If you'd like to follow along,
I'm gonna be in Galatians chapter two. Galatians chapter two. And I'm just gonna begin reading
in verse 19. For I, through the law, am dead
to the law, that I might live unto God, I am crucified with
Christ, nevertheless I live. Yet not I, but Christ liveth
in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by
the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself
for me. I do not frustrate the grace
of God, for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ
is dead in vain. That's some stout words. And some really glorious words.
The reason I went to this scripture is I was reading something and
I was reading one of those short articles that Henry Mahan put
out back in 1970 something, 79 I think. And he was quoting Charles Spurgeon from the 1800s. Spurgeon once wrote that two
of the most important things for a believer to know is this,
life and faith. And what he said was, he that
shall rightly understand these is not far from being a master
of true theology. And I agree with that. I do,
I agree with that. Now I will emphasize, especially
in this day, where it says they rightly understand this, and
the words true theology. Because there's a lot of false
theology out there. And the reason I really agree
with this is if you have an understanding, a right understanding, of life
and faith in order to have that right understanding, you've got
to have a bit of an understanding of the source of life and faith. You got to know Jesus Christ.
Because I'm gonna tell you this, right plain out, you can't understand
life or faith without Christ Jesus. Because without him, there's
nothing but death. There's nothing but death. Well, there could be theology.
It can be wrong theology. But Jesus Christ is life. And Jesus Christ is the author
and the finisher of faith. The faith of God's elect. The
faith of Christ. That's the title here, Paul,
Life and Faith. So Paul starts here, or I'm starting
here, in Galatians 2 and verse 19. For I through the law am
dead to the law that I might live unto God. Notice first of
all, the law is not dead in this statement. I am dead to the law. I know a lot of people would
really like to think, and some of them actually do preach, that
the law's gone. We're under the age of grace.
It was grace back in the Old Testament. It was grace in the
garden. It's always been the age of grace.
God told Moses, I'll be what? Gracious to whom I will be gracious. I'll have mercy on whom I'll
have mercy. I'll have compassion on whom I'll have compassion.
That's what this book is all about from front to end. It's
a book of Christ and Christ is what? Grace and truth came by
Jesus Christ. And he was the word from before
the beginning of the world, from the beginning. The law hasn't gone anywhere,
is all I'm saying here. But we have, we have. I'm dead to the law. Now how
am I dead to the law? There's only one way. Two words,
in Christ, in Christ. That's the only way I'm dead
to the law. Paul, when he started reading
Romans six, I thought, uh-oh, because that was what I was gonna
read. But it's okay. Romans six, verse 14. For sin
shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under the
law, but under grace. What then, shall we sin, because
we are not under the law, but under grace? Again, Paul gives
the standard. God forbid. Know ye not that
to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are
to whom you obey, whether of sin unto death or of obedience
unto righteousness. But what's the difference? But
God be thanked. But God be thanked that ye were
the servants of sin. but ye have obeyed from the heart
that form of doctrine which was delivered you, being then made
free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. Through
the law, I am dead to the law. Ah, how's that? Through the law,
I'm dead to the law. I thought about it, I thought,
that's just kind of an odd statement. Just think about this. Jesus
Christ lawfully, lawfully took in his own body on the tree all
of the sins of all of his people. He paid the full price of my
disobedience. He paid the full price of my
rebellion. And that full price was death. He died. And therefore, since Christ has
died, by the law, I'm dead to the law. Why? Because the law
has no claim on me right now. It's not that I fulfilled it,
no. It's that Christ has satisfied
it. The law has no claim on me. There
was a claim on you or me. The soul that sins, shall surely
die. Yes, and he did. Jesus Christ
died. He died the sinner's death, though
he had no sin of his own. He died the death for my sins
and for your sins. What's that mean? Justice has
been served. There's no more claim against
me. You understand, you can't punish someone for something
that someone else has suffered for. You understand, there was
a debt owed. I earned perfectly well the wages
of sin, which is death. But here's the thing, Jesus Christ
died that death for me. I don't owe it anymore. I earned
it, but he paid for it. and you earned it. But if you're
his, he paid for it. He paid for it. Believers are
no longer under the law. They are dead to the law in Christ. Paul right here in Roman, we
are under grace. We are under grace. The law has
been satisfied, not to me. That doesn't matter. The law has been satisfied to
God's satisfaction. Through the satisfaction of the
law by Jesus Christ, Paul writes this, I, through the law, am
dead to the law. It does not have any claim on
any child of God. But it also says this, that I
might live unto God. Okay. So how do you live under
God? Ah, there's only one way. In
Christ. In Christ Jesus. Now I know most
commentators at this point when you say that I might live under
God, they go into, and this is true, I'm not saying it's not
true, but they go into about not being a slave of sin anymore.
Being a bond slave of Jesus Christ. Not living in sin, not openly
defying God. Not living in rebellion, seeking
to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, the good shepherd. Believing
his word, loving his gospel, gathering with his people. Yes,
that is living unto God, it is. But I don't wanna leave this
one thing out here. Because I think Paul also meant this. And this is such a glorious thing,
I'm gonna say it anyway. Believers right now, in God's
sight are alive. Alive. And holy. And righteous. And just. In God's sight. Not my sight,
not your sight. Trust me, I got my faults. You
don't have to point them out to me. I know all about them.
I'm married. But it's okay. This is the thing. I know, but not in God's sight.
In God's sight, he sees, when he looks at you, when he looks
at me, when he looks at any believer, any child of God whom Christ
has brought in, he sees his son. That's living unto God also. That's living, being alive in
God's sight is an amazing thing. Talk about grace. Oh my. And here, living in Christ Jesus
only, believers live and walk unto God. We live in God's sight and we
live unto God only because of his son, our Lord Jesus Christ. And Paul states this, I am crucified
with Christ, nevertheless I live. Yet not I, Christ liveth in me. In me. I'm crucified with Christ. Now, you know, we got to remember
Paul's background. Paul is a Jew. He was born and
raised a Jew. A Pharisee, a Hebrew of Hebrews,
studied at the feet of Gamaliel. Paul knows exactly what he's
saying here. When he says I'm crucified with Christ, I believe
Paul's referencing the sacrifices. You understand, Walter's been
talking about the sacrifices in Leviticus, right? Paul's saying,
I died with my sacrifice. I died with my substitute. And why did he need a substitute?
Because I am a sinner. I'm a sinner. You understand,
people who didn't sin don't need sacrifices. And they'll be happy
to tell you that sometimes, some of them. And some sacrifices, you can
look at the Old Testament, you can see the burnt offering. The
person who was bringing the offering, the sacrifice, they'd have him
lay his hands on that animal, whether it was a bull or a goat,
thereby signifying that his sins were transferred to that sacrifice. And that sacrifice was cleansed.
And it says that you were what cleansed according to the conscience.
Now they never took away a sin, but they looked to the one who
would take away our sins, the Lord Jesus Christ. I am crucified
with Christ. My sins were upon him. My sin
was in his body on the tree. God made him to be sin. Who knew
no sin, that what? I might be made the righteousness
of God in him. Not in myself, in him. The source
of life, true life, eternal life, is Jesus Christ. And he died,
he died. He paid the debt that I owed. Paul was saying that he should
have died, but Jesus Christ gave himself for me, for me. He goes on to say that. And without
him, I can tell you this right now, without him I was just as
dead as the rest of the unbelieving world. I was living just like the children
of wrath. Why? Because I was just like
the children of wrath. I was in rebellion. Now I tried
to be secretive about some of that rebellion, but I was in
rebellion. I know that now, you know, back
then Mason, I could rationalize just about anything. But I know now that I was in
rebellion against God, not against my parents, although I did. Understand
this is the thing. Sin is not under your parents,
even though you offend them. Sin is under God. Paul is saying he should have
died, but Jesus Christ gave himself for him. In him, I died the death
to God. What? Through the law, I am dead
to the law that I might live unto God. I am crucified with
Christ, nevertheless, I live. Yet not I, but Christ liveth
in me. I deserve to die. I earned, like
I said, I earned the wages of sin, which is death. But then
that marvelous, marvelous, marvelous word. I love this word. I love
this word right here. I am crucified with Christ. What? Nevertheless. Nevertheless. I love that word. I preached
a sermon on it a while back. And I still love it. I am a sinner
right now, but nevertheless, I live. I deserve to die. I deserve to die. And I deserve to die now. But
nevertheless, I live. I live. No matter what I did,
no matter what I do, and no matter what I will do, nevertheless,
I live. In Christ, mind you. In Christ. Oh, I like that. I do. is the gift of God. Eternal life, everlasting life
is the gift of God. That's how, nevertheless, that
I live. Oh, I know that in my flesh right
now dwelleth no good thing. Nevertheless, I live. Oh my. What was it? You were dead in sins. Nevertheless, in Christ, you
live. You live. What? I live, yet not I, but
Christ liveth in me, in me. Oh my. Ephesians two and five
says this. Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened
us together with Christ, by grace are you saved. Well, read verse four before
that. But God, who is rich in mercy for his great love, wherewith
he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened
us together with Christ. By grace ye are saved. John 5, 21 puts it this way.
For as the Father raises up the dead and quickeneth them, even
so the Son quickeneth, makes alive, whom he will. The Father has quickened us together
with Christ and the Son quickens whomsoever he will. You were dead in your own trespasses
and sins and the Son gave you life. And nevertheless, I now live
by Christ and in Christ. Unto God. Unto God. And the life that I now live,
I live, what? By the faith of the Son of God. Life and faith. Romans 6 and 11 said this. Likewise
reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but
alive unto God. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Faith is the gift of God. Just
as life is the gift of God. I remember Earl telling me of
a phone call he got. A fella asked him on the phone,
Earl said at the time he never knew him from Adam. And he says,
I hear you preach the gospel, or whatever. And Earl said, yes. And he said, well, which comes
first, life or faith? Earl, of course, said life. And
the fellow said, I'll see you Sunday. Was it Perry that said
that? Never met the man, but I've heard
stories about him. But that is a fine, fine, fine question. You understand. There are people
around who think you have to drum up your faith in order to
get God to give you your eternal life. And it ain't so. There is no divine spark in you,
not in any man, until God puts the Holy Spirit in you. There's
nothing divine in us until God gives us his Holy Spirit. Until
God gives us life, you can't It is impossible. I understand
people, you will not come to me. And yes, they won't. And
that's true. But that's not what I'm talking
about right now. He says, no man can come to me except it
be given him of my father. And you know what he meant by
that? He meant, no man can come to me unless it be given to him
of my father. You can't. You understand, I know, I've
heard the illustrations, oh, we throw a life raft out to a
drowning man, or we throw a rope and pull him to the shore. Yeah,
but you understand, if that fellow going down that river where you're
trying to throw him a rope is dead, he can't grab hold of no
rope. Life has to come first. Life
comes first. But here's the thing. If God
gives you life, he's gonna give you faith. You're saved by grace,
through faith, and that's not of yourselves. It is the gift
of God. But God has ordained that you
have that faith. He's ordained good works, and
you're gonna walk in them. Why? Because you live unto God. And you believe God. You understand,
outside can be cleaned up. Christ told some of the Pharisees
that. He told them, he says, you whitewashed sepulcher. You
know what a sepulcher is, right? It's a tomb. It's a mausoleum. On the outside, you can paint
it up, you can do it, make it just look as pretty as you can
be, but you open that door, and guess what? There's nothing in
there but death. You can clean the outside, you
can straighten up, you can sober up, you can fly right. You can
even quote around this area, live right. You can use whatever cliche you
want to use, but inside, unless God has given you life, there's
nothing but dead man's bones. Faith is a product of life. And Jesus Christ is the life. He's the source of life and faith. And he's also the subject of
our faith. We believe him. My sheep hear
my voice and they follow me. That's what Christ said. There is no true faith without
Christ Jesus. Absolutely none. Faith believes Jesus Christ. Faith trusts Jesus Christ. We believe his gospel, we trust
his word. But here's the other thing. Faith
submits to Jesus Christ. I live by the faith of the Son
of God. Life and faith also results in,
this is what you were talking about, Paul, the life walked. Life and faith results in a walk. I live under God. That's what
Paul wrote. But Paul is stating now that
the life he now lives is by faith. Of the Son of God who loved me
and gave himself for me. Jesus Christ gave himself for
those that he loved. Now I understand the world will
say that Jesus loves everyone. But you can't have that. I'm
sorry, it's not possible. Because this book is clear as
clear can be. And I can't make it any clearer
than it is. Excuse me. But this book is clear
that those for whom Christ died are going to be given life and
faith and they're going to walk. That's all it is. He gave himself
for me, that's why Paul says, I'm live, I'm alive. I'm alive
in him. He gave himself for those he
loved and they were all sinners. And I do want to point this out.
I've read and heard some people talk, this is some older preachers,
you know, when they say, when you preach, don't talk about
yourself. Because you need to keep a little
separation between you and the subject. I don't see the Apostle
Paul ever doing that. You understand? I mean, you know,
they say, don't say, I'm a sinner, but I am. And I'm telling you,
I don't think it's a secret to you people. Any preacher who doesn't think
he's a sinner doesn't know what he's preaching. I mean, I'm not proud of it,
but my goodness, this is what Paul wrote. You understand? What
did he say? What did he say? Oh, I'm at the
wrong place. Excuse me. What did he say? For I, through
the law, am dead unto the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless,
I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which
I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved
me and gave himself for me. I don't frustrate the grace of
God. You understand? Paul made it personal. And he
told us in here that he was a pattern. You understand? If you don't
know what Paul's talking about, you might want to make your calling
an election sure. Because this is what Paul goes
through. It happens to every child of God, whether you recognize
it or not. Now, I'm not saying if you don't
get it, you don't know, and you're lost, but here's the thing. If
you've not been through something like this, and you don't recognize
the words, if his spirit's not bearing witness with your spirit
that these words are true, you might need to make your calling
and election sure. That's all I'm saying. Paul's always writing
about we and us, and then he writes about them. You understand,
Paul always included himself in his sermons and in his letters
and in his writings. And this I think we are to do. He says that I do not frustrate
the grace of God because everything in the believer is due to, comes
from the grace of God in our Lord Jesus Christ. You understand,
the law cannot, well let's say, the law cannot declare you to
be righteous. Because you're not. In and of
yourself, you're not. In and of myself, I'm not. But Jesus Christ has not died
in vain. You know what it says. Righteousness
has come. Righteousness has come. Who brought
it? He did. He did. Righteousness
has come by him for those whom he loved. Righteousness has come. And life and faith. So my conclusion is this. It's
life and faith and life. The life of Christ, eternal life,
given. The faith of Christ, His created
faith, given. And the life in Christ is lived
by the believer in Christ. We walk in good works. Don't take credit for him. Don't
think yourself really sweet because, oh, I did something good today.
Because chances are, if you're like me, you're wrong. No, take heart in this. It's him that worketh in you
both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Our good works
are because of him. Any good work is because of him. We walk in the light because
we're in him who is the light. And we have fellowship with each
other, and what the blood of Christ, God's son, cleanseth
us from all sins. Life and faith results in life,
in love of Christ and his brethren. The scriptures are clear. And hope maketh not ashamed because
the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost
who is given to us. I got another verse, that song,
I read you one verse of it. This is another verse of it. Sons we are, through God's election,
who in Jesus Christ believe. By eternal destination, saving
grace, we here receive. Our Redeemer does both grace
and glory give. I like that. Life and faith results
in life in Christ. He is our life. Let's go ahead and do that closing
hymn.