Okay, I just have one verse for a text this morning. It's actually the same verse that I read two weeks ago in Galatians chapter 4 and it's verse 21 Galatians 4 and 21. Let me read that verse I'll make a couple little statements. I'll give you my title and it will be that will be my subject Galatians 4 21 tell me I Ye that desire to be under the law. Notice that phrase, under the law. Now, if we look at the context of this letter so far, when Paul talks about being under the law, he's talking about being under the Mosaic law.

That includes the 10 commandments. It includes the hundreds of other commandments that flow from those 10. It includes the rites and the ceremonies of the Levitical part of the law that came with all of that. Remember, all of this was given, whether it's the rites, the ceremonies, or the commandments of dos and don'ts. All of this was given by God to Moses at the same time. Now, granted, it took several days for all of this to You know, Moses, I guess, Jack wrote it down. That's kind of clear from scripture. All of this was presented to Israel, the people of God.

So, Paul's talking about these people were being bewitched. They were being tricked into thinking in some way. It doesn't matter how large the percentage or small the percentage. It doesn't matter if you pick out one commandment, that is circumcision, or tithing, or keeping the Sabbath day, or you pick out hundreds of commandments, a believer in Jesus Christ is not under the law. But these false teachers had come along and said, no, you don't have to be, you're not under the law for salvation, but you are under the law for other reasons.

This whole letter, again, I say Paul is relentless. This whole letter, Paul does not stop in this relentlessness that grace supersedes our works. Tell me that the desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? But now think of it, the word law is mentioned twice by Paul here in this same breath, if you will, this same sentence.

But then if you look at this allegory, this illustration, this rebuke that Paul gives, which starts then in verse 22 and goes all the way down through verse 31, with this conclusion, stand fast therefore in the liberty, chapter five, verse one, wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

This illustration. Paul doesn't mention not one of the Decalogue Commandments. Now, I'm gonna jump ahead, but there is a commandment there. There is a commandment in that allegory. My text, or my title, and my subject is this. The law, but not the Decalogue, or that is the 10. That's what Decalogue means, the 10 commandments. And remember, every other commandment that come after that, after those 10.

He brought the 10 down off the Mount, remember? Written by the finger of God. And the Israelites were already breaking every one of them. So you remember what Moses did with the first set of 10, don't you? Smash, crashed it. He goes back up, God gives him the 10 again. Note, Tommy didn't chant, well, that's tough for him. Let me lighten the load a little. The exact same 10.

Okay, sends Moses right back down to him. And then he adds all of these hundreds of others, some say well over 600, of other laws and rules that go along with that. But because it's so clear that they couldn't keep it, they weren't keeping it while it was being given, he gave them all these rites and ceremonies. But these rites and ceremonies pointed to something better. Okay, that's kind of the context.

But notice when Paul says, tell me ye that desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law, same word, same exact Greek word, but he is talking about two totally different things, using the same exact word. You see, Paul here begins a rebuke of legalism. I'm not gonna try, I've already tried to explain that to some degree. Paul here rebukes, begins a rebuke of legalism with an allegory from scripture. And he calls this allegory the law. Do you not hear the law? You that desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? But he doesn't mention not one of the Decalogue Commandments. Nor does he mention any of the other hundreds that flow from it, okay?

Isn't that amazing? Now, if you look at the context of this, it's clear that this goes together. Verse 21, he gives this rebuke, if you will. Tell me ye that desire to be under the law. Don't you hear? You say you desire to be under it? Listen to it. Listen to what it says, but he doesn't mention one of the Ten Commandments.

He gives an allegory of Abraham, of Sarah, of Hagar and Ishmael and Isaac. Okay, now keep that in mind. But note this term for his allegory, he calls it the law, right? Isn't that what he says? Now, I point this out because we're going to look at some passages.

If at any time I could ever say I'm gonna try to teach a little more here than preaching, I don't know that I know that there is really a difference. Some people say there is. I think they're wet behind the ears, but be that as it may. I'm not gonna leave the context. We're sticking with the context, but I want us to look at this one word, law, law.

False teachers constantly misuse scripture. That's their mode of operation. That's what Satan did. Satan, in the beginning, when only Adam and Eve existed, what'd he do? He misused God's word, right? He misused, and false teachers, even us by nature, Our main problem is we misuse the word of God. False teachers constantly misuse scripture. Context is key to any passage. Okay?

Now I'm not saying that it's wrong for a preacher to get up and just take a phrase out of a passage and preach from that. That's not wrong, but we're not really going to understand what God has said unless we look at the context in which God gives us that word. If somebody says that makes it difficult, no. Makes it impossible apart from the grace of God. Because we love taking anything out of context. especially when it benefits us, when it makes us feel better about ourselves.

False teachers constantly misuse the scripture. Context is key to any passage. Paul rebukes a believer for desiring to be under the law and then uses the word law to define not commandments, but divine truth. but divine truth through this allegorical illustration. But it's not just the illustration Paul come up with, it's actual truth of scripture of a historical event that happened way back yonder.

So I say this, I beg you to listen to me this morning, because I do know what I'm talking about. I know God sent me, and it's just the way it is. but God commands you to listen if I've given you his word. But that command will either come to you in one of two ways, just as a command, and he will leave you to yourself, and you'll come up with whatever you want, or he'll give you ability with that command, and you'll begin to see what God has really said. Divine truth, his allegory, Paul's allegory that he gives here, does have one command in it. Have you read it? Have you read it? It's in verse 30. Nevertheless, what saith the scripture?

Here's the command. Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman. There's the command. There's a divine command from God that because we're not able to do it, I can't do it. I can't just cast out the bond woman or son. If I could, I would, but I can't do it.

But God can and will for his people. He'll bless the son of the free woman, those saved by grace. and he will cast out those who are under the law and think that they're salvation. No matter what part of salvation it is, he'll cast them out. I know this is not what the religious world, they're teaching men and women today that God's doing his best to try to get everybody in.

It ain't so. It ain't so. And when a man stands behind a podium and claims to be sent of God and tells anyone different he is a false teacher, don't listen to him. or at least let me put it this way. If you do listen to him just to know what they teach, don't you pay heed and obey what he's telling you, because by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in God's sight. in this religious world says, but I just can't get that.

What does God have wrong against doing good, keeping the commandments, everything, if you think it gains his favor? As I said two weeks ago, if you read your Bible thinking that's gonna cause God to do something for me, you will perish reading your Bible. Yeah, because we'll make a law a decalogue, a part of it, out of anything. We'll make a decalogue out of the terms God uses to describe grace.

Coming to Jesus, why I came to Jesus? Only because he brought you. And if you don't know that, it's because you never experienced it that way. You did just come to Jesus. Right? Think of it, there were hundreds that came to Jesus, the rich young ruler, And he went away, what does the word say? Sorrowful. Sorrowful. He did not get what he wanted.

And Christ did not compromise the truth to get it to him. Do you think it? He didn't compromise the truth. There's the one commandment there, cast out the bond woman. And think about this, this really happened And it happened so that God may illustrate the divine truth of the absolute essentiality of God's free reigning grace.

Abraham had the first son was Ishmael. He was his real son. Now, yes, it was by another woman, but it was still his real son. His flesh and blood, Jack. I'd say he probably taught him how to fish, and how to whittle, and how to hunt, and how to tend animals, didn't he?

For 14 years. And did when the son of the promise was born, Isaac. You know what Ishmael did when he was 14 years old? They were waiting, about a year later, Ishmael was 14, he started mocking the very existence of Isaac. And you know what Sarah said to Abraham? Now the same woman that said, go in there to Hagar, marry her, have a kid by her, we'll help God out. That's what she's saying. That same woman said this, cast Hagar and Ishmael out, for they shall not, they shall not be heirs with my son, Isaac. He's the son of the promise. Somebody says, that's tough. You bet your bottom dollar it's tough. You bet it is.

I understand why the unregenerate get so angry at what we preach because we hate it by nature. I understand that, I do. I used to get angry. I still do. But not as angry as I used to get. You know why? Because the older I get, the more I am reminded I was just like them. I was just like them.

What about the word law? Okay. I'm not meaning to be mean, but it will probably sting, or it may, it will sting you. Anyway, I mean, have you ever looked up the word? Have you ever just got your concordance and looked up the word law? It's like the word, it's like the word impute. And everybody says the word impute means to count or to reckon. No, that's the way we translate it. The word impute means to take an inventory of.

I didn't even, Ellen, I've been preaching the gospel for years, and I finally just got my concordance out, looked it up, and there it was. You know what this word law means? Here's its primary meaning, L-A-W. The Greek word is spelled in the English nomo, N-O-M-O-S.

It means to parcel, parcel out. to, in the illustration of, it is to parcel out food or grazing for animals. Give them this much. Give them that field to eat in today. Give them that much in their manger, you know, that feeding trough, to parcel out.

And that's exactly what the law is. All of these parcels, these commandments, and they set bounds. Okay, that's what the word law means. To parcel out, as is to parcel out food or grazing to animals. But it also means a regulation. Okay, a regulation. And that's when we find it used in this sense, the Decalogue. It's a regulation, the Ten Commandments.

Or, all of the other commandments that were associated with it, including the rites and the ceremonies, because remember, they were commanded as well. And you know, Mack, you couldn't just offer a sacrifice the way you wanted to, the way it worked best for you, if you did it legally, if you did it rightly, you did it exactly as God said. For instance, the Passover lamb. You had to put it up for 14 days to make sure it had no blemish. Now think about this. Put it up for, what's why 14? I don't know, but I know this. If you got to day 13 and realized you didn't have one without blemish, you're hurting, right?

Because God said it's gonna take 14 days to see this, and you only got one day left before God passes through to kill every firstborn. Have you ever thought about that, huh? So you better make pretty sure that that small lamb that you're picking out, Mac, you better make sure he's in pretty good shape to start with. Aren't you glad God didn't leave it up to us to pick out the Passover lamb? We'd have wasted our 14 days.

Yeah. What about this word law? It means a decalogue, plus many other commandments with it. But it also means this. We have English words like this, right? Same exact words spelled the same exact way, but has different meanings. And you only understand the meaning if you pay attention to the context, right? One reason why we often misunderstand one another is because some wanna use a word, I'm thinking about this meeting, they got the other meaning. Do you see what I mean? That happens all the time to us.

It means a principle, or a ruling factor, or a motivating principle. The law, just a few uses. A few uses from the scripture. Now if you wish to follow along, Romans chapter seven, and I want us to look at this. Now, as I said, I'm gonna give us seven, but there are many more than this, okay?

And remember, even in our context, just one verse, Paul says, you, and I'm gonna paraphrase it now, tell me you that desire to be under the Mosaic law, do you not hear what the word of God actually says, the divine truth of scripture? And this allegory is from a time before the law. of Moses, right?

When sin was not even being imputed. Isn't that what Romans five teaches us? And yet men were dying, why? Because they were still sinners, even before the law was ever given. Now the law was always with God, but it wasn't always with man. Okay, first of all, the word law means this, the 10 commandments, okay? Romans chapter seven. Let's read, let me just begin in verse seven. I'll try to move through this, but what shall we say then? Is the law sin? And we will look at the, we got to look at the context to know what Paul means by this. Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law, for I had not known what? Lust, except the law said, thou shalt not covet.

So there's one of the 10. So that's what he's talking about, one of the 10, right? Of course, we know James says if you break one of them, you're guilty of all of them. Why? Because it's not a bunch of commandments that we can pick and choose which one we want. It's one law with many commandments. You can eat in that parcel all you want, but if you go outside that, You've missed the mark. You see it? Let's go on. But sin, verse eight, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. What? Is that what Paul just said? Yeah.

Not because there's a fault in the law, but because I am totally depraved. I will twist, I will use the very law of God and twist it to my own purpose. And the Jews in Christ's day had become notorious for that. Look, all matter of concupiscence, for without the law, sin was dead. For I was alive without the law once.

What's he talking about? There was a time when Paul really didn't know what the law was saying. He was versed in the words of it. Okay, he was versed in the words of it, but he didn't know that that law was condemning him because he wasn't doing things perfectly according to the law. But sin had taken, or I was alive without the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived. And what happened? I died.

When he really began to understand, thou shalt not covet, he realized that had to do with even what? Lust. Lust. What if you're coveting something good? If God ain't giving it to you, what is it? Lust. That we may consume it of our own lust, James says.

And the commandment which was to life, or ordained, that's okay, it doesn't destroy the text. And the commandment which was to life, I found to be, what? Unto death. The very thing that Paul just, yes, I'm doing this. I'm a good Jew. I'm a Pharisee, okay? I was circumcised the eighth day. I'm of the tribe of Benjamin, that young beloved son. for the sin taken occasion by the commandment, deceive me and by it slew me.

So that's why just preaching the law don't do people any good. And you say, well, it'll make them sinners. No, they're already sinners. It don't make them sinners. They're already sinners. and you will not see how bad you are. No, strike that. You will not even begin to see how bad you are till God gives you not law, but grace. Then you'll start to understand a little bit about the law and what it's saying about you. But once he gives you that grace and you believe Christ, guess what? You're no longer under the law. Even Paul's allegory says that, right? Look.

Wherefore, the law is holy and the commandment holy and just and good. Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid, but sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good, that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. How many people talk about the 10 commandments and didn't feel that way about it?

Well, they're just glad to put them up everywhere because they think they're giving it their best shot and they think God's okay with that. Right? And they got no problem with putting it up in their house and looking at it with the old proverbial thumbs into suspenders. Let's go on.

For we know that the law is spiritual. He still talked about the same thing, the commandments, right? The Decalogue, okay? For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. He didn't know that before, but once God gives you grace, you begin to see that. For that which I do, I allow not. Now here's the truth of this. We'll look at it more, God willing, in detail. Sometimes even God's people use this passage for an excuse because of our sin. He's talking here about what?

L-A-W, law. mosaic law, commandments, don't covet, right? And all those other do's and don'ts. Look, for that which I do, I allow a lot. I would keep God's law as a saved man. I want to keep God's law, but Paul expresses here, I can't. even after he's saved.

That's the context. Don't take it out of context. For that which I do, I allow not, but what I would, that do I not, but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good for what condemn me made. It's the whole context.

Now then, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. Why could Paul now speak of himself as though there's another him? Because God has actually created another him in him, a new man. Now, a lot more, I understand. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me, for I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing, for to will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good, how to keep the law, it's not there, I can't find it. There's your context. So when somebody, listen, when I, Or you, or anybody else as a believer says, well, but I just always do wrong, and I just don't care, that's the way I am, that's my flesh. That's not what Paul's talking about here. Because that same God also says, Paul just quoted him a moment ago, that's the same God that works in us both to will and to do, not the law, but of His good pleasure. His good pleasure. And we'll see some of that in a moment. So you see now, the Ten Commandments? You see it? See it there? That is, this term law is the Ten Commandments, but look at another one. There is that law of indwelling sin and evil. Same chapter, verse 21.

Well, let me just read the rest. For the good that I would, I do not, but the evil which I would not, that do I. Now, don't you use that as an excuse for rebellion against God as a believer. He's talking about your flesh and the law. That's what he's talking about. Now if I do that, which I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me, I find then a law, same Greek word, but this is a different law than the one he just was talking about. Do you see the context?

I find then a law that when I would do good, evil is present with me. He didn't see that before God regenerated him. He just thought when I'm keeping the law, remember he said when it comes to the law, I was blameless. Why, because he didn't really understand what the law said.

Look, for I delight in the law of God after the inward man, but I see another, now he says it here, so there is no doubt in the con, another what? Law. Now not another Ten Commandments. Not church rules, okay, but I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind. So you've got this reigning or ruling principle in my flesh, and then there's this reigning ruling principle in my mind. And they're like this, constantly. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members.

Oh, wretched man that I am. Do you see it? Now this is an inspired, a God sent apostle, God called apostle, writing inspired scripture, calling himself a wretched man. Right? Oh, wretched man that I am, who? And I love the way, I mean, he didn't even say it's not a what, it's a who, he just says who, because there is only a who. This whole answer about my well-being before God has to do with a who. Has God ever revealed his who to you? So that you can't get away from him? I mean, yeah.

Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God, here's the who, I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord. So then with the mind, I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh, the law of sin. And how do I serve the law of God? It's not by keeping it, you can't. The new man's not trying to keep the law, he's honoring God in Christ. Now, God willing, we'll get into walking in the spirit rather than walking in the flesh. We'll look at that in detail later. Okay, now, bring it down. Right here in this context, Paul uses the same word law and it means more than one thing.

Right? Right. Am I trying to pull the wool over your eyes? Am I? If you still think I am, you got no, I'm not the one without light, you are. I'm not being proud. I thank God for that light. Because I was just like they were at one time. But I see now, and I'll be just like that blind man. I know this, at one time I was blind, bless God, now I see. And I will not deny God's work for me and in me. So I don't look proud. They think we're proud anyway, because we say we're the elect of God. Well, you must think you're something. No, I know I'm nothing. And God chooses nothings. Nothings. Do you see this? You see the difference in the Word?

It is simple when we just bow to God's authority in His Word, don't we? And we actually look at what the writer was actually meaning when he writes the words. You know, this Bible is not hard to understand if you have grace from God. But it is impossible when you don't. You will, I will, we'll twist it. And even as a believer, if God lifts that restraint, if he lifts that just a little, you and I will go off course. Even while we read this word. Here's a third one. This word law turned to Hebrew seven. Hebrew seven. Just one verse here. Hebrews 7, there is the law of the priesthood, okay? That's that Levitical priesthood.

Remember, no priest in those days, back during the days of Israel, no priest had a call, he'd say, you know what, Moses, I think I ought to be a priest. Preachers are doing that all the time about being a preacher today or a pastor. I think God's calling. God don't call men to be pastors.

He sends them. They were decreed and declared to be pastors before they ever even existed. And God works out providentially where else are they sent? Sent! How can a man preach except to be what? The word is not called, it's S-E-N-T, sent. Now here's the question, if God sent him, you better listen to him.

All right, Hebrews chapter seven, verse 16. Let me find my spot. Who, let's read the context now. Talked about the Levitical priesthood. Those men, if you were in the tribe of Levi, and you were a male, you were a priest. You understand that? You were a priest. Now, there's a lot I can say about that. Okay, look at verse 16. Who is made? Not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. He's talking about the difference between Christ and his priesthood and those Levitical priests and their priesthood. And theirs was what?

The law of a, and don't think of the word carnal here as something evil or lustful or wicked. It means simply fleshly. It was just a type. It was real, but it was a type or a symbol. Those priests who offered up sacrifices both for themselves and for others, that actually never ever, chapter 10, never ever took away one sin. It was just pointing to someone who was coming, who is made not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.

Now that's still Mosaic law. That's still equated with and connected to the 10 Commandments. But Mac, I think it's clear here, sometimes we see the word law and it has nothing to do with the Decalogue, right? I mean, as they say at work, you picking up what I'm laying down right now, huh? There's another one, Romans chapter three.

Turn to it. This is what I'm trying to just teach this morning because even as believers, You don't just read the Bible and all of a sudden everything comes to you. God has ordained to teach us all to sit under God sent men. Now I'm not saying you can't, God doesn't show you anything in your own personal studies and readings. I'm not saying that, but God's ordained this. For us to gather together and for God sent men to instruct and teach his people. And I think the means God has ordained, it's best if we follow them, right?

Now look at Romans chapter three, just one verse, there is the law of faith and the law of works, that principle. Okay, the principle of faith, the guiding principle, the motivating principle, the ruling factor, okay, of faith and of works. Chapter three of Romans, verse 27, where is bragging, where is boasting then? It is cast out, excluded, okay? Remember, cast out the bondwoman and her son? Where is boasting then? It is excluded, by what law? By what authority? Do you see it there? By what ruling factor? By what law? Of works? No. But by the authority of faith.

You see it? Faith. Now here's the thing. This whole religious world that calls itself Christian thinks that faith is something you muster up for God. Something you kind of work up for. He's given us all the ability to believe. We just gotta kind of work it up into faith. No, faith is the gift of God. As a matter of fact, what faith God does give you is actually His faith in measure given freely to you. It's a little piece of His faith. It ain't something we work up. It's something He freely gives. There's one thing about that faith.

Paul said it, what is it, Romans 12, that we're dealt the measure of faith. But there's one part of that measure that we all are given. That's to bow to and lean hard upon Jesus Christ only. You understand that? That's a part of that measure we're all given.

Christ is never left out of that faith because Christ is the author and finisher of faith and kind of like water, the phrase water seeks its own level, faith will seek its own creator. That's not even the, faith will seek its own author. God didn't create faith, he just, he is faith. You know what faith does? It runs to Jesus Christ. That's what it does. What God-given faith does, a worked up faith, it'll run to whatever.

So you see that? Now here's the fifth one. Romans chapter eight. I mean, this may get to where I just have to stop here and do a part two. I don't know. We're on the fifth one, though, now. There is the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Romans chapter eight. Look at verse one. There is therefore, now, that's right after what I just read earlier from chapter seven, right?

With my flesh, I serve the law of sin. With my mind, I serve the law of God, okay? You see, I kept it, I keep it, I serve it. I bow to its rightful condemnation of me outside of Jesus Christ. Don't you let these false teachers trick you now. The whole letter, the whole Galatian epistle says, you're not under the law for righteousness, for justification, for sanctification, for walk, for perseverance. You're under grace.

If they want to call me an antinomian for that, then I will put that on my tombstone. That's fine, Penny. They said he was an antinomian. He had no problem with it because the law will not justify you, make you righteous, cause you to persevere, cause you to walk rightly.

It cannot. All it can do is show you how bad you are. Even after you're saved, it still shows you how bad your flesh is. Now don't it? And if you ever read the law and you think, well, I'm starting to do better with that one now, you're stepping, your mind's starting to go the wrong way. Remember, to wield is present with me, but how to perform that, I find not.

That's present tense. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. And this is not a qualification, it is a description. Who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. For the law, the authority, the ruling principle, do you see it? The motivating factor, not the decalogue. For the law of the, and notice, I think it is rightfully capitalized, S, spirit. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Why? for what the law could not do, in that it was weak to the flesh. God sinned in his own son, in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in his own flesh. I paraphrased that last part, but that's what it's like. He condemns it where, in the flesh? In his own flesh. When he hung on that tree, God the Father condemned it there. God dealt with our sin and our sins on that tree. And that's my only hope. If he did not do that for me, Ellen and I will justly perish under the law. God will be right for casting me off forever.

Isn't it amazing when Paul hears talking about law and even commandment and covenant, he always keeps running back to the who. The who, do you see it? The who! Even, go and read it more later, You read this, he starts talking about our walk in the rest of chapter eight, but he keeps pointing out the who. Just note that, the who. The who.

What'd I say? Oh, that's number five. All right, I'm gonna have to wind up with this one. And we'll, I'll deal with number seven, God willing, next week or whenever. All right, Galatians chapter six, turn to that one. So let me just say this, and I'll stop for a moment. We'll maybe start with six. Maybe I should say we'll start with six next time. Galatians chapter six, now look at this one.

Remember, we're talking about the word law, how it's used in the scriptures, okay? Number six, there is the law of Christ. Now I remember when I was taught way back there in religion, They was talking about that once you believe on Jesus, then now you can actually keep the law, you can actually do what's right.

And yet we never rested on the Sabbath day, but we told we had to go to church on Sunday, which was now the Christian Sabbath. And I read my Bible, you know, you had to, you're supposed to read your Bible through at least once a year or whatever it was, and I never had found, Mac, the Christian Sabbath yet. And I never did find the Christian Sabbath until he finally revealed himself to me. Jesus Christ, huh?

Now look at it, Galatians chapter six. I said we have the law of Christ and it's defined as this. This is kind of the determining phrase. It's called bearing one another's burden. Look at it, Galatians chapter six. Let me get this, okay, let's do first two verses. Brethren, if any man be overtaken in a fault." Now, isn't that quite appropriate for this letter? A lot of them were what? Overtaken in a fault. And what was the fault? Did they turn back to drunkenness? Turn back to robbing banks? Huh? Was that the fault? No, they turned from grace back to law.

Somebody says, you're stretching it, preacher. You need to go back and read them all six chapters of this over and over and beg God to give you eyes to see what Paul wrote in this letter. Brethren, if any man be overtaken in a fault, now, listen, I am not indicating, though, that if a believer who was a drunk goes back to his drunkenness, that that's not a fault.

Now, don't you go and say, Walter said that. I did not say that. It's like the time I stood here and preached, and I gotta say this, gotta get it off my chest. It was like I said, I stood here one day behind this very podium and said, I don't believe there's not one baby in heaven. And I said that. And I'll still say that. And we had one young man that just got, Paula D, and I just went off. I heard Walter say with my own ears that God was stoking the fires of hell with his old little babies.

That's not what I said. I'll give you one other, and then you work this out in your own mind. I also don't believe there's not one 100-year-old invalid in heaven either. Huh? Now just work that out. Don't you get mad at me. What I just told you is the truth. Now work that out, figure out the answer to that one. Look, brethren, if any man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, let me stop for a moment.

That same young man got ahold of Moose Parks out there in Montana and wanted to, because he had heard Moose through, and wanted to know if Moose could get him a Sovereign Grace Church directory together. And Moose said, well, you used to be out there at a place called Sovereign Grace Chapel. He acted like nothing had happened. like nothing had ever been said. All right.

Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such in one in the spirit of what? Look, now look at me. You look at me so you see what I'm doing. In the spirit of this? Mm-mm. It's in the spirit of this. Get a hold of him, give him a hug. And let him know I know something about what you're going through, cause I've been there. I've fallen too.

In the spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be put to the test, be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Not the law of Moses. It's not saying, grace doesn't tell me to love my neighbor as myself. It just tells me to love the brethren, the brothers and the sisters.

And you know what, if you're a believer, you can't help it. It just kind of comes out of you, because the Spirit of God's down there. And yeah, there are times, listen, I've got to confess to you of myself, and you're guilty of it too. Sometimes we do this. Now don't we? But we know the right ways to do what? This. Just give them a hug. Tell them it'll be okay. Now, don't play games with the rebellion. Don't play games with the fault. Don't compromise the gospel, right? I'll tell you why.

Because when you start doing this and God Almighty don't stop you, you'll find yourself on the receiving end of some of these from somebody. Because your day will come when you fall flat on your face. Like Paul Mayhead said, he said, some of you believers ain't ever met up with your Bathsheba yet. Now you think about that one. He said, some of you believers out there ain't never met up with your Bathsheba yet. When you do, you will fall flat on your face. But doesn't it bear you one another's burdens?

And what? So fulfill what? The authority, the guiding principle of Christ. What did he do for us? Did he not bear our burdens? And those burdens was more than just, shoot, I didn't get that raise I thought I'd get. Was it? What was our burdens that he bore on that tree? Our sin and our sins. Do you see the context of that now? Because He bore our burdens.

Now that's the law of Christ, so let's bear one another's. We are commanded this, to be L-O-N-G, S-U-F-F-E-R-I-N-G. Did I spell that right? If I didn't, it's still true. Long-suffering with one another. Why? Because we're gonna need it. I need you to be that way with me, and you're gonna need me to be that way with you. And we're gonna need to be that way with one another, because we foul up royally sometime.

All right, I'm gonna stop, because I've been going for, let me read you one more. What was it, Penny, 1 Corinthians? Nine, y'all bear with, I'm gonna read this, and we will start. We will start, I'll rehash six a little bit, we'll look at seven, but then we'll deal with this one. 1 Corinthians 9, let's see if that wasn't it. Was it 21, Penny? Now I want you to, you just kinda put this in your teeth and start to chew on this for the next week or two till I preach again. Look, verse 21, 1 Corinthians 9, that's where it's at.

To them that are, Paul's talking about how he approaches other people, how he deals with other people. To them that are without law, as without law, look in the parentheses, being not without law to God, a guiding principle, a ruling principle. That's why, not mosaic law.

These false teachers always love to run the side eye. And as one preacher said, on your way to Sinai, won't you stop at Calvary and camp there for several years first? Huh? That's good advice. To them that are without law, as without law, but not without law to God, but under the law to Christ. Do you see that? That I might gain them that are without law. Paul, in other words, he's saying this.

Let me try to sum this up. He didn't go into all these Gentiles and say, now you need to start keeping Sabbath day, and you need to start honoring your mother and your father. They weren't. They'd already broke all those. Now shall not commit adultery. These Gentiles were just plum full of breaking that way. Huh? What did he do? I determined to know nothing among you, these Gentiles, even the Koreth, nothing among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Well, that's your only hope.

We already broke God's holy Sinai law. If I started today and could keep all of it, it doesn't do anything for all that back there. And when God opens your eyes, you'll realize that even today, as a believing man or woman, when I try to keep the law, I find myself falling flat on my face. If you ever just thought, well, I'm to have no other gods before him, just that one, and then you find yourself caught up with a loved one rather than God.

Hmm? Beware, and I will use this again, I'm sure, beware of anyone who has a mulligan stew religion, a mulligan stew gospel. A little bit of this and a little bit of that, because what does it really matter? As long as we believe in Jesus and try to live good, why does it matter?

Paul read about some who's cast out devils in his name, done many wonderful works in his name, preached in his name, and he said, I don't know you, get out of here. Depart, ye workers of iniquity. That scares me. Do you understand? That scares me. Every time I brag about something I've done, Mac, that scares me. Paul just preached against all of it. If I don't tell anybody, I feel like I need to tell my wife when I get home.

Huh? Ever done that? You just do something and you think, that was pretty good. That wasn't too bad. And you say, I can't brag about it, but when you put that head on the pillow at night, hey honey, guess what happened today? Now maybe it ain't none of you, maybe you folks are so good and Christian you ain't never done that. I don't know.

But you got to tell somebody, don't you? That's why I know it's gonna take the grace of God, even in glory, when he says, Walter, you fed me, When I was hungry, you give me water to drink. When I was thirsty, you visited me in the hospital. It's gonna take the grace of God even then for me to say, well, Lord, wouldn't I do that? Huh? Right? Heavenly Father, these things are so beyond us. Absolutely beyond our flesh. And Lord, if you don't work in us both the will and the do of your good pleasure, a mess, Lord, we're a mess. We thank you for Christ in his name, amen.