Alright if you wish to follow
along my text is found in the last few last couple verses of
the book of Deuteronomy chapter 21 I will read Deuteronomy 21
22 and 23 Deuteronomy 21 verse 22 and if a man have committed
a sin worthy of death and he be put to death and They'll hang
him on a tree His body shall not remain all night upon the
tree, but thou shalt in any wise, or that is, in whatever way you
gotta get it done, you get it done. In any wise, bury him that
day, for he that is hanged is accursed of God. Notice that
is in parentheses, but it is absolutely vital. that thy land
be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance. Of course, as those of you who
receive my text every week about my upcoming passage that I'm
going to preach on, if you receive that, you already know what my
title and my subject is. Redeemed from the curse. Redeemed from the curse. What
a glorious thought for any son or daughter of Adam to consider
that they may be redeemed from the curse. And in particular,
as we will see in this message, redeemed from the curse of the
law. Hmm, what a thought. According
to our passage, one hanged on a tree is accursed. That's what
it says, doesn't it? One hanged on a tree is accursed.
I'm not going into some of the ramifications of some of the
things here about, you know, the death penalty is valid with
God. I just mentioned it. It's valid with God. Even amongst
men. Now it's valid with God toward
us. God'll kill us when he's pleased. And we'll have not one
word to say about it. But when one is hanged on a tree
is accursed. The Hebrew word means vilified.
Hailed in contempt. despised. But note that this
person, though it may be true, though it may be true, that's
not the point. This person may be cursed of
men, but that's not the problem. It says accursed of God. Did you see that? His body shall
not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise
bury him, for he that is not buried is, no, that's not what
it says. He's cursed of God, whether you bury him or don't
bury him. You bury him so that your land won't be defiled. You
see that? The one hanged on the tree is
accursed. I don't care if you give him
100 one of these. And you sprinkle him with thousands of those.
If he's hung on a tree, he's accursed. But he's accursed of
God. That is saying something. That
is saying something. This very briefly stated law
has one noted benefit in the law. The land be not defiled. Is it not true? The land be not
defiled. And it's difficult, yea, probably
impossible for us It is impossible for us to be as though we could
just forget everything else in the Bible, but only what we've
learned up to this point. And we read this law is just
another law. Is it not? Is it not? As this is on its own, there
is no hope here. There is no gospel here. And
yet the gospel lies underneath in this one law, manifested forth
in the glory of God's message concerning His Son. And here's
what happened. Here's what happened. Hundreds
of years later, I didn't sit down to count them out, but you
could get close. Hundreds of years later, God lights up his
grand gospel marquee, and I don't mean that to be disrespectful,
but I'm telling you that God's gospel is a grand marquee. It's
not something we secretly pass out in a few little Bible tracts
trying to hide from any repercussions we may get. It's not leaving
them Bible tracts in the restroom at the truck stop. It's about confronting men and
women in compassion, graciously. Oh God, I wish I could've always
done that. I haven't always done that. But confronting men and
women with the person and work of Jesus Christ. And here's this
grand marquee. Now here is my text. Thought you had it, didn't you?
Well you did, I gave it to all of you when I sent it to you.
Galatians chapter three. Galatians chapter 3 verse 10
for as many as are of the works of the law What are they they're
under the curse? We're under the curse now. This
is a different curse than the one of our text at Deuteronomy
But it's cursed nonetheless. Why they're under the curse for
it is written Cursed this is what the law says about itself
and those who are under Cursed is everyone that continueth not
in all things which are written in the book of the law to do
them If you're going to keep the law for righteousness before
God you must keep it all perfectly It's not our best most sincere
shot And it's not we keep the law as far as we can, then we
let Jesus fill in the gaps. That's not the gospel. Cursed
is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them, but that no man is justified
by the law. And here's the thing, in the
sight of God, in the sight of God, Paul says it's evident. And yet it's not evident to everybody,
is it? But it is evident, even the Old
Testament tells us this, the just, that is those who are just
before God, the just shall live by faith. And the law is not
of faith, but the man that doeth them shall live in them. And
then immediately he says, Christ hath redeemed us from the curse
of the law, how? How? Being made a curse for us. Now he didn't redeem us from
the curse of the law by regenerating us. He didn't even redeem us from
the curse of the law by regenerating us and converting us by the gospel. Those two things are essential
things, but they are the outcome. They are the effects of what
Christ did when he redeemed us from the curse of the law. Christ
hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, be made a curse for
us in our place, in our stead, in our room. For it is written,
and here he quotes from our text of Deuteronomy, cursed is everyone
that hangeth on a tree, but cursed, how? Of God. Of God. Here, Paul, by inspiration,
plugs in the marquee. And it says, Christ was cursed
of God. That's the whole point. Now,
although Paul doesn't use it there, that's the whole point
of the law he's quoted from. Cursed of God. And in the Greek,
it means denunciated. Anathema. Malediction! To reprobate, or that means to
reject. You know what Isaiah wrote? He's
despised and rejected of men. That was true. It was true. But that wasn't the thing. He was despised and rejected
of God the Father in such a way that the Father forsook him.
And he cried out in agony on that tree, when he was feeling,
and I can't explain it, but it says it in the Psalms, Christ's
own thoughts, or at least words, some of them words, some of it
may have been his thoughts. Joe, inside here. Some of these
things he cried out, and the New Testament writers recorded
exactly what was in the Psalms. And he says, my guilt is ever
before me. He had no guilt, but yet he did. when our guilt was laid on Him. Consider Christ being hanged
on a tree, made Him vilified, held in contempt, despised and
rejected, and God had to turn His back on the Son because He's
seen sin in the Son. Yeah. But that's a glorious thing. I'm gonna read you something.
Give me just a moment to get it called up here. And this is
by Matthew Henry. Let me read what he wrote. Matthew
Henry says, glory ground, but God forbid that I should glory,
save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Galatians 6 verse
14. Come and see, he says, the victories
of the cross. The cross is horrendous. Because the Lord of glory was
made a curse. So that the, in such a way, I
can't even, Mason, I can't even explain it all. I don't have
the words to, there's nothing we can relate to. God has never
abandoned any of us. Never has, even when we were
lost. He hadn't turned his back on
us. Listen to what it says, get back to it. Come and see the
victories of the cross. Christ's wounds are your healings. His agonies are your repose. His conflicts are your conquests. His groans are your songs. His pains are your ease. His
shame is your glory. His death is your life. And his
sufferings, they are your salvation. Why? Because Christ hath redeemed
us from the curse of the law. How did he do it? By being made
a curse for us. Now, did he redeem us when he
was made a curse, or did he not? Well, we believe he made it possible. That's not what this says. As a matter of fact, everyone
sitting here, if you were redeemed from the curse of the law, you
were redeemed from the curse of the law before you ever even
existed. You were born dead in trespasses
and in sins, and born under the law, and later on in your unregenerate
state, you may even have felt the pangs of the law, God opening
your heart, eyes, and mind, but you still, in God's sight, were
never under the curse of the law. Do you hear me? Because
we were redeemed from the curse of the law. How and when? when Christ died on that tree. As a matter of fact, I'll go
even further. His death was so sure in time
that he's called the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
So I got reason to believe that my redemption began with God
even way back yonder. God didn't send his son so he
could get in the mode of loving us. He sent his son because he
did love us. But I'm saying to you this, whoever
he did that for, they are redeemed. They're redeemed from the curse
of the law. Yet some still insist that Christ
hanged on a tree was his attempt to make redemption possible. I say no, that's a lie. Now look,
that that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through
Jesus Christ, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through
faith. Now think about it. Here we see cause and effect. The cause is Christ made a curse. And then it says that, that means
what he's about to say is an effect of what he just said.
Right? That's the meaning. I'm not an
English scholar, but I know that much. That the blessing of the
Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, but it's
more than just that. That we might receive the promise
of the Spirit through faith. Now wait a minute, what about
us here? Did y'all hear that? Did you hear that? Somebody says,
but preacher, it don't say shall here. It just uses the word might. And they're right. But you hear
that voice? But let me say one thing. Even
if it said shall, the rebels still wouldn't believe it. Because
there are other places it has shalls. All that the Father giveth
me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will no wise
cast out. They don't believe that one either.
So if it said shall, it wouldn't make a difference to the unregenerate,
now would it? But actually it says much deeper
than shall. Here the word might, which is
used as a first cause and a second cause, I'm sorry, first effect,
second effect, from the cause. The cause is Christ being made
a curse. Then there is effect and effect. He uses the word
might. Might come and might receive. And of course in our English
today, usually the word might is used in two main ways. One
that means power, right? Another word in might is, well
it might and it might not. Right, it's iffy. It's iffy,
but that ain't the words in the Greek. That ain't the words in
the Greek. Yeah, I'll be telling you God's
gospel, this grand marquee's lit up, and you can't put it
out. Oh, you may silence me, you may silence Joe, Paul, you
may silence this assembly, but God will have his witness in
this world. They tried wiping us out back
in the dark ages, and they couldn't do it. They couldn't do it. Many of our brothers and sisters
had had to run underground, and it seemed as though the gospel
marquee was out forever, but it was still never out. It was
still never out, and here we are, going all over the world,
preaching the gospel in places that I never thought my voice
had ever been heard. A hundred years ago, it was impossible. Now it's everyday. It's just
an everyday occurrence. That's an everyday, boggles my
mind. Now, I'm not going into the Greek. I fell in love with
the Greek language and learned just enough of it to forget more
than I even learned. But I know how to still study
it. Now here it is, might come, the first part of verse 14. You
know what that word might come means? To cause to be. That's the meaning of the Greek
might. And I don't care what the English meaning of might
is, this was translated from Greek, so the might we're talking
about is the Greek might. Might come, it means to cause,
to be, to generate, to generate, to come into being. The second effect is this, might
receive. That's in the last part of verse
14. You know what this means? To
take, to get hold of. And in the Greek, it says it
itself. If you go to the Greek, some
of the good Greek books, it says as opposed to having it offered
to you. There's another Greek word, might,
that is offer. This ain't either one of them. And this is two,
our word might in English can be used different ways. This
ain't the same Greek word used two different ways. This is two
totally different Greek words. This is stronger than even shall,
if such a thing is even possible. because we see the foundation
upon which it lays, the person and work of Jesus Christ the
Lord. And if he redeemed you from the
curse of the law, you will, you will have the blessing of Abraham
in God's own time. In his good, sweet grace and
mercy and providence, you'll have the gospel rush in and flood
your heart, mind, and soul. Amen. you will believe that gospel. And then you will be sealed with
the spirit of promise. Now isn't that what Paul told
the Ephesians? That's what he told the Ephesians. No, we ain't
talking about possibilities here. Mm-hmm what Christ secured what
Christ secured when he was vilified when he was held in contempt
when he was despised What he's rejected by his father. He secured the Abrahamic blessing
He secured it He secured it By his ignominious death on a tree
now, you know what that means don't you? He died there in public
disgrace. I Yeah, and most of the pictures
or even the icons or pictures of Jesus hanging on a tree, it
don't do justice to what he went through, even physically. I mean,
they beat him to where you could not recognize who he was. They
beat him that bad, but that's not all of it. He that's hanged
on a tree, why didn't they just beat him to death physically?
And he died for our sins. Why? Because he had to have God
the Father turn his back on him. Or else if he did not, God would
have to turn his back on me. And on you. And you. And you. I want to be one of
those people. Don't you? This filthy, weak-wristed
gospel preaching that's going on today, men don't fear that
God. but they hate the one we're preaching. Why? Because they
fear him. They know they ain't got this
God over a barrel. Jesus ain't waiting to let us
let him have his way. He is having his way with us
whether he sends us to hell or sweetly takes us to glory. Takes us to glory. This ignominious
death, it wasn't just before men, it was before God. I could understand a little.
I've been disgraced in front of other people before. I've
messed up and publicly been disgraced. That's happened to me. That hurts. I mean, it feels like your heart,
your emotions is up in your throat. You know when your eyes begin
to well up and you don't want other people to even see your
crime because you're so ashamed. Yet you know you ought to lay
on your face. But we're not talking about just before men. He suffered
this before God the Father. Because everyone that's hanged
on a tree is accursed of who? Of God! And let me tell you something,
the glorious gospel is this. If He did that for you, you will
be okay. God will bring the blessing of
Abraham upon you. This book teaches me, it's already
been mentioned, but he that hungereth and thirsteth after righteousness,
really does. God's righteousness, that righteousness
that is found only in Christ. What does the book say? You hunger
and thirst after that righteousness. What did Christ say? He shall
be filled. That's good news. Now, Jesus
done all he can do, now it's up to you. If God ever shows
you what you are, that won't be good enough for you. That
won't be good enough for you. And that secured our getting
hold of this blessing. The reason I have it, if I have
it this morning, is because of what he did some odd 2,000 years
ago. Do I? Do you believe that he did secure
that? That's what believing's about. Not just the history,
well, I believe Jesus died for our sins and buried and rose
again. Do you believe that he is who he says he is and he accomplished
what he said he accomplished when he died on that tree? That's
believing the truth. Faith is not accepting the historical
facts of Christ dying on a tree. No, faith is resting in that
truth that when he died as a curse, a curse by God, he redeemed me
from the curse of the law. The law now has to say Walter
Pendleton must go free. I am completely satisfied. Now think of this as I begin
to close down. Paul wrote this to a specific
people. Turn back to chapter one. Look
at it. Galatians chapter one. Paul an apostle, not of men,
neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, God the Father, who raised
him from the dead, and all the brethren which are with me unto
the churches of Galatia. Now is that you? Is that you? No. It's not you, is it? Paul had no idea we'd even exist.
I got no reason to think he had any idea. Paul was hoping Christ
was gonna return before he even died. Wasn't he? When he told the Thessalonians
about those who will be alive and remain and to come to the
Lord, he included himself in that. Did he not? And we, which
are alive and remain. Now there's people that argue
all about that, how he had to be alive when Jesus come back.
That's a whole five-headed horse of a different color. But you
see what I'm saying? Paul didn't write this to us,
did he? But look at what he included
in this. Turn to chapter three. Verse 21. Is the law then against
the promise of God? That's a normal question, would
it not be? God forbid. For if there had
been a law given, which could have given life, because that
was our problem, and the law can't give you life, all it can
do is kill you. They're gonna give it life, the
very righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture
has concluded all under sin, excuse me, that the promise by
faith of Jesus Christ, notice the faith of Jesus Christ, might
be given to them that belief. Do you see that? But before faith
came, we were kept under the law, shut up under the faith,
which should afterwards be revealed. It was coming, Paul said. And
for some, it had come. And look, wherefore the law was
our schoolmaster, to bring us unto Christ, that we might be
justified by faith. But after that faith is come,
we're no longer under the schoolmaster, for you're all the children of
God by faith in Jesus Christ. For as many as of you have been
baptized into Christ, you put on Christ. But then look at what
he says. There is neither Jew nor Greek. So he ain't just writing
just to these churches, is he? There is neither bond nor free.
There is neither male nor female, for you're all one in Christ
Jesus. So if we're in Christ Jesus today,
this applies to us. If you believe the Christ of
God today, 2,000 years ago, he redeemed you from the curse of
the law. Just believe him. rest in him. And if you be Christ,
then are you a Hebrew, a Jew. That's what he says, doesn't
he? Then you're an Israelite. Then are you what? Abraham's
seed. And heirs according to the promise. While Paul didn't know about
us, there was one who did. That's called God the Father
in both the person of father, son, and spirit. Must be. And I don't mean that
as though God owes me anything. I must be one of those or I'll
rightfully go to hell under the curse of the law. If the curse
was done away with for everybody, there is nothing to condemn us
for. And that's the whole teaching
of this whole book. From cover to cover. As Earl used to say, I want to
be one of that number. Do you? I'm persuaded there's
some of you here, that's a lot of things you like in this life.
A lot of things you hope for in the next. There's some people
I'm looking forward to meeting. But it's only and will only be
because of one other person. That's Jesus Christ, my sovereign
Lord. And I believe this book that
he died for me. Why? Because I'm ungodly. And this
book says he died for ungodly people. God, take these words,
smash them into our hearts and minds and ears. Make us love
them and rejoice in them. In Christ's name, amen.