Verse 14 is my text. And the apostle writes, 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."
Now, that's my subject tonight, the cross. But I want us to go
back to verse 1 and begin where Paul begins in dealing with this subject.
And he says in verse 1 of Galatians 6, Brethren, if a man be overtaken
in a fall, Now, in your margin, it doesn't say, if a man. It
says, although a man. And I think a word that might
be supplied is, when a man. Because it'll happen. It'll happen. It's like 1 John
that says, if any man sin, we have an advocate. What do you
mean, if? When? When, although a man sin, we
have an advocate with the Father. If a man, or when a man, or although
a man, be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, ye which
are mature, ye which have been around a while, restore such
a one. Don't exclude him, restore him. Don't avoid him, restore him. Don't censor him, restore him
to the fellowship. Restore such a one and do it
not in the spirit of condescension or pride, do it in the spirit
of meekness and humility. And while you're doing it, while
you're restoring this brother who has fallen, who has failed,
who has strayed, whether in spirit or flesh or attitude or whatever,
restore him in the spirit of humility considering yourself.
Lest ye also be tempted." Now, what this verse is teaching is
simply this. We're redeemed children of God.
We're saved. We belong to the Lord, but we're
still in the flesh. And we're still subject to the
faults and falls and failures and trials and temptation of
the flesh. Therefore, when a brother or
sister fails and falls and errs, restore him, bring him home,
welcome him with open arms like the father did the prodigal,
kiss them and receive them back into fellowship, considering
ourselves lest we be the one who's tempted and falls. In verse 2 he says, and bear
one another's burdens. Bear one another's burdens. What
does this mean? It means to bear one another's
infirmities and weaknesses and frailties because all of us have
them. Don't withdraw fellowship and
love from a man because you don't think he's mature as you are
or spiritual as you are. He has failures and infirmities
and weaknesses. Bear with them. Paul said in
1 Corinthians 13, love beareth all things. Love believeth all
things. Love hopeth all things. Love
endureth all things. So bear up with one another.
Forbear one another's weaknesses and failures and frailties and
infirmities. Expect them and bear them. In so doing, look here at verse
2, the last line. In so doing, you fulfill the
law of Christ, the royal law of the King. What is the law
of Christ? What is the law of Christ? This is my commandment,
that you love one another as I love you. He certainly bears
our infirmities. He certainly bears our weaknesses
and frailties. So that's what he's saying there.
When a brother falls and fails and errs, restore him, receive
him into fellowship, considering yourself, lest you be tempted.
And in the whole course of life, forbear, endure. Bear one another's
failures and frailties and faults and weaknesses. In so doing,
you fulfill the commandment of your Lord, the royal law of Christ. Verse 3, 4, "...if a man think
himself to be something..." Actually, when he's nothing,
and we are nothing, the Apostle refers to himself that way a
lot. Although I, he said, although
I be nothing. Nothing. Nothing. "...if a man think himself to
be something, to be wise, to be spiritual, to be holy, to
be whatever, he thinks himself to be something when he's nothing,
he deceives himself. You know, because man at his
best state is altogether vanity, isn't he? Man, from the sole
of our feet to the top of our heads, there's no soundness in
us. If there's anything about us commendable, it's the grace
of God. It's not I, it's Christ in us.
It's not us. If we think ourselves to be something,
when we're nothing, we deceive ourselves. We are deceived people.
Well, why would a man think himself to be something when he's nothing?
I'll tell you the reason. The next verse tells you. But
let every man prove his own work. What does that mean? Well, the
only reason a man will think himself to be wise is because
he thinks he's wiser than somebody else. The only reason a person
will think themselves to be beautiful is because they think they're
more beautiful than somebody else. They're comparing themselves
with someone else. The only reason we ever think
ourselves to be spiritual is because we're looking at somebody
that's not. We think ourselves to be strong
because we're comparing ourselves with someone who's weak. The
only reason a man will think himself to be something is he's
comparing himself with weaker people, not with God. If we ever,
ever look at ourselves like we ought to in the light of His
holiness, we'll say, oh wretched man that I am. We'll be like
Isaiah, he said, in the year that King Uzziah died, I saw
the Lord. How I nicked it up, and His train
filled the temple, and I cried, oh! I'm cut off. I'm a man of unclean lips. And
I dwell among a people of unclean lips. Job said, I saw the Lord. And I put my hand on my mouth.
We're not to compare ourselves with weaker people or people
with great infirmities and be lifted up in our arrogance and
pride. Look at Isaiah 65. Look at this
verse here. Isaiah chapter 65, verse 5. And this is the only reason why
a fellow will ever, woman, man, whomever, boy or girl, will think,
I'm something, I'm somebody. Why do you think that? Because
you're looking at someone weaker. Someone weaker, someone dumber,
someone frailer, someone that's not on the plane with you, poor. Isaiah 65, 5, they say, stand
by yourself, don't come near me, I'm holier than thou. I'm holier than thou. Listen
to what God said, these are smoke in my nose. You know how smoke,
when it gets in your nose, irritable. These folks like this are smoke
in my nose. And a fire that burns all the
day. Behold, it's written before me,
I'll not keep silence, I'll recompense, even recompense into their bosom."
So, in verse 4, now, let me show you what he's saying here. If
a man, verse 3, thinks himself to be something, and in any area,
I'm something, either wiser, richer, stronger, smarter, holier,
in any way, what he's doing is comparing himself with others.
But let a fellow prove his own worth. Let him look at his own
situation in the light of God's holiness, power, and might. And then, if he can find some
grace in himself, And then, if he can find in himself some cause
of rejoicing, some gift God's put there, or some grace God's
put there, or some kindness God's put there, or some love God's
put there, then he can have rejoicing in that gift God's given him,
and not in another. See, is that clear? And not in
the fact that he's got more on the ball than somebody else.
You know, one lump of coal could look at
another and say, I'm not quite as black as you are. But that
don't make him white. That doesn't make him white.
But if we can find, that's what this is saying here, don't think
you're something when you compare yourself with somebody else. But if you can find in your spirit
a glimmer of God's grace, then you can have some hope and encouragement.
He put it there. He put it there. That's right.
Verse 5 says, For every man, every man shall bear his own
burden, his own task, his own service, his own responsibility,
his own stewardship. Every man will give account of
himself. You know, when our Lord told Peter that he would He said,
someday they're going to carry you where you don't want to go.
He was talking about the death, that Peter would die. And Peter,
I don't know, but he talks like we do so much. He said, well,
what about that fellow? What about John? What's he going
to do? Now, the Lord said, if I will that he tarry till I come
again, what's that to you? You do what I told you to do,
and don't you worry about John. And that's what this is saying
right here. Every man has his own place of obedience and service,
and it's not a matter of what other people are doing anyway.
It's just not a matter. I'm responsible to God for whatever
door He's opened for me and whatever He's put in my hand. It doesn't
matter what you do with what He puts in your hand. That's
not any of my business. But what He's given me in my
heart, in my head, or in my hand to use for His glory, I better
use it, because I'm going to give an account to Him. Now verse
6, let him that's taught in the Word communicate unto him that
teacheth in all good things. Now this verse has to do with
the support and the encouragement of those who preach and those
who teach the Word of God. The person that is taught in
the Word is you. And the person who's teaching
the Word is the pastor or missionary or evangelist or preacher whom
God sends to you with the Word. And how blessed is the preacher
and pastor and missionary and evangelist who has a caring church
and a loving people who know that they've been blessed by
that man's ministry. and who love him because of what
he has taught them and his faithfulness to them. One time, Brother Gruber
was talking to me. You know, this church has been
helping support Brother Gruber since 1970. That's 24 years. Generously and faithfully. And
he said to me one time, he said, one of these days, you'll be
leaving there. You won't be the pastor there.
He said, I sure hope they call somebody that loves me. And I
know what he means. How blessed a man is on the field
or in the pulpit that has a caring congregation. How blessed is
a congregation that has a caring pastor who studies and who prepares
and who preaches. Who never depends on the overflow. You can't depend on the overflow
because the well may not be full. You've got to prepare. study,
to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not
be ashamed." So, you know, Philemon, when Paul wrote to Philemon,
he said, I want to remind you, he was sending Onesimus back
to Philemon. And he told him, he said, you
treat him right now, you treat him like you'd treat me. If he
owes you anything, you charge it to me. Because he said, I
want to remind you, Philemon, you owe me your life. You literally
owe me your life. I came to you with the gospel.
God sent me to you with the gospel. It's like the Ethiopian eunuch.
Where would he be without Philip? Where would Lydia be without
Paul? Where would the Philippian jailer be without Paul? You see,
the one who teaches the Word is to be provided for by those
who are taught. And verse 7, now watch it, be
not deceived. Don't you let anybody deceive
you. Don't you be deceived by your thoughts or by any man's
words in this matter. Don't you be deceived. God's
not mocked. Whatsoever man soweth, that shall
he also reap. Don't you be deceived by what
you think or by what men say in reference to giving, in reference
to helping others, in reference to generosity. A man shall certainly
one day, at some time, reap what he has sown. I'm talking about
believers, too. I'm talking about believers.
Oh, you say, Christ paid it all. You might be right. He did. All
our debts and all our sins. But I'm telling you, in this
very lifetime, in this very life, if you read I Corinthians 3,
that's written to preachers. And he tells those preachers,
you be faithful to preaching. Preaching the Word of God. He
said, I've laid the foundation as a wise master builder. I've
laid the foundation. Take heed how you build thereon.
That's what he told these preachers. You be careful how you build
on this foundation there. Some build wood, hay, and stubble.
Some build gold, silver, and precious stone on this foundation. And the ones that lay wood, hay,
and stubble are going to suffer loss. Because it's going to be
tried by fire, by the fire of years, by the fire of time, by
the fire of God, by the judgment of God. It's not talking about
eternal judgment, it's talking about right now, in this life. It will be tried. And those that
built on that foundation, gold, silver, and precious stone, shall
have an old age of joy. and happiness, and contentment. Paul said, I've done my best. I've finished my course. I've
kept the faith. Isn't that what he said? I've
kept the faith. Now this is what this is talking
about right here. He's talking about generosity, helping others,
kindness, supporting the weak, supporting the ministry, and
don't you be deceived now, God's not mocked. He gives a man gifts,
He gives a man open doors. He gives a man opportunities.
Now you're going to see this if you watch the Scripture. It's
talking about giving. It's talking about stewardship
of grace. Stewardship of what God's put
in your hands. Don't you be deceived. Whatsoever
a man sows, he's going to reap. Now watch this next verse. For
he that soweth to the flesh, what's that? Well, if a man's
whole thoughts, and I'm talking about a believer, this is written
to believers. If you and I, all we care about
is material things, and flesh, and luxury, and our contentment,
and taking care of this flesh, if he sows to the flesh, if that's
all he cares about, that's what's uppermost in his mind, uppermost
in his heart, that's the crop he's going to reap. When he comes
to old age and when he comes to maybe middle age, it doesn't
have to be old age, when he finally realizes he hasn't been faithful. He hasn't done what he should
have done. He hasn't given like he should have given. He hasn't
helped like he should have helped. He hasn't utilized all that God
gave him. I think there are preachers right
now that have compromised what they know to be so. They are
grieving over it. Ministries are gone, gone, gone,
because they hadn't been faithful. And if a man, if that's his crop,
if he sows to the flesh, he's going to, of the flesh, reap
corruption. These things offer no comfort
in old age. They offer no joy at the end
of the road when we come to the end of the road and look back
over our faithfulness to God and faithfulness to the gospel
and faithfulness to the kingdom and faithfulness to people and
we look back and say, I haven't done what I could have done.
I haven't stood like I should have stood. I haven't helped
like I should have helped. I haven't given myself to help
others. And you just sit over there lonely
by yourself and die that way. Saved by fire. That's right. Saved by fire. But, he that soweth
to the Spirit, that's his interest, that's his concern, that's his
life. To the Spirit, he shall of the
Spirit reap life everlasting. That's right. Verse 9, you see,
we're still on this same subject. And don't be weary in well-doing
now. Don't you grow weary. You all
grow weary. Some of you here are growing
weary. I'm growing weary. I don't grow
weary, though, in well-doing. Don't quit helping others and
praying for others and giving to others and assisting them. Don't let somebody's ingratitude,
well, nobody ever cares, nobody ever thanks you. Don't let that
stop you. Don't be weary in well-doing.
Well, they'll misunderstand. Nobody knows. God knows. And it doesn't matter about anybody
else. Because we don't give as unto men anyway. We give as unto
the Lord. He said, when you do your alms,
don't sound the trumpet in front of you. Don't broadcast it. Don't
tell everybody. Don't look for credit. If you
look for credit, that's all the credit you get. Do it quietly
and silently, as unto God, and He'll reward you. Now, don't
be weary. Ingratitude, it'll discourage
you, but don't let it stop you. Misunderstanding, oh, it'll discourage
you, but don't let it stop you. The failure of people to come
up to our expectations. Don't let that stop you. I'd
have quit preaching a long time ago if I got my inspiration from
the response of people. I'd have quit a long time ago.
Isn't that right? And you in your well-doing and
in your generosity and in your prayer, don't you quit because
of the failure of people to come up to your expectations. In God's
time, listen, Don't you be weary in well-doing in due season.
What's due season? That's His season. He's the Lord
of the seasons. In His season. Listen to me. When you go out and plant seed,
you don't expect it to come up tomorrow anyway, do you? Or the
next day. Every time I buy my seeds to
plant my spinach or whatever, I read on there, Russell, it
says, maturity 45 days. Well, I wait. Forty-five days. That's a long time. Sixty days. Eighty days. Well, this maturity
here just might be forty years or eighty years. But that's it. What's time to God? What's time
to God? It means an awful lot to us.
A thousand years is a day to God. A day is a thousand years.
So don't be weary in well-doing. Listen. In due season, in His
own time, You'll reap. Oh, my soul, you'll reap if you
don't quit. If you don't quit. Don't quit. And as we have, therefore, opportunity,
as God supplies the needs, as God opens the door, that's
what opportunity is, isn't it? He's the God of opportunity.
And I often, through the years, I've tried to deal with this
like this in my own heart. If you feel impressed to do something,
do it. Just do it. I mean in kindness
to others, in an act of grace or generosity or to help someone.
Don't analyze, don't sit down and weigh the possibilities and
the outcome and the result. Just do it. If you've got the
opportunity, if you have the means, if God supplies the need,
do it. Do it. As you have opportunity,
look, let's do good to all men. All men. Everybody you know. Even the forward and the cantankerous. Even unbelievers. Because the
next line says, especially, especially, do good unto them that are a
household of faith. But do good to others too. That's
right. Do good to others too. Verse 11, you see what a large
letter I've written to you with my own hand. I don't know a great
deal about that, but I think what Paul is saying to them is
this, you see how much I love you and my concern for you. In these things, he said, that
I'm showing you, I have your spiritual welfare and well-being
at heart. I don't mean to be offensive.
Have I become your enemy because I tell you the truth? That's
what he said in one, isn't that what he said in one passage?
Am I your enemy because I tell you the truth? I've written the large letters.
I tell you about these other fellows, he said in verse 12.
He said, 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." He said, these false teachers, these
false preachers, listen to me. He said, they don't love you.
They don't love you. They have neither God's glory
nor your good at heart. They don't. I love you. He said,
you see what a large letter. I've sat down here in prison
and written this with my own hand. Because I care, because
I love you and I've dealt with these subjects. Because I want
to be a blessing to you. But these false teachers, they
don't have your good at heart. They don't have the glory of
God at heart. They're not motivated by your good or God's glory.
You know what motivates them? Two things. Look at it. Number
one, they desire to make a show in the flesh. That's number one. They constrain you to be baptized,
to tithe, to come to the altar, to do all these things. They
constrain you to keep holy days. They do all these things because
they want numbers. They want success. They want
money. They want praise. They want glory.
They want the honor of men. They want to make a show, a splash,
as somebody said, in the flesh. They write big articles in the
paper about having 1,200 members a budget of 400,000, and a staff,
church staff of 15 people, and all this sort of thing, 150 baptisms,
and all this 700 in Sunday school, and all that. They want to make
us show in the flesh. That's their first thing. Here's
the second thing that motivates them. And to do all these things,
the last line of verse 12, lest they should suffer persecution
for the cross of Christ. They do not want to pay the price
for preaching the gospel. They're not going to preach God's
sovereignty. They're not going to preach election. They're not
going to preach particular redemption. They're not going to preach perseverance.
They're not going to preach effectual call. They're not going to preach
a covenant of grace. They're not going to preach security
in Christ because they don't want to take the heat. It's exactly
like that. One preacher said this years
ago. He'd retired from the ministry. And this is at Woodhay and Stubble
now. Here's a perfect example. He stood out here in this church
parking lot. He was a retired Methodist preacher. And he said,
well, he said, I'm convinced that The pastor there at 13th
Street is preaching the truth. And I'd like to be identified
with you folks. He's talking to one of our members.
But he said, just can't do it. I'd lose my retirement. I've
got to stay with the Methodists. They're just not going to pay
the price. He's going to lose his inheritance,
all right. But it won't be a monthly check. You see, when you call men sinners,
it offends their dignity. That's the persecution. When
you tell men salvation by revelation, it offends their wisdom. When
you preach election and particular redemption, it offends their
pride. When you preach the Lordship of Jesus Christ, it offends their
love of self. But, they don't love you. They don't love you, and they're
not preaching for God's glory. They're two things. They're motivated
by showing the flesh, and they don't want to pay the price for
the gospel. And there is a price to be paid.
Verse 13 says, these fellows, neither they themselves who are
circumcised, they don't keep the law. These fellows that are
telling you to do all these things, they don't do them. They don't keep the law. These
fellows that are exhorting you to human holiness, they are not
holy. These fellows that command you
to sacrifice, they don't sacrifice. You're sacrificing so they don't
have to. They live in luxury. They glory in their power over
you. That's disgraceful. Well, God forbid, verse 14. God forbid. Paul makes a clean
sweep of all of it. He seems to take his hand and
just make a clean sweep of all grounds of boasting and grounds
of glory and he declares, God forbid that I should ever glory
or boast or rejoice in myself or anything except in the cross
of Christ. You know Paul He might have gloried in his
pedigree. He said, I'm a Hebrew of Hebrews. I was born of the tribe of Benjamin. He might have gloried in that,
but he didn't. He counted that, but don't. He might have gloried
in his education. A lot of folks do. He was indeed
a scholar, a recognized scholar, who grew up at the feet of Gamaliel,
the greatest scholar of his day. But he said, that's all done
too. He might have gloried in his
morality. He, after all, did say concerning
the law, outward law, I was blameless. A man of great moral integrity. He might have gloried in his
apostleship. He was called the chief apostle.
And like you read tonight, the chief apostle to the Gentiles. But he said, I'm not one whit
behind the chief apostle, though I be nothing. I labored more than all of them,
but not I, Christ in me. He might have gloried in his
revelations. He said, God took me to the third
heaven. But after that was over, he gave
me a thorn in the flesh to remind me that I was still human. He
might have gloried in his gifts. He said, I speak with tongues
more than all of you. He might have gloried in his
writings. He wrote 14 books of the 27 in the New Testament.
He might have gloried in his suffering. But God forbid. Isn't that what he said? God
forbid. Take it all. Take it all. And
God forbid. God deliver me. From glorying
anything with a sweep of the hand, he seems to push everything
aside and cry with the same horror with which he deals with every
error five times in the scriptures, God forbid. God forbid. Shall we sin that grace may abound?
God forbid. Does their unbelief make the
purpose of God of no effect? God forbid. Shall I glory in
myself and think myself to be something when I'm nothing? God
forbid! That I should glory save in the
cross. What is this cross? Well, it's
certainly not some silly thing that a person wears around his
neck. I've got more respect for a person who wears a rabbit's
foot than a cross. Wearing a cross around your neck
is nothing but superstition based on ignorance. It's no more than
a rabbit's foot around your keychain or a horseshoe over your barn
door. It's nothing but a good luck charm and it's idolatry. That's all in the world it is.
That's all in the world it is. Somebody saw a fellow with a
rabbit's foot on his keychain. He said, what's that for? He
said, good luck. He said, that rabbit's foot for good luck?
He said, yep. He said, didn't bring the rabbit
any luck. He had four of them. Paul wasn't talking about a cross
around your neck. He wasn't talking about the actual
cross on which Christ died. Mike sang about it. The Christ
of the cross, not the cross of the Christ, is the theme of our
song. And He didn't refer to the cross that we're told to
take up and bear, which is a symbol of death. But the cross here,
what is it? It's the one word for the great
atonement. That's right. The great atonement. I've given you the blood upon
the altar to make an atonement for your soul. That's what the
cross is all about, the atonement. Secondly, it's one word. for
Christ's work of honoring God's justice. He set him forward to
declare God's righteousness that he might be just and justified. It's one word for a holiness
provided, but now Christ is the end of the law for righteousness
to everyone that believes it. It's one word for substitution. He was wounded for our transgressions
and by his stripes we're healed. It is one word for eternal life. The Son of God has come and given
us an understanding that we may know Him, the true God. This is the true God and this
is eternal life. That's the cross. The cross is
death and yet it's life. The cross is shame, yet it's
God's greatest glory. The cross is loss, but the cross
is gain. The cross is to the world foolishness,
but to us, it's the wisdom of God. The cross condemns, and
yet it pardons his people in full. The cross is justice, and
yet it's a revelation of mercy. It's where mercy and truth met
together. Righteousness and peace kissed
each other. The cross is humiliation, yet
by it my Lord was exalted. The cross is hell, yet it opens
for me the door of heaven. The cross is in the past, and
yet it determines the future of every believer. When the apostle Paul, or any
preacher of God, declares, God forbid, that I should glory save
in the cross. He's talking about the whole
eternal purpose of a covenant God, the fulfillment of every
type and picture of the Old Testament, the full redemption of God's
people from Abel to the last one in Christ's righteousness
and blood, and the future and glory of the new heaven and new
earth and everlasting kingdom of Christ because there'd be
no crown without the cross. There'd be no crown without the
cross.