If I had occasion to have sitting
before me all the leaders of this present religious world, denominational leaders, respected
theologians, church leaders, those who teach in the seminaries
and Bible colleges around the world, if I had occasion to speak
to them right now, I would lay this charge at their feet. I lay it at the doorstep of the
church of this generation. You frustrate the grace of God
and make the cross of Jesus Christ to be of no effect. I know sometimes
you may wonder why I appear angry with this age. It's because I
am. You may wonder why I seem to
be so stirred up and provoked. It's because I am. I am. I hold the religion of this age
in utter contempt, and I want the whole world to know it. Most
especially, I want you to know it. When Paul sat down to write
the book of Galatians, he was clearly provoked and angry. This book was intended intended
by Paul and intended by God the Holy Spirit who inspired the
words we have before us in these six chapters. It was intended
to be a deliberate, forceful confrontation. There's no wooing
here. There's no gentle persuading
here. It's all confrontation. In the
book of Galatians, unlike Paul's other writings, there are no
friendly greetings. no gentle salutations, no kind,
soothing reflections about things in the past. Everything in these
six chapters is in-your-face confrontation. To say the least,
Paul was a little hot under the collar. Why? What provoked him? What stirred up his anger? What
was it that caused this man to be so passionate as he wrote
these six chapters? The Galatian churches, churches
that God had raised up under Paul's ministry, were being led
away from Christ, led away from the gospel, led away from God
by false teachers who had sprung up in their midst. These men,
professing to be the servants of were slandering the Apostle
Paul, accusing him of being a false prophet, denying the gospel of
God's free and sovereign grace in Christ, all the while pretending
to be promoting it and defending it. They were trying to make
Christianity nothing but a mere extension of Judaism, just like
most people are they do. In our day, both in the political
world and in the religious world, you hear folks talk about the
Judeo-Christian religion. There ain't no such thing. If
it's Jewish, it's not Christian. If it's Christian, it's not Jewish.
The Galatians were attempting to make Christianity nothing
but an extension of Judaism, and the vast majority of people
today do as well, conservative and liberal. They did not openly
deny that salvation is by the grace of God in Christ. These
false prophets did not openly state that Christ is not enough,
Christ is not sufficient, or even that works must be mixed
with faith if you're really going to be saved. The messengers of
Satan are too crafty and subtle to be so open and so forthright. God's servants, all of God's
servants, tell you exactly what they mean. False prophets will
always couch their words in such a way that you can put any meaning
you want to on them. They didn't just openly say that
Christ is not enough, that grace is not enough, that you must
mix works with your faith in order to be saved. They were
teaching that salvation is by grace through works, but they
didn't state it quite that way. These Galatian heretics taught
that true faith is a faith that expresses itself in the observance
of Mosaic law. That sounds a whole lot better,
doesn't it? True faith is a faith that expresses itself in the
observance of the law, and any faith that does not express itself
in obedience to the law is false faith and must be suspect. These
men and their heresy were being embraced by the Galatian churches,
and Paul was shocked, abhorred, angry. How could they be confused
about this? If salvation is by grace, it
cannot be by works. If it is by works, it cannot
be by grace. There can be no mixing of the
two. The issue at Galatia, unlike the issues that were so horrible
at Corinth, and they were Those issues, however, did not threaten
the gospel. They did not threaten the glory
of God. They did not threaten the souls
of men. These issues at Galatia were gospel issues. They threatened
the glory of God. Paul never said to the Corinthians,
I'm in doubt of you. I'm fearful for you, lest I bestowed
labor on you in vain. He did the Galatians. With the
Galatians, the era here threatened the truth of the gospel, the
glory of God, the finished work of Christ, and the souls of men.
And therefore Paul jumped in, as one fellow put it, with both
fists flying. He jumped right into the conflict
and stirred things up. He had good reason to be provoked.
His anger was justified. Now let me give you two key verses,
and we'll come back and look at them more later. Galatians
2.21. These two verses summarize the things that are at stake
in Galatia, and the things that are at stake in our day. Galatians
2.21, I do not frustrate the grace of God. Well, what does
that mean? If righteousness come by the
law, what kind of righteousness? Any kind at all before God. If righteousness come by the
law, then Christ died for nothing. Christ is dead in vain. That's
just about a strong a phraseology as he could have used. Look at
chapter 6, verse 14. But God forbid that I should
glory, boast, lean on, trust in, proclaim, brag about. 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 Now let's go back to chapter
1 and see the problems at Galatia and Paul's solution for those
problems. It is ever the practice of those who oppose the gospel
of God's free grace to slander the men who preach it. These
legalists at Galatia could not refute Paul's doctrine from scripture.
You cannot refute free grace from this book. It can't be done. It can't be done. But if you're
going to get folks on your side when you oppose that which is
evidently true, the only way to do it is to slander the fellow
who is preaching it. And so these legalists at Galatia
took it upon themselves to accuse Paul of being an insincere man,
a man-pleaser, one who sought to please his hearers, not a
true servant of God, a false apostle, one who had really no
authority, no credentials with which to speak to them as God's
messengers. If they were to turn people from
Paul's message, they had to discredit Paul, and so they did. It is
for this reason that the opening verses of this first chapter
Identify Paul decisively as the apostle of Christ. Not an apostle
of men, not an apostle by men, but an apostle of Jesus Christ
and an apostle by the will of God. He is an apostle who comes
to please Christ and to preach Christ, and God made him that
apostle. Now Paul, with this authority,
denounces every rival gospel as a false gospel. He tells us
plainly in verses 6 through 9 that every gospel, every gospel, listen
carefully, every gospel that teaches the sinner to look for
righteousness and salvation anywhere except in Christ alone is no
gospel at all, but rather is a frustration of the grace of
God. And with regard to those who preach another gospel, Paul
said this, not Don, I'm just repeating what Paul said. I wish
I had thought to say it first. Paul said it. Let him be forever
damned. Let him be accursed. Oh, that's
not very sweet. It is to the souls of men. That's
not very nice. It is if you're going to be honest
with folks. Let him be accursed. Now look at verses 6 through
9. I marvel. I'm astonished. that you're so
soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ
unto another gospel, which is not another, not even similar. 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, let
him be forever damned. Well, how far do you carry that,
Paul? Are you speaking in hyperbole here? Well, let's see. Verse
9. As we said before, so say I now again, just in case you
didn't get it the first time. If any man preach any other gospel
unto you than that you have received, let him be accursed. The gospel
of God's grace, the gospel of God's grace says done, not do. Now, get it. It's just that simple.
All false gospels say do. The gospel of God's grace says
done. You see, the gospel is good news
about something already done. It is good news about the finished
work of the Lord Jesus Christ, who by his one sacrifice for
sin at one time made an end to transgression, brought in everlasting
righteousness, fulfilled all the law, satisfied all the justice
of God, put away sin, and obtained eternal redemption for us. The
gospel is the announcement of something done by Christ Jesus
the Lord. Every false gospel is given as
good advice and tells you something you ought to do. Every false
gospel comes and says, this is how you ought to respond, and
now if you will respond this way, then this is what God will
do. The gospel says, done. Every false gospel says, do.
And every false gospel and those who preach it is heresy, utter
heresy. Those who preach it and those
who follow them follow them to hell." Now that's how serious
the issues were at Galatia, and that's how serious the issues
are right now. So far from Paul being a compromising
man-pleaser, when Peter compromised the gospel
by his actions at Antioch in chapter 2, Paul describes this,
verses 11-17, Paul withstood him to the face. Now let me summarize
what happened at Antioch. I'll put it in good Kentucky
vernacular you can get. The fellows at Antioch, the Gentile
believers, were having a pig picking. And Peter was sitting
around enjoying some good barbecued ribs, and just having a good
time, enjoying himself, when suddenly he looked up and here
come some of the Jewish brethren from Jerusalem. And this is what
Peter did. Got up, walked away. If he had some banaca, he'd have
sprayed his breast so nobody would smell barbecue on his breast.
That's all he did. He didn't say a word. He didn't
say a word. He just got up and walked away.
Oh, but his actions thundered loudly. Oh, I shouldn't have
done that. Moses forbids the eating of pig
meat, and these Jews They presume that this has got something to
do with righteousness, and by his actions, Peter says it does. He knew better. He knew better.
He learned it in Acts 10 and 11. He tells us he knew better.
But Peter was anxious to please the Jewish brethren, and Paul
said, as he did this, I withstood him to the face, right in front
of the Jews and right in front of the Gentiles, because everybody
had to hear it. He caused such a great dissimulation,
such a great turning from the gospel, a great turning from
Christ, that even Barnabas, Paul says, was led away by his dissimulation,
by mere action. Peter led others to believe that
righteousness, justification, salvation, and acceptance with
God is not totally of God's work, not totally of God's grace. But in some way, in some way
there just might be, in some way there just might be a sense
in which salvation and righteousness and eternal life really does
depend on something we do. Now you wonder, perhaps, why
I'm so fastidious about this business of having nothing to
do with false religion. If you see me go down the road
and go across the street and sit in that brothel they call
the church house over there, and I said it on purpose and
they can do with what they want to, if you see me go over there
for any reason and sit down and listen to what the man has to
say, if you see me do it by my actions, I'm saying to you, Maybe,
maybe free will is right. Maybe, maybe after all some of
this thing called salvation and grace depends on what we do. Now you still want to take your
children to Bible school over there? You still want to take your children
to join up with the association with these things? You want to
take them by the hand and lead them to hell? That's what Peter
did here at Antioch. And Paul declares it to be nothing
but a frustration of the grace of God. He implied doctrinally by his
actions, that the grace of God was altogether frustrated. He
implied that justifying righteousness can, after all, be obtained by
the works of men, and therefore Paul withstood him to the face.
Let's read it, verse 14, chapter 2. When I saw that they walked
not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said to
Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the
manner of the Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compelst
thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?" You were sitting
right here five minutes ago eating barbecue. You were sitting right
here with these fellows having yourself a pig roast. Now you
get up and act as though that was wrong. How are you going
to compel these Gentiles to live like the Jews when you don't
live like that yourself? Look at verse 15. We were Jews by
nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles. Knowing that a man
is justified by the works of the law, a man is not justified
by the works of the law, Paul said, Peter, you know this. You
know this. You've testified of this. I've heard it. We know
that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by
the faith of Jesus Christ. Not our faith in Christ, but
by the faith of Christ. By Christ, faithful obedience
unto death is our substitute. Even we have believed in Jesus
Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not
by the works of the law. For by the works of the law there
shall no flesh be justified. We are justified by the faith
of Christ. By our faith in Christ we receive
and enjoy the blessedness of justification. We come to know
that justification as we believe on the Son of God. But our faith
in Christ is not that which gives us right standing with God, it
is Christ's obedience that gives us right standing with God. Paul
then declares, If we are justified by grace alone, by the faith
of Jesus Christ, to suggest or imply in any way that our works
have anything at all to do with making us righteous before God
for justification, is to deny the gospel altogether. He says,
I do not frustrate the grace of God. For if righteousness
come by the law, then Christ died for nothing. If righteousness
could be established by something men do, There was no need for
Christ to die. That's what he says. If righteousness could be established
by something men do, there was no need for Christ to die. They
couldn't have used stronger language. Salvation by grace alone, in
Christ alone, received by faith alone, without works of any kind. That's the doctrine of Holy Scripture.
Now, Paul understood exactly. He understood exactly. what the
response of his detractors would be. He could almost hear them screaming
with clenched fists, antinomianism. That's antinomianism. Paul, if
you teach that, then you're saying that we can go out and live like
we want to. We're saved without any of our
works, and it doesn't matter what we do, we can't add anything
to our righteousness, but we can live like we want to. How do you know that's what they're
saying? Because in verse 17, Paul says that's what they said.
Look at it. If while we seek to be justified by Christ, we
ourselves be found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister
of sin? God forbid! If justification, if righteousness
is altogether something done for us, not something done by
us in any way at all, then our works contribute nothing to that. That means that it doesn't matter
how we live. You see, the legalist always
betrays his true character by his words. He always does. I know that's what they were
saying. Because Paul tells us that in verse 17, and I know
it because I've heard it countless times in every country I've ever
been in, wherever I preach the gospel. Folks say to me, well,
if I believed that, I'd go out and live like I want to. The legalist, you see, really
hates his religion. He doesn't want to live in bondage.
No! He doesn't want to do things
he does. He does it because he's scared
to death not to. I can live like I want to. The
believer is motivated by grace, and he seeks to serve God because
he wants to serve God, because he's inspired of God to serve
him. The fact is, any man who preaches salvation by grace alone,
without works, will dead sure be accused of antinomianism.
Folks will say, well, he promotes licentiousness, he says, let
us sin that grace may abound. But the charge is as baseless
as it is false. Then in chapter 3, Paul moves
on to sanctification. He's been talking about justification
exclusively. Now, it's hard to tell as you
go through the rest of this book whether he's talking about justification
or sanctification. Is Paul confusing the two? No,
he's not confusing them. Other folks do. He's not confusing
them. He knew exactly what he was talking about. He argues
with the Galatians and with us that their experience and ours,
the experience of grace, forbids the notion that righteousness
is somehow obtained by our works or by our obedience. Look in
chapter 3 verse 1. Oh foolish Galatians, who has
bewitched you? Who's cast a spell on you? that
you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ
had been evidently set forth, that he'd been set forth clearly
among you. Verse 2, This only would I learn
of you. Receive ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by
the hearing of faith. When God first saved you, when
you first experienced his grace, was it because of something you
did? Or was it by believing Christ? Which was it? Are you so foolish,
having begun in the Spirit? Are you now made perfect by the
flesh? You see, sanctification as well
as justification are by grace alone. Once we have received
righteousness from Christ in justification by believing him,
we do not make ourselves more holy or more righteous before
God by our works in sanctification. Sanctification and justification
are two different things. Sanctification is that which
we experience as it's used in this place, though certainly
it is used with regard to Christ's accomplishments at Calvary, as
well as God's purpose in eternity. But what Paul's talking about
here is our experience of grace. He's talking about us coming to know
the Lord God, being born of God's Spirit. The two are separate
works, but they cannot be divided. Both are works of free grace.
Salvation in its totality is by the grace of God. Very often
people want to argue and fuss about this thing of sanctification
and want to debate with it. And I'm getting too old to debate
and fuss with folks much. I usually cut to the chase real quick.
And what I'll say to them is this. Is it necessary for a fellow
to be sanctified to get to heaven? Well, yes. Whether it's either
of works or of grace. Now, which is it going to be?
You can't mix the two. Oh, well, I didn't mean it that
way. That's the way I meant it. Yes,
it's necessary. We must be sanctified by the
grace of God, as well as justified by the grace of God, and both
are God's work alone. They cannot be separated. You
see, Christ is both our justification and our sanctification. Well,
is that in the book? It sure is. 1 Corinthians 1,
verse 30. Of him are ye in Christ Jesus,
who of God has made unto us wisdom and righteousness, and sanctification
and redemption. Well, what does that mean? I
think it means Christ is our wisdom, our righteousness, our
sanctification, and our redemption. Well, preachers, that's awful
simple. It is. So simple, folks who are too
smart to believe it won't believe it. You see, his name is Jehovah
Zedkinu, the Lord our righteousness. And we have no righteousness
before God but him. none but him. To suggest that
we make ourselves righteous by our works and sanctification
is to mix grace and works, and that is a frustration of the
grace of God. I do not frustrate the grace
of God, for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ
is dead in vain. As I've said to you many times,
our relationship with God does in many ways determine what we
do. But what we do does not to any
degree determine our relationship with God. Now, in chapter 4,
beginning in chapter 3, verse 19, and going to the end of chapter
4, Paul is stating his doctrine clearly. Any mixture of grace
and works in the matter of righteousness is a total denial of grace. It's
a frustration of grace. Therefore, beginning in verse
19 of chapter 3, he tells us that the whole purpose of God's
was fulfilled, completely fulfilled, at an end when Jesus Christ suffered
and died and rose again as our substitute. The law was our schoolmaster
unto Christ. Not our schoolmaster to bring
us unto Christ, our schoolmaster unto Christ. The law was our
schoolmaster to Christ coming. And once Christ came and fulfilled
it, the law's work was finished. Christ is the E-N-D, you spell
that end of the law, for righteousness to everyone that believe it. There's simply no place, no place
for legal bondage in the household of faith. Those who would bring
God's Saints unto the yoke of the law deny the whole gospel
of the grace of God and every believer's experience of grace.
They who attempt to make themselves righteous by the works of the
law are still under the curse, under the curse of God's law.
Look at chapter 3, verse 10. As many as are of the works of
the law are under the curse, for it is written, Cursed is
everyone that continueth not in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified
by the law in the sight of God is evident, for the just shall
live by faith." Now, in these two chapters, 3 and 4, Paul tells
us that these who are promoters of law deny the experience of
grace. We saw that in the first part
of chapter 3. In verses 6, 7, 8, and 9, He says they denied
the Old Testament scriptures, which assert that Abraham was
justified by faith without any works of any kind. They denied
the efficacy of Christ's atonement, asserting that Christ died in
vain and that he didn't actually secure the blessing of God's
grace for anyone by his death, as is recorded in Galatians 3,
13 and 14. They deny the whole purpose of the law as a schoolmaster
unto Christ. Oh no, the law wasn't a schoolmaster
unto Christ. The law was a rigid rule by which
men lived and sought acceptance with God in the Old Testament.
And the law now is the same rigid rule by which men, trusting Jesus,
live and seek righteousness before God. And that's exactly the emphasis. That's exactly the emphasis.
They deny the blessed liberty of the gospel, of God's free
grace, the liberty Christ obtained for us by his obedience to death,
by his sacrifice as our substitute. They deny that all that Christ
did was of any value, for they attempt to bring us back under
the yoke of the law. Look at chapter 4, verse 4. When
the fullness of time was come, the time appointed that faith
should come, that Christ should God sent forth his Son, made
of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under
the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because
you are sons, not in order that you might become sons, because
you are sons, God chose you from eternity. God has sent forth
the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father,
wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son. You're no longer under
the schoolmaster, but a son. You're no longer under the tutelage
of a schoolmaster, or the rule of a schoolmaster, or the discipline
of a schoolmaster, or the motivation of a schoolmaster. You're a son,
an heir of all, an heir of God through Christ. No wonder Paul
was so fearful for their souls. No wonder he said, I stand in
doubt of you. These Gentile believers, now
listen to me. People talk today about the law
and the universal effect and all that stuff. Listen to me.
Where in this book, where? I'm not talking about in religious
tradition, history, or custom. Where in this book is there ever
one Gentile to whom the law was given? These Gentiles never had the
law given to them. It was given to Israel and Israel alone on
Mount Sinai. It wasn't intended for anybody
else. It was intended to bring us to Christ as being a picture
of Christ. It was intended to be that which
would last until Christ came as our teacher, our guide. But
these Gentiles, who never had the law given to them, now under
the influence of false teachers, were attempting to bring themselves
under the yoke of bondage, forsaking the liberty of grace. But now, after that you have
known God, or rather are known of God, how turn you again,"
and look how he speaks of the law, "...to the weak and beggarly
elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage." You
Gentiles, God never gave you a Sabbath day. He never gave
you a new moon. You worshiped stumps and stones,
but you were never under the law. But now you observe days
and months and times and years. I'm afraid of you. I'm afraid
for you. Lest I had bestowed upon you
labor in vain. Then in the latter part of the
chapter, verses 21 through 31, Paul takes Sarah and Hagar, you'll
remember them. Sarah and Hagar, her handmaid. Abraham's wife and Hagar, her
handmaid. And their two sons, Isaac and
Ishmael. Do you remember what Ishmael
was? God made a promise to Abraham, a promise of redemption, grace
and salvation through that seed of woman who would come from
his loins in whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed.
He promised him salvation by Christ. And after a little while,
Sarah got to looking a lot older. And Sarah was convinced she was
never going to have children. And she said, I tell you what,
buddy, tonight, why don't you take my handmaiden, go in, sleep
with her, and that's the way God's going to fulfill his promise.
And Abraham, by his works of righteousness, listen to me,
by attempting to bring about God's righteous promise through
the energy of the flesh, got Ishmael. That's exactly the allegory Paul
uses. And he says, now, the time came when God said, take Hagar,
the bondwoman, and Ishmael, the son of the bondwoman, and cast
them out. And he says these things are
an allegory. There's no room in the house of grace for works. They cannot dwell together. They
cannot exist together. There's no room for law anywhere. No room for Sabbath keeping.
No room for law observance. No room for circumcision. No
room for new moons. No room for holy days. No room
in the house of grace for the works of the law. None whatever.
Then in chapter 5, Paul urges us to stand fast in the blessed
liberty of the gospel, and he urges us with a strong warning.
If we do anything, anything, by which we attempt to gain God's
favor, improve our standing in God's favor, or keep ourselves
in God's favor, if we do anything by which to give ourselves righteousness
make ourselves righteous, or make ourselves more righteous,
if we do anything, then we have forsaken the gospel of the grace
of God altogether, and we have forsaken Christ altogether, and
Christ is of no value to our souls. Let's see if that's what
it says. Verse 1. Stand fast, therefore, plant
your feet in cement, in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us
free. and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." I
could spend a long time on that. Oh, how entangling legalism is.
You know, when I was, I recall before, God save me, I was sitting
in a Sunday school class, shortly after God save me, sitting in
Sunday school class, teenage boys, these boys you teach, and
had two teachers. And the two teachers were talking
about tithing. And you know, they just almost got to being
real unpleasant, and these fellows were good friends, about whether
you ought to tithe on the gross of the net. I mean, spend a whole
hour and the next Sunday school hour as well, the next week,
arguing about tithing on the gross of the net. Well, I'm entangled,
entangled with the yoke of bondage. Look at verse 2. Behold, I call
saying to you, that if you be circumcised, is there anybody
here that's got an appointment in the morning to go get circumcised?
Well, no preacher, I knew one or two fellows who did that when
I got to be my age, but I don't know many. Well, what's he talking
about then? If you do anything to make yourself
clean before God, I don't care whether it's reciting prayers,
memorizing scripture, reading your Bible, giving your money,
attending church, if you do anything to make yourself clean before
God, watch it, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again
to every man that is circumcised, that he's a debtor to the whole
law. You've got to live it perfectly. Christ is become of no effect
unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law, you've
fallen from grace. You've missed the whole thing.
There's no antinomianism here, no licentiousness, no encouragement
to sin, far from it. The rest of the book of Galatians
is a declaration that this liberty of grace is life in the As we
walk in the Spirit, looking to Christ alone for righteousness,
salvation, and acceptance with God, as we walk in the Spirit,
trusting Jesus Christ alone, living by faith, we will not
fulfill the lust of the flesh. It is self-righteousness, legalism,
that causes men and women to bite and devour one another. And they do it in the name of
righteousness. The meanest people I've ever
met in my life, the meanest people I've ever had to do business
with were religious folks. Religious folks, right? Bite and devour. Believers have
been taught by the grace of God, and the grace of God that brings
salvation has taught us some things. It teaches believers
when his brother has fallen to restore him, in the spirit of
meekness, because he knows he's just exactly like It teaches
the believer to bear his brother's burden and so fulfill the law
of Christ. It teaches the believer to sow
unto righteousness, unto spiritual life, and not unto the flesh,
and thereby reaping life everlasting. Galatians 3 verse 14. The law of God, I'm sorry, chapter
6 verse 14. The law of God is not our rule
of life. It is not our hope. The law of
God brings nothing but death and condemnation. Our only hope
is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our only motive, our
only rule of life is the cross. All who have this hope and live
by this rule are the Israel of God. Now, the sum and substance
of all true Christianity The sum and substance of all true
doctrine, the sum and substance of everything written in this
book, can be given to you in one word, cross. The cross of
our Lord Jesus Christ. Throughout this book, the cross
of Christ is central. Paul says in verse 14, God forbid
that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
by whom the world is crucified unto me. and die unto the world."
Now when Paul uses the word cross, I know for you I don't have to
pause and say this. For everybody else who gets this
tape, I've got my suspicions. He's not talking about the wooden
cross on which Christ died. If I could get it, I'd burn it
and I wouldn't tell you where I threw the ashes, because people
make it a piece of idolatry and worship it. You preachers, surely
you wouldn't do that. Oh, yes, I would. If God gave
me any wisdom or sense at all, I would. He wasn't talking about
the symbol of the cross. People have an idolatrous, papal
superstition with regard to this nonsense, or wearing a cross. Just a piece of idolatry. I remember
when I was a kid, I used to watch those vampire movies. If you
want to take care of the devil and vampires, you get you a big
cross and you hold it up there. And that'll scare him off. That's
not what he's talking about. That's just idolatry. If you've
got any crosses, burn them, throw them away, melt them down, make
your ring out of them, melt them down and sell the gold and go
buy lunch. It's just idolatry. What's he talking about? He's
not even talking about the historic fact that Christ died on the
cross. That never saved anybody. Never saved anybody. What's he
talking about? He's talking about the doctrine of the cross. He's
talking about redemption accomplished by the crucified substitute who
now sits in glory, our Lord Jesus Christ. Now go back to chapter
1. Let me show you how Paul uses the cross throughout these six
chapters. In verses 3, 4, and 5, he tells
us that the cross is our deliverance by blood atonement. Christ gave
himself for our sins that he might deliver us from this present
evil world. In chapter 2, verses 19 and 20,
he tells us the cross is our life. Now watch this. Verse 19. and dead to the law. The law
killed me, and the person of my substitute, I'm dead to the
law. Now, what's this? That I might
live unto God. Verse 20. I am crucified with
Christ. Let me give you a very literal
translation. I have been once and for all,
with finality, crucified with Christ. He's saying the same
thing in verse 20, he said in verse 19. Through the law, I'm
dead to the law. When Christ died, I died. Nevertheless,
I live. Now I'm alive. Christ rose up
from the dead and I did too. Yet not I, it's not me, but Christ
that liveth in me. And the life which I now live
in the flesh, what's this? I live by the faith of the Son
of God. I live by the obedience of Christ,
my substitute, who loved me and gave himself for me. Verse 21,
the cross is righteousness. If righteousness comes by the
law, Christ is dead in vain. Oh, no, righteousness comes by
Christ. Chapter 3, verse 13, the cross
is the removal of our curse. Christ redeemed us from the curse
of the law. Verse 14, the cross is the certainty of God's blessing,
that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles. Verse
22, the cross is the center of faith. The scripture hath concluded
all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might
be given to them that believe by the faithful obedience of
Christ unto death. Chapter 4, we already read it,
verses 4-7, the cross is the ground of our adoption. The Lord
Jesus Christ died for us that we might receive the adoption
of sons. Chapter 5, verse 11, the cross is an offense. Paul
says, I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer
persecution? Then is the offense of the cross
ceased. The cross offends man's wisdom.
It's too simple. It offends man's self-righteousness,
for it declares that he has none. The cross defends man's love
of dignity, his sense of self-worth and importance, because it makes
him on the same ground as every other sinner. The only way you
can come home to God is by faith in Christ, the crucified Redeemer.
Verse 22, 23 and 24. The cross is the source of all
grace. This is the thing of walking
in the Spirit, it's believing Christ. And the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
meekness, temperance. Against such there is no law.
And they, their Christ, have crucified the flesh with the
affections and lusts thereof. In chapter 6, verses 14 and 15,
Paul tells us that the cross is that by which we are crucified
to the world, and the world unto us. Let me move on. Verse 6, take
chapter 6. The cross is our rule, our peace,
our mercy, and our life. As many as walk according to
this rule, I must needs go home by the way of the cross. There's
no other way but this. This is the rule by which we
live. How do you teach folks to give? live like he did. I teach folks to love, look at
Christ, love like he did. I teach folks to live, look at
Christ, live like he did. As many as walk according to
this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel
of God. From henceforth let no man trouble
me. I have washed my hands with these fellows. You slander and
yak all you want to, I just flat don't give a flip what you say.
for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Brethren,
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. God help us to glory in the cross. Now let me wrap this up by turning
to Philippians chapter 3. Won't you see this? Paul urges us to beware of dogs,
evil workers, the concession, these promoters of self-righteousness,
of legal obedience. He says in verse 3, that we are
the circumcision, we are those who are saved by God's grace.
We are the Israel of God, which worship God in the Spirit. We
don't need crosses,