I'll read from Acts 10 beginning
there at the 18th verse. Acts 20 beginning at verse 18. Let's pray together. Oh, loving
and merciful Father in heaven, Father, God of the Lord Jesus,
we thank you for this hour, this time and occasion we've joined
together and here a word of help and comfort, encouragement. We thank you, Father, for your
love and your care for your people. And we do know, beyond a shadow
of a doubt, that all things work together for good to them that
love me. We pray these things In the name
of Him, our dear Savior, Amen. Acts 20 verse 18, And when they were
come to Him, He said unto them, Ye know from the first day that
I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you all
seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and many
tears and temptations which befell me by the lying in wait of the
Jews, and how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you,
that have showed you, and have taught you publicly, and from
house to house, testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks,
repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, I go bound in
the Spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall
befall me there, save that the Holy Ghost witness in every city,
saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things
move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself. so that I might
finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I have received
of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that
ye all among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God
shall see my face no more. I take you to record this day
that I am pure from the blood of all men, for I have not shunned
to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto
yourselves and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath
made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath
purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my
departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing
the flock. Also of your own selves shall
men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples
after them. Therefore watch and remember
that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one,
night and day, with tears. And now, brethren, I commend
you to God and to the Word of His grace, which is able to build
you up and give you an inheritance among all them that are sanctified. I have coveted no man's silver
or gold or apparel. Yea, ye yourselves know that
these hands have ministered unto my necessities and to them that
were with me. I have showed you all things. How that so laboring you ought
to support the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus,
how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. And when he had thus spoken,
he kneeled down and prayed with them all. And they all wept sore
and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for
the words which he spake. that they should see his face
no more, and they accompanied him onto the ship. Let's take our Bibles and turn
back a few pages to Acts 15. Acts 15. Paul and Barnabas had returned
to Antioch. That was the place where they
originally had gone out into a missionary trip. They had gone to some different
places and was preaching the gospel. And they've come back
to that place. And now they find that there's
some tears among the wheat. There's some troublemakers that
have surfaced. And how these troublemakers make
themselves known. How they're evidenced. That's
what Brother Scott was just reading about. Paul was talking to a
group of folks and telling them. He said, listen, there's going
to be some wolves. Be watchful. Watch out for them. Jude 1 verse 4 says, These certain
men crept in unawares who were before of old ordained to this
condemnation. Ungodly men turning the grace
of our God into lasciviousness, that is, for a disregard of the
standard, the standard of God's law. Well, it says that verse 1 of
Acts 15, And certain men which came down from Judea taught the
brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner
of Moses, ye cannot be saved. Now, the first thing that we
need to remember and understand is that false religion always
attempts to tie rules, regulations, and self-righteous work to salvation. Now, the issue with these Jews
was circumcision after the manner of Moses. And I'll deal with
that in a minute, what they were actually saying. But nothing
has changed. False religion is the same. They
set exceptions on salvation. They'll say, except you be baptized,
you cannot be saved. You exercise faith that is within
yourselves. They say that every man has.
Except you exercise your faith, you can't be saved. Except you
speak in tongues, you can't be saved. You know, they've placed
great exceptions on eternal life, and they completely
disregard the Word of God. Now, the Lord made some statements
about some exceptions. This is what He said. Matthew
5.20, I say unto you that except your righteousness shall exceed
the righteousness of the Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into
the kingdom of heaven. There is an exception. That's
exactly right. Except you be born again. You
will in no wise see the kingdom of heaven, except you be converted
and become as little children, except you repent. You will all
likewise perish. How about this? No man can come
to me except the Father which has sent me drawing. All the exceptions that Christ
set forth are exceptions that God Almighty Himself must do,
and not you yourself. Here we see a group of fellows
that openly are setting forth heresy. Listen to me. Anybody that says that except
you do something to make salvation to be so. Unless you do something
to make salvation effectual, to make it to be true, to make
it to be so, any man, any woman that sets forth, that is heresy.
That is choosing a self-willed opinion over God's. That is heresy. Certain men came
and chose to disregard God's Word. The Lord Jesus Christ had
already been here at the time that this happened. And He had
set forth those truths, and now they say, except a man be circumcised
after the manner of Moses, you can't be saved. Now, we're in
verse 2, and I'm going to deal with that except after the manner
of Moses. It says, "...when therefore Paul
and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they
determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should
go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question."
Now, the dispute was whether or not the Gentile believers
Gentile converts should be circumcised after the manner of Moses. That's
what it was all about. Now this law which they were
speaking was found in Leviticus 12, 1-3. I want you to turn to
me. Leviticus 12, 1-3. Now this is
what the Word of God says. Leviticus 12, verse 1. And the Lord spake unto Moses,
saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman
hath conceived seed, and born a man child, then she shall be
unclean seven days. According to the days of the
separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean. And in
the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Now, the law was not optional
for a Jew. It wasn't an if, maybe, it was
a commandment. This is what the Lord told Moses
to tell the children of Israel. Every male child on the eighth
day shall be circumcised. It wasn't up for debate. Now, with the performance of
that circumcision came a responsibility that no man born in Adam could
perform. Now this is what I mean. Turn
to Galatians 5. Let me show you something. Galatians chapter
5. Galatians 5, 1-3. Now, remember
this. God told Moses, you have every
male child on the eighth day circumcised. That's according
to the law. Galatians 5, 1-3. Stand fast. Galatians 5, verse 1. Stand fast
therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and
be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I, Paul,
saying to you that if you be circumcised, Christ shall profit
you nothing. For I testify again to every
man that is circumcised that he is a debtor to do the whole
law." Now, let me tell you the precarious position that these
Jewish males were under now. To be disobedient and not be
circumcised was to disobey God and therefore be under His wrath.
If they disobeyed that law, then they are disobedient. But
to be circumcised was to make a man liable to obey the whole
law of God now that he couldn't do. Man is in a mess. If he didn't
do it, he was disobedient. And if he did it, now he's liable
to the whole law. Like a man standing on a gangplank
on a pirate ship. The captain's got a saber in
his hand. Now you walk the gangplank. If
you don't, I'm going to stick you. If you do, you're in the
water. The Lord Jesus Christ It came,
the Scripture says in Galatians 4, verse 4 and 5, when the fullness
of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman,
made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law
that we might receive the adoption of sons. Now here's the situation.
When the Lord Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day as a young
boy, He, being made under the law, was a debtor to the whole
law of God, obligated to all of its demands for righteousness. He was circumcised and therefore
made liable to the law of Almighty God. That was the law that God
gave. Disobey it and you are disobedient.
Obey it and now you are liable to the whole law of God. And
he, as the federal head of his people, fulfilled that law and
thereby openly revealed the freedom that his people possess from
the obligation and the responsibility to God's law for obedience unto
righteousness. I can't obey God. And if I don't
obey God, I'm disobedient. And if I attempt to do something
to obey God, I make myself, by works, liable to all of God's
law and I can't do that either. I need a substitute. I need some
help. Now these men come here and they
say that you must be circumcised after the manner of Moses. to
be saved. And to say that, because here's
the issue. The issue is not whether or not
in our day, any time, that a man is circumcised. Most males are
circumcised now. But it's not an issue of being
or attempting to be obedient before Almighty God for righteousness. And that was the issue that these
Jews were making. They said, you must be circumcised
after the manner of Moses in obedience to God's command and
thereby being circumcised. You've wrought a righteousness
before God. That's what they were saying.
That's what God told Moses. That was the sign that Abraham
had. And you've got to be circumcised
to be saved. So now you've got some Gentiles,
some Gentile converts. So these Jews come to them and
they say, you've got to be circumcised after the manner of Moses or
you can't be saved. You've got to be like we are.
Well, verse 2 again, when Paul and Barnabas They had no small
dissension and disputation. And when they did, they determined,
there was a determination made, that Paul and Barnabas and certain
others need to go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders
about this question. God's free grace and man's free
will has no fellowship whatsoever, no fellowship in that. Light
and darkness doesn't agree. And this attack by these free-will
legalists, these works-oriented men, is an example of the continual
battle that rages right now in this world against the glorious
gospel of free grace. Listen, this is what the Scriptures
set forth. Almighty God, and hear me well,
Almighty God, before the foundation of the world, chose a people
in Christ and established with Himself in that everlasting covenant. Almighty God considered in the
person of the Lord Jesus Christ all that He chose. He chose them to be sons determined
to not impute their guilt to them, which is forgiveness, justified
them in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ freely by His grace. All things are yea and amen. It's a settled issue with Almighty
God, done before the foundation of the world. And in time, these
people are coming forth Born in Adam. Born dead in trespasses
and sins. Christ has redeemed them. Paid
their debt. Put away their guilt. Made their
guilt His own. And God Almighty judged Him.
And the Spirit of God that blows as He will comes and speaks to
them in power and reveals it to them and shows them, you've
been saved by grace and you know it through faith and not of yourselves. It was the gift of God, not of
works. Why? Because you boast. I believed. I was baptized. I spoke in tongues. You see what I'm saying? Well,
these guys come and say, you've got to be circumcised after the
manner of Moses. And Paul says, no. Now that's wrong. That's
wrong. Choose your battles well, but don't let them go. No, sir. No, sir. This clash was so grievous
that Paul and Barnabas were sent back to Jerusalem. They said,
we should go and talk to the apostles about this. Let's get this thing ironed out
here. The reason that these two preachers were sent to the apostles
about this issue was because these fellows right here, these
certain men, they came down from Judea. They taught the brethren,
but here was the problem. These certain men that came out
from Judea, they came out of the church where the apostles
were. But look at verse 24. We'll deal with this, Lord willing,
next week. For as much as we have heard, this is a letter
that was sent from the church in Jerusalem when this issue
brought to a head, forasmuch as we have heard that certain
which went out from us have troubled you with words subverting your
souls, saying, You must be circumcised and keep the law, to whom we
gave no such commandment." It would be about like if somebody
from here, somebody that was just attending here, I'm not
talking about a believer, but just say somebody had been attending
here for a while. And they went down to another
place somewhere else and they said, listen, I'm from Katie
Baptist Church. And I just want you to know something. You know, unless you're baptized,
you can't be saved unless you're baptized. I'm from Katie Baptist
Church. And somebody called up here,
called Brother Scott, called me and said, listen, I want to
talk to you about something. We've got somebody down here
from y'all's church. And they're saying, you've got
to be baptized. Y'all are saying you've got to be baptized. These
fellows said, no, uh-uh. We didn't say that. These tares
among the wheat. So there was going to be some
settling to be done. Well, being brought on their
way, verse 3, on their way by the church, they passed through
Pharnacia and Samaria declaring the conversion of the Gentiles,
and they caused great joy. among all the brethren." Now,
they were brought along the way. Now, they were in Antioch. And while they were there in
Antioch, some fellows came down from the church in Jerusalem.
Came down and got in the church there and said, you know, we're
from Jerusalem. We're from the main headquarters,
you know, convention headquarters up here. And we're here to tell
you that you've got to be circumcised after the manner of Moses to
be saved. You've got to obey the law. You
know, saved by grace, but you're sanctified and made holy and
stuff by keeping the law. Paul and Barnabas says no. So
some of the fellows said, y'all go back and talk to them. Well,
as they were being brought on their way by the church, actually
what that's saying is the church, the believers there in Antioch
gave these two men, Paul and Barnabas, They gave them a very
honorable send-off, is what they were doing. They escorted as
a show of honor, being brought on their way, on the commencement
of their journey. That's what Brother Scott was
just reading about a while ago. Paul was speaking to a group
of people. He warned them. He said, listen,
grievous wolves, be alert. to what people are saying, especially
if they're sitting in the midst of you. Anybody that is bringing
up, setting forth works, adding works to grace, be careful. Grievous wolves. Certain men
who've come in unawares, crept in, making works to be necessary
for salvation. Paul had warned them. And it
said, as Brother Scott read a while ago, They were grieved because they
knew that that may be the last time they saw Paul. He had been
with them. He had taught them. They loved
him. They respected him. They kissed him. That's what
these fellows were doing right here. Being brought on their
way. by the church. Not that the church
from Antioch went all the way to Jerusalem. They just gave
them a respectful send-off because they respected these two men. They knew that they had taught
them. They knew that they loved them.
They knew that they had taught them in the Scriptures. And God's
preachers are worthy. They're worthy of that respect.
Turn to Hebrews 13. Hebrews 13, verse 7, "...remember them that have the
rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God, whose
faith follow, considering the end of their conversation." When
it says, remember with love, or remember with respect, Those
that God has raised up that have, when it says to rule over you,
God's preachers don't lord over God's heritage, but they do rule
well with love in the sight of God. They watch out for your
souls. Remember them with respect that
have ruled, who have spoken unto you the Word of God, whose faith,
or that is, whose conviction of the truth, When he says, remember
or follow after their faith, what God has taught His men,
His preachers, their faith, and remembering the end of their
conversation, considering the end of their conversation, or
that perseverance that God has kept them by, kept them in, these
men were sent forth a good send-off. They brought them on their way.
They passed through Pharnacia, Samaria, declaring the conversion
of the Gentiles. And it caused great joy unto
all the brethren. The message that they preached,
it was a joyful message. The brethren that heard the Gospel
being preached, the Gospel of God's mercy and grace was received
with thankfulness. And these Gentiles knew. But
for the grace of God, where would I be? They received Paul's and
Barnabas's message with thanksgiving. And when they were come to Jerusalem,
verse 4, they were received of the church and of the apostles
and elders, and they declared all things that God had done
with them. You know, believers are hardly
received by other believers. When another believer comes in
here grounded, taught, another preacher comes and stands. These
men that come and proclaim the Word of God, we rejoice with
them. It's the same message that's
been preached. Brother Henry comes, or Brother
Rupert, or different ones that have come. They preach the same
Gospel that we preach here, and that's what happened. And Barnabas
came back to the church there in Jerusalem, and they gave a
report of what the Lord had done through them, and they rejoiced
in it. Proverbs 16.24 says, Pleasant words, gracious words is what
that means, or a honeycomb, or a dripping, a honeycomb, sweet
to the soul and health to the bones. It's medicine. These men
that come and preach the Gospel. Last weekend we were in Indiana
with Brother Bruce Crabtree. And I heard a couple of men preach
the Gospel. And it was good to be able to
just sit and listen. Listen to the grace of God being
proclaimed. It was health. It was a healing. It was a refreshment. And we
rejoiced. And there were other believers
there that we don't get to see that often. And you were just
glad to see them. It was good to see them. But
the Scripture says in verse 5, there rose up certain of the
sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying that it was needful to
circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses. in the very midst of all of this
rejoicing. And the Scripture warns us of
this. I wish that it... Well, I don't
know if this is the right thing to say. It would be a wonderful
thought to think that the way it's going to be is that we'll
just go the rest of our life and everything will just be hunky-dory
And everything is just going to be, I mean, just fabulous. No problems. That would be a
good thought. But that's not the way it is. There's always going to be tares
among the wheat. They're always there. And sometimes
it takes a while to manifest them. But they do manifest. Here with Paul and Barnabas,
They had left a church, a church that appreciated them and loved
them and cared for them, gave them an honorable send-off. And
while they were coming back to Jerusalem, they were preaching
as they were going. And the believers that heard
them just rejoiced in them. And they got to Jerusalem and
the church, by and large, received them and just did the same thing,
just rejoiced with them. But there was some Pharisees, a certain
sect of the Pharisees, Scripture says, which believed, saying that you had to be circumcised. There was the same problem. It
came right back to works. Now the wording of that Scripture
right there is such that it could cause some questions in your
mind But another look at exactly what's being said is going to
give us a little bit better interpretation of what's set forth. First of
all, there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees. Now, the word sect is the same
word from which we get the word heresy. That's the same word,
the sect. Now, the word heresy in its original
context was not necessarily a bad thing. It just meant a choice,
a sect, another party. That's what it started off meaning.
But what is believed by that other party, by that sect, or
by that heresy. Like I said, when it started
off, it didn't have a bad connotation. Paul said in Acts 24, verse 14,
But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they
call heresy, Paul was saying, I am of a sect. I'm of a group. You say concerning this group
that I'm in. You call this heresy. You say that this is heresy. But he said, after the way that
they call heresy, the sect that I belong to, so worship I, the
God of my fathers, believing all the things which are written
in the Law and the Prophets. Paul said, I am of a sect. You
call it heresy. But after the way they call heresy,
that's the way I worship God. It's the same thing today. Here's
a sect of people. Here's a group. And men will
look at this sect right here, and they'll say, that's heresy. Well, we'll look at their sect,
and we'll say, no, no, you're heresy. You're preaching heresy.
But what we're doing is, the word heresy has come to mean
a denial of fundamental doctrinal truth. That is, salvation by
grace alone. That's what heresy has come to
mean that. It didn't start off meaning that,
but that's what it's come to mean. So it says that there arose
up a certain of the sect, of the group, of the Pharisees. Now, there's another word that
throws a little light. The word Pharisees. That gives
us another indication of a problem. The first time the word Pharisees
is mentioned in the Scripture. You don't have to turn to this.
If you want to jot it down, you can look at it later. I'll just
tell you the Scripture and I'll tell you basically what it says
for the sake of time. But the first time that the word
Pharisees is mentioned is Matthew 3, 7. And it was mentioned by
John the Baptist. And he said this, calling the
Pharisees a generation of vipers. That's what he said. You're a
generation of snakes. In Matthew 5.20, our Lord, speaking
of the Pharisees, says that the righteousness of the Pharisees
will never do. That's what we read a while ago.
Except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees.
You will in no wise see the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 16.6, the
Lord warned of the leaven of the Pharisees, the corruption
of the Pharisees. And the Lord in Matthew 23, verse
13 called them hypocrites, actors, pretenders, Pharisees. Matthew 23, verse 27 says they
are full of putrefying death and filth, Pharisees. There are only two instances
in all the Scriptures where a Pharisee is spoken of and there was anything
remotely favorable in the wording of a Pharisee. And one of them
probably is discounted. Let me show you what they are.
In John 3, verse 1, the Gospel of John chapter 3, verse 1. You
know what this is. John chapter 3. In verse 1, there
was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. And that was the one that came,
you know, to the Lord by night, talked to Him about salvation.
The Lord told him, except you be born again, will no wise inherit
the kingdom of heaven. Now this Nicodemus in John 19.39
did appear to give some reverence to the
Lord. He anointed the Lord's body. He brought some spices
and anointed the Lord's body. But I want you to turn over to
John 7, verse 50. And I want you to listen to the
words of the Holy Scriptures here concerning this man, Nicodemus,
a Pharisee. John 7, verse 50. Nicodemus saith unto them, He
that came to Jesus by night, now look at the words of the
Spirit of God being one of them. The one that came to Jesus by
night being one of them. That was the first time that
a Pharisee was mentioned. And you can see how it's real
questionable whether or not that man Nicodemus was a believer. I don't know. According to the
Scriptures, I doubt it. Here's a second one. Turn with
me to Philippians. Philippians chapter 3. You're
familiar with this too. Philippians chapter 3, verse
4. Paul the Apostle says, Though
I might also have confidence in the flesh, if any other man
thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh,
I more. circumcised the eighth day of
the stock of Israel of the tribe of Benjamin, Hebrew of the Hebrews,
as touching the law, a Pharisee concerning zeal, persecuting
the church, touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless."
That's what a Pharisee thought. Blameless. I've never broken
one law. But what things were gained to
me, those I counted lost for Christ. Yea, doubtless, and I
count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss
of all things, and do count them but dumb, that I may win Christ."
There was a second time a Pharisee in a favorable light was mentioned. Now, here was a man blind in
religion, but when God called him out, he didn't stay there. Here was one man that the Scripture
sets forth that was a Pharisee that Almighty God pulled out.
I mean, the most self-righteous man you could find. A Hebrew
of Hebrews. Concerning the law, a Pharisee.
All of these great credentials that he thought he possessed. And God Almighty called one Pharisee
that we know of. One. And called that Pharisee
out of darkness. And used that one Pharisee, the
one that God spoke to, the Lord Jesus Christ, as white sepulchers
full of dead men's bones, snakes, varmints, despisers of God. One
man. One Pharisee. and used that one
Pharisee that didn't stay a Pharisee and called him out of darkness. How do you know that Almighty
God did something for that man? Turn to 2 Corinthians 6. 2 Corinthians
6 verse 14. 2 Corinthians 6, verse 14, "...be
ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship
hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light
with darkness? And what concord hath Christ
with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth
with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple
of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the
living God. As God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk
in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
Wherefore, come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith
the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you,
and be a father unto you, and you shall be My sons and daughters,
saith the Lord Almighty. Don't be unequally yoked." What
does that mean together? Doctrinally. When Almighty God calls a man
or a woman out of darkness, they don't stay in a place where the
gospel is not preached. Paul was a Pharisee. When God
called him on the road to Damascus, let me tell you something, he
didn't stay there. He didn't stay in that yoke of
bondage. Don't yoke yourself together,
a righteous one with an unrighteous. You can't sit and listen to a
lie that's being preached. You just can't do it. I've had
people ask me, you think God can save this? God can save anybody
He wants to save. But I will tell you this, if
Almighty God calls a man or a woman out of darkness, if they've somewhere,
they've heard the truth somewhere, and God calls them out, they
won't sit under a lie. They won't sit there. They will
not sit there. Come out from among them. Don't
be unequally yoked. It's nothing but a yoke of bondage.
This is a yoke of bondage right here. These fellows right here
back in Acts, Chapter 15, they came to Him and they said, listen,
unless you're circumcised after the manner of Moses, you can't
be saved. That's bondage. That's a yoke
of bondage. Except you be baptized, you cannot
be saved. That's a yoke of bondage. No,
unless you do this. That's a yoke of bondage. That's
all it is. Don't be unequally yoked together
with unbelievers. God's people are not going to
sit in unbelief. They're not. But you say, I've
got one more question, and I'll try to answer this because I
looked at it for a while and it gave me some perplexing thoughts. But there rose up certain of
the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying that it was
needful to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law
of Moses. It says that these Pharisees
are said here to believe. Or does it? No. That's not what it's saying.
Here's what it's saying. It's saying that this is what
they believed. That's what it's saying. There
rose up a certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed
and said that it was needful. They didn't believe the Lord
Jesus Christ. That's not what it's saying. It says they believed,
but it doesn't say they believed in Him. It doesn't say they believed
Christ. What they believed was that it
was necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the
law of Moses. One that God has called out of
darkness doesn't go back. to the yoke of bondage. If God
has called him out of darkness, that man's free. Be not entangled
again with the yoke of bondage. If Christ has made you free,
you're free indeed. Now, I'm telling you, a man may
profess to be a believer. He may say, I believe in free
grace. I believe in the grace of...
Saved by grace. I believe in saved by grace.
But you listen to what that man says. And if that man takes it
and tries to put you under bondage, I believe in grace, but all you've
got to do is, he doesn't believe in grace. These right here believe
that you had to be circumcised. Turn to Romans 4 and 5 and I'm
going to end right here. Romans chapter 4. Romans 4 verse
4 and 5. Now to him that worketh, to him that thinks that he's
saved because he's circumcised, to him that thinks he's saved
because he was baptized, to him that thinks he's saved because
he exercised his faith, to him that worketh is the reward not
reckoned of grace, but of death. If you've done something, that
you think has merited salvation. That's not grace, that's works.
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth
the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." Or let me
say this so we can understand exactly what Paul just says.
The object of his faith. Not his faith is counted for
righteousness. That would be works too. The
object of his faith, the one to whom his faith looks and believes
and trusts. His faith. His faith. The object of his faith. The
Lord Jesus Christ. His faith. Faith in Him. That's what's counted for righteousness.
Not to him that works, but to him that worketh not. These Pharisees,
they believed that you had to be circumcised to be saved. Not by works of righteousness
that we have done, but according to His mercy, He saved us. May the Lord teach us through
this little passage of Scripture for His honor. Brother Scott,
would you dismiss us please with a word of prayer?