I've entitled this message, Bewitched. Oh foolish Galatians who have
bewitched you. And the question I asked myself
was this, would this describe me? What was going on here? Would this describe me? When
he said who have bewitched you that you should not obey the
truth. The word obey is generally translated persuaded. There's
one word that has something to do with submitting to authority.
When you tell your kids to do something, if they say, why?
You say, because I said so. You don't need to say anything
else. It's authority. But there's another obey that means persuaded,
and that's what this means. Why are you not persuaded? Why
is this not doing something to you? Oh, foolish Galatians, senseless,
unwise Galatians. And this lack of understanding
was an unworthy senselessness, which carried with it a moral
reproach. It was wrong on their part. It was sin on their part. They should not be here. Like
the Hebrews, they'd become dull in hearing. when for the time
being you ought to be teachers, you had need that one teach you
again, what be the first principles of the oracles of God. He says,
who has bewitched you? Who's cast this spell on you?
Well, we know from reading in this epistle that there were
false brethren brought in mixing works and grace, and they were
the ones who had bewitched them, but the Galatians should not
have allowed this to happen. They did. Now, can a real believer
be affected by a false prophet? Yeah, absolutely. Now a real believer can't fall
away, you know that. I love that passage in Matthew
24 when it's talking about the false prophets would come and
they said if it was possible, they'd deceive the very elect,
but thank God it's not possible. But a believer can be greatly
messed up by a false prophet. And this is what had been happening
to the Galatians with these men coming in, mixing works and grace. And here is what this bewitching
did. It caused them to not obey the
truth. It caused them to not be persuaded by the truth. It caused them to not be affected
by the truth. The Galatians were so bewitched
and consequently so hard-hearted that they were no longer persuaded
by the truth. It no longer brought them to
repentance. It no longer brought them to
faith. It didn't move their heart. They just sat there and it did
nothing. They were no longer persuaded
by the truth. It brought about no change in
their mind or in their conduct. Now what is truth? That's always
a good question. The Lord told Pilate he came
to bear witness to the truth. And Pilate replied, what is truth? Is there such a thing? Is there
such a thing as absolute truth? And if there is, can anybody
know it? I mean, my, wouldn't that be presumptuous to say I
know the truth, I've got a handle on the truth? And the truth,
is it worth what you're going through? You're being, getting
ready to be nailed to a cross for the truth. Is it worth this? What is truth? Now, the Lord said, I am the truth. He said, you should know the
truth. That's knowing me and the truth shall make you free.
You see that one hanging on a pole. And I use the word pole purposely.
You know, the word cross didn't even come into being into the
third century. He was crucified on a pole, not
something like this. It was a pole that he was stretched
out on and nailed to. You see that one? Nailed to a
pole. That's the truth. That's the truth concerning the
true character of God. That's the truth concerning my
character and your character. That's the truth concerning salvation.
You see, the cross is the whole counsel of God, the truth concerning
all who God is, the truth concerning me and you, what we would do
apart from grace. Nail God to a cross. The truth
concerning salvation This is salvation. He is. That one hanging
on the cross, he is salvation. Now, they had been bewitched
into another persuasion. He says Christ crucified has
been set clearly before your eyes and you're no longer persuaded
because you're persuaded by somebody else or something else. Now,
this was illustrated in the previous chapter. In chapter 2, you remember
when these false brethren from the Church of Jerusalem came
in and said Titus needed to be baptized. And Paul wouldn't give
in for a second. He wouldn't let that happen because
the truth of the gospel wouldn't have remained if he did, if he
would have given in, if he would have compromised there. And you'll
remember Peter compromising the gospel. We looked at that a couple
of weeks ago, how he got up and moved tables. That's all he did.
He moved tables, saying that you're a little bit more pleasing
to God on the Gentile side than you are being saved just like
a I mean, on the Jew side, then you would be being saved like
a Gentile. If you kept the law, if you did
this, if you participate in that, you'd be a little bit more pleasing
to God. And Paul reproached them for this and he blamed them for
this. They should have never allowed themselves to be bewitched
like this. This is what made him say regarding
the Galatians, I stand in doubt of. You look in chapter 4. My
little children, verse 19. My little children of whom I
travail in birth again, until Christ be formed in you. I desire
to be present with you now and to change my voice, for I stand
in doubt of you." And why does he stand in doubt? He says, tell
me you that desire to be under the law. Don't you hear what
the law says? Now, they had lost this desire, persuasion of Christ
crucified, it didn't hit them anymore, and now all of a sudden
they want to be under the law. Now why in the world would anybody
want to be under the law? There's only one reason. You
think you can keep it. That's the only reason. You think
you can keep it. You don't really believe you're
a sinner in the biblical sense. A sinner is a lawbreaker, not
a law keeper. Now listen real carefully. A
sinner is somebody who puts any God before the living God. He's been guilty of that. Any
small g God before God. A sinner is someone who's concocted
false views and ideas of God to make him feel better about
himself and make him feel okay in what he's doing. That's what
a sinner is. A sinner is someone who's failed
to reverence God. He's taken his name in vain.
A sinner is someone who never rests. A sinner is someone who
doesn't submit to authority, doesn't obey his parents. A sinner
is a murderer. A sinner is guilty of sexual
sin. A sinner is a thief. A sinner
is a liar. A sinner is a covetous person.
Would that describe you? Would it? Well, if it doesn't, you're saying
by that I'm not a sinner. Now that person desires to be
under the law. If it doesn't describe you, you desire to be
under the law. But if that does describe you,
oh, you don't want to be under the law. You don't want to have
anything to do with the law. You want to be found in Christ
and nowhere else. Paul said, if righteousness came
by the law, then Christ died in vain. Now, the Galatians had
lost their sense of sin and no longer needed Jesus Christ and
him crucified. They wouldn't come out and say
that, but they'd obviously lost their sense of need and they'd
lost their sense of sin. Now, with that in mind, I pray
that the Holy Spirit himself, through his word, will cause
Jesus Christ to be openly set forth before us tonight, crucified
among us. Wouldn't it be a blessing if
the Lord would cause Jesus Christ crucified to be openly set forth
in our very presence? in the message of the cross.
Now, Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1, turn with me there for a moment,
turn back to 1 Corinthians 1. Verse 17, for Christ sent me
not to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of
words, not with clever packaging to make it more attractive to
the natural man, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none
effect. For the preaching of the cross
is to them that perish foolishness. But unto us which are saved,
it, the preaching of the cross, is the very power of God. Look
what he says down in verse 22. But the Jews require a sign,
and the Greeks seek after wisdom. But we preach Christ crucified. Notice he doesn't say we preach
Christ in a manger. He was in a manger. He doesn't say we preach
Christ on a throne, although he is in a throne. We preach
Christ crucified. That's always our message. Christ
crucified. We preach Christ crucified. Unto the Jews a stumbling block,
and unto the Greeks foolishness, but unto them which are called,
both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom
of God. Look in chapter 2, verse 1. And
I, brethren, when I came to you, I came not with excellence of
speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God,
For I determine not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ
and Him crucified." Now, we preach Christ crucified. That's not
just a slogan. You know, we have it out there
on that sign, but that's not just a slogan. Oh, may it be that
that is what is preached every time somebody steps in this pulpit. We preach Christ crucified. Like I said, the cross is the
whole counsel of God. And you know the importance of
this, what I'm trying to talk about. I remember one time reading
Charles Spurgeon say this, and I'm sure you've heard me say
this before, but I think it's true. He said, if we narrowed
our preaching to nothing but the cross and never mentioned
anything else, it would be a widening rather than a narrowing of our
ministry. You believe that? You know, the
cross of Christ is the subject of the eternities. I am so mystified by Revelation
13.8. Christ is called the Lamb slain,
the Lamb having been slain from the very foundation of the world.
Before a star ever shined, before the sun, before the universe
was made, Christ was the lamb slain from the foundation of
the world. And when time is over, and I
look forward to that time, don't you? When we get out of this
existence and we're in the presence of the lamb, what is going to
be the song of heaven? Worthy is the lamb that was slain. When John gives us these visions
of heaven in Revelation 5, when heaven is opened, what does he
see? A lamb having been slain came and took the book and opened
it up. Turn with me to Revelation chapter
7. I'm going to read just a few verses of heavenly worship. This
will give us some idea of Verses 9 and 10, And this I beheld,
and lo, a great multitude, Revelation 7, 9, This I beheld, and lo,
a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations,
and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne,
and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes and palms in
their hands, and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our
God, which sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. That's always
him in his sacrificial character. the Lamb of God. Look at, they
didn't see a lamb, they see Him and they see Him who is the Lamb.
That's His sacrificial character, that's the speech of heaven.
Verse 13, And one of the elders answered and said unto me, What
are these which are arrayed in white robes? And whence came
they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to
me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and
have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood
of the Lamb. Look in chapter 12. Verse 10, and I heard a loud
voice saying in heaven, and this is what's going on in heaven.
Now has come salvation and strength in the kingdom of our God and
the power of his Christ, for the accuser of our brethren is
cast down, which accused them before our God night and day,
and they overcame him, how? By the blood of the Lamb. Every
accusation the devil could bring against me or you, you know what
it'd be? It'd be true, wouldn't it? How did they overcome these
accusations? the blood of the Lamb. And the
word of their testimony, which was, we overcome by the blood
of the Lamb. And they loved not their lives
even to death. Look in chapter 14. And I looked, and lo, a Lamb
stood on Mount Zion, and with him an hundred and forty-four
thousand, having his father's name written in their foreheads,
which represents the elect. A big name, number, but an exact
number. And I heard a voice from heaven,
as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of great thunder.
And I heard the voices of harpers harping with their harps. And
they sung it were a new song before the throne and before
the four beasts and the elders. And no man could learn that song
but the 144,000 which were redeemed from the earth. These are the
ones who were redeemed by the land. These are they which are
not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are they which
follow the Lamb, whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed
from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And
in their mouth was found no guile, for they are without fault before
the throne of God." Look in chapter 19, verse 6. And I heard, as it were, the
voice of a great multitude, and the voice of mighty waters, and
the voice of mighty thundering, saying, Alleluia, for the Lord
God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice and
give honor to him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his
wife hath made herself ready, and to her is granted that she
should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, for the fine
linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me,
Right, blessed are they which are called unto the marriage
supper of the Lamb, And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings
of God. Look down at verse 11. Again,
I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he that sat
upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness
he doth judge and make war. His eyes was a flame of fire,
and on his head were many crowns. And he had a name written that
no man knew but he himself, and he was clothed with a vesture
dipped in blood, and his name was called the Word of God. And
the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses,
clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth
goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations,
and he should rule them with a rod of iron. And he treadeth
the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God, and
he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King
of kings and Lord of lords. Now this is the lamb we worship. You know, this is all they talk
about in heaven. He's all they talk about in heaven.
Now, if this loses its power with me here, I wouldn't enjoy
heaven, would I? Because this is the only subject
of heaven. The Lamb slain, Christ crucified. Now, what I'd like to do now
is I want to ask you five questions. regarding Christ being nailed
to the cross. Now, Paul said to the Galatians,
he said, Christ crucified has been evidently set forth before
your eyes, crucified among you. And I pray that that's what happens
tonight, that God the Holy Spirit will bless his word. I feel so
completely helpless in trying to bring a message regarding
the gospel, knowing I can't even make it clear, I can't do anything,
and only God the Holy Spirit can bless it. So I pray that
God the Holy Spirit will bless our consideration of these five
questions regarding Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Here's the
first question. Who was it that was nailed to
that cross or that pole? Who was it that was nailed to
the pole? I wish I could get a habit of
saying that, you know, because The cross, it was brought into,
the word was actually brought in the third century to kind
of mix Christianity with other religions and so on. That's what
it was all about. Christ wasn't nailed to a cross like that.
He was nailed to a pole. Now, who was it that was nailed
to that pole? Well, this is the Son of God.
This is the Lord of Glory. This is the Creator nailed to
a cross. The One in whom dwelleth all
the fullness of the Godhead in a body. The Sovereign Savior.
This is who is nailed to the cross. The One who has all power.
The One who is in control of everything that is taking place.
The One who gave the soldiers the strength to hammer the nails
in His hands and in His feet. The One who determined everything
that was to be done to Him. This is who was nailed to this
cross. This was no mere man. This was
the God-Man. And this is why and how the rest
of the things I'll be saying about his cross are really true. It's Christ that died. Oh, I
love the way Paul said that. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? God justified. Who can condemn? It's Christ that died. That's
the only answer I need. I need no other argument. I need
no other plea. It is enough that Jesus died
and that he died for me. It's Christ that died. Who's on that cross? The Creator,
the God-man, the second person of the blessed Trinity. Now here's
my second question. Why was he nailed to that pole?
Why was he crucified? Why did he die? Well, the first
answer is, see, The wages of sin is death. There is only one reason for
death, and that reason is sin. Why did he die? It was the purpose of God. Turn
with me to Acts chapter 2. Verse 23, Him being delivered
by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have
taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. Now you're
not off the hook a bit, Peter says. You, by wicked hands, have
crucified and slain him. But there's one reason he was
slain. He was delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge
of God. Look at him in chapter 4, verse
27. Of a truth against thy holy child
Jesus, whom thou hast 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. Why was he crucified? Because
God's determined counsel determined before for it to be done. Now, those first two reasons for his
death, sin and the purpose of God, shed some light on what
I want to try to say next. The sins of his people, here's
why he was nailed to a pole. The sins of his people were transferred
to him. And notice the language. The
sins of his people were transferred to him. Now this is something
that we have a hard time getting hold of. It's so foreign to us,
but it's something that only God can do. God can lift off
my sins off of me and put them in the Lord Jesus Christ. And
that's why he was crucified. Now this is so mysterious, but
our Lord never sinned. And He was alive at this time. I think it began in Gethsemane's
garden, certainly was taking place on the cross, but while
He was still alive, His people's sins were transferred to Him
so that He bore them. They became His. It wasn't merely
guilt that was charged to Him. He actually bore the sins themselves. He bare our sins in His own body
on the tree. While He was alive, the holy,
spotless Son of God, while He was alive, the filth of my sin
was placed in Him, and He was made to bear it. It became His. the Lord hath laid on him the
iniquity of us all. That's such a horrible thing
to think about. But yet, it's the only thing that gives me
any comfort. Sin can't be two places at once. If it's in Him,
if my sin is in Him, if He bore my sin, that means I don't have
it. It's not mine at all. It's gone. He put it away. In the Old Testament, Titus the
high priest, would put his hands on the head of that goat. And
it would signify the transference of sin. Sin being transferred
from the priest to the goat. And somehow, when Christ was
on the cross, He was bearing my iniquity. All that sin is, He bore in His
own body on the tree. And when He died, all those sins
were paid for. put away, made to be no more. He was made a curse for us. And
because of that, I won't be cursed. He was cursed. What was going
on there? A curse. Christ died. Why did Christ die?
Well, he died to make a spotless bride. Oh, to be in the bride. Husbands, love your wives as
Christ loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might
sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having
spot or wrinkle or any such thing. Christ was on that cross to make
a perfectly beautiful bride without spot, wrinkle, or any such thing. Now, I want you to think about
this, believer. Christ looks at you. He sees no sin. He sees that which is beautiful
to him, attractive to him. He died to make a beautiful bride.
Christ died because of the love of God here in his love. Christ didn't die to make a way
for God to love. God did love, that's why he sent
his son. Here in his love, not that we love God, but that he
loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. Christ died that he might be
Lord, both of the dead and the living. Romans 14, 9. Now he
already was Lord, but yet he achieved glories through his
death. He would have never had had he not gone to the tree.
He died that he might be Lord. Now that's what he accomplished
by his death. We see who he was and who he was tells us what
he accomplished by that death. He perfected forever them that
are sanctified. We see that. Now here's my third
question. My third question is, for whom did he die? We see who
it was that died. We see why he was there. But
my third question is, for whom did he die? And I've got to ask
this question. Is that a legitimate question
in the first place? Is it something that even needs
to be brought up? For whom did he die? Yes, so much so that
the gospel cannot be preached without answering that question. For whom did he die? Well, we
don't have to guess. He said, I lay down my life for
the sheep. That's who he died for. He died
for the sheep. He said to one group, you believe
not because you're not of my sheep. As I said unto you, my
sheep, hear my voice. I know them and they follow me.
I give unto them eternal life. There's no question who he died
for. He died for the sheep. He died for the elect. He died for the us of Romans
chapter 8 verse 31. If God be for us, who can be
against us? 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? Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who
is He that can condemn? 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. That's who He died for. the us of Romans chapter 8. He
said in John chapter 17, I pray for them, I pray not for the
world, but for them which you've given me, for they are thine. And he goes on to say, neither
pray I for these alone, but also to all which shall believe through
their word. He preaches or he died for all
who believe. And you know, who'd he die for?
I reckon I like this the best. He died for sinners. Yeah, I believe he died for the
elect. I believe he died for those who
believe. I believe all that. Preach it. But here's what gives
me most comfort. I tell you what, it wouldn't
give me any comfort at all that he died just for the elect. If
I didn't have this one, he died for sinners. I wouldn't have
any comfort from knowing he died for the elect. I'd be afraid
I wasn't one of them. But how can I know if I'm somebody he
died for? I'm a sinner. I really am a sinner. And he
died for sinners. That means he died for me. That's
who he died for. His people. Now, let me say this regarding
this point. If I do not show who he died
for, I make his atonement meaningless. Do you know you won't find one
example anywhere in the scripture where the apostles, in their
preaching, assure people who were not believers that God loved
them and Christ died for them. You won't find one example of
that in the scriptures. I hear preachers preaching that.
Preachers want to know better. They still imply God loves you,
Christ died for you. You're talking to unbelievers.
You ought not ever do that. That doesn't narrow our evangelistic
fervor. I mean, I preach to everybody,
if you call on the name of the Lord, you'll be saved. You come
to Christ, He'll receive you. There's never been anybody who's
come to Christ and He turned away. This doesn't take away
our ability to call upon men to believe and repent. If you
call upon the name of the Lord, He'll save you. You can be sure
of that. I've heard people say, well,
if you can't tell everybody Christ died for them, how can you preach
the gospel to them? It's easy. It's easy. I mean,
we just tell them the truth. You call on the Lord, He'll save
you. For whom did Christ die? Well, he died for his people.
And the very idea of him dying for someone and them ending up
in hell anyway is utter blasphemy. There's no salvation in that
message. It is a false message. Why would I ever want to try
to present the gospel and leave that out? I'm not going to, by
the grace of God. For whom did Christ die? And
then, what did he accomplish by that death? Now, who died? It's Christ that died. Why did
he die? Because of sin. Because of sin. Because of the
purpose of God. Because he was made sin, and
there was an actual transference of sin. While he was alive, sinless,
all of a sudden, sin. came in him because he bore our
sins in his own body on the tree. Do I understand that? Absolutely
not. Do I believe it with all my heart?
Yes, I believe it. And only God can do this. For
whom did he die? He died for his elect. He died
for those who believe. That's why he was nailed to that
pole. What did he accomplish? Well, what is meant when he said
right before he died on that tree, it is finished. Hebrews 1, 3 says, He by Himself. I love that, don't you? He by
Himself. No help for me or you. He by
Himself purged us of our sins. Hebrews chapter 9, verse 12,
By His own blood, He entered once into the holy place, having
obtained eternal redemption for us. Hebrews 10, 14 says He's
perfected forever by one offering. He hath perfected forever them
that are sanctified. He made peace through the blood
of His cross, having reconciled us to Himself. It says He made
peace. And in that, here's what He accomplished.
Through the blood of His cross, reconciling us to Himself, removing
every reason for His anger against our sin, He made us holy and
unblameable and unreprovable in His sight. Now that's what
He accomplished. That's what He did. You know
what that means? That means everybody who looks to Him only, they're
holy, they're unblameable, and they're unreprovable in the very
sight of God. God sees no sin because there
is no sin. That's what He accomplished.
He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him is no sin. What did he accomplish by his
death? Well, he finished the work God gave him to do and glorified
his father. He said in John 17, 4, in that
great high priestly prayer before his people, right before his
death, he said, I've glorified thee on earth. I finished the
work that thou gavest me to do. Thus making a way for God to
be just and justify the ungodly. That's what he did by being nailed
to the cross. He accomplished salvation. Now, beloved, there
isn't anything for you to do. Now, do you hear that? There's nothing for you to do.
It's already been done. Now, my last question is, what
is this to you? What is this to you? Does it persuade you in any way?
Does it do anything to you? True story. happened in the 1850s. Just ran across this this week.
A man came from England to the United States. He was a very
wealthy man, and he went to California during the gold rush, and he
was already rich, and a few months later he was a whole lot richer
after what he'd done, and he was making his way back to England. And in order to get back to England,
and remember, they didn't have slavery in England. They had
slavery here during this time. It was before the Civil War.
They didn't have slavery in England. They were against it. But before
he was able to get back, he had to go through New Orleans. And
he had, before getting on the boat, to see a slave auction
going on. True story. And there was a beautiful,
beautiful black girl being sold as a slave. And there were two
men who were bidding on her. One said, I'll give this, I'll
give that. And they had bad intentions in what they wanted with this
woman. And this man was so disgusted by this. And they got up to the
highest bid and he said, I'll pay double for whatever they'll
pay for her. And the ox says, what? I'll pay double. Let me
have her. I'll give you this much. And
he came up and gave all that money for that slave. And as
soon as he got her, she spit in his face. He took his handkerchief
out, wiped it off, and took her into town. And he got the papers
for her freedom. And she couldn't read. She didn't
know what he was giving her. And he gave her the papers. She
didn't know what they were. And she spit in his face again.
He took his handkerchief out, wiped off his face, and looked
at her and said, you know what these are? These papers are for
your freedom. I bought you and set you free. She was dumbfounded. She said,
you paid that for me? He said, yes, I did. She said, I've got one request. I now want to be your slave forever. Now that is the response to the cross of Christ, Christ
crucified. You set me free like that to
where I am totally free. I want to be your slave forever. May that be my response. May that be your response. You
know, when I considered this verse, oh foolish Galatians,
who's bewitched you? Who's cast a spell on you? that
you should not be persuaded by the truth, that it doesn't work
for you, that you're more persuaded by the law than the truth. How, and he was blaming them,
how did this happen to you? who bewitched you. I pray that
the Lord delivers us from being bewitched like that and that
we're always persuaded, just like that slave girl was, that
we're always persuaded by Christ and Him crucified. Let's pray. Lord, unless you, by your Spirit, give us eyes to see the glories of your Son and His
death on Calvary's tree, who He is, what He accomplished,
who He did this for, Lord, if you don't do something
for us, we'll be like the Galatians. And we pray you deliver us from
that and that you'd cause us to see the glory of thy blessed
son and the salvation that's in him. And Lord, teach us what
it is to rest in his blessed promise, his last word from the
tree. It is finished. Lord, how we thank you that it
is finished. In his blessed name we pray,
amen.