All right, if you wish to follow along, turn to Galatians chapter 4. I know the past couple months have been difficult, especially in the sense of trying to kind of keep in memory what we've went through in Galatians. I guess the last time we were here, Joe and Paul preached. But I want to read just one verse, Galatians chapter 4, verse 21. Now, this is actually the 58th message that I've preached. from Galatians when I started here.

Now, the fact is I could have went through this fairly quickly, a whole lot quicker if I had just dealt with a few verses, Mack, went through the truth of it. But there's times when I stop and deal with a certain word or a certain phrase or a certain thought. And that's what I wanna do this morning. So I'm gonna read just one verse, but Paul is now, he asks a question. but he's about to introduce what he calls here an allegory, but we'll not deal with the allegory this morning.

I wanna deal with one word and one thought from this verse, and it's verse 21. Now, remember, Paul is writing to the churches, not just one church, but to the churches of Galatia. This was many local assemblies in a certain region, and he wrote these words. He said, tell me, Ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?

Now, let me start by saying that all of mankind by nature, and I know Earl taught me this years ago, he said, when you speak to other people, when you preach to other people, even if it's the people you've been preaching to for years, don't suppose that everybody automatically understands what you're saying. because even amongst God's people, those that are saved, God doesn't reveal everything just like that. So when I say all mankind by nature, what I mean by by nature, I mean unregenerate, okay, unregenerate. Now that's another word. So let me try to define what I'm saying this morning about all mankind by nature, that is the unregenerate.

The unregenerate are this, they've never been called by the gospel of Christ, okay? They've never been called by the gospel of Christ. I will put a footnote here. God does not regenerate by the gospel. But the only way any of us ever know anyone is ever regenerated is when they are then called by the gospel. That's the only way.

So all mankind by nature, now we could say the lost, we could say unsaved, and the scripture uses that language, but I'm talking about unregenerate. God has never breathed life, spiritual life, into their soul. They've never been called by the gospel. So all mankind by nature are under the bondage of unholy desires, okay?

Unholy desires. My thought this morning from our text, just this one verse is, now it's not thee, and I thought about this long and hard. I didn't wanna say it thee, but this would be my title. This is my subject, a most unholy desire. Because this desire that Paul rebukes here is toward believers. not unbelievers, okay? But having said that, again, let me go back to what I originally began to say.

All mankind by nature, that is the unregenerate, those never yet converted by the gospel of Christ are under the bondage of unholy desires. Now, that's found and hold your place in Galatians four, but just turn over a few pages to Ephesians chapter two and we will see this. Ephesians chapter two. And you, verse one, and you, now let me preface it before I go any further, Paul is writing to people who are saved, they are regenerate, they have been called by the gospel. He has told them that they are blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ, they've been chosen by God before the world began in Christ, they've been predestinated under the adoption of children, they are accepted in the beloved, these are believers.

But he says concerning them, And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins, wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, and that is Satan, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.

And note, this spirit, that is this demonic spirit, this satanic spirit, I understand that people love to separate, and there is a separation. They love to make a separation between the devils, that is Satan and his minions, and fallen mankind. But we are all devils by nature. We are all satanic by nature, even those who were chosen and predestinated.

Then we go on. The walk according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience, among whom also we all had our conversation, or that is our way of life, in time past, in the lust of the flesh, fulfilling the, now there you see the word, desires. Okay? Desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, that is wrath toward God, were children of wrath even as others. Again, all mankind, okay, has and is under this bondage of unholy desires. Now notice it is desires. You know what that word means? choices, determinations, human will.

I heard just recently a believer, a person who professes to believe, and I got no reason that they don't believe, and I have to sadly confess this even of myself, we make statements like this, especially when we're confronted with error from without. especially Mack, the error of free will and free will is and all that. And we make this kind of statement, man has no will. That's not so. And when we perpetuate that lie to others, we are but perpetuating a lie.

Man has a will. but his will is corrupt. He has desires, but they are demonic led. They're influenced by the corruption that is in us. Man has a will, he just does not have a free will. So that's just a little bit of advice along the way. Now think about in these unholy desires, I'm talking about what we all had by nature. In these unholy desires, there are immoral desires, but there are self-righteous desires as well. There are religious desires, there are irreligious desires, but all are unholy. And this is what the religious world does not understand and therefore does not preach and emphasize to humanity, that all righteous desires are not good desires.

Think about this. Self-righteousness is unrighteous when you try to do it before God. You understand that? Going to church is a sin if you're trying to gain God's favor by doing so. This world does not get that. They said that cannot be. Reading your Bible, praying is, even though that seems to be, Jack, a righteous thing, it is unrighteous in God's sight if you're trying to do it for God's favor. You see this?

That description of our evil desires in Ephesians 2, 1 through 3 is not just about the immorality that's in the world, it's about the righteousness that is in this world, that is held to in this world. So again, self-righteousness is unrighteousness before God when we seek God's favor by it. The desire that Paul rebukes here in our text is not the desire that we had when we were unregenerate, okay? Before we were called by the gospel, the desire that Paul is rebuking here is a singular desire, right? Remember we read, among whom also we all had our way of life in time past in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind.

But here it's a particular group of people. These are people who profess to have been called by the gospel of Christ. And that's when he says, tell me ye that what? Desire, but what is this unholy desire? Tell me ye that desire to be under the law. Paul is rebuking desiring to be under the law. Quickly, he's not rebuking unbelievers for desiring to be under the law. They are. They are.

And according to the law, it says, for as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse. For it is written, cursed is everyone that continue of not in all things, which are written in the book of the law, to do them. So another bit of counsel or advice to us as believers, don't try to prove to unbelievers that they're not under the law, because they are. and don't try to prove to unbelievers that believers are not under the law because that's not the point for unbelievers. They are under the law and they need salvation by Jesus Christ.

Do you understand? Are you picking up what I'm laying down? Tell me ye that desire to be under the law. Now it is clear that Paul is rebuking this desire of these believers. Because, and I have mentioned this over and over and I'll still mention it again, God willing, Paul in this letter, in this epistle, is relentless. He's got one subject, Matt, Christ versus law. Grace versus law. The gift of God through Jesus Christ, that is faith, versus the law.

And he don't stop. You know, in all the other epistles, Jackie goes from this subject and that subject and he deals with another subject and then another subject here. But Mac, here he just keeps hammering and hammering and hammering. And I've said over and over that Paul is relentless.

But you know what? So is God. So is God. Think about it, and we'll deal with the allegory, but think about it. Tell me ye that desire to be under the law, don't you hear what the law has said? I'm paraphrasing it. Don't you hear what the law has said? For it is written. Now here is Paul referring back to the Old Testament. This is not something new. This is not something Paul came up with. This is not something the New Testament church came up with.

For it is written that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a free woman. But he that was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh, but he that of the free woman was by promise, and then here's the phrase, if God willing we'll deal with this later, which things are an allegory.

Do you see that? Do you know what an allegory is? Ellen, I thought I did for years until I actually just looked it up again, afresh and anew. Now, if you read, if you get online, you take your phone and you Google allegory, it will be something along this line. I can call it up. It'll be something along this line. It is a story. It is an illustration of something physical that takes place or has taken place, which has some spiritual meaning to it, a spiritual illustration to it.

That sounds good, don't it? Sounds good, don't it? Now, it's not completely foreign to the meaning of the word, but if you look up Strong's Concordance, Cruden's Concordance, any good Bible dictionary, you know what it means? It means to harangue. Do you know what that means?

To harass. To go through a lengthy discourse of rebuke and rebuttal. You see, Paul's not using the allegory as a sweet story. He's rebuking these people based upon even the testimony of an example in the Old Testament. And here's the thing. We'll deal with this this morning. Verse 30, look at what Paul says this allegory teaches us. Nevertheless, what saith the scripture? Okay, what saith the scripture? cast out the bondwoman and her son. Do you see that? It's not just cast out the bondwoman. It's not just cast out her son. It is to cast out what? B-O-T-H.

The law, now I know religion will cringe at this and cry, as we have heard even here from someone was in our midst for years, Antinomian. But God, when it comes to the salvation of his people, casts out the law, the law itself, not by doing away with it, Maliciously, Christ died under the curse of the law. It's been satisfied. There is no need for law in God's people. They need Christ. But it also says not just that. Cast out the bondwoman and her son. Those who are the offspring of that are cast out as well.

For instance, some suggest Yes, the believer is not under the law in the sense of condemnation or judgment, but the believer should still keep the law. That's why some people preach. You're not under the law. No, we're not under the law. You're not condemned by the law, but you should still keep the law. Now listen, if we, I'm talking about believers, if we could, we would. We love God's law. I'm not trying to break the law. But the truth is, I'm not trying to keep it either, because I cannot. And Paul goes on and actually, at the end of this letter, he says, for neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may glory in your flesh.

We serve God in the fruit of the spirit, which God willing we'll look at in detail later, not in the deeds of the law. The law deals with our flesh. It does not deal with the new man in Christ. It does not deal with the fruit, the fruit of the spirit, Paul ends it with this phrase, against such there is no law.

You see, the law deals with the flesh, and the law demands the perfection of my flesh. And if I desire to go back under the law, talking about a believer now, if I desire to go back under the law, all I'm doing is bringing myself back under judgment. This is why Paul is so relentless in this thing.

Tommy, this is not a take it or leave it deal. This is not, as long as you realize we're not under the law, but just try to keep it. We're not trying to keep the law. We are to walk in the Spirit. And if we do, and when we do, and that's only by the power of the Spirit, but when we walk in the Spirit, what does Paul guarantee us? We will not fulfill, fulfill the lust of the flesh. He doesn't say it won't be there. He doesn't say you won't battle with it, but you won't what? Fulfill it.

And God knows I want to start preaching on that right now today. because how many professed believers, they may be, they may not be, I do not know. Then when they hear that statement, run to Romans 7 and say, oh, wretched man that I am, what I want to do, I can't do, but what I do want to do, I can't do that. It's just an excuse for feeding the flesh. They use the scripture, it sounds good, but it has no reality to it. Now somebody says, I don't understand that.

When God calls you by his gospel, or if he has called you by his gospel, one day you will, and it'll dawn on you. I've used the truth of God to excuse my flesh. As an illustration, as an illustration. Well, I used to be this, and I just, even after I'm saved, I just can't quit doing it.

That is not what Paul said. He said concerning his blasphemy before he was saved, he said, I was before blasphemous. I was before. You think Paul went, well, all my flesh is so bad that I just keep blaspheming God. No. Now he knew his flesh was constantly blaspheming God, but Paul was not when he walked in the spirit.

He was honoring Christ, believing Christ, serving Christ, and the flesh did not dominate him. And see, I'm prone to write down, love to stop and go. Remember, the desire that Paul rebukes here is the desire of a gospel called believer seeking to be back under the law, seeking righteousness, or sanctification, or perseverance, or a combination of those things. It doesn't matter. You say, well, I don't believe in keeping the law for righteousness before God, but I do for sanctification. That is nonsense. If a man or a woman's righteous in God's sight, you can bet your bottom dollar they're sanctified in God's sight.

And if they're righteous and sanctified, they will persevere. We sing a song, isn't it? The righteous shall what? Hold on his way. So seeking righteousness, sanctification, or perseverance by legal do's and don'ts, that is what Paul is rebuking here. Case in point. Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty, chapter five, verse one, with Christ as made of three, and be not entangled again, that's don't desire to go back under the law, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. And he says concerning these people, if you do that, you're falling from grace.

Now, you know what I was taught years ago in religion? That means if, Mac, it means if I was a drunkard and God saved me and I quit drinking, it means I go back to drinking again. That's what I was taught. If I was bad to cuss and swear and cheat and lie, and then God saves me, then I start not cussing, cheating, lying, and swearing, but I go back to it.

That's falling from grace. That's not falling from grace. Falling from grace is believing that Jesus Christ, holy and completely, saved me by his person of work, but I now need to do something. I now need to do something to supplement that in some way for some reason.

And that's what Paul rebukes. You see, the law excites the flesh in us. Paul said so. The strength of sin is what? The law. And I know, again, the religious, the legalistic, religious Bible believer, Jesus believer, just shudders at that. They cannot comprehend that. They really don't get it.

You know why? God's never brought them to truly be liberated in Christ Jesus. and to see that the only way I can serve God with liberty of conscience is by the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit, not a fruit from me, the Spirit works in me, it's the fruit of the Spirit who happens to be a person in me. Do you see that? It's hard to preach Jack this letter and not bounce everywhere. Like I said, Paul is relentless. He never quits. He's got one subject and he hammers and he hammers and he hammers.

The law excites the flesh and it says this. Here's what the law does. No, I'm sorry. Here's what the flesh does when it sees the law and keeping the law, either doing what you should, not doing what you shouldn't. Look at me. Doesn't it? Look at me. Grace demands we say what? Look at Christ. It demands it. It demands it.

Now, here are seven reasons why such a desire as this is unholy. Okay, seven reasons. And that's seven reasons according to I'll just, this one letter, this. So, Tommy, they can't accuse me of bouncing around and picking out some pet verses in this book and then over in this book and a couple in the Old Testament and a couple in the, we're gonna look at seven things directly stated by Paul in this epistle. Now, there are more, but I'm just gonna give you seven of them.

We've looked, we began to, I read a couple things of one, this allegory. Oh, man, this allegory. Jack leaves us without question, because this is what the law itself told us through allegory. Abraham had two sons, but one son and his mama was told what? Get out. will not be what? Error. Will not be error.

So here's these seven things. I will read them and make a few comments, but I certainly don't have time to go back and rehash what we've already dealt with or deal with what we're yet to get to. Here's these seven things. One, this is what a believer desiring to be back under the law is. Here's seven things.

And remember I said it is a most unholy desire. I cannot emphasize this enough, and the reason I suppose I do, Penny, is because maybe if God ever opens the ear and they hear it, though I've said it a million times before, as we say, but I say it, tell me this one time, all of a sudden it dawns on somebody. It's a most unholy desire, that is to desire to be under the law.

First of all, it denies the efficiency of Christ's faith. Faith is absolutely essential. But his faith is the absolutely essential faith. The faith we have in us is not even of us, it as well, Galatians chapter five, let me find the verse, Galatians chapter five and verse 22 says, faith is a what? Fruit of the spirit. Mm, faith is the fruit of the Spirit. It denies the efficiency of Christ's faith.

Based upon what? What Paul's already said, chapter two, verse 16. Now this is what believers know. Now if you don't know this, I'm not saying this to be mean. I'm saying this to be honest with men and women's soul. If you don't know what Paul was about to say here, you're not saved. It's that simple. I don't care how much you think you know.

You're not saved until God breaks you of your desire to be accepted by God by what you do. You're not converted, you're not gospel converted, you're not regenerate, knowing, verse 16, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law. Do you know that or not? Now, if you now know it, And you look back and say, but I didn't know it back then, but I saved though. You might still be saved, but you're mistaken. You weren't saved when you thought you were saved.

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ. Again, it's in the possessive sense. It's being justified by Christ's faith. Even we have believed in Jesus Christ, notice the language, that we might be justified, not by our believing, but by the faith of Christ. Now somebody says, but that's kind of tough to lay hold of. It's not about laying hold of it, it's about believing it. Just believe what it says.

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law, for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. Sounds like to me, if I desire to go back under the law, I'm denying the efficiency of Christ's faith.

Does it not? Hm? Believers know this. So why would I desire to go back under the law? Only the unholiness of my flesh. Thinking I can now do something. Whether it's for righteousness, whether it's for sanctification, or whether it's for perseverance. It does not matter. Secondly, it makes Christ's death an empty promise. A vain work.

Chapter two, Paul went on to say, I am crucified with Christ. You see that? That's representation, that's substitution. That's Christ dying in the place of another person. Or, Mac, a countless number of persons, okay, that's Christ dying in the place of another person in such a way that that person died with him. Do you see that?

I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live, yet not I. You see it? 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. You know why you feel so miserable when you fall as a believer? Because you were trusting your faith. And when we trust our believing of it, our, and we do, God's people do believe. Those who know we're not justified by the law but by the faith of Christ, they believe in Christ. What? To be justified by the faith of Christ.

The reason we feel so miserable, because we find out, we may not even recognize it in this language. We have started looking to our believing rather than to the faith of Jesus Christ. Somebody that says that sounds complicated. It is complicated. God is a complicated God. He is so holy that the scripture says he cannot even look on sin.

So how could he look on me? He has to do it through I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I 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 sounds pretty serious, doesn't it? That's for me wanting to be a good boy and gain God's favor. Right? Now there is no doubt God's people ought to be good. But why? Just to honor God. Because God deserves us to live that way.

But it gains us nothing. I'll give you the quote by Tim James. He said, how you live in this world does matter. But it doesn't count. Not before God. Somebody says, I can't get that. If God ever saves you after a while, you will. You'll start to get it. You'll start to, it makes Christ's death an empty work. Number three, it denies, that's me, a believer, you, believers, trying to, desiring to be back under the law. It denies God's power to finish what God had started. Galatians chapter three, verses two and three.

This only would I learn of you. Now he's saying this. for convicting effect, because he had a lot more to learn about him, didn't he? Tell me ye that desire to be under the law. Don't you hear it? But he's saying this for convicting effect. This only would I learn of you. As I'm writing this particular point, what I've just said about Christ, me dying with Christ and living by Christ, this only would I learn of you. Received ye the spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith? Which one? If you think you have the Spirit by the works of the law, you don't have the Spirit of God. It's that simple. It's that simple. Or by the hearing of faith. Are ye so foolish, having begun in the Spirit?

Are ye now made perfect by the flesh? You see it? Again, it denies God's power to finish what God had started. Well, we're not talking about salvation, we're talking about rewards. Salvation is even called the reward of God. You see it? Here's the fourth thing. It denies Christ's redemptive act concerning the law. There's two passages here, Galatians 3, verse 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law.

How did he do that? By me coming, hearing the gospel preached, and I believe on him. Now that's the way you're joined to it. That's the way you begin to know about it. But look, Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. I was redeemed from its curse before I was ever lifted out from under it personally. You see that? It was already an accomplished act. It happened some odd 2,000 years ago. I was just walking around as dumb as a hammer concerning it, feeding my flesh.

At best, doing my good deeds to somehow get God to look at me. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, for it is written, cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree. Now Mac, if I, when he died, I died with him, that means I was cursed with him. Right? He was my substitute. He stood in my place. He hung there in my place. He was cursed. I was cursed.

Again, it denies Christ's redemptive act concerning the law. Number five, it denies the singularity of God's promise. Chapter three, verse 18. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is not, oh, yeah, wait a minute, yeah, I'm sorry. Strike what I just said, let me try to read it correctly. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise. Paul is saying it's gonna be one or the other. It is not an admixture of both, Jack.

Not 99.9% and then 0.1%. Christ, all this and a little bit of law. For if the inheritance be of the law, it's no more a promise, but God gave it to Abraham by promise. What law did Abraham have? None. According to Paul in Romans five, there was a time when the law was not given. yet death reigned.

Why? Because our corruption, the law's not the cause of our corruption, it just exposes it. But if we're unregenerate, it just stirs it up. It just stirs it up. Fourth inheritance, be of the law, it's no more a promise. That's the same thing as what Paul was saying, just in different language. I'll read you this. Let me find it. Even so then, at this present time also, there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then it's no more of works. Otherwise, grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it's no more grace. Otherwise, work is no more work. It's one or the other. It is not an admixture of both, even in the slightest fashion.

Somebody said, that sounds like I can, once I'm saved, I can live like I want. Yeah, how you want to live is the fruit of the Spirit. But if you want to walk in the flesh, guess what God will do? He will let you. And you know what will happen to you, even as a believer? Right here. You'll start spiraling down. Spiraling down. Until finally, you will not stop until who acts? Until God stops you. And I know that by experience, not just by doctrine. Not just by doctrine.

Sixly it denies the liberation associated with a God-given faith chapter 3 verse started verse 22 But the scripture because he's asked a question in between this thing about the promise and the law He's asked the question. What what's the purpose of the law then and here's here's how he ends it up this These words concerning that but the scripture hath concluded all under sin knows all that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. So that while all have sinned, Jack, then when it comes to who's actually saved by what Christ did and who he did it for, it's narrowed down, isn't it? It's narrowed down to his personal work, that's his faith.

At 12 years old, he was believing the father and serving the father. He said, I must be about my father's business. That's faith. And that's my hope. When he went to that tree and suffered and bled and died, he did that in faith. That's my hope. That's my hope.

You see it? But the scripture hath concluded all under sin that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were, what? Where were we? Kept under the law. We were still there. We were kept under the law. Shut up! unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster, and you can stop with that, unto Christ that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Somebody says, that's hard for me to believe. No, it's worse than you think. It's impossible for you to really believe until God does something for you. Because you and I, when we're unregenerate, we'll make a go toward faith in Christ, believing, even maybe the faith of Christ, but we will add something of our own to it.

And after God saves you, you think, Man, even my righteousnesses are as filthy rags in God's sight. And then the next day you forget it. Now don't you? Until God reminds you of it again. And he reminds you, and you say, oh. The next day, and I'm being generous to us by saying the whole next day. And the next day, we forget it again.

Have we tried a little something? If I just read my Bible more, maybe this won't happen again. Same old thing. Same old thing. Trying to be back under the law. Here's number seven. Here's why this is a rebuke of a most unholy desire. It is to recklessly abandon God's grace. And I began reading that to you a moment ago. And God really will deal with that later. Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I, Paul, say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, and you can add anything else concerning the law in there, amen.

How many of these people who talk about keeping the law, obeying the Ten Commandments, but what about the one if you have a household of young men, marrying age, you know, teenagers, early 20s, and they're, you know, a few, a couple years apart, and a woman marries the oldest one. You know what she's supposed to do if that oldest one dies and she's widowed? What does the law demand you do to be right?

Marry the next one. It's in the book. What does she do with that one? Leaves her widow. Marry the next one. How many of these legalizers are practicing that? No, most of them don't even wait for the first one to die. They'll just go marry another one. They'd have two or three married to them. You say, some of you just laugh. It's okay, I do inside too. But that's the way we are as human beings. We'll pick and choose what's easy for us. And then try a couple hard ones and it don't work, we'll abandon those and just say, but I'm sincere in doing this.

All sounds good, right Jack? I mean, God ought to at least accept my best effort. No, he demands perfection. Perfection. It is to recklessly abandon God's grace. Let me go on. Behold, I, Paul, say unto you that if you be circumcised, if you pay your tithes, Christ shall profit you nothing. That's strong language. For I testify again. Again, he's just hammering on it. Hammering on it. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised that he is a debtor to the whole law.

You don't get to pick and choose what you want. Christ is become of no effect unto you. Now I'm not gonna sit here and argue about, does that mean saved or lost? We'll deal with that later. Saved or, no, what it means. If you abandon, no, hold it. Said that wrong. If you go to one part of the law, just say circumcision, Just say tithing, you have abandoned Christ. You don't have to go so far. It don't have to be I'm trying to keep five commandments, six commandments, just one.

See what he says? For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, now this is for believers, that he is a debtor to the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law, you're fallen from grace. Now just so I don't leave you dangling there scared half to death about this once saved, always saved, look at how Paul puts it. Verse eight, this persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.

A little leaven leaveneth the whole lomp, just a little. Just one commandment, couple commandments, half a commandment. How about that one? How about a half a commandment? Look at it, a little leaven, leaveneth the whole lump. I have confidence in you through the Lord. Now that's the only way it'll happen. Because if all we have is a profession, And it's grace, it's free grace, it's reigning grace. And we actually turn back to the law. Look at what it says. I have confidence in you through the Lord that ye will be none otherwise minded. You'll turn back to where you ought to be, to Christ. Therein is the thing. It's not that we never fall, Jack. Not that we never fall under this curse, this hoodoo game, right? Bewitched, Paul calls it, doesn't he? We fall under that hoodoo game and we pick us out of command and we work on it.

But God won't leave us there. If he leaves you there, guess what? That's where you were from the beginning. If he leaves you there, that's where you were from the beginning. And see, I've already got the preaching that part. There's your seven things. Now let me read it again.

For it is written, oh sorry, verse 21, tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, don't you hear what the law says? Isn't this being the question? Do I really hear what the law says? Or am I deceived even about the law? A lot of people are deceived even about the law, let alone about the personal work of Christ. The religious person, that person who's made a profession, I don't care whether it's under free will or under free grace, the religious person says, no comprehende, I just don't get it. It's because you lost. And when you lost, you don't get it. The only way you can get it is for God to put you there. God to actually save your soul. God to come in and intervene and arrest you. Bow you to Jesus Christ. And then you'll know when you start to turn over here to the right, or turn over here to the left. Jack, I don't, it may take days, it may take, I don't know how, it's God's business.

But though the righteous fall, this is what the Old Testament says, right? Though the righteous fall, he shall not be utterly cast down. Now think about it, I've said this a lot of times. There is a believer falling, And then there is a professed believer, one who's not truly a believer. There's a believer falling, sinning, messing up, however the language you want to use. There's a believer falling. Then there's a professed believer, one who's not really a believer, and they go into apostasy. That means they're eternally damned. But you know what? In the beginning, they both are a fall. They look just the same. There is no difference in the beginning. What's the difference?

God will not let the born again believer go. Someone said, it sounds like to me I'm just shut up into a work of God. I hope you really start to get that. Because if you ever start to get that, maybe God's doing something for you. Now you know what I say to that? Here's my conclusion. Not what I've said, not what I, but what we've read from this book. You know what I have to say about that? I will sum it up for you. You listen to this. You listen to this. Amen. Amen.

Heavenly Father, these things are so beyond us. Even after you enlighten us, they're beyond us. And we would turn away from them every opportunity we could. Oh God, preserve us. Keep us by your power and your grace and by the person and work of your son. In his name I pray, amen.