Galatians — Chapter 6

The world is full of so much suffering. Why are things the way they are? Why is evil present? In this sermon on Galatians 6:7–8 titled “Sowing and Reaping,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones provides answers to these difficult questions that have haunted people for millennia. Ultimately, all the bad seen in the world traces back to the Garden of Eden and people being deceived by Satan. What were they deceived about? First, people are deceived about themselves. They think they are powerful and smart enough to figure everything out without the help of God. Second, they are deceived about God. People not only doubt the existence of God, but also His ability to work in the world with the amount of evil that is present. Third, deception has occurred regarding life in this world. Satan has convinced humanity that there are no absolute moral standards and consequences, and that this life is the only one—thus, there is no need to worry about the consequences actions have, because all need to have as much fun as they can before they die. Because people are deceived in these areas, they sow according to the flesh. To combat this, Dr. Lloyd-Jones says that all must believe and understand that God has created everything for a reason and that lives have consequences now and into eternity. This, he says, is how one understands evil in the world and the message that can undo it.

The certainty of the gospel is the foundation for the Christian life. In this sermon on Galatians 6:12–13 titled “Built on Sound Foundations,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows why the assurance all believers can have in the gospel is central to the Christian hope. God reveals Himself and His plan of salvation through His true word, the Scripture. Humanity is not left wondering what they must do to be saved, for holy Scripture says that all who repent of their sins and believe in Jesus will be saved. Christians ought not to be led astray by false teachings that say they cannot know what the gospel is. Scripture stands above all human reason and institutions; it stands above all other sources of authority. Furthermore, Scripture tells facts that really happened. It tells that Jesus of Nazareth lived and died for sinners, but it also tells that He rose from the dead in victory over all sin and death. God’s word calls all to believe in the gospel for the forgiveness of sins as the only path to true and lasting peace with God.

What is at the heart of the Christian faith? In this sermon on Galatians 6:14 titled “The Means of Salvation,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says that it is the cross of Calvary where Jesus died for sinners. The gospel shows that the whole life of Jesus looked forward to the greatest act of love and compassion that the world will ever know when God’s only Son died in the place of wicked sinners. This death on the cross is what Christ came to do, and it is the culmination of His earthly life. Also, the apostle Paul shows that it is the cross that brings salvation and forgiveness of sins. It is not the works of human merit or the flesh that make people right with God, but it is God suffering in the place of sinners that brings salvation to all who believe. What does this mean for Christians today? This central gospel message is still the only way of salvation and restoration of God. Human fundamental needs never change; they are still rebels that must be made right with God. The blood of Christ is still the only way that anyone can be freed from sin and made an inheritor in the new life of salvation of Christ.

What is the central message of the gospel? In this sermon on Galatians 6:14 titled “The Offence of the Cross,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches on the cross and its centrality to the good news of Jesus Christ. How one responds to the cross, he says, determines how they will spend eternity. Paul says that the cross is either an offense or something to glory in, and if either of these reactions are not caused, then the cross has not been preached accurately. Why is it offensive? Dr. Lloyd-Jones provides three reasons. First, it cuts across human pride and preconceived notions of one’s ability to be in control of their destiny. Second, the natural person wants to be saved by ideas and philosophies, and the cross is not that. Third, the cross appears to some to be immoral— the idea of an innocent man dying for those who have done wrong is scandalous to many. Yet, it is the crux of the cross. The cross levels the playing fields between all people—the wealthy, the poor, the academic, and the layperson. Dr. Lloyd-Jones says that Christians are those who do not merely accept the fact of the cross, but rather glory in it because of what they see—the obedience, sacrifice, and love of Jesus. It is everything to the person who has seen it and this is why the cross is central to the gospel.

When people look at the world today, they see a world that is torn apart by much grief, suffering, and loss. And yet, they often fail to see the reason behind the pain that exists. In this sermon on the glory of the cross from Galatians 6:14 titled “The Glory of the Cross,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones works through understanding suffering and the characteristics of the world to help better comprehend the glory of the cross. He says that the world and what it stands for are the causes of all its tragedies. He defines the world as that which is apart from and/or without God. What are the characteristics of the world? The world is driven by an unquenchable lust and desire, such as for money, power, and sex. These have driven people to live for themselves, and this has led to the sin in the world. It can only be overcome through the cross. It does this by showing what the world really is and how empty its pursuits are. In His ministry on earth, Jesus made this a central part of His ministry, emphasizing things that were total opposites from the world. Everything that is opposed to God will suffer eternal destruction, and this is the glory of the cross—it is the only thing that satisfies, and it is the only salvation.

What is the thing around which your life revolves, around which you are the most proud of? For Christians, that answer should unequivocally be the cross of Jesus Christ. A Christian finds his joy – his glory – in the cross because it crucified the world to him. “The world,” and what it stands, for is responsible for all the heartache and tragedies around us. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones teaches from Galatians 6:14 that one is either with the world or with God. He explains what it means to be “of the world” – a view or outlook on life that is viewed and lived apart from God. Man is at the center, and this life is controlled by desire. How does the cross crucify the world to believers? Primarily, Dr. Lloyd-Jones says, it shows us what the world really is. The world is perishing and will eventually be no more — as Scripture states elsewhere, “What profit is it if a man gains the whole world but loses his soul?” Once someone sees the pointlessness behind pursuing the world and the things of it, they are drawn to Christ and His Kingdom that will reign forever. By being crucified to the world, one gains a greater hope because one sees the reality of what will truly last! Dr. Lloyd-Jones urges that we revolve our lives around the cross of Christ.

Paul tells us that the cross of Christ delivers us from the power of the devil. How? And why are things in this world the way they are? In this sermon on Galatians 6:14, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones helps us to understand the spiritual warfare that is at play behind everything we see and why it is so important to understand this other battle going on behind the scenes. All that is bad in the world today is not due merely to human nature, but also to spiritual warfare. Satan, through sin, has consumed people with a passion of antagonism against God. The whole human race has become slaves of Satan. How? Dr. Lloyd-Jones shows us from Scripture how he dominates and controls the mind. Additionally, Satan works through people’s desires to get them to commit sins and acts of atrocity for their own gain. Dr. Lloyd-Jones encourages us to see the spiritual battle raging behind the scenes in the events of Scripture, providing many examples. How can one escape from this control? Through the cross. All men are under this power unless saved by the power of the Gospel. Dr. Lloyd-Jones encourages us to repent from our sins and believe in Christ today to be delivered!

In this series on Galatians, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones has presented many reasons why we as people, and specifically as Christians, are to glory in the cross of Christ, as Paul mentions. In this sermo on Galatians 6:14, he presents yet another reason to glory in the cross. It is the cross alone that can produce true unity among men. Men today are striving for unity through worldly measures, but it is not happening. Despite their best efforts, wars and conflicts still run rampant. Only one thing can deal with the tension, war, and strife we are encountering in the world— the cross of Christ. Scripture presents a model for unity, and this is seen from cover to cover as it brought the mighty and lowly together in unity and worship of God. Ultimately, pride is the root cause of this strife. There is nothing in this world that can adequately deal with and address this problem. The cross, however, destroys this pride by showing that everyone is equally sinful and lost. In this way, it levels the playing field because everyone is equally a sinner in the sight of God. Dr. Lloyd-Jones shows that in this way, the cross can provide unity that no other efforts of man can accomplish, and this is yet another reason to glory in the cross of Christ.

Scripture testifies that the cross and blood of Christ speak. In this sermon on Galatians 6:14 titled “A Public Declaration,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that the first thing they say is that the souls of people are very precious. This is seen by the fact that God sent His Son to die on behalf of sinful people who couldn’t save themselves. Second, the cross says that the most important thing to people is their relationship with God. How one responds to Jesus’s death on the cross will affect how they spend eternity, either with God or apart from Him. Thus, it is of the utmost importance. Third, the essence of sin is the breaking of a relationship with God. Fourth and finally, the cross and blood say that all need to submit to it so that they can be saved. This, according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, is the exposition of the cross. In this, it declares that it alone is the way of dealing with one’s sin, and it invites those who don’t know Christ to come and find forgiveness from their sins and be reconciled to God.

Why do Christians preach the cross? Why is it that this cruel tool of murder stands at the heart of God’s gospel? The answer is found in the power of the cross for salvation. Listen as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones unfolds the words of Paul that the cross is the means by which God has conquered sin, death, and the devil by dying a cruel death. In this sermon on Galatians 6:14 titled “Glorying Only in the Cross,” Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains not only the fact of the cross, but also the need. God the Father sent His only Son into the world to die for all because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. All are in dire need of salvation and forgiveness and this salvation only comes through Jesus’s sacrificial death upon the cross. Now those that believe are freed from the curse of the law, sin, and death. This is the only way to salvation. This sermon calls each and every sinner to leave their evil ways behind and come to Jesus. Come to the cross and find salvation in God’s Son who has died for sinners.

The cross of Jesus Christ must be central to the Christian’s beliefs about God. In this sermon on Galatians 6:14 titled “A New Life,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones helps the listener understand how Paul’s view of the cross changed how he saw himself and how it applies to lives today. First, those who are not saved see themselves from the world’s perspective—their identity is in their power, pedigree, wealth, intellect, or other similar titles or possessions. Ironically, it is the Lord who ultimately gives those things. Second, a worldview without Christ is incredibly self-centered. Christianity is the polar opposite because it effectively levels the playing field, showing that every single person is just as deserving of God’s wrath as the next person. Third, the cross is a completely new way of life—it changed everything for Paul. Not only does it show people a new way of living, but it also shows how to suffer. For anyone daunted with the idea of trying to follow Christ, Dr. Lloyd-Jones reminds them that they have the Lord’s example to follow in everything, allowing them to model their lives after the One who lived perfectly.

In this sermon on Galatians 6:14 titled “Made in the Likeness of Man,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains the importance of the cross to the birth of Jesus. He argues that one cannot understand the birth and incarnation of Christ—the reason Christmas is celebrated—without the cross. First, the Messiah’s sufferings are prophesied throughout the entire Old Testament in passages such as Isaiah 53 and Genesis 3. Second, the cross was the real object of Jesus’s incarnation. Jesus was born for the express purpose of being the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all humanity. In this way He was born to die, and this makes Him unique among any other person who has been born. Third, only the cross explains some of the audacious things that Jesus claimed and were recorded in the gospels as being said about Him. Additionally, the cross was the lowest point for the Son of God. He was enthroned in Heaven, yet He left His rightful place to come to earth and live the life that no one else has—a perfect one. He did all of this with the knowledge that one day He would die an unjust death for the sins of the world so that those who accepted His sacrifice could have forgiveness from their sins. This is the reason Christmas is celebrated and as Dr. Lloyd-Jones reminds, why the cross is central to correctly understanding Jesus’s birth.

The cross is a symbolic picture that has universal recognition. But what is the meaning behind the cross and what does it represent? Does Scripture instruct how to view the cross today? In this sermon on Galatians 6:14 titled “Looking at the Cross,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones points to the passage as a way to test (positively or negatively) one’s understanding of the cross. Here the apostle Paul points out two aspects of the cross that are important to understand: he glories (boasts) in the cross and he glories in nothing else. The cross is his boast because of what took place on the cross as Christ offered Himself as a sacrifice. In relation to Christ’s great demonstration of love, everything else in the world fades in comparison. There is nothing left that is worthy of boasting in. As Dr. Lloyd-Jones draws out the implications for today, he confronts with the question, “Why should I glory in the cross today?” The listener is encouraged to reflect anew on the meaning of the cross, as well as consider the cross and the worthlessness of the world, the deliverance the cross provides from the law, and the beautiful, wondrous character of the cross as the manifestation of God’s love and power.

In this sermon on Galatians 6:15 titled “What is Christianity?” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones challenges Christians to regain a proper understanding of what the life of a follower of Jesus truly is. He asks a central question to help gauge spiritual health: “is Christianity central to everything in our lives, or is it small and narrow?” In the passage, Paul is addressing a false teaching in the church that did not hold Christianity up as a worldview around which the lives of people should revolve. Dr. Lloyd-Jones also shows how and why people need to come to Jesus in the first place. Before becoming followers of Jesus, anything that one has or has done avails to nothing. Good deeds, intellect, and even baptism does not secure an eternal future. In and of themselves, they are useless in bringing anyone closer to Christ. This relates to why all need to be born again. As Dr. Lloyd-Jones reminds, salvation is humanity’s most fundamental need. Listen as he preaches on the Christian life and why all are in need of being saved.

Christians may grow weary of well doing. Despite being on a correct path, all Christians have experienced spiritual depression. Much of this can be attributed to a “middle period” of the Christian life; a time that comes after much growth and momentum, with the struggle to continue despite feeling routine. In this sermon on Galatians 6:9 titled “Weary in Well Doing,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones outlines some common pitfalls and dangers during this period. Negative voices encourage giving up, resigning to the feelings of hopelessness and artificial stimulants such as alcohol or drugs that provide no lasting hope. For Christians who feel like they are just putting one foot in front of the other, Dr. Lloyd-Jones encourages that such feelings are normal. Instead of stalling, look to the word to discover “Why am I weary? What has caused me to feel this way?” Energy for serving Christ and growing in maturity is not from feelings, but from the Savior. Acknowledge that this life is a time of preparation for what is to come, and rest in knowing the Lord will rescue and redeem in due time. Dr. Lloyd-Jones encourages the listener that the walk will have ups and downs, but they can stand in their faith and not grow weary in doing good.