"We Are Free"

Q: What does the Bible say about our freedom in Christ?

The Bible declares that Christ has set us free from sin and the law, allowing us to live in true liberty (Galatians 5:1). In Galatians 5:1, Paul emphasizes that we should stand firm in the freedom Christ has given us. This freedom from sin is the most significant blessing we can receive, as it releases us from the bondage that once defined our existence. Through Christ's sacrifice, we are liberated from guilt and the dominion of sin, allowing us to embrace a new life in the Spirit. True freedom comes from acknowledging that we are no longer slaves to sin but have been made children of God, heirs to His promises through faith in Christ.

Q: How do we know salvation is by grace through faith?

Salvation is by grace through faith, as emphasized in Ephesians 2:8-9, showing that it is not by works but a gift from God. The concept of salvation by grace through faith is foundational to Reformed theology. Ephesians 2:8-9 clearly states that we are saved by grace through faith, and this is not of ourselves; it is a gift from God. This doctrine underscores that our works cannot earn God's favor or salvation, as righteousness is found only in Christ. Furthermore, throughout Paul’s letters, including Galatians, he stresses that attempting to achieve justification through the law or our own efforts leads to a misunderstanding of grace. Real faith is rooted in resting entirely on what Christ has accomplished for us, thereby confirming that salvation is wholly a work of God’s grace.

Q: Why is understanding God's sovereignty important for Christians?

Understanding God's sovereignty assures Christians of His control over all aspects of life, providing comfort and hope (Romans 8:28). The sovereignty of God is crucial for believers, as it establishes that He is in control of every circumstance in our lives and the world. Romans 8:28 reassures us that all things work together for good for those who love Him, reinforcing the belief that God's plans are perfect and His purposes cannot be thwarted. This understanding fosters trust and confidence, as we recognize that our salvation, sanctification, and ultimate glorification are entirely His work. Acknowledging God's sovereignty in our lives alleviates anxiety and encourages us to rest assured in His promises, knowing that He is actively working all things for our benefit and His glory.

stand together. We'll sing hymn number 61 in our hymnals. Hymn number 61. O the deep, deep love of Jesus, fast unmeasured, boundless, free, rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me. Underneath me, all around me, is the current of thy love. Leading onward, leading homeward, to my glorious rest above.

O the deep, deep love of Jesus spread His praise from shore to shore. How He loveth, ever loveth, changeth never, nevermore. How he watches o'er his loved ones, Died to call them all his own. How for them he interceded, Watched for them, from the throne. O the deep, deep love of Jesus, love of every love that bears. Tis an ocean Fast a blessing to St. Haven, sweet of breast. Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus, tears of heaven Be seated, we'll sing hymn number 355. 355. ♪ From every stormy wind that blows, from every swelling tide of woes, there is a call.

A sure retreat is found beneath the mercy seat. There is a place where Jesus sheds the oil of gladness on our heads, a place that all Besides more sweet, it is the blood-bought mercy seat. There is a scene where spirits bleed, where friend holds fellowship with friend, though sundered far. By faith they meet around one common mercy seat.

Ah, whither could we flee for aid when tempted, desolate, dismayed? or how the host of hell defeats. ♪ And suffering saints no mercy see ♪ ♪ Of their own ego wings we soar ♪ And sin, and sin's molest no more And heaven comes down our souls to greet, while glory crowns the mercy seat.

If you have your Bibles, look with me in Galatians chapter 5. I'm not going to preach for Luke this morning. I've got something else that the Lord laid on my heart to deal with, and we could deal with it on Wednesday night. But it's too important a subject. I think everybody needs to hear it. But let me read the first 12 verses of Galatians chapter 5.

Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free. And be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I, Paul, say unto you that if you be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect Unto you, whosoever of you who are justified by the law, you are fallen from grace. For we, through the Spirit, wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love. You did run well.

Who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth? This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. A little leaven leaveneth a whole lump. A little leaven leaveneth a whole lump. I have confidence in you through the Lord that you will be none otherwise wise minded, but that he that troubleth you shall be bear his judgment, whosoever he be. And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I suffer persecution? Then is the offense of the cross ceased. I would they were even cut off, which trouble you."

There are several things we need to pray about this morning. Reba told me about a couple of people down at her neck of the woods, and Steve told me about a young black man that, 16 years old, died They went down to the viewing and said, we went down to everybody holding on t-shirts that said, at Romans 8, 28, 16 years old, died of cancer. And then we got folks that are not with us today that's not feeling well. So let's remember these people.

Our father, In the blessed, blessed, glorious name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, we cannot begin to tell you how glorious you are, how wondrous you are, how blessed you are, how forgiving you are, how long-suffering you are. We can't begin to begin to tell how holy you are. Your righteousness and everything about you is eternal and infinite. And yet, Lord, you condescend to deal with men and women in this world.

You come down to visit us, and you visit us only the way you can, through your blessed son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us. who saved us from our sins. Oh, Lord, blessed be your name. This wondrous grace of being forgiven, of having our sin put away by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, how we bless you for these things.

And Lord, we acknowledge that you're God and there's no one like you. You're the sovereign of this universe. The heaven of heavens can't contain you. You measure the waters of this whole earth in the hollow of your hand, and you count the nations as a drop in the bucket and as a small dust on a balance. Oh, Lord, we're grateful that you revealed these things to us and made us believe them.

And now, Lord Jesus, we pray for this service today, that you'd meet with us, that you'd come among us again. And Lord, we pray for those that's been mentioned, people that Reba mentioned, a man and a family just lost a child. And Lord, we pray for that family that having the funeral today with that young man. And we pray for our brothers and sisters who are not with us today through the frailty of the body. Continue to pray for Doc and Janie. For Rick and Helen, these dear saints, is going through a great fight of afflictions.

And Lord, we ask you to please bring glory to yourself and have mercy on our children and our grandchildren and these young people that's among us. Lord, we pray that you and your sovereign mercy would open their hearts to the truth as it's revealed in our Lord Jesus Christ. And help me be faithful to the truth, faithful to the Our Lord Jesus Christ, and faithful to this body of believers, give me grace to do that and do it for Christ's sake. Amen. Let's stand together and sing the hymn of the day in the bulletin. Self-righteous souls on work's free lines and boast their moral dignity.

But if I lisp a song of praise each note, shall echo grace, free grace. T'was grace that quickened me when dead. T'was grace, my soul, to Jesus live. Grace brings the sins apart, and sin and grace subdues my lust with Thee. Grace reconciles to every loss, that sweetens every painful cross, defends my soul when danger's near, by grace alone I persevere.

When from this world my soul removes To mansions of delight and love I'll cast my crown before His throne and shout, free grace, free grace, alone. Be seated. Ripover my soul. Sweep over my soul, sweep over my heart. Sweet for my soul Sweet, sweet Sweet for my soul My joy is complete when I sit at His feet. Sweet Spirit, sweep o'er my soul. I want to deal with that first verse as my subject.

Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty where Christ hath set you free, with Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. And I want to talk about we are free. It said back up there in verse 31, we dealt with this last Wednesday night, so then we, So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but we're children of the free. And so Paul, talking about our freedom that we have in Christ, being descendants of Abraham, children of Abraham, spiritual promises of Abraham, promise to Christ, and Paul goes on to say, well, in this freedom that you have, in this liberty that you have, stand fast in it. Stand fast in it. Don't you move a peg from the liberty you have in the Lord Jesus Christ. And don't be where Christ has made us free. That's the thing. That's the one that made us free.

Before I get into my message, let me say a few things. Man, by nature, loves to have somebody else doing the thinking for him. Even in their religion, especially in their religion, they want somebody else to do their thinking for them. They want rules. Man by nature wants rules. He wants regulations. He wants codes to live by. He wants a dress code to live by. He wants eating codes to live by. Pressure codes, what I can enjoy and what I can't. Pressure codes. They want rules for the home. How am I supposed to treat people at home? They want rules for their children. Rules for their wife. They want rules for how they're supposed to be on the job. How am I supposed to act in public?

They like to be told where they can go and where they can't go, what they can have and what they can't have, what they can enjoy and what they can't enjoy. Men love the letter, love the letter, love to be told how to live in this world. But they ignore the spirit.

The Pharisees, They always said, this is what, thus saith the Lord. This is what we teach. This is what we say. And then our Lord on the Sermon on the Mount, he started out and he started saying, after he dealt with the Beatitudes, he said this, you have heard it said of an old time. This is what they've been teaching you. This is what they've been setting down for you to follow. And this is the way you can be accepted of God.

You do this, and our Lord said, you've heard it said of an old time, but I say unto you, I'm going to tell you where they're wrong, and I'm going to tell you what's right. I'm going to tell you what they say that you're supposed to do. I'm going to tell you what God done.

And our Lord Jesus Christ, there's a great difference in what you've heard. And how many people hear that? I've never heard anything like that. You know, I don't believe that's right. Oh, our Lord said, you've heard it said, you've heard it said, you've heard it said, but I'm telling you, I'm gonna tell you what it is. And when our Lord says what it is, that's the way it is. That's the way it is. And I like it that way, don't you? I like it that way.

And you know, Their whole life, Pharisees and people in this world, their whole life of religious hope was based upon negatives. Negatives. They say, I have never done that. I wouldn't do this. I've never, people say, I've never had this happen to me. I've never done this and I've never done that. And I wouldn't do this and I wouldn't do that. And I've seen them do this and I sure wouldn't do that. Their whole religion is based on negative, what they don't do, what they don't do, what they don't do.

That's what the Pharisee said, I thank you that I'm not like other men. And then he started telling all that he did, but I Lord, you know what I Lord said about men like that? He said, their righteousness has a filthy rag. When that Pharisee prayed thus with himself, our Lord said, his righteousness stinks like a filthy, filthy rag. You couldn't use it for anything. Couldn't use it for nothing.

And oh my. And then men say, I won't let my wife do this and I wouldn't let my wife do that. Oh my, you know, my children have to go here or they have to go there. And when men have a problem, you know what they want? To be able to look at a list and say, this is what I can do and this is what I can't. Life would be pretty simple if you could live like that, ain't it? But ain't you grateful that God gave us the spirit?

Oh, my. I was in a I was at a church years and years ago down in Goodlessville, Tennessee. And the preacher's name was Bobby Flatt. He's a little chubby fella. And I went down there to preach. And he had a list of rules, handwritten rules now. They wrote on the, taped up on the wall. Telling women how they had to dress. what time the services was, and how many services you had to attend, and all this. And we got to talking one time, and he said, you know what, we got 1,500 church members.

I said, where they at? There's about 25, 30 people. I said, where they at? They backslid. They looked at all that list. You know what they're supposed to do is say, I believe August goes to house. But you know, people want to look at a list, look at a list, and say, oh, here's the answer. And as long as he conforms to his rules of codes and he feels pretty good about it, but all is negative.

I don't, I don't, I don't. As a fellow kid went to school the first time in his first grade and they said, what's your name? He said, Jimmy, don't. That's all he had heard all his life. Don't do that. Jimmy, don't. That's the way a lot of folks are. I don't, I don't. I don't.

But let me warn you. Let me exhort you to guard yourself against a legal spirit. A legal spirit. A legal spirit will deaden souls, kill churches, destroys friendships, and causes people to dread seeing you come. Then he says, I want to deal with these verses now. Stand fast. Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ has made you free. This word, stand fast, means this. Highly esteem. Maintain. It means to defend.

Maintain your liberty in Christ. Defend your liberty in Christ. Highly esteem your liberty in Christ. Highly esteem the grace of God in Christ. Highly esteem the freedom that you have in Christ. The freedom that you have in Christ. And you know what Christ has freed us from more than anything else. The worst thing, the most blessed thing that Christ freed us from in this world is sin. Sin. Sin. people in a bondage. It holds men and women in bondage that they cannot break themselves free from. They cannot. And we talked last week about the axe being laid to the root of the tree. It's in the root where the problem is.

And you know, He's made us free from sin. And we, you know, and freedom from sin is the most blessed thing that God's ever done for a soul on top of the side of this earth. Because once he saved you from your sin, and how did he do it? God said, the soul that sinneth, it shall die. And we've all come short of the glory of God and sin. The wages of sin is death. And so how in the world did God in His sovereign mercy, how did Christ set us free from sin? He said, know the truth and the truth will set you free. And whom the Son sets free is free indeed. Well, how did He set us free?

It's just like the Passover. When that man took the blood and put it over the door at the lentils on the Passover, God said, when I see the blood, I'll pass over you. Well, now, when Christ was our Passover sacrifice for us, His blood was shed, and God took that blood, and He applied that to our hearts and our souls by the Holy Spirit. He applied it to us, and when He applied it to us, conscience was cleared of guilt, cleared of shame, cleared of sin, and God when He put away sin, He put away all sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And that's why, you know, the next thing is, is death. That's why we have eternal life, because we don't have any sin. Christ put our sin away by the sacrifice of himself. And so see, sin's gone, so there's no death from sin. We're free from death. Death's not gonna kill us.

Dear, dear sweet sister, Judy Hoffman. Hoffman, Harman, excuse me. The Lord called her home the other day. And I've been knowing them folks since, oh my goodness, in the mid-80s. Been in her home, her husband's home, pastor's church in California for decades. The Lord called her home. She didn't enter eternal life when the Lord called her home. She entered into eternal life when Christ saved her and saved her from sin and saved her from death. And so she got to move from this earth to another geographical location. Where's it at? Glory. Huh?

Death's not our enemy. Death's a friend to come carry us home to the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, he's freed us from guilt and the dominion of sin and the damning power of sin. And he set us free from death. Death is an awful, awful thing. Death is an awful thing, especially the death of a child. Talked about two children today that Reba told me one, Teve told me one. Death is an awful tyrant, but not for a believer, not for a child of God, it ain't. And then let me tell you what else he set us free from. He set us free from any ceremonial law. Oh, people like ceremonies, they like rituals.

You know, the average Baptist church dedicates their babies. when they have them. They'll bring them up to the front and dedicate their babies. That's a ceremony. They make the bread and wine, the Lord's Supper, the wine and the bread, they make those to be sacraments. That means that grace is given to those things. That's a ceremony. There's no grace given in bread, no grace given in wine.

And all my people want to have their feast days and Sabbath days and their ceremonies, and all they are is just burdensome to us all. And I'm going to say something right here. God set us free from the moral law, the moral law. And what is the moral law? The Ten Commandments. I don't care where they put them. They can put them on every church building they want to. They can put them on the Supreme Court. They can put them on every courthouse in the country.

And I face them and I say, listen, they don't bother me one iota. They don't condemn me. They don't find me guilty. Oh, you don't love God. Love your neighbor, have no gods before me, don't lie, don't steal, don't cheat, don't covet. Honor your father, honor your mother. Make no graven image. Don't do any of those things. Don't make an image of God because God's a spirit so he can't have an image of God. Whether it's a cross, Whether it's whatever it is, an image of any kind, God said, don't do that.

And I was reading John Fable the other day, trying to find something to say out here out of Galatians 5. And so, well, I said, he got some things on, and I looked at them. And the first thing he says, you know, Christ set us free from the law, but not the moral law, as a rule of life. I shut it up. Said, I ain't going to look at that no more. Oh, my.

As a covenant of works, we're free from its curse, we're free from its condemnation. And oh my, you know what our Lord said? Love thy neighbor. Look what it said down here in Galatians 5.14. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, love. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Love, that's how the love, that's how the scriptures is talked about. You know how you, you know, I've always, Maurice Montgomery used to say this all the time. Love God and do what you will. Now I understand that, don't you? Love God and do what you will. I get that. I get that. Oh my. You know, look in Romans chapter 10 with me. Look in Romans chapter 10. Look what he says here now. Oh my, look what he says. Romans 10, 4.

For Christ is the end of the law, for righteousness to everyone that believes, not to him that keeps us as a rule of life, not to him that's got to obey it. You know, listen, Christ is the end. When you get to the end of something, that's just it. He was the goal of it. He's the end of it. There's no more law to be kept. There's no more law to be fulfilled. There's no more righteousness to be given. And then look what he says.

But Moses, he describes the righteousness which is of the law. Well, what is it, Moses? That the man which doeth those things, he got to live by. And watch what he says. But the righteousness of faith speaks on this wise. Say not in thine heart that is to bring Christ down from above. And what that's saying is this, don't say in your heart, this is the way faith believes, but work say, what do I need to do to get Christ to do something for me? What work must I do? What obedience must I do? What do I need to do to bring Christ down and make him do something for me? What work can I do? What can I possibly do? And then what he goes on to say.

Oh say not in your heart, who shall she send into heaven? Christ's already come. You don't have to go up there and bring him down, get him to do something for you. He's already come. And then, and then he says this, who shall send into the deep? That's to bring Christ again from the dead. What could, you know, work says I got to get the death of Christ to do something for me. But faith says Christ did something for me.

All right, back over to our text. You know, As a man thinks, so is he. The law deals with what causes us to do what we do. And in Christ, we have liberty. We have freedom. Let me tell you some liberties that we have, some freedoms that we have. And I'm talking about believers now. I'm talking about believers. In Christ, we have freedom to be baptized. Baptism's only for believers. And that's why we have freedom. Yes, I want to confess Christ. I want to confess, we have the freedom to be, we have the freedom to take the Lord's Supper.

That's a freedom that, you know, it's, I remember when I was in a, I was in a hospital one time, and I went to a service in that hospital. And the, everybody there, they was given, the preacher there was given, the bread and the wine to people that come up there. And you know we was all in the same boat, all of us in the hospital, all of us were sick, and all of us was in a mess. But they done that and people started coming up there taking that bread and wine that preacher given to them.

But I know, I know that there's no way in the world that I could do that. I know my heart condemned me for that. Now, Now I can take the bread and wine and I remember Christ, what he did for me. He shed his blood. His broken body was for me. He died for me. When that body was on that cross, he was bearing my sin there. He was bearing the wrath of God there. When he shed his blood, that was the wine that fills my heart with joy. I'm at liberty now to do that.

My conscience won't condemn me. People say, you got to check to see if you're worthy. You're never worthy. We'll never be worthy for what Christ did for us. But he did it for the unworthy, for the miserable, for the wretched, for the people that's got nothing to give. That's who he did it for. Oh, my. And I tell you, we have free access. You think about freedom, free access to God. You know, in a lot of places, you've got to go to the priest. You've got to do what he tells you to do. You've got to do what he says to do.

He's got that sense of, you know, and Tim James used to call them when they hurled that stick out, you know, he called it lollipop of stickers. And he said he has that hat on, you know, with that big old mite on. He said that fish hat head. That fish hat helmet. And that's the rest of the truth that people have to do. But we don't do that.

You know, we don't have to go through anybody to get to Christ. We don't have to go through anybody to get to God. We have free access. into the very presence of God himself. We have free access into the holiest of holies. We have free access to the throne of grace. Free. You can go to Christ and go in the presence of God yourself anytime you will to go.

And God will say, you can't come. I'm going to shut the door. You sin, I'm going to shut the door. You can't. Until you get your act together, until you straighten up, I'm gonna shut the door until you get things straightened out. No, no, that door's always open. Always open. Always open.

Oh, man, you know what the greatest freedom that we enjoy? Freedom of conscience. What a free conscience we have. Our conscience is free. And you know what that means? That we'll not let anybody impose on our conscience. Impose on what's right for us or what's wrong for us. We won't let anybody do it. Christ set us our conscience free.

And let me say this, and I got this from Scott Richardson years and years ago. The believer whom Christ has set free is not of this world. You're not of this world. I've chosen you out of the world. He's not in the flesh. We're not in the flesh but in the Spirit. The Spirit of Christ is in us. We're not under the law. Set us free from the law and bless God we're not in our sins.

And then he goes on to say here in verse 1 again, Let no man entangle himself with the yoke of bondage. Yoke of bondage. You know, when you try to be saved by what you do, how you act, where you go and where you can't go, that's a bondage. Oh, what a yoke of bondage it is. And any system, any system of works and deeds to obtain God's favor, to obtain God's small blessings or approval, that's a bondage that we can't bear. We are complete in Christ, perfect in Christ. And then look what he says in verse two, I've got to hurry.

Behold, I, Paul, say unto you that if you be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. Now what does he, and then look what he goes on to say, for I testify again to every man that is circumcised, he's a debtor to the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever you are justified by the law. You've fallen from grace.

Now you think about this. Circumcision means anything that you do to be accepted of God. Circumcision was a covenant. It represents cleanliness, represents godliness, represents everything that a man does in order to be accepted of God. And Paul says, And listen, whatever you do, anything you do, anything you think, anything that you do to be accepted of God, he said Christ will profit you nothing. Now you think about that.

Everything Christ is profits you nothing, zero, nothing. You think about Christ not profiting you nothing. Nothing about him is profitable to you. That's a scary thought, ain't it? That's a scary thought, that, well, when I go to Christ, what He did won't profit me nothing. If you come to Him on any basis other than the Lord Jesus Christ, Christ will profit you nothing. Now, that's an awful thing to think about. Christ, His death profits you nothing. His righteousness profits you nothing. His life profits you nothing. His resurrection profits you nothing. His intercession profits you nothing. Oh, my soul, whatever you do, don't go back. Oh, look how old I am.

I'll tell you something. Our Lord Jesus Christ, He's the only one that ever satisfied God. All of his living, all of his doing, all of his dying. And this is what you need to understand. And I've said it countless times. Everything our Lord did first and foremost was toward God. Scott, and again, I'm gonna quote Scott. He said, God must do something for himself before he can do anything for us.

God's got to be satisfied. God's got to be glorified. God's got to have obedience. God's got to have a righteousness that he'll accept. God has to have a death that he'll accept. God has to have, holy, he got to have something he'll accept. Not anything we do can ever be accepted. There's only one person made acceptable to God, and that's his blessed son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He satisfied God. He honored God. He glorified God. He obeyed God. Him and him alone. And that's why he said, if you don't have Christ, it'll profit you nothing.

And that's going to be a multitude of people. I was just telling them for the service. There's a new congregation out on Genesis Road, and they just built a great big building and added on to it. And they had cops out there this morning directing traffic and helping people to park. So many people going, helping people to park.

And let me say this, that soul, listen to me now, that soul who has cast itself entirely on the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation and acceptance with God, whenever you question them, whenever there's preaching or having a conversation with them, whenever they're questioned or examined, They do not run to any deed they ever did, any baptism they had, any prayer they ever prayed, or any experience they've ever had, or any merit they ever had, or any works they ever had, or decision they never had. You know where a soul that's cast itself on Christ runs every time it's examined? It runs to Christ. It don't go back.

It goes forward. It goes outside itself. Your salvation go outside yourself? Is your hope all completely outside yourself? Oh, if I had a nickel for every experience I had, we'd all go on vacation, and I'd take you with me. But the only one that counts is the experience Christ did for us, what he did for us.

Huh? Oh, my. I'll tell you something. No condemnation to them that are in Christ. I want you to look at something with me in 2 Timothy 1. Look at this with me. I will. I probably won't get through this today, but that's okay. It's okay. I've got this new Bible and it's hard to get to.

2 Timothy 1.12. Look what it says. For the which cause I suffer these things, suffered a lot of things, nevertheless I'm not ashamed. Now look what he says now. For I know whom I have believed. Not what, but whom. Not when, but whom. I know whom I have believed. And look what he says, am persuaded. I'm convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt, I'm persuaded that He's able to keep that which I've committed unto Him against that day when Christ comes to get us. Oh, oh, Lord, oh.

You know, Adam, When Adam sinned in the garden, let me tell you something he didn't do. He didn't run to Christ. Christ had to go where he was. And when Judas sinned and sold Christ for 30 pieces of silver, he never went to Christ either. He felt his guilt. The only hope for anybody in this world is for Christ to come where you are. Where you at, Adam? I'm naked. Who told you you was naked? He'd never been naked. God made him naked. He had just nobody but him and Eve. But he understood he was naked and he got him a fig leaf and covered up his nakedness with a fig leaf. God said, Adam, that won't work. That just ain't gonna work. That fig leaf ain't gonna work. You know, when you pull a leaf off, it's going to die.

So that righteousness that he is trying to cover his naked with is going to die. You're going to have to pull him another one, make him another one, another one, and another one, and another one. He'll never be able to cover it. And so God had to cover him with his naked. God had to do it. It had to go where he was.

And then look what he goes on to say now in verse three. For I testify again to every man that's circumcised that finds his salvation, his hope or anything, and anything he does or says or thinks, he's a debtor to do everything that he says he's going to do. You're a debt to it. You're in debt to it. We're not in debt to Christ. Christ paid our sin debt. But boy, if you go under the law, you're a debtor to do it all. And listen to this right here now.

Christ has become of no effect unto you. Whosoever of you who try to be justified, want to be justified by what you live or how you live, you're falling from grace. Christ become non-effectual to you? You know, when they put that blood on the lentils down in Egypt and that blood was there, That was effectual. That blood was effectual. Everyone in those houses was saved. Everyone of them was saved and saved. And I'm telling you, everyone for whom Christ, to his death, is effectual. But you think about his death being not effectual for you.

Whew. Zacchaeus, come down out of that tree. I ain't doing it. I'm not going to do it. What are you going to do? I'm going to run over here to the law. I'm going to go back to the law. I'm going to go back over here, and I'm going to be circumcised, and I'm going to start doing the best I can. I'm going to work, and I'm going to labor, and I'm going to start treating people right.

His death had no effect. It effectually had no effect on him. How many people do you know in religion that the blood of Christ and the death of Christ has no effect on whatsoever. You know, you can tell somebody that's trusting in themselves and anything that they do because they want to tell you everything they do.

Like I said the other night, I said, boy, I said, people say, boy, I was really praying hard. They're trusting in their prayers. How hard do you have to pray? Huh? Our Lord went by himself on a mountain to pray. That's what I mean. People just have these religious cliches. Oh, my. If we add anything to Christ, we're not fully resting, trusting in him. It's adding to what he did. It's showing contempt for him. And oh, my. And then look what he says.

You're falling from grace. You know, all you got to do to fall from grace that much to Christ, put one thread, one thread, one hair's breadth of your own righteousness with Christ, and you've done destroyed it. You fall from grace. Just one, just a hair's breadth. They say fine as a frog's hair. I don't care how fine it is, how fine it is, but if you have the hair's breadth between you and Christ, you don't have Christ at all. You fall from grace.

Now that's how easy it is. That's how easy it is. Well, if you seek to be justified by law, Christ has no effect on you. His righteousness, obedience, blood, death, resurrection, intercession has nothing for you, nothing for you. It won't help your conscience, won't help you doing anything that you do. And I do know this.

People that try to do that, they're miserable. They're mean and they're miserable. The Pharisees were so mean. You ever met anybody mean in their religion? Mean in their religion. The Pharisees and scribes were mean. And the people that's the meanest of all is people that if you cross them in any way and tear up their little playhouse, and that's what, you know, that's what it is. It's a playhouse. And if you tear down their playhouse, they're going to get mad at you. They're going to get angry. They're going to get angry. Oh, I remember a man come here one time, mentioned the love of Christ, that the love of Christ was only for his elect, only for his people, that God did not love everybody. Two lies that the devil told.

He said, God loves everybody and Christ died for everybody. Well, a preacher come banging on the door one day, pastor at a church out on 127 North. He said, you know, and he brought that article, you know, brought that article, says, you know what? He said, this article, this thing here you wrote about, he said, that caused people in our church to quit because you said God don't love everybody. I said, good, they ought to quit. He got mad about it. I don't get mad about who Christ loves or not, do you?

He said to Pharaoh, said, Pharaoh, you think you're somebody. I told you 10 times to let my people go and you wouldn't do it. I've done 10 signs down there, done miracles down there and you wouldn't let my people go. He said, now I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to kill everybody that's first born in Egypt, that's night. And the scripture said it was a darkness that could be felt. And he's told Pharaoh said I raised you up just for one reason. that drowns you in the Red Sea. And if God wants to drown a man or God wants to damn a man, that's His business.

But I do know this, that if Christ is not everything to you, He's nothing to you. That's all I'm trying to say. To make the longest short of it, Christ is everything or He's nothing. Oh, don't baste yourself. Don't seek to be justified before God by your own righteousness or obedience. Oh my. Oh, the gospel. Don't turn away from the gospel of free grace in Christ. Don't mix grace and law. This never works. If it's of grace, it's not of works. If it's of law works, it's not of grace. So then there's a remnant. According to what? Just a handful. According to what? The election. Grace. All right. Let's go down here to verse five. I'm going to wind this thing up here.

For we, through the Spirit, wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth nothing, anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith, faith which works by love. And we're talking about our hope of righteousness. And you know, if you have your hope, then you don't wait for it anymore. We're saved by hope because hope that's seen is not hope anymore. And that, you know, hope is something that has confidence in the future. that all we through the Spirit, by the Holy Spirit, regenerating us and revealing Christ to us and giving us help, we anticipate, we look with hope for the fulfillment of our blessed hope of eternal glory in Christ. Our standing before God and our righteousness in Christ promises us a hope. Oh, and he called it a blessed hope, a blessed hope. What a hope we have. What a hope we have. What a hope. What a glorious hope. And then let me show you this. I've got to hurry. Verse six.

In Christ Jesus, circumcision availeth nothing or uncircumcision. Now, what this is saying is, is that people glory in not having, well, I don't, I'm not under any kind of law. I'm not any other kind of rules, codes or no works. Then, you know, when you, you brag on all the things that you, that you do and all this, I'm not under any thing. I'm not, not under anything. I can do anything I want to. I don't reserve any laws or nothing. Well, that'll profit you nothing either. And then being circumcised will profit you nothing. What does profit then?

Faith. Faith. How does faith work? All right, let me go on here. Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry. You did runway, huh? You did run well. Who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth? Oh, my. Who persuaded you to do this thing? Who persuaded you? Well, I know God didn't persuade you to go back to law. Grace didn't do it. He calls you to grace. Christ didn't do it. He fulfilled all things for you. The Holy Spirit doesn't do it. He reveals Christ alone in the gospel. Not any gospel preacher told you to persuade you to do this.

And then he goes on to say, a little leaven. Leaven's a whole lot. A little leaven. Everybody knows what leaven is. It's baking soda. Is that what it's called now? Leaven? You take, you know, you add anything. You know, leaven's something that I don't, you know, It's something that you mix with something else and it messes it up. I know they use it to make whiskey and beer with, but you know, a little leaven will destroy the whole thing. That's why Paul says, you know, that we have a new leaven, even Christ. But oh my, don't mix anything. He said, just put just a tiny leaven in it. The whole thing's ruined.

And you know all it takes to lead somebody astray is for a preacher to start adding just a little here and a little there and a little here and a little there. You know, I'm gonna tell you what I think, and I hope that I'm right about this, and then they'll start telling you what you, You know, I think you ought to do this, and I think you ought to do that. But I ain't going to make you do it. I'm not going to.

No, no. We're just going to believe. When we cast our crowns before his throne, we'll shout, free grace, free grace, alone. That's our battle cry. Free grace, free grace, free grace, free grace. Amen. Our Father, oh, our blessed God, the Lord Jesus Christ, holy name. Thank you for meeting with us today. Thank you for your precious word. Oh, Lord, I hope by your grace that I made something understandable. You'll have to make it effectual. You'll have to make it real. You'll have to make it powerful. You'll have to apply it. Oh, Lord, you'll be the one to have to apply it.

And so I pray, Holy Spirit, you'll apply these thanks to our hearts and our minds. Keep us, Lord, believing, keep us cleaving to our Lord Jesus Christ and him alone. Lord, we thank you for this time that we're going to have this afternoon together and for the food that you've Bless these dear ladies and brothers and sisters to prepare. And Lord, bless our fellowship together. Bless you for the people that prepared the food, the love and care that went into preparing it. And Lord, please bring glory to yourself through all of us.

Save you people in this place and do it for Christ's sake. Amen. Every moment and in every way. Let me find it. Jesus. I'm glad you all know it. I started wrong. I should have said every day and every moment and every way. All right. You all saved me from so many things over the years. And I appreciate it, really, I do.

"We Are Free"

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Why is understanding God's sovereignty important for Christians?

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"We Are Free"

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about our freedom in Christ?

How do we know salvation is by grace through faith?

Why is understanding God's sovereignty important for Christians?

Sermon Transcript

About Donnie Bell

Comments

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