This morning we will conclude our expositional study of Paul's letter to the Galatians in Galatians 6 verses 11 through 18. Galatians 6 verses 11 through 18. However, I'd like to begin this morning in Galatians chapter 1. Where Paul expressed urgency and alarm in chapter 1 verse 6 when he wrote, I marvel that you are turning away so soon from him who called you in the grace of Christ to another gospel. And that different gospel was a gospel of legalism, of works salvation. And the Galatians had been deceived by the Judaizers who taught them that the Mosaic law was necessary for salvation and necessary for sanctification. Paul's urgency and alarm then continued in chapter three, verse number one, if you're connecting the dots, where Paul wrote, oh foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth? before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified. And so the situation was this. The Galatians had been shown the cross. The Galatians had clearly seen the crucified Christ. However, at some point along the way, in fact, early on along the way, they became disoriented and they became deceived into thinking that their own righteousness was by keeping the law. And so Paul made it very clear in chapter three, verse 24, that the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ so that we might be justified by faith. If you remember nothing else from our study these past few months through the book of Galatians, remember chapter three, verse 24, the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ so that we might be justified by faith. But folks, alas, the issues in the book of Galatians are not unique to the first century. The issues in the book of Galatians have been the distinguishing marks that have separated human religion from biblical Christianity for all of these many centuries. I would have you consider the chart that I've printed for you there in the back of your notes, projected before you there on the screen. Human religion versus biblical Christianity. Human religion is a matter of man's earned merit, while biblical Christianity is a matter of God's free gift of grace. You might add Ephesians chapter two, verses eight and nine there. Human religion is a matter of man's good works for God, while biblical Christianity is God's good work for man. You might add Romans chapter five, verse number eight there. Human religion is a matter of man's external achievement. Biblical Christianity is God's internal accomplishment. Philippians 2 verse 13 says that it is God who works in us. Man's eclectic means is human religion. God's exclusive means is biblical Christianity. John 14 verse number six. Jesus says there is no other way to the Father except through me, very exclusive. And then ultimately, human religion, man gets the glory. But in biblical Christianity, God gets the glory. And so as Paul wraps up this letter to the Galatians, he takes one last opportunity to make the gospel of grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone clear. And he does so by comparing and contrasting the last line there on that chart, the matter of man's glory or God's glory. If you turn your notes over, the summary that I've given you by way of introduction, if matters of salvation and sanctification are attained by human effort, there is good reason for man to boast in himself. His righteousness. But if the matters of salvation and sanctification are attained by Jesus Christ's work on the cross, then man can only boast in Jesus Christ and the cross. This morning from Galatians 6 verses 11 through 18, I prepared a message simply titled Glory in the Cross. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. God in heaven, we thank you so much for the teaching of the book of Galatians. We thank you. that through the ministry of the Holy Spirit of God upon the Apostle Paul, these things have been preserved for us, not just those in the first century, but those of us now in the 21st century. Lord, I pray that you would help us to to understand the purpose of the law was to point us to Christ so that we would then, and only then, glory and boast in the cross of Jesus Christ. I pray that you would find us to do that this morning. I pray in Jesus' name, amen. Galatians chapter six, verse number 11, Paul writes, see then, with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand." Galatians 6 verse 11. Paul is saying two things here in verse 11. He's saying first, he's saying that he's writing with large letters. Why? Why would Paul write with large letters? It is believed that Paul had poor eyesight. And so the large letters or the large print that Paul is writing here are a consequence of that poor eyesight as he struggled to see. In fact, just a page earlier, back in chapter 4, verse 13, Paul acknowledged that he had a physical infirmity in the flesh. Perhaps that physical infirmity was poor eyesight, because while the Galatians may have been repulsed by his physical infirmity, his trial in the flesh, chapter 4, verse 14, they were They were actually willing to give him their own eyes, if possible. Chapter 4, verse 15. So chapter 4, verses 13, 14, and 15 suggest that Paul had poor eyesight. Also, some believe that Paul had poor eyesight as a thorn in the flesh in 2 Corinthians 12, verse 7. I believe that the context of 2 Corinthians 12, 7 suggests that Paul's thorn in the flesh may have been a person or a group of people, his critics. But nonetheless, it is probable that Paul's poor eyesight was the reason for his writing here with large letters. Also in verse number 11, he says that he's writing with his own hand. He's writing these large letters with his own hand. Now normally Paul would dictate his correspondence to an amanuensis or to a secretary, but here for the sake of emphasis and authenticity, Paul picked up the pen himself and he scratched out these final few verses, Galatians 6 verses 11 through 18 with his own hand. hand, he wrote these large letters because whatever he intended to write, whatever point he had been trying to make here is so important that he wanted to write it himself, even if he had to apologize for his poor penmanship. Think of it this way. When you have an important message to write, You might write in large letters. In fact, you might write in all capital letters. You might bold them, underline them, double underline them. With two exclamation points at the end, you might write on a yellow post-it note to be put in a prominent place so that your spouse doesn't miss the memo, right? That's what Paul is doing here. I'm writing with my own hand in large letters because what I'm writing here is so important. to see and to read. So what were his final words to the Galatians? He addressed man's glory in religion and God's glory in the cross. We begin with man's glory in religion. Look at verse number 12. As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh. I call this religious pride. As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, human religion lends itself toward religious pride. For after all, if the things that we do can earn God's favor, then certainly the things that we do can earn man's favor as well. We can put on a pretty good show, you see. But that's exactly what Jesus warned against in his Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 6. He said this, When you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets that they may be seen by men. Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites with a sad countenance, for they disfigure their faces that they may appear to be fasting. God abhors the religious charades that men practice in the name of religion. In Luke 16 Jesus gave a specific warning to the proud and arrogant religious leadership saying, you are those who justify yourselves before men but God knows your hearts. God always knows our hearts for what is highly esteemed among men the good showing in the flesh may in fact actually be an abomination in the sight of God. So let's make this practical this morning. There may be good reason that I ironed my shirt and I put on a tie this morning. But that ought not to be a point of spiritual pride, you see. Because although I may be washed on the outside, I may be rotten and corrupt on the inside. Dressing up on a Sunday morning to make a good showing in the flesh. is not what God is looking for, but rather the heart. We must be careful that we don't assemble together on a Sunday morning with the desire to make a good showing in the flesh. It stinks of rotten religious pride. Those who make a good showing in the flesh might have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion I'm studying from Colossians chapter three. But those things are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. So there is no ritual, there is no liturgy, there is no ceremony or standard of morality that can give us reason to boast in ourselves. Our Bible theology might be right, our ministry philosophy might be right, but woe to us if we practice our Christian faith to make a good showing in the flesh. That's a danger for us. Look at verse 12 again. Verse 12 continues, as many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. I call this, number two, religious fear. There's religious pride making a good showing in the flesh. Why? Because of religious fear, they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. And the Judaizers' fear was of suffering and persecution that accompanied the cross of Christ. They were more concerned about their safety than they were about their salvation, you see in this case. For the message of the cross is foolishness to the unbelieving Gentiles. There's no philosophical wisdom in Jesus' crucifixion as a common criminal. The message of the cross is foolishness to the Gentiles. The message of the cross is a stumbling block to the Jews. There is no honor in a Jewish Messiah who is martyred And so consequently the wicked one and the world will oppose and oppress the cross of Jesus Christ. And that opposition and that oppression can be threatening and cause fear that would compel us to behave in a certain way to conduct ourselves in a certain way to make a good showing of the flesh so that we don't suffer persecution. That threat of persecution or suffering might be internal or external. There may be internally, there may be those critics who accuse you of not living like they live. Or externally, there may be devastating costs to being a Christian, one's livelihood or even one's life and in human religion will breed religious fear. There are organizations that track the persecution of believers around the world. You may be familiar with Open Doors or the Voice of the Martyrs. In fact, the Voice of the Martyrs has a program that airs on WCTS radio. They have a magazine and a website and these organizations track persecution of believers around the world. And here is what we know, according to those organizations, there is more persecution of Christianity around the world today than there has been at any other time in church history. This morning at this very moment, there are countless believers around the world who are suffering, who are being persecuted for the cross of Christ. In fact, I wanna read to you a text message that I received this past week from a friend of mine. His name is Tim. Tim serves as a missionary in restricted access countries. In fact, we have Tim scheduled to be at our missions conference in March, and you'll get to meet him and hear his stories. But here's what he texted me this past week. He says, today, Five of our Iranian believers were beaten severely. As they were enduring beatings, the others sang hymns and praises to God to try to encourage the ones being beaten. As they were being beaten and singing, the Iranian police looked at each other and said, what are we doing? These men are not violent. They are even praying for us and our country as we beat them. The police stole all the men's belongings, their money, and their documents, and then dumped them in the streets, telling them to keep their religion to themselves. Our brothers replied, it is not religion, but a relationship with our creator God. Tim's text went on to say this, our men are beaten, bruised with some various and sundry broken bones, but are alive and planning on how to go about Christian evangelism. I'm sorry, Christmas evangelism. Right now their faces are so swollen they can barely speak, but they rejoice to suffer for their Savior who suffered so much more for them. Please keep Brother Kay and his group in your prayers. Folks, here we are. Here we are this morning making a good showing in the flesh, proud of our religious forms and our fashions. It's easy, it's convenient to be a New Testament Christian in Plymouth, Minnesota. But may that not be our glory. May that not be man's religion. What if we were to be persecuted for our faith or for the cause of Christ? Look at verse number 13. For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. I call this letter, number three, religious hypocrisy. And by definition, a hypocrite is one who demands something from others Well, he himself disregards that. If I tell you to give your money to the work of the Lord, and I withhold my money from the work of the Lord, I'm a hypocrite. If I demand that you read your Bible and pray every day, but I neglect God and his word, I'm a hypocrite. If I don't practice what I preach, I'm a hypocrite. And the Judaizers here demanded that others adhere to the Mosaic law, yet they themselves neglected the very same law. Listen to what Jesus says about this in Matthew 23. The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. Think authority, place of authority, seat of authority. Therefore, whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do. They're the authority, follow their instruction, but do not do according to their works, for they say and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. but all their works they do to be seen by men. There it is, right? They make their phylacteries broad and large, the borders of their garments, some of the specific details and the minutia of the Mosaic law. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. And man's glory in human religion is characterized by these things, for man's religion is man-centered, it's anthropocentric, it's man-centered, rather than Christocentric. On the other hand, look at verse number 14. But God forbid that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. And I'll title this God's Glory in the Cross. Look at verse 14 again. But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the Apostle Paul writing these very words with his own hand in large letters. Verse 14, by whom the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. Number one, the cross liberates me from the world. The cross liberates me from the world. You know 1 John 5 verses 4 and 5, for whatever is born of God overcomes the world and this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith. Not our flesh, our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world? But he who believes that Jesus is the son of God. For greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world. We are more than conquerors, Romans 8 verse 37. And glory to God for the cross. For the cross is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes. It frees us from the bondage, the slavery of the world. Verse 15, for in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything. It's irrelevant, but a new creation. Number two, the cross makes me a new creation. Verse number 15. Neither the specific act of circumcision or the general activity of keeping the law can do anything for our salvation or our sanctification. We are a new creature in Christ because of the cross. Back in chapter three, verse number one, Paul asked, are you so foolish, having begun in the Spirit, having been birthed by the Spirit of God, having been born again by the Spirit of God, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? It's a rhetorical question. No. Your new creation positionally and practically is because of the cross work of Jesus Christ where he shed his blood and he died as the Lamb of God. And for that reason we boast and we glory in the cross because the cross accomplishes those things. Verse 16, and as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them and upon the Israel of God. Number three, the cross saves all who walk by faith. And I believe, I know your notes are complete, but don't lose me here. Verse 16, I believe that Paul's giving an invitation to the Judaizers and everyone else who needs the righteousness of Jesus Christ. In fact, I extend that same invitation to you this morning, to everyone who needs the righteousness of Jesus Christ, rather than walking according to the rule of the Mosaic law. or any other law for that matter. Paul is inviting his readers to walk according to the rule of the gospel of grace in Christ. Chapter 1, verse 6. You see there in verse 16 the Israel of God. Those are the Jewish believers that are in Christ. Those who are the physical and the spiritual descendants of Abraham and they're heirs of the promise rather than of the law. They are the real Jews, the true Israel of faith. I'd point you to Romans 2 and Romans 9 there. Verse 17, from now on, let no one trouble me. I like that. Leave me alone. Enough already, right? I'm making it clear. This is the end of the conversation. Don't trouble me anymore, verse 17, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Paul didn't need a physical mark of Judaism-like circumcision. He was scarred with the consequences of preaching the cross. And then he concludes this entire letter, verse 18. Brethren, the very same theme. Notice the theme here. Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. Friends, I don't know where you are today. I don't know if you are proud of your religion. Perhaps you're embarrassed by your religion. Never mind your religion. Look to the cross of Jesus Christ alone, his grace gift, the forgiveness of sins, the eternal life. There is nothing that religion can do to save you. Becoming a Baptist doesn't save you. It is the cross of Jesus Christ alone, it is shed blood alone, and it is grace alone that cleanses you from your sin. And if that is your testimony, you boast in the cross of Jesus. Now. Our study of the text is complete. Your notes are complete. But I'd like to conclude in the few moments that remain this morning by reading to you from John Bunyan's book titled The Holy War. Now, We're familiar with John Bunyan's book, Pilgrim's Progress. It's a Christian classic. However, the Holy War is another allegory that John Bunyan wrote. You may not be familiar with it. And really, I'm indebted to Pastor John MacArthur for this example, this illustration. In fact, he concluded his commentary in the book of Galatians with this very illustration and example. It's in the book, The Holy War, that the Puritan John Bunyan wrote a dramatic closing scene between Emmanuel, think Christ, and the residents of the town of Mansoul, think of you and me. Emmanuel, representing Christ, and the residents of the town of Mansoul, representing us, Emmanuel helped Mansoul defeat the Diabolians, Satan's armies. Think of diabolic or demonic, Diabolians. And so Emmanuel stands in the town square telling the citizens of Mansoul how to stay free from the clutches of Satan. And here's what Emmanuel, Christ says to the citizens of Mansoul. I have loved you, Mansoul, I have bought you for a price, a price not of corruptible things as of silver and gold, but a price of blood, my own blood, which I spilled freely to make you mine and to reconcile you to my Father. and I stood by you in your backsliding when you were unfaithful, though you did not know I was there. It was I who made you your way dark and bitter. It was I who put Mr. Godly Fear to work, another character in the story, Mr. Godly Fear to work. It was I who stirred up conscience and understanding and will, also characters in this allegorical story. It was I who made you seek me and in finding me find your own health and happiness. Nothing can hurt you but sin. Nothing can grieve me but your sin. Nothing can make you fall before your foes but sin. Beware of sin, man's soul. I've taught you to watch, to fight, to pray, and to make war against your foes. So now I command you to believe that my love is constant to you. Oh, my man's soul, how I love you. I've set my heart upon you. Show me your love. and stand fast. Think of Galatians 5 verse 1. Stand fast in the liberty by which Christ has made us free. He says, show me your love and stand fast until I take you to my father's kingdom where there is no more sorrow, no grief, no pain, where you shall never be afraid again. As Emmanuel rides away in his chariot, The other three characters, conscience, understanding, and will, discuss the future and how they will have to be alert to keep the Diabolians at bay. Unless they depend completely on King Shaddai, that's the father, Emmanuel, the son, and the Lord High Secretary, that's the Holy Spirit, they will fail and fall into enemy hands. Is this way better than the freedom you had before, asks understanding, referring back to the days before Immanuel had made them free. The freedom we had before was like will struggled for words. The freedom we had before was like birds flying through broken windows in and out of a deserted house, flying aimlessly, going nowhere. So, do you love him because you have to? Understanding's probing was gentle. Their talk was to reiterate their faith, and in their talking, they strengthened each other. I do not have to love him, said Will. I am free. He has always left me free to do as I please. Then, asked understanding, then I love him because I want to, will, said simply, and I can never love him enough. As John Bunyan's holy war, folks, you are free. You are free in Christ. You are free from the law. You are free from human religion. You are free to obey Christ because you love Him. And you love Him because He first loved you. And love is the first fruit of the Spirit of God within us. If you wanna fulfill God's law, love him with all your heart, your soul, your mind and strength. And if you wanna gain victory over the flesh, love him with all your heart and soul and mind and strength. And if you want to, if you have lost that love, and if you are practicing a human religion and feel burdened by it, I point you to the cross of Jesus Christ. As Christ poured out his love for us, we in turn can love him and glory in the cross. Imagine in your mind's eye standing beneath the cross of Jesus and watching him suffer and die to liberate you from the law of sin and death, to make you free Imagine standing beneath the cross where Jesus says, I have loved you this much. Will you love me in return? We don't love Him because we have to, but because we want to, and we can never love Him enough. Let's pray. God in heaven, this morning we glory in the cross of Jesus Christ, in the gospel, in the death barrel and resurrection of our Lord Lord, our boast is in the cross, and it compels us to love you. Thank you for the freedom, the liberty we have from the Mosaic law. Thank you, Lord, for the difference between New Testament Christianity and human religion. I pray this morning for any that are here that are leaning on their own righteousness or following after human religion for their salvation, Lord, that you would draw them to yourself and by your grace grant them the faith to believe in you alone. Lord, help us all to stay standing beneath the cross, boasting and glorying in that alone. I pray in Jesus' name, amen.