Good morning. Would you turn to Galatians chapter
3? I want to begin reading in verse
9. Read down through verse 14 of
Galatians chapter 3. Always have to wait for Lynn. Galatians chapter 3 verse 9.
So they. They which be of. Faith. Are blessed. With faithful Abraham. For as many as are of the works
of the law are under the curse. For it's 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 on the side of God, it is evident, for the just shall
live by faith. And 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 being made a curse for us. For it's 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. Let's pray. Lord, we ask in the name of your
son. that we would have your presence
and your blessing, that you would bless the preaching of your word
for the glory of your name. We ask that we might be enabled
to worship you in spirit and truth. Oh, that we might be given
ears to hear what you say in your word. Forgive us of our
sins for Christ's sake. We ask for your blessing on all
your people wherever they meet together. In Christ's name we
pray, amen. Notice in verse nine, the word
of. So then they which be of faith
are blessed with faithful. Abraham, look in verse 10. For
as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse. Look in verse 12, and the law
is not of faith. Now we don't usually use this
preposition in the way, this way in normal speech, of. Of refers to origins, where you're
from. I've entitled this lesson origins
of those whose salvation, there are those who find the origin
of their salvation in the faith. And there are those who think
the origin of their salvation comes from works. So what we're
considering is origins. Where are you from? What is the
origin? of your salvation. I hope we'll
ask ourselves that question right now. What is the origin of your
salvation? Now, I love the way he says,
so then they which be of faith. Now, what that is talking about
is a matter of fact, he calls it the hearing of faith. Look
what he says in verse two of the same chapter, this only would
I learn, receiving the spirit by the works of the law or by
the hearing of faith. Now that's another title for
the gospel, the hearing of faith. It's what faith hears, the gospel,
the hearing of faith. Now, do you derive your salvation
from the gospel or from something you have done? Verse nine, once again, so then,
they which be of faith, that's their origin. They which be of
faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. Four, verse 10, as many
as are of the works of the law, that's where you find your origin.
Your of works. There's something you did that
precipitated your salvation and caused your salvation. That's
what this of means. You can trace your supposed salvation,
and that's what I would call it, to something you've done
or experienced. I was saved when this took place,
or when I did this, and when I stopped doing that, I'm tracing
the origin to my salvation to something I have done. As many
as are of the works of the law are under the curse. Now that's a solemn, solemn statement
to think of the curse of God. As many as are of the works of
the law. If you trace your salvation,
as far as the experience of it, to something you've done, Scripture
says you're under, if I do that, I'm under the curse of God's
holy law. If I believe that my salvation
is conditioned upon, contingent upon, dependent upon me doing
anything that I first have to do, I'm under God's curse. What a horrible thing to think
about. being under the curse of God. Now, God's just, God's
holy, God's righteous, everything God does is right. And his curse
is a just curse. It's not some kind of mean, vindicative
God just wanting to punish people for the pleasure of it. God's
holy, God's just, God's righteous. And here's what he requires,
perfect obedience. Now, somebody says, how can he
require that? Well, he does. Perfect obedience,
perfect righteousness, a perfect standing before his holy law. For as many as are of the works
of the law are under the curse, for it's written, cursed is everyone
that continueth not in all things. Perfect, continual obedience. That's what God requires. Perfect,
continual, nonstop obedience. Cursed is everyone that continueth
not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do
them. Now, if I go by the route of
salvation being dependent upon me. In any way, even an act of
my free will. If I'm thinking salvation is
in any way dependent upon something I must first do before God will
do something for me, here's what I must first do. Perfect continuance
in all things which are written in the book of the law to do
them. That is God's requirement. of me, of you, of every man. Perfect obedience. I will not
be saved without a perfect obedience before God's holy law. Now look what he says in verse
11. But that no man is justified by the law on the side of God,
it's evident. Now, if I were writing this,
I would say it's evident because nobody's ever kept it. And that's
probably what you would think too. It's evident nobody can
be saved by perfect obedience because nobody can render perfect
obedience. Nobody's ever kept the law. But look what Paul says,
but that no man is justified by the law on the side of God
is evident for the just shall live by faith. It's evident that
no son of Adam has ever done that. I realized that, but I love the way Paul says, It's
evident that no man's justified by the law because that was never
God's intention. That was never God's intention.
The just have always been saved by faith. The Old Testament saints
were saved the same way New Testament saints are saved by faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ. What was Abel doing? He was looking
to the coming sacrifice of Christ. He hadn't come yet, but Abel
had the same faith you and I do. He looked to Christ. Abraham,
how was he saved? By law keeping? The law hadn't
even been given yet. He was saved by faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ. That's always been God's purpose. That's always the way it's been. The just shall live by faith. Now that's a quotation from Habakkuk
2.4. His soul that's lifted up is
not upright in him. Human pride is the most groundless
thing there is. To think that you could have
some part in your salvation. That's so groundless. Idiotic,
it's so wrong. He that's soul is lifted up in
him. It's not upright if you're lifted
up, but the just shall live by faith. The just, those who are
righteous before him, those he has justified, they have this
perfect obedience before the law and it's by faith. I love God's law. I love the Ten Commandments.
I love the way they reflect the holy character of God. And I
love the fact that I've obeyed the law perfectly in the person
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I stand right now before
God's law having never sinned. And you know as well as I do
that the only way that can be is if they just live by faith. Now that's the believer's rule
of life. We'll say, aren't the Ten Commandments the believer's
rule of life? No. This is the believer's rule of
life. The just shall live by faith. They have life before God and
that is by faith. Let me quote this scripture to
you. I think it's more precious to me than it's ever been. To
him that worketh not. Would that describe you? You
realize that you cannot be saved if your salvation is dependent
upon something you do. This is not talking about somebody
that's indifferent. This is talking about someone
who is being convinced. I cannot be saved if salvation
is dependent upon me first doing something. I'm toast if that's
the case. I have no hope if that's the
case. To him that worketh not. Have you seen in your heart,
has God taught you that you cannot be saved by your works? To him that worketh not, but
believeth. on him that justifies the ungodly. His faith is counted for righteousness. Now, would this describe you?
Not only are you someone who works not, but you're someone
who believes, relies on him. This is who you're relying on,
this is what you're relying on, that he, by his death on Calvary's
tree, actually justifies The ungodly. I know in and of myself
I'm ungodly. I was born that way. And I know
the only hope that this sinner has is that God through Jesus
Christ justified me by Christ being my righteousness and paying
for my sins and being raised for my justification. But that no man is justified
by the law on the side of God, it is evident, for the just shall
live by faith. Now remember, this is the rule
of the believer's life. Don't ever try to graduate a
centimeter past this. The just shall live by faith. I'll tell you what, somebody
lives by faith, they live. They live before God. This is
the only life there is before God, looking to Christ only,
continuing to look to Christ only. I love the command of the
gospel. Follow me. Most people interpret that you
need to imitate Christ. What would he do? You need to
do that. Well, I wouldn't say that that's wrong, but that's
not what follow me means. Follow me. means look only to
me. Don't look at anybody else. Don't
look down at your walk, at your feet. Don't look back to look
for some kind of evidence that you're saved. Look to me only
right now, always, never anywhere else. There's our rule of life. Everything's gonna be fine if
that takes place. I'm not worried about anybody who looks to Christ. Verse 12. And the law is not a faith. Now, let me remind you what Paul
means by the law. Turn over to Galatians 4. He's
not just talking about the Ten Commandments. Verse 21, tell me ye that desire
to be under the law, do you not hear the law? Now, once again,
if I was writing this, I would quote the Ten Commandments. That's
what I'd say. Don't you hear what the law says?
Don't you see how you're completely guilty before God's law? But
that's not what Paul says. Under the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit, he says, here's what the law says. It's written
that Abraham had two sons, the one by bondmaid, the other by
free woman, but he who was of the bondwoman was born after
the flesh, but he who of the free woman was by promise, which
things are an allegory for these are the two covenants. One from
Mount Sinai, the law which genders under bondage is Hagar. Now,
what happened? God promised Abraham and Sarah
a child. They wait. It hadn't happened. Sarah comes up with a brilliant
idea. Now, God knows we have to do our part. God's promise
won't come to pass if we don't do our part. And obviously, it's
not coming through me. Here's Hagar, my slave. Go into her, we'll have a child
through her. We'll do our part and thus God's
promise will be fulfilled. It won't be fulfilled unless
we do our part. Law. That represents the law. You doing your part. Now go back to, he says Haggar's
Mount Sinai. That's where the law was given,
the 10 commandments. Now go back to chapter three. The law, verse 12, is not of
faith. It doesn't find its origin in
the gospel. The law is not of faith. All
it recognizes is perfect, continual obedience. The man that doeth
them shall live in them. Now, that is not the gospel. It's just not the gospel. You
know, I was talking about origins. I was thinking of the origin
of my salvation. And I think it's quoted so simply and eloquently
by Paul in second Timothy one, nine, he saved us. That says it all, doesn't it? He saved, he didn't offer a salvation. He saved, he didn't make it available. He saved us. That is our personal testimony. He saved, give me your testimony. He saved me. Can't you get any,
can't you take any further than that? Nope. Don't want to. He
saved us. That's the origin of our salvation.
Now it doesn't have anything to do with our law keeping. It
doesn't have anything to do with anything we've done. The law. is not a faith. You see, faith
excludes law. Law excludes faith. They can't be brought together.
All the law recognizes is my own personal obedience. I love the scripture in 1 Corinthians
15 that says the strength of sin is the law. If there's something
that I must do before I can be saved. All that does is stir
up resentment toward God. He's got something against me
that I can't come up with and I resent him. The law never produces
any love, only resentment. It's only the complete gospel
that produces this love to God that I can draw near with a true
heart and full assurance of faith. Only if everything is already
completed, my salvation is accomplished by what all found in that statement. He saved us. He saved us. Verse 13. Here's how he saved us. Verse
13. Christ hath redeemed us. That's a completed action, isn't
it? Christ hath redeemed us. Doesn't say he offered us redemption. I despise that way. God's offering
you forgiveness. That's so ridiculous. I mean,
it's just ridiculous. It's just the language. I'm offering
you forgiveness. But if you're forgiven, it's
up to whether or not you'll accept it or reject it. That's ridiculous.
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law. And I don't know of any more
scary words than this. I don't know how you even put
it. Being made a curse for us. That's too terrible than any
of us can ever enter into or explain. The curse of God, the righteous. Indignation of God against. Sin and sinners, the curse of
God. Now what you and I are guilty
of. Listen real carefully. What you
and I are guilty of is the murder of his son. That's the only way
sin can really be understood. Now, I'm sure all of us are guilty
of very bad things. But that's not the chief thing.
The chief thing is the murder of God's son. Somebody says,
how could I be guilty of that if I wasn't even there? If the
Lord left you to yourself right now, you would be doing that.
If he removed the restraints, if you're unsaved and he hadn't
given you a new heart and he just left you to yourself, you
and I, if he left me to myself, we would be nailing Jesus Christ,
God's son to a cross, hating him. Now believe that. You say, I just don't feel it.
Believe it anyway, because it's what the Bible teaches. He delivered
Jesus to their will. Believe this about yourself.
You know, you and I don't really understand how sinful we are.
I realize that, but believe it. Even if you don't understand
it, believe what God says in his word. And to think that Jesus
Christ The holy spotless lamb of God was made a curse. Now, how is that? Well, you're
familiar with the scripture, second Corinthians 521, for he
had made him sin. I don't. I don't even know what to say
about that scripture. I quote it all the time. I think that
even trying to explain it is to take away from the power of
it. He made him sin. My sin became his sin and the
curse my sin deserves. He took. He was made a curse. That language is... This is one
of those things where I'm so aware of how shallow and stupid
I am because I don't understand that. I believe it. I believe
that he was made a curse. All the curse and wrath of God
was made to meet on him. He was made a curse for us, for it's written, verse 13. This
is a quotation from Deuteronomy. Cursed is everyone that hangeth
on a tree. That was written by Moses in
the book of Deuteronomy, telling us what kind of death Christ
would die even then. Now, under the Jewish law, you
didn't crucify people. But even before it ever took
place, when Moses is writing, he's letting us know my son is
gonna be nailed to a cross and he's gonna be brought under my
curse and he's gonna redeem everybody he died for from the curse of
the law because he's going to drink that curse up and it's
going to be gone. Verse 14. that the blessing of Abraham
might come on the Gentiles. Oh, the blessing of Abraham.
How was Abraham saved? By faith in Christ. Because Jesus
Christ died for our sins. Because God saved him. The blessing
of Abraham. Every believer experiences the
blessing of Abraham, he who was the friend of God, Abraham, that
the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles, us, us,
the Gentiles. And that comes through Jesus
Christ, that we might receive the promise of the spirit through
faith. Now, all this was done, Christ
being made a curse for us, and all of God's blessings coming
upon us through the Lord Jesus Christ. I love the way Paul is
always so careful to say everything we have is through him, by him,
because of him. It has nothing to do with our
works simply being found in him. Every blessing every believer
has comes through the Lord Jesus Christ that we might receive
the promise of the Spirit through faith. Now, everything I've spoken
of, the only way we can believe it is through God the Holy Spirit
giving us a new heart to believe. That's the promise of the Spirit.
everybody Christ died for, the work of the Holy Spirit is just
as essential in salvation as the work of the Father in election,
the Son in redemption. We must have the work of God,
the Holy Spirit. And I love the way the scripture
speaks of the promise of the Spirit, God's promise. Now, if I say to you, I promise
you, you know what that means? I'm admitting by that, I don't
always tell the truth. I am this time. I am this time. I don't always tell the truth.
You know, just the fact that we say I promise means we're
liars. God's no liar. He cannot lie. And what a blessing
this is that he calls this, this is his promise to us. Because
of what Christ has done, I've given you my spirit. And the reason you believe the
gospel, the reason you love God, the reason you love his people,
the reason you love his way of salvation, he's given you his
spirit. The promise of his spirit that
comes to us because Jesus Christ was made a curse for us. And let me leave you with this
thought. There's nothing that I would
least rather talk about than hell. Hell is eternal. There's no annihilation. It goes on eternally. This life is just a Blip. It'll be over soon. Hell is eternal. Why is hell eternal? Because
of the sin we're guilty of. Murdering God's son. There could be no satisfaction
for that. And you know that if somebody murdered one of your
children and offered you some monetary value, will you be satisfied
by that? No, no. God is never satisfied in the
death of the sinner. He's never satisfied the justice
of God. Here's what Jesus Christ did.
On Calvary's tree, he satisfied. Something you could never do.
He satisfied all the claims of God's law and justice against
sin. He satisfied the demands of the
law. He kept the law. He suffered the punishment of
the law and he paid the debt completely. Cursed is everyone that continueth
not in all things, and the book of law do them, but blessed is
he that continues in all things. In Christ, I have. I stand before
God's law. It's satisfied with me. And that
is the gospel. And it's only through the Spirit
that I believe that. This is a dull and uninteresting subject
to someone who doesn't have the Spirit of God. But if you have
the Spirit of God, you're being given a new nature, all your
salvation is found right here. Christ hath redeemed us from
the curse of the law being made a curse for us. The gospel of substitution and
satisfaction. Amen. Oh, thank you.