I Corinthians 15:7  After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
8  And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
9  For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10  But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
11  Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.

Communication is important. Just this week, China has successfully cut communication cables between Sweden and Lithuania, and between Germany and Finland. We know that our country is trying to cut off all communication that does not agree with what they want us to believe. Then there is also the brainwashing that is taking place. The government/taxpayer funded media is spreading lies enmasse. It is amazing how careless those many broadcasters are. History shows us that violent regimes can survive for a time, but they eventually fall. The antichrist will be given permission to establish the worst regime ever, but his will only last 7 years. In those 7 years there will be massive casualties coming from God and from the antichrist. The world will be shaken up as never before.
In the midst of the increasing attacks on free speech, God has preserved His Word for every generation to read and know the truth. The devil has been attacking God’s Word since Genesis 3. He has not been successful in destroying God’s Word. Many different groups have tried to remove God’s Word from their nation. Canada tried to shut down churches a couple of years ago. They had quite a lot of success in that attack. They helped to expose the many fraudulent churches that exist in this country. The enemies of God are busy planning ways to shut down the truth. The good news is that even during the time of the Tribulation, God will still have His way of proclaiming the truth to all mankind. The devil will never silence the truth. The good news is that one day the devil and his followers will be cast into the lake of fire.
It is essential for all people to read the Word of God and to know the God of the Word. The carelessness that permeates societies is not a good thing. We need the Truth and God’s Word is Truth.
In our text today, the James mentioned here is likely James the brother of Jesus. Paul has already referred to the twelve above and then again at the end of verse 7. The reference to all the apostles again here is pointing out that Jesus showed Himself more than once to the apostles after His resurrection. He had spent 3+ years with them. They had much to process and come to terms with after His resurrection. They needed to be further prepared for the work that God had planned for them.
In verse 8 the apostle Paul pointed out that he also saw Jesus. His was a unique situation. He described it as one born out of due time. He did not enjoy the opportunity to sit with Jesus as the other disciples had done. He met Jesus as he was on his way to arrest saints at Damascus. He was converted there and immediately changed. That is Biblical salvation. He further spent time with Jesus in the desert of Arabia. He was chosen later than the others. He was one born out of due time.
In verse 9 he further explained that he was the least of the apostles. None of the other apostles had a past history like Paul. Judas betrayed Jesus and then went out and hung himself. Jesus stated that he was a devil. He did not have a worthy name, nor did he leave a worthy legacy. Peter denied Jesus three times at His trial, but he repented and was forgiven and restored. He was quite an impulsive person, but he was also teachable. Paul was one who consented to the murder of Stephen. He had letters to persecute the saints at Damascus. He was a proven God-hater. However, he too was forgiven and called to be an apostle to the Gentiles.
Yes, in verse 9 Paul stated that he persecuted the “church of God”. Every true church is a church of God. Every true church makes up that one body that will be together in heaven. There is no invisible, universal church body on this earth. We certainly know that all churches are not part of the church of God. There are many who assume they are saved, because they have redefined Biblical salvation. Some of those may even truly repent and be saved before they die. Most will arrogantly sail right on into hell. That is a tragedy, but it is a self-inflicted tragedy just like that of Judas Iscariot. He had the opportunity to believe the truth, but he chose not to. Those who want to follow their own brand of truth will also find out too late that what they believed was not worth anything.
In verse 10 the apostle noted that it was by the grace of God that he was what he was. God had changed him on the road to Damascus. He was changed from the heart outward. Ananias needed to trust that he had been changed. He went to him and prayed over him and Saul received his sight. That was a unique event.
The apostle Paul noted that this grace that was “bestowed” upon him was not in vain. Paul was not going to take advantage of the grace of God that was gifted to him. There are far too many professing Christians who believe that God’s grace is a license to sin. They assume that God is gracious so He will forgive them. God is gracious and He does forgive us. He does not forgive those who defiantly work against what He has declared. There are many preachers who will wish they had not taken liberties with God’s Word. It will be too late for them, but they will know they were wrong. There are many who choose to listen to these corrupters and they too will regret that. The Bible says no one will have an excuse for defying the true God. We can know the truth.
Hebrews 4:16 states:

Hebrews 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

There is the grace of God whereby we are saved. There is also that grace that is given to those who are saved in order to help them to walk humbly and truthfully with God. The apostle Paul was saved by God’s grace and he also learned to walk in that “helping” grace. In II Corinthians 12:9:

II Corinthians 12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Paul was a faithful servant of God. The apostle Paul acknowledged that he worked harder than the other apostles. We know that there is far more written about him than any of the other apostles. God chose him to minister to the needs of many people. Paul was led to acknowledge that fact, but he also understood that he had nothing to boast of here. He again mentioned that it was God’s grace that enabled him to do what he did.
Every true child of God must draw from the grace of God in order to be an effective servant of God. That grace will never lead the true child of God into sin. The godly preacher will never teach false doctrine if he is working under the grace of God. The true saint can do right if he walks in the grace of God.
In verse 11 Paul reminded the saints that all the apostles preached the same Gospel. There was no contradiction in the message, nor in the actions. We see that in the Bible. We see a vast array of teachings among pastors today. They cannot all be right. God’s Word is sure. We can and we must follow what God has declared. There will be a day or reckoning coming. In fact some have already faced that reckoning. Those that are saved will stand at the judgment seat of Christ. He will judge each saved person according to what they have done with the truth. We are not born knowing the truth. We need to be saved and then we need to be taught how to live as a saved person. Those who assume they are called of God to preach will be held to a higher standard. If they are truly called to preach, God will provide all the help needed to be a faithful preacher. God will guide the faithful saint in the study of His Word. There will be no contradictions if the saved preacher is faithful to the Lord.
I remember while in Bible school there was one fellow student in particular who liked to come and bounce his ideas off of me. I was a married student and he was a single young person. He assumed I might have some wisdom he could draw from. He was of the Charismatic leaning and thus I seldom agreed with him. He would then find someone else to bounce his ideas off of. That is quite common. Most people do not want to know the truth. They want someone to rubber stamp their positions. It is not very helpful when you surround yourself with “yes men.” You need a friend who will be like iron sharpening iron. We need to be careful that we are actually following the Word of God if we are saved.
Pastor Bartel