Alright brethren, Galatians chapter
6. Today we'll be finishing up our
work through Galatians. We started this quite a while
ago and I'm certain if the Lord enables us, we're going to be
back here many times in the future. I pray He'll let that happen.
Paul's given his brethren in Galatia and us now. He's given
this letter and he's given you and I this letter. It's such
a wonderful declaration of the gospel. All through it, man's
nothing. Man's depraved. Man's unable. There's no ability. That's sad. That's not good, is it? It's
good if you've got the good news with it. Christ is all. He's
our hope. He's our ability. He's our righteousness.
That's it. This letter that Paul wrote to
Galatians is very important. Very important. The evidence
of that is that we have it today. The Lord has preserved this text
for 2,000 years. So me and you could read it today.
We could work through this book. It could show us something. Show
us our Savior more clearly in it. And Paul thought it was important. So much so, there he says that
he wrote, you see what a big letter I wrote? Look more at
this. It wasn't a long letter, but
he wrote it with his own hand. That's why it was important to
him. Most of his letters were dictated. Most of the epistles
were dictated. He had someone else write them
for him because his eyesight was so poor. And so he had to
write in real big letters so he could see what he was writing.
And one of our brothers in another state is an eye surgeon. And
he brought that point out. Everything that was in the scriptures,
anything to do with the eye, He honed in on it. He knew that. That's what he did. I was a soldier
for a long time. So anything to do with that centurion,
I've lived that. I know about that. I hone in
on that. There's a lot of people that
farm, that have gardens, that plant trees, grow fruit. Anything about farming, planting
seeds, fruit of the tree, they know something about that. They've
experienced that. They've seen it. Isn't that wonderful? The Lord has these scriptures
preserved for all these years and meets us where we are. In
the Old Testament, that nation of Israel, they knew what that
tabernacle looked like. They'd seen it. That's hard for
me to understand. I need to see a picture. I didn't live next
to it. I didn't walk past it. But we have those to look at.
We have those pictures. But the Lord meets us where we
are and gives us an example we can understand. Our brothers and sisters that
experienced that in old times have the same experience we do.
And that's what I want to look at today, that every believer
has a shared experience. We all have a common experience.
Those eye doctors, the soldiers, the farmers, Old Testament, New
Testament believers, any of them, throughout time, from Adam to
us, we have a common experience. And that new creature that's
put in us, that's the title of my message today, a new creature.
For every person that has ever lived, there's an inward man
and an outward man, for all people. What do I mean by that? You can
see someone's actions. You can hear someone's words.
We know them. We see them. We see what they
do. We see how they act, how they conduct themselves. But
inside, there's something else. They have a conscious, a mind,
a soul, whatever you want to call it. But there's an inward
part of them And there's an outside part, there's a part we see and
a part that they have. And sometimes they can act totally different
for a season. Someone can be nice to your face
and hate you on the inside, but you wouldn't know any different
for a season, for a time. But whatever's on the inside
of a man or a woman, it's going to work its way to the outside.
Sooner or later, over enough time, it may be 10, maybe 20
years, or maybe 10 minutes, but whatever's on the inside of them
is going to work its way to the outside. It's going to show up.
But the struggle for the true children of God is that we have
that outward person. Everybody sees, but inwardly,
our inside person, we have two of them. We have an old nature
and we have a new creature. We have a new life that's in
us. And oftentimes, that old man rears his head. Many times. More than I would care for him
to. And we don't act like people that genuinely believe God. We
say that we believe in a sovereign God. We don't act that way many
times, do we? I don't. But the grace of God
And eternally saving his people does not manifest in wild and
unruly behavior. We don't go out and live like
heathens. It won't manifest itself that way. Those things may be
present, but they don't reign in someone's life. Someone to
the Lord's done a work in. But many people worry about government
persecuting us, especially now. I have those worries. Is the
government persecuting this church? Is he trying to cast down the
word of God? Is other religions doing that?
Is other churches doing that? Is that our persecution? Did
my family persecute me for what I believe? Our great persecution
is inward, inside. That old man can do more damage,
he can cause more pain, he can disrupt my life more than any
outside influence can. I could be alone on a desert
island and I'd be persecuted. They fight, they're contrary
to one another. But with that said, that new
heart, that spirit that God puts in us and is elect, it's going
to show forth. Just like that old wicked man
that's in me, he comes out. He makes his way to the outside.
I'm shocked at it, and you're shocked at it. We shouldn't be
shocked at those things, should we? It's going to happen. It's
there. But that new man in us, if we get a new heart in us,
a new life in us, it's going to bear fruit. It's going to
make its way on the outside. In a physical birth, there's
evidence. What's evidence? You've got a
baby laying right in front of you. That physical birth happened. I know it is. I can touch them.
I can go touch my children. If there's a spiritual birth,
there's going to be some evidence. We're born not of flesh and blood,
but of spirit. And if that happens, it's going
to come out. The fruits may be small. Those
fruits may be underdeveloped. They may be weak. They may not
taste, have a lot of flavor to them. But there's going to be
fruit. It's going to be present. Those outward fruits, that outward
evidence does not save a person. The work that God does in a heart
saves a person. Faith in Christ that is given
by God to His people, that is the evidence of heart work. We
lean on Christ. We look to Him for everything.
That's evidence He circumcised us at our hearts. We love the
brethren, our other brothers and sisters that Christ died
for also. They have that new heart put in them. Christ died
for those people. I love them. You love them too. And that's
the evidence that the Lord of Hosts has performed a circumcision
in your heart. He's cut that old, useless flesh
that's inside of you. Inside of you has been a work
done. Let's see what Paul has to say here. He starts off, this
is an important letter, Galatians 6. Verse 11, you see how large
a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand? Paul
was saying this letter wasn't long and lengthy, but he was
commenting on the size of the font he used. I click a button
and I can make these letters bigger, but he had to write big
so he could see. His handwriting was so large that he could see
what he had written, but with the physical issues he had with
his eyes and such trouble seeing, he wrote this to the Galatians
himself. When he was there in Rome, he didn't have anybody
help him. He did it himself, because it was important to him.
It was urgent for him to give them this information, to correct
them, to point them back to Christ. So he wrote it himself. He gives
a final caution. He's told us for five chapters,
all these things, and here at the very end, he gives them a
final caution. He wanted these men and women
to know that those that were putting them back under the law,
those were saying you had to do something. At that time, they
were saying you had to physically be circumcised to be safe. They
were forcing that fruit to come out. That's what they were doing. If that inward man's not showing
anything, they're going to make it. We're going to make you do
something. They were pushing for that outward show. And in
this case, outwardly, it was on their bodies. Physically,
what they did to their bodies. There in verse 12 it says, As
many as desire to make a fair show in the flesh, They constrain
you to be circumcised. They want to make a good show
in the flesh. Only lest they should suffer
persecution for the cross of Christ. For neither they themselves
who are circumcised keep the law. Those men that are trying
to make you keep the law, they're not keeping it themselves. He's
established this all throughout this epistle. But desire to have
you circumcised that they may glory in your flesh. They want
to have the glory. They want to get it for saving
others. How many people have you got baptized? How many people
have you got to join the church? How many people have you saved?
Well, you don't save anybody. Man doesn't save anybody. Well,
I got my brother-in-law saved. I got my cousin saved. No, you
didn't. You got them in trouble. But these false preachers, they
were telling Galatians they must be circumcised to be saved. They're freed from the law. These
believers they were talking to, and these men came in and put
them right back under it. They were making the work of
Christ dependent on what man does or doesn't do. It's effectual
if you do something, is what they're telling them. You have
to do something. But how does that manifest in our day? How
do we see that? Physical circumcision used to
mean something. The Lord gave that to Abraham.
He said, I've done a work in you, and now you're going to
have evidence on the outside that you're my people. So it
meant something. But whenever Christ came, what
he accomplished on the cross, that salvation he accomplished
for his people, that token, it expired. Those things didn't
mean anything anymore. He said, people know you're my
disciples because you love one another. That's a spiritual circumcision
coming out. But in our age, many people,
they put other people, others under the law in a bunch of different
ways. They say, you've got to be baptized. You've got to join
the church. You've got to live the right way. You've got to
wear certain clothes. You can't wear other clothes.
You've got to walk an aisle and make a profession of faith. You've
got to take to the Lord's table where you can't be saved. Or
you can't take to the Lord's table. Put limitations on it. You have to lead a Bible study.
Church planting. You've got to visit widows. Just
on and on and on. They have something. Something
you have to do. I don't declare what's already been done. You've
got to do something. But what do I say that you have
to do to be saved? What does San Diego Grace Fellowship
say you have to do to be saved? What does the scripture say you
have to do to be saved? You have to believe God. If you
believe Him, you'll love Him. If you love Him, you'll love
those that He loves. You'll love your brethren. Turn
over to Matthew 22. Matthew 22 verse 34. But when the Pharisees had heard
that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered
together. Then one of them, which was the
lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, saying, Master,
which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto them,
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with
all thy soul, with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment,
and the second is likened to it. Thou shalt love thy neighbor
as thyself. On these two commandments hang
all the law and the prophets. These men ask a question, trying
to make their master stumble. trying to hang him up in words.
And now he asked them a question. Verse 41, While the Pharisees
were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, What think
ye of Christ? Whose son is he? They said unto
him, The son of David. He saith unto them, How then
doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto
my Lord, Set thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies
thy footstool. If David then called him Lord,
how is he his son? Now that day this was unheard
of. The father didn't honor his children,
his grandchildren, there to be seen and not heard. In my house
this is unheard of. I love my children, but I won't
lift them up above me." So how did David call one of his offspring? This Christ that was to come
through the house of David, how did he call him Lord? Because
God spoke to David and David believed him. He believed God. He showed David that that Redeemer
would come through his lineage. And you know what David said?
Amen. See, I tried. I believe you.
I don't know how it's going to happen, but the Lord said to
my Lord, that's what he said, wasn't it? And that promise to
Abraham, salvation would be through his seed, singular, through Christ. It would be through David's loins
as well. He believed God. It was counted to Abraham for
righteousness. It was counted to David for righteousness. It
was counted for you to righteousness, me to righteousness. We believe
God, but do you believe him or do you try to look for an explanation?
Do you believe Him or do you believe facts? What's the difference? What do these Pharisees do? Look
here in verse 46. They attempted to respond instead
of bowing to what the Lord said. Matthew 22, 46, And no man was
able to answer Him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth
ask Him any more questions. They said, I'm taking my ball
and I'm going home. We're not going to ask you no more questions. Ask hard things. That is outward
evidence of the inward creature that they had. They didn't bow
to the Word of God. They tried to explain it away.
They tried to answer it. They tried to give an excuse.
This lawyer and the Pharisee were trying to approach God,
answer God, and work towards God on their own. They were trying
to come up with an answer. They were not given a heart to
lean on Christ alone, to trust Christ alone, and to bow to Christ
alone. They wanted the glory for being
right and figuring it out for themselves. That's what they
wanted the glory to be in. Now look back at our text. What
is a new creature? See what the old creature glory
is in. What is the new creature glory in? Galatians 6, verse
14. It says, But God forbid that
I should glory save, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ
by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. The only glory I have is in Christ. The only work I have is what
Christ has done. The only faith I have is the
faith that Christ has. Because I have Christ, I might
as well be dead to the rest of this world. And it's dead to
me. I don't care about it, and if
they don't care about me, I don't care. I'm dead to it. It's dead
to me. I only care about Him that has
saved me. Turn to Isaiah 45. Isaiah 45. I heard people comment on faithful
churches. There's faithful pulpits around
this country here and there. People say, well, all you have
there is Christ. Amen. That's all that's needed. That's the one thing that's needful.
You know, those outward shows matter. Everything we do on the
outside doesn't account for anything. There's no profit in bodily exercise,
the scripture says, going through the motions. Isaiah 45, we'll
look at verse 22. Look unto me and be ye saved,
all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is none else.
I have sworn by myself Couldn't swear by any higher, could he?
I have sworn by myself the word has gone out of my mouth in righteousness
and shall not return. There won't be any back talking.
That unto me every knee shall bow and every tongue shall swear. Surely, shall one say, in the
Lord have I righteousness and strength. Even to him shall men
come and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed.
If you trust, All your strength and righteousness is in the Lord.
In the Lord is my strength and righteousness. If you trust in
that, people are going to be furious. They will be incensed
against you. On the outside, may not show
forth too often, but on the inside, they're going to be mad. It's
going to seep out. And those people, they'll be ashamed. Verse
25 says, In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified
and shall glory. To elect children of God are
righteous in Christ, we have our strength in Christ, we're
justified in Christ, and we shall glory in Christ. Alright, back
to our text. We'll look at Galatians 6, verse
15. Paul writes, for in Christ Jesus,
neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision,
but a new creature. You're working. He's saying that
circumcision doesn't avail anything. You're working does not gain
anything. We have the greatest outward
show of Christianity, and we appear to know the Lord, and
we appear to be His, but we don't have love. We don't have the
love of God in us, it's all vanity. If we have that outward token,
it doesn't matter. Folks can say they've been baptized,
they read their Bibles, they pray every morning when they
wake up, and it doesn't matter. Zeal for the doctrine of Christ
is no good without the love of Christ. Turn over to 1 Corinthians
chapter 13. Verse Corinthians 13. Verse 1. Verse Corinthians 13.
1. Though I speak with the tongues
of men and of angels, and have not charity, have not love, I
am become as a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. Though
I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries
and all knowledge, And though I have all the faith that I could
remove mountains, and have not charity, have not love, I am
nothing. If I have all these abilities,
people back then that could speak in tongues, they would talk and
others would hear in their own languages. If you could do all
those things, heal the sick, if you don't have love with it,
it doesn't mean anything. You better be better hearing
a little bell dinging. Verse 3 says, and though I bestow
all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to
be burned, I'm willing to die for this. I believe in this doctrine,
and I'm going to die for it. But if I'm willing to die for
it, and I have not charity, I have not love, it profiteth me nothing.
Was this just Paul saying this? Paul's letter to Corinthians,
was that his opinion, or our Master pointed this out in Matthew
23? Matthew 23, 23 says, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees,
you hypocrites, for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin. Whenever they tithe, they didn't
just give 10% of their gross income or their net income. They
tithe, they give a tenth of all. Everything. Mustard seed, whatever
you had. And they said, you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin
and have omitted the weightier matters of the law. What are
those weightier matters? He says judgment, mercy, and
faith. Christ said that's the weightier
matters of the law. Judgment, mercy, and faith. We
can get so wrapped up in the doing, we forget what's been
done. Just like Martha did, doesn't
it? We're so worried about what's going on around us, we forget
that our Master's in our home. Judgment's been satisfied in
Christ. Mercy's been bestowed on His people. And those peculiar
people, they've been given faith to bow and to worship God for
it, for giving it to them. That sounds like an act of love,
doesn't it? Why do we love Him? He loved us. Paul's saying that
circumcision doesn't help anything. That outward work doesn't do
anything for you. But he also says that uncircumcision
doesn't do anything either. Here's the flip side of that
coin. All that working you did, it ain't going to do anything
if the Lord hasn't done the work in you. All your not working
isn't going to be any gain to you. It won't avail. I've heard
so often growing up, people say, well my bass boat is my cue.
I go to church in a tree stand. I worship God in spirit out here
in nature. My church is everywhere. They
say they don't practice any outward signs. They reject works. They
have no interest in joining a faithful church. They say that baptism
was, that was in John the Baptist's day. We don't need to do that
anymore. That's expired. They don't give to a church.
They say if the Lord wants that church took care of, He'll provide
for it. They claim to be a free spirit that worships God anywhere.
What's Paul saying? That ain't going to do you any
good either. You work yourself to death or make a work out of
not working, there ain't going to be any benefit. So what does
us good? What avails? If I can't do nothing,
what I do doesn't matter. What I do doesn't save me. What
I don't do doesn't save me. What avails? What's going to
profit? He said, but the new creature. We looked at this a couple of
weeks ago. Turn over to Galatians 5. Galatians 5 and verse 6. Paul writes, For in Jesus Christ
neither circumcision availeth anything nor uncircumcision,
but faith which worketh by love. Circumcision doesn't matter,
uncircumcision doesn't matter, but faith which works by love. Now turn back to our text there
in Galatians 6 verse 15. Paul seems to be repeating himself,
doesn't he? Galatians 6 verse 15, For in
Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth in anything, nor uncircumcision,
but a new creature. Is that totally different? That
new creature in us has faith. That faith has been worked by
God in us. And it does work. in us through
that same love. It's been worked in us and it
works in us. We're saved by faith alone, but
that faith's not alone. I want to know more about these
things. I want to experience them. Some people reject doctrine.
I don't. I stand on it. I want a strong
doctrine. The Bible tells us a lot about
depravity. It tells us about original sin,
about election, about grace, sovereign grace, the effectual
call, baptism. It tells us about the Lord's
table, how we are to behave ourselves in the church of Christ and as
the church of Christ. He tells us a lot about giving,
supporting ministries, supporting pastors. He tells us about those
pastors and the elders and the deacons, what they're supposed
to do, what they're supposed to be preaching, what they're supposed to be teaching,
how they're supposed to do it. Not forsaking the assembly of the
saints. Paul told Timothy, he said, take heed to yourself and
your doctrine for in doing so you'll save yourself and the
people that hear you, those that you're preaching to. I want a
strong and I want a clear doctrine. But I don't want facts alone.
I don't want cold, dead, theological facts. I want to experience those
things. I want to experience them. I
want the true and correct and strong doctrine, I want it to
play out in my life. The Bible speaks a lot about
love too, doesn't it? Joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness,
meekness. That is the fruit of the seed
that's planted. We can have the right seed, but
if it's never planted, it's never going to grow. I want it to grow. I want it
to grow in grace. I want it to grow in knowledge.
I want it to grow in understanding. I want to experience the grace.
I don't want to just hear facts about the grace. I have no interest
in that theologically correct, orthodox letter of faith. I'm
interested in worshiping God in spirit and truth. I want to
walk with God in spirit and truth. The light that He gives me. That
outward man and the inward man, they must be together. They're
linked. You can't hide it. I want a new
heart put in me and a new creature. And I want it to push out in
my life. Turn over 1 John 3. First John 3, look in verse 16. Hereby perceive we the love of
God, because He laid down His life for us, and we ought to
lay down our lives for the brethren. But whosoever hath this world's
goods, and see his brother seeth his brother have need, and shutteth
up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelt the love of God
in him. Saying, Christ laid down his
life for me, and I can't be compassionate toward my brethren. That's a
good sign the love of God isn't in you. Verse 18 says, My little
children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but
in deed and in truth. Let's not just say we're going
to do something. Today we're going to take care of our brethren.
Do it. Let us do that. Turn over to
Luke chapter 6. John wasn't the only one to give
us this good correction, good guidance. Our Master did. Luke 7 verse
27. But I say unto you which hear,
Love your enemies. Do good to them which hate you.
Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully
use you. And unto him that smiteth thee
on one cheek, offer also him the other. And him that taketh
away thy cloak, forbid him not to take thy coat also. Give to
every man that asks of thee, and of him that taketh away thy
goods, ask them not again. And as you would that men should
do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them
which love you, what thank have ye? That's easy to do. It's easy to love somebody that
loves you. For sinners also love them that love them. And if ye
do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? For
sinners also even do the same. Someone that doesn't know God
is going to be nice to somebody that's nice to them. And if you
lend to them whom ye hope to receive, what think of ye? For
sinners also lend to sinners to receive as much again." Nobody
bothers getting a little interest. If I'm going to get my money
back, I didn't give anything. Verse 35, But love ye your enemies,
and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again. And your reward
shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the highest.
Speaking of the highest, for he, for the Lord, is kind unto
the unthankful and to the evil. Who's evil? I am. Who's unthankful? I am. He's kind to me. Verse
36, Be ye therefore for this reason merciful, as for your
father also is merciful. I didn't bring this out in a
message from last week, but in Galatians 6.1, Paul says there,
whenever a man is undertaken in a fault, we looked at that
from when a believer is undertaken in a fault. When we fall, our
brothers and sisters fall, we're to restore them and bear their
burdens. Paul didn't write believers.
Paul didn't write your brothers and sisters. when a man is overtaken
in a fault? Anybody. Why would he say that? What if Paul wrote believers?
What if he said, well, if your brothers and sisters are overtaken
in a fault, you have to restore them and bear them. How quick
would I say, well, I don't know about so-and-so. I don't have
to restore them. They don't act like they're a
believer. How many times would somebody look at me and say,
Kevin don't act like he's a believer. See how frightful He is? How
fearful He is? Let's not restore Him. Let's
not bear His burdens. Having the right attitude and spirit
along with the true doctrine is so important. We don't say,
let us never say, I believe in a sovereign God, but we say,
I believe in a sovereign God and... and... One more scripture
and I'll let you go. Let's turn over to John 13. John 13, verse 13. John 13, 13. You call me master
and Lord, and you say, well, for so I am. If I then, your
Lord and master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash
one another's feet. For I have given you an example.
that ye should do as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say unto
you, the servant is not greater than his Lord, neither he that
is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things,
if ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. I speak
not of you all, I know whom I have chosen. Those that the Lord chose
Those that the Spirit comes in and quickens their hearts, gives
them life, they're going to do these things. That inward creature
is going to come out, and they're going to be happy to do them.
Do it in a spirit of gladness, won't we? Alright, back to our
text. Galatians 6, verse 16. As many
as walk according to this rule, Peace be, that word there, be
is added by the translators, it should be is. As many as walk
according to this rule, peace is on them and mercy is on them. And upon the Israel of God, from
henceforth let no man trouble me, for I bear in my body the
marks of the Lord Jesus. Paul had a bunch of scars on
him. He took a whole lot of whippings, a lot of beatings, but those
marks of His body on the inside. No man can trouble me. I have
a new creature in me. Brethren, the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. Let's pray together. Oh, Heavenly Father, let us Hear
Your Word and not just hear the letter only, Lord. We need to know in truth, we
need a spirit. Put a new creature in us. Make us worship You in spirit
and truth. Make us walk in the light that You've given us. Call
it Your sheep, Lord, wherever they may be. We know
You will. Comfort those that know You as
they're in trials and as they suffer. Be with those that are
in a thought of being lifted up too much, Lord. Us in self-righteousness and
arrogancy and too prideful to see that we're sinful. What a confidence we have that
You saved Your people, Lord. What a confidence we have that
You first loved us and You swore by Your name. Give us this comfort this week
as we go about our lives and remind us often of our Savior. It's in His name that we ask
it. Amen.