Galatians chapter 3. The problem
Paul deals with in this epistle to the church at Galatia was
the same that he dealt with in essence in his epistle to other
churches, to the Galatians, for example. And that problem was
this. Men had come into the church,
had crept in teaching things contrary to the gospel of Christ,
vain, self-serving legalist. Paul dealt with that. And they were turning the believers'
eyes away from Christ as their all in all. They were trying
to add to him, like the legalist who pestered the church at Galatia,
the same way. Oh, yes, we don't deny Christ. But, however, let's not forget
Moses. Let's not forget the law as our
rule of practice. And Paul says, oh, no, not so.
Christ has delivered us from the curse of the law. And others
was teaching the church here at Galassi. Man's philosophy,
the philosophy of man side by side with divine revelation. Paul deals with that. And some
even taught the worship of angels, that that was appropriate and
should be done. And Paul's answer to all those
false teachings are the same, is the same. One answer, one
answer, to every problem. One solution against all those
things. In chapter 2, Paul says, Christ
is better than philosophy. Then beginning at verse 11, he
says, He's better than your legalism. Verse 18, to the end of the chapter,
Christ is better than your mysticism. Christ is all. Look at verse
6 of chapter 2. as ye therefore have received
Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him." From start to finish,
rooted. Oh, you're rooted in Christ. So continue in Christ. That's
how you started. You continue the same way. Built
up in him and established in the faith as ye have been taught
abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you
through philosophy and vain tradition after tradition and vain deceit,
I'm sorry, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of
the world, and not after Christ. For in Him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily." Now, if that's true, Paul says, you
don't need these other things. You don't need these other things.
You have Christ. And having Christ, you have all
the fullness that's in him of God. And he says that in the
next verse. You are complete in him, which
is the head of all principality and power. The word complete
there in verse 10 in the Greek means lacking nothing, full,
to the top, is what it means. What did David say? My cup runneth
over, complete, full, needing nothing else. And then in chapter
3, he tells them this, verse 1. If ye then be risen with Christ,
Since Christ is all, since you're complete in him, if ye then be
risen, and really it should read this way, not if, but what Paul
said was since. Since ye then be risen with Christ,
since you have been. Seek those things which are above. That just kind of makes good
sense, doesn't it? Since ye have been risen with
Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ saideth
on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things
above, not on things on the earth, for you are dead, and your life
is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life,
shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory. Paul tells them, fix your eyes
back on Him. Seek those things which are above,
because that's where Christ is. You're dead. You've been crucified
with Christ. Turn away from man's vain philosophy. and deceit, and man-made ordinances,
and look again to him in whom dwelleth all the fullness of
the Godhead bodily. In him you are full." And then
coming to verse 4 again, this is our text. When Christ, who
is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him
in glory. Our text tells us when? When Christ appears. And Paul
gives them this to encourage them. He gives them this as an
incentive to keep looking to Christ. A reason, an incentive. Keep looking to Christ. Keep
your eyes fixed on Him. Be thou my vision. Because Christ will appear. Keep looking to him. He soon
shall appear. And when he does, you'll appear
with him. You'll be with him. And as I said, Paul encourages
them with this blessed, blessed promise. An incentive to keep
looking to Christ. And a reason to look away from
all these false teachings and keep your eyes fixed on him. Oh, that's quite an incentive,
isn't it? Because we shall see him as he
is. When Christ shall appear. When I first began working at
UK, the University of Kentucky. Not the United Kingdom. But somebody pretended not to
know what I meant by that one time. Anyway. They considered
it an incentive to do your best. And you should. You should do
your best in employment. But I wasn't even aware of it. One night, I worked all night,
pulled an all-nighter, had an emergency. And then some time
later, I went into the shop and this lady came down and said
I had won Employee of the Month for pulling that all-nighter. And they gave me a parking pass,
free parking for a week. Well, I didn't need that because
they already were charging me for parking. I had a parking
pass. And then they gave me a coupon
for a free meal. I don't think they would accept
that once I tried to turn it in. So it ended up really not
being much of an incentive for pulling an all-nighter. Oh, but
not so here, is it? Paul gives us the very best reason,
the most solid encouragement to keep looking to Christ, because
He shall appear. When Christ, who is our light,
shall appear. Is that a pre-meal appearance? post meal appearance, an all
meal appearance. It's a he will appearance. That's
what it is. He will appear. When will this
be? When will this be? When will
he come back? And we be with him in glory. Paul says, then, then, when he
shall appear. And what is heaven? What is heaven? It says, we shall be with Him
in glory. What is heaven? The same answer
again. It's Christ. It's Christ. We'll be with Him. The title of my message is Christ. Then and there. The second coming
of Christ is, he shall appear. The heaven of heavens is, will
be with him. First of all, then, then, Paul
says, when Christ, who is our life, shall appear. Christ, who is our life, our
spiritual life. We derive our life from him. He's quickened us who were dead
in trespasses and sins. That's where we were by nature,
dead in sins. Paul says, you have he quickened. The word is made alive. He gave us life. Nicodemus, you
must be born again. How can I do that? Can I be born
again physically, like I was the first time, Nicodemus asked?
And the Lord said, no, no. That won't help you. That's the
problem you got now. No, no, not the natural birth.
That's flesh. That's all it'll ever be. That's
all it produces. You must be born again from above
by the Spirit that blows where it willeth. If you're not Nicodemus,
you can't see the kingdom of God. You must receive spiritual
life. Peter said, being born again,
not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word
of God, which liveth and abideth forever. Christ said, he that
believeth in me, Martha, shall never die because he believes
in me as a result of that life I've given him. That life produces
faith. That life enables him to repent,
to willingly bow to me. Otherwise, he never would or
could. Those who believe on Christ do
so because they've been born again. Paul says, for me to live
is Christ and to die is gain. He told the disciples that night,
because I live, that night of his arrest, just before it, he
says, because I live, ye shall live also. Think about that. The same life. We read it, didn't
we? Christ is the head. The church is the body. They
possess the same life. The same spiritual life, the
same eternal life, the same life that's in the head flows to every
member of His body, the church. It must be eternal. It must be
everlasting. The only way that it can cease,
the only way that it could be ended, the only way that it could
be anything less than eternal is if the head from which it
receives its life ceases. ends and that cannot be. An evangelist once said in preaching
one night, one day you'll pick up the paper and you'll read
that I've died, that I'm gone. He said, don't you believe it?
I'll never have been so more alive in all my life. Is that what Paul meant, Lord,
when he said, for me to live is Christ and to die, to die
will be gain. Why Paul? How can that be? Because when I'm absent from
this body, when I lay down this shell, when I lay it aside, oh
then I'll be free. When these bars that contain
my spirit are burst asunder, then I shall fly to be with Him
forever. Oh yes, absent from the body.
and good riddance. And forever with the Lord. Oh, again, because I live, you
shall live also. Spiritual life and eternal life. Eternal life. Our Lord told John
when he was on the Isle of Patmos, our Lord appeared to John and
he said, John, I'm he that liveth. and died was dead. It's true. Oh, but John, behold, I'm alive
forevermore. And all that are in him are alive
forevermore. I give them eternal life and
they shall never perish. How could they? How can they,
Joe? If they're in Him, from whom
they arrived, the same life that's in Him, which is a spiritual,
eternal life, how could they ever perish? How could they ever
be snatched from His hand? What could make that life cease
to be? Hmm? He would have to die first. The head would have to die first
before the body does. No. Oh no, in Him, bless God,
we live forever. Remember what He said to the
Pharisees in Matthew 22? We read it last Lord's Day. I'm
not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. I am the
God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. not was the God, not was the
God, I am the God. I am the God of them. Why? Because they're with Him now. They're with Him now. They've
been dead as far as their bodily presence was concerned for hundreds
and hundreds of years, and yet He said, I am their God. They're with Him in glory. This
is what Paul says in our text. Those that are in Christ, when
Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear
with him in glory. Oh, today, today, if God should
call one of his own home, absent from the body, but today with
him in paradise. Today. My soul, what a thought,
Lester. Today? If I should lay down this
life, what then? Is that the end? Is it a soul
sleep? Oh no, no. If I lay down this
body, I'm present with the Lord. Today, today, the last breath
I draw on this earth, Soon as it expires from this body, I'm
in the presence of the King of kings and Lord of lords. So, what a blessed, blessed prospect. What an encouragement. What incentive
to keep looking unto Him. Today, that thief looked over
at the man on the middle cross. the God-man with the thorns and
the spittle and the beard plucked out. And God told that dying
thief, look, that's the Son of God. He opened that man. Everybody
else looked on the ground. Son of God indeed. Look at him. That's a king? Oh, but God revealed
who he was to that thief. Didn't he? Didn't he? A miraculous revelation. That's
what it takes. Everybody knows him here. All
but the thief. God dropped grace, faith into
his heart. And he looked over and said,
remember me, remember me. Oh, he couldn't forget him. He
couldn't forget him. He was engraving on the palms
of his hands from eternity. And he said, today, today, today,
the moment all this is over, the moment all this is no more, Today, you'll be with me in paradise. My soul, not tomorrow, not a
thousand years from now, not when you've been barred up in
some so-called purgatory. No. Today, thou shalt be with
me in paradise. Turn, if you will, to 2 Corinthians
chapter 4. 2 Corinthians chapter 4. This
is exactly what Paul says here. In 2 Corinthians 4, verse 16. For which cause we faint not,
but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed
day by day. For our light affliction, which
is but for a moment, worketh for us, not against us, but for
us, a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Why
we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which
are not seen. For the things which are seen
are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. and they work for us. They open
the door of heaven to us. Ignore the chapter break. Paul
tells us what he's talking about in verse 1 of chapter 5. For
we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved,
we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal
in the heavens. We know that, Paul says. How
do we know that? Because God says so. Christ promised
that it was so. In my Father's house are many
mansions. I'm going to prepare one for
you. And it's not going to be empty. I'll come back and take
you to it. Oh, bless God, we believe God. Again, back in our text, when
Christ, who is our life, shall appear. When? When? Not if. Not if. There's no ifs in the purpose
of the triune God. Now, when you hear someone talking
that way, referring to God's purposes with ifs and maybes
and hope-sos, no, no, no. No. There's no ifs in the purpose
of the triune God in the covenant of His grace. in which that purpose
was agreed upon before the world began, our Lord told his disciples
that night, take, drink, pass this among yourselves, the wine.
This is my blood of the New Testament. He was referring to that new
covenant, an everlasting covenant, but newly revealed, newly brought
to pass to you in time, talking about that everlasting covenant
of God's grace. Would God purpose what he couldn't
bring to pass? Hmm? Hmm? Louis was telling me
about this snake oil salesman, preacher, On TV just recently,
I know who he's talking about. He looks like a snake oil salesman.
And that's what he does. One of these health wealth preachers
making himself wealthy. But talk about God that's trying. God that doesn't know. My soul,
won't they at least grant foreknowledge? Would God purpose that he couldn't
bring to pass? Why would he do such a foolish
thing? That sounds something like I would do, Louie. That
sounds like a plan or a purpose that I would come up with, and
then find out that I couldn't do it, because I lacked the wisdom,
or the power, or the ability. That's not God. That's not God. That's not God-like. That's man-like. And it ends in failure. That's
marked with 666, but the King of Glory is 777, the perfect
God. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Christ said, you believe in God? Believe also in Me. Believe also
in Me. That's how He began those words
of comfort to His disciples that night. The same power that resides
in God resides in me. We're one in purpose. We're one
in power. Otherwise the promise that preceded
those, or rather that followed those words would be of no comfort,
would be of no value. And you know what the promise
was. I go to prepare a place. And if I do, I'll come again.
But if he doesn't have the power to do so, what good is the promise? But what he promised, he's able
also to perform. And that gives the comfortable
assurance to what follows. I'll come back for you. I and
my father are one. You believe in God. Believe in
me. Philip, have I been so long a
time with you and yet you say show me the father? If you've
seen me, you've seen the father. He promises what he'll perform. As I said, why wouldn't he? Why wouldn't he, Joe? Why wouldn't
He do all that He promised? Why will He not bring to pass
all involved in the salvation of His people? Why wouldn't He?
Who's going to stop Him? Who's gonna stop Him? He's not
a man that He can't, but He's our God in the heavens that does
exactly whatsoever He hath pleased. He doesn't attempt what He foreknows
will not be successful, what will end in failure, meaning
that if he died for all men, then he failed. If he's trying
today to save all men, then he's failing. But it's not so. It's not so. People hear that
and they say, oh my soul, that's awful. That's awful. That's terrible. I can't stand that. You mean
to tell me He doesn't want to save everybody? That He didn't
die for everybody? That He's not trying to save
everybody? Oh, I just can't stand that. Would you rather have this?
Because that's what you're left with in holding the man's so-called
free will. The consequence of such preaching
is God's will, and God's purpose, and God's power, and God's grace
takes a back seat the man's. and brothers and sisters in Christ,
that's not good news. God doesn't take a back seat
to anyone. He steers the vessel of salvation
and in every part, in every detail, he's at the controls. You remember
years ago, I don't see him as often as I used to, but on cars,
there would be the plate God is my co-pilot. God is my co-pilot. Then who's driving that thing?
If God is my co-pilot, when I see a car like that, I think, well,
he's bound for the ditch. He's going to wreck if God's
only his co-pilot. Oh, no, bless God. Here's the
comfort for us. He's the captain of our salvation. He's not the co-pilot. He's the
captain. And he's steering the vessel
of grace. When he says to all those within
that vessel, let us pass over into the other side, you can
rest assured we're going to pass over with our captain to the
other side. Glory to his name. Now, that's
good news. Not that he tries to do something,
bless God, he doesn't. And Paul says, when Christ shall
appear, he shall appear. I'll see you again, he told his
disciples, and your heart shall rejoice. The world's going to
have a party. Oh, they're going to Rejoice
at my death. But you're going to love me.
Your heart's going to break. But I'll see you again. We're
going to turn the tables. It's not always going to be so.
I'll see you again and your heart shall rejoice. And three days
after that, the disciples are in that upper room with the doors
shut for fear. When are they going to come for
us? We were safe as long as he was
with us. All but now. When will they come
and do the same to us that they did to our master? And we're
told in Luke, the doors being shut, he appeared in the midst
of them, Carlos. Just like he promised. Just like
he said he would. I'll see you again. And we're
told in Luke's gospel, that they believed not for joy. They thought,
oh, this is just too good to be true. Can it be? Can it be? Is it really you? Is it really
you? And he said, why are you troubled?
Why do thoughts arise in your heart? Come on. Come here. Touch
me. Touch me. It's me. It's really me. Oh,
then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord, when
Christ shall Then shall ye appear also with Him in glory. And that
brings us to our second and last thought. Christ then and Christ
there. With Him in glory. And notice it's another shall
connected with the promise. Not an if, not a perchance, but
a shall. This one is just as certain as
the first one. Christ shall appear. and ye shall
appear with him in glory." We are so connected to our head. There can't be one
without the other of these appearings. When he, then we, Paul says. Just a matter of time. Where
the head is, the body must follow. Can he be complete without his
body, the church, his bride? Isaiah said, he'll be satisfied.
He'll see the travail of his soul. He'll see what he died
and suffered for and be satisfied. Could he be satisfied without
those he purchased with his own blood with him in glory? Christ the first fruits afterward
they that are Christ at his coming shall ye appear with him in glory. I give that much more thought
now than I used to, John. Probably because I'm 61 years
old. And I know we don't have any
promise of tomorrow, but to be honest with you, 20 years ago,
30 years ago, I didn't think of this nearly as much as I do
now. Because it may be any time that
I leave this world, it could have been before, We shall be with Him. Oh, that's
what makes it glory, does it not? Not streets of gold. That's so carnal. Not harps and
crowns. That's not what makes it heaven.
Heaven will be glorious because we'll see Him, John said, as
He is. Not darkly, not darkly like we
do now, but perfectly. Perfect vision. Won't need these. Perfect vision. Not clouded with
pain and tears and more. Not be clouded by my sin. Oh no. No more sin. Therefore, I see him perfectly. I love him now perfectly. I appreciate
him now perfectly. Oh, we shall see him as he is. Imagine that. Imagine being there
and seeing all there is in heaven, but not seeing him. No, he's the glory of glory.
I know our text speaks of Christ's return. It's true. When he shall
descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel,
and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise
first, and we which are alive and remain shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air,
and so shall we ever be with the Lord. But is it not so even
now? When he comes to take one of
his loved ones home when he comes in this life to each of his own
individually? Is it still not true? Does it
still not apply? Will that not be glorious too?
David said it would be. When I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death, I'll fear no evil. Why? Because He'll
be with me. He'll be with me. Lord, I'll
die with you. Why can't I follow you now? Peter
asked. I'm ready to die with you. Peter,
you can't follow me now. No. He's going to try the wine
press alone. Peter, you can't follow me now,
but you shall follow me afterwards. Afterwards. And now Peter is
with him in glory. You'll be with me where I am. When the master is come and calleth
for thee, what will that be?" Brother Lloyd was telling me
the other evening in one of his visits to your former pastor
and your dear husband, Robin. Lying in that bed of suffering,
Lloyd visited him. And Tommy looked at Lloyd and
said, wonder what he's going to look like. And Lord told me at first he
just didn't know what's he talking about. And Tommy told him to, Lord,
wonder what he'll look like. Well, now he knows. Not many days before God came
and took Louise home, our Lord called her I was at her house. I don't know if she was aware
I was there or not. But her daughter told me just
the evening before, she looked at her, Louise looked at her
daughter and said, I wonder why he doesn't take me. Wonder why he doesn't take me.
And her daughter looked puzzled at her. And Louise told her, don't you
see him? Don't you see him? Who, mom? He's standing right
there. He's standing right there. Don't
you see him? Was that a delusion? Was that imagination? I don't
think so. I don't think so. I fully believe
to see him too. Right now, I'm looking at My
friend, Big Louie. You can't deny it, Louie. I call
him Big Louie. He's never objected to it, so
I guess if he objects to it, I'll quit doing it. But now I'm
looking at him. Earlier, before the service,
when he came in, I shook his hand. Soon. Just as real, Louie. Just as
real as I'm looking at you now. And I see you. and we shook hands. I'm going to see him, just as
real, and look into those eyes of that one who loved me and
gave himself for me. We shook hands. When I see him,
will we embrace? Will he wrap his arms around
this prodigal and say, welcome home. Like he said to them disciples
who believe not for joy, behold, my hands and my feet, it is I,
myself. A spirit hath not flesh and bone,
like you see me, you see me, hath. Then shall we appear with
him in glory. And then, the hymn writer said,
He'll take me by the hand and lead me through the promised
land. What a day. What a glorious day
that will be. God bless you.