Here we go, Galatians chapter
five, verses 19 through 21. I'm gonna begin by reading through
the text with you, and we'll make comment on each of these
works of the flesh that are manifest. Paul says there, now the works
of the flesh are manifest. They easily make themselves to
be known to be of the flesh. These are the works which arise
out of our sinful nature in Adam. And these things should never
be. They cannot be and they shouldn't
be in our minds confused with walking in the Spirit. These
things are contrary to walking in the Spirit. And he says, which
are these? And he proceeds to give us a
list of these works. He says, adultery. He puts that
first. Our marriages are a picture of
the gospel, of Christ and his bride. Your marriage is precious,
precious. You do everything you can to
guard against the end of your marriage. And adultery is a sure
way to ruin and hurt and harm your bride or your spouse. Don't
do those things. Adultery. Fornication. That's
any sexual act outside of marriage. Any sexual act. And that's very
popular in our day. It was popular in my day and
probably popular a little before my day. Don't practice these
things. It's fornication. Uncleanness,
which is impure motives. Lasciviousness, which is stirring
up lustful sexual desires, just focusing on that and thinking
of that and stirring it up in one's mind. Idolatry is the worship
of false gods, of other gods. Whether they be idols or religious
symbols, people fall into idolatry. And idolatry is a worship of
self because it's saying to the true and living God and the revelation
he's given us of himself, No, I don't believe that. No, God.
And it's to side with oneself against the revelation and the
true and living God. Witchcraft. It's to form a league
with the devil for power, for hidden knowledge, and to seek
those things that the Lord hasn't revealed to us. It's witchcraft. Hatred, which that word means
enmities. enmities, it's stirred up against,
it's when we stir up ourselves against God and against his people,
it's hatred. It's stirring up oneself against
that which is good and calling that which is good darkness or
evil and that which is light darkness or that which is good
evil. Emulation, or variance, is to
stir up strife, just to be looking for arguments and debate and
to stir that up in the midst of one another. Emulations, which is contentious
rivalries, being bitter rivalries, being zealous in your rivalry
with another. Wrath, which speaks to having
fierce, passionate anger. And wrath, getting worked up
over some wrong and just desiring to do that one great harm. for the wrath you feel toward
them. Strife is basically partisanship, going with your faction. Whether
you agree with it or not, it's partisanship. We hear that word
a lot in politics, especially when you see politics, they just
vote straight down the party line. You know someone's not
thinking. They're just doing what they
were told to do. It's partisanship. Seditions,
which is willfully causing divisions and schisms, right? Divisions
and schisms do happen, but it's that willful desire to separate
and to divide and cause those divisions. Heresies is a chosen
thought, a course which is contrary to Christ and his gospel. Envyings, which is when you get
that Torture of mind because you're just jealous of someone
else. Why are they being blessed? Why
did they get that promotion? Why did they get that inheritance? Why are they doing so well? It
should be me and not them. I deserve it. They don't deserve
it. That's N-beings. Murders, which is the unlawfully
taking another man's life. Drunkenness, which is drinking
in excess to intoxication so that you're unable to think rationally,
to behave yourself seemly with decorum. You can't do that. You're
drunk. You're intoxicated. Revelings,
which is that excessive riotous behavior where you're just calling
attention to yourself for all the wrong reasons. participating
in riotous behavior. And Paul says, such like. This is not the full extent of
them. We know what they are, whether it's lying or cheating
or deceiving. It's those behaviors, those are
works of the flesh. Of the which I tell you before,
as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such
things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Now when I first
looked at this text, I wasn't excited to preach from it. I thought, The brethren are going
to be burdened. They're going to be brought down
with this. But as I studied and looked at
it, there is a blessing. We can see the gospel. even from
this passage. Now, let me first say, I want
to be clear on this, that if you are practicing any of these
things, practicing these things, and you see and you feel in your
heart, I'm doing this, I'm doing this and that, don't. Don't do
it. Stop it. Beg the Lord to help
you stop it, because you and I cannot stop it in and by the
power of the flesh, because it's of the flesh. It's what the flesh
loves and delights in. But beg God for mercy. Beg God for deliverance. And what I mean is don't seek
a solace to continue in doing that which you know is wrong,
that which the Spirit reveals to you This is wrong. Don't go
in that way. Don't do those things. It's not
good. It's harming you. Don't do those
things. Don't seek to hide out in a refuge
and find an excuse so that you can continue in it, is what I'm
saying. Don't do those things. Beg Christ to save you from those
things. Now, the Lord, why did the Lord
give us this? Why did the Spirit have Paul
write this long list of works of the flesh? Well, the Lord
gives us this so that we know that these are sins. He's making
it plain to us, very plain and obvious to us, that these are
sinful works. These are unprofitable works.
These are works that don't edify the brethren. These are works
that tear down and destroy and ruin things. They're not good.
Don't do those things. They're works of the flesh. And he makes it known to his
child so that we seek deliverance from them. He's telling you what
they are, so that we begin to see these things. As He grows
us in grace, we see in our own selves, huh, you know, I do something
like that, or I do that. And I see that in me, in my flesh. Lord, I don't want to do that.
He gives His people a heart to want to walk uprightly before
Him. And so some things we can see
and know overtly, very plain to us what they are and say,
I don't do that or I don't want to do that. I don't want to have
anything to do with that. And other things are more subtle.
And as the Lord grows us, we begin to see the subtleness and
the deceitfulness of sin in our own heart and how we continue
in those things, how we still do those works. But the Lord shows us the subtlety
of them and gives us a desire as we see them, Lord, I don't
want to continue walking in those things. You think about this,
when Paul wrote this, he's giving instruction to Gentile believers. mostly Gentile believers who
did not have the law. And so he's making it plain today,
they came from idolatry, they came from pagan worship, and
the practice of a lot of these things. Very acceptable to them
in their day, and they thought nothing of it, and so he's exposing
those things, which the Jews had an understanding of under
the law. But he's showing the Gentiles,
hey, guys, these are unprofitable. These are works of the flesh
is what you're doing. And he's also making it clear
to them that those beatings I'm taking for preaching the gospel
by my own countrymen, the Jews, those are works of the flesh.
They're not righteous in what they're doing. Those are wicked
works of the flesh. Don't be confused. Don't think
something is wrong because I'm going to jail. I'm going to jail
because I'm preaching the truth. And what they're doing is not
religious steel. It's works of the flesh is what
they're doing. Now Paul is not teaching the
law. He's not bringing you under the
law. He's showing us the works of
the flesh. He's making us to know these
are the works of the flesh so that we don't continue in them
and make excuses for them. I'm just a hot-headed Irishman,
you know, or whatever it is that you have in your ancestry or
your family line. Well, he was just a womanizer
and I'm one too. No. No, we don't just make excuses
for those things. We don't continue in them as
though it doesn't matter. As Paul said, shall we continue
in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. Absolutely not. No way, no how. That's not what
he's saying there. And he's not bringing us under
the law. We know that these works are sinful, fleshly works. And we're intimately familiar
with that. We know what they are because
we feel the infirmity of them. We are familiar with them because
we see them in our own flesh and in our own heart. We know
what they are, and he's making plain to us to know these are
works of the flesh. These are works of the flesh. So how are we to hear? Paul,
when he says, they which do such things shall not inherit the
kingdom of God. Well, as I was preparing these
notes and thinking, how am I going to preach this to my brethren? who are believers, who love the
Lord Jesus Christ. Well, we can, through the gospel,
by looking at how men do interpret what Paul just said there, those
who do these things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. We
can gain a better understanding and be blessed in our hearts
and encouraged. at the promises of God made to
you His beloved children whom He redeemed and saves in the
Lord Jesus Christ. For example, is Paul saying that
anyone who has ever done these things can never inherit the
Kingdom of God? Or is Paul saying, well, only
if you have never done these things after salvation. Can you
inherit the kingdom of God? But if you do these things after
salvation, no, you can't inherit the kingdom of God. Or is Paul
speaking about those who practice such things, showing a pattern
of practice, and therefore they can never inherit the kingdom
of God? And what is Paul emphasizing
here in this passage when he says that they which do such
things shall not inherit the kingdom of God? So let's look
at that. Let's look at this in the light
of the gospel. What does Paul mean when he says
that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom
of God? First, the scriptures are teaching
us the difference between the flesh, and the Spirit, they are
contrary one to another. Nothing spiritual will be done
by this flesh, and nothing fleshly will be done by the Spirit that
is in you. And in Christ, we are called
to walk by the Spirit. If you live by the Spirit, then
walk by the Spirit is what the scriptures teach. Therefore we
are not given license to just freely do and fulfill the lusts
of our flesh and what we would do to just carelessly practice
those works which Paul points out are works of the flesh. We feel the infirmity of them
in ourselves, every one of them and more, whether it be in word
or thought or deed. We're all guilty of every single
one of those things. Every one of them. And Paul had
just been emphasizing in 5.16, well, let me just say, but in
grace now, we're all guilty of it, but in grace, we don't want
to do those things. gives His child a hungering and
a thirsting for righteousness, to know their God, to love their
God, to walk before their God in peace and fellowship and in
joy, enjoying these blessings that we have in Christ. It's
all of Him, it's all of His grace, but He does work in us a desire
to not partake of these things, to not, we'd rather adorn the
gospel with fruits of righteousness than be tearing it down and having
people say, that person's a Christian, he's a Christian. He's really
a Christian living like that talking like that doing those
things, right? We don't want to do those things when we think
about it That's not how we want to be found now. Paula just said
in Galatians 5 16 through 18 this I say them Walk in the spirit
and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh For the flesh
lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh
and these are and here's the key They're contrary the one
to the other so that ye cannot do the things that ye would They're
just always opposing one another. But if you be led of the Spirit,
you're not under the law. You're not under the law. Now someone might look at that
And look at this list of sins that Paul has just laid out for
us and say, well, I'm not under the law. And these sins sound
like they belong under the law or they have some relation to
the law. Therefore, this doesn't apply to me at all. I don't have
to hear this. I don't have to mind this or think about this
at all. There's no application. It is
true. Believers are not under the law
but under grace. Paul is not teaching the law
here. He is shining a light. on the works of darkness and
the works of our flesh and therefore that we would see, that we would
know this is sin and we're not to, we shouldn't be seeking to
walk in those things. We shouldn't be careless and
indifferent about these things which he tells us are works of
the flesh. Works of the flesh. So after
listing all these various works of the flesh, Paul says, of the
which I tell you before, As I have also told you in time past, that
they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
So first, someone reading this, they may think, well, Paul means
that no one who has ever done any of these things listed here
can ever inherit the kingdom of God. And they think, well,
I'm out then. I'm out. And truth be told, then
I'm out too. I'm out too. Every one of us
is out then, if that's what Paul means. Everyone's nature, born
of the seed of Adam, has walked in these things and done these
things, practiced these things and done them. We're all guilty
of them, whether word, thought, or deed. And all the scriptures
tell us, the scriptures are given to show us that we are sinners. There's none righteous, no, not
one. There's none good. We've all
gone out of the way. None of us is good. None of us
is perfect. We've all sinned and come short
of the glory of God. So that the scriptures, wherever
you're reading it, when you're looking at brethren, you're seeing
we're sinners. They're sinners. And I'm a sinner.
I'm no better than they are. And the scriptures are just telling
me plainly, without any excuse, that man sinned. That man did
what was wrong. He sinned. He ought not to have
done that. That was wicked what he did.
And so the truth is that in Adam, yeah, by his seed, by his strength,
according to what he can do, what I can do in Adam, in this
flesh, I will never inherit the kingdom of God. By my works under
the law, or whether it's the law of Moses or whatever religious
service I would seek to come to God in, I shall never inherit
the kingdom of God by the strength of my flesh. Why? Because I'm a sinner, dead in
trespasses and sins. I'm corrupt, vile. I'm corruptible. I am weak. I cannot do it. I can't do it. I can't purge
myself of my present sins. I cannot get rid of the stain
of sin and the guilt of my conscience by myself. I cannot justify myself
by the law, and I deserve the condemnation, the just condemnation
and judgment of God by my good works. as well as my bad works. All of it's sin. I can't do it.
But God has provided salvation. freely, by grace, in the Lord
Jesus Christ. He has a chosen elect people
whom he put in the care of Christ, who came and gave his life, shedding
his blood, to purchase them, to redeem them, to deliver them
from the condemnation of their sins, and the power of sin, and
the power of the grave, to give them life in himself. He did that. provided freely,
not because I've earned it, not because I merit it, not because
I've done that which I ought to do. All I've done is fall
on my face repeatedly. But this grace, which is declared
in the scriptures from the Old Testament to the New, throughout
from Genesis to Revelation, this grace in the Lord Jesus Christ,
it must be brought to bear then on this word that Paul is saying
here. I am exposed before God as a sinner with no hope in myself. I cannot inherit the kingdom
of God, but Christ did. He is my inheritance. He did
obtain for you His child who have no righteousness of your
own, who hopes in Him He's the one who has purchased you and
obtained that eternal redemption for you. And he makes you to
cry out to know that you're a sinner so that you cry out, oh wretched
man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death. and He reveals Christ the Savior
to your heart. He reveals Him so that we are
made to know it's all of grace. It's all of grace. So yeah, in
my flesh, I've done these things. I can't get around it. And I'm
not worthy of eternal life. But in Christ, I have eternal
life. And I am made righteous in Him. and I am accepted into the Beloved
by the grace of God and the Lord Jesus Christ." So, anyone who
has done these things, no, they are not excluded on the basis
of Christ, coming in Christ. That's first. Second, does Paul
mean that anyone found guilty of these things after salvation
can never inherit the Kingdom of God? Well, what does the Gospel
say? Christ our Lord said, I give
unto them eternal life and they shall never perish. Neither shall
any man, not even you. You're a man, whether you're
a woman or man, you're a man in Adam. You're of the seed of
Adam. And you can't even pluck yourself. No one else can, and you can't
pluck yourself out of the hand of Christ. Why? Because by one
offering, he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. He's
the one that sanctifies. He's our sanctification. He's
made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. He's everything. Now, one of
the blessings of God in Christ is the giving of His Spirit to
dwell in you, His child. Look back at Galatians 4, verse
6. And because Because ye are sons,
God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts,
crying, Abba, Father. So the Spirit regenerates us. The Spirit creates a new creature
called the new man whereby we live in Christ and walk by faith
in Him. and the new man does not sin.
The new man is not corruptible because it's not born of Adam's
seed but of Christ's seed. It's not of the flesh but of
the spirit. That which is born of the flesh
is flesh. That which is born of the spirit is spirit and it's
not corrupted. It cannot be corrupted by sin.
It does not sin. All the new man can do is believe
the Lord Jesus Christ. But this flesh, This flesh is
corrupt. This flesh is vile. This flesh is not changed. Look
at Galatians 5.5. Let me get there myself. 5.5, which says, for we through the
Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. Why? Because in this
flesh I do not see myself as I would see. My flesh is weak
and vile. I still see and feel the corruptions
of sin. Until Christ returns and raises
this body from the grave, this flesh remains corrupt. It's subject to death. If Christ
tarries, and we'll die before he comes if he tarries longer,
and we'll go into the grave, every one of us, because for
sinners, this flesh is still under that law of sin and death,
but the spirit, no, no, we shall live. And the promise in Christ
is that when he returns, he shall raise your body, a new body,
give you a new body, because you're the new man in Christ. Let me read a couple of scriptures
from 1 Corinthians 15 that speak to this. 1 Corinthians 15, verse 53 through
55, it says, for this corruptible must put on incorruption, and
this mortal must put on immortality. And when that happens, we're
told, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written,
death is swallowed up in victory. And he asks, O death, where is
thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? This flesh will die and it will
go to the grave and lie there until Christ returns. And that
grave which we've never seen anyone be able to come out of
except for Christ and those that he brought out like Lazarus but
only by the power of Christ. And Christ was the first man
and only man to this day to die and to rise again never to die
again and we shall be raised like Him, by Him, when He comes. And that grave will not hold
us. It will release. Because Christ will give His
Word and we shall live by the power of our Savior. And so we'll have a new heavenly
incorruptible body then. As we have borne the image of
the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. And so the point is, this flesh
is still corrupt. We still feel, we yet feel the
infirmity of this flesh. And we justify things and find
ways to do things and justify them and make excuses for them,
but We're made to feel the infirmity of them, to know these things
are not of the spirit. This is of my flesh. The apostles
admonish us in the scriptures to stay away from these ways,
and they don't do it with threats. They don't do it with threats,
but by the spirit. They speak of the promises of
the Spirit of God, of the promises of God to you in Christ. As Peter
said, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul. We're made to know these are
profitable. I don't enjoy it. I don't like it when I stumble
and fall in things I know I ought not to do. And it bothers me. It hurts me. And it makes me
unprofitable to my brethren because now I'm thinking of me rather
than thinking of you. and have my heart set on you
and how to serve you and my God and my Savior. And so they tell
us these things because it's for our good and for our edification. Third, some have noted that Paul
is addressing those who show a pattern of practice and a continuation
in that pattern of doing those things. And therefore they, these
can never inherit the kingdom of God. The purpose here. And that is not to turn you to
a legalistic mindset, but again, to reveal to us the presence
of the works of the flesh in this flesh. The works of sin
and death that has yet remains in this flesh. Again, that we
should not think more highly of ourselves than we ought to
think. That we might have mercy and patience and long-suffering
with our brethren. Because who are we? We're sinners
saved by the grace of God as well. And if God our Savior can
be long-suffering toward us and patient with us, and He's perfect,
He has every right to destroy us, and yet He's loving and kind
and gentle toward us, therefore we too ought to be gentle with
one another. and think of one another. So
it's not to put us in a legalistic mindset, but to be aware these
are works of the flesh that yet remain in this flesh. And it's
spoken to encourage you, to drive you to the promises of God made
unto you in the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing that he's the one that
keeps me. He's the one that guides me and
leads me in paths of righteousness for his namesake. He promises
this in the word. Don't look to the flesh. You'll
fail. You cannot do these. You can't
even put these things off because it's all the flesh knows. And
so being turned to the flesh is just going to continue in
fleshly ways, self-righteous ways. But looking at the promises
of God made unto you in Christ, that's where we're encouraged.
Our Lord said to his disciples, he that followeth me shall not
walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. That was in
John 8, 12. He tells us in John 6, 45, he
says, and they shall all be taught of God. All you, therefore, that
have been taught of God, you come to Christ. You look to Christ. That's his word. That's his power
working in you who don't hope in the law, who don't hope in
what you do, but are looking to Christ. Lord, I have no hope
in me and what I do. This flesh is rotten to the core.
But I come to Christ because he's my only hope. And that's
how you, brethren, come. We know that those who are the
Lord's, he'll chasten them. He'll teach his child. He'll
instruct his child. He speaks of chastening. For
whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom
he receiveth. That's found in Hebrews 12. So
we are chastened of the Lord. Why? Sometimes it's to remove
sin. Sometimes it's just to make us
weak in the flesh. to bring us low, that we would
hear, that our ear would be open and made attentive. Lord, what
are you teaching me? What would you have me to know?
Lord, you're turning me from this world. Thank you. He chastens
us for that. It's to conform us to Christ. Christ, to conform you to Christ.
Why? Because as a son, though he were a son, yet learned he
obedience by the things which he suffered, If it was good for
Christ, how much more good for us who are imperfect in our ways? Every branch, he says, every
branch that beareth fruit, what does the father do? He purges
it. He prunes it. He cuts it back.
He snips things off, brings it back. Why? It was bearing fruit.
Why does he do that? That it may bring forth more
fruit. He knows what you can bear. He knows what his purpose
for you and how he's using you, what he's going to do with you
tomorrow or next month or next year. He's preparing you for
his use. We don't know the things that
we're doing. We don't even know when we're blessing a brother
most of the time. We don't even see it. But it's
for their good. And how did you do it? By the
flesh? No, you didn't even know what you were doing. In spite
of yourself, God had prepared you. God burdened your heart.
God brought you low at some point and made you sensitive or sensible
of it when it came along. However he did it, he did it,
and he gets all the glory for it. We know from looking at King
David that believers are capable of the most vile of sins. That man committed adultery with
a married woman and then murdered her husband to try and conceal
his sin and then lived in it for a good year before Nathan
came and exposed it and pointed it out to him. We're capable
of that, but the Lord shows us this. He makes us sensible. Not of others, but he makes us
sensible of our own heart to know. I don't need to look to
David. I see in my own heart how sinful
I am and how desperate I am for the grace of God. I only need to look there. And
the Lord makes his people sensible that we would hear what the Spirit
says to the churches. Because the Spirit has given
us this word And he makes us sensible to what the Spirit's
saying that we too, who are in Christ and his children and who
need to hear it, that we would hear it and benefit from it.
But we do read of David and we do read of Paul, right? And so the Lord gives us the
scriptures because he teaches us by the scriptures. He teaches
us by the Spirit whom he's given to us. And he teaches us this
in grace and in that experience of grace and growing in him.
And we're made to see and to know that the blood of Christ
is sufficient to save even me, the chief of sinners. And each
one of you is made to know. Just as we saw Paul go through
that progression as he writes those letters where he acknowledges
he's a sinner and he acknowledges he's a bad sinner and he ultimately
acknowledges to Timothy, I'm the chief of sinners. And that's
how he grows each and every one of you, his children. You're
made to see. That's why I'm saying some things
are very obvious to us at first, but as He grows us in the grace
and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, we see the subtleties
of the works of the flesh and we're made sensitive to those
things and sensible of them, not what the Lord sees in someone
else when He's teaching me and showing me, hey, don't do that. Don't walk in that way. It's
unprofitable. It's hurtful, don't do it, don't
do those things. And so he teaches his people
as he sees fit. He's the pruner, he's the purger,
he's the one who brings forth the fruit that he purposes to
bring forth in his child, in his church. And so God's able,
here's the promise, God's able to deliver every one of us from
the sins which doth so easily beset us. And He's speaking to
you personally. Those sins which so easily beset
me, He's able to deliver me from them. The turn you. Seek the
Lord for it. Lord help me. Lord save me. Lord
deliver me from these foolish things. The Lord knoweth how
to deliver the godly out of temptations. He's telling you. I know I can
do this for you. But he does, it's, why does he
do this? Can he do it like that? Of course
he can, absolutely he can. But he tells us it's a walk of
faith. You're going to see, he says, for these things I will
be sought of by Israel. My people Israel, all my chosen
people, I'll be sought of them. I'm gonna make them. To know
the weakness and firmity of their flesh so that there they do seek
me." We're not robots. We're not robots. He knows exactly
how to bring forth the fruit from us that he purposes to bring
forth from us. So all things are ordained of
him. Our steps are predestinated by him. And yet he brings them
forth through power and the glory of God. He's able, and so he's
declaring these wonderful promises to us that we would feel the
presence of that sin warring in our members, to be humbled
to know I can't save myself. This is a problem in me, for
me, that we would, by the spirit which is given to us, cry out,
Abba, Father, save me. Deliver me, Lord. Hebrews 7.25,
wherefore, here's another promise, he is able also to save them
to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth
to make intercession for them. And so he shows you this, he
teaches you this, he points out, hey, these are works of the flesh
so that we know that's me. I'm the sinner. Lord, I need
your grace. I can't even imagine trying to
come in my own strength. Now, fourth and finally here,
Paul is emphasizing something more, or is Paul saying something
more? I think he is saying something
more when he says that they, which do such things shall not
inherit the kingdom of God." There's not a chance that you,
the child of God, for whom Christ died, are going to fall away
and go to hell. That's not what he's saying.
He's pointing out this truth. They which do such things, they
shall not inherit the kingdom of God. They won't do this. It comes down to whose child
am I? Whose child am I? Do I stand in the corrupt seed
of Adam? Is that my hope? Is that my strength? Am I coming? Here, Lord, here
I come in my works before the law. I've done good. I've done
well. I've battled people. I've told people to be quiet.
I've shut them down with debate and strifes and hatred and persecution,
all for your sake, Lord. Is that how you come? What you've
done? Or do we come? and what the Lord
has done for me in the blood of Christ. Is he my righteousness? Whose hope do I come in? The
hope of Adam under the law or the hope of Christ under grace? Under grace. Because those who
come boldly, valiantly in the law, thinking that they've done
something for the Lord, he says, they which do those things will
not inherit the kingdom of God because they have no covering
for their sin. They're exposed. They're naked. They're going
to fall before the throne of God. But you that come in Christ,
you have no sin. Your sins are remembered no more. They're put away. That's not
your hope. We're not under the law. We're
under grace. We're under grace. Now turn to
Colossians. Go to Colossians 3. There's a number of places
we could have gone to, but let's go to Colossians 3. The first six verses say there,
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above,
where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection
on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead,
and your life is hid with Christ in God. That's not, well, we'll
wait and see how things work out to see whether your life's
hid with Christ. No, it is hid right now. Your sins are put
away. We are looking at the promises
of God. Not what I need to do better or be turned to the promises
of God. When Christ, who is our life,
shall appear, then shall he also appear with him in glory. Mortify,
therefore, your members which are upon the earth, fornication,
uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness
which is idolatry. Recognize this is the works,
this is how Adam operates. This is how the flesh operates. And he says, for which things
sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience?
You know, God's wrath isn't coming because men don't keep the law
of God. It's coming because men are sinners
who walk in their own flesh. That's why the wrath of God is
coming. The law was given to expose it, to shine a light on
it and say, hey, that's sin. But you don't need the law. You're
not under the law. He's giving you his spirit so
that you hear what the spirit says to the churches and you
recognize these works are unprofitable. What do I have to do with these
things? Why do I keep doing these things? I don't want to do these
things. And you look to the promises of God in Christ, crying out
to him, Lord, keep me. Don't let me fall away. Don't
let me come in the folly and the blindness and the darkness
of those in Adam's flesh. Stand me in Christ. Let me be
found in the refuge, in the rock whom you've provided. And so
it reveals that it was given to reveal to Adam's seed that
They're sinners. This isn't about, are you in
the law or are you not in the law? Believers aren't under the
law. We're not. We're under grace.
We're under grace. So you don't need the law to
make that known. You have the spirit of God. And
by his grace, we don't want to be a partaker in Adam's hope. We were partakers of Christ,
of the hope of righteousness in the Lord Jesus Christ. You
know, Paul experienced these things. He knew them in his heart.
He talked about them. And he experienced the works
of the flesh, right? He was beaten. He was whipped. He was arrested. He was put in
jail. He was accused. He was put in
mock trials and accused. He was shipwrecked. He was hated
by his own countrymen. They contradicted him. They blasphemed. They did everything they could.
They followed him around from city to city, hunting him down
to try and ruin and destroy, make it so he couldn't preach
the gospel. And that is the works of the
flesh. Why would we want to be partakers
with that? We don't. He experienced that
firsthand. He experienced it in his own
flesh, And he's showing it here to the Gentiles. so that they
were aware, hey, don't do those things that you were doing in
the temple back there. They're wicked ways, they're wicked,
they're false things. He's doing it to expose these men that are
opposing the gospel. They're not working for God.
They might say they're working for God. They think they're doing
God's service, but they're not. So don't do those things. That's
what he's pointing out. He's showing us this is what
the flesh looks like, and next time when we come back to this
passage, we'll see what the fruits of the spirit look like. Because
those who are being loving and kind and gentle. They're leaning
not on the strength and wisdom of their flesh, but on the Lord
to arise and to do what he will do to right the situation. They're leaning on the Lord.
And that's what we're encouraged to do. And so look to the promises.
You're not going to beat the works of the flesh by the flesh.
It's impossible, because that's all the flesh does is tricky,
conniving, deceitful, lying things. That's what the flesh does. And
so we need the grace of God, and that's exactly what He's
given us in Christ. He's given us His Spirit, He's
washed us in the blood of Christ. Be encouraged, be encouraged,
because He's put away your sin. And they who hope in the law,
they shall not inherit the kingdom of God, but you had the inheritance
of the kingdom of God for Christ's sake. Amen. All right, let's
close in prayer. Our gracious Lord, we thank you,
Father, for your grace. Lord, help us to hear what you
say to the churches by your spirit. Lord, anything that I've misspoke
or anything that I could have said better, Lord, take it and
put it, that which is pure and right and holy and good in the
hearts of your people. Cause our ears to hear it, to
sink down into that good soil prepared by the Spirit. Lord,
let your people not be burdened with guilt and things that they
can't do anything to rid themselves of in the flesh, but rather let
us see Christ and let us cry by your Spirit for your strength,
for your grace, for your mercy, for your keeping us. walking
in the paths of righteousness for your namesake, because we
don't have any hope under the law. All our hope is in Christ
Jesus alone. And we're not under the law,
but under grace. And you've made these things
known to us that we would recognize the works of the flesh, that
we might be turned from them and be found in the hope of the
believer, which is the Lord Jesus Christ alone. It's in his name
we pray and give thanks. We pray for our brethren who
are sick, who are recovering. We're thankful that we got so
many here to be together this day. Lord, we ask that you would
pour out your spirit upon us and bless us and keep us and
grow us as you see fit for the praise, honor, and glory of your
son's name, Jesus Christ. It's in his name we pray, amen. Let's all stand and sing a closing
hymn, 488. I will sing of my Redeemer, 488. He will sing of my Redeemer and
His wondrous love to me. On the cruel cross He suffered,
from the curse to set me free. Sing, oh sing of my Redeemer,
with His blood He purchased me. On the cross He sealed my pardon,
paid the debt, and made me free. I will tell the wondrous story,
How my lost estate to save, In His boundless love and mercy
He the ransom freely gave. Sing, O sing of my Redeemer,
With His blood He purchased me, On the cross He sealed my pardon,
Paid the debt and made me free. I will praise my dear Redeemer,
His triumphant power I'll tell, How the victory He giveth over
sin and death and hell, Saying, O sinners, of my Redeemer. With His blood He purchased me. On the cross He sealed my pardon,
paid the debt, and made me free. I will sing of my Redeemer and
His heavenly love to me. He from death to life hath brought
me, Son of God, with Him to be. Sing, oh, sing of my Redeemer. With His blood He purchased me. On the cross He sealed my pardon,
paid the debt, and made me free. Thank you.