Good evening, let's all stand together and sing hymn number 334.

334. do Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best law, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my wisdom, and Thou my true word,
I ever with Thee, and Thou with me always.
Thou my great Father, I Thy true Son,
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, Thou ain't always,
Thou ain't the only first in my heart.
High King of Heaven, my treasure Thou art.
I, King of Heaven, my victory own,
May I reach Heaven's joys, O my Heaven's Son,
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall.
Still be my vision, O Ruler of

Be seated. We'll sing hymn number 235.

235. Bless me not, O gentle Savior
Hear my feeble cry
While all others now are going
Do not pass me by
Savior, Savior
Hear my people cry
Our mothers, now are gone.
Do not pass me by.
Let me at a throne of mercy find a sweet relief.
Kneeling there in deep contrition
Held by unbelief
Savior, Savior
Hear my fatal cry
While on others Thou art calling
Do not pass me by
Trusting only in thy merit
Would I seek thy face
Heal my wounded, broken spirit
Save me, guide thy grace.
Savior, Savior, hear my feeble cry.
Thou on others Thou art calling, do not pass me by.
Thou the spring of all my comfort,
? On earth beside thee ?
? Who in heav'n but thee ?
? Savior, Savior ?
? Hear my plea, O God ?
While on the others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.

I always say feeble cry, I don't say humble because it's, I don't know how humble I am, if I've got any humility at all, but I know I'm very feeble, frail in myself. I do know that.

While you turn to Galatians chapter three, Eleanor's got COVID. And Brad and Pam have been around here today. Pam, she's staying over there now. And Joyce Hardman's got pneumonia. And they may have took her to the hospital this evening. I know I had a message I didn't get to at the time. I'll tell you. If our free will was so powerful and so strong as some people make it out to be, our free will would never let us get sick. Never let us. But as old Augustus Toplady said, it can't cure a toothache much less save a soul. But that's what people think. It's the power. It got all the power.

All right, let me start reading here. in verse 10 down through verse 14. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse, for it is written, Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God. And that's where people miss it, in the sight of God. It's evident, evident, for the just shall live by faith. Law has nothing to do with faith. And the law is not a faith, but the man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, for it is written, cursed is 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.

Our blessed, blessed Father, here we come, here we come, as we are, as we are. And so thankful we can come as we are. Don't have to dress up to come. Don't have to pray pretty prayers. Don't have to come up with lots of words. We just come into your presence and cry for mercy, cry for grace. And Lord, we'll get mercy and we'll get grace because you promised us that you've already given to us and that you're new every morning. And Lord Jesus, I thank you that this, given us this privilege, this wonderful time that we can meet together. And Lord, enable me to feed your sheep, to be a blessing to your dear people.

And now we pray for those who are not with us through sickness. We pray for Eleanor, Rick and Helen, Doc and Janie, Joyce. Oh, Lord. Debbie and Jim, especially Jim. Oh, Lord, these people need you so desperately. They need a healing touch if he'd be pleased to raise their bodies up, get them through this affliction, get them through this trial. These bodies are so weak and so frail.

And, Lord, we know that as a father pitieth his children, even so you pitieth them that fear you. And, Lord, we're here tonight because we do have the fear and awe and worship in our hearts to give unto you. Meet with us, please. For Christ's sake. Amen.

Him number 357. 357, we'll omit the third verse.

nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee. He, though with Thee across, that praiseth me, still all my song shall be

Nearer, my God, to Thee, Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee.

Go like the water, touch sand or clay.
Darkness be over me, my rest restored.
Yet in my dreams I see, nearer my God to Thee.

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee.
Then with my waking thoughts, bright with Thy praise,
Out of my stoning griefs, let go Thy rage.
So by my woes to Thee, nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer, my God, to Thee,
nearer to Thee.

O'er it gone joyful, gleaming the sky,
Sun, moon, and stars for God, above her high fly.
Still, O my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer, my God, to Thee,
nearer to Thee.

All right, look with me back in Galatians. And I'm going to get my subject out of verse 13. You know, we It says here, Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. For it is written, curse it is everyone that hangeth on a tree.

Here it says Christ was made a curse. Christ was made a curse. Christ was made a lot of things. It says Christ was made of a woman. that he was made under the law. He was made to be sinned. He was made to be like Andre's brethren. And here it says he was made a curse. Did make himself a curse. Did make himself a curse. God made him to be a curse.

And it tells us so plainly that those who want to be justified, accepted, to add to their righteousness anything to do with the law, by obedience to the law in any way, are under the curse. Cursing is everyone that continues. If you're going to start that way, you've got to continue.

But what does the curse of the law mean? What does the curse of the law mean? Back up there about the curse of the law, Christ being made a curse for us. And, you know, there are some who teach and believe, if you don't know and keep the law as a rule of life, as a rule of life, and use it as a means to discipline people in the church, they're another curse.

I've had folks here years ago, that thought that they thought that law was a rule of life. And a fella, Bruce Crabtree, got through preaching one time, and he's getting out of the pulpit, fella met him, met him, said, what are you gonna do with the law? He said, I ain't gonna do nothing with it. I ain't gonna do nothing with it. I'm gonna leave it the way it is.

But that's what he wanted to do. Christ, you know, Bruce made salvation by grace and made it about Christ. This fellow wasn't satisfied with that. What are you going to do with the law? I'm not going to do anything with it. Christ redeemed us from the curse. And the curse, oh my, I do not understand. I said that last week.

If you're going to be under the law and have it as a rule of life and use it to discipline people with, Can you imagine how self-righteous you have to be, how powerful you think you may be that you can sit in judgment on somebody else, that you can decide who's sinning and who ain't, who can be disciplined in the church and who can't, who can be put in the church and put out of the church?

Now, up in Iowa, when Joe Terrell first went up there, the Netherlands reformed and the Dutch reformed. They had deacons in them that they'd come to your house at least once a month and to see how you was dressed, to see if you had a television, to see how you, how you straining your children, see how much Bible you had read. And they would do that, come in your home and put you under a microscope.

Listen. How powerful and how self-righteous must you be to think that you can treat people that way? I know a preacher that told people that if they're going to get a dog or get a car, you got to come check with me first. Out in Missouri, he said, if you want a dog, you got to check with me first. So I can approve of it. And if you get a car, come and let me look at it first and make sure it's okay. Can you imagine somebody have that much control over people?

Cursed. Cursed. And you can't move from law back into grace. You can't rule as a rule of life and come back under grace. You're one or the other. There's no moving back and forth. I won't even call them brethren. God helpin' me no more not callin' Armenian brethren. How you gonna call somebody that's under the law a brother? That's why they hated Paul so much, because he preached that Moses had no power over anybody. And they hated him for that.

But let me show you what I'm talkin' about. Look over here in John chapter 7 and verse 45. John chapter 7, verse 45, here's a perfect example of what's going on here. You know, our Lord told the Pharisees, he said, you know, said, Moses gave you the law, but none of you, none of you's kept it. But look what he said here in verse 44, let's start verse 44.

And some of them would have taken him, but no man laid hands on him. Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said unto them, Why have you not brought him? Why didn't you bring him to us? The officers answered, Never man spake like this man. Then answered them the Pharisees, Are you also deceived? Now watch this. Have any of the rulers of the Pharisees believed on him? Now listen to what he says right here. But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed.

He has it backwards. Absolutely backwards. If you don't know the law, you're cursed. And then the curse. You know the first time curse is mentioned? The very first time the word curse is mentioned. Genesis 217, when Adam and Eve sinned and failed. God said when he's casting them out of the garden, he said, curse it, be the ground for thy sake, because of what you've done. Ever from now on, you're going to earn your bread by the sweat of your brow. And because you sinned, you're under a curse. I mean, every day you get up, you're going to have, you're under that curse. And oh, that's the first time it's mentioned. But the curse, what it amounts to is man's inability to keep the law. We don't have the ability to keep it. We don't have, we can't use it for sanctification, for church discipline, sitting in Moses' seat. You see, the law requires doing, doing, not knowing, not hearing, not approving, but perfectly doing. And oh, my. And you know the penalty for sin, when Adam sinned, and the penalty for sin is death. Sin bringeth death. Sin brings us under a curse, and it brings death. Wherever there's sin, there's going to be death. And that's what happened to Adam.

And I tell you what, And there's no further appeal to being under the curse. And I'll tell you something else about the law. It increases the power of sin. Do you know that? The power, the law imparts to sin. You know, the law makes sin to be more powerful and puts people under the power of sin. And that's what happens when men and women, you know, Most people get divorced because of law. They can't get along. One of them wants to be the boss, another don't. One wants to be on subjection, another don't. And so it's this law thing.

And when the law comes, the strength of sin is from the law itself. The law works wrath. It works the wrath of God toward a man. And it not only does that, but the scripture says the carnal mind is enmity against God. That means it's hostile toward God. This old carnal fleshly mind, when somebody, all you, none of you, all you all tried to raise your children right. You tried to make them understand that you don't do this, you don't do that and all that, but I'll tell you something. Whatever you teach them that don't keep them from being sons of Adam,

And I tell you this, I've told you this all, I don't know how many times I've used this. All you got to do is start a fight and when you get home and say, now I'm gonna lay down the law to you and this is the way it's gonna be. And if you don't like it, there's the door. And that's the way most people end up in a divorce or end up fighting or else not talking to one another. That's just the way it works.

And I tell you, you know, sin is like a red flag to a bull. And that's what the law is to a sinner. Don't do it. I've got to. Don't go in that room. I got to get in there. Don't open that door. I got to open that door. God said, don't do it. I'm going to do it. God said, love me. I can't. Oh, my. That's the way the law is to a sinner and a rebel. You know, God's commandments, God's Word, it stimulates rebellion in the heart. You know that? The law stimulates rebellion in the heart. Like I've already told you, the carnal mind, this old carnal mind, fleshly mind, is enmity, hostile toward God. And it cannot be subject to the law of God. It cannot do it.

And oh my, I tell you, that's, I remember some fellas, a family here one time, and they, they was, oh, they got all over me for being Aninomian, preaching from Galatians. They got, you know, they met me back there and said, whoa, they started talking to me about, oh, you're an antinomian. I said, what are you? I said, you know, you don't even believe in the law at all. And I said, no, I don't. I absolutely don't. We're not under it in any way. And they said, well, he says, but what about as a rule of life and this, that, and the other? I said, sin finds its strength by the law. The more you put people under bondage, the more they'll fight it. The more they'll resist it, or else they'll become a Pharisee, one or the other. If I started telling you all how you're supposed to live, don't come in here unless you're dressed a certain way. Don't come in here unless you pay attention to everything. If I tell you to do something, I mean for you to do it. If I started doing you that way, you know what happened? You'll say, listen, I ain't gonna go hear that preacher no more. I've had about enough of that. And I wouldn't blame you. I wouldn't blame you.

But look what it says about Christ. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law. Oh, my. And the curse of the law is upon all men, Jew and Gentile. But the gospel, the gospel that Abraham had preached to him, the gospel that we have, tells us that Christ redeemed us out from under that curse. How did he do it? Does the curse say, in the flesh you cannot please God? Well, Christ, in his flesh, he pleased God every day of his life. Oh, my. Does the curse say, leaves us without any righteousness of our own? Christ, Became, bore our curse and became our righteousness. Jehovah, the Lord, our righteousness. That's what he became to us. Oh my, does the curse bring us into bondage? You know what? Christ set us free. He said, know ye the truth and the truth will set you free. And whom the Son sets free, you know how free he is? He's free indeed.

Oh, does the curse condemn us? Pass judgment on us? And reveal the wrath of God toward us? And our wrath back toward Him? The Scriptures tells us that Christ, in Christ, there is now, right now, no condemnation, no judgment to them that are in Christ. Who's he gonna condemneth? It's Christ that died. Who's gonna judge us? Christ that died. Who's gonna charge God's elect? Christ that died. Not only did he die, but he rose again. Oh, and then it says he redeemed us. He redeemed us. Oh my, I love that word, redemption, redeem. Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it. Redeemed by power divine. You know, to redeem is to buy. Is to buy. And when he talks about buying someone, you know, it means purchasing a slave or someone who is in bondage with the intention of setting them free. I'm gonna buy them, then I'm gonna set them free. Set them free. And our Lord bought us. Bought us back. brought us out from under the slavery of sin, out from under the bondage of sin, out from under the bondage of the law. And oh my, our Lord brought us back. And I'll tell you what, we were carnal souls under sin, but our Lord Jesus Christ, bless His name, He bought us. And do you reckon He got us? Do you reckon His redemption was effectual? Do you reckon his blood was effectual? Do you reckon it gets the job done?

Oh, and this old flesh, oh, Paul said, I know that in me, in my flesh, dwells no good thing. Well, where's our goodness come from? Where does our hope come from? Where does our righteousness come from? Where does everything we have come from that's worth having? The Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, my. Our old man, as long as he's alive, he ain't worth a salt goes in his bread. But as long as we remain like this, we're walking and presenting, as long as we walk in the flesh and slaves to the flesh, we present ourselves servants to sin. And the result of this old man's slaves to sin is death. And the law can't help us. The law can't help us.

Look in Romans 5.20. Oh my, look in Romans 5.20. You know why the law came? I mean, yeah, Romans 5.20. You know why the law came? This is what it tells us here. And it tells us again here, look in Romans 5.20. The law can't help us. And you know why the law entered, why the law came? Now there was no law except what Adam got us under when he disobeyed God. Moreover, the law entered that sin might abound. The offense we have against God might abound. Show us just how bad off we really, really are. But now listen to this, where sin abounded, where sin abounded. Grace, grace, grace did much more abound than what it goes on to say, as sin hath reigned unto death. Now listen to this. Even so might grace reign. Well, how's it going to reign? Through righteousness. Whose righteousness? Unto eternal life that Christ gives us by himself.

Oh, listen, Christ has redeemed us from this curse. He paid the price. The price was himself, the very life of Christ. His blood poured out for us. He was a lamb slain without spot and without blemish. And we was redeemed by that precious blood without spot and without blemish. And if the price has been paid and the transaction is complete, then the slave is free. Redemption's accomplished. And I'll tell you what, and I'm going to tell you something. Redemption's particular. What I mean by particular, it's not for everybody. It's for a particular people.

Who's that particular people? I lay down my life for the sheep. You know, when God redeemed Israel out of Egypt, He done it, first of all, He had to have a sacrifice. He had to have blood. And that blood had to be applied. And then that lamb had to be eaten. And then God passed over them, and then He brought them out with power. And that's exactly what Christ does for us. He was a lamb. And instead of, and we feast on him, and he is our life, he is our bread, he is our, everything about him is ours. And just like that, by the same token, his, that blood that was applied has to be applied to us. And the only person that can apply blood to us is the Holy Spirit. We can't apply it to ourselves. And so this, this is a particular redemption. This is for particular people.

And there was no Egyptians under the blood when God come out of Egypt. God said, I'm going to put a difference between a dog and you. I ain't even going to let a dog get close to you. That's how particular it was. It was only for Israel. And God's Israel, God's elect, God's people, they're the only ones Christ died for. And the only ones that the blood will ever be applied for. Oh, my. And if the transaction's done, when did the transaction take place? At the cross. When do you know? When Christ said, it is finished. And I'll tell you what, he took his blood, bless his name, and the first place that we went to, it went where God could see it. You know, put that blood over that door, over that little of that door. So when I pass by, I see that blood. I don't care if you see it or not, I see it. And that's the way it is now. We don't sometimes feel like that, you know, but God said, put that blood where I can see it. And I pass that over you. And you know how he done it? He done it justly. He done it righteously because he did it through Christ.

Oh, what a gospel, what a gospel. And oh my, and how did Christ redeem us? Look back here in this verse 13. Being made a curse for us, and listen to what it says, for it is written, curse it as every one that hangeth on a tree. Curse it as every one hangeth on a tree. Now I want you to keep Galatians and go to Deuteronomy chapter 21. Go to Deuteronomy chapter 21, verse 22 and 23. This is why he said it is written. This is why he's talking about it. Christ made a curse. Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. Look what it says in verse 22, Deuteronomy 21, 22, excuse me, 22. And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death and he be put to death and thou hang him on a tree, His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day. For he that is hanged is cursed of God, accursed of God. And the margin says, cursed of God. That the land be not defiled, which the Lord thy giveth thee for an inheritance.

Now, who in the world has committed a sin worthy of death? who has not committed a sin worthy of death. Well, what did God do? He said, hang that man, that man that dies, hang him on a tree. Hang him up for everybody to see it. But don't let the sun go down on him. You take him down, get him down and bury him.

And that's what Christ became for us. He was made a curse. God cursed as ever one that hangeth on a tree. And they hung him on a tree outside Jerusalem. He started at 9 o'clock in the morning. They crucified him. He made seven statements. And then he bowed his head and he died. And they come to see if those men on that cross were dead, because they've got to be buried before dark. And they come to break the legs of the other men, so they couldn't last. But they came to Christ, and he was already dead.

You know what they did? They took him down, a little after 3 o'clock. And we read about where they took him, and anointed him, and washed him. wrapped him in the clothes, and carried him and put him in his grave before sundown. That's what it means. That's what Christ did for us, just to do nothing but pay for our sin. And you know who he paid the debt to? God. So if God has been paid for our sin, because Christ was cursed for it, Then God can't never come and get us, because he got his son. And God will not never charge a man twice for the same crime. Christ did it. Oh, no. Bless his holy name.

Oh, I tell you, that substitution, just as clear as it can be there in Deuteronomy, curse that man hanging on a tree. Bring him down and bury him. Let him up there all night. And that's exactly, oh my, our Lord wasn't worthy of death. He wasn't. So his death had to be for somebody else. He had no sin of his own, so he had to become sin for somebody else. And sin and death was not just physical, but eternal. In Christ, When he said, when he said, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? That was eternal death to our Lord Jesus. He did on six hours on a cross what would have never been able to be done by us for eternity, paid our debt. And being made a curse for us, counted a curse of God by his father. Oh my.

And I gotta show you something else. I hope I'm not taking too long. I don't know what time it is. I don't even know. But oh my, look over, you know, the curse and judgment of God, who was offended by sin and rebellion, fell on his righteous son. Look in Zechariah. Zechariah is the first, last book of the Old Testament before you get to Matthew. Zechariah 13. Zechariah 13, the curse and judgment of God, who is offended by sin, offended by rebellion, fell upon his righteous son. And look what he said here in verse 6. And one shall say unto me, what are those wounds in thine hands? Then shall I answer those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. And then God said, Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ. And against the man that is my fellow, said the Lord of hosts, smite the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered. And they were that night, oh my. And I'll turn my hand upon the little ones. I'll see that them don't go astray, the little bitty ones, the babies, the babies. All right.

Oh, the curse of the law is not only the penalty for sin and death, and Christ covered sin and death for us. But he also, when we talk about that, there's three things about sin. First of all, there's the penalty of sin, which is death. Death. Christ died. And what did he die for? God made him to be sin, who knew no sin. So he died. He died. Sin and death died with him. So the penalty of sin is to be taken care of.

And then there's the power of sin. Sin shall not have dominion over you, reign over you. You know why? because you're not under law. What are you under then? Grace. Grace? Oh my. He delivered us from the power of sin. Oh my. And when Christ died, the scriptures tells us that we died with him. He died under sin once, likewise we died under sin. When he died to sin, we died to sin. Oh, we're no longer slaves to sin. but servants of righteousness.

And then let me show you this in verse 14 here in Galatians 3, that hangeth on a tree. Now watch what he says, that this happened, that this might happen. Christ has made a curse that this might happen to us, that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles. Oh, the blessings of Abraham. What was Abraham's blessings? First of all, God said, go out. He brought us out. Secondly, he said, I promise that in thy seed, you're going to be the father of many nations. And he said, I'm going to be your reward. I'm going to be everything to you. And I'm going to come and give you a son. And all this, this is the effect, the result of Christ being made curse for us. The blessing of Abraham has come on Gentiles. That's us. What a blessing. Righteousness. Abraham believed God. You know what he said? You're a righteous man, Abraham. Uh-huh. And then you know what else the second thing was? He was justified by faith. And he had the gospel preached to him. We got the blessing of faith justified by faith. And we have the blessing of Christ being our reward. We have the blessing of Abraham being justified by God Almighty.

And then look what else he goes on to say. How did we get all this? Through Jesus Christ. How did this happen? Through our Lord Jesus Christ. How did this promise come? Through Christ. Same way Abraham got the promise. That we might receive the promise of the Spirit. What does that mean? That means that God promised, promised that the Holy Spirit would come And when He'd come, He'd bring the things of Christ, He'd show the things of Christ to us. And the promise of the Holy Spirit came to us, and that's how we know Christ. And He has Himself come, and what that means is that Christ Himself is in us, Christ in you, the hope of glory. This is how God dwells in us. Oh my, by promise, by promise. And all these blessings are given in Christ Jesus. Ain't that what it says? Oh my, that this promise might come through Jesus Christ, not through Moses.

And I tell you the scriptures emphasizes everywhere you go that everything the believer possesses right now and eternally is theirs only in Christ, chosen in Christ. spiritual blessings in Christ, accepted in Christ. He is our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification, our redemption. And all these blessings come by faith and the promise that God gave us in Christ. Oh, what a gospel. What a gospel.

Well, That fills me with such joy. That fills me with such joy. Oh, such peace, such comfort. Oh, bless his name. Bless his name. Our Father, thank you for your great, wonderful mercies given us in Christ. Thank you for this gospel. Thank you for buying us out from under that curse of the law. Thank you for saving us from sin. Thank you for saving us to death, and not only death, but turning around and giving us eternal life, giving us a life that's eternal, a life that's like God himself, eternal, a life that never has an end.

And, Lord, we thank you that you brought it to us and you came by promise. And Lord, thank you for the gospel of the grace of God. Thank you for paying the penalty of our sin, saving us from the power of it. Thank you for loving us who are so unlovable. Thank you for dying for us who were worthy to be died for. But Lord, we thank you, and we bless you and praise you. In our Lord Jesus' name, amen.

Learning to lean. Learning to lean. I'm learning to lean on Jesus. Finding more power than I ever dreamed. I'm learning to lean on Jesus.

If the weather permits, I'll see you Sunday. If it don't, I'll see you next Wednesday.