If you turn again to the passages
we read, Galatians in chapter 6, text this morning, I'd like
to draw your attention in particular to verses 7 and 8. Galatians
6, verses 7 and 8. Be not deceived, God is not mocked. For whatsoever a man soweth,
that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh
shall of the flesh reap corruption. But he that soweth to the Spirit
shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. Be not deceived,
God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also
reap. For he that soweth to his flesh
shall of the flesh reap corruption, but he that soweth to the spirit
shall of the spirit reap life everlasting. Life everlasting. Everlasting. As I said last time,
As we approach the end of this epistle, we are, as it were,
climbing a mount. We're climbing to the heights.
Paul is bringing us, in these last two chapters, to some of
the most glorious truths in the Gospel. The liberty that we have
in Christ, the work of the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit, life everlasting, and it's glorying. Not in man, not in works, not
in his own deeds, but in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
by whom the world is crucified unto me, Paul says, and I unto
the world. These are familiar words to many.
Many will quote verse 14 that I've just read. But there's a
depth in here. There are riches in here that
few ever truly come to see. The glory that is in the cross
of our Lord Jesus Christ was something which Paul was given
to see with a clarity which few do. And if we ever come to see the glory
in the cross, and the totality of the work of Christ in the
cross, and the depth of the deliverance which it brings from this world,
and from the flesh, and from corruption, and the wonder that
it brings in in that spiritual life which is everlasting, and
the fruit which is brought forth by the Spirit from that life,
we ever see or experience any of this, it will be entirely
by the grace of God, entirely by the revelation of God, entirely
because God has shown us the poverty of our own natural state
in the flesh, the poverty of our own hearts, the utter inability
of ourselves to climb but one step towards God. And the absolute victory which
Christ wrought upon the cross when he delivered his people
from the flesh and brought them not up just one step or two,
10 or 100, but every step. to the very top of this mount,
and to the very entrance of heaven, and to the very throne of his
father in glory. Yes, we have heights here, the
approach to the summit of a mount. And few get here, few, whether
religious or irreligious, few reach these heights. Many speak
of them. Many have much to say about the
Bible. Many have much to say about Jesus
Christ. Without ever truly knowing Him.
And without ever truly knowing the experience of being crucified
with Him. And truly being delivered from
their selves and their own works and the flesh. Most are deceived. Religious, irreligious. Most are deceived. Most will
climb a mount unto God and unto everlasting life in their own
strength, by their own deeds, for their own glory. But Paul
says strongly, be not deceived. Be not deceived, God is not mocked. For whatsoever a man soweth,
that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh
shall of the flesh reap corruption. But he that soweth to the Spirit
shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. God is not mocked. You see, the thing about these
closing chapters in Galatians, is that not only has Paul set
before us in this epistle the doctrine and the truth that we
are not under law but under grace, but he begins to press home the
need for the reality of the experience of the fruit of that doctrine. That not only must we speak of
being born again of the Spirit, But that must be true. Not only
must we speak of walking in the Spirit, but that must be a reality
of which we are aware, a reality in which we are partakers, a
reality in which we have an experience, whereby we can say that we know
something of what it is to walk in the Spirit. We know something
of what it is to have the fruit of the Spirit wrought in us,
though we are achingly aware of our own sin as believers.
And though much that we look upon we despair at because we
stumble and fall in our flesh. We doubt so often, we grumble
so often, we lose our tempers, we act selfishly, we doubt, we
fear, troubles come and instead of seeking the Lord's help we
try to tackle them in our own strength. So often we fall and
we stumble and we're so aware of that. And yet despite this,
the true child of God, though he knows he's nothing, though
he knows every day that he has no strength, yet he can say,
nevertheless, nevertheless, I know. I know that my Redeemer liveth. I know it. I know that though
my hands and my deeds simply bring forth corruption by my
own strength, that though my understanding by nature is darkened,
that though I'm all confused so often and though I doubt so
easily, nevertheless I know that there is a Redeemer. I know that
Jesus Christ the Son of God came into this world as a man. I know
that he lived as a man and he came for the purpose of dying
in the place of sinners such as me. I know he came I know
he died. I know the wrath of God was poured
out upon him. I know he bore the sins of many. And God judged those sins in
him in purity and perfection. He judged them in pure justice. I know those sins were truly
blotted out and taken away. I know his blood was shed. I know that blood washes from
every sin. I know he died and was laid in
the grave. And I know that the grave had
no power on him. For I know that on the third
day he rose again victorious over sin, death and hell. I know it. And I know it because
God opened these blind eyes of mine to see. For one thing I
know, once I was blind, but now I see, and I see a Saviour crucified
for me. I know that not only did He die,
not only did He take away sins, not only did He rise again victorious,
but I know that He is the Redeemer who died for me. And I know He took my sins and
bore the wrath of God against my sins and blotted out my sins. And I know that having washed
away my sins in His own blood that He rose again. And I know
that my Saviour lives and reigns on high this day. And though
I walk through this world as a pilgrim, stumbling about, weak
and foolish. And though I still have the flesh
in me, that wars against the spirit, wars against that new
life within that God has wrought within me. and prevents me doing
the good that I would, and makes me do the evil that I would not. And though I feel so barren so
often, and so cold towards the things of God, and so doubting,
and though I turn away from Christ and His glory and turn to myself
so, so often, Yet I know that that Christ, my Redeemer, my
Saviour, still lives, still reigns, still sits on high in glory,
still rules over all, still accomplishes His will to perfection, and still
will bring all to pass that He purposed from everlasting. I
know the victory is not mine but his and I know that whatever
I may do that he will overrule and bring all to pass according
to his perfect will in the end. I know the battle is not mine
but his and I know the glory is not mine but his and I know
that the Spirit does indeed bring life, for He brought life to
me. And I know that my walk through
this world, though I so often sow to the flesh, yet I know
that my walk, when God brings the sound of the Gospel to my
ears, when He calls me again, when He leads me aright, is a
walk in the Spirit. And I know that there is fruit.
there is fruit, I know the Spirit brings forth fruit, I know that
whenever there is love that it's God that has wrought it, whenever
I have a feeling of joy in my salvation I know that God has
granted it. Whenever I look upon my sins,
and look guiltily upon them, and then look to the blood of
the cross and feel the peace of God sounding in my heart,
declaring unto me in power that those sins, the present sins,
the sins you will commit tomorrow have already been washed away
in this blood, I know that when I look there that I have peace,
peace with God. I know that when the Spirit sounds
the gospel in my ears that faith is kindled again, it's strengthened
and I can look up beyond this mortal veil, I can look up beyond
my troubles and in the darkest of despair, in the greatest of
tragedy, I can look beyond it. and say whatever may come to
pass, whatever men may say, whatever men may do unto me, whatever
tragedy may come my way, whatever realness, whatever sorrow, though
I suffer, though I'm suffering now, I can look up in faith unto
a Saviour who will bring me through with a perfect deliverance. Yes
there is fruit, And the believer knows there's fruit. And he knows
that he can't bring that fruit to grow. He doesn't bring it
forth, but he knows the spirit does. He knows there is life
in the spirit. And he knows that there is death
in the flesh. And he knows the difference between
sowing to the flesh and reaping corruption and sowing to the
spirit and reaping life everlasting. He knows because though in his
flesh in the natural man like all others he was deceived. And though he can be so easily
deceived in the flesh, nevertheless there came a time in his life
when the Spirit of God opened his eyes to see a saviour crucified
for him and opened his ears to hear the voice of that saviour
calling his name in particular to leave all and follow me. And the deception fell to one
side. and the revelation of righteousness
and of life in the gospel was made known unto him. We're all
deceived until God opens our eyes to see the truth. Be not
deceived. God is not mocked. He's not mocked. What's Paul getting at here?
The world mocks God. mocks God constantly. You need
but look at the papers, turn on a television set, listen to
a radio, listen to the man in the street talking and you will
hear God mocked every day, despised. You will hear the scholars pick
up the Bible and tell you that it's but myth. Something for
a bygone age. Something for those fools in
the medieval age who didn't have our great wisdom. Speak of a
Christ who rules this world in power. And they say, where is
he? I can't see him. I'm in charge. My own destiny's in my own hands. And they run out. and a tsunami
crushes them and takes thousands of them out of this world into
another. Their hands are not very good
at clinging on to life. Whatever the mouth may say. And
yet the world mocks. We know the world mocks. But
Paul says God is not mocked. Well of course man mocks God
now. because God allows him. God watches. He stands back and
allows mankind to indulge his lust and feed his own passions
and have his say. But there is an hour which comes
when every man's life draws to the conclusion and where what
those men and women have sowed their life long will then be
reaped And if their sowing and their mocking is in the flesh,
their reaping will be of destruction, corruption, everlasting death. But if they have sown by the
grace of God to the spirit, then by God's grace and forgiveness
and mercy alone, they shall reap life everlasting. So of course
men mock God, they try to, but in the end, God is not mocked. Not mocked by the carnal man.
Not mocked by the world. Not mocked by the godless. But
Paul's speaking of a little more than that here. He's speaking
in particular of that mocking of God, which the religious do. by putting on an appearance of
righteousness, an appearance of godliness, without the reality. As I said, we're scaling the
heights here. Paul's application of the truth
here is digging deep. You can speak of the gospel,
you can speak of Christ, you can speak of a new birth, But
have you got it? We can speak of the Spirit, but
is He ours? Nothing which we can do can,
as it were, fabricate this. Nothing we can do or say, however
good it appears before men, can do the work of the Spirit. Nothing
which we can do can bring forth the Spirit's fruit. Religious
men make a great show of their love. They have much to say of
their joy in salvation. They declare peace unto men. They put on an appearance of
goodness. They strive in boldness to declare
their belief in God. And many can do these things
and say these things in whom there is no true work of the
Spirit. You can read the Bible. You can be convinced of it in
a rational and an intellectual way. You can speak of there being
God because it seems reasonable that there is. You can seek to
approve yourself before him, to live right, that he might
be pleased with you in some manner. You can attain to great heights
in religion. Many do. Many are in churches
for many years. Many preach. Many preach in large
congregations and are revered by many people. They write their
books. All men speak well of them. And
in the end, they have never known the work of the Spirit within.
For all their talk, it's absent. For all their talk, they're deceived. And Paul warns these, be not
deceived, God is not mocked. Where are you sowing? Are you
truly sowing to the spirit or are you sowing to the flesh?
Is your religion merely in the flesh, merely outward, in your
own strength, in your own intellect? I have known personally individuals
who have gone on for many years as professed believers, as professed
believers in sovereign grace, some who have listened to preachers
whom I'd commend, some who will debate and discuss doctrine,
even the doctrine that Paul sets forth here in Galatians, who
in the end have fallen away, who in the end have turned back,
influenced by the day and age in which we live and to a rationalizing
the way of God and a saying that all that they thought before
was merely in their head and they've turned aside. It
is startling how far people can go in the flesh and it is sobering
It's sobering. It's something for us all to
take on board and all to look within and say, is what I know
merely in my head, intellect? Is it merely man's persuasion? Or is it in reality that God
took me as one persuaded against him, as one hardened against
him? And he showed me what I was.
And he took me to the cross, and he shone the light of Christ's
glory within my dark and evil heart. And he did what I could
never do. He rent my hard heart, the surface
of my heart in two that the light might shine in. He touched my
blind eyes with his fingers, he anointed them, and I opened
them and they saw. He touched my ears and they heard. He touched my legs and lifted
my hand and lifted me to my feet. And I not only walked when once
I was lame, but I ran and jumped for joy. Can you say in a reality
that the work that you experience within is of God? That He did it. And if He didn't
do it, you'd be yet in your sins and you know it. that it must
be of God, for everything you were doing fell short, and everything
you were doing was failure, and rebellion, and hardness of heart,
and everything you were doing was to your praise and your glory. If you can, if you can say that,
then you will know what Paul means here. about walking in
the Spirit, about reaping life everlasting. You will know what
he means in verse two about bearing one another's burdens and fulfilling,
not the law of Moses, but the law of Christ. You will know
what he means when he says, if a man think himself to be something
when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. For you've come to see
that you are nothing, And that Christ is everything. And whereas
once you were deceived, now you see. Yes, this chapter comes
as a knife. And it cuts between that which
is in the flesh and that which is in the spirit. It severs the
two apart. It finds us out in reality. And it divides. What we can call
carnal religion, earthly Christianity. That which is just in the head,
from that which comes down from glory on high. That which is
from Mount Sinai as it were, and that which is from Mount
Zion, from Jerusalem above. It separates the two. And that's
what is needed. A true separation between what
is real and of God and what is false and of man. Because man can say so many things
and sound so right when what is really needful is that the
work of God within has truly been wrought. Paul has dealt
with the subject of the law of God in Galatians. Of deliverance
from the law. Of the grace of God in salvation. And men debate this and argue
about this to this day. But you'll never see the distinction. And you'll never really know
what it is to walk in the grace of God. And what it is to be
delivered from the law. And what Paul is speaking of.
unless you are in the Spirit. And that is really what matters.
Those who were tied up in legal religion of one form or another,
in a mixing of law and grace, in a turning aside from the faith
of Jesus Christ unto the works of man, in a turning aside from
the grace of God unto law, those who are really caught up in this,
for all they say, the reason, is that the Spirit of God has
never truly delivered them from the captivity in which they were
born. Paul begins chapter 6 like this,
Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual,
restore such an one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself,
lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens,
and so fulfil the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to
be something when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let
every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing
in himself alone and not in another. For every man shall bear his
own burden. Let him that is taught in the
word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.
Be not deceived. God is not mocked. For whatsoever
a man soweth, that shall he also reap. the central point of these
opening verses is the true unadulterated, unfeigned, not put on love of
the believer for one another and for their Lord it's the bearing
of one another's burdens freely which fulfills the law of Christ
it's the recognising that we ourselves are nothing and He
is everything that shows what we are. Paul exhorts the pairers
to restore those that fall in the spirit of meekness not to
condemn but to be meek and to be loving knowing that they are
just as weak. He exhorts them to bear each
other's burdens not to continue mindful of their own all the
time. not to walk purely centered on their own walk and their own
righteousness. Those who have much to say about
the law, think much of themselves. Those who have much to say of
Jesus Christ, think much of one another. In this, each man's work is proven. in their love for each other,
in their love for those who serve in the church, who teach in the
church, in their love for Christ, in their love as one person,
they demonstrate the reality of that fruit being brought forth
amongst them by the Spirit. And where this is absent, where
they have sought to live and to do these things in the flesh, it becomes very evident. For
the flesh cannot mimic however hard it strives. The flesh simply
reaps corruption. When men strive to live righteously
by their own efforts, they can't contain the sin that bubbles
up within. They try to be loving to their
neighbor, straight away someone else does something that crosses
their path and the anger comes up. They seek to pray for hours. Someone in need comes asking
for help. And irritatedly and frustratedly,
they grudgingly try to help. And yet all the time, all their
deeds and all their efforts are in their own strength. And nothing
flows from the life of God within. It's corruption. They follow
the law, the law of Moses, but they never ever attain to it.
Their focus is upon their own burdens, their own walks, their
own standing before God, to the neglect of their brethren, whom
they look upon in judgment and condemnation. But the gospel
produces this in the hearts of God's people, a love for one
another, are bearing one another's burdens, are lifting up of one
another, and exhorting one another, are correcting and reproving,
but are correcting and reproving to lead unto Christ and to His
glory, are looking out for the Brethren. And this fulfills the
law of Christ. The law of Christ. Why does Paul
speak of the law of Christ here? And what is the law of Christ?
What I tell you, many will tell you that the law of Christ is
the Ten Commandments. God gave the law, Christ is God, the law
is Christ's, the Ten Commandments are Christ's, the law of Christ
is the Ten Commandments. Simple. But Paul doesn't spend five chapters
telling you that you're delivered from that law, to then tell you
that the law of Christ is that law and that's what we should
be fulfilling. The law of Christ is something in contrast to that
law. And Paul uses this phrase deliberately
to contrast the character and quality of life which is in Christ
by his spirit. And the outworking of that life
in his people which bears one another's burdens, with that
law of Moses which many turn to, which only brings them under
condemnation. The law of Christ is that love
that comes from God above, pure love, selfless love, a love in
complete contrast to the love which men speak of. It seeks
not its own end in any way, it seeks the ends of others. Seeks the help, the aid, the
glory of others. It bears one another's burdens.
It's self-denying. Whereas those who go to Moses'
law always end up boosting their own pride and their own glory. But this law is self-denying.
It's named the Law of Christ because obviously Christ is the
one in whom it is exemplified. His life on this earth was lived
for others. His death was died for others. Throughout his lifetime he bore
others' burdens. He sought the good of others,
he healed the sick, made the blind to see. He led the people
to His Father. He taught them the wonders of
the Gospel. He made known the truth unto
them. He revealed the Father to His
people. He bore the burdens of others. And at the cross, when wicked
men took Him and nailed Him to that tree, and when darkness
came upon the face of the earth, As God laid upon him the sins
of all his people, and as God judged those sins in his only
beloved Son, Christ carried that burden that none other could
bear. The burden of the sins of all
his own. Every one, every sin, and every
judgment of God against those sins. And he did it in love. for others. This is his law,
the principle by which Christ lived, the law of Christ. The gospel itself is referred
to as a law, a principle, in various ways, in various places,
the law of faith, the law of the spirit of life in Christ
Jesus, the law of liberty, and here the law of Christ. the gospel,
the love which the gospel brings forth in the hearts of God's
people that causes them to bear the burdens of others. There's
only one way in which we may fulfill this law of Christ, and
that's if we walk in the footsteps of Christ, with the life of Christ
in the spirit of God. which conveys that life from
God to His people. We can only fulfil this law when
we are in Christ, when we walk in Christ, when we look to Christ,
when we rejoice in Christ, when we dwell in Christ, when we think
of Christ, when we commune with Christ, when we're one with Christ,
when we dwell not on ourselves but on Him and His grace, when
we sow not to the flesh and to our things but to the Spirit
and his things. One way. What you sow, you reap. What you sow, you reap. In the garden of Eden, at the
dawn of time, when the first man and the first woman walked
upon this earth, God planted a garden in the east of Eden. planted that garden and in it
there were many trees, all of which, from which the man and
his wife could eat, except for one tree in which they were commanded
not to eat of. There were two particular named
trees in that garden, one called the tree of life, and one called
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Both trees brought
forth fruit. and the tree from which the woman
in disobedience, followed by the man who she led in the deception,
ate of, in disobedience to the command of God, the tree from
which they ate, that tree of the knowledge of good and evil,
slew them. Its fruit brought death. Death. As we've said in the past, that
tree, it being the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is
typical, is representative of the law. The law teaches good
and evil, right and wrong. And when you go to the law and
eat of it, its fruit brings death, it slays you, it condemns you.
But when you eat of the tree of life, you have life everlasting
in Jesus Christ. There's an entirely different
fruit. An entirely different fruit. There's a sowing. A sowing which
brings forth trees. A sowing which brings forth fruit.
This is typified by these two trees at the beginning. This
continues in its theme throughout the scriptures and is picked
up on by Paul here when he speaks of the flesh and so into the
flesh and the spirit and so into the spirit. There is that which
you reap of the flesh, that fruit which brings corruption. And
there is that which you reap of the spirit, that fruit which
brings life everlasting. Of which tree are you eating?
And what are you sowing? If you would bring forth fruit
unto God, Paul says clearly elsewhere that we must be dead unto the
law to bring forth fruit unto God. It's one or the other. If you're alive unto the law
and to your works, then you seek to bring forth fruit by that
law. and that fruit will condemn you. But if you die to the law
in totality, then and only then will you bring forth fruit unto
God. Then and only then. You must be dead to the law to
bring forth fruit unto God. And only those whom God knows
whom he has brought to life by his spirit, whom he has delivered
through Christ upon the cross by his grace through Christ's
death. Only those are dead to the law. Everyone else is simply stumbling
about seeking to improve themselves by their own efforts. Efforts
which in God's eyes are nothing but the filthy rags of their
own self-righteousness. They appear good on the outside. They appear white on the outside,
like the whited sepulchres, which the Pharisees were like. White
on the outside, but underneath, in the grave, under the sepulchre,
is stinking, rotting flesh. How do you appear on the outside? Do you put on a fair show in
the flesh of religion, when inside the heart stinks? Are you so
into that flesh? Or are you so into the spirit?
In Matthew 7 Christ says, Every tree that a good tree cannot
bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth
good fruit. Every tree that bring if not
forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. Wherefore
by their fruits you shall know them. How may we discern between
true prophets and false by their fruit? How shall we discern between
the believer and the professor by their fruit? Not by the outward
appearance, but by that which flows forth from the heart. Be
not deceived. God is not mocked. Don't deceive yourself. Don't
think you're right when inside you're wrong. Don't think you're
walking well when inside there's but darkness. Either you're bringing
forth this fruit of the Spirit or you're not. Either you're
so into the Spirit or you're so into the flesh. Others may look on and may not
be able to tell. But God knows. God is not mocked. He sees the heart. He's the only
one who can see the heart and He's the only one whose opinion
truly matters. What you are before Him is what
matters. Living a life in this world where
all men speak well of us and how moral and upright we are. And finally going into everlasting
destruction because the root of the matter was never in us.
Because God had never done a work of grace in our hearts. Because
there was never the spirit of life in our hearts. It's terrible. It's worthless. Better for all men to speak ill
of us now. Better for all to look on and
say, cause themselves a Christian and look how often they fall
and stumble. Look how worried they get. Look
how fearful they are. They're up one day and down the
next. Better to be there, but to be
able to say I'm nothing. Lord I believe, help thou mine
unbelief. I am nothing but Christ is all
better to be there and into glory resting in his works alone and
knowing that our works are worthless and to go into glory confident
of our salvation mighty in faith proud of our religion sure of
ourselves only to hear those terrible words which Christ has
recorded in Matthew 7, a little further on if we got to them.
Where he says unto this people, not everyone that saith unto
me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. But he
that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven, many will
say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied
in thy name? And in thy name have cast out
devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works. And then
when I profess unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, ye
that work iniquity. What a terrible pronouncement
to hear in the end. To think we're right with God
when all is in the flesh and never to have that work of the
Spirit within. Has he opened our eyes to see?
Most the religion however it appears is merely a sowing to
this flesh it's outward it appears good like the fruit in the garden
of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil it appeared
good to the taste that's why Adam and Eve were deceived they
saw it they didn't understand what was wrong with it it appeared
good but it was deadly it appeared good And most of religion, much
of what we see appears good, people put on a good show. But
behind it, there's a meanness, a judgementalness, a proudness,
a condemnation. It's deadly. In their hearts,
they know not God. They will not admit it. But inside,
they know not God. They want others to think they
do. They deceive themselves perhaps, but really they know their communion
with God is not there. They don't truly pray daily. They don't have the experience
of his hand upon them, his comforting word, his union with them. That's
foreign to them. Everything's external. They're
stubborn. They know it all. They know all
the doctrine, all the truth. They of all men will enter glory. They of all men see. And yet
they're blind. Yet they're blind. They eat of
a tree. They sow. They reap fruit. But it's the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil. And it's the sowing to the flesh. And it's
a reaping corruption. Whereas there was another tree
in the garden, another tree, with a different fruit. A much
neglected tree. The tree that the man and the
woman forgot about. The tree that to our knowledge
they never ate of in that time in the garden. For if they'd
eaten of it, they'd have eaten of Christ and had life everlasting. And they'd have never been slain
by that tree of which they did eat. They neglected it. and most people neglect this
tree to this day and it's still there not in the garden on earth
but it's there in the glory a tree of life and it's made known its
fruit is preached throughout this earth wherever the gospel
of Christ is made known a voice is sounded saying come eat of
this tree and when you eat you will have life everlasting There's
another tree, a neglected tree with few finds, but whose fruit
is everlasting life, and whose fruit will never be taken away
from those who eat. Have you found it? Have you been
to this tree? Have you taken off the fruit
and eaten? Has God led you up the mount
to where this tree is? I said at the beginning we're
scaling a mount here. Or in the heights, in the summit,
has God led you up this mount? Has he brought you to the top?
Has he shown you that tree at the top of this mount or are
you still trying to climb another mount? At the top of that mount
have you seen that tree with a saviour nailed upon it? crucified upon a tree, a tree
from which flows everlasting life. Have you beheld Jesus Christ
the Son of God? crucified upon that tree for
sinners, slain for sinners, slain to take away their sin, to take
away the condemnation, to take away the death, and to bring
in everlasting life freely by grace. Have you beheld him on
the tree, that tree from which flows everlasting life? Have
you? Was He crucified there for you? Were you crucified there in Him? Have you tasted of the fruit
of this tree? For if you taste of the fruit
of this tree, and if you sow to the Spirit which makes known
the fruit of this tree, then of this tree and of the Spirit,
you will reap life everlasting life everlasting praise god