Todd's Road Grace Church would
like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd
Nyberg. We are located at 4137 Todd's
Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are
at 1030 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at
945 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services.
For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com.
Now here's our pastor, Todd Nybert. I'm reading from Galatians chapter
6, verse 14. These are the words of the Apostle
Paul, and he says, but God forbid, that's the strongest negation
he could give, 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. Verse 15, for in Christ Jesus,
neither circumcision avails anything, nor uncircumcision. Not what
you do or what you do not do, but a new creature, a new creation. And as many as walk according
to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel
of God. I've entitled this message, The
Believer's Rule of Life. Now, you'll notice once again
in verse 16, as many as walk according to this rule. Your walk is your life, the direction
you're going. as many as walk according to
this rule." Now, this is where we get the word canon from. It is a measuring rod, a ruler,
and it's where we get the term, the canon of Scripture. Do you
know the canon of Scripture, the Scriptures from Genesis to
Revelation, is the standard by which we measure everything we
hear? If it's not according to the
Scripture, it's not true. And the canon is closed. There are no new revelations. But this word rule is a standard
of measurement. It is the law by which we judge,
we measure by this, this rule Paul is giving. And he says,
as many as walk according to this rule, as many as. All who walk by this rule are
believers. Only believers walk by this rule
and an unbeliever never walks by this rule. As many as walk
according to this rule, peace be on them. The only way you're
going to have peace with God is if you walk according to this
rule. If you do not walk according to this rule, you have no right
to think that God is at peace with you. The only place peace
is found is in the content of this rule. I have the peace of
the satisfaction of Christ, knowing that God is satisfied with me. And I find the same peace where
God finds His peace, in Christ, in this rule. And He also says,
and mercy. As many as walk according to
this rule, peace on them and mercy. These are the people who
have experienced the mercy of God. This is the evidence of
having experienced the mercy of God, if you walk according
to this rule. And then he says, upon the Israel
of God. Now, he's not talking about that
nation in the Middle East. The Israel of God is everybody
who walks according to this rule. This is the true Jew. This is
the true Hebrew. The true Jew is the one who walks
according to this rule. Now, if you ask the average person,
what is the believer's rule of life? I would say most people
would say the Ten Commandments. Now I love the Ten Commandments.
I love God's law. And the reason that I can love
the Ten Commandments is that in Christ I've kept them. I have
nothing to fear. When Christ kept the law, I did
too. So the Ten Commandments cannot
condemn me in that sense. I love God's law and have the
highest respect for it. Paul said, I delight in the law
of God after the inner man. And really, the only way that
you can honor the Ten Commandments is by looking to Christ as the
fulfillment of them and looking to His obedience. If you look
to your attempt to keep the Ten Commandments, you're looking
in the wrong place, and you're actually dishonoring the law
by showing that you don't really understand what the law has to
say. Now, the Ten Commandments. All they do is expose sin. In and of yourself, in and of
myself, we haven't kept one commandment one time. And if we believe we
have, we demonstrate a complete ignorance of the breadth and
the holiness of God's holy law. But this is a rule, this rule
that Paul is speaking of, this is a rule that every believer
actually keeps. this rule that every believer
walks by. Now, is he talking about verse
15, for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision avails anything
nor uncircumcision but a new creature? Well, that certainly
enters in. I love the phrase, in Christ. That is speaking of union with
the Lord Jesus Christ. My only hope of being saved is
by being in Him. according as he hath chosen us
in him before the foundation of the world. Paul said in Philippians
chapter 3, verses 8 and 9, O, that I may win Christ and be
found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the
law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness
which is of God by faith. Now, what Paul is saying is,
when God comes looking for me, I simply want him to find me
in the Lord Jesus Christ so that all he sees is Jesus Christ. Not having anything to do with
my own righteousness, because I know I don't have any, but
the righteousness which is of God that Christ worked out by
faith. In Christ Jesus. Neither circumcision avails anything
nor uncircumcision. What you do or what you do not
do avails nothing in this thing of salvation but a new creation,
a new creature, something you were not before, a creative act
of God. Now, God acted alone in the physical
creation And God acts alone in the spiritual creation. This
is not a cooperative effort between God and the sinner. This is the
work of God alone. And anything outside of that
is not walking according to this rule. Now, most people, listen
very carefully, most people that claim to be Christians would
say, well, God's done his part, but now I have to do my part.
Christ died, but I have to accept what he did, and it won't work
unless I do something. Now, that is a denial of what
he's saying. That's a denial of being a new
creature in Christ Jesus. So this thing of, in Christ Jesus,
neither circumcision avails anything nor uncircumcision, but a new
creation, that's certainly a part of it. But I don't have any doubt
that what Paul is speaking of, when he is speaking of the rule
that the believer walks by is found in verse 14. Paul says
in Galatians 6, verse 14, but God forbid that I should glory,
that I should boast, that I should have confidence in, that I should
rejoice in. 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." Now, there's no stronger
negation than this. God forbid. May it never be so. God forbid that I should glory,
saving the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. By whom? He didn't say by what, but by
whom. The world is crucified unto me. and I unto the world. I'm not impressed with the world,
and the world is not impressed with me. Now, this is the believer's
rule of life, glorying only in the cross. Now, my dear friend,
do you know what that means? To glory only in the cross of
our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, this is the only person
who truly has peace. This is the only person who has
truly experienced the mercy of God. This is the true Israelite,
the true Jew, that one who refuses to glory in anything except for
the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, that's our standard of measurement. This is how you can tell if you're
a true Jew. This is how you can tell if God's
at peace with you. This is how you can tell if you've
experienced the mercy of God. You say, God forbid that I should
glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. I love his
name, our Lord Jesus Christ. This is personal. He's my Lord.
Our Lord. The Lord is the one whose will
is always done. He's the Lord. That means He
is in control of everybody and everything and every event. He is Lord. He's the Lord of the believer,
and He's the Lord of the unbeliever, too. They may not know it, but
the Scripture says He's Lord of the dead and the living. Lord. He's our Lord Jesus. Oh, how
I love His name. Thou shalt call His name Jesus,
for He shall save His people from their sins. He's our Lord
Jesus Christ. Christ refers to His offices
as prophet. He's God's prophet. He's God's
priest. He's the one who brings us to
God, and God accepts him and those in him. He's God's king,
the one who rules and reigns, and we glory, we boast, we have
confidence in, we rejoice in only the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Now, when Paul made this statement, he was the man God used I suppose,
more than any other man to expound the gospel. He was taken into
the third heavens and taught the gospel directly by Jesus
Christ himself. He said, whether in the body,
I cannot tell, or whether out of the body, God knows. He's
the man God used to write most of the New Testament. And yet
this man says, God forbid that I glory in any of that. I'm to
glory only in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." Now, what does he mean by the
cross of our Lord Jesus Christ? Is he talking about the wood
the Lord was crucified on? Now, did you know that The word
cross in the original means a pole. This cross that people signify
the Lord being crucified on, it's not so. He was crucified
on a straight piece of wood, and this cross actually is a
heathen symbol from a Chaldean religion, and it wasn't even
used in Christianity until the third century when Constantine
supposedly had some kind of vision and adopted Christianity as the
state religion of Rome, and everything was corrupted from him doing
that. But when we're talking about the cross, we're not talking
about the piece of wood. You know, the Catholic Church
has all kinds of pieces of wood, enough wood to fill a forest
that are supposedly the cross. That's not so. There's no saving
efficacy in that piece of wood. If you had the actual cross where
the Lord died, it wouldn't do you any good. As a matter of
fact, it's decayed. It's not in existence. He's not
talking about the wood. He's not talking about that cross
that people have the one crucified on in jewelry and it's supposed
to be lovely jewelry. No, don't do that. He's talking
about the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, here's the point
of the cross of Christ. Who is the one on the cross? Why is he there? For whom was He there for? What did He actually accomplish
by being on the cross? That's what is meant by the cross
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now first, and this settles everything
else, this is what's most important, who was it that was hanging on
that cross. I can tell you who was hanging
on that cross—the Son of God, the eternal, uncreated Son of
God, the One who created all things, the One who is the brightness
of His Father's glory and the express image of His Person,
the God-Man Great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest
in the flesh, and it was the God-man who was hanging on that
cross. And really, this is the most
important point, because everything else is determined by this. Who's
hanging there? This is the Creator. This is
the omnipotent, sovereign, eternal God in flesh, the God-man hanging
on the cross. And everything else is contingent
upon, predicated upon who He is. Now, who is hanging on that
cross? Jesus Christ, the Son of Mary,
the Son of God, Him who knew no sin, He who never sinned in
His person. He is the one, the one whose
will is always done, the one who has all control over everybody
and everything. He is the one hanging on that
cross, and He's no victim. He's no victim. When they came
to arrest Him, He said, Whom seek ye? They said, Jesus of
Nazareth. He said, I am. And they fell
backwards. You know why they fell backwards?
He's letting them know, I'm in control of this situation, not
you. I'm no victim. That's the one who is hanging
on that cross. You know, the thief recognized
him. Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Now here's
the second question. Why is he there? Why is this
one hanging on Calvary's tree? Why is he there? Well, first of all, it's the
purpose of God. Revelation chapter 13 verse 8
calls him the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. And the word slain is in the
perfect tense, a perfectly completed action never to be repeated. And this took place before the
foundation of the world, before there was a star or sun or before
the earth, before the creation, before the creation of angels,
when there was nothing but God. He's the lamb slain from the
foundation of the world. Peter said him being delivered.
by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have
taken and with wicked hands have crucified and slain. He said
in Acts chapter four, for the truth against the holy child
Jesus, whom thou has anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate
with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together
for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before
to be done. He's there according to the purpose
of God. That's why God created the universe.
That's why God allowed the fall for the cross of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Secondly, He's there for the glory of God. He said,
Father, the hour has come, speaking of the time of His death, the
hour has come, glorify Thy Son that Thy Son also might glorify
Thee. And in Christ crucified, God
is glorified. Every attribute of God is honored. His justice, oh, he's so just
he must punish sin. His holiness, he's gonna punish
sin. His grace, he'd give his son for sinners. His power to
put away sin and make it not to be. His sovereignty, saving
whom he will. There were two things on either
side of the cross. One he saved, the other he passed by to show
he's in control of everything. His love to give His Son to sinners,
every attribute of God is glorified in the cross of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Why is this one hanging there?
Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people
from their sins. He is hanging there to save His
people from their sins. He's hanging there because the
wages of sin is death. He was made sin. He was made
to be guilty of the sins of his people. He who knew no sin was
made sin. that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him. He was there because He really
was guilty. He took my sins and my sorrows. He made them His
very own. He bore the burden to Calvary
and suffered and died alone. That's why He was there. Now,
He made complete satisfaction by His death. He put those sins
away. Now, here's the third question.
We see who was there, the Son of God, why He was there. Who
was He there for? Who did Jesus Christ die for? If somebody says, well, He died
for everybody, you're wrong. He did not die for everybody.
He said, I pray not for the world. but for them which you have given
me." He was there for the elect, those the Father gave him from
the foundation of the world, his sheep, his church, his people. Now, if somebody becomes alarmed
by this and you think, well, did he die for me? I know how
you can answer that question. Are you a sinner? Are you a sinner? That's how you can know if he
died for you. Are you a sinner? Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners, Paul said, of whom I am the chief. God commended
His love toward us, and while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. For when we were yet without
strength in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. Now, if
you're a sinner, and I mean a real sinner, I'm not talking about
a fake sinner and just somebody that takes it, the word, but
doesn't even really believe it. But I mean, if you're a real
sinner, somebody who all you do is sin, you're nothing but
sin, you can't be anything but sin. That's what you are. And
you, and it's all your fault. And you know, you can't look
down upon anybody and that God could pass you by. And just and
holy is his name. You really believe yourself to
be a sinner deserving the wrath of God. You can't save yourself.
Christ died for you. Well, what if I'm not elect?
Listen, if you're a sinner, you're elect. I guarantee you that.
You wouldn't even know it if he hadn't made that known. Christ
died for you if you are a sinner. Now, most believe that he died
for everybody and made salvation possible for everybody. Now,
let me tell you what would be true if that were the case. Number
one, God is not just. If he died for somebody and that
person goes in hell, that means God punishes for the same sin
twice. Secondly, Christ is a failure.
If he intended to save everybody and he didn't, he failed in his
tension. And third, there is no gospel in that message. The only gospel there is is that
Christ, what he did is enough. When he said, it is finished,
my salvation was accomplished. And that leads us to the fourth
question, what did he accomplish by his death? Well, he said,
it is finished. The salvation of everybody I
died for is accomplished. Now, this is all we glory in. God forbid that I should glory
saving the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. You see, he accomplished
salvation. That's why I glory. I don't glory
in anything I've done. I glory in what he has done. Paul put it this way in Romans
chapter 8. He said, if God be for us, and in the cross He's
for us, if God be for us, who can be against us? Nobody. He that spared not His own Son,
but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also
freely give us all things? There's nothing that can prevent
God from blessing me and giving me his salvation. Who shall lay
anything to the charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. You can't even bring anything
to the charge of somebody that Christ died for. Who is he that
condemneth? It's Christ that died, yea, rather
that's risen again, who's even at the right hand of God, who
also maketh intercession for us. Nothing to condemn me for
if Christ died for me. Now that's why I glory only in
the cross. What could wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus. For my pardon, this I say, nothing
but the blood of Jesus. For my cleansing, this my plea,
nothing but the blood of Jesus. This is all my hope and peace,
nothing but the blood of Jesus. This is all my righteousness,
nothing but the blood of Jesus. Nothing can for sin atone, nothing
but the blood of Jesus, not of good that I have done, nothing
but the blood of Jesus. Now, if my standing before God
is in any way dependent upon my faith, My repentance or my
holy living, I have no hope. My only hope is that what Christ
did is all that's needed to make me perfect before God. And really,
this is the only message to preach. Paul said, I determine not to
know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified. All I want to preach is the cross. No doctrine is understood apart
from the cross. No story in the Bible is understood
apart from the cross. Every message I bring better
be Christ and Him crucified, whatever passage I'm dealing
with, or I have not dealt with it right. And Paul said, I'm
not even interested in anything, I've determined to know nothing
among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified." Now this is the
gospel. Jesus Christ and Him crucified. This is what the believer glories
in. Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
This is what motivates us. This is what calls upon us to
follow Him. This is the drawing power of
the gospel. And if I be lifted up, speaking
of His death, I will draw all men to Me. And it's literally
the all, the whole, all of God's people are drawn irresistibly
and invincibly to this glorious message of the cross. Now, if
you're a sinner, this is what will attract you. complete salvation
by the living, dying, dead, resurrected Son of God who completely accomplished
salvation. Old Paul said, Christ sent me
not to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of
words, trying to dress the cross up to make it less offensive.
not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be
made of none effect." Now we have this message on DVD and
CD. If you call the church, write,
email, we'll send you a copy. May the Lord enable every one
of us, me and you, glory only in the cross. To receive a copy
of the sermon you have just heard send your request to todd.neibert
at gmail.com or you may write or call the church at the information
provided on the screen.