Jesus, Keep Me Near The Cross. Text: Galatians 6:11-18 Series: No Other Gospel (Galatians, #17) Pastor Lyle L. Wahl February 26, 2012 But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Introduction This morning we conclude this series in Galatians. We have been looking into God s message through Paul that there is only one true gospel. There is no other gospel. The churches Paul founded in Galatia had been infiltrated with false teachers who brought a different gospel, who distorted the gospel by saying that to be saved, or at least to be a fullfledged believer, people had to observe the Old Testament Law. In this letter Paul forcefully made it clear that salvation is only by God s grace in Christ through faith. The center of his closing paragraph here in chapter 6 is verse 14, But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. The cross of Christ, His death and then His resurrection for our sins, is the center of the gospel. If you take away the reality of the cross you are left with a cross-less Christianity, a Christ-less false religion. The late Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote, the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is the test of every one of us. It is the test of our profession of Christianity the cross passes judgment upon us all You cannot remain neutral in the presence of the cross. It has always divided mankind and it still does. And what the Apostle says is that there are ultimately only two positions with respect to it. The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is either an offence to us or else it is the thing above everything else in which we glory These are the only two positions offence, or glory. 1 The cross is not only a vital truth of the Christian faith, but also for our lives. And so we need to pray, in the words of the hymn writer, Jesus, keep me near the cross. We need to say with the apostle Paul, may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Explore this with me as we look at Paul summing up the letter, and then also summarize its message. Summing Up The Letter. As Paul sums up the letter, he makes some personal comments to these believers that he loved so deeply and was so concerned about. Look at the first words of the paragraph in verse 11. See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. Some have
read various ideas into this, but Paul simply took the pen from the person taking his dictation and wrote these last lines as both his signature and for emphasis. He did this in other letters as well. For example, his second letter to the church at Thessalonica, I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand, and this is a distinguishing mark in every letter; this is the way I write (17). He also gives them a blessing. The first part of it is in verse 16. And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. He asks for God s peace and mercy to be on those who walk by this rule. He is speaking of those who live out the rule in verse 15, For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. That is, those who stay in line with the Spirit by not depending on the law or any works but live in their new freedom in Christ. When we live in line with the Spirit in this way, we will have God s peace and mercy on us. The second part of the blessing is in verse 18. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen. It could be easy not to think about these words because they might appear to be a stock closing benediction, similar to the way Paul frequently ended his letters. 2 But Paul also began the letter with the greeting, Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (1:3). This emphasis on God s grace not only stands like bookends to the letter, it saturates it. Our salvation and life with Christ is by grace from start to finish, and all the way through. Because the false teachers posed such a serious threat to the gospel of grace and those Galatian believers, Paul includes a final denunciation of them. Simply on the face of it, there was a choice to be made: either they boast in the cross or in their own works. Either the cross is an offence to them or it is their glory. Adding Law-keeping is not just something extra that would be better left out. It is a contradiction to the gospel. Let s review quickly here in Galatians. Look back at 5:2, if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. Skip down to verse 4, same chapter, You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. Now turn back another page or two to 2:21, if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly. Here Paul goes right to the motives of these false teachers. Look at verse 12. Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised Now go to the last part of the next verse. but they desire to have you circumcised so that they may boast in your flesh. They wanted to make a good showing, to boast in your flesh. They were trying to twist the arms of the Galatians with their twisted gospel so they could brag, so they could say, See our results! Look at what we have done! Count the number of Gentiles in the churches of Galatia who have been circumcised and now are following the Law! That practice is as old as sin and pride, and still is as alive, flourishing and destructive today as it was in Paul s day. To be sure, today people don t bust their buttons over how many people they convinced to be circumcised last year, but there are countless numbers 2
and accomplishments that some make sure everyone knows about. When they receive notice and praise from others, that is all the reward they are going to receive. As Jesus said, they have their reward in full. 3 And there was more to their motives. Verse 12. Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. Let that soak in. These people were trying to force the Gentile believers to be circumcised simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. These false teachers wanted to escape any persecution by their fellow-jews who were not Christians. If they could show they were still following the Law and even getting Gentile followers of Christ to do that, they hoped they would still be accepted, at least as a sect or branch of Judaism, rather than be persecuted. They wanted to avoid persecution so much that they used these Gentiles not only to build up their own pride, but also for their own self-centered protective shields. On top of that, they were hypocrites. In verse 13 he tells us that they do not even keep the Law themselves. They did not because they could not. As James wrote, For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all (2:10). Then, a bit later he wrote, For we all stumble in many ways (3:2). Yet, they were telling these believers they had to keep the Law to be saved, or at least to be full-fledged believers. It is no wonder then, that Paul wrote in the opening chapter, there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! (7b-9) Let s move to the positive. Paul also gives us a final statement of his focus, the focus of all believers who are walking by the Spirit. The central verse of the paragraph states his focus. Verse 14. But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ Positively, his message is I boast only in the cross. While the false teachers boasted in their works, Paul boasted only in the cross, the death of Christ for him. Why? The cross, the death of Christ, the Scriptures tell us, atoned for our sins. 4 It made us right with God and saved us from His wrath. 5 The cross gives us peace with God. 6 It brings the Holy Spirit who cleansed and flooded out hearts with God s love and now is always with us. 7 3
The cross brings everlasting life, and now we are new creations. 8 It purifies our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. 9 The cross frees us from the power and control of sin. 10 That and more is why Paul wrote, may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Through the cross all the attractions and forces of the world were crucified, were dead to him. Through the cross he was dead to the them, to the world. And this is the reason Isaac Watts wrote, Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast save in the death of Christ my God. All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood. 11 Question: Do you boast in the cross, only in the cross? What did that mean to Paul? What does it mean to us? Paul made a few other statements that help us get a handle on this. Acts 20:24. But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God. Then again, Philippians 3:7-8. But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ. You see, the focus and joy of his life was in the cross. Can you, can I make these statements that Paul made? One writer comments, One of the reasons we are not as Christ-centered and cross-saturated as we should be is that we have not realized that everything everything good and every thing bad that God turns for the good of his redeemed children was purchased by the death of Christ for us. We simply take life and breath and health and friends and everything for granted. We think it is ours by right. But the fact is that it is not ours by right. 12 So, let me ask again, do you boast in the cross, only in the cross? Is the focus and joy of your life the cross Christ and what He accomplished there for you? Summary of the message. In our first week in Galatians I said that a central truth undergirding the entire letter is that salvation is only by God s grace only in Christ. We have seen that developed, and so go back to it as we summarize the message of this letter. 4
The first thing to note then is that salvation is by grace alone in Christ alone through faith alone. From Scripture we know that the gospel begins with God the eternal, holy, sovereign creator and judge of all that exists. It continues on to us our nature and actions of sin that place us under God s just judgment. And that brings us to the cross Christ s death as a sacrifice for us and our sin and His resurrection which defeated death and sin. Then, of course, the gospel comes back to us we are pardoned, we are cleansed and adopted as God s children through faith in Christ Jesus. Yes, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and the wages of sin is death. 13 Yes, God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 14 Yes, as we read here in Galatians 2, a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus (16) Yes, by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 15 Yes, as we read here in Galatians 3, we received the Spirit by faith not works (3:2; cf. 3:8-9). Yes, as we also read in that chapter, we are justified by faith (24, 26). Yes, salvation is by grace alone in Christ alone through faith alone. Be thankful for it! Rejoice in it! Share it! It is the good news. In addition to this, Paul underscored that we should stand firm and live in this freedom you have in Christ. The Galatians had received, listened to, and some of them may have considered adopting that false gospel. The apostle John would later write words they could have used when those false teachers came knocking. many deceivers have gone out into the world Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds. 16 Paul, as we noted when we were in chapter 1, had zero tolerance for false gospels and their teachers. He reminded the Galatians in chapter 2 that when some in Jerusalem wanted to force his Gentile associate Titus to be circumcised, we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour (5). He didn t entertain that for even a split second. He also told the Galatians in that same chapter than when Peter momentarily succumbed to the pressure of troublemakers and segregated himself from Gentile believers when those troublemakers were around, he called him to account on it (11-14). 5
But he also dealt directly with the Galatians. First he asked them, since you now know God and are known by Him, why would you even consider turning back to the worthless way of works and be enslaved to that all over again? 17 Then we find those grand statements in chapter 5. Verse 1, It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. And his call to make sure they stood in and used their freedom properly and profitably. Verse 13 in that chapter, For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. On a personal note, Paul said he had had it with these false teachers. He was done. Look at verse 17. From now on let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus. The false teachers boasted in the physical mark of circumcision. Paul, who had been circumcised, boasted in the cross, and the marks, the scars he had received for the cross. The marks from receiving 39 lashes five different times because of the cross. 18 The marks from being beaten with rods because of the cross. 19 The marks from being stoned because of the cross. 20 In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever! We too can, should, should gladly exclaim, may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever! Conclusion. Question: how, where does the cross fit into your life? Is it central and defining, or is it peripheral and disconnected to how you are living? Do you glory in the cross as you dream and plan, work and rest, relate to others and are alone, or is it an obstacle to what you want? Remember, The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is either an offence to us or else it is the thing above everything else in which we glory These are the only two positions offence, or glory. 21 You see, while this is important truth or doctrine, it also is vitally important to how we live. Does our experience with God line up with this truth of God? Ultimately it goes back to our relationship with Him. A writer described one person s view of God as something of a cross between The Force and the Pillsbury Dough Boy. 22 Sadly, even though we are believers, our lives can reflect that view. On the one hand, we can treat God as if He is an impersonal influence or power. On the other hand, we can treat God as if we can shape Him by our desires and ideas. The answer to avoiding both of those is keeping near the cross keeping our hearts and minds, keeping all that we are and have focused on the cross, on Christ and what He has done for us. 6
Thank God for the cross. Think with Him about your focus, about what is really important to you, about what you actually boast in. Determine to, ask God to help you keep near the cross. Do that now in these next moments with Him. 1 D. Martyn Lloyd Jones. The Cross: God s Way of Salvation. Wheaton, IL: Crossway 1986, page 41. 2 Similar benedictions by Paul, e.g., 1 Corinthians 16:23; Philippians 4:23; 2 Thessalonians 3:18; Philemon 25, etc. 3 Matthew 6:2. 4 Galatians 3:13. 5 1 Corinthians 15:3; Colossians 2:14. 6 Romans 5:1; Colossians 1:20. 7 Titus 2:14; 1 John 1:9; John 14:16; Romans 8:15. 8 John 3:16, 36; 12:32; Galatians 6:15. 9 Hebrews 9:14. 10 Romans 6:14; 7:4; 8:2. 11 Isaac Watts. When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, verse 2. Public domain. 12 John Piper. Boasting Only in the Cross. <http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/ conference-messages/boasting-only-in-the-cross>. 20 May 2000. Accessed 21 February 2012. 13 Romans 3:23; 6:23. 14 John 3:16. 15 Ephesians 2:8-9. 16 2 John 7-11. 17 Galatians 4:9. 18 2 Corinthians 11:24. 19 2 Corinthians 11:25. 20 2 Corinthians 11:25. 21 Lloyd-Jones, page 41. 22 Paul Rinehart. Talking Foolishness. Discipleship Journal, March/April 1999 issue. <http://www.navpress.com/magazines/archives/ article.aspx?id=11365>. Accessed 23 February 2012. 2012 Lyle L. Wahl Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. 7