Let's open our Bibles this morning
to Galatians. We'll begin in chapter 1. Galatians
chapter 1. Be pleased now to speak by his
word. My subject this morning is glorying in the cross. And
I'll be working my way down to Galatians chapter 6 and verse
14 where Paul says, God forbid that I should glory save in the
cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. In this great, great epistle,
The Apostle Paul, as he was infallibly inspired by God the Holy Spirit,
declares that salvation in its entirety is the work of God's
free grace in Jesus Christ. Now, the gospel of God's grace
is defined for us numerous times in the New Testament, Romans
chapter 1. 1 Corinthians chapter 15, Ephesians
1, Colossians 1, 2 Timothy chapter 1. And as it is here declared
in the first chapter of Galatians, Paul defines the gospel in all
of those places as a work of God's grace. It is the good news
of grace flowing to sinners through the merits of Jesus Christ's
finished accomplishments at Calvary. Grace effectually accomplishing
the deliverance of God's elect by the power of God the Holy
Spirit. In this first chapter of Galatians,
the apostle tells us there is but one gospel. Not two, just
one. And this gospel is clearly, clearly
identified in the Word of God as the message of God's free
grace. Any gospel contrary to that which
is here revealed in the book of God, any gospel contrary to
the message of redemption accomplished, effectual, free, saving grace,
is not a variation of the gospel, but a false gospel. Look at Galatians
chapter 1. The Apostle Paul warns us concerning
these things. The gospel is the good news of
grace and peace. Verse three, grace be unto you
and peace from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace brings peace. Grace brings peace. Peace in your heart because of
peace with God through the merits of the Redeemer. If your religion
doesn't give you peace before God, your religion is useless. Grace brings peace. Those who
have a false refuge, a refuge of lies, have a bed, but it's
too short to stretch oneself upon. The cover's too narrow
to wrap yourself in, so that you really have no peace. And
I'm here to tell you that if you have no peace in your heart
with God, no peace in your soul from God, you do not know the
gospel of the grace of God. The grace of God, the gospel
of God's free grace is the announcement of redemption accomplished by
Jesus Christ the Lord. Not a declaration of redemption
possible, but the declaration of redemption accomplished. Look
at verse 4. who gave himself for us, for
our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world
according to the will of God and our Father. The Lord Jesus,
God's dear Son, gave himself as a substitute for sinners to
die for our sins when he was made sin for us upon the curse
tree and we now by his blood had been delivered from the curse
of the law and from this present evil world by the will of God
look at verse five the gospel gives all the glory all the honor
all the praise to Christ alone Now people say, well, everybody
gives praise to the Lord. Everybody honors God. Everybody
ascribes salvation to the Lord. Listen to them. Listen to them. Men and women who distinguish
themselves from others by what they have done, by their choice,
by their will, by their works, while pretending to give praise
to God, give praise to themselves. After all, it is the one who
makes the difference who has the praise. We're told plainly
here then that the gospel is good news, the good news of free
grace, grace brought to us by the accomplished redemption of
Christ, giving all glory to Christ. And every other gospel is a false
gospel. Look at verse six. Paul says,
I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called
you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel. Another
gospel, a gospel that mixes grace and works, a gospel that mixes
the work of Christ and the work of man, a gospel that mingles
together God's will and man's will. Paul said, you've been
moved away from the gospel to another gospel, verse seven,
which is not another. It's not even similar. Doesn't
bear any similarity to the gospel. But there be some that trouble
you and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we are
an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than
that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As
I said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel
unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. All right,
move on to Galatians chapter two. Here the Apostle begins
to explain and explain clearly his meaning, telling us how to
distinguish the true gospel from the false. Here in this second
chapter, the Apostle asserts plainly that we are justified
by the faith of Jesus Christ alone without any works performed
by us. Understand what it says we're
justified by the faith of Jesus Christ alone Without any works
performed by us look at verse 16 Knowing that a man is not
justified by the works of the law That is a man is not justified
by his personal obedience to the law but by the faith of Jesus
Christ underscore those words by the faith of Jesus Christ
not by our faith in Jesus Christ by the faith of Jesus Christ
we receive this free gift of justification by faith in Christ
We receive reconciliation by faith in Christ. We receive the
atonement by God-given faith in Christ. But justification
was accomplished by the faith of Jesus Christ as he walked
on this earth in perfect obedience to God as the God-man, our representative. When he had by his obedience
unto death put away our sins by the sacrifice of himself,
he was raised again for, or that is because of our justification. All right. We're justified by
the faith of Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Jesus
Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Jesus Christ
and not by the works of the law. For by the works of the law shall
no flesh be justified. It's not possible for a man.
It's not possible for a sinner to make himself just with God
by something he does. Look at verse 19. For I, through
the law, am dead to the law. Through the law. That is, in
strict accordance with divine justice revealed in the law. I am dead to the law. When Christ
Jesus lived on this earth, I lived in him in perfect obedience to
God as my representative, so that when he walked on this earth
as a man, loving God with all his heart, soul, mind, and being,
and loving his neighbor as himself, so I walked on this earth. And
then when the Lord Jesus was made sin for me and died under
the wrath of God, fully deserving God's wrath because he was made
sin, I died under the wrath of God in him. and fully satisfied
the whole law of God so that the law requiring righteousness
and satisfaction has been fully met by me in the person of my
representative. You understand that? It had been
fully met by me so that now I, through the law, am dead to the
law. The law in strict justice, the
law in its most strict, clearest declarations can require Nothing
from me. It had been fully satisfied.
We don't I threw the law and dead to the law that I might
live under God That's the only way you can live under God is
if the law is fully satisfied. I am crucified with Christ Quite
literally, I have been crucified with Christ. At one time in the
past, when Christ was crucified, I was crucified. When he died,
I died. Nevertheless, I live. Yet not
I. That is, I recognize now, being
born of God, I'm a man with two natures. I am two men in one. I have an old heart and mind
of flesh, an old nature of corruption and evil, and a new man created
in me in Christ Jesus. And I live, yet not I, but Christ
liveth in me. And the life which I now live
in this body of flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God. The life that I now have is life
given to me by the obedience of Christ as my substitute by
his free grace and God's grace bestowed upon me in him. I live
by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself
for me. Now be sure you understand what
it says in verse 21. I do not frustrate the grace
of God. The word means, I do not make
confusion of the grace of God. I do not confound the grace of
God. I do not make meaningless the
grace of God. For if righteousness come by
the law, then Christ died for nothing. If righteousness can
be attained by something you do, then Christ died for nothing. What does that mean? That means
there never has been any possibility that men could make themselves
righteous by what they do. Justice must be satisfied. Righteousness
must be fulfilled by our mediator. No man could do it. And if God
could save sinners any other way, then Christ died for nothing. People talk about the death of
Christ as though this was an option and this was just the
best way by which God might make himself known to men and reveal
himself to men, the best way by which God might save sinners.
Oh, no. This is the only way God Almighty
in His holy character could ever justify a sinner is by the sacrifice
of His Son. Otherwise, Christ died for nothing. Several years ago, a friend of
mine down in Western Kentucky, a lady was out at a meeting with
some other women one morning, I don't know what it was, and
a girl came up to her, one of the young ladies, and said to
her, said, my little boy came home from Sunday school yesterday.
And he asked me a question. He said, Mama, why did Jesus
have to die? And she said, I said to him,
well, son, he died so that we'd know he loves us. He said, Mama,
I know you love me and you haven't died for me. Why did Jesus have
to die? And she said to my friend, I've
been going to church all my life and I don't have any idea why
he had to die. Why? The answer is here. God must be a just God. God cannot do wrong, not even
to save you. God cannot do wrong, not even
to show mercy. The only way he can be a just
God and a savior is through the sacrifice of his son by which
God's justice was fully satisfied and his righteousness entirely
maintained. If righteousness comes by the
law, then Christ is dead in vain. All right, look at chapter 3.
The apostle moves from justification to sanctification. Here he shows
us that sanctification. Now, let me give you another
word for sanctification. It is exactly the same word,
holiness. Holiness. People talk about your
personal holiness. Which of you have got any? I'm talking about holiness. I'm
not talking about an effort at holiness. I'm talking about holiness.
Holiness. Sanctification. Where does this
come from? Is it something you do? Is it
something that you muster from within? Is it something that
God the Holy Spirit helps you to perform? Far, far, far is
that from the truth of God. Christ is our redemption, Christ
is our justification, and Christ is our sanctification. Without
our own obedience to the law, we are sanctified by Jesus Christ. He hath perfected forever them
that are sanctified. The law was our schoolmaster
unto Christ. And once the schoolmaster has
brought us to Christ, we're no longer under the schoolmaster.
Those who live by faith in Christ Jesus do not live under the oppressive
yoke of the law. And those who pretend to live
under that oppressive galling yoke of the law know nothing
about this grace of God that Paul's describing. Galatians
chapter 3 verse 1. O foolish Galatians, who hath
bewitched you? Who hath bewitched you? We live
in this religious generation that's under a spell of witchcraft.
Under a spell of witchcraft. Oh, that sounds bad, doesn't
it? It is. It's called legalism. Who hath bewitched you? that
you should not obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ
hath been evidently set forth crucified among you. I came and
told you about Christ crucified. I came and preached the gospel
to you. Now somebody has come along behind me and cast a spell
of witchcraft over you. This only would I learn of you.
Receive ye the Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing
of faith. How did God save you? How did
God save you? Was it by something you did or
was it by the gift of faith through the hearing of the word? How
did this thing get started? Are you so foolish, verse 3,
having begun in the spirit? You started off in the spirit.
Are you now made perfect in the flesh? made perfect by the flesh. Can you imagine? God has saved you by His grace,
but He only got you started on the path towards salvation. Now
you must pick up the ball, and you must finish this thing by
your own works. Oh, not alone. Oh, no, no. We wouldn't say that, but you've
got to assist God in this thing. You know it only stands for reason. God does his part. Now you've
got your part to do. Oh, fools. Oh, fools. Oh, fools. Somebody has cast
a spell on you. Look at verse 10. Galatians 3
verse 10. For as many as are of the works
of the law are under the curse, for it is written, curse it,
curse it, is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them. You find that back in the
book of Deuteronomy. You say, well, I live by the
law. I keep the Sabbath. I try to
keep the Ten Commandments. Now, don't misunderstand what
I'm saying. don't misrepresent what I'm saying
believers have no desire ever to violate God's law but we don't
live by law we live by grace through faith in Jesus Christ
our Lord we live not in order to attain righteousness but because
righteousness has been bestowed those who pretend to live by
the law and miss the mark they pretend to love God with all
their hearts. They pretend to love their neighbors
as themselves. And the primary thing that seems
to be on the minds of most is they pretend to keep the Sabbath.
But, man, I forgot to get groceries yesterday. I've got to stop getting
a gallon of milk. You're dead. You're dead. I've got to go five miles across
town to church. You're dead. You're dead. Read
the book of God. Read the book of God. Cursed
is everyone that continueth not in all things written in the
book of the law to do them. In other words, if you're going
to live by law, love God with all your heart, all your soul,
all your mind, and all your being, and then love your neighbor just
like you love yourself. Which one? Which who dares stand
here and tell me he does? Who dares do so? And yet men
pretend they live by the law. You live by your lowered standard
of the law. You take God's holy law and bring
it down here to your fickle, sinful, selfish ways and you
say that's called obeying the law. That's called breaking the
law, not living by the law. Look at chapter five or chapter
four. Here, Paul gives us an allegory. It's an allegory about
Sarah and Hagar. Sarah and Hagar and their two
sons, Isaac and Ishmael and Abraham. And the Spirit of God here tells
us that the whole story, the whole event recorded back in
the book of Genesis was intended by God to be an allegory. An allegory. Now, this will help
you when you read the book. when you open this book and you
read about events that took place in this book. Whether you're
reading about Jebusites or Israelites, it doesn't matter. Whether you're
reading about the Philistines or the tribe of Judah, it doesn't
matter. Doesn't matter whether you're reading about Nebuchadnezzar
and Pharaoh or you're reading about Moses and David, doesn't
matter. Every event of history recorded
in this book, every declaration of science recorded in this book,
These are not just things that happened and God said, oh, I
had to make a pretty good picture. I had to make a pretty good illustration.
When I want to illustrate something, I'll try to think of something
that illustrates the point that you're all familiar with. But
that's not how things were done in the Old Testament. This book
describes for us things that God in his providence brought
to pass intended to be illustrations, allegories, pictures of his grace. So that this whole thing involving
Sarah and Abraham and Hagar and Ishmael and Isaac is an allegory. It's an earthly picture of this
heavenly reality. It is an earthly picture of what
God does in grace for sinners. You remember the story. God said
to Abraham, I'm going to give you a son in your old age. And
Sarah said, fat chance. That's not going to happen. I'm
an old woman. And then she began to reason
a little bit. Now, Abraham, honey, God promised
us a son. He promised us a son. And you
know you're an old man. And you know I'm an old woman.
It ain't going to happen this way. This is a biological impossibility. It just doesn't make any sense
for us to expect God to give you a son through my womb. That's
not going to happen. But I've got this young handmaid
over here and I believe the Lord would have us to take that woman
Hagar and you go into her and God will give us a son by her.
And Abraham went to bed with Hagar. Man, nine months later,
they got a foot beat. God gave us a son. God fulfilled
his purpose. And the whole thing was torture. The whole thing turned out to
be a mess. And soon as Isaac was born, later
on, Sarah's pregnant. And she brings forth this son.
And Isaac walks before Ishmael. And Ishmael hated Isaac. Ishmael
hated Isaac and finally Sarah said to Abraham that boy shall
not be heir with my son cast out the bondwoman and her son
and Abraham was loath to do it because Abraham loved Ishmael
Kind of like you love your works Kind of like you love your goodness.
Ah now brother daughter. I'm not you're gonna tell me
I'm no good You're gonna tell me I've got to give up all my
righteousness My dear friend, Pastor Bruce Crabtree in New
Castle, Indiana, his dad was a Pentecostal preacher at one
time. And his dad was dying. And Bruce
would go visit him and try to reason with him from the scriptures.
And he said to his dad, most dads ask him questions about
faith in Christ. And he said, Dad, you've got
to give up all your righteousness and trust Christ alone. And his
daddy on his deathbed said, you mean appear before God with nothing
I've done? Son, I can't do that. I can't
do that. And I'm going to tell you something.
Some of you here will go to hell unless God intervenes. And you'll
go to hell because you will not give up your righteousness. You
will not give up your righteousness. And you're going to have to give
up your righteousness or you'll never have Christ's righteousness.
You remember what Naomi told Ruth in the third chapter of
Ruth? She found out about a kinsman
redeemer, Boaz. And Boaz had loaded her with
all the grain she could carry home. And Naomi said, Oh, blessed
be God. He is a near kinsman. He can
redeem us. And she said to Ruth, she said, the men are going to
be in the threshing floor tonight. You go tonight and lay yourself
at that man's feet and do whatever he says do. Do you have any idea
what she's saying to Ruth? Do you remember what Boaz said
to Ruth when he met her in the fields gleaning? He said, everybody
knows you're a virtuous woman. You've got a good name. Everybody
knows that you came back to Bethlehem, Judah from down in Moab with
your mother-in-law. You've got a good name, woman.
Everybody respects you. Naomi said to Ruth, the only
way for you to approach this man is to give up everything
down to your good name. Lay everything at his feet. And when she laid herself at
Boaz's feet and said, spread your skirt over me, take me as
your wife, Boaz said, I'll do the thing. I'll do the thing.
Now, you get out of here before anybody sees you on the threshing
floor. I'm telling you, you've got to
lose all your righteousness or you will never have Christ. You've
got to give up all your claims of goodness or you will never
have Christ. You must lay yourself at the
feet of the Son of God and trust Him alone for all things or you
will never have Christ. The bondwoman and her son must
go out the door. Abraham said, but I can't throw
Ishmael out. I can't do that. And God said
to Abraham, this is what you must do. Take the bond woman
and her son and cast them out. The thing that Sarah has said
this time is exactly right. Then we get to chapter five.
Here the apostle tells us that we must never allow ourselves
to be entangled again with the yoke of bondage to the law. You see, we all love our own
goodness. You do and I do. We all love
our own righteousness. We all love to think ourselves
superior. We all like to think we're better. We all look at people and say,
oh, how could a man do that? Hang on a minute. Did you forget
what went through your heart just a minute ago? Did you forget what was on your
mind all day yesterday? How could a man do that? Rick,
if God Almighty left you or me to ourselves for a half a second,
there's no crime in the universe we wouldn't commit. No crime. And do it with both hands eagerly! And yet we think we're superior.
Who are you? Who makes you to differ from
another? What do you have that you haven't received? And if
you've received it, why do you glory as if you had not received
it? And yet, we all like to cling to our righteousness. We all
like to cling to something we've done, something that distinguishes
us. Look at Galatians 5 verse 1. Stand fast therefore in the
liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free. and be not entangled
again with the yoke of bondage. That's how he describes the law.
That's how he describes living by the law. That's how he describes
writing by inspiration of God the Holy Spirit what it is to
try to live by the law. It's living under a yoke, a galling
yoke of bondage. Behold, I, Paul, say unto you
that if you be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. Let's be sure we're reading this
right. Today's Sunday, isn't it? Does
anybody here have an appointment tomorrow or sometime next week
to go get circumcised? Anybody? Oh, well, this is not talking
to us then. We can just close this up, take it out of your Bible, throw
it away. It's not just talking about circumcision. It's talking
about doing anything. doing anything to give yourself
acceptance with God, doing anything to make yourself holy, doing
anything to cause God to look on you with favor or to cause
God's favor of you to be increased. If you be circumcised, look at
us, we've been circumcised in the flesh, you Jews don't have
that. Well, let's try going to church
three times a week. Reading your Bible for an hour
a day, praying for five minutes at a time. We give tithes of
all we have. If you're doing that, well, Brother
Don, don't you think we ought to go to church every time the
door's open? Yes, sir. Don't you think we ought to read our
Bibles every day? Yes, sir. Don't you think we ought to pray all
we can? Yes, sir. Don't you think we ought to do
good every time we have opportunity? Yes, sir, but not in order to
get God's favor, not in order to take away guilt, not in order
to improve your standing before God. We do these things because
we love our Redeemer, not because we're compelled to or want something
from Him. If you be circumcised, if you
do something by which to gain God's favor, read the next line, Christ shall profit you nothing. Christ will be of no benefit
to you. You cannot have Christ and have
your works. You cannot have Christ and have
your goodness. You cannot have Christ and have
your righteousness. Christ will profit you nothing.
Verse 3, For I testify again to every man that is circumcised
every man that lives by law every man that lives by works that
he is a debtor to the whole law verse four Christ is become of
no effect unto you whosoever of you are justified by the law
you've missed the grace of God altogether you've fallen from
grace for we through the spirit do wait for the hope of righteousness
by faith. I hope, I hope to meet God in judgment,
in perfect righteousness. I really do. I really do expect
to hear the triune God say to me, well done, Thou good and
faithful servant. I really expect that. I really
expect that. Not because of anything I've
done. Oh my God, no. Well, how can you expect such?
By faith. I believe the Son of God. I trust the Lord Jesus as my
only hope, my only salvation before God. All right, in the
rest of this fifth chapter, Paul explains to us that to live by
the law, to live in religious legalism, is to live after the
flesh. It is to fulfill the lust of
the flesh. That's what legalism is. It is
the fulfilling of the lust of the flesh. Believers live in
the spirit and walk in the spirit. Now, look at chapter six. Here the apostle shows us that
grace teaches us to be gracious. The love of God shed abroad in
a heart teaches the man who knows that love to love others. Mercy experienced in the soul
compels men and women to be merciful. Kindness, the kindness of God,
known by the revelation of Christ, teaches saved sinners to be kind
one to another. Brethren, if a man be overtaken
in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore
such in one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself,
lest thou also be tempted. When your brother falls, kick
him hard. Let him know you disapprove. We want everybody to know we
don't approve of these things. That's your attitude? We want
everybody to know we're better. No? When your brother falls,
you reach down and pick him up and brush him off and hold his
arm while you guide him in the way. Considering yourself, knowing
that you are made of the same stuff, knowing that you have
no hope before God except Christ and his righteousness and the
grace of God in him. Knowing that you are, but a center
say by God's grace, you reach down and pick him up and help
him along the way. Bear you one another's burdens. Isn't it strange? that he speaks
of this in the context immediately following what he just said.
To bear the burden of another is to bear with their faults
and failures and infirmities and sins and transgressions and
iniquities and weaknesses. Carry your brother's load. Carry your brother's load. bear
his burden before God, bear his burden in your own heart, help
him along the way. And so fulfill the law of Christ,
love one another. For if a man think himself to
be something, when he's nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own
work, prove his own work. then shall ye have rejoicing
he shall have rejoicing in himself and not in another let every
man as he walks with God by faith bearing his brother's burdens
and cares loving his brother let each man know himself before
God and it doesn't have to look to somebody else to give him
peace and assurance you fellows who are pastors Some of you who
are not, you'll have people come to you and they struggle with
assurance, struggle with assurance. I won't try to give you any. I won't try to make it easy for
you to have any. If I can give it, I can take it away. If I
can give it, Peter can take it away. If Peter can give it, Alan
can take it away. I won't make any effort to give
you any assurance. You can't get that from anybody
but God. And you get it by faith in Christ.
That's all. That's all. Read on. Let him
that is taught in the word communicate or give to him that teacheth
in all good things. Be not deceived, God is not mocked.
For whatsoever man soweth, that shall he also reap. Now, people,
I've got a comment on this because of the perversion of it. Folks
say, whatsoever man sows, that shall he also reap. Well, boy,
he was a rounder. Now his chickens are coming home
to roost. That's not what it's talking about. He that soweth
to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption. Thank God. Oh, how I thank God. I have no dread or fear. of reaping
what I sowed all the days of my rebellion. I have no dread
or fear of that. God's forgiven me of my sin,
John. He's forgiven it. He's not going to punish me for
it. He punished it in His Son. What's this mean then? He that
soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption. He
that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. He's talking about your earthly
goods and using your earthly goods for spiritual good. You
take your wealth, your position, your power, your property, your
time, and you sew it to the flesh. Oh, boy, I've got goods laid
up for me for a long time now. Everything will be all right
when I get to be 65, 70, 80 years old and I take care of my children.
After me, well, wait till you get Obama in the White House.
It'll flee away! That's not what it's talking
about. That's not what it's talking about. No, no. You take what
God's put in your hand. Communicate to those who preach
the gospel. Use it for the furtherance of
God's kingdom. Sow it to the spirit. For the making known
of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And you will of the spirit reap
life everlasting. Not for yourself. Oh, no! No! Life everlasting for multitudes
around the world. Life everlasting for everybody
who hears and believes the gospel. And let us not be weary in well-doing. God help me to hear that. God
help me to hear that. Don't be weary in well-doing.
You've got too much on your plate. You're getting old. Get tired
too quick. You can't do this anymore. After
all, what good is it? What good is it? Who's trying
to get this work established here? Who's paying any attention
to you? folks in the community laugh. You've been up there at
Eggleston for all these years, who's paying any attention? You've
been in this magazine for 16 years, who's paying any attention?
You give your life to preaching, who's paying any attention? You
write your articles and you send them out and folks just throw
them away, pay no attention to them. Who's paying any attention?
Somebody does! Everybody to whom God gives a
hearing ear and a believing heart and seeing eyes. Oh in due season
we shall reap if we faint not. Eternity and eternity alone will
give the tale of what God has done. In due season we shall
reap if we faint not. Verse 10. As we therefore have
opportunity let us do good unto all men especially unto them
who are of the household of faith. People often ask me, what am
I responsible to do? I'll tell you exactly. I'll tell
you exactly what Don Fortner and Shelby Fortner are responsible
for. I'll tell you exactly what Grace Baptist Church in Denver,
Kentucky is responsible for. We are responsible For everything,
God gives us the means, the ability, and the opportunity to do for
him. I'm not responsible for what
God gives you the means, opportunity, and ability to do. I am responsible
for what God gives me the means, the opportunity, and the ability
to do. As you have opportunity, do good
to all men, especially to the church and kingdom of God. Verse
11, you see how large a letter I've written unto you. With mine
own hand, as many as desire to make affairs show in the flesh,
they constrain you to be circumcised. They say keep the law, keep the
Sabbath, live by the constraint of the law. They constrain you
to be circumcised. I was preparing this message
the other day to preach to you, and I remembered an incident
that I had mentioned to several of you before. First time I was
in England, Brother Bill Clark had me come over here for a conference
up in Darlington, 1987, I believe it was. I think it was 1987.
And Shelby and I were there, and we were all on Sunday afternoon
up at the house up in Rippon. I'll think of the fellow's name
in a minute. You know what it's called. Willard. Willard Medcalf, yeah. And we
were all sitting up there, and all the preachers sitting around
Sunday afternoon. And I can picture you two-headed
boys. They didn't know what I was talking
about. In the States, that means a fellow got white hair, real
light blonde hair. And Alan and the boys standing
around there, and Janine standing around there, and all the kids
standing around watching us like this while the fellow's talking
about stuff. And I looked over. I acted like
I didn't know what I was doing, but I did. I said, y'all want
to play some ball? I thought poor children would
have heart attacks. Play ball? This is Sunday afternoon. What
planet did you come from? We don't play ball on Sunday.
Why, that's nonsense. We're keeping the Sabbath day. Not if you can't call it a delight,
you're not. Not if you can't call it a delight, you're not.
No. No. You make a fair show in the flesh. A fair show in the flesh. So
your preacher can look at you and say, our boys and girls,
they don't play ball on Sunday. They don't watch television on
Sunday. They don't watch the, what do
y'all call, soccer football. They don't watch football on
Sunday. Oh, no, no, they worship the Lord. Let's see what he says
here. Here's what he says about that. They 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 which are circumcised keep the law. They're fakes.
They're charlatans. They ain't telling you the truth.
But desire to have you circumcised. How come? How come? That they
may glory in your flesh. They can take pride in you. Oh, look at our success. Look at the influence we have.
We've got godly folks. They're mean as hell, but they're
godly. They talk and gossip and carry
on, but oh, they're so good, good people. What? Make a fair show in the flesh
and glory in your flesh. boast in your flesh, brag about
your flesh, make you feel good about your flesh. All right? That's the way of the world. But God forbid that I should
glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. God forbid
that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
They glory in your flesh. They glory in your outward appearance.
They glory in having you follow them. They glory in setting rules
and regulations and getting you to mold your life by it. They
glory in what they can put on the board and say this is what
we gave last year to missions and this is what we did last
year and this is the number of baptisms we had and this is all
the stuff we've been doing, what you've been doing. They glory
in your flesh. God forbid that I should glory
save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. What on earth is
Paul talking about when he talks about glorying in the cross?
He's not talking about the historic fact of the cross. Every year,
long about Easter time, you turn on your television, I guess you
all get Discovery Channel, History Channel, and that kind of stuff
over here, and they'll have stories about the real Jesus. And all
you have to do to find out about the historic fact of the cross
is read a history book. That's not going to do you any
good. Now, you can't deny the history and believe the gospel,
but believing the history is not believing the gospel. Some
folks foolishly imagine that Paul is talking about the wooden
cross upon which the Son of God died. Oh, no. No, no. We don't have images of angels
and crosses and Jesus and all that nonsense in our church buildings,
not because we're too poor to have them, but because we won't
have them. We won't have them. Do you remember back in 2 Kings
18, I believe it was, the children of Israel, way back in Moses'
day, had that thing that was the most vivid picture of the
cross in all of history prior to Christ dying on the cursed
tree. God told Moses to make a brazen serpent. Hold it up
on a pole. And do you know the children
of Israel kept that thing through the days of Moses and through
the days of Samuel, Joshua, through the days of the judges, through
the days of David and Solomon? They kept that thing. They didn't
just keep it. They did the same thing with
it you do with your pictures of the cross. You know that little
one you wear around your neck or that lapel pin looks so good right
here? That one the preacher sells you on television for a contribution
of $10. They do the same thing with it you do. They burned incense
to it. They burned incense to it. And
Hezekiah saw one day burning incense to that brazen serpent
and he ground it up and he threw it away. He said, it's worthless
brass. If I could find the cross on
which Christ was crucified, I'll tell you exactly what I'd do
with it. I'd burn it to ashes and scatter it in the ocean.
I'd see to it that nobody could ever find it, because if he found
it, somebody would kneel down and worship it. We don't worship
images and pictures of the cross. We don't practice idolatry. Well,
what's Paul talking about when he talks about the cross? Turn
back to Romans chapter 5 and I'll show you. I'll wrap this
up. He's talking about the glorious
saving doctrine of the cross, the gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ. He's talking about blood atonement. Romans chapter 5,
verse 6. For when we were yet without
strength in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely
for a righteous man will one die, yet peradventure for a good
man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward
us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified
by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if,
when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death
of his son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus
Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. To glory in the
cross. is to trust the sacrifice of
Christ. To glory in the cross is to preach
the cross. To glory in the cross is to rejoice
in the accomplishments of our Redeemer. In just a minute, you
who are believers, and this is for believers only. If you're
not a believer, don't take this bread and wine. If you're a believer,
this is for you. There's going to be some bread
passed around, unleavened bread. Nothing else will do, unleavened
bread, because it represents the body, the immaculate, holy,
sinless body of the Son of God. His human flesh crushed beneath
the wheels of divine justice when he was made sin for us.
And then you'll take that cup of wine, Not grape juice, not
Kool-Aid, why? Nothing else to do. Because that
wine's been fermented and the leaven taken from the wine. Now,
that wine represents His blood of the new covenant, shed for
many for the remission of sins. Now you, you who do not believe,
watch what we do. Somebody's going to pass this
out. I'm not going to have you come up here and me stick it
on your tongue and pour it in your lip. Because I can't give
Christ to you. But you who believe will take
the bread, eat it, and take the wine and drink it for yourself.
And this is just what Brother Sid prayed before I preached.
Eating the body, eating the flesh of the Son of God and drinking
His blood. Now that's not it. That just represents it. But
this is what it is to glory in the cross. It is to take Christ's
obedience. unto death, into my soul, and receive atonement. Atonement. The covering of my
sin, but more. The expiation of my sin, but
more. Reconciliation to God. in His
Son by Jesus Christ the Lord. Believe on the Son of God and
receive the atonement by His obedience in your room and in
your stead to glory in the cross. It is to be as Paul was when
he said, I determine to know nothing among you save Jesus
Christ and Him crucified. necessities laid upon me, yea,
woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel." Some of you men
are preachers. Some of you, God may make preachers
yet. I've got just one grandson. I keep telling him and I keep
praying, God save that boy and give him the great honor of preaching
the gospel. What an honor. What a privilege. Now listen to me. Don't ever
preach anything else. Don't ever preach it. Forget
about all the stuff folks chase around. Forget about all the
things people talk about. Forget about all the isms and
the divisions and the arguments and the theological jargon. Where's
Paul? You're talking about the theological
blogs? Listen to an old man who'd been
around the bend a time or two. I would never visit one of those
things again. I'd never visit them. Oh, we go on the internet,
we discuss theology. You get on the internet and make
fun of God. All hell hollers with laughter! while men pretend
to serve God, fussing about stuff that makes no difference. Well,
what are we supposed to do? Preach the gospel. Preach the
gospel. Sinners go into hell, not because
they don't know the difference between superlapsarianism and
sublapsarianism. They're going to hell because
they don't know God. And it's our business to preach the gospel
to glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, what a
good word. God forbid. that I should glory
save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.