Galatians chapter 1. Actually, we'll read a verse
to begin with in chapter 2. Galatians chapter 2. The reason Paul wrote this epistle,
why God the Holy Spirit inspired him to write it, was because
false teachers had crept into the church among the believers in Galatia,
but they professed faith in Christ. These false teachers, they professed
faith in Christ, they said, yeah, that's so, that's so, you need
Christ, got to have Christ, but, but, they said, true faith also
observes the law of Moses. Got to have Moses as well, and
if you don't, If you don't include the observance, the keeping of
the law of Moses, then you can't be saved. You can't be saved. And Paul was fired up when he
wrote this epistle. There's no pleasant salutation. There's no pleasantries at all. He comes out with both fists
flying. He says, we won't stand for that.
Don't you listen to that. He tells the believers, don't
be entangled again with the yoke of bondage. And look, if you
will, at verse 21 in chapter 2. Now this one verse alone gives us some idea of the seriousness
of this issue that Paul was dealing with. He says, I do not frustrate
the grace of God. For if righteousness came by
the law, then Christ is dead in vain." That's strong words,
isn't it? Christ dead in vain? If man could be saved by any
other way. You know there's been books written
dealing with that very question. Could God forgive sin apart from
the death of His Son? Was there another way by which
God could justify sinners? And of course the answer is not.
No way. If man could be saved in any
other way, Christ died for nothing. Christ died for nothing. If man
can be saved by keeping the law or any other way, by his own
works, by his own merits, then Christ need not have died. That's
pretty serious, isn't it? If we do anything by which we
hope to gain God's favor, to gain God's favor, or to improve
God's favor, or to keep ourselves in God's favor, then we frustrate. Paul says here, frustrate. That
is, we make void. We set aside the grace of God. One or the other, grace or works,
got to go. They both can't abide together. In Romans 11, that's what Paul
said. If it's by grace, then it no
longer can be of works. And if it's of works, it's no
longer of grace. It's all of one or all of the
other. It can't be both. I perhaps have
told you about the time I unexpectedly dropped in at my oldest son's
house and his daughter was getting ready to go out to someone's
birthday party. I sat down, was chatting, and
she'd come up to me and said she was concerned that she might
not get to the party on time. And she said, Paul, Paul, you
know that if you don't leave soon, when it's time for us to
go, my mama will kick you out. Will kick you out of the house.
Paul in Romans 11 said exactly that. Grace kicks out of the
household of faith the law and works. It's all of one or all
of the other. Then here in Galatians chapter
6, turn there if you will, Paul wraps up his letter to the church
and he repeats what he said throughout this epistle. Look what he says
in verse 11 concerning these false teachers. He said, you
see how large a letter I've written unto you with mine own hand.
Most of the time, Paul dictated his letters. Verse 12, as many
as desired to make affairs show in the flesh, that's what they
were doing. 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." Now Paul
says, we won't have that. We won't have that. Verse 14,
but God forbid, God forbid that I should glory, save or accept
in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. by whom the world is
crucified unto me, and I unto the world." The title of my message,
Glory Ground. Our text is verse 14, Glory Ground. Paul here tells us there is a
place, one place, Mike, where a sinner, a redeemed sinner,
can glory. God forbid that he glories in
anything else. In his experience, even his experience
of grace. In his faith, genuine faith. But there is one place a sinner
can glory as much as he can. As often as he can. And he never
has to be concerned, never has to worry that he's overdoing
it. Because it's not possible. That
place that he can glory, and Paul means here when he uses
the word glory, that he can exalt, that he can boast of, that he
can rejoice in, and that's the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. You can glory there as often
as you want, as much as you want, and never overdo it. Jeremiah,
Mike read from it a moment ago, but in chapter 9 of Jeremiah,
listen to these words. Thus saith the Lord, let not
the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory
in his might. Let not the rich man glory in
his riches, but let him that glorieth glory in this, that
he understandeth and knoweth me. Glory in that. Be thankful for that. Never get
over the wonder of that. That I am the Lord which exercises
loving kindness and judgment, righteousness in the earth, for
in these things do I delight, saith the Lord. Glory in this,
that he knoweth me. Because to know God is life eternal. This is what our Lord said. It's
salvation. Not what I know, but who I know. Paul says, I know whom I have
believed. And in him, in the Lord Jesus
Christ, I have all that God can give. Remember what our Lord
said to Simon Bar-Jonah. Now Simon, a lot of times, spoke when he should have kept
quiet. But on this occasion, when our
Lord asked his disciples, whom do men say that I, the Son of
Man, am? Simon said, you're the Christ.
Don't have any question about that. Don't have any doubts about
that. You're the Messiah. You're the
Son of God that should come into the world. And our Lord said,
blessed art thou, Simon Barjona. For flesh and blood have not
revealed this unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. Blessed art thou, Simon, because
God's made you healthy and wealthy. That's what we're told is to
be blessed in our day. No, no, Simon, God's done something
for you much better than that. He's bestowed upon you greater
riches by far than that. My Father has revealed to you
what you could never know otherwise, what you would never know otherwise. He's opened your eyes. He's given
you the precious gift of faith so that you may know who I am. Simon, you're a blessed man. God Almighty done something for
you that He's not done for everyone. He's revealed to you who I am. And no man will ever know who
Jesus Christ is, will never know Him personally. Oh, he'll know
of the historic Christ, that he was a man that lived. He may
say that he was a good man, that he was a martyr, that he gave
us a good moral example to live by, but he'll never know that
Jesus is the Christ. He'll never know that he is mine and I am his until
God gives him this precious gift. Paul gloried in that. First,
what did Paul glory in? When he says, I glory in the
cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, what exactly did he mean? Well,
he didn't mean this. He certainly didn't mean the
literal cross. He didn't mean that wooden cross
that Jesus Christ was nailed to. There's no value in the mere
instrument of execution. There's no merit whatsoever.
There's a hymn. We'll never sing it. I'll cherish
the old rugged cross. No, that's not what Paul was
talking about. He wasn't talking about the old piece of wood or
a symbol of the cross. A necklace with a cross dangling
or a lapel pin with a cross. Why not wear a little emblem
of a hangman's noose or an electric chair? Oh, my soul, no. No, Paul didn't glory in that. What did Paul glory in? This
that he gloried in and boasted of and rejoiced in, the death
of Christ on the cross. That's what he's speaking of
and what he accomplished. What he accomplished by his death,
his atonement, his redemption, he gloried in Christ, his glorious
substitute. He went to Corinth. Corinth was
a wealthy, wealthy city. They had their philosophers,
their worldly wisdom, and Paul looked around He said, I'm not
impressed. I'm not impressed. I'm determined
to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ. He's the wisdom
of God and the power of God. And I'm determined to know nothing
but Christ and Him crucified. Christ crucified is the whole
counsel of God. Let me ask you this. Do you think
the apostle Paul when he says that God forbid that I should
glory in anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
would Paul glory in, trust in, boast of, and rejoice in a mere
attempt at redemption? When Paul said, oh, I rejoice
in, I trust in, I boast of, A mere attempt at redemption? Or a mere offer of grace? Was
he thinking of only a possibility of salvation? Now think of that. This is what we're told today.
That what Christ did upon the cross then and there actually
didn't accomplish anything until man in time on down the road
by his faith makes it effectual. It won't work unless man by his
will makes it work. Paul had no idea of such a thing. When he said, I glory in the
cross of Christ, he was glorying in a finished atonement. A redemption that was made then
and there. Sins was put away then and there. That's what Paul gloryed in.
Why did Paul glory in the cross? First recall this. Why did Jesus
Christ come in the first place? Why did he come? Why did the
eternal Son of God, the mighty God, the everlasting
Father, Counselor, the Prince of Peace, why did He become a
man, a man? A man of flesh and blood. Why
did He who was so rich become so poor? The Son of Man has nowhere
to lay his head, he said. Why did he come? The angel told
Joseph, I love this verse of scripture, Joseph, when he's
born, call his name Jesus, for he shall say, underline that,
he shall say, He'll not make salvation possible, but he shall
save his people from their sins. Could words be any plainer? He
did not come to help men to save themselves, but he came to save
his people. Paul said this is a faithful
saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners in Galatians 4. When the fullness of the time
was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under
the law, to do what? To redeem. Not to make redemption
possible, but to actually redeem. He didn't come to be a Redeemer. He came as the Redeemer. It was the Redeemer that came. In Hebrews chapter 10, Paul said,
in sacrifices and burnt offerings, thou, O God, hast had no pleasure.
This is our Lord speaking to the Father. Then said I, in the
body that you have prepared me, I come to do thy will, all thy
will, perfectly. Oh my God! Did He secure the
salvation of His people? Did He actually redeem them?
Did He really do the will of God? How important is this, Joe? Whether I'm saved, whether I'm
saved, where I spend eternity depends upon this. Was He successful? Was He successful? spend eternity in heaven or in
glory is determined by and completely dependent upon the success of
Jesus Christ upon the cross. Now what did he accomplish? What
did he actually accomplish by his death? Again, not what he
offered to do or partly did, but what did he actually do? The gospel is a message not about
what Christ, or rather about what we do, but what Christ did. What Christ did there, there. On that one that the prophet
foretold would trod the winepress alone. On that glorious, unique
man who was himself God. entered into the holy place. Not with the blood of like the
earthly high priest of a lamb, but with his own blood. When
he stood in the shadow of the cross and prayed with such anguish,
anticipating the withdrawal of his father's presence and sweat
great drops of blood. What was all that about? What
was it all for? When he cried upon the cross,
My God, why hast thou forsaken me? What was all that for? There and then, God's justice
was once for all, forever satisfied. God's law said, the soul that
sinneth, it shall die. And only God, only in the mind
of the infinite God could the answer to that be given. Only God could conceive to answer
how He could remain perfectly just and punish sin and yet justify
a guilty sinner. Only he. What a display of the
wisdom of God. Paul said, oh, the depths of
the wisdom of God. Turn, if you will, back to Galatians
chapter 2. What did he accomplish? In verse
16 of Galatians 2, Paul tells us, knowing that a man is not
justified, by the works of the law, but by the faith, not your
faith, but by the faith of Christ, Christ's faith. Even we that
have believed in Jesus Christ, we might be justified by the
faith. his faithfulness, his faithfulness to his God. By the
faith of Christ and not by the works of the law, for by the
works of the law shall no flesh be justified. Turn, if you will,
to Romans chapter 3. Paul tells us again the same
thing here. This is what Christ accomplished.
This is what he did on the behalf of all of his people. Again in
Romans chapter 3 verse 24, look what Paul writes here. Being
justified freely. I like that word, freely. Without cause or cost by me,
but him. Being justified freely. by His
grace, free grace, through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus, whom God has set forth to be a 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, perfectly just, and the justifier of him
which believeth in Jesus. Oh, does this not give your conscience
peace? How much more, Paul in Hebrews
9 asks, how much more shall the blood of Christ purge your conscience
from dead works to serve the living God? I see Him, my glorious
substitute, bearing in His own body on the tree all my sins
like that scapegoat that the high priest symbolically transferred
all the sins of Israel as he placed his hands over the head
of that scapegoat and it was taken out into the wilderness
never to be seen again. My sins are gone. My glorious
substitute says concerning the law of God that he's satisfied. The law of God must say to all
those for whom he suffered and died, let these go their way. That's what he said to those
that came to the garden, didn't he? You seek me, here I am. But you can't have me. You can't
have me and my sheep too. Let these go their way. They're on Calvary's hill. Our glorious substitute put away
the sins of his people forever. This is what we read in Hebrews
1 verse 3. When he had by himself purged
our sins, bless his name, he sat down on the right hand of
the majesty on high. Turn to Hebrews chapter 9. Look
what we read here. Hebrews 9 verse 26. Well, let's read verse 25, Hebrews
9 and 25. Nor yet that he should offer
himself often as the high priest in earth into the holy place
every year with the blood of others. For then must he often
have suffered since the foundation of the world, but now once Once
in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by
the sacrifice of himself, and as it is appointed unto men once
to die, and after that the judgment, so Christ was once offered to
bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for him shall
he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. Oh, that gives me hope. resting
on this solid foundation, that God has made Him to be sin for
me who knew no sin, that I might be made the righteousness of
God in Him, the government of heaven. The very throne of God
would be overthrown If one for whom Jesus Christ was made sin
is not made the righteousness of God in him." The righteousness
of Christ is a robe that will never wear out. I know I've told
you, you've heard this illustration before, maybe more than once. But when I was a young boy living
up that hollow, the last house in the Hollow Mine. And I'd be
out after dark, and I'd be walking home. Oh, I'd be scared. I'd
round the last turn, and that house would come into view with
the porch light on. I knew Mom was waiting. I'd go
in, get ready for bed, and she'd come up and tuck me in. that old bedspread
to just tuck it around me. I felt so safe. I wasn't scared
of anything. I felt so secure. And I'll tell
you, wrapped up in the righteousness of God's own Son, I'm safe. I'm secure. I'm dressed in a
robe that will never wear out. that will never lose its value. It's perfect. It's perfect. I'm perfect. I'm perfect with
His holy garments on as holy as God's own Son. Christ, by His death, also did
this. He had redeemed us from the curse
of the law. He entered in one time in the
holy place, and He obtained eternal redemption for us. Of all that
Christ came to do, this is what He Himself said. Of the putting
away of sin, of bringing in a righteousness, making an end of transgression,
He said, it is finished. It is finished. It's all done. And who dares say that it wasn't? Their sins upon Him were all
laid. And He the dreadful debt is paid,
a debt no more to pay. Their surety in their law place
stood, appeased stern justice with His blood, and bore their
sins away. All gone. All gone. Look again
at the text, if you will. Verse 14 of Galatians 6. But God forbid that I should
glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. By the grace of God, we'll stay
put as well, won't we? We'll glory only in the cross
of Christ. We'll stay right here. To whom
else shall we go? This glorious gospel. of the
cross of Christ is the only message that gives sinners hope. That's
right. That proclaims, by grace are
you saved through faith. That's the only message that'll
give a helpless sinner hope. The trend today is a feel-good
gospel, a health and wealth gospel, and that's another gospel. But
when a poor lost sinner when God in his mercy brings a poor
lost sinner and convinces him of his lostness,
his helplessness, brings him to cry for mercy, this gospel
will be the only good news for him, the gospel of substitution. that God in Christ freely forgives
the vilest offender. The gospel of free grace declares
this. When a poor beggar like Bartimaeus
cries out for mercy, Jesus stands still. When a beggar cries out, Thou
son of David, have mercy on me, The gospel of God's grace declares,
Jesus stands still. He hears. When a poor leper cries,
Lord, if you will, you can make me clean, Jesus says, I will. I will. And when he cries, Lazarus,
come forth, Lazarus comes forth. And when a lost, helpless, confused,
druggy, hippie, a mess, just a mess, named Larry Chris, fell down before him and begged,
please have mercy on me. Please save me. Please forgive
me. He did. Bless His name. He did. And God
forbid that I should glory in anything else but the cross of
our Lord Jesus Christ. What He did for me. He died for
me. In a moment, we'll observe the
Lord's Supper. And as you do, remember, the
blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin. and that the dear dying lamb's
precious blood will never lose its power to all the ransomed
church of God is saved to sin no more. In World War I, during that time, the Prince
of Wales visited some men that had been wounded, severely wounded
in the war. And as he went through the ward
where these 36 men were, or he thought they were, visiting,
he shook hands with most of them. And as he was being escorted
out, he asked, I saw about 30 men. Where are the other six? And he was informed that they
were extremely severe cases, and they were kept in a different
section of the ward. And he said, well, I want to
see them too. And he saw five men. And then he asked one more
time, he said, where's the last one? Where's that last one? And he was told, this one, his
appearance is so grotesque, it's unbearable. But he said, I want
to see him. And they showed him to the bed
of this poor man. And as the prince's will stood
there, looked at him, he walked over and he bent down and kissed
him. And he said, you were wounded
for me. Wounded for me. And the son of God was wounded for our transgressions.
And he was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was on Him. And with His stripes, we are
healed. Glory to His name. God bless
you. Brother Joe is going to lead
us into hymn. And after that, Lester and Lonnie will pass out
the bread and the wine. Lord bless you.