All right, if you wish to follow along turn to galatians chapter 4 I will begin in verse 21 the verse i've actually preached from the past couple times, but I move I will Now move on a little bit galatians chapter 4 verse 21 We'll read several verses just to have Some of the context here tell me Ye that desire to be under the law Do you not hear the law?

For it is written that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a free woman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh, but he of the free woman was by promise. Which things are an allegory, for these are the two covenants, the one from Mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.

And this Agar, for this Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia. Now there's no question as to what Paul is referring to here. Specifically, we could say even the Ten Commandments, because that's what issued forth from Sinai on that table of stone. For this Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem, which is above, is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, and notice that's twice he said that, for it is written.

Rejoice thou, barren, that bearest not, break forth and cry thou that trevellest not, for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath a husband. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then, he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit, even so it is now. And that's what he's referring to these Judaizers as we often people come up with that phrase, these Judaizers, these men who believed in Jesus of Nazareth as the Christ, but they were adding something of law into the worship of God and acceptance before God. but as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit, even so it is now.

Nevertheless, and here he says it, same thing, different language, what saith the scripture? In other words, what was written? Cast out. Now, this is strong language and I can only imagine Abraham's heart when Sarah told him this, that is the allegory that you put that woman and that boy, remember that boy was Abraham's flesh and blood. Put them out, this is what it said.

Nevertheless, what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her offspring and her son. For the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free, and I must continue with this next verse. Stand fast, therefore. That's it. Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

So my title comes, I will say, directly from the context. My title, Paul, is Which Things Are an Allegory. In other words, an allegory. Now, this word allegory is right close to what we would call a transliteration. It's not an interpretation of the Greek word into an English word. It is actually the pronunciation, almost verbatim, of the Greek word, allegory. And allegory is this, a scriptural account of an event which depicts a spiritual truth. In other words, it's an analogy, it's a metaphor. But literally, if you look up the word in Strong's Concordance, it means to harangue. To harangue. And that is this. Literally, it means this.

It is a lengthy lecture, and as a matter of fact, if you look at the length of this, just this right here, several verses given to this, it takes up a good bit of this whole letter. It is a lengthy lecture in an aggressive and critical manner. It's not a sweet story that you get from the Old Testament. That's the way I often used to think of an allegory, a historical event in the Old Testament that teaches spiritual truth about Christ and grace. And that's true, but it means to harangue. It is to rebuke. And this is a rebuke. It's a rebuke of those Judaizers who were adding in circumcision to Jesus Christ. So again, it's literally a lengthy lecture in an aggressive and critical manner.

I'm reminded of the word impute. We have that word to impute or to count. And I didn't realize this until just a few years ago. I've been preaching since, trying to preach the gospel since what, 1983, 84, something like that? And of all, you know, people talk about the word impute means to count, to reckon. No, that's the way we interpret it.

It means to take an inventory of. So when God imputes righteousness to us, he is taking an inventory of a righteousness. It's just not our righteousness. It's Christ's righteousness, and it's a real righteousness. And this is the problem, and I'm getting into a little different subject here, I know, but I'm gonna show you how people. how they'll take words and just gloss over what the word actually means of these people who say that Christ wasn't made sin, or more appropriately, they say when he was made sin, he was made sin by imputation.

I say, okay, if that's the word you want to use, then use the word impute for what it really means. God looked at him and inventoried him and found what? Sin there. Seeing that, so they're not escaping the truth. The problem is they think that impute's a better word than made, and the scripture uses the word made, so I'll use the word made, and not the word impute.

So, remember, allegory. Now, think about this. Grace is not about niceties. Is this about a nicety here? Here's that 14-year-old boy, Abraham's flesh and blood. I mean, he's at what we call a prime. He's just now at that age where he can learn responsibility and take on responsibilities and all of this thing. And now Sarah, the one who told Abraham to go into Hagar to start with, and she now says, cast out that woman and her son because he will not be heir with my son, Isaac. Grace is not about niceties.

Most people think about God's grace as this, it's an emotion of God, don't they? Now, I'm not ready to say God has no emotion. God gets angry, God loves, God hates, all of these things. The Holy Ghost can be, I done lost the word, grieved, okay, thank you. So, but think about it. Grace is not an emotion of God, it's an act of God. It's an act of God in compassion and deliverance and salvation. Grace is not about niceties. Grace is not about pleasantries. Grace is not about delightfulnesses.

No, no. It is freedom versus bondage. That's what it's about. Freedom versus bondage. God's promise versus the flesh. One covenant versus another covenant, okay? One is bondage and the other is exact opposite. Freedom. Freedom. Somebody says, well, you give men license to sin. Now, I'm gonna state this. God gives men sometimes license to sin. He suffers it to be so. Sometimes he gives us a long rope. Doesn't he? Doesn't he? Now I'm not saying it makes it okay. That's what most people were teaching, it's okay to sin. But let me tell you something, God could keep each one of us from sinning if he were so pleased. He could, he could do that.

But remember, it's two opposites. It is God's promise versus man's flesh. It is spirit versus flesh. It is grace versus law. It is being cast out versus heirship. All of these things he mentions here through this allegory. It is liberty versus bondage. Again, it is Christ versus law. And this is the problem, this is how many people disguise it. Well, we believe in grace versus law. But they don't believe in Christ versus law. Because they believe God gives you grace to keep the law after you're saved. And no such thing is ever taught in the scripture.

As a matter of fact, Paul makes it clear. To will, when it comes to the law, to will is present with me. But how to perform that which is good, I find not. But I know this, since God, not just if, but if only in the sense of since. Since God had the power to raise me from the dead, God has the power to guide me, keep me, and lead me. He has the power to reveal to me when I fall by the way, when I stumble, when I sin against him.

He doesn't need the law of Sinai, he is his own law. He is his own law. Now think of it, any and all. And that's what the allegory tells us. Any and all who mix law and Christ, not just law and grace, because some people define grace as, as I've already tried to point out, as something different than what it really is. Grace is particular, I didn't mention that, but grace is particular. God does not show grace to all men. Even under the so-called Arminian or free will scheme, God does not show grace to all men because even under their scheme, he doesn't show you grace unless you first repent and believe. So he does not show grace to all men. Any and all who mix law and Christ, they refuse to hear what is written.

They pervert, chapter one, verse seven, okay? They are men pleasers, chapter one, verse 10. They are false brethren, chapter two, verse four. They frustrate the grace of God and actually teach, at least indirectly, maybe not come right out and say it, but teach indirectly that Christ's death meant nothing, chapter two, verse 21, where Paul says, I do not frustrate the grace of God, for if righteousness came by law, then Christ died for nothing. Notice that Christ died in vain.

They are hucksters, they're bewitchers. Chapter three, verse one. Any and all who have been called by the grace of God in Christ Jesus, here are six things I'm gonna give you from the allegory. I'm gonna move through them fairly quick. Their birth, not their physical birth. But their birth is a, their spiritual birth is a free birth.

Verse 22. For it is written that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by what? A free woman. Do you see it? It's a free birth and we read of that, John puts it this way. This is just another way of stating it, but here's, let me find it. John chapter one, verse 12. or let's say verse 11 of John 1. This is his free birth.

He came into his own, that's Christ Jesus, and he even came to the Jews. His main ministry was to the Jews. He came into his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, which Paul just adequately spoke about.

But look at what it says. were born, you see, which were born, not of blood, so it has nothing to do with ancestry, not of the will of the flesh, so it has nothing to do with my own personal will. My own personal will, I have one, but it's a flesh will, and flesh is flesh, flesh is rebellion, flesh is corruption, flesh does the wrong things. Even when flesh is trying to do the right thing, it always screws it up. You see, the flesh can try to keep the law, but it's gonna screw it up somewhere or another.

Which we're born, not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, so it's not somebody else. We ought to pray for other people, but God don't save anybody because we pray for them. Our praying for them is to confess to God that we can't do anything about it. That he must act or it won't get done. So it's not of blood, it's not of the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but what?

Born what? Of God. Now this is what most people think the new birth is something God does for you after you repent and believe. No, he's gotta do that for you before you ever repent and believe. And this is exactly what our Lord told Nicodemus. And in chapter three, we read this.

Verse three, Jesus answered and said unto him, truly, truly, or verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born from above, be born again, he cannot see. He can't even see the kingdom of God. He can't comprehend it, he can't perceive it, he can't lay hold of it, he can't even see it. And he goes on to say, Jesus answered, verily verse five, verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and spirit, now you notice that it's of is put in there by the translator, except a man be born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. So this new birth has two parts, right? It has two parts, and one must happen, the first part must happen before you ever even perceive it, the kingdom, And the second part must happen before you can ever enter the kingdom. You see that? And he says, that which is born of the flesh is what? Flesh. God does nothing with our old flesh. God does nothing with that fallen nature. He leaves it right where it is.

Other than this, he may at times restrain it for his own sovereign purpose. And other times he may let it kind of go hog wild for a while. And it's still for his sovereign purpose. How can I say that? Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee. The remainder of wrath thou shalt what? Restrain. Restrain.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again. I think most people that profess to be Christians think to be born again means this. I used to hate going to church, now I like going to church. But there were people going to church here in Galatia that are false brethren. Right? Who were imposters, right? Who were fleshlings, right? Who were legalizers, right?

So just going to church, don't cut it. Or I used to be a drunk, now I'm not a drunk anymore. I used to steal, now I don't steal anymore. I used to go out on the town and womanize, or manize, whatever it is if you're a woman. And now I don't do that anymore. No, that's not being born again. Being born again is being brought to life from the dead. Their birth is a free birth. Secondly, their origin is God's sovereign promise, verse 23. But he that was of the bond woman was born after the flesh, but he of the free woman was by what?

Promise. Now here's the thing about God's promise. Any promise of God, now any promise. Now this is a specific promise mentioned here. And remember we looked at some of that in chapter 30 about the promise of God versus the law and all those things. But this is promise. One thing about it, Mack, if God promised it, it's going to come to pass because God's not depending upon men to bring it to pass. God is dependent upon himself and himself only when it comes to his promises. Their origin is God's sovereign promise. And we read of that, Paul wrote to the church in Rome and he wrote these words. Romans chapter four, let me find my spot. Romans chapter four and verse 19, and not being weak in faith, it's talking of Abraham.

He considered not his own body now dead when he was about 100 years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. So think about it. Abraham cannot produce seed, sperm. I don't mean to be too blunt, but sperm. He can't sire a child. Sarah was barren from the beginning, okay? Could not bear children and now she's even past the age of bearing children if she could have even bore one to start with. God says she's gonna have a son. Now how in the world does Abraham and Sarah help in that?

They can't. Do you see it? It's impossible. It was not about something they could do, it was about what God had promised would be done. And be not weak in faith, he considered not his own body dead. He's about 100 years. The deadness of Sarah's womb. Deadness, you see it? Deadness of Sarah's womb. He staggered not at the promise of God through what?

Unbelief. But was strong in faith. And here's where strong faith is manifested. Giving glory to God. Strong faith is not about, well, I don't sin anymore. That's called delusion. That's not strong faith. That's called delusion. Yeah, he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God, and he's still defining this strong faith, and being, here it is, this is the touchstone of what a strong faith really is, and being fully persuaded that what he, that is God, had promised, God was able also to perform. Problem is unbelief just does not truly trust God. That's what it is. It doubts God. My unbelief is not about me. Everything I think about myself, the bad, I'm not even thinking half of it. I'm not even probably aware of half of it.

Faith believes when God promises something, it will come to pass. Therefore, it was imputed to him for righteousness, but it wasn't written just for him, it was written to tell us to. If we believe him, guess what? God imputes. He puts that to our account. He sees it, that righteousness in our account. He says, righteous. And when God says something's righteous, You bet it's righteous. You can bet it's righteous. Somebody says, what is that righteousness? It's not ours. That's for sure. But it is ours through the gift of God. All right, it's number two. Here's number three. Their citizenship, that is these people who are called by the grace of Christ, their citizenship is from above. and it's in the above.

It is not a mixture of law and Christ, verses 24, 25, 26, which things are an allegory. Paul said, these things will rebuke you if you hear what is written. They'll rebuke you of this error if you hear what's written, which things are an allegory, for these are the two covenants, and these two covenants Every man and woman upon the face of the earth has to deal with it one way or another. Some may have more light about them than others, but we deal with these two covenants in one way or another.

Law, Sinai, or grace? Christ, okay? Which things are an allegory, for these are the two covenants, the one from Mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar, for this Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem, which now is, and is in bondage with her children.

Somebody says, preacher, is it saying they're not saved? That's exactly what he's saying. They are not saved, if you wanna use that language. They are not regenerated, if you want to use that language, okay? But Jerusalem, which is above, is free, which is the mother, you see it? The one that brought us forth. For Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. Ephesians two puts it, Paul puts it this way. It's the same thing, he just says it in different words. Ephesians chapter two, verse 10.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus. You see, created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Wherefore remember that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh who are called, capitalized, uncircumcision, by that which is called the, capitalized now, circumcision in the flesh made with hands, that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world, but now, you see it? But now in Christ Jesus, so how do you get there?

He has to create you there. Right? It's not something you do for God, then he does something. It's something God must do for you from the get-go. I told a few folks at work the other day, just some things about religion were mentioned, and I wasn't there to try to soul-win. I wasn't there to even try to judge or anything to that extent. I just said, unless God does the first, unless God acts first, you will never be saved. And if God does act, you will be saved.

And nobody had a, they didn't have any idea what I was talking about, Tommy. None whatsoever. Look, let's go on. But now in Christ Jesus, you who were sometimes far off are made nigh hell by the blood of Christ. So when was I made nigh? Even way back yonder. I just didn't know it. I may not have known him, but I was made nigh, you see it?

For he is our peace, who hath made both one, that is Jew or Gentile, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us. Look at it, having, look at what he said, having, look at the words he uses, having abolished in his flesh the enmity The, look at it, the law of commandments contained in ordinances. See it? Abolished it. Abolished it!

What, not by pushing it to the side, but by fulfilling it completely. and having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances, for to make in himself of twain, that is of the two, one new man, so making peace. When did this occur?

Not when we repented, not when we believed, not when we called upon the name of the Lord, but for us before we were ever even conceived in our mother's womb. He did this at Calvary. and that he might reconcile both unto God. Now I can say that because of this word. And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross.

You see, Mac, I'm not adding in my thoughts about it. I'm just telling you what God says here. Having slain the enmity thereby and came and preached peace to you that were far off. This is the problem. You're either preaching that peace is already made, or you're preaching to men that they need to make peace. That is two totally opposed messages. One's called a perversion, the other's called the gospel. Okay, there's that one. Here's the fourth thing. I gotta move on.

Their spiritual existence, our spiritual existence relies on the almighty God, not natural abilities, verse 27. For it is written, rejoice thou barren, who was barren? Sarah, right? Now, Agar could had children and children, but she still only had how many? One at that time, one at that time.

Now, God made Ishmael into a great nation. And his descendants are still here today. They're the Arabs. Powerful, powerful people, but also enemies to the grace of God. And they'll remain that way, Mack, unless God Almighty does something for them individually. Individual, anyway.

For it is written, rejoice thou barren that bearest not, break forth and cry thou that trevellest not, for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath a husband. Now we brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. Here's just a thought, this is just, I won't say off the top of my head, I don't mean it that way, but I didn't even have it in my notes, but back in the Psalms, I think it's Psalms two, but don't hold me to that, Psalms one or two, we hear, and this took place, this is amazing because we're led in on a conversation, Mac, that took place before the world even ever was. And the father said to the son, ask of me and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance.

Evidently, he did ask, because here we are. He'd asked. Now, Micah, I can't say that it was, there was a time when he hadn't asked, and then asked, because God is eternal. He never grows, he never knows something new, but yet he asked, okay? He eternally said, I want them. The father said, you gotta buy them. They're yours. Bless God, he bought us. He loved us enough to go through what he went through, excuse me, in the horrors of that tree to guarantee that we're his. He bought us.

Now you, again, I said their spiritual existence relies on the almighty God, not natural abilities. Again, John 1 and verse 13, which were born not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but born how? Born of God. As a matter of fact, the way God creates us in Christ Jesus spiritually, is similar to the very thing that God did in the purse of the sun right in the beginning when he said, let there be light. And there was light.

I don't even know how to explain that. I don't know if it's even, maybe it's referring to that light out there at the most distant galaxy. And they say it is taking billions of years for that light to get here. Well, if it's referring to that, it means this, it didn't take billions of years for that light to get here. God created that galaxy, and that light immediately spanned the billions of miles.

Right there it was on the Earth. He just spoke it into existence. That's what he did for us. He just spoke us into spiritual existence. And then he brings his gospel along to let us know about it. That's what it is, to inform us about it. Came and preached peace, not make peace. Peace is already there. I know some of you have heard this illustration. Charles Haddon Spurgeon gave the illustration.

And of course in England, where he pastored, they have tea, you know, and they have tea, they'll have hot tea and usually some cookies, what we call cookies, they call them biscuits. And one of the elderly ladies in the church there in London had invited him to tea one evening.

And of course she was very, very poor, so Spurgeon knew this. So his wife had just made some, you know, dainties, some cookies and stuff. So it says that Spurgeon went and got him a napkin, wrapped him up a handful of cookies and stuck them in his pocket. because he knew she was so poor, just, you know, maybe I can help her out a little. So he goes to visit her.

They sit around and talk. She said, all right, it's time for tea. And they usually would have it at a certain time. And so she went into the kitchen to get the tea. Well, he got out his little napkin out of his coat pocket, laid his napkin down and spread his cookies all out on that little napkin. She comes in carrying her tray with the tea and the biscuits, the cookies. And she looks down and sees those cookies and just rushed over and brushed them off from the floor. They just brushed them off into the floor.

She said, I invited you to tea. I did not invite you to bring tea. Spurgeon said, I learned my lesson. I never took cookies again, or biscuits. God doesn't invite us to bring tea. The tea is served. Will you eat? Paul preached about it. Paul preached it, didn't he? Will you believe? Will you just take it, just like this? I will, here it is, it's there. Mm. That's what receiving Christ is. It's already there. I didn't even fix that glass of water. It was prepared by somebody else. But hell no, I gotta do that. Is that for me? Look here, I will show you it's for me, look. Mm. It's mine, ain't it? See, God didn't invite us to bring anything. He commands us just receive him, his son. Receive him. That's our spiritual existence. It relies on God, number five.

Their main adversaries, main, I'm not saying they're the only adversary. One of my main adversaries, I'm not gonna preach about it, one of those main adversaries I live with every day. And when I go to work, I take that adversary with me. So it ain't that woman back there, it's me. my flesh.

But there is, their main adversary, that is those who've been called by the gospel, their main adversaries are their opposite counterparts, verse 29. But as then, he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit, even so it is now. And they love to tell us how we're wrong. Don't they? They love to point out our faults. All the while, Jack, at best, not realizing we're the ones telling the truth after all.

Oh, all that liberty. That liberty's dangerous. No, stand fast, therefore. God willing, preach about this next time. I don't know if it'll be next Sunday or not. Stand fast, in other words, be absolutely closed-minded about this. You hear what I'm saying? Be absolutely closed-minded about this. Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Why? Because God put his spirit in me, and his spirit has fruit, and his spirit will bring forth that fruit. He has that power. And I don't, Ellen, I don't get any credit for it. When you do something good for someone, I don't care if it's a fellow believer, somebody you work with, an acquaintance, somebody needs a little help, you give them a dollar bill or whatever, that is not the child of God doing that if they're a child of God. That's the spirit of God. That's the spirit of God in me. Because if it wasn't for the spirit of God in me, I would give it and then toot a horn when I did it.

Remember when I taught, I used this illustration, I heard another preacher gave it. You know, you do something good for somebody, you know it's a good thing, they needed it, whatever it was. Bag of groceries, some money, help them with whatever, help them work on their car, whatever it is. And it's just like, all right, I'm not gonna, I'm just gonna do this, I know it's the right thing to do and I'm not gonna brag about it. But man, when you're peeling your head at night, if you got somebody laying there beside you, you're just boiled up inside to tell somebody what you did. It wants to come out. I got to have a little bit of credit for this. That's our flesh. That's our flesh. The spirit gets the credit because the spirit's the one that's doing it. The fruit is his fruit. And I can't get into that.

Remember, their main adversaries are their opposite, are their counterparts. Who were Christ's fiercest enemies? The Pharisees, the Sadducees, the religious people, the really moral people. And let me tell you something, our adversaries, these moral people, these religious people, these legalizers, these people who mix in a little bit of some kind of law with Jesus Christ, they're really sitting there just waiting for you to foul up. They're waiting for it. They can say what they want, that they love their neighbor as they love themselves, but they're sitting there waiting on you to fall flat on your face so they can stick their finger out at you.

But as then, he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit. The account was this, when they were weaning Isaac, Ishmael was up there laughing and mopping. Now you think about that, a little baby. and they're winging off his mother's breast. He's up there laughing and mocking. Jack, hmm? Same thing had to happen for Ishmael, but he was mocking Isaac about it, wasn't he? You know what Sarah said? Nevertheless, what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for they shall, for the son, For the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free. That brings me to my last, number six. Legalists and believers in Christ cannot fellowship together. Somebody's gonna have to compromise. God help us to make it be them. God help us to make it be them. If we're going to get along, they're gonna have to do the compromising.

I haven't always done that, but that's what I like, that's what I want. Legalists and believers in Christ cannot fellowship. And that's why he kinda sums it up, that's not the end of the summary. Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free.

It's like this. Right here, I will not move, I will not recant, I will not deny this, even though everyone around me mocks it. Throws all kinds of aspersions at me. Antinomian. We've heard that right here in this building. From a mouth that I never thought I'd hear something like that from. And we've heard it from others as well. Antinomian, you're against God's law. No, I love God's law. And I would keep it, but I know I can't. I know I can't. So how do you walk?

In the spirit. after the spirit, for he has the proper fruit, against such there is no law. That's why one of the things called the fruit of the spirit is not repentance. Why? Spirit of God don't have to repent. He's never done anything wrong. You see it? You see why some things are left out, Matt?

Repentance is something God grants to us. But these things are the fruit of the spirit. So let me sum this up. With whom do we truly fellowship? This manifests where our loyalties lie. That's right. I'm not saying, Tommy, what we talked earlier, I'm not saying it's wrong for me to go to church with somebody else if they invited me to go somewhere. But you better be careful when you go of what you're hearing and how you're hearing. Be careful, because they're there to pull the shell game on you.

They will hide the pea of grace somewhere. They don't want you to see it, they want you to see them. And isn't that the way Paul finally sums this up? As many as desire to make a fire show in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised, only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law. They don't keep the law, they're liars.

Now, like Henry Mahan said, now if your barber is one of them, you don't tell him that till after he cuts your hair. If you tell him that before he cuts your hair, you may come out of there without any. And Henry was being a little tongue-in-cheek, as we say. Don't start your religious argument in the barber's chair before he does his job. Make sure he's done with his job before you do it.

And then be suspect when you gotta go back. Now, with whom do we fellowship? One another. That's why it's so sweet to come here. Now, it hurts sometimes when all of a sudden an enemy rises up and you don't expect it. It hurts. I mean, your heart just, It aches. I mean, it aches.

But this is sweet. And I would rather have what we got right here than 300 or 400, and all we're doing is bickering and fighting over grace and law and rules and church rules. This is far better. It's like I told those folks down there at Sylacauga. They had less than we got right now. I'm serious, didn't they? Is that the truth, Benny? Less than we got.

And most everybody was there, except for one person. Larry was hoping he would come, but he couldn't make it, he had to work. I told him I'd rather be right here preaching to you folk, seeing the smiles on your face when I preach the Christ of God, than have a whole big stadium full of people that have no idea who Jesus Christ is.

Now my flesh says no, but the Spirit says yes. Yes, Heavenly Father. These things are so beyond us. Lord, I just confess it boggles my mind that you ordained that your truth be spread, be preached, be proclaimed through such unworthy, ungodly sinners as I am, as Paul, as Joe is, and other men that you send to preach, but oh, God bless it. because that way it shows that the power is yours, the glory is all yours. We ask it all and thank you in Christ's name, amen.