Galatians chapter 6 beginning at verse 11. 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 might 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. grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, once again we ask for what only You can do, that You would help us by Your Holy Spirit, to grasp the height and the depth, the eternality of Your love for us, that You would help us to see more of who You are, that You would speak truth to our souls this evening. For we ask in Jesus' name, amen. Please do be seated. Well, we've made it. This is the last section of Paul's letter to the Galatians and our last message in this particular series. So boys and girls, one last time, what is Galatians a book about? Freedom, excellent, yes, freedom, that's right. And here in these closing verses, we actually get to hear Paul's summary of the whole letter and his parting shot to those troublesome Judaizers. Remember throughout the epistle, Paul has shown us true freedom. He's shown us that we're justified by faith alone. We're saved, we're freed from the law of sin and death by God's outrageous, scandalous, amazing grace. We're freed to use the law as God had always intended. As a mirror to show us the depths of our sin and our desperate need of Christ. As a guide for righteous, gloriously free living. And as a powerful tool to restrain evil in society. We've seen that this freedom comes to us by faith alone. And that faith is to be in Christ alone. Not in our performance, but in His. His obedience, His suffering, His resurrection, that is what saves us. At the same time, Christ's work is the dawning of a new creation, the new creation. The failed kingdom of Adam, now under the control of Satan, sin and death is coming to nothing. The new kingdom of Christ has arrived, and His kingdom is the very opposite to the doomed kingdom of Adam. His is a kingdom that is marked by righteousness, by holiness. In His kingdom, the Holy Spirit is poured out and produces in us good fruit. Paul has shown us how this fruit should be manifested in the church and in the life of individual believers. We're to be those who are marked by humility, a spirit of gentleness, especially as we seek to restore a repentant brother or sister who's gone astray. We are to be those who take care of the men that God has appointed to watch over our souls as they preach and teach us the Word of God. We're to be those who press on steadfastly in doing good and doing that good especially to the household of faith. So now Paul brings this letter to a powerful crescendo, like the end of some magnificent musical work, the final movement builds to a glorious climax. We're gonna work through this final movement under three headings. First we'll see bad boasting, bad boasting. And then we'll see the best boasting. And finally, a blessed benediction. Bad boasting, best boasting, and a blessed benediction. So Paul opens this concluding section as he often did. This seems to have been his habit by taking the pen from his scribe and writing this section with his own hand. And there's some debate amongst scholars as to whether Paul makes reference to his large letters because he's trying to emphasize his point Or some say it's because he had problems with his eyes and he couldn't see very well. Could be either of those. But I wonder if he's actually commenting on the state of his handwriting. Perhaps it's a bit like mine. Not particularly professional. Not particularly good looking, especially in comparison to his scribe's handwriting, which would have been perfect. As far as he's concerned, this writing that seems to be sprawling all over the page becomes a kind of picture of his life. And he begins to think there's really, there's nothing that makes such a good showing as the cross of Jesus Christ. There's nothing as beautiful as Christ himself. I wonder if that's what's going on. So here Paul launches into his final attack on the Judaizers. He points out that it's those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised. Those who are concerned about looking right on the outside, those who think it's possible to earn God's favor by ceremony or ritual. They are the ones who want to mark your bodies in this way. And they're only doing it, he says, so that they won't be persecuted by their Jewish compatriots. See, the cross of Christ was an abomination to these people. They remembered Deuteronomy 21, a hanged man is cursed by God. But they couldn't see the deeper magic, could they? They couldn't see the wonderful, mysterious plan of God as Paul had. That Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. Instead, these Judaizers, they were consumed with bad boasting. They wanted to boast in the number of Gentiles they'd managed to have circumcised that year. Pretty gruesome boasting, really, isn't it? And in doing so, Paul says they weren't even keeping the law themselves. See, God has always, always been interested in our hearts, our souls, not a crusty piece of skin. Paul makes that clear in Romans chapter two. Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision, but break the law. For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. So what does Paul mean by keeping the law here? Hasn't he shown us throughout this letter, over and over and over again, that's not something we can do. Even those things we do that we think are pretty righteous, those things in themselves have enough sin in them to damn us for eternity. So he must mean here then those who have the perfect righteousness and obedience of Christ credited to them, given to them so powerfully and effectively that God sees them as perfectly obedient, perfectly righteous. God sees them as law keepers. That's the wonder of the cross of Christ. It's the scandal and triumph of grace God treats the only man who kept the law as a law breaker, and us law breakers as if we'd kept every part. Now we might think that we would never do anything like these Judaizers, but often the same kind of thinking does creep in. Pretty sure we're not counting circumcisions, but are we still playing the numbers game? Have we bought the world's lie that bigger is always better? That more is always better than less? Are we so concerned about increasing the number of people in church that we begin to soften or even distort the gospel message? Are we adjusting what we say because we know what people want to hear? Now don't hear me wrong here. Of course we would love to see our church filled. We'd love to see more people in church. We long indeed for the whole world to repent and believe. But we need to get something straight in our head first. We need to remember how the Bible, how God measures success. God is far more concerned with faithfulness in preaching the gospel than baptismal statistics and the number of new converts we can claim. You remember the prophet Samuel. He said this, didn't he? Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice and to listen than the fat of lambs. I wonder if he was somehow magically transported here to the West and looked at some of the churches around us. I wonder if he might say, has the Lord as great delight in full churches and false gospels, as in obeying the voice of the Lord. Behold, to obey is better than compromise, and to listen better than multi-million dollar budgets. Of course, the great irony in all of this is that the way that churches stay full is to preach the whole counsel of God. The way to accomplish great things for God is fidelity to His Word. So Paul is warning us here, warning us against two great dangers. First, the fear of human opposition, and then second, the love of human praise. The fear of human opposition and the love of human praise. But why are these things so dangerous to us? Why does Paul have to take the pen himself to warn us about these things? Well, because those two things are the marks of a legalist. If we're gripped by the fear of opposition, and consumed by the love of human praise, then we will never embrace the cross of Christ. We'll never love the Christ who went to that cross. See, legalists love to substitute a superficial kind of morality for the cross because the cross puts an end to all pride. It leaves us open to persecution. The cross of Christ strips us of any of our merit. It forces us to admit that we have nothing to offer God but the sin that nailed Christ to the cross. It shows our desperate dependence on God's mercy. See, at the cross of Christ, We see the love of God because we see what our sin really deserves. And the cross also humbles us before men. Jesus said, whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. We can't say we love Jesus Christ without joining Him on the road to the cross. And that's a road that was filled with jeering and mocking and spitting. So if we love the praise of men, we'll never join Christ on that road. Instead, we'll end up joining the bad boasting of the Judaizers. So how can we be free of this bad boasting? Well, let's see how Paul deals with the Judaizers and try to apply his method to our own vain boasting. You remember all through the letter, Paul has been really softening up these Judaizers like a champion boxer. He's been chipping away at their defenses, destroying their arguments. And now as the letter draws to a close, he pulls out a one-two punch combination. that will knock out the Judaizers once and for all, send them sprawling to the mat down for the count. And so to see the first punch, we need to look ahead to verse 17. Paul has shown that these false teachers, they were marked by boasting, boasting in their own works, boasting even in the special mark that they bore on their own bodies. A mark, incidentally, that they had nothing to do with. But in verse 17, Paul draws attention to his own marks, doesn't he? I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. And if this was a numbers game, then surely Paul would win. He was marked from the lashes that he received, at least 138 of them. He was left for dead after being stoned by an angry mob. He was shipwrecked multiple times. And Paul calls these scars the marks of Jesus. They were the marks he bore as a result of being united to Jesus Christ. the shared sufferings of Christ. But it's these marks, these marks that Paul wants to be identified by, not circumcision. And so he writes in verse 15, for neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. Either circumcision nor uncircumcision matters at all anymore. All that matters is a new creation, Paul says. But notice he doesn't say a new creature here. Christianity is far bigger, far more than just a fresh start. Though Paul says a new creation. Once again, he's calling to mind those ancient promises that we find in Isaiah, promises about the new heavens and a new earth. Isaiah 65, 17, for example, for behold, I create new heavens and a new earth and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. Loved ones, in Christ, God has begun to create new heavens and the new earth. Only Christ brings the promises of the new heavens and earth through His cross of reconciliation. Through His life and death and resurrection and ascension, the work of recreation, of liberation, of new life has actually begun. And because of Him, of our Savior, the power that belongs to this new creation is poured out, the Holy Spirit. So here's Paul's first punch. He's saying this, if you continue to insist circumcision. If you continue to insist on the abrogated ceremonial law, then you are disinheriting yourself. You're writing yourself out of the new creation. And so at this point, the false teachers would be reeling. They were certain it was all about their keeping of the ceremonial law. That was what was going to ensure that they were the real children of Abraham. And Paul says, no. That's never how it works. And now comes punch number two. And again, the prophet Isaiah helps us see it most clearly. Isaiah's prophecy came at a time when Israel was in exile for their repeated sin. God's judgment was to force them out of the promised land. But in Isaiah we see that that wasn't God's last word. God promised through Isaiah that the people in exile would come home. The exile would end. that God would return his people to the promised land. Read Isaiah chapter 54 when you get home. In that chapter again, Isaiah is using a new creation language. He says that Israel's return from exile is gonna be like the waters receding from the flood of Noah. This was a kind of recreation, a renewing of the earth. Now remember, Paul has just said that neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything. What really matters is a new creation. In verse 10 of chapter 54, Isaiah describes what God will do for Israel. For the mountains made apart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love could be translated mercy. But my mercy shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed. God says he will give everlasting mercy and peace to Israel. Mercy and peace. Those two words are important. Come back to Galatians chapter six now. 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. Remember, if anyone is in Christ, he's a new creation. And now look at what Paul's doing here in verse 16. This is outrageous. If anyone, he's saying, if anyone, Jew or Gentile, circumcised or not, if anyone is in Christ, then he or she is Israel. He or she belongs to Israel. The one who looks by faith in Jesus Christ to God is the Israel of God. Through the cross of Christ, believing Jew and believing Gentile are included in the covenant promises of God. The Judaizers were trying too hard, weren't they? They were trying too hard to be identified as Israel because they thought that the law, their own misguided attempts at keeping the law was what made them unique. But Paul delivers his knockout blow with this stunning truth. Regardless of their efforts, only those who belong to Jesus Christ are the Israel of God. So I hope you can see that this argument is a Holy Spirit inspired stroke of genius by Paul here. The false teachers and their lies are left just crumpled in a heap. So then the question is, how do we put down the kind of boasting that could ensnare us? Well, the answer, I think, is that we take up a far better kind of boasting. Boys and girls, did you know that there is actually a good way to boast? There is a good way to boast. Now, no doubt your mums and dads have told you perhaps more than once to stop boasting. I know my parents certainly told me that a lot more than once. But what they want you to stop doing is stop the kind of boasting that these false teachers, these Judaizers were doing. Stop bragging to people about all the things that you've done. Here, Paul shows us a better way of boasting. He shows us the best kind of boasting. Indeed, the only kind of boasting that is permitted to the Christian. 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.'" My beloved, isn't what Christ has done worth boasting about? Admittedly, it's a strange kind of boasting. It's a boasting that requires us to admit that we've done nothing to deserve the treatment that we've received from God. In fact, we deserve the treatment that Christ received in our place. The agonizing death, the eternal wrath of God. It's a boasting that points to Christ alone and all that he is for us, all that he has done for us. A boasting that exalts in the cruelest method of execution that has ever been devised by man. One that was used by God to save every last one of his people. See, all prideful boasting is banished by the cross of Christ. By faith we're united with Christ in his death on the cross, which results in the death of all the reasons we might have for prideful boasting. The world here is characterized by prideful boasting, boasting about national identity, boasting about social status, boasting about religious practices, even the really gruesome ones. The world here shuns a life that could possibly lead to suffering. The world in fact persecutes those who stand for truth and righteousness. The world hates the message of salvation by grace alone. But Paul says, the world has been crucified to us and we to the world. And so we're no longer enslaved, we are gloriously free. So no wonder Paul was desperate to ensure that the Galatians didn't abandon the gospel of free grace. No wonder he urged them to not build on any other foundation than the foundation of salvation by faith alone in Christ alone. J.V. Fesco put it like this. There is no alchemy of grace and works that produces the gold of salvation. If our salvation rests on a mixed foundation of grace and works, we will always wonder whether we've done enough. Or as we've already heard Martin Luther say, the law says do this, and it's never done. Grace says believe in this, and everything is already done. So friends, that's something to boast in. That is the best boasting. So Paul brings this remarkable letter to a glorious conclusion with a blessed benediction. A good word that is so astounding it's almost impossible to believe. Almost. Dear Saint, you are the Israel of God. You are. You are the Israel of God. Once you were far off, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now, What a change. Now you've been brought near by the blood of Christ. Because of the cross of Christ, you are the Israel of God. Christ Himself is our peace. He has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility. He has poured out His Holy Spirit on us. He's raised us from death to life. He's cut out our heart of stone and given us a heart of flesh. He's given us eyes to see and ears to hear. He's engrafted us into Israel. And so now we share. We share in all the promised blessings, promised to Israel. because of Christ, because of his cross. We belong to a new kingdom, a new creation. Loved ones, you shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no longer be termed forsaken. And your land shall no more be termed desolate, but you shall be called, my delight is in her. And your land married, for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. You, dear ones, you shall be called the holy people, the redeemed of the Lord. And you shall be called sought out, a city not forsaken. And so now we can sing, thy works, not mine, O Christ, speak gladness to this heart. They tell me all is done, they bid my fear depart. because we're free, freed, freed from the bondage of sin and death, freed from the curse of the law. God sends his spirit into our hearts, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. And now we bear fruit, fruit that truly blesses those around us, fruit that brings glory to our triune God. Now all of us, whether we were born Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female, all of us are sons of God, true sons of Abraham, the Israel of God. And so now may peace and mercy and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all our spirits. Amen. Let's pray. Oh Father, we are lost for words that you would do this for us, that you would take wicked, sinful, wretches like us and make us your very own. that you would graft us in to all the promises and blessings you've given throughout history for Israel. God please fill us with thankfulness, fill us with joy and wonder at all you have done and may we give you praise, and worship, and adoration, and a lifetime of service. For we ask in Jesus' name.