Galatians 6 v11-18

And one of the joys of being a slightly larger church is being able to help other churches and Ruben has done a great shift preaching in Headington and Salisbury and Chris Craddock is serving as moderator and lots of the elders are helping out in different ways and so I'm away quite a bit this next month I'm in the Isle of Harris next Sunday and then I'm in Alabama at the end of the month is a tough life isn't it

but someone's got to do it Ruben gets Headington and Salisbury I get Isle of Harris in Alabama you know so Ruben's going to preach through 1 Corinthians which will be great and then Andrew's going to go back to doing a series in Genesis and so we come to the end of Galatians and I confess I always get a bit sentimental when we finish a book in the Bible I put my Galatians commentaries back in their place on the shelf this morning

part of it is nostalgia but I have found Galatians challenging and yet I've been wonderfully fed myself and I've learned a great deal going through Galatians and part of it is regret I think this morning that I've just squeezed the first little bit of juice out of the orange and in some ways I wish I could go back next week to chapter 1 and verse 1 we're not going to do that there

and so here we go with the last eight verses and they really are astounding and they bring together all the big themes that the apostle has been laying before us in the book of Galatians

Galatians and he says as you stand back he says Galatians is about one thing he wants you to grasp at one thing it's about one thing and that one thing is the absolute centrality and transforming power of the cross of Jesus Christ that's what Galatians is about

and did you notice when Andrew read it there are two references to the cross in verse 13

even those who receive circumcision they don't keep the law they desire to view circumstance that they may glory in the flesh and the end of verse 12 is

that they don't want to be persecuted for the cross of Christ that's what they don't want but Paul contrasting in verse 14 says far be it from me

to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ he says the main thing which is the main thing is the cross of Jesus Christ

at the heart and center of our faith at the heart and center of our relationship with God at the heart and center of the Bible

is the cross of Jesus Christ and I want to find out an illustrate a way to illustrate that from elsewhere in the Bible

so let me ask you this question how important do you think the miracles and teaching of Jesus are

you think to yourself are they very important

never in history have such words or deeds been achieved but when you look at the gospels

the gospel writers tell us that though the miracles and the teaching of Jesus are important

the death of Jesus is far more important

in fact without the death of Jesus his words and his miracles are powerless

so if you look at Mark's gospel and you stand back over a third of the gospel is devoted to Jesus' death

take John's gospel and over half the gospel is devoted to Jesus' death

and so you mustn't say to people oh well this is the kind of biography of the Lord Jesus

no biography has one third on the death

or one half on the death

in fact at the end of John's gospel he gives us this tantalizing statement doesn't he

he says Jesus did a whole bunch of other things

and if you wrote them down

they would have filled up all the books from the world

and a lot of us want to say well just give us some of them tell us a bit more

but he didn't why didn't John put all those details in his book

because he wanted you and I to focus on the death of Jesus Christ

what is vitally important you see to the gospel writers

is not so much how you and I live

but what you and I believe about the cross

some people say to us don't they they say well it doesn't matter what you believe

it matters how you live

and so let's not get caught up on doctrinal disputes

let's not get het up about the incarnation or the resurrection or the miracles

let's all live by the golden rule

and it doesn't matter no matter what you believe

what matters is how you live

let's go for peace

but if that's true

then you've got to go back to correct the gospels on their emphasis

and if that is true

you've got to go back and help Paul to correct his emphasis

and tell him

Paul you need to glory in a lot of other things

other than the cross of Jesus

you see

the very shape of the gospel tells us

that what matters

is not so much what Jesus tells us to do

but what Jesus has come to do for us

what he's come to do for you

the world does not need

another moral teacher

they are all saying

basically the same thing

I'm not putting Jesus in this category

but Buddha says isn't it

love for one another

Allah says

obey and submit

the secular commentator

the Instagram influencer

says be kind

but the problem is we can't do it

and what we really need

is not so much someone to come and tell us what to do

we need someone who will come

and take our hearts

and make them into something

that we cannot be on our own

we need someone from God

who will create us

and make us into new creations

and that is what marks the true church

always

what marks the true church

is not kind of institutional conformity

to anything external

or circumcision

the true church is marked

by being a community

that is centered

on the cross of Jesus Christ

you can always tell

a true Christian church

a true Christian church

will not sit

in slavery

to some central authority

to some rituals

to rules

it won't sit

under the influence

of one teacher

or one great leader

inspirational

though they may be

a true church

will be one that sits

under the Bible

and that recognizes

Jesus Christ

and him crucified

as it's life and hope

and I think that is why

Paul finishes

the letter

with these words

just look at the last verse

the grace

of our Lord Jesus Christ

be with your spirit

brothers

and so two questions

this morning

what is this grace

of our Lord Jesus Christ

and the second question

how do we get it

to be with our spirits

so first then

what is the grace

of the Lord Jesus Christ

now in these verses

verses 11 to 18

there are two sides

to the grace

of the Lord Jesus

one is objective

and one is

and it's external

and it's outside of us

and the other is

internal

subjective

experiential

inside of us

now this is going to be tricky

we found this again and again

of me in Galatians

you've got to think hard

we've got to work hard

together at this

so it's a bit like a marriage

I now pronounce you

husband and wife

there's an objective side to it

you

sign the document

you get the certificate

you are

a married couple

there's a new family

created

objectively

but that's not all there is

to a marriage

is it

there's a subjective side

there is the quality

of the relationship

and so in verse 14

we get both these sides together

if you look down

far be it from me

to glory

except in the cross

of our Lord Jesus Christ

and now he says

the objective side

by which

the world has been

crucified to me

that's the objective

and then the subjective side

is

I to the world

so let's take the objective

side first

I think this is the only place

in the whole of the New Testament

where we are told

that through the cross

the world

is crucified to us

we usually

are

familiar I think

with the idea

that we're crucified

to the world

but the emphasis here

is that the world

is crucified to me

so what does that mean

verse 15

well neither circumcision

counts for anything

nor uncircumcision

but a new creation

what it means is this

that in the death

of Jesus Christ

it's not just the death

of one man

it's not just the death

of the Son of God

it's not just the point

of our faith

but in the death

of Jesus Christ

the world itself

is crucified

what happened

on the cross

is that we get

a glimpse

of this new creation

that God has begun

the cross is like

the sentence

from God

on this world

what this means

is that

everything external

circumcision

uncircumcision

doesn't really matter

let me read to you

from John Brown

and this is the best

commentary I think

on Galatians

by a guy called

John Brown

it's published

in the 19th century

and this is what he writes

speaking about these verses

he says this

the great principle

taught here

by the apostle

according to the wisdom

given him

is that true Christianity

does not consist

in anything

merely external

but in the state

of the hidden man

of the mind

and heart

nothing

merely

external

can make a man

a Christian

so here we go

he may be baptized

but the washing

of water

is not the washing

of regeneration

and the renewal

of the Holy Spirit

he may observe

the Lord's Supper

but eating bread

and drinking wine

and not discerning

the Lord's body

is not the communion

of the body

and blood of Christ

he may attend

the public services

of religion

but all this

may be only bodily service

he may give much arms

he might put his money

in the collection pot

and say many prayers

but all this may be

to be seen by men

he may do many things

commended by Jesus

but his motives

may be dangerously defective

or fatally wrong

nothing will suffice

but the new creation

the mind

and the heart

transformed

by divine truth

regarding

the cross

of Christ

it's lamentable

to think how often

religion is placed

in what has nothing

to do with true Christianity

counting beads

doing penance

going on a pilgrimage

wearing a particular dress

speaking a peculiar dialect

and so these things

when it comes

to salvation

are a matter

of indifference

because the world

has been crucified

to us

you see the law

belongs to the world

human religion

belongs to this world

but in the cross

of Jesus Christ

God has begun

a new creation

he's begun

to make us alive

by his Holy Spirit

and this is the first side

of the grace

of our Lord Jesus Christ

I wonder if you

understand this

you see

it means that

we have a different

relationship

to the world

put it this way

the world

if we move

through the cross

the world

no longer

has a controlling

influence

in my life

and thinking

it's been crucified

to me

it's as if

God has

taken the world

and he's nailed

it to the cross

the world

is dying

this world

is passing away

and so you

and I

as Christians

we are no longer

slaves to the

basic structures

of this world

let me give you

an example

I think non-Christians

people who are not

Christians

often look at

Christians

true Christians

and think they're

just weird

and often

we would have to say

well we agree with them

but there are

sometimes

aren't there

there are good

reasons for us

looking weird

you see

some Christians

are very

successful

but they do

not care

whether they are

or they aren't

other Christians

look like

failures

but they don't

care whether

they are

or they aren't

this week

I hear of a man

in the United States

who has made

an absolute

fortune

on the internet

millions

upon millions

upon millions

probably near billions

he has come to

faith in Jesus

Christ

and he is now

investing

literally

hundreds of

millions of

dollars

in seeing

churches

planted across

the world

in places

where Christ

is not known

you would look

at that guy

wouldn't you

and you would

say that's

a very weird

priority

I have another

friend in London

who's refused

promotions

with huge

salary increases

and bonuses

so that he can

continue serving

his local church

and be an elder

there

and he can

continue to

spend time

with his

family

and you look

at that

and you think

that's so weird

the world

has been

crucified to them

we live in

this world

we use

this world

some of us

marry and raise

families in this

world

we have money

but we know

that there is

something far

more important

than money

do you know

that

we want our

children to do

well

but we know

don't we

that the

cross of

Jesus Christ

is far

more important

to our

children

than anything

and any

success

this world

can offer

the best

that this

world can

offer

has been

crucified

to us

all the

principles

of living

a happy

successful

balanced

life

of accumulating

lots of

possessions

and wealth

of keeping

your objectives

of being

focused

of having

purpose

of living

in a successful

manner

it's glorying

in the flesh

and it is all

completely

impotent

impotent

to move you

one step

closer to the

Lord Jesus

Christ

because that

only comes

through his

grace

before

we saw

the cross

as beautiful

before we

saw Jesus

Christ

and him

crucified

and understood

it

we were

deeply

anxious

to be in

favour with

the world

what the

world thought

of us

was really

really

important

I think

that's one

of the

signs of

whether

somebody's

a believer

how desperate

they are

for the

world

to think

well

of them

but now

we know

don't we

that the

best

that the

world

has to

offer

us

cannot

promote

our

life

in

Christ

that's

the

objective

side

but the

subjective

side

as well

the

internal

side

when we

place

our

faith

in the

death

of

Jesus

it's

like

moving

through

a door

to the

other

side

of

the

cross

and so

now

we look

back

on the

world

and our

relationship

with the

world

is forever

changed

because

we've

been

crucified

we now

relate to

we now

view

we now

see the

world

differently

and one

of the

most important

things that

the book

of Galatians

does for

us is it

brings

together

the cross

of Jesus

Christ

and you

and your

and my

daily

experience

of the

Holy Spirit

in our

lives

there is

no

separate

gospel

of the

Holy Spirit

don't let

anyone teach

you that

it is

not as

though

there's

a basic

gospel

of the

forgiveness

of sins

through the

cross

and then

there's

a subsequent

gospel

of getting

the spirit

somehow

they belong

together

so let me

show you

this

look at

chapter 4

in verse 4

for a moment

when the

fullness of

time had

come

God sent

forth his

son born

of a

woman born

under the

law to

redeem those

who are under

the law so

that we might

receive adoption

of sons and

because you are

sons God has

sent the spirit

of his son

into our

hearts crying

Abba

father

and so it

is through the

redeeming work of

Jesus Christ on

the cross that

we first receive

the Holy Spirit

and it is through

the redeeming work of

Jesus on the cross

that we continue

to receive the

spirit I wonder

if you believe

that look at

chapter 3

in verse 1

you foolish

Galatians

who's bewitched

you it was

before your

eyes that

Jesus Christ

was publicly

portrayed as

crucified

Paul says I

preach Jesus

Christ as

crucified verse 2

of chapter 3

let me ask you

this did you

receive the spirit

by works of

the law or

by hearing

with faith

how did you

receive the

spirit

it was

hearing by

faith that

Jesus Christ

is crucified

verse 5

does he who

supplies the

spirit to you

and works

miracles among

you do so

by works of

the law or

by hearing

with faith

so how does

God continue

to supply his

Holy Spirit

to us

it is by

hearing of

Jesus Christ

and him

crucified

and so the

cross of

Jesus Christ

is not one

simplistic

message

growing up

I used to

listen to a

minister who

used to come

and preach

in our church

and he would

finish his

sermons the

same way

every week

every week

it was the

same

and you'd

sit in the

congregation

and you could

see where he

was going

and you'd

get to the

end of the

sermon

and you'd

hear the

same words

and everybody's

head would

go like this

and people

knew what

was coming

there's another

minister in

Wales and

he used to

cry and

he used to

cry at about

five past

twelve every

Sunday

you'd get

really emotional

they called him

waterworks

so cruel

isn't it

and he was

saying the

same thing

every week

loses effect

doesn't it

but can you

see that we

can never

exhaust the

glory of

the riches

of all the

treasure and

knowledge and

wisdom that

are hidden in

Jesus Christ

and what we

really need to

be taught is

the full extent

of the gospel

isn't it

if you go

back to chapter

six the false

teachers were

saying the real

action in the

Christian life is

not the cross of

Christ it's in

your outward

external religious

observance and

they said that the

way that you grow

in the spirit the

way that you move

on in your

Christian life is

outward external

observance it is

not hearing Jesus

Christ and him

crucified and I

think that is a

constant danger for

churches like us

particularly for us

I love living in

London it's it is

isn't it one of the

most beautiful cities

in the world and

there is art which

is glorious there is

theatre there is all

sorts of things and

we live in a culture

that is obsessed with

externals and it is

almost impossible for

you and I to avoid

this temptation and so

you go on to social

media you go on to

Instagram and I

young people what are

you obsessed what do

you see you see

externals externals

and they make the

external essentially

important and it's

easy to do that in

church life to take

things which are good

in and of themselves

like circumcision as

these guys did or

communion or baptism

or Presbyterianism

Presbyterianism or

anything you like and

you can take those

distinctives and put

them right at the

center and make them

fundamentals and every

church I know

struggles with this

and so we can look

at other churches

can't be the relevant

style the great sound

system the videos

the building but

actually it's a lot

closer to home with

us isn't it

we can put sound

orthodox preaching

correct liturgy

church government

none of those things

are wrong in

themselves the

problem is if you

take any of those

things and you

elevate those things

and you look to

them apart from the

cross of Christ

when we do that we

empty the grace of

our Lord Jesus

Christ

and so brothers and

sisters I don't know

how to say this any

clearer than this

in the cross we

commit cultural

social personal

suicide to the world

that is very shocking

but I say it

deliberately

in the cross we

commit cultural

social personal

suicide to the world

it is a graphic and a

perfect way to describe

our relationship to this

world and that's what

the grace of the Lord

Jesus Christ is all

about

well secondly let me ask

you just briefly Paul

wants this grace to come

into our hearts

into our spirits

how does that happen

well I think the simple

answer from these verses

is this it's everything

depends on what we boast

in

and what we glory in

so look at verse 13

and what do the false

teachers glory in

they glory in

they boast in your flesh

in the flesh

look at verse 14

what does Paul boast in

Paul boasts in the cross

what I glory in

is my true joy

it's what I trust in

it's what I base my life

on

it's the centre of my

personality

the field of my dreams

the thing that I think

about as I go to sleep

at night

the thing in my life

which I need

and if I don't have it

I just cannot go on

that's your glory

and if we boast in the

cross of Jesus Christ

Paul says this world

has no power

over us

we are free people

turn that around

if there's something

that has power

over you

if there's something

apart from Jesus Christ

that you cannot

do without

it means terrifyingly

that you are not

glorying in the cross

but that you are

glorying in the flesh

you see

if I'm embittered

and I just can't

get past it

if I'm controlled

by boredom

or fear

or something else

I may not be

glorying in the cross

in chapter 6 verse 1

I want to say

that we need each other

to help each other

to glory in the cross

can you look at

chapter 6 verse 1

I think

some of us

are blocked

in our Christian life

because of huge wounds

that we bear

and those wounds

stop us

boasting in the cross

so look at the beginning

of this chapter

brothers and sisters

verse 1

if anyone is overtaken

if anyone is

caught up

if anyone is captured

in any trespass

I don't reflect on that

I don't think it necessarily

means that

it is the person

who sinned

it does mean that

but it doesn't just

mean that

he's saying

if anyone sins

but if somebody's

overt

he's not saying

if someone sins

he's saying

if someone is overtaken

you are spiritual

restore them

in a spirit

of gentleness

and look to yourself

lest you too

be tempted

bear one another's burdens

it is isn't it

it's such a burden

to help each other

it's going to take

some sort of sacrifice

it's going to be

a huge waste

of your very important time

you see

what lies

at the heart of Galatians

is two diametrically

opposed views

of the cross

of Jesus Christ

the apostle

looks at the cross

and he sees it all

in its beauty

and his glory

and his honour

and his joy

and the false teacher

looks at the cross

and they're offended

by it

and they don't want

to have anything

to do with it

and they especially

will not suffer

for the cross

they will not put

themselves out

for the cross

but you see

there's only one way

for you and I

to receive

the grace

of the Lord Jesus Christ

into our hearts

and spirits

and that is

to go through

the offence

of the cross

and it's when

you do that

you go through

the offence

of the cross

that the sweetness

of the grace

of God

is on the other side

put it this way

if you've never been

if you've never been

offended by the cross

you've not understood it

it's not until

we come to grips

with the offence

of the cross

that it becomes

a transforming power

in our lives

in the first century

and today

people never hear

the message

of the cross

for the first time

and say

oh that's just fantastic

why?

why?

because

when you understand

what the cross is about

it says something

about you

and when you see

the cross

and you understand it

it says some very

uncomplimentary

things about you

it says

that we are not

good people

and it says

that we cannot

find our way

to God

and it says

that we're lost

it says

and if you look

at the world

and what's wrong

with the world

that the curse

of God

lies on the world

and that's our fault

and that we are

impotent

to save ourselves

and that nothing

short of the death

of Jesus

God's son

will rescue us

and you ask yourself

the question

why did Jesus die?

why did Jesus die?

well and your friend

or your neighbour

comes to you

and says

look

I love you so much

I want to show you

how much I love you

I'm going to show you

how much I love you

and to do that

they run off

into the forest

and they get eaten

by a wolf

how does that show

their love for you?

and what would you say

at the funeral

about that person?

but if you discover

that one of the children

of the church

was pinned to the ground

by the wolf

and that your friend

rescued the child

and gave his own life

to save that child

well then it's rescue

isn't it?

or if a friend

comes to you

and says

I'm going to lay

my life down for you

and I'm going to show you

how much I love you

and they run out

into the traffic

on the Xbridge Road

and they're flattened

it doesn't show love

it just shows they're silly

but if your father

is in traffic

and your friend

pushes them out of the way

and is killed

in the process

then that rescue

then that's love

it is terribly offensive

isn't it

for you and I

to be told

that we're rebels

against God

and we're spiritually impotent

and that there's only

one place of rescue

and that one place

of rescue

is in the death

of his only son

it's very offensive

to be told

that it doesn't really matter

whether you've lived

an upright life

whether you've paid

all your taxes

whether you've been

a gentle and kind person

in your family

or you might have been

somebody who's lived

an immoral and selfish

and abusive life

because each of us

stand equally in need

of the forgiveness of God

we have no power

to help ourselves

there is no health

in us

and that is why

that the true Christian church

always centres

on the cross

of Jesus Christ

and that is why

the true Christian church

will always suffer

because the cross

is offensive

and I need to finish

but I don't want to finish

without skipping over

verse 17

I want to read

verse 17 to you

Paul says this

he says

from now on

let no one

cause me trouble

for I bear on my body

the marks

of Jesus

the whole of the book

of Galatians

has been about scars

it's been about marks

what is circumcision?

it is a scar

it is a mark

and Paul says

you want to talk about scars?

let me talk to you about scars

let me show you scars

a number of them

he got when he preached

the gospel in Galatia

do you remember

he was stoned

and left for dead

in a gutter in Lystra

he had countless

beatings

five times

he received

39 lashes

and they were proud

of their scars

but Paul says

I bear in my body

the scars

the marks

of Jesus Christ

Amy Carmichael wrote

this beautiful poem

it's well known

isn't it?

Hast thou no scar

no hidden scar on foot

or side

or hand

I hear thee sung

as mighty

in the land

I hear them hail

thy bright ascendant star

hast thou no scar?

hast thou no wound

yet I was wounded

by that archer's spent

leaned me against the tree

to die and rent

by ravening beasts

that compass me

I swooned

hast thou no wound

no wound

no scar

yet as the master

shall the servant be

and pierced

are the feet

that follow me

but thine a hole

can he have followed far

who has no wound

nor scar

the apostle Paul

finishes by telling

you and I

that this gospel

of Jesus Christ

is worth

suffering for

it is worth

bearing scars

for

come with me

to chapter 1

verses 3 to 5

let's read these

verses together

grace to you

and peace

from God

our Father

and the Lord

Jesus Christ

who gave himself

for our sins

to deliver us

from the present

evil age

according to the will

of our God

and Father

to whom

be the glory

forever and ever

Amen

Christ lives in us

and that is all

of grace

and it is a grace

that has brought us

this far

and it is a grace

that will lead us

home

the grace

of the Lord

Jesus Christ

be with your

spirit

Amen

let's pray

Amen