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You can turn with me in your 
Bibles to Galatians 1 for our meditation before the supper 
tonight. Galatians 1. Our focus will be on the first 
five verses. as the apostle there introduces two themes that he 
will deal with in the epistle. First, his apostolic ministry, 
we'll spend a bit of time there, but mainly the nature of the 
gospel itself. So I want to read the whole chapter. 
It will hopefully be reminiscent to our studies in Acts chapter 
nine. So we referred to this in many of those sermons. So 
beginning in Galatians 1, 1. Paul, an apostle, not from man 
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 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 again ask 
God's blessing as we look at this passage. Father, we need 
the Holy Spirit, the one who gave us the word, to guide us 
in our understanding of it. And we would pray to that end 
even now, that Christ would be magnified and glorified as we 
consider this blessed passage in Galatians 1. how we thank 
you for the gospel of our salvation, how we thank you for the truth 
that Christ came down from heaven for us men and for our salvation, 
and we pray that he would be exalted and glorified as we receive 
the word of God and as we receive this bread and wine. May you 
cause us to reflect upon his His death in particular on behalf 
of guilty sinners, and how we praise you that you have made 
us participants in this glorious gospel, how you have forgiven 
us of our sins, how you have given us a righteousness that 
avails with God, how you have granted every spiritual blessing 
in the heavenly places to us in Christ Jesus. And God be glorified, 
we pray. And again, forgive us now for 
our sins and for our transgression, And we pray these things through 
Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Well, as I said, verses 
one to five are the greeting, the official greeting of the 
apostle Paul to the saints in Galatia. But they function not 
only as a greeting, but they highlight two things that Paul 
will deal with, his apostolic ministry and the nature of the 
gospel itself. If you look specifically at verses 
four and five, there is a summary of the gospel, the major headings, 
of the Christian faith are found contained in these two verses. Of the epistle as a whole, J. Gresham Machen said this, he 
said, the epistle to the Galatians is a polemic, a fighting epistle 
from beginning to end. What a fire it kindled at the 
time of the Reformation. May it kindle another fire in 
our day, not a fire that will destroy any fine or noble or 
Christian thing, but a fire of Christian love in hearts grown 
cold. I think that is a very good and 
powerful statement concerning the utility of the book. Notice 
in verse six, you see something of that fighting I marvel, he 
says, 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 you had was 
what was called the Judaizers. These persons that said that 
faith in Christ was good, but you also had to attach to that 
obedience to the Mosaic ceremonies. In this case, specifically circumcision. So Paul, right out from the chute, 
right out from the gate, goes after them and says, I marvel 
that you're turning away. But even prior to that, he establishes 
the gospel as the foundation for the letter, and he will develop 
that in further detail as the letter moves on. So I want to 
notice first of all the greeting proper, and then secondly the 
two themes introduced by Paul in verses 1 to 5. Notice the sender, Paul, an apostle, 
and then he highlights very specifically that it's not according to men. 
He says, not from men nor through men, but through Jesus Christ 
and God the Father who raised him from the dead. It wasn't 
a group of men that said, you know, Paul, you're a good speaker. 
You seem to have a gift in you and we want you to go out and 
represent Christianity to the Gentiles. That's not what happens 
on the road to Damascus. Christ comes to him very specifically 
and saves him for that purpose so that he can witness, so that 
he can testify to Gentiles, to kings and to the children of 
Israel. And he highlights that several 
places in this particular epistle for this very reason. The Judaizers 
had to undermine the Apostle Paul in order for their message 
to take root in the lives of the people. That's why he defends 
himself here. That's why he highlights that 
it's not according to man that he received this call, but it 
came directly from the Lord Jesus Christ. So the Judaizers would 
come and they'd say, well, you know, Paul didn't have the experience, 
say, of a Peter. Paul doesn't have the experience, 
say, of a John. Paul is just sort of a second 
tier or a second rate guy and he has now come to say and preach 
these things. They had to undermine him in 
order for their message of Judaizing to take root in the lives of 
the people in the churches of Galatia. The recipients are there 
specified, all the brethren who are with me, to the churches 
of Galatia. Now this epistle is probably 
the first one written by the Apostle Paul. It's probably written 
in about A.D. 49. And the churches of Galatia 
are seen in the first missionary journey in Acts 13 and 14. They 
include Pisidian Antioch, in Acts 13, Iconium in Acts 14, 
Lystra in Acts 14, and then Derbe in Acts 14. So these are the 
churches in this particular region of Galatia. And then notice the 
greeting proper. As is common in the apostles' 
letters, he says, Grace to you and peace from God the Father 
and our Lord Jesus Christ. But this isn't just empty fodder. 
This isn't just something that people did at that time, but 
it's legit. This is what Paul wants for the 
churches of Jesus Christ, that they would know this grace and 
peace that comes from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. That Christ, Jesus, is coordinate 
with God the Father, indicates something of his deity, indicates 
something of the fact that he along with the Father is the 
source of the grace and the peace that comes to the churches. And 
in terms of grace and peace, Martin Luther makes this comment. 
He says, moreover, these two words, grace and peace, do contain 
in them the whole sum of Christianity. Now listen to what Luther says. 
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. So again, it's not a cheap wish, 
it's not an empty or a hollow ring, but rather this grace to 
you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ is 
what Paul wants for the churches. He wants them to know that grace 
from on high that provides for that forgiveness, that brings 
that peace to the people of God. This is what we should desire 
when we come to the throne of grace. This morning we looked 
at that apostolic prayer meeting in Acts chapter 4. In the midst 
of persecution, in the midst of opposition to the apostolic 
ministry, they do not pray to the Lord God Most High, take 
away from us this suffering, take away from us this persecution, 
take away from us this hardship. That's not what they pray. They 
pray, God give us boldness to speak the truth as we ought to 
speak it. And the same sort of thing is 
here. It's not the case that in the churches of Galatia they 
were rich and wealthy and they had all these good things and 
so therefore they should be praying for that. No, Paul sees what 
is absolutely crucial and necessary is that they needed grace and 
peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. And the 
Father and the Son are completely at one in the bestowal of grace 
and peace in man's salvation. The grace which lies behind this 
salvation is indiscriminately called the grace of God in Galatians 
2.21. It's referred to as the grace 
of Christ in chapter one, verse six. And the peace which salvation 
produces is indiscriminately called the peace of God in Philippians 
4.7 and the peace of Christ in Colossians 3.15. they are coordinate 
with reference to them being the source of the origin from 
whence these blessings flow. So Paul says here specifically 
that he wants the people of God to know this grace and peace 
from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Now notice the 
two themes, the nature of his apostleship and then the nature 
of the gospel of Christ. The negative statement Paul, 
an apostle, not from men, nor through man, but through Jesus 
Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead. Dropping 
down to verses 11 to 24, he highlights his early ministry, and again, 
the reality that he didn't sit at the feet of the other apostles. 
He is not discarding them. He is not disregarding them. 
He is not suggesting that they are somehow unimportant. But 
Paul's claims in terms of having met Jesus on the road to Damascus 
were true. And he wanted the Galatians to 
know that it was in fact true, and that anything these Judaizers 
said to try and usurp that was absolutely false. Paul takes 
a similar tact in 2 Corinthians. Much of 2 Corinthians sounds 
like Paul is defending himself, and it sounds like that to some 
degree here in Galatians 1. He is defending himself insofar 
as if his reputation is compromised, then the message that he has 
preached is compromised. It's not that Paul is on some, 
you know, kick where he has to be esteemed and revered by everybody 
around him. But Paul knows that if the Judaizers 
in Galatia or those super apostles in Corinth can cause the people 
of God to doubt the apostles' ministry, then that will jeopardize 
their position in Christ relative to the gospel that he had preached. 
So Paul defends himself insofar as the gospel may be compromised. That's why he does what he does. Again, Machen says the Judaizers 
had not been able to gain an entrance for their false teaching 
so long as the authority of the great apostle remained beyond 
dispute. So they had proceeded to undermine that authority as 
best they could. They had said that Paul was at 
best an apostle of the second rank, that he had not been with 
Jesus in Galilee as had Peter and the others of the original 
12, and that consequently whatever authority he possessed had come 
to him only through them. That's why he maintains that 
what we saw in the book of Acts in chapter 9 is valid. It is 
true. It is legit. That's what happened. 
And so out of the gate, Paul highlights that in order to assuage 
the fears or the doubts of the churches in Galatia, such that 
they should not pay attention to these Judaizers as they try 
to trash the apostles pedigree, and that will ultimately compromise 
the gospel. Now notice the nature of the 
gospel of Christ. Again, in verses four and five, 
we're gonna just take each clause and look at it in particular. 
In the first place, we notice the death of Christ was voluntary 
on his part. The death of Christ was voluntary, 
not on Paul's part, on his part, Jesus' part. Notice, who gave 
himself for our sins. As we come tonight to eat this 
bread and drink this cup, we need to remember that the Son 
of God came into this world, sinners to save, and He did so 
willingly. He didn't do so against His will. 
He didn't do so in some sort of compelled manner, but rather 
the Son of God willingly gave Himself for our sins. In Matthew 
20, 28, when he is pointing to how the disciples should conduct 
themselves in terms of their relationships with one another, 
he says, first of all, look at the Gentiles. They lord it over 
others. They like this power structure 
where there's a man on top and everybody just does his bidding. 
Jesus says, no, that's not the way it's supposed to be with 
reference to my disciples. He goes on to say, for the son 
of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his 
life a ransom for many. Christ in the Gospel of John 
on several occasions says how it was his meat to do the will 
of the Father who sent him. Christ was not an unwilling participant 
in our salvation. We need to remember that. I think 
there is this conception that God saves in sort of a hesitatingly 
way. God saves in sort of a miserly 
way. God saves in the way that you 
or might capitulate to our children. Well, okay, you can go ahead 
and do it. That's not the way the triune God operates in the 
salvation of sinners. As we move through this passage, 
we'll see that it was the Father's purpose and plan for the sending 
of the Son into this world, sinners to save. And we see here specifically 
that Jesus gave himself for our sins. He was an active and willing 
participant in the gospel of our salvation. As we eat this 
bread and as we drink this cup, we remember the one who not only 
did it, but he did it happily. He did it voluntarily. He did 
it because it pleased God and it secured our salvation. Turn 
to John's Gospel, specifically John chapter 10. Not only do 
we have the general statements littered throughout John's Gospel 
that Christ always does what the Father sends him to do, but 
we have specifically with reference to his laying down his life. 
In John 10, 11. He says, I am the good shepherd. 
The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. You see, that's 
what a good shepherd does. He voluntarily lays down his 
life for the sheep. He wants to protect them. He 
wants to secure them. He wants to make sure that they 
are not devastated or decimated. Verse 15, as the father knows 
me, even so I know the father. Excuse me, as the father knows 
me, even so I know the father, and I lay down my life for the 
sheep. And then again in verse 18, no 
one takes it, my life, 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. So if you ever 
have this idea that there might have been some sort of difference 
in terms of the mind of God with reference to salvation, banish 
the thought. The three persons of the Trinity 
share one will, but with reference to the humanity of Christ, he 
has a human will and a divine will. And with reference to the 
humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ, it always aligns to what the 
Father sent Him to do. And He does that voluntarily 
on our behalf. And in the book of Galatians 
specifically, turn to chapter 2 and verse 20. One of the most 
glorious passages in the book of Galatians is Galatians 2.20. 
Now, I know that's a very subjective statement, but it's at least 
one of my favorites. Notice in Galatians 2.20, I have 
been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but 
Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live 
in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God. Notice, who 
loved me and gave himself for me. This is what Christ does. 
He loved me and gave himself for me. And before we move on, 
can you say that? Can you imitate the apostle here? 
Can you say that he loved me and he gave himself for me? Much 
of our Bible and much of Christianity and much of the Jewish religion 
that we find in the Old Testament has a corporate orientation. God loves the gates of Zion more 
than the dwelling places of Jacob. But that corporate sort of orientation 
is made up of individuals. Individuals that can say he loved 
me and he gave himself for me. Are you able to confess that? 
Has God saved you? Do you have faith in Christ? 
Do you have a right and a title to this bread and to this wine? 
Later on, we're going to say that if you're not a believer 
tonight, don't take the bread and wine. It is not for you. 
Rather, it is for those for whom Jesus died, for whom that body 
was broken and for whom that blood was shed. Is it the case 
that you have a right to the table tonight? Has Christ loved 
you and gave himself for you? This is a most blessed use of 
personal pronouns in the gospel of our salvation. Now notice, 
secondly, back in Galatians 1, 4. We have, first, the death 
of Christ was voluntary on his part, who gave himself. Secondly, 
the death of Christ consisted in penal substitution. Penal 
substitution. Notice he gave himself for our 
sins. He didn't give himself first 
and foremost for our example. I just want to show you how to 
live life on this earth. That's not the first order with 
reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. The priority in Christ's life 
was not exemplary. The priority in Christ's life 
was redemption. The priority in Christ's life 
was to give his life a ransom for many. and specifically highlighted 
here is that He gave Himself for our sins. Now, as we sort 
of develop this in a bit more detail, this is a constant refrain 
in the Scripture. You have in the Gospel records 
the reality, in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, that Jesus was 
crucified, that Jesus was raised the third day. And certainly 
in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, you have theology. You have explanation, 
you have sort of articulation, you have amplification. In other 
words, you have the bare fact that Christ died for our sins, 
but then the gospel writers develop why it is the case that he did 
die for our sins. In Matthew 1.21, for instance, 
he shall save his people from their sins. You're not supposed 
to forget that when you get to the passion narrative. And when 
Christ is dying on the cross, you're to remember Matthew 1.21. He shall save his people from 
their sins. And the means by which he does 
that is through his life and his death and his resurrection. 
So you have theological commentary in the gospel records. You certainly 
have it in the epistles. You certainly have an expansion 
on that. You have theologizing. Say, for 
instance, at the hand of the Apostle Paul, to give us the 
rationale as to why this Jesus came down from heaven, took on 
our humanity, and lived for us, and died for us, and rose again 
for us. You have it saying Romans 4.25. 
He was delivered up because of our offenses. He was raised for 
our justification. You have it in 1 Corinthians 
chapter 15, the reality that he was crucified, that he died, 
he was buried, he was raised the third day and all according 
to the scriptures, but Paul amplifies it and explains the theology 
behind that. So we not only have the facts 
stated, but we have the facts interpreted for us. And specifically 
this concept that he gave himself for our sins is a constant refrain 
in the New Testament. Just consider these statements. 
He died for our sins, 1 Corinthians 15, 3. 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, 2 Corinthians 5, 14. And the all there is not 
universalism, as the context makes clear. As well, in 1 Corinthians, 
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. Expiation is a 
gospel word we really haven't developed a lot. We usually stick 
to propitiation and redemption and reconciliation, but expiation 
concerns the removal of guilt. I think that scapegoat on the 
Day of Atonement represents well the doctrine of expiation. Remember, 
the one goat is killed, and the high priest takes the blood, 
and he takes it into the Holy of Holies, and he pours it on 
the mercy seat. But there's a second goat that's alive, and the high 
priest takes his hand, places him on the goat, confesses the 
sin of Israel, and then the goat is sent out in the wilderness. 
That is a picture of expiation, the removal of guilt that is 
no longer attached to the guilty. It is sent away by God in His 
grace. As well, there is propitiation 
in his blood, Romans 3.25. We are justified in his blood, 
Romans 5.9. 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. So too 
in Matthew 20.28, which I've already cited, and then again 
in 1 Peter 1.18 and 19. to John Eady because that's out 
of his commentary on Ephesians. But you'll agree that this is 
a steady and constant refrain in the New Testament documents. 
We see it as well prophesied in Isaiah 53. He gave himself 
for our sins. This is the means by which God 
is propitiated, Romans 3, 25 and 26. The means by which reconciliation 
is affected according to Ephesians 2, verse 16. And it's the means 
by which redemption is wrought. Notice in Galatians 3, at verse 
13, Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law. having 
become a curse for us, for it is written, curse it 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, we consider this glorious passage this morning in our study 
of the confession of faith, chapter 12, of adoption. Galatians 4, 
4, but when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth 
his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, notice, to redeem 
those who were under the law. He doesn't make men redeemable, 
he doesn't make them saveable, but he actually redeems, he actually 
saves, he actually secures, he actually is that strong refuge 
that by grace the righteous run to and are safe. And then at 
the end of verse 5 it says, that we might receive the adoption 
as sons. Listen to Luther on this passage. 
He says, Let us learn here of Paul to fully and truly believe 
that Christ was given, not for feigned sins. Feigned means faked. nor for small, but for great 
and huge sins." Now again, Luther is not suggesting go out and 
commit great and huge sins. I mentioned this morning, if 
I suggest in this society that I love apples, people say, well, 
why do you hate oranges? Just because we love one thing 
doesn't mean we hate everything else. Just because we highlight 
the redemptive power of the blood of Jesus Christ. We're not advocating 
gross sin so that persons can experience that great redemptive 
power of the blood of Jesus Christ. But we need to realize that there 
is great redemptive power in the blood of Jesus Christ. So 
back to Luther. Let us learn here of Paul to 
fully and truly believe that Christ was given not for feigned 
sins, nor for small, but for great and huge sins. Not for 
few, but for many. Not for conquered, but for invincible 
sins. That's the emphasis of the apostle 
Galatians 1-4, who gave himself for our sins. Now notice thirdly, 
the death of Christ secured deliverance from this present evil age. the 
death of Christ secured deliverance from this present evil age. Notice 
in the middle of verse four, he gave himself, he gave himself 
for our sins, and then thirdly, that he might deliver us from 
this present evil age. There are two ages according 
to scripture, this age and the age to come. In fact, look at 
Ephesians one, where you see this. In Ephesians chapter one, 
at verse 19. This is a demonstration of the 
power of God in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 
119, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward 
us who believe according to the working of his mighty power which 
he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated 
in that his right hand in the heavenly places far above all 
principality and power and might and dominion and every name that 
is named not only in this age but also in that which is to 
come we live in this age and this age is punctuated by evil, 
by depravity, by lawlessness, by wickedness. In fact, John 
Calvin makes the observation, whatever delight men may take 
in their fancied excellence, they are worthless and depraved. Not indeed in their own opinion, 
but in the judgment of our Lord, which is here pronounced by the 
mouth of Paul and which ought to satisfy our minds. We live 
in this present evil age. And what Christ does in terms 
of his redemptive work on our behalf is that he delivers us, 
not from the material world, but from the evil that is everywhere 
in the material world. such that we can be in the world 
but not of the world. This is one of the aspects of 
Christ's work for his people in this present evil age to deliver 
us, to keep us, to secure us, to guard us, to watch over us, 
to preserve us. Wow! We live in this present 
evil age, but the power of Christ is such that there is this deliverance 
from this present evil age. Now notice, fourthly, in terms 
of his summary, in terms of the nature of the gospel, the death 
of Christ was determined by the Father. The death of Christ was 
determined by the father. We know that Christ was voluntary. We know that Christ was willing, 
a participant that was willing in this work of salvation, but 
it's according to the will of God almighty. And this is what 
Paul says. He gave himself for our sins 
that he might deliver us from this present evil age according 
to the will of our God and father. This is divine initiative. It's 
not man that was seeking after God, it's God who comes after 
men. It's not us that run to the Heavenly Father, but it's 
the Heavenly Father sending the Son of His love to go on that 
mission of mercy to redeem us, to save us, to wash us from our 
wickedness and our sin. We know that this is the case, 
say, from Ephesians 1.4. just as He chose us in Him before 
the foundation of the world. Isn't that a glorious thing to 
contemplate as we eat this bread and we drink this cup? It's according 
to the eternal decree of God Almighty. This is the outflow, 
a consequent, an effect of, or a fruit of what God had purposed 
in Christ Jesus before the world ever was. Our salvation is not 
an afterthought in the mind of God. Our salvation is not a plan 
B in the mind of God. Our salvation isn't reactionary 
on the part of God. It was always purposed this way. 
It was always going to be this way according to the will of 
Him who sent His Son into this world's sinners to save. You 
see this in the Old Testament, Genesis 3.15, I will put enmity. This is the historical application 
of the eternal decree. This is what God determined before 
the foundation of the world and it's affected in history. Genesis 
3.15, God says, 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. Genesis 22.8, remember that scene 
when Abraham takes Isaac, his only son, the son that he loves, 
up to Mount Moriah to sacrifice him in obedience to God Almighty. Isaac is a sharp enough young 
man to say, hey, we've got the wood, we've got the fire, but 
where is the sacrifice? And Abraham says, my son, God 
will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering. Isaiah 
53, 10 and 11, we read at the outset of worship, yet it pleased 
the Lord to bruise him. The NASB renders it, it pleased 
the Lord to crush him because that is what happens on the cross. 
It is the Lord ultimately that is in charge. It is the Lord. Certainly Herod and Pilate and 
the unbelieving Jews are complicit and responsible and wicked and 
vile and lawless and all of that. But this plan was according to 
the predetermined purpose of God. Almighty so Isaiah the prophet 
says 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 get sort of all 
these things that are that are being outlined here by the apostle 
in verses four and five, already stipulated prophetically in Isaiah 
53. But in the New Testament, again, 
John's gospel, John 6, 38 to 40, Jesus says, 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." We saw this morning in 
that apostolic prayer meeting, they ascribe what is happening 
in terms of Herod and Pilate's enmity against Jesus as having 
occurred according to the predetermined plan of God Almighty. On the 
day of Pentecost, when Peter is preaching, he says that specifically 
in Acts chapter 2 at verse 23. Him, Christ, being delivered 
by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have 
taken by lawless hands, have crucified and put to death. And 
then of course, Romans 3, 25 and 26, we considered that a 
few weeks ago in a sermon on the justice of God maintained 
in the gospel. But in Romans 3, 25 and 26, it 
says, whom God set forth as a propitiation. Not whom Herod set forth, not 
whom Pilate set forth. Now, ultimately, these were agents. 
Ultimately, these were instruments. Ultimately, these men were complicit 
and responsible, and if they never repented, are suffering 
the wrath and fury and vengeance of God even now. But it was according 
to the purpose and plan of God. And that is precisely what Paul 
highlights here in his summary statement, even before he gets 
to the letter itself. Do you understand? This is the 
greeting. I've often mused that there's more theology in the 
table of contents of a Puritan volume than probably what you'll 
find in the house of James, unless they happen to have a Puritan 
volume. Look at, say, John Owen, volume 
10, and just read the contents. Just read the title to the essay 
of the death of death and the death of Christ. There's more 
theology in that title than there is in, you know, mounds of books 
by modern authors. Well, Paul is doing that here. 
In the space of two brief verses that are functioning as an opening 
greeting, stuff that he will amplify and explicate as he moves 
on in the epistle, if we stop at verses 4 and 5, we'd have 
an accurate understanding of the gospel. These are all vital 
components. This is what the gospel is about. 
The death of Christ was voluntary on his part. The death of Christ 
consisted in penal substitution. The death of Christ secured deliverance 
from this present evil age. And the death of Christ was determined 
by God the Father, such that when we consider salvation, Romans 
9.16 ought to be emblazoned over our minds. It does not depend 
upon him who wills or upon him who runs, but on God who shows 
mercy. Paul does not celebrate free 
will. Paul celebrates free grace. And then finally, this gospel, 
the death of Christ, promotes the glory of God. 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. This is the only place 
in Paul's letter where doxology is found in the greeting. And 
I would suggest it's found in the greeting because of the articulation 
of the gospel itself in verse 4. These vital components of 
gospel truth, the nature of the gospel, elicits from the apostle 
this doxology or this praise to God Almighty. In other words, 
he can't contain himself as he considers the glory of Christ. 
He can't contain himself as he considers the voluntary nature 
of Christ's suffering on our behalf. the reality that he secures 
deliverance for us from this present evil age, the reality 
that this plan and purpose is according to the will of God 
Almighty, that it's redemptive in focus and nature, it's penal 
substitution. He doesn't just say, well, here's 
some data or here's some information, but he follows it up here in 
verse five by saying, to whom be glory forever and ever, amen. This is why when we consider 
those solos of the Reformation, sola dea gloria, is in there, 
to God be glory alone. This grace alone, faith alone, 
Christ alone salvation redounds to the glory of God Almighty 
and that founded upon Scripture alone. And this isn't the only 
place that makes the connection between the redeeming power of 
God Almighty and the glory that should redound to that God of 
redemption. Turn to an Old Testament sample 
in Ezekiel 36. Ezekiel 36. Certainly, this connection could 
be multiplied in scripture. I want to give you one old, one 
new. The reality that the death of 
Christ, the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ promotes the glory 
of God. Paul says, to whom be glory forever 
and ever. Amen. Now, many of you will know 
that Ezekiel 36 is a promise of the new covenant. It's a promise 
of what God will do in the time of Messiah. in the time that 
Jesus Christ comes. In fact, if you look ahead in 
Ezekiel 36 at around verse 24, he says, for I will take you 
from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and 
bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water 
on you, and you shall be clean. I think this is what Jesus has 
in mind in John chapter 3 when he speaks of being born of water 
and the spirit. And then Nicodemus is sort of 
stumbling on this and Jesus chides him and says, you're the teacher 
of Israel and you don't know this. I mean, this was prophesied. 
There's going to be water. It's symbolic in terms of God's 
having cleansed his people from their sins. Notice in verse 25, 
I will sprinkle clean water on you and you shall be clean. I 
will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your 
idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within 
you. I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give 
you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you 
and cause you to walk in my statutes and you will keep my judgments 
and do them. then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your 
fathers. You shall be my people and I will be your God. I will 
deliver you from all your uncleannesses. I will call for the grain and 
multiply it and bring no famine upon you. And I will multiply 
the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields so that 
you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the 
nations." Remember that New Covenant promises in the Old Covenant 
are couched in Old Covenant language. In other words, if Ezekiel said 
Jesus will voluntarily give his life as a ransom for your sins, 
that would have been sort of a mindset that they couldn't 
have tracked with. But he's using concepts and theology 
and language and themes that they would be able to sink their 
teeth into. Verse 30, I will multiply the 
fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields so that you need 
never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations. 
Now notice our part. Notice the part of the participant 
in salvation. Then you will remember your evil 
ways and your deeds that were not good. And you will loathe 
yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and your 
abominations. Not for your sake do I do this, 
says the Lord God. Let it be known to you. Be ashamed 
and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel. So all of 
this emphasis on what God will do. I will, I will, I will, I 
will, I will. And then when it comes to man, 
here's what you will. You will loathe yourselves for your abominations 
and your violation of the covenant. So that's the promise of the 
new covenant. But in verses 22 and 23, he highlights 
the purpose for this. It is for the glory of God. And 
I think that the people of God who understand this rejoice in 
it. Yes, our salvation means great 
things for us. but it means great things for 
God. It means glory, praise, adoration, honor. And then verse 
22, this is what he specifies. 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 name's sake, 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 nation shall know that 
I am the Lord, says the Lord God, when I am hallowed in you 
before their eyes. And then in Romans chapter 11, 
Romans chapter 11, the apostle ends with doxology. Now the specific 
referent is to chapters 9 to 11. And there the Apostle is 
dealing with election, with sovereignty, with predestination, with the 
priority of God's will in the saving of sinners, with the place 
of ethnic Israel and Gentile inclusion in the covenant of 
grace. He's discoursing on how all of this is according to the 
purpose and plan of Almighty God. And he summarizes, or rather 
he ends this on this crescendo of praise unto God in verses 
33 to 36 in Romans 11. Notice in verse 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 for who has 
known the mind of the Lord or who has become his counselor 
or who has first given to him and it shall be repaid to him. 
Verse 36, for of him and through him and to him are all things 
to whom be glory forever. Amen. You see the. The glory 
of God is primary in the salvation of sinners. And the sinners who 
are saved have no problem with that whatsoever. The sinners 
who are saved are very good with that. We want to know that God 
is magnified. We want to know that God is glorified. We want to know that when one 
is called out of darkness into marvelous light, that person 
now proclaims the excellencies of our God, according to 1 Peter. 
we need to see that this is the grand purpose in view. It is 
the glory, it is the exaltation, it is God elevated. To whom be glory forever and 
ever, amen. The salvation of sinners does 
not provide a context for the congratulations of said sinners, 
but for the glory of God almighty. Well, there's the nature of the 
gospel in two brief verses that function as a greeting to the 
churches of Galatia. I want to consider first, in 
terms of application, the focus of the Apostle Paul. Certainly, 
he does talk about himself. I mean, again, if they are trying 
to ruin his reputation, and the end game will be the ruin of 
those who should listen to him, then he will seek to vindicate 
his own name. But as far as Paul's personal 
reputation, Philippians chapter one, he knew there were people 
that were preaching the gospel, not because they were, you know, 
what's the word I'm looking for? Altruistic. They weren't doing 
it with good motivation. Paul didn't care, as long as 
the truth of the gospel was preached. If they were saying, you know, 
this Paul, he's in jail and he's kind of a shady character. Paul 
doesn't care if it doesn't compromise the gospel. But in Corinth and 
here in Galatia, the reputation of the apostle is intimately 
connected to the message of the apostle. And if the reputation 
is compromised, then the message may be, and then there will be 
a destruction for the hearers. But the focus of the apostle 
is upon the cross. Machen 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. That was in the early part of 
the 20th century. We got guys, pastors, celebrity 
preachers that wouldn't go near the cross even if they were told 
they're neglecting it. That's just not even part of 
the orientation. The emphasis is about you. The 
emphasis is about us. The emphasis is about our fulfillment. I mean, Stephen Furtick sees 
us in the name of God in Exodus 3.14. That is blasphemous heresy. I am who I am has nothing to 
do with us achieving something in our own life or having some 
realization in our own life. It's about the revelation of 
the self-existent God. And to do that sort of thing 
is absolutely atrocious, but it's not just Him. It's going 
on all over the place. Gospel, so-called gospel preaching 
is simply self-help. It's simply do-goodery. It's 
simply feel-goodery. It's simply a boost in the arm 
for your busy work week ahead. Brethren, if in the early part 
of the 20th century, Machen was able to observe some men will 
only preach the gospel when they are told they neglected it, what 
would Machen think about today? Where men are so far from the 
gospel, so far from the cross, so far from anything that reeks 
of a redemptive religion, that it's absolutely nonsensical that 
the professing people of God put up with such nonsense. It's 
unfortunate that we live in such a day. Anyways, he says, Paul 
regarded it, the cross, as the very foundation of the Christian 
life. And when it was belittled as 
in Galatia, he put his whole heart into its defense. Isn't 
that what Galatians is? He puts his whole heart into 
its defense. You know, I look at the blogs, 
you know, not many, because there's just so many. Anybody can blog 
nowadays. I mean, you just want a blog, 
you can blog. There's no checks, there's no balances, there's 
no ecclesiastical authority. Anybody and everybody can start 
their own blog. But even the guys that are good, 
and even the guys that probably are, you know, approved by ecclesiastical 
bodies, a lot of them are writing things that really don't matter. 
They just don't matter. I mean, you know, weird studies 
on whatever. It's like the gospel, the cross 
is everything. That's where the church falls 
or rises. The doctrine of justification 
by faith alone, the glorious gospel of our salvation, the 
reality that Christ was crucified, buried, raised again the third 
day. This is what ought to occupy Christian pulpits. Am I nuts 
or is this the reality? Are we supposed to be engaged 
in self-help or do-goodery? No. Now, again, there is the 
do-goodery associated with justification by faith. There'll always be 
sanctification and from whence comes good works and all that 
sort of thing. And James speaks to that. We do deal with those 
particular things. I don't think anybody could go 
into our catalog of sermons on sermon audio and say, well, you 
know, there's never any law, there's never any Christian duty, 
or there's never any... No, we deal with all that. Brethren, 
the emphasis ought to be on Christ and Him crucified. That's what 
you need to hear when you come here on Sunday. You know, we 
get this idea that, well, we gotta be leading our people on 
how to think through current events. Yeah, learn the gospel 
and then you'll figure out how to think through current events. 
Learn the truth as it is in Jesus. Learn what the book of Deuteronomy 
is about. Learn what the book of Leviticus 
is about. You don't need me to guide you by the hand to how 
to think about certain current events. You need to hear about 
Christ and Him crucified. You need to hear about Him resurrected. 
You need to hear about life relative to that cross. and then you will 
be oriented to deal with the various things that confront 
you in this world. A second observation with reference 
to this brief passage is the deity of Jesus Christ. It's not 
only the fact that Christ is coordinate with the father as 
the source or origin of grace and peace, but if you look at 
verse one, Paul, an apostle, and then parenthetically, not 
from men nor through man, but through who? Jesus Christ. Now 
Jesus Christ was a man, but Jesus Christ was more than a man. The 
hypostatic union of Christ is the two natures in the one person. And Christ is God, and Paul knows 
that, and Paul confesses that, and Paul highlights that. One 
commentator says, such statements relating Jesus Christ to God 
are truly astonishing, particularly so when we stop to realize that 
they were written by a monotheistic Jewish Christian with reference 
to one who had lived on earth within recent memory. You see, 
what Paul says here is incredible. It is powerful. It is an inscription 
of the deity of Jesus Christ on two points. Not from man, 
nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father. 
Again, the coordinate source of Paul's apostolic ministry, 
and then the coordinate source of the grace and peace that come 
to the people of God in verse 3. Thirdly, we ought to appreciate 
the apostles' insistence upon the atoning work of Jesus. He 
doesn't come out in verses 4 and 5 and say, you know, Jesus is 
such a great example of how we ought to love one another and 
how we ought to care for one another. Now Paul does that, 
Peter does that, and certainly there is the exemplary nature 
of Christ, and we should seek by grace to follow Him and do 
what Jesus did. But that's not the emphasis in 
the New Testament. The emphasis is on the reality 
that He gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us 
from this present evil age according to the will of God the Father. 
It is redemptive, it is atonement, it is blood shedding that Paul 
celebrates and Paul highlights. Again, I want to end with Galatians 
2.20. And if you can say with Paul what he says in verse 20 
of chapter 2, then eat the bread and drink the cup. Eat the bread 
and drink the cup because the Lord Jesus loved you and gave 
himself for you. If you cannot say this, if you 
do not have faith to profess this, then please don't eat the 
bread and drink the cup. Believe on him. Look unto Jesus 
Christ the Lord for salvation. There's no salvation by eating 
the bread and the cup, but the salvation comes by grace alone, 
through faith alone, in Christ alone. And once one has done 
that by God's grace, then eat the bread and drink the cup. 
Verse 20, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer 
I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now 
live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved 
me and gave himself for me. There's a world of encouragement 
and comfort in that brief statement. And my hope and prayer is that 
all of us can echo All of us can imitate, all of us can take 
Paul's words in Galatians 2.20 and make them our own. He loved 
me and he gave himself for me. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank you for this brief statement concerning gospel truth and glory 
in this greeting to the Galatian churches. Our Father, we thank 
you for the voluntary nature of the death of the Lord Jesus. 
We thank you that it was according to the purpose and plan God the 
Father. We thank you that it was for 
our sins and that it does secure deliverance for us from this 
present evil age. And Lord, we do pray that it 
would all redound to the praise and the glory and the honor of 
our great and glorious God. May Father, Son, and Holy Spirit 
be worshiped and glorified and praised even in this place tonight 
as we rehearse the supper, as we engage in this act of remembrance 
of our Lord's death on our behalf. May it be with that view to bring 
honor and glory unto the living and the true God. And we pray 
these things through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.