GALATIANS 6:11-16 | SUMMARIZED AND SIMPLIFIED

Now, as the faithful members of WBC know… I have not reached the level of conciseness yet that allows me to preach a 20-25 minute sermon each week, though I’m sure many desire that I would reach that level of spirituality.

I have a hard time taking all the information in multiple verses and trying to cut them down to fit into 25 minutes… it has alluded me.

EXPLANATION: As Paul reaches the conclusion of this letter to the Galatian churches, he is going to seek to summarize and simplify all that he has said.

If you missed the first 37 messages in the book of Galatians, you came to the right service today.

Paul is putting in a few simple verses his passion, their problem, and God’s peace.

In just 6 verses, he condenses much of what he has written about throughout the whole book of Galatians.

And truly, it is a beautiful way for us to come just a couple verses away from concluding this powerful book.

APPLICATION: So, while I wouldn’t hold your breath about this being a 25 minute message… I do believe these few verses deliver a power packed reminder of the truths Paul has taught throughout this book.

For some, maybe you missed a large portion of the rest of the book… pay close attention this morning.

And for others, maybe you’ve been through pretty much every service… don’t miss Paul’s reminder for you!

V.11, PAUL’S PASSION

Galatians 6:11 KJV 1900

Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand.

EXPLANATION: There is some speculation as to what Paul was trying to get across in this verse.

Could it be that Paul was referring to the length of the letter he had written?

While we today view this letter in light of the rest of his writings and would point to other books of greater length, we must remember that this book of Galatians is most likely the very first letter that Paul had penned.

This could have been Paul’s way of emphasizing to the Galatian believers his burden and passion for them because of the time he had taken to sit with quill and parchment and pen this letter to them.

It could be that Paul was emphasizing that he wrote in “large letters”

This could have been due to the possibility that he may have had poor eyesight that required he right with large letters instead of a more common cursive style.

One commentator said it this way, “

The MacArthur Bible Commentary E. Conclusion (6:11–18)

instead of the normal cursive style of writing used by professional scribes, he used the large, block letters (frequently employed in public notices) to emphasize the letter’s content rather than its form.

It also could be that Paul was emphasizing that it was he himself taking the time to write the long letter to them instead of using a scribe to pen the words on his behalf.

Whatever Paul’s meaning behind why he penned this verse, one thing is clear that Paul is communicating… He was passionate about getting these truths to these young believers.

It was back in the very first chapter that Paul was defending his authorship and his calling because he didn’t want that to take away from the importance of the message!

Galatians 1:10–12 KJV 1900

For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

The message of the Gospel was too important to allow anything to get in the way of the message… and that included an attack on his reputation!

And now as he concludes this letter to these believers, he once again emphasizes, this message was so important that I wrote this large letter with my own hand!

He wasn’t willing to let anything get in the way of the truth of the Gospel going forward!

It was his passion!

ILLUSTRATION: Nehemiah was broken and burdened over the wall of Jerusalem that had been broken down.

After receiving the ok from the king, Nehemiah had made his way back to the homeland and along with some of the other Jewish families began to rebuild the wall in Jerusalem.

When they first began, they received some criticism for their plan and their work

Nehemiah 2:18–19 KJV 1900

Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon me; as also the king’s words that he had spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for this good work. But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?

But they pressed on.

As the days went by and the wall began to take shape the opposition grew and strengthened against them

Nehemiah 4:1–3 KJV 1900

But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews. And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned? Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall.

But v.6 tells us that they continued because the people “had a mind to work”

The opposition continued to build until it came to the point that those building the wall were under physical attack from the enemy.

Nehemiah 4:16–18 KJV 1900

And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah. They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon. For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.

By the time we come to chapter 6, much had been accomplished with the building of the wall, by the opposition continued to try to distract and pull Nehemiah from the work.

Nehemiah 6:2 KJV 1900

That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief.

And Nehemiah’s response is an incredible inspiration to anyone trying to do something for God.

Nehemiah 6:3–4 KJV 1900

And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you? Yet they sent unto me four times after this sort; and I answered them after the same manner.

And just a short time later after just 52 days, this great vision of Nehemiah and passion project for God was accomplished and the wall was built!

Nothing was going to stop Nehemiah from building that wall for God!

APPLICATION: Friend, what will it take to stop you from moving forward for God?

What will it take to distract you from that which is most important in the Christian life… THE FURTHERANCE OF THE GOSPEL?

What will it take to get you to come down from the work of the Gospel God desires for you to build?

Will it take personal attacks like what happened to Paul?

Will it be some distraction like what came over and over again to Nehemiah?

Will it just be your indifference to the things of God?

Friend, Paul had just told the Galatian believers not to quit, and now he is reminding them, he isn’t quitting either!

That’s why he had recorded this letter for them!

ILLUSTRATION: Missionary Jim Elliot recorded in his journal, “LORD, MAKE ME A CRISIS MAN. BRING THOSE I CONTACT TO DECISION! LET ME NOT BE A MILEPOST ON A SINGLE ROAD. MAKE ME A FORK, THAT MEN MUST TURN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER ON FACING CHRIST IN ME.”

How passionate was Missionary Jim Elliot about making sure nothing got in the way of the Gospel going forward?

Well, he and 4 other men gave their lives taking the Gospel to the Auca indian tribe in Ecuador.

A tribe, that following his death, his wife would return to and would see the whole tribe come to Jesus.

APPLICATION: Church, may we be a people so passionate about the Gospel, that we wont allow the trivial things of life to get in the way of it going forward!

I hope this morning you will purpose to be passionate about the furtherance of the Gospel, just like the apostle Paul!

PAUL’S PASSION

V.12-15, THEIR PROBLEM

Galatians 6:12–15 KJV 1900

As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh. 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 availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

EXPLANATION: This was Paul’s whole reason for writing this letter.

There had come into the church, religious leaders who were adding works to salvation and corrupting the truth of the Gospel.

And Paul makes clear their reasoning for this, “That THEY may glory in your flesh”

They were doing it for their own glory.

When someone would convert to their Judaism, they would give themselves a big pat on the back.

“Look at what I did”

But Paul tells them boldly the only place they should direct any praise: To Jesus Christ and His death on the cross!

He told them from the beginning, don’t believe anything other than the true Gospel!

Galatians 1:6–9 KJV 1900

I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

Their teaching contradicted the true Gospel, and instead sought to bring praise to themselves.

And Paul pointed to where all the praise should go for what he had taught and what had happened in his life:

Galatians 1:24 KJV 1900

And they glorified God in me.

He says, they glorified God because of what had happened in his life and because of what he was preaching!

There was always only One Who was worthy of any praise, and that was Jesus!

ILLUSTRATION: Lou Little coached at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., from 1924 to 1929.

There, he coached a defensive tackle who he worked with every day, but the young man just did not get any better.

But the boy was persistent, worked hard, and had a great attitude.

In fact, the boy never missed a practice in his four seasons on the team.

Three or four days before the boy's final game at Georgetown, Little received a telegram that informed him the boy's father had died.

Little offered his condolences and told him, "Son, I’m sorry your father passed away. Go home and take care of your family. We'll try to win this game for you."

That Saturday, Little walked into his team's locker room and was surprised to see the boy standing there.

"Coach, you have to start me," the boy said.

"Son, you have never been a starter," Little told him, "This is the championship game. I cannot take that kind of risk today."

"Coach, I have to do this for my father," the boy pleaded, "Just put me in for the first play and then you can take me out of the game."

Little was overcome with sympathy.

How could he not grant the boy his wish?

So he put the boy in the starting lineup, and the boy ran down the field to cover the game's opening kickoff.

He tackled the player returning the kick so hard he nearly knocked him into the first row of seats.

The boy jumped up and ran to the sideline just like he promised his coach he would do, but Little motioned to him to stay in the game.

During the rest of the afternoon, the boy played out of his mind.

He led Georgetown's team in tackles and delivered big hit after big hit.

Georgetown won the game and claimed a conference championship.

After the game, coach little found the young man in the locker room by himself amidst all the celebration going on around him

"Son, what in the world got into you today?" Little asked him. "You've never played like that before. You've never shown that much desire in four years."

"Coach, you know my father died," the boy said. "You know my father was blind. Today was the first time he could see me play."

On that day, he wasn’t playing for his own glory… he was playing for the view of one!

APPLICATION: Friend, who are you playing for this morning?

Can we just be honest about one of the biggest things that gets in the way of the Gospel going forward and the cause of Christ?

One of the biggest problems that gets in the way is ME!

I want the praise… I want the glory.

We live for the pat on the back

We live for the praise and congratulations

And so often, we step in front of the praise that God deserves and we claim it for ourselves.

Paul was only concerned with one person receiving the praise, and that was Jesus!

Revelation 4:11 KJV 1900

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

Philippians 2:9–11 KJV 1900

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Friend, if you are living for your own glory, then you will live for God and serve Him when you feel like it!

But when you purpose to live for the glory of One, your willing to step out of what it comfortable and go beyond what you want and do what God wants!

Romans 12:1 KJV 1900

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Don’t fall into the trap that so tempted the Galatian believers and that which the false teachers had fallen into!

Choose, like Paul, to live for the glory of One!

PAUL’S PASSION

THEIR PROBLEM

V.16, GOD’S PEACE

Galatians 6:16 KJV 1900

And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

EXPLANATION: Paul says, those that choose to make God their passion, and live for His glory, they will find themselves with something the world cannot give.

Peace!

I love how Paul says it in v.16.

He says, “All those that are living that way will have peace and the mercy of God… oh and also on the Israel of God.”

Some of taken that to say that Paul was saying that the church was replacing Israel, but that couldn’t be further from the truth of what Paul was saying.

What Paul was getting at, was another summarization of things he had talked about before.

Earlier in Galatians, Paul had addressed those who said they “were of God” simply because they were Jewish.

And Paul is giving one final swipe at those guys as he says, “there are actually some who are of Israel and are of God!”

But it isn’t because they are Jewish… it’s because they have put their trust in Christ and are living for Him.

APPLICATION: Church, as we wrap up this morning, can I remind you there is only one place you are going to find real lasting peace.

It is through accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior and then choosing to live for Him because He saved you.

Our world is seeking for peace all over the place.

More money

A better job

A nicer house

Better relationships

A vacation every once in a while.

But none of those things can give real lasting peace.

That peace can only be found in a real relationship with Jesus!

I guess it’s almost as if Paul was saying, “Now that you have Christ, don’t turn back to all those things you sought to fulfill you before Christ!”

Galatians 4:9 KJV 1900

But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

No turning back!