Okay, we come to our last message,
as I said, in the epistle to the Galatians. It's been about
six months, just short of six months. We started the first
Sunday of January, and here we are halfway through June. So,
almost six months looking at this. So, the passage to look
at this morning is Galatians chapter 6, verse 11, down to
the end of the chapter at verse 18. and I've given this message
the title the glory of God's Israel or to put it another way
that which the true Israel of God glories in see you might
have thought I meant to say the glory of Israel's God which is
true because Israel's God is a glorious being but this is
the glory that the true Israel of God glories in and in these
last few phrases, sentences of this epistle, we have the sum
and the substance of the whole message, the whole message of
the epistle. Indeed, the whole message of the scriptures is
summarized in a couple of phrases in this last passage that we'll
look at. And it's about glory. In what
do you glory? In what do you glory? You see,
glory is one of those words that can be both a noun and a verb. Glory, we could define as magnificent
splendor. Just as Isaiah saw the Lord and
his glory. He saw the Lord and his glory
in the temple. He saw the magnificent splendor
of the Lord in the temple. But the verb to glory, what do
you glory in? To glory in something is to exalt
in something. To boast of something. To rejoice
in something. we as people we glory in all
sorts of things the whole of society we glory in all sorts
of things we glory in the things that we have we glory in the
people that we are we glory in the things that we have done
and religious people and they're all around us this morning as
Peter was mentioning in his prayer they glory in the flesh by which
we mean the outward form of things that which you can see that which
you can touch that which you can feel their organizations
and denominations, their buildings and their architecture, their
tradition, their orthodoxy, oh, we've always done things this
way, the rituals that they go through, the way they dress up,
their music, their discipline, their authority, their law-keeping,
their glory in all of these things. But God's Israel, and we'll get
on to what that means later, God's Israel glories in one thing
alone, the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. glorying in the
cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Look at it in verse 14. Paul
says this, but God forbid, God forbid, God prevent me from glorying
in anything other than the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. God
forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ. That's the theme. You see, one
way, glorying in the outward things is a way of death. The
way of death. The other, This glorying in the
cross of Christ is the way of life. And it's the reason for
Paul's urgency in writing this epistle. You know, he's had some
strong things to say. He's had some strong condemnations
and warnings to put out in the first chapter and throughout
the rest of the epistle. And you can see how urgent he
has been in verse 11. You see how large a letter I
have written to you with my own hand. You see Paul, because of
some disability, we don't really know what it was, we can speculate
that it was something to do with his eyes and because of something
he says in Galatians about the willingness of the Galatians
to pluck out their own eyes and give them to him but normally
when he wrote his epistles he had somebody there to write them
down for him, an amanusis I think is the word, somebody who sat
there and wrote it down as he dictated it but this one he was
so burdened with love and concern for these people who were about,
you can imagine, you see Timmy and he's about to step off the
pavement and walk under a truck, oh boy, you'd throw yourself
in the path of that thing to save him and Paul likewise he's
so filled with concern for these people because they're heading
for the way that is death away from the way that is life they're
heading on to the broad way that leads to destruction of natural
outward religious form of law-keeping away from that narrow way that
narrow way which is Christ that narrow way which is looking unto
Him that narrow way which is having no confidence in the flesh
and so he writes this himself you see one appeals, the former
one appeals to man's natural pride you know the pride of man,
you know we're pretty good we've done alright We can do this ourselves. All splendid characteristics
in human situations, in the workplace, in the get-something-done situation,
but when it comes to the salvation, which is the true salvation of
God, that's a terrible thing. You can do nothing, says the
scripture. But this worldly religion appeals
to man's natural pride, whereas the truth places no confidence
in the flesh, but only in Christ. one of them loves to load men
down with burdens the other one sets men and women free and says
you are free in Christ you are free from the law one threatens
judgment or at the very best loss of reward one threatens
the other promises unconditional adoption the gospel the truth
eternal life promises absolutely, unchangeably, unconditional adoption. Let's look at this false religion.
It's there in verses 12 and 13. He says, "...as many as desire
to make a fair show in the flesh..." This is these false teachers
that have come down from Jerusalem. "...as many as desire to make
a fair show in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised,
only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of
Christ." For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the
law, but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh."
Let's look at its glory, its motive, and its hypocrisy, this
false religion. Its glory is outward conformance
what they get you to do they want to make a fair show in the
flesh they want to verse 13 at the end of it glory in your flesh
that they've got you to do something that they've got you to conform
to something that they've got you to give a certain amount
or to dress a certain way or to turn up for this meeting or
that meeting whether you wanted to or not They glory in your
flesh. Look how they've got you all
in line and you're all marching to the same tune. They desire
to make a fair show in the flesh. That's what they glory in is
outward conformance to traditions and to all of those other things.
But why do they do it? Look at it. It's only lest, verse
12, they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. This
false religion does this, this outward show, because it wants
to avoid persecution. This is what motivates it, the
avoidance of persecution for the cross of Christ. Why would
there be persecution for the cross of Christ? Well you see,
you could say, well don't all of these religions, I mean in
this village this morning, wherever a group is meeting as a Christian
group, the cross, I mean we're probably the only one that hasn't
got a cross up at the front or as a symbol on the lectern. We
haven't got a wooden cross or a symbol of a cross or a brass
cross or whatever else, whereas in all the other buildings they'll
have loads of them. So is it not us that are not glorying
in the cross? Surely they are glorying in the
cross, they're not suffering persecution for the sake of the
cross, they've got crosses everywhere. No, they're just outward icons.
They're just outward symbols. The crosses that they have don't
speak of that cross that we glory in, which is the cross of the
Lord Jesus Christ and that substitutionary atonement which is in him alone.
Their crosses don't say there is only one way. How shall a
man be just with God? how shall a man be just with
God and they say well if you do this that and the other and
you come and you kiss the feet of this statue and so on and
so forth and all of these other things you will find acceptance
with God but the truth says this no absolutely not Absolutely
not. Only in the work of Christ. You see, the thing that people
hate, the thing that worldly religion hates is the notion
that there is nothing that man can either do to save himself
or can add to the salvation that is completed in Christ and Him
alone. Our society and our politicians
Follow this theme. I was looking on the BBC website
last night because I remembered hearing a news item. Tony Blair,
the ex-Prime Minister of Britain, has set up a new foundation,
his faith foundation, and it sounds like such a good thing.
His idea is that, yes, extremists use faith, as their motive but
he's saying but actually faith is a very good unifying principle
it's a good thing there's there are good people of all faiths
who need to come together and work together to achieve a tolerant
and a peaceful society and a safe society and insofar as that goes
I don't have any objection to it that's fine but the thing
is that that kind of we're all in it together and we're all
on the same side flies in the face of the truth of the gospel
this religious unity is a false religious unity which fails to
recognize the true state and condition of man and it will
tolerate anything and everything with one exception it will not
tolerate the truth of the gospel of sovereign grace. It will not
tolerate the truth of the gospel of particular redemption. That
God in Christ chose a people before the foundation of the
world and did everything to save those people and brings them
to life by his spirit's work in hearts and minds and it's
nothing that they have done but it's entirely from beginning
to end it's entirely on the basis of the doing and the dying and
the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone
and you see just in exactly the same way as a system of communism
cannot tolerate democracy it cannot absolutely cannot it fails
to work and just in the same way a system of democracy in
the United States I think it was in the fifties wasn't it
they were the McCarthy purges, looking for communism, reds under
the bed was the idea because a free society can tolerate anything
you like freedom apart from that which seeks to impose tyranny
it cannot tolerate that which seeks to impose tyranny and in
the same way this idea that the whole world needs to come to
one common tolerant religious understanding of one another
cannot tolerate this fact that it's only by grace that you are
saved and not of works lest any man should boast you can come
with your own brand of works and we'll tolerate it you can
come with your own brand of belief and we'll tolerate it and we'll
come down to the lowest common denominator and we'll work on
the fact that we all believe in a God and we all basically
are good people and we want to contribute to being a good peaceful
society as I say, fine as far as it goes but it flies in the
face of this the truth of salvation the truth of eternal life is
this that salvation is purchased by the Son of God the Son of
Man in the place of his people so the motive is the avoidance
of persecution this false religion they desire to make a fair show
in the flesh lest they should suffer persecution for the cross
of Christ and you know it's such a hypocritical thing because
look in verse 13 these who are getting you to obey certain laws
and rules and regulations and codes of practice neither they
themselves who are circumcised keep the law but they desire
to have you circumcised that they may glory in your flesh
it's a do as I say not as I do religion You see, so many are
trying to hide what they do and what they are inside and present
a veneer of holy perfection. They desire to do these things,
they desire to put you under the law. Look back at chapter
4 and verse 21. Tell me, says Paul, chapter 4
verse 21, you that desire to be under the law and to put everybody
else under the law and to get conformance that they might make
a fair show in the flesh, Do you not hear the law? Have you
not heard what it really demands? You know, hey, hold on a minute,
really? That much? Yes, look back at chapter 3 and
verse 10. This is what it really demands.
For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse,
for it is written, cursed is everyone that continues not in
all things written in the book of the law to do them. you see
it's hypocritical they don't hear what the law really says
and they know that they cannot keep it because it's weak through
the flesh and yet they desire to glory in your flesh this is
false religion and it's the way of death and it's that which
caused Paul to be so concerned for them if you follow this way
if you follow this line if you do what these people are saying
it leads to death not to life so what about true religion?
verses 14 to 16 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 beyond them and mercy and
upon the Israel of God that's where I got that phrase from
at the start, the Israel of God. This that we see here in verses
14 to 16 is the religion and the rule of the Israel of God. Who are these people that are
called the Israel of God? There's a lot of talk about it
in the world. If you If you've got Sky or cable television and
you look at the religious section you will see all sorts of programs
and nine out of ten of them They make a big thing of charismatic
gifts, but they also make a big thing of the state of Israel,
the modern state of Israel. And what God is doing with the
modern state of Israel. The modern state of Israel is
a political disaster and has been from its inception. It is
nothing to do with the Israel of God, which is mentioned here.
The Israel of God is not those who claim to be able to trace
their physical descent from Abraham. It is not the Jews and the Hebrews
physically. Look at John's Gospel, chapter
1. Very opening verses of John's
Gospel. In verse 12 of chapter 1, you see he came to his own verse
11 and his own received him not verse 12 but as many as received
him to them gave he power to become the sons of God even to
them that believe on his name which were born now look how
these people became the children of God which were born not of
blood not of genetic descent nor of the will of the flesh
nor of the will of man but of God but of God there is no no
favor in physical descent at all when it comes to the things
of God other than this God promises that he will bless generations
with the truth but this is the fact if there are any Jews or
Hebrews who are saved and undoubtedly there are because God has promised
from every tribe and tongue and kindred there will be those around
the throne in heaven from every including the Hebrew nation,
the Israelites according to the flesh, but how are they there?
How are they there? By the will of God, through faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ, and not because they're Jews, by
natural descent, not at all, not in the slightest. I tell
you, there is so much confusion, especially the political turmoil
that this is causing, especially in the United States where there
is so much of this understanding of the situation regarding political
Israel and the political strength it gives to it and the money
and it's been a cause of tremendous political turmoil for years and
years and years so they're not those they're those who are born
of God we can describe them in my Bible I only need to look
down the same page into the start of the epistle to the Ephesians
blessed be the God and Father verse 3 of our Lord Jesus Christ
who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places
in Christ according as he has chosen us in him before the foundation
of the world that we should be holy and without blame before
him in love or that other verse that I often turn you to 2nd
Timothy chapter 1 and verse 9 talking about the power of God
who has saved us and called us with a holy calling not according
to our works but according to his own purpose and grace which
was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began because
you see he has predestined a people to the adoption of children by
Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will
this is the word of God This people which are the Israel of
God, in verse 16 of Galatians 6, these are all those for whom
Christ lived and died and rose again as substitute and surety. You know what a surety is? A
surety is a guarantor, we might say, in our British law. A guarantor,
one who stands in the place of. If you have somebody who stands
as a guarantor for you and you default on your agreement, the
guarantor stands in your place. And boy have we as people and
as a race, defaulted, defaulted in relation to God and yet Christ
is our surety, He's our substitute. It's all who are quickened in
time, made alive in time by the Holy Spirit who comes into the
heart and makes alive that which was dead before to the things
of God that where there was no new man puts a new man inside
where there was just a heart of stone takes that heart of
stone out and puts a heart of flesh in where there was no willingness
in the day of his power where there was just nothing other
than stubborn evil rejection of the rule of God He says, my
people shall be willing in the day of my power. He makes them
willing. You think about that. I have
to think about it. You think about the hardest heart
that you know amongst close relatives amongst those you'd love to see
saved and you think they will never ever be saved because they're
just too hard and too hardened to the gospel of God but but
when God comes to someone by his Holy Spirit he makes him
willing that rebel he makes him willing in the day of his power
that's a tremendous promise that's a tremendous confidence that
we can have willing in the day of his power he gives faith to
believe that which they never would have believed as natural
men faith to believe the same faith as Abraham look back let
me remind you Galatians 3 and verse 7 Am I not being incredibly
controversial this morning in saying what I've said about the
Jews and about national Israel? I'm really sticking my neck out,
I'm putting myself up for some opposition aren't I? Well what
does chapter 3 and verse 7 say? Know you therefore that they
which are of faith the same are the children of Abraham. It's
those who have the same faith as Abraham are the spiritual
children of Abraham it's those who have the same faith as Abraham
who are the Israel of God not those who can trace their lineage
supposedly back to Abraham not at all and they are recipients
of peace and mercy look in verse 16 as many as walk according
to this rule peace beyond them and mercy Those who are the Israel
of God are the recipients of peace and mercy. From an offended,
holy God, who is a consuming fire, into whose hands it is
a terrible thing to fall. If you're outside of Christ,
bearing your own sins, it's a terrible thing to fall into the hands
of the living God. For our God is a consuming fire,
but in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Israel of God. Those who
have been given the faith of Abraham, they have peace on them
and mercy from God and they walk look they walk in verse 16 as
many as walk according to this rule what is the rule that they
walk according to? I tell you what it's not it's
not a rule of law they don't walk according to a rule of law
they're not whipped into line by the rule of law and by the
threats of the law it's by love that they walk. That's the rule
that they walk by, it's love. For Paul says to the Corinthians,
2nd Corinthians chapter 5, 14 and 15, the love of Christ constrains
us. It's that that directs our feet,
the love of Christ. They know that outward things,
things in which religion glories, avail nothing. Verse 15, in Christ
Jesus neither circumcision avails anything nor uncircumcision. The only thing that avails anything
at all in Jesus Christ is that new creature who is created by
God in the child of God. It's only that that avails anything.
If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have
passed away. All things have become new. In
Christ, there's a new man put inside. That new creation and
they as we read right at the start are the true circumcision
the true Israel of God for Paul says in Philippians 3 and verse
3 for we are the circumcision he says in the previous verse
beware of dogs beware of evil workers beware of the concision
beware of those who would take away your confidence and your
liberty in Christ for we are the circumcision we are the true
circumcision we are truly the ones who have put off the flesh
and its works which worship God in the spirit rejoice in Christ
Jesus and have how much confidence in the flesh? ever such a little
bit but not a lot no no confidence in the flesh where is your confidence
then? it's in Christ in Christ alone
my hope is found that's the hymn we sang in Christ alone my hope
is found in Him that's the true circumcision so what is the glory? of the Israel of God. What is
it in which the Israel of God glories? What is it in which
the Israel of God exalts, boasts, rejoices in? What is it? It's
the cross of Christ. Verse 14, God forbid that I should
glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom
the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world. God forbid
that I should glory except in that. What does he mean? What is it to glory in the cross? As I said earlier, is it not
us that are not glorying in the cross? Because we have no crosses
in this room here and yet all of the churches all around us
are filled with the things. Surely they're glorying in the
cross. They sing about it. They sing, I'll cling to that
old rugged cross till my trophies at last I lay down. I'll tell
you what that is, should I? That's sentimental nonsense.
We don't glory in an old piece of wood. I heard Henry Mayhem
say many years ago and I'm sure he'd reinforce it today. If ever
he went to Calvary and found there a piece he knew by absolute
authority that he found a piece of wood that was part of the
cross on which our Lord Jesus Christ died. Do you know what
he said he would do with that piece of wood? And I'd help him
by carrying the matches there. He'd burn it to stop men from
worshipping it. It was Hezekiah, wasn't it, who
ground up the ornaments in the temple into powder and burned
them to stop the people from making idols out of them. If
they found it, they'd just make an idol out of it. No, it's not
that. That cross is sentiment. That
cross and the crosses that adorn the churches all around here
is just iconic superstition. You know the mystic sign, you
know when people do this, holding up the mystic sign to try and
ward off evil spirits and things like that. that sentimental superstition
iconic superstition Paul is not saying that the Israel of God
glory is in that at all but what he does mean is the doctrine
of the cross the doctrine of the gospel of substitution it's
the justice of God meeting the mercy of God in that place on
the cross of Calvary the justice of God meeting the mercy of God
there in that place so that God can be just for God must be just
if God ceases to be just God ceases to be God God must be
just and God has said that the soul that sins it shall die and
he has said that he will in no wise clear the guilty God cannot
forgive sins just by saying oh well it doesn't matter you know
like we might forgive somebody and it's a kind of, oh well,
it doesn't matter, I'll forget about it. No. Justice. He must punish sin. Every sin must bear its penalty. And we have all sinned, and all
fall short of the glory of God. But in the Lord Jesus Christ,
whilst he's just, he punished sin there, so that his justice
would be established and maintained. In the Lord Jesus Christ, he
punished sin there, so that he could be a justifier of those
who have faith in Christ, says Romans 4.25. Or as Isaiah says,
is this not a New Testament doctrine? No, it's an Old Testament doctrine
too. Isaiah 45 verse 21 says, and the verses around it, come,
let us reason together, let's present our case, let's put our
cards on the table, we might say. God says, I am a just God,
a just God. Oh no, that should fill the natural
man with fear. you know there's so many people
in our day who believe in God and they believe in a good God
but they believe in a God who thinks like they do and they
believe in a God who will be reasonable and fair because they've
never intended any harm to anybody and therefore God will accept
them because they've never done anybody any harm deliberately
and that's their view of things but it fails to take account
of the truth of God regarding sin he's a purer eyes than to
behold iniquity he is holy and pure and cannot look upon sin
his justice must condemn it but yet in the Lord Jesus Christ
he's a saviour look at the book of Romans chapter 6 verses 6 to 11 we could look
at if we had the time Romans chapter, did I mean? No, I meant
chapter 5, sorry, chapter 5 verse 6 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 commends his love toward us in that while
we were yet sinners Christ died for us much more then being now
justified this is the phrase by his blood What's His blood? In the blood is the life, says
Deuteronomy. In the blood is the life. And
when He poured out His blood, He poured out His life as the
payment for sins. He bore our sins in that body
and He poured out His blood to save us. By His blood we shall
be saved from wrath through Him. Blood atonement. This is the
doctrine of the cross. Blood atonement. it's that if
you're to be right with God it's on the basis of the shed blood
the precious blood you are not redeemed with corruptible things
like silver and gold but with the precious blood of the Lamb
of God the Lord Jesus Christ it's about legal propitiation
we could look back further but for the sake of time we won't
but in chapter 3 of Romans 24 to 26 I'll read it being justified
freely by his grace through the redemption the purchasing, the
buying back that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth to
be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness. Propitiation. Do you know what
that word means? Propitiation is a turning away
of the anger of God. It's the mercy seat. You know
what the mercy seat in the Old Testament temple the mercy seat
was that gold seat above the ark of the covenant and there
the priest would go in once a year on the day of atonement with
blood he didn't go in without blood that blood was a symbol
of that precious blood of Christ which alone would cause the sinner
to be accepted and he sprinkled it on the mercy seat and God
said there I will speak with Moses there I will speak with
the high priest face to face as a man speaks with his friend
that blood is a propitiation it's a turning away of the just
anger and wrath of an offended God and then 2nd Corinthians chapter
5 and 21 you don't need to turn to it for He made Him God has
made Him Christ the Son of God to be sin for us He's made Him
so that He bore our sins. He's made Him entirely responsible
for our sins. He made Him so that all of the
sins that we have ever and will ever commit were loaded onto
Him. He bore them. He made Him sin
for us. And He bore those sins and He
bore the penalty of those sins. And we sang in one of the hymns
that the father had to turn his face away. He couldn't look upon
his son. He couldn't look upon Him, for
He is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity. He made Him who knew
no sin to be sin for us, that we might be the righteousness
of God in Him. All of this brought my peace
with God. Without this, I have no peace
with God. I have no hope of peace with
God. It is always our glory. This glorying in the cross of
the Lord Jesus Christ is always our glory. God forbid that I
should glory in anything else. I don't graduate from it, as
some suggest, that it's simple, basic, foundational doctrine.
Hebrews 6.1 says, well, let us go on, and people misinterpret
that to say, we don't need to bother with those things anymore,
we're now dealing with these higher doctrines and these more
complicated ideas. Not at all. Not at all. The building always needs its
foundation. you don't rebuild the foundations
over and over again but if you remove the foundations the building
collapses the foundations are essential to the building you
can't build on it unless there are foundations and this is the
foundation from which we never move the glory in the cross of
the Lord Jesus Christ it's always our subject Every time we seek
to preach, every time we seek to reach the community, this
is our subject, Christ and Him alone. One of my favorite verses,
what Paul said to the Corinthians, I am determined to know nothing
other than Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That's my determination. It was Bill's motto, wasn't it? Dad's motto. It's on his gravestone.
It's a glorious thing. I determined to know nothing
other than Jesus Christ and Him crucified. It was at the foundation
and the core of everything I ever spread. I must preach it, for
woe is me if I preach not this gospel. I'm never going to stand
up. God helping me, I am never going to stand up to preach unless
this is at the core of it. I may fail through human weakness
and I hope you'll point it out to me when I have done. but this
is my intention never ever to say anything other than Jesus
Christ and Him crucified nothing saddens me more than to hear
a so-called grace church or grace preacher preach a law message
and I'm sad to say that in this country I've heard it more than
once this is all our glory Christ is made unto us wisdom from God
and righteousness and sanctification and redemption this is the cross
of Christ let him who glories then glory in the Lord this is
glorying in the Lord it's all of our confidence by whom he
says the world is crucified to me and I to the world Don Faulkner
says this Paul had no more reason to fear his most implacable enemies
in this world than a man would fear someone crucified and dead
do you know who I regard as one of my worst enemies in this life?
me the natural me with all of my sins that gives Satan such
powerful ammunition to accuse me before the throne of God and
yet who shall bring a charge against God's elect for Christ
has died on the cross who shall bring a charge, no charge will
stick for he has died in my place I can't be condemned in the judgment
therefore there is now no condemnation and so we rejoice and are more
than conquerors in this the glory of the cross of Christ like like
Israel looking at that Red Sea when it had rushed in over the
Egyptians all of their enemies put to death all of our enemies
Satan and everyone who would drag us down to hell but Christ
has made a show of them openly and so he comes on just to his
final greetings he's determined verse 17 not to be troubled by
false teachers he bears his wounds that he carries in this life,
that he's had inflicted on him in this life from those who oppose
the gospel of grace. He bears his wounds as a mark
of his battles, but he closes with this benediction. Brethren,
verse 18, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. May the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ be with your spirit. Because if it is, if that grace
is with us, you need nothing else. I need nothing else. while our closing hymn is number
155.