April 27, 2025 • 21 mins
What truly marks a Christian? Paul’s closing words to the Galatians remind us that it’s not our background, our works, or our outward rituals — it’s the cross of Christ alone.
Originally preached to Ekklesia Churches by Dan on April 20, 2025 (Easter Sunday).
In this final message from Galatians, Dan highlights Paul’s personal appeal: believers must resist any gospel of outward performance and cling solely to the life-transforming work of Jesus. There is no substitute for a life marked by the cross.
Teaching Highlights:
-
We boast only in the cross of Christ, not in our works or religious efforts.
-
True transformation is an inward work of becoming a new creation.
-
Standing firm on the gospel may cost us comfort, but it leads to true life.
-
A Christian is marked not by outward symbols but by the Spirit’s work within.
The simple and powerful good news is this: by God’s grace, through faith in Jesus alone, we are saved — and it is worth every cost to follow Him.
Learn more about us at EkklesiaChurches.org.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
This message is from Galatians chapter 6 verses 11 through 18. It is entitled "Marked by the Cross"
and it was delivered to Ecclesia churches on April 20th, 2025 on Easter Sunday.
Today we say goodbye to the book of Galatians in a sense because we are in the final passage of it.
(00:22):
A passage focused on the cross appropriately as this is Easter Sunday.
I've always found goodbyes to be somewhat awkward, even in something as simple as leaving a coffee with someone.
There is usually for me a few pain points that I have a hard time navigating to my expectations.
(00:43):
The first is mutually agreeing when it's time to go, right, but doing that at the same time.
That awkward silence when your coffee is empty, but you take a sip from your empty cup anyway and then say,
"Well, I guess it's about time to head to wherever it is you're going next."
And then there's trying to figure out whether you hug and say goodbye at the table
and hope that they don't park too close to you so that you have to awkwardly say goodbye and then walk out together
(01:09):
and then say that even more awkward second goodbye as you get to your car.
Maybe I'm the only one who feels this way.
But whenever you reach the end of your time together with someone, there's also this unspoken desire
to say something meaningful before you part.
To say the thing that you didn't have the courage to say in the hour that you sat together or the time
(01:32):
or to leave them with a sense of your love and goodwill toward them with the thing that you want them to remember, right?
These are the things that they should teach in schools.
I would gladly sit through a semester class on social skills and the art of saying goodbye at coffee shops.
Paul, of course, is a master orator or speaker and he's an incredible theologian and pastor and writer.
(01:59):
But that doesn't mean he's not under the same pressure to close this letter with just the right words.
And after a lengthy argument against his religious opponents calling people to trust in Christ alone
and being at times painfully honest with his audience,
he now faces the challenge of buttoning everything up.
(02:20):
He's made his argument and now he wants to make sure the main point was the main point.
To leave people with that, if you remember nothing else, remember this moment.
And to do it with the kind of tone that makes them receive both his challenges and his encouragements.
(02:41):
Paul typically would have used a scribe to write as most people would
because a scribe would transcribe things quickly and clearly and was a professional at putting words down on a page.
Presumably, he had used a scribe to pen the majority of this letter,
but the closing is too important to Paul.
(03:03):
And he wants the church to feel his personal investment in them.
So for the last few verses, he sends the scribe home and he picks up the quill and ink himself.
And I imagine the original readers of his letter would have been reading this beautifully professional penmanship up until this point on the scroll.
And suddenly with the beginning of verse 11, the writing goes from perfectly proportioned college rule cursive
(03:28):
to large print preschool wide rule scrawlings, which is why he begins this section with an aside about the change in handwriting.
So let's read what Paul says in his own hand.
This is Galatians chapter 6 verses 11 through 18.
See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand.
(03:52):
"For 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,
(04:19):
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 in my body the marks of Jesus.
(04:43):
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit brothers.
Amen.
Paul's close is personal and it is an honest comparison between what his opposition is calling them to
and what he is calling them to.
And unsurprisingly, Paul reminds them that he is only calling them to the cross.
(05:09):
The cross of Christ has been the center of every argument and it is what he makes the center of his final argument.
How appropriate on this Easter Sunday morning that the Holy Spirit through the handwritten words of the Apostle Paul is bringing us to the cross.
Let's begin actually by looking at verse 14, which is the center of Paul's final words.
(05:35):
And it is the focus and the foundation of everything that he has said and argued thus far.
Verse 14 says, "For 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."
In verses 12 and 13 he calls out the opposition one last time for being just disingenuous fake leaders who only care about their image and influence.
(06:05):
And in verses 15 through 17 he clarifies what we really are called to, but it all pivots or lands on this statement in the middle in verse 14.
That is the crux, the center of everything Paul is saying through the entire letter and it is this, "I have nothing to boast in but the cross of Christ.
(06:26):
I have no hope but in Christ. I have nothing to lose or gain in this world because I have everything in Christ."
Paul isn't just making a statement here. He's making a refusal to put his hope in anything else.
He says, "Far be it from me." In other words, may I never boast in anything but Jesus Christ and the work he did for me on the cross.
(06:52):
I won't boast in my bloodline or my family background. I won't boast in my adherence to religious practices. I boast in Jesus.
For Christians, the cross is the point at which everything changes.
Our response to it dictates whether we remain slaves or are adopted as sons.
(07:17):
It is the point at which Paul said back in chapter 2 that we become new creations.
And this isn't just a theoretical or theological point. This is a practical thing.
He says, "The world has been crucified to me and I to the world. My life can't be the same as it was."
This isn't a minor change. It changes everything. Who knew, right?
(07:41):
Ecclesiastical 6 was an Easter passage. So with the cross at the center, let's see how Paul will close this letter by comparing and contrasting his hope for the church in Christ versus the false hope offered by others.
The first comparison is made between verses 12 and 17. And Paul is pointing out the difference between how he and these other teachers have responded to persecution or the threat of persecution.
(08:16):
In verse 12, he calls out these people who are pushing for circumcision as a requirement for salvation, saying, "They only want to make a good showing in the flesh."
They're all in for appearances and in fact, it's to avoid persecution.
On the surface, they look like they're deeply concerned about the holiness of the church and her welfare.
(08:40):
And in reality, it's all just a show, allowing them to avoid persecution.
Remember, Peter's earlier response to these people questioning him on this matter, it was a response initially of fear.
The Jewish leaders had power and influence. They had not so long ago had Paul himself dragging people out of their homes to throw them in jail for opposing them.
(09:03):
It was maybe frowned upon to be a Gentile in those days, but it was downright dangerous to oppose the Jewish leaders on matters of law publicly.
People have been crucified and stoned for less.
To avoid this, these people who claim to be Christians were attempting to retain their social standing in Jewish circles by insisting the Jewish laws still be followed by converts.
(09:34):
They were compromising on the true gospel in order to remain comfortable.
Now, Paul, on the other hand, has not compromised.
He has instead been persecuted because he held to the gospel more tightly than he did his position or his comfort.
In verse 17, he says, "He bears the marks of Christ. He had been beaten to the point of death for the cause of Christ.
(10:00):
He had remained faithful to the gospel and it had cost him dearly, but it was worth it to him to preach the truth."
Paul was willing to stand firm on these things, even when it meant getting beaten, stoned, and hunted down to be killed, because he knew that the true gospel is the power of God to salvation.
(10:21):
And anything additional or anything less didn't lead to life.
I want to repeat something I said earlier.
Paul is setting the example that we cannot compromise on the gospel to remain comfortable.
I can't be the only one made uncomfortable by that statement, right? Or challenged by that.
(10:45):
Might this lead me to hold some politically unpopular positions or personally demanding values?
Anybody else still have last weeks as you have the opportunity to do good to all running through your head?
Anybody else really like pulling into your driveway or garage and pretending like you don't live a few feet from hurting people?
(11:08):
Me too.
But I think the true gospel challenges us not to trade a washed out religion that looks nice on the outside for a transformative from the inside out life that is changed by that kind of faith.
The potential for persecution is real for those who hold to the true gospel and its implications for your life.
(11:37):
It is often a mark of following Christ and boldly standing for him in the workplace, in the public space, in the online space.
You will not only make friends standing for the gospel.
In fact, you will very likely make enemies, but you will end up standing on the only firm foundation that leads to life that I can promise you.
(12:03):
Let's move on to verse 13 in which Paul reminds us of yet another inconsistency that shows these other teachers to be false.
He says the primary factor driving them is not their own purity or heart.
He says they're not even keeping the law themselves. They're hypocrites.
Instead, what drives them is a desire to boast in your flesh.
(12:29):
For these opposing religious teachers, it's about a combination of influence and popularity.
It turns out our influencers in the religious community didn't show up with the advent of social media.
They've actually been around for a long time.
Today we might have influencers who boast in the number of followers they have on TikTok or Instagram, but these leaders were doing the exact same thing.
(12:55):
Their boast was in the number of followers they had and the level of control that they had over these followers.
Boasting in the flesh of their followers looked like, "Look what power I have to make these people do what I tell them to do."
And it wasn't for the good of the people.
It was for a kind of power trip that these leaders were on.
(13:19):
Paul contrasts that kind of leading with the truth in verse 15.
To these people who boast in their ability to make the people that follow them value circumcision and other kinds of outward proof of their self-righteousness,
Paul says, "Your symbol counts for nothing. Circumcision doesn't matter. Not being circumcised doesn't matter."
(13:42):
None of these empty symbols that you've laid so much emphasis on count for anything.
And it's the work of Christ that counts for everything.
Jesus is who calls you into being made new, and it is something internal that marks you as His.
Yes, there are outward symbols like baptism that we are called to do as a proclamation of what's happening internally.
(14:07):
But if it weren't for the internal, the external alone would be worth nothing.
The truth is that circumcision was a sign of the Old Covenant, but it meant nothing apart from heart change.
It never had. Even in the Old Testament, prophets like Jeremiah were calling people to circumcise your hearts.
(14:31):
Jeremiah 4/4.
Even when the Old Covenant was active between God and Israel, there was still a requirement that they brought their hearts before the Lord.
These signs and symbols did not bring the salvation that these people claimed it did, and it never had.
Just because I dunk you in a pool of water today, it doesn't do anything for you if your heart is not responding to Jesus.
(14:57):
In the same way, taking the bread and juice during communion does nothing for you if you don't participate in the second part of Jesus' invitation to remember what He has done for you.
Jesus addressed this exact issue when in Matthew 15.8 he quoted Isaiah 29.13 saying, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me."
(15:26):
The invitation of Paul to these people and the invitation of the Holy Spirit to us is to bring our whole hearts to the foot of the cross
and to desire more than just an outward appearance of holiness.
Instead, desire the life of a new creation in Christ and don't settle for anything less. That is the invitation of Christ to us.
(15:51):
It's a work that's personal. It's a work that requires humility.
It's a work that involves repeatedly bringing your heart before the Lord and laying it open to Him to do work.
Even when that means acknowledging the mess that is sometimes found there.
(16:12):
It won't gain you followers. It won't gain you recognition or a polished presentation of false perfection, but it will give you life of the eternal variety.
That's what Jesus came to give.
(16:33):
Paul begins this section with his own handwriting, emphasizing that he personally cares for the beloved people that he writes to.
But he ends it with a kind of handoff to one who is even greater.
Paul's heart for the people is evident through the entire letter and you can hear it in his candor and his honesty with them.
(16:59):
You can hear it in his questions and tears over how they have been misled.
You can hear it even in his anger with those who would mislead them.
But most of all, you can hear it in the way he continues to turn them back to Christ.
Jesus said greater love has no one than this that he laid down his life for his friends.
(17:23):
Jesus had done that because Jesus was and is the greater love.
So as Paul closes his letter, he leaves them in the greater love and care of Christ himself.
Notice he doesn't end saying, "I'll come visit soon."
He doesn't say, "Hold on until I get there and we'll figure things out."
(17:46):
He says, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit."
His love for them is deep, but he knows the love of Jesus for them and the faithfulness of Jesus to them is deeper.
He knows that what they really need more than anything else is Jesus himself.
(18:09):
Paul had served as a teacher and a pastor and a friend to these people,
but ultimately he knew that it wasn't the marks that Paul bore on his body that saved them.
Isaiah 53.5 says it was by his wounds that we are healed.
It was by the marks on the body of Christ that we are healed.
(18:30):
It all comes back to Christ and his finished work on the cross.
That is the story of all of Scripture and that's the story of Paul's life.
And that's certainly the story of the church then and now.
We are a people who are not marked by our superior upbringing or our bloodline.
(18:52):
We are not a people marked by our moral perfection through our own efforts.
We are a people marked by the cross of Christ and by a salvation that comes to us by God's grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
That is what it means to be a Christian, to be someone who is so marked by Christ that we are unmistakably changed and changing
(19:17):
from dead in our sin to sons and daughters of the risen King.
So if we were going to sum up what Paul is trying to communicate to the church in his letter to the Galatians,
I think I would say it like this, there is no substitute for the true gospel.
You can't add to it or subtract from it or replace it with any form of man-made substitution and still end up with the power of God unto salvation.
(19:48):
Yes, there are easier ways to live.
There are ways to avoid persecution by compromising.
There are ways to fool others with a false performance, but there is no other way to salvation,
but by the grace of God through faith in Jesus alone.
And that road often leads through hardship and the hard work of heart change and the hard work of living in community.
(20:17):
But there is no substitute and to encourage you, it is worth it because only the true gospel leads to eternal life in Christ.
And the true gospel is simple.
It means recognizing that you have sinned and repenting, turning from that sin to Jesus,
(20:38):
who paid the price for that sin on the cross through his death and his resurrection from the dead.
It means choosing to be baptized in his name and to follow him as your loving Lord.
That is the only way to eternal life.
Respond to the invitation of Jesus and his gospel and live a life marked as one of his own
(21:04):
because there is no substitute for a life that is found in Christ.
Ecclesia is a church of house churches gathering weekly in Councilbloss, Iowa and in homes throughout the week.
We are a Bible-centered church focused on preaching from Scripture and making disciples of Jesus.
You can learn more about our statement of faith and contact a pastor by visiting ecclesiachurches.org.
(21:30):
[MUSIC PLAYING]
This message is from Galatians chapter 6 verses 11 through 18. It is entitled "Marked by the Cross"
and it was delivered to Ecclesia churches on April 20th, 2025 on Easter Sunday.
Today we say goodbye to the book of Galatians in a sense because we are in the final passage of it.
(00:22):
A passage focused on the cross appropriately as this is Easter Sunday.
I've always found goodbyes to be somewhat awkward, even in something as simple as leaving a coffee with someone.
There is usually for me a few pain points that I have a hard time navigating to my expectations.
(00:43):
The first is mutually agreeing when it's time to go, right, but doing that at the same time.
That awkward silence when your coffee is empty, but you take a sip from your empty cup anyway and then say,
"Well, I guess it's about time to head to wherever it is you're going next."
And then there's trying to figure out whether you hug and say goodbye at the table
and hope that they don't park too close to you so that you have to awkwardly say goodbye and then walk out together
(01:09):
and then say that even more awkward second goodbye as you get to your car.
Maybe I'm the only one who feels this way.
But whenever you reach the end of your time together with someone, there's also this unspoken desire
to say something meaningful before you part.
To say the thing that you didn't have the courage to say in the hour that you sat together or the time
(01:32):
or to leave them with a sense of your love and goodwill toward them with the thing that you want them to remember, right?
These are the things that they should teach in schools.
I would gladly sit through a semester class on social skills and the art of saying goodbye at coffee shops.
Paul, of course, is a master orator or speaker and he's an incredible theologian and pastor and writer.
(01:59):
But that doesn't mean he's not under the same pressure to close this letter with just the right words.
And after a lengthy argument against his religious opponents calling people to trust in Christ alone
and being at times painfully honest with his audience,
he now faces the challenge of buttoning everything up.
(02:20):
He's made his argument and now he wants to make sure the main point was the main point.
To leave people with that, if you remember nothing else, remember this moment.
And to do it with the kind of tone that makes them receive both his challenges and his encouragements.
(02:41):
Paul typically would have used a scribe to write as most people would
because a scribe would transcribe things quickly and clearly and was a professional at putting words down on a page.
Presumably, he had used a scribe to pen the majority of this letter,
but the closing is too important to Paul.
(03:03):
And he wants the church to feel his personal investment in them.
So for the last few verses, he sends the scribe home and he picks up the quill and ink himself.
And I imagine the original readers of his letter would have been reading this beautifully professional penmanship up until this point on the scroll.
And suddenly with the beginning of verse 11, the writing goes from perfectly proportioned college rule cursive
(03:28):
to large print preschool wide rule scrawlings, which is why he begins this section with an aside about the change in handwriting.
So let's read what Paul says in his own hand.
This is Galatians chapter 6 verses 11 through 18.
See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand.
(03:52):
"For 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,
(04:19):
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 in my body the marks of Jesus.
(04:43):
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit brothers.
Amen.
Paul's close is personal and it is an honest comparison between what his opposition is calling them to
and what he is calling them to.
And unsurprisingly, Paul reminds them that he is only calling them to the cross.
(05:09):
The cross of Christ has been the center of every argument and it is what he makes the center of his final argument.
How appropriate on this Easter Sunday morning that the Holy Spirit through the handwritten words of the Apostle Paul is bringing us to the cross.
Let's begin actually by looking at verse 14, which is the center of Paul's final words.
(05:35):
And it is the focus and the foundation of everything that he has said and argued thus far.
Verse 14 says, "For 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."
In verses 12 and 13 he calls out the opposition one last time for being just disingenuous fake leaders who only care about their image and influence.
(06:05):
And in verses 15 through 17 he clarifies what we really are called to, but it all pivots or lands on this statement in the middle in verse 14.
That is the crux, the center of everything Paul is saying through the entire letter and it is this, "I have nothing to boast in but the cross of Christ.
(06:26):
I have no hope but in Christ. I have nothing to lose or gain in this world because I have everything in Christ."
Paul isn't just making a statement here. He's making a refusal to put his hope in anything else.
He says, "Far be it from me." In other words, may I never boast in anything but Jesus Christ and the work he did for me on the cross.
(06:52):
I won't boast in my bloodline or my family background. I won't boast in my adherence to religious practices. I boast in Jesus.
For Christians, the cross is the point at which everything changes.
Our response to it dictates whether we remain slaves or are adopted as sons.
(07:17):
It is the point at which Paul said back in chapter 2 that we become new creations.
And this isn't just a theoretical or theological point. This is a practical thing.
He says, "The world has been crucified to me and I to the world. My life can't be the same as it was."
This isn't a minor change. It changes everything. Who knew, right?
(07:41):
Ecclesiastical 6 was an Easter passage. So with the cross at the center, let's see how Paul will close this letter by comparing and contrasting his hope for the church in Christ versus the false hope offered by others.
The first comparison is made between verses 12 and 17. And Paul is pointing out the difference between how he and these other teachers have responded to persecution or the threat of persecution.
(08:16):
In verse 12, he calls out these people who are pushing for circumcision as a requirement for salvation, saying, "They only want to make a good showing in the flesh."
They're all in for appearances and in fact, it's to avoid persecution.
On the surface, they look like they're deeply concerned about the holiness of the church and her welfare.
(08:40):
And in reality, it's all just a show, allowing them to avoid persecution.
Remember, Peter's earlier response to these people questioning him on this matter, it was a response initially of fear.
The Jewish leaders had power and influence. They had not so long ago had Paul himself dragging people out of their homes to throw them in jail for opposing them.
(09:03):
It was maybe frowned upon to be a Gentile in those days, but it was downright dangerous to oppose the Jewish leaders on matters of law publicly.
People have been crucified and stoned for less.
To avoid this, these people who claim to be Christians were attempting to retain their social standing in Jewish circles by insisting the Jewish laws still be followed by converts.
(09:34):
They were compromising on the true gospel in order to remain comfortable.
Now, Paul, on the other hand, has not compromised.
He has instead been persecuted because he held to the gospel more tightly than he did his position or his comfort.
In verse 17, he says, "He bears the marks of Christ. He had been beaten to the point of death for the cause of Christ.
(10:00):
He had remained faithful to the gospel and it had cost him dearly, but it was worth it to him to preach the truth."
Paul was willing to stand firm on these things, even when it meant getting beaten, stoned, and hunted down to be killed, because he knew that the true gospel is the power of God to salvation.
(10:21):
And anything additional or anything less didn't lead to life.
I want to repeat something I said earlier.
Paul is setting the example that we cannot compromise on the gospel to remain comfortable.
I can't be the only one made uncomfortable by that statement, right? Or challenged by that.
(10:45):
Might this lead me to hold some politically unpopular positions or personally demanding values?
Anybody else still have last weeks as you have the opportunity to do good to all running through your head?
Anybody else really like pulling into your driveway or garage and pretending like you don't live a few feet from hurting people?
(11:08):
Me too.
But I think the true gospel challenges us not to trade a washed out religion that looks nice on the outside for a transformative from the inside out life that is changed by that kind of faith.
The potential for persecution is real for those who hold to the true gospel and its implications for your life.
(11:37):
It is often a mark of following Christ and boldly standing for him in the workplace, in the public space, in the online space.
You will not only make friends standing for the gospel.
In fact, you will very likely make enemies, but you will end up standing on the only firm foundation that leads to life that I can promise you.
(12:03):
Let's move on to verse 13 in which Paul reminds us of yet another inconsistency that shows these other teachers to be false.
He says the primary factor driving them is not their own purity or heart.
He says they're not even keeping the law themselves. They're hypocrites.
Instead, what drives them is a desire to boast in your flesh.
(12:29):
For these opposing religious teachers, it's about a combination of influence and popularity.
It turns out our influencers in the religious community didn't show up with the advent of social media.
They've actually been around for a long time.
Today we might have influencers who boast in the number of followers they have on TikTok or Instagram, but these leaders were doing the exact same thing.
(12:55):
Their boast was in the number of followers they had and the level of control that they had over these followers.
Boasting in the flesh of their followers looked like, "Look what power I have to make these people do what I tell them to do."
And it wasn't for the good of the people.
It was for a kind of power trip that these leaders were on.
(13:19):
Paul contrasts that kind of leading with the truth in verse 15.
To these people who boast in their ability to make the people that follow them value circumcision and other kinds of outward proof of their self-righteousness,
Paul says, "Your symbol counts for nothing. Circumcision doesn't matter. Not being circumcised doesn't matter."
(13:42):
None of these empty symbols that you've laid so much emphasis on count for anything.
And it's the work of Christ that counts for everything.
Jesus is who calls you into being made new, and it is something internal that marks you as His.
Yes, there are outward symbols like baptism that we are called to do as a proclamation of what's happening internally.
(14:07):
But if it weren't for the internal, the external alone would be worth nothing.
The truth is that circumcision was a sign of the Old Covenant, but it meant nothing apart from heart change.
It never had. Even in the Old Testament, prophets like Jeremiah were calling people to circumcise your hearts.
(14:31):
Jeremiah 4/4.
Even when the Old Covenant was active between God and Israel, there was still a requirement that they brought their hearts before the Lord.
These signs and symbols did not bring the salvation that these people claimed it did, and it never had.
Just because I dunk you in a pool of water today, it doesn't do anything for you if your heart is not responding to Jesus.
(14:57):
In the same way, taking the bread and juice during communion does nothing for you if you don't participate in the second part of Jesus' invitation to remember what He has done for you.
Jesus addressed this exact issue when in Matthew 15.8 he quoted Isaiah 29.13 saying, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me."
(15:26):
The invitation of Paul to these people and the invitation of the Holy Spirit to us is to bring our whole hearts to the foot of the cross
and to desire more than just an outward appearance of holiness.
Instead, desire the life of a new creation in Christ and don't settle for anything less. That is the invitation of Christ to us.
(15:51):
It's a work that's personal. It's a work that requires humility.
It's a work that involves repeatedly bringing your heart before the Lord and laying it open to Him to do work.
Even when that means acknowledging the mess that is sometimes found there.
(16:12):
It won't gain you followers. It won't gain you recognition or a polished presentation of false perfection, but it will give you life of the eternal variety.
That's what Jesus came to give.
(16:33):
Paul begins this section with his own handwriting, emphasizing that he personally cares for the beloved people that he writes to.
But he ends it with a kind of handoff to one who is even greater.
Paul's heart for the people is evident through the entire letter and you can hear it in his candor and his honesty with them.
(16:59):
You can hear it in his questions and tears over how they have been misled.
You can hear it even in his anger with those who would mislead them.
But most of all, you can hear it in the way he continues to turn them back to Christ.
Jesus said greater love has no one than this that he laid down his life for his friends.
(17:23):
Jesus had done that because Jesus was and is the greater love.
So as Paul closes his letter, he leaves them in the greater love and care of Christ himself.
Notice he doesn't end saying, "I'll come visit soon."
He doesn't say, "Hold on until I get there and we'll figure things out."
(17:46):
He says, "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit."
His love for them is deep, but he knows the love of Jesus for them and the faithfulness of Jesus to them is deeper.
He knows that what they really need more than anything else is Jesus himself.
(18:09):
Paul had served as a teacher and a pastor and a friend to these people,
but ultimately he knew that it wasn't the marks that Paul bore on his body that saved them.
Isaiah 53.5 says it was by his wounds that we are healed.
It was by the marks on the body of Christ that we are healed.
(18:30):
It all comes back to Christ and his finished work on the cross.
That is the story of all of Scripture and that's the story of Paul's life.
And that's certainly the story of the church then and now.
We are a people who are not marked by our superior upbringing or our bloodline.
(18:52):
We are not a people marked by our moral perfection through our own efforts.
We are a people marked by the cross of Christ and by a salvation that comes to us by God's grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
That is what it means to be a Christian, to be someone who is so marked by Christ that we are unmistakably changed and changing
(19:17):
from dead in our sin to sons and daughters of the risen King.
So if we were going to sum up what Paul is trying to communicate to the church in his letter to the Galatians,
I think I would say it like this, there is no substitute for the true gospel.
You can't add to it or subtract from it or replace it with any form of man-made substitution and still end up with the power of God unto salvation.
(19:48):
Yes, there are easier ways to live.
There are ways to avoid persecution by compromising.
There are ways to fool others with a false performance, but there is no other way to salvation,
but by the grace of God through faith in Jesus alone.
And that road often leads through hardship and the hard work of heart change and the hard work of living in community.
(20:17):
But there is no substitute and to encourage you, it is worth it because only the true gospel leads to eternal life in Christ.
And the true gospel is simple.
It means recognizing that you have sinned and repenting, turning from that sin to Jesus,
(20:38):
who paid the price for that sin on the cross through his death and his resurrection from the dead.
It means choosing to be baptized in his name and to follow him as your loving Lord.
That is the only way to eternal life.
Respond to the invitation of Jesus and his gospel and live a life marked as one of his own
(21:04):
because there is no substitute for a life that is found in Christ.
Ecclesia is a church of house churches gathering weekly in Councilbloss, Iowa and in homes throughout the week.
We are a Bible-centered church focused on preaching from Scripture and making disciples of Jesus.
You can learn more about our statement of faith and contact a pastor by visiting ecclesiachurches.org.
(21:30):
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!