Galatians chapter 6 this morning,
our text will be found in verse 16, but let's go ahead and read
back to verse 12. The Scripture says, "...as many
as desire to make a fair show in the flesh, they constrain
you to be circumcised, only lest they should suffer persecution
for the cross of Christ." For neither they themselves who are
circumcised keep the law, but desire to have you circumcised,
that they may glory in your flesh. But God forbid that I should
glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the
world is crucified unto me and I unto the world. For in Christ
Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision. but a new creation. And as many
as walk according to this rule, peace be on them and mercy, and
upon the Israel of God." The title of the message this morning
is, The Rule of Faith. The Rule of Faith. As many as
walk according to this rule. this rule of faith. And if you'll notice, verse 12
and verse 16 have basically the same words. It says, as many
as desire to make a fair show, but we're not of that group.
We are as many as that walk according to this rule. You see, he separates
the two. One is of works and one is of
grace. One is by doing, the other is
by faith in Christ. Now, last week we looked at the
glory of the believer in the cross. The glory of every believer
is in the cross of Jesus Christ, not some symbol or idol, but
our glory is in the suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ for
our sin. Our glory is in his salvation
that he has accomplished by his death on the cross. This is our
glory. This is what we praise. This is what we rejoice in, is
to hear again the message of redemption, forgiveness of sins. This is the comforting message
that God's people glory in. But false religion desires to
make a fair show in the flesh. They desire the exercise of religion
so that they might be praised of men. We don't see glory and
fame in this world. Matter of fact, Paul says down
below this that the world is crucified to us. We are dead
to the world and the world is dead to us. We really don't care
what they have to say. Because I'm dead to them, and
they're dead to me. False religion desires to put
people into bondage by adding additions or law to the work
of Christ, so that they may glory in their many converts. You see,
it's a natural thing. If a fish were to die and float
downstream, that would not be uncommon, would it? That would
be natural. You wouldn't think, wow, that's
a miracle. Look at that fish, that dead fish floating downstream.
You wouldn't think that. But yet, why are we so amazed
when the multitudes of millions of people flock to false religion? That's just natural, isn't it?
It's just natural, like a dead fish floating downstream. They
just flow towards that. You see, we understand that because
that's where we were. We too were floating along with
false religion, worshiping a God of our own imagination and glorying
in our own works, our own flesh, and what we've done. But praise
God, that's not our glory now. Our glory is in the cross of
Christ. We echo the song of Moses in Exodus chapter 15. Moses sang
the song unto the Lord, He said, I will sing unto the Lord, for
He has triumphed gloriously. I like that. I like the sound
of that. He has not only triumphed, He
has not only won the victory, but He has won it gloriously. With majesty. You know, I tell
you what, When I was a little kid, I liked to win. I liked
to win, and I don't care if it was just by a little bit. I loved
to win. But you see, God didn't win by
a little bit. He won victoriously and gloriously. He triumphed over the horse and
the rider and thrown them into the sea. The Lord is my strength
and my song, and He has become my salvation. He is my God. And I will prepare him an habitation,
my Father's house, and I will exalt him. The Lord is a man
of war. The Lord is his name." Is that not glorious? Do you
not get a majestic picture of what Christ has done? You see,
the world sees a defeated man on the cross. We don't. We see
a victorious Savior, a glorious Savior. And we glory, we sing
of the cross. He is the glory and boast of
our hearts. It's our desire, who are believers
in Christ, to glorify God, and the only place that God is glorified
is at the cross. That's the only place God was
ever truly satisfied. To this religious world, the
gospel of the cross is something only to be mentioned in passing.
That's not glorying in the cross. If a man's ministry is centered
around anything but the cross of Jesus Christ, the suffering,
death, and resurrection, the glorious triumph of his salvation,
he is not preaching the gospel. He does not glory in the gospel. We don't mention this as a springboard
for your good works. I don't say that Jesus died for
your sins and then just move on. No, He's the center. He's the sum of the message. He's the glory of the message. There is no message without the
cross of Christ. There's no hope. If sinful man must do something
or anything to make the cross of Christ's suffering effectual,
powerful to the saving of the soul, then the glory does not rest
solely on Christ. You see, somebody somewhere is
trying to share the glory. Someone. Go to Romans chapter
4. Flip over to Romans chapter 4. Actually, go to Romans 3 first.
Romans 3 verse 26. Let's begin in verse 24. It says,
"...being justified..." How? "...freely by his grace through
the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth
to be the propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare
his righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through
the forbearance of God, to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness
that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth
in Jesus." Where is boasting then? Where is glorying? It is excluded. Now, is that
not plain? It's just plain excluded. It's done away with. You and
I receive no glory, save in the cross of Jesus Christ. He is
our glory. He is our boast. Is it excluded
by the law? No, not by the law of works. You see, if there was a redemption,
if there was a salvation, surely God would have made it by the
law. If there was another way, he
would have not sent his only Son to die for us. But because
there is no other way, only grace, only mercy, boasting and glorying are excluded. Now, if you could obey the law,
you'd have something to glory in. But what does it say about
Abraham? Flip over and look at chapter
5 and look at verse 1. It says, Therefore, being justified
by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
by whom also we have access by faith into the grace wherein
we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God, and not
only so, But we glory in tribulation, knowing that tribulation worketh
patience, and patience experience, and experience hope. And hope
maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in
our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us. You see, we are justified not
by the works of the law. We are justified by faith. Abraham believed God, and what? It was counted to him for righteousness. It was not Abraham's works. Otherwise, he'd have something
to glory in. So would we, if we had anything to do with it.
But Paul says this in 1 Corinthians. He said, "...for God hath made
him Christ." to be our wisdom, made Him to be our righteousness,
made Him to be our sanctification, made Him to be our redemption. You see, Christ is made all,
and our salvation is completely the Word of God. That's the most amazing and miraculous
thing that God, not that He would just notice us. I mean, that's
just something. that He would even take note
of our difficulties, take note of our... and pity us. Just a pity man is a condescension. But God did more than just pity
us. He provided a salvation that
is perfect and in need of nothing. Nothing. Nothing can be added
to this work. It's all glorious. And God did
this. Why did God do all of this? For
his own glory. For his own glory. And you know
what? I glory in that. I glory in his
glory. Glory. I boast of his glory. Now, Paul also relates the cross
of Christ to his experience. He said that the world is crucified
to him and him to the world. When a believer comes to Christ
and Christ is all their glory, surely there is going to be a
change of life. Surely there is going to be a
change of life. And believers in Christ, we may
also reckon ourselves to be crucified with Christ. This is what Paul
said earlier in Galatians chapter 2. He says, for I am crucified
with Christ, nevertheless I live. Yet not I. But Christ liveth
in me." In Hebrews, flip over to Hebrews
chapter 2 and look at this. Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 11. This speaking of our union with
Christ. He said, for both he that sanctifyeth
and they who are sanctified are all of one. for which cause he
is not ashamed to call them brethren." Who are the ones that are sanctified? Well, that's us. We have been
set apart. We are believers in Christ. We've
been set apart by God the Father. And we were sanctified in Christ
Jesus before the world began. We were set apart in Him. And we were from eternity in
union with our Savior. Let me ask you this. Was there
any sin ever in Christ? Absolutely not. Well, guess what? I was in Him. I was in union
with Him. We are His body. And He is our head. That is the
closest union you'll ever find. There's the closest illustration
that we can make is the head and the body. They're never apart. They are together always. And the head controls the body.
And that's Christ. He is our head. And so when he
died, so did I. When the law killed my Savior,
he killed me in him. And when my Savior rose again
from the dead, I rose with Him. And right now, I am seated with
Him in glory. I am one with Christ. We are
in union with Him. And because we are in union,
this world will hate us. This world will hate us because
we do not dance to their tune. You see, the world don't mind
if you give a little credence to their religion. If you give
a little bit to them, they don't mind you sticking around. But
I'll tell you what, you tell the truth that there's only words
and grace, and if you have to do anything for your salvation,
your religion and your faith are false. They're empty, and
they'll hate you for it. We are dead to this world, and
this world is dead to us because we are one with Christ.
Jesus prayed this. He said, Father, I pray that they be one as we
are one. I in them, and Thou in me. Is that not amazing that we are
in union with God? Glory be to God, for Christ's
prayers have always been answers. That prayer was from eternity,
revealed in time to us, but it's true. We are in union with Christ,
and therefore we gladly rejoice in the cross of Christ. What then does the law have to
do with our salvation? Absolutely nothing. Absolutely
nothing. Verse 15, "...for neither circumcision
availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation." It doesn't
matter who you are or where you're from. It doesn't matter your
parents or your circumstances. It doesn't matter how we feel,
how we think about God, or what we think about God. Unless you have a new creation,
you have no hope. If you're trusting in something
other than Christ, you have no new creation. You see, the new creature is
a work of the Holy Spirit by the preaching of the gospel And our works profit us nothing
in this salvation. They add nothing to it. In Romans 10, the Apostle Paul
says, I know my brethren. He said, they have a zeal. They
have a zeal. They have a knowledge of God. They understand the law. They seek after righteousness
by the law. But they don't have righteousness,
because they sought it not by faith. The Pharisees were the most zealous
people in all the world. I don't think there was ever...
I mean, the Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses go around knocking
on doors. They were never as zealous as a Pharisee. They were
never as zealous. As a matter of fact, the Pharisee,
if he saw them riding a bicycle, he would walk. If the Pharisee
saw that man walking with shoes, he would take off his shoes.
He had to be holier than that guy. And surely they would. They would strive to obey the
law. They would strain their drinks. They couldn't even drink
water without straining it to make sure there wasn't a gnat
in there. But in striving, to provide their
own righteousness by the law, they would not yield to the righteousness
of God in Christ. But I do. I gladly do. We gladly yield to the law of
faith because Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. He's the end of the law because
he is our righteousness. How important is righteousness?
How vital is it to be righteous? Without it, you won't see God.
Without it, you won't enter into the kingdom of God. We must be
righteous even as he is righteous. Well, this is the hope of our
salvation. This is the glory of the cross, is that Christ
is the end of the law for righteousness. Go to Jeremiah chapter 23. Jeremiah
chapter 23. Look at verse 5. Behold, the days come, saith
the Lord, that I will raise up unto David a righteous branch,
and a king shall reign and prosper and shall execute judgment and
justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved
and Israel shall dwell safely. And this is his name, whereby
he shall be called the Lord our righteousness. Now look over
at chapter 33. Chapter 33. Very similar wording
here. Look at verse 14. Behold, the
days come, saith the Lord, and I will perform a good thing which
I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of
Judah. In those days, and at that time,
will I cause the branch of righteousness to grow up unto David, and he
shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah
shall be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely, and this
is the name wherewith she shall be called." the Lord our righteousness. That's my name, because that's
His name. When we take a bride, the bride
takes the name of her husband. We are the bride of Christ, and
we have taken His name. the Lord our righteousness. Is this not all our glory that
is found in Christ alone? That's all our glory. Well, so
then, if Christ is all our glory, if Christ is all our salvation,
so then, if he is the end of the law, how are we to walk in
this world? If Christ is our glory and all
is accomplished, how is it that we are to live in this present
age? By this rule, the rule of faith,
the rule of faith. You know, I love the consistency
of the Apostle Paul, especially in this. You see, like Romans,
he would build on one and go to the next and to the next.
In Galatians, he's hammering the same nail over and over and
over. And even to the end of the book,
even at the close of this book, he is still hitting the same
nail. Faith. Walk by faith. Walk by faith, not by law. Walk by faith, not by the law. We are free from the law. Liberty
has come. We are set free from the bondage
of the law. Which part? Every part. Every
part. Why? Because I am the righteousness
of God in Christ. My name is the Lord our righteousness. What then could the law say against
me? I have his name. I have his righteousness. How then are we to walk in this
world? By faith. And Paul continues to do this.
He said that the just shall live how? By faith. By faith in Jesus
Christ. In Galatians 3, he says, For
as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse,
for curse is every one that continueth not in all things written in
the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified
by the law in the sight of God is evident, for the just shall
live by faith, and the law is not of faith. But the man that
doeth them shall live in them. If you want to live by the law,
you go right ahead. That's not faith. You can't mix
the two. Just as you can't mix grace and
works, faith is a grace of God. It is a gift of God. And we do
not maintain our faith by obedience to the law. It's a contradiction
in terms. Believer in Christ, we glory
in the cross of Christ and we walk by faith. What is the purpose
of faith? Why did God purpose this way? The scripture tells us it is
a faith that it might be by grace, so that it would be sure unto the seed. You see, if faith
was something we had to work up, if it's something we had
to perform, then it's something we would have to keep. It would
be something that we would have to sustain in our own power.
And that's not sure. Measure your own faith and see
how sure our faith is. Our faith is like a roller coaster,
it's up and down. And the ups aren't very high.
I'm thinking one of those little roller coasters because it sure
don't go very high. But praise God that Jesus Christ
is both the author and finisher of our faith. So when I walk
by faith, when I live in faith, I know this, it's because of
the grace of God. It's because of the grace of
God. In 1 Peter 1, he says, you who are kept by the power of
God happen through faith. Through faith. unto salvation
ready to be revealed. Looking unto Jesus. Looking unto
Jesus. This is the rule of our life.
Trusting Jesus while life shall last. Trusting him till earth
be passed. Trusting him with whate'er befall. Trusting Jesus, that is all. The believer in Christ will never
cease to look to Christ by faith. He will always look to Christ
by faith. Perfectly? No. No. But that's why we don't have
faith in our faith. We have faith in the object of our faith. Jesus
Christ. When this world, like an ocean,
is troubled, It's constantly boiling. You cannot help but see turbulence
everywhere you go. You cannot even turn on the television
without seeing the violence, the hatred, the anger, the wars,
rumors of wars. But what did Christ tell us?
Let not your heart be troubled. Let not your heart be troubled.
These things change constantly, but our eyes should never change
from looking to Christ. Don't look at the circumstance. Look at the author of the circumstance. Look to Christ in every trial
and trouble and what results from walking by faith. Look at that in our text. walking
by this road, peace be on them and mercy." Do you need peace? Is your heart troubled? Are you
weary? Then look to Christ. Behold the cross of Christ. Do you need mercy? Do you need
forgiveness of sin? We know we do. Then look to the cross of Christ.
In Psalm 51, that's what David did. He said, purge me with hyssop. We know that has reference to
the Passover. The Passover lamb, the blood that was put on the
door was by hyssop. And we know this, that that word
purge is the same word used by by Judah, who said, I will be
a surety for him. Lord, be a surety for me by the
blood. And I'll tell you, there's mercy.
There's mercy at the cross. I pray that God blesses through
your hearts. Dismissed.