It Is For Freedom

Marks of Christ

 

For the last two weeks I have been doing a survey.  I have counted how much mail I have received.  These two weeks aren't even typical, with Christmas amongst them.  These are both the church address and my home address.  But here are the results of my Mail Survey:

-Junk Mail -35

-Catalogues  and Magazines - 8

-Bills -3

-Legit Official letters -5

-Contributions -7

-Netflix -4

-Christmas cards-9

-Hand-written -0

 

I mention this because that is what Paul says at the end of his letter to the Galatians.    

 

Galatians 6:11 See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!  

 

Like most of his other letters, Paul dictated Galatians to a scribe; whom I suspect actually was the one who went to Galatia and read the letter out loud to the congregations.  But when he got to the end of the letter, he wanted the people, to whom he was writing, to see the last section.  Perhaps as the secretary/reader gets to this last paragraph he held the letter up and said see the large letters which Paul wrote with his own hand.  Paul wanted them to know his letter was truly from the heart.  Paul knew the importance of a real handwritten note to another person. I get what he is saying.  I got ## handwritten special letters.  It was a personal touch to the end of this emotional letter to the Galatians. 

 

As we come to the last words from Paul in this letter, we must assume they are important.  They are the conclusion of his letter.  They are the bottom line.  They are this heart-felt hand-written connection.  They are the words Paul wants them, desperately, to incorporate into their lives. 

 

So, what does Paul write with his own hand?  What is the last thing we should learn from Galatians?  Let me read the very last three verses of the letter and then work back to the beginning.

 

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Galatians 6:16-18 Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God.  Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers.  Amen.

 

Paul had already suffered much because of Christ.  Paul bore on his body the wounds- Greek word; stigmata- of Jesus.  This is much the same point he makes in 2 Corinthians.

 

2 Corinthians 11:23-27  Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.  Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.  Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea,  I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.

 

Paul, in making his last appeal to the Galatians, points to the scars on his own body and challenges them to think about what marks are they willing to bear? Finally, when all is said and done, what were they willing to suffer for?  And that is the question I want to end our series in Galatians with!  What marks are you willing to bear?  What persecutions are you willing to endure?  To put it bluntly, "What are you willing to die for?" 

 

There is a song by Mercy Me, "I Would Die for You" that has these words in the chorus:

 

"My life has never been this clear.

Now I know the reason why I'm here.

You never know why you're alive,

Until you know what you would die for.

I would die for You."

 

What is it we should be willing to die for?  What is the reason we are here?  What scars are we willing to bear?  Does that sound like a significant question to ask at the end of 2009 and at the end of our study in Galatians? 

 

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Paul begins to answer this question by listing some things not worth dying for.

 

Galatians 6:12-13 Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised.  The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ.  Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh.

 

Did you catch the play on words?  The letter has been about circumcision; marks on the flesh.  Those are not the kind of marks you should die for.  Paul is telling the Galatians don't die for those kind of scars.  Let me take these words and broaden them a bit and apply them to us in general categories.  

 

Don't be willing to die for:

-Making good impressions.  I can relate to this one.  I would rather die than be thought a fool.  I want to make good impressions on my peers.  I want people to think I am slick.  I want people to like me.  Paul says that is not the kind of thing worth bearing scars.  "Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised."  Don't be so concerned with making good impressions.  Pleasing people is not worth dying for.  We don't live for people!  Wow, this is a tough one.  I don't live for you.  I don't live to please you.  I don't live to make a good impression on you.  There is something much bigger at stake than making good impressions.

 

-Avoiding persecution. We don't really want to be different.  We don't want to stick out.  We don't want to be humiliated for our beliefs.  Who wants to be different; maybe some do.  But I know for me that I am not going to be the first person in line to be ridiculed for my beliefs.  "I'll just skip line, thanks anyway."  But Paul says, " The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ."  Avoiding persecution is not worth dying for!  We go to great lengths to avoid being criticized.  There is something much bigger at stake then avoiding criticism.

 

-Hypocrisy.  Certainly, hypocrisy is not worth dying for.  Isn't that a weird thought?  People will go out of their way to extreme lengths to maintain the façade of who they are. Paul says, "Not even those who are circumcised obey the law."  Do you know what I'm saying? People jump through all kinds of hoops and make up all kinds of lies, and go to extensive lengths to cover things up; when a simple, "I'm sorry" would fix it.  Hypocrisy is not worth it. There is something much bigger at stake than our pride.

 

-Boasting about victories.   You can tell a lot about a person by what they boast about.  What a person talks about and brags about and shows pictures of and wears T-shirts about is what is important to them.  Paul says, "Yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh."  They were more concerned about winning some game of souls than being right.  We want to win every argument.  We want to be successful.  We want to boast about our accomplishments. We want others to think we are something special.  There is something much bigger at stake here than our success! 

 

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"Well, what is?  What is worth dying for?  What is it that I should be willing to be scared over?" What is this something much bigger?  Paul gets closer in the next verse.

 

Galatians 6:14  May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

 

All the stuff of the world has been crucified to me.  Can I say that?  Can I say that all the stuff, the world sees as important, is nothing compared to the cross of Christ?  I want to say that.  But would I be lying if I said; "The world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." 

 

All that I am, all that makes me important, all that is meaningful, all that is real, all that is eternal, all that I should boast about is the cross of Christ!   That change of thinking is going to lead me to what is worth dying for. 

 

I love the line in Amazing Grace which says, "When we've been there 10,000 years bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing his praise than when we first begun."  After 10,000 years of living in the new creation, what do you think will matter?  55" LG LED LCD HDTV?  I doubt I will even remember that I didn't even get one for Christmas.  What will matter in 10,000 years?  The cross of Christ.  What will I remember?  That Jesus died for me.  If we could get eternal eyes, if we could catch a glimpse of the 10,000 years bright shining as the sun, than the only thing that we would boast is… the cross of Christ.

 

Paul then is moving to what is worth dying for. It was worth Jesus dying.  It was worth Paul bearing the marks of Jesus.  What is worth dying for?

 

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Galatians 6:15 Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; (with the brush of his hand he erases all that kind of stuff) what counts is a new creation.

 

Circumcision or not, worldly accomplishments or not, what people think about us or don't, maintaining our image or not, being persecuted or not, making good impressions or being thought a bumpkin, doesn't matter.  There is only one thing that counts; that is worth bearing the marks of Jesus: being a new creation.

 

"Not only has the Messiah been crucified.  Not only have Christians been crucified with him.  The world itself has been crucified.  Calvary was the turning point of history.  The cosmos has had the sentence of death passed on it - so that God's new world, God's new creation, can be born out of the old.  This new creation began with Jesus himself at his resurrection, continues with the spirit-given new life which wells up in all those who belong to the Messiah, and will go on until, the whole creation will be set free from its own slavery and will share the freedom of glory with the children of God!"  - N.T. Wright -

 

That is worth dying for!  Being a new creation is everything! 

 

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In our study of Galatians this year we have discovered what it means to be a new creation?  It is a package deal.  It is the Swiss Army Knife of Jesus.  I know it is a lame metaphor but it just keeps on working.

 

-We are made new in salvation.

 

Galatians 3:26-27  You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus,  for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

 

By Christ/faith we have our sins forgiven and are made right with God.  We have his forgiveness; his cleansing; we are all his sons.  We are clothed with the robe of Christ.  As new creations we look forward to spending eternity in the new creation!  Is that worth dying for? 

 

-We are made new in sanctification.

 

Galatians 5:22-25  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.  Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

 

Those who belong to the Spirit- "Hey, that's me." - are crucifying the sarx.  As we stay in step with the Spirit we are being sanctified!  As a new creation, I am, not only, looking forward to eternity in the new creation, I am participating in the new creation… now.  I am becoming newer all the time!  The gift of sanctification is worth bearing the marks of Jesus! 

 

-We are made new in fellowship.

 

Galatians 5:13-14  You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.  The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

 

We, who are new creations, form a community of love.  We are free… not to sin, but to serve.  We discover that sanctification occurs in community.  We are sanctified through the Spirit, here in our church.  This is a place of sanctification.  It is a place worth dying for! 

 

The Swiss Army Knife of Christ/faith is salvation, sanctification and fellowship.  This package deal is something, so much bigger than us and it is worth dying for. 

 

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See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!