Okay, if you wish to follow along turn to Galatians chapter 4 I will read one verse as my text for this morning Galatians chapter 4 verse 16 The Apostle Paul of course was continuing to his in his letter to the churches of Galatia and he made this statement am I Therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth.

Consider six facts about the truth from scripture. Now there are many more, I'm sure, but I was just looking through the scripture about this thing of truth. I'll give you six things just as kind of a starting point. These six facts about the truth.

There is no such thing, according to Exodus 34, verse six, There is no such thing as partial truth with God. Now, let me try to illustrate what I'm talking about. With us, at best, we sometimes have partial truth. That is, we may speak the truth and jack at the same time and lie right in there with it. and it kind of, you know, the two blends together where you really don't know where one starts and the other ends. But there is no such thing as partial truth with God, Exodus 34, six.

Number two, God's truth is pure and absolute, Deuteronomy 32 and forward. Illustrate again, oft times, Off time, and I will say off times, at least for me, I will say that off times, even when I am trying to tell the truth, I find myself blending a lie right into the truth. Not just having jack and error, and then truth kind of up together, but I'll be trying to tell the truth, and I just put a lie right in the middle of it. God's truth is pure and absolute, Deuteronomy 32 verse four.

Here's the third thing about truth. What God does, according, this is Psalms 33 verse four. What God does is truth because God does it. Now you hear what I said? In other words, I'll try to illustrate that. There is not this standard of truth and God has to meet it. You see what I'm saying? Now, we could say that to some degree about it. There is this standard of truth and we should try to meet it, but with God. What God does is truth because God does it. And you could go back later, this will all be on tape, be recorded, Psalm 33, verse four.

Here's the fourth thing. Christ is absolute and complete truth incarnate, John chapter one, verse 14. He is full of grace and what? Truth. As a matter of fact, we know that John went on to say of God, even God, we can say Father, Son, and Spirit in God, he is light and there is what? No darkness at all, at all. How much different are we than that? How much different are we than that?

Here's the fifth thing, the law, is true, now this is again, this is according to John as he was moved by the Spirit of God and it's recorded by John, excuse me, in John chapter one verse 17. The law is true, but grace and truth proceeds from Jesus Christ. And John put it this way, for the law was given by Moses, but, Grace and truth, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Here's number six. God, now this is important. All these other things are certainly important because they are part of the truth, okay? But for us, in things we experience, Sandy, this is vital. God calls to salvation by gospel truth. Second Thessalonians chapter two, verses 13 and 14. God does not use error to convert his people. He does not. And if you then look at these other five things that I've said about truth from the scripture, we see that God doesn't use a message of error, self-will, self-righteousness, and then add in a little speck of truth and then convert somebody by it. Now he may use a little speck of truth in a false message to cause someone to begin to think, now wait a minute, what that man just said, those two things don't go together. Now you understand what I'm saying?

But God doesn't convert by error and truth kind of mixed together and then you gotta kind of figure out, God converts by the preaching of the gospel. And as we'll look at it, there is but one gospel. Anything contrary to that gospel that Paul called, what have we read? What did we read in our letter here? We've been going through. Paul calls it another gospel, and then quickly moves to say, which is not another, but it is a perversion of the gospel of Christ. So again, that's the sixth one. And it's vital for us in our experience.

God calls to salvation by gospel truth. When is it that a man or a woman will just say, you know what, I wasn't really saved back there when I thought I was. Now here they are, they know the truth now. They know the truth today, but yet they're hanging on to some experience they had way back yonder. Why? Because we like to think we had something to do with it. Rather than say, you know what, I was dumber than a bag of hammers. Oh yeah, I may have made a religious profession, I may have knew I deserved hell, I may have believed in Jesus, but God only converts through the preaching of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And no man or woman has ever been converted, saved, until they first heard the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank God he's taught some of us that that's so.

Now, having given you these six things, Let's go back to what Paul said. Am I therefore become your enemy? Now remember what he just said. You'd have plucked out your eyes from me. But all of a sudden, you're listening to these other people that you know are saying things exactly contrary to what I've been saying. And now, it's different. This plucking out your eyes, am I become your enemy? Am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?

Now, what I'm going to try to do this morning is I am going to give you 10 things, and I know that's kind of frightening. Henry Mahan said one time, if you got that many points, don't tell people, because you'll lose them after about the third one. They'll be tired already. But I am going to tell you, being honest enough to you, I got 10 things. But what I hope to do is make these statements, give us the scripture where this truth is, Maybe make a statement about it, and then just kind of move right on through these things. But I'm not going to try to sit here and say, OK, here's the truth, number one, number two, number three, number four. And I'm not saying that that would necessarily be wrong. But Jack, that would be far more than 10 points. What I want to do is I'm going to highlight the truth. that Paul has expressed in this letter, starting from chapter one all the way up to the point of where we are now in this letter. Do you understand what I'm getting at? What comes after is the same truth.

Okay, but I'm gonna dwell with what we have already seen and been taught by the Apostle Paul up to this point. So this will be our last Sunday message here at Sovereign Grace Chapel for 2025. So here's these 10 things. Or first, before I give you the 10 things, let me say this. Our brother Paul is clear. This Galatian letter is the truth. Isn't that just the very emphasis that he's saying here? Am I therefore become your enemy because I, now notice what it says, not have told you the truth, though that's true, but I'm telling it to you now, right? Am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you, that's present tense, right? I'm not a English scholar, but I do know that meaning. Am I therefore become your enemy because I, tell you the truth.

Here's these 10 things. The one and only gospel of God's grace in Christ is the truth. All else is perversion and damning. This is the truth, chapter one, verses six through nine. Did not we read all that? You see, it's not, well, this person knows most of the gospel. No, you either know the gospel or you don't know the gospel. Now, you may not know all about the gospel, but you either know the gospel or you don't know the gospel. And you do not mix error, I've already kind of stated that in the first six things. You don't mix error, God does not mix error and truth and then use a little bit of truth to call his people out. We are called out by the preaching of the gospel of the free and reigning grace of God in Christ. And Paul's clear, if somebody preaches any other gospel, what'd he say? Let them be accursed, okay?

So that what, listen now, what I need to do about everything I used to hear, now knowing, Jack, now knowing, I can kinda go back and say, here's when I first began to hear the gospel. I might not remember the exact day or the date or the time, Mack, you know what I'm saying? But I can look back and say, I know when I first began to hear the gospel preached. I have to look at everything else other than that before it. and everything else other than that after it. As what? Damning. Right? Isn't that what Paul has said is the truth?

Here's number two. Truth is to be defended. against all error, okay? Truth is to be defended against all error without compromise, chapter two and verse five. I'm summing up the high points of Paul's letter up to this point so far. Truth is to be defended against all error without compromise, chapter two, verse five, even if others do compromise it. Remember Peter, chapter two, verse 11? Remember Barnabas, chapter two, verse 13? That's the truth. Paul even had to, now I'm sure Paul wasn't rejoicing in this. I'm sure Paul, Tommy, I just figured Paul was as nervous about it as he knew Peter would be nervous about it when Paul realized within himself, I've got to confront this right now, point blank. And how did Paul put it in our letter? I withstood Peter. How? To his face. That's tough. And I'm sure Paul was not relishing having to do that. You understand? But what must we do? He said, let me just give you this. To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour. Now he's not saying I waited an hour, but it's a figure of speech, no, not for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.

So those two things. There is one and only gospel. One and only, everything else is a perversion and is damning. Truth is to be defended against all error, without compromise, no matter how close someone may be to me, that does compromise it. Okay? That's tough. That's tough.

Number three, justification. Justification before God. And isn't that really what always matters? Justification before God. If I have all the justification in the world before you, and yet I'm not justified in the sight of God, what do I have? Nothing but right now. There's nothing but right now. I can feel good, maybe, about myself right now, but it's nothing but a deceptive state.

Justification in God's sight. Now listen to what I'm saying. Remember, I'm summing it up. Justification in God's sight is by Christ's own personal faith. Paul makes that clear in this letter. Justification before God, okay? Justification before God is by Christ's own personal faith to all who believe in him. Isn't that what he said in chapter two, verse 16?

And not only that, but they reject even their own law deeds. This is where a lot of so-called Calvinistic preachers, Calvinistic assemblies can still go far short. They believe in free, sovereign, reigning grace, but they still hold to the law and keeping the law in some way and in some point. Now, I've never heard one say, well, we're talking about justification just before me and not before God. I don't know that I've ever heard him say that because they always tie the two together.

You see, again, justification for me before you means nothing if I'm not justified before God. And if I'm justified before God, what does it really matter if I'm not justified in your sight? What does it really matter?

So again, even in sovereign grace assemblies, they can believe in justification by Christ, but then add in what? Law deeds. Paul put it this way, I'll read that one. Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law. This is something God's people know. When God begins to convert them, when they begin to hear the truth of the gospel, they begin to know this.

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ. So we're not even leaning on our believing. We're leaning on who? Him. And that's clear what Paul's saying. Look, let me read it again. But by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law.

There must be a rejecting of our own legal deeds and it goes along with gospel conversion. It does. Somebody says, well, these other people are saved, but they just haven't gotten rid of the law yet. If they've never gotten rid of the law, they have never been freed and delivered from it. It's just a fact. It's just, because Paul says, we know this. We know that a man's not justified by the law.

And not by the works of the law, for by the works of the law shall no flesh, and what's amazing here, In certain places in this letter, Paul talks about being justified in God's sight, or being justified before God. He just puts it, by the works of the law shall no flesh be what? Justified. I am not justified in God's sight, or really in your sight, by the works of the law. Not if you know what the law really says.

Because what does the law say? Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. That's the truth. That's the truth. Somebody says, well, that excludes too many people. I didn't exclude them. God does. God does.

Okay, think about this. What so far, what so far has Paul said? I've just kind of tried to reiterate up to a certain point what Paul has called the truth. What so far is an enemy to you or to me? What has Paul said so far that's actually an enemy? Now it may be an enemy to what you've believed before. It may be an enemy to what we think even in the present times, but what about this, any of this, Jack is an enemy to me. None, none of it. You see, this is truth. This is truth, and let me put it this way. This truth is our friend. even though sometimes this friend hurts and stings. Shows us our error, shows us our wrong.

And it was an amazing thing. Penny was doing something yesterday and after we got back from down around Kingsport and I got my Bible out and I thought it was so Tommy, but I thought I remembered a lot of things correctly that I didn't until when I went back and checked it. I got out my concordance and I opened it up And truth, the word truth only has in Strong's Concordance, and I'm sure it's every other concordance, in Strong's Concordance, that's hard to say three times in a row. In Strong's Concordance, twice the word truth is mentioned. Two headings for truth. One is truth, T-R-U-T-H. The other one, is T-R-U-T-H apostrophe S. That is the possessive sense. It's only used two or three times in the Bible. Never, I looked to make sure I wasn't misspelling and looking up the word wrong. Never is the word T-R-U-T-H S, plural, used in scripture. It's all truth.

And that goes back to these six things I told you to start with. Why? Because truth is one whole. You don't pick and choose what you want out of it. You might not know it all, you might not be aware of it all, but if you believe one point of truth, eventually you will begin to believe other points of truth. But it's all one what? Truth, there is not truth. And we often, I've said it, the truths of scripture. It's just not so. There are no truths. And yet, that's the way we love to use it because we like to distinguish. You say, well, this is really important, truth. This other truth is, no, there is truth. Truth. Somebody says, why do you point that out? Just cause I knew it'd irritate our flesh. That's why I pointed that out. Because it's right here in this book. Am I your enemy? Because I tell you what, not truths, but what? The truth, the truth.

All right, let me go on. Let me go on. This truth, as I said, singular, is our friend. And those who preach it are our friends. Even though sometimes they hurt. They sting, okay? And I know you've heard me say this, no doubt Joe and Paul and any other preacher that stood behind this podium for any length of time said, I'm not preaching down to you, I'm preaching to myself as well. Those who preach the truth are not our enemy. But listen, anything contrary to the truth is our enemy. And even more strongly, it is God's enemy.

That's why Paul put it this way. And I mentioned it, but now I'll read it. I marvel, that's a strong word, right? I'm just astounded, you put it that way. I marvel that you're so soon removed from him. And notice it's not just the doctrine they removed from. Paul's saying, you're actually removing yourself from Christ himself. You see it? Yet you're so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel, which is not another, but there be some that would trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we are an angel from heaven, he includes even himself in this. Preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you. Let him be accursed.

I know some have said, well, people like you, preacher, you individually or other people like you, you just, you just, you think you're the only ones that saved. Yeah. Yeah. If you don't believe the truth of the gospel, you're lost. And that's just the truth. That's just the truth.

Now, someone says, do you think your little group's the only ones that are saved? No, there's a couple more, and that's a metaphor, but there's a couple more of us scattered about here and there. But when God winds this whole thing up, the scripture says it will be a multitude, a number that no man can number.

Crying out what? One day we'll all cry this together. We cry it now individually. And we cry it now collectively as a small local assembly. But one day all of his assemblies will be gathered together and we will cry out this in a threefold, we'll say this word three times and at the last one we'll put it this way. God's already told us what we're going to cry. Alleluia for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Wait a minute, exclamation point. Well, he reigns up to a point, no, he reigneth. He reigneth.

Here's number four. This is found in chapter two, verses 17 through 21. This is the truth. The life believers now live, we live by Christ's own personal faith and not by our law deeds. I will read that one. For I, through the law, am dead to the law, dead to the law. How can I emphasize it? How dead is dead? Dead, okay? For I, through the law, am dead to the law, but not just so we can be dead to the law, Jack, that I might live under God. And I want to add this. Paul said, I will explain what I just said. I am crucified with Christ. Why? Because the law says sinners have to die. What happened to Christ when he bore our sins in his own body on the tree? He died. He died under the judgment of God Almighty.

Listen, I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. Yet not I. Now how often do we quote that and not really know what it's saying? Now let me tell you something. If God's ever called us out by the truth of his gospel, this is true of us even if we can't word it like it's supposed to be worded. But Paul words it, Sandy, like it's supposed to be worded. We should say it with the attitude with which Paul writes it in this verse. I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

I do not frustrate the grace of God before salvation, conversion, or after. conversion. You see it? These legalizers, these Judaizers is what we often call them, were not denying that Jesus Christ was essential to salvation. They were just trying to add in anything else. See if it'll stick, huh? See if it'll stick. See if it'll stick. The problem is, once it sticks, once one thing sticks, You know what it is? We are duty-bound to everything else in the law. Think about it.

The life which I now live, I live how? Not even by the faith he gave me, but by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Who is the Holy Spirit in us but the Spirit of Christ himself? It's, Paul put it, was it the church at Colossae? Forgive me if I'm wrong in the book. It is Christ in us. The hope of glory. Now that's not just glory to come. That's any glory I understand and experience and know and am blessed by now. Now.

Somebody say, preacher, you're too picky. No, that's the truth. That's what it says. I read to you the words there, the truth.

Here's number five. We got a long ways to go, don't we? Well, let me stop before I say it. Sanctification, not only justification, sanctification's an act of God. It's an act of God.

Number five, we begin by God's spirit. This is according to Paul, chapter three, verses one through seven. We begin by the spirit of God and we will only continue by him and not by our law deeds. Chapter three, verses one through seven. Being set apart is an act of God.

Number five. That was number five. Number six, I'm sorry. This is what Paul taught us in chapter three, verses 11 and 12. And remember, Paul said, am I therefore your enemy? Because I'll tell you what, the truth. Somebody said, well, I believe that part about it, but I'm not sure about your explanation of the other.

Most of this, I've just read to you and made a couple comments on it. I've not tried to tell you what it really means. I've just told you what it says and made some comments on it. Think about this. This is according to, as I said, chapter three, verse 11 and 12.

The law, this is what Paul says, the law is not of faith. So when someone says, well, I as a believer, now that I'm saved, I'm enabled to at least try to keep the law. You don't do so in faith. You've abandoned what? Faith. The law is not of faith. I'm not explaining that, Mac. I'm quoting what Paul said in this letter. That's the truth and it's not our enemy.

The law is not of faith, therefore justification is never, ever, ever, can I just keep on saying that, ever, By the law. As a matter of fact, let me just add in this tidbit, which Paul doesn't give in this letter, but he does in another. Do you know what the strength of sin is? The law. How many people are preaching on that? How many people are preaching on that? There are some.

The strength of sin, Paul said, was it in Corinthians? First Corinthians, I think? The strength of sin is what? The law, why? Because it's the law that incites it within us. Even before there was the law given, okay, a prohibition was given in the garden. Thou shall not, right? Thou shall not. Don't eat of that fruit. What did Eve say? Yes, I will. In an upright state. As one preacher said, there were no other men for her to mess around with. There was no dope for her to smoke. There was no booze for her to drink. There were no dirty picture shows for her to go to, right? She couldn't go down and support the wrong business because they sold dirty magazines. She was in a pristine state and still said, I will be in charge. And what did Adam do? He wasn't even tricked. He wasn't even bewitched, was he? He just said, I'll take that. Plunged us all into utter ruin apart from the person and work of Jesus Christ.

The strength of sin is the law. That's the truth. So you want sin's sting taken away? Be delivered from the law. Okay, we're not done yet. We're still working our way up to chapter four, verse 16, where Paul said, am I therefore your enemy because I tell you the truth? The answer is rhetorical. Of course not. Of course not.

Think about this. Number seven, Christ redeemed us from the law's curse, right? This is according to chapter three, verse 13 specifically. Christ redeemed us from the law's curse, taking our place as the one cursed of God in our stead. And somebody says, well, Yeah, we're redeemed from the law's curse, but what about the law itself? Oh, chapter four, verses one through seven.

I'll jump all the way to number 10 now and give you an eight and nine here in a moment. Number 10 is this, redemption by Christ included redemption out from under the law. That was the words we read. We just read that a few weeks ago. I preached on it. Redemption by Christ included redemption out from under the law by the cross work of Jesus Christ, chapter four, verses one through seven.

Now let me go back. Number eight. God's covenant promise, according to Paul, in this letter, chapter three, verses 16, 17, and 18, God's covenant promise is in Christ, not law.

Ellen, why didn't he just say God's covenant in Christ, or God's covenant promise is in Christ, and then just not mention the law? Because the law, yeah, Tommy, you let me preach this. because the law is dangerous to our spiritual well-being. It harms us, not because there's a fault in it, but because all fault, not all the fault, all fault is in here. Still yet, the law deals with my flesh, and my flesh is what? Corrupt, according to deceitful lust, and it never gets any better.

As a matter of fact, Pam, the only way we'll ever be delivered from that itself is when we drop this flesh and awaken his likeness, whether it's through dying and be resurrected or being transformed when the trumpet sounds, one or the other. This flesh will always be there doing this. But you know what the sad part is? Not everybody minds being done this. but the believer can't handle it. It's too much because our desire is to what? Rest in Christ. That's what we want. That's what we need.

If somebody comes along and starts doing this to us, we say, I don't want that. I will not. Somebody, well, you're rejecting God's law. No, I'm rejecting your error and your lies and your false gospel. I don't reject God's law. I love God's law. I would keep God's law if I could, but I cannot.

And as we, I'm jumping ahead, as we will see in the end of this letter, nobody ever does. Nobody ever does. Even those in the churches of Galatia that were pushing law, pushing law, what did Paul say? For neither they themselves who were circumcised keep the law. but they desire to have you circumcised that they may glory in your flesh. You see?

Now, is Paul our enemy because he told us the truth? No. Am I your enemy because I tell you the truth? No.

Here's number nine. Now remember, I jumped from seven to 10. I guess it's actually the last one. And this is stated by Paul in chapter three, verses 19, all the way through 29. And what we're going to, God willing, if we're still alive, we still gather here, we're gonna see Paul just reinforce this very same truth he's already said all the way up to one, two, three, four chapters, and he's just gonna keep what? Hammering on it, and hammering on it, and hammering on it. Why? Because this is dangerous. Legalism is dangerous. Somebody says, I'm too afraid to say that. I'm not, because it is dangerous.

Here's number nine. Believe according to chapter three, verses 19 all the way through 29. Believers are not under the law in any way. Stop it. How do I explain that any better than that? That's about it.

So let me sum this thing up. Deny this truth, not these truths. This is truth, it goes together. If I believe one and I'm fighting against the other, then God's gonna have to chasten me, correct me, bring me down, because there is inconsistency. You can't believe one or two or three of these 10, and then just pussyfoot around the rest of them. If you're God's, he'll bring you down. And Paul actually says that, what did he say? I have confidence in you through the Lord. Do you see that? Through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded. But what about them that keeps bothering us? But he that troubleth you shall bear his own judgment, whosoever he be. You see it? So I'm not, Tommy, I've not been making any of this up. I've been trying to express a few things in my own words, but trying to concentrate on thus saith the Lord. Think about deny this, anything different than this is a perverted message.

This truth is never and will never be our enemy, nor are those who preach it. They and they only are really our true friends as far as pastor teachers. They're the only true friends.

Which kind of friend do you like best? Now you can, your flesh may give an answer to it and the spirit of God in you may give an answer to it and that'll be between you and God as to which one you kind of listen to. Which kind of friend would you rather have? One that's constantly pointing a finger in your faces every time you fall? Or one that when you fall says, listen, I've been there. It'll be okay. Yeah, you shouldn't have done that. And you ought to try your best not to do it again. But you probably will. A honest friend, and not pointing, you better look out. You might be in danger of hellfire. You better look out, or you're not gonna be a good Christian. You won't be accepted by the group. You won't be a real part of the church.

Would you rather have a friend like that or one that puts his arm around you or her arm around you? Listen, I've been there. It'll be okay. God will lift you back up. Though the righteous fall, God upholdeth him. with his hand. Which kind of friend do you want? I can tell you which kind of friend I need. That one who's been there. That one who knows what it's like to be a, just a, as was it Scott Richardson said one time, and Ellen, you and Jack may, some of you others may remember that. He said, I used to be a miserable sinner. He said, I'm still a sinner, but I'm not a miserable sinner anymore.

Well, I can relate to what he's saying, but I can guarantee you this old Scott would have told you if you'd asked him, are you ever miserable still yet? He'd probably, yeah, yeah, I'm probably still miserable at times. But you know the only time when I'm miserable? It's when I think I'm something when I'm nothing. That's when I really am miserable. Yes, yes, Jack, when I sin against my Lord, I become ashamed, but a lot of times that's, when I'm by myself. I don't even have to pee people around. I can just sin against the Lord and I'm miserable. Just miserable.

But you know what I'm really miserable? Is when I find myself starting to trust in myself. Starting to depend on myself. Because it's not long before what? I hit rock bottom when I do that. And I can be at my best state when I'm doing that. You know, you're doing your best, you've been doing good, you've been praying, you've been reading, you've been listening to messages, you've been kind to other people, and you start feeling pretty daggone good, right? And what happens? Bang, down you go. Down you go.

Again, I say, which kind of friend do you want? The one that says, oh, look at you. I told you you were that bad. Or that one that says, here, Let me help you, huh? Maybe get you, maybe get you a penny by both hands, and picks you up and says, it's all right. No, they don't throw off on the sin, they don't belittle the sin, but it'll be okay.

Error leads to law, to self, to self-righteousness. to flesh, to infighting, and self-righteousness, and envy. And we will see that as we continue on in this letter. It's fairly a long letter, but it's pretty short compared to some of the others. But think about all he does is hammer on this one thing. Mac, it's sad. I didn't even really see this for years. I've been preaching for years. I didn't really see this. Paul has one subject. the grace of Christ versus law. And he's relentless in this, he doesn't quit. Every other letter he deals with all kinds of things. He's like that bulldog on a leg of somebody's, gets a hold of that bone and will not let go. Because again, error leads to law. to self, to flesh, to infighting and self-righteousness and envy. And Paul tells us what will happen when we do this. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not what? Consumed one of another. God Almighty.

This is a prayer, I'm saying it out loud. And this is, I can say, Ellen, I can say constantly, though I'm not talking about saying it over and over again, it's constantly on my mind. Even Sandy, when I go to work and I'm busy, concentrated on doing a job, it's not long before I'm reminded of this. God sweetly forced me to lean hard on Christ and His grace, forced me to. And one way, well, there's more than one. One of the ways he does that is by just letting us fall flat on our face. Yeah, that's right. What did the psalmist say? It's good for me that I've been afflicted. Isn't that what he said? It's good for me that I've been afflicted.

But another way he does that also is just by allowing us this privilege of gathering together here and to hear the truth of the gospel preached and being, yes, at times warned if necessary, rebuked if necessary, but at the same time what? Encouraged, admonished, built up, edified. But how? Through the preaching of the personal work of Jesus Christ. If all me or Joe or Paul ever did was stand here and just tell you, here's what God says we're supposed to be doing, and here's where we're failing. How great would a Sunday morning be? Wouldn't be very good, would it? Until we start turning to what? Law, self, and flesh. Then we'll start, if we start looking, say, okay, I'm doing better, but you know what's gonna happen when we do that? Then there's gonna be infighting, self-righteousness, and envy. And then the whole thing blows up. The whole thing blows up.

God sweetly forced me to lean hard on Christ and his grace, and here's the end of that prayer. Beginning all the way to the end. All the way to the end. And as a matter of fact, I must add in this prayer that even when I get to glory by his grace, I'll still be praising him as the land that was slain. Even then, Jack, we won't get over it. We won't feel the guilt and the shame or even the presence of sin, but back we'll still remember what we were and remember the glory of who brought us to where we are then. Jesus Christ. And about all I can say to those words are amen.

Heavenly Father, Lord, as we sing this last song and we part our ways, may it be that we be prayerful for one another, mindful of one another, and Lord, encourage us. Lord, we have so much just in ourselves to be discouraged in. And when we look around us in this world, Lord, it just seems as though things are just blowing apart. Lord, cause us to realize, cause sweetly force us to bow to your absolute, wise, and sovereign rule over all things. In Christ's name, amen.