Christ Crucified
Notes
Transcript
Pray
Last week we thought about the central doctrine of the Gospel, that justification (being declared innocent) before God for salvation is by faith alone in Christ Jesus alone.
And this weeks passage continues that theme, but gives us if you like the mechanics that are going on in the background to make that doctrine possible.
What is faith,
What it is about Christ that makes our justification possible,
Why can good works never save us,
And how do we continue in faith, not just start in faith.
1 - Portraying Christ Crucified
1 - Portraying Christ Crucified
You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.
We know by now how seriously Paul is taking the Galatian Christians who have started to believe that as well as trusting Jesus for their salvation, they also need to follow some of the Jewish cerimonial law.
Namely that they, like the Jews, needed to be circumcised as a true sign they had become God’s people.
It was a Gospel Plus circumsision message - and any gospel plus something is - as we know from the pervious passages, - no gospel, no good news at all!
You are foolish says Paul to think anything of our own doing can help save us before God.
WHo has bewitched you he says!
Perhaps suggesting that it is the devils work that distracts us from the true gospel.
He bewitches us, not by all out violent attack, but by twisting lies that grow out of real truth!
He bewitches us as he did Eve in the garden into twisting or doubting what God has said.
But now, rather than just telling them how theologically they are wrong,
he goes for the heart of the matter.
The heart of the Gospel, and the heart of every true believer...
slow
‘Before your very eyes... Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.’
Paul’s point is that the whole good news of salvation by faith alone in Christ alone centres around the realities of Jesus’ death on the cross.
And a true believer has ‘seen’ before their very eyes - Christ crucified.
The Galiatains weren’t actually at the crucifiction of Jesus - so he doesn’t mean physically they were there
but through the preaching and proclaimimg of Paul, of the Gospel he - portrayed Christ as Crucified.
The NT is clear that Christ crucified is the central event upon which the gospel hangs - quite literally.
but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
Hebrews 9:28 (NIV 2011)
so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many;
later in Galatians he will write:
Galatians 6:14 (NIV 2011)
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Without showing people Christ Crucified on the Cross - there is no Gospel - no justification, no forgivensss of sins, no good news.
Many these days are uncomfortable with telling people that Jesus died on the cross for their sins.
Many don’t think it necessary to speak often of sin and therefore Christ’s death,
Many churches deny that God would use such a barbaric death and injustice to His loved son - to save others.
Many don’t think we need the cross at all.
I’ve been banned from 1 church for preaching Christ crucified,
We’ve left another church that defended it’s leaving out the cross of Christ from their gospel.
I’ve had people in congregations (even at this church) say we don’t need to hear about repentance and sin so much!
Nonsense!
3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?
Unless we preach Christ crucified for our sin - there is no Gospel!
Unless we hold to that truth as we begin in faith until the end we have no hope.
Christ died becasue of our sin and rebelion against God - so I hope you never hear a sermon that does not show you the cross of Christ and therefore call for faith in Him and our humble repentance before Him -
That word ‘portray’ is also a helpful one I think, as we think about how we share the gospel with others at work, with our children, when we teach from the front, in HG’s, in youth groups.
Portray christ Crucified.
Portray - originally meaning a public declaration ‘showing’ you the object. Not just telling you of it’s existence and reality - but when the gospel of Christ crucified is proclaimed - we are to see it, portray the event - it’s why we ask the Spirit to open our eyes..
Do you see him, bruised and beaten, hanging bloody and dying on the cross. a spear in his side, forsaken by man and God.
like a lamb to the slaughter.
The skies go dark as he’s sperated from God to take our sin and judgement upon himself.
A real event that is not just head knowledge - but physical and real, seen and felt, as much as it was 2000 years ago as it is still today.
Look at him says the gospel. Have him firmly fixed in your eyes and mind.
!! How can you forget!
You foolish Galatians to add anything to that image of Christ crucified.
How precious we ought to consider and take part in the Lord’s Supper - as we see Christ portrayed as crucified as represented by the bread and wine.
It is no mistake that the regular sacrament of remembrance is one that focuses in on the crucifixion event - for that is where it all happened - once and for all.
The New English Bible translates this verse Jesus, ‘openly displayed on the cross’.
When you speak to your friends about your faith, we are not to elevate ourselves, or primarily speak of the great benefits of being part of a church, or tell how much better we are as people now we’re Christians.
We are to show them Christ crucified. That means we humble ourselevs, we speak of our struggles and weakness, particularly our sin against God and our fear of his justice and judgement. We are no better than them.
Becasue then when we show Jesus, openly displayed on the cross, that we deserve - they too may see him today - as if they were there then.
And they too like us, can receive him today, just as they did then.
Show one another Christ Crucified.
I suspect we find that embarrassing or hard to do at times, but that is the gospel we say we believe.
It is the power of God for salvation,
we will not be ashamed of the gospel.
we lower ourselves as helpless sinners before God and invite them to see Christ Crucified for them as well.
But there is much better reason to unashamedly share the gospel by showing people the crucified Christ.
And that is becasue it’s the only thing that works - the only way to be saved...
I would like to learn just one thing from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard?
2 - Believe Christ was Crucified
2 - Believe Christ was Crucified
Paul calls on the Galations to remeber how they began in faith.
How is it you originally received the Holy Spirit - who opened your eyes to sin and to Christ Crucified.
Did you ‘do’ something? Or did you just believe what you heard.
Well, we heard of Christ crucified - it was like we were there - and we saw our sin laid on him!
that can only be the case because the Spirit of God came upon us and opened our eyes freely to believe and see!
Hearing and believing the Gospel of christ crucified is our, and anyone else's only hope.
Think back to your own conversion - or to your growing awareness of your undertsangin of the gospel if you’ve alwasy grown up as a Christian.
What is it you hold onto.
Is it something you did, or do - or - is it solely believing what you heard - that ~Christ was crucified for your sin.
I hope it’s the believing in Christ Crucified!
That is what faith is - as Hebrews defines it.
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Being sure, believing in what we do not see - faith portrays Christ crucified.
Faith holds dearly in confidence to the open display of Christ on the cross.
We weren’t there - but we believe it - that is faith - given freely by the Spirit.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
pause
Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?
I do hope none of us here are trusting we are saved through anything we do.
Coming to church, reading our bibles, even seemingly loving one another and God - none of that can save us.
All right things to do in grateful thanks - all fruit of the true Christian, all to be earnestly sought.
But All things though we will fall short in.
so we are in able to save Ourselves.
None of it to be trusted in for justification before God.
We began in faith alone in Christ alone and we continue in faith alone through Christ alone and we finish by faith alone in Christ alone.
It is that way designed by God so that all glory goes to Him, so that we never puff ourselves up, or boast in anything but Christ Jesus crucified.
Do you see him there, displayed openly for you?
When Paul went around portayring Christ he demonstrated the signs of a true apostle amoung the churchs of signs and miracels - as he says in
I persevered in demonstrating among you the marks of a true apostle, including signs, wonders and miracles.
Do you think these things come from anyone ‘doing works’? No all belief, signs of the gospel and the gospel itself is a gift of the Holy Spirit - works of God alone.
Believe in Christ crucified - recviev his Spirit - no one can save or continue in faith by themselevs.
Of course Jews a the time might have argued - but what about the great saints of the OT. Surely they were saved by works of the law - why’s it all changed.
YOu’ve got it wrong - you’ve misinterpreted the OT Paul now says...
Christ fuliflled the law for those of faith before and after his earthly life.
So also Abraham ‘believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’ Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you.’ So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
Abraham - the Father of all Israel - even he did not receive righteonsness through works - but through faith.
Paul quotes Gen 15 6 saying - even Abraham believed and it was crediited to him as righteousness.
The Gentile believers are as much the children and inheritance of Abraham - and therefore the children of God - as the Jewish ‘believers’.
The Gospel is the great equaliser of all men and women -
All NAtions can be jsutified by faith alone in christ alone simply by
believing in Christ Crucified. -
That is faith.
So, how does Christ crucified on the cross actually help us..
3 - Cursed for Us
3 - Cursed for Us
For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.’
No-one can save themselevs becasue it’s just not possible. Even the best of our attenpts and actions are tainted by sin and selfishmenss - we cannot acheive a pure thought or action on our own before God.
And as such,
Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because ‘the righteous will live by faith.’
So we are cursed - facing right and just judgment - eternally.
And what can we do about that curse - well nothing - we are cursed.
But, someone who is not cursed perhaps can...
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.’ He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
The law puts us all under a curse before God - we will face his right judgment and wrath becasue of our rebelion and sin against him - our failure to keep his holy law. Like last week - we said - the law is like a mirror refelcting our sinfulness against God’s great holiness!
Cursed,
but - and this is why Christ crucified - the cross event - is the key, the mechanism, the beauty of justification/salvation,
becasue on it - Jesus became cursed for us.
Paul referring to the very law of God in Deut 21v23 where we’re told that anyone who is hung on a pole is cursed by God - shows us what love Jesus showed at his death.
He didn’t just die having been a good man to show us how to live.
He died having been a perfect man - FOR us - so that we Can Live.
He is not just a role model for life - he is our very life.
And as we die to our old self we receive new life in Christ - as His promised Holy Spirit lives in us! OUr curse put upon Jesus and Jesus’ righteousness put upon us evidenced by and seen by God the Father by the Holy Spirit!
And so cast off any allusions to self-grandure, or special nature, or thoughts that we might bring a twinkle to God’s eye through some good things we do,
And cast your minds eye to see Jesus openly displayed on the cross for you.
Receive His Holy Spirit who gives you faith - and live now - dead to who we once were - for that person, and life died with Christ - the curse gone,
- and and now we are alive through faith, in Christ alone.
Not many of us are running around hoping that by circumcision God may look more kindly on us,
But we do run around thinking, God owes me if I show grace to someone who doesn’t deserve it,
or God will love me a bit more if I read my bible everyday,
or Jesus must have seen something speicial in me to save me.
They are all gospel plus - something.
They are all thinking we can earn a bit more of God’s favour - or God will owe me soemthing if I do the right thing.
Christ Jesus gave us everything alreaedy - His very life!
Christ Crucified is our only hope.
and so now - Jesus alone is our joy and our treasure - Jesus alone is the Joy in God’s eye. - and so through Him - we too recieve, entirely by GRace, the favour and blessing of God
Life eternal, in the joy and presence of the Holy of Holies. Inheriting the blessings promised to Abraham and all of faith ever since.
When we are tempted to -by Satan, to elevate ourselves, or our own work to worth before God - by our sinful nature to which we have died but not yet fully left until Christ returns..
Well remeber JEsus has already given you everything - he has taken our curse - he has been crucified for us, believe.
look again - do you see him - openly displayed - Christ Crucified in love for you.
Let us Go and show him to others
Pray