Well, may it please God to be
with us this evening as we continue our meditation in the epistle
of Paul to the Galatians and the fifth chapter. And this evening
we'll read verses 10, 11, and 12. 10, 11, and 12 verses in
the fifth chapter of the epistle of Paul to the Galatians. I have
confidence in you through the Lord that ye will be none otherwise
minded. But he that troubleth you shall
bear his judgment, whosoever he be. And I, brethren, if I
yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution?
Then is the offence of the cross ceased. I would they were even
cut off which trouble you. So we see here the Apostle is
addressing the church at Galatia and he speaks these words which
are perhaps surprising. He says, I have confidence in
you through the Lord. Now for the most part of this
epistle, he's been speaking against what they had imbibed from the
Jews, the Judaism. who had been of course relying
on the Law of Moses which directed them to be circumcised and they
considered that was necessary for salvation and the Apostle
has been speaking very strongly and powerfully and at length
with regard to the error of this but notwithstanding that We see
that the Apostle Paul, he still says, he has confidence in you
through the Lord. And it's important to notice
that there can be sometimes, therefore, those errors which
can creep in. And very easily we might cut
them off, people like that, and say, well, they cannot be a believer
if they go along with things like that. But very clearly here,
the Apostle Paul had not cut the Galatians off. He had preached
to them. He'd been with them. And he had
known, of course, how they came to know the truth. And therefore,
they had now been, as it were, sidetracked. And the apostle
was so concerned they might be brought back on track. Nevertheless,
he's able to say that I have confidence in you through the
Lord. Well, it's a word of instruction
for us to realize that it's very easy if people perhaps deviate
And you may say, well, this was surely a very great deviation. Well, it was in one sense because
they were relying upon their works rather than relying upon
the grace of God. And yet, nevertheless, the apostle
did not cut them off. And he says here quite clearly
in these words, I have confidence in you through the Lord. So let
us remember such words of instruction and therefore take heed to them. It's very easy to draw lines,
black and white, and to cut people off. But the apostle here, notwithstanding
all that he'd said, tells us this, I have confidence in you
through the Lord. You see, his eyes had been up
to the Lord, and the Lord had clearly shown him that there
were those who were godly amongst these Galatians, even though
they perhaps had turned away for the time from those things
which the Paul had taught them. that ye will be none otherwise
minded. He doesn't want them to change,
therefore, from the truth. He had confidence that they would
retain the truth that God had spoken into their hearts. And
therefore they would not turn aside, as it were, permanently.
That ye be none otherwise minded. He's confident that this was
so. And it's very true when the grace
of God has come into the hearts of his people, that's a glorious
work. And it's something which man cannot do. And it brings
honor and glory to God, and it will stand. If that is of the
Spirit, it will stand. Sometimes people are allowed
to follow that which is wrong, perhaps to bring them down in
their own estimation. perhaps to lower their pride,
perhaps to correct them. The Lord has many ways to teach
and instruct His church. And so here we have this statement,
that ye will be none otherwise minded. But he that troubleth
you shall bear his judgments, whosoever he be. Those, you see,
who were bringing this wrong doctrine to the believers, The
apostle speaks in this way, but he that troubleth you, and they
were being troubled, shall bear his judgment, whosoever he may
be. And as we think of those words,
not the first time Paul has used that kind of wording, in the
last couple of verses in the 5th chapter of the 1st epistle
to the Corinthians. You see, the apostle was always
having to remonstrate with the early Christians. We should not
think that that ceased after the early Christian church. He
says in the 5th chapter of the 1st epistle in verses 12 and
13-4, What have I to do to judge them also that are without? Do not ye judge them that are
within? But them that are without, God judgeth. Therefore put away
from among you, among yourselves, that wicked person. And quite
clearly there were those who were trying to turn the Galatians
away from the truth and to rely upon the works of the flesh. I have confidence in you, through
the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded. But he that
troubleth you shall bear his judgment. And in the early chapter,
the first chapter of this epistle to the Galatians, the apostle
tells us in the seventh verse, he says, which is not another,
but there be some that trouble you and would pervert The Gospel
of Christ. Well, we'll come on to that in
a moment. Well, the 11th verse tells us,
And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer
persecution? Then is the offense of the cross
ceased. Really, he's saying, well, of
course, he had preached circumcision, but he hadn't preached it with
any saving knowledge. There was nothing saving in that
position of being circumcised. Whereas, of course, the Judean
church was saying you had to be circumcised and you had to
believe in Christ. And they put the two together.
And so here the Apostle says, why do I yet suffer persecution? Then is the offence of the cross
ceased. The preaching of the cross always
has been offensive. We should never think that, well,
there will never be any problems through preaching the cross.
It's the principal thing that the devil hates. He hates preaching
of the cross because he knows that the preaching of the cross
as the Spirit leads, directs the believer to that sin atoning
death, directs the believer to the shed blood of the Savior,
directs the believer to salvation which is of grace. And that's
all that the devil so hates. And we read together these verses
in the first chapter of the first epistle of Paul to the Corinthians. They're very wonderful words
and they're very good words for us to take on board and to remember. And the Apostle tells us, for
the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness. Naturally speaking, to man today,
the preaching of the cross is foolishness. Man doesn't believe. There is a hereafter. Man doesn't
believe he needs to be saved. Man doesn't believe the way of
salvation is through the sin atoning death of the blessed
and glorious Saviour. And so here we have these words,
for the preacher of the cross is to them that perish foolishness,
but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. But my friends,
bless God tonight, if the cross to you and me is the power of
God. The apostle goes on, for it is
written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will bring to
nothing the understanding of the prudent. Again, he goes on
and he comes and he says, for the Jews require a sign and the
Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified. unto the Jews, a stumbling block,
unto the Greeks, foolishness. But unto them which are called,
both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom
of God. Because the foolishness of God
is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. So we have some direction as
to the blessedness of the cross. And here the Apostle tells us
then is the offence of the cross ceased. If the cross is not preached,
there's no offence. But if the cross is preached,
there is offence. And he concludes by saying, I
would they were even cut off which trouble you. Well, the
Lord knows indeed how to deal with those that trouble the Church
of God. And we have many examples in
the Word of God who those who stood in the way were moved out
of the way. God is able to do great things. But what a blessing it is for
us tonight if we have been fed and led to the cross of the Lord
Jesus Christ and realize that without the death of the Savior,
Indeed, without the resurrection of the Saviour, without the ascension
of the Saviour, without the intercession of the Saviour, there would be
no hope for us today. So may we bless God for the great
truths of the Gospel, and may we hold them fast and not let
them go. and may God be honoured and glorified
in them and our souls eternally blessed. Well, may God bless
his word. Amen.