turn to Paul's epistle to the
Colossians. I'm going to read a text, a certain
portion of this epistle. I will not deal directly with
the epistle at large, or if not directly with that text at large. But I do want to work my way
up to it. Colossians chapter 2 and verse 20 Wherefore so that clearly lets
us know there's more back behind it. It's in light of it, but
wherefore If you be dead with Christ from
the rudiments of the world Why as though living in the world
are you subject to ordinances? Touch not taste not handle not
which all are to perish with the using after the commandments
and doctrines of men, which things have indeed a show of wisdom
in will-worship and humility in neglecting of the body, not
to any honor to the satisfying of the flesh. If ye then be risen
with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ
sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things
above, not on things on the earth, for you're dead. and your life
is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life shall
appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory. Now, to give
a title to this message, there's a reason why I give it this title,
and I hope that will become more evident as we get into it. The
title's probably quite simple, My title is this, IF, YE, THEN. IF, YE, THEN. There are times in the Scripture
when the Word of God uses the word IF, not in the sense of possible
doubt or some doubt. Sometimes it uses the word IF
in the realm of cause and effect. If this is so, then something
else will be so. Sometimes the word if is used
in the sense of possibility. Sometimes if is used with a sense
of a red question mark. I'm going to turn it that way.
Red question mark. If ye then. Now, I wish that every one of
our members or I should say the members of this local assembly
were here this morning. And the reason is because I know
by the grace of God and the spirit of God that what I have to say
to you this morning is the truth of God. We ought to always remember that
being here in this place, though we be small in numbers and our
building's not impressive, quite mundane and simple, our
worship is not extravagant, yet being here to hear the gospel
declared according to God's ordained order that is gathering together
as a local assembly is the thing that will continue
to feed you and guide you and lead you in your walk in this
world. Most of us have probably now
not cassette players, but CD players, DVDs. If you've got
CDs to listen to, listen to them all you can if it's gospel message. And I say this not to brag. God
is my witness. But as I drive to work, it's
at least 45 minutes each way and I try to make it a part of
my habit to every morning and every evening listen to a message
on the way to work and on the way back from work. And sometimes
it's the same ones over and over and over. And sometimes I say,
but I already know it all, I've heard it all. The Word of God
will benefit you. The Word of God will benefit
you even if you hear the same thing over and over, if ye then. If ye then. Now this epistle,
it's words, every word. Joe made that quite clear. It's
adverbs and nouns. That's good. That's good, Joe.
This epistle, it's words, it's doctrines, It's instruction,
it's warnings, even it's if ye's are written to a specific people. Colossians is what we read. You see it probably on the top
of the page of every one of your Bible, right? Colossians, Colossians. But not the whole city. Joe's already mentioned this,
but I still want to mention it. I'm not going to pass by it.
Most people have the idea that when these apostles and other
men, not all of them were apostles necessarily, but when they wrote
these words, they wrote these words to all the world. Or when
Paul wrote to Colossae, he wrote it and basically said, I'm writing
this to this whole city. He was not writing to the whole
city. Specifically, he was writing
to the saints and the faithful. That's what Joe preached on this
morning. You'll see that in chapter 1, verse 2. To the saints and
the faithful. That means those who are separated
by God and those who believe the Lord Jesus Christ. That's
who it's written to. Every word, every doctrine, every
instruction, every warning, even it's if-yes, are written to the
saints and the faithful. Those specifically. It is written
to believers in Christ Jesus, chapter 1, verse 4, believers
in Christ Jesus, those who love all their fellow brethren. Go
back and read it sometime. As I said before, may it be that
God Almighty gives an ear to hear, if not for the first time,
at least afresh and anew, that if you love something, you
spend time with something. If you care about something in
the sense of divine love, in the sense of even Christian love,
you'll spend time with it. You'll want to spend time with
it. You will sacrifice to spend time with it. And this letter is to the saints
and faithful, those who are believers in Christ Jesus, those who love
all their fellow saints. And I'll go so far as to say
this. And I'm not going to qualify.
If you don't have an aching desire to gather with the saints of God,
then you are not one. You're not one. As Jehovah said, I can't say
whether you're elect or not, but if God Almighty has called
you out of darkness into His marvelous light, you're going
to want to be, to strive to be, you'll even sacrifice to be with
those who have been called out of darkness and brought into
His marvelous light. It'll be your heart's desire. And if providence keeps you from
it, you'll be distraught over it. You'll be distraught over
it. It's not that you have to be
here every Sunday. But God's people long to be with
one another. And if you don't long to be with
one another, God has not yet saved you. That's who Paul's writing to
here. According to chapter 2 verse
6, He's writing to those who have received Christ Jesus the
Lord. If you have not received Him
as Lord, then you have not received Him as Savior as well. You don't
begin with Him as Savior and somewhere then along the line
in your Christian walk or life, then find out He's the Lord.
It says that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth, what? The Lord
Jesus Christ thou shalt be saved. I think sometimes we preachers
try to be so theologically accurate that we
become doctrinally insane. Now you hear what I said? We try
to make sure all of our ducks fit in a row so that nobody would
misunderstand what we were trying to say. We try to become so theologically
accurate, we become doctrinally insane. Specifically, this epistle was
written to the believers, the people who were believers at
Colossae. Yet, This epistle is valid for all
who fit those former descriptions I just gave you. It's valid for
all of us. Paul probably had no idea he's
going to be writing to people and people 2,000 so odd years
later would be reading his letter to Colossae. Did he? As far as
I know, he was expecting Christ to return even while he was alive. But yet it's valid for all, listen,
who fit those previous descriptions. Those described here have great
blessings. And I'm not going to go into
them in detail. Those so described here have
great blessings. They have blessings for them.
They have blessings in them. They have blessings upon them.
And they have blessings about them. All of them. It was amazing as I read through
this. Or I should actually more honestly
say read up to my text. Of all the blessings that are
for us, in us, upon us, and about us. Let me give you just a few. Conquered by Christ's Gospel.
Chapter 1 verses 4-6. I'm not saying he's using all
that. I'm paraphrasing. I'm summarizing. But conquered
by the Gospel. That's who he's writing to. If
the Gospel hadn't conquered you, then you can't claim salvation. Conquered by the Gospel. That's
one thing. Here's one of the blessings.
Delivered from the power of darkness. Chapter 1 verse 13. and then
not just delivered it from the power of darkness and left it
in some neutral state, but translated into the Kingdom of God's dear
Son. What a blessing. Chapter 1 verse
14, redeemed and forgiven. Now for a sinner such as myself,
that's glorious news. That's glorious news. Redeemed
and forgiven. Number 4, chapter 1, verses 21
and 22. Reconciled to God. Reconciled. I remember a time, the time when
God Almighty by His Spirit and His Word showed me what I really
was. An enemy toward God. And it frightened me. both of myself,
my state, and God. He brought me to a place to where
I realized He had the right to damn me no matter what. And I feared He already had.
I feared that I was one of those people like those in Romans chapter
1 Paul described, that God had done given over to reprobate
my act. I've never thought that way of myself before, Mason. And yet, we read in this epistle,
reconciled. Isn't that glorious? Number five,
they are persevering. Chapter 1 and verse 23. Persevering. Chapter 1 and verse 27, they're
indwelt. And Paul calls it the hope of
glory. The hope of glory. Indwelt by
Christ. A seventh thing. Chapter 2 and
verse 10. Complete. Now I'm writing to
saints and faithful. Believers in Christ. Those who
love the fellow saints. Those who have received Christ
Jesus the Lord. But here's also some things, some blessings that's
for you, in you, about you, and upon you. And one of those things
is you're complete in Him. God demands nothing else of you
to be accepted of Him. Now there's a lot else He demands
of you. But not for acceptance before Him. We're complete in
Him. Chapter 2 verse 11. We're circumcised. Every one of us. Male and female.
But not with a circumcision made with hands. Number 9, we're represented,
chapter 2 and verse 12, represented by Christ and the faith of the
operation of God. Number 10, we're delivered from
the bondage of legal dogma, chapter 2 and verse 14. Aren't you glad
we don't live under the bondage of those 600 and some Sinai laws? Number 11, chapter 2, verses
18 and 19, we are embodied. Now what I mean by that is not
that something is in us. That's true. Christ is in us.
But we're embodied. We are placed in a body. And
there's a specific reason for being placed in that body. Just
to name a few. I've just brought us up to where
the text I read. Just to name a few. There's others
here that I didn't, before you even get to it, that I didn't
mention. That's just a few. Just to name a few. My word this morning to every
one of us is examine these things. You know what I'm saying? Don't
just read your Bible. Do that. But examine them. Get you some books. Buy some
books. Buy you a concordance. Buy you
some Greek. Study these things. Why? Because they are God's love letter
to His people. He's describing our blessings
in Christ Jesus. Examine these things. Engage
these things. Take what I've just given you.
And if you need, get a CD. Hear it again. Write them down.
Look at these verses. See what God says that we are
blessed for, in, about, and upon. It's glorious. Pour yourself over these things
and into these things. and rejoice. Rejoice. If you examine them, engage in
them, pour yourself over them and into them, and you can't
enjoy them and rejoice in them, listen to me, you are lost. You hear me? If you can't enjoy God's communication
to His people, in what He has done for them, in them, upon
them, and about them, then you don't know what it's like to
be one of God's people. That's just the way it is. Granted, some of us who are older,
who have been in the way a little longer, may rejoice a little
more. We may. But then sometimes we become
slothful. Don't we? Sometimes we become slothful.
But I'm encouraging you. Yea, I'm exhorting you. Yea, I'm even warning you. Examine
these things. Engage these things. Pour yourself
over them and into them. And rejoice in them. Don't think
I'm just going to sit back as a believer and all of a sudden
God's going to give Joel and Walter everything I need and
it's all just going to flow in one time every week. It don't work that way. to work
that way. Now I'm going to get personal.
We spend no doubt hundreds if not thousands of dollars on things
to pleasure us and things to keep us busy in this world. TVs, DVRs, Most of us do, don't
we? Spend hundreds, if not thousands,
and other things. Things we like to do. Why don't
we like to engage ourselves in these things? My question then
is, if ye then. If ye then. Now, since all these great blessings
are true for these people. But remember, it's a specific
kind of people. Right? Saints and faithful, believers
in Christ Jesus, those who love all the fellow saints, those
who have received Christ Jesus the Lord. Since all these great
blessings are true for them, in them, upon them, and about
them, then every separated, believing, Christ the Lord receiving, lover
of God's people, then each and every one of us is to then be
on constant guard lest this antichrist world spoil us. Isn't that what he says? Now I will read this one. Verse
8 of chapter 2. Beware! Right? Be on guard! Keep the shield
up! Beware lest any man spoil you
through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men, after
the rudiments of the world. And here's the main kicker, and
not after Christ. Anything that leads you away
from or to anything other than Jesus Christ fits the things
that you're supposed to beware. no matter how glorious and enlightening
they seem on the outside. Men want to talk, well what is
really philosophy? Vain deceit. You're skirting the problem.
You're skirting the problem. Beware lest any man spoil you
through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men, after
the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. Anything, let
me say it again, anything that would draw you away from Christ,
or to anything other than Christ, and I will now say, or to mix
anything with Christ, as though it would compete with Him, fits
the things that we are to beware. Beware lest any man spoil you.
That means to seduce you. In other words, somebody that
would lead you away like booty. That's one of the actual meanings
of the Greek word. To lead you away like booty.
Why? Why is it Christ, Christ, Christ? For in Him, verse 9, dwelleth
all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Everything you need to
know about God, you'll find in Jesus Christ. Everything. Hate and love both. Mercy, compassion,
hardening. Yes, sir. Love, gentleness, all
of it. All those characteristics and
attributes of God you will find in Christ Jesus. And anything
that leads you away from Him or to something other than Him
or something to add with Him that would compete with Him,
you're to beware it. Beware it. I'm to beware it.
I'm not preaching down at you. I have not always understood
these things to the degree I have now. And I'm sure I probably still
don't understand them to the degree of which I ought. But Paul's serious here. Beware. That's one of the things he writes
to these people. And to us. Right? Beware! We're in a battle! The enemy is out there and would
seek to lead us away as booty. Do you want to be booty to someone?
To something? Only one thing I want to be booty
to. That's the Lord Jesus Christ. I want to be His conquered possession.
That's what I want to be. I love the thought of being His
booty. The thought of being the booty of anyone or anything else. It frightens me. It frightens
me. Be on constant guard lest this
Antichrist world, and that's what it is. No, he doesn't mention
Antichrist here. But it's an Antichrist world.
If it's trying to lead you away from Christ, to something other
than Christ, or to something that would compete with Christ,
that is Antichrist. Because Christ is number one.
Period. Period. Give way, Paul says, to no one
that would beguile you. See it? Chapter 2, verse 18. Let no man beguile you. Do you see that? It's actually one word here.
Beguile of your reward. The you is actually in front
of the beguile. So it's all one word. Beguile of your reward. In other words, it's rob you
of the prize. Exactly. Rob you of the prize. Give way to no one that would
rob you of the prize. Yeah, but shouldn't we be considerate
of everybody? No. You're right. No. Just because they're a preacher
and they preach for 50, 60 years. They try to draw you away from
Christ. They're trying to rob you of the prize. Oh, but I'm one of the elect.
I don't worry about that. You better worry. You better give
heed. You will sit back on your seat
of theological accurateness and
you may well perish in hell with the demons. Now listen to what I'm saying
this morning. To rob you of the prize. Sometimes
we strong-graced people, we love the absoluteness of God, and
especially the absoluteness of God toward the elect, and rightfully
so. Correct? We love that. It's a
blessing. Those truths, David, are a blessing
to us. But Paul's writing to people
that he says, he's called them saints, believers, but he said,
you best take heed. Look, let no man beguile you
of your reward. Are we talking about some crown
you get on top of your salvation? And then you get that crown and
then maybe you get to lay it at Jesus' feet one day? No. He's talking
about the very blessing of God in Christ Jesus. There are two ways in which a
person can be beguiled. And here Paul says, let no man
beguile you. Therefore, that lets me know,
be on guard. Right? Don't just sit back and
say, well if I'm one of the elect, it won't happen to me. That's
a dangerous swamp to stand in. It is true. If it were possible, they would
deceive the very elect. It's not possible. But don't
take God's grace and mercy and compassion for granted. Don't think that somehow because
you've been this for X amount of time, God owes this to me. You may not be what you think
you are. God saves you by grace and you
earn rewards by works. That's not what Paul's talking
about here. He's talking about what's the reward. It's called
the prize. All of these things. All of these
things. There's two ways a person can
be beguiled. One, they can begin to be pulled
away. Begin to be pulled away. Begin
to be pulled away. There are others who begin to
be pulled away and then are overcome. And you remember what Peter said
about those who are pulled away and are overcome? He said, and let me just read
it. I'm going to turn to it. 2 Peter.
I'll misquote it. Look at what he says. 2 Peter
chapter 2. And he's talking about these
men who are wells without water. It doesn't have to be a man,
it could be a woman, it doesn't matter. They're wells without
water, clouds that are carried with a tempest, to whom is the
midst of darkness reserved forever, verse 17. That's the kind of
people he's talking about. And in verse 19 he says, while they
promise them liberty, that is these wells without water, while
they promise people liberty, they themselves are the servants
of corruption. For of whom a man is overcome,
of the same as he brought into bondage. Now a man may begin
to beguile you, and God Almighty come in and through His ordained
means put a stop to that thing. But it won't mean you'll just
wake up one morning and all of a sudden everything will be better. It
don't happen that way. It just don't happen that way. But of
these people, for of whom a man is overcome of the same as he
brought into bondage, for if, you see there's one of those
ifs, for if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through
the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." What's
he talking about? Someone who's made a profession that God Almighty
has saved him or her by His free sovereign grace. That's what
he's talking about. A person who makes a start in the faith.
Who joins up with God's people. Who says, I believe that gospel.
God Almighty's done something for me. For if after they have
escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of
the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein
and overcome. Now everybody's warned. Even the saints of Colossians,
they're warned. Even the true saints. Why? Because you can
be entangled by them. But some people will be what?
Overcome. Now look, the latter end is worse with them than the
beginning. That's not losing the crown to
lay at Jesus' feet, is it? It ain't losing salvation either.
No. But I tell you what, it'll be
losing what you think you got and what a fright it would be.
And look, Here's the problem with that kind of thing. For
it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness
than after they have known it to turn from the holy commandment
delivered unto them. Now what men want to do, what
preachers want to do is go into how hot's the fire in heaven
and all that. What's he warning? He's warning you make a false
profession. Or no, let me put it this way.
You make a profession, and then somebody can come along and draw
you away from Jesus Christ, and you're overcome by it. Your second
state is worse than your first original depraved state. You've
added to your condemnation. That's what he's saying. Do you
see why he says, then, let no man beguile you of your reward?
In a what? Voluntary humility. You don't
volunteer up humility before God, He brings it out of you.
He bows you down. You don't just volunteer humility
before God. He squeezes it out of you. He'll
get a hold of you by the neck, Mason, He'll squeeze you, and
you'll be a humble person. He'll put you under His foot,
David Wright, and hold you down, and He'll humble you. Those that
walk in pride, He is what? Able to what? Abase. but let
no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshiping
of angels." I'm not afraid that somebody might misunderstand
me that I'm saying somebody can be saved and then be lost. No,
but let me tell you something. The apostasy is real. And it's damning. It's damning. Let no man beguile you of your
reward in a voluntary humility and worshiping of angels. Now,
I do agree with many of the writers. Paul was probably thinking about
many of those Gnostics in his day. But let me tell you something. Look at it again. He was probably
dealing with specific problems that were true in Colossae. It's not limited to voluntary
humility and worshiping of angels. It's to worship anything other
than Jesus Christ. It don't matter what it is. It
goes, look, let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary
humility and worshiping of angels, intruding into those things which
ye hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not
holding the head. Do you see that? That's Christ.
If a man, a woman, if anything can draw you away from Jesus
Christ to where you quit holding on Him, you ain't got anything
you thought you had. But how can you not hold him?
He didn't say let go. He says not hold him. In other
words, God's actually finally manifest what that person really
is. And what does Paul say? Don't
let that happen to you. Doesn't he? It's not set back
on our seat of slothfulness and just wait to see what happens.
And if I'm one of the elect, everything ought to be alright.
No, it is engage in the battle. and beware of the enemy. Because
if you can be drawn away from Christ, you're a goner. No matter
what you profess. No matter what you claim has
happened for you. You abandon Christ, you'll perish. I don't
care how long you've been a free grace believer. You abandon Christ
the day you die. You abandon Christ. You abandon
Christ, you'll perish forever. That's just the truth. If you're worshipping something
other than Jesus Christ, you'll perish. The elect don't go to
heaven. The saved go to heaven. Think about that. The elect,
we were chosen unto salvation. Elections not for heaven, elections
for salvation. Salvation prepares us for heaven.
That's the way it is. Don't let any men beguile you.
Now, think about this. Turn to 1 Corinthians. I've got
to move along. 1 Corinthians chapter 5. Because he says, watch out. He basically said, watch out.
Men will tell you, touch not, taste not, handle not. And at
one time I was so ignorant, even as a believer, I thought that
was like a blank check. Have you ever been there? That
ain't no blank check. He says, after the doctrines
and commandments of men. God tells us there are certain
things you best not touch. Come out from among them and
touch not the unclean things. Is that what He says? And I will
receive you. Isn't that what He says? This
is so true that the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians these
words. 1 Corinthians 5 verse 8, Therefore, let us keep the
feast. He's talking there about the
Lord's table. Let us keep the feast, not with
old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness,
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. I wrote
unto you in an epistle not to accompany with fornicators."
And what most people then want to do, they then turn their mind
trying to find out, well, what epistle is he talking about?
Is it a lost one? Was it another one? Don't worry
about that. Look at what he says. I wrote
to you in an epistle not to accompany with fornicators, yet not altogether
with the fornicators of this world or with the covetous or
extortioners or with idolaters. A man who believes in free will
is an idolater. He is worshipping his will rather
than Christ. That's just the way it is. You
cannot say that a man who truly believes his free will is a part
of his salvation. When the Scripture says, it is
not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God
that showeth mercy, that that person is worshiping Christ alone.
I don't believe it. You won't convince me of it.
It ain't there in the Scripture. Yeah. It is a denial of the truth
of Christ. But look at what it says. In
other words, you don't company with all these kinds of people.
And I don't believe this is an exhaustive list. If you're leaving
out child molesters, that's not really so bad. Just these people. You understand what I'm saying?
If you're talking about murderers, murder's not really that bad.
Just these folks. No. He's probably given some
examples of people they were dealing with. He said, don't
keep company with them. Right? That's what it says. Don't keep company with them.
Now he says it's not trying to avoid them all together, because
if you did that you'd have to go out of the world. But you
don't keep company with them. That means to mix together, to
associate with, to mingle with. Why in God's name do you want
to spend a vacation with an unbeliever? Your vacation? The time off that
you get every year to go relax a little? You want to go do it
with an unbeliever? Well, I'm going to tell him the
gospel. Tell her the gospel. Really?
Were they interested in it? You understand what I'm talking
about? What about an apostate? Want to invite him or her over
to your home for dinner? Huh? Come on in. Let's have a
nice meal together. But pause even further. It's
even more than that. Look. But now, But now have I written
unto you not to keep company, same exact thing, if any man
that is called a brother, now whether he's really a brother
or not, that's in God Almighty's hands. But if he's called a brother,
what does he say? And be, if any man called a brother,
be a fornicator, or a covetous, or an adulterer, or a railer,
or a drunkard, or an extortioner, with such an one know not to
eat. Is that what the book says? Now
scripture says that faith is believing God. Not believing
in God. It is believing God. And when
God through His Apostle Joe, by the will of God, says don't
keep company with a man who's called a brother, but his way
of life is something contrary to being a brother, don't keep
company with him, then who do you believe? If you believe God,
then you're going to stop keeping company with Him. Why? Because it's for your benefit.
You can't handle it. Don't think you can. I thought
I could. I found out different. I've been
there. It don't work. You won't lead
them to Christ. They'll lead you down a wrong
road. And I'm telling you the way it
is. And yet in this assembly, we
have people who have apostatized from this assembly, and there's
people in this assembly who still associate with them people. I'm
not playing games anymore. I'm not smoothing over things
anymore. If there is people, who've been
in disassembly and made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, and
they have abandoned Jesus Christ, have they went to another assembly
somewhere? Thank God for it. If they've abandoned disassembly,
leave them alone. Right? Leave them alone! But they might think I'm self-righteous.
They already do anyway. Don't be stupid. Is it self-righteousness to obey
the commands of an epistle to New Testament saints? Is it self-righteousness? No. It's called the obedience
of faith. It's not called works as opposed
to my faith. It's the obedience of faith.
And let me tell you, you are not only trying to look out for
the truth of God. They will lead you down the same
path they're in. Any man who thinks he stands,
let him take heed lest he fall. You and I can't handle it. And
if we go against God's clear command, you think God's going
to sit right there and say everything's fine. God will let you come all
the way down. And you don't want to be there.
And if that happens to you and you're overcome, guess what?
You're a goner. This is not about anger, folks.
Paul says beware. Stay on guard. Now it's one thing
to warn of danger. It's another to instruct as how
to combat danger's influence. And he tells us how to hold the
head. Hold the head. Hold the head,
right? Keep holding the head. Somebody
says, let go a little bit. I won't do it. Just reach over
here with a finger and touch this. I won't do it. Now, do
you have to be under the doctrines and commandments of men of touch
not, taste not, hand not? Can't go to the movies. God never
tells you that. God never says... Now, there
are some things you shouldn't watch at the movies. There are
some things you shouldn't watch on TV. But simply going to the
movies, David, is not wrong. Going on vacation is not wrong.
Christ sometimes went away by Himself. He had to get away from
us. He had to get away from us. That's
the problem. Do we take a vacation to get
away? Sometimes we don't. We've joined
ourselves right in the middle of them. This is what Earl Cald used to
talk about. This is when even believers get
a little antsy. Start to dance a little. Well,
the preacher's meddling now. No, I'm talking about faith.
I'm talking about believing God. I'm talking about taking this
thing for real. Paul don't just warn us of the
danger, he tells us, he instructs us how to combat the danger's
influence. Let us rejoice as we hold the
head and benefit how? By joints and bands being knit
together. Do you see it? Read it. Let no
man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility, worshipping
of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen,
vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding the head,
from which all the body increases." Is that what it says? There's more in the middle there.
And you can't just jump from the beginning to the end and
think you'll have the increase. Look at it. And not holding the
head from which all the body by joints and bands. That's this. That's sinews and stuff. We are
joined together. We are one body. You see that? Notice. by joint, the body, all
the body, by joints and bands, having nourishment, ministered,
and knit together, increase with the increase of God. Well, I
don't have to go to church. You are deceived. I don't have
to be with God's people. You don't get it. You do. Because the body increases together
as it's knit together. You don't increase out there
by yourself. I dare you, go try it. Go on. Go on, go try it. If you're one
of God's, you'll find out the hard way. And if you're not,
somebody will come along and spoil you as booty. That's right. Our defense is buying through
Jesus Christ. but it is not singular by ourselves. Now listen to me. Salvation is
personal and individual, but its benefits are enjoyed by joints
and bands and being knit together. Salvation is personal and individual,
but its benefits are enjoyed by mutual union. You are not
going to increase by yourself. Now I haven't asked her this,
but I will be brave enough to venture to say this. Paula, would
you rather be back in Colorado right now with Colorado like
it was back then? No. That's what a believer says. Would I rather be back at New
Zion Regular Baptist Church with New Zion Regular Baptist Church
being what it was then? No way. No way. Would I rather be where I was
five years ago? And I've been converted for about
31, 32. Would I rather be where I was five years ago, things
being what they still were then? No. God brought me through that,
and that time's over with. But I've still got to face the
danger every day. Every day. There's a red flag question here. Then notice, that's where Paul
begins to say, if ye then. Now He's already given one qualifying
if ye. That's verse 23 of chapter 1.
He said there's a people that God in Christ reconciled when
He died on that cross. He says if you continue in the
faith. If you don't, you'll perish. That's as much true as Romans
chapter 8 verses 28 all the way to the end of the chapter. Is
it not? And not just continue, but look,
if you continue in the faith, grounded and settled and be not
moved away from the hope of the gospel. See it? So there's a qualifying if ye,
but now Paul introduces a rebuking if ye. Verse 20, Wherefore if
ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why then?
Why are you subject to? You see that? Some people had
begun to succumb and Paul was concerned about them. That's
what it says. They'd already begun to succumb
and Paul's, if you then? You see it? Is it true of you?
Is it real with you? That's what he's asking. He put
it to the Galatians this way. I'm afraid of you, lest I bestow
labor upon you in vain. He said, I stand in doubt of
you. Paul introduces this rebuking
if. What's the solution? Penance?
Do some Hail Marys? That's the solution now. Remember
I said Paul didn't just warn us of the problem, he gives us
the solution to combat whether it's outside influence or inner defection. The solution
is still the same. Outside influence or inner defection. What's the solution? Penance?
No. Confession? Well just confess it. Well certainly
you ought to confess it. God's people will and do. But
his answer to the problem is not confession. Is it mortification? That's a part of it. But it's
secondary because he says, verse 5 of chapter 3, mortify therefore. You see it? So there's something
before that. There's something that's primary
to mortification. There's something that must come
before mortification. But mortification's still there.
Is it or is it not? And here's a lot of things you
need to mortify. And then here's some things you
need to add, put on. Isn't that what he teaches? But what's primary? Here's what's primary. If ye
then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above.
Christ is the solution. Holding to Him. Seeking out Him. He's the solution. If ye then
be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where
Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affections on
things above, not on things of the earth. For you are dead,
and your life is hid with Christ in God. If ye be risen with Christ,
that's true. Do you see it? When Christ, who
is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him
in glory. Now, when you're doing that, that's primary and that's
foremost, now start mortifying. Isn't that what he says? And
then when you start mortifying and start adding too, put on
these things. As the elect of God, holy and
beloved, bowels of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness,
longsuffering, forth. See it? There it is. And that's the order.
That's the order. That's primary. That's the solution.
That's what's going to guard you against being tricked. It's
what's going to help you if you've begun to be drawn away. You see
it? The solution's still the same.
Because Christ is the answer. You see, the glories of Christ
and His exaltation, and that's what He means, the things that
are above, His exaltation. The glories of Christ and His
exaltation is a guard against outward influence, and it's a
solution to inner defection. You see it? It's a guard against
outward influence, And it's a solution to inner defection. What Paul
is saying to each and every one of us, if we are saints and faithful,
believers in Christ, those who love our fellow saints, those
who have received Christ Jesus, the Lord, it is still, hold to
Him. Seek Him. Worship Him. Set your affection on Him and
nothing else. And that will get you through
to the end. You know what? That will get you through to
the end. Be careful if you become stagnant. Because you're prime
prey when you're stagnant. Be careful when you become complacent.
Because you're prime prey when you're complacent. I'm in a job
that I know, you get used to everything, everything going
smooth. Working around all these men and they're, you know, no
problems and they're nice to you and Mr. This, Mr. That. They
do everything you say and the next thing you know, You find
one, you become complacent. You take it for granted. And
all of a sudden, one of them comes up beguilingly, Mason,
to draw you. They warn us about that all the
time. It's my job. How much more so in the things
of God in Christ? We've got an Antichrist world
that's opposed to everything that's about God in Christ. Do
you see where I'm coming from? If ye then, if ye then, Father,
teach us these things. Guide us by your Spirit in these
things for Christ's name's sake. Amen.