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The Foundation of the Church

Course: The Cross

Lesson 8

Lesson Title:  The Glory of the Cross

 

Text:  Galatians 6:14-15  'But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.  For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision avails any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.'

 

Introduction:  The message of the book of Galatians.

·        The Galatian believers had been led away from the gospel that Paul preached into the teaching that salvation was by faith in Christ and by keeping the law. 

The people who taught this were known as Judaisers.

 

The teaching of the Judaisers was condemned by Paul. (Galatians 1:8-9).

They did not deny salvation is by faith in Christ, but they associated it with the need to keep the Jewish law. 

 

Paul wrote to the Corinthians about the simplicity that is in Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:3).   Simplicity in the Greek is haplotes meaning ‘single’ or ‘simple’.  The simplicity of Christ is trust in ‘Christ alone’.   

 

·        What was the gospel Paul preached? 

It was the gospel of the cross (Galatians 6:14).

 

The gospel of the cross is that salvation is by faith in Christ alone. 

(1) that Jesus died in our place (substitutionary atonement) so that through His death we are freed from our sin and the condemnation of the law;

(2) through His resurrection we are raised to new life in Him;

(3) through His ascension we are seated in heavenly places in Him and are joint heirs with Christ.  

 

 

Introductory Story:  Martin Luther and the Reformation. (see Church History course)

The 16th century reformation was over this very issue.

Luther had one question: What must I do to be saved?

If he needed to confess his sin, how could he know if he had confessed them all?

If he needed to fast, how could he know he’d fasted enough?

Gradually through teaching the scriptures to students in Wittenberg, Luther came to understand that salvation is by faith in Christ alone.

It was Martin Luther’s search for assurance of salvation that brought him to the simplicity of Christ – that a person is justified by faith in Jesus Christ alone.

 

Unity in the ecumenical movement is often achieved through the clever use of words.

Unity that Jesus prayed for in John 17:21 is a unity that can only be known by the life of Christ in us.  It is believers becoming one in the unity of the Godhead.  

 

 

Main Points:

1.      New life in Christ – Becoming a new creation. 

 

a)  The cross puts an end to the old man. Galatians 2:20 'I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.' 

 

It put an end to the old.  Jesus did not die to make us better.  He died so that we could have new life.

The message of ‘how to better yourself’ is very popular.  The message of the cross is not so popular.

 

A preacher who adjusts his or her preaching to emphasise bettering yourself is more likely to become popular than a preacher who preaches new life in Christ.

 

The popular preacher must have a message of

§         self esteem that has never known a personal Calvary

§         goals that seek to fulfil the desires of a carnal heart

§         achievements that bring praise and glory to man

 

A preacher who preaches the cross will not be as popular.

§         When he or she talks about self esteem it is in the context of crucified with Christ

§         When he or she speaks about goals to achieve, it will be the goal to win Christ.  Philippians 3:8

§         When he or she talks about achievements it is in the context that without Christ we can do nothing.  John 15:5.

 

a)  The cross puts an end to the end and new life begins.   Galatians 2:20 'I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.' 

 

Paul wrote to the Corinthians ‘If any man be in Christ He is a new creation’ 2 Corinthians 5:17.

There is nothing left of the old.

Not a restoration, but a completely new creation.

 

 

 

2.      Standing in the new life – the liberty of Christ.  Galatians 5:1 'Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.'

 

The liberty of Christ stands in contrast to the bondage of the law. 

The liberty of Christ is the freedom in Christ to be holy. It is not the freedom to sin - that is not freedom it is bondage. 

The believer in Christ is not under the Old Testament law that is bondage, he or she is under the law of Christ that is freedom. 

The law of Christ is the life of Christ in control in the life of the believer (Colossians 3:1-4).

 

a)  The law was necessary under the Old Covenant because the heart of the people was sinful (Romans 7).

 

·        Keeping the law does not change the heart.  A person can keep the law outwardly and be inwardly corrupt. Jesus taught his disciples that the outward righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees was not acceptable to God. Matthew 5:20  'For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.'

 

·        Holiness concerns the heart.  We must not only be holy in outward actions we must be holy in our thoughts and desires.  Matthew 5:27-28  'You have heard that it was said by them of old time, you shall not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.' 

 

·        When Moses records the giving of the law in the book of Deuteronomy, he also records the words of the Lord to him at that time.  Deuteronomy 5:29  'O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!'   The Lord longed for the day when the hearts of His people would be changed so that they would always be holy.  He desires His people to be blessed.

 

When I was teaching at Bible school in Peterhead, Scotland in 1980,  the principal of Lee College in the USA, Dr. Charles Conn, came to teach.  He explained the liberty of Christ by telling us that at Lee College the students were told that for those who wanted to attend the morning devotion, it was voluntary, but for those who did not want to attend, it was compulsory.

This is the difference between the Old and New Covenant.  Those who wanted to attend the devotion came willingly and cheerfully, but those who did not want to attend were forced to attend.

b)  The law under the New Covenant is not necessary because God’s people can live by the desires and intents of the new heart

 

  • There is no need for the law when the heart seeks after holiness.  The law was given because mankind is sinful.  The law was given to stop God’s people from following the desires of a sinful heart.  When God’s people received new life in Christ and a new heart there was no need for the law.  Following the desires of the new heart will produce the fruit of holiness.

 

·        The liberty of Christ stands in contrast to legalism and moralism.  Many Christians are legalistic but this is not Christianity.  The liberty of Christ is the freedom to be who we are.  If anyone is in Christ he or she becomes a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) - the believer in Christ must learn to let the new life be in control of his or her life.  This means to walk in the Spirit.  The fear of falling produces a desire for something to hold on to (the law), but New Testament Christianity is the message that Christ lives in the believer (new life).

 

 

3.      Walking in new life - the fruit of new life.  Galatians 5:16  'This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.'  Holiness is the product of the believer walking in the Spirit. 

 

Testimony:   I went to a Bible School seminar where the teacher supposedly had a ‘deliverance ministry’.  After hearing him speak for two days I came to the conclusion that the preacher had some severe psychological problems and I stopped attending.  But I heard that over the next three days many students, who were supposedly demonised, were delivered.  One meeting went on well into the night and there were many testimonies of deliverance.  But any appearance of that kind of deliverance will be short lived because freedom from sin comes by living under the control of the new heart and no other way.

     

  • Freedom in Christ is the freedom of the new heart.  If a Christian is bound by sinful habits it is because he or she is not living in new life.  In some cases this is because they have never had a new life experience in Christ and they need to be born again.  But in other cases it is because they have not put on the new man.

 

Keeping thoughts under control

Sometimes Christians have problems regarding their thought life.  

A guard need to be put upon the mind.

These guards are different concerning what kind of thoughts they are.

  • We are guarded from thoughts of anxiety by the peace of God which comes into operation by thankful prayer.  (Philippians 4:6-7)
  • But evil immoral thoughts needed to be guarded a different way.

Evil and immoral thoughts will take us into the devils secret place not far from the temple, (Ezekiel 8:7-12).

When the temptation comes we guard ourselves against it by determining not to go there.

The Christian is able to run from these things. 

If the sinful pleasures of evil and immoral thoughts are enjoyed then the temptation will come often.  But when the temptation is resisted and the Christian puts on Christ then the temptation will diminish.  Colossians 3.   

 

·        The fruit of the Spirit comes through the growth of the life of Christ in the believer.  Galatians 5:22-23.  Paul contrasts the fruit of the Spirit with the works of the flesh.  The law does not produce fruit only the life of Christ in us can produce fruit.  Galatians 5:19-21.  When we produce the fruit of the Spirit we obey the law without being under the law.

 

·        The fruit of holiness is fulfilled by love.  Galatians 5:14  'For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; You shall love your neighbour as yourself.'  The characteristic of the disciples of Christ is love.

 

Personal Testimony – Stand Fast

 

 

Summary:

Paul gloried in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

1)     The believer is a new creation in Christ.  The believer is raised in newness of life in Christ.

2)     The believer is dead to the law and must stand in the liberty of Christ.  

3)     The believer is free from the demands of the law and has freedom in Christ.  We must walk in the Spirit and bring forth the fruit of holiness.

 

 

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