Alright, go with me if you would
back to Galatians chapter 5. Galatians 5, and let's read one
verse. This will be our text. Verse
11. And I, brethren, if I yet preach
circumcision, meaning the law, what the law commands of us,
the works of the law, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I
yet suffer persecution? Then is the offense of the cross
ceased. The Apostle Paul said, if I preached
salvation by obeying the commandments of the law, I wouldn't be persecuted
for it. If I preached that we could be
saved by doing what the law commands, of sinners. I wouldn't be persecuted
for that. But then the offense of the cross
would cease. And that can't happen. That cannot happen. The offense
of the cross cannot cease. If it does, the truth and the
gospel has ceased. If it does. And if that happens,
then God's means of quickening dead sinners to life has ceased. We must preach and we must believe. We must cling to the offense
of the cross. Now, why is that? Why is that? Why would we desire and insist
that our message be the offense of the cross? Why would the apostle Paul say,
I must preach the offense of the cross? Is it just because
we enjoy offending people? Well, that church over there,
they just like offending people. That's their goal. That's what
they like to do. You know, are we just dead set
on whoever walks through that door? We're going to make sure
that when they leave, they're offended. Is that the reason
why? God forbid. God forbid. If there is one thing in this
life that I personally do not want to be, it's an offense. If there's one thing in this
life that I personally do not want to be, it's an offense.
May God keep me from ever being a personal offense. I pray that
that is so. I pray that I haven't been. I
pray that I'm not today. I pray the Lord will keep me
from standing up in this pulpit and being a personal offense. Look with me at 1 Corinthians
10. 1 Corinthians 10 verse 32. It says, give none offense, neither
to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God. Give
none offense. Don't be an offense. Don't offend. Don't offend the Jews. That's
the religious. Don't offend the Gentiles, that's
the unreligious. And don't offend the church of
God. Don't be an offense. Look with me at 2 Corinthians
6. Verse 3. Giving no offense in anything
That the ministry be not blamed He said don't make it so that
people don't want to come hear the gospel because they don't
like you If they don't like you make sure
it's for something that you don't you can't do anything about If
people don't like me because of the message I preach. If I repeat what the Lord says
in his word and people don't like me because of that, I can't
do anything about that. But if people don't like me because
I'm a horse's tail, then I need to do something about that. I don't ever want to be a personal
offense. Well, then what is the Scripture
talking about? What is the offense? Look with
me back at the text. Galatians 5, verse 11, it says, And I, brethren, if
I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? Then is the offense of the cross
ceased. The offense is in the cross. Who hung on it? The reason why
he hung on it. What he accomplished on it. And
who gets the glory for it. That's where the offense is.
Who did hang on the cross? Whose cross was it? Who took
ownership of the cross? Well, if you look at chapter
6 verse 12, it 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." The cross is the cross of Christ. Look with me at Colossians chapter
2. Colossians 2, the last word in
verse 11 is Christ. That's who Paul is writing about,
Christ. Verse 14, blotting out the handwriting
of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us,
and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross. The cross was His cross. To preach the cross, is to preach
the Christ of the cross. It's to preach His cross. That means He is the offense. He is the offense. Some will
hear that and say, I've never been offended by Him. I've never been offended by the
thought of Him dying on the cross. Well, to that we have to ask
the question, have we ever truly understood why He had to die
on the cross? Have we ever truly understood
what He accomplished on the cross? And have we ever truly understood
who gets all the glory in the cross? If after hearing that
we can still say, I'm not offended. then that's the grace of God
to us. That's the grace of God in us. Now concerning the Christ
of the cross, why did He hang on that cross? Why did He have
to die on that cross? It's because Galatians 2 says,
if you'll turn over there with me to Galatians chapter 2, Galatians 2 verse 21, it says, I do not frustrate the
grace of God. For if righteousness come by
the law, if salvation and perfection and acceptance could come by
a sinner obeying and doing the things that God's holy law commands
him to do. If it could come that way, it
goes on to say, then Christ is dead in Bain. If it were possible for a sinner
to do something that could save himself, then there would have
been no point in Christ dying on that cross. He would have died in vain. Men
and women could have just been responsible for themselves. If
you do good, you go to heaven, and if you do bad, you go to
hell. But it was not possible. It was
not possible, not for any sinner who has ever stood on this earth.
I am too sinful. You are too sinful. You are too sinful. I am too
sinful. We are too sinful. People have
it in their minds that they can be good enough for God to be
pleased with them. It's not possible. It's not possible. David said, I was conceived in
sin. It's what I am. Isaiah said, from the sole of
the foot to the crown of the head, there's no soundness at
all, nothing but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. The Lord
looked down from heaven to see if there were any that did understand
and seek God. They are all gone aside. They
have all together become filthy. There is none that doeth good,
no, not one. No, not one. That's offensive,
isn't it? That's just Psalm 14. Many, many, many people, many
people believe that before they got saved, they displeased God. But after they made their decision
to get saved, now they live a life that pleases God. Now they conduct
themselves in a way that is pleasing to Him, in their flesh. And that's
not so. That's not so. With all of us
here, if we do anything right, here comes pride. Pride comes
breaking the door down. The number one thing the Lord
hates is pride. That's the number one thing. This flesh did not please Him
before we were quickened to life. This flesh does not please Him
after we are quickened to life. He said all of our righteousness,
what righteousness is, what people believe are good deeds, they're
all filthy rags before Him. The only righteousness that God
the Father is pleased with is the righteousness of Christ his
Son. That's the only one. Christ is
the end of the law for righteousness. Nothing that we could do could
ever redeem us. We fell. We fell into sin. We
lost it all. Nothing we could do could ever
redeem us. That's why Christ had to hang
on that cross. It's because our sin was just
too great. There's no other way. So that's
the first offense of the cross. Why Christ had to die on it,
it's because we were too wicked and too vile. There was no other
way. And that's an offense. That's
an offense to the flesh. The second reason that makes
the cross of Christ such an offense is the declaration of what He
accomplished on it. And this is what he accomplished
on it. All of the work. All of the work that had to be
done. Hebrews 1 says, by himself, he purged our sins. By himself. That's an offense to the flesh
because the flesh of mankind wants to do something. That's
what everybody wants to do. I want to do something. Give
me something to do. The rich young ruler came to
the Lord, and he said, good master, what shall I do? You know he
came ready for anything, whatever he says. Whatever you want me
to do, I'll do it. I'm able, you just say the word.
Good master, what shall I do? He said, sell everything you
have. Empty yourself of all of your
ability to do anything. and then follow me. Just look
to me, just wait on me. What do you want me to do? I
want you to sit right there and just hear me. That rich young ruler went away
sorrowful because he wanted to do something. A man named Naaman
went away angry because he wanted to do something. But if you look at Ephesians
2, go with me over to Ephesians 2. Verse 1 says we were just dead,
that's all we were. And you hath He quickened who
were dead in trespasses and sins. We couldn't do anything to take
part in our salvation, we were dead. That's all we were, was
dead. Verse 4 says, But God, who is
rich in mercy for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when
we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace
you are saved. and hath raised us up together,
and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that
in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of
his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For
by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves,
it's the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast,
for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works
which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Wherefore remember that you being in time past Gentiles in the
flesh who are called uncircumcision by that which is called the circumcision
in the flesh made by hands." He said, remember, you were the
outcast, you were the heathens, you have no right. Verse 12,
remember that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens
from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants
of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But
now in Christ Jesus, you who sometimes were far off are made
nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath
made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition
between us, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even
the law of commandments, contained in ordinances, for to make in
himself of twain one new man, so making peace. and that He
might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having
slain the enmity thereby, and came and preached peace to you
which were afar off, and to them that were nigh." He did it all,
and then He came and told us about it. That's how it went. He did it all, and then He came
and told us about it. Look with me at Romans 3. Romans 3 verse 28, therefore
we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of
the law. That is so offensive to man. That is so offensive to man.
I've had conversations with men. And we're talking about these
things, and everything seems to be going well. They seem to
be hearing these things. Strange, I've never heard these
things before. And then you get to that, and that's where the conversation
goes south. I don't want to hear that. You mean to tell me there's nothing
that I have to do? He did it all? I don't believe
that. The flesh wants to do some kind
of event. Some kind of event that it can
lean on for assurance of salvation. This is what every person who
has any kind of interest in God or eternity, this is what every
person wants. Something that he or she can
lean on for some assurance in salvation. They want assurance
in salvation. And they want to do that, they
want to have that assurance by way of doing something. Alright,
they want to pray through. People want to pray, come down
here with me and we're just going to pray through this thing. Or they want to accept Jesus
into their heart. They want to have a moment, they
have a decision moment where they accept Jesus into their
heart. As though if He wanted to come
into their heart, He couldn't, you know. They have to give Him
permission first. Or as though he wasn't going
to take that old stony heart out and grind it to powder and
give him a new heart. They want to come down front
crying. People love an emotional experience. They want to get
all emotional in the pew and start crying and get the courage
to come down front and fall on the steps. They want to dedicate their life.
You know what? I'm just from here on out, I'm
just going to dedicate my life. And what do people do every time?
Mess it up. So then they want to rededicate
their life. or they want to be baptized.
Is there anything wrong with baptism? Here's the answer. God
forbid. Our God commanded it. The apostles
commanded it. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Confess Him in baptism. We have one. But whenever we're
looking to Kingsport City tap water for our assurance of salvation,
stay out of the tap water. If that's all it is, if it's just something to do, people will come up with whatever
they can come up with. to find assurance through doing
something, but none of it can accomplish what Christ has already
accomplished for His people on the cross. None of it. He accomplished total redemption,
full pardon complete acceptance, a perfect righteousness for each
one of his people who know what they are by nature. They know
how sinful they are. They know how wicked they are.
They know what goes on in their mind. They know what goes on
in their heart. They know what they deserve. He accomplished
a perfect righteousness for every single one of them. When He said
it is finished, it was finished. It was finished. The first reason
for the offense is in why He had to hang on that cross. Man's
complete wretched sinfulness. The second reason for the offense
is in what He accomplished on that cross. all the work of a
sinner's salvation by himself. Nothing left for the sinner to
do. The third reason for the offense of the cross is in who
gets all the glory for it. all the glory. Here's the answer. He does. My salvation, your salvation,
all salvation. He gets the glory for it. If
he did all the work by himself, then he gets all the glory by
himself. That's how we want it down here,
isn't it? I did that by myself. Don't you try to take credit
for that. If He did all the work by Himself, He gets all the glory. Go over to 1 Corinthians chapter
1. 1 Corinthians 1 verse 29. It says that no flesh should
glory in His presence. But of Him are you in Christ
Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and
sanctification and redemption, that according as it is written,
He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. There's no room
for boasting. He that glorieth, let him glory
in the Lord. Look with me at Philippians chapter
2. Philippians 2 verse 5 says, Let
this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being
in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with
God, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of
a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found
in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also
hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above
every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow
of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the
earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord to the glory of God the Father. There is no other name
given among men whereby we must be saved. No other name. Not His name and my name. No
other name. That's why God's people don't
go around saying, I got saved. They all cry, He saved me. He
saved me by Himself, from my wretched sin, on the glorious
cross of Calvary. I'll close with this verse. Go
with me to Galatians chapter 6. Galatians 6 verse 14, it says, 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 creature. And as many as walk according
to this rule, peace be on them and mercy and upon the Israel
of God. If God ever truly does a work
of grace in the heart of a sinner, that sinner will say, that is
not an offense to me. That's not an offense to me.
I acknowledge every bit of that to be true. Who did the sinning?
I did it. I did it. Who did all the saving? He did it. And who gets all the
glory? He does. He does. He gets all
the glory. I acknowledge it to be true,
and none of it is an offense to me. Not only is it not an
offense to me, it's the greatest news I've ever heard in my life.
That's the greatest news I've ever heard in my life. I am a
total, total, head-to-toe, in-and-out sinner. You know why that's the
greatest news I've ever heard? It's because Christ came to save
sinners. Sinners. And God's Spirit has
revealed to me that's what I am. And it's good news to me. I pray
God will make it so with us. May he cause us to say, that's
my gospel. That is my gospel. All right. Let's all stand together.