The Glory Of Grace

The Glory of Grace

Galatians 6:14

Broadway Assembly - March 17, 2002

I. Introduction

A. Without a doubt – Paul one of the most predominant and premier preachers of the NT Era

1. Wrote majority of the epistles

2. Founded more churches than any other apostle

3. Traveled countless miles in missionary journeys into uncharted territory

4. suffered more setbacks and hardship than any other apostle

5. Entrusted with the mystery of the Gospel to the Gentiles

Ephesians 3

1: For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,

2: If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:

3: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,

4: Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

5: Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;

6: That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

B. His message was unparalleled – His ministry unprecedented

1. A man who made his mark on this world for the Kingdom of God like no other of His era or the generations to follow

C. Seemed to have an underlying theme – a thread that would run through his:

1. Writings

2. Preaching

3. Confrontation with Jews and with Political rulers

4. That being the theme of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ

D. Though other apostles no doubt preached it

1. Though it appeared in the epistles of many of the other NT writers

2. Yet Paul had a certain eloquence and held a certain esteem when it came to the preaching of the cross

E. No doubt it was this theme that compelled his hand as he sat to write this epistle to the church at Galatia as we have read within our text

Galatians 6

14: But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

II. It is a theme that has long since been forgotten

A. One that has failed to rise to prominence within the church world as we know it

1. It may appear outside of our churches

2. We may ink it on our stationery

3. Yet I do not believe it has gripped us as it did this apostle of nearly 2 millenniums ago

4. Neither has it had the impact on the lives of believers as it did back in the infancy of the New Testament church

B. For that reason that I feel compelled to remind you this morning that it is the preaching of the cross that must thread its way through the heart of every believer

1. Knitting us together in a Godly and righteous unity that is unparalleled and unbreakable

2. It is not denomination neither is it mere doctrine that forms the foundation of our unity

a. It must be and can only be the blood stained banner of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ

C. As a trophy lifted high and suspended between heaven and earth

1. The sinless Son of God issued the words that have become the rallying cry to all who have knelt at the foot of the cross

2. The Cry of: “It is Finished”

a. The Adversary from Sin – he is annihilated

b. The Bondage from Sin – it is Broken

c. The Curse of Sin was Cured

d. The Damnation of Sin Destroyed

e. The Price of Sin was Paid

f. The Penalty of Sin was Compensated in Full

g. The Power of Sin was Shattered

h. The Horror of Sin was Healed

i. The Effects of Sin was Repaired

j. That which was taken was Restored in Full

D. That is why there is no other theme worth preaching

1. No other message worth promoting

2. No other word worth declaring

3. It is not in the power of self esteem or positive thinking

4. It lies only in the power of what the blessed Son of God did at the cross so many years ago

5. He did it for you and He did it for me

III. The Passion of the Cross “But God forbid…”

A. In the earliest days of the Church, the cross was not only perceived by society as an instrument of torture and death, but as a symbol of utter shame.

1. * The offense of the Christian cross was frequently described by the Greek word “mania”

which means “madness”. It was common for people to consider Christians mad for