Present the Truth - Galatians 6:11-18
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Present the Truth - Galatians 6:11-18
Present the Truth - Galatians 6:11-18
Good morning! Last week we discussed sharing - sharing our burdens, sharing our stuff, sharing so that we can persevere and run that good race - and I’ve heard from a few about the impact that has made and I pray that everyone has been feeling God move in their lives and pressing on their hearts. And I’m excited about today because today we get to close out the final chapter of Galatians, even though we have one more week as we go back next week and finalize talking about the fruit of the Spirit. And then we get to start in on many people’s favorite time of the year - Christmas. But we aren’t there just yet, so if you’re that type that already has your tree up the day after Halloween, you’ve still got a couple of weeks yet till we get there. Let’s pray.
You are going to have to forgive me here, because I’m going to use a four letter word. Math. If you took geometry in high school you’ll remember proofs. How many of you remember proofs. How many of you enjoyed proofs.
Math is one of those unique subjects out there. No matter what you do, no matter of time or outside influence, math always is true if the problem has been worked correctly.
Now I’m not going to discuss common core math or “new math”, because I guess in the end the answer still always come out to be the same. Math can be done incorrectly, but it cannot be manipulated. Basically we can get the wrong answer when doing math because somewhere along the way we (or someone else) failed to process a part of the equation correctly.
And that’s where proofs came in. Now you’re provided this information about a problem, and using that information, you now have to prove that another piece of information is true.
Now before I lose y’all because I’m talking about math, stop and think. How does math apply to the Bible.
Anyone in here a C.S. Lewis fan? Well, not only did he write the Chronicles of Narnia, he also was well known for several apologetic works. And apologetics is presenting the truth of the Gospel to others. It sounds like apology, I know, but in this case it’s actually the exact opposite. It’s presenting the truth in a way that leads others to ponder or consider the truths of the Bible and Christianity. Similar to a math problem, it takes the truth of Christianity and presents the equation to those who would be naysayers. And that’s what we’re going to look at today as we look at the final 8 verses of Galatians 6.
5 Principles for Presenting the Truth of the Bible
but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.
And that’s the message Paul is going to push in these verses in Galatians. The first thing we see in these verses is
1. Convincingly
See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand.
The first thing we see here is that Paul has taken the pen from his transcriptionist. He’s writing in large letters. And while he’s already told them that he’s having a hard time physically, that’s not really a reason for emphasis here as he’s already breached that subject with them. What he’s doing is telling them that this is important, so listen up.
Think of it this way - when you look at an award or a diploma or degree or most other presentations, the large bold letters are the most important information. Paul is writing in large letters in order to make sure that they are paying attention and he’s drawing on that large bold print to draw their attention to it.
Think about it, when you get a text in all caps, what is your first thought? Why are you yelling at me? Paul is gripping the reader, he’s taking ahold of them and saying pay attention, because if you get nothing else get this!
Remember, these were letters, meant to be read all at one time, and at this point Paul’s audience has read the entire letter and now Paul is bringing everything into a conclusion and He’s screaming at them to remember this final thought.
Paul is doing this because he is convinced that the message he has sent in this letter is completely true. If we aren’t convinced, then we aren’t convincing to others. Are we confident enough to be convincing enough to the world?
Math only has one true answer. There is only one true God, and only one way to get to Him. Paul knows that, and the Bible dictates that.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Those of us that know Him know that already. Paul knows that, that’s why he’s personally portraying this message, he’s as convinced as we should be that we are justified by grace alone and that we are now to be walking in the Spirit.
2. Carefully
We have to be careful for 2 reasons.
a. Our Pride
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.
Good showing - they were trying to show their numbers in those that were circumcised. They were boasting about the number of those that were converted to the law through circumcision. In doing so, they were protecting themselves from the persecution because they were being able to maintain their social and economic status. Basically they were saying that if you’re a Christian, you should get circumcised so that the jews won’t cut you off. And they weren’t even following the whole law that they were pushing.
It happens today. Televangelists or some random person stops you and tell you the bible means this or says this and they take it completely out of context. They try to tell you to send money or stop smoking, or drinking, or dancing, or they’ll tell you to do some special task in order to be saved - folks there is only one way to Jesus, and it ain’t our doing.
Now, should a Christian do those things? Most people would refer to verses that refer to the body as the temple, like
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
And while I would tell you that sinning against the body would be wrong, I would also add that none of those are automatically works of the flesh - you’ll remember those from Galatians 5:19-21 a few weeks ago:
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But drunkenness!!!! Folks, I am not big on the whole idea of drinking. But drinking and drunk are, in fact, 2 different things.
It’s not our job to convict others. That’s the Holy Spirit’s job, and we need to let Him do it. Don’t get so proud that the person sees you.
And on that note, please, read your bible. I am a man called by God to be a pastor, but I am still a man. I study and pray all week about the message I bring on Sunday, but I don’t have all of the answers. I am not God, and I fail sometimes too. Keep me humble.
b. Our Message.
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.
Paul is saying that the circumcision doesn’t matter at all - because it and all of that legalism stuff we try to throw into it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that we are daily pick up our cross, daily give it all to Christ, because the works of the world do not matter, boasting rights don’t matter, none of this matters. The only thing that matters, the only thing that is of eternal significance, is Christ. If we add anything to Christ we do wrong math, because Christ has already paid the price. As Paul told the Philippians in
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Our message is Christ, everything that we do for the kingdom is a result of Christ, and if we are doing it for any reason other than Christ our message is not Christ but rather self. We have to be careful in our message to make sure that it is all about Him and not of ourselves.
In order to do that, we must be walking in the Spirit and be prepared - a great way to do that is found in
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
We have to read it to present it. Leaving it sitting on your end table all week long (or longer for the 1.5 times per month crowd) isn’t going to help you present and defend your faith.
3. Clearly
And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.
“all who walk by this rule” - what rule? I thought the entire letter of Galatians was salvation by faith. And that is true, because that is the rule that Paul is talking about here. The entire letter has been about justification by faith, because the law only gets us misery. That’s why Paul is making sure that we understand that Jesus did all of the work for us, in his own handwriting, and pressing that this is the only way for peace and mercy to prevail. When we are trying to do salvation in our way or our strength we will always be disappointed.
“Israel of God” all believers - Jewish and Gentile who have been adopted by God are the Israel of God.
Of all of the Pauline letters, this is the only one where Paul provides a conditional benediction. The Galatians have been coerced so much by false doctrine of the law by the judaizers that Paul is having to be stern and clear in his message. He’s writing in all caps that Jesus is period. He’s driven home that Justification is God’s work, Sanctification is God’s work, and Glorification is God’s work.
All of our ministries and outreaches of the Church need to be mindful that it is His work. Connecting through fellowship and worship is of Him and By Him and for Him. The way we engage others with the Gospel and through discipleship is not out of guilt or selfish desires but to do the work He has entrusted and called us to do. Even our multiplication we have to be clear in our message that the only goal is Christ. We must be clear that the mission is to bring people to Him, and sometimes that might not mean bringing them to Harmony.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’d love to see Harmony grow. But if my focus is only on Harmony, I am out of step and I need to re-evaluate. Our purpose is to bring Jesus to a lost and dying world to have a relationship with the Father. Our mission is to grow the Kingdom. Keep your focus clear on Jesus.
4. Confidently
We must be confident in the message of Jesus.
From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.
Trials will come friends. Paul has been beaten, bruised, imprisoned, stoned, all for the sake of Christ. As we discussed back in verses 12-14, the people who were getting the circumcision were attempting to avoid persecution. And there are people just like that today. People who show up to church on Sunday but go out and try to hide their Christianity because they might get made fun of or laughed at. People who will go out and never mention the name of Jesus in public for fear of ridicule and persecution.
Paul is taking the attack from those that are trying to add to the Gospel personally. Paul is completely loyal to Jesus, all the way to the point of death. He’s already been through the persecution, and Jesus is all the proof he needs of that loyalty.
Paul was a Hebrew of hebrews, and he knows what it means to be under the law. He knows what the law is, and he absolutely knows that Jesus is better.
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
That’s why he takes it as a personal attack. He knows exactly what the judaizers are trying to place on the new Galatian Christians, and Paul isn’t having it.
Are we that confident? Do we take those attacks lightly? Do we know enough of our bible and are we allowing ourselves to be led by the Spirit enough to be able to tell the difference between truth and heresy? I’m not trying to guilt trip anyone here, but someone has to ask these questions as we look at our nation and our churches today.
5. Conclusively
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.
He closes the letter, and there are 2 things to take note of here - 1, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ - he’s even reminding them in his conclusion to the letter that it is God’s grace that gives us our freedom, and 2, brothers. He’s reminding us that the adoption has already taken place and that we already belong to Christ because of that grace. In this last sentence Paul sums up the letter: Jesus is the answer.
C.S. Lewis wrote in the book Mere Christianity
“[To have Faith in Christ] means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already. Not hoping to get to Heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already inside you.”
We act, as Christians, because of the grace that has been given to us and the Holy Spirit that lives inside us.
And as our time today comes to a close, I want us to be ever mindful of Paul’s message throughout the book of Galatians. Jesus paid it all, there is no “Jesus and this equals salvation”, but rather Jesus plus nothing equals everything. Our relationship became secure the day we believed and chose to obey the Holy Spirit and accept Jesus as Lord.
And we need to present the truth convincingly, carefully, clearly, confidently, and conclusively - but we need to do that consistently. If we are only presenting the truth when its comfortable or convenient, we are showing the world that Jesus isn’t really that important. That’s why it’s important to always share the full truth of Jesus - otherwise we wind up with half truths that are no truths, like the judaizers were sharing.
Now another thing to consider whether you are here today in person or watching online is do I know Christ? If the answer to that question is anything other than yes, God is pulling at your heart strings to come to Him. If you don’t know how to do that I’m going to make it simple today - Romans 3:23
says we all are sinners, and because of that we are separated from Him for eternity. But John 3:16
tells us that God loved the world, and He loved it so much that He gave His only Son just so that you and I could have a relationship with Him if we believe in Him and what He did. What did He do for me? Romans 5:8
tells us that while we were still sinners, Jesus died for us, and then Romans 10:9
tells us that He rose from the dead, proclaiming victory! Thing is, He can’t force you into a relationship with Him. He calls you, and He’s calling you today. You know you need Jesus, you know that He loves you more than anyone ever could - Romans 10:9
and 10 says : “…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
So the first step was admitting to God that you’re a sinner. The second step is to believe that Jesus came to die and be raised from the dead for your sins. The last thing is to confess Jesus as Lord. Don’t hold yourself back from the greatest decision you could ever make. This is your time. If that’s you, if God is calling to you to draw into a relationship with the only perfect father, answer Him today. If you don’t know how to start, you can come get me, or get someone else’s attention, or you can even just pray right where you and admit to God that you are a sinner and that you believe that He can save you and choose Him as Lord of your life.
Now is the time, the altar is here, come as He calls.
Heavenly Father
Questions for the week:
1. How convinced am I about the Truth? Am I truly convinced that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6) or is this something I struggle with?
2. Am I careful about my own pride when it comes to sharing the Gospel? Is the message that of Christ, or do I throw additional things on people? Do I allow the Holy Spirit to work in me, as well as others, to bring about change in the individual?
3. How clear am I on the mission personally? How do I fit into the mission of the Church? How do we at Harmony fit in that mission?
4. Am I confident in the message of Christ enough to be ready for hard persecution? If necessary, would I give my life for the Gospel? Am I a soldier for Christ, or am I just going through the motions while it fits my agenda?
5. Do I trust and know that Jesus has already won the victory, or does the world around me paint such a vivid picture that I worry about my adoption status?