Our Glory Is In The Cross That Jesus Bore For Us

Glory In The Cross

Galatians 6:11-18


Crucifixion was the most painful and the most degrading form of capital punishment to have ever been used.

It is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary's Cross, that is governing principle of all our salvation!

It was the Cross by which Jesus became the atoning sacrifice for the sins of all mankind!

It is the Cross that is also become the symbol of the sacrifice of each of us in the service to Our Lord Jesus.

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Just as the Lord Jesus was a living sacrifice we must also become living sacrifices for our Lord!

It is the Cross that is the symbol of denying our own flesh and walking in God's Holy Spirit!

Mar 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Mar 8:35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
Mar 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

It is the Cross that is the symbol of our own salvation, so if we are to have any glory then let our own glory be in the Cross by which our Saviour caused the death of all our sin!

It was the Cross that broke down the partition between our sinful selves and our Holy God so our prayers can reach into Heaven!

Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Eph 2:14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Eph 2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
Eph 2:16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

It is the Cross that represents our complete surrender to God!

Luk 14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

SO, as we come to the end of this great book of the Bible and the foundation of the early Church, let us glory in the cross that Jesus bore in our names!

*****Gal 6:11 Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand.

We should not forget, men whose intent was to destroy the Church had made their rounds through all the churches in Galatia.

They had taught a false version of Judaism rather than the truth of Christianity.

The Apostle Paul under the guidance of the Holy Spirit had written this great book of the New Testament.

Understanding the Book of Galatians means we must have a clear understanding of the message of the "Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ"!

The "Gospel" is the "Good News" of salvation.

The "Gospel" is not preached for us to consider if it is true because it's truth cannot be denied.

The "Gospel" is preached so that we can immediately accept it's message and be saved from "all" our sins!

Evidence teaches us that Paul dictated his epistles to a scribe on most occasions, one reason is that Paul was in prison when many of his epistles were written.

Another reason may have been that Paul's eyesight was failing him.

This was probably not the case in this letter at least in these last few scriptures.

These final words of Scripture to the Galatians were so important that Paul took the pen and wrote in his own hands.

Some 15 times the Lord Jesus used the phrase "He that hath ears let him hear".

In a sense this is exactly what the Apostle Paul is doing here.

By using large letters Paul wanted these Galatians to know without a doubt that it was Paul who had written to them and not someone impersonating him, as some had!

By using large letters Paul wanted to emphasize the importance of this great Book of the Bible!

The lesson we can learn from Paul is, that we need to give the utmost attention to what is said in these Scriptures!

Paul said it's all about the Cross!

*****Gal 6:12 As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.

To the Jew, his sign of faith was in his circumcision.

To the Christian it is something entirely different!

Jas 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

These false teachers hated the "Gospel" and they hated the Apostle Paul.

These false teachers were all about religion and not about the truth.

These false teachers made legalism necessary for salvation, a lie from Hell.

These false teachers saw a means to fill their pockets and avoid the persecution of the Jews.

Those like Paul who preached the truth were ridiculed, mocked, abused, and rejected by society and beaten or killed.

Those that preached salvation as the free gift of God, through the cross of Jesus, were thought to be destroying religion by destroying the Laws of Moses.

It was easy to say you preached the truth and avoid persecution by just adding legalism to the truth of God.

These false teachers sought to make a good showing by boasting how many of these Galatians had been circumcised.

Remember the Jew were circumcised on the 8th day after their birth.

These men of Galatia were grown men. This was a mockery in itself!

It took real courage to stand for the truth of God and preach the truth and it still does today!

Something these false teachers did not have was courage, they were only full of deceit.

These false teachers sought recognition by the growth of their false ministry.

As we can see there are many of these false teachers still around today, who do not glory in the cross but only in their own false doctrine.

How do they get away with it?

People are easily impressed with numbers added to congregations.

People are easily impressed with magnificent worship centers.

SO, What is the truth?

Being impressed will not get you saved!

Paul told the Philippians, who struggled with this same false doctrine, let me impress you:

Php 3:2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.
Php 3:3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
Php 3:4  Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:
Php 3:5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;
Php 3:6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
Php 3:7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

Paul said these false teachers only glory in your flesh, or in your pocketbooks!

Paul said, I have spent my life doing these things of legalism and they did not get me one step closer to God!

Paul all these things that are counted as gain to the Jew are just losses in serving Jesus Christ!

*****Gal 6:13 For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.

It was a big deal to go back to Jerusalem and boast how many Christians had converted to Judaism.

And today it is a big deal today for ISIS to brag about how many Christians were murdered or how many Christians were converted to Islam.

Just in the past few days, it was also a big deal in the American networks to boast about how many so-called Christians are departing from the 'Faith".

What is the truth?

There are more Christians murdered in our world everyday simply because they glory in the cross of Jesus Christ!

Christians are to be Baptized after accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Church attendance is important.

Bible study, Church programs, Church activities are important!

BUT, if we cannot glory in the cross, and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation, we have missed the most important point in becoming a Christian!

*****Gal 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

What does the false preacher glory in?

He glories in the size of the church!

He glories the number of converts to his own agenda!

He glories in himself!

He glories in the flesh!

Though the world be blind to the truth of Jesus Christ, as believers we must glory in the cross of Jesus Christ!

It is only by the cross on which Jesus Christ bore all our sins that we can be saved.

If there is one main thing the modern day church has gotten away from. it is glorying in the cross!

It is not the cross that is to be worshiped, it is the Lord, but it was by the cross that be are washed in the blood of Jesus!

The work that Jesus Christ did to get us saved is the work that we could never have done for ourselves.

Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Rom 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
Rom 3:26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Propitiation means that it was the work of Jesus Christ on the cross that was the only acceptable means of paying my sin debt and your sin debt!

The propitiatory is the same as the "Mercy Seat" which was the blood sprinkled lid on the Ark of the Covenant!

It was the "Mercy Seat" where God met with Moses and it is "Mercy Seat", the Cross that Jesus bore, where God will meet with every believer!

It is only at the Mercy Seat, the Cross, where mercy and truth come together!

It is only in Jesus Christ, that God rests His lawful case against us!

Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Remember what God said to Moses:

Exo 12:13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and "when I see the blood, I will pass over you", and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

God said for it is the blood that maketh atonement for each soul!

Lev 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: "for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul".

At the time of Christ, the cross was the worst of deaths.

It is by the worst of deaths that Jesus Christ has destroyed all kinds of death for all those that believe!

Rom 6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Since there is no other approach to God, God will only accept those that come by the way of the cross and every individual from all walks of life stand on level ground at the Cross!

Nothing else in this world is as important as the salvation work of the Lord Jesus Christ!

*****Gal 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

What is the truth?

Circumcision or uncircumcision are nothing because these are things that a man can do, but only God make make a new creation!

It is at the foot of the cross where God creates the new man!

There is absolutely nothing that can make any human being acceptable to God beyond Jesus Christ and the work He did on the cross!

In fact we would not have any contact with God at all without Jesus Christ paving the way!

Joh 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Joh 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

Why is the world going to Hell? The world refuses to approach God through Jesus Christ!

And you cannot just mention His name as many others believe.

Jesus Christ is so much more than just a good prophet as many say He is!

Just using words, or just using a false profession of faith in the name of Jesus will get you nowhere with God!

God cannot be deceived!

And God will not be mocked!

Jesus Christ did not come to this earth "to preserve life"!

Jesus Christ came to this earth to "give life" beginning with His own!

When any of us are sincere in our belief, God will then and only then, give that person a new spirit, which is a newly created spirit!

That person is spiritually "Born Again"!

2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2Co 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
2Co 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

This is the truth of the "Gospel"!

Anything else is as nothing and will not get you one step closer to the Almighty Living God!

This is the one rule and the ONLY MEANS to approach God!

*****Gal 6:16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

So who can experience the "Peace" and the "Mercy" of God? Only those that walk by the  "rule of the cross"!

We must first have "peace with God" before we can have the "peace of God"!

Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, "we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ":

Php 4:7 And "the peace of God", which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds "through Christ Jesus".

They both come by the cross of Jesus Christ!

These are not hard words and they are easily understood but this is still the stumbling block of our world.

The "Mercy" of God comes only by the cross!

That new creation of God will experience the forgiveness of all sins before and after salvation!

That new creation of God will be given perfect assurance of eternal life in the New Heaven!

That new creation of God will be forever under God's care!

The sign that began the nation of Israel was circumcision first performed by Abraham.

Gen 17:10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.

This was a fleshly sign and Israel will still inherit the promises of God to David.

The Jews of the Nation of Israel still expect the fulfillment of these promises because they take God at His Word!

Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Isa 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

This is therefore the Israel after the flesh!

Who are the Israel of God?

Not the Israel of the flesh but the Israel of Faith! The spiritual children of Abraham by "Faith"!

Rom 2:28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

The Israel of God are the ones in whom God will fulfill all His promises!

It is not the Israel of the flesh that bear the scars of Jesus Christ, it is the Church that bears the scars of Jesus Christ and is the Israel of God!

*****Gal 6:17 From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.

Just as Jesus Christ suffered for us all, we must be just as willing to suffer for Him!

In the time of Jesus Christ, certain branding marks were placed on slaves to designate their owner.

We as the Church are the blood bought slaves of Jesus Christ!

As tribulation leaves it's many marks on us, these are the marks that prove our slavery to Jesus Christ!

If we pick up our own cross daily and die to ourselves daily, we will also bear the marks of the cross.

What is the truth?

You will be made fun of by those in this world, just because you claim to be a Christian!

Your job will always be in jeopardy in this world, just because you claim Jesus Christ as your Savior!

You will be talked about behind your back and be the topic of jokes, if you claim to follow in the ways of Jesus Christ!

And if you are willing to turn the other cheek to avoid confrontation, you will certainly be struck on that other cheek, if you claim that Jesus Christ is the one and only way to get to Heaven.

It is even in all these things that prove that God is right and the world is wrong!

Scars are just the marks on the outside because we choose to carry the truth of God on the inside!

2Co 4:10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
2Co 4:11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

But to deny Jesus Christ will certainly bring eternal death!

Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Who are the blessed?

Mat 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Mat 5:12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

And all the rewards for serving the Lord Jesus come only by the "Grace of God"!

*****Gal 6:18 Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

"To the Galatians written from Rome".

The Apostle Paul was in Rome when He wrote this Epistle to these Galatians.

Through all of this letter to these Galatians, Paul never forgot that these were his brothers and sisters in Christ.

It is a fact that we will make mistakes while walking in the Holy Spirit!

It is also a fact that we cannot lose our salvation because of that mistake!

We are saved by Grace!

We are being saved daily by "Grace"!

And in the end it is "Grace" that will lead us home!

We are still a foolish people if we allow false teachers to come into the Church.

If we take the time to read and study the Scriptures ourselves, we will not be fooled when we hear someone speak lies and try to lead God's people away from the truth.

What is the truth? We can trust the Word of God!

What are our choices?

We can either choose a life that is bound up in laws and legalism or we can choose Christian Liberty, bound up in the truth of the "Grace of God"!

Amen!

Amen still means, let God's Word be established in your heart.

Questions?

Let's Pray!

Christian Fellowship

Live In Fellowship

Galatians 6:1-10


We know that the Apostle Paul was correcting Christians by teaching the pure results of God's Grace.

Paul was teaching Christian fellowship.

In Hebrew the word "haber" was used to describe a companion of fellowship.

Ecc 4:9  Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.
Ecc 4:10  For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.

The word "haber" was often used to describe the Pharisees as they banded together in the study of the Scriptures and fellowship around the table.

In the Greek, Paul's favorite word was "koinonia" to describe the Christians relationship with the Lord Jesus.

1Co 1:9  God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

The true meaning of "koinonia" is best realized in our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Once we know the Lord Jesus Christ on a personal level then that fellowship with the Lord is to be shared with all other believers!

Php 2:1  If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,
Php 2:2  Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
Php 2:3  Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Php 2:4  Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

In fact when we partake of the Lord's Supper, which only Christians are to do, we are showing our ultimate fellowship not only with the Lord but with each other!

1Co 10:17  For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.

Our fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ will also show in our fellowship with each other!

If we partake of the Lord's Supper and then ignore the fellowship and the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ then we are not what we say we are!

When we share in the fellowship with each other, we will also share in the suffering of each other and the suffering of all Christians.

Jesus Christ freely gave Himself completely to each believer and Jesus is our example of our own giving of ourselves to His people.

We cannot say we are in close fellowship with the Lord and then not be in fellowship with all other believers!

1Jn 1:3  That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

1Jn 1:6  If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
1Jn 1:7  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

We are all in this thing together!

Rom 12:5  So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

If the Church would only gather "as one in fellowship", then we could make this world a better place for all God's people to live in!

Let's see how Paul describes Christian fellowship:

*****Gal 6:1  Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

It is a sad fact that God's Christian army is the only army on this earth that shoots its own wounded!

Christians are notorious for putting down other Christians when they fail or fall.

We seem to forget that our righteousness is as filthy rags and God only sees us through the righteousness of His Son!

Far to often we become judges when we are to be witnesses.

There is not one of us that has not failed the Lord on more than one occasion.

Jesus says when we do these things we are hypocrites and no better than that one who has fallen!

Mat 7:3  And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Mat 7:4  Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
Mat 7:5  Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

To be honest it is a shame to have to go to the Lord in prayer asking forgiveness for the same things over and over again but if we do not we will carry the burden of that sin!

We are also not to judge a fallen brother or sister who has been overtaken in a fault!

We are see what it will take to get them restored to Christian fellowship and more important, fellowship with the Lord.

It is our job to witness for the Lord and show His love for us all and it is also our job to share responsibility in the restoring of fallen saints of God!

We may not be able to restore that fallen soul but we are to at least show the love of God to all our brothers and sisters, fallen or not!

If we are faithful Christians then we will also be faithful in this thing!

Our main concern should only be that we not fall into the same temptation that brought our brother or sister down!

The Bible describes the Church as the actual body of Christ, with Christ Jesus being the Head of the Church.

1Co 12:18  But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

We know that when a part of our own body suffers then our whole body suffers.

This is exactly the same for the Body of Christ!

1Co 12:26  And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
1Co 12:27  Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

The Greek word used in our scripture for the word "restore" is refers to a dislocated limb of the body and that limb needs to reset in its place or repaired so the whole body can function as one unit!

Therefore:

*****Gal 6:2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

When a Christian falls into temptation, immediately other Christians are to seek the ways and the means of restoring that brother or that sister back into the fellowship!

A Christian community must remain a close knit group in Jesus Christ and we already know that Jesus will never leave us or forsake us! This is His promise and we are to follow in His ways!

What is the law of Christ that is to be fulfilled?

If we just look at the 10 commandments the very first one says we must love God with all our heart, all our mind, and all our soul.

The first 4 commandments can be avoided by obeying that first commandment!

Jesus said if we loved our neighbor as ourselves then we could avoid the remaining 6 commandments.

Love is the law of Christ!

Joh 13:34  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
Joh 13:35  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Obedience to these two laws of Jesus Christ make obedience to those laws of Moses obsolete!

Since these Galatians wanted to obey some laws then they needed to obey these two "Laws of Christ" first and foremost, as we all do!

Jesus Christ never met anyone who was His equal in the obedience to the Word of God, He therefore bore all our burdens and we are to do the same for each other!

Rom 15:3  For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.

Jesus Christ had to endure severe pain and anguish but it was with great joy that He bore all our burdens!

Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; "who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame", and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

When we think of ourselves as being too good or too full of the Spirit, to come to the aid of our brothers and sisters in Christ, then we are not walking as Jesus walked and Jesus is still our example of how to walk in this world!

Mat 20:27  And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
Mat 20:28  Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

*****Gal 6:3  For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.

It is very easy for a Christian to think of himself more highly than he is!

This in fact the greatest downfall of the believer!

Jas 1:26  If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.

When we think of that one that has fallen by the wayside as being unfit, or being weak in the Spirit, or too tarnished to retrieve, then we have forgotten why the Lord Jesus came to this earth to die for our sins.

Jesus Christ came to save the "nothings" of this world and make them into "somethings"!

We are all sinners and we cannot rate one sin greater than another as far as our relationship with the Lord!

There is no place in this life for any of us to think we are better than any other child of God!

When we think of ourselves as no longer sinners as some do, then we are deceiving ourselves!

1Jn 1:8  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

We must all approach God "by Jesus Christ" because there are no exceptions in the Word of God!

1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1Jn 1:10  If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

When we proclaim our own goodness, and forget that we are saved by "Faith" and "Faith Alone"we then become fools!

Pro 20:6  Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?

We must all examine our own works before we can be of any help to others!

*****Gal 6:4  But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.

That word "prove" means to "test".

That word "work" can best be understood "as our own conduct".

We are to test our own conduct before we are able to help others!

There are no Christians who are to be the official testers of other Christians!

Each Christian is to concentrate on his own works rather than on the works of other Christians!

We are to judge our own lives, using the Lord Jesus Christ as our example, and not some other Christian and certainly not by some fallen Christian which will only cause us to believe that we are not capable of falling ourselves!

If we do not clearly understand that there is an increasing amount of evil in this world and our flesh is so weak, that it is very difficult to remain unsoiled by this world we live in!

Many of our own desires can be beneficial until we step over the boundaries of what God forbids!

God has set the boundaries of our behaviour!

Our own senses will get us into trouble if we allow them to!

For instance, tasting food is good for nourishment, but too much tasting of food is bad and unhealthy.

Wanting to be recognized for an achievement is not sin, but loving recognition and seeking recognition is sinful.

The temptations of this world surround us every moment we are alive and if we spend our time judging others and not guarding our own lives, we will fall into temptation ourselves.

Criticizing and judging others is a great sin in the eyes of God!

Our attitude toward all others is to be that of love and caring!

Our attitude toward our brothers and sisters in Christ, must include ministering to them in their time of need and attempting to restore them back into Christian fellowship!

We can have a certain amount of joy in restoring a fellow child of God but our greatest joy is the knowledge that we ourselves, are pleasing God in our own daily walk!

1Pe 1:6  Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
1Pe 1:7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

God did not save us to be judges, God saved us to be witnesses and examples of God's love!

*****Gal 6:5  For every man shall bear his own burden.

Now we see God's warning.

We are personally responsible to the Lord for all our actions after we have surrendered our selves to Him!

We will all be judged for what we have done after becoming a child of God!

We all have our own burdens.

We all have our own personal weights to carry.

BUT, It is a fact that we do not have the ability to be perfect in our own selves!

AND, We will all stand before God and answer for our own actions!

2Co 5:10  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

There may be a time when we may be asked to judge but it is not in this lifetime!

1Co 4:5  Therefore judge nothing "before the time", until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

So what else are we to be doing, instead of looking upon the faults of our brothers and sisters?

*****Gal 6:6  Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.

We are to bear our own burdens but we must still think of others to help them in any way we can, especially those that are called of God to be His ministers!

As students of the Word of God, we all have the responsibility to respond to what God says!

That word "communicate" as used in this verse means "to share with".

Those "good things" can be many different things but they must also include carnal things.

It is the responsibility of all Christians to provided financial support to those that devote full time to preaching and teaching the Word of God and who are called of God to do so!

This is according to the written Word of God.

Their part:

1Co 9:14  Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.

Our part:

Rom 15:27  It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, "their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things".

We may think we know some important people in this world we live in but the people most important to our society are the true God called preachers of the truth of God!

By sitting at the feet of God called preacher or teacher, we are all students sitting at the feet of God Himself!

There is also other great ways to communicate with or share with our pastor, we are also to share in his ministry!

This is much more than financial support.

We can be present when our pastor teaches. We are not to forsake the House of God!

We can be attentive to his message because if he is God called than his message is from God!

We can share his message with others. We are to witness using the Word of God!

We can participate in his ministry at any level that he allows and that can be a benefit to his ministry!

We can invite others to come an learn from him.

We must surely support him financially!

1Ti 5:17  Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.
1Ti 5:18  For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.

Why should we do these things? To not do these things is to mock God!

What is wrong with this world we live in?

*****Gal 6:7  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

The world is deceived about facing the judgment of God!

To be "deceived" is to be led astray.

Many of these of the churches in Galatia were being led astray and were not taking the judgment of God serious.

What happens to the Church when this happens?

The Church will get lax in sharing the Gospel with the lost.

The Church will become judges instead of witnesses.

The Church will attack God's true preachers, therefore mocking God!

That word "mocked" actually means to flare the nostrils, as in contempt, to sneer, as in turning up your nose at the Word of God!

What is the truth?

God will not suffer Himself to be imposed on by empty words!

God will judge according to the works, after salvation, of each individual Christian!

The lost He has already judged and they are condemned unless they repent and turn to Jesus Christ!

God will never accept excuses from His children and certainly no excuses from unbelievers!

2Ch 36:16  But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, "till there was no remedy".

We must not forget our God does not ever change!

We may mock God's messengers, we may despise God's Words, we may misuse God's preachers, but God will only allow this to go so far before He takes serious action!

As the farmer knows, it is where he sows his seed where the crop will actually grow!

*****Gal 6:8  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

When we sow contempt for the Word of God, we will reap the judgment of God!

When we sow to our flesh, we are only trying  to fulfill the desires of our flesh!

We already know our flesh is only devoted to selfishness!

When we are all about self, we can no longer serve God!

When we are all about self, we will only reap destruction!

Corruption always leads to destruction!

Php 3:18  (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
Php 3:19  Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.

This destruction does not come from God. This destruction is the natural fruit of corrupt flesh!

Our flesh only ages, then dies, and then decays to the elements from which is was made.

Ecc 12:7  Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

When the spirit of that lost soul returns to the Lord, then that spirit will suffer the wrath of God.

2Th 1:9  Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

Sowing our seed to the Holy Spirit is an entirely different thing with entirely different results!

Mat 25:46  And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: "but the righteous into life eternal".

The decisions we make about where to sow God's Seed, the Word of God, are final, irreversible, and everlasting!

Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

When we embed God's seed, the Lord Jesus Christ, into a Holy Ghost filled body of flesh, then we will reap a spiritual harvest that brings eternal life as opposed to a natural harvest that can only bring eternal death!

What is the truth of the Gospel?

Rom 8:6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Rom 8:7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Rom 8:8  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Those that so to the flesh cannot please God!

What else is God's truth?

*****Gal 6:9  And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

One of the greatest downfalls of the Christian is that we expect instant results when we sow the Word of God but this in reality is a very rare thing.

Every farmer knows that once the seed has been sown then there will be some period of time before there can be a harvest!

Sowing the Word of God is not so much different!

The fruit that is reaped occurs in a later season from the sowing!

What else is the truth of sowing God's Word?

First, the fruit must resemble the seed that is sown.

When a farmer plants corn, he is not looking for beans to sprout!

Jas 3:12  Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

When we sow the Word of God the results should be a changed life!

What else is the truth of sowing God's Word?

Second, the fruit will be in proportion to the seed that is sown.

2Co 9:6  But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
2Co 9:7  Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

We cannot sow the Word of God just once, we must continue daily.

What else is the truth of sowing God's Word?

Third, the fruit must be a new life that did not exist before.

Joh 12:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

That old man must become a new man!

The problem is we become weary in well doing.

To "faint" is to become "relaxed" in serving God!

We as Christians must not become relaxed in this ministry the Lord has given us to do!

We must continue to sow the seed until the Lord takes us home by our own death or by the Rapture of all God's people, whichever comes first!

Thank goodness our Lord has much more patience than we do!

Jas 5:7  Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
Jas 5:8  Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

And the results of the harvest always lies in the hands of God!

1Co 3:7  So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; "but God that giveth the increase".

Just as God gives the increase to that farmer, God gives the increase in the sowing of the "Gospel Seed"!

What else is the truth of God's sowing principles?

Our own reward can come only from our own labor!

1Co 3:8  Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.

It may be easy to become discouraged, but God says just enjoy life, keep busy in the work of the Lord, and just trust God for the results and then witness as God provides the opportunity to do so.

*****Gal 6:10  As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

When  do we share the love of Jesus? As we have opportunity!

We can be sure God will provided many opportunities!

God leaves us here on this earth after salvation to give us the opportunity to be a part of the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ!

If we are to make an impact on this world, it can only happen after we have surrendered ourselves to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ!

SO, let us do good to all men!

BUT, let's us especially do good to all those throughout this world that have answered the call of God.

Satan will do his best to hinder the work of the Lord now, but after the Church has been removed, Satan will prance around on this earth for a short period of time thinking we has won, just as he did at the Cross, but he soon find out that it is he that has only a short time left.

Rev 12:12  Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, "because he knoweth that he hath but a short time".

Because we know we are on the winning side, now is our time!

Now is our time to sow the seed of the Lord.

Now is our time to take advantage of the opportunities given to us by the Father.

Now is our time to sow to the Holy Spirit and not sow to our own flesh!

Lets us live in the fellowship of each other while we remain in the fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Questions?

Let's Pray!

Standing In Liberty

Stand In Liberty

Galatians 5:1-15


What does the word liberty mean?

**Liberty means freedom from restraint.

We enjoy this liberty when there are no physical forces that restrain our ability to move.

**There is natural liberty.

Natural liberty means we have the ability to do as we please without any outside control.

We all know that we do not have this liberty because we are governed by a nation who desires to control all the liberties of it's people and we are loosing our liberties more and more everyday!

**There is civil liberty.

We live in a society that is governed by a set of rules approved by the people while there are many who live in a society that is governed by tyranny or oppression.

It seems that there is one party, who I will not mention who seem to want to live under government control.

We simply cannot allow our own government to become more oppressive.

**There is also religious liberty.

The freedom to worship according to our own conscience.

**BUT, Then there is Christian liberty.

The freedom from spiritual bondage!

The Lord Jesus Christ began His ministry with this message from the Book of Luke:

Luk 4:18  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Luk 4:19  To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

When Jesus established the Church, He gave each believer "Freedom".

BUT, This is not freedom to act in any way we want!

Following the desires of our heart is not what freedom is all about!

In fact Jesus also said these words:

Mar 7:21  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
Mar 7:22  Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
Mar 7:23  All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

So if we follow our hearts, we will certainly fall into the traps of Satan and the evils of this world!

So do we have freedom? YES.

Are we free to do as we please? NO! NO! NO!

To be saved is to filled with the Holy Spirit and He is to be our Guide to a sure and a perfect freedom!

Our freedom must be based on what is acceptable to the Lord!

Eph 5:9  (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
Eph 5:10  Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

Once we have tasted this "Freedom" we would be very foolish to go back into bondage of "Laws"!

We need to "Stand in the Liberty" given to us by Jesus Christ!

Let's pickup where we left off last week:

*****Gal 5:1  Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Laws are intended to govern human conduct but by whose standards?

Laws are intended to promote common good but again by whose standards?

Laws are intended to settle disputes but who decides what is truth and what is not truth?

Laws are intended to develop good behavior but who is our example of what good behavior resembles?

In other words laws only make people slaves to someone else's power!

What are the facts?

When we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior we are freed from the law and it's enslaving power!

We no longer have to worry if we are good enough, or if we have done enough good works, or kept enough laws to be acceptable to God!

And if laws are not according to the standards set forth in the Word of God, then they probably only meet the standards of some man who has exalted himself to a position of authority!

Jesus Christ died in order to set us free from laws and regulations.

Not to be free to do anything that we want to do, because that in itself is also slavery to our own desires.

Eph 2:1  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Eph 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Eph 2:3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

To be truly free, is to live unselfishly!

1Co 10:23  All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.
1Co 10:24  "Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth".

The Lord Jesus Christ was righteous in all laws!

The Lord Jesus Christ paid our penalty for us because we could not be righteous in all laws!

Jesus Christ bore "our judgment" and "our punishment" for having broken the law, which was death!

It is only by the Lord Jesus Christ that we are able to stand before God as perfect individuals!

This does not mean that all the world is accepted before God, because most all the world rejects these things as the truth and do not trust in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ has made us free but only if we believe!

And once we are made free we are to "Standfast" in the "Liberty of this Freedom"!

These Galatian Christians were about to get caught up in the bondage of the law in which they had never known.

They accepted Jesus Christ as the Son of God but only as a great teacher and a great example.

This is how many religions see Jesus today!

They were beginning to ignore the reason Jesus had come.

They began to ignore that "Salvation" is only by the "Grace of God".

They began to ignore that our own righteousness came only by the death of Jesus Christ and eternal life comes only by His resurrection by the power of the Holy Ghost!

They taught that Jesus Christ had not come to give us the only approach to God but that Christ had only come to add to the teachings of the Law therefore the Gospel was only a doctrine of works.

We can see that many of the Church are still confused in our own day!

What are the basic rituals of the "Jewish" religion?

1) Circumcision, baptism, and church membership.
2) Committing fully to the Laws of Moses.
3) Observing all the rituals and ceremonies of the Jewish religion.

If we just omit the word "Jewish" we can see that this is the same doctrine of most all false religions.

But what does God say the truth is?

Rom 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Rom 8:3  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

The pure truth is that God will never "Justify" anyone just because they try to be obedient to some law!

*****Gal 5:2  Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
Gal 5:3  For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.

**The first act in the obedience to Jewish Law was the circumcision of that individual.

This is a ritual observed by the Jew and some others and is in fact good medical advice, but still only a ritual.

Paul says that the same thing can be applied to all rituals, that if anyone attempts to approach God by any other means than Jesus Christ, they will fail!

God will only accept the work of Jesus Christ as the only means of justification and there is no profit that can come when we try to justify ourselves by any means!

**All those that choose justification by the Law must be perfect in obedience to those laws, which is impossible!

Anyone who submits themselves to any religious system, are submitting themselves to systems that Jesus Christ has freed us all from!

If we are going rely on works, laws, and rituals for our salvation then we had better be perfect in obedience to all those things. This means we will forever remain in debt and in bondage to those things!

**If any person seeks to be justified by laws, then they have fallen from "Grace" and Jesus Christ can have no effect on them at all!

To turn away from Christ Jesus is to be an apostate!

Rom 4:4  Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
Rom 4:5  But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

An apostate is anyone who has abandoned the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

*****Gal 5:4  Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

To be "fallen from Grace" is not a loss of salvation!

When we propose to earn salvation by works, then we must reject the free gift of God's Grace!

A gift is anything that has been voluntarily transferred by one person to another person, without any type of compensation or it is no longer a gift!

When we have decided we need to try to pay for God's precious gift of the perfect salvation then, we have cut ourselves off from God's only method of salvation!

We are saved by "Grace" but we are also kept saved by "Grace"!

We cannot cancel God's Grace!

BUT, We Can Make God's Grace Have No Effect!

God writes to us about what will happen to a Church that leans toward works after salvation.

Rev 2:5  Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

When God removes a candlestick from any church, it means He will close the doors of that place of worship and move the light of that candlestick, which is the Lord Jesus Christ to another location.

Many a place of worship are no longer open because they fell from the "Grace of God"!

The Church will survive until God takes the Church home, but many places of worship will no longer exist at that time!

Or they will exist as the Laodicean Church of the Book of Revelation!

The hope of every believer is to be righteous when we stand before God but our righteousness can only come by the Lord Jesus Christ, this is the Gift of God's Grace and is based solely on our "Faith"!

*****Gal 5:5  For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

Worldly hope, is a great desire mixed with at least some expectation of obtaining something that is good.

Biblical hope is something entirely different!

Biblical hope is confidence in our own future and founded only on God's promises through God's Grace!

Hope in the Bible comes from the privilege of being a "Redeemed" child of God and one day spending eternity with our own Creator and our own Savior who are One and the same!

This kind of hope can only come by the Holy Spirit!

The Holy Spirit of God comes to dwell in each believer who accepts the truth of the "Gospel"!

That truth is this:

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.

That truth is this:

Eph 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Eph 1:14  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

The Holy Spirit stirs up our own hope by giving us the assurance that God will take "Our Faith" and count it for "Our Righteousness"!

That sure hope of righteousness can come only by the Lord Jesus Christ!

No ritual can give us this hope!
No Law can offer this hope!
No amount of works can purchase this hope!

Only "Faith" and the "Love of Jesus Christ" can offer this hope!

*****Gal 5:6  For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

Justification comes by "Faith" and not by love.

BUT, those who are justified should exhibit "Faith's energy through love.

After all, it is by love that all the Law is truly fulfilled!

1Th 1:3  Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
1Th 1:4  Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.

When we choose God's plan over any other plan that we may have, we can know the full extent of God's Grace!

A quick monitor of our faith is to see how much we love others!

Mat 22:37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38  This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

It is by this first commandment that we can be saved.

It is by this second commandment that we exhibit Faith's energy!

Legalism cannot save us but it can surely hinder the work of God!

*****Gal 5:7  Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?

In times of war, roads and bridges are destroyed in order to hinder the movement of armies.

SO, What is the truth?

The Christian life is like a race!

**It is not always easy to be a Christian, especially as we get closer to the return of Christ.

2Ti 3:12  Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
2Ti 3:13  But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

**The Christian life is short.

Not many years, compared to the eternity of the Promised Land(the New Heaven), will be spent on this Earth.

**All those that persevere in the Christian life will receive a reward.

Jas 1:12  Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

**Christianity differs from the worldly race because all who run faithfully run together, while in other races each runner will hinder the other if the opportunity arises.

**In other races one winner will receive a corruptible reward but all Christians receive an incorruptible reward.

1Co 9:25  And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

In our Christian race we must not allow mankind to hinder us by destroying the only road and the only bridge to righteousness, which is the Lord Jesus Christ!

These Galatian Christians had been running the Christian race well until they had allowed false teaching to interfere in their race.

The object of our race must be running for the truth of God.

Psa 119:60 I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.

Upon accepting the gift of God's Grace, each of us also had an urgent need to repent and only then did we feel an urgent need to serve the Lord!

But we also began to realize the truth of God and became aware of just how short is our life in this body of flesh!

Pro 27:1  Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

These Galatians had felt all these things until legalism began to interfere with God's intentions for His children!

They were no longer obeying the truth of the "Gospel" and were now trying a different approach, other than Christ Jesus in order to please God, which will always bring failure.

These Galatians had allowed some false teacher to hinder them in their race and they were now stumbling toward the finish line.

God has little patience with a stumbling Christian!

What does God say to us so that we can run better? Just obey the truth!

Legalism does not come from God!

*****Gal 5:8  This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.

In other words anything that comes between us and the Lord Jesus Christ does not come from God!

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

God says if we are "not" looking toward Jesus Christ, in our "Faith", then we are allowing the weight and the sin of this world to burden us down!

There is no other way to approach God than by His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ!

Act 4:12  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

When we are not running by the truth we will be running away from the truth!

And a little untruth will corrupt the whole truth!

1Jn 2:26  These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.
1Jn 2:27  But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
1Jn 2:28  And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

Why?

*****Gal 5:9  A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

Even a very small portion of legalism will corrupt the purity of the "Gospel of Jesus Christ"!

Leaven in the Bible almost always denotes evil and corruption.

In the baking of bread even a very small amount of leaven(yeast) can influence the whole loaf or the whole lump of dough.

Just one false teacher or preacher that is allowed to teach in any place of worship can influence the  entire congregation!

Even when they have moved on to another place of worship to do the same thing, they will have convinced at least a few of their false doctrine!

1Co 15:33  Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
1Co 15:34  Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.

It is a great shame to any congregation of believers that allow false doctrine to steer them away from the truth of the "Grace of God"!

This is the prophecy of the last Church Age and we can see this develop today!

Rev 3:15  I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
Rev 3:16  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

When the race of the Christian is hindered by legalism, then the Church will become a lukewarm Church and Jesus Christ said, it is this Church that makes Him sick enough to puke.

Today many are attempting to modernize the truth by removing the Lord Jesus Christ, His Death, His Burial, His Resurrection and His Blood from the truth!

God says to beware of this false doctrine!

Col 2:8  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Col 2:9  For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

We are only complete Christians if we remain in Christ Jesus!

Col 2:10  And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

We must have confidence in the pure truth of the "Gospel of Jesus Christ"!

*****Gal 5:10  I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.

Notice that the Apostle Paul was not confident in these churches that he had established.

The Apostle Paul was only confident in them through the Lord.

Paul said, open up your scriptures and you will read the truth.

It is only by the Lord Jesus Christ that we can overcome false doctrine!

We are saved by Grace!
We are kept saved by Grace!
We will be saved by "Grace" and all by the Lord Jesus Christ!

Jud 1:24  Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
Jud 1:25  To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

What happens to those who change the truth of the "Gospel" to suit themselves?

They will bear their own judgment!

Remember each Christian has already been "Justified", that teacher of false doctrine will bear  his own judgment and we already know what that judgment will be!

Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

False teachers shall be judged because they trouble God's Church and it's believers!

False teachers loose the chords of "Faith" in Jesus Christ and He alone!

False teachers disturb the security and the lives of the believer!

False teachers defile the House of God!

1Co 3:17  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, "which temple ye are".

The Apostle Paul preached and taught the truth!

*****Gal 5:11  And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased.

We can be assured that all those that preach a false doctrine will be judged harshly because they have spread a falsehood about the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We should never forget this well used passage:

Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Joh 3:18  He that believeth on him is not condemned: "but he that believeth not is condemned already", because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Any deviation from this truth will bring condemnation!

Any deviation from this truth will certainly bring the wrath of God!

God will not tolerate any attack on His Son and God will not tolerate any attack on those He has called to preach the truth of the Gospel.

The Apostle Paul could have stopped all attacks on his person, if he had only preached legalism but Paul had refused to give in to false doctrine!

And Paul adds this thought.

*****Gal 5:12  I would they were even cut off which trouble you.

The sign of the Law was circumcision and Paul said even as these false preachers desire you to be circumcised, to cut away a useless piece of meat, he would wish that their useless message of circumcision also be cut off!

**False teachers will judged because they spread a false gospel!

**False teachers will be judged because they are offended by the cross!

It is a fact the modern gatherings of people stay away from the Blood of Jesus.

In fact true Christianity is sometimes referred to as a bloody religion.

It is the cross that causes most all false religions to stumble in their approach to God.

They simply say that the cross was not enough to bring salvation to anyone.

We can be sure that God will remind them all, how much they are wrong when He returns the second time!

Zec 12:10  And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and "they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn".

Joh 19:37  And again another scripture saith, "They shall look on him whom they pierced".

How are our sins washed away?

Rev 1:5  And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood",

There is no greater love, than One who will lay down His life in order to save His family!

Joh 15:13  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Joh 15:14  Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

Anyone who teaches any other doctrine than this will surely feel the wrath of God!

**False teachers will also be judged because they deserve it!

Paul said these that preach circumcision would be better off if they castrated themselves of that false thing they preached!

This may sound repulsive but false teaching is even more repulsive and when they meet Jesus, and they will meet Jesus, He will reward them according to what they have done!

Mat 16:27  For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then "he shall reward every man according to his works".

Every human being that wishes to approach God must come through the cross, which is through the death of Jesus, which is through the blood of Jesus, which is by the truth of the Gospel, which is through the Work of Jesus!

Any other way will lead to eternal death!

Why did God leave us on this Earth after He has justified each of us?

*****Gal 5:13  For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
Gal 5:14  For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Gal 5:15  But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

God leaves all those of true "Faith" here on earth after salvation, in order to show the love of Jesus Christ to this evil world!

God, through His Son Jesus, has made us free from the Law!

Joh 8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

BUT, Christian liberty is not a license to sin!

Paul has shown us over and over again, that the believer is not saved by any law, by any work, not by any ritual or ceremony!

When each of us accept the work of Jesus Christ as the only means of salvation, God takes our belief and counts it as righteousness.

This means we have become acceptable to God!

This freedom means we no longer have to struggle to be good to be saved!

This is freedom from ever having to wonder if we have done enough to please God!

This is not freedom to live as we want to after salvation!

This is not freedom to satisfy the demands of our flesh!

This not freedom to seek the things of this world!

This world is never going to change!

1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1Jn 2:17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

So we cannot believe in Christ Jesus and still live in worldliness!

Bible belief is not intellectual belief!

Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is a commitment to live with Jesus Christ as our example of righteousness everyday of our lives!

Rom 6:17  But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
Rom 6:18  Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

When we continue in sin after we are saved, then we are showing that we have no knowledge of God's love!

2Co 5:14  For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
2Co 5:15  And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

God has made us free to love one another like He loves us!

Love is never offending!

Love is always caring!

Love does not take advantage of other people in any way!

Love does not use people to fulfill our own purposes!

Love will not ever hurt!

Love endures all things without becoming weak!

And, Love is certainly not biting and devouring one another!

When we give in to the fleshy desires of our evil heart we will fail in our godly love!

Jas 4:1  From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
Jas 4:2  Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

When we give in to the desires of our heart we can not even get our prayers answered!

Jas 4:3  Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

It is only true love that can cover all sins!

Pro 10:12  Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.

It is this war, that we have within our own selves, that causes most all our own problems and if we are not truly committed to the Lord Jesus Christ, we will cause our own failures!

Questions?

Let's Pray!

See The Contrast In The Law And In God's Grace

Contrast Of The Law And Grace

Galatians 4:15-31


That word contrast means to show the difference between two separate things of a like kind and like claims.

The Word of God teaches us that Laws bring bondage but that "Grace" brings freedom!

What we will see is the difference between God's Grace and God's curse.

Legalism mixed with Grace, teaches us that it is by the Grace of God that we can obey the Laws of God and by keeping the law we will be saved.

Legalism alone teaches that if we cannot keep all the Law and obey all the rules, then we will lose our salvation and be in need of salvation again.

These are only attempts to mix the Grace of God with man made laws, but keeping rules and regulations will never solve the problem of "SIN"!

Laws offer no forgiveness of sin!

It is only by the "Grace of God" that we can be saved!

Legalist see all people as only law keepers or law breakers!

Jesus Christ only sees every person as a sinner in need of a Savior!

Let's pick up where we left off last week.

*****Gal 4:15  Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.

When these Galatians had first heard the "Gospel" and believed and were saved, they had had great joy in their salvation and this is the way it should be.

God says this:

Psa 107:2  Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;

The most important witnessing tool we have is living a life free from the bondage of sin and that new life should be a life filled with joy in our salvation.

That lost person has no interest in preaching.

That lost person has no interest in "Gospel music".

That lost person can see a changed life that is now full of the joy of salvation!

Jesus also says this:

Mat 5:16  Let your light so shine before men, "that they may see your good works", and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

SO, what had legalism brought to these churches in Galatia? It was not joy!

This loss of joy was so noticeable to the Apostle Paul that he asked them, "where is the blessedness ye spake of when you first got saved"?

**Legalism destroys joy because it makes people feel guilty rather than feel loved!

How had Jesus Christ fulfilled all the Law?

Mar 12:30  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

And Jesus added these words:

Mar 12:31  And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

James the half-brother of Jesus Christ has these words for us all:

Jas 2:8  If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:

The "royal law", which are the Words of Jesus Christ, are fulfilled when we truly love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves!

When the love of Jesus rules in our heart then we are free from the bondage of legalism and of all man-made laws because they become unnecessary!

**Legalism produces hatred rather than humility!

Humility is the act of submission. Salvation means we have submitted ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ!

Submitting means much more than just dedication.

Submitting means much more that a soul revival.

Submitting is a total yielding to the truth of the "Gospel of Grace"!

BUT, Hatred is an aversion to do evil and discounts the love of God!

God says this:

1Pe 5:6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
1Pe 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

**Legalism stresses performing to please God rather than a personal relationship with God!

God is not impressed with our works!

God is impressed with our effort but that effort can only begin when we have that close and personal relationship with our Savior and that begins with "Faith" and then "Love"!

1Co 13:12  For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
1Co 13:13  And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; "but the greatest of these is charity".

Charity(kind, tender, affectionate love) is the greatest of the three Christian Graces!

**Legalism can only show us how far short we have fallen in our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ rather than how far we have grown in the Lord.

2Pe 3:17  Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
2Pe 3:18  But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

When we feel inadequate and guilty then we are not living by "Faith"!

These Galatians were feeling inadequate and guilty and had not received the Apostle Paul as they had first received him!

It is this scripture that says that Paul may have had a problem with his eyes. I can attest myself to the fact that as I have grown older my eyesight has to be enhanced with strong glasses. Paul had no such access to such things as reading glasses.

When they first received the Apostle Paul they truly cared for God's missionary and they would have plucked out their own eyes and given them to him but they had changed and their love for Paul had dwindled as also their love for the truth of God!

**Legalism will cause a hatred for the truth!

*****Gal 4:16  Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?

The God sent, minister of God must proclaim all the Word of God and most all of us have a subject we would rather not hear our Pastor preach on, but we must not become enemies of the truth!

What does God say?

1Ti 5:17  Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.

Those legalistic Jews from Jerusalem had made Paul out to be their enemy and Paul asked these Galatians if he was also their enemy now.

We must not forget why God chose certain men by the Holy Spirit, to preach the "Gospel of Grace".

Eph 4:11  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12  "For the perfecting of the saints", "for the work of the ministry", "for the edifying of the body of Christ":
Eph 4:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Eph 4:14  "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive";
Eph 4:15  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

It is only God's truth that can make us free from the bondage of sin and sometimes the truth hurts our feelings!

Joh 8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Legalism cannot bring freedom!

*****Gal 4:17  They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them.

What do false preachers do to congregations?

**They are extremely zealous of their teaching at the expense of the truth!

Mat 7:15  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

**They seek as great a following as possible! It's all about the numbers but it is all for the wrong reasons.

1Ti 4:1  Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
1Ti 4:2  Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

**They were seeking support where the Apostle Paul worked to support himself.

1Th 2:9  For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.

**They sought to tear down and destroy the God called ministers of the truth. (Many attempts were made on Paul's life but even more attempts to destroy his ministry)

The Apostles of Jesus Christ were always seeking to benefit God's children.

**False Preachers only seek to benefit themselves!

What is the difference between a God called Preacher and a preacher of false doctrine?

False preachers seek to focus people on laws, works, efforts, rituals, ceremonies, observances, sacrifices, rules, and regulations, while insisting on all people to do good and to be good in order to become acceptable to God.

The true God called Preacher of the Gospel will focus on God, God's love, God's honor, and God's praise because God Himself provided the only means to become acceptable to Him, by Jesus Christ!

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Joh 14:7  If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

To know Jesus Christ is to know the Living God!

It is not hard to distinguish the true God called Preacher from the false ones.

All we need do is compare what they says to God's Written Word!

*****Gal 4:18  But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you.

Paul said that the church should always welcome those who seek to minister for the welfare of the church and reject all those that seek their own welfare and those that reject the everlasting "Gospel" of Jesus Christ!

Every church is to grow in Christ!

Every church is to make disciples for Christ!

Every child of God is to have the appearance of Jesus Christ!

*****Gal 4:19  My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,
Gal 4:20  I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you.

Paul had personally led many of these Galatians to the Lord.

Paul had helped them all mature spiritually.

Paul had a deep concern for his spiritual children.

This was a special trait of the Apostle Paul because this was a trait of the Lord Jesus Christ and an example for every man of God.

1Th 2:7  But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children:
1Th 2:8  So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.

Paul travailed for his spiritual children as a mother about to give birth in his effort to return them to Christ Jesus.

**A false minister has no true concern for the child of God!

A true shepherd loves his flock dearly!

A true shepherd agonizes over the growth of his flock!

A true shepherd is more like a mother hen than a strutting rooster!

And again the Lord Christ Jesus is our example!

Mat 23:37  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

The true minister will guard the church against the error of leaving the "Gospel" of Jesus Christ, as did the Apostle Paul and will warn the church rather than become a part of that error!

Php 3:18  (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
Php 3:19  Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)

The true minister will explain the difference between the Law and Grace in as easy terms as possible!

Paul chose a historical moment in time that was verified in the Word of God.

*****Gal 4:21  Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
Gal 4:22  For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
Gal 4:23  But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

Paul says listen to what the Law really says.

Paul said open up your clogged up ears and listen to what these false preachers are saying.

Paul said get out of the fog and get in the Light of Jesus Christ!

Paul said let's just look at the Word of God and get our example of the truth!

The Gospel says we are "Justified by Grace" and that we enter into God's New Heaven not by law, not by works, not by goodness "but by promise"!

So the Apostle Paul goes back to the beginning of the promise to Abraham.

It is only in the Word of God where we can find the truth of God!

We know that Abraham had only two sons while his wife Sarah was still alive.

One son Isaac had been promised by God to Abraham through his wife Sarah but many years had passed and Sarah had gotten very old and Sarah decided that God might need a little help to fulfill His promise to Abraham.

Sarah was wrong, God does not need our help for Him to fulfill His own promises!

Sarah trusted God but she became discouraged with her aged body and she sent her slave girl, Hagar into Abraham and Hagar had a son named Ishmael.

Some 13 years after Ishmael was born, God kept His promise to Abraham and Sarah bore Isaac.

Sarah had laughed at the promise God had made in her old age but God had proven to her that nothing is to hard for God and that He would always keep His promises!

Gen 18:13  And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
Gen 18:14  Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

And the truth is:

Num 23:19  God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

So what can we see about Ishmael?

Ishmael was born through the natural process.

Ishmael was born into slavery being born of a slave girl.

Ishmael was born because of the work, the effort, and the will of Sarah.

Ishmael was born because of the fleshly impulses of Abraham.

We men must beware of our fleshly impulses when we are up in our years!

So what do we know about Isaac?

Isaac was born a free man by a free woman.

Isaac was born because of the promise of God alone.

What are the facts?

Abraham and Sarah were both well beyond the years of childbearing.

Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 years old.

Isaac was then a miracle child who was born because God had done all the works to perform that miracle and because God always keeps His promises!

Isaac was a promised child!

So what is the point?

Ishmael was born by human ingenuity, human energy, human effort and was born into slavery.

Isaac was born a miracle child, by the promise of God.

Isaac was born because of God's love and because of God's power and because of God's promise.

Isaac was born by the "Grace of God" into freedom!

Paul says now we can see the allegory.

An allegory in the Old Testament is the same as a parable in the New Testament.

In this case an allegory is an actual historical event that has a much deeper spiritual meaning.

And let's allow Paul to explain this allegory.

*****Gal 4:24  Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
Gal 4:25  For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.

We will see an illustration of the truth between the Grace of God and the Law if we just listen to the teaching of the Apostle Paul.

First it is best to understand that unless God indicates other wise, the safe and proper way to interpret the Bible is to not interpret it at all.

We must always remember that God means what He says and God says what He means!

2Pe 1:20  Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

This goes for the individual and also for any Elder and includes the Pope and any other so-called spiritual leader of any and all denominations.

Now saying that, many times the Bible will indicate when God's Word is meant to be interpreted allegorically.

But we will also see that even these allegories are built upon the historical truth that is written in the Word of God!

The Biblical story of Sarah and Hagar are historical facts!

We are wrong when we do not accept the Word of God as historical fact!

We are also wrong when we fail to understand why God would use allegories.

We already know the Lord Jesus Christ used the parable in many instances to aid in teaching the disciples.

We haven't mentioned the different "types" in the Bible for awhile but these two mothers, Hagar and Sarah, represent the two covenants in the Bible in typology.

1) Hagar was a "type" of the old covenant, (The Law) that was between God and man.

Hagar represents the Law which bears children into slavery.

The Law makes demands.

The Law insists on total obedience.

The Law enslaves people to do exactly what it says or suffer dire consequences.

When people try to approach God with their own goodness, by their own works, by their own righteousness, they are in bondage to the Law!

It takes total obedience to the Laws given to Moses and the ever changing laws of man to ever become righteous enough on your own which is impossible!

It is a fact that we are to try our very best to live righteously and morally but by God's standards and not by man's standards.

But God says we are not justified because of our goodness or by any self efforts!

We cannot save ourselves!

We are not to praise ourselves for our feeble attempts at good works!

All praise belongs to God!

Hagar is in fact a "type" of all religions that go about seeking their own righteousness while rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ as the only means of salvation!

Hagar stands for Mount Sinai, the Mount in Arabia where the Law was given to Moses.

Mount Sinai is also a "type" of the Law.

God has always intended for Jerusalem to be habited by His own children which are children of freedom!

*****Gal 4:26  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Gal 4:27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.

Sarah was a "type" of the new covenant between God and man, which is the covenant of Grace.

The covenant of "Grace" is the covenant of "Promise"!

Sarah or "Grace" is seen in Jerusalem that is from above or we say the New Jerusalem.

Rev 21:1  And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
Rev 21:2  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Rev 21:3  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

It is life in the New Jerusalem that is promised to all those of true "Faith"!

Sarah was free. Grace is free. The Promise of the New Jerusalem is built for those that are free!

It is only by our "Faith" that we can receive the "Grace of God" and be a part of the Promises of God!

Anyone who thinks these things can be bought at any price is living in a dream world!

So what are the facts?

According to the Word of God their will be many more children of Hagar than there are children of Sarah!

BUT, that will be because they chose the wrong path of works and the Law and rejected the "Grace of God"!

God says why in the world would anyone choose bondage over freedom!

Isa 55:1  Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Isa 55:2  Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
Isa 55:3  Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

The children of "Faith", that receive God's "Grace" are in fact just as Isaac the "children of Promise"!

*****Gal 4:28  Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

How does Paul describe the believer to these Galatians?

We, brothers and sisters, just as Isaac, are the children of "Promise" because of our "Faith"!

All those that accept the work of the Lord Jesus Christ are birthed into the family of God, which is a Spiritual Birth!

We receive the "Promise" of God because God takes our "Faith" and counts it to us for righteousness just as He did for Abraham!

Rom 4:13  For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
Rom 4:14  For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect:

So, what can we expect from all those that reject the Lord Jesus Christ and adhere to a works doctrine?

*****Gal 4:29  But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.

The child of "Faith" will be persecuted by all those that seek another way to be righteous in the eyes of God.

Just as Ishmael mocked and persecuted Isaac, so it will be for the Christian!

Gen 21:9  And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.

Those that work so hard to try to find a way to please God, will always ridicule those that tell them they are wasting their time and just need to believe.

Understanding these things will also better prepare as we witness for Jesus Christ.

The world sees Christians as weak but God says for us to be bold!

Rom 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

A person sold out to works, or rituals, or ceremony will have to admit that they are also weak and most of them will refuse to admit any weakness!

They will refuse to admit weakness and accept the fact that by their own energy, their own effort, their own works, they will never be able to impress God!

And God says we all know this to be true!

1Co 6:11  And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Jesus says for us to be prepared for all these things.

Mat 5:11  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Mat 5:12  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

All those that seek to please God by their own works will be cast out just as Hagar and Ishmael.

*****Gal 4:30  Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.

What actually happened?

Gen 21:10  Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.

The Law cannot co-exist with the Grace of God!

The son of Hagar(the Law) shall not be an heir with the son of Sarah(Grace)!

Ishmael was cast out so that he could not share in Abraham's riches which was the sure inheritance of Isaac.

This causes grief many people and it even caused grief to Abraham.

Gen 21:11  And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son.
Gen 21:12  And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

God is building His Church and God will never allow anyone who approaches Him by law or works to be a part of His Church!

This is God's plan and we should never question God's plan!

Why is this so important?

Rom 14:11  For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
Rom 14:12  So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

All those that stand before God using the word "my" will be rejected!

God is perfect and the only One who is, so when you stand before God with your own works, your own goodness, your own righteousness, and a list of all the laws you have kept all the days of your life, you are only presenting your own human effort.

None of these things are important to God because you have not trusted in the truth of what He has written down for us in His Word!

Even the very best of people are disobedient to the Word of God and therefore left to the wages of death!

Mat 7:21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

What is the will of our Father in Heaven?

Mat 7:24  Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
Mat 7:25  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
Mat 7:26  And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
Mat 7:27  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

And what has God said?

Hab 2:2  And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.
Hab 2:3  For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
Hab 2:4  Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

When our own self-pride comes between us and God we will lose every time!

What is the only choice we have to make in this life?

We must decide if we are going to be the children of the bondwoman or the children of the free woman?

*****Gal 4:31  So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

To be free from the "Wages of Death" we must be a child of "Faith"!

If we believe the Word of God then we must believe the Apostle Paul and Paul has explained all these things as simply as they can be explained.

True salvation brings peace of mind and there is no peace of mind in the Law!

Once we have been adopted into the family of God, God then removes the death grip of this world and the works of this world and places us in His hands for safe keeping!

Joh 10:25  Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.
Joh 10:26  But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
Joh 10:27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
Joh 10:28  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

If God is strong enough to save us, He is surely strong enough to keep us saved!

We should just ask ourselves are we going to trust in our own strength or are we going to trust in the Almighty Strength of God?

Questions?

Let's Pray!