sermonette: A Conversation With Paul
Craig Sablich
Given 10-Oct-25; Sermon #FT25-04s; 17 minutes
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You know, when most of us come into the church, the things that grab our attention are usually the basics, the fundamentals. We learn what it means to change our lives, to walk a different path. Those early studies build a foundation of the truths of God in our hearts and minds. Over the 40 or so years in God's church, I built my foundation on those fundamentals, those basics, faith, repentance, baptism, obedience, and so on. But over the last year or so, I, I guess I felt inspired to try a different approach to my studies. Instead of just focusing on broad themes, I began to dig into specific writings of the New Testament. Recently, the letters of Paul. And the more I read, the clearer it became. There is a sharp difference between what Paul actually taught. And how his words are interpreted today. When I first thought about shaping these ideas into a message, I knew it wouldn't be simple. Every speaker faces the same challenge. How do we take the truths God places in our thoughts and share them in a way that's both clear and useful for others? As I wrestled with how to shape this message, my mind took a little bit of a twist. I thought instead of laying out scriptures point by point. Oh, what if I laid it out as a story? Something closer to home for me and hopefully more personal for you. Now most of you know I come from Cajun roots, and Cajuns are storytellers. So if you do not know I'm Cajun, you're about to find out. We tell stories to make you laugh. We tell stories to make you think. And many times just to poke fun at ourselves, but most of the time behind the humor, there is often a lesson somewhere. So that's what I'm going to do today. I'm going to tell you a story about a night when I sat down with the apostle Paul. The title of this message is simply a conversation with Paul. So close your eyes for a moment and picture this. A small cabin tucked along the bayou. The night air is cool and the only sound inside is the snap and crackle of a small fire dancing in the corner, lighting up the room. Out the window, a low fog drifts over the water blowing in the night of the full moon. I take my seat at a wooden table scattered with old scrolls. The edges curled from years of use. With words passed down through generations. My heart pounds as I hear the door creak open. In steps the apostle Paul. He pulls out a chair and sits across from me, staring at the scrolls. His gaze is steady, filled with eagerness for the conversation. Now let me tell you, I was nervous me. My chest thumped hard because I carried questions that had been burned in me for years. So I swallowed hard and leaned in and dropped my voice a bit and asked. Oh, I've read your letters year after year, over and over, and they are not easy to follow, no. A lot of people accuse you of of throwing out God's law, the Sabbath, the festivals, all of it. Many point to Galatians chapter 4, saying, you warned against observing days and seasons and years. Were you talking about God's Sabbath? Paul tilted his head, nodding slowly. Then leaned forward with a half a smile. Look here, my friend, I've heard that too, yeah. But let me tell you something. You got to be careful how you hear what I wrote. I've never taught anyone to toss out the law of God. I was writing to converted Gentiles fresh out of a dollar tree. Their old ways and festivals honored false gods. Tied to the stars, the seasons, the cycles of nature. So I, when I warned against days and months and seasons and years, I was not talking about God's Sabbath in any way. I was warning them against sliding back to the weak, beggarly elements of their old ways. Think about it. Would I ever call God's Sabbath weak? Not on your life. He leaned closer and his eyes were sharp and steady, but people today, they grabbed that one line and they twist it, saying the Sabbath is gone. They do not start in Genesis 2, where the Sabbath is created. They do not start and take a look at Leviticus 23, where God calls them my feast. No. Instead of studying the whole tree starting at the trunk, they pluck a twig and claim they know it all. He chuckled softly and added, you remember what I said in Acts 24:14. About speaking to Felix, what I told him. I believe all things written in the law and the prophets. And in Romans 3:31, I asked, do we make void the law through faith? Certainly not. On the contrary, we established the law. If people say I abolished the law, they have missed the heart of the matter. The difference between the law as God intended and the curse that comes when the law is broken. Paul's voice grew steady. Now think about what I told the Colossians. There were these outsiders, philosophers, aesthetics, critics, telling them how to keep God's way. So I said, do not let anyone judge you on Sabbath or festivals. These observances are shadows pointing to Christ. But the reality is him. I leaned in and asked. How about Hebrews 10:1 and Colossians 2:17? His eyes lit up. They say the same thing, my friend. The old sacrifices and rituals were shadows of the greater reality. Christ Himself. Shadows ain't worthless. No, they lead to the real thing. And Christ, they are fulfilled, not abolished. God set the pattern of worship, not outsiders. Then Paul tapped the scroll. I taught in Colossians 2:14. Christ wiped out the handwriting of the requirements nailed to the cross, and folks twist that to say the law is gone. Talk about taking something out of context. The handwriting is the record of debt. Our sins that condemn us. Christ removed the debt, not the law. He freed us from the penalty of death, not from obedience. He leaned back with a smile. From the day I left Damascus till now. Me, I've thought the same. The curse is death, not God's law. So in all these letters to the churches, you were speaking about the same law? I asked. Paul nodded. Well, yeah, that's what I'm trying to say. God sent me to the Gentiles, most of whom had no real knowledge of the true God. I had to begin with the basics, the trunk of the tree. Some had absorbed bits of Judaism, the traditions and man-made rules that had been piled on top of God's law. My task was to help them see the difference. Righteousness doesn't come through those heavy customs, but through Christ's sacrifice. They also needed to understand the consequences of rejecting God's way. That meant explaining 3 things. The human laws and traditions of Judaism. The true law that God gave to show right from wrong. And the law of death that comes from breaking his commands. OK, I can see that, but I asked, well, some folks say grace cancels obedience. Others claim you called the law itself a curse. Why you went and said that, you. And Paul chuckled, Young man, he's a big misunderstanding, Jack. If the law was a curse, then obedience would mean nothing. The curse is not the law. It shows the penalty when we break it. God's grace removes the penalty, not the law. Then the spirit empowers obedience. You see, law, grace, and spirit. All three worked together. He leaned in and his eyes were serious. Listen, there is no passive Christianity. Your hands, eyes, mine, they all belong to God. Sin starts in thought, and if you do not fight it there, it takes root. I swallowed hard. God's grace doesn't excuse sin. It gives power to resist. People twist it to imply the law is gone. It's not. It means the penalty is paid. But not that obedience is optional. So I leaned in and asked him straight out, just speak plain and tell me, is the law a curse? No, absolutely not, Paul said firmly. From the beginning, God gave us a law that was holy, good and righteous. It reflects who he is, but humanity broke it. As I wrote in Romans 5:12, sin entered the world through one man and death through sin. The law was never meant to destroy us. It was meant to show us how to live in harmony with God and our fellow man. Instead, it reveals how far we've fallen. Then I asked, Why you went and wrote in Galatians 3:10 that those who rely on the law are under a curse. Paul leaned back, his eyes dead in mine because nobody keeps it perfectly. The law says anyone who does not continue in everything written is cursed. So those insisting on teaching lawkeeping earned salvation to the Galatians remain under a curse. Not because the law is evil, but because the penalty for failing is death. That's what I meant in Romans 6:23. The wages of sin is death. The second death, the permanent, not existing anymore death. Bring yourself to that Revelation chapter 20 see what John says. That right there will make you think, yeah. So when I said Christ redeems us, think of a slave market. The word means bought out permanently. Christ bought us out of death with his life. I swallowed hard So the law, that's good, yeah. But it condemns us because we aren't perfect. Exactly, he said. That's what I'm talking about. Romans 7:12. The law is holy and the commandment is holy, just and good. And yet Romans 7:10. The commandment that was supposed to bring life brought death to me. Why? Because the law exposes sin, it revealed my weakness in being a slave to my human nature and its consequences. It condemns us before God. But hope, my friend, hope is revealed in the Gospel. Paul leaned forward. God did not leave us under the curse. As I told the Galatians, Christ redeemed us by becoming the curse for us. Deuteronomy says, cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. Christ bore that penalty. His death satisfied that law, and mercy was poured out. So I asked, if Christ removed the curse, what stops people from misusing grace? Paul's eyes grew sharp. That's another dangerous misunderstanding, my friend. Remember Romans 6:1. Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not. Grace removes condemnation, not responsibility. Freedom from the penalty doesn't mean freedom to sin. And it just clicked. So grace is not permission to sin. It's freedom to obey without the crushing weight of guilt. Even if we stumble, God's grace lifts that burden. Paul went over to throw another log on the fire and part patted my shoulder. He said, son. You either servesin under the law that leads to death. you serve God through obedience that leads to life. You can't serve both now. He smiled gently. That's why baptism is so important. In Romans 6, I said, baptism is like burial. Your old self dies with Christ, and you rise to new life. Without death, no resurrection, without burial, no new life. That's when the spirit is received. He paused and added, and do not fall for this dangerous idea of the philosophers about everyone heaven and a mortal soul apart from Christ. I wrote Timothy, Immortality is God's gift through Christ. Baptism is stepping into that gift. Leaving the old life behind. After a bit of silence I leaned on to the table. Boys slow, asked, but Paul, some say in Romans 14, you removed the strictness of the law, talking about days and foods. Was that for truth? Paul shook his head. No, not even. That chapter is about unity, not abolishing God's law. Some ate differently. Some honored certain days. No one should judge another's opinion. These are areas God gives latitude, but trouble starts when liberty becomes pride. Love, not judgment. No one should judge love, not judgment, is the point. He smiled. See, like I said in I Corinthians 9:19. I became all things to all men. Among Gentiles. I did not enforce Jewish customs unnecessarily. I avoided those barriers. But always under Christ's authority, guided by flexibility without compromise. Eat or not, observe or not, but let love and unity be the God. So I asked So does this connect with Ephesians 2:15? Paul's eyes were absolutely, Paul said. Christ abolished antagonism between Jew and Gentile, those old ordinances were driving us apart. Paul's eyes softened as the fire burned low. Summarize it this way, my friend. The curse of the law is death, not the law itself. Christ bore that curse and freed us from condemnation. Grace empowers obedience, not lawlessness. God's appointed times were upheld by the apostles. Pagan substitutes crept in later. The truth remains. Love and unity must guide our fellowship. And then Paul said, almost whispering. Always walk in respect and gratitude and faith. Christ hung a curse on a tree so that you might live. Keep the faith Keep the feast not for show, but for the relationship with God. The room grew still. The oil lamps flickered across the scrolls. I rose carrying the weight and warmth of his words in my heart. Just like that. Paul's story lingered with me. A story of grace, law, love, and obedience alive and personal. Passed down like Cajun stories across generations.
CLS/aws+/
Sermon Topics
The Gospel
