the nations. Even the little things, seeming little things in our life, God has a purpose for.

35:17And so Paul did as well. And so in Paul's life as well. Another significant detail about Tarsus was that it was a learning center. It was a great education center. It had an estimated half million people at the first century, by some estimates. So that's comparable to some degree, a little bigger than Bryan College Station when the students, obviously, are in session. It didn't sprawl as much as Bryan College Station, but it certainly had the population and had the education centers. But there was something. About Tarsus that had a great zeal for learning. They were a university town unlike the others. There was a great passion for learning in Tarsus. In fact, one historian who is a contemporary of Paul said this. He actually praised Tarsus for its universities, and this is what he said.

36:26The people at Tarsus have devoted themselves so eagerly, not only to philosophy, but also to the whole round of education in general, that they have surpassed Athens, Alexandria, or any other place that can be named where there have been schools and lectures of philosophers. That's a significant statement. The schools at Tarsus outsurpassing Athens and Alexandria. In fact, another commentator, which I'll introduce you to in a little while, said this: Paul's understanding of the Greek philosophers and poets may have been received through education during his earliest years in Tarsus, or perhaps during his silent years when he comes back to Tarsus after becoming a believer.

37:23But it's clear that Paul, God determined when and where Paul lived. But another significant detail wasn't just his birth home of Tarsus, but that he was a citizen of Rome. Paul was a Roman citizen. You remember in Acts 22, in verse 25, they had stretched Paul out with thongs and they were about to lash him. And Paul said to the centurion in Acts 22, 25, who was standing by, is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?

38:07And in verse 28, the commander answered, I acquired my citizenship with a large sum of money. But Paul said, but I was actually born a citizen. I was actually born a citizen. Now think about this for a moment. Paul, in God's sovereign grace, born in Tarsus, trained up, understanding the philosophies of the whole Greco-Roman world, is also a Roman citizen. And so here's a map of the Roman Empire. This is the world in which Paul was born. And you see, here's a picture of the Roman Empire at its peak, around 117 A.D. Keep in mind, remember, the life and times of Paul, 5 B.C. To 66 AD. So you think about what's happening. Rome is still very much. It's already taken so much territory. It is a dominating force. And not only that, it shows no indication of letting up. It is on an uptick. It is growing, and it is growing to the peak of its domination. And there Paul is at that moment in history. And Paul is going to use his Roman citizenship oftentimes. He's going to use the privileges granted by his Roman citizenship to advance the gospel. Now, sometimes he's going to forego those privileges. If it was expedient for the gospel, he made use of his citizenship. If it would have been counterproductive to make use of his citizenship, then he didn't. He seemed to do whatever was expedient for the gospel. But listen to what some commentators say and some historians observe about this. To the Roman and the significance of what it meant for Paul to be a Roman citizen.

40:22To the Roman, his citizenship was his passport in distant lands, his talisman in seasons of difficulty. Difficulty. It shielded him alike from the whims of municipal law and the injustice of local magistrates. In Syria, in Asia, in Greece, wherever he went, he bore about with him this safeguard of his liberties. So God knew that it was important for the gospel that it's going to go to the Gentiles and the nations, that it be sent through someone who is a citizen of the nation, Roman nation. Brad Clausen, this is the man from Master Seminary who took us and led our trip this summer to this very area where I'm talking about now in Turkey, looking at the footsteps of Paul and John and more.

41:27He says this. He says, for most of his ministry, particularly as described by Luke in the book of Acts, the Roman government is Paul's protector whenever he sought such protection. Another commentator says this: Paul's Roman citizenship influenced his thought and ministry in a number of ways. Besides the obvious fact that it got him out of jams on a number of Of occasions. It influenced his plan of making centers of Roman administration and Greek culture centers for his evangelistic activities. It also shaped his vision and his vision for a worldwide church after the order of the empire. What is he saying? He's saying Paul's Roman citizenship influenced his thought. He understood the Roman Empire, how it worked, how it operated, and he wanted to set up the administrative centers and the Greek culture centers of this Roman Empire as centers for his evangelistic activity. So he's using the Greco-Roman world set up to advance the gospel. And after all, the gospel is to go to the nations, and it's going to go on the highways and the roads and the places, and it's going to be administered out of these centers. Those centers of the Roman government is going to become the centers for Paul's evangelistic activity. But it also shapes his vision, vision for the church, a church being as expansive as the Roman world and beyond, except with a different master, a different emperor, a different king.

43:32And so Paul is going to set up churches in all of these areas for the purpose. That's his commission to go. So God determined when and where Paul would live. But he also determined the home in which Paul was raised. You know that? Not only has God set the boundaries for when you were born and when you will die, but he has also put you in a certain home with a certain background. The good, the bad, and the ugly, all of it. God has control of it all. It doesn't mean he's the author of the ugly or the bad, but it does mean he uses it. As we're going to look, spend some time looking at Paul's life, we're going to understand he was involved in some pretty bad things, some pretty ugly things. And yet God was even at work in using that to shape him and to prepare him to minister in a way that only he could minister to a people to whom he needed to go and who were ready by God under his authority to receive him. Well, let's talk about Paul's family. Well, not much is said about. Paul's family. We know that he had a sister in Acts 23 who had a nephew who came and warned Paul about an ambush that was waiting for him. But how Paul came to be a Roman decision, a citizen of Rome is debated, and certainly. But if you think about it, this is what Jerome says about it, that historian, fourth century. He said, according to Jerome, Paul's parents had been taken as prisoners from Gishela, which is in Judea, Israel area. So you think about this, if, oh, but then it goes on, goes on, but then freed there by their Roman owner and granted Roman citizenship. So how did Paul's family end up in Tarsus? How did they end up with a citizenship that was very costly and pricey? How? This is all before Paul comes on the scene. How?

46:15And God was doing something. So if they were taken, however they were taken, if Jerome is right, God must have blessed them in their captivity, didn't he? You know, we've seen this. With Joseph, we've seen this with Daniel, how God blessed his people in captivity, gave them favor. Well, that seems to be the case, if Jerome is correct. God blessed them in their captivity to such a degree that they were freed by their Roman owner and even granted Roman citizenship.

46:52But however, it came about, it's clear that God was at work because Paul was born into a socially elite family who enjoyed Roman privileges, but who also had strong Jewish sympathies. Think about that. What a unique combination. An elite Roman family with strong Jewish sympathies. And that combination is what led Paul to enjoy a very unique and privileged education. So although Paul would have been well-versed in Romans' ways and philosophies, it's also clear that he was formally and masterfully trained in the ways of Judaism. Remember, he's a Hebrew of Hebrews. It's what he will say in Philippians 3:5, circumcise the eighth day of the nation of Israel, the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrew.

48:01As to the law of Pharisee. But not only that, he was educated. Acts 22, 23, he says this, I am a Jew born in Tarsus of Cilicia, brought up in this city, Jerusalem, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the laws of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you are all today. Acts 26:4, he says again, so then all Jews know my manner of life from my youth up, which from the beginning was spent among my own nation and at Jerusalem, since they have known me for a long time, if they are willing to testify that I lived according to the strictest sect of our religion. So he's a Hebrew of Hebrews, very zealous, a Pharisee.

48:55And so although he was brought up in Tarsus, or he was born in Tarsus and well cultured in Roman ways and thought, he was also educated at Jerusalem under the most esteemed school of Jewish life and thought. And apparently it was his parents' ability to arrange for it to happen that way. Let's talk a little bit about Paul's success in Judaism. You can look in Galatians 1, look down at verse 14. He says this, I was. Advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions. So he clearly excelled among his peers. He's probably one of the poster childs for the Gamaliel school.

49:53But it's also possible that he was more than just a promising student or a zealous upstart. Perhaps he was actually a member of the Sanhedrin. And evidence for that. Some point to Acts 26, verse 10. Notice he says that, and this is what I did when people were being tried. Not only did I lock up many of the saints in prison, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death, I cast my vote against them. Cast my vote against them. Now, if I went to a city council and the city council was going to have a vote that only the city council could have, and I told you I cast my vote on a very important issue, what do you think that would say about my role on the city council?

51:01I was a member. Think about it like this: if you're on a plane and somebody you're sitting next to somebody and they said, Yeah, I've just come back, I've been at the House of Representatives or in the Senate, a key issue was passed, and I cast my vote. What does that tell you about the person that was sitting next to you on the plane? They're a member of the legislative body. And so, with Paul, think about this, or Saul, to not only be in the room with the Sanhedrin while it was in session, but also to cast a vote involving the death penalty, a very significant thing, could very well imply membership. But also, he was able to act on their behalf. He was given papers and jurisdictional authority to go and act on behalf of the Sanhedrin. We may not be able to be certain that he was on the Sanhedrin, but we cannot be certain that he wasn't either.

52:12But regardless, what this all speaks of is that Paul, Saul, Paul, same individual, had a very special relationship with the Sanhedrin. And he had earned their confidence. So this speaks of his success. And you can see God superintending all of this. The place he was born, the family he was born, the citizenship he enjoyed, the education, and then his success in that education. You see God at work preparing the man for the mission that he had. So, what did Paul look like?

53:01What did Paul look like? Well, there is no biblical record. The earliest testimony of Paul's physical stature comes from a second-century work, so just a little bit after his time, by a young lady named Thecla. Of course, if she had written it, she probably wouldn't have been young when she wrote this down. But it depicts a young woman who came to Christ during Paul's first missionary journey in Iconium. We'll be reading about that in the weeks ahead.

53:45But she was converted under Paul's teaching, and she leaves a description of what he looks like. So, this would have been written early in the second century. Remember, Paul, and so it's possible that she could have, but it's an apocryphal book. So it's suspect on a lot of things, but this is what we have. And people have been asking me, when am I going to show some photographs of our trip that we took to this area? Well, here's an opportunity. There's Nancy and I are in front of the cave at Ephesus. We were on a trip, and actually, we were the first people to get a permit to go into this cave this year, this past year. And there we are at the Cave of Paul.

54:36It's a good hike up from the city of Ephesus. But in it, there are these paintings, and they're not glassed off anymore, anything like that. It's a very, but here you have what has been discovered as the very first painting of Paul. And notice it's before the big halo signs. It's the earliest. And there in the image is also Thecla, the convert from Iconium that wrote down a description of Paul. And so there's a painting there based on Thecla's description of Paul. And this is what she has to say about him.

55:20He was a man of middling size, and his hair was scanty, and his legs were a little crooked. And his knees were projecting, maybe a little bowlegged, I don't know. And he had large eyes, and his eyebrows met. He had a unibrow, and his nose was somewhat long. He was full of grace and mercy. At one time, he seemed like a man. At another time, he seemed like an angel. That was Paul. And God determined when he'd live and where he had lived. He determined the home in which Paul was raised.

56:19Because Paul's upbringing was under the hand, the control of God for God's purposes. And when, where, and with whom Paul grew up shaped who he was and who God needed him to be. God placed those experiences in his life to shape him into the person that God wanted him to be for the purpose that God had laid him out. Guess what? This is what he does with us as well. God has determined when you'd live, where you'd live, and the experiences. A home you grew up so that you can uniquely step into the mission that he has called you to do and so magnify his grace to the very ends of the earth. Paul was uniquely equipped and he was uniquely different from the other apostles, and he had to be. You remember in Acts chapter 4 and 13, they observed the confidence of Peter and John, the Sanhedrin, the leaders, and they understood this. They understood that they were uneducated and untrained men.

57:41But they recognized that they had been with Jesus. Paul, the minister to the nations, would have to be well-versed in Jewish thought. He would have to know the scriptures inside and out, and he would have to defend them to the stoutest academians of his time. But he also had to understand Greek culture. He also had to understand Roman culture and Roman ways. He also had to have the freedom to move about. He had to have a trade that would allow him to offer the gospel at free of charge and not just offer his ministry to the elite or to banks.

58:32You see, the missionary to the Gentiles, Paul, needed to be very different than the other apostles. And only God could arrange such unique circumstances that would uniquely prepare Paul for the task ahead. Think about the ways that God has been at work in your life, even before you came to know Him. Think about the family you were born in. Think about the time you were born. Think about the country you live in. Think about all these things. And why did God do this?

59:08Because God wants you to seek Him and find Him and step into the grace of being on mission with Him. You and only you can minister to certain areas and places. And God has uniquely raised you up, brought you to Him for that purpose. Can you think of a better way to live? Life is about seeking God, finding God, and helping others seek God, find Him, and live for Him. Who is this Paul? Who is this man that turned Rome upside down?

59:48He's simply a man who responded to Christ and stepped into the ministry that God had for him. Let's do the same. Heavenly Father, we. Thank you for the life of Paul. Thank you for your faithfulness to every generation. We thank you that this gospel mission is your mission. We thank you that you're the one who raises up missionaries. Raise up your ministers to go and minister in the ways that you have uniquely prepared them. Father, thank you for this great grace. Help us, Father, to first of all be those who seek you. Help us, Father, to be those who find you and rejoice in you as one who finds great treasure. And help us, then, Father, to live for the proclamation of your great grace and helping others to seek you, to find you, and to live for you.

1:00:56We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.