Gal 6:14-18 But far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. Peace and mercy be upon all who walk by this rule, upon the Israel of God. Henceforth let no man trouble me; for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen. 
We find ourselves at the end of our brief overview of the Apostle Paul’s Letter to the Church at Galatia. My prayer is that we have had our hearts and spirits opened in some manner as to what the Apostle Paul saw in the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ was everything to Paul. All worldly wisdom, desires, goals, possessions, everything was counted as worthless in the light of the Excellency of Jesus Christ. Lord willing, we will be seeing more details of this in the Letter that Paul wrote to the Church at Ephesus. Today, however, we conclude our present consideration of Galatians with the final remarks of this letter.
All along, the Apostle Paul has been encouraging his Galatian readers not to give in to the deceitful work of the Judiazers. He earnestly desired that the Galatians would see through the façade that was being pushed upon them by these courtesans of Judaism. We have read the intense pleas of Paul for the Galatians not to put themselves under the law and neither to permit anyone else to put them under the law. Jesus Christ Alone is sufficient for salvation. Jesus Christ Alone is sufficient for everything. There is nothing else that can or could be added to the completed work of Christ in His death, resurrection and glorification.
	To nail down that truth, the Apostle announced that he gloried in nothing other than the cross of Jesus Christ. By that cross, Paul was crucified to this world and the world to him. Because of the cross of Jesus Christ, everything of Saul, that old life had been put to death with Christ. And, in the power of Christ’s triumphant and glorious resurrection, Paul’s entire focus of value, his entire life, his entire essence has been made alive unto God in Jesus Christ. Christ is all that matters in this temporary walk that we have on this earth. 
To emphasize the life giving power of the resurrection of Christ, Paul continues this letter by stating that whether one is circumcised or uncircumcised in the flesh ultimately counts as nothing. It is the true circumcision of the heart, His new creation in Christ Jesus, which matters before God. Rom 2:28-3:1 For he is not a real Jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical. He is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart, spiritual and not literal. His praise is not from men but from God. 
What Paul was arguing was the fact that it didn’t matter whether one was a Jew or Gentile. By believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, all we made new again in our life in Christ. The Galatians did not have to become Jews to enjoy the freedom of salvation in Jesus Christ. They could freely partake of all the riches of Christ because they were made a new creation in Christ. Likewise, Paul was indicating the same was true of the Jews. They had no particular advantage over the Gentiles, because in Christ, all have become a new creation.
Gal 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love. 
Phil 3:3 For we are the true circumcision, who worship God in spirit, and glory in Christ Jesus, and put no confidence in the flesh. 
	This reality is of particular interest to us today, but from a different aspect. Today, there are denominations of Christians who claim that salvation, real salvation is possible only if you belong to a specific church. There are competitions within the Christian community to get the most converts, to have the largest churches, to be the church of churches. The only thing that matters in our lives is the Lord Jesus Christ. As He is our life; as we are walking in line with His Word; as we are being guiding by the Holy Spirit; as we are seeking to glory in the cross alone, it matters not the name of the church that we attend. The truth is that as we are willingly led by the Lord, He will place us into the church in which He needs us for His purposes and none of our own. 
	Everything is new in Christ. Everything is changed. We are now part of the kingdom of God, where King Jesus reigns. We are no longer worried about any earthly kingdom. Our wisdom is completely new by the Holy Spirit. Our interests are completely changed in the new spiritual life that is ours in Christ. Our consideration of other people now has a new focus with the Love of Christ being manifested in our lives. Scripture has much to say about the newness of this creation in Christ Jesus. 
Rev 21:1-5 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away." And he who sat upon the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true." 
	The Apostle Paul also writes about our being God’s new creation in Christ in Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. 
And in verses 14-16 For he is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby bringing the hostility to an end. 
Also he writes the following in 2 Cor 5:17 Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. 
The Apostle Paul then continues, here at the end of Galatians, with this theme of the fundamental and foundational change that has taken place in Christ Jesus. Peace and mercy be upon all who walk by this rule, upon the Israel of God. The Israel of God is not the historical Jews. That idea was set aside by the Apostle Paul throughout this letter. Rather the Israel of God is the fulfillment of the new creation that God has made in Jesus Christ. This is the Israel of God that has received the promise made to Abraham. That covenant of God made to Abraham and his seed speaks of the great gift of God’s salvation in Christ. It is the church, the Body of Christ, the Beloved, you and me, who are the Israel of God. We are the ones who have received the inheritance promised to Abraham.
Heb 8:8-10 For he finds fault with them when he says: "The days will come, says the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; for they did not continue in my covenant, and so I paid no heed to them, says the Lord. This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 
Rom 9:6-8 But it is not as though the word of God had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his descendants; but "Through Isaac shall your descendants be named." This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are reckoned as descendants. 
	Follow the Apostle’s thoughts as he has led us step by step up to this declaration throughout this Galatian letter. He has brought the readers to the summation of why they should not do anything other than rely on Jesus Christ. They, we, are this Israel of God. We are the recipients of the promise, of the peace, and of the mercy of God, all in Jesus Christ. 
Paul begins in Galatians Chapter 3 verses 5-9 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith? Thus Abraham "believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness." So you see that it is men of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed." So then, those who are men of faith are blessed with Abraham who had faith.
Then in verses 13+14 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us - for it is written, "Cursed be every one who hangs on a tree" - that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. 
In verse 16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, "And to offsprings," referring to many; but, referring to one, "And to your offspring," which is Christ. 
Then in verses 18+19 For if the inheritance is by the law, it is no longer by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise. Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made; … 
Also verses 28+29 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise. 
Then in Chapter 4 verses 22+23 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, the son of the free woman through promise. 
Verse 28 Now we, brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise. 
And finally in verses 30+31 But what does the scripture say? "Cast out the slave and her son; for the son of the slave shall not inherit with the son of the free woman." So, brethren, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman. 
The Apostle Paul then, in the concluding verses of Chapter 6, proceeds to give one last statement to the fact that the words that he has written to the Galatians are truth and can be trusted. …for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. He is once again calling to their minds the fact that he so loves the Lord Jesus Christ, and so loves these Galatians that he bears on his body the marks of Jesus. There is little doubt that Paul had received tremendous affliction for the sake of the Gospel. As one commentator wrote It may be justly presumed that men are fully persuaded of those truths in the defense of which they are willing to suffer. End of Quote The truth of Christ was so real and of such unparalleled value to the Apostle Paul that he could even rejoice in the physical marks that were laid upon his body for the name of Jesus Christ.
The Judiazers gloried in their circumcision. Their desire was to see the mark of circumcision put upon their converts. On the other hand, they were extremely anxious to avoid any tribulation at all costs and were willing to compromise everything to keep from being persecuted. Paul, however, could freely relate what he had already willingly undergone for in the service of Christ Jesus. 2 Cor 11:24-28 Five times I have received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I have been beaten with rods; once I was stoned. Three times I have been shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brethren; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure upon me of my anxiety for all the churches.
The Apostle saw the suffering and the affliction accrued in the service of the Gospel as the brand of service unto the Lord. Just as slaves were branded to show their ownership, so also Paul sees the marks of Jesus on his body as the brand indicating that he fully, absolutely, and of his own free will belonged to Jesus Christ. 
Paul also recognized the place that suffering for Christ had within the believer. It is as we go through the suffering that our fellowship with Christ becomes all the more dear. It is as we bear the tribulation of this age, that our unity in Christ, as His people, is cemented. We are joined to one another by our utter dependence upon God to see us, and the rest of the body, through each and every day.
	2 Cor 4:8-10 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.
Rom 8:14-18 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 
And in 2 Cor 1:3-7 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken; for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. 
In this spirit of complete dependence upon the Lord, Paul ends the letter to the Galatians with the following, The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen. Once more, we are brought face to face with the grace of God that is so livingly, so perfectly and so richly manifested in Jesus Christ. Paul, despite all the back-biting and betrayal that seemed to arise in Galatia, clings to the Lord as he finishes his writing. He commends them to the Lord and calls forth the greatest blessing that we can ever have, the grace of God. His most potent argument against anything other than the all-sufficiency of Jesus Christ is the wonderful, joyous, and complete grace of God. There is nothing else that we need on this earth. As Mathew Henry states This is fitly called the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, as he is both the sole purchaser and the appointed dispenser of it; … We need desire no more to make us happy than the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. This the apostle begs for these Christians, and therein shows us what we are chiefly concerned to obtain; ... End of quote (from Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1991 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.)
This brings the readers full circle back to the very beginning of this letter. Gal 1:3-5 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father; to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen. 
It begins with grace and it ends with grace. Paul is counting on that grace of God to so move the Galatians in the complete essence of their inner being that they would be wholly influenced by it. He wants them to put their trust in it and conduct themselves according to it. That is the only manner in which they can follow through on all the admonitions of this letter. It takes God’s omnipotent grace to be part of the Living Body of Christ.
Gal 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another. 
Gal 6:1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Look to yourself, lest you too be tempted. 
Verse 2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. 
	Verse 6 Let him who is taught the word share all good things with him who teaches.
	And verse 9 And let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart. 
It takes God’s Grace to live this life that is now ours in Christ. It is by the grace of God that we have salvation. It is by the grace of God that we are now a new creation in Christ. It is by the grace of God that we are now made the very family of God. It is by the grace of God that trials, tribulations, and persecutions are seen in the full truth of causing us to more and more livingly rely on God to be our everything. It is by the grace of God that we have His Word and His Holy Spirit to direct our every step on this earth. It is the Grace of God that holds us securely in Our Lord Jesus Christ for all of eternity. It is by the grace of God that we can see God’s glory throughout the history of mankind. It is in God’s Grace that His glory will be revealed in the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It is because of the Almighty, all-sufficient, all-knowing, always present Grace of God, so abundantly lavished in Jesus Christ, that God will be glorified throughout all of creation for ever and ever. Amen.
But far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. Peace and mercy be upon all who walk by this rule, upon the Israel of God. Henceforth let no man trouble me; for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen.

Today’s benediction is Solomon’s blessing as recorded in 1 Kings 8:56-60 "Blessed be the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised; not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he uttered by Moses his servant. The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers; may he not leave us or forsake us; that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his ordinances, which he commanded our fathers. Let these words of mine, wherewith I have made supplication before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, and may he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel, as each day requires; that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other.