Sermon Text:
Galatians 6:11-18
As Paul closes the book of Galatians, he reminds them what is most important, the cross of Jesus. There is no other means of our salvation, and it is in the cross that we proclaim. A crucified and risen Saviour who has made us new now defines how we live.
Sermon Transcript:
(transcribed with AI)
Well, good morning. It is good to be here with you all. Let me ask you a question. Are you a boastful person? Do people tend to say, yeah, you brag a lot. Right, I don't know about you, but I think most of us kind of hear that and go, I certainly don't want to be, right? Nobody really wants to be known as a boastful person who's always talking about themselves and how great they are and all the things that they have done, right? We naturally kind of recoil against something like that. We can all think of an example of someone who's always talking about themselves and who's always kind of trying to put others down at the same time. We don't want to be known like that, but the truth is we do sometimes want to brag.
And so we do what's called a humble brag, don't we? Right? We say something about ourselves, but we try and kind of disguise it, you know:
"Oh I'm so tired after running this huge marathon yesterday."
You want to tell me about the marathon, don't you? Alright?
"Oh, it took so long to clean up the house, we have so many rooms, our house is so massive, it just took so long to clean up."
Or there's the Christian version:
"Oh, I was late because my devotions just took so long this morning, so holy, it's amazing."
Right, we still want to brag, and we try and disguise it and hide it in various different ways. But the problem is, as soon as we start boasting about ourselves, we always run into the same problem, right? We don't actually live up to it. Nobody does. Nobody's life is actually perfect, nobody's family is perfect, no one has the perfect job that's never difficult in any way, no, we always will fall short of our boasting.
So let me make the suggestion. The problem is not the boasting, it's what we are boasting about. Right, even if you are to talk to someone and you say, you know what, I just read this great book, I saw this great movie. In one sense you're boasting about that, aren't you? Drawing someone's attention to it, making it seem good. You're boasting about it and yet no one kind of recoils at that. Even though we know maybe that movie, maybe that book, maybe that recommendation doesn't really land with everyone, suddenly we're in a different category, our boasting is no longer offensive. But once again we have a problem that it doesn't always last, doesn't always hold up to all of our praises. And so once again, the problem is not that we are boasting, the problem is what we're boasting about.
And so this morning as we open our Bibles, if you have a Bible, let me invite you to open to the book of Galatians, to the very end of the book. We're going to finish our series here in the book of Galatians this morning, and as we do, we're going to open up and find actually the apostle Paul as he's writing, as he's concluding this book, he's going to call us not to be less boastful, but to be more. Boast more, not in ourselves, but in what never lets us down. Boast more in the cross of Jesus.
So it's our tradition here, we stand as we read God's word. If you're able to, would you stand with me? Starting in Galatians chapter 6, verse 11 till the end. This is God's word.
See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. But far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them and upon the Israel of God. From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.
Amen. You may be seated.
Well we have made it to the end of this book. We started this all the way back in the beginning of September, and here we have made it to the conclusion. Right, and like any good conclusion, what Paul is doing here is he's wrapping up really everything that he's been talking about in this book. All the different themes are here at least in some part or another. If you've been with us throughout this series, you'll remember Paul's writing to these churches in Galatia because the problem had started, right after Paul had left, a problem came in, people started saying, hey, you know what, it's good to believe in Jesus, but you also need to be doing this, you also need to be following the law. You also need to be circumcised. And so Paul's writing this letter because he wants them to understand that's not just a slight difference. That's not just a little thing that they're just kind of adjusting. No, no, that's a complete change of the message of the gospel.
And so Paul takes this whole book really to unpack what is the gospel. What is this message of Jesus that we are to proclaim and hold and believe. In fact, Paul has argued that the gospel, how we are saved, this good news is because we have placed our trust in Jesus alone. Not the things that we do, but faith in Jesus is what saves. In fact, we started this book as a church back in September for a very specific reason. Even as we started as Promontory Community Church, we had one goal, we want the gospel to be known here. That's been Paul's focus throughout the whole thing, the gospel would be known and even as he concludes this book now, his goal is still the same. Make the gospel known, boast about what Jesus has done. Right, boast about what he has done.
And so this morning, that's what we want to see. There is no other salvation, there is no other gospel, so we boast about Jesus and him alone because he has made us a new creation. Alright, but let's just start here at the beginning. There is no other salvation.
Verse 11. Paul writes, he says,
See with what large letters I'm writing to you with my own hand.
Now, pause for just a moment, because the original readers would have seen something we are not going to be able to see, right, the original readers would have actually looked, and suddenly the writing at this point, verse 11, would have changed, it would have looked different. And the reason is simply because up until now, Paul has been using a scribe to write this letter. It's very common in the ancient world, not everyone was trained to be able to read and write very well, and so, up until now, Paul's been sort of dictating this letter, but now here at the end Paul goes, I'm grabbing the quill myself and I'm going to write these last few lines, right? And his writing apparently was a little messier than the scribe. And so he starts writing, he goes, look, these are big letters, I know it's not quite as neat, but here's his signature on the end. He wants you to realize, yes, this is actually Paul talking, but it's also very important, alright? See with what large letters I am writing to you.
Verse 12,
It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh, who would force you to be circumcised.
Alright, here's been one of the main problems we've been dealing with all throughout this book. This opposition to the gospel has come in the small change that says, yes Jesus, but also circumcision, but also this extra bit. And Paul has been so clear, that's not just a little change, that is a change in the gospel. All the way back in chapter one, Paul writes, he says,
But even if we, or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preach to you. Let him be accursed.
There is no other gospel, there is no other good news, there is no other way that we can be saved, and Paul is so serious about this that he says, even if I come back and I start telling you something or an angel shows up out of heaven, do not believe it. This wasn't made up by Paul. This wasn't his idea, this was God's word. We don't adjust it. Even when it is difficult to follow. We're called to hold on to it.
And if you notice here in verse 12, that was only actually part of the problem. The end of the verse, he says,
Those who would force you to be circumcised and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.
See, part of the reason why this seemed like such a good idea to the Galatians, is because actually if they did get circumcised. In many ways, all their problems would be gone. Right? See, if they accepted circumcision, essentially all their Jewish opponents would have gone, oh, OK, we're good. Doesn't matter then. If you have to be circumcised, we have to be circumcised, it's all good, don't worry about it. The Romans would have looked and said, well, OK, Judaism is protected under Roman law, don't have to worry about it. All of their persecution could go away if they only change this part of the gospel. And you can understand the temptation, can't you? You could escape all this hardship. It was their ticket to an easier life.
In fact, even chapter 5, Paul writes, he says,
But if I, brothers still preach circumcision, why am I being persecuted? In that case, the offense of the cross has been removed.
There was a problem The cross was offensive. The cross was offensive to them because it represents the fact that not only have we sinned before God, but that there is actually a punishment against our sins and we can't do anything about it. In fact, the cross was offensive to them, it's still offensive to us. In fact, the message of the gospel, no matter what culture, no matter what time you are living in, will always be offensive at some point because the message of the cross points out the fact that we aren't good enough. Actually we have failed. We have sinned, we have fallen short of God's perfect standard.
And hear me, I get the temptation that says, well, hold on, I mean that sounds pretty harsh. I mean, doesn't the church need to kind of get with the times? Doesn't the church kind of need to update every once in a while, I mean, you're a little bit outdated there, I mean, come on, get with it. Stop talking about sin so much. Yet every Sunday we come together, we talk about sin at some point. We point to the cross at some point. Because the message of the gospel doesn't change. Right, it's not because we're stubborn. Well, let's be honest, sometimes we are, but that's not why. It's not because we don't want to think deeply about our world, about the issues going on in today's world, no, we actually do want to think very deeply and carefully about what's going on around us. It's not simply because we're stuck in the past, but it's rather because there is no other way for us to be saved. There is nothing else that will deal with our sins before God, so we will take the opposition, the mockery, the persecution, the suffering, because there is no one else who can save. There is no other gospel. The existence of the church has always depended on the unwavering proclamation of Jesus. And so it will always at times be offensive because it will confront us with our sin and call us to recognize there is no other way that we can be saved.
In fact, verse 13, Paul keeps going. He says,
For even those who are circumcised, do not themselves keep the law. But they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh.
Right, Paul basically says, he's made this point already in the book. He says, look, their motivation is wrong. Right, they're trying to boast in whatever they could make you do, right, that's what they wanted, they wanted more followers for themselves, more likes on Instagram. That was their motivation, it's not a good one, but not even that, what they're doing doesn't work. Because they're saying, yeah, you gotta follow the law, but they're not following it. Back in chapter 3, he already wrote this, he says,
For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse, for it's written, cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law and do them.
Problem is, it's not about doing some good things, it was about doing all of them. And actually no one can. No one is perfect. No one has been perfect even by our own standards, let alone God's perfect ones. The best person, the best human being that we could come up with is still yet falling short, still guilty before God. We can't do enough good things to outweigh the bad. When God's standard is perfection, everything falls short. Right? This is why there is no other salvation. Every attempt to do so will fall so far short. Except one Only one person ever lived a perfect life, and that was Jesus.
Right, this is why we boast about the cross of Jesus, because there was one person who never fell short, who actually did what God had called him to do. Jesus, God Himself came to this earth and lived a perfect life, not simply to show us that it could be done or how to live, but he actually did it so he could accomplish all that God had asked us to do in our place. And then he went to the cross. He went to the cross and he placed on the shoulders of Jesus every sin we committed, every wrong thought, every evil action or intent of our heart on every single one of them was placed on Jesus and then he died in our place. The punishment for our sins went to the cross of Jesus, went to the grave with him. Jesus lived a perfect life. He died in our place, and he rose again. Not just in a figment of our imagination or in the wishes of our heart, but literally, physically, historically, Jesus rose from the grave so that anyone who would believe in Him, placed their trust in Jesus Christ, their sins would be forgiven. And they would have eternal life with him. Everyone who repents turns from their sin and trusts in Jesus. He's given eternal life. The entirety of our salvation rests on what Jesus has done.
Right, this is what Paul has been writing all throughout this book, over and over again. He's been trying to get us to understand the point that we are justified, right? Declared righteous before God, how? By faith in Jesus. Not by what we can accomplish, by what Jesus has already done. Jesus bore our sins unto the grave and he rose again because they were dealt with in full. You want to know why Paul is boasting about Jesus. It's because he did everything that we couldn't do. Right?
Verse 14, he says,
But far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Right? What could Paul ever boast about that would even come close to comparing with what Jesus has done. We boast about Jesus because he has already accomplished more than any of us ever could. He's the one who has paid for our sins. How could we not talk about this?
Right, and hear me, while all of that is true, we could also miss out on even how the Galatians would have heard that. See, we think about the cross and we think about a thing of beauty, decoration, artwork, jewelry, even, right? It is, it's a nice symbol that we have made and certainly the meaning of the cross is a beautiful thing of what Jesus has done, but we also need to remember the cross was horrific. It was a shameful thing. In fact, even under Roman law, Roman citizens couldn't be crucified. You weren't allowed to crucify because it was seen as too degrading a way for a person to die. They wouldn't allow their citizens to even undergo it.
See, crucifixion was horrible because not only were they tortured, beaten, but then they were stripped and hung in public so that everyone could watch as they suffocated. I mean every person who was reading this, er Paul himself would have seen crucifixion, seen the horror of what they are talking about. It was not a glorious thing, it was a humiliating defeat for the enemies of Rome. That is what Paul is boasting about. You can imagine the Galatians reading that and thinking, why would you ever boast about that? Certainly that's the part of the story that you hide, that you kind of keep to yourselves, you don't let other people know how humiliating a defeat this moment was, why would you ever talk about that? If you want people to be Christians, maybe hide that fact. And yet that's the very part that Paul will speak of.
Why? I mean, there's so many reasons. It shows us what our sins, even just a small picture of what our sins deserved, but more than that, it shows us the power of God. First Corinthians we read.
God chose what is low and despised in the world, even the things that are not to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God, so that as it's written, let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.
God intentionally chose what was low, humiliating even. In order to show the greatness of his power and salvation. In the humility and the weakness of the cross, God can accomplish more than we can in our greatest moment of strength and dignity. When we approach the cross, we have to remember, we have to recognize just how helpless we really are.
Right, this would be like stepping out onto the ice with Wayne Gretzky. And you're going to play one on one. You and him, and he says, well, you know what, to try and even the odds, I'm going to skate on one skate and I'm going to have one hand tied behind my back, and he still just works you over, right? You don't even score a goal, the guy is so much better than you, and then you look down and you realize he didn't even lace up his skates. And you go, oh man, I have nothing here, right, the gap is so much greater than I ever realized.
Hear me, Jesus, bloodied, bruised, dying and humiliated, has accomplished more of our salvation than we have at our very best. We look at the cross and we realize this is the power of God on display. In the weakest moment that humanity could bring, God accomplishes our salvation. What we could not do in all of our strength. That's why Paul says, I will boast in the cross of Jesus. This is what my God can do in the weakest of moments. How much greater confidence can I have knowing his strength in full. I can talk about Jesus, I can boast about this because I see more of him.
Prophet Jeremiah puts it this way,
Thus says the Lord, let not the wise man boast in his wisdom. Let not the mighty man boast in his might. Let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, declares the Lord.
Oh, don't brag about how strong you are, don't brag about how smart you are, don't brag about how much money you have. Hear me, one car accident could take all of it from you in an instant. It's hardly even yours. If you want to boast, boast that you know the King of kings, the God who created all things, who stands enthroned in the heavens, boast that through Jesus Christ you are reconciled before God on high, that he has loved you and known you, that he has called you his own. You want to boast, boast in that. Let us never tire to speak about the greatness of what Jesus has done for us.
So let me ask you the question, are you boasting about Jesus? Do people hear from your lips, from your life, how good Jesus is? Do they see it in how you act? Do you draw people's attention to see Jesus in your life? Hear me, we talk all the time. I'm not suggesting we become arrogant, rude or annoying. But just like when you watch a good movie, you tell people about it, don't you? You recommend that they check that out. You go to a good restaurant and it becomes one of your go to recommendations, something you'll recommend, you go on a hike and you tell people. Have you told more people about a restaurant or Jesus? If we were to take an inventory of all the words that you use throughout the week, how many would show people what Jesus is like? Let's boast about him. Make it obvious in our lives, right? boasting is always an obvious thing. Draw people to see Jesus. Make him look good because he is the only one who never lets us down. He's the only one who actually lives up to the hype. Everyone else we always know is going to fall short, but Jesus doesn't. Jesus has done far more, in fact, I might even argue it would be weird of you not to bring it up.
Right, I imagine you had a friend. You had known this friend for let's say like 10 years, right? You know each other well, you hang out on weekends, you even go vacationing together, alright, you know this person very well. Imagine after 10 years, you suddenly realize. And they start telling you a story they'd never told you before, that actually they got into a car accident when they were younger. They were quite young, they got into a major car accident and someone had actually dragged them out of the car as the thing engulfed in, you know, a giant explosion. They saved your life and then that same individual had paid for all their medical bills, paid for all their time off work, drove them to physio so they would be able to recover, and then even adopted them into their family. And you would say, how have I known you for 10 years and you have never talked about the most important thing that's ever happened in your life.
And yet how much greater has Jesus impacted our lives. He has not only saved us from the car wreck, he took it himself. He paid for our sins, reconciled us with God, adopted us into his family, dwells in our hearts, leads us, comforts us, guides us throughout every single day. How weird would it be to never talk about him. Let us boast about Jesus. It should be on our lips all the time. People should know as they get to know us, yeah, they trust in Christ. And actually when I look at their lives, Jesus looks good. Because he is good. We're not making things up, we're showing what he is truly like. Show the difference Jesus has made.
Look back verse 14, he says,
But far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.
Look, when we actually trust in Jesus, a change happens. We're dead to our old life. We are alive to him in Christ, dead and gone. Our old life is there on the cross, it's in the grave, and we have risen to a new life with him. Again, earlier in Galatians, Paul writes,
I have been crucified with Christ. It's no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me, and the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Our lives have forever changed, the sin that once ruled me no longer does I follow the Holy Spirit. Hear me, we have so much to praise God for, to boast about to other people. Jesus died and paid for all of our sins. We see in his crucifixion the power of God, we see the transformation he has made in our lives. Let us boast about how much he has done. Because not only has the cross forgiven our sins, but actually made us new, right? We are a new creation.
Verse 15 says,
For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.
Again, not about what we can accomplish, not about what we can do, but about what Jesus has done in our lives. He has made us new. 2 Corinthians Paul writes, he says that
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, behold, the new has come.
Like Paul just said, I've been crucified to Christ, dead, my old life is long gone. I notice here, it doesn't say we get a do-over. That's actually not what the text said. The text didn't say, hey, you get to try again. Have another go at it, as if that's what we needed, as if that's the only change that needed to happen. No, he says you are a new creation. It's not just the same over again. In fact, in Christ, we have a new life. One that has been set free. From sin where it no longer has hold over our lives. Yes, we're still going to fight with sin on this side of eternity, but do not miss the change that has happened. Do not fail to thank and praise God for what he has done.
Verse 16, he says,
For all who walk by this rule.
Now that rule is not go back to the Old Testament, no, rather the rule is to live by the Spirit. Galatians 5.
If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
I know this is a little hard to see in English, but actually that word keeping in step and the word walk here in our text, it's the same word. It's the word for when soldiers march together in unison, right? This is how we are to follow the Holy Spirit, keep in step with him. Where he goes, I go, what he does, I do. That is how we live the Christian life and what is the promise. Verse 16,
Peace and mercy be upon them and upon the Israel of God.
Paul says as a new creation. Walk in step with the Holy Spirit, and what is the fruit of that? Peace and mercy. The peace with God, mercy of Jesus Christ will flood your life. Hear me, we live in a world that is wracked with anxiety, toil, trauma, pain, stress, and to hear that we have mercy and peace with God is like an oasis in the desert for our souls. All who are weary of carrying the stress of a life trying to work towards God, come to Jesus and you will have rest for your souls. Hear me, the blessing is so good.
Hear me, we have so much to praise God for. We've been made new. We are part of the people of God. Notice here, Paul calls the church the Israel of God, meaning those who trust in Jesus are God's people. Earlier in Galatians, Paul already said,
Knowing then that it's those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.
The true people of God are those who've been made a new creation in Jesus Christ. Romans 11 says we're grafted into the tree, into the people of God, inheriting his promises. We have so much to thank God for. We have so much to boast about, there is so much goodness in knowing Jesus Christ.
And so as Paul closes, he ends with a bit of a sobering reminder, isn't it? Look at verse 17, he says,
From now on, let no one cause me trouble, don't keep fighting about this, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.
See, Paul had suffered deeply for following Jesus, even when he went and preached in Galatia, if you go back and read the story, he is threatened, he is beaten, he is nearly killed. They leave him out there to die in the wilderness and people come and find him and rescue him. Paul quite literally had marks on his body for following after Jesus. If we are followers of a crucified leader, let us expect the same treatment. We are going to face persecution as followers of Christ. That is actually one of the promises the Bible does give us. If you follow Jesus, expect to carry a few scars. Yours might not be as physical as Paul's were, but no believer leaves this life unscathed.
And you might say, well, hold on. I mean that seems like a giant left turn at the end of this passage. We've been talking about how good Jesus is, how much we have to boast about in Christ, and now suddenly you flip it and say, yeah, by the way, you're going to suffer. What? I mean, where did that come from? I mean, wasn't the whole point that Jesus makes our life perfect? But actually I didn't say that, did I? Jesus doesn't come and make our life perfect, we recognize we have a perfect savior. One who actually carries us through every trial, every pain, every trauma of life, Jesus does not let us go. Right? More than our lives being perfect when we come to Christ, we find we have a perfect savior who never lets us go.
In fact, Paul, when he is pleading with God for some of just his physical pain to go away, 2 Corinthians, it says,
But he that is God said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness, therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities, for when I am weak, then I am strong.
Our greatest boast is not that we don't face opposition, hardship or weakness, but that in every weakness God's strength is seen. Our greatest boast is that our savior can help us no matter what we face. There is no opposition, no matter how many of the scars we bear in the following of a crucified savior. We remember that he is the one who rose from the dead. If even death cannot stop the power of God, why should I worry? He is able to save me perfectly. I can boast all the more of all my weaknesses, because in them I see God's greatness.
Hear me consistently throughout my life. It has always been my lowest moments that have shown me more of God's grace than anything else. Going through cancer, going through infertility, adoption, even losing my mother last year, in all of that, I have seen more of God's grace and strength to carry me through than all the greenest pastures my life has ever had. Hear me Don't hide your scars. They show the grace of God that's carried you through. May we be filled. With the scars that show the goodness of my savior, that in every one of them, his grace has been more than enough.
See, that's exactly how Paul ends this book.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.
The gospel is about grace. For everyone who believes his goodness is poured out in our lives without end, it was not earned nor deserved, but freely, richly and lavishly given to us in Christ Jesus. That is what we boast about. We are a new creation in Jesus Christ. Tell the world.
So brothers and sisters, as we close this book, hold on to grace. The grace of Jesus is not about what we can do. There is only one salvation, and it's not what we can accomplish, it's about what Jesus has done. Our best deeds do not earn our way, nor have our worst deeds held us away. We are saved by what Jesus has done on the cross. The only way to be right with God is through him. Place your trust in him. Place your trust in what Jesus has done. Because in that we are set free from our sin, given a new life to walk in the Holy Spirit that we might boast of his goodness, of his greatness. Let us draw attention to Jesus, make his goodness known. This is our prayer as believers, as a church. Jesus be made known. Let's pray.
Our heavenly Father, we are so grateful for the grace that you have poured out on our lives. Father, we confess that we have done nothing to earn our salvation. Our greatest works are yet so far beneath what Christ has done. Father, I pray, would we always cling onto the cross of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins. May we live lives that are walking in step with. The Holy Spirit as we boast all the more gladly about the good things that you have done, Father, fill us with the joy of your salvation. May we tell others in our lives of the amazing transformation that has taken place by Jesus Christ. We ask all these things in your name. Amen.