Galatians chapter 3 I Want to read just four verses
this morning Galatians chapter 3 I will begin in verse 15 to
read down through 18 brethren I Speak after the manner of men.
He's saying I'm going to give you a human illustration Though
it be but a man's covenant Yet if it be confirmed no man disallowed
or added thereto Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises
made. He saith not, and to seeds, as of many, but as of one, and
to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say, that the covenant
that was confirmed before of 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 promise, but God gave it to Abraham by
promise. My subject this morning is this,
the law cannot disannul covenant promise. The law cannot disannul
covenant promise. These words that I have just
read, you read along or you listened as I read, these words are from
an ex-legalist. Remember that. An extreme ex-legalist. One who took it to the extent
that if someone was adhering to what he considered to be heresy,
And he had the authority, he would hail them, both men and
women, into prison. And who knows what all happened
to them when that took place. Remember, there was at least
one man that was stoned to death by a legalistic mob. And they
laid their cloaks, they took their coats off so they could
get a good swing. And they were throwing rocks
at this man, bludgeoning him to death. And they took their
coats off so they could do this more appropriately, and laid
them at the feet of one called Saul. That's the same man that
wrote those words I just read to you. An extreme ex-legalist. Think of it, he was steeped in
legal deeds. Steeped in legal rights, that's
R-I-T-E-S. Although I'm sure he felt he
had certain legal rights, R-I-G-H-T-S as well. He proved that. He was
steeped in legal traditions. His whole outlook on scripture
was law, not messiah. Now I'm not saying he did not
believe there was a coming messiah. He said, we knew Christ after
the flesh one time. But his whole outlook of scripture
was not about messiah, it was about him. his relatives, his
people, and the law. But after his gospel conversion,
hmm? After his gospel conversion,
it was this, Christ, grace, and faith in Christ only. Now you
don't have to turn to it, but I'm gonna read what Paul wrote
to our brothers and sisters in Philippi. And just a couple things
here. Now think about this. After his
gospel, I said his gospel conversion. There are other kinds of conversion,
but the only one that's of any honor before God is gospel conversion. And after his gospel conversion,
it was Christ, it was grace, it was faith in Christ only,
so much so that he was moved to write these words. And we
read them to the letter to the church at Philippi in Philippians
3 in just a couple verses. Doubtless. Sometimes we read these things
and we kinda, you know, doubtless, the Spirit of God removed this
man, this ex-legalist, this ex-extreme legalist to say, yea, doubtless. There is no, Paul said, I don't
debate this. I'm not coming down from this
stance. Yea, doubtless. And I count all
things but lost. But look at those things. Though
I might, verse four, though I might have confidence in the flesh,
if any man thinketh that he have whereof he might trust in the
flesh, I more. I was circumcised the eighth
day. There was no delay at eight days
old. circumcised the eighth day of
the stock of Israel, of the tribe of that young beloved son, Benjamin,
and Hebrew of Hebrews, as touching the law, a Pharisee, staunch,
again, in his rights, his deeds, his traditions, staunch in it,
but not concerning zeal, persecuting the church, touching, now think
about this, doubtless, I counted, but what? Loss. Look, touching
the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. Now that's where he stood. He
was certainly misinformed and did not understand correctly,
but this is where he stood. When it come to the righteousness
of the law, blameless. But what things were gained to
me, those I counted loss. So we're not talking about immorality. We're talking about things that
at one time were held in high regard. Even the Roman government
respected this so much that they gave the Jewish leaders much
sway in what they could do. They could put people to death
with rocks and not be prosecuted for it. Over their religious
beliefs, look at that. Yea, doubtless, and I count all
things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus
my Lord, for whom I've suffered the loss of all things and do
count them but dung that I may win Christ and be found in him. Now here's that extreme exlegalist. Not having mine own righteousness,
I reject it. I reject it, which is of the
law. So he's not talking about just
any old kind of righteousness. He's not talking about societal
morals, which you know ebb and flow with the society. It seems
as though in ours, though, it's not got much of a ebb to up. It's like this, isn't it? There
is a difference between morality and righteousness, though men
try to mix it up. Righteousness is set, it's fixed.
Morality flows with the group that it's in. But let me just
go on. They got this ex-legalist. This
is where he stands. I reject my own legal righteousness. What? Which is of the law, but
that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness
which is of God by faith. Legal righteousness is your righteousness. Christ's righteousness is God's
righteousness. The legalists can get mad at
me all they want for saying that, but I will continue to say it. They can call me all the aspersions,
antinomians, so be it, I'll wear it. I'll wear it. But think about
this, according to this same ex-legalist, this same extreme
ex-legalist, according to him, legalism is not a companion to
the gospel. He goes on in this same letter,
in this same chapter, in chapter three, verse 17. Brethren, be
followers together of me. and mark them which walk so as
ye have us for an example. 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. But remember the context. He
is counting as dung his own legal righteousness. his own righteousness
that was of the law. And he says people that are opposed
to that are what? They're enemies of the cross
of Christ. That doesn't mean they deny the
cross of Christ. They just disannul, try to disannul,
or add to. Now we're right back where we,
these legalists in Galatia, they weren't trying to deny the efficacy
of the blood of Christ. But you must have circumcision
too. They were adding to the covenant
of promise. And that's what Paul's talking
about here, or who he's talking about. They are enemies. Now,
I don't care if it's people you care about with all your heart,
mind, and soul. I don't care if they're your,
put that in quotes, friends, right? I don't care if they're
your blood relatives. If they disannul or try to add
to the covenant or promise, they are enemies of the cross of Christ,
because without question, we cannot leave the context, 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, the one to whom the promise was
made, that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through
Jesus Christ, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through
faith. Anyone who tries to join law
and gospel are enemies of the cross of Christ. For it is the
cross of Christ only Only, only, that secured our blessings. And even according to physical
standards amongst men, though it be but a man's covenant, his
agreement, though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed,
if two parties agree to this, no man disalloweth or addeth
thereto. Now our text exemplifies this. This man, as I say, I started
the title, four or five of my messages, just Paul was relentless,
but I knew that really means nothing to most people. Paul
though here was relentless, he don't quit. The more I read and
study this, he just won't quit. You think about, you think, you
would think, with any kind of rational, put that, and logical
minds, that once he's argued this up to this point, he can
now move on to other things. But it's that dangerous. Do I
recognize how dangerous that is? Have I often said things
in a careless way that caused people to think things of me,
of what I was saying, of what I was teaching, of what I was
preaching that wasn't true? Can you relate to Peter? Just
a small slip when it came to keeping company with certain
people. Ever been guilty? I have, I have. Don't get angry
with some people, point the finger at you and say, well, you're
hypocritical. That's our problem. We are hypocritical, but this
word is not. This word holds the lie, and
it holds fast. And this text, this whole letter
for that matter, as a matter of fact, all of the book of God
exemplifies this, but specifically our letter, because Paul is dealing
with this thing, law versus grace, law versus Christ, law versus
faith only. Now just two thoughts for this
morning. The first one I've done mention,
and I will read it here, make a statement about it, and I will
probably refer to it one more time, but what I want to deal
with is the second thing, the second thought. The first thought
is this, Paul's example, or better, is a illustration, because it's
not an example of God's covenant, it's just a illustration of covenant
agreements. So Paul's example, or his illustration,
more appropriately, and then the second one is, of course,
God's covenant promise, okay? All right, let me read it again.
Brethren, I speak after the manner of men. In our day, we would
say, I'm gonna give you a human illustration. We could say it
that way. Brethren, I speak after the manner
of men, though it be but a man's covenant. Just amongst men who
we know are what? Often very wishy-washy, up and
down. Agree to something and then back
out of it, right? We've done that, I will say, hundreds of
times with the American natives. the white men in the government
did in this country did. We'd make all kinds of agreements
with them, covenants with them, smoke a peace pipe with them,
shake a hand with them, whatever it was, offer gifts back and
forth. And then Jack, we'd turn around
and take away what we'd already promised him. Didn't we, just
do it over and over. No regard, no regard. But yet Paul's saying, if things
are as they should be, if they're on the up and up, I speak after
the manner of men, though it be but a man's covenant, yet
if it be confirmed, and we use the phrase in this message, set
in stone, shake on it, you know what I mean? Or, Mac, now you
write the signature down on the legal paper. If it be confirmed,
no, you're not allowed to. This is the whole thing of a
covenant. You're not allowed to what? Dishonor it. It's an agreement. It's a binding agreement. And
you can't just start adding to it. Well, I don't like that now.
Too late. You shook the hand, you made
the agreement, you signed the paper. Yet if it be confirmed,
no man dishonoreth or addeth thereto. In other words, here's
my message about this part. True covenant, that's true covenant. True covenant sets unassailable,
unchangeable, unalterable parameters. Just the way it is. And if you
go into an agreement today, say like with the bank, and you put
your signature on the line, and then you don't fulfill your part
of the bargain, then they can take you to court. You may, according
to what the situation is, you may go to jail. Make you go to
prison over it. It's that serious, right? Well,
this is even more serious than that because this has eternal
consequences, not just temporal things, not just temporal. So
again, remember, true covenant sets unassailable. Unchangeable,
unalterable parameters. But then that's not Paul's point,
is trying to prove how bad men are when it comes to covenants.
He doesn't do it. He says, now to Abraham and his
seed were the promises made. You see, now he talks about God's
covenant promise. He just gives the illustration
and moves on from it to the thing. Six things here this morning.
Think about this now, God help us to kind of get a hold of this
this morning and may it kind of help us throughout the rest
of our life. Think about it, here's number one. God's covenant
promise and law are not equals. Now it's God's law. It was ordained
by angels in the hand of a mediator. And a mediator is not a mediator
of one. But God is one. And it's God's
holy law. But God's covenant promise and
law are not equals. Again, thus saith the Lord through
Paul. And this I say. that the covenant
that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law which
was 400 and 30 years after, cannot disannul that it should make
the promise of none a fact. You see it? For if the inheritance
be of law, it's no more of promise. You can't mix the two together. And that's, For if the inheritance
be of the law, it's no more promise, and he doesn't even argue about
that. He said, but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Do you
see that? That's unassailable. It's unarguable,
yet men argue it. But, but, but, there are no buts. A covenant promise has been confirmed. Okay, confirmed. God's covenant promise and law
are not equal. Secondly, God's covenant promise
was in and of one person only. Verses 16 and 17. Now to Abraham
and his seed were the promises made. And you say, well, that's
two, but wait a minute. Look at what he says. He saith
not and to seeds as of many. So in the truest respect, it
was not even to Abraham in and of himself. Now do you see what
Paul's getting at here? Now to Abraham and his seed where
the promise is made, he saith not unto seeds as of many, but
as of one unto thy seed. And then Paul makes sure we know
that he understood what God meant in the Old Testament, which is
Christ. Do you see it? Which is Christ,
and this I say, that the covenant that was confirmed before of
God in Christ, the law which was 400 and 30 years after, cannot
disannul that it should make the promise of none effect. And
I say that for a reason. I point that out for a reason.
That's two things. God's covenant promise and law
are not equals. God's covenant promise was in
and of one person only, number three. God's covenant promise
was confirmed, as I said before. What was it I said? Set in stone. That's just a phrase. I'm not
saying that's even the meaning of the Greek word, but it means
to set it in stone. Mac, the legal papers have been
signed, you might say. You could use all those illustrations
of it. Think of it, God's covenant promise was confirmed. It was
set in stone in one person and one person only. I'll read it
again. And this I say, that the covenant
that was confirmed before of God, not in Abraham, in Christ. Do you see it? In Christ. Now, I don't wanna jump in. It
was made to Abraham, but it was not made in Abraham. Do you get the difference now,
huh? It was made to Abraham, but it
was not made in Abraham. Christ is the guarantor of this
covenant, not Abraham. Okay, now you're following along
so far. So remember that God's covenant
promise and law are not equals. God's covenant promise was in
and of one person only. God's covenant promise was confirmed
that is set in stone in one person and one person only. I read it
all. In this I say that the covenant that was confirmed before of
God in Christ, the law which was 430 years after cannot disannul
that it should make the promise of none effect. Number four. Think about this one now. God's
promise, now this may sound as redundant, and I guess it is
to an extent, but I'm emphasizing certain things. I'm emphasizing,
Ellen, different things in this covenant promise. God's promise
is covenant. Do you see that? We promise a
lot of things that we have no covenant concerning, right? You
know what I mean? We promise, well, I promise I'll
do this tomorrow, or I promise I'll do that tomorrow, and if
you don't, it's, oh, well, I forgot. But when it's a covenant, you
can't do that without consequences. You understand? We're real serious,
it's a covenant. God's promise is covenant. Now, the law is covenant, too,
but it didn't promise us anything. It demanded everything. And we'll
look at that, God willing, later. It didn't promise anything. It
demanded everything. Now somebody says, well, there's
one. And you say one commandment was
given with promise, as if you honor your mother and father,
you'll live long in the land. And Paul says, that's the one
commandment is given with promise. They didn't. They didn't. And for hundreds
of years, they weren't even in the land. They were dispersed,
were they not? And now we say they're gathered
back, right? They're still over fighting over
it now. They're not keeping the law,
Jack, now. Because if they did, guess what
God would do? He'd give it to them. The promise
there showed that we have no hope but grace. Grace. Grace, but back to the point.
God's promise is covenant. That means a compact, a binding
will or decree, a contract. And it was confirmed that is
set in stone by God in Christ, again. And this I say, that the
covenant that was confirmed before of God in Christ. Not in Abraham, remember, but
in Christ. made to Abraham and, as I will
say, here in a moment I'll say it, to Christ, but the covenant
was confirmed wherein Christ. And those may seem, those are
to this unregenerate world, Elizabeth, those are just words. You're
just playing with words. So did God. He was playing with
words, but God's proven a point when he plays with words. Think
of it, God's promise is covenant. It's a compact, a binding will
or decree, a contract. It was confirmed that it's set
in stone by God in Christ. And this I say that the covenant
that was confirmed before of God in Christ. But think of this,
number four still yet. It was made to Abraham, right? Now to Abraham. and to Abraham,
you see it? So it was confirmed, set in stone
by God in Christ to Abraham and to Christ. Verse 16, now to Abraham
and his seed, the to would apply there as well, right? You see
it? Now to Abraham, and I want to
put it there, and to his seed were the promises made. It's
not promises because there's a whole lot, a bunch of them.
It's because it's made to two people. But it's confirmed only
where? In one. That's what it says here. And Paul and I read this for
years. I've preached for a lot of years, tried to preach grace
for a lot of years. I never did see that. I just never did see
that. The covenant promise was made
to Abraham and to his seed, to Christ, but it was only confirmed
in Christ. Had we depended, or had to be
depended upon Abraham for this covenant to be confirmed? Think
where we'd have been while he's down there in Egypt, lying about
his wife. Twice, twice. Think where we'd be in when he
said, well, okay, yeah, I know God promised me, and he believed
God, but his wife said, well, but I'm barren, and this ain't
gonna happen. I'm barren. Not only was she
barren, she couldn't bear children, and now she's so old, she couldn't,
even if she could have before. There's Hagor. Take her. Take her to be your wife. Have
a child. He did. Aren't you glad the covenant
wasn't confirmed in Abraham? It was made to him, but it wasn't
confirmed in him. Huh? Ain't you glad the covenant
ain't confirmed in you? Huh? Ain't you glad? Huh? God's promise is covenant,
a compact, a binding will or decree, a contract, confirmed,
that's set in stone by God in Christ. to Abraham and to Christ. Thus, I'll give you a little
conclusion here about the fourth point. Thus, the covenant was
made and confirmed and promised, not between God and Abraham,
but given to him and made to him. Do you see that? The end,
the person on whom the covenant rested was Jesus Christ alone. It was made to Abraham, but it
was not in Abraham. And God made me say, well, why
do you keep saying that? Because by tomorrow we will have forgotten
that. And we'll start looking to ourself
to do something, to get maybe if not overall eternal favor,
just a little favor tomorrow. Right? Won't we? Yeah, we'll
forget by tomorrow. But when you do and that dawns
on you, Just stop, go back and listen to this message. Not my
word, listen to what this says again. Read these words again,
just 15 through 18. Thus the covenant was made and
confirmed, promised, not between, but given to Christ and Abraham. Even here, it wasn't between
God and Christ. It was in Christ. The Father
said, you're responsible to do this. Do you see that? Because
God's a mediator of what? What? Do you see that? A mediator's
not a mediator of one, but God is one nonetheless. That's true
concerning this covenant promise. It wasn't like God the Father
said, now Jesus, if you'll do this, and Jesus, oh well, yeah.
No, God the Father said, you do this, this is the way it's
gotta be. He bowed down. He bowed down. When we often
do not. He accomplished. the arrangements
and the parameters. As a matter of fact, he is the
parameter of the covenant, I should say. He did it all. If that don't make you want to
serve him and obey him and not dishonor him, then you've never
been called by his gospel. If it takes law to keep you in
line, you don't know him. Not in covenant. You may know
him after the flesh, but Paul said, henceforth now know we
him no more. We knew him after the flesh,
but not now. We're new creatures in Christ now. We see him in
not just a whole different light, not just in a whole new light,
but we see him as he really is now. And we get more of it as
it goes on. More of it, you know, and Paul
or Joe will have to preach this in a few months just to remind
us of this because we will have forgotten it by then. I have
to mention it somewhere if we're to really remember it. This will
seek home for a few minutes while we're driving home. And then
we'll go about our daily lives and back to the conundrum and
the dullness, you know, and the difficulties of it. We'll go
right back to it. Here's number five. God's covenant promise
cannot be improved or diminished by the law. Do you see it? Again,
the illustration. Brethren, I speak after the manner
of men, though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed,
and that's the key. Remember, Christ confirmed. It
was confirmed before of God in Christ. God said, son, you do
this. The son said, it's done. Consider,
wait a minute, consider it done, right? And the father trusted
the son to do it, Ephesians chapter one, right? He first trusted
in Christ. Huh? Brethren, I speak after
the manner of men, though it be but a man's covenant, yet
if he be confirmed, no man disalloweth their attitude. Now, this will
vary, and I'll deal with this later, but I'm not gonna give
it right now. When he says this in verse 21, is the law then
against the promise of God? God forbid, for if there had
been a law given, which could have been life, verily there
should have been righteousness by the law. but the scripture hath
concluded all under sin that the promise by faith of Jesus
Christ might be given to them that believe. Okay, you read
all that, but then you have this statement. Wherefore then serveth
the law in 19, it was added. Wait a minute, he just talked
about not adding to or disavowing. It wasn't added to the covenant
promise. It was just added. It was added. When a covenant is confirmed,
no man disalloweth or addeth thereto. Now you can make all
kinds of other covenants, but nothing can, what did I say?
It's unassailable, it's unchangeable, it's unalterable, it has its
parameters already set. And any other covenant that comes
after it must abide by that precedent. Right? Our laws in this country
are supposed to follow that. I'm not saying they always do,
but they're supposed to follow it. Precedent, you hear that
all the time in the higher courts, right? In the Supreme Court.
Precedent, precedent. So again, God's covenant promise
cannot be improved or diminished by the law. I read you 15, but
remember 17. And this I say, that 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. Its parameters still stand wholly
intact and only in the covenant promise. Only in the covenant
promise. Here's the sixth thing. Now I
should have had eight or nine more. This is awful quick. God's
covenant promise cannot be mixed with the law. That is, it cannot,
I'm basically saying the same thing as I said in the first
point, God's covenant promise and law are not equals. But it's
much more than just, they're like this. It's more than that, you see
that up there? More than that, it's this, and then there's the
other over here. Do you see what I'm saying? Now,
how can I say that? I say that because of verse 18.
For if the inheritance be of the law, it's no more of promise. But God gave it to Abraham by
what? Promise. Do you see that? Promise. Pardon me just a moment. To summarize this, two things. Legalism. Turn to Romans chapter
one, if you can follow along, if you are. I haven't asked you
to turn much this morning, but look at Romans chapter one. I
wanna read something to you. Romans chapter one, just hold
your spot there. Here's the first point. Legalism is under condemnation. Do you
hear what I said? I didn't say the law. Now the
law is condemnation to us, but what's legalism? Thinking you
can gain God's favor in any way by keeping the law, by doing
the law. Context, remember three? Chapter
three, and what was it? Verse 10, for as many as are
of the works of the law are under the curse, for it is written,
cursed it is everyone that continue, if not in all things, which are
written in the book of the law to do them. Now look at Romans
chapter one, just one verse. Verse 31, and remember. The list, you turn to that, you'll
see it. It'll probably, this will remind
you. Remember what's included, all these things that are included
in this list? Things like what? Let me look
at it. Fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness,
full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whispers,
backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of
evil things, disobedient to parents. Do you see that list? But then
look at verse 31. Without understanding, Covenant
breakers. There are those who would try
to break the covenant of promise by either disannulling it, denying
it altogether, or adding something to it, or taking something away
from it. Covenant breakers. It's evil. It's wicked. It's punishable by what? Under
God's standard? Death. Even the law itself cries
out, the soul that sinneth, the one that breaks the covenant,
okay, death. The soul that sinneth, it shall
die. And it's included with all this immoral corruption. Do you see that? Isn't that amazing? Now, do they actually break God's
covenant promise? No, they cannot. But they certainly
try. They certainly deny the efficacy
of God's covenant promise. They do so just by not denying
it altogether. They don't have to deny it altogether. Just try to add something to
it. Just one thing, like circumcision. Just one thing. I mean, but it
can't be that bad. It's that bad. Now what do you
think if they start adding all this other stuff? for then actual
justification or actual sanctification or actual redemption. What about
covenant breakers? Do you see it? And thus he goes
on without understanding covenant breakers. They're not, they don't
even, without natural affection. They don't, if they'll break,
if they'll try to break God's covenant, don't think they will
be honest with you. And if we, as we break God's
covenant, don't think we will be honest with one another. And
that's what happens when we place ourself under the law. As believers,
you know what happens? Let me find the passage. We become
desirous of vainglory and we'll provoke one another and we'll
envy one another. Right, Donny? That's what we'll
do. And we'll look at, God will look at that. That's what we'll
do when we place ourself under the law. We start doing this. Boy, you ought to be like me.
Or maybe if they're really humble, I wish I was like him. You don't
want to be like me. At best, I'm your example, but
I am not your example. And the scripture makes this
difference. You can study it out. I'm an example of both sides
of the coin, if you will. The good, manifested by the power
of God's grace and the evil manifested in the flesh. But Christ is our
what? Example. He's totally positive. Isn't that what Paul told the
Corinthians? All the promises of God in Christ are what? Yes
and amen. I'm not making this up. Aren't
you glad you don't have to, Paul? Well, this book flows together
so well, it just, you thank God when you opened your eyes up
to see it. It's always been there. I just didn't see it for a long
time. When I read that, I thought, you remember, especially when I fail, I fall
flat on my face. And I read that again and I realized,
Jack, this is God's promise. to us because we're Abraham's
children. So then they which be of faith
are blessed with faithful Abraham, I can say. So remember, legalism's under
condemnation. But here's the second thought.
God's covenant promise in Christ and to Christ. Remember, it was
made And to Christ only it's made to Abraham and to us but
only in and to Christ God's covenant promise in Christ and to Christ
is not just enough It's all Do you get that? It's all It's not
all plus just something else added to it and it has no negative
prospects to where we need to take just a little something
from it. Well, if I believed that, I'd
send all I want. We all do anyway. Quit the stupidity, huh? Just tell people, quit the, we
all do anyway. I ain't never seen and said,
oh no, I'm not gonna do this. Oh no, I'm not gonna do this. Ah, I done it. No, we just do
it. Don't we? We just do it. And
then we look back and say, wow, I done that. Now don't we? Now
don't we? We've not strived under blood,
striving against sin, resisted under blood, striving against
sin, have we? No. No, we don't even need a license
to sin. We do so freely. Again, God's
covenant promise in Christ and to Christ is not just enough. It's all It's all in Christ's
faith To them that believe and I will close with this reading
this once again I felt like I've read this quite a bit lately,
in conjunction with this letter to the churches of Galatia. Romans 4, verse 18, talking of
Abraham, and that's who Paul's talking about here, right in
our context, Abraham. Verse 18, who against hope, believed
in hope. All natural reason and circumstances
were totally against he and Sarah having a son. He was too old,
she was not just too old, but had been barren from the get-go.
Okay? I mean, just the odds are stacked
against them. Who against hope believed in
hope that he might become the father of many nations. According
to that which was spoken, so shall thy seed be. Not it will
be this if you'll do that. He tried to help God out. That
ended in trouble, didn't it? And being not weak in faith,
he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about a
hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb.
He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but
was strong in faith, giving glory to God, and here is faith. and
being fully persuaded that what he, that is God, had promised,
he, God, was able to perform. Why? Because it's confirmed in
Christ, not in us. Not in us. And therefore it was
imputed to him for what God says, that's righteousness. Trusting
my son for it all, that's right. Do you get that? But what about my everyday life?
Trust Christ. What about when I sin? Trust
Christ. But look, now it was not written
for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but for us also,
to whom it shall be imputed. And I take this from the Greek,
to be said, to whom it shall be continually being imputed. You get to go there if we believe
where it's already been imputed. That's the whole argument he
starts with there. But to us also, to whom it shall
be imputed, just, in other words, do what? Just keep on believing.
That's what he's encouraging us to do. but for us also to
whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him that raised up
Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offenses
and was raised again for our justification. And if you're
justified in God's sight, if you're justified in God's sight,
you have nothing against you. Think about that. It's gotta
include your sanctification, your redemption. If you're justified,
Everything's got to be included in that or how could you be justified? Right? Do you get that? We do. But we forget it. We forget it. Oh God, help us
not to forget. Fully. Completely. Always. God keep reminding us
of this. Heavenly Father, These things
are so far beyond us even to believe you, Lord. We're so full
of unbelief. And Lord, even you have to deal
with that. We can't. Lord, we thank you in Christ's
name. Amen.