Untitled Sermon (3)

“I have the scars to prove it”

(Galatians 6:17 )

From now on let no man trouble me for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.

There was a favorite scene in the movie Jaws. It’s when Quint Brady and Hooper are below deck, they are drinking and comparing their battle scars.

When Hooper sees, what he thinks is a scar on Quint's arm. He inquires about the mark….Quint says to him it's not a scar, it's a tattoo of the USS Indianapolis, that was shot down by a Japanese torpedo at the end of World War II.

Of the more than 1100 men who were on board the vessel, just over 300 men survived the attack, he says he got the tattoo to serve as a visible sign of the invisible scars.

This morning we look into the final witness…..the final example of the Apostle Paul, who had written this epistle or letter to the church at Galatia.

As he stood in defense of the witness of the Gospel and his personal ministry integrity, the Apostle Paul lifts for them his own personal plight and pain as he unbandaged his wounds and allow the church there to know that his message is authenticated by the literal scars that he bear in his body.

Paul wants the church to know that the Church of Jesus Christ is established by truth, that's authenticated by suffering.

There was a group of Jewish missionaries known as Judaizers and they had infiltrated the church after Paul had established a strong Gospel Mission there in Galatia.

And this group of Jewish missionaries, were now trying to claim that Paul's preaching and teaching was not relevant. They were they were claiming, that there needed to be some additional work associated with their gospel claim.

They claimed that in order for the Gentiles to be saved and accepted by the church….that they had to adhere to the strict laws of Moses…..that they had to adhere to circumcision and they had to keep the strict details of Judaism…..they had to practice codes and customs and live by a religious calendar.

But, Paul writes to the Galatians to share with the church, that all you need to be saved is to place your faith alone in Christ alone……through grace alone and that's all that you need.

He argues with them that a Christ plus anything else gospel is no gospel at all.

Because all that you need to be saved is to place your utmost confidence in a man named Jesus.

Paul is clear on this…he presses this claim…..he argues with them because, he says that the just shall live by faith.

The only way to be set right before a Holy God is to trust him alone…..at his finished work on the cross and you will be saved to the utmost.

I wonder is there anybody in here this morning….who can testify…..I'm saved…..I know I'm saved…..I'm secure…..I'm confident in that because Jesus Christ has given me the victory by his death on the cross.

I know we don't hear much about the cross in our modern contemporary churches.

But there are at least three things we ought hear about.

The first thing we ought to hear about is the book.

The second thing we ought to hear about is the blood.

The third thing we ought to hear about is our blessed hope.

We need to hear the word of God.

We need to hear the fact that Jesus died for our sins according to the scripture.

That he was buried in the grave according to the scripture.

But that early Sunday morning he got up from the dead according to the scripture and that one of these days we're going to a land where we will never grow old.

Where the wicked will cease from troubling and the weary shall be at rest….thank God for the gospel.

And so because they could not refute Paul's message they attacked Paul personally.

They made the claim that Paul also taught the keeping of the law…..that he preached the gospel of circumcision.

Paul says to them, in chapter 5 verse 11…..if I was still preaching….that you must be circumcised……as some say I do……why am I still being persecuted.

If I were no longer preaching salvation through the Cross of Christ, no one would be offended.

Paul says now in my old days, I did preach a message……I did preach and teach that you had to keep the laws of Moses because prior to Paul meeting Jesus he was a religious fanatic.

He was a church Desperado.

But in Acts chapter 9 Paul says something happened to him

He had received letters from the high priest to go down to Damascus to actively seek….to exterminate the people of the way.

But, he says something happened to him…..he was blinded by a light from heaven…..the Shekinah Glory of God and knock from his high beast.

Having heard a voice saying Saul Saul……why do you persecute me.

Do you not know that it's hard for you to kick against the pricks.

In other words Church Paul was captured by what he was trying to catch.

He was apprehended by what he was trying to arrest and can I tell you, like Paul….my claim is one day Jesus made the difference in my life and when you read Paul's writing in First Corinthians 15 verse 10, he says whatever I am….I am what I am by the grace of God.

None of us deserve to be here this morning.

Because we have sinned since you've been saved and come short of the glory of God since you've been a believer……but somebody ought to lift your hands and thank God that I am what I am by the grace of God.

Because God's grace changes whatever it touches and nobody is ever the same after they have had contact with this amazing power of God.

Through many dangers….toils….and snares I have already come.

It's Grace that brought me safe thus far and it will be his grace that will lead me home.

Paul says, may I boast in nothing else except the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ for every believer that's our only boast.

Our only boast is Jesus Christ made the difference for us at the cross.

At the cross where I first saw the light.

And the burdens of my heart they rolled away.

It was there by faith.

I received my sight and now I'm happy all the day.

May I boast not in my title.

Not in my position

Not in my Prestige

Not in my prominence…but in the cross.

I love the cross.

Verse 17 is Paul's closing argument.

Verse 17 is Paul given his final evidence.

After a long and extensive argument Paul now gives his concluding claim.

He says I know I've taught you about salvation by faith alone in Jesus Christ and that the just shall live by faith and the Redemption that we have is through the blood of Jesus and his death on the cross.

He says but my final exhibit……is my own life and Paul unbandages his wounds and allows the church at galatia to know that I bear literally in my very body the marks of Jesus Christ.

First of all, my brothers and sisters……Paul says, “from now on let no man set on me to trouble me”

This would suggests that those Judaizers were causing Paul some trouble and the only reason they were causing Paul trouble was because Paul was standing up for the truth.

May I say to someone this morning……that any time you get busy doing what's right to the glory of God……..you can get ready to be troubled.

You are going to have some adversity.

I know you thought that if you live for God and that if you pray and if you read your Sunday school book….that you won't have to deal with any attacks or any adversity or any lies being told on you or any rumors being spread about you.

Many times that’s the litmus tests….that prove to you and I that we're doing what God has called us to do…..is when we’re being troubled.

If you don't want any attacks in your life…..just do nothing and be nothing and nobody's gonna trouble you.

If you want little attacks in your life…..just do little and be little and little will be your opposition.

But if you ever grab a hold of god-sized Grace and god-sized vision and god-sized dreams get ready to be knocked down and kick down and wrestle down…get ready to have evil spoken of your good.

Paul says in in First Corinthians 16 verse 9 that “there was open to him in Ephesus a great and a effectual door.

He says but at the same time that the door was opened, that there were also many adversaries.

Which means that whenever you have an open door….you're gonna have some adverse conditions.

You remember Nehemiah….all he was trying to do was rebuild the city walls….that's all he was trying to do….trying to put the walls back together.

And as soon as Nehemiah got busy building those walls….here comes Sandballant, Tobiah and Guessem trying to pull him down.

Can I tell you, that when you're busy working for God…..you don't have time to come down to address petty preoccupations, when you're busy working for God…..you don't have time to chase down every rumor and every lie and every message that's thrown out on social media.

Your response should be like Nehemiah’s response.

Go tell them…..I'm doing a great work and I can't come down.

No devil….no man….no woman….no boy…..no girl will be able to stop us.

Paul is standing up for truth and he says, that they've troubled me.

But after this moment….don't let anybody trouble me.

We see Paul's adversity.

But we also see Paul's affliction because the word for marks in our text is the Greek word “stigmata” and the word stigmata literally means to be” branded”.

It means literally to have a fire brand…precisely pressed into your body.

They would do this to Soldiers to identify their regiment.

They would do this to slaves to identify their owner.

It's the same word where we get the word “stigma”, which means to be marked or determined by disfigurement and when you have been branded right it's impossible to be unbranded.

When you've been stamped by the grace of God…..you bear the stigma of Grace everywhere you go.

Sometimes we try to fit in…..in other places and you just tell on yourself….because you can't hide the fact that you've been with Jesus. Paul…he was afflicted by literal marks.

In second Corinthians 11 Paul tells us his story…..he says, that three times he had been beaten with rods…he said, five times he had received lashes of the Jews.

He said that on three separate occasions he spent a night in the sea.

He knew what it was to be in danger in the city, in perils in the waters……he knew what it was to be thirsty and hungry and cold.

He knew what it was to be ostracized and overwhelmed and sick and afflicted and lonely because when you bear the name Jesus Christ you're going to be attacked….you're going to have some affliction the scripture says, that all of us who live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer some persecution.

But, it's all because of our association…..it's all because we walk with Jesus.

But I submit to you this morning, my brothers and sisters, that you’re never more like Jesus Christ….than when you have some scars.

You remember in John chapter 20. Thomas was having a crisis of faith and Thomas said I would not be able to believe unless I see his scars.

Jesus said come, let me show you the scars as a matter of fact put your hands in my side….look at the nails in my hands……he was scarred for our sake.

Isaiah said he was wounded for our transgression….he was bruised for our iniquity and the chastisement of our peace were laid on him and by his stripes we are healed.

But these scars that I'm talking about are really Mercy marks.

Because, my brothers and sisters, a scar is simply a wound that has been healed.

I've been wounded.

I've been bruised.

I've been scarred by fake friends.

I've been scarred by people that I tried to be good to and then they turned on me and stabbed me in my back.

But, it was good for me that I have been Afflicted because then I learned something about God and His word.

Is there anybody in here who can “shout” it was good for me.

That broken heart…..it was good for me.

Them walking out of my life…it was good for me.

Them leaving me alone….it was good for me.

Because it made me grow up.

I've gone through the fire

I've been through the flood

I've been broken into pieces

But through it all I remember that…..he loved me.

Can I tell you I may have some scars But I'm Healed

May have some circumstances but I'm Healed

May have some disappointments but I'm Healed

I've had some good days and I've had some lonely nights….but when I look around and think things over.

All of my good days…outweigh my bad days.

So I won't complain…..God's been good to me.

The Lord has kept me in the midst of it all.

The Lord has seen me through some difficult days.

I've lost some friends…I've lost some resources.

I’ve lost some acquaintances but can I tell you I've never lost my praise.

I never lost my Hallelujah

I never lost my thank you Jesus

Thank you for how you brought me

Thank you for how you taught me

Thank you for how you kept me

Thank you that you never left me

He brought me through this and he brought me through that.

But my trials only come to make me stronger.

I thank God for my mountains

I thank God for my valleys

If I never had a problem….how would I know God can solve them.

How would I know what faith in his word can do.

So through it all…..I've learned to trust in Jesus…..through it all I've learned to trust in God.

Here's why I'm gonna trust him….I'm gonna trust him because one Friday…out on Calvary he died for me and since he died for me….I'm gonna shout for him

Since he died for me….I'm gonna praise his name…..I'm gonna bless his name

He's worthy to be praised.

Now if you know he's worthy you ought to show some signs

If you know he's worthy….you ought to praise his name.

If you know he's worthy you ought to lift your hands and lift your voice and shout “Hallelujah”

I will let nothing separate me from the love of God…..in Christ Jesus I am persuaded that nothing will ever separate me….no height….no creature….no created things in all these things….in all these things through Jesus Who Loved Us.