Sovereign Grace Chapel, located
at 135 Annabel Lane in Beaver, West Virginia, invites you to
listen to a gospel message concerning Jesus Christ our Lord. If you would please, I'd like
you to take your Bibles and turn with me to Galatians chapter
4. Galatians chapter 4. I'm going to read verses 12 through
16. Galatians 4, 12 through 16. Brethren, I beseech you, be as
I am, for I am as ye are. Ye have not injured me at all.
Ye know how 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 Christ. 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 to me. Am I therefore become your enemy
because I tell you the truth? In the world today, many people
look at those who are truthful about what they're going to do,
those that do what they say they're going to do, they look at those
as being upstanding people. Those that care for others and
do not try to, you know, do someone wrong. They think of those people
as upstanding people. I'm not saying that I disagree
with this or that, that it's necessarily wrong to be this
way. I want to try to be this way
myself, if it's at all possible. That is to be honest or at least
genuine, not doing anyone wrong, being truthful with them as to
what I will or will not do. Try not to tell someone I'm going
to do something when I have no intentions of doing that to start
with. I think it's good for us to be this way. But there are
those who think of those who are like this as good people,
no matter what they say. I know there are some who don't
care one way or the other about someone being honest or truthful.
But as a rule of thumb, people look up to or admire someone
that's like this. They think that being this way
is worthy of something and that they regard what those people
say, except. when it comes to someone being
honest and truthful with them about the truth of God. Truth
about who they are by nature from the scripture and truth
about who God says he is in scripture. They look at those who do this
as being mean, not loving, not caring, or any other negative
thing that you can think of in that line. When all they are
doing is being honest with men's ever living, never dying souls.
I want to talk about truth today as it pertains to Scripture.
Jesus Christ tells us He is the truth, the way, and the life. So I want to talk about truth
today as it concerns Jesus Christ. I want to go through some things
that men call truth. Then compare that with what Scripture
says. If you do not believe the Scripture
to be true, then there's nothing really I can say to you this
morning that's going to help you. There are some who say or
think that the truth is what you interpret it to be, but that
simply is not true. The truth is absolute, and either
I believe it or I do not. Jesus Christ said he is the truth,
the life, and the way. So if he says he is the truth,
then whoever he is is truth, and whatever he says is truth.
Nehemiah 8 and verse 8 says, so they read in the law of God
distinctly and gave the sense and caused them to understand
the reading. We read this very same thing
in the New Testament in 2 Timothy 2.15 or likened to it. Study
to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not
to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. They read
from Scripture line upon line, line upon line, precept upon
precept, precept upon precept, hear a little and there a little.
They did not interpret God's word because God is his own interpreter. They simply told what Scripture
says because Scripture says what it means and means what it says. 2 Peter 1 and 20 says this, knowing
this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private
interpretation. I'm going to go through a few
things that are generally thought of by everyone as being the truth
or are things that are godly or spiritual. I want to look
at them in light of scripture to see what scripture says about
what is truth and what is the lie. The first one, we might
see from time to time, those who have bumper stickers that
they put on their cars and it says, smile, God loves you. Romans 9 and 13 says, as it is
written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. This is
from the New Testament, but it says, as it is written. So this
comes from the Old Testament as well. Again, we read in Psalms
chapter five verses four through six. For thou art not a God that
hath pleasure in wickedness, neither shall evil dwell with
thee. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight. Thou hatest all
workers of iniquity. Thou shalt destroy them that
speak leasing. The Lord will abhor the bloody
and deceitful man. Who are those that are this way?
The scripture says we are all this way by nature. It says that
both Jews and Gentiles have both proved we are all under sin. Romans 3 verses 10 through 12
reads, as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one. There is none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh after
God. They are all gone out of the
way. They are together become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good,
no, not one. So does God love you? That is
his choice. Do you want the truth or the
lie? There are those who think that
we have to keep the law for favor before God. But scripture says
in Romans 3 in verse 20, it says, therefore by the deeds of the
law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. For by the law is the knowledge
of sin. Some men say that we must keep
the Ten Commandments in order to be safe from God's judgment.
but we read here in scripture and it plainly says that there
shall no flesh be justified in God's sight by the deeds of the
law or that is by the doing of God's law. Do you believe God
and his word or do you believe men? Do you want truth or the
lie? This world tells us we should
love ourselves. But Job 42 verses five and six
we read, I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, and
this is Job speaking. But now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore, this is what I do
because of this, I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes. This is someone who finally,
by the grace of God, had his eyes opened to see who God really
is. And he, as any who God brings
to this place would do, he abhorred himself. This world set on telling
everyone they need to feel good about themselves. Yet when Job
seen God, he said he abhorred himself and it caused him to
repent in dust and ashes. This is what the scripture plainly
says. Do you want the truth or do you
want the lie? There are some who tell everyone
that they need to give their heart to Jesus. God tells us
in his word in Jeremiah 17 9, the heart is deceitful above
all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? Do you think
that a thrice holy God wants a heart like that? No, he tells
us he is the one that will give a heart to those he loves. In
Jeremiah 24 7 we read, and I will give them a heart to know me,
that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people, and I will
be their God, for they shall return unto me with their whole
heart. Again, God says to his people
in Ezekiel 11 19, and I will give them one heart, and I will
put a new spirit within you. And I will take the stony heart
out of their flesh and will give them an heart of flesh. So the
heart we have is a stony heart, or that kind of heart that will
not be moved toward God one way or the other. He must give us
a heart if we are looked to Him, if we are to seek Him, if we
are to love Him. Do you want the truth or the
lie? God tells us in His Word the
following. A lot of people say, God has
done all He can do, now it is up to you. But what does God's
Word say? In Matthew 1 and verse 21 we
read, And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his
name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. First
Timothy 115 reads, this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom
I am chief, that is Paul the apostle speaking. And again in
John 19 and verse 30 we read, when Jesus therefore had received
the vinegar, he said, it is finished. And he bowed his head and gave
up the ghost. This word would lead you to believe
that there is some work you must do to make what Jesus did effectual. But God's word clearly tells
us that the reason he came here was to save a people from their
sins. That he came into this world
to save sinners. And when he was on the cross,
he announced to everyone that his work was done. He said, it
is finished. Salvation is accomplished. Do
you want the truth or the lie? We also have people who say,
God has no hands but your hands, and God has no feet but your
feet. This word would lead you to believe that God needs something
from you. Some say that God has no hands
but your hands, and God has no feet but your feet. Scripture
plainly teaches otherwise. Galatians 4.4 we read, but when
the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his son, made
of a woman, made under the law. So we see and we know from scripture
that we've already referenced that Jesus Christ was God. Jesus Christ was made flesh. He was born with two hands and
he was born with two feet. But we also know that Jesus Christ
the Lord was delivered to the cross where he was put to death
by wicked men, ordained of God unto that purpose. He had nails
drove in his hands and he had nails drove in his feet. There
he hung until he gave up the ghost. having been forsaken of
God. But then we read in Luke 24 verses
38 through 40, we read this. And he said unto them, why are
ye troubled? And why do thoughts arise in
your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet,
that it is myself. Handle me and see, for a spirit
hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when He had
thus spoken, He showed them His hands and His feet." Jesus Christ Himself tells us
He had His own hands and His own feet. This was even after
He died on the cross. Do you want the truth or the
lie? Next, we have one of the most
deadly of the lies and which is incorporated into all lies
I've already mentioned. the doctrine of free will. The
majority of this world believes in free will in some form or
other. That is that man has a will that
is free to choose to serve God or to love God if he wishes to
do so, or to not do this if that's what he wishes. Scripture says
this in John 5, verses 39 through 44, it says, in chapter 5, verses
39 and 40. It says, search the scriptures,
for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they
which testify of me. This is Christ speaking. And
ye will not come to me that ye might have life. Again, in John
6, verses 43 and 44, Christ says, Jesus therefore answered and
said unto them, murmur not among yourselves, No man can come to
me except the Father which has sent me draw him, and I will
raise him up at the last day. Jesus Christ himself, the one
that men and women say they can worship, love, and serve of their
own free will, this Jesus Christ of the Holy Scripture says, you
will not come, and you cannot come. The only way you will ever
come is if the Father, that is God the Father, draws you. But
again, this same Christ of Scripture says the following, in John 3,
verses three, Verses 3, he says, Jesus answered and said unto
him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again
that is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God. And again
in verse 5, he says, Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
except a man be born of water and of spirit, he cannot enter
into the kingdom of God. You might think that you do not
want to love and serve God, but the scripture is clear. If God
is pleased to bring you down from your prideful loft, he will
do so. But more importantly, he may
not. But just as he did to King Nebuchadnezzar
when he was made to eat grass like oxen, his hairs were grown
like eagle's feathers and had nails like birds. This was a
proud man who thought his opinion was the way it was. God did this
to him to abase him. And this is what that King Nebuchadnezzar
said once God restored him. In Daniel four and verse 37,
it says, now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the
King of heaven, all whose works are truth and his ways judgment. and those that walk in pride,
he, that is God, is able to abase. Do you want the truth or the
lie? What is the truth about man with
free will being at the height of his rebellion? First of all,
that which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in
God's sight. That is scripture. Jesus Christ
himself tells the Pharisees who were deriding or mocking him
in Luke 16, 15, he says, and he said unto them, ye are they
which justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth your hearts,
for that which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in
the sight of God. What is the most purported error
in the world today? What is that thing most held
to that almost everyone would agree on? Man has a free will. You can say it several different
ways. Man can and had to make a decision for Jesus. Man has
the right to choose if he wants to be saved or not. God does
not make us to believe, we believe on our own and there are others.
Man's will is no more free than my car has a free will. Nowhere
in scripture does God teach us such thing and in fact, teaches
us the very opposite. We will never choose God. If
He, that is God, never chose us, there would be none that
would believe in Jesus Christ. Scripture tells us plainly in
Romans 3, verses 10 through 12, as it is written, there is none
righteous, no, not one. There is none that understandeth.
There is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of
the way. They are together become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good.
No, not one. Why is this so? We are all born
dead in trespasses and in sin. Our spiritual heart is dead,
which means our spiritual will is dead. Because the heart makes
us willing, and if our heart is dead, and it is, then it cannot
make us willing. So the result of that is there
is none that seeketh after God. Exodus 35, 29 reads this way. The children of Israel brought
a willing offering unto the Lord, every man and woman whose heart
made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the
Lord had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses. So the
indication here is the heart is what makes you willing. But
we know the heart we have by nature is not the heart that
makes us willing, because we read in Jeremiah 17, 9. The heart
is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can
know it? In order for us to have a heart
that makes us willing, we must be given a new heart. God Almighty
is the only one that can do this. You can read that in Ezekiel
11 verses 19 or Ezekiel 36 verse 26. We might decide to drive
to the grocery store. Does that mean we have a free
will? Have you ever willed to just appear at the grocery store
because you don't feel like driving? If you have, I know it did not
work. There have been even times when
I decided or I willed that I would go somewhere or do something.
It did not happen even though I wanted to do it. It was my
will to do it, but it was not God's purpose and will to do
it. Man has an illusion of having a free will. It is a figment
of their imagination. When we tell men that they do
not have a free will, they do us like the Pharisees did Christ.
They mock us. But those who mock are not mocking
us. They are mocking the God of all
glory. This God is the one that tells
us in scripture that no man will or can, any man come to God or
choose God. The scripture plainly declares
what and who man is by nature. That is, all of us as we are
born into this world. But man in his dead nature highly
esteems his so-called free will, and it is an abomination in God's
sight. God hates it, in other words.
God hates them as well that hold to that as their salvation. If
you hold to the fact that you made a decision, then you hold
to free will. It is not up to your decision,
it is up to God's decision and whether He chooses you or not. If He did, He will bring you
to love Him. If not, you will continue to worship your free
will and perish in that supposed free will. There is no compromising
the truth of God. Revelations 22 verses 8 and 19
reads this way. For I testify unto every man
that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any
man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues
that are written in this book. And if any man shall take away
from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take
away his part out of the book of life and out of the holy city
and from the things which are written in this book. God is
not mocked. He will deal with you for adding
to or taking away from his words. So, what is the truth about God? God's will and purpose. God's
will is to glorify himself. The way in which he chose to
glorify himself was by and through the Lord Jesus Christ. He did
not purpose to glorify himself in my service to Jesus Christ,
but by Jesus Christ himself. I want you to understand what
I'm saying. We get full of pride sometimes thinking that we can
do service to or for God. But God tells us we are to say,
even that we have done that which is our duty to do, that we are
but unprofitable servants. We are simply to submit to God,
that is to Jesus Christ, the Lord. God's will in Christ. God's will and God's purpose
was to send forth His Son, the only begotten of the Father,
so that He might redeem them that are under the law, to free
them from that law, making them the very righteousness of God
in Him. God the Father upholds the Son
more than anything or anyone. You either bow to the Son now
or you will bow to Him later. But you will bow to Him, God
says you will. God is light, and in Him there
is no darkness at all. Jesus Christ the Lord is the
one who came into the world, and He is the light of the world.
But men love darkness rather than light. But God be thanked,
there are some for whom Jesus Christ the Lord was specifically
sent, being made of a woman, made under the law to redeem
them. These for whom this was done
will in time come to know and see Jesus Christ the Lord by
the drawing power of God Almighty. It is He that deserves all honor
and glory and He will have it. God's will in the gospel. God
has been pleased by the foolishness of preaching to save them that
believe and them that believe only. You will not see Jesus
Christ the Lord other than in the gospel of his dear son. If
you think you are seeing him anywhere else, you are seeing
another Jesus. God sends men, specific men.
He sends these men to specific others, and they proclaim the
gospel. They give the sense thereof in what God's word says about
his son. This preaching, when heard, will
either be to you a savor of death unto death, or a savor of life
unto life. God has declared that His word
will not return unto him void. In hearing the gospel, if you
are in fact hearing the gospel, it will either damn you further
or it will enlighten you if you have been given a heart to perceive
so that you see the face of Jesus Christ in the gospel. I cannot
tell you which of these will happen. The scripture says the
Lord knows them that are His. If you are one of those whom
God has chosen, then at the appointed time ordained of God, you will
hear the gospel, and it will knock down those rebellious walls
you have built up as a fortress against Him. And He will drive
home the sword of His word into your heart, causing you to come
apart at the seams. You will know that your choice
had nothing to do with it, but only His choice. Hebrews 4 and
verse 12 reads this way, For the word of God is quick, and
powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even
to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints
and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of
the heart. Knowing these things, why should
I concern myself if someone thinks of me as not caring or thinks
of me as mean or thinks of me in any other way than someone
who tries to proclaim the truth of God to others? There is no
reason whatsoever. I'm not preaching myself. I'm
preaching Jesus Christ and him crucified. I'm preaching an almighty
God who triumphs over anything and anyone. Looking at man or
yourself, then there is every reason to be fearful. We are
by nature an abomination in God's sight. If you are hearing a man
preach the truth of Jesus Christ and Him crucified, that it is
who he is and what he has done, then you should listen to that
man. Is he telling you of that one all scripture speaks about?
And is he honest about who and what sinful man he is? Paul tells
the Galatians in our text in verse four, am I therefore become
your enemy because I tell you the truth? Are those who tell
you the truth become your enemy? If they are your enemy, then
God is your enemy. There will come a time and even
yet is that time when men and women will not hear the truth
of God. Second Timothy chapter four verses two through four
reads this way. Preach the word, be instant in
season, out of season. Reprove, prove, rebuke, exhort
with all long-suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they
will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lust shall
heap to themselves teachers having itching ears. And they shall
turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto
fables. Now I ask you, do you want the
truth or the lie?