I don't remember that ever being
sung as a special. I love that hymn. That was a blessing. Andy
Davis had surgery Monday and he's having some trouble. I mean, he'll be okay, I think,
but everybody remember him. He had his bowel resected because
of that Crohn's disease. Back to Galatians chapter two. Paul says in verse 5, To whom we gave place by subjection,
know not for an hour that the truth of the gospel might continue
with you. The implication being that if
we had caved in to their wishes, the truth of the gospel would
not have continued. That's a very sobering thought,
isn't it? I've entitled this message,
The Truth of the Gospel Continuing. The theme of the book of Galatians
is the recovery of the gospel. The Galatians were in the process
of leaving the gospel. They were in the process of losing
the gospel. Look at verse 6 of chapter 1. Paul says, I marvel that you're
so soon removed from him that called you unto the grace of
Christ unto another gospel. Now, these are churches in Galatia
that Paul had been very instrumental in, and he knew these people,
and he loved them, and he preached to them many times, and he'd
seen them drifting away. He says concerning this other
gospel, which is not another, but there be some that trouble
you and would pervert the gospel of Christ. Now, they had heard
perversions of the gospel, and they were believing them. The devil, Satan, is always at
work. Look in Galatians chapter 3 verse
1. O foolish Galatians, who hath
bewitched you that you should not obey the truth? They had
been bewitched. Who bewitched you that you should
not obey the truth? Look in chapter 4, verse 9. But now, after that you've known
God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak
and beggarly elements wherein to you desire to be in bondage?
You observe days and months and times and years. I'm afraid of
you, lest I bestowed upon you labor in vain. Look down in verse
15. He says, Where is then the blessedness
you speak of? For I bear you record that if
it had been possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes
and given them to me. Am I therefore become your enemy
because I tell you the truth? They, these Men bringing in this
other gospel, they zealously affect you. You're affected by
what they say, but not well, yea, they would exclude you that
you might affect them. That's good to be zealously affected,
always in a good thing, not only when I'm present with you. My
little children of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be
formed in you, our desire to be present with you now and to
change my voice, for I stand in doubt of you." Now that's
what he said to these people that he preached to so many times. Look in chapter 5 verses 7 and
8. He said, you did run well, who
did hinder you that you should not obey the truth? Look in verse 12 of chapter 6.
As many as desire to make a fair show in the flesh, they constrain
you to be circumcised only unless 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 in your flesh. Now, this entire message of this
epistle is summarized in verses three through five of Galatians
chapter two. If you want to know what this epistle is all about. As these people are removing
from the gospel, it breaks Paul's heart to see it. Now, let's read verses three
through five again, chapter two. But neither Titus, who was with
me being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. We weren't
going to give in to this. And that because of false brethren,
unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty,
which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into
bondage. They didn't want us to have the
liberty that's in Christ Jesus. They desired to bring us into
bondage, to whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an
hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. Now Paul says, if I would have
compromised and have been pressured to allow Titus to be circumcised,
the truth of the gospel would not have continued. Now that's
a sobering and a scary thought. The truth of the gospel would
not have continued. It would have left and you'd
no longer have it. Now, I'm thankful to say that
we believe in the eternal security of God's elect. Our Lord said
regarding them, I give unto them eternal life, not temporary life,
but eternal life, and they shall never perish. Every believer
has been justified. That means I stand before the
holy law of God without a shred of sin. I've been redeemed. I've been sanctified. I've been
glorified. And to suggest that a believer,
a true believer could lose their salvation is to deny the very
foundation of the gospel, grace. If I can lose my salvation, that
means there's something I could do to lose it. And if there's
something I could do to lose it, that means it's me keeping
it. And that would mean salvation is not all of grace. Aren't you
thankful for the eternal security of every one of God's people?
I can't fall away because salvation is by grace. Now, if salvation
was by works in any way, in any measure, to any degree, I would
fall away. I have no question about that.
But because salvation's in Christ, every believer is secure. The truth of the gospel can leave. It can fail to continue. It can
leave an individual. It can leave a church. You remember
when Christ warned the church of Ephesus who had left their
first love, and the church at Ephesus was made of individuals
like me and you. He said, you've left your first
love, and he warned them about removing his candlestick where
the organization would still be there, but he was not there.
You think of what he said to the church of Sardis. He said,
you have a name that you live. You're living in the past. You've
got a name that you live, but you're dead. He said to the church
of the Laodiceans, he said, I'm going to spew you out of my mouth
because of your lukewarmness. Now that's what he said to individual
people who confess to be believers. You know, it's always good to
go back and read those letters of Christ to the churches in
Revelation, in Revelation 2 and 3. But the point is, he did leave
those places. They were gospel churches where
the gospel of God's grace was preached. Where are they now?
They're gone. You know, a local church never
continues. It never continues. If the Lord
doesn't come back first, this church, at some time, will go
bad. horrible thing to think about,
but it's so. It's so. You know, if a church did continue
all the way, boy, can you imagine how they glorify that church
and worship that church? And this is the place, you know?
But every church, every church, this one included, at some point
will go bad. There's never been a local church
to continue sound in the faith. The gospel did not continue. Now, churches that Paul was writing
to, the churches of Galatia, where are they today? They did
not continue. Now, let's look at verse 3 once
again. Here's what the issue was, and
this is the issue of the entire book of Galatians, verse 3. But neither Titus, who was with
me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. Now this is
a reference to what had taken place in Acts chapter 15 where
these men came in saying, true salvation is by faith, salvation
is by grace, salvation is by Christ. We're not denying any
of this, but it's also necessary for believers to be circumcised
and to keep the law of Moses. Not just to know what it is,
but to keep it. Let me show you that in Acts
chapter 15. Verse 1. And certain men came
down from Judea, the church at Jerusalem, and taught the brethren
and said, except you be circumcised after the manner of Moses, you
can't be saved. Verse 5. Paul is rehearsing what took
place. But there rose up certain of the sect, the heresy of the
Pharisees, which believed. They believed something. You
know, the devils believed, too. Scripture says that. The devils
believed in Trimble. They believed something, but
they didn't believe the gospel. There rose up certain of the
sect of the Pharisees, which believed, saying that it was
needful to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law
of Moses. And they were seeking to compel,
to constrain, to force, to pressure Titus to be circumcised. Titus
was a Gentile. He'd never been circumcised.
And they were putting the pressure on, you need to be circumcised. You need to keep the law of Moses. And that's the way false religion
always works. You know, I already read that
scripture in Galatians 6, but turn back there again. He says, as many as desire to
make a fair show in the flesh. They constrain you to be circumcised
only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of
Christ, Galatians 6.12. The reason they command your
circumcision is because if they didn't, if they preached the
gospel of grace, they'd suffer persecution and they don't want
to have anything to do with that. Verse 13, for neither they themselves
who are circumcised keep the law. They say, you need to keep
the law. They don't. It's pure hypocrisy. They don't keep the law, but
they want to have you circumcised that they may glory in your flesh.
See how positively I've influenced that person, and I've got them
to keep the law. All it is is a fair show in the flesh, and
that is what is behind human religion. What does Paul say
in verse four of Galatians chapter two? These people were compelling
Titus to be circumcised. They said, you need to be circumcised,
verse four, and that because of false brethren. Unawares brought in who came
in privily. to spy out our liberty, which
we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage. Now, Paul calls these men false
brethren. They came in under the guise
of being brothers. I can just hear him saying, Brother
Todd, here's what you need. You need to keep the law. Now,
I know Christ is all in salvation, but here's what you need, Brother
Todd. You need to keep the law. Yes, it's true salvation is by
grace. Salvation is in Christ. But shouldn't you keep the law?
That's God's holy law. That's God's commandments. Ought
you not try to keep the law? Shouldn't that be your rule of
life? Shouldn't you be circumcised? You ought not steal. You ought
not kill. You ought not covet. You ought not bear false witness.
I mean, that just makes sense. Believers ought to be under the
law. The law is our rule of life. The law is how we should live.
Would you deny that? Would you say it's okay to break
the law? Would you say it's okay to sin against the law? Surely
it's a good thing to have the law as your rule of life and
your standard of conduct. Surely that just makes sense.
You ought to believe that. That's what they came in saying. And Paul calls them false brethren. Now, what is the first warning
the Lord gives us after he tells us to enter in at the straight
gate? Anybody know? Beware of false prophets. First thing he says. Turn with me for a moment to
Acts chapter 20. Verse 28, take heed therefore
unto yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost
hath made you overseers to feed the church of God, which he hath
purchased with his own blood. For I know this. that after my
departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing
the flock. Also of your own selves shall
men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples
after them. Therefore watch and remember
that by the space of three years I cease not to warn everyone,
night and day, with tears." This is something that he spoke of
non-stop, this warning against these false prophets. Peter said,
but there were false prophets among the people, as there shall
be false teachers among you who privilege shall bring in damnable
heresies. Now is this paranoia? Is this drama? Or is this a needful
warning? Paul called these same men in
Acts chapter 15, verse 5, the sect of the Pharisees which believed. And that word sect is the word
that's generally translated heresy. It means choosing an opinion.
I said this in a message not that long ago. If you choose
to believe, you're a heretic. Faith is not a choice on your
part. You don't choose to believe.
Now, you choose to believe error, but you don't choose to believe
the truth. You believe the truth because it's the truth. That's
why. And he called these men the sect,
the heresy of the Pharisees which believed. And notice it says
they were brought in unawares in our text. Verse 4, and that
because of false brethren, unawares brought in. Who brought them
in? Well, ultimately it's the devil.
Sowing tares among the wheat. And he's always at work, especially
where the gospel is preached. Look back a few pages into 2
Corinthians chapter 11. Verse 13. For such are false apostles. deceitful workers. Although they're workers all
right, but they're deceitful. Transforming themselves into
the apostles of Christ. And no marvel, for Satan himself
is transformed into an angel of light. He'll make your night
look just like day. Therefore, it's no great thing
if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness. whose end shall be according
to their works. Now what were these false brethren
implanted by the devil doing? What was their mission in these
churches in Galatia? They were denying faith alone. That's it. Now, don't think that
this is not a needful warning to me and you all the time. They were denying faith alone. You must believe, but you must
also be circumcised. You must keep the law of Moses.
If you don't do that, it's not real faith. After all, faith
without works is dead. Being alone, James said that.
you need to keep the law of Moses. In saying that, they denied justification
by faith." Now what does that mean? It's a biblical term, justification
by faith. We conclude that man is justified
by faith without the deeds of the law. What does that term
mean, justification by faith? Well, let me tell you what it
does not mean, and this is very important to bring this out.
It's not justification as a reward or a response to faith. That's salvation by works. That's
salvation by works just as much as trying to keep the Ten Commandments
in order to be saved. If justification is given to
you in response to your faith, that would be salvation by works. That's all that is. That's not
what justification by faith means. Romans 3.28 says we conclude
that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
Justification by faith is believing justification accomplished entirely
by Christ without anything to do with anything that I've done. Do you believe that? Do you rejoice in it? Is it gospel
to you? Is it good news to you? Romans 4.25 says, He was delivered
for our offenses and raised again for our justification or because
of our justification. You see, justification was accomplished
completely and entirely outside of anything that I do or will
do or doesn't have anything to do with me. It's what the great
judge declares me to be because of what Christ did for me. Justification is by grace. Justification
comes to me through the blood of Christ. He made it to where
I don't have any sin to be condemned for. Therefore, I'm justified.
Justification is by faith. We rely on Him being everything
in justification. Now, these false brethren denied
that something else is needed than what Christ did only. What they were doing in reality
was mixing the two covenants. And beloved, that cannot be done. They're mutually exclusive. You
can't mix law and grace. To do so is to destroy the meaning
of both of them. But shouldn't we try to keep
the law? When you think of the Ten Commandments, shouldn't we
try to keep the law? We ought to try to not lie. We ought to
try to not steal. We ought to be sexually pure.
We ought not covet. We ought to tell the truth. Shouldn't
we try to keep the law? Isn't that our rule of life?
Yes, salvation is in Christ. I realize that, but shouldn't
we model our lives after the law of God? How could that possibly
be wrong? I love God's law, and I don't want to see him.
and I don't want to want to sin. I love God's law, but let's go
with the language of Scripture. That may seem right, what I said,
but the Scripture says, as many as are of the works of the law
are under the curse. That's what the Bible says. Whatsoever
is not of faith is sin. The law is not of faith, the
Scripture says. The only way I honor God's law
is by looking to Christ only. And anything else is dishonoring
to God's law. I show I don't really respect
it. I don't really see how holy and glorious the law is, if I
even think I can try to keep it. Listen to me. Trying to keep it doesn't get
it. All trying to keep it is disobedience. The only way I
honor the holy law of God, and I do. I love God's law. I delight
in the law of God after the inner man. And I love the commandments
of God. I love everything about God's
law in that sense. I love God's law. And the only
way, the only way I honor the law of God is by looking to Christ. That's it. And I can have people telling
me, well, you need to keep the law. You keep it. Okay, if you're
going to talk that way. It's kind of like Dwayne read
in the back about where the Lord said, you know, you ought to
cut your hand off or pluck out your eyes or cut off your feet
if they cause you to offend, if they cause you problems and
everything. And I've heard somebody say, you know, that's how bad
sin is. He meant that literally. And
my thought is, okay, you first. You first go ahead and do it,
I'll follow you. You pluck your eye out, you do it first. And
then I believe it's literal. The law of God, you and I have
not kept one commandment one time, but our Redeemer kept it
for us. I was in him and he kept the
law. I was in him when he kept the
law, I kept the law. I don't try to keep the law,
I've kept it. And I love God's holy law, and
I love justification by Christ. Romans 6 14 says sin shall not
have dominion over you. For this one reason, you're not
under the law, but under grace. Do we make void the law through
faith? God forbid. Yea, we establish the law. Now, these fellows came in privily
as spies. Their actions were covert. They had an agenda that they
were hiding. Now, understand this, there's
no place for stealth in the church, is there? There's no place for
hidden agendas. Lie not one to another. You know
what that means more than anything? It doesn't mean just don't tell
lies, but don't pretend to be what you're not. Don't try to
be this super Christian and try to make, you know, where people
are intimidated by you. Be honest. I'm a sinner saved by grace.
My only completion is in Christ. Now that's what that means. But
these fellows came in by stealth, trying to cover under the name
of Brother their agenda. They wanted to spy out our liberty. That word is literally freedom. They wanted to spy out our freedom. They can't stand freedom. Freedom scares them to death.
Why? If I believed that way, I'd sin
without restraint. Oh, they can't stand freedom
and they want to bring us into bondage. Now turn with me for
a moment to John chapter 8. Verse 31, Then said Jesus to
those Jews which believed on him, If you continue in my words,
Then are you my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make you free." Now, remember, it's not
your knowledge of the truth that makes you free. It's the truth
himself. You see, your knowledge of the
truth is always going to be mixed up with other stuff that comes
from your flesh. It will. I mean, we have something. That
fellow that prayed, Lord, I believe, help thou mine unbelief. I do
believe, and I've always got unbelief because I've got this
thing called the flesh. And it's not my knowledge of the truth
that sets me free, because as soon as I think it does, something
else will happen that will have me spin in some other direction.
It's not my knowledge of the truth that makes me free. It's
the truth himself who makes me free. The Lord Jesus Christ is
the truth. Aren't you thankful for that?
It's not my knowledge. It's Christ himself. Let's go
on reading. And you shall know the truth. Don't anybody say,
well, it doesn't matter what you know. No, you'll know the
truth. You'll know the truth. You'll know me. You'll know the
truth. You'll know the truth about how God saves sinners. and the
truth shall make you free. They answered him, we be Abraham's
seed, and we're never in bondage to any man. How sayest thou you
shall be made free? You know, they had Roman soldiers
march around while they said that. They were in bondage to
Rome even at that time, and yet they make this grandiose statement
that wasn't true at all. Jesus answered them, verily,
verily, I say unto you, whosoever committeth sin is the servant,
is the slave of sin. and the servant abideth not in
the house forever. He's kicked out, but the son
abideth forever. The son's not kicked out. If
the son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed
in reality. Now the only freedom that I know
anything about is this. All that God requires of me,
he looks to his son for. The only freedom I know anything
about is this. It is finished. There is nothing for me to do. In Him dwells all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete. You lack nothing. You're perfect in Christ Jesus,
in Him. By grace are you saved. Colossians
3, 11 says Christ is all, in all. Christ is all my salvation. He's all. I wish I could say
that the way it ought to be said. He's all. You know what that
makes me and my works? Nothing. Nothing. Christ is all. Hebrews 10, 14 says, He hath
perfected forever them that are sanctified. He was manifested
to take away our sins. And in Him is no sin. If I'm
in Him, I have no sin. I'm free. I don't have anything
to feel guilty about. You know, this is an amazing concept, but
I feel guilty 100% of the time, and I don't have anything to
feel guilty about. That's mysterious, isn't it?
It's the truth. In Him is no sin. He was manifested
to take away our sins and He did it. In Him is no sin. As
He is, so are we in this world right now. Now, do you find freedom
in that? The work of Christ in your behalf. If anything is left
undone by Christ, if there is anything I must do to make what
Christ did work for me, if anything is required on my part I have no hope. And I'm brought back into bondage.
If you tell me I can't be saved unless I do this or I stop doing
that, there's no hope for me. But if you tell me by grace,
ye are saved, you know what I want to do? I want to give myself
locked, stock and barrel to him to be his only. I want to deny myself, lose my
life for his sake, take up my cross and follow the Lord Jesus
Christ. Grace. Now you listen to me very
carefully. Grace never leaves one okay with
sin. Salvation is by grace. I can
sin without restraint. No believer ever used grace as
an excuse for sin. That never happened. He cries
for grace to cause him to not be under the dominion of sin.
Oh Lord, deliver me from myself, from my sin. Grace makes him
hate himself. Oh to grace, how great a debtor
daily I'm constrained to be. That's what grace does to a believer.
Now look in verse five of our text in Galatians chapter two. These works mongers, I think it's interesting
how we go on later on in the book of Galatians, and Paul says
regarding these men who were trying to influence people to
be circumcised, he said, I wish they were cut off, emasculated. I mean, that's strong language.
I would that they were even cut off, which trouble you. They
want you to be circumcised. That's Paul speaking under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit. But that's strong language, isn't
it? He says, regarding these men who came out, who privileged
came to spy out our liberty, which we have in Christ Jesus,
that they might bring us into bondage. Any work at all, beloved,
is bondage. It's bondage. Now, how did Paul
react to this? To whom we gave place by subjection? No, not for an hour. That the
truth of the gospel might continue with you. We refuse to obey,
to subject ourselves to that bondage, free from the law, oh
happy condition. Jesus has died and there is remission. Cursed by the law and slain by
the fall, Christ hath redeemed us once for all. Now, what would
have happened if Paul would have went ahead? You know sometimes
you get tired of conflict, you get tired of the tension that
goes on with conflict, and you feel like you just give in. I
mean, what if Paul would have done that? He was capable, just
like me and you are. Every one of us are capable right
now of compromising the gospel. Peter did it, didn't he? You
go on reading in this chapter, and he compromised the gospel,
and Paul had to publicly reprimand him. I believe in Acts chapter
21, Paul compromised the gospel. Remember when he agreed to take
the vow of a Nazarite in order to keep James and those fellows
from the church of Jerusalem happy? And included in that vow,
there would have been a blood sacrifice, but at the end of
seven days. And before the seven days were
ended, the Lord in his providence had Paul arrested, so Paul couldn't
do that. You know, don't you want the
Lord to do that to you, to prevent you from compromising his gospel?
He prevented Paul from doing it. But at this time, Peter compromised
the gospel. And Paul said, I reprimanded
him that the truth of the gospel might remain, that it might be
there. He was not walking uprightly according to the truth of the
gospel. Now, if Paul would have compromised and went ahead and
let Titus, he circumcised, the truth of the gospel would not
have remained. Now I want to close just with this phrase,
the truth of the gospel. The gospel means good news. What I've been talking about,
justification by Christ, justification without your works, being complete
in Christ, It is finished. There's nothing for me to do
but rest. Is that good news? Or is that
doctrine you agree with? Yeah, I see the Bible teaches
that. Oh, beware of hearing the gospel when it's not good news,
but something you agree with. That's no way to hear the gospel.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like
me. I once was lost but now I'm found,
was blind but now I see. Oh, may I always hear the gospel
as gospel. I want to hear the gospel every
time I hear it like it's the first time I've ever heard it.
Now, only the Lord can enable me to do that, but beware of
just, hey, I agree with that. I see the scripture teaches that.
That's not the way to hear the gospel. You hear it as good news. He speaks of the truth of the
gospel. You know, the gospel gives us
the truth concerning who God is, who we are. And now he says,
all of God's attributes are demonstrated in Christ being fastened by nails
to that cross. Every attribute of God is fully
displayed in the gospel. The true character of me and
you is displayed in the gospel. When you see Christ nailed to
the cross, that's what you and I would do. Don't look within
your heart to find out how bad you are. You can think of all
the wicked and evil things that go through your heart. They're
bad enough and it's really worse than you think. I can assure you that.
But still, that doesn't really tell the truth about you. The
cross does. If you want to know what you're
like, look at the cross and that'll tell you. But thank God we find
the truth of salvation. Simeon said, now let us thou
thy servant depart in peace. I'm ready to die, for mine eyes
have seen thy salvation. Now when he saw God's salvation,
he didn't see anything going on here, did he? He saw God's
salvation in that one, the Lord Jesus Christ. That's gospel. That's good news. Now, Lord, let the truth of the gospel continue
for Christ's sake in here, in here. I don't want to presume. May God cause the gospel to continue. And you know how it will continue?
Through me and you believing it, believing the gospel, relying
on the Lord Jesus Christ. So you can see in those little
three verses, that's pretty much a summary of what this whole
book is about. That doesn't mean I'm going to
quit preaching on it. We're going to continue working our way through the book
of Galatians, but oh, that the truth of the gospel would continue
with us. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you for the
gospel of your grace, for the gospel that tells us that all
you require of us we have in thy son and that we're complete
in him, that there's nothing for us to do to make what he
did work, but that he did it all. And Lord, we rejoice in
him. Now, Lord, bless this message
for your glory and for our good. And Lord, we ask in Christ's
name that the truth of the gospel might continue. Lord, deliver us from compromising
your gospel because, Lord, our only hope is in your gospel.
Enable us to be faithful to the truth. faithful to believe the
truth. Oh, Lord, may the truth save
us. And, Lord, we ask for grace to adorn the truth in all ways
for Christ's sake. In His name we pray. Amen.