Do your daily choices really matter?

Yes. In Galatians 6:7-18, the Apostle Paul closes his letter with a farmer’s truth: you reap what you sow. In this final study, Dr. Toby Holt explains what we are planting with our lives — and the harvest it brings.

Just as a seed decides the crop, the way we live produces a harvest. Paul says those who “sow to the flesh” reap decay, while those who “sow to the Spirit” reap everlasting life. He urges believers not to grow tired of doing good, because the harvest comes in time. At the very end, Paul refuses to boast in anything except the cross of Jesus. Holt pictures the danger with a simple image: planting gummy bears in a garden grows nothing — a life spent on what does not last produces no lasting fruit.

Questions this study answers:

1. What does “you reap what you sow” mean? It means our choices have results, like seeds that grow into a harvest. What we invest our lives in — God’s ways or our own desires — decides what we will gather later.

2. What does it mean to “sow to the Spirit”? It means living God’s way: doing good, loving others, and trusting Christ. Paul says this kind of life reaps everlasting life rather than decay.

3. What did the cross mean to Paul? Everything. Paul refused to boast in his own achievements; his only confidence was in the cross of Jesus, where real salvation is found.

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” — Galatians 6:7 (NKJV)

Speaker: Dr. Toby Holt is the President of New Geneva Theological Seminary, a Reformed seminary in Colorado Springs. He is known for clear, down-to-earth Bible teaching, and his sermons have been downloaded more than 1.9 million times on SermonAudio.

Listen and go deeper: This is Part 10 of the ten-part Galatians study. Find the whole series, along with verse-by-verse studies of other books of the Bible, at newgeneva.org. To support this teaching ministry, visit newgeneva.org/give.

[background music] A man reaps what he sows. As Paul wrapped up his letter to the Galatians, this was his emphasis. The things that you do in this life will produce some sort of future harvest. The question is, what kind of harvest will it be? We'll address that question and more in today's study from the Book of Galatians.

Those of you who know me know I'm a man of limited giftedness. One of the things I can't do, don't do, won't do, is I'm not a farmer. I'm not someone to ask over to help with your garden and the like. I can't garden, I can't till. I'm utterly unskilled and uneducated in this area and many others. With that said, there's one thing I do know about farming. It's one thing I'm sure you know as well, and that's this, that the seed that you take and plant in the ground will tell you what kind of fruit or what kind of tree you're going to get. The nature of the seed will tell you what type of tree is going to grow there and what kind of fruit it is going to produce. The fruit that one harvests is a function of what you've planted. If you plant cherry pits, you will get a cherry tree. If you plant pumpkin seeds, you will get pumpkins, and so on. Now, a scriptural way to put that, a biblical way, a Pauline way to put that is this. It's to say that you reap what you sow. Now, that seems pretty intuitive. I assume we're all together on this so far. We're all of at least one mind, even if none of us are gardeners. We're all of at least one mind that if you put a seed in the ground, there's a one-to-one ratio between that which is planted and that which grows, assuming that you take care to water it and nourish it and the like. So I assume we've got that. Let me ask you a question, though. What if you were to go out in your garden, instead of planting seeds, you were to plant something else? What if you go out in your garden and you were to plant gummy bears?

What do you think would happen?

Nothing. What do you think would grow? Nothing. If you were to go out in your garden this afternoon on this beautiful spring day here in the South, and you took a handful of gummy bears, and you planted them in the ground, and then for the next few weeks, maybe the next few months, you water that spot. What's going to happen? Nothing. And the reason nothing's going to happen is because the seed is bad. In fact, it's not a seed at all. It's incapable of producing any fruit. In today's text, Paul's talking about reaping and sowing. He's using agricultural metaphor here to build on the agricultural metaphor that he used last week. Last week, you remember the sermon was on the fruit of the Spirit. Paul taught that we who are changed, we who are a new creation in Christ, we will bear different fruit than we once did. The nature of the fruit corresponds with the nature of the tree. So Paul said that back in Galatians 5. Well here in Galatians 6, he's still talking about agriculture. He's still talking about a world I don't know much about, but I can understand the implications here. He's saying if one's nature has been changed, then

your fruit has changed. At the same time,

there's a reminder that we saw last week and that we're going to see in today's text, and that's this, that even though you and I have new natures, the question is, even though we've been changed and regenerated and we're born again, blood-bought sons and daughters of the Most High King, even though that's true, the question remains, as you go out the doors this day, as you go out the doors this week, as you live out your lives, even though you are a different tree, what sort of seeds are you planting? Paul was a church planter. He planted churches. The question for you and I is when we bury our seeds in the ground, so to speak, when we bury our seeds, so to speak, in our vocations and our ministry and the education of the children and the like, what sort of crop are we aiming for and what sort of crop is being produced? Well, I tell you with confidence that for many of us, the problem is that we have been given great spiritual seeds to plant in the ground that they might produce a great spiritual harvest, and yet we are content with gummy bears. We're content to plant gummy bears, things that don't grow. We're content to take choices and have attitudes and affections and make decisions this week that have nothing to do with the Kingdom of God and never will. We're content so often to focus on that which is secular over and against that which is spiritual and to plant things that don't grow. Wet, stale gummy bears sitting in the ground. That's what many of our lives are producing at the moment. Paul, through his ministry, Paul through his life, Paul to the Galatians, is saying, you reap

what you sow.

If you desire a great spiritual harvest, then you got to start planting spiritual fruit. He's telling that to the corporate church in Galatia, and he's telling that to individuals across the centuries, across the ages. All right, let's look at verses seven and eight of our text. Let's look at this particular verbiage about sowing and reaping, and then we'll work our way forward to the closing of the passage. Paul is going to change up and speak about a few different things as he concludes this letter. But let's look at verses seven and eight as he focuses on this concept of sowing and reaping. Verse seven. "Do not be deceived. God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life." All right. As I said a few moments ago, if you put an apple seed in the ground, then in time, God willing, you will get an apple tree. The seed corresponds with the crop. Let's apply this truism now to the situation that was going on in Galatia. Why is Paul saying this to the Galatians? What's the application in their context? Well, as we've said over the past 10 weeks now in this study of Galatians, the Apostle Paul had spent a lot of time in Galatia. When he writes this letter to the Galatians, it's not to a singular church, but it's to a number of churches in the region of Galatia, which is what we would now call Southern Turkey. So he's writing to these churches he'd been with, churches that he had participated in their planting, churches that he knew, churches that knew him and who knew what he said.Now, like a good farmer, when Paul had been out, he was like the Johnny Appleseed of church planting. When he went out, churches followed in his wake. He planted churches, and he planted churches on the word, on the word of God. He didn't go out with just his ideas and conjecture about what the people might want or might need or what would benefit them. Rather, he said to himself and to others that we are planting these churches on the rock of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Now, in time, those seeds produced great fruit. Churches began to thrive in Galatia and elsewhere as a function of being based on good seeds that were planted and watered. Paul did his job, the Spirit watered, everything was going great, everything was going swimmingly. Then Paul left and others came in. Paul was a good farmer. He planted good seeds. Other farmers came in. They had a different idea about what to plant. See, when Paul came in and he planted the seeds of the gospel, more specifically, he planted this seed in the hearts and lives of people. He said that you and I, we have a problem. The problem is that we're sinners, and the wages of sin is death. But God, out of his love for sinners, while we were yet sinners, sent his own Son to die for us. And if we believe, if we profess and have faith in his Son and who he was and what he did, we are saved. That's the gospel. That's the gospel in a nutshell. That's the seed that he planted and watered time and again. But what happened in Galatia and elsewhere was that after Paul would leave, others would come in. Specifically, there was a group called the Judaizers. Now, the Judaizers were those who came, as you would expect, from a Jewish background. But when they came to these places like Galatia, they would give the proper lip service to faith and belief and things like that. They did have those in their lexicon. They did have those concepts, and they even preached and shared those concepts. But they didn't share them alone. They added something to them. See, when the Judaizers came in, they came into this background of centuries of Jewish practices. They were steeped in what's called the ceremonial laws. There was feast days. There was things like circumcision and the like. And when the Judaizers came into a church that Paul had planted on the seed of the gospel, they would take that seed and they would draw a big plus sign on it, so to speak, and add something. They would say, "Yes, Galatians. Yes, people of Athens. Yes, people of Philippi. Yes, people elsewhere outside of Israel. It's good and it's wonderful that God is welcoming you into his people. But know this, before you become a Christian, you need to become a Jew. Before you come to Christ, you need to come and embrace these Old Testament laws and practices." In Acts 15:1, we see that they explicitly were telling people that unless they were circumcised, they could not be saved. They were saying, "Whatever faith and belief you have, that's good and that's great, but that won't get you in the door. Unless you are circumcised, you cannot, will not be saved." Do you understand now why Paul was so angry, why he was so frustrated across the course of his letter? Because what they were doing was undermining the very gospel itself. It was ripping the seed right out of the ground. It was pouring arsenic on top of it. If you say that the gospel is good and great, and then you add one thing or a thousand things to it, you're undermining the whole of it. So this is what Paul's speaking to specifically when he says that, "He who sows to the flesh, he who believes in works and working your way into the kingdom. He who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life." There is a difference between your faith and your works. One is of the flesh, one is of the Spirit. Paul's emphasis across five chapters up to this point was of the Spirit time and time again. All right, let's look at verses nine and 10 to see where he goes from there. Verse nine, "And let us not grow weary while doing good. For in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith."

In your own life and in your own ministry, God has entrusted to you what you might call spiritual seeds. He has entrusted you with his word. He's made you an ambassador of his kingdom, one who's supposed to raise the flag of Jesus on high. He's given you people to minister to. He's given you a mission field, a potential harvest, so to speak, where you can plant the seed of the word, the seed of the gospel. However, as we said before, our problem is so often we nod our head to that, and then we go back planting gummy bears. You have yea many days left. I'll tell you this now. I hope it's not a shock to you. You have yea many days to work with. Consider that the field of harvest is laid before you. There's all manner of people in that field, all manner of those who can and need to hear the gospel. But if you're walking around planting gummy bears in your life or the lives of others, that's not sufficient. The point is that we are to be ambassadors of this great kingdom. We are to be spiritual farmers planting the seed of the gospel, and we are to keep doing it even when times are hard and even when that gospel is rebuffed. Paul knew what it was like to be rebuffed, and he said to himself and as much to others, he says, "Let's not grow weary in doing this good. Let's not grow weary just because the people in Galatia didn't listen to me after I left or they turned away. Let that not stop me. Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let's do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith."

Over the course of the Apostle Paul's ministry, man alive, he had all manner of persecution. Anyone who tells you that Christianity is about having your best life now and it's the prosperity gospel and the like, they never read Paul. They couldn't have because Paul would've said, "That is foreign to me, this health and wealth stuff."He says, "This is something I do know. I know about persecution. I know about lashes on the back. I know about being shipwrecked. I know about being left for dead."

Paul knew what it was like to minister to folks and have them spit in your face. Paul knew about this. He knew what it was like to be spat upon, just as Jesus had been spat upon. He knew what it was like to grow weary trying to do good, only to have that good rejected. In Galatia, Paul had sown good seeds. When he left town, there was probably a smile on his face and a song in his heart because he knew something good had happened. So when he heard that the harvest that he had planted was going south, was beginning to wilt beneath the words and the pressure of the Judaizers, it would've been understandable if he grew weary and threw his hands up. Said, "Oh, those Galatians. Fools, what are they doing? Ugh." And wiped his hands, and he was just done. It would've been understandable if he'd grown weary. But that's not what he did. What did he do? When he heard that the Galatians had rejected or were beginning to reject things that he said and beginning to teach false gospels and the like, did he just throw his hands up and go, "Well, I'm out of there. I'm on to bigger and brighter things." Is that what he did? Not in the least. He sat down. He took out his pen, so to speak. He began to write, and he wrote them a six-chapter letter, which we've been studying for the past 10 weeks. It was not a short letter. And he wrote them in order to convey his love for them and to teach them and to mold them every bit as much as he did when he was in their presence.

In our church, we have a number of teachers. In our church, we have a number of teachers. In our church, we have a lot of parents. Now, whether you're a teacher or whether you're a parent, you've probably been given opportunity to grow frustrated by your students, by your children. If you're a teacher, if you're a parent, there's probably been a lot of opportunities where you could have grown frustrated. Maybe you did grow frustrated because perhaps the students weren't responding, weren't listening. Whether you're teaching English or math or music or what have you, you have a pop quiz, and you think to yourself, "I've done my job. I've taught them to the hilt. I told them everything I knew. We've reviewed it time and again. There's no reason why my students should not all get 100% on this test."

That's what you think. And then the tests come back, and you see something different. You see that a lot of them either weren't paying attention, didn't do their homework. There's as many Cs as there are As. And you look at the disparity as an instructor, perhaps as a parent, you look at the disparity between what your kids do and what you told them to do. Again, you could be frustrated and throw your hands up in the air. You could lose heart and could say, "I'm done with this." You could do that. But I'll bet you didn't and haven't. I bet as a parent, even as you grew frustrated at times, even as you grew weary at times, that you didn't stop doing good. Why? Because you love those that God has entrusted to you, whether it's children, students, or what have you. You love those that God has entrusted to you. And furthermore, you know that in time, your efforts will pay off. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but it will pay off. Notice Paul says this. He says, "Don't give up, because in due season,

we shall reap if we don't lose heart." That season might be on the horizon. That season might not be today or next month or next year. There's things you may be teaching your children, your grandchildren. There's things you may be sharing in a classroom. There's things you may be sharing with coworkers. There's things you may be sharing with others in all manner of contexts. Good, important life lessons, good, important spiritual lessons. There are things you're attempting to do, and they might not bear fruit tomorrow or next month. When I have planted seeds, you know what my tendency has been? I plant the things, and a day later, I go out and I look down at the dirt to see what's happened. Well, nothing. And you might wait days and weeks and months before something happens. But in due season, God willing, and the creek don't rise, in due season, something will grow in accordance with that which is planted and that which is watered. And then you get excited. And then you're glad that you didn't lose heart, and you didn't just dig up that seed. So he says, "In due season, we shall reap if we don't lose heart." Either this side of glory or the next, we shall reap if we don't lose heart. Now, verse 10, Paul specifically refers to the household of faith. He says here, "Do good to all, especially those who are of the household of faith." Now, that first part's important. Do good to all. What does all mean? All means all in this context. All means everyone. Don't just be good to the people that you like, the people that are kind to you, people that are friends or family or church members or what have you. Do good to all. Be a good ambassador into a fallen, darkened world. Share the gospel. Share your heart. Share your love. Share your finances. Share your dinner table. What have you. Be good. Do good to people across the breadth and the sea of humanity around you.

But then he goes on and builds and says, "Do good to all, and especially those who are of the household of faith." Practically speaking, what does that mean? What we see around us today is a microcosm of the household of faith. We're not the entire household, but we're at least one small corner of it gathered here this morning at 11:15 in Gulfport, Mississippi. We are part of the household of faith, and in the household, there are people who are hurting. In the household, there are people in need. In the household, there are people who have burdens that you and I can't possibly even fathom how they're standing up beneath them. Some of these are known. Some of these are not known.

What Paul would have us do is to be intentional about reaching out into the household of faith, into the church. The word household implies brothers and sisters, family members. You're part of the household. You're part of the family. And Paul would say, be intentional in doing good in this context. Be good everywhere you go. Do good, but especially here, especially with the brothers and sisters that in His sovereign wisdom and decree, He's united you with in this local body of believers. Do good. That requires some intentionality on our parts. It requires us to step back and go, hmm, do good. That's something I do outwardly, not just something I believe. What good can I do today, this week?It doesn't have to be that hard. You go out these doors, there's people right gathered here who would benefit from an encouraging word. Don't withhold it. You can start today, you can continue next week. But the point is this: do good to all, especially those who are of the household of faith. All right. Let's look at verses 11 through 15 now. Verse 11, "See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand." Let me just stop really quickly there. Paul, at other times, had others write his letters, but not here. To the Galatians, it's almost as if he's weeping as he's writing. He wants them to know his blood, sweat, tears, what have you, are poured into the letter that he's sending. He says, "This is from my heart to yours." "See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand. As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised." Here, he's talking about the Judaizers. He's telling the Galatians there are people who came into your midst, people I've spent six chapters telling you about, who want to compel you to be circumcised, who tell you you need to do it at the tip, at the point, at the sword of salvation, and that if you don't pursue circumcision, that you won't be saved. "So as many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised. Only that they might not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ." They have motivations that are not necessarily healthy. "For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised, that they may boast in your flesh." That you did what they told you to do. It's like the evangelist who goes out and tells 100 people to walk forward, and they walk forward, and he tells everyone, "100 people got saved at my rally." That's the equivalent of what he's doing here. Verse 14, "But God forbid.

God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. By whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything but a new creation." In these verses, in verses 11 through 15, you're seeing a summary, really, of the whole book. You're seeing a summary of everything else Paul's been saying across the previous five chapters. Specifically, Paul's reminding the Galatians this, in verses 11 through 15. He's saying, once again, I came, I planted good, healthy seeds that were producing good, healthy trees and good, healthy fruit in their time. I came and did this, and things were going well, things were going swimmingly, and then it stopped. It stopped because others came in. They began to teach something different. Specifically, they took this concept of faith alone, this picture of the gospel that's one of faith and trust and belief, and they added to it the works. The works of man, things you do. Even if it's just one thing or a thousand things to the equation of salvation, they were adding your efforts on top of what you believe. Your efforts on top of grace, your efforts on top of faith, things you accomplish and perform on top of that which you profess and believe to be true. As we said before, the main culprit was circumcision. That was the main thing they were doing. It wasn't all that they were doing, but in general, they were telling folks that faith is a good starting point, that'll get you out of the blocks and off and running, but be sure to add this other stuff. And by the way, if you don't add it, you aren't saved. So again, that's what Paul's reminding them in verse 11 through 15. He's saying, these men came among you, and then after they told you this malarkey, I don't know if that's the Greek word, but after they told you this malarkey, after they told you this stuff that isn't true, after they sold you these magic beans that told you your works matter, after they did that, then they would start to boast and to brag as you responded. They would boast and brag about how you responded to their incitement to go and be circumcised. And Paul says, you know what? I got two words. Two words to that.

God forbid. God forbid. God forbid that I should boast in anything except the cross of Jesus Christ. God forbid that I would ever denigrate the cross by exalting myself. God forbid that I would ever denigrate the person and the work of Jesus Christ on Calvary by daring to add one thing or a thousand things that I did on top of it as the final rung into heaven. God forbid.

If the Galatians thought that they could secure their salvation through circumcision, they had another thing coming. Paul says, in Christ, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision matters. He says, this is not the hinge on which your salvation turns.

Your faith is. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision, nor baptism, nor walking a sawdust aisle, nor saying a certain prayer in a certain cadence, none of that, in of itself, can add one iota to the faith sown in your heart. Let's look at our final verses now, verses 16 through 18. "And as many as walk according to this rule." As many as walk according to this idea that faith is grace alone, and faith alone, Christ alone. "As many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God." Let me stop again. The Israel of God. In the past few chapters, Paul's done something interesting. He has equated Gentile converts with children of Abraham. You understand what he's done? In the past few chapters, he's done it twice significantly before this, and a third time here.

Multiple times in the book of Galatians, Paul's writing to Gentiles in order to tell Gentiles that they are children of Abraham. Elsewhere in his writings, he would say that a Jew is not a Jew who is one outwardly through ethnicity, through sharing a common gene pool with Abraham. No. He says, that's not the means. That's not the reason why you're a son or daughter of Abraham, if indeed you are. He says, what makes you a son or daughter of Abraham is whether you share the faith that Abraham had. What makes you an Israelite, what makes the church the Israel of God, the sons of Abraham, the sons of our Heavenly Father, is thisThat they have faith in God's Messiah, that they have faith in the Promised One, and we see that here in this reference. "As many walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God." Who is the Israel of God? I'm looking at them. The Israel of God is the church.

You need to understand that, or you'll never understand so much about eschatology, so much really about much of Paul's writings if you don't get this. The church is the Israel of God. So as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. From now on, let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Today, as you know, today we're celebrating what's called Palm Sunday. You know something interesting? We call it Palm Sunday. That wasn't what they called it on that first occurrence all those years ago. You remember, a week before Jesus was crucified, he comes into Jerusalem. He goes into Jerusalem, and there's all this excitement. You see, there's a pilgrimage of people coming from around Judea into Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. There's a lot of people on the roads, and the people are excited, and they're talking about the possibility of a Messiah out there. And they know of one who recently, very recently, raised Lazarus from the dead. They have reason for expectation and excitement. They have reason to think God may be doing something in their midst. And so is this Jesus, this one who's performing miracle after miracle. Even though they didn't understand who he was aright, they had some reason to be encouraged and excited about his presence in their midst as the pilgrims headed into Jerusalem, and so they laid down palm branches, which was really a sign of Jewish rebellion against Rome. The palm branch or tree was on the Jewish coin. It was a sign of the zealots. It's part of the reason they were laying these things down. But they were excited about the promise that God had not forgotten his people, which indeed he had not. With that said, they didn't understand this Jesus aright. They didn't know who he was for who he was. They didn't understand him. They had identified the Messiah in such a way that it was no longer the Messiah of the book, the Messiah of scripture, but the Messiah rather that they wanted, the Messiah of their hearts and wishes rather than the Messiah of scripture, which is why they would ultimately crucify the true Messiah just days after the fact. With that said, this day that we call Palm Sunday, that we're excited about, it's a day that Jesus wept upon as he wept over Jerusalem. As he wept over those who on this very day, what we call Palm Sunday, they would have called or understood it to be Lamb Selection Day. You see, this day was the day that the people of Israel would go out and select the perfect unblemished lamb to be used at that week's Passover sacrifice.

Now, I'm going to point you to the irony here. On the very day that the people of Israel were seeking lambs to sacrifice, lambs that they would offer on Passover, lambs whose blood marks the post and the like. On the very day that they were seeking perfect unblemished lambs for this sacrifice, on that very day, the Lamb of God entered into their midst. On that very day, as they were out looking for lambs for the Passover meal, the ultimate lamb, the fulfillment of every Passover in the centuries leading up to that day,

the fulfillment came to them, and they knew him not.

And so he wept.

On the day that thousands of lambs throughout the region were being identified and prepared for slaughter, the Lamb of God entered Jerusalem knowing that his own death awaited him. On verse 17, Paul identifies himself with the marks and death of Christ.

Verse 17, it says, "Let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." What does that mean?

Well, some, the concept is stigmata. Some have believed what it meant is Paul saying that just as Jesus bled from wounds in his hands and feet and the like, so too Paul must have bore those same marks and that same blood. Some believe that's what he was talking about. I don't. Most scholars and certainly Reformed theologians do not believe this. Rather, it would seem here that Paul is saying that just as Christ suffered persecution, just as Christ died for sins, Paul is saying here, I must die to sin. Just as Jesus laid down his life as a sacrifice for others, Paul is saying that I am poured out like a drink offering for my God. I bear in my body the marks of my Savior. Just as he died for my sins, just as he died to pay for my sins and to purchase me back from the wrath of Almighty God, just as he has died for my sins, I am now dead to sin. The world means nothing to me. I mean nothing to the world. The things of this world, the sin of the flesh, the things I once wanted, the things I once deliberately chose, I choose no longer. I am now a different man than I once was. The old me, he's dead. He was crucified, so to speak. I bear in my body and my flesh the marks of that which spiritually speaking God has done for me and in me. Let's consider this concept with our remaining time. At Easter, we talk about Christ's death. At Easter, we remember a cross. We remember the cross on which Christ hung. We remember the cross, but you know what? Here's the thing. We remember the cross of Jesus, but there's another cross. There's another cross that Jesus has put on our radar that we often forget. We remember the cross of Jesus, especially at Easter time, but we forget these words. In Matthew 16, Jesus said this to his disciples. He said, "Take up

your cross and follow me."

Take up your cross and follow me. We remember the cross of Jesus on which he hung, on which he died, but how often at Easter time or elsewhere during the year do we remember our cross that Jesus told us to take up? Now, what isOur cross. What is our cross? Let me phrase that differently. What's your cross? As you hear Christ's instruction to take up your cross and follow him, let me ask you point blank, what is your cross? What is your cross? How would you define that? How would you explain that to others? What does that mean? In what concrete, tangible ways are you taking up your cross and following Christ?

Well, there's a number of ways in which this should be manifest.

Your cross, at the very least,

should represent the ways in which you are dying to the world and dying to the wants of the flesh. Your cross, at the very least, should speak to those ways in which you are putting the sinful man to death, in which you are mortifying sin in your flesh. Your cross, at the very least, should suggest that the things I once was and the things I once did, I do no longer. Behold, the old man is dead. The old man is gone. The new creation has come. I am not who I once was. In a sense, that's part of this picture, taking up our cross is putting to death our fallen humanity. Beyond that, taking up your cross can be living sacrificially for others. Taking up your cross can suggest the sacrifice that we make for the kingdom, for God's own glory, for the love of our brothers and sisters, for the lost still outside our doors. There's all manner of things loaded into this concept of taking up our cross. But the question for you and I remains, if someone was to ask us, in which way are we doing this? If someone was to ask you, what is your cross? You should be able to name, you should be able to point to the ways in which you are really taking up your cross and following Jesus. In a sense, this is what Paul is talking about when he says, "I bear in my body the marks of our Lord Jesus." I am being poured out as a drink offering. I am no longer Saul of Tarsus. I'm no longer who I once was. I no longer do the things I once did. I no longer have the priorities I once had. The old me is dead. And furthermore, every day of my life, every day of my walk, I'm continuing to put sin to death, and I'm continuing to live for Christ. The world means nothing to me, and I mean nothing to the world any longer. I live for Him.

If you're a Christian this morning, let me challenge you this Easter week, this Passion Week, to consider your cross, to consider the marks that you bear, and to ask whether those marks are visible to anyone but you. To ask whether there's anyone in your own life, your vocation, your circle of friends, who would even know that you're bearing a cross, so to speak. Here's an interesting, as you think about the cross, you think about Jesus being nailed to a cross. Why did the Romans use crucifixion in order to deal with the condemned? Why was crucifixion the means of execution in first century Roman society? Why was this the case? Well, one of the main reasons, one of the primary reasons that the Romans utilized crucifixion is this, because it was a profoundly public display. It was a profoundly public means of execution. Think about this. Jesus and others, when they were condemned to death on a cross, what did they first do? Well, they first bore that cross, and they carried that cross through the city to the place in which they would die. Jesus not only hung upon a cross in the sight of the community in the public arena, he bore it, and he carried it through the city. It was a profoundly public display to carry one's own cross. It was something others saw, something others watched, something others observed. With that said, when Jesus says to you and me to take up our cross and follow him, it is also to be a profoundly public display. [thunder] It is also to be something that a hurting, darkened world sees, witnesses, and responds to. When people look at you,

do they see someone who is carrying a cross? Do they see someone who publicly is bearing the marks of Jesus,

who's publicly dying to self, not just in some inner way that no one knows, but an obvious way where others can see that change and see the new man and say, "This guy, he's not who he was before he started to believe, before he went to church, before he read the Bible. He's a different man." That's public. When people look at you, do they see that? Do they see someone who's carrying a cross? Because they are meant to. They are meant to. Other people are meant to see our public, outward expressions of our inward hope. If they don't see our cross, it may be because we're not carrying it, and that's something to consider this day. "I bear in my body the marks of one who is crucified," Paul reminded the Galatians at the close of his letter, not only to them and to us this morning. And his invitation to the Galatians and to us is to respond, to do the same, to take up our cross and follow him. Let's pray.