Would you turn to Galatians chapter 5? I want to read one verse of scripture, verse 11. And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? Then is the offense of the cross ceased.

Let's pray. Lord, we ask in Christ's name. that the offense of the cross might be preached this morning for your glory and our good. How we thank you for the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, how we stand amazed at the word of the cross. Speak to us for Christ's sake. Lord, we pray for our friends that are sick. We pray for your healing hand upon them according to your will. Be with all your people wherever they meet together. In Christ's name we pray, amen.

I have entitled this, The Scandal of the Cross. Do you know this word offense in the original is scandalo. It's where we get the word scandal from a scandal, a thing done wrong, which causes public outrage. That's what a scandal is. Something that causes public outrage, the scandal of the cross.

And I, brethren, verse 11, if I yet preach circumcision, if that's what I was preaching, why do I yet suffer persecution? Something's wrong with that. Then is the scandal of the cross ceased.

Now Paul says, if I was preaching circumcision, look up in verse two, behold, I, Paul saying to you, that if you be circumcised, now he's not talking about physical circumcision. That's not the subject. Circumcision represents salvation by law. Salvation dependent upon something you do. If your salvation is dependent upon you in any way, to any degree that is circumcision.

Now look what Paul says in verse two, behold, I, Paul, say unto you that if you be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that circumcised that he's a debtor to do the whole law. If that's the route you're going to go, Christ has become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by law.

Now, if you believe in circumcision, you also believe in justification by law. That's what Paul says. If you believe that salvation is dependent upon you doing something before God can do something for you, that's justification by law. That's all it is. You are fallen from grace.

Now, when Paul says in verse 11, if I yet preach circumcision, do you know, these, um, people were saying, Paul preaches circumcision. I'm just preaching what Paul preaches. They were putting that on Paul. And he says, if I was preaching circumcision, if that were the case, why would I be being suffering persecution? You know, everywhere Paul preached, he was persecuted.

Look in Acts chapter 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 witnesses in every city. saying that bonds and afflictions are waiting on me. They abide me. I know that wherever I go, I'm going to be thrown into jail. I'm going to be tied to a post and beat with a cat of nine tails. I'm going to be stoned. I'm going to be beaten with rods.

Now you think about that. What a life this poor man had to where every time he went to preach the gospel, he suffered this severe persecution. Now, why? What was the issue? He said, if I preach circumcision, I wouldn't be persecuted. What's the persecution he's speaking of? He's speaking of the persecution of the last beatitude. Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness sake. And the righteousness he's speaking of is not a reference to righteous living. He's not talking about being persecuted for feeding the poor, helping the sick or standing in front of abortion clinic and protesting or standing against gay marriages or whatever you want to talk about. This is not what he was talking about when he talked about being persecuted for righteousness sake.

There is only one righteousness, the righteousness of Jesus Christ. His righteousness is the only righteousness God will accept. There is no other righteousness. The righteousness that you and I possess is nothing more than filthy rags, according to Isaiah chapter 64, verse 6. Our righteousness is in God's sight, and he's the only one who sees things as they are. In his sight, our personal righteousnesses are nothing more than filthy rags.

So when he's talking about being persecuted for righteousness sake, he's talking about being persecuted for the righteousness that's identified in 2 Corinthians 5, verse 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. Your righteousness is not righteousness. His righteousness is the only righteousness. Your works don't count. They just count against you. That's all they do.

Why? That's scandalous. You're not giving me any motive for obedience if you say all my Works are sinful and unrighteous. Why that? That'll lead people to sin. That'll lead people to indifference. That'll lead people to not care about how they live. That is scandalous. That will create problems.

As a matter of fact, Paul called the same thing in 1 Corinthians 1.22. We preach Christ crucified unto the Greeks, a stumbling block. That's the same thing. It's the same word. It's a scandal. You're telling me that my works count for nothing. As a matter of fact, they're in the negative column. And the only way I can be saved is by what someone else did altogether with no contribution from me. You've taken away all motive for holiness and good works and sanctification. Why that's scandalous.

Why is it Paul says that I'm being persecuted and they are not looking Galatians chapter six, verse 12. As many as desire to make a fair show in the flesh. I think that's such a beautiful description of human religion, a fair show in the flesh. Look at me, look how righteous I am. And what does it go on to say? They constrain you to be circumcised. only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.

You see, if you preach circumcision, if you preach works, there will be no persecution. And that's the reason these men preach circumcision. They don't want to be persecuted for the cross of Christ. Verse 13, for neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law. They talk about law keeping, but they don't keep the law. It's pure hypocrisy what they're saying. There's no truth in it. There's no credibility to anything they say.

They don't keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may glory in your flesh. Look how I've influenced this person for good. Look at their lives now. I've helped. I've made it to where they're more obedient and they're more righteous. The reality of the fact is that they don't preach the gospel. They preach circumcision to avoid persecution.

Now, what Paul is saying is if I've stopped being persecuted for my preaching, here's why. I've removed the offense from the cross. I've removed the scandal. I like that word scandal. That's the word Paul used. I've removed the scandal from the cross. And when the scandal is removed, the saving power is removed. Look at verse 11 again. And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, if I preach do and don't do this and don't do that, why do I yet suffer persecution? Then is the offense of the cross ceased.

I don't miss that word ceased and it's in the perfect tense, meaning that once you go there, it's not coming back. If that's where you go, if you remove the offense from the cross. You're gone for good. Ceased. Rendered idle. Inactivated. Unemployed. Inoperative. Having no further efficacy. deprived of force, influence. This and old ceased. If the offense of the cross has ceased, the scandal of the message, the saving power of that message is gone. No one will be saved by that kind of preaching. That's what he's saying.

When the offense When the scandal is removed, I love what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1, 17, he said, Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. Now, wisdom of words, marketing the gospel, trying to dress it up so it's more appealing to the flesh, less offensive. When that is done, the saving power of the message is gone. Now, that's how important this issue is. The offense, the scandal of the cross.

Now, preachers today are afraid of offending people, so they try to present the gospel in a way that's less offensive, more attractive to the flesh, more appealing, and Paul was afraid of not offending people. You know, you think of the preaching of Christ, it offended people. You remember when the disciples came up to the Lord after and said, it's not that which goes into the mouth that defiles a man, but it's that which comes out of the heart. And they came up to him and said, don't you know that the Pharisees were offended by that? What the Lord say, let them alone. They'd be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, they shall both fall into the ditch.

Uh, in John chapter six, at the end of his message at Capernaum, they said, these are harsh sayings. These are hard sayings. We don't like these hard sayings. Who can be expected to hear this? And the Lord said that this offend you. Are you scandalized by what has been said? Men find the message of the gospel scandalous, offensive, a stumbling block. They find the method of the preaching of the gospel scandalous.

I love it when Naaman stands outside of Elisha's house waiting for the prophet to come out and do something for him. And he just stands there waiting in his uniform and in his glory. And Elisha sends out a nobody, a servant. I thought he'd come out to me. No, he just sent out a servant, a lowly, worthless servant and said, wash and be clean. And Naaman went away in a rage. He was angry. He wanted to deal personally with the prophet and he was offended by the way he was treated.

The message of the gospel, men find offensive. You're gonna tell me that the only reason I'm saved, all my works count for nothing, and the only reason I'm saved, if I'm saved, is because Jesus Christ put away my sins and gave me his righteousness and I don't have anything to do in that equation? You're gonna tell me that? Why? That takes away all motive for obedience. I mean, that kind of preaching will lead men to sin. To think that your works count for nothing and there's nothing you can do. Why, that'll lead men to indifference. That'll lead men to apathy. That'll lead men to sin. That'll destroy missions. We don't like that. It's scandalous. It's offensive. With your gospel, evil people are saved and good people are passed by. Why, that's scandalous. I say this, I hope, with utter sincerity, but the greatest scandal of all would be that I would be in heaven. Indeed, scandalous. You feel that way about yourself?

What is the offense of the cross? That the natural man finds offensive and scandalous. What is the offense, the scandal of the cross? Let me give you seven things.

Number one, the cross addresses all men as sinners only. And that offends men's dignity. Sure, I make mistakes. Sure, I even commit sin sometimes. I trip up sometimes. I realize that. But to say that all I am is sin? That offends men's sense of personal dignity. That's offensive.

Number two, the cross offends men's sense of pride because it says you have nothing to be proud about. If you're a believer, What do you got to be proud about, as far as anything that came from you? 1 Corinthians 4, 7 says, who maketh thee to differ? And what do you have that you didn't receive? Who made you to differ? Did you make yourself to differ? Was it because of some kind of decision you made? Was it because you were a little bit smarter than the other guy? No, God made you to differ. God made you to differ in eternal election when he chose you before time began. Christ made you to differ when he obeyed the law for you and when he died for you to put away your sins and was resurrected for you to make you just before God. God the Holy Spirit made the difference when he gave you a new heart, when he birthed you into the kingdom of heaven and gave you the grace to see the glory of the gospel, see the glory of Christ. God, you have nothing to be proud about. Pride is so offensive. Before God? No flesh is going to glory in His presence.

Thirdly, the gospel offends men's sense of righteousness because it declares that they have none. You know, I've already quoted Isaiah 64, 6. Our righteousnesses are as filthy rags Now that, in the original, is minstrel rags. That's what God the Holy Spirit calls our righteousness. Minstrel rags. What is the minstrel cycle? It's the body casting off that which has no life. That is our righteousness. No life. Our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. David said in Psalm 71, 16, I've made mention of thy righteousness, even thine only.

Gospel fourthly offends men's sense of wisdom because it says you can't figure this out. Salvation comes by revelation. It doesn't come by education. It comes by revelation. Now, what does that mean? You and I will never know the gospel unless God makes it known. You and I can't figure this thing out. 1 Corinthians 2.14 says, the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they're foolishness unto him. Neither indeed can he know them. He lacks the ability to know them because they're spiritually discerned. You have to be given a spiritual nature to understand the gospel. It won't come to you unless God gives it to you. Oh, how we need his revelation. And you, the natural man hears, I can't figure this out. I can't by studying and what if I lock myself in a room for 24 hours, read the Bible, pray, and just keep seeking until finally it comes to me. It doesn't come that way. Completely dependent upon revelation. Now that offends men's sense of wisdom.

Fifth, the gospel offends men's sense of personal rights and entitlement. You know, when people hear of God electing a fixed number of people, and that number can't be added to or subtracted from, and not everybody's elected. What is the natural man's response? That's not fair. It's not fair for God to choose some and pass by others. That's the way the natural heart reacts to God's sovereignty in salvation. That's not fair.

When men hear that Jesus Christ died only for the elect, I want to say that as plainly as I can. He didn't die for all men with that exception. He died only for the elect. That's what the scripture teaches. And men say, how can that be fair for him to not die for everybody? Why? He's being unjust.

When men hear of the Regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. God the Holy Spirit must give you life or you'll die in your sins. You'll never believe, you'll never repent, you're dead in sins. And the only way you'll have spiritual life is if God the Holy Spirit sovereignly wills you to live. Being born of the Spirit.

Now, when men think that's not fair, that means they think God is unjust for passing somebody by. He's violating our rights. Criminals don't have rights. That's the fact of the matter. And when we say God's unfair, we're like that person when in Romans nine, where it says, therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, whom he will, he hardens. Thou wilt say unto me, why is he at thine fault? How can he hold me responsible? If he hardens my heart, how can he hold me responsible? Nay, but old man, who are you to reply against God? Shall the thing form, say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one to honor and one vessel to dishonor?

The gospel offends men's certain sense of personal rights because it says in reality, we have none.

Six, the gospel offends men's sense of control because it says we have no control. You know, that's actually a very liberating place to be. As long as you think you can control something, you're under all kinds of pressure. As long as you think you can control other people, you're going to just make yourself miserable, because in reality, you can't, although you try. But it's kind of liberating to realize, I've got no control. God has all control. And the only place I find safety is in his control. You see, God is good. God is gracious. God, his purpose to save a people.

Now, if we had any control in this thing, we wouldn't be saved because of our sinful nature. But thank God, because he's good, because he's gracious.

You know, when we think of God's sovereignty and salvation. I need for him to be that way. I won't be saved if he's not. I need for him to elect me. I won't be saved if he doesn't. I need for Jesus Christ to put away my sin. I won't be saved if he doesn't. I need for God the Holy Spirit to give me life.

I love, you know, I don't like the term the doctrines of grace because doctrines, no, it's the doctrine of grace. Not doctrines. Anytime in the Bible the word doctrines is used, it's always to do with false doctrine. There's one doctrine, the doctrine of grace. And I like calling it this, the doctrine of need. I need His grace.

And the gospel of the ends means love of self because it calls upon us to deny ourselves. Take up our cross and follow him. Self-righteousness, self-will, self-seeking, self-indulgent. I'm a self-made man. Self-love, self-aggrandizement, selfish. That's an interesting word, isn't it? Selfish. I was standing outside of a drugstore, it's been a couple of years ago, and I saw the, I think it was a boyfriend or girlfriend, and the boy said to the girl, the girl said, you think of nobody but yourself. And I thought, well, I've heard that before. And I think all of us could probably be illustrated by that, self-ish.

If any man will come after me, let him deny himself. Self's my biggest problem. Self's your biggest problem. I'm my own worst enemy. You're your own worst enemy. If any man will come after me, let him deny himself. Take up his cross, willingly take up his cross.

Now that's, when the Lord's talking about taking up your cross, well, I've got a cross to bear. I've got this difficult thing in my life. That's not what he's talking about. He's talking about the confession of Christ crucified, the scandal of the cross. Take up the cross and follow me.

To follow Christ, keep your eyes on him. You don't look down at your feet, your walk. You don't look at the side of somebody else's walk. You don't look behind you, see if you can come up with evidences to prove to yourself you're saved. You look to Christ only.

The scandal of the cross, when the scandal of the cross is removed, the saving power has been removed and actually the message has been removed. Now, if I'm still preaching circumcision, Paul said, Why am I still suffering persecution? That proves I'm not preaching circumcision because I'm being persecuted. You see, if you preach circumcision, the offense, the scandal of the cross has ceased. Amen.