← Back to sermon library

passage that we have looked at 
in the past. Specifically, we'll notice a 
summary of gospel truth found in verse 4. This morning we looked 
at a particular summary in Matthew's gospel, and here the Apostle 
summarizes the gospel in Galatians chapter 1, verses 4 and 5. And 
that does serve as an emphasis or does serve then for the rest 
of the remainder of the book of Galatians. So verses 1 to 
5 are not only a greeting to the churches in Galatia, but 
they also highlight two important themes. Not only the nature of 
the gospel, but the nature of Paul's apostolic ministry. Both 
things were in question. in these particular churches 
as is clear as you move through the narrative specifically in 
chapters 1 and in the chapter 2 Paul does validate and confirm 
and authenticate the reality that he is in fact a Christ appointed 
apostle to gospel ministry this would serve to confute and confound 
the the false teachers who were suggesting otherwise, and then 
as well Paul sets the stage for his presentation of gospel truth 
in light of false doctrine being propagated to these churches. So I'll just pick up reading 
in chapter 1 at verse 1. Paul, an apostle, not from men, 
nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, 
who raised him from the dead. And all the brethren who are 
with me, to the churches of Galatia, grace to you and peace from God 
the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for 
our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil age, 
according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory 
forever and ever. Amen. I marvel that you are turning 
away so soon from Him. who called you in the grace of 
Christ to a different gospel, which is not another. But there 
are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of 
Christ. But even if we, or an angel from 
heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached 
to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now 
I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than 
what you have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade 
men or God, or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, 
I would not be a bondservant of Christ. But I make known to 
you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not 
according to man. For I neither received it from 
man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation 
of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my former 
conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure 
and tried to destroy it. and I advanced in Judaism beyond 
many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly 
zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when it pleased 
God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through 
His grace to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among 
the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, 
nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before 
me, but I went to Arabia and returned again to Damascus. Then 
after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and I 
remained with him fifteen days. But I saw none of the other apostles 
except James, the Lord's brother. Now concerning the things which 
I write to you, indeed before God, I do not lie. Afterward, 
I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia, and I was unknown 
by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ. But they 
were hearing only. He who formerly persecuted us 
now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy, and 
they glorified God in me. Amen." Well, let us pray. Our 
Father, we thank you for this, your Word, and we pray for the 
ministry of your Spirit We pray that He would guide us and lead 
us into all truth and that You would encourage our hearts. And 
as we consider afresh the glorious gospel of free and sovereign 
grace, may we worship the triune God of heaven and earth. For 
certainly this is Your due, the God who has undertaken to save 
His people from their sins. It is not our will, it is not 
our obedience, it is not our works that makes the difference. 
It is the glorious grace of God, according to Your sovereign pleasure, 
according to Your eternal decree. Father, certainly we as Your 
people, as Your Church, ought to celebrate these truths regularly, 
and we ought to praise and worship as a result. We ask for Your 
blessing now, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, J. Gressam-Machen, in his lectures 
of the epistle to the Galatians, says this. He says, Paul was 
not like some modern preachers who are inclined to mention the 
blessed doctrine of the cross only when they are taken to task 
for neglecting it. Paul regarded it as the very 
foundation of the Christian life. And when it was belittled, as 
in Galatia, he put his whole heart into its defense. You see that in these opening 
verses. Notice in verse 6, the Apostle 
comes out of the gate swinging as it were. This is a very polemic 
letter. He says, I marvel that you are 
turning away so soon from him who called you in the grace of 
Christ to a different gospel which is not another but there 
are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of 
Christ. Essentially, what is going on 
in these churches in the southern Galatia region. Paul had visited these on his 
first missionary journey recorded in Acts 13 and 14. These are 
the churches in Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. After the Apostle had established 
or founded these particular churches, Judaizers went in behind him, 
and they said that it's good that you believe on the Lord 
Jesus Christ. It's good that you have faith 
in him, but you must also be circumcised. You must also add 
to that faith a certain degree of obedience to the Mosaic ceremonies 
in order to be saved. Now, Paul was not anti-circumcision 
in terms of a cultural situation. He himself had Timothy circumcised. With reference to it being a 
means by which man is commended to God, that invokes from the 
apostle the harshest of language. If someone supposes that faith 
plus works is what is necessary in order to arrive in heaven, 
the Apostle Paul says, I marvel that you are turning away so 
soon from him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different 
gospel which is not another. It is by grace alone, through 
faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone, or it is not salvation. Edward Fisher in his Merrill 
of Modern Divinity said it this way, so that if you desire to 
be justified before God, you must either bring to Him a perfect 
righteousness of your own, That's absolutely crucial. If you would 
be justified or accepted by God in your own strength, you must 
bring a perfect righteousness. He goes on to say, and wholly 
renounce Christ, or else you must bring the perfect righteousness 
of Christ and wholly renounce your own. Christ Jesus will either 
be a whole Savior or no Savior. He will either save you alone 
or not save you at all. And if you ask the question, 
how could Fisher utter such words, it's because, at least in some 
small degree, the epistle to the Galatians. Paul has no truck 
with those who would add works to faith. He condemns it in the 
most severe language and says it is not, or it is a perversion, 
and it is requiring the anathema, or the curse, of God Most High. But even as I said before that, 
the introduction, verses 1 to 5, are packed, these verses are 
packed, with great theology concerning the nature of His apostleship 
and the nature of the Gospel itself. Let's look first at the 
nature of his apostleship. Paul, verse 1, an apostle, not 
from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God 
the Father who raised him from the dead. He asserts negatively 
in the first place. He is not an apostle from men 
nor through man. He is not saying that the place 
of the church and the installation of elders and deacons is a bad 
thing. He is simply highlighting the 
origin of his apostolic ministry was not through the agency of 
man. He was not self-appointed. He 
was not appointed by a group of guys that thought he was a 
sterling character. But rather, as he highlights 
here, he says, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father who 
raised him from the dead. The agency by which he was installed 
into apostolic ministry was divine. It was the Father, it was the 
Son who coordinately set Paul in gospel ministry. So I said, 
this is important as you continue in chapters 1 and 2, because 
one of the things under attack is the nature of his apostolic 
ministry. The idea seems to be, if we can 
strip away his authority, then we can effectively deal with 
his message. If he is preaching faith alone, 
but he's not really a God-sent messenger, then they must listen 
to us when we preach faith plus words. So that's why the Apostle 
highlights this. And before we get to the nature 
of the Gospel itself, Notice the pronouncement of peace upon 
the churches. Verse 3, Grace to you and peace 
from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. This is common 
in the apostles' letters. This is a common benediction 
or a good word pronounced to the people of God in the various 
stations that they find themselves. Grace speaks of the unmerited 
favor of God, of course. Peace means with God and with 
men. Martin Luther commented on this 
benediction or this pronouncement of peace and grace. He says, 
moreover, these two words, grace and peace, do contain in them 
the whole sum of Christianity. So it's important for us to stop 
along the way and consider certain things. We're inclined to just 
read introductions or read greetings and not spend the moment to savor 
the richness of the words that are employed. I think Luther's 
right. These two words, grace and peace, do contain in them 
the whole sum of Christianity. Grace contains the remission 
of sins, peace a quiet and joyful conscience. For peace of conscience 
can never be had unless sin be first forgiven. And I think we'd 
all agree with that and say our heartfelt Amen. There's no such 
thing as peace without first the grace of God Almighty. Now 
let's look in verses 4 and 5 at 5 observations concerning the 
nature of the Gospel. Note first, the death of Christ 
was voluntary on His part. He says, Grace to you and peace 
from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ who gave Himself. 
It's a glorious statement concerning the initiative behind the gospel. 
We'll see this as we move through the passage. The wondrous thing 
about the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is not that men 
in their free will choose God, but God in his supreme will chooses 
man. And here, specifically, what 
is pointed out is that Christ gave Himself. Christ laid down 
His life for the sheep. Christ went on this particular 
mission of mercy when we consider the entirety of biblical data, 
first and foremost, to satisfy the demand placed upon Him by 
His Father in the covenant of redemption. The Father chose 
a people. He gave them to the Son. The 
Son willingly transacted to come into this world and to save them 
from their sins. And that meant giving Himself 
on their behalf. The Lord Christ was not forced 
into this. The Lord Christ was a willing 
surety and mediator of a better covenant. In John's Gospel, in 
John 10 at verse 11, He says, I am the Good Shepherd. The Good 
Shepherd gives His life for the sheep. And then in verse 15, 
He says, As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father, 
and I lay down My life for the sheep. And again, in verse 18, 
No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have 
power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This 
command I have received from My Father. We were caused or 
had caused to consider this yesterday morning in the theology discussion. 
Christ has the power and ability to save to the uttermost. But 
what we see as well is that he has the willingness, the desire, 
the heart He doesn't just do it, He does it with resolve. 
When you mark Him in His earthly ministry, He is a man on a mission. He is a man who sets His face 
steadfast to go to Jerusalem. He is a man that does not shrink 
back from the task given to Him by the Father. He is a man who 
voluntarily lays His life down for the sheep. And in that, I 
think we see His great love for us. We ought to appreciate that 
reality. We ought to understand the great 
lengths and the depths of love that our Savior has on our behalf. 
This statement concerning the voluntary nature of Christ's 
redeeming work shows us something of His character. We ought to 
appreciate and celebrate this reality. Paul highlights this 
in Galatians 2.20. He says, I have been crucified 
with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but 
Christ lives in me. And the life I now live in the 
flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and 
gave Himself for me. You may be a miserable person 
sometime during this week. You may have no friends. You 
may have lots of enemies. You may have lots of opposition. 
You may be the sort of guy or girl that nobody wants to hang 
around with, but if you are a Christian, realize that Christ the Lord 
Almighty voluntarily laid His life down for you. Someone in 
this universe does care. Someone in this universe does 
love. And someone in this universe has proven that by his travail 
at the cross. Christ voluntarily gives his 
life for the sheep. Again, to satisfy his Father's 
covenantal arrangement, but as well because of the man-word 
referent, that he loves his church, he loves his people, he loves 
the sheep of Christ. I've heard that before about 
my preaching and I don't like it. I want to put more love in 
it. I want to make sure that we always 
underscore, I always assume that there's love from heaven to earth, 
maybe don't always say it, but we need to make sure we do not 
forget and do not mistake the reality behind the cross of Christ. Yes, the satisfaction of divine 
justice. Yes, covenant, all those concepts 
to be sure, but God so loved the world that He gave His only 
begotten Son. Love is behind this transaction. The Father loves us. The Father 
chose us in Him. The Son willingly leaves heaven 
to come into this earth. The Son willingly lays down His 
life for the sheep. Why? Because He loves us. The 
voluntary nature, or the voluntary aspect of this glorious gospel. Note, secondly, we're going to 
just pull apart the verse and look at each clause on its own. 
Secondly, the death of Christ consisted in penal substitution. Verse 4, "...who gave himself 
for our sins." Notice, it does not say, "...who gave himself 
for our example." Just look at how Christ lives and do likewise. He didn't give Himself for our 
inspiration so that the cross inspires us to greater exploits 
on His behalf. No, He gave Himself for our sins. He satisfied divine justice through 
His penal sufferings at Calvary in order to atone for our sins. The Scripture is rich with this 
theme. He died for our sins, 1 Corinthians 
15. He died for us, 1 Thessalonians 
5.10. He gave himself for our sins, 
Galatians 1.4. He died for the ungodly, Romans 
5.6. He died for all, and in context, 
all the elect, 2 Corinthians 5.14. And a brother is one on 
whose behalf Christ died, 1 Corinthians 8.11. His death is an offering 
for sin, Hebrews 10.18. One sacrifice for sin, Hebrews 
10.12. The blood of Him who offered 
Himself, Hebrews 9.14. The offering of His body once 
for all, Hebrews 10.10. His death makes expiation, Hebrews 
2.17. There is propitiation in His 
blood, Romans 3.25. We are justified in His blood, 
Romans 5.9. And we are reconciled by His 
death, Romans 5.10. He gave Himself a ransom, 1 Timothy 
2.6. He redeemed us from the curse 
of the law being made a curse for us, Galatians 3.13. Christ 
our Passover was sacrificed for us, 1 Corinthians 5.7. He gave 
himself as a ransom for many, Matthew 20, 28. You see, you 
cannot come to the text of the New Testament and deny substitutionary 
curse bearing. I mean, you can, but it's very 
disingenuous because the scripture sets it forth in most clear detail. Christ died for our sins. He didn't die, as I said, for 
our example or for our inspiration, but it's because we're lawless 
men and women, we have rejected His will for us, we have despised, 
we have forsaken, and we have refused to do what God the Lord 
has commanded. So Christ comes in our stead 
and receives in His own body the curse of God's justice against 
us. We see this is the means by which 
the wrath of God is propitiated, Romans 3, 25 and 26. It is the 
means by which reconciliation is effected, Ephesians 2.16. 
In this very book, we see that this is how redemption comes 
about. Notice in Galatians 3.13, it 
says, Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law. having 
become a curse for us. For it is written, cursed is 
everyone who hangs on a tree, that the blessing of Abraham 
might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might 
receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. And then in Galatians 
4, 4 and 5. But when the fullness of the 
time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born 
under the law to redeem those who are under the law that we 
might receive the adoption as sons." So back to Galatians 1-4, 
"...who gave himself for our sins." Again, you may have a 
miserable week ahead of you. I'm not a prophet or the son 
of a prophet. I'm not bidding you a malediction. You know, a benediction at the 
end is when a good word is pronounced. I'm going to give you a malediction. 
You're going to have a bad week. It's going to be terrible. I'm 
just kidding. Wake up. But know this. Understand this. Your sins are 
dealt with. Isn't that the most glorious 
thing the gospel holds out? Or one of the most glorious things 
the gospel holds out? Be of good cheer. Your sins are 
forgiven. I don't care how miserable you 
are. I don't care how bad your situation is, how bad your circumstances 
happen to be. I mean, I do care on a human 
level. It's not good. But be of good cheer. Your sins 
are forgiven. Isn't this the emphasis in Romans 
5.1? Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with 
God. And then what does Paul then 
go on to do in Romans chapter 5 in verses 2 and following? He highlights that it's always 
not the case that we have this rosy life. There are issues, 
there are trials. Having been justified by faith, 
verse 1, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 
through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which 
we stand and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And not 
only that, but we also glory in tribulations. You see, the 
objective peace with God that we now have because we've been 
justified by faith doesn't remove the present trials and difficulties 
that we face in a world like this. But rather, it gives us 
a new approach to these tribulations. It gives us a new mindset to 
these tribulations. It dictates that when we enter 
into these trying waters, we can be of good cheer because 
we have been forgiven. And not only that, but we also 
glory in tribulations because we know that tribulation produces 
perseverance, and perseverance character and character hope. 
Now hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been 
poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to 
us. Galatians 1.4 indicates that Christ voluntarily gave himself 
on our part. And secondly, that the death 
of Christ consisted in penal substitution. He took our punishment 
for our sins. Luther said it this way. He says, 
let us learn here of Paul to fully and truly believe that 
Christ was given, not for feigned sins, Not for fake sins, nor 
for small, but for great and huge sins. Not for few, but for 
many. Not for conquered, for no man 
can overcome the smallest sin to put it away, but for invincible 
sins. That's glorious. That is awesome. Christ didn't come for feigned 
sins, but for mighty sins, and He took them away from us. Thirdly, with reference to the 
Gospel in Galatians 1.4, the death of Christ secured deliverance 
from this present evil age, that He might deliver us from this 
present evil age. There are two ages indicated 
in the Scripture, this age and the age to come. We are in this 
age. What is indicative of this particular 
age? Evil, sin, wickedness, lawlessness. When we enter into the age to 
come, those things will be absent. We will be in a place where unrighteousness 
dwells. We will be in Immanuel's land. 
And in Immanuel's land, there aren't abortion clinics. There 
isn't same-sex marriage. There isn't the heart corruptions 
that you and I entertain on a regular basis. When we are in Emmanuel's 
land, our hearts, our minds, our souls, our strength will 
be confirmed in holiness. There is no lawlessness there. 
There is nothing that offends. There is nothing that disturbs 
the peace and the calm and the dignity which is God's heaven. But in this age, it's an evil 
age. He doesn't deliver us in terms 
of just immediately bringing us up into the age to come, but 
rather we're delivered in the midst of it. We're delivered 
while we're here. We no longer have the same orientation. We no longer walk as we once 
walked. We no longer have the same disposition, 
the same love, the same desire. This is why Paul in Galatians 
chapter 6 can highlight in verses 14 and 15, God forbid that I 
should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by 
whom the world has been crucified to me. It no longer holds out 
to me the things that I once wanted. It no longer possesses 
me in its control. It no longer is that object that 
I crave. The world has been crucified 
to me, and I to the world. And then in verse 15, for in 
Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything. But a new creation. Do you realize 
that we are new creations in Christ Jesus, dwelling in an 
evil age, but we have been delivered from it. It no longer captivates 
us. It no longer overpowers us. And we ought to realize that 
and the benefit that it ought to produce in our lives. The gospel frees us not only 
from the penalty of sin, but also from the power of sin. Justification 
inevitably leads to sanctification. And if we've been delivered from 
this evil age, then we must not walk in a manner that is consistent 
with this evil age. We must resist temptation. We 
must cut off hands. We must gouge out eyes. We must 
pursue those things which are pleasing to our Lord. We must 
say with Paul, the life that I now live in the flesh, I live 
by faith in the Son of God who loved me and who gave Himself 
for me. We need to pursue those things 
which are pleasing to God. Now certainly, we will not master 
them. Certainly, we will still be drawn 
to some aspects of this present evil age. There is remaining 
corruption. Paul will indicate that in Galatians 
5, 17. The flesh lusts against the spirit. The spirit lusts 
against the flesh. These two are contrary to one 
another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. However, 
remaining corruption is a lot different from reigning corruption, 
and we need to resist those things by the power of the Spirit, and 
we need to realize that we are to conduct ourselves as those 
who've been delivered from this present evil age. Paul uses the 
language in Colossians 1.13, through the power of the gospel. What does the Father do? He transfers 
us, or He translates us, from the kingdom of darkness into 
the kingdom of the Son of His love. How are you to live as 
a kingdom citizen in the Son of His love? You're to live like 
Christ. You're to pray for the power 
of the Spirit. You are to gird yourself up with the Word of 
God. You are to use these public means that the Lord has designed 
for your benefit and your well-being. been delivered from this present 
evil age. This is what the angelic announcement 
to the earthly parents of Jesus indicated. He will save His people 
from their sins, not to continue in their sins, but He saves them 
from them. When God saves us, when He deals 
with our hearts, when He changes us from the inside out, the old 
things that had that captivating power no longer do. Again, there 
might be those remaining tendencies, there might be those hesitations. The Bible speaks to that reality. But we need to resist, we need 
to fight, we need to persevere in the power of the Holy Spirit 
according to the glorious gospel of our blessed God. The deliverance 
of which Paul speaks is not out of the material world, but from 
the evil which dominates it, F. F. Bruce says. Note the next 
clause, number four, the death of Christ was determined by God 
the Father. Verse four, who gave himself 
for our sins that he might deliver us from this present evil age 
according to the will of our God and Father. Now, if you're 
like me, you appreciate these sorts of things. Our salvation, 
our status, our position, our place before God is not because 
of our ingenuity. It's not because of our wisdom. 
It's not because of our good decisions. It's not because we 
came forward in a church meeting. It's not because we raised our 
hands when every eye was closed and every head was bowed. but 
it's because God Most High is sovereign and He has decreed 
to save a great number which no man can number from every 
tribe, every tongue, every people and every nation. It is the sovereignty 
of God that affords... a comfort and encouragement to 
the people of God. What Paul tells us in this clause 
is that our salvation does not come as a result of the free 
will of man, but it comes as a result of the free will of 
God according to the will of our God and Father. What happened 
on Calvary's tree was not happenstance. It wasn't a plan B. It didn't 
just fall out that way for the Holy Son of God. It was decreed. It was determined. It was the 
divine provision for man's sin. goes back to the garden. It originates 
in eternity, but it's manifested in the garden. When God says, 
"...and I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between 
your seed and her seed. He shall bruise your head, and 
you shall bruise his heel." You see, already, just after the 
fall of Adam and Eve in descent, God is already initiating this 
plan. God has announced, rather, this 
plan that He already initiated. He says that He will put enmity. 
He says that the seed will crush the head of the devil himself. 
Genesis 22, remember that fair day when Abraham was told to 
take your son, your only son, the one whom you love, take him 
up to Mount Not Moriah, which incidentally is the future site, 
or rather the site of the future temple. Take him up there, tie 
him down, and put a knife in him and sacrifice him unto God. 
They get on their way and Isaac is able to realize that we have 
the wood, we have the fire, but we don't have the sacrifice. 
He doesn't know at this point that it's going to be him that 
lies down on that particular table. But what does Abraham 
tell him? My son, God will provide for 
himself the lamb for a burnt offering. We sometimes wonder 
how much did these Old Testament saints understand? They understood 
a lot more than we give them credit for. They understood substitutionary 
curse bearing. They understood provision from 
on high. They understood blood atonement. 
They understood the necessity of sacrifice. They understood 
Hebrews 9.22 somehow probably better than some of us. Without 
the shedding of blood there is no remission. prophet Isaiah, 
yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He has put him to grief. 
When you make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed. 
He shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall 
prosper in his hand. He shall see the labor of his 
soul and be satisfied. By his knowledge, my righteous 
servant shall justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities." 
You see? It's according to the plan and 
the will of God. We talked about this several 
times on the Saturday mornings. Men want to celebrate free will. 
Whitefield was right. It's our free will that got us 
into the mess that we find ourselves in. It's God's will that rescues 
us from that place of depravity and damnation. It is not of him 
who wills or of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. And 
again, this is just an opening statement in terms of a greetings 
to a people gathered together in southern Galatia. The apostle 
says that this gospel, this purpose to save, this plan, this glorious 
transaction is according to the will of God, of our God and Father. John 6, 38-40, For I have come 
down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him 
who sent Me. This is the will of the Father 
who sent Me, that of all He has given Me, I should lose nothing, 
but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will 
of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes 
in Him may have everlasting life, and I will raise Him up at the 
last day. It's according to the will of 
God. So again, you find yourself miserable 
on Thursday, realize that you're in the plan and the purpose and 
the decree of God. If that doesn't make you happy, 
I don't know what to do. Handing you a pile of money may 
alleviate some of your temporal woes, but the imputation of Christ's 
righteousness and the forgiveness of sins alleviates any woe you 
could possibly conceive. There is nothing greater, there 
is nothing more glorious, nothing more wondrous. The apostle Peter, 
him being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of 
God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified and put 
to death. Romans 3, whom God set forth 
as a propitiation by His blood. Who crucified Jesus? The Jews 
said, away with him, away with him, crucify him. The Romans 
ultimately were responsible to give the order for execution. The Jews didn't possess the authority. The Jews didn't have the wherewithal. 
The Jews had to fetch Pilate's assistance in order to secure 
the death penalty for this malefactor. All that is true to be sure, 
and they were indeed lawless hands, but who is the determining 
factor behind the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ? It pleased 
the Lord to crush Him. Isaiah 53. This is highlighted 
here in Romans 3. God sat forth as a propitiation 
by His blood. through faith to demonstrate 
His righteousness, because in His forbearance, God had passed 
over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at 
the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the 
justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. And then fifthly, and finally, 
in terms of this gospel summary, notice the death of Christ promotes 
the glory of God. You see, Paul typically, in his 
introductions to churches, or his greetings to churches, doesn't 
break out in doxology. Verse 5 is a doxology. Verse 5, the apostle cannot contain 
himself. He must praise, and he must worship, 
and he must celebrate. He must say, to whom be glory 
forever and ever. Amen. Why? Because he just penned 
verse 4. What's the point? When you understand 
the theology of verse 4, you can't but praise with the celebratory 
language of verse 5. This is the whole point behind 
gospel worship. We understand who God is, we 
look at what He has done, and we respond in doxological praise 
and worship and adoration. He called us out of darkness 
into marvelous light. Why? That we may proclaim His 
praises. And this is precisely what the 
Apostle Paul does. He highlights that this particular 
scheme, this particular methodology, this particular strategy results 
in the glory of God, not the glory of man. You see, if every 
head is bowed and every eye is closed, and you shoot your hand 
up, what is the deciding factor in terms of your acceptance with 
God? It's, I shot my hand up. I exercised 
my faith. I went forward. I said a prayer. I exercised my will. And who 
ultimately gets the glory? In that arrangement, it is the 
man who does the exercise. God simply is there to help him 
and to assist him and to take care of some of the particulars. 
But the true gospel, the gospel of free and sovereign grace, 
can only end in verse 5. to whom be glory forever and 
ever. Amen. Two other passages that 
illustrate this. First, the prophet Ezekiel. Ezekiel 
chapter 36. You may turn there to see God's 
design in gospel blessing. Yes, our happiness. Yes, our 
forgiveness. Yes, our acceptance with them. 
But even before that, His glory, His honor, His praise, His adoration. Ezekiel 36 is a promise of the 
new covenant and what God will orchestrate through and in the 
Lord Jesus Christ. Notice in verse 22, Therefore 
say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God. I do not do 
this for your sake, O house of Israel. but for my holy namesake, 
which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. 
And I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned 
among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. 
And the nations shall know that I am the Lord, says the Lord 
God, when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. God's glory, 
God's honor, God's praise, God's exaltation is foremost in this 
design of the gospel to bring salvation in and through our 
Lord Jesus Christ. And then in Romans chapter 11, 
after dealing with sovereignty, dealing with election, dealing 
with predestination, dealing with it in a way that offends 
the delicate sensitivities of many modern churchmen. The apostle 
tells us that Jacob and Esau, God dealt with them irrespective 
of what they had done. Jacob I loved and Esau I hated. And it's according to the sovereignty 
of election. It is grace discriminating. It is God's good pleasure. Things 
that are offensive to modern men in different theological 
persuasion. Paul deals with that in Romans 
9. He deals with that in Romans 10. He deals with the place of 
national Israel. Romans chapter 11, actually woven 
through the whole. And then notice how he brings 
all of this to conclusion in Romans 11, 33. Oh, the depth 
of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable 
are his judgments and his ways past finding out. You could never 
say that as an Arminian. You can never make this admission. You can never make this confession 
and never make this statement. Because if it is the case that 
we responded, if it is the case that we first believed, if it 
is the case that we raised our hand or we signed a card, then 
it's simply a transaction of barter. but that God, according 
to His good pleasure, discriminates between men. He chooses some 
and He reprobates others, and He brings the elect to Himself 
through the blood atonement of His dear Son. This evokes from 
the Apostle, oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom 
and knowledge of God. In an Arminian scheme, everything 
is easy to figure out. In an Arminian or a Pelagian 
scheme, everything makes sense. It is grace. It is blood atonement. It is faith alone that baffles 
the mind of man. And that's why the Apostle says 
here, O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge 
of God, how unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past 
finding out. He couldn't say that. If the 
idea was simply this, God has done his part, now it's up to 
me. That's not unsearchable, that's not hard to figure out, 
it's pretty simple, pretty self-explanatory. But Jacob I loved and Esau I 
hated according to my good pleasure and my purpose and my plan. One that sits under gospel preaching 
and receives, and one who sits under gospel preaching and rejects, 
that baffles the mind, doesn't it? We look at a pair of siblings 
and we say, the one came to Christ early on, the other hasn't. We urge the other to believe. Look to the cross, look to Jesus, 
go to the Lord. Turn ye all the ends of the earth, 
look to me and be ye saved, for I am God and there is no other. 
But ultimately, according to Romans chapters 9 to 11, it's 
of God. So this is what Paul says incidentally 
in verse Corinthians chapter 1, but of him you are in Christ 
Jesus. Not but of you, not because you 
were wise, not because you made a decision, not because you went 
forward, not because you signed up on the internet for redemption 
through Jesus Christ, but of him you were in Christ Jesus. 
Same idea here. The depth of the riches both 
of the wisdom and knowledge of God can only be stated when you're 
dealing with sovereignty, can only be stated when you're dealing 
with the concepts that are so prevalent in the scriptures. 
How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out 
for who has known the mind of the Lord and who has become his 
counselor. or who has first given to him, and it shall be repaid 
to him. For of him, and through him, and to him are all things, 
to whom be glory forever. Amen." I said two texts, one 
more. I've already alluded to it. 1 Corinthians chapter 1. 
I just want you to see this emphasis. The true gospel results in praise. The true gospel results in glory 
being given to God. The true gospel doesn't produce 
men that pat themselves on the back and say, I was wiser, I 
was smarter, I was better than so-and-so. I made the decision. I walked the aisle. I did this. If we would have kept reading 
in the prophet Ezekiel, do you know who does say I will a lot? But it's I will Yahweh. I will 
sprinkle. I will take. I will wash. I will 
give you a new heart. I will. I will. I will. No place 
for man in that arrangement other than the sin that we contributed 
to be saved from. That's our contribution to redemption. Do you know that? It's not our 
faith. It's not our works. It's not 
our good looks. Some of us would certainly never be saved. It 
is the sin that we need to be saved from. That is our contribution 
with reference to gospel blessing. Notice 1 Corinthians 1.26, for 
you see your calling brethren, that not many wise according 
to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. That 
right there is a beautiful indictment to that whole scheme where man 
is the center, and man is the end, and man is the one receiving 
the glory. Paul says the glory of the gospel 
is seen in the reality that Corinthians are going to heaven. The glory 
of the gospel is seen in the reality that people from the 
church in Corinth are actually going to heaven. For you see 
your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the 
flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God has 
chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the 
wise. And God has chosen the weak things of the world to put 
to shame the things which are mighty. And the base things of 
the world and the things which are despised, God has chosen. 
And the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things 
that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence. But of 
Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from 
God, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption, that, as it is 
written, He who glories, let him glory in the Lord. That sounds like Paul in Galatians 
1.5. Rehearsing gospel truth in verse 
4 leads inevitably to gospel praise in verse 5. To whom be 
glory forever. and ever. Amen. I started with a quote from Machen. 
I'll repeat the same. Paul was not like some modern 
preachers who are inclined to mention the blessed doctrine 
of the cross only when they are taken to task for neglecting 
it. Paul regarded it as the very foundation of the Christian life 
and when it was belittled, as in Galatia, he put his whole 
heart into its defense. He offers here in verse 4 a glorious 
small, brief, and compass summary of gospel truth. These will be 
the themes that he visits throughout this epistle to the Galatians 
to silence the Judaizing error, to encourage the people of God, 
and to call them to faithfulness in their Lord who has called 
them out of darkness into marvelous light. Well, I hope that these 
thoughts are an encouragement to our hearts, and I hope that 
we will not only ponder them here while we're at the supper, 
but we will ponder them through our week. You don't necessarily 
have to write things down, but put these things in your mind. 
Galatians 1, 4, and 5 would be a very handy passage to read, 
to commit to memory, and to meditate on during the week. If there 
is encouragement in the Bible, it comes in the vehicle of gospel 
blessing. to the people of God. Well, let 
us pray. Our Father, we thank you so very 
much for these things that Paul indicates in Galatians 1. We 
thank you for this entire book and what it tells us concerning 
the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you for your 
sovereignty. We thank you for your graciousness. 
We thank you for predestination and election and all these things 
that the Bible so clearly teaches. God, humble us with these truths 
and cause us to see your great love for us. And may they be 
and encouragement and something that causes us to persevere in 
the coming weeks and months and years. We look forward to that 
day when we will see you as you are, when we will see the Lord 
Christ who saved us with his own precious blood. Till that 
day, Father, bless our times together as a church, bless us 
as individuals, and help us to fight the good fight and to pursue 
those things which are pleasing in your sight. And we ask through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.