Walking With God

Walk In The Spirit

Galatians 5:16-26


We all know that to walk is to move at a slower pace as compared to running.

In the Bible the word "Walk" is also used to denote our conduct in this life or our walk in life.

The Bible declares how we should walk in this life.

1Jn 1:5  This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
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.

The message we learn from the Word of God is this.

"If we walk in the truth of God we can be cleansed from all sin"!

One the greatest examples of Christian faith can be found in the Old Testament.

Gen 5:24  And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

Enoch walked in the truth of God and Enoch never saw death!

When we walk with God then it pleases God and God gives us all the gift of eternal life but that walk with God must be a walk of "Faith", just as Enoch walked!

Heb 11:5  By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

BUT, that walk with God cannot be fruitful until we walk in the Spirit of God!

Rom 8:4  That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:5  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
Rom 8:6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

To walk with God is to be in daily combat with our greatest enemy, which is our own flesh!

So let's pick up where we left off last week:

*****Gal 5:16  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

Let's revue verse 13 to clearly understand what the Apostle Paul is saying:

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".

Paul said there is only one way to use our Christian Liberty.

Paul said there is only one way to conquer the "lusts of the flesh", It Is By The Power Of The Holy Spirit!

What are lusts?

Lusts are the desires or the longing for forbidden things or deceitful things!

God says we are to put these thing off:

Eph 4:22  That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

To put off is to put away or to cast off anything that can lead to corruption!

Corruption leads to destruction!

Jas 1:14  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
Jas 1:15  Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

In fact the Lord Jesus Christ says that it is sin to lust even if you have not reacted to that lust!

Mat 5:28  But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

The best way to keep sin out of the temple of God is to keep it filled with the Holy Spirit!

Rom 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
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.

Our own flesh is still our greatest enemy and it is our own flesh that Satan will attack with worldly desires!

*****Gal 5:17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

This conflict between the flesh and the Spirit is a constant theme of the Bible and we first see it in the Book of Genesis before the flood in Noah's day.

Gen 6:3  And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

So what is the truth?

When the Holy Spirit is not allowed to take control of our flesh, then we will face destruction!

All of us know we always seem to have a desire for something that we do not possess.

Our own flesh is difficult to control!

BUT, Our eyes are open to this sinful nature once we have accepted the truth of God!

The Apostle Paul and all the Apostles shared this same problem that we all have.

Rom 7:23  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

Our flesh is contrary to God's Holy Spirit!

Our flesh is full of unregulated passions, desires and emotions and these things will control our lives and lead us to eternal death if we allow them to take charge of our true being!

This is what the Bible calls the "lusts of the flesh".

There is no law that has ever been written that can overcome these tendencies of the human being!

Laws just threaten us all with consequences for our failures!

It is only the Love of God that can truly constrain us!

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.

And it is only the conscious commitment to God's Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit that can enable us to live in a way that pleases God.

*****Gal 5:18  But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

Laws are made for all those that live by their own flesh!

1Ti 1:9  Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
1Ti 1:10  For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;

It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can walk away from all these things!

This what we call true repentance!

Repentance is a complete change of mind and a complete change of direction!

Repentance is walking the Christian walk by the power of the Holy Spirit!

Each of us that know the Lord Jesus as our Savior will always be at war with our own flesh because there can be no peaceful co-existence between the flesh and the Holy Spirit!

We have all given in to our flesh and done things we are not proud of!

We are all tempted and even when we know we have the power to over come that temptation, we still give in to our flesh.

In other words the flesh is controlling when we allow it to be that way!

This flesh we live in is so strong that it  will often keep us from doing what we know is the right thing to do!

So it is impossible for our flesh to keep laws!

It is the Holy Spirit of God that is the only answer to this dilemma!

So what does the Bible say are the works of the flesh?

*****Gal 5:19  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Gal 5:20  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
Gal 5:21  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

The works of the flesh include not only our sinful actions but also our sinful attitudes!

The works of the flesh are also separate from the works of the Law!

The flesh in itself is not sinful!

The flesh is God's creation!

The flesh was manifested for God's use and not to satisfy our own lust!

It is the "works of the flesh" that are the fruit of the sin in our lives passed down to us by Adam!

If God has taken the time and space to list these things then we should take the time to revue them one at a time.

1) Adultery: Is the sexual unfaithfulness to a husband or to a wife.

Adultery also includes looking and lusting after, even if the sexual act never takes place!

Mat 5:28  But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

This would also include books and magazines and the television.

Committing this act within our hearts is the same as committing the physical sin!

2) Fornication: Is all forms of immoral sexual acts!

It is premarital sex and also adultery!

It is any form of abnormal sex beyond the bonding of a marriage relationship between "one man and one woman"!

Fornication includes all sexual vice and depravity!

Fornication is sinning against our own bodies!

Fornication also includes seeking to worship anything other than our Creator!

1Co 6:18  Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

3) Uncleanness: Is moral impurity.

It is any action we take in this life that dirties, or pollutes or soils our lives from being pure in the eyes of God!

Rom 1:24  Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

4) Lasciviousness: is absolute filthiness, indecency, outright shamelessness!

This is unrestrained evil thoughts and all evil behaviour!

These are people who have sinned so much that they no longer care what other people think about them!

In fact these people will openly do such things in the eyes of the public, in order to show the world they will do as they please unrestrictedly!

These include but are not limited to, an abnormal display of affection, carnality, gluttony, and sexual immorality!

Rom 1:27  And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

4) Idolatry: Is the worship of any idol, or any work of man's hands.

Idolatry is creating within our own minds an image of God other than who God says He is!

Idolatry is devoting your time and energy to things other than God.

God said know this:

Eph 5:5  For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

And God says this:

Col 3:5  Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, "and covetousness, which is idolatry":
Col 3:6  For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

6) Witchcraft: Is the use of sorcery, (including the use of drugs) or evil spirits, to gain control over the lives of others and this includes over your own life!

Witchcraft is seeking to control our own fate including, astrology, palm-reading, seances, fortune telling, using crystals or cards or any other from of witchcraft, rather than seeking God and the written Word of God.

Isa 8:19  And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?
Isa 8:20  To the law and to the testimony: "if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them".

7) Hatred: Is enmity, hostility, or animosity directed at another individual.

Hatred comes from within an unclean heart!

1Jn 2:9  He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, "is in darkness even until now".

1Jn 3:15  "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer": and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

8) Variance: is fighting against another person in order to have the advantage over that person.

It includes, strife, discord, contention, fighting, struggling, wrangling in order to gain a promotion, or a property, or recognition.

To be variant is to be a deceiver!

Satan is known as the Deceiver!

One who is variant will do anything, legally or illegally, morally or immorally or anything within their power to gain the advantage over someone else!

Pro 26:21  As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife.

9) Emulations: like covetousness is that desire to have what someone else has, not a copy of, but that very thing.

It includes, jealousy, desire, and wanting.

It mainly includes material things but also includes recognition, honor, and/or position.

Pro 27:4  Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?

10) Wrath: Is a sudden burst of anger.

It is violent and explosive.

It is a quick temper that can also just as quickly fade away. It is anger that does not last!

God's answer to wrath is this:

Jas 1:19  Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
Jas 1:20  For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

11) Strife: Happens within our own selves.

Strife is that conflict, that struggle, that fight, within ourselves to do what is right.

Php 2:3  Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

12) Seditions: Are rebellions.

Things that create division.

Sedition is standing against another without even knowing the truth.

Sedition is rejecting the Word of God!

God told King Saul:

1Sa 15:23  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

God says it is these people who are self-willed and ignore the Will of God.

2Pe 2:10  But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.

13) Heresies: Are things that reject the fundamental beliefs of God!

The basics are the rejection of Jesus Christ.

The rejection of the Scriptures.

Rejecting God's Church.

Rejecting Faith and the "Grace of God"!

Heresy, is holding to some teaching other than the truth of God!

Jesus said this:

Mat 15:8  This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
Mat 15:9  But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

14) Envyings: This is going beyond jealousy. This not just lust for the things of others but includes begrudging the fact that person has them.

This is not just wanting that person to loose those things but for them to also suffer because of the loss of those things.

Pro 14:30  A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.

15) Murders: Murder is taking the life of another person.

The sixth commandment says:

Thou shalt not kill!

This is a direct commandment of God but it also includes hatred.

Every human being is a creation of God and only He has the actual right to take their life!

1Jn 3:15  Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

16) Drunkenness: Includes anything that affects our senses.

Alcohol in any form, drugs in any form, "that are taken to affect our lust for pleasure or to loosen our moral restraint", must be avoided!

Pro 23:20  Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:
Pro 23:21  For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

Pro 23:29  Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
Pro 23:30  They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.

1Co 6:10  Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

17) Revelings: Is the uncontrolled indulgence of personal pleasure.

Taking part in wild parties.

Indulging in feeding the lusts of the flesh.

Orgies.

God says these are things what the world does and we are to avoid them!

1Pe 4:1  Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;
1Pe 4:2  That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
1Pe 4:3  For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:

These are the things we must avoid.

These are the things of the world.

God simply says that those who live by the flesh "shall not" inherit the Kingdom of God, which is the promise given to Abraham!

The world believes that God will accept them if their good out weighs their bad on the scales of life but this is not what the Bible says.

God says without the righteousness of Jesus Christ, we are still unrighteous!

1Co 6:9  Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?

God says we must walk in the fruit of Holy Spirit!

*****Gal 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

In the Book of Genesis, God, speaking to the Holy Trinity, said let's make man in our image.

Gen 1:26  And God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness": and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

This image of God is not in our form or features.

This image of God is not in our intellect, for we know that God's Angels and the Devil are far more superior in these things.

This image of God is not in immortality, for we are not like the self-existing God!

This image, God is speaking of, are the moral dispositions of the soul!

Ecc 7:29  Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.

It is because of the sin of Adam that we must be "Born Again" into righteousness!

Joh 3:3  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Once we are "Born Again" and become a temple of God and filled with His Holy Spirit, then there should be a noticeable change!

If we are led by the Holy Spirit, then we can avoid the works of the flesh and walk according to God's nature, or God's image!

What is the image of the Holy Spirit?

We can see that image in His fruit.

Note that word "Fruit" is singular and not plural. The Holy Spirit has only one "fruit"!

All these traits will be present in each believer and not just some of them!

1) Love: The Greek word used for love in this verse is "Agape".

Agape love is a love of the mind. Agape love, loves regardless of feelings.

Agape love, loves a person even if that love is not deserved.

Agape love, loves all those that are undeserving of any love.

Agape love is the Love of God!

Agape love is the love that was demonstrated by Jesus Christ for all the ungodly!

Rom 5:6  For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

Agape love is the love that was demonstrated by God, through Jesus Christ for all sinners!

Rom 5:8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Agape love is the love of God for all those who do not deserve the love of God, through Jesus Christ!

Rom 5:10  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Agape love is God's gift and comes only by the Holy Spirit!

Rom 5:5  And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Agape love is the greatest thing that God teaches each of us that believe!

Mar 12:29  And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
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.
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".

Agape love is the greatest possession that a Christian can have!

1Co 13:13  And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; "but the greatest of these is charity".

All the fruit of the Holy Spirit is based on God's love!

2) Joy: Love brings a delight of the mind. There is great joy when we consider our present situation and compare that to the glories of the Promised Land, the New Heaven.

Christian joy is a deep seated pleasure and it ignites a cheerful heart.

Rom 14:17  For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

3) Peace: Peace is a state of quietness and tranquility, free from agitation, again a temper of the mind.

But more important than this, peace also means we are joined to or woven together with God!

Peace by the Holy Spirit is knowing the greatest good, enjoying the very best, possessing the inner goodness of God!

The peace of God is independent of our own environment in this world!

Joh 16:33  These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

4) Longsuffering: Is best described as "Patience"!

The longsuffering of the Holy Spirit means to never give in, and it is never broken, no matter what attacks it!

Longsuffering means we never strike back.

Praise God because He is longsuffering or I could not be saved!

1Ti 1:16  Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

5) Gentleness: Gentleness is best describes as being kind and good, useful and helpful. That word "Grace" also fits well with gentleness.

Gentleness cares for the feelings of others.

Gentleness experiences the hurt of others within itself.

Gentleness suffers when others suffer.

Luk 6:35  But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

Rom 12:10  Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

6) Goodness: Is the state of being good!

Goodness treats all other people as they should be treated.

Goodness does not stand by and allow others to take advantage of other people.

A good person will not let evil run rampant!

Goodness is the trait of the Church that stands up to this evil world!

God says goodness will disappear from this earth when the Church is removed at the Rapture!

2Th 2:6  And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: "only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way".

7) Faith: Is faithfulness. Loyal and steadfast in devotion.

Faithfulness will never doubt God.

God's own faithfulness is our assurance of our salvation!

Our faithfulness as believers is our means of salvation!

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

8) Meekness: Is humility.

Meekness is a humble state of mind but to be humble is not to be weak!

Meekness is to be strength under control!

A meek person loves people and loves peace more than he loves war.

A meek person desires to be a friend to all and to help all.

God desires us to be meek:

1Pe 3:15  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
1Pe 3:16  Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

We should never forget that the Holy Spirit is also the most powerful force that exist!

9) Temperance: Is to be the master of your being. To always be in control of your body and of your flesh!

It means self-control in all indulgences; lusts, desires, passions, and sensual urges and includes cravings.

To be temperate is to stand against our own flesh!

To be temperate is to win the war with our flesh everyday!

1Jn 2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
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.

The fruit of the Holy Spirit is the exact nature of God!

Our walk with God must show that we are aware of God's nature, as we strive to be like the Lord Jesus!

*****Gal 5:24  And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Gal 5:25  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Gal 5:26  Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

When we have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, we become His property and His possession!

Just as the flesh of Jesus Christ was crucified on that cross, we are to crucify our own flesh so that we are no longer slaves to our own flesh, subjected to its lusts, and subject to the judgment of God.

Upon our confession of "faith" God considers that we have also died in Christ' death and identified with Him!

In the eyes of God our flesh is dead!

We have been made free from the bondage of our flesh!

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

So if we live in the Spirit then our walk in this life should resemble the Spirit!

Rom 6:4  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Notice now we see the warning. We are never to become super-spiritual!

We are never to think that others have been blessed with greater Spiritual gifts than we possess!

We are never to do anything that might cause divisions in the Church!

Pride can still be our greatest enemy!

Pride comes when we forget the cross that Jesus bore for our sins!

No matter where we stand with God, we are to measure our growth by the Lord Jesus Christ and we will always come up short!

We must remember it is by God's Grace and God's Promise that we can become God's children!

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!

The Superiority Of Faith

The Superiority Of Faith

Galatians 3:19-29

Superiority means the quality of being more advanced or higher. To be greater or more excellent.

The world we live in today ranks fortune and fame above the superiority of understanding the truth of God!

The world is wrong and God tells us to come out from among the world.

2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Until we come out from the world and live separately from the world we will never be received of God!

The purpose of laws are to expose sin.

The purpose of the law is to show us our need for a Savior.

Conviction, Repentance, and most of all Faith in Jesus Christ is what will bring us to Salvation!

The proof of laws is that they lack the power to change lives!

Laws may look to have power, laws may seem to be intimidating, but keeping and obeying laws cannot justify anyone in the eyes of God!

If the promise made to Abraham was not affected by laws, what then was the purpose of the Laws of Moses?

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

*****Gal 3:19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.

**What was the purpose of the Law? The purpose of the Law was to reveal to us, that we are all sinners.

How many of you when you are driving and come up to a stop sign really want to stop? I'll tell you that not many of us really want to stop. We stop, not because the stop sign says stop, but because we know if we proceed without stopping we place ourselves in danger of injury or death.

This is what the law does! If we do not obey the Law and proceed then we place ourselves in danger of death.

The Law was not given to justify or make anyone acceptable in the eyes of God because the Law was given to make people aware of their sin!

Laws do not make us righteous, laws just make us aware of our unrighteousness!

1) Laws make us aware of our sin and the results of sin.
2) Laws make us aware of how short we come to reaching God's glory.
3) Laws cause us to pay attention to the fact that we are sinners.
4) Laws show us how foolish we are to claim to be righteous.
5) Laws show us our need for a Savior!
6) Laws point us to a Righteous Lawgiver!
7) Laws bring us to point of conviction.

Rom 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

**The Law was temporary!

The Law was added to the promise God made to Abraham for a specific purpose but only temporarily!

"Till the "Promised Seed" should come!

Law extended from Moses until The Lord Jesus appeared to fulfill the Law and the Promise!

God never intended any Law to be a way to Salvation!

Before Jesus came, the Law was our standard of measurement to show us how far we fall short of the glory of God!

Since Jesus has now come, Jesus is now our standard of measurement.

Jesus fulfilled all the Law!

Mat 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

Jesus came not just to fulfill the Laws of Moses but to fulfill all the Word of God!

Mat 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Jesus Christ is the "Perfect" Picture, the "Living" Example, and the Pattern for all mankind, that God has set before us.

Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Why? Because Jesus Christ is and was the visible representation of the invisible God!

Col 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Why are the Laws not totally abandoned now since Jesus has come?

Laws are abandoned for all those that place their trust in Jesus Christ!

Rom 7:4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

But to all those that reject the Lord Jesus Christ and trust in their own righteousness the Law is still in full effect!

Rom 10:3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
Rom 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

Jesus Christ is the end of the Law, but only for "believers"!

**How do we know that the Law cannot justify?

The Law was not given directly by God!

The Law came from God but it was given by angels to Moses.

Act 7:52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:
Act 7:53 "Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it".

The Bible says that God had brought many angels with Him when He came to Mount Sinai:

Deu 33:2 And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them.

Any Law that does not come directly from God is then inferior when God speaks Himself!

God spoke directly to Abraham!

Moses was indeed the mediator between God and Israel but now we have the true Mediator between God and all Mankind, His name is Christ Jesus!

*****Gal 3:20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.

To have a relationship with God it must be truly personal!

Even Job clearly understood this!

Job 9:33 Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both.

And the Apostle Paul clearly understood this!

1Ti 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
1Ti 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

The Law was between two parties, sinful man and God.

Both man and God had responsibilities.

Man had to keep the Law and if he did God would reward him with righteousness.

We see then that righteousness was conditional under the Law!

In the "Promise" of righteousness by the "Grace of God" only God had to meet certain conditions!

God fulfills His "Promise" by Jesus Christ!

1Co 8:6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

If you can get personal with God then you can see the truth in what He says!

**The truth is that no Law has the power to give life!

*****Gal 3:21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.

How do we know that the Law cannot "justify" anyone in the eyes of God? Because the Law has no power to give eternal life!

Laws are just rules!

Laws can only help us decide how we are going to behave!

Laws bring only demands!

Laws are cold and lifeless!

Laws demand obedience but leave us alone to struggle with how we will comply with those laws!

Laws bring a curse for failure and have no power to give life!

In order for the Law to bring life then it would have had to contain the means to pardon!

Since Jesus Christ was the only One who could have kept all the Laws, then He is the only One who had the power to instill behaviour into the mind of each believer.

It is the life of Christ Jesus that brings with it eternal life to the believer!

The Law only shows our weakness to obey it!

Faith shows our strength through Christ Jesus!

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:
Rom 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

There is no Law that can be written that can open the gates of Heaven.

*****Gal 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

Verse 19 taught us that the Law was only added to the promise because of transgression.

The laws given to the Children of Israel made it clear to them what God considered to be sin!

A transgression is anything that goes against the will of God!

Laws only open the doors to Satan's prison because sin holds all people in Death's grip!

Laws conclude that we are all sinners and need rules to live by, and they bring serious consequences!

"Under sin" means to be shut up as a prisoner in the hopeless depths of solitary confinement!

Rom 3:9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that "they are all under sin";
Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Rom 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

And the results of all those that remain under sin is eternal death;

Luk 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Luk 16:24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

The entire purpose of the Law is to drive all mankind to seek the "Promises of God" through Jesus Christ!

Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

It is the Promises of God that bring life and not some Law!

2Pe 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

So why is "Faith" so much superior to any Law?

*****Gal 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Every person on this Earth was caught up in "Sin's Prison" before "Faith came!

Until Jesus Christ died an actual death on Calvary's Cross there was no escape from this bondage!

The Law itself is temptation!

We are tempted to touch that fresh painted bench just to see if it is still wet.

We are tempted to break the speed limit just to see if we will get caught.

We are tempted to run that red light just to see if anyone really cares.

Temptation brings only failure!

But Faith brings results!

1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
1Pe 5:9 "Whom resist stedfast in the faith", knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

The Law shows us our failures.

The Law accuses and condemns us.

The Law has no life because the Law has no power to give life.

So the only hope of mankind was for "someone" to have the power to set us free from this bondage!

That "someone" was Jesus Christ!

To be released from sin's bondage we must accept His deliverance!

The most important choice we make in our life time is, "what are we going to do with Jesus Christ"!

We can believe in the saving work of Jesus Christ or we can reject Him!

The entire purpose of the Law was to bring us all to this point during our lifetime!

The Law is only our schoolmaster!

The Law teaches us the need for salvation.

God's Grace is "the gift" of salvation.

It is "Faith" in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ that brings God's Gift!

In the days of Jesus, a "schoolmaster" was a person in charge of the moral development of a child.

It was this schoolmaster who would prepare the child and deliver him to the teacher and then return later that day to bring that child back home to safety.

The purpose of the Law is to lead every person to Christ Jesus who is the true Teacher!

Once the teaching of Christ, which is "Faith" has come, there is no longer a need for the "schoolmaster"!

Faith is superior to all Law!

*****Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God "by faith in Christ Jesus".

How can this verse be so misinterpreted?

It is only Jesus Christ who can bring us face to face with God!

It is only Jesus Christ who answers the terms of adoption into the family of God!

The truth is, that "Faith" will cause us to concentrate on the Son of God, Jesus Christ!

Anyone who tries to focus on laws or rituals or works cannot stay focused on God's Son!

And we see this happening in our world today!

It's important to realize that God accepts each believer as a child!

And what else is important?

Luk 18:17 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.

**We cannot enter into the kingdom of God by working out some deep spiritual problem.

**We cannot enter into the kingdom of God by works at all!

Children are incapable of some mighty works to accomplish great goals.

Children cannot stay focused on one thing for very long.

Children rely on the gifts of good parents to survive in this evil world.

And as children we must rely on the gift of God to be part of God's family.

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

To reject God's gift is to reject God's family!

To become a part of God's family we must put on Jesus Christ!

*****Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have "put on" Christ.

The Apostle Paul is not saying we are saved by "Baptism"!

There are many millions who have been baptized that will never see God's New Heaven!

There are also many millions who have some sort of faith that will never live in God's house!

Paul is saying that if Jesus Christ is not our example and the object of our Faith, then we can never be a part of God's Kingdom!

It is "Faith" that clothes us with the righteousness and the Son-ship of Jesus Christ!

Jesus Christ is the pattern that we should all strive to be like!

2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

To be clothed with Jesus Christ means are also looked upon as God's Son!

When God looks upon each believer, God sees His Son!

Faith must say the truth and truth says that Jesus Christ is truly the Son of God!

Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Joh 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

If Jesus Christ is not our example of how to live in this life, then we have not put on Christ!

And what else is the truth of the Gospel of Faith?

*****Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Faith makes us all stand on level ground!

How do we solve all the divisions of mankind? We become "One" in Jesus Christ!

There is no other answer to race and ethnic problems in this world we live in!

Every believer stands on equal footing before the Lord Jesus Christ.

In Jesus Christ there is a "new bond" that overcomes, color, culture, and customs!

In Jesus Christ there is a "new bond" that overcomes all social distinctions!

**What is the truth?

If all the world could look upon each other as brothers in Christ there would be no barriers between any of them!

The Jews hated the thought of becoming someone's slave!

They hated slaves as much as they hated Gentiles.

It was wrong for these Jews to insist that all believers first become Jews.

**What is the truth?

When masters treat their slaves as brothers in Christ, then there is no barrier between them.

The sad fact is, that Christianity has the power to remove all obstacles and for all people if we would all take our stand on the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ!

**What is the truth?

When all males and all females can look upon each other as brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, there would be no barriers between them!

We can all be "One" in Jesus Christ in "One" family of God!

The Church is to be the Body of Christ and the Lord Jesus Christ must be the Head of the Church!

Rom 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

Col 2:19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands "having nourishment ministered", and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.

It is only Jesus Christ who can nourish the Church!

**What is the truth?

When we put on Jesus Christ we become "heirs" to the same promises made to Abraham!

*****Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Only because Abraham was faithful did he receive the promises of God!

It is by our own "Faith" that we are also blessed in the line of Abraham, but by Jesus Christ.

Gal 3:9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

The greatest gift to Abraham was the fulfillment of the promises of God.

The greatest gift to the believer is to be an heir to those same promises!

Let's revue:

1) Abraham was promised God's blessing, not God's wrath.

2) Abraham was promised that he would live in the presence of God and enjoy God's leadership!

3) Abraham was promised that he would be given the privilege of living in the "Promised Land" forever and ever!

Since Jesus Christ is the legal heir to Abraham, Jesus Christ inherits all the promises given to Abraham.

Since we have been adopted into the family of God, by our own "Faith" then we will also receive the promises given to Abraham!

Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

It cannot get any better than this!

There is "no law" that can cause these things to happen.

There is "no ritual" that can be kept to get you into the family of God.

There is "no work" that can be done to pay for such a promise.

These promises of God can only be fulfilled according to our "Faith"!

Faith is so much the more superior to all the laws of man!

Questions?

Let's Pray!