Christ Bore Our Curse

TRANSCRIPT

I greet all of you in the blessed name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. If you have your Bibles, turn with me to Galatians chapter 3. Our text will be Galatians 3 verse 10 to 14. Allow me to read this passage. Galatians chapter 3 verse 10, “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.” Verse 12, “And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” The Lord bless the reading of His holy and sacred Word.

Just a brief recap on what we have learnt so far: the false teachers have taught that in order to be saved, the Gentiles must be circumcised; obey the Law of Moses. In other words, they must be Jewish before they can be Christians. They supported their erroneous doctrines through a twisted interpretation of the Old Testament. So all Paul needed to do was to take the Old Testament and, in a sense, say to the people, ‘You believe in Abraham, right? Then let us consider Abraham. How was Abraham saved? Was he saved by circumcision or was he saved by faith?’ So in our last message we talked about the command to be circumcised was given to Abraham many years later, after he was already declared righteous: when he believed in God. Therefore Abraham was saved by faith, not circumcision.

But the Judaisers also taught that one must keep the Law of Moses to be saved. So after Paul had proven to the Galatians that salvation was by faith and not circumcision, he moved on to talk about the second thing: Is salvation by the works of the Law – which means, by keeping the Law – or is it by faith?

Remember the command to be circumcised was given to Abraham many years later, after Abraham was already saved. In fact, it was about fourteen years later. The Law came even more years later than that because Moses lived a long time after Abraham; about five hundred years later. So that law was not given when Abraham was alive. So have to read through all the patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph in the book of Genesis, and then you come to Exodus and you read about Moses, and finally you have the Law. Countless Old Testament Hebrew believers had lived and died before the written Law was given by God. If keeping the Law of God was necessary for salvation, then Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and all the other Hebrew believers before Moses would have been eternally lost. How then did God save those people from the beginning? By faith. That would have answered the question: ‘Is salvation by the works of the law or by faith?’ The answer would be: ‘By faith.’

But Paul went on to explain what the law could not do and what Jesus Christ had done for us. This is what this passage is all about. And this is what we want to learn from today’s message. The title of our message is: “Christ Bore Our Curse”.

I. What the Law Could Not Do

Our first point is what the Law could not do. Let us begin with verse 10, “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse:” – basically it means ‘All those people who depend on the works of the Law, on keeping the Law for salvation, are under the curse’ – “for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.”

But isn’t the Law of God a good thing? How can keeping the Law of God be a curse? Well this was actually a quotation from Deuteronomy 27 verse 26. In other words, Paul was like saying to the people, ‘Do you not know the Old Testament? Do you not know that it was written in Deuteronomy 27 verse 26 that says, “Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.”’ You see, this brings us to an event that happened in the Old Testament. After Moses was given the Law by God, God commanded the Israelites that when they entered into the Promised Land, they must go to an area called Shechem. Some of the leaders would stand on the side of Mount Gerizim and shout our God’s blessings on those who keep the Law. Some other leaders would stand on the side of Mount Ebal and they would shout out God’s curses on those who do not keep the Law, and all the people would say “Amen”, which means ‘truly’ or ‘let it be done’.

So the Galatians and the Judaisers, they all knew their Old Testament, they were very familiar with it. They knew about this event. They knew about the curses that would come when one did not continue in the Law. The word “continueth” in the New Testament here in Galatians, and the word “confirmeth” in the Old Testament Deuteronomy mean the same thing. It simply means to keep, to abide or to accomplish. In other words, if you do not continue to keep the law of God, you are under the curse. A curse is a divine judgement that brings about condemnation. So here the emphasis is on this phrase here, “all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” Those who trust in the works of the Law, those who believe that they can be saved by keeping the Law, they are obligated to keep not one or two laws, not more of it in some areas, less of it in other areas – they must keep all the laws without exception. And when they do that, they inevitably place themselves under the curse because no man, no woman has the ability to keep the Law of God perfectly. No man.

The Law is like a mirror; it reflects what we are spiritually. It points out to us our sins, our inability to keep the Law of God perfectly, keep the commands of God perfectly. We break them all the time. None of us can keep the laws of God perfectly. That is why we fall under the curse, we fall under divine judgement. We need a Saviour to save us, to deliver us. Therefore Paul went on to say in verse 11, “But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God,” which means, ‘No man can be declared righteous, no man can be saved by the Law in the eyes of God.’ Why? Because “it is evident”, it is written, “for, The just shall live by faith.” Most of us who are familiar with the Old Testament will know that this is a quotation from Habakkuk 2 verse 4.

Take note of the phrase, “in the sight of God” which means in the eyes of God. The Jews thought they were very righteous. They thought that they were able to keep the laws of God one hundred percent, that they were able to live up to the standards of the Law. Perhaps in the eyes of man, they might appear to be very holy, very godly. But in the eyes of God they are not because God’s standard is perfection. And that perfection is not just outwardly; that perfection is also internally. Remember, those people who maintained that they had never committed the sin of murder, they had never killed anyone physically. Our Lord Jesus said in Matthew 5 verse 22, “But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca,” – which means empty, senseless, no-brain – “shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.”

Which one of us has not committed these sins? And those people who maintained that they had never committed the physical act of adultery, our Lord Jesus said, Matthew 5 verse 28, “But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” Can you see how high God’s standard is? It’s perfect. Not just a physical, external observation of His Law. He judges what is in the hearts of man too, even our thoughts. He looks into the innermost, deepest recesses of a man’s heart. Who can stand before this almighty God then? None. So to those people who think, “Well, I think I can keep the Law of God perfectly,” – they can’t. His standard is perfect.

Paul went on to say in verse 12, “And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.” These was a quotation from Leviticus 18 verse 5. God’s Law and faith are mutually exclusive. They are two different things. If you think you can save yourself by the works of the Law, you think that you can save yourself by keeping the Law, then you need to do the Law, you need to practice the Law, you need to live by the Law perfectly. That is what it means by “The man that doeth them shall live in them.” But if you believe that you cannot save yourself by keeping the Law, you break them all the time, then by faith you must turn to God’s grace and forgiveness offered to you through His only begotten Son: Jesus Christ. It is impossible to live by faith and to live by works at the same time.

If I may give you an illustration, let’s say I want to travel to Sydney, and I am deciding whether to take a train, or to fly. If I take a train, I may need to spend more time travelling, but I can save some money. But if I fly, I may spend less time travelling, but I have to spend more money. So I decided to discuss with my travel agent, and he says, ‘I think you should do both at the same time. I think you should travel both by train and by plane.’ I would say that is impossible. He is out of his mind, right? You have to choose one or the other. One choice is up in the sky, the other is on the Earth. Likewise it is with God’s Law and grace. One is heavenly, the other is earthly. If you choose the Law, you think you can be saved by keeping the Law, then you have to do the Law, practice the Law, live by the Law, perfectly. And you will be under the curse.

Notice Paul had quoted several Old Testament scriptures. The reason why was because the people were very familiar with the Old Testament scriptures. And he wanted to point to them that, no matter which book he quotes, whether it is from Deuteronomy, Habakkuk, Leviticus, the message is always the same. You see, God’s standard of perfection is always the same, taught in the entire Holy Scriptures from beginning to end. His perfection does not allow exception. So please do not think that maybe God will say to me, ‘Well, as long as you keep most of my Law, you break some of it, that’s okay,’ – it’s not okay. James 2 verse 10 says, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” In other words, you may have kept all nine commandments, but you break one, just one, in the eyes of God you are as guilty as breaking the whole Law, because God’s standard is perfection.

Allow me to give you another illustration. Let’s say you fall off a cliff, and you grab onto a chain. And you cling on to this chain for your dear life, and that chain has ten links. How many of those links do you have to break to cause you to plunge to your death? The answer would be just one. All you need is for one of those links to break and it is over for you. That is a picture of someone who thinks he has done many good works. He has kept the commandments of God, he has always spoke the truth, humble, kind, loving, gentle, generous. But only once he has lied, he has not kept the Law. All it takes is just one sin. All it takes is just one shortcoming and he would be lost. So essentially, Paul was saying that all of us have fallen short. All of us, based on the Law, we are under the curse. We are under divine judgment. And with that divine judgment will come condemnation.

II. What Christ Has Done

This brings us to our second point: what Christ has done. So we’ve seen what the Law could not do, now we see what Christ could do for us. Look at verse 13, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree”. So the Law reveals to us our sins, we have fallen short of the glory of God, we are under the curse, we are under divine judgment. If nothing was done, we would still remain under the curse, the judgement would come, we would be condemned. The only way we can be saved is that someone must deliver us. Someone must redeem us; Christ has to redeem us. But Christ has to do something in order to redeem us. He had to give of Himself. He had to take our place because sin had to be dealt with in the first place. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23); there was a price to pay.

You see, God cannot just say, ‘Well, I forgive you. I close my eyes to all your sins. I will let you go.’ You’ll then probably know Him as a loving God (which of course is one of His attributes), but not as a just and righteous God. In order for God to be loving, righteous and a just God, He sent His only begotten Son to take our place. Jesus had to deliver us from the curse, from the penalty of our sins. So Jesus Christ, the infinite Son of God, the second person in the Trinity, He took our place on the cross. Think about this: the all-powerful Creator of the Heavens and the Earth, who sits in glory on high, He humbled Himself to come into this world, live as a man, kept the laws of God perfectly on our behalf, went to the cross, took our place, and became our curse. How can we not be grateful?

1 Peter 2 verse 4 says, “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree”. Did Christ just die as a martyr for a noble cause? No. When he was made a curse for us, He bore our sins. He died as the only sufficient sacrifice for the sins of all who would ever believe. This “bare” is very interesting because it means to carry a massive weight of sin. This weight of sin is so massive that Romans 8 verse 22 says the whole Earth groaneth and travaileth in pain under it. Only Jesus could remove this weight of sin.

For those of us (either here or online) who are still unbelievers lingering outside the Kingdom of God, if you are listening to this message, you may have committed adultery. You may have committed fornication, stolen, cheated, lied, gossiped, spreading malicious rumours, and the list goes on and on and on. It is like this massive weight of sin pressing down on you. No one and no way can you ever remove this massive weight of sin. Only Jesus alone can bear this massive weight of sin. And He bore it on Calvary’s cross. You reject Him and no one else can remove this massive weight of sin. But when you believe in Him, that He bore your sins, this heavy burden of sin will be lifted up.

For those of us who are believers, have you ever experienced those times when you were very troubled by your sins? You were grieved in your heart. You didn’t know what to do. Couldn’t eat; couldn’t sleep. It was so heavy, so burdensome. And then you went on your knees. You cried out to the Lord who had bore your sins on the cross to forgive you. All of a sudden, this heavy burden was like lifted up. I believe that as believers, we have all experienced that. It’s a wonderful experience. Jesus alone bore this massive weight of sin on the cross.

Notice Paul used the phrase, “hangeth on a tree”. Some of us here may immediately question, ‘Was he not crucified on a cross? Why a tree? Is it a mistake in the Bible?” Well, there’s no mistake. Let me explain why. Paul also used this phrase “on a tree” in Acts 20 verse 39. The Apostle Peter also used this same phrase several times, for example in Acts 5 verse 30 and Acts 10 verse 39. So this was a common phrase used, “hangeth on a tree”. But what’s the difference? You see, whenever this phrase “hangeth on a tree” was used, it was to remind the people of Deuteronomy 21 verse 22. It says this, “And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.” You see, the Jews did not crucify their criminals; they stoned them to death. But when it comes to very severe violations of the Law, some of the most horrendous sins and violations, then they would hang that person on a tree.

In ancient times, the pagan nations would also do that. They would hang the criminals on the tree or on the city’s wall. Sometimes they would leave the bodies there for weeks or even for months. Why? To extend the shame of that person’s crime and also to let everyone know: ‘Do not commit the same crime, otherwise this will happen to you.’ But God, He was so gracious in the Old Testament, in Deuteronomy He said to the people, you shall not do that. You shall not leave the body on the tree. You must take the body down and bury it because there was already so much shame attached to the body that was hung on the tree. That person was known to be accursed by God because he has done the greatest crime, he has committed the worst violation of the Law.

When our Lord Jesus bore our curse, He took what you and I have done on the cross. So all these Apostles, Paul and Peter, were trying to emphasise how severe it was, our sins, our violations. So much so that Christ was accursed by God. So much so that Christ had to be hung on a tree. My friends, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, He did that for us on Calvary’s cross. He bore that massive weight of sin that you and I can never carry. A million upon a million years, we would never be able to carry this massive weight. He did it once, never to be repeated again. He did it willingly, He was not coerced into it; He did it out of His love, compassion for you and for me.

That is why these two words mean so much to us: “for us”. You know, oftentimes when we read the Bible, we do not take it and apply it to ourselves. But when we read words like “for us”, so significant, perhaps I would say the most beautiful two words in the entire Bible, think about this: for God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son that He would come into this world for us. Jesus suffered the penalty of sin for us. He bore our curse, He received the wrath of God for our sins because it is all for us. Because of Him, God is able to forgive us when we repent and believe. Nothing and no one could do it vicariously on behalf of anyone. No one could satisfy the justice of holy God, only Jesus could do that. He was sinless. He was perfect. He was the Lamb of God. Our sins condemned us. We have rebelled against God. We have disobeyed His authority. We have violated his law. We have done many things in shame and wickedness. We deserve the wrath and judgement of God. But Christ our curse, once and for all.

Jesus did all this, so that verse 14 says, “That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” Remember the promise that God gave to Abraham? That was almost four thousand years ago in Genesis 12 verse 2 and 3. God said this to Abraham, “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” The blessing of Abraham refers to the promise of salvation which would spread to all the nations, to the Gentiles, to the church in Galatia, to this church, Bethel, in Melbourne, Victoria: you and me.

You know, sometimes when we read a verse like that and we think, something that happened almost four thousand years ago, when God gave this promise to Abraham, it was in that land far, far away, and then we trace how it ever comes to us to today. Have you ever thought about this? When you trace back, you think of all the saints through the Old Testament, in the New Testament how the Gospel spread. How it went to all the Gentiles nations and then it came to this island, the nation called Australia, and then this church, and here I am hearing the gospel message and believing in the Lord Jesus, and receiving the promise of His Spirit. Isn’t it amazing? “For us”. It must be applied into our lives.

If the blessing of salvation is through Christ and Christ alone, then we do not need to turn to circumcision. If the gift of the Spirit comes from Christ alone, then we do not need to turn to the works of the Law which we can never keep perfectly. Just as you and I do not need to turn to our good works; our good works cannot save us. Our coming to church, our reading the Bible, the time we spend in prayers, our worship, our services, our giving of tithes and offerings – all these are good, but they cannot save us. We need to do one thing and one thing only: turn to the Lord Jesus Christ, the One who bore our curse. He alone can save us.

When we hear the gospel, by God’s grace we are brought to the foot of the cross where we see how our Lord Jesus bore our sins, bore our curse. Our hearts are convicted. We cry out to Him, ‘Lord save us. You alone can save us.’ The moment He saves us, the Holy Spirit takes residence in our hearts. And He gives us the power to live our lives to glorify Christ. That is what verse 14 tells us, “that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” The moment we believe, the Spirit indwells in us, and works in us in a most powerful fashion.

So my friends, salvation is not through circumcision. Salvation is not through the works of the Law. It is not through our good works. It is not through our achievements, our accomplishments, the things we have done or not done. It is through faith in Christ and Christ alone. That’s the only thing we must cling onto. Once you miss Christ, you miss everything. Once you have Christ in your life, then you have everything: life and life abundant. Let us pray.

Our Father in Heaven, we thank Thee for Thy precious Word that we are able to consider these five verses in the book of Galatians chapter 3 verse 10 to 14. We thank Thee for enabling us to learn from Thy infallible and inerrant Word. Indeed, we are brought to remember how our Lord Jesus, He bore our curse. Indeed, we ought to be cursed. We ought to be hung on that tree for all the things that we had done. We have violated Thy Law. We have sinned against Thee. We have done terrible things. But because our Lord bore our curse, He’s the only One who is able to bear this massive weight of sin so much so that when we believe in Him, our sins are lifted up by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Oh Lord, help us to always live our lives in the power of the Spirit that indwells in us when we believe Christ. Today we are here singing praises, we are serving Thee, we are worshipping in the Spirit; the Spirit worketh in us. Help us to be mindful, and help us to live and walk in the power of the Spirit all the days of our lives. Help us that we will not sin and grieve the Spirit. Teach us. This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

SERMON OUTLINE

• I. What the Law Could Not Do
• II. What Christ Has Done

THE BOOK OF GALATIANS

A Letter To The Galatians

A Letter To The Galatians

Galatians 1:1-5

The Danger of Preaching Another Gospel

The Danger of Preaching Another Gospel

Galatians 1:6-9

Be a God-pleaser, not Men-pleaser

Be a God-pleaser, not Men-pleaser

Galatians 1:10-12

But When It Pleased God

But When It Pleased God

Galatians 1:13-24

Standing for the Truth of the Gospel

Standing for the Truth of the Gospel

Galatians 2:1-5

One Gospel, Different Ministries

One Gospel, Different Ministries

Galatians 2:6-10

The Need to Confront Sin (Part 2)

The Need to Confront Sin (Part 2)

Galatians 2:14-16

The Need to Confront Sin (Part 3)

The Need to Confront Sin (Part 3)

Galatians 2:17-19

Dead, Yet Alive!

Dead, Yet Alive!

Galatians 2:20-21

Remember How You Were Saved!

Remember How You Were Saved!

Galatians 3:1-5

Saved by Faith

Saved by Faith

Galatians 3:6-9

The Age Old Promise of the Gospel

The Age Old Promise of the Gospel

Galatians 3:6-18

Christ Bore Our Curse

Christ Bore Our Curse

Galatians 3:10-14

Will God Keep His Promise?

Will God Keep His Promise?

Galatians 3:15-18

Why Then Have the Law?

Why Then Have the Law?

Galatians 3:19-22

What the Law Meant to Us?

What the Law Meant to Us?

Galatians 3:23-29

The Son of God Became the Son of Man

The Son of God Became the Son of Man

Galatians 4:1-7

No More a Servant and Child, But a Son

No More a Servant and Child, But a Son

Galatians 4:1-7

Until Christ Be Formed In You

Until Christ Be Formed In You

Galatians 4:8-20

Freedom in Christ or Bondage to Works

Freedom in Christ or Bondage to Works

Galatians 4:21-5:1

By Faith Or By Works!

By Faith Or By Works!

Galatians 5:2-6

The Dangers of False Teachers

The Dangers of False Teachers

Galatians 5:7-12

The Christian Freedom

The Christian Freedom

Galatians 5:13-15

The Works of the Flesh

The Works of the Flesh

Galatians 5:19-21

The Fruit of the Spirit (Part 2)

The Fruit of the Spirit (Part 2)

Galatians 5:22-25

Restoring the Sinning Brother

Restoring the Sinning Brother

Galatians 5:26-6:5

Restoring the Sinning Brethren

Restoring the Sinning Brethren

Galatians 5:26-6:6

You Shall Reap What You Sow

You Shall Reap What You Sow

Galatians 6:7-10

Living for the Praise of Men

Living for the Praise of Men

Galatians 6:11-13

Living for the Glory of God

Living for the Glory of God

Galatians 6:14-18