Free to Follow God's Call

River Church Sermons

Let Freedom Ring

Part Two: Free to Follow God’s Call, Gal. 1:11-2:10

By Louie Marsh, 6-9-2024

Called: In 2014 the Selective Service System mistakenly sent notices to more than 14,000 Pennsylvania men born between 1893 and 1897, ordering them to register for the nation's military draft and warning that failure to do so is "punishable by a fine and imprisonment."

The agency realized the error when it began receiving calls from bewildered relatives last week.

Chuck Huey, 73, of Kingston, said he got a notice addressed to his late grandfather Bert Huey, a World War I veteran who was born in 1894 and died in 1995 at age 100.

"I said, `Geez, what is this about?' It said he was subject to heavy fines and imprisonment if he didn't sign up for the draft board," he said. "We were just totally dumbfounded."

God’s Call – farmer comes in excited, saw GPC in the sky, says to wife, God’s calling to preach the gospel, she says no it means go plow corn!

1) respond to GOD’S CALL – not man’s call!

“11For I certify to you, brothers, that the gospel I preached was not devised by man. 12I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 1:11–12, BSB)

2) dedicate myself WHOLEHEARTEDLY to Jesus!

“13For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how severely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. 14I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.” (Galatians 1:13–14, BSB)

3) Remember two things:

• Jesus has a plan for MY LIFE.

“15But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by His grace, was pleased” (Galatians 1:15, BSB)

“4For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love” (Ephesians 1:4, BSB)

• I must STAY focused on Him.

“16to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not rush to consult with flesh and blood, 17nor did I go up to Jerusalem to the apostles who came before me, but I went into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.” (Galatians 1:16–17, BSB)

4) Practice proper INDEPENDENCE.

“18Only after three years did I go up to Jerusalem to confer with Cephas, and I stayed with him fifteen days. 19But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. 20I assure you before God that what I am writing to you is no lie. 21Later I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22I was personally unknown, however, to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23They only heard the account: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24And they glorified God because of me.” (Galatians 1:18–24, BSB)

5) Practice real ACCOUNTABILITY.

“1Fourteen years later I went up again to Jerusalem, accompanied by Barnabas. I took Titus along also. 2I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I spoke privately to those recognized as leaders, for fear that I was running or had already run in vain. 3Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. 4This issue arose because some false brothers had come in under false pretenses to spy on our freedom in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us. 5We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.” (Galatians 2:1–5, BSB)

• Real accountability isn’t CONTROL

“6But as for the highly esteemed—whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism —those leaders added nothing to me.” (Galatians 2:6, BSB)

• It’s being responsive with an OPEN HEART.

6) Serve God out of MY CALLING!

“7On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted to preach the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised. 8For the One who was at work in Peter’s apostleship to the circumcised was also at work in my apostleship to the Gentiles. 9And recognizing the grace that I had been given, James, Cephas, and John—those reputed to be pillars—gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised. 10They only asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.” (Galatians 2:7–10, BSB)

• ENCOURAGE others to do the sam