Galatians chapter 3 again I Want to read just two verses
as a text this morning and of course Paul is Continuing here. He's not not left and I might
point out he never leaves this subject of The law of Moses versus
the grace of God in Christ and he writes these words in Galatians
3 verse 13 and 14 and Christ hath redeemed us from the curse
of the law, being made a curse for us, for it is written, cursed
is everyone that hangeth on a tree, that the blessing of Abraham
might come upon the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, that we
might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. To repeat that, Paul is clear. Christ hath, do you see that? Christ hath redeemed us from
the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. Never, never
does the scripture say we are redeemed to do the works of the
law. Never, never does the scripture
say that we are redeemed and thus need to be reminded of the
works of the law, never. We needed redemption from its
curse because we did not and we do not, I'm talking even about
believers now, we did not and we do not and we cannot continue
in all things which are written in the book of the law to do
them. Do you see that? I said we did
not, we do not, and we cannot continue in all things which
are written in the book of the law to do them. But it's even
more than this. Christ in his death freed us
from union with the law. Now, if you would, if you're
following along, you want to look at it and look at what God's
word said. Romans 7 verse 4. Nothing else Paul says in this
epistle will go contrary to what he says in this other letter
written to the believers at Rome. Romans 7 verse 4, wherefore my
brethren, ye also are become dead to the law. Is that what that says? That's
what it says, doesn't it? You are become dead to the law
by the body of Christ that ye should be married to another. When a death, even according
to the law, when a death has occurred, it severs that initial
first union. It's over with. It's done. And even according to the law,
when a death happens, the remaining spouse is freed, freed to marry
another with no judgment being spoken. of by the law. Again, wherefore my brethren
ye also are become dead to the law. Somebody says dead to the
law, but in this way, dead to the law. Dead to it. And yet in this world
today, and most which profess to be Christians in this day,
still think that the law has some use for God's chosen, redeemed,
regenerated, converted people. And it's not so. The law is good,
if. So that lets me know that the
law can be bad, if. The law is good if a man use
it lawfully. And Paul is clear when he speaks
to that person in that letter. The law is not made for a righteous
man. Now there's only one righteous
man intrinsically, that's Jesus Christ. But there are thousands
of righteous men and women in Christ Jesus and the law wasn't
made for them. As we will see, God willing,
the law was given up unto a certain place. It is temporary. Paul's clear here. It was given
unto the coming of the promised seed. So again, moreover, I say
this, Christ in his death freed us from union with the law. The
legalist, and you can put that as a broad sweeping brush. whatever
is included in legalism. The legalist, now listen to me,
the legalist is a religious necrophiliac. You know what a necrophiliac
is, don't you? It's people who like to deal
with dead carcasses. Now let me say, the law is not
dead. but we are dead to the law by
the body of Jesus Christ. The legalist is a religious necrophiliac
who promotes spiritual adultery. Since Christ has died, we're
freed to marry another because we're dead to the law. We're
dead to the law. Now if anybody can construe that,
and I believe that, this is where I stand. I may have preached
at times, Ellen, where some people might have misunderstood what
I was saying, but this is where I stand. This is where I stand. Clearly, the Apostle Paul says,
look at it, chapter two, verse 17, but if while we seek to be
justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, that's
in rebellion. Now, all men are sinners. So
Paul's not just talking about our normal, natural, regular
sinnerhood. That is, but if while we seek
to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners,
that's we're in rebellion of God, is therefore Christ the
minister, the inciter, the cause, the party to, the contributor
to sin? God forbid. For if I build again
the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. Now we will God willing look
at this in more detail, but the law has a specific purpose and
a specific purpose only. And to take that law above what
God has purposed it is rebellion against God. It is to build again
what a believer should have already destroyed. Any hope of righteousness
before God is nothing before the law. And I said this one
day, you know, the fellow accused us of being antinomian, being
against the law. And I stood right here, the last
time he ever heard me preach. And I stood right here and said,
I am against the law for righteousness before God. I am against the
law for life before God. Why? Because this book clearly
declares it. Is then, verse 21, the law against
the promises of God? God forbid, for if there had
been a law given, any law given, and that includes the Mosaic
law, that includes ecclesiastical law, that includes moral law,
that includes ethical law, for if there had been a law given,
which could have given life, then truly, righteousness should
have been by the law. The law doesn't even lead you
to Christ, it just tells you to shut up. That's what it tells
you. Shut up. Shut up. As I said, this thing is just,
men are hucksters. And Paul realizes the seriousness
of this situation, that he deals with no other real, true, bona
fide subject in this whole letter, other than the fact that we are
saved by the free and reigning grace of God in Christ Jesus,
apart from the law, on our behalf, in any way. The only place the
law played in our salvation was in our Savior's keeping it himself. Thus manifesting himself to be
the sacrifice without blemish and without spot. Let's look at this. Christ hath
redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for
us. And as some men said yesterday
about the fact of Christ being made sin, I try not to try to
explain that, but just give, thus saith the Lord about it. This is equally as perplexing
to our finite human minds, that here is the Christ of God, and
he's made a curse for us. Now, I wanna give you my three
points. I'm just gonna state them for
you, then we'll look at each one in particular. There is this,
and he has redeemed us. So the subject there in verse
13 is what? That redemption wrought by Christ,
right? Christ hath redeemed us. So I
have this divided up into these three different areas. There
is subjective redemption. I will explain what I mean by
that in a moment. There is substitutionary redemption. It's right here in
our text. And there is experienced redemption. Where subjective redemption took
place, it was always, it could only be a substitutionary redemption. Somebody had to do the redeeming
of the people that needed redeemed. The people that needed redeemed
had nothing, have nothing, and shall never have anything to
do with that redemption other than they are redeemed by it. It is subjective, it is a subjective,
or was, I should say, a subjective redemption. It was a substitutionary
redemption, and it is a experienced redemption, so first, Subjective
redemption, here's what I mean by that. In other words, for
Jesus Christ, for him, it was personal. It was experienced,
both outwardly and inwardly. What he experienced subjectively,
okay? In other words, personal. experienced
what he was subjected to at the hands of men was a part of our
redemption. And yet wicked acts were what
they engaged in when they did what they did. Now I'm gonna
make an amazing statement. God used even the crimes of rebellious
men in Christ engaging in our redemption. They did exactly what God's hand
had determined before to be done. Their cursing and mocking of
him is what? A curse, look at this criminal
hanging on a tree. And they spit in his face, remember
that? And I don't see that, when I
read that and I studied what I can about it, I don't see that
as just a little, I told them they cleared their throat. Ever
had somebody do that to you? I've never had that spit in his
face. Mocked him while he sat on a
box with a purple robe and a thing in his hand and a crown of thorns
on his head. He was made a curse. These people
mocked and derided him as he hung in utter agony on the tree. They were torturing him to death. We understand that, right? They
were torturing him to death. And were it not for the fact
that God Almighty was in charge of this whole thing, they would
have eventually killed him themselves. But he held his life in his own
hands. and he gave up the ghost. Subjective for Christ, it was
personal. Experienced outwardly, but it
was also experienced inwardly. God made his soul. That's inside of us, right? That's
deep down in here, that's what makes us us. That's what makes
us to be who we are. God breathed in the man's nostrils
the breath of life, and man became what? A living soul. And then
man, in their father Adam, in our daddy Adam, we rebelled against
God in the garden. And we said, whew, God took it
from us. took it from us. Physical life
still remained, Jack, but we were spiritually dead. I watched the show. I know I
probably shouldn't, but it's one of those History Channel
things on the Garden of Eden, and they had some lady, she was
a doctor, whatever, PhD, whatever it was, and she actually said,
see, the devil didn't lie when he said, thou shalt not surely
die, because they didn't die. And I thought to myself, you
total, unbelieving, ignorant fool. God said, in the day ye
eat thereof, thou shalt surely die, and they did, spiritually. Spiritually. For Christ, again,
it was personal, it was experienced, both outwardly and inwardly.
God the Father turned his back on the Son. That's what a holy God will do
when he sees sin. And he's seen sin in his Son,
but not his own. It was somebody else's. It was
somebody else's. In other words, it was not theoretical. It was not abstract. It was not
hypothetical. God actually made him to be a
curse, and he manifested that by turning his head. So much so that Christ cried
out both outwardly, but this came from inside his soul that
had just been made an offering for sin. My God, my God, why
hast thou forsaken me? He knew what the answer was.
Immediately he says, but thou art holy. Now turn with me to
Psalm 22, the 22nd Psalm. And I know I've probably referred
to this quite often in this series, but this is a part of the fact,
this proves, look what the Son of God went through to accomplish,
to actually secure redemption. And then people say, but we still
need the law as a rule of life. That's the one thing, it's not.
It's not a rule of life. It is a glorious condemnation
of death. And that's not what man made
it to be. That's the way God gave it. You see it? Man didn't make it
to be that. God gave it for that very purpose. So anybody that uses it for any
other purpose hates God. Oh, they may not hate their idea
of God. They might not hate their dogma, they may not hate their
doctrines, but they hate the way of the true and the living
God. Think of it, look at Psalm 22
and just a few verses. We're told in the New Testament,
in what we call the Synoptic Gospels, we're told some of the
very sayings of Christ on the cross. Well, this Psalm 22 and
I think it's Psalm 40 and Psalm 69 give us a lot more. And some
of this stuff, Ellen, he may not have said outwardly, but
this is the cry of his soul when he was made a curse for us. Look
at what he said, verse 14. I am poured out like water. And
all my bones are out of joint. Think of it, he wasn't in some
out of the body experience while his body was going through this.
He was, it was subjective. It was experienced. It was real. It was personal. All my bones
are out of joint. My hair is like wax. It is melted
in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like
a pot shirt and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws. He's so thirsty that
his mouth is just dry. His tongue just sticks to different
parts of his cheeks. Thou and thou, he's not talking
about these wicked men here that are mentioned. You know who that
thou is? God the Father. The one who made
him to be sin for us. The one who he was made a curse
for us. And thou hast brought me into
the dust of the earth. And somebody said, but that's
gotta be David talking about some trouble he went through.
No, sir, for dogs have compassed me about. The assembly of the
wicked have enclosed me. They pierced my hands and my
feet. This is the direct feelings,
experience of Christ on the cross. Look at chapter 40 of Psalm. Those three, Psalm 22, Psalm
40, and Psalm 69 are just, I know this, and I don't mean this in
any disrespectful or blasphemous way, they're just astounding.
And that don't even really, Astounding can mean a positive thing. It
is positive for us, but what he went through was hell on earth. Because remember, he suffered
it outwardly, but he also suffered it at the hands of God, where?
Inwardly. Look at Psalm 40, just one verse
there. Hold on just a second. Psalm
chapter 40, just one verse. Verse 12, for innumerable evils
have compassed me about. Oh, what a glorious statement
for us. Mine iniquities have taken hold
on me. What, what do you mean mine iniquities?
Because as we will see, he's a substitute. He is literally,
not theoretically, not just doctrinally, not abstractly, not hypothetically,
he's literally a substitute. He is suffering what we should
have actually suffered. And we should have had God turn
his back on us. Forever. Forever. And abandon us in the darkness
of the bottomless pit forever. And he took it in himself. You
see it? For innumerable evils have come
past me about, mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that
I am not able to look up. They are more than the hairs
of mine head, therefore my heart is relinquished. That's the word,
it faileth me. You're not talking about a heart
attack. This is what he felt, his emotions, what he was experiencing. You and I think God will never
know. This is why This is why, Paula,
I don't have to try to explain this, because I have nothing
that I can relate to with this. There is nothing in this world,
no kind of suffering in this world that we sinful, fallen,
mortal creatures go through that compare to this right here, the
holy, spotless, blameless Son of God hanging there being made
a curse for us, being made sin for us. And you think that, well,
But we need the law. No, the law damns us. The law condemns us. Before Christ
died. But through the death of the
body of Jesus Christ, we are freed. Freed. We're dead to the law. and freed
to what? Marry another. Not remain a widow
or a widower, right? Freed to marry another. Those rules he gave, those laws
he gave, they were, as we will see, temporary. We are no longer
under the schoolmaster. And for us in our experience,
I'm jumping ahead a little, for us in our experience, once faith
has come, we're not under that school. Legally, in God's purpose,
we weren't under it when we were born. But in our experience,
we were under it until faith come. And after faith has come,
we are no longer under the school, master. except in these small, no, we're
no longer under the schoolmaster. Look at Psalm 69, the 69th Psalm. Just a couple, two or three verses
there. Psalm 69 and verse 19. Thou, who's this thou again?
This is not those evil wicked men around. They didn't know
none of this. Thou has known my reproach and my shame and
my dishonor. Isn't it amazing how that men,
when they even depict the outward sufferings that Christ went through,
they at least give him a little modicum, just a little modicum
of some kind of decency because they show the depictions of him
hanging there on that cross. but he's got his little loincloth
on. He was absolutely stripped naked. He was a true bonafide man. And he knew, he's the one that
gave the command once men and women had sinned against him,
cover your naked bodies. And here, men hung him on a tree,
absolutely naked. before his enemies. That's what should have happened
to me and to you. Thou hast known my reproach.
Somebody says, well, you're preaching law. Now, no, I'm preaching Christ.
I'm preaching about the law, but my message, my preaching
is about Jesus Christ. And there's a big difference
whether other people see it or not. Thou hast known my reproach and
my shame and my dishonor. Mine adversaries are all before
thee. Reproach hath broken my heart. Ever had something happen to
you that it just, you just get that knot? You know, something
happened to a loved one, someone you care about? You know, I'm
not even talking about yourself. Something happened to a loved
one and it's just like, you can't hardly swallow for that knot
in your throat. He went through this himself,
personally. Reproach hath broken my heart,
I am full of heaviness, and I have looked for some to take pity.
But there was none. There was none. Even the guy
at the cross, was it the one with the spear? Forgive me if
I'm wrong. He said, truly this was the Son of God. He did not say, truly this is
the Son of God. It was a mockery. Truly this
was. No, he is the Son of God, hanging
there cursed for us, for cursed is everyone that hangeth on a
tree. I looked for comforters, or something
to take pity, but there was none. And for comforters, but I found
none, and we know this was Jesus Christ, because they gave me
also gall for my meat, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar
to drink. Remember they put that thing
of hyssop with that gall up on it? Here. Now I'm told, it doesn't
tell us in the book, but I'm told by those who've studied
the history of Roman executions that they often did this to ease
the pain a little of those who were suffering by crucifixion.
Y'all have heard that? Other preachers have said, and
I don't know, I'm not a historian in that sense. But let me tell
you this, he refused any relief whatsoever. whatsoever. Why? Because he was bearing the
full force of the wrath of God alone. Our brothers and sisters, and
listen, we're no better than they are, they all fled. They
all fled. The only one we know that possibly,
we know his mother was there and others, maybe John was there. And John could do nothing. Nothing. But you know what? I look upon your faces as I've
been saying this and I can see this angst in your mind. But that was a glorious day.
You hear me? The glory of God the wisdom of
God was being manifested and poured out before me And this
is how a thrice. Holy God can save such trash
like we are This is how he did it it's glorious So if you want a picture of Jesus
on your wall, get one that don't have the loincloth, at least
be honest, and get one that he is so battered and beaten and
whipped, you can't even tell who he was. Well, look at this,
he got a little bit of blood trickling out here, here, a little
bit there, right? Am I telling you the facts? He
was battered so badly, you couldn't even tell who he was. And I think
it was Henry Mahan said, if you had a true depiction of Christ
hanging on that cross, you wouldn't hang it in your living room.
You wouldn't hang it in your living room. I mean, they hit
him 39 times by flogging. Yeah, cat and nine tails, what
they say. So that makes how many times
lashes. His back just had to be flayed
open. And then the father, the father
turned his back. What a glorious day. See, I still
see your faces, some of you saying, what a glorious day. He was redeeming
us when he did that. Not he was making it possible.
No, that the blessing of Abraham might come. You see it? Not if
maybe the blessing might, that the blessing of Abraham might
come. Oh, brothers, truly, Christ redeemed us from the curse of
the law, being made a curse for made. It's real. When Christ
turned the water into wine, it wasn't a trick. The water ceased
to be water and became wine. When Christ was made a curse
for us, he became a cursed thing. And he experienced it. He wasn't
just up there smiling and just, okay, when this is all over,
you know. No, he cried from the depth of his soul. It is finished. And it says he bowed his head
and he gave up the ghost. And you remember what, okay,
remember the preacher's name said, you know, it's like paid
in full. He was stamping that bill, paid
in full. Paid in full. paid him for. But remember, I said this is
a substitutionary redemption. Christ hath redeemed us, being
made a curse for us. Do you see that? The Redeemer
was the substitute for all for whom he was made a curse for.
Now why does somebody need more of a message than that? Well,
we want this universal This is not God don't work in possibilities. He did not send his son to go
through what his son went through just to make it possible we could
be redeemed if. That's such blasphemous heresy. This is not just a debate against
Calvinist versus Arminians. We're talking about did Jesus
Christ do the will of the Father or did he not? Did he accomplish
what God the Father sent him to do? If somebody could show
me where he came to make salvation possible, I'll start preaching
that. But I read, for he, you call
his name Jesus, why? For he shall save his people
from their sins. Behold, the Lamb of God, which
does what? Taketh away the sin of the world.
So whatever world he died for, he took them away. Don't you want to be a part of
that world? Now see, everybody wants Jesus to die for them,
but they want God to leave it up for them as to whether they
bowed his feet or not. I'm glad he didn't leave it up
to me. I can kind of remember how I first began to react when
I first began to hear this message. I didn't say it in these words,
but I said the same thing when old rebellious Jews did. I will
not have that man reign over me. They said, I will not have
this man reign over me. Well, I'll have Caesar before
I have that man reign over me. I'll put up with Donald Trump
or Joe Biden before I put up with something like that. No,
we're talking about God of all the earth, hanging there in open
shame and disgrace and reproach, being mocked by his enemies and
turned on by his father. Remember, he made his soul an
offering for sin. Think of it, turn to Psalm 69
again, back to it. I could mention to you to stay
there, but I will make you turn, so you can go all the way back
to Psalm again. I'm being tongue-in-cheek. Think about this, turn to Psalm
69. That redemption was their redemption. That redemption was their, that
suffering was their suffering. That crucifixion was their crucifixion. That curse was their curse. Look at it, just one verse, Psalm
69. All of this is Christ on the cross. So look at Psalm 69,
look at verse 26. For they persecute him whom thou
hast smitten. That's the cross right there.
They're persecuting the one God smote. Do you see it? And you
can see that clearly in Isaiah 53. Surely he hath borne our
transgressions. Our transgressions. Look at it.
For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten, and they talk to
the grief of those. You see the change now? You see
that? And they talk to the grief of
those whom thou hast wounded. You see that? If you're in Christ,
if you believe him, if God's called you by his grace, they
were wounding you when Christ died on that tree. God was bruising
you when God bruised him. on that tree. See, they persecute
him whom thou hast smitten. I know the hymns, it's not a
part of it, but that's the whole part of the Hebrew. They persecute
whom thou hast smitten, and they talk to the grief of those whom
thou hast wounded. And hold on. This is a Psalm
of David that he wrote hundreds of years before Christ ever died.
Okay, now I don't know that he knew about the cross, but he
knew that Messiah must bear the sins of his people. He knew that. He was looking for that person,
Jack. He wasn't just some dummy offering
up some sacrifices and giving God a general brief look of faith. He was looking for the Messiah
to come. Even he knew, Tommy and I, Penny and Jody and I talked
a little bit about this yesterday. David knew that all these sacrifices,
all this blood being shed of all these animals never took
away one sin. He knew that. It's even quoted
by David, and I know it's a thing of Christ as well, but it's sacrifices
and offerings for sin thou wouldest not. The sacrifices of God, even
the Old Testament says, what? A broken heart, contrite spirit. Remember that redemption was
their redemption, but now turn back to Galatians 30. Look at
it, back to Galatians 3. Now that redemption was their
redemption. Whoever Jesus Christ died to redeem, bless God, they
were redeemed when he died, when he was made a curse. He made it possible for them
to be redeemed later. For Christ hath redeemed us. Who's this us? People that's
been called by the grace of God. even if sometimes they get a
little mixed up, if some heretic comes along and puts the hootie
on. You see it? Christ hath redeemed us from
the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, for it is written,
cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree, that the blessing
of Abraham might come on the, uh-oh, now he's naming me by
name, the Gentiles. You see that? That's my title,
I'm a Gentile. and the Gentiles, through Jesus
Christ, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit. Notice
this old Jew's calling himself the same thing as we are. Huh,
this Jew. He went from Gentiles to we. Huh, why? Because all of sin
comes short of the glory of God. Jew's not better than a Gentile,
and a Gentile's not better than a Jew. that we might receive
the promise of the Spirit through faith. But as I said, it's also
an experience redemption that we might receive the promise
of the Spirit through faith. The promise of the Spirit was
the promise of, now turn with me to 2 Corinthians before I
finish this statement. 2 Corinthians chapter three. 2 Corinthians chapter three. Now think about this, that the
promise of the Spirit might come, might receive, rather, the promise
of the Spirit through faith. I'm saying that this promise
of the Spirit was the promise of liberty from the law. Now look at 2 Corinthians chapter
three, and let me find it, just one verse for the moment. Look
at verse 17. Listen to what it says. Now the
Lord is that Spirit, And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there
is what? Liberty. Liberty. And I said it was what? Liberty
from the law. Isn't that what I just said a moment ago? Somebody
said, well, you're now taking another passage and putting it
into this other. Well, wait a minute, look at
the context. What's he talking about in 2 Corinthians chapter
three? Look. Look, let's just read it. Do
we begin again to commend ourselves? Or need we, as some others, epistles
or commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you? Ye
are our epistle, written in our hearts, known and read of all
men. For as much as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of
Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the spirit
of the living God, not in tables of stone. What's he referring
to there, I wonder? Huh? But in fleshly tables of
the heart. Well, let's see what he's talking
about. And such trust we have through Christ who God were.
Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything of
ourselves. Our sufficiency is of God. We're
just a tool. We're just a tool. Who also hath
made us able ministers of the New Testament. not of the letter,
but of the spirit, for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth
life. Now, what's he talking about,
right? Isn't that the question? Look, but if the ministration
of death written and engraven in stones. was glorious, so that
the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face
of Moses for the glory of his countenance, which glory was
to be what? Done away. Now you could call me an antinomian
if you will, but I'm saying what the book says. How shall not
the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation
be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness
exceed in glory. For even that which was made
glorious had, look at, do you see it? had no glory in this
respect by reason of the glory that excelleth. The law is not
on equal footing with grace and Christ. It is not. It is not. The law was given by angels in
the hand of a mediator. We'll look at that later. And
a mediator's not a mediator of one, but God is one anyway. God is one. For if the ministration
of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of
righteousness exceeding glory. For even that which was made
glorious had no glory in this respect by reason of the glory
that excelleth. For if that which is done away
was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. Seeing then, We have such hope. We use great plainness of speech. I don't have to slip this in
the back door because somebody might misunderstand me. If you're
unregenerate, you will misunderstand me. You will twist what I say
and say, well, he's really preaching this, blah, blah, blah, blah,
blah. No, what I'm saying is I am saying
what the word says. Look, and not as Moses, which
put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could
not steadfastly look to the end of that which was abolished,
to be abolished, you see it? Or that which is abolished. They
couldn't even see the reality of it. You know, they said, all
the words with he has spoken we will do. That proves unregeneracy. A regenerate man and woman hears
the law and says, I can't do that. I can't do that. Now look, verse 40, but their
minds were blinded, for until this day remaineth the same veil,
untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament, So the law
didn't bring them to Christ, did it? Did it? Huh? Which veil is done away
in Christ. Do you see that? We now know
what the law is really saying. Condemnation. Shut up. Be quiet. You're dead. You're dead. Look, but even unto
this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart.
Nevertheless, when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be
taken away. Now, is the law gonna be what
takes the veil away? No, the law is what calls the
veil. Now, we get into the context
of verse 17. Now, the Lord is that spirit,
and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is what? Liberty, liberty. I will take the moniker of being
an antinomian if you'll be honest and say that's what that man
believes, what he just said, what Paul just read. I'll take
that moniker and I'll wear it gladly. Gladly. See, to speak of redemption from
the law's curse and yet press upon believers the law's works
is hypocrisy. to say, well, you're not under
the law, but yet you need this as a rule to kind of show you
what's, God's already showed us what's wrong and what's right.
The works of the flesh are manifest. And all God's gotta do is lift
his restraint on you for a minute and you'll see him again. That
stuff, it'll start oozing right on out of you, won't it? Every
one of you here is a true believer. Anybody who hears me in another
venue, if you're a true believer, you'll admit that. All God's
gotta do is lift that restraint for a moment, and we'll start
in that downward spiral. And we'll find ourselves just
covered up with this kind of thing, this kind of thing. One,
at least, of all some of these things, if not more. Adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred,
variance, emulations, wrath, strife, sedition, heresies, envies,
murders, drunkenness, revelings, partying, and such like, everything
like that. And I'll just give you an example.
The other day, Penny and I were at Walmart, and I won't go through
the details, God lifted his restraint on me like that for a moment.
And I got angry with somebody. I wasn't gonna get angry with
Penny, but I got angry with somebody that had nothing to do with anything.
And Ellen, I wasn't even trying to be. I wasn't in a bad mood. You know what I mean? Waiting
to get somebody. Penny and I would have one of those rare times
we actually had a fairly good time together buying groceries.
It used to be me kinda fussing at her. All God did, Jack, was
lift that restraint just a little. The works of the flesh are manifest.
And if you're a believer, you don't need me constantly reminding
you, thou shalt not. Because you do. I'm just gonna
remind you, you have. And you do. And I do. And that don't force me to run
to Christ. That makes me feel bad. But when
I hear Christ preached, that forces me to run to him. Again, to speak of redemption
from the law's curse and yet press upon believers the works
of the law is hypocrisy. Why? Because law works and law
curse cannot be separated. Paul just said it in the letter. before we even get to this 13
and 14? For as many as are of the works
of the law are under the curse, for it is written, cursed is
everyone that continueeth not in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them. If you set out in one day,
you say, well, I'm going to try my best to love my neighbor as
myself today. You've already sinned when you
put yourself back under that law. Before you even start to
try to do the loving, you neighbor as yourself. Because if you're
a believer, you're dead to the law by the body of Christ. You're
married to God and the spirit will bring forth his fruit in
you at his good time. In his good way. You know, it's
kind of like this. Watch what you do. Watch what
you do. Just to see what you do. Rest
in God to make you do what you ought to do. I don't even know
if I can say that again. Watch what you do. When you see
what you do, you will see sin mixed in with even your best
deeds. And just rest in God. God make me do the right thing.
God make me do the right thing. You see, gospel wrought faith
and law, as we've already, it cannot be mixed. But that no
man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident. For the just shall live by faith,
and the law is not of faith. Hear a warning, turn to Romans
16. I'm about done. Hear a warning. Now, if people
say, well, now you're giving a rule. Okay, call it what you
will. I'm saying what the book says. Thus saith the Lord. We
have a warning, Romans 16, verses 17 and 18. 16, 17, and 18 of
Romans. Now I beseech you, brethren,
here's the rule. Mark them, which calls divisions
and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you've learned,
and avoid them. There's your rule. Point out
the folks who are not telling the truth about God and his grace.
Warning one another about it. Watch that fella. You see what
I'm saying? Oh, but you shouldn't do any
of that. You shouldn't do that to a man's religion. You see it? Look. For they that
are such, this is what Paul says, being moved by the Spirit. This
ain't Walter's opinion. For they that are such serve
not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by good
words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. There's a warning. Now, here's
an encouragement. Turn to Philippians chapter three.
Philippians chapter three. Remember, we've looked at the
warning. Philippians chapter three, the latter part of the
chapter. Now when I begin this, we're
gonna actually see that it begins as a warning. Just like, just
different worded, a little differently maybe, but just like we've seen
in Romans chapter 16. Look at verse 17 of Philippians
three. Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them
which walk so that ye have us for an example. Do you see it?
For many walk, now they walk. They've got a walk. For many
walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even
weeping. He ain't laughing about this.
He's not happy it's like this, but it is like this. That they
are the enemies, here it is, not just of Christ, not just
of some kind of redemption, not just of some kind of salvation,
but they're enemies of the cross of Christ. Look, see it? Whose end is what? Destruction. Whose God is their what? Belly. Whose glory is in their shame,
who mind earthly things. And you say, well, I thought
it was an encouragement. It is, because he's not done
yet. Look, for our way of life, our conversation, is in heaven,
and yet the religionist wants to harp on you and me and hammer
on us, well, be concerned about your life down here. But for
our conversation is where? In heaven. If it ever shows itself
down here, where's it gotta come from? Do you get what, where's
it gotta come from? Up there. Do you see that? It's God that worketh in us both
to will and to do of His good pleasure. For our conversation
is in heaven from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord
Jesus Christ. Here's just some encouragement
who shall change our vile body. that it may be fashioned like
unto his glorious body according to the working whereby he is
able even to subdue all things unto himself. You can't conquer
your flesh, but he has. You hear what I'm saying? So much so that one day he'll
be done with it. He'll do away with it. and he'll
give us a body that's just like Christ. And I can't explain that. I don't know what that's like,
do you? But believe you me, it'll be well worth it. I just,
this is, thus saith Walter, not thus saith the Lord. I just kind
of see it now that when it happens, when it's over, we awaken his
likeness and we'll still know of what we were, but we're still
not, we're not gonna be it then. You know what I mean? We'll still
remember where God brought us from, but somehow, Jack, there
won't be any connection or relation to it. I can't explain it. And
I believe we'll just say something along the lines of, that wasn't
that bad. That didn't last too long. Huh? That was over like that. Huh? You ever been sick with the flu
and while you got it, boy, it's just, mm. Right? Mm. You're miserable. But about five,
six days after, you're all, you know, it's like, pfft. Nothing.
Nothing. Heavenly Father. Much of this
is so beyond our puny little minds. Lord, we like to have
them, or I like to have them all laid out in my one, two,
threes and my ABCs, but Lord, help us just to believe you and
trust you. Lord, force us to depend upon you, even if that
means you sometimes remind us of what we really are. Lord,
we know that you're all wise, and you know the right way to
do it, in Christ's name, amen.