Series: Galatians
Title: Delivered!
Text: Galatians 1: 1-5
Date: February 28, March 2, 2013
Place: FFF; SGBC, New Jersey
False
teachers were trying to turn the Galatian believers from the gospel of free
grace in Christ, back to the old covenant law. They were teaching that justification
and sanctification was by a mixture of faith in Christ, as well as works of the
law.
Paul
wrote to convince the Galatians of their error, to turn them back to Christ
alone to remind them that “in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any
thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.” (Gal 5: 5)
The
false teachers were saying that Paul was not an apostle like the other apostles.
Paul begins this letter, affirming that
their slander was false.
Galatians 1: 1: Paul, an apostle, (not of
men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him
from the dead;) 2:
And all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia:
This
letter was from many brethren as well as from Paul. It was written unto
believers who made up the churches of Galatia.
Now, let
us learn from Paul. Since the Galatians
were being turned from the Lord Jesus Christ back to the law, Paul wastes no
time getting right to the Lord Jesus Christ and his work.
Galatians 1: 3: Grace be to you and peace
from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, 4: Who gave himself for
our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to
the will of God and our Father: 5: To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Read
verses 4 & 5 again and you have the subect of our message today, the
message of our gospel and the one message of the entire word of God: Our Lord
Jesus Christ gave himself for our sins—the sins of his people, the sins of
every true believer, the sins of the elect, the sins of all who he shall bring
to believe on his name—that he might deliver us from this present evil world,
according to the will of God and our Father: to whom be glory for ever and
ever. Amen.
Title: To
Whom Be Glory
Divisions:
1) We are told what Christ did-- v4: Who
gave himself for our sins, 2) We are told why Christ did it—v4: that he might deliver us from this
present evil world, 3) We are told how Christ did it—v4: according to the will of God and our Father: 4) We are told what belongs to our triune
God in Christ for accomplishing this work—v5:
To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
I. FIRST, WE ARE TOLD WHAT CHRIST DID—Galatians 1: 4:
Who gave himself for our sins,…
This is
written to you and I, who by God’s grace, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Believer, try to get the fullness of these six words down in your heart.
Our
Lord Jesus Christ GAVE: willingly,
voluntarily, freely, faithfully, fully. Our
Lord Jesus Christ gave HIMSELF: not merely
things which belonged to him, not his holy angels, not the cattle on a thousand
hills, not gold and silver. He gave his OWN SELF: his life, his nature, his
blood, his body, his soul, his spirit.
He gave
himself FOR OUR SINS. Here is the
one thing we can claim as our very own—OUR
SINS. Everything else is given to us, given to us by him, given to us by
his unmerited grace. But our sins are
our own. What a worthless, cursing,
deadly possession—OUR SINS! It was not
for sins of his own: not for sins of angels, not for sins of the apostles only
or the Jews only, not for the sins of all mankind.
Christ
gave himself “FOR OUR SINS”—The sins
of God’s elect chosen in him before the foundation of the world (Eph 1: 3-4) He
gave himself when he agreed with the Father in eternity to lay down his life
for the sins of his sheep, his church, those he everlastingly loves.
He gave
himself when he willingly came from heavens glory to where we are to work out
salvation for his people. Then he gave
himself to bear our sins in his own body
on the tree—“the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all; he bear the sins
of many; who his own self bear our sins in his own body on the tree.” He did so for ALL our "sins": original and personal sins, sins of
thought, word, and deed, sins past, present and future. He gave himself to have
our sins imputed to him.
He gave
himself to be wounded for our sins,
bruised for our sins, chastised for our sins. He gave himself at Calvary by
dying under the fierce wrath of God because without shedding of blood there is
no remission of sins.
He gave
himself to pour out his soul unto death
for our sins.
He
gives himself to those he regenerates
through the Holy Spirit so that they now have eternal life with him abiding
in us.
He
gives himself to continually intercede
for us as our Advocate with the Father and to keep us because he is God’s High Priest for his people.
Do you
see how Christ continually gives himself for our sins?
Matthew 20:28: Even as the Son of man came not to be
ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
John 10:17: Therefore doth my Father love me, because I
lay down my life, that I might take it again. 18: No man taketh it from me, but
I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take
it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
II. SECONDLY, WE ARE TOLD WHY HE DID SO—Galatians 1: 4:
that he might deliver us from this present evil world,
First,
notice who does the delivering—that HE
might deliver. He delivered his people in eternity when he agreed with the
Holy Father to lay down his life for us.
He delivered his people on the cross. He shall deliver each one of his
redeemed through the gospel through the new birth. He continually delivers us
every hour of every day when we do not even know it. He shall deliver us when
he returns. THAT HE MIGHT DELIVER US! THE ONLY THING WE HAVE TO DO WITH HIM
DELIVERING US IS TRUSTING HIM TO DO THE DELIVERING!
Illustration:
Cruise ship
What
does Christ deliver us from?—Galatians
1: 4: from this present world is evil. It
does not mean the earth itself—though God said to Adam, “cursed is the ground
for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns
also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee;” (Gen 3: 17-18)
It means from fallen mankind—from the common
condemnation of this present evil world.
All men and women, youngest to oldest, all are fallen in Adam into the
evil of sin and death, of curse and condemnation. When God created man he was created in the
image of God. God only creates that which is righteous and holy—he is the
righteous and holy God.
Genesis 1: 26:…God created man in his own image, in the
image of God created he him;…31: And God saw every thing that he had made, and,
behold, it was very good.
But with one transgression sin entered man
and death by sin: think of it: our whole nature changed, our mind became
vanity, our understanding was darkened. Ignorance
and blindness prevailed before sin entered we desired to walk with God after
sin entered we desired to hide from God.
Our minds became enmity against God.
Being alienated from the life of God, we died spiritually and began
dying physically!
Illustration: Scientist think the world may be billions of years
old. They use fossils to make their
determination. But the world cannot be
older than the garden of Eden because there was no death to make fossils before
sin entered the world. But with sin came death.
Now, just look around at this present time.
Do you see evil presently? There is not
one place where the effect of sin cannot be seen. Death, sin, evil of all kinds
is the product of our own rebellion against God. The sorrow we have caused to ourselves cannot
be calculated. We live in the city of destruction!
Illustration: All we
do is harm ourselves. If it tastes good or feels good—it’s bad for you. If it
makes you smell good or look good—something died or is being polluted to make
it. Every drug that heals one part,
hurts another part. If we touch it, we
pollute it.
There is not a household in this earth, not
one among us all, that has not suffered from the results of our own sin. Someone
woke up this morning: with nothing to eat or wear or a roof over their heads. Another is planning to rob. Others awoke with
pains in their bodies or diseases or wondering how they will pay their bills. Presently,
thousands of cars are buzzing the interstates: most engaged in vain pursuits,
unprofitable to their souls; most hurtful to themselves and others. Many are
laughing and loving but outside of Christ, it’s a vain and superficial. Whether
men are appear happy or said—all outside of Christ are engaging in lamentations,
mourning, and woe! Someone just took their last breath and left this world
without hope. Others are planning a funeral right now grieved at the thought of
meeting God. Where ever we are in this world right now—we are dwelling in a “present evil world.” God told his
beloved child Jeremiah—and it is true of us—“Thine habitation is in the midst
of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the LORD.” (Jer 9: 6)
THERE IS NO ONE TO BLAME BUT US!—Romans 5: 12: BY ONE MAN sin entered into the world and
death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that, or in whom [margin]
all have sinned.
Take man out of the world? Would there be any more evil? No? All of the sorrow and misery I just mentioned
is the effect—BUT the cause is our sin against God.
Illustration: Next time you listen to the news report—don’t point our
finger saying “shame on you.” Instead, know all the evil we hear reported is
right here in our own fleshly heart. I know because your fleshly heart is the
same as my fleshly heart.
All who blame God for the evil in this world
have never seen: how utterly evil they are, how innumerable, how base and vile,
their sin is. How deserving of everlasting hell they are. Have you ever known the anger of God in your
conscious against your sin? Do you still imagine you are of some value,
deserving better than justice and hell? If
we ever know our sin and what we deserve then we will stop blaming God for this
present evil world. Then we will blame our
self. Were it not for God there would be
no hope in the midst of this evil! But I stand here declaring this good news to
you, because bless God—there is hope!
Christ came to deliver his people from the bondage of our sin-nature by
creating us anew through the Holy Spirit, through his gospel.
John 3:
19: And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men
loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20: For every
one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his
deeds should be reproved. 21: But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that
his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
Isaiah
49:9: That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in
darkness, Shew yourselves.
Bringing us to believe on him, Christ delivers us from the condemnation of lies into the truth—we
behold that: he by himself purged
our sins. (Heb 1: 3); he by himself
finished the transgression; he by
himself made an end of sins; he by
himself made reconciliation for iniquity; he by himself brought in everlasting righteousness (Da 9: 24); he by himself abolished death; he by himself abolished in his flesh the
enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so
making peace; (Eph 2: 15) OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST GAVE HIMSELF FOR OUR SINS THAT
HE MIGHT DELIVER US FROM THIS PRESENT EVIL WORLD!
Through faith he
delivers us from the condemnation of the law
we were under—
Romans
8: 1: There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2: For the law of the
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
He continually
delivers us every day.
Philippians
1: 6:…he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of
Jesus Christ:
1 Peter 1: 5: Who are kept by the power of God through
faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
He
sanctifies us in our hearts—delivering us—continually from the defilements of
this world: Christ keeps us from being like this world. He keeps us from the
evil customs of this world from the evil false man-exalting religion of this
world. He delivers us from the fear of this world—men conform
the world calling it: political correctness, not rocking the boat, etiquette—God
calls is the fear of this world. Christ
speaks in the heart in power saying,
Romans 12:2: And be not conformed to this world: but be
ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that
good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Christ
delivers us by making sin hateful to us. We say to ourselves, “Did sin
kill Christ? Then we cannot play with that dagger that stabbed our Lord. How
can we be friendly with the world that cast him out, and hanged him on a tree? Christ
has come to separate unto himself a people like unto himself out of this
present evil world! According to the measure of ability God gives us, Christ
said we are to copy the example of our Father “who maketh his sun and rain to
fall upon the evil as well as the good.”
We are to consider those who are around us, what influence we can have
upon them for good, especially speaking the truth of the gospel to them as God
opens the door. We are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, and mind,
and soul, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves; we are to do
good to our brethren as well as to our enemies. For Christ in every way
delivers us from this present evil world.
At last, Christ
shall deliver his people from this is a “present evil world” contrasted with a
“future world wherein dwelleth righteousness.” None shall be lost!
III. THIRDLY, WE ARE TOLD HOW CHRIST DID THIS WORK—Galatians 1: 4:
according to the will of God and our Father:
Here is
great comfort: you and I only sinned against the will of God and our Father—but
Christ for our sakes has only done that which pleases the Father. When God the Father entered into covenant
with Christ, to save whom God willed to save, Christ did God’s will
Zechariah
6: 12:…Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is
The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the
temple of the LORD:13: Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall
bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a
priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.
Divine
election, divine predestination, are not ugly words. There would not be a sinner delivered from
this present evil world if it had not been according to the will, the purpose,
the election of grace and the predestination of God our Father. Read Ephesians
1 and you will see God saves on purpose, not by accident. When Christ joined
his divine person with sinless humanity he said
Psalm 40:8: I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy
law is within my heart.
Hebrews 10:7: Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of
the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.
While
Christ walked this earth, he spoke and did only the will of God his Father
John 5:30: I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear,
I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the
will of the Father which hath sent me.
He went
to the cross because—“he gave himself
for our sins that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according
to the will of God and our Father.”
Hebrews 10:10: By the which will we are sanctified
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Even
now at God’s right hand, Christ’s intercession on behalf of those he has
redeemed, is according to the will of God.
Romans 8:27: And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth
what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints
according to the will of God.
It is
God’s will that he intercede and he intercede for only that which is the will
of God. Believer, do you desire to pray God’s will be done? Then pray in Christ Jesus—Christ intercedes
for the saints for only that which is according to the will of God our Father. And
seeing how that Christ alone does that which is the will of God and our Father,
this is why Christ said,
John 6:40: And this is the will of him that sent me, that
every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life:
and I will raise him up at the last day.
This is
the will of God, even our sanctification, our separation from the world. Don’t ever be hateful to anybody in this
world. Don’t ever go looking for a fight. But let it be an indication of how
much we are conformed to this world or how much we are separate from this world
by how this world treats us. If those
who do not believe on the Christ of this bible—receive me, love me, are kind to
me—it is because I’m conformed to them. The
more clearly I make this world know where I stand on the gospel—the more this
world will reject me. That is a sure litmus test. Persecution in the early church was not
because men were more evil—but because believers were more bold for the gospel
sake!
Ephesians 6: 19: And for me, that utterance may be given
unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the
gospel, 20: For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak
boldly, as I ought to speak.
Galatians 1: 10:…if I yet pleased men, I should not be
the servant of Christ.
This is
the Father’s will that we be sanctified from this world and bold in the truth
for Christ sake
IV. LASTLY, WE ARE TOLD WHAT BELONGS TO OUR
TRIUNE GOD AND TO CHRIST FOR ACCOMPLISHING THIS WORK—Galatians 1: 5: To whom be
glory for ever and ever. Amen.
The
glory is his—to whom BE glory--and the
effectual result Christ produces in the hearts of his people now and forever is
to praise him—Galatians 1: 5: To whom be glory for ever and ever.
In this great work of our redemption, God has
made the glory of his attributes, especially his justice, mercy, wisdom, and
faithfulness to shine forth. God our Father gave Christ for our sins. Christ
gave himself for our sins. Christ delivers his people. All is according to the
will of the Father. There is no room for us to glory in self for anything but
sin.
So it is the duty of the redeemed to
acknowledge his glory and give him all praise. This is the delight of all whom our great
Redeemer has delivered. The glory of
Christ and our gratitude to him are the theme of our lives now and shall be the
never-ending song of the redeemed throughout eternity.
Revelation 5: 13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on
the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in
them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him
that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
Amen!