May it please God to bless us
together this morning as we consider his word. Let us turn to the
epistle of Paul to the Galatians and the third chapter and we'll
read the first verse. It's really the question in the
first verse. The third chapter in the epistle of Paul to the
Galatians and the first verse. Oh foolish Galatians, who hath
bewitched you? that ye should not obey the truth
before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth
crucified among you. The Apostle Paul is writing to
the church at Galatia. a church that he'd visited and
a church of course that he'd preached to and a church that
had been blessed under his preaching and now he sees the necessity
of writing this letter to them to question them with regards
to their faith and as to whether they are still following the
way that he had preached to them or whether they were defecting
back into the old tradition of keeping the law or obtaining
salvation by the works of the law and seeking that they might
once again be made just by the law. Well, the apostle had been
a faithful preacher and so he comes now and asks them this
important question and he addresses them as foolish Galatians, foolish
people. Sometimes we need to think of
such a word addressed to us. We may think that we're doing
right things and walking in right ways but perhaps there are those
occasions when we need the Spirit of God to point the finger at
us and say foolish people or a foolish person. What are you
doing? How are you reacting? What are
you thinking? What are you worshipping? Well,
the question that the Apostle put to the Galatians was, he
asked them, who hath bewitched you? Well, to be bewitched means
to be beguiled. It means to have their condition
change. They've been led wrongly, they've
been attracted to some other view. That's what bewitching
means. And there's the question then
that the apostle says, who hath bewitched you? And then he gives
very briefly an outline of his concern, that ye should not obey
the truth. before whose eyes Jesus Christ
has been evidently set forth crucified among you." Of course,
he wasn't physically crucified among them, but he'd been preached
as the crucified Savior. We know he'd been crucified outside
of Jerusalem. And therefore, here we have this
great concern of the apostle. And of course, it's necessary
for us all to be concerned about one another to see whether we
have moved away from the simplicity of the gospel. And this gospel
is, of course, wonderfully simple. Whereas the old law, the old
law of the covenant of the law was not so simple. It was far
more difficult. But the old testament dispensation
had been removed. and it had been removed when
the Lord Jesus completed the work the Father had given him
to do. When he finished that work and
there was that new covenant which had been brought into effect. Well, Paul addresses these Galatians
and it's interesting to see how he addresses them. He speaks
to them, and he says, Paul, an apostle, not of men, neither
by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised
him from the dead, and all the brethren which are with me, unto
the churches of Galatia. There were many churches which
had been formed in Galatia. Grace be unto you and peace from
God our Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself
for our sins. that he might deliver us from
this present evil world according to the will of God and our Father,
to whom be glory for ever and ever. So in just a few words,
the apostle points us and points the Church of Galatia to the
great blessings that come through the knowledge of the Savior.
And he says, who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver
us from this present evil world according to the will of God
and our Father. And then he goes on to say, I
marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into
the grace of Christ unto another gospel. Well, what a blessing
if you and I can look back into our lives and observe that work
of God, through his mercy, through his grace toward us, and that
we were called into the grace of Christ, but that we have not
been moved unto another gospel. It's a blessing to know the experience,
to be kept by the power of God, because the day and age in which
we live is a day of many temptations and there are many other gospels
which are set before us and if we analyze many of those false
gospels we find that they really revert or were formed perhaps
in not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ but of the works
of the law and people therefore endeavor to substantiate their
salvation by those things which they are able to do, and not
to be dependent upon the great and glorious work of the Holy
Spirit, which convinces us of sin and then directs us to the
Saviour of sinners, the Lord Jesus Christ. And that indeed
is not a works, it is by grace. the devil is constantly endeavoring
to move the Church of God away from that singular position to
a position of works. And to move us away from that
great doctrine of justification by faith to a justification by
works. And how naturally attractive
it is to our own nature because we like to be up and doing things
which are acceptable to us, in effect, to have justified ourselves
and to produce that which is worthy, naturally, of acceptation
before God. Well, the only thing which is
worthy of acceptation, of course, is to believe in the Lord Jesus
Christ and to receive that faith which he gives to believe, so
that we are not amongst those who are justified by works, but
that we are justified by faith. We have the wonderful illustration
in the Word of God, written by the Apostle when he wrote to
the Church of Rome and spoke to them about the necessity of
the blessing of being justified by faith and he enumerates the
case of Abraham. Abraham lived by faith. We have the life of Abraham at
some length given to us in the Bible and as we trace back that
faith we see how As we trace Abraham's life, we see how God
gave him that wonderful gift of faith to believe. And as the Apostle speaks to
the Roman church, and he tells them, therefore we conclude that
a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. And that is a very fundamental
statement for all true believers to come to, and not therefore
to rest on our own righteousness. Paul says, but now the righteousness
of God without the law, manifested being witnessed by the law and
the prophets even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus
Christ unto all and upon all them that believe he says for
there is no difference between Jew and Gentile for all have
sinned and come short of of the glory of God. Well, that's something,
of course, that we all need to understand by the Spirit of God
that we've all come short, we've all sinned, we're all guilty,
there's none righteous, no, not one. We all stand condemned under
the holy, righteous law of Almighty God. Well, says the apostle for
all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified
freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus. That's how we are justified,
through His grace, the free unmerited favor which has brought us to
that position as we have received the gift of faith to believe
in this great and blessed redemption that is in Christ Jesus. That means that we're not looking
to ourselves for any justification. Because the apostle tells us,
this only would I learn of you, received you the spirit by the
works of the law or by the hearing of faith. Now that's an important
and interesting consideration. As you and I may look into our
hearts, and we are to look into our hearts, the Word of God encourages
us to examine ourselves to see whether we are in the faith or
not. And as we are able to examine
our hearts and discover that we are in the faith, it's very
strengthening to our souls. And if we discover that we are
not, then it's a wonderful blessing to be alerted by the Holy Spirit
to direct us to the need to be found in this way, that we are
found in the Spirit. This only will I learn of you,
received in the Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing
of faith." By the hearing of faith. Well, what a favour it
is to understand then, this blessing and this hearing of faith. Because it is necessary that
you and I are blessed by this wonderful favor. You know the
Apostle, again, when he was continuing his epistle to the Romans, we're
just jumping about a little, but it all follows through really,
because Paul says, he asked them, he asked them questions, he asked
them questions in the ninth chapter, and he asked them and he says,
O man, who art thou that replies against God? Shall the thing
formed say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the pot of power over
the clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour and
another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to show
his wrath and to make his power known, endure with much longsuffering
the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction? and that he might
make known the riches of his glory unto the vessels which
he hath prepared unto glory." Well, how important it is then
that you and I understand the favor that it is to be blessed
by the work of the Holy Spirit and to be favored with living
faith. And then in the 10th chapter,
moves on and he tells us, for Moses describeth the righteousness
which is of the law, that the man which doeth those things
shall live by them. The truth is that you and I are
unable to keep the law of God. Some people think they are. They
think they're able to keep God's law. And they look at the Ten
Commandments and they say, well, I've kept all those commandments.
I've never disobeyed the commands of God. Well, when the Spirit
of God shines into our heart, what we realize is that we may
not have physically offended God by committing and obeying
and fallen by those commands, but that the Spirit of God shows
us that inside us, in our hearts, we have committed sin. And a very simple illustration,
the Ten Commandments, one of them tells us, thou shalt not
covet. Whether we ever wanted something
that we haven't got, well that's coveting isn't it? And therefore
we're a sinner. So therefore everybody is a sinner. And no one can therefore be justified
of themselves. We all have sinned and as we
then go on with these words as the Apostle tells the Romans,
but the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise. Say not in thine heart who shall
ascend up into heaven that is to bring Christ down from above
or Who shall descend into the deep? That is to bring up Christ
again from the dead. But what saith it? The word is
nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart. That is the
word of faith which we preach. And here Paul homes in on the
necessity of hearing the preaching of the gospel and being brought
to that wonderful position of believing through the preaching
of the word. And so he tells us, that if thou
shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe
in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou
shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth
unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made
unto salvation. Remember, the apostle asks the
Galatians a question, Who hath bewitched you that ye should
not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently
set forth, crucified among you? And then he says, for the scripture
says, whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. Well, do we believe? And if we
believe, how do we believe? 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. That means those who pray unto
him that you and I might receive faith to believe. For whosoever
shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. The apostle then illustrates
the relevance of what he'd been saying. How then shall they call
on him in whom they have not believed? So we cannot really
pray to God in faith and not believe. When the Spirit moves
our hearts to come to him just as we are, we come believing
because of that faith which we have received. And how shall
they believe on him of whom they have not heard? And how shall
they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except
they be sent? As it is written, how beautiful
are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring
glad tidings of good things. So here we have the great blessing
of the preaching of the gospel. And that's why we see today so
many false preachers, because they have not been sent by the
Spirit of God. They have decided to preach the
gospel themselves. The Lord has not sent them, and
therefore they are preaching another gospel, and that gospel
is usually a gospel of works, not a gospel of grace. And so
he says, for they have not all obeyed the gospel, for Isaiah
saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? The solemn truth
is that many who have heard the truth of the gospel have not
believed the truth that has been preached to them. And we see
here then these Galatians really going backward. They appears
to have received faith to believe, but now they're relying upon
their own righteousness. They're applying, relying upon
the work of righteousness. And so the apostle says, so then
faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Well, all of us today have heard
the word of God preached, haven't we? What a blessing if we've
received faith to believe in the preaching of the gospel. Well, it's a blessing if that
is so. Because there are those who've
heard it and do not believe. Indeed, we read what Isaiah said. He was bold and he said, I was
found of them that sought me not. I was made manifest unto
them that asked not after me. But to Israel he saith, all day
long I have stretched out my hands, forth my hands unto this
disobedient and gainsaying people. Well, there we have the great
blessing that the Lord gives to those who do come and do believe. Let's just revert then back to
what the Apostle was saying with regard to the faith that was
imputed to Abraham. Because that which was imputed
to Abraham, all of us need the same God-given faith to believe. And so we read, being justified
freely by his grace for the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom
God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to
declare his righteousness, for the remission of sins are passed
through the forbearance of God. To declare, I said, this time
his righteousness, that he might be just, and the justifier of
him that believeth in Jesus Christ." Well, the blessing for us today
is to know that the Lord has given us faith to believe in
the Lord Jesus Christ. And if that is so, then this
question is put, where is boasting then? We can't boast in what
we've done. No, it's excluded. By what? The law of works? No. But by the law of faith. God has given us faith. And if
he's given us that faith to believe, we cannot boast, therefore, in
those things that we have received because we earned them. We can
only boast, and what a good thing it is to boast in what Christ
has done for us. In that great and glorious truth,
that he's died upon the cross at Calvary to redeem our souls. And he's given us that faith
to believe in his death as that death which reconciles us to
God. Now the apostle going back to
this great truth in this epistle to the Galatians, as he asks,
are we so foolish having begun in the spirit, are we now made
perfect by the flesh? Let us not move backwards. Let us not go backwards. Let
us realize that that which God has given us, yes, we are to
rely upon because that which God's given us is for his honor
and for his glory. Well, God gives us the eye of
faith to behold the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. Gives us that spiritual sight.
It's not natural sight, we're thankful for that, but it's a
spiritual sight. And what a favor it is if God
has given us that spiritual sight. And that spiritual sight gives
us that faith to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And that means
that we are resting in his righteousness and we're not resting on our
righteousness. Abraham believed God and it was
accounted to him for righteousness. We perhaps might think, well,
of course, Abraham had great things to believe and what a
favor it was, and we're very different. But God gives the
same faith, the faith that he gave to Abraham. He gives the
same living faith to all his people to believe. God gave Abraham faith to go
out and to leave Ur of the Chaldees to that place not knowing whither
he went. But he had faith in his God that
he would direct him. And then when he received that
promise that all his seed would be as the stars of the sky or
the sand of the sea, he believed that great truth when he had
no son. No evidence of it being performed. He was an old man, but he received
faith to believe. Now, my friends, you and I need
that same faith. And it is really, it's little
faith, but it's got a great faith. A great faith to believe in what
the Lord Jesus Christ has said. Great faith to believe in what
the Word of God says, as it directs us to the great blessed truth
to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. Remember then, it's the same
faith that Abraham was blessed with. And we may think sometimes,
O ye of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? Well, Perhaps
these Galatians have been doubting. They've been doubting about the
glorious truth of the simplicity of the Gospel which the Apostle
had set before them. And they thought, well no, this
is just too simple. We've got to go back. We've got
to remember the works of the law and try and keep those. Well, how the apostle was so
distressed to hear that they were gone back to such a condition. And that's why he was so concerned,
therefore, that they might be led in the right way and not,
therefore, revert to that position they'd been delivered from. Now, we may have been delivered
from a condition of spiritual darkness. We may have been brought into
the spiritual light of the Gospel, and yet now we find ourselves,
as it were, going back into those things which have been revealed
to us. And we therefore need similar
words spoken to us as were spoken to this Church of Galatia. when he says, he marvels that
we are so soon removed. And we do have those times of
doubt in our hearts, don't we? You see, the devil is always
on the lookout to produce a situation which will create doubt in our
hearts. Doubts as to whether we possess
the life of God in our soul. Doubts as whether the Word of
God is true. Doubts as to whether the Lord
Jesus Christ in fact was the Son of God. Don't forget the devil's always
on the outlook for an opportunity to produce doubt in our heart.
That's his great weapon and he's been very successful historically. He was very successful with Adam
and Eve, wasn't he? When he caused them to doubt
the word of God. Those simple words, the Lord
has spoken that they should not eat of that tree of the knowledge
of good and evil. But the question was, hath God
said? My friends, the devil uses the
very same words today. Hath God said? to question our
faith, to question whether we are amongst those who are justified. Yes, and you know, to be justified
means that we have been rendered just or innocent in the sight
of God. And that's not something that
you and I can produce ourselves. It's the work of the Spirit of
God. But to know that we are justified,
the devil will always be trying to prove to us that we are not
justified, that we are not innocent, that we have offended the law
of God and we're not cleansed. And of course we look into our
hearts and we realise, well, devil, that's true to one extent
because I am still a sinner. I still do disobey the word of
God." But he said, the devil will never point you to the Savior.
He will never point you to the righteousness of Christ. He will
never direct you to the great and glorious truth that we are
justified by faith and that we possess the righteousness of
Christ through his death. The devil will never bring you
there. But blessed God of the Spirit of God has done. And blessed
God of the Spirit of God does bring us to that great and glorious
position to view that our righteousness is therefore not of the law,
but it's through the work, the great and glorious work of the
Lord Jesus Christ. He says, have you suffered so
many things in vain? If it be yet in vain, because
the Christian life is a life of suffering, it is a life of
opposition. And we may have passed some of
that way, now perhaps we're tempted to give it up and to go back.
The devil is a great tempter. That's why the apostle instructs
the church of Galatia to put on the whole armor of God. The whole armour of God, not
just part of it, the whole armour of God, Ephesians rather. What
a blessing it is when the word of God then comes to us and instructs
us in that and to put on the breastplate of faith. The breastplate
of faith, you know. Faith to resist all the arrows
of the devil. There was constantly throwing
arrows at us. to try and cause us to revert
to our unconverted condition. Well, here we have then these
statements. That's the apostle brings before
us. He therefore that ministereth
to you the spirit and worketh miracles among you, doeth he
by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith, even as
Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. As the Spirit of God gives us
faith to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, it is accounted
unto us for righteousness. That righteousness is given to
us then. It's placed upon us. The Word
of God has a beautiful word. It's imputed to us. Yes, it's
imputed upon us. And in exchange, our sins are
imputed to Christ. You see, the devil can't resist
those truths. We're told to resist the devil.
My friends, the only way you and I can resist the devil is
to point him to the finished work of Christ. And to point
him to the truth that Christ is risen from the dead. And to
tell him Christ is now ascending to glory, interceding for us. The devil hates truth. The devil
hates truth. He wants you and I to deny the
truth. That's why the apostle has these
words so soon removed from him that called you into the grace
of Christ unto another gospel. So soon removed from this great
and glorious truth. And so he says, know you therefore,
they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. Spiritually, we find ourselves
and united to God's servant Abraham. because God has given us the
same precious faith that he gave Abraham. And let us not look
at our faith and think, well, it's not worth anything. My friends,
a little faith. Faith like a grain of mustard
seed, so small, is able to remove mountains. You see, it's not
the quantity, it's the quality and true faith The gift of true
faith will bring us safe home to glory. For as many as are
the works of the law are under the curse, the curse. For it is written, cursed is
everyone that continues not in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them. And as I said earlier,
It is impossible for us to keep the whole law of God. And so
we are naturally cursed. We are under the cursed. Cursed is everyone that continues
not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do
them, but that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God. It is evident for the just shall
live by faith. Here were the Galatians having
this lesson pointed out to them again. And the Lord has recorded
these things for our encouragement as we journey on through life,
perhaps under temptation to give up our Christian faith. To think,
well, it's not real, it's just false, and I'm gonna give it
all up. Well, remember here then, these
greater words and encouraging from Almighty God. The law is
not of faith, but the man that doeth them shall live in them.
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law. See that's
ammunition against the devil, isn't it? Christ hath redeemed us. and the curse of the Lord, because
He has made a curse for us, as it is written, cursed is everyone
that hangeth on a tree, that the blessing of Abraham might
come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, that we might receive
the promise of the Spirit through faith. The promises of God, the
promises given to us through the Spirit are by living faith,
that faith which the God, the Holy Spirit brings to us. And what a blessing it is. Brethren,
I speak after the manner of men, though it be but a man's covenant,
yet if it be confirmed, no man disanoneth or addeth thereunto.
So we have this great truth, and this I say, and the covenant
that was confirmed before God in Christ, the law, which was
430 years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise
of none effect. For if the inheritance be of
the law, it is no more a promise, but God gave it to Abraham by
promise." And my friends, that promise comes still through to
the church of God. What a blessing it is to know
that we are favored to enjoy these great and glorious promises. We haven't time to go through
this whole epistle to the Galatians, but just picking out one verse
in the previous chapter, where Paul says, knowing this, knowing
that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by
the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ,
that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by
the works of the law. For by the works of the law shall
no flesh be justified." That's the 16th verse in the second
chapter. Go home and ponder that. It's
a great truth. And it's wonderfully strengthening
to our faith to realize, yes, our hope All our hope is based
upon what Christ has done, not upon anything that we've done.
All that we have received has been freely given. And are we not therefore a monument
of God's grace? That means something to be looked
at, something to be admired, not for what we are in ourselves,
but for what we are by the grace of God, as we receive the glorious,
free, unmerited favour of eternal life. Well, let us thank God
for these great and glorious truths. You know, these things
that are not revealed to us by nature, are they? But they are
revealed to us by the Spirit of God. And I often think of
the wonderful occasion after the Lord was risen from the dead,
and there he was joining those two on that road to Emmaus. And they were speaking about
the things of God. And never forget, it's good to
speak about the things of God whenever we join together. and
they couldn't really understand what had occurred. They no doubt
knew the law of God, they knew the Old Testament, but the Spirit
of God hadn't enlightened them. And the Lord comes and speaks
to him these great and glorious words, just like the apostle
did, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets
have spoken. Ought not Christ to have suffered
these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses
and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures
the things concerning himself." Well, he preached a wonderful
sermon just to those two people as they journeyed along. They
weren't in a temple, they weren't in any particular place of worship,
they were just journeying along the road. that the Lord came
and preached to them a glorious gospel and it had a wonderful
effect upon them. Indeed, they came and they came
back and joined the disciples and they told them all the things
that were done and how their heart burned within them while
he spoke to them by the way. Now, I believe as the spirit
of God comes, and gives us a right understanding of the great work
of the Spirit, the work of faith in our hearts. Our hearts rejoice
in the knowledge of the truth and the effect is, in some small
measure, to know that our hearts burn within us at the revelation
that God has given to us. as he's brought us to understand
the great and glorious truths of the gospel and has granted
us that gift of faith to believe in what Christ has done and to
have some evidence therefore that we are justified not because
of what we've done but through the righteousness of that glorious
work of the Lord Jesus Christ as he kept the law and he made
it honorable. It was a righteous law and the
Lord Jesus Christ kept it on behalf of his church and on behalf
of his people. So my friends this morning, may
we be thankful that the spirit of God ordained that the apostle
should write this letter to the Galatians to instruct them in
these great and glorious truths so that if we are tempted to
turn aside, if we are tempted perhaps to turn back, or perhaps
our faith is being tried to remember these great and glorious truths
and to thank God for what Christ has done and that we might indeed
earnestly pray that our faith may be directed to the crucified
Saviour in whose work in whose finished work we rely for eternal
life and to receive then the gift of faith. Let us not forget
the wonderful words in Ephesians where the apostle speaks and
he says, it is now therefore, it is, sorry, it is through faith,
for by grace are you saved. through faith and that not of
yourselves it is the gift of God not of works lest any man
should boast for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto
good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk
in them. Oh may God bless his word to
us and may we rejoice in his truth that we are justified,
not through anything that we have done, but through his work,
justified by faith, that through his grace, we are in Christ Jesus,
and therefore we shall be found at last in glory, praising this
great and glorious saviour, who has redeemed us from all our
sin. Amen.