written unto you, this is significant,
with mine own hand." Why did he say that? Well, some of the
epistles were dictated by the Apostle Paul. Now, all Scripture
is God-breathed, all Scripture, whether he's writing to the Church
of Corinth or the Church of Rome or to Timothy or Titus, all Scripture
is God-breathed. But some of the epistles I can't
name all of them of which this is true, but some were dictated
and others wrote them for power. Let me show you that in Romans.
Romans chapter 16. Romans 16 verse 22. I to Sheus, who wrote this official. salute you in the Lord." It's
Paul's letter to the Romans. It's God-breathed and given through
Paul. But this man, Tertius, evidently,
he said, I wrote this epistle, and I add my greetings to the
Church of Rome. But let's turn over to 1 Corinthians
16. Here's another one that Paul
wrote with his own hand. He mentions this in 1 Corinthians
16, verse 21. He says in verse 20 of 1 Corinthians
16, all the brethren greet you, greet you one another with a
holy kiss, the salutation of me, Paul, with my own hand. And then I know the book of Colossians
he wrote with his own hand. Turn over there a minute and
I'll show you this. It's interesting. Colossians chapter 4. Verse 18. And verse 17, And say to Archippus,
Take heed to the ministry which you have received of the Lord,
and fulfill it. This is probably the pastor there
at Colossae. He said, You fulfill your ministry
the Lord's given you. Some people ask me about a call
to the ministry. I hear that once in a while.
There's one there. Paul writing in a God-bred book, and he speaks
to a pastor and says, God gave you a ministry, you fulfill it.
Verse 18, the salutation by the hand of me, Paul. Remember my
bonds, my fetters, and grace be unto you. And some writers,
let's go back to our text, Galatians 5.11, with my own hand, some
writers believe that the era in which these people had fallen
He's people of Galatia. That is, mixing grace and works.
Grace and works. He grieved Paul so heavily and
so greatly that he wanted to confront him personally. He wanted
him to know, I wrote this personally. They claimed he had very, very
bad eyesight. In fact, in one epistle he said,
you love me so much you would have you would have taken your
eyes out and given them to me." Well, why would they do that?
Unless he couldn't see very well. And he said, you would have given
me your own eyes, that's how much you loved me. So he said,
you see how large a letter, I've written you with my own hands,
because I'm troubled about the direction that you're going.
And here it is, verse 12. As many as desire to make a fair
show in the flesh, these false preachers, And false teachers,
they constrain you to be circumcised. They constrain you to be circumcised.
Go back to the law of Moses. Pay the tithe, keep the Sabbath,
be circumcised. This wasn't the only thing they
wanted these people to do. They were commanding them to
keep the law. Go back to the law of Moses.
Now they didn't deny that Christ died for sinners. They didn't
deny that a person must believe on Christ. They wouldn't dare
deny that, or Paul wouldn't even take the time to fool with them,
because they'd be outsiders, they wouldn't even be in the
Church. And they did not deny that Jesus
Christ was a prophet sent of God who died on the cross for
our sins. But what they were preaching
is there's some things that need to be added to what Christ did. That's exactly what they were
preaching. There's some things that need to be added. And so
I took the time to go back through the book which we've covered.
I won't take but just a few moments, but I want you to see this. The
different verses where he calls their attention to what they're
doing by leaving the efficacy of the blood, the sufficiency
of the righteousness and blood of Christ. Now here in Galatians
1, let's just look at some of these verses. Shows you why Paul's
so upset. Galatians 1, 6. that you are so soon removed
from him that called you into the grace of Christ to another
gospel. Look at chapter 2, verse 4. And
that because of false brethren, unawares brought in, who came
in privately to spout our liberty which we have in Christ, that
they might bring us into bondage to the law. Verse 16 of chapter
2. Knowing that a man is not justified
by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ.
Even we have believed in Christ that we might be justified by
the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law. For by
the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. That's what
we're talking about. I heard verse 21 of that same
chapter 2. Paul says, I do not frustrate
the grace of God if righteousness come by the law. If that's what
they're teaching, Christ died in vain. It's serious. Chapter
3, verse 2 and 3. This only would I learn of you,
received you the Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing
of faith? How did the Holy Spirit come to you, under the law or
here in the gospel? Now, are you so foolish, having
begun in the Spirit, are you now sanctified by the law? That's what he's asking. Having
begun in the Spirit of Christ, through the blood of Christ,
are you now made perfect, sanctified by the law? Look at chapter 3,
verse 11. Now, no man is justified by the
law in the sight of God. It's evident that just shall
live by faith. Chapter 4, verse 9 and 10. But now, brethren,
after you've known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye
again to the weak and beggarly elements, rudiments, Quorum 2,
you desire again to be in bondage? Is that what you want? You observe
days and months and times and years? I'm afraid of you, afraid
lest I have bestowed upon you labor and vain. Verse 21 of that
same chapter 4, tell me, you that desire to be under the law,
don't you hear the law? Verse 1, Stand fast therefore
in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free. Don't, do
not, be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Chapter 5, verse 4, Because Christ
is become of no effect unto you, whosoever you are justified by
the law. You've fallen from grace. I'll
read verse 6 and 7, For in Jesus Christ Neither circumcision availeth
anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith that worketh by love. You did run well. Who hindered
you that you should not obey the truth?" That's the seriousness.
And that's what was going on. And these fathers, he said in
verse 12, they constrain you to be circumcised. They don't
deny that Christ died. They don't deny that we must
believe on him. They don't deny that he is the Savior, but he
lacks something in his work that you provide to make it effectual. And their counterparts today,
this is what's happening today, add to Christ. You hear men saying,
Christ died, but you have to come forward and accept him as
your personal Savior. Christ died. But you have to
be baptized. You cannot be saved if you're
not baptized by us. It's all right. Christ died.
We believe that. But you have to join our denomination. You have to come to an altar,
an old-fashioned altar. It's not just an altar. It's
an old-fashioned altar and pray through. And then other denominations,
you've got to have the confessional for the priest to forgive your
sins. Others, you've got to have the sacrament. Others, you've
got to have other works and other deeds of the flesh. So it just
goes on and on and on. Christ died, that's fine, but
his blood is not sufficient without your works and your deeds. Now,
what's their purpose for this? Why are they doing this? Why
do these fellows do it? Well, Paul tells us it's twofold. Verse 12. Why do they insist
that Christ is not sufficient? you must add to his work. Here's
the first reason. Verse 12. As many as desire to
make a fair show in the flesh, they are the ones that constrain
you to be circumcised. In other words, it's a personal
thing, born of covetousness. They want to make a show. They
seek the honor that comes from men and not the honor that comes
from God. They desire success. They desire
to make an impression They desire to produce a show of success
and numbers. That's the reason they count
people. That's the reason they tell how many were there and
how many made perfection, how many came forward, how many were
baptized, how many joined the church, how much money they gave.
They believe in impressive buildings, numbers of people, fine music. And it thrills them to death
when some senator or congressman or football star or movie star
or somebody comes to their meetings. They seat them on the platform
so they can give their testimony for more people to come and do
what they did. It's a fair show in the flesh. I honestly have not for years,
at least since I've been a minister, understood why a church would
even need to count people. Why do you need to know how many?
The only one that is absolutely essential to be here is God.
He said, where two or three, he said, have met in my name.
Why do denominations keep reports? Why do you send in reports every
year? How many this and how many that? It's to make a show. And
you see that in all of these awesome crusades. It's numbering. They desire to make a show in
the flesh. that are privately and solemnly
and sincerely seeking the face of God, and the mercies of God,
and the grace of God. Now here's the second reason
why they constrain you to be circumcised. First, they desire
to make a fair show in the flesh, call attention to themselves,
their success, their power, their accomplishments, and all these
things. Then the last line says, and only lest they should suffer
persecution for the cause of Christ. the cross of Christ, the preaching
of salvation by grace through the blood of Christ only. And
that effectually and successfully and sufficiently brings persecution. I'll tell you where it started.
I'm going to give you an analogy. An analogy. Cain. Let's draw the natural man and
his preacher. I'm going to draw from the Old
Testament the natural man and his preacher. Now here's the
natural man, King, he's the first one to go in this direction. The natural man's like King.
Now King knew there was a God. And King also knew that God is
to be worshipped. And King knew that that God was
to be worshipped by making an altar. And his daddy, his daddy
taught him that that God commanded a lamb. I'm just sure of that,
that Adam taught, because Abel brought a lamb, and they were
listening to the same teacher, his daddy Adam. His daddy taught
him that God commanded a lamb to be slain and its blood to
be shed, poured upon that altar and offered as a sacrifice for
our sins, with sinners. He told those boys, he said,
it was perfect in the garden. But I rebelled, I disobeyed God,
I sinned against God, I died. He cast me out. I believe the
devil's lying, rejecting God's truth. And he cast me out of
the garden, and that's the reason the thorns and thistles come
up when I plow the ground, the reason the trees die, and all
these other things. And God demands a sacrifice.
Blair, there's going to be a Messiah. He said to those boys, there's
going to be a seed of woman, going to be a seed of woman,
going to bruise the serpents. And he knew the serpents. Why?
He was going to bruise the serpent's head. So without the shedding
of blood, there's no remission. I just feel sure Adam talked
to him a little bit about the Messiah. He's coming. I don't
understand, he said, but he's coming. Lamb's got to be slain. Well, King was so impressed with
himself, he thought that he would have contemporary worship. He would have a sort of a sharing
time. He'd sort of fix things up. He's
going to build an altar and he's going to put the rocks there
and all that, but he's going to add some flowers. Make it
look better. You know, people like things
to look good. Give me some robes and some candles and some, you
know, house music. Make it look good and feel good.
So he fixed that altar up real good. Real good. You see, he
thought with it and said, now things aren't as bad as Daddy
told me. The reason he didn't know they were so bad was because
he wasn't there when they were perfect. Adam had seen perfection, and
now Adam saw sin, and Adam knew he needed something to bring
him back to perfection. But Cain never saw that. All
Cain ever saw was what was going on right now in the now and now.
And so he thought he could improve on this thing of worship, improve
on this thing of sacrifice, so he went out and got the best
fruits he had in his field. He didn't bring an old shabby
grapefruit, he brought a beautiful one. He brought the finest apples
he could gather, he brought the finest... My brother Scott Richardson
said that he was a turnip farmer. Because you can't get blood out
of a turnip, so he brought some turnips, you know. And I don't
believe that's authentic, but that's... But anyway, he built
an altar, and he gathered some fruits and some produce and some
works, and he brought these to God. And he said, this is not
as misty as blood. And I'm actively involved in
this, you see. This thing of blood, the animal
does all the work. You kill him, he sheds his blood,
he pays the price, he dies. I just sit back and watch him.
But I felt like I ought to do something. I just felt like the
blood wasn't enough. That I ought to add something
to it, like something I did. It's alright. I'll do it next
time. I'll bring blood next time. But
this time, I want you, Lord, to see how much I love you. And
I'll give you the best of God. And then when he was refused,
he got mad. And rather than admitting that
he was wrong, rather than admitting that he had failed, rather than
crying out to God for forgiveness and turning to the blood, he
killed his brother who was a worshipping God by blood and by grace. Killed him. The two can't exist
together. grace and worth can't exist together. I'll show you a King's preacher
now. Turn to Exodus 32. I want you
to read about this. I call him King's preacher because
he did the same thing King did. This preacher is a good man. This preacher is a priest, the
most high priest of Israel. This is Abraham. This is Moses'
brother. This is the fellow I ought to know better. He ought to know
better. But I'll tell you, the pressure,
the persecution, he couldn't stand it. He couldn't stand it. It's like
one, I believe Harry Truman said, if you can't stand the heat,
stay out of the kitchen. And if you can't stand persecution,
stay out of the ministry. Isn't that right? And here Aaron
couldn't stand the heat. I want you to listen. Exodus
32, verse 19, And it came to pass, as soon as he was come
now unto the camp, Moses saw the calves, and the dancing,
and Moses' anger waxed hot. And he cast the tables out of
his hands, and broke them beneath the mountain. And he took the
calves which they had made, golden calves, and burned it in the
fire, and ground it to powder. started upon the waters and made
that bunch of rebels drink it. And then Moses turned on Abram.
Here is the fellow that led them in all this. Moses left him down
there in charge while he went to the mountain. And he turned
on Abram, and he said, What did this people unto you, what they
do to you, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them, as
turning from God and worshiping idols And Aaron said, Moses,
let not the anger of my Lord wax hot. Do you know how people
are? Do you know how people are? They
said, oh, mischief. Well, that's truth. That's truth
that's regarded. Do you know how people are? Do
you know how the human nature is? It's going to seek the line
of least resistance. It's going to rebel against God.
It's going to reject truth. You will not come to me that
you might have life." That's the way people are, that's the
way they've always been. Aidan says, you know how they
are. They said to me, make us gods which shall go before us. For as for this Moses, the man
that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we want not what's
become of him. So Paul said they'll come in
the latter days, having itching ears, and heap to themselves
with itching ears. You know how people are. They
just won't take this message of grace. They won't take particular
addiction. They don't believe those things.
They want to have something they can touch, and feel, and see,
and be emotionally involved with. So you just have to change Christians.
So Aidan said, I'll change. And here's the thing, he still
didn't take the blame. He said, and I said to them,
Whosoever hath any gold, verse 24, let him break it off. So
they gave it to me, and I put it in the fire. And out came
this guy. You just blamed the flame. It
wasn't me. Blame the people and blame the
flame. Compromising preachers. Let them
do what they want. Tell them what they want to hear.
Build them altars. That's what preachers are doing.
Build them altars. Build them crosses. Build them
fine, fine cathedrals. Get the best instruments. Entertain
the people. Gather them around a table and
let them share. Don't preach. People just don't want it. You
must, if you're going to be popular, you've got to succumb to the
do-it-yourself religion. if you're going to be popular.
And that's what Paul says here, as many as desire to make a fair
show in the flesh, they're the ones that constrain you to be
circumcised, because that's what people want, lest they suffer
persecution for the cross. Because you see, the cross tells
the truth about man. Stand at Calvary and look at
that cross, and it'll tell you what man is, how he hates God,
what he would do if he got his hands on God. How he hates holiness
and truth, sovereign mercy. We won't have this man reign
over us. The cross tells the truth about God. Stand there,
look at the cross. He's loved. God so loved he gave. That's obvious. He's merciful. Today thou shalt be with me in
paradise. But he's holy. And that's his son hanging on
that cross. And his son hanging on that cross tells us God will
punish sinners, even if it's found in his son. The cross tells
the truth about salvation. It's impossible with men. If
there could have been salvation by the law, Christ wouldn't have
died. It's impossible with men. But God set forth his only son,
made of a woman, made under the law, set him forth in promise
and picture and pattern. all through the Old Testament,
set him forth in person to declare his righteousness, that God may
be just and justifiable. And the cross tells the truth
about the law. It can't save. It can't save. It kills. Turn to Colossians 2. Truth about
the law. It can't save. It can only destroy. in Colossians 2. Look at this. Verse 9, For in him dwelleth
all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, your complete in him,
which is the head of all principality and power, in whom also you are
circumcised, with the circumcision made without hands, and putting
off the body of sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.
Within him you are You're dead and buried, buried in baptism,
wherein also you're risen in him through the faith of the
operation of God who raised him from the dead. And you, being
dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, happy quickly.
You're complete in him, you're circumcised in him, you're buried
in him, and you're risen in him, risen together with him and forgiven
in him of all your trespasses. blotting out the handwriting
of ordinances which were against us, which are contrary to us,
can't obey them, can't keep them, can't be saved by them, took
them out of the way and nailed them to his cross. Nailed them to his cross. Isn't that something? In verse 13 he said, They don't
keep the law, for neither they themselves who are circumcised
keep the law. They don't keep the law. They
command you to keep it, but they don't keep the law. And you know
that and I know that. These preachers are liars. They
run around acting so pious and heavenly minded, they're no earthly
good. Some of the world's most worldly people are those who
preach against worldliness. Some of the most unsanctified
people in the world are those who preach sanctification by
the law. They don't keep the law. Some of the most ill-tempered,
selfish, proud, unholy people in the world are in the holiness
church. You know that. You deal with them in the business
world. They cry peace, peace, when there is no peace. They
don't have any peace. There's no peace found in works.
I guarantee you there's no man outside of Christ that has any
peace. Because Christ is the Prince of Peace. And Christ made
peace by the blood of his cross. And there's no man can face in
the morning when he wakes up a holy God and have any peace
unless he's in Christ. Can't do it. Now that's just
so. He's putting on a show. He's
putting up a front. And that's why that front's coming
down. Only one place Why do they do that? Well, he tells us why.
Verse 13 says, they don't keep the law, but they desire you
to have you circumcised so they glory in your flesh. I won 200
souls to Jesus last year. I'm glorying in their flesh.
I baptized so many. I had 5,000 here at this meeting.
I did this, I did that, I did that. I'm glorying in the flesh
of the merchandise that I've made of people. I'm not so hard,
but to me, a false preacher is the world's greatest criminal.
These fellows in the penitentiary for shooting somebody, all they
did was kill their body. But these preachers who are shooting
you with a false doctrine, they're killing your soul, damning you
forever, separating you from God. Because Christ is the way,
the truth, and the life, and no man can come to God but by
Him. If they're not preaching Christ, destroyed people. See every man, why do they make,
Christ said they come from sea and land to make one postulate
for their religion. They come by your doors, knocking
on doors, handing out all this paper and stuff, you know. And
they come from sea and land, the whole world, to make one
postulate. Why? For glory in your flesh, that's
why. so that they can stand in the
judgment and say, Lord, we preached in your name. We did many wonderful
works in your name. We built some buildings in your
name and founded some schools and hospitals and churches and
all these things in your name. I never knew you. But that's not what the people
who believe God cry. They don't talk about what they
did in his name. They talk about what he did for
them. Let me read you what they say. In verse 8, chapter 5, Revelation. And when he had taken the book,
the four beasts and the four and twenty elders fell down before
the Lamb, having every one of them harps and golden vows full
of odors, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sung
this song, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the
seal thereof, for thou was slain, and hast redeemed us to God.
by your blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation,
and you have made us unto our God kings and priests, and we're
going to reign on the earth. Thank you, Lord! Thank you. I hadn't done anything. I hadn't
done a thing. But that's why they do this,
the glory in your flesh. But Paul says in verse 14, God
forbid, that I should glory. Did Paul have anything to boast
about? Well, he could have boasted about
his heritage, but he said, I count that but lost. He could have
boasted in his morality and his accomplishments. He said, I count
that but done. He could have boasted in his
education, in his office, in his revelations. God took him
to the third heaven one time. His usefulness in the ministry.
But he surveys all this, and with one sweep of the hand, He
declares, my glory, my hope, my salvation, my confidence,
my message, my hope, my purpose of life is the cross of Christ
Jesus. The cross of Christ Jesus. All
right, Paul gloried in the cross. By which the world is crucified
unto me, and I unto the world. There's a mystery to that cross,
a mystery of mysteries. Mystery of mystery. It's death,
and yet it's life. I am crucified to the world,
and yet in Christ Jesus I live. Isn't that something? It's foolishness
to the world, but it's the wisdom and power of God. It's our Lord's
greatest shame, despising the shame. That's what he said about
it, despising the shame. And yet it's his greatest glory.
It's the loss of all things. I am crucified to the world,
and the world is crucified to me. I've lost all that the world
has promised and offered. It's gone. But I've gained an
inheritance that's undefiled, paid it not away, reserved in
heaven for you. That cross brings me before the
court of justice, tries me, condemns my sin, strips me, and executes
me for treason against God on that cross. That's where I died,
with Christ. But by His death, I live. I'm crucified with Christ, nevertheless
I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life which
I now live in the flesh, I live by the Son of God, who loved
me. who gave himself for me, the
Son of God, not the law or the works of the Church, the Son
of God. He loved me, and he gave himself for me. So verse 15,
so in Jesus Christ, circumcision, neither circumcision avail anything
or uncircumcision. Any ritual of the law avails
nothing, but abstaining from them avails nothing. I said,
well, I've been, I keep the Sabbath over here. He says, I don't.
Well, neither one of you got anything to brag about. God says,
I tithe. He says, I don't believe in tithing.
Well, neither one of you got anything to brag about, you know. It won't
help you either way, whether you do or don't. It's not a do
or don't situation. It's Christ. That's what it is. A new creature. What is a new
creature? Well, a creation is the work of God, not of man.
We are a new creation. God is the only one who can create.
Created in Christ Jesus. Isn't that what Scripture says?
We are created in Christ Jesus. But only God can create. And
every time God creates, when he finishes, he says it's good.
It's finished. That's what Christ said on the
cross. It's finished. I finished the work you gave me to do. The
new creation is finished. So only God can do this business
of creation. That's what we are. Creation. And a new creation, listen, it's
not remodeling the old one. Except you quit drinking, smoking,
doing this, swapping around, doing this, that, and the other,
God'll save you. No, it's not remodeling the old building. New creation. All things become
new. Old things pass away. A new creation is an internal
work because this new creation lives in the same old body. That's
right. God killed me, but he didn't
kill my body. But he killed that old man that lived in that body.
Put him to death. He's still writhing and wriggling,
but he put out penance on him. He's dead. Crucified with Christ. And a new man's been created,
but he lives in this same house. It leaks. And the wind blows
and upsets it. The flood comes and troubles
it, but there's a new man in there. He sure would like to
get out. Who shall deliver me, Paul said,
from this body of death? He longs to get out. That's God's work. A new creation
is in Christ, so it can't ever die. These foolish people talk
about a saved man can be lost if he doesn't, that's stupid.
That's not worthy of comment. It's a new creation in Christ.
Can Christ die again? Well, no. Well, you can't either.
If you're buried with him, and risen with him, and seated with
him, and high in the name of common sense, he's going to die.
Tell me! I'm so disturbed by what's going
on in religion, it's just, it's just, I don't know what's going
to happen in the next ten years. The creation's God's work, and
only God's. A creation is not remodeling
an old man to a new man. It's an internal work because
you live in an old body. And this new creation is in Christ,
so it can never die. Never die. I'm going to read
one verse and then I'm going to close. Revelation 21, 5 and
6. This is our future. And he that
sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. Now you write, for these words
are true and faithful. And he said unto me," it's done,
"'I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I have given unto
him that is first of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit
all things, and I'll be his God, and he'll be my son.'" That's
a glorious gospel. It needs nothing added. But as
Brother Bob read a while ago, it needs to be believed and received. And stand back like Abel and
watch the Lamb. You don't contribute anything
to it. It's all of the Lamb. Don't be like King and doctor
it up. Just back off. Look to the Lamb
of God.