Would you turn to the book of Galatians? Verse 16, chapter four. Paul says to the Galatians, and all these words in this epistle are so poignant. He says to these people who had heard the gospel through him, this church had been founded by him or by the Lord through him.

And he says in verse 16, am I therefore become your enemy? Because I tell you the truth. They, these false prophets, zealously affect you, but not well. Yea, they would exclude you. They would isolate you that you might affect them. But it's good to be zealously affected always in a good thing. Not only when I'm present with you.

my little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you. I desire to be present with you now and to change my voice. For I stand in doubt of you. Tell me, you that desire to be under the law. Do you not hear the law?

Let's pray. Lord, how we only in your son's name thank you for who you are. We thank you for the gospel of your dear son. Lord, we ask in his name that you would speak to us in power from your word. Reveal, make known your son to us and enable us to trust him completely. Bless us for Christ's sake. Be with all your people wherever they meet together. Lord, don't let us meet in vain for Christ's sake. Forgive us of our sins for Christ's sake. We pray for our friends that are sick. We pray for your healing hand upon them according to your will in Christ. And we pray. Amen.

What a question he asks in. Verse 16. Am I. Therefore, become your enemy. Because I tell you the truth. Now that is a very remarkable statement. He says to these people, there was a time when they did not view him as an enemy. Look in verse 12 of relations chapter four. Brethren, I beseech you be as I for I am as you are. You've not injured me at all. You know that through infirmity of the flesh, I preach the gospel unto you at the first and my temptation. which was in my flesh. You despised not nor rejected, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. That's the way you received me when I brought this message. You received me as an angel of God, even as Christ himself. That's the way you received me.

Where is then the blessedness you spake of? For I bear you record that if it had been possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me. Am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth? They, these false prophets zealously affect you, but not well. Yea, they would exclude you that you might affect them. They would isolate you that you might affect them.

Now I think of this question, have I become your enemy? Because I tell you the truth. Now the truth in the context of this passage of scripture, look in Galatians chapter two, verse three. But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, he was not a Jew, he was uncircumcised, was compelled to be circumcised. They insisted that he be circumcised and that because of false brethren. Unawares brought in who came in privily. to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage to whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour, that the truth of the gospel, that's the truth he's speaking of, might continue with you.

Now what these fellas were doing, they were trying to add to Christ, Christ and, and he said we would not submit to them even for an hour. The truth is Christ alone. Now let that sink in. The truth is Christ alone. God looks to him only. God looks to him only for everything he requires of me. That's the truth.

Look in. Verse 11 of chapter 2. Remember, we're considering this thing of the truth of the gospel. Verse 11. But when Peter was come to Antioch, I was stood him to the face because he was to be blamed for before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles. But when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them of the circumcision. He simply changed tables. He was eating with the Gentiles. These people came from James. He withdrew himself. He went to sit with the Jews, not the Gentiles. And what did Paul say about this? And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him, insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their hypocrisy, their dissimulation.

But when I saw they walked not uprightly according to the truth," there's the word, the truth of the gospel. Now, what is the truth of the gospel? Peter was denying it when he got up because he was saying Christ is not all. You're a little more saved. You're a little bit more pleasing to God. There's something you can do that will put you in a better light with God. All he did was get up and move tables. And he said, you're more pleasing to God being with the Jews. The Gentiles are saved, but you're more saved by being with the Jews. That was a denial of the truth that Christ is all. Christ alone, Christ is all.

Now that's the truth. Now he says to these Galatians, have I become your enemy because I tell you the truth. Now with regard to salvation, there is no salvation. There is no worship. There is no regeneration apart from the truth. The truth. The Lord said in John chapter four, verses 23 and 24, God is spirit. And, you know, even that is hard for us to grasp, isn't it? God is spirit. He doesn't have a material body. He is everywhere at once omnipresent. God is spirit. And they that worship him must worship him in spirit. That's the spiritual nature he gives. That's the result of the new birth. They must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Paul said in Philippians 3, 3, we are the circumcision, which worship God in spirit. Rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. Listen to this scripture. Second Thessalonians 2, 13 says we're bound. That's strong language, isn't it? We're bound to thank God always for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth.

Now, what is the evidence? Of the sanctification, sanctifying work of God, the Holy Spirit, and giving you a new nature, believing the truth. It's that simple. What is the evidence that, what is the cause of believing the truth? The sanctification of the spirit. James 1 18 of his own will begat birthed he us through the word of truth. Turn a few pages over to Ephesians chapter one. Verse 13, in whom you also trusted, after that you heard the word of truth. The gospel of your salvation. When did you trust? After that you heard the word of truth.

Now, Paul says to these people, Have I become your enemy? Because I tell you the truth. There was a time when they looked upon him and received him as Christ himself because of the gospel he preached, but something happened. Now look in verse 17. They, these false prophets, they zealously affect you, but not well. Yea, they would exclude you. They would isolate you from us that you might affect them. Now, these men had put a question mark upon the authority of Paul's apostleship for this reason. We want to draw disciples after ourselves. We want to get them away from you, Paul, and cause them to follow us.

Verse 18. But it's good to be zealously affected always in a good thing. And not only when I'm present with you. Now, Paul's saying, I'm not saying anything against zeal. It's always good to be zealous in a good thing. I want to, by the grace of God, I want to burn out in zeal for God's glory. for the Lord Jesus Christ. I want to be zealous. Oh, I dread the thought of being lukewarm. I want to be filled with a zeal for his glory. The gospel, if true, is of infinite importance. If false, It's of no importance, but the one thing it cannot be is moderately important. I don't want to be moderate. I want to be filled with a zeal for his glory.

Should we be zealous for the Lord? Of course we should. Anything short of that is shameful. It's always good to be zealously affected in a good thing. Ewing said of Benjamin Franklin, he was a heathen. He was not a Christian. He was a heathen, but he loved to hear George Whitefield preach. And somebody said, do you believe what he says? He says, no, but he does. Now that's what I want. I want it to be apparent that I really do believe what I say. I believe. And that is seen really in zeal. It's always good to be zealously affected in a good thing. Not only when I'm present with you all the time.

Now look what he says in verse 19. My little children in whom I prevail in birth again until Christ be formed in you. Now, Paul didn't give them birth. God, the Holy Spirit did. He understood that. But he was talking about prevailing in birth, wanting them to. Well, what's a man know about that? Nothing, but woman does, but he used this language to show how earnestly he wanted them to know the Lord. And he said, looking at the way you're conducting yourselves, I'm prevailing in birth all over again, because it appears that you don't know the Lord. And that's what he says to these Galatians. It appears that you do not know the Lord. I prevail in birth again until Christ be formed in you. What does that mean? I prevail in birth. I'm just so desirous. I have such pain seeing that It appears that Christ has never been formed in you, he says to these Galatians. I prevail in birth until Christ be formed in you.

Now I've heard people deal with this. If Christ is in you, you'll stick out. You'll see him and evidently he hadn't been formed in you. And I want people to see Christ in me, whatever that means, but that's not what he's talking about. What was it that he was so concerned about with the Galatians that troubled him? Well, let's go on reading. My little children of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, I desire to be present with you now and to change my voice. I don't like talking like this, but I stand in doubt of you. I'm perplexed by you. I feel like you're giving evidence that the Lord's never done anything for you. You're acting like unbelievers. What was it that Paul said? Here it is. Verse 21, tell me you that desire to be under the law. And this is what made him fear that Christ had never been formed in them, that they'd never been born of the spirit, that they had never been saved. Because they desired to be under the law. That's evidence of not being saved. They desired to be under the law.

Now, look in Galatians chapter five, verse seven. He says to these people, you did run well. You did run well. This is when he first came preaching to them. Who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth? There he is with the truth again, the truth of the gospel, the truth that Christ alone saves. All God looks to is his son for me. Nowhere else. The truth that he is all in salvation. Who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth? This persuasion, this belief that you're now espousing comes not of him that calleth you. This didn't come from the Lord's teaching.

A little leaven. You put one work in there. One work. One thing that I must do before God can save me. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. Any works makes it all of works. Now, Paul didn't like saying these things. He says, I desire to change my voice, but I stand in doubt of you because of this desire to be under the law.

If you desire to be under the law, number one, You don't know God. How do you hear that? If I desire to be under the law, I'm completely ignorant of the character of God. If I had any understanding of the character of God, my great desire would to be not to not be under the law. Number two, you're ignorant of your own character. If you desire to be under the law, you are blind concerning your own personal sinfulness. You see it, it takes a holy nature to see your own sinfulness. You know the folks who don't see their own complete sinfulness or people have never been born again. It's that simple. It takes a holy nature to be able to see what sin is in the first place.

You're ignorant of how God saves sinners. If you desire to be under the law. Now, I think this is very interesting, what he means by being under the law. Most look at being under the law. Well, if you're under the law, that means you look to the law as the measuring stick to how sanctified you are. How do I measure up? I look at the Ten Commandments. How have I stood before the Ten Commandments? And I look at that as a measuring stick to see how much grace I have. How obedient am I? That's being under the law.

The law is our rule of life. The law teaches us how to live and tells us what to do. Now, I love God's law and I would never in any way speak of God's law with nothing but reverence. It's his law, but all it does is expose sin. If you can look at God's law and think, well, I'm measuring up, I'm doing better. You don't even know what the law means.

Now, what is interesting about this passage of scripture is he doesn't go to the 10 commandments to show us what the law is. Look what he says in verse 21, tell me the desire to be under the law. And we're going to look at this more next week. Tell me the desire to be under the law. Do you not hear the law? For it is written. And I have no doubt that I would have the 10 commandments quote them. It's written and give the 10 commandments. That's what I do. Let's go to the law, but that's not what Paul does at all.

For it is written that Abraham had two sons. The one by bondmaid, the other by free woman. One is bondage, one is free. But he who was of the bondwoman, Ishmael, was born after the flesh. Nothing supernatural about his birth. But he of the free woman was by promise, which things are an allegory. For these are the two covenants. Hagar and Ishmael, the covenant of works. Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac, the covenant of grace. These are the two covenants. He doesn't go to the Ten Commandments. He goes to this story in Genesis chapter 16.

Now perhaps you remember what took place in Genesis chapter 16. God had made a promise to Abraham and Sarah, you're going to have a child. 11 years past, nothing has happened. Sarah comes up with a brilliant idea. Look, Abraham, God's promise will not come to pass unless we do our part. That's treacherous. God's promise will come to pass. But Sarah says it hadn't happened. We need to do our part. Here's our part. My maid, Hager. You go in unto her. I'm already past the time of childbearing. Obviously, I'm not going to have a child, even though God said I would. You go into Hager. We'll do our part. And she'll have a child. She's my maid. I'll make it mine. And thus God's promise will come to pass because we do our part.

law. If salvation is dependent upon me doing anything before God can do something for me, that is salvation by law. That is Mount Sinai. Did you notice how he said Hagar is Mount Sinai? where the giving of the law is. Hagar is Mount Sinai. Now why would you desire to be under the law for anything? Don't you hear what it says? And this takes so many avenues. God loves you. Christ died for you. God wants to save you. But You will not be saved unless you accept him as your personal savior. You must accept him. Accept the offer of forgiveness. God's offering you forgiveness. Accept the offer. And if you do that, you'll be saved.

That is salvation by law. Your position in heaven. It's going to be determined by your acts of personal obedience on earth. It's true salvations by grace, but you're still going to be judged according to your works here on earth and where you are in glory will be determined by your acts of obedience. On earth and your acts of obedience on earth begin with you deciding this. This is your will is involved. You have to choose to. Do this and choose not to do that, and your reward in heaven will be based upon that.

It takes so many different forms. Here's one. Which nature you choose to feed, that's the one that's going to succeed. You have two natures, and you need to choose which one you're going to feed. You've heard that. good angel and the bad angel on your shoulder trying to whisper to you what you need to do, and you need to choose which one you're going to listen to. And you have two natures, but you have to choose which one you're going to have to feed.

Now, that introduces a third person that makes this decision between the two. It's just wrong. If salvation is dependent, is contingent upon anything I do, right down to an act of my will, I'm gonna decide to do this, then God will do that. That is salvation by law. Tell me you that desire to be under the law, you that desire for any aspect of your salvation to be dependent upon you doing something before God can act for you. I don't care, you put works in there anywhere, you make it all of works. You either believe salvation is an act of God's will or your own will.

You see, in reality, the place of the will is the issue. Now we have a will. When Paul says, with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, well that is talking about the will, that's talking about the affections, that's talking about the understanding, that's all involved in the heart. We have a will. Paul said, to will is present with me. It's of God that worketh in you both to will and to do his good pleasure. There is will, our will involved, but it's because God willed for our will to act and do. It's of God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Now, do you want it to be, it's up to you to will and to do, or do you want God to cause your will to do? Oh, I want everything to begin with him, don't you? All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers. If there's something that comes before Christ, it's a thief and a robber. You know, Christ came before my election, didn't he? He's before. Christ came before my regeneration. Christ came before my faith. Christ came before my repentance. Christ comes before my perseverance. We put anything before him, it is salvation by law. It's you doing your part.

Now tell me, this is what Paul says makes me fear. You've never been born again. You've never been born of God. You've never been regenerated. Tell me you that desire to be under law. That's what you want. Don't you hear what the law says? All it does is condemn you. Nothing else. Now, if Christ is formed in me, and that's what I want. That's what you want. I want Christ to be formed in me. He's got to go before me to do it. And this is what I want. Paul said, I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

Christ formed in you. Turn back to Galatians chapter one. Verse 15. But. When it please God, notice the order. Not when I've decided. When it please God. Who separated me from my mother's womb? And called me by his grace to reveal his son. To me. No. in me. You see, if all he does is reveal his son to me, I'll lose him. I'll forget. I need more than his son revealed to me. I need his son revealed in me. Christ in you, the hope of glory. Tell me you desire to be under the law in any form. Don't you hear what it says?