What Is Obedience To The Truth?

Galatians chapter 5 I have four verses. I want to read this morning Pardon me just a moment Four verses I want to read but what I will do is I will read the four verses and basically make some comments to I don't want to say explain, but to simply proclaim the context of these four, what's said in these four verses, and then I want to go to a subject that is brought up in the context of these four verses, and I hope this will be clear what I'm talking about here in a moment. So Galatians chapter five, verses seven through 10.

Speaking to these people who had made a profession of faith under the preaching of the gospel. Now, this is not under a false gospel, but Paul, still speaking to people who had made professions of faith, under the preaching of the gospel, had now turned to a false gospel, a perverted gospel, something that been perpetrated upon them through these legalizers.

And Paul puts it this way in verse seven, ye did run well. Okay, ye did run well. Now that was when they were believing the truth of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Ye did run well. Who did block you? You could put it that way. Who did hinder you?

And then notice what this hindering caused, that ye should not obey the truth. Do you see that? That ye should not obey the truth. So what they were now doing, Okay, what they were now doing was not obeying the truth. And what were they doing? Trying to keep the law. You see it? Trying to keep the, Jack, they're trying to keep the law is said by Paul here to be not obeying the truth. And the religious mind says, how can that be so? because Jesus Christ is preeminent, and because no one, in fact, keeps the law, which Paul goes on to say. Ye did run well. Who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?

Now, here's one in this next verse. It's just something that, when I seen this the other day, Ellen, I've been preaching for 41, 42 years now, and I just always kind of took this phrase for granted and thought I kind of knew what Paul was saying. Look at what it says.

This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. Now, what usually do we think of as persuasion? Trying to convince someone, right? Trying to persuade someone to believe a certain way or conduct themselves a certain way. And that's certainly true. But you know what this word persuasion means?

Gullibility. Gullibility. If you look up in Strong's Concordance and you look up the word persuasion, you'll see the Greek word and then you'll see a couple words that are direct explanations or meanings of what this word means. And one of the meanings, that is a synonym is gullibility. So read it that way. This gullibility cometh not of him that calleth you. Think about that. Gullibility. In other words, and this is maybe a little too oversimplification, to believe just about anything anybody tells you. It's kind of along that line.

And these men had come along and these Galatian people now, these people who had professed the truth of God under the preaching of the gospel were now in a very gullible state and were swallowing just about everything these men were saying to them. Now think about this. And I've mentioned this before, but not in this light. This persuasion, this gullibility, doesn't come from God that calls you. So what does that mean gullibility is? The flesh. The flesh. You see, Joe said it one time, and I won't get it exactly right, but Joe said something along these lines.

God's people are some of the most open-minded people in the world. until it comes to the truth of God, then they are as close-minded as you can be. Because thus saith the Lord stands. I mean, it stands. If you've got a thus saith the Lord here, say a number one, and you've got a thus saith the Lord here, number two, even if I can't make those two things fit together, I don't twist one to fit, I don't twist the second one to fit the first one. I don't twist the first one to fit the second one. I take both as they are and say they are, thus saith the Lord.

I thought that was just amazing. That still astounds me, this gullibility. That just perplexed my mind for a while. This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. And then here's another one, a little leaven. A little leaven, leaveneth the whole work. Error usually doesn't come in announcing all that it is with a great trumpet. It comes in with a little bit here. Just a little bit there, right? Sliding something through the back doors, Earl used to say. A little leaven, leaveneth the whole lump. Great error. is indeed little error.

Now whether that makes sense, Philip, or not, great error is little error, because even little error will do what? According to the truth of Scripture, it'll infect everything else. And you can see this in most every denomination, you can go back and look at their history and somewhere along the line, somebody began to deny the truth or ignore the truth or twist the truth in some small way. And then as time goes on, it may take one generation, it may take 10 or 11 generations, who knows? But eventually, Jack, that leaven leavens the whole lump.

But then notice he says, I have confidence in you, how? Not just because of the Lord. I'm gonna try to state this so that we get the context. What most people think is this. I'll try to illustrate it and then go back and read it. I have confidence in you through the Lord, not just because of the Lord. Most people in so-called Christian religion believe this.

When we're unsaved, we're pretty bad. Okay, at least pretty bad. When God saves us, he makes us good people. Right? And now we can do better, right? In other words, he enables me and now it's up to me to do better. Isn't that what most so-called Christianity, but that's not what he says here, is it? I have confidence in you, how?

Through the Lord. If the Lord don't do it, we'll stay gullible. If the Lord don't do it, we'll take even the little bitty leaven that we know. is dangerous, you see what I'm saying? But he says, I have confidence in you through the Lord, then here's another one, that ye will be none otherwise, notice that next word, minded. Maybe I'll preach on this later, I don't know, maybe not, I may move on.

You see, every truth, as far as our reception of it, and every error, as far as our reception of it begins where? In our thoughts. All this bad stuff, if I can just put it in a very general way, all this bad stuff out here, or, Jack, all the good stuff that may flow from truth, all of that, okay, is not the initial problem. It's not the fountain. It's not the whale. The whale is right here, how we think. And that's what amazes me.

Our Lord knew this. I mean, he is the establisher and sustainer of all truth. And when he said, out of the heart proceedeth wicked, what's the first thing he says? Thoughts. Not the deeds, Mac, the very thoughts. Isn't that amazing? I have confidence in you through the Lord. If we were in religion, we would say that ye will be none otherwise, or that you will not conduct yourself that way anymore. Where does it gotta start? In your mind. Because here's the thing.

If I change my conduct, but up here I'm still thinking the other way. Okay, Tommy, you let me preach this. If I change my outward conduct and my mind is not changed, I am but giving lip service to the truth of God. And you remember our Lord condemned some people and he said these words, these people honor me with their what? Lips. But their hearts are far from me.

So he goes on and says, but he that troubleth you, Isn't it amazing now that he puts it in the singular? Now, there were theys, right? This wasn't just one man that had come to the region of Galatia. It was, according to the historical testimony from Paul, it was more than one man. But this is not just some collective judgment.

Anybody here, when you go to work and somebody messes up, then you get chewed out for what somebody else did? Or the whole group gets chewed out for what, you ever had that happen? Jack, you probably had that happen. You got a coworker and they foul up and they foul up, so the boss brings in everybody and everybody gets a collective chewing.

Well, not everybody was making the fault. This is the way religion loves to do. Paul says, but he that troubles you. Now that he may be a many. There may be many he's in this group, but do you see the point? But he, well, but don't make this too personal. It is personal. And I just throw this in. I think it fits.

Penny and I were watching a movie yesterday evening, and it was a decent movie in and of itself, about some doctors who were helping in all of the murders over in the Sudan. And it's been back from us several years. And this one doctor, and she's one of the stars of the show, this one doctor made this statement. And it wasn't meant to be pushing religion or pushing against religion. It was just something she said. And her and her boyfriend, or maybe they were married by this time. But anyway, this female doctor and this male doctor were talking.

And they're watching people get their limbs hacked off and little children being murdered and mutilated. And she said, and this is the phrase she said, I don't mind somebody telling me what to do. I don't like anybody telling me who I am. Think about that. Because the problem is, or the thing about it is, what we do flows from who we are. And I thought, how much truth they had that actor speak in that one phrase. I don't, in religion, don't mind you to tell them what to do or what not to do, do they? They're steeped with it, they love it, but don't tell me what I am.

Hmm notice, but he that trouble a few shall bear his judgment whosoever he be now I Could say well, I've explained the context we could stop go home and you could say I spoke to you facts But I won't talk about the truth Okay, and I'm taking my title from what Paul says here now think about this God does not call by law. God does not sustain by law. God does not sanctify or perfect by law. Legal obedience, legal efforts, legal conduct, though it may be moral, okay, though it may be moral.

What's wrong with honoring your mother and your father? What's wrong with it? Absolutely nothing wrong with it, unless two things, unless one, you're trying to gain God's favor by it, or unless you do it perfectly. How many times did I honor my mother and father with this? With my lips, but where was my heart? Where was my heart? If it hadn't have been for the fear of retribution or punishment, I'd have went out and done whatever I wanted to anyway.

Think about it. Legal obedience, legal efforts, legal conduct is out. It's out. And because we teach this here and have taught this here for years, some have taken offense to that. I'd say so be it. Attempts at legal obedience, yea, any one act of legal obedience is not obedience to the truth. The only way legal obedience can be the truth, doing the truth, obeying the truth, is if you obey the law in letter and spirit from your first breath until your last breath. That's the only way legal obedience is obedience to the truth. Remember what, Paul's clear.

For as many as are of the works of the law, not are against the works of the law, who disobey the law, no. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse. For it is written, curse it is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. And the scripture puts you and I at a disadvantage from the get-go because the scripture is quite clear, according to the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter five, as by the disobedience of one man, many were made sinners. So I start out in the womb. in the red before God, right? Scripture goes on to say, as a matter of fact, it had said long prior to Paul's time that when the wicked be born, they come forth speaking what?

Lies. Lies. And I told a good old Baptist deacon one time, and that Baptist deacon was my own grandfather, I quoted that to my good old Baptist deacon grandfather one time, he says, well, you know kids can't speak. No, that's his only answer. That's his only answer. And isn't that sad to come from a deacon in a church? Again, I say legal obedience is out.

Any act of legal obedience is not obedience to the truth. Okay to the truth And here's my title and it is a question And I think when I ask this question, you'll think that's a that's a sound question. What is obedience? to the truth right now If, not if, I have asked the question, seeing that I have asked the question, if I left it open-ended, you would get, and it went out to thousands of people, you'd probably get thousands of different responses, would you not? What is obedience to the truth?

Well, in our, text letter in the letter of Paul to the churches of Galatia. Paul states, obedience to the truth with four direct references in this letter to this statement. And I'm only, all that he wrote here is truth. Okay, you get what I'm saying? All that he wrote here is truth. even fill up the historical accounts of things that took place. Paul said years before this error even began in Galatia. All of that is truth, Mac, but there are four places in this letter where Paul uses this phrase, the truth, okay? The truth. Now I will say because of the world in which we live, there are not truths. There is the truth. There is not my truth and your truth. That's a big thing today. Well, my truth is this. Your truth may be, no, there is the truth.

Obedience to the truth is, and we'll look at these four passages. Turn to chapter two, and I'll read it, and we've been through it, but we're hitting this thing again. What is obedience to the truth? I'm gonna make this statement and we'll read where it's at in Paul's letter. Obedience to the truth is to reject law works and trust Christ's faithfulness only. Only.

You see, most people in religion think it is to accept Jesus and bring him in alongside everything else you believe, and everything else you hold to, and everything else you love, and maybe give him just a little bit more honor. Isn't that what they think?

Look at how Paul puts it. Chapter two, he puts it this way. Verse 14, and he's talking, Paul here is talking, when I saw that they, he's talking about other professed believers in the truth. Okay? He's not talking here even about the false brethren. He's talking about those who profess Peter, Barnabas, huh? Look. But when I saw that they walked not uprightly, what's he say? According to the truth of the gospel. You see that?

But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter, and why did he say it? Now remember I talked about this collective thing? Why did he say it to Peter? Because Peter started this whole thing. You see it? He held Peter accountable for why other people were drawn away by Peter's hypocrisy, and they were drawn into hypocrisy, so Paul went right to the source. Do you see it? But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all." Now think about it, what had Peter done?

Now I know this will be an oversimplification, but what he had actually done, he didn't get up and preach anything wrong, Jack? He didn't give some personal testimony in some way that was flawed. He got up and removed from one table of one kind of people who lived one way and moved over and sat with another kind of people that lived and conducted themselves in another way. That's all he did. And Paul says it was walking not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel.

Let's go on. I said unto Peter before them all, if thou being a Jew livest after the manner of the Gentiles, and he had been. he had been, and not as do the Jews. Why compel us now the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? And how did he do that? Not by preaching to them, not by witnessing to them, not by warning them to start doing what they weren't doing and don't do what they were doing, just by getting up and moving tables. You see it? We who are Jews by nature and not sinners of the Gentiles, knowing, here's what God called people to know, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law.

We don't believe in Jesus and gather him under our canopy of all other beliefs. He comes in and he comes in only. Everything else is cast out. They talk about receiving Christ as your personal savior. That in and of itself is not a wicked phrase. But what they're talking about is you basically stay like you are and you just accept Jesus and everything's okay. Isn't it? That's all they're talking about.

Look, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law, for by the works of the law, what do we know?

There shall no flesh be justified. So I'm here to say if anybody thinks that they're justified before God by even one long work, they are not obeying the truth. I don't care if it's one tithe they give. And they think God will be better toward them than he was when they did not give that tithe? Mm, mm-mm. to reject law works, and to trust Christ's faithfulness. This is obedience to the truth, and it is to trust Christ only, only.

Here's the second thing. Chapter two again, same chapter. Chapter two, and I'll read you the verses here in a moment. I'll make the statement first. Here's the second thing. We say obedience to the truth is to reject, now listen to me. This applies to me. I'm not preaching down to you. I'm talking to you and to me and anybody else that hears me. At any other time, here's this message.

Obedience to the truth is to reject those who promote law works. We're supposed to just love everybody. Yeah, we are, but in the truth. in the truth. What does true love not do? It does not rejoice in error. True love rejoices in the truth. Listen to how Paul put it. This is Strong Language, chapter two, verse three. But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised, and that because of, what's that next phrase he used? Two words. False brethren. He called them liars, right there, Matt. He said they were not Christians, right there.

He said they were, apart from a work of grace, they're bound for hell. As a matter of fact, he has already said in this letter, if they preach any other gospel, let them be accursed. Now somebody says that loving people, that is loving people, to warn them about error, about hypocrisy, about a false gospel. That is no gospel at all, but is rather a perversion of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Look, and that because of false brethren, unawares brought in, who came in secretly, that's what that word privily, came in secretly to spy out our liberty, which we have in Christ, that they might bring us into bondage, to whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour. Sound like Paul's pretty hard line on this, wasn't it?

Well, but we ought to be accepting of everyone. Not if they're preaching error, we're not. Look, for what reason? For what reason that we might stand out among everybody else? No, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you, and in our text we find out why.

Yeah, a little leaven, leaven the whole lot. Peter just moved tables, and it was like a disease that started to affect, or I should say infect. Right there on that very day, Pat, other people started to simulate right along with them. And had this been let go, where would the truth of being? Lost. Gone. Now I know my mind, my good Calvinistic mind says, well God will take care of everything. Yes he will, but he'd let that whole group go. Do you see what I'm saying? He'd have let that whole group go. How often are we like that unjust steward who God gives this one talent and what do we do? We go hide it in a napkin. Why? Because we know you reap what you don't sow. That's sovereignty, right? Huh? What did God call that servant? Wicked.

Now let's think about something. Yes, you may overemphasize any one doctrine. You can overemphasize any one doctrine if you sacrifice other doctrine to try to hold that doctrine up. But this book is replete with the fact that God uses means. And the next one, we're gonna see that. God has ordained means. God delights in means.

And when we belittle those things, we're the ones that are sliding. We're the ones that are falling. We're the ones that are falling from grace. It is to reject law works and trust Christ's faithfulness only. Obedience to the truth is to reject those who promote law works.

Now go to chapter three. You probably may be on the same page there. Go to chapter three. Think about it. Obedience to the truth is to reject law works as an aid to any addition or completion to our spiritual condition. Chapter three, verses one through three. Oh foolish Galatians, who hath tricked you? Do you see it? Who hath bewitched you? People, we have this phrase, pull the wool over your eyes, right? Who is the easiest people to do that to? Gullible people. Gullible people.

Remember Earl used to use the illustration of the old shell trick? You know what a shell trick? There are people that actually think that pea's still under one of them shells when that man starts moving them. He's removed the pea from out from under any shell. and he's able with his trickery to when you pick this one, he will put it back under another so you will never find the pea. Only gullible people will try out the shell game.

Think about it, oh foolish Galatians who have bewitched you, look at it, that ye should not obey the truth. But I was tricked. It's still called what? Not obeying the truth. Before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth crucified among you. This only would I learn of you. Received ye the spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith. In other words, which camp am I in? Did God start this thing or did I start this thing? Which one is it? This only would I learn of you. Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish, having begun in the Spirit? Are ye now made perfect by the flesh? To obey the truth is to know this. God starts this thing. God must sustain this thing. God must keep this thing up.

If I ever persevere, and perseverance is a scriptural doctrine, but it is not if you do not know of God's preservation. Perseverance preached without preservation is nothing more than human words. Even faith, the Fullerites make it a duty, make faith a duty of the elect. You ever heard of Fullerism? It was big at one time, and I'll tell you what, its roots are still out there today. There are people who believe in the election of grace and the total depravity of man, but they still believe faith is some duty that you must muster up, but only the elect can do it. Hmm. How do you begin? By the Spirit of God. How do you continue? By the Spirit of God. How will this thing wind up for your spiritual good? By the Spirit of God. There is no other way. There is no other way.

Number four, obedience to the truth is, now here's another one. Galatians chapter four. Galatians chapter four, you turn there for a moment. Let me give you the statement. Obedience to the truth is to hold in esteem those sent to preach the truth. Here's a tricky one. Now look at where Paul, look at where it's at. Galatians chapter four, look at, we'll start in verse 13 to have enough of the context for the truth of this passage.

Ye know how that through infirmity of the flesh I preach the gospel unto you at the first. And men, the weird thing is, Red, is that men will read this and not look at the actual emphasis of Paul's statements here, and they'll sit and argue or try to debate as to what Paul's infirmity was. And I do remember one preacher preaching at Henry Mahan's at one of the bigger conferences Henry used to have, and he said there's all kinds of different ideas. He said one person said that Paul's infirmity in the flesh was a sexual problem. He said that came from a Roman Catholic priest. You could expect that from him.

Can you get a smile out of that? Maybe not. Maybe some of us are getting too old for that to make a difference to anymore. Huh, look, I see we're all sitting here serious, sobbing face until I mention something like that, and now we can relax a little. Come on now, that flesh is real in there, ain't it?

Come on, look, ye know how that through infirmity of the flesh, we don't know for sure what it was. Even though he mentions eyes here, it may have been his eyesight, but Phillip, it don't matter. It's not what the problem was, he just had this infirmity, but that's not the thing he's pointing out. Look, ye know how that through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at first, and my temptation, that is this test that was upon me, and my temptation which was in my flesh, ye despised not, nor rejected, look, but received me as an angel of God.

Do you see that? Look, even as Christ Jesus. That's strong language, ain't it? That's strong language. Now I, or Joe, Paul, any other man that's ever stood, and you know this, we are nothing but clay pots, right? We are nothing but clay pots, and one pot may I'm kind of going outside of that. I'm putting some metaphors together. One clay pot may sow. Another clay pot may come along and water, right?

But who gives the increase? God gets the glory. God gets the honor because God does the work. But can you deny the clay pot? No sir, because God has ordained to use a clay pot to So, and a clay pot to water, without which there will be no increase. Right? That's just the way it is. And don't let our Calvinistic sovereignty minds try to make that off. If God ordained something, we ought to thank God for it.

Even if that's a clay pot. But look, and my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected, but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. Now before I go any further, let me say this. It doesn't matter whether falling from grace start, it doesn't matter how it starts. One thing that will always eventually, ultimately manifest itself. A person who is falling from grace will begin to despise God's sent men. It will happen. Eventually, it may be, well, I don't like his method. I don't like his mannerisms. I don't like his delivery. I don't like his lack of education. I don't like his abundant. There'll be some kind of excuse against the clay pot. But remember, the clay pot is but a clay pot. But if God sends that clay pot, it means everything. I'll give you an illustration.

Here you've got a thirsty man or a woman. I mean, I'm talking about real thirst. I'm not talking about just, you've kind of done a day's, you know, you're doing your day's work and you needed just a little one of these. I'm talking about a person maybe been out for days without water. And you hand them a glass of water.

You know what? I guarantee you that they're not gonna care what kind of cup you give them that water in. Are they? Whether it's gold, Tommy, or whether it's just a leaf petal folded up with a little, they're not going to care about the thing that's delivering the water. Why are they going to care about the water? But look at the problem.

You received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. That's not blasphemy. They weren't thinking Paul was Jesus Christ, but he was Jesus Christ's ambassador. Now look, where is then the blessedness ye spake of? For I bear you record that if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes and have given them unto me. That's pretty serious, isn't it? It's how much they cared about Paul, right? It's how much they esteemed Paul. Remember what I said. Obedience to the truth is to hold in esteem those sent to preach the truth. Look, you would have plucked out your own eyes and have given them unto me.

Am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you what, the enemy. Some, I'm saying some. I'm saying some of the, I use the word scary, but I know that we think of that in a spooky, ghostly, but some of the most frightening times I've ever had concerning the well-being of my soul is when I find myself thinking wrong thoughts about one of God's sent men, becoming, Jody become a little perturbed because maybe one of their mannerisms. Become a little perturbed because maybe the way they said something.

And you do understand this. You know that sometimes all of us who stand behind podiums like this, we make mistakes. We all make mistakes. I mean, I've went back and listened to some of my messages and I thought, man, who in the world set up there to say what he just said? Sometimes things come out and Mac, you don't even mean to say them.

And as I told, well, we had a few other people here then, and of course those people are not there now. I said, if you think you can do any better, I'll step down, sit right there. You come up here for about two months and do it. You come on, I'll let you right here. We'll put you on TV. Yeah, you'll see how it is.

To obey the truth, obedience to the truth, is to hold in esteem those sent to preach the truth. Think about this. When that starts to wane, when I find myself starting to criticize, starting to back off a little from someone that I know is sent to preach the truth. How do I know they're sent to preach the truth? Are they preaching the truth? That's all it takes. It's not how good they are. It's not how smart they are. It's not how great their delivery is. It's not about how many people gather under their ministry or how many people don't gather.

Is he preaching the truth? I don't care if he's the most disamiable person you ever met in your life. If he's preaching the truth, God sent him. Because you don't preach the truth unless what? God sends you. We do realize though, as a side note, we do realize that ultimately God was the one that sent Balaam to Balak, wasn't it? Now Balaam wanted to go for the bucks. God had a different reason for sending Balaam to Balak, didn't he? Oh, let me tell you, to hold in esteem those sent to preach the truth. Think about this, I will sum this all up now.

Coming to Christ. We'll say this several different ways because I don't want somebody Coming to Christ being saved okay, and I use all of these because Religious people are in this rut. They think, when you talk about being saved, they think about that one point in time when you finally come forward or you believe in Jesus or you believe in Him and are baptized. You understand what I'm saying? God's people have been being saved from eternity all throughout time and must be saved throughout time for them to reach what we might say the other side of eternity. But think about it, coming to Christ, being saved, being justified and sanctified by God is to turn it all over to Christ.

Now I know God must make us do this because the scripture says, thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power. But that's not just one day in my whole life. It's every day I live. God must make me willing or Mac, I will not be willing. I will start following my own will. Think about it again, let me go on.

Coming to Christ, being saved, being justified and sanctified by God is to turn it all over to Christ. It is not adding Christ to even our best efforts. But it is to reject our best efforts and trust Christ only start to finish. Yet how many people do you know, maybe even Calvinistic, that when they talk about their salvation, they talk about what God did for them and what they have done for God, right? They're under the wrong gospel. If they ever were under the gospel, they've fallen away from it. Maybe they've never been under it to start with. Hmm? Hmm? is to turn it all over to Christ. It is not adding Christ to even our best efforts, but to reject our best efforts and trust Christ only, start to finish.

Back to our letter again, chapter two, and you know this, chapter two, verse 19. For I through the law am dead. Dead. Now, Jack, you can't get any stronger language than that, but religion says but, right? But, no, it's not a but here. It's so. For I through the law am dead to the law that I might live. That's the only way. As long as I'm still alive to the law, I got another husband. In other words, as I mentioned some of what along the line, a little tongue-in-cheek, there's another rooster in the hen house, huh? Another rooster in the hen house. For I through the law am dead to the law. For what reason? To dishonor the law? To hate the law?

No, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh. I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I can't sum that up. But he did, didn't he?

I do not frustrate the grace of God, for if righteousness come by the law at any time, start to finish, then Christ is dead in vain. Bless God, God's people know that the God who starts the work is able to sustain it and finish it. Listen to Paul, when he wrote to Timothy, 2 Timothy chapter one, I'm trying to Gonna wind this down, 2 Timothy chapter one, listen to how Paul puts it there. 2 Timothy one, verse 12.

For the which cause I also suffer these things, nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded, what? What is it? Now what is this believing he has? Is it just accepting Jesus? Is it just making him a part of me and my salvation? No. And am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed unto him. What have I committed unto him? We better have committed it all. All. Every bit of it. We better have committed it all. And if we haven't, Philip, I haven't.

If I find out today I haven't committed at all this or that to him, God will force me to bow it down to him. As Henry Mahan said, as God's people, you better hold on to everything loosely. Because God will break your fingers if he intends for you not to hold on to that thing. And he'll take it away from you.

And you know what? Although that will hurt, it's a good thing. It's a good thing. And am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. And the next phrase is, hold fast, the form of sound, words. Why? Because it all starts with what? Words. How are people bewitched? Words. words. You see it? Hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me.

And then here we go right back to our context that we started in faith and love. What really matters in the Christian life, if you want to put it that way, of faith that is energized by love? If you've got those, if God, change that, strike it. If God's given you those two things, you have it all. Because everything else must flow from that. Because, Tommy, what if I got all the deeds, but I don't have that love, the faith that's energized by love?

It's nothing again but less service. It's not coming from down in here. Here's one more passage, Philippians 3. Philippians 3, now we'll see the magnitude of this thing. But preacher, what does it really matter if somebody adds a little something else? What does it really matter, right? Come on, preacher, it can't be that bad. Well, let's look at how Paul puts it in Philippians 3, verse 16.

Nevertheless, where to we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule. You know what he says? Now we want rules, right? Now come on, now we want rules. Here's just a rule. Let us walk by the same rule. Let us, what's that next word? M-I-N-D. Where's it gotta start? Still gotta start inside. Okay?

Let us bind the same thing, brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk, so as ye have us for an example. For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ. Because if righteousness come by the law, Christ died for nothing. That's strong language, isn't it?

Whose end is what? Destruction. Whose God is, and I like the way, whose God? Belly. Does that mean they just like food? It's a metaphor. They've got to be filled with self, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.

For our way of life, our conversation is in. I don't even know if I could preach on that or not. It's in heaven. Right now I could preach on that and really feel like I give it, my conversation is where? It don't start down here. Where's it at? In heaven, you see? For our conversation is in heaven from whence also we look for the Savior. So we're talking about right in the very presence of God. So I will say this about this conversation. It originates where? Where must it originate? At the throne of God. You see it right?

Well that's where Jesus Christ is, right at the right hand of God the Father. It's gotta originate with God on his throne. Not just God up in heaven floating around, God on his throne. for our conversation is in heaven, from which we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body.

I can't even imagine what that's going to be like. But it will be glorious, won't it? Glorious, according, think about this. Because my flesh says that's a pipe dream, right? Look at us. We're all getting older. Phillip, I remember when you was like that. Now, I wasn't much far ahead, but I remember when you're getting older.

The older you get, the more you find out how vile this body is, how tough it is, how tough it is. Who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his own glorious body? But here's the foundation, if you will, the promise of it. will liken to his own glorious body according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

None of it depends on me at all. Right? None of it depends upon me at all. Now think about this. I know I'm going a little long, but we only got one preacher today. Think about to not obey the truth. Now I've given you a couple things that is not obeying the truth. We've looked at some things that is obeying the truth. To not obey the truth. Now think about this. Because most people think not obeying the truth is some evil, wicked, immoral acts. And I'm not saying that's not so. But think about this. To not obey the truth is to add even one personal or collective, and what I mean by that is, well, everybody else is doing it.

And is that many people really going to hell? It might just be that many people's really going to hell, right? How many perished in Noah's day? Possible billions other than how many? Can you count that? Five, six, seven, eight. Billions, right? How many survived Sodom and Gomorrah? Three, right? Even Lot's wife turned into a pillar of salt because she looked bad, three. Out of those thousands that were in those two cities.

To not obey the truth is to add even one personal or collective. You can't ever say the Roman Catholic Church is steeped upon that, and sadly Baptist are too. Most denomination, well, that's what our denomination does. Well, you may go to hell for it, right? To not obey the truth is to add even one personal or collective, now I'm gonna name a bunch of them, one personal or collective moral deed. Just add one to Jesus Christ. One moral deed, one ritual deed, one ceremonial deed, one religious deed, one ecclesiastical deed. What are church rules? You know? Now, some church rules may be good.

Don't come in here naked. Right? Now, if I told you, well, no rules apply, and you show up naked, well, we'll both be embarrassed. But you'll be going out the door. You understand what I'm saying? But I don't got to write that up here on the wall either, do I? Do you understand what I'm saying? But it don't matter if it's even a good rule, ecclesiastical rule. Not one humanitarian deed. What's wrong with helping out other people? Nothing in this world.

And it may benefit them while you go to hell. Yeah, I think God's used a lot of people like that. He uses them to help his creatures out and then he'll send the person that helped him right on to hell for it. Why? Because they think it's gonna give them some credit before God.

But I ain't done yet. What did I say? Moral deed, ritual deed, ceremonial deed, religious deed, ecclesiastical deed, humanitarian deed, societal deed, right? Helping out society. Patriotic deed. Now you know there are some people that believe if you die, For this country and this country's army, well, you got first step into heaven. Don't they? They believe that. But it's not so. Patriotic deed. Here's your one. I had to look this one up. Biophilial deed. You know what a biophilial deed is? That sounds big, don't it? You know what it means? It means loving the creation. Okay? Is there anything wrong with loving what God made? No! But you know what's wrong with this creation?

Nothing except for us. We fouled it all up. And it started in our daddy Adam. And we've just continually perpetrated. And I want, listen, I'm not, I'm gonna use this. Some of you may remember the song, some of you may not, don't care. Billy Joel had a song, We Didn't Start the Fire. but it's always been burning since the world's been turning. We didn't start it, but we keep lighting them up. If it looks like it's dying, we'd like to match.

Listen, to love this world and think that God will give you favor for it will damn you. Now if I mention enough of them, I could go on, I could say et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. There are people who actually think because they're trying to save the environment, if there is a God, God will be happy with them. Now there are others just nuts, I understand that.

Why? Why would I say such things? And I remember Henry Mahan saying this, I'll give you one more example, that the Shriners Children's Cancer Hospital, and if you watch those commercials and it don't just break your heart to see them little fellas, then something's wrong with you, okay? But you can support that, but if you support that thinking, it'll give you favor before God, you'll go to hell for it because we add nothing to Jesus Christ. Why is this so?

Here's why it's so. According, I'm not gonna even read you a verse, per se, other than turn to Galatians 6, and I'll end with that, something there. Think about this. God will have nothing compete with the honor and glory of his Son. That's just the way it is.

Everything that will be in heaven one day, that is short of absolute God himself. Now do you hear me? Everything that will be in heaven, I'm talking about the new heaven, the new earth, the new Jerusalem. Everything that will be in heaven one day, apart from the deity, apart from God himself, will praise one thing, one person, the Lamb. And that's what Revelation 20, 21, and 22 is clear about. God has given us eternity, not to explore ourselves, but to rejoice in and fellowship with Him, in the person of the Son. Does not the book of the Revelation say that the lamb will be the very light of that city? How does a lamb the light? How does a lamb the light? So I told you to turn to chapter six. How do I sum up such a profound truth, right? Who's hindered you? You did run the mill. Who hindered you that you should not obey the truth?

I can only sum it up as the Apostle Paul put it, and I know I've done this on several messages. Verse 12, and he says, as many as desire to make a fair show in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised or any of these other things I mentioned. Don't matter what it is. They constrain you to be circumcised, only less they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory brag in your flesh.

But God forbid. that I should glory, save in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. Tommy, that takes in the whole of my Christian life. Doesn't it? I am to the world, for in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation of God.

That's my language, a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace beyond them, and mercy upon the Israel of God. And then Paul gets to think about how he puts it. From henceforth, let no man trouble me. You know, he, you know how Walter went up, and I know this is inspired of God. You know, get off my back. I'm done with you. Anybody troubles, right? From henceforth, let no man trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.

And you know what most people think? Well, that means Paul was beat. Now, has your mind ever thought that? Paul got whipped? Uh-huh. I bear in my body the marks. What do you talk about? The work of God in me. Yeah, he has me lock stock and barrel and will not let me go That's what he's talking about From henceforth let no men trouble me for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus Brethren the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your or is it got to start again inside spirit, right? your spirit And he sums it up how amen

What Is Obedience To The Truth?

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What Is Obedience To The Truth?

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