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Galatians 6:10-18, "Bearing Marks" · Clifford Baptist

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  Speaker A: Welcome to the Aug. 10 sermon from Clifford Baptist Church, 635 Fletcher's Level Road in Amherst. Today's scripture is Galatians, chapter 6, verses 10 through 18. And the sermon is entitled Bearing Marks, delivered today by Pastor Jeffrey Campbell.
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  Speaker B: Grab your Bibles, go to the book of Galatians. The last time you will hear me say that for a while. As we think about what God is doing through this work and what God is doing here through this book, I'm grateful. What God has challenged me personally with as we think of God's work in a place that maybe we don't even recognize today, but what God is doing maybe in my heart, in your heart, and we are in thanksgiving for. And so there is a story I want to start out with that comes from years ago, a kingdom put out a decree that they wanted to find the most beautiful hands in all of the kingdom. Four finalists were narrowed down. The first, a woman's hand. All of these are women, by the way. Us men must not have beautiful hands. The first hands, soft hands, fingers perfectly formed, each line on their hand perfect, each muscle in place. Perfect symmetry of the hands. The second was richly adorned with jewels. It had rings everywhere, jewels everywhere. It screamed luxury and wealth and royalty. It dripped with the fragrance, and the judges adored it. The third, a skillful hand, one that had played the finest instruments, was very flexible and fast. The fingers could move anywhere and multiple directions. And the fourth was a hand that seemed somewhat a joke. It was a woman's hand, but it was hard to tell. It had one single wedding band, calluses everywhere, enlarged knuckles, markings on the skin, scratches of hard works. These were hands that helped people that loved little ones and prepared a family. Which set of hands did the king select as the most beautiful hands in all the kingdom? It was the last set. Sometimes, you and I, I think it's good to get dressed up for church and present your best to the Lord. Some of us get dressed up really well. But I believe that I am comfortable in saying this today, that many lives within this room carry deep marks. Some of them are marks from the world. Some of them are marks from where people have hurt you. Some of them are marks from where church people have hurt you. But the most beautiful marks is the mark that Jesus Christ leaves on your life. And sometimes those marks can be seen, visible, and sometimes they're just noticeable. And so today, as we wind down this study of Galatians, the people, the religious people of Galatia, they wanted to see the marks, the marks of circumcision. Would speak and tell that you were a believer. That's the only marks that the religious people cared about. But Paul came to town saying this. The the marks of a believer, they should carry much more. We talked about the marks of the fruit of the spirit. We talked a couple of weeks ago about the burdens that we bear, that believers should bear burdens. That's a mark that we carry. But ultimately, as he finishes up the letter with his own hand, he writes these words as a challenge to the Galatians. I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I'm just going to ask you the question that I'm going to ask at the end, and that is this, is Jesus leaving a mark on your life or is the world? And that was the problem in Galatia. The world was leaving its mark, but Jesus didn't. And I don't want anyone to walk out of this sanctuary today saying, I haven't. I have no marks of Jesus. I can't relate to him. So very quickly, I want to give you four marks that I believe every believer should bear if they are a true believer in Jesus Christ. Galatians, chapter number six. Look at verse 10 and 11. If you missed the first nine verses, go back a couple weeks ago. Listen to a couple sermon from a couple weeks ago. That will catch you up. But as we start out, we start with verse number 10. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. You see how large a letter I have written unto you with my own hand. Point number one. Today, the mark that I believe that every Christian should carry is a mark of compassion. A mark of compassion. I've been in ministry long enough. If I add up all of my years, I'm pushing over 20 years of ministry. And across 20 years of ministry, you run across people that you can see the love of God. And there are some people that you question how they even love God. Amen. I don't say that judging. I just say that we are different people. And understanding that difference is this compassion must be a primary component of who we are. I cannot do that. I cannot make you more compassionate. I believe only the Holy Spirit can. Jesus has to make you compassionate. He has to change your heart. Paul's compassion for the people of Galatia is this. First off, in verse number 11, he says, I hold the pen. I'm writing this letter. It is a hard letter. It is a letter of correction. But I'm writing this letter because I love you and I believe there's more that God could get out of you. And so I write, I'm holding the pen. Paul usually would dictate his letter and he would write the ending. But Paul says this. I write it with my own hand. I care about you. Church today. That is the passion that with I preach to you. Maybe some people walk in here and say, wow, that guy's a little too much. But it is with the passion that I preach. And I urgently tell you, Jesus loves you and Jesus wants to use you, and we can't waste time. People are dying and going to hell. I believe, as Paul writes In verse number 11, he said, you see how large a letter I've written. That doesn't mean he wrote a big letter. It means that he used large letters, which probably refers to his eyesight. I don't know about you, but if you looked at this sermon, I hand write every sermon, okay? I hand write every sermon. If you look at this sermon, you would see words that are circled and phrases that are underlined and verses that are squared off. There's a system to the madness, believe it or not. But here's what I want you to know. There are times when we capitalize things that we don't want people to miss. An S part. Paul ends this letter. He is telling the Galatians, I've written you this long letter, but you can't miss this part. I love you. I have compassion on you. Pay attention here. But in verse number 10, he writes that we have the opportunity to do good. Let us do good unto all men, especially to them who are of the household of faith. The mark of compassion looks like this. Use the resources that God has blessed you with to touch other people in his name. Resources is a big word. For some of you, that could mean financial blessing that God has bestowed and you can help somebody. For some of you, it is your time. You are retired. You have a little more time on your hands. There's no retirement in ministry. I don't care if you're a pastor or not. You never retire from doing the Lord's work. It could be money, it could be time. It could be a sense of gift giving and buying and loving on people. It could be proclaiming and sharing the gospel. We've got people here that go out on the street and preach, but they do it out of a sense of compassion. But use your resources to help meet the needs of others. And here's what I want to tell you, what I always tell you. Listen, if you have the resources and there's a need. I have never been not blessed, but by meeting someone else's need. And I'm as a pastor, very quickly, I pray about it and do it and trust God very quickly. I was preaching at a revival service one time. A guy walked in and said, pastor, I need gas money. If you know Jeffrey, Jeffrey does not carry a wallet. Okay? I do not. I don't carry a wallet. And I just said this. If you stay through the revival service, I'll ask the church to take up an offering to get your gas money. And he did. He stayed for that revival service. The church passed the plate. They gave him gas money. He went on his way, and all the people were like, what if he would have stolen? What if he goes and buys drugs? What if he goes and buys out? That's out of my control. I just got to be obedient to what the Lord told me to do. Now, I'm not saying go throw your money around and waste your money. But here's what I'm saying. If you can meet a need, do it. Don't hold a committee meeting. You don't even have to hold a quick prayer meeting. If you walk by somebody and God says, help that person, and you may look at me like I got four heads, God does that. Do it. No questions asked. Meet the need. Don't do it. Now, here is my recommendation in this day and time. You better not post it on social media, what you've done, because there goes your blessing out the window. Here's what I'm saying. If you've been blessed with the opportunity and you've been blessed with the ability, it is no accident. Good God put somebody in your path. Here's what I want you to do. Church, I hope you write in your Bibles. I want you to underline or circle the word opportunity. Because here's what Paul says. We have the opportunity. He doesn't say, if you have the opportunity, you will have opportunities. But don't do it in your own ability. Do it in the blessing of the Lord. And I promise you that God will bless that situation. If we look for those opportunities, if we pray for opportunities, if we bless others in opportunities, guess what? It all belongs to God anyway. This jacket. When something happens to Jeffrey, this jacket's either going in one of two places. Maybe Terry will gift it to somebody that can wear it, or it's going to Goodwill or the trash can. I'm not taking this thing with me. But Jesus says, if somebody needs a coat, what are you supposed to do? If you can meet the need meet it. And so today, compassion. The marks of compassion should be on the life of his people. If you leave out of here without compassion in your heart, I want to argue that you need to spend more time with Jesus because that needs to rub off. I will give one disclaimer and that is this. You don't have to meet every need. No is also a good word. If you can't the mark of compassion, look at the next mark. Look at verses 12 through 14. As many as desire to make a fair show in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law, but desire to have you circumcised that they may glory in your flesh. But God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world. The the second mark on every believer's life is the mark of the cross. The mark of the cross. Paul writes that there are false teachers in Galatia that were putting on a fleshly show. I'm not going to re preach this message. They desired circumcision and circumcision wasn't the answer. It was a circumcision of the heart that needed to happen to the people in Galatia. But Paul says this. There are people compelling or constraining. Basically. Think of this a sales pitch. Now look at me church. There's sometimes I can't stand a salesman. Some of you are salesmen. I know driving through the parking lot looking at a truck. I don't want somebody beating my door to sell me something. But this is a sales pitch. The false teachers were putting on a sales pitch just to get people circumcised. That way their numbers would look good and they would be doing the religious work. But Paul also says they were doing it to avoid prosecution from the Roman government, that they may glory in the flesh and that they didn't even obey the law. So let me boil it down. Here's what Paul was saying. The false teachers were just worried about numbers. Can you imagine in this day how many people did you get circumcised today? Well, it happens in our day. How many people come to your church? It don't matter. I've been in a church with 12 people and I've preached there faithfully and I've been in a church with hundreds. And here's what I want you to Understand? Today, if we are people that are worried about numbers and show and it being all about us, we are here for the wrong reason. The mark of the cross isn't about a number. I say joyfully. We're baptizing eight today and I'm praising God for that eight. But if it was one, it would be worth going to that river today to celebrate what God has done. If I had a church of 12 people that would faithfully gather under my teaching, I would preach there. We cannot worry about the numbers and we cannot glory in the fleshly things. The number of circumcision, the looking of the part, the following of the law. Paul says in verse number 14, he didn't glory in the numbers or the fame or the power. He gloried in the cross of Jesus Christ. In the first century church, does the word cross and glory even go together? Is it to be used in the same sentence? Because in this first century church, the cross meant humiliation. It is where the worst criminals were punished. It was not something to say, I glory that my buddy went to the cross. No, because the danger was is that you would go next. But here's what Paul says, that as I understand Jesus, life and death, the sin that was placed on his life and the price that was paid for his forgiveness, the only thing in the world that was worth glorying in was the cross. What Jesus did for him, that's the only thing that mattered in life. And here's what I want you to understand. We wear the crosses around our neck as jewelry on our earrings. Nothing wrong with that. We wear shirts or hats with crosses on them. We even get them tattooed there. But here's what Paul says. The world doesn't matter to me, only Jesus. If you wear a cross and I challenge you church to wear them, wear them knowing what it means, what Jesus did. And you've got to live up to it because the perfect man went there. Not that you have to be perfect, but you gotta live up to representing what that cross represents and that's Jesus. As I told one person, you better not put it on your body if you cannot live it out for the rest of your life. Are we marked by the cross? Are we marked by what Jesus has done for us? And are we willing to live that out in this great big world very quickly. Point number three, look at verse number 15. For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature, the third one, the mark of compassion, the mark of the cross and the mark of A new creature that should mark your life. Paul writes this. Jesus changes people. Circumcision or not, it doesn't really matter. That's what he says here. It doesn't matter if you're circumcised or not. The physical, the rituals, the law didn't matter. What mattered is this. If Jesus had truly changed your heart and you cannot become a new creature on your own, it must be the work of God. I grew up in church all my life. I don't have a bad story. I grew up in church. Many of you have that same story. I don't have the. I was a bad person and I lived in the world and I sinned. I did sin. I didn't murder anybody. I didn't do drugs. I didn't drink. I didn't do any of that. I don't have that story. But I do have a story that Jesus made me new because sin is bad and sin condemns us. And so here's what I want you to understand today. The mark of a new creature is one that is not a physical mark. But here's what the Bible says in Second Corinthians, chapter chapter number five. It is a mark that the old things have passed away. That's what Paul writes in Second Corinthians. The mark of a new believer is that the old you is gone. The mark of a new believer is that the corrupt and deceitful has been put off. According to Ephesians, chapter four, Colossians, chapter number three, it says to put off the old man with his deeds. This new creature is led by Jesus and not the law. And that's what Paul is saying. True faith does not look toward an outward sign. It is what the work that God does on the heart. This transformation starts on his inside and then it works its way outward. And it does take time. But with the help of the Holy Spirit, God will change your life. When we need to depend on God's word, we need to depend on him in prayer. And through that, rebellion becomes obedience. And it's a beautiful thing. The mark of a new creature is not a mark of stagnant. It's not a mark of complacency. It's a mark of continual change. I'm not where Jesus wants me to be. That's the new creature's attitude. God, continue to work on me. That's the work or that's the attitude of a new creature. Don't be stagnant. Don't think I made it. I'm waiting on heaven. That's not the right attitude. The right attitude is God. There's still work that you can do to change me. Please do it in my life and make it visible so the world will know. You may not have that dramatic story, but as I said earlier, we are all sinners who have fallen short of the glory of God. And the mark of a new creature should be on your life. If you are a believer, there should be a time where you can identify, not necessarily a date. There should be a time where you can say, this is when Jesus changed my life. I was a 15 year old boy almost 28 years ago. Jesus changed my life. There's one more mark. Look at verses 16 through 18. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them and mercy upon the Israel of God. From henceforth, let no man trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you or with your spirit. Amen. The last one is marks of character. Marks of character. Paul, speaking to the descendants of Abraham, the Israel of God, those who have faith says this. Here are a couple of blessing marks, character marks on your life. In verse number 16 you see the words peace and mercy. You need to understand those words. In verse number 18 you see grace is mentioned there. These are three character marks of Christian peace. I know Paul is writing and ending a letter with this, but he is praying God's mercy and God's peace and God's grace to be upon his people. And those three things should mark the lives of believers. It should be the mercy of God should mark your life. The grace of God should mark your life. The peace of God should mark your life if you are a believer. But look at verse number 17. From henceforth let no man trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus Christ. In this one verse we see that Paul is talking also about physical marks. His body has been through it. Here's what I want to ask you to do. Church, if you will just take your Bible. Go back a couple pages to Second Corinthians, chapter number 11, Second Corinthians, chapter, chapter number 11. At this book, right before Galatians, Second Corinthians 11, verse number 24. As he writes to the Corinthians, verses 24 through 27. Here's what Paul explains about the physical things that he endured as a man of God. Look at verse number 24. He says this of the Jews, five times I received I 40 stripes, 60 save one thrice was I beaten with rods. Once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day. And I've been in the deep, in journeyings, often in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by my own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea and perils among false brethren, in weariness and painfulness and watchings often in hunger and thirst and fastings, often in cold and nakedness. How many of y' all, if y' all went through? I didn't sign up for this, Jesus. Nah, nah, I'm tapping out. Y' all can have it right? Here's what Paul says. Five times I was beaten 39 times. On five different occasions with leather that was divided in four tail. Just think of 39 times on five separate occasions. Think of three times with the rod and think of being stoned. Think of being on a ship that wrecked three times. One would have been plenty for me if I made it off that one. I'm not going back. Night and day in the deep water, danger of the water from robbers, from his own people, from the wilderness, from the storm tossed sea, from false brothers. He lived without food, he lived without clothing, he lived without water, he lived without sleep. And he'd done it all for Jesus. And he says this. It left a mark on my physical body. I bear in my body the marks of what it takes to love and to serve Jesus. If the troubles were part of where God led him, he knew that God would take him through those troubles. But these are just some of the marks of a man that was physically able to live for in God's grace. And so today we close the book on Galatians. Look at me, Church. Are there spiritual marks in your life that show who Jesus is, that show that Jesus is at work? That show Jesus is alive and he lives here? It's not just a one day, a week thing. No, Jesus lives here. And if Jesus lives here, Church, then he goes with us wherever we go. And those marks of compassion and the mark of the cross and the mark of being a new creature and the mark of character should be on our life. How many of you have taken an old gun on a hunting trip and that thing gets drug through the woods and you understand that that carries marks of character. I had an uncle that always told me that as he was hard on me, he said, this is going to build your character. Going back to the beginning, if you look at my hands, I almost Lost this finger in an accident. I've got stitches all over. It's a mark of character. When somebody says what happened there, I tell them exactly what happened. When somebody sees Jesus mark on your life, you can witness and tell them what Jesus has done. A young soldier returned from battle. One arm useless, burns on the other part of his body. And he walked with a limp because of shrapnel that was in his leg. And somebody had the audacity to ask him was it worth it? And here's what he said. Every scar reminds me of who I fought for and what I stood for. I didn't get these marks by sitting on the sideline. I was in the fight. Christians today, are you in the fight? If so, you will bear the marks. Are you bearing the marks of compassion, of the cross, of a new creature of character? Praise God. I'm anxious to even pray. God, God, mark me for your glory. Because I don't know what that means. But if it means somebody understands that Jesus loves them and Jesus died for them, I'm willing to bear those marks, the marks of ridicule. Send them my way, the marks of hard times. God, you'll get me through it. That's what Paul said. Christian, do we bear the marks? And can we speak of our Lord by those marks today? If you don't know Jesus, here's what I want you to hear. He loves you and he went to a cross for your sin. The Bible teaches us that none of us are perfect. All of us have fallen short of God's glory. We cannot please God without His Son, Jesus. But Jesus took that debt of sin and our place of punishment as he went to that old rugged cross. And here's what I want you to understand today. If you are not a believer, here's what I want you to understand. Jesus bore your marks, the marks of death and the marks of sin. He bore them for you. But he also bears the mark of life because he rose on that third day and he defeated death. That he could live for that you could live for him and that he could love you in return and you could have a relationship with him. Today, if you don't know Jesus, just look toward the cross and you will see the marks, what our sin did to our Savior. And you need to fall in love with that Savior. This altar is open today. Be careful what we pray for. Father. God, Lord, thank you as we close the book on Galatians. God, we trust that you will use it for your glory. It has been a challenging word for me personally, but it also has been a gentle reminder. Your grace and your gospel and the importance of it. God, I pray Lord, my church family has been ministered to through your word and God that you're not done. Just because we closed the book, you're not done. We pray that you continue your work. God, we pray as believers today that we would bear the marks of compassion. The reminder of your cross, the the reminder that we are a new creature with you and the reminder that we have character marks that will mark our life from now until eternity. Lord, as we do some self searching now. Remind us whose we are and remind us that we are to carry those marks, Lord, for that one that needs you. God, we just pray your spirit would work in such a way that would reveal sin and will reveal the need for a savior and God that that one heart would come to you. Maybe it's in a public way, maybe it's in a private way. God, we trust you to do your work. God, I pray Lord that you will use this as a challenge to our church. May we bear the marks in Jesus name. Amen.
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  Speaker A: Clifford Baptist Church invites you to join us for worship every Sunday morning at 11am for more information about our church, please call our church office at 434-946-0555.