Now, Galatians chapter 5, and
let me read the first verse. Stand fast. Stand fast. Therefore in the liberty, the
freedom, the fullness, the completeness, stand fast. Wherein or wherewith
Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ, he hath made us free, free, free. And don't be entangled again.
Don't be entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Now, the book of Galatians, like
all of God's Word, is full of precious, precious sweet promises. Peter said, exceeding great and
precious promises. Promises of God, lest we despair
of mercy and salvation in Christ Jesus. I love the promise of
redemption. that he tells us about in chapter
3, verse 13. Being redeemed, redeemed from
the curse of the law, redeemed by His precious blood, being
made a curse for us, He set us free. Oh, that's a glorious promise
we have in Christ Jesus. Glorious, precious promises God
gives us lest we despair of salvation and mercy in Christ Jesus. But also this book, like all
of Scripture, gives to us some dreadful warnings lest we presume
and suppose that we can be justified some other way but the Lord Jesus
Christ alone. In chapter 2, remember over there
in chapter 2, verse 16, He declares, knowing that a man is not justified
by the works of the law, but by the faith of Christ. Even
we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by
faith of Christ, by the faith of Christ, not by the works of
the law, for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified
in his sight. So there's a strong warning that
we're not justified by works and a precious promise that we
are justified by His sovereign mercy in Christ Jesus alone. Now, the Apostle of God makes
it perfectly clear to all who have ears to hear, perfectly
clear that those who seek acceptance before God by any fleshly performance
and merit of the creature They have not just deviated from the
gospel, but have openly denied and disowned the gospel of the
Lord Jesus Christ and salvation by His free and sovereign grace. Those who say that we're partly
justified by Christ and partly justified by what we do, they
have missed the gospel altogether. They have not just deviated,
they have denied and disowned the gospel of God's grace. He
makes this perfectly clear, I think, in the verse in chapter 2, verse
21, if righteousness comes by the law, then Christ is dead
in vain. Sinners are made saints, and
that's what happens in salvation. Sinners are made saints totally
by the sovereign will of God through the glorious merit of
the Lord Jesus Christ, His blood sacrifice, His righteousness
alone, justified freely by His grace through the redemption. through the redeeming blood of
our blessed Savior. He bought us with His own blood. Being justified by His blood,
we shall be saved from wrath through Him. We are justified
by His blood. Now verse 1 declares this. Paul in verse 1 instructs believers. Now this is written to believers. He instructs believers what we
are to do and what we're not to do. You see that in verse
1? He tells us what we're to do,
and then he tells us what we're not to do. He says, first of
all, we are to stand fast. The second thing he says, and
don't be entangled again with the yoke of bondage, slavery,
servitude, law, ceremony, works. Don't go that way. Don't get
entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Let's look at those
two things. Believers are to, first of all,
stand fast. You see that? Stand fast. What
does that mean? What does it mean to stand fast?
Well, if you're on the battleground, holding a battle line, and being
a captain over a certain troop, and the general came up and said
to that group of soldiers, hold the line, stand fast, don't retreat. Don't give up the ground, and
that's what he's saying here. Stand fast at all costs. If it costs you your life, don't
retreat. Don't surrender. Stand fast unto
death. That's what he's saying here.
Stand fast means to be stationary. It means to persevere. It means to defend at all costs. It means don't move. Well, the
enemy's coming. Don't move. Fight the good fight
of faith. Don't move. Defend at all costs. Don't move. Don't back down.
Don't compromise. Stand steadfast. Be resolute. No compromise. That's what we're
to do as believers. Stand fast in this liberty wherewith
Christ hath set us free. Stand fast. We're talking here
about the gospel, isn't he? The gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ that has set us free. In 1 Corinthians chapter 16,
verse 13, we read these words, Watch ye stand fast in the faith,
and act like men, and be strong. Another place in Philippians
1, 27, let me just quote it to you, Only let your conversation
be as it becometh the gospel of Christ, that whether I come
and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that
you stand fast. In one spirit, one mind, striving
together for the faith of the gospel, stand fast. Stand fast. I realize we live
in a day of compromise, in a day when everybody says we ought
to get along and just compromise our principles and compromise
God's truth and compromise God's gospel. God forbid. God let us
stand fast, brethren. Let us stand fast. That's what
the Scriptures record here in Jude chapter 1 verse 3. Beloved, when I gave all diligence
to write unto you of that common salvation, it was needful for
me to write unto you and exhort you that you should earnestly
contend, earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered
unto the saints. Stand fast. Stand fast. What are we to do? Stand fast. in that liberty where with Christ
has set us free. And the reason we're to be so
dogmatic in our stand for the gospel is because the Lord Jesus
Christ by His own blood at great cost to Him, He bought our freedom. He bought our liberty. Do we
dare compromise what He has purchased for us? God forbid. That's what He's saying. Stand
fast. Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has set us free.
We have this precious freedom and liberty bought at a great
price. His own blood He bought us. Stand fast. 2 Corinthians 3,
17 says this, Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there's liberty. There is liberty. Liberty and
freedom. Stand fast in that liberty wherewith
He has set us free." Now, who set us free? He did. He did by His grace, by His purpose. He has set us free. Free from
several things. Free from the penalty of the
law. Free from the penalty of the law. The wages of sin is
death. The gift of God is eternal life. God made Him to be sin for us.
who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of
God in Him. Christ has redeemed us, freed
us from the curse of the law. The law says, curses everyone
that continueth not in all things which are written in the book
of the law to do them. He set us free from the curse
of that law. We were guilty as charged before
God, and He has justified us by His grace in God's sight,
by His blood, having paid the debt in full, having satisfied
God's law in precept and in penalty, He justified us from the curse
of the law. He has given us freedom, freedom,
liberty by salvation in Him, and freedom From works religion,
from false religion, He has set us free. From the clutches of
sin and death, He has set us free. The justified live, you
know how they live? They live by faith. Faith which
is rich and faith which is real always looks to the Lord Jesus
Christ. He set us free from the penalty
of sin. Stand fast. He set us free from
the curse of the law. Stand fast. He set us free from
the bondage of works, religion. Now stand fast. He set us free
from the fear of death and judgment. He set us free. We read this
in Romans 8, 1 and 2, "...there is therefore now no condemnation
to those who were in Christ Jesus, who walked not after the flesh,
but after the Spirit." Now listen. For the law of the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and
death." I've set free. Now, stand fast. You see what
he's saying here? What are we to do? Stand fast. He set us free. We read this,
Hebrews 2, For as much sin as his children are partakers of
flesh and blood, He also himself likewise took part of the same,
that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death,
that sin, that Satan, that is the devil, and delivered them. He destroyed him and delivered
us, set us at liberty, Now stand fast. Deliver them who through
fear of death were all their lifetime subject unto bondage. Now stand fast." Do you fear
death? No. To die, and I like the way the
Apostle talks about death. He said, the time of my departure
is at hand. For me to live is Christ and
to die is not punishment to the believer. It's graduation day. For me to live is Christ, and
to die is gain. I'm free from the fear of sin,
death, and judgment. Now stand fast. You see what
he's saying? Stand fast in that liberty. It is Christ who has
made us free. By His grace, it is Christ who
keeps us free. He says, You shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make you free. Whom the Son has set free,
He is free. Indeed, all stand fast in that
liberty wherewith Christ has set us free. That's what we are
to do as believers in Christ Jesus. Having been set free,
we are to remain steadfast in this liberty. Now, the second
part of that, he tells us what we're not to do. Be not entangled,
snared, Caught up, trapped again with the yoke of bondage, with
the yoke of bondage. We've been set free, set free.
Now here's a valuable lesson for us. What we're not to do. Do not, with the emphasis upon
do not, allow anyone to entangle or ensnare you with the yoke
of bondage, ceremony, ritualism, whatever it may be. Religion
without liberty in Christ Jesus is nothing more than legalistic
bondage and pure slavery. Don't allow some slick, talking,
religious conman to put you back under a system of works and deeds
in order to obtain God's favor. We have God's favor. We are,
as believers, we are complete in Christ Jesus. How complete
are we? Complete so much so that God
says there's sin, and their iniquity will I remember no more. In Him dwells all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily, and believers stand fast because we are complete
in Christ Jesus. But of Him are you in Christ,
who of God is made unto us everything I need, to stand before God now
and eternally. But of Him are you in Christ,
who of God is made unto us wisdom, Righteousness. He is my sanctification. Christ is my sanctification.
And He is my redemption. He is everything. We have everything. Everything that God demands of
us has been freely, fully, eternally provided in for us at great cost
to Himself, but as a gift of God's grace to us freely. Freely. Now stand fast. Remember what
Peter said in Acts 15? Now therefore why tempt you God
to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples with neither our
fathers nor we are able to bear? But we believe through the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved even as they. Justified in Christ Jesus and
sanctified in Christ Jesus. A lot of folks think well we're
justified at Calvary and then were sanctified at Mount Sinai
by what we do. That's a lie. We are justified
by grace in Christ, and we are sanctified by grace in Christ.
One is a work God has done for us at Calvary Street. The other
is a work God is doing in us and has done, and we are sanctified. Not progressively so, but we
are sanctified in Christ Jesus. Matter of fact, He is my sanctification. He is my holiness. Believers
resting in Christ do delight to wear his yoke of liberty,
his yoke of freedom. Believers do want to be entangled
with his yoke of love, mercy, and peace, and forgiveness, and
righteousness in Christ Jesus. That's why our Lord said this,
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will impute righteousness
without works, without any contribution on your part. What could a wiggling
maggot of a sinner contribute to God Almighty? Nothing but
stink. Nothing but filth. Thank God,
salvation is all of His grace in Christ Jesus. Our Lord said
this, "...Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,
I'll give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn
of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart. and you shall find
rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy, my yoke
is easy, and my burden is light." It's the yoke of a finished,
accomplished redemption in Christ Jesus. I wear His yoke. Matter
of fact, I'm yoked with Him. We are one together. Believers
are one in Christ Jesus by His grace. Now, you got the first
point? On verse number 1, the first
and second point, what we are to do, stand fast. Why? We have
freedom and liberty in Christ Jesus. And what are we not to
do? Don't be entangled with the yoke
of bondage, legalism, ceremony, works. Now, verse 2, 3 and 4. He gives us three serious warnings. Three serious, dire warnings. Now remember I told you, the
book of Galatians is full of promises lest we despair, and
warnings lest we suppose and presume in the way of salvation. Now, I don't want to be presumptuous,
do you? I want to believe Him and rest
in Him. Now here's warning number one.
Behold, behold, now whenever you see that word, it's like
a stop sign. I mean, now you just stop for just a minute.
Behold, you just take, sit up, clean out your ears. He said,
I'm going to say something now you need to hear. Behold, I God
say unto you. That's what, is that what it's
saying? He said, I Paul. Well, how's Paul speaking? God
breathe. I God say unto you that if you
be circumcised for religious purposes, for religious purposes,
thinking that somehow that recommends you to God, or gains you God's
favor, or merits His love, or merits His grace, Christ shall
profit you nothing. Now that's the strongest warning
that you'll ever find in the Word of God against trying to
Assault the throne of God by your merit, by your deeds, by
your work. If you go the work way, the way
of works, the way of circumcision, the way of fleshly deeds, Christ
shall profit you nothing, nothing, nothing. If a man submits to
circumcision as those Jews came down and told those dear sinners
who were saved by God's grace there in the church of Antioch,
you can't be saved. Well, wait a minute. We're already
saved. We've got a big problem here. You can't be saved unless
you're circumcised. God's already saved them by His
grace. If a man submits to this legalism
in order to gain God's acceptance, Christ shall profit you zero. Zero. Christ must be received
by faith alone as our only all-sufficient Redeemer and Savior. No other
way. There's no other Savior. If we add anything, anything,
even anything performed in a religious way to the person and work of
Christ to gain God's favor, whether it be circumcision, whether it
be baptism, whether it be fasting, whether it be praying at certain
times, or doing good works to others, we're not fully trusting
and resting in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you think something
that you do or perform, you have to bring that, work up that to
add it to the Lord Jesus Christ, Christ shall profit you zero,
nothing. Nothing. Therefore he profits
us nothing if we attempt to add our righteousness to his." What
an insult. You think about it. What an insult
to God Almighty for a puny, wiggling maggot of a sinner to think somehow
by what he does. brings honor and glory to the
Lord Jesus Christ, that's to spit in the face of Almighty
God and to say that the blood atonement and the perfect blessed
obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ is not enough. Is it enough? If Christ is all you've got,
you've got everything that God has provided for the sinner in
Christ Jesus. But if you come some other way,
Christ shall profit you zero. Nothing. We read in Romans 10,
"...for they, being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going
about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted
themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end..."
Will you hear me? "...Christ is the end of the
law, for righteousness to everyone that believeth." Well, preacher,
surely. Surely we have to be sanctified
by doing the law. If you go that way, Christ shall
profit you nothing. That's what I'm saying. What's
your position on the law? Dead. Dead to the law through
the body of Christ. Dead, dead, dead. Now just a
word or two here about, I didn't know that this was an issue here
in this area until I talked to the brother here this evening.
But it's no different here and it is where I minister the gospel
in Pike County. Just a word here about this thing
of baptism. Where I pastor there in Pike
County, these people, the Church of Water and Works, they promote
salvation by water baptism. Behold, I, Paul, say unto you,
that if you be baptized, Thinking that merits God's favor, God's
blessing, God's salvation, Christ shall profit you nothing. Baptism is for believers, not
to be saved. Is baptism essential to salvation? Absolutely not. Christ is the
only thing essential to salvation. Christ is all and in all. Does
baptism complete salvation? No. Christ completed salvation. He said upon Calvary's tree,
it is finished. Well, preacher, are you saying
those people that are trusting their baptism for salvation,
and baptism for redemption, and baptism for regeneration, and
baptism to be in the body of Christ, and baptism, water baptism,
to be in the covenant of grace, are you saying those folks are
lost? That's exactly what I'm saying. Can I be more clear about
it? They're lost. They don't know
God. Does baptism empower salvation? Does baptism empower God to save? Absolutely not. Christ is the
power of God in the salvation. Does baptism put away sin? Oh,
I tell you, it's the blood of Christ that cleanses us from
all sin. Does baptism regenerate? How can you be so stupid to think
that water baptism gives a spiritually dead sinner life. Now that's
about as dumb and ignorant a statement as any sinner can make. And that's
the reason they make it. They're ignorant of God. And
they're going about to establish their own righteousness. You
have He quickened who were dead in sin. God does the quickening. It takes the power of Almighty
God to raise a dead sinner The same almighty power that it took
to raise the dead body of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ shall profit you nothing. You stick in your, you can put
a blank right in there. You stick in anything you want
to add, anything you want to bring, and Christ shall profit
you nothing. Nothing. Mark it down. Mark it
down. Baptism is the prescribed way to publicly confess the Lord
Jesus Christ as your all in salvation because He has already done a
work of grace in your heart. It's a confession of Christ who
is our all and in all. It's the answer of the good conscience
before God Almighty and before believers. Here's the second
warning, verse 3. I testify again to every man
that is circumcised." If you're going to go the way of legalism,
the way of law, the way of Moses, that you're a debtor, not to
do just some of it, not just the parts you pick and choose,
not the parts you think that might be convenient to you, that
you're a debtor to do the whole law. The whole law. The whole law. And I know folks
want to pick and choose. They think, well, it's the moral
law. The ceremonial law has been fulfilled. Now we're under the
moral law. You're a debtor to do the whole
law. You better find you a priest.
And he better get in the livestock business. And you better start
slaughtering animals. And you better start building
a tabernacle. And you better find the mercy
seat, the Ark of the Covenant, and on and on and on. Where do
you start? Where do you start and where do you stop? If you're
going that route, you're a debtor. You're a debtor. That's a debtor. What a contrast between liberty.
Liberty. You're a debtor. You know what
that means? You're guilty. You're guilty
before law. It means the law of God's got
a claim on you. It means the law of God declares
guilty as charged. What a difference between no
condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. I know the way I'm going. It's a way of grace because I'm
a sinner. God is holy and I cannot satisfy
God's law. Thank God He did. Not only satisfy
it, it says in Isaiah 42, 21 that He magnified the law of
God. He is well pleased for His righteousness for He magnified
the law. He honored the law for us. Christ is the end of the law.
for righteousness to everyone that believe it." Our Lord said,
I didn't come to destroy it. I came to honor it. And He did. You're looking at a sinner who
has honored God's law completely in Christ, magnified the law
of God. But I tell you what, my friend,
if you're going to sidestep the gospel and go the way of legalism,
works and ceremony, you're a debtor to keep right on doing the law,
the law, the law. You're a debtor, guilt, bondage. Thank God there's liberty in
Christ Jesus. You see what he's saying here?
Strong warning, isn't it? If you seek salvation in the
least degree by your obedience to the law or any scheme of works,
You've placed yourself under a debt of obligation to do the
whole law. You've placed yourself back under
the curse of sin, back under the curse of the law. You remember
Galatians 3.10? If you're going to go the way of works, the way of works, as many as
are of the works of the law, under the curse, curse. Ah, my friend, we've been set
free in Christ Jesus. No wonder he said, stand fast
in that liberty wherewith Christ has set us free. And here's the
third warning. Here's the third warning. Verse
4. Christ is become of no effect. Now you look at those three things.
Christ shall profit you nothing, you are debtor to do the whole
law, and Christ is of no effect unto you. Oh, I tell you. That's judgment, isn't it? Whosoever
of you are justified by the law, you've fallen from grace. Now, oftentimes, those who are
ignorant of the true gospel try to use this scripture as a proof
text to promote the idea that a sinner can be saved one day,
justified in Christ, and then fall from grace and salvation
and become unjustified and lost again. and they just pick up
a few words, they say, well, you know, the Scripture talks
about falling from grace. That's not what that text says.
He says this, if you're justified by the law, you don't need grace. Is that what he says? Keeping
Scripture in context of what's being said. justification by
free grace. And if you're justified by the
doing of the law, you don't need grace. And if you're justified
or sanctified by the law, you don't need Christ. That's strong, what he's saying.
If you're justified by the deeds of the law, you have no need
of His grace and you've departed from the gospel. Christ has become
of no effect. These are powerful words, are
they not? No effect. Christ shall profit you nothing,
nothing. You are a debtor, a debtor, a
debtor to the whole law of God. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
whole Savior, the complete Savior, or He's no Savior at all. Is
that right? He will not share His glory with
anyone. And my friend, He's jealous of
His glory. Salvation by works of the flesh
and deeds of the law, only gender bondage. Christ shall profit
you nothing. Christ is become of no effect
unto you. You've put yourself under the
rigor and bondage and curse of the law, and you're condemned
before God right now. Mark it down. Verse 5, here's
the good news. We, for we, through the Spirit,
by God the Holy Spirit, We wait, we wait for the hope of righteousness. We wait for the good hope of
righteousness by God-given, God-wrought faith. Faith looks solely, the
faith of God's elect. We're not talking about historical
faith here. We're not talking about emotional faith. We're
talking about the faith that's the gift of God. The faith that's
the gift of God looks to the Lord Jesus Christ to provide
all things for us. And in the Lord Jesus Christ,
we have all righteousness. We've received Him by faith. Faith does not accomplish anything.
Christ accomplished salvation. Faith is the empty, naked hand
that freely receives the Lord Jesus Christ who did accomplish
all our salvation. We, through the Spirit, we wait
for the hope of righteousness by faith. This is a justifying
righteousness that we have in Christ Jesus right now. We through the Spirit wait for
the hope of righteousness by faith in Christ. Therefore, Romans
5, verse 1, being justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by
faith into this grace wherein we stand, there's that standing
again, stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
This is what God the Holy Spirit reveals unto us. that we are
complete in Christ, that the Lord Jesus Christ is indeed all
our righteousness. When He, the Spirit of truth,
has come, He'll take the things of Christ and show them unto
us. We have a good hope through grace,
not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according
to His mercy He saved us. He saved us by the washing of
regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which He shed
on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that being
justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the
hope of eternal life in Christ Jesus. We wait. Oh, for we through
the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness. It's a blessed
hope. It's a good hope. A good hope
through grace. It's a perfect righteousness
provided in Christ, who is the Lord our righteousness. In closing,
verse 6, for in Christ Jesus, Galatians 5, 6, for in Christ
Jesus, neither circumcision availeth, nor uncircumcision availeth,
but faith, faith which works by love. Faith works by love. Salvation is being vitally joined
to the Lord Jesus Christ, being made one with Him by His sovereign
grace without the deeds of the law. It is God that justifies
the ungodly without regard to our good work. In reality, we
don't have any good work in ourselves. Now, I want you to read this. Turn to Galatians chapter 6.
Verily man in his best state is altogether vanity. is motivated and energized by
gratitude and love, not law, not bondage. Look at Galatians
6.14, But God forbid that I should glory, save, rejoice, glory is
the word rejoice, save, except in the cross of the Lord Jesus
Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto
the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision
availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation." A new creation. Now where did that come from?
From the Creator. He's created in us a new nature,
a holy nature in regeneration. For as many, now look at verse
16. You want a rule? Here it is. For as many, as many
as walk according to this rule. this, and that word there is
standard. You want a standard to walk by? Glory only in Christ. As many as walk according to
this rule, peace be on them and the mercy, peace on them and
mercy upon the Israel of God. The Israel of God. Faith, now listen to this and
I'll quit. Faith does work by love, not
to be justified, but rather because we have been justified by His
grace. The love of Christ constrains
us. For by grace are you saved through
faith. And that not of yourselves, it's
a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. For
we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works. which God hath before ordained
that we should walk in them. For it is God which worketh in
you both the will and the do of his good pleasure. Faith works
by love." Faith works by love. Well, I'll end right there and
we'll pick up again, Lord willing, next week with verse 7.