All right, Galatians chapter four. I'm not going to, I know it's been three weeks since we, because of the weather, we've been able to gather. I'm not going to go back over anything per se that I've just recently covered on the weeks we were here, the last few weeks. What I want to read is Galatians chapter four, verses 12 through 15. Galatians four, 12 through 15. Brethren, I beseech you. And we can say, I implore, I beg. Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am, for I am as you are. You have not injured me at all. In other words, you haven't harmed me. You haven't wronged me. Now that's the context. Let us never think that there's not been a wrong here. Okay? The wrong has been against the truth of God in Christ Jesus. Okay? You've not injured me at all. Ye know how that through infirmity of the flesh, I preached the gospel unto you at the first. And my temptation, which was in my flesh, ye despised not, nor rejected, but received me as an angel of God, even as Jesus, or as Christ Jesus. Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? For I bear you record, that if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them unto me." Now, this is not necessarily a part of my message, but I want to say this. I know there's a lot of speculation as to what Paul's actual problem was. And of course, some try to say they're direct with the context that he had bad eyesight. That may well have been. Here's the problem when we do things like that. We get off the beaten path. We begin to think about and deal with things that really don't matter. It doesn't matter what the actual problem was. What Paul is expressing is this. You loved me so much. You cared about what I was preaching and even more who I was preaching so much that you would have done this for me. But now you've turned your back on what I told you. That's what he's saying. But even at the same time, he said, but you haven't hurt me. You see it? You haven't hurt me. Now my title will probably sound a little different compared to many of the titles that we've looked at so far. But before I give you the title of this, and it will be my title, it will be my subject, but it's still a part of it. But before I give you that, in this letter, Paul is relentless. This may seem kind of like a side note. Now, Paul's talking about all of this trouble, this difficulty, this deception that's been brought into the churches of Galatia. But now what he's doing is he's making it personal. Do you see that? Personal, you loved me so much that you would have plucked out, plucked out an eye and given it to me. Of course, now we're not going there yet, but then he says, I know I broke it down into a separate thing, but am I therefore your enemy because I tell you the truth? Do you see it? This is, Paul is still here being relentless. for this truth of grace versus law. Grace versus law. Here's my title, my subject. Believing pastors and their believing hearers are the same. Now, I figure for this small group of people, you'd probably say, well, that's a given, right? That's easy. We understand that because you've been taught that for years. When I first stepped behind the podium at Calvary Baptist Church at Mabscot as a young 20-some year old, standing with a man that, Ellen, what was he, in his 60s at least at that time. He was of retirement age at that time. I understood that he, that man, that old, experienced, knowledgeable man, accepted me just like he did anybody else. I understood that. I felt that, okay? But you understand, there are a lot of people that don't, there are a lot of people that think pastors are a different breed apart. And they, preachers preach it that way. Now I'm not saying they ought to, but they do. They preach it that way and people eat it up. and then they demand of their pastors more than they demand of themselves. Or the pastors, or the pastors who like the glory and the honor of that, knowing they really don't possess it, but they try to force it on everybody else, you need to be like me, when they're not even that way to start with. I'm saying this, believing pastors and their believing hearers are the same. Now, God sent pastors, not just pastor. And I will say this, I know not everybody agrees with it, but not everybody's right. Every local assembly ought to have more than one pastor, but often they can't. Some right now are struggling to even find one, Jack. So it's not up to me to stand up here and browbeat somebody because they don't have one or they only have one. But it's God sent pastors are, according to Ephesians 4-11, I'm not going to back and read it, but it's being recorded. If you want to go back and look at some of these verses and chapters and verses, books I'm going to mention, I'm not going to read them. I'm just going to make statements and tell you that's where the truth is in scripture. God sent pastors are ascension gifts of Christ to his church. When he ascended, according to Ephesians four, verse 11, when Christ ascended on high, okay, he only did that how many times, Jack? Once. He had already given Calvary Baptist Church at Madscot Earl Cochran for a pastor. Do you understand what I'm saying there? He'd already given them that, though they didn't even exist. Earl didn't exist, and they didn't exist. You folks, some of you, that he gave Earl to. I came along after you. He'd already given you, even when Christ ascended back to glory. That's what Ephesians, I'm trying to not point out the mere fact of it, but when it took place, when he ascended on high. Go back and read it, Ephesians 4.11. Now listen, according to Hebrews 13, 17, they are to be obeyed and submitted to. That's what the book says. They are to be, according to Paul to Timothy, 1 Timothy 5, verse 17, they're to be double valued. Somebody says, what's that mean? I don't know exactly, I don't know exactly. but they're to be held in high regard. They're to be double valued, verse 17. They are to be monetarily supported, verse 18. That's what it says. And a pox on anybody who turns their back on that and says, well, but look at how things are, how pastors are mistreated. That's not the point. Look at how many pastors take advantage of. That's not the point. Okay? God says concerning his ascension gifts, I know there are a lot of imposter pastors, okay? But God says concerning his ascension gifts, they are to be obeyed and submitted to, they are to be double valued and monetarily supported. I've given you the verses for that. This is not. Now, I have to say that this is not that they speak or act ex cathedra. Now, that's an old Romish word, a papish word that the Church of Rome uses a lot, ex cathedra. It means infallibly. These God sent pastor teachers, and that's the way Ephesians puts them. They are pastor slash teachers, we could say. A man who cannot teach is not really a pastor. And a man who God gave as a pastor will be able to teach. But he will grow just like everybody else. As Earl used to say, nobody's born with a full set of teeth. But they do not speak ex cathedra. They do not speak infallibly. Thus, obeyed no matter what they say or do. You see what I'm saying? There are some people, and you say, Rome does this all the time with the Pope. They love him and adore him. They'll kiss his ring. they'll bow down before him and kiss his feet. Not because he preaches the scripture, but because they think when he speaks, it is God's word, no matter what he says. But what I'm saying is this, what this book teaches is this, when that God sent pastor preaches the truth of the person and work of Jesus Christ, it is God himself speaking. and we usually don't remember it that way. When we come to here, we're not saying, I'm coming to hear God speak this morning. Now, do we? Do we? When we're here, we're not thinking God himself is speaking this morning. I don't. Now, maybe you are a little bit better than me on that, but I usually don't. I even find myself doing this, saying this, at least in my own mind, and doing this with an electronic device where I have hundreds of gospel messages on it. And I'll find myself skipping over one man and going to another that I really enjoy hearing. We all do that. And Paul says that's carnality. First Corinthians three, right? It's carnality, because if, I don't care if the man just doesn't speak well and he fumbles through his words and he's not very articulate, but if he's preaching the truth of the person and work of Jesus Christ, God is speaking. That's what I'm saying. It is, I'm trying to point this, it is God's word, not men that we're talking about here, okay? They do not speak ex cathedra or act ex cathedra. Examples, quickly. Peter and Antioch. He practiced hypocrisy. Now let's just be honest about it, right? And Barnabas was blown away with it as well, was he not? We read in Isaiah, I want to read this one to you, you can turn, if you get there before me, that's fine. If you don't, I'll just read it. Isaiah chapter eight. I don't wanna rush through that. Isaiah 8 and 20, to the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, it is because why? There is no light in them. If they do not say, here's what it says, and that's good enough for us. Paul's actually did a very good preaching on that just before now, especially on a certain subject. Okay? You don't need me to explain this Bible to you, I'm here to publicly proclaim it. And to do so in a way that I manifest confidence in God's word concerning it, okay? Look at Luke chapter 16, let's look at that real quick. Luke 16, I don't want to keep you here too long today, but Luke 16, beginning in verse 29. This is, you remember the rich man that died and lifted up his eyes in hell, right? And I mean, this is a, I would think a concern, even a man in hell saying, I need somebody, I got five brothers back there. Somebody go warn them not to come to this place. And Abraham, verse 29, and Abraham saith unto him, they have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them. That seems calloused. No, no. Moses and the prophets is God speaking. Do you see that? Let them hear them. And he said, no, Father Abraham, but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto them, if they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. That's how important this Bible is. Okay, that's how important it is. And of course, in 2 Peter, give you just one more, 2 Peter 1, and you know this one. 2 Peter 1. Verse 19, were redeemed help, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish, without spot, who was verily foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifested the last time for you, who by him do believe in God that raised him from the dead and gave him glory that your faith and hope might be in God, seeing you purified your souls and obeying, what? The truth. the truth, the only place we find truth is in the pages of this book. It's the only place we find truth. You see, when any God sent pastor preaches the truth of scripture, not the scriptures twisted, not the scriptures rested, not the scriptures bent out of position, when he does, when a man is preaching the truth of scriptures, And let me just say, when he's preaching the truth of scriptures, he will not in any way mix the two covenants. And I'm not talking about, a lot of people have, I believe, we're a two covenant people. I'm talking about what Paul writes about in this letter. Two covenants, okay? Law and grace. That's, there's the two covenants that you and I need to really be concerned about. Law and grace, and if a man tries to mix those two together in any way, he's not speaking according to the law and the testimony. There's no light in him. When a man does do this, three things. According to John 13 verse 20, again, I can't take time to go through all these, or I'm not going to really. And when a man is doing, when he's preaching the truth of scriptures, he is to be received as receiving Christ himself. Christ said so, John 13, verse 20. Here's the second thing. When a man is preaching the truth, to keep his sayings is to keep Christ's sayings, according to our Lord in John chapter 15 and verse 20. And even Paul then reiterates that in our text, Verse 13, ye know how that through infirmity of the flesh I preached, what? The gospel. Now a man may preach many truths from this book, but if he's not preaching the gospel, he's not preaching the truth. A man can preach God created the world, and it's not by evolution. A man can preach Christ was virgin born and he wasn't born simply like every other man and woman on earth. He preached all of these facts. If he's not preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, he's not preaching the truth. You know how that through infirmity of the flesh, I preach the gospel unto you at the first. In my temptation which is in my flesh, ye despise not nor reject it, but receive me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. Do you see that? Even as Christ Jesus. Here's the third thing. When they speak, that is these God sent, Men and I know I used to hear all the time years ago. Some of you are familiar with this others who hear me Maybe for they always talk about preachers being called Because to be called of God was like you're called to preach or you're called to be a deacon or you're called to be a Sunday school teacher No, you're called out of darkness into light You're called from death to life You're called from being lost to being saved. I Men who preach, those who are pastor teachers, they are sent. They are gifts given, okay? They're not called to do that. The book doesn't say that. They're sent to do that. They're called to salvation. They're sent to preach the gospel. You see, when they speak the truth of God, receiving them is to receive God's truth from God himself. Now that's something I don't really lay hold of. That's why I'll change that message on that thing. When I start here, I hear a certain one come on, I say, well, I don't wanna listen to that today, I wanna listen to so and so. Who am I to decide what I need to hear today? But I do all the time, don't I? I'm at least trying to, don't I? And I'll change which one I'm listening to, or put in another CD rather than the first one. You understand what I'm saying? We all do it, we all do it. Listen to how Paul puts it, 1 Thessalonians 2. Somebody says, well, you're playing up man too far. No, I am playing up
God's ordained means. If a God-sent pastor teacher is an ascension gift of Christ, you ought to love him with as much love as you could possibly love him. Listen to how Paul puts it, 1 Thessalonians 2 and verse 13. For this cause also we thank God without ceasing because when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, Let me tell you, God's not coming down giving us individual personal revelations from himself. We understand that here, right? A lot of people know that, don't they? Well, I get my message directly from God. If you're getting it directly from God rather than through a God-sent pastor, you're not getting the message from God. It may be the devil giving you something, but it ain't God. which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth the word of God, which affectionately worketh also in you that believe. So Mac, when I start taking it for granted, what am I doing? I'm showing my true disdain for God's ordained way. Hmm? And I've heard it. I've heard it from men and women. Well, I don't need a man to lead and guide me. You do if God ordained it that way. And according to this book, God ordained it that way. When the people of Israel listened to Moses, listen to me, in the wilderness, when the people of Israel listened to Moses, what happened? They were blessed. When they turned against Moses, what happened? Judgment fell upon them. Chastening at best, apostasy at worst. Why did Moses first say to do? I go up yonder, you stay down here and tarry. Wait, that's what the word, wait. Did they wait? Well, they did about 40 days and they said, well, he's gone. Aaron, here's some gold, here's some silver. Let's make us a god out of it. That quick, within 40 days, that's how bad we are. That's how bad we are. Now when we hear that, if we're hearing it, it's very sobering, isn't it? But you know what, by this evening, We will have, not completely, but we will have forgotten it. We will have forgotten it. Thank God we see the import of it right now so that, Jack, it don't totally leave us, you know? Though our minds may be caught up with other things, it's still there embedded within our soul because God by His Spirit ingrained that in us. You remember what James says, and I'm going to misquote it. I got the turn to it. Let me just read that one. Here it is, verse 19. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, 19 of verse one, of chapter one, I'm sorry. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be what? Swift to hear, slow to speak. You know how hard that is to do. because when we think we've got something, we want to share it. Now don't we? And I understand that. I'm not up here telling you, boy, I'm so good at it, and if you'd just be like me, that's not what it is. This book, and this is amazing, just a little tidbit on the side, a little side note, a little footnote. God represents and calls his ordained ascension gift of pastor, teacher in samples. but he calls them ensamples. He only calls his son our example. And you go check that out sometime. That's a very enlightening study when you look at the difference between being an ensample and being an example. Now while this is true, what I've just said to you is true, let us never grow beyond this means. Now we ever say, well, yes, we need a pastor up to a point. Mm-mm. We need a pastor till the day we die. Because God's ordained it that way. But listen, while this is all true, yet these seven things are equally true. First of all, well actually it's eight, I'm sorry, eight, I added one on yesterday. Pastors and their old man, Their old Adamic self are just as corrupt as every other believer. I think this group here knows that, they understand that, but not every group that preaches, even what's even close to the truth, Ellen, they don't all believe. Some people think they're improving the old man. The old man is called corrupt according to deceitful lusts. The pastor that stands behind the podium with the gift to publicly preach and teach the person and work of Jesus Christ, his old man is just as corrupt as yours. Number two, pastors are no more righteous than their believing congregants. No more righteous. The only righteousness we have that is of any value before God is Jesus Christ himself. All our other righteousnesses, pastors and congregants, believing congregants at that, all of our righteousnesses are declared to be what? Mensis claus in God's sight. Here's the third thing. Pastors are no more secure in their salvation than other believers. Here's another thing. Pastors are no more sanctified than you are. None. Not one bit. None. Any sanctification they have above yours is that same old thing. Mensis clause. Again, I ask the question, how can you be righteous before God and not be sanctified? So this sanctification has to be outside of what I see out here and in here in me, does it not? Well, I'm righteous in Christ, but I'm not fully sanctified. Well, where in the world are you coming from? You're righteous before God, but you're not set apart before him? Here's another one. Pastors, listen to me, pastors have no more wisdom than you do. None. None! They have the gift to publicly preach the truth of Jesus Christ. That's what it boils down to. That's what it boils down to. They're no more wise than any other believer. But yet, this religious world that calls itself Christian doesn't really know that. Somebody says, well, you're not setting the bar too high for yourself. No, the bar for me is to be like Christ. And God had to predestinate me to that, because I'd never work it out myself. Right? He had to predetermine it to happen, because I'd have never made it happen in and of myself. And neither would you. Neither would you. They have no more wisdom. Oh, my pastor's so wise. No, he got you buffaloed then. Or at least you two don't associate together enough to really know who he is, one or the other. Here's another one. Pastors are no more at liberty in Christ than you are. Here's another one. I don't care whether it's a Jewish pastor or a Gentile pastor, and the reason I put it that way is because a Jewish pastor or a Gentile pastor is no more for a Jewish pastor or no less for a Gentile pastor under law than you are. I mean, years ago, this was not within our group or when I came to Mabscot at Calvary Baptist Church under Earl Cochran, but what I used to hear years ago was, well, the Jews were still to keep the law. That's not what this book says, does it? Whether it's a Jewish pastor or a Gentile pastor, he is no more or less under the law than you are. We've already read that, right? Galatians 3.25.

Pardon me. But after that faith is come, we, this is an apostle speaking, not just a pastor teacher, right? Apostles Mac had authority over pastor teachers. But after that faith has come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster for ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. He did not say you put on Christ by being baptized. He said those who have been baptized are the ones that did put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you're all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ, then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs. Heirs.

Now somebody says, does that mean equal heirs? An heir is an heir. An heir is an heir. And heirs according to the promise of God. Here's the last one. The pastors are not stronger in living toward God than you are, but they are under the same pressures and battles and struggles as you are. You remember what Paul wrote to the church at Corinth? Turn to that one if you follow along. Second Corinthians chapter one, a little lengthy, but I've not been speaking too long.

Second Corinthians chapter one, Paul puts it this way. Verse three, blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, who comforted us, comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. You see, it's not I become stronger and stronger that I help you out, it's I have nothing. God must do it. And when God does it for me, and I see you struggling, I can tell you with confidence, he'll do it for you too. But he's gotta do it. I can't do it for you.

How many times have we prayed for one another in a difficulty, and you just don't even know what to pray? Because you can't do anything about it. Jack, I could do nothing about when you fell and busted your hip. I couldn't do nothing about it. If I'd have paid for all your bills, and you didn't even have to pay for gas money, it still wouldn't have healed you one iota more. You understand? Look, for as the sufferings of Christ, this is what we free, abound in us. We're meant to suffer. Our peace, our real, real peace, real tranquility is gonna come when we leave this world. And not until. And I know that's a tough pill to swallow, as we say, ain't it? It's tough.

For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation aboundeth by Christ. Do you see it? By Christ. And that's all he says about it, you see.

Look, and whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer, or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. In other words, what's he saying? We're not better than you. We're the same as you. And our hope of you is steadfast, knowing that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.

That's one of those things where we say, this goes with that. It has to. You don't get one without the other. You don't get the consolation without the suffering first. Again, a hard pill to swallow, because we all like the cake and ice cream, don't we? but we don't like the medicine we have to drink sometimes.

Look, for we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia. Now look at it, that we were pressed out of measure. And I think the Spirit of God is permitting Paul here to speak from inside. Now did God take him further than he could handle it? Yes. but God did not take him further than God would enable him to handle it. There's a big difference in those two things. And that's why he says, for we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure.

I can't do it. God don't strengthen us so we can do it. He leaves us where we are so we know we can't. And that's a tough part, ain't it? But he leaves us where we are so we know we can't. Look, pressed out of measure, above strength. This is an apostle himself speaking. In so much that we despaired even of life. We've been there, haven't we? I will die under this. Right, look, but we had the sentence of death in ourselves. This is what I just said to you a moment ago.

But we had the sentence of death in ourselves that we should not trust in ourselves. That's why God left us right here like we are. This is not heaven. This is not glory. The only glory we have is down in here by the spirit of God and the preaching of the gospel. And we often don't see that very well, do we? We don't see it very well. But we have the sins of death in ourselves that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God, which does what? Raiseth the dead. You see it? Who delivered us from so great a debt, and doth deliver, and in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us.

Right? And then we say, well, I'll just sit back on my seat, just wait for whatever to happen to happen. Is that where the sentence ends? No, ye also help him together by prayer for us. That's not God depends upon us, but God is pleased when we cry out to him and say, God, we can't do it, you must do so. And if there's something I can't do, God open that to me, because I don't even know what to do. Do you? Most of the time, we don't even know what to do, do we? We don't know what to do.

Ye also help him together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons, thanks may be given by many on your behalf. And there were times, and I can't spend a lot of time here, there were times when Paul just received, what was it, a coat, wasn't it? Wasn't it just a coat? He just received a coat from somebody. Folks, please don't get me wrong, but we are so rich in this country. I know we're not as rich as some folk, but most of us sitting here today have never really wanted a meal, never not really had a roof over our head, not really ever had clothes on our back. Yeah, we struggled. And it's been tough. But there's people in this world having a whole lot tougher than us.

But let me tell you something. What it boils down to is this, sometimes just those little acts of kindnesses, that little help. I don't want to use an illustration because I'm not pointing out one thing. That couple of dollars that helped out, you understand what I'm saying? That call one evening, whatever it is, that text one evening, that birthday card, whatever it is. You say, well, it's just a birthday card. What if somebody's just having a hell of, pardon my language, a hell of a week, huh? All of a sudden you just send them that little birthday card and said I've been thinking about you and praying for you. It helps, don't it? It helps. Why? Because God's ordained it that way.

Here, I will sum it up this way as I'm summing it up. We are all All of us, the three men that stand behind this podium, and any other man that has stood behind this podium before, and will stand behind it, preaching the truth, God willing, after this. And everyone who hears, as gospel called, gospel called believers, we're all of the same body. We're all of the same body.

I remember that technically. If anybody ever, I don't care how busy I am, illustrate, I don't care how busy I would be at work. What was it this Friday, wasn't it, Penny? We just six inch water main bust, just pop in this bit, not a housing building, but pop and water, jack, 50, 60 pound of pressure, just gushing like a geyser. It took us three hours to get all the valves off to make it stop. Almost half empty, two large water towers sitting on a hill. It's somebody that said, well, during all of this, they're running around like a head without the chicken on it. Just running around, cutting this off, cutting that off, people soaked. And if somebody said, well, Walter, do you believe all the body of Christ is one? I could have told him right off the bat, yes. But I sure wasn't feeling it right at that moment. You know what I mean? We know it technically, but we don't always walk with that in mind.

What I'm doing is not sitting here to scold you or me the one, but just letting us know it's all right, we all do it. It's all right, we all do it, in that sense. But God is our help. God's our help. If I need somebody to pray for me, he gonna raise somebody up. Now ain't he? If I need that card, he'll raise somebody up. If I need that birthday card, whatever it is. I know it's just a birthday, I know that. It doesn't really matter, Tommy, unless somebody just needs a pick-me-up one day, you know? We're all the same body. None of us are any better than the other. Believing pastors and believing hearers are all the same. We're the same, Heavenly Father.

These things are, oh Lord, we can remember them in our mind, in our brains, but. Oh Lord, to put these things into action, into an actual walk that benefits one another and encourages one another. Lord, that's beyond us apart from your grace and the power of your spirit and the encouragement of your gospel. Be with those who couldn't make it today and others who just can't now make it at all. Be with them and strengthen them and your people all upon the face of this globe, in Christ's name, amen.