I did choose thee, Lord. Todd's Road Grace Church would like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd Nyberg. We are located at 4137 Todd's Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are at 10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at 9.45 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services. For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com. Now here's our pastor, Todd Nybert.

In Galatians chapter 5, verse 11, the Apostle Paul said to the church of Galatia, and I brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? Then is the offense of the cross ceased. Notice the language, the offense of the cross. Men find the cross offensive. Now I dare say I'm listening to some people who find religion offensive. The way people act, their self-righteous airs, the trivial things being spoken of. I have no doubt that people find religion offensive and I do too. I find most of what goes on under the name of Christianity offensive.

But listen to Paul's words. He said, if I preach circumcision, if that's what I was preaching. Now, when he was talking about preaching circumcision, he was not speaking of physical circumcision. Circumcision represents Christ plus. Christ plus something you do will make you acceptable before God, not Christ alone, Christ and your obedience, your circumcision, your law keeping, your experience, your works, your good works, your Bible reading, your praying, your witnessing, Christ plus. That is the preaching of circumcision.

Now Paul says, if I was preaching circumcision, salvation by what Christ has done and by what you do, salvation in some way dependent upon what you do, if I was preaching circumcision, why am I yet suffering persecution? You see, Paul is saying, if I did preach circumcision, I would not be persecuted. But Paul, everywhere he went, he was persecuted. We read in Acts 20, verse 22, And now, behold, I go bound in the Spirit into Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there, save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide there. Now, Paul knew that wherever he went preaching the gospel, he would be thrown in jail, he would be beaten with the cat of nine tails, he would be beaten with rods, he would be stoned. Everywhere he went, he was punished for preaching the gospel.

And Paul is saying, if I preach circumcision, that wouldn't be taking place. You see, these fellas, were preaching circumcision because they didn't want to be persecuted. If you preach the message of salvation by works, you'll be received. Now, what persecution is he talking about? He's talking about the persecution of the eighth beatitude. Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness' sake. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Now, when he's talking about being persecuted for righteousness' sake, he's not talking about being persecuted for religion's sake. You're not going to be persecuted for your good works. You won't be persecuted for giving money to help the poor. You won't be persecuted for trying to open hospitals to help the sick and heal the sick. Some people think, well, I'm being persecuted for righteousness because I'm standing in front of an abortion clinic and protesting and trying to keep people. Don't get me wrong, I don't believe in abortion, but that's not what he's talking about. Trying to stand for certain religious rights or societal rights, being persecuted for being against gay marriages or being persecuted for trying to stop people from doing things. That's persecuted for self-righteousness sake is what that is. When he's talking about being persecuted for righteousness, he's talking about being persecuted because you stand for the righteousness of Jesus Christ, his perfect obedience being the only righteousness there is.

Now, hear me or hear Paul. Paul said, oh, that I may win Christ and be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, which is according to my personal obedience, but the righteousness which is of God by faith. The only righteousness I want to have is His, the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Not my own righteousness. I don't want to be judged for my preaching or my praying or my witnessing or how zealous I am or how sincere I am. The only way I want to be found is in the righteousness of Christ, where when God sees me, all He sees is Jesus Christ.

All works of religion, they won't do you any good. They're, as Isaiah said, are filthy rags. Our righteousnesses are filthy rags. The only righteousness I want to be found in is His. Now, how can that be? On Calvary's tree. Jesus Christ took my sins and they became his sins. He didn't die as an innocent victim. He died as guilty before God, taking my sins and making them his own. Now, just as truly as my sin became his sin and he suffered and died for it, His righteousness becomes mine. He took away my sin and gave me his righteousness. So I stand before God justified, without sin, one who has never sinned, one who has kept the law perfectly. It's his righteousness only. Paul put it this way in 2 Corinthians 5.21, for he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin. that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

I think one of the most beautiful illustrations of this is the publican in the temple. You had the Pharisee thanking God for all he was. I thank you that I'm not as other men are. He had such a high opinion of himself. And he talked about all the good things he did and didn't do. And then the publican, unlike the Pharisee, the publican stood back in the back, his head down, beating on his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, the sinner. This man knew before God, he was nothing but sin. Now, what does the Lord say about this man? He says, I tell you that this man went down to his house, justified, cleared of all guilt, standing before God without guilt, one who has never sinned. Now, by his own admission, he was a great sinner. He said, God, be merciful to me, the sinner. And God said, or Christ said concerning him, and when Christ said it, God said it, I tell you, this man went down to his house and justified. No guilt. The religious fella, he went down to his house in his sins, condemned by God, cast off by God. But this poor, wicked publican went down to his house justified.

Now, the offense of the cross, the word actually is scandal. The scandal of the cross. Men hear this message and they say, well, that's scandalous. You're going to tell me the good man went to hell and the bad man went to heaven? The good man was condemned? The bad man was justified? Well, you got to understand the one we call good was not good before God. He was standing in his own filthy righteousness that he believed to be good enough for God to accept. God wouldn't accept it. The evil man who had nothing to bring to the table, he's justified. Why, that's scandalous. That'll take away the motive for good works if you say you're saved simply because of what somebody else did and it has nothing to do with your works. Why, that's scandalous. I don't believe that.

The scandal of the cross. Now what is it that men find so offensive about the message of the cross? It is an offensive message to the natural man. That's what Paul said, the offense of the cross.

Preachers Before I try to speak on what the offense of the cross is, preachers do everything they can to remove the offense from the cross and make it more palatable, less offensive, more appealing. They package the gospel, they market the gospel. Paul put it this way in 1 Corinthians chapter 17, he said, Christ sent me not to baptize, not to get results, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. You see, if I try to dress the message up to make it more appealing with wisdom of words, make it less offensive, make it easier to receive, I've taken the power out of the message. There is no power in that message. There is no saving power in that message. And Paul said the same thing in our text. When he said, if I preach circumcision, why am I yet being persecuted? For then is the offense of the cross ceased. It's gone. It's left. It's not there anymore. It's disannulled. It's lost its force and power. If the offense of the cross is removed, the message is not true.

Now, think on that. If the message is not offensive to the natural man, It's not true. Now, by offensive, I hope you know I'm not talking about, I don't want to offend anybody by my actions, by my conduct, by my arrogance, by my self-righteousness. I'm sure I have. I'm sure you have. But I don't want anybody to be offended by my character or conduct or the way I present the truth. but I want people to be offended by the message. I want people to be offended by the message. That's if people are not offended by the message, then I am not preaching the message, the true message of the gospel.

Now, what is it that men find offensive about the gospel message? Well, let me give you seven things.

Number one, the message of the cross He's talking about the offense of the cross, the cross. The cross is not talking about the wood that Christ was nailed to, it's the doctrine of the cross. The doctrine that declares the true character of God. God cannot be known apart from the cross. Every attribute of God is manifest in the cross. His holiness, His justice, He's not going to let sin go unpunished. Truly, He's no respecter of persons. When sin is found on a son, it kills him. His purpose, Christ is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. This has always been God's purpose, the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's the whole counsel of God.

Now, men are offended by the message of the cross because the message of the cross declares all men to be sinners only. Now, what does that mean? That means that all I am, in and of myself is sin. And that offends men's dignity. Well, sure, I make mistakes. I wouldn't say I'm perfect, but to say that all I am is sin? Listen to the Word of God. Genesis 6, verse 5 says, And God saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Now, when God looks at my heart, he sees a place where every imagination of the thoughts of my heart, not even talking about the actions yet, just talking about the thoughts of the heart, the imaginations. Every imagination of the thoughts of his heart is only evil continually. Now that's my state and that's your state before God, nothing but sin. And men find that offensive. It offends their dignity.

Secondly, The message of the cross, Christ being nailed to a cross, the whole counsel of God, the message of the cross offends men's pride because it declares that they really have nothing to be proud about. And this thing of salvation, you can't say I'm saved because I did this or I stopped doing that. If you're saved, you have nothing to be proud of. God saved you and He did it all if you're saved. And if you're saved, you know that. I love Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 4, verse 7, when he says, who maketh thee to differ from another? And what hast thou that thou hast not received?

Now, if you do differ from another, if you're saved, if the Lord has saved you, you do differ from another. But who made you to differ? It wasn't something you did. God made you to differ. God made you to differ in eternal election when he chose you before time began to be saved. You can't give yourself the credit. You can't give your free will the credit. You're saved because God saved you. And if you're saved, you know that. You didn't save yourself. You didn't contribute to your salvation. God saved you in eternal election when He chose you to be saved before time began. If you're saved, Christ made you to differ. He bore your sins in His own body on the tree if you're saved.

Now, if you're not saved, God didn't elect you. Christ didn't die for you. But if you're saved, it's because Christ willingly took your sins in his own body on the tree and put them away and made it to where your sins are no more. You can't take credit for that. If you're saved, God the Holy Spirit made you to differ when he birthed you into the kingdom of heaven. This is what the new birth is. He regenerated you. He gave you life. You were dead in sins and he gave you life. And God is the one who makes you to differ. No flesh is gonna glory in his presence. What do you have that you didn't receive? Now this offends men's pride because it tells them we have nothing to be proud about.

Thirdly, the message of the cross, the gospel, offends men's righteousness because it declares no man has any righteousness. Listen to this scripture. There is none righteous, no, not one. Paul said, for we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin, a slave to sin. That's the way every man is by nature, a slave to sin. He has absolutely no righteousness. a sinner before God without any righteousness at all. David said in Psalm 71, 16, I've made mention of thy righteousness even thine only." And men find this offensive. Do you find this offensive? That the Bible declares you have absolutely no righteousness. The Bible declares that this is about me, too, and you. I'm not getting on somebody. I'm just saying what the Bible teaches about man. All we are is sin. We have nothing to be proud about if we're saved. We have absolutely no righteousness.

And fourthly, the gospel offends men's wisdom because it says, you can't figure this out on your own. You and I are completely dependent upon God to reveal himself to us. And if he doesn't reveal himself to us, we will have no understanding. We can't figure it out. Somebody says, well, I'm gonna lock myself in a room and I'm gonna read the Bible till I got this thing figured out. It won't happen. Canst thou by searching find out God? You and I are shut up to revelation. If he doesn't reveal himself to us, we will not be saved. We're totally dependent upon him for revelation.

I love what the Lord said to Peter. He said, blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood hath not revealed this to thee. Well, what was revealed to him? Peter, who knew who Jesus Christ was. The Lord had said, whom say men that I am? And they said, well, some say you're John the Baptist. Others, Elijah, one of the prophets. They put you in some high cotton. He said, but whom say ye that I am? Peter said, thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And that's when the Lord said, blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah. Flesh and blood didn't reveal this to you. You didn't figure this out, but my Father, which is in heaven. Oh, we're totally dependent upon Him for revelation.

Paul said, You see, the natural man can't figure it out. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2.14, the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for their foolishness unto them, neither indeed can he know them because they're spiritually discerned. God has to give me a spirit. I'm dead in sins. I have no spiritual life. He's got to give me spiritual life for me to understand the gospel.

Now fifthly, why do men find the gospel so offensive? The gospel offends men's sense of personal rights, their sense of entitlement with God. Now, what do I mean by that? Or what does the Bible mean by that? Well, first of all, when we hear the gospel of God's grace, how God elected a people before time began to be saved, and only the elect will be saved. Not everybody is elect. Only God's elect will be saved. How do men respond? That's not fair. That's not fair for God to choose some and not to choose others. How could that possibly be fair? That's the natural man's objection. I can remember when I had that objection. How could this be fair?

The gospel is a declaration not only of God electing a people, but Christ dying for the elect and putting their sin away. Now, Jesus Christ did not shed his blood for all men without exception. There will be nobody in hell that Jesus Christ died for. Now, if I say Jesus Christ can die for someone and they end up in hell anyway, all I'm doing is preaching salvation by works. I'm making the blood of Christ meaningless. If Christ can die for someone and that person wind up in hell, that means it's not, the blood of Christ wasn't enough to save them. They had to do something to make it work. That is salvation by works.

But when men hear this, that Christ died only for the elect and he didn't die for all men, the natural objection is, that's not fair. That's not right. How could that be right for Jesus Christ to die for somebody and not die for somebody else?

Listen to this. In the new birth, you and I are completely dependent upon God to give us life, to birth us from heaven, or we will not be saved. The new birth doesn't come because you Ask for it. It comes because God the Holy Spirit, through the preaching of the gospel, sovereignly gives you life, birth. It's the Spirit that quickens, that gives life, the flesh profits nothing. You and I are totally shut up to God the Holy Spirit giving us life. And men say, How can that be fair? How can it be fair for God to elect some and not elect all? How can it be fair for Christ to die for some and not to die for all? How can it be fair for the Holy Spirit to give life to some and not give life to all? How could that be fair? Now, everything God does is fair. shall not the judge of the earth do right." And the fact of the matter is, you and I are sinners, and fair is hell. Salvation is grace. If God gives me what I deserve, he'll send me to hell. And if I make objection to this, I'm saying God owes this to me. God owes me his love. God owes me the death of his son. God owes me the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. I have a sense of entitlement. I think my rights are being violated.

Criminals do not have rights before God. And this is what men find offensive. They think their personal rights are being violated, and my sin has forfeited all my rights. If I come into God's presence thinking I'm having my rights violated, I'll be sent away. May God give us grace to see we need God's election. It's not fair, but I won't be saved apart from election. I won't be saved apart from the death of Christ. I won't be saved apart from the regenerating work of God in the Holy Spirit.

Six, the gospel of the cross offends men's sense of control because it says we have no control. the leper understood this. In Matthew chapter 8, the leper said, Lord, if you will, You can make me clean. I have no control in this. I can't save myself. I'm totally in your sovereign hands. If you will, you can make me clean. You know, it's a liberating thing to find out you don't have any control. When people think they have a sense of control, they think they can control God, they think they can control others, how liberating it is to see that you have no control He saves people who can't save themselves. He saves people who have no control of their salvation. Those are the people who ask for mercy.

And the gospel, lastly, offends men's love of self because it calls upon men to deny self, take up your cross, and follow the Lord Jesus Christ. Self-righteousness, oh, what a problem. Selfishness, self-seeking, self-interest, self-love, self-indulgence, self. My biggest problem is myself. I believe that. I'm my own greatest enemy. And the Bible calls upon me to deny self, to take up my cross, That's the confession of what Christ accomplished on the cross and to follow Jesus Christ. If any man will come after me, let him deny himself. up His cross and follow Me."

Now most people think follow Christ means imitate Christ, and I want to imitate Christ, but that's not what it means. When you follow someone you keep your eyes on them. You don't look anywhere else. You don't look down at your feet. You don't look at your walk. You don't look to the side at somebody else to see how they're doing. You don't look behind you to find some kind of evidence that you're saved. You look to Christ only.

Now, men find this message offensive, but believers don't. When the Lord said to that group in John chapter 6, does this offend you? Well, it did offend them. They left. But you know what Peter said regarding these words they were offended by? Lord, you have the words of eternal life, and we believe and are sure that thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

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