October the 10th, 1951. Would you do that? Would everybody
here that was a member of the Father Baptist Church or attended
there 49 years ago when I became your pastor? Well, isn't that
wonderful? That's wonderful. I've still
got the same pianist, same organist. I doubt if there's a preacher
in the world that can say that. All right, thank you. I love
these people. They get more precious every
year, and all who've been added to them. They've been so faithful,
supportive, and just... I've had a happy 49 years. This is the jubilee year, you
know. The 50th is the jubilee. That's
a special year. Numbers 7 times 7, Sabbath. That's right, 6th of July. And
that year is the jubilee. All prisoners are set free, and
all debts are paid, and all land is returned to the original owner. All right, I hope it's a year
of blessing. I pray that it will be. All right, let's look at
Galatians 3 now. I've changed my mind about trying
to cover the rest of the chapter. It can't be done. I have too
much material. And there's too many good things
here for us. So I'm going to start with verse
10 and stop tonight with verse 16. So let's look at this. Just shall live by faith. That's
the title of this message. Just shall live by faith. Verse
10 says, For as many as are of the works of the law are under
the curse. Now notice very carefully the
wording there. It does not say as many as were
of the works of the law, does it? It doesn't say as many as
were under the law. For the law was given through
Moses to Israel, and some of Israel believed God. They used
the law for the purpose for which it was given. Moses was circumcised. Moses kept the Sabbath. Moses
went to the tabernacle. Moses trusted and rested in Christ,
though. And these were pictures of Christ.
Moses believed the gospel. Moses wrote of me, Christ said.
So they were people who were under the law, but who are blessed
with Abraham. They believed God just like Abraham
did, and they're not under the curse. They were under the law. And they used the law for the
purpose for which it was given, to shut them up to Christ, to
reveal sin, and to bring men to trust the coming Savior. What
it says is, if you read it again, for as many as are of the works
of the law, they are of the works of the law, they are under the
curse. What does that mean, as many as are of the works of the
law? As many as seek justification by the law. As many as seek sanctification
by the works of the law, as many as trust in their religious duties
and deeds and morality and traditions for acceptance with God, as many
as are of the works of the law trusting in their works, good
works, deeds, morality, they're under the curse. They're under
the curse. For it is written, you see that?
as many as are of the works of the law. That's their religion.
That's how they seek to be justified and sanctified, by the works
of the law. So if they're under the works of the law, they're
under the curse of the law, for it's written. Listen. Cursed
is everyone that continueth not in all things, in everything
written in the book of the law, to do them. It's written. It's
the irreversible Word of God. It can't be repealed. It can't
be upheld. It can't be annulled. It can't
be plea bargained. Cursing is everyone, everyone
who does not perform to perfection all the works of the law, every
jot and tittle written in the law and continue to do it. From the cradle to the grave,
they're under the curse. Isn't that what that says? Doesn't matter who it is, doesn't
matter what dispensation they may be from, if they're of the
works of the law, if that's what they're trusting, they're obligated,
it's written, it's irreversible. Cursed is everyone who does not
perform to perfection. every jot and tittle of the law,
and continue to do it from cradle to the grave. The law requires
doing, not knowing, doing. The law requires doing, not hearing. You that would be under the law,
don't you hear the law? You don't hear the law, well
that's not required. Hearing it, doing it's what's required.
The law doesn't require approval. It requires doing. The law doesn't
honor trying. Well, I try the best I can. That's
not good enough. Cursed is everyone that continueth
not, from cradle to grave, in every single thing written in
the book of the law. To what? To do them. To do them. Now look at verse 11. That being
truth, But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God.
It's evident. It's evident from the scriptures.
Now, there were many justified before God, before the law was
given. Abraham was justified before
God. Noah was justified. He found
grace in the eyes of the Lord. Enoch was justified. Job was
justified, he said, I know my Redeemer living. Abraham is a
friend of God, righteous before God. So they were justified before
the law. And there were men who were justified
during the law, during the dispensation of the law, for 2,000 years.
Moses was justified. Abram was justified. Joshua was
the name God my Savior, he was justified. Caleb, faithful Caleb,
faithful dog, he followed the Lord fully, justified. Samuel, David, Jacob, I could
go on. There were many people justified
during the dispensation of the Lord. And many people have been
justified since the Lord. The apostles The Reformers, the
disciples, the early church, people today are justified since
the law has been fulfilled by Christ and put away. So many
people were justified before the law, during the law, and
after the law, but nobody, what am I going to say, is justified
by the law. Now you can write that down. Scripture says that's evident.
Nobody. If there's anybody here and I
don't believe there is, try me, let me say again, nobody. No
man. Let's read Psalm 143. And I delight in the law of God,
I love the law of God, every believer does. I agree with the
law of God, I rejoice in the law of God, I preach the law
of God, but not for salvation. Look at Psalm 143. Hear my prayer,
O Lord. Psalm 143, give ear to my supplications. In thy faithfulness answer me,
in thy righteousness, and don't enter into judgment with me.
Don't enter into judgment with thee, for in thy sight shall
no human being living be justified. Just write it down. Job said,
how can man be justified before God? Behold the moon, it shineth
not. The stars are not clean in his
sight. How much more abominable and
filthy is man who drinks iniquity like water? No man is justified
in the sight of God, except one. Except one. Turn to Isaiah 50. I preached on this just a little
while ago. There's one man who's justified
by his works, who's justified by his righteousness, who's justified
by his life, who's justified by his holiness, his love, his
purity, his submission. One man. One man. Isaiah 50,
verse 7. For the Lord God will help me,
Psalm 50, verse 7. Therefore shall I not be confounded,
therefore have I set my face like a flint, going where? To Jerusalem. For what purpose? To die. And I know that I shall
not be put to shame. He is near that justifies me. Who is going to contend with
me? Let them stand together. Who is my adversary? Let him
come near to me. Behold, the Lord God will help
me. Who can condemn me? They shall all wax old as a garment,
and the moth shall eat them up." But I'm justified. That's my
Savior talking. That's my representative. That's
my Lord. He pleased God. He pleased God. He's the only human being that's
ever, ever, ever been justified, perfectly justified by what he
did. And when he was justified by
what he did, he justified all who believed in him, all who
trusted him. I'll write my text again. We
just shall live by faith. Verse 12. The law is not our
faith. The law is not our faith. What
does that mean? The law doesn't require faith.
You won't read anywhere in the law that the law requires faith. It requires doing. Not faith,
doing. The law doesn't reward faith.
It rewards obedience. It doesn't reward faith. The law has nothing to do with
faith. It doesn't recognize it. It doesn't require it. It doesn't
reward it. It doesn't take notice of faith. The law requires one thing, perfect
obedience. Not only in activity, but in
motive. Not only in deed, but in spirit
and attitude. Not only outwardly, but inwardly. The law requires a perfect life
outwardly and a perfect spirit inwardly to love God with all
our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and everybody else, even our
greatest enemy, as we love ourselves. And it makes no allowance for
weaknesses. The law absolutely is verity
and judgment and truth and makes no allowance for weaknesses at
all. We've got to be as holy as God
was to keep the law. And therefore verse 12 says,
the law is not a faith, but the man that doeth them, he'll live
in them. That's the only person. that
can be justified by the law is the man who has no sin by nature,
no sin by birth, no sin by practice. And there is no man except one,
our Lord Jesus. But thank God for the next verse.
Oh, what a time of rejoicing. Christ hath redeemed us. Christ hath redeemed us from
the curse of the law. You know, everything that Paul
says before this verse, somebody would say, well, that shuts a
man up to no hope. No, indeed, it does not. But
it shuts a man up to one sure hope, and that hope is Christ. And this is the message. Christ
hath redeemed us, the Son of God, appointed by God, sent by
God. And the scripture says, our sins
were laid on him, all the sins. of all the people of God, from
the first one to the last one, were laid on Christ. Turn to
Isaiah 53. It says in verse 4, Surely he
hath borne our griefs, he hath carried our sorrows, We did esteem
him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded
for our transgressions. He was burned for our iniquities.
The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes
we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. We turned everyone to his own
way, and the Lord hath laid on him made the iniquity of us all
to meet on him. Think about it now. The Lord
laid on him the iniquity of every one of us. Christ was the greatest
single sinner. When he was our substitute, when
he was made sin, that's what scripture says, made sin for
us. Our sins were laid on him. He's
the greatest single sinner bearing our iniquities that ever has
been on this earth. Think of the accumulation of
all the wickedness, thoughts, words, deeds, imaginations of
every believer in one place and one time laid on Christ Jesus. Your sins have separated you
and your God. Talking about us, but talking
about him on that cross, because the Father turned his And Christ
said, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? Your sins, laid on you, have
separated you and your God. Christ hath redeemed us. He's
redeemed us from the curse of the law, totally, completely. Listen to the scripture, Romans
8.1. There's therefore now no judgment to them who are in Christ.
No judgment. In Christ there is no charge.
Who can lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that
justifies. There is no condemnation. Who
is he that condemned? Christ died. Yea, rather is risen
again, who is also ascended and maketh intercession for us. There
is no separation. Who can separate me from the
love of God which is in Christ? There is no sin. God said, I
remember their sin. Christ has redeemed us, delivered
us from the curse of the law, from all of the curse. There
is no curse, no judgment, no condemnation, no charge, no separation,
no sin. In Christ we have no sin, that's
what the Scripture says. For it is written, cursed is
everyone that hangs on a tree. Christ was made a curse for us.
You might ask the question, how can one person bear the sin of
so many? Well, the answer is because of
who he is. The infinite Son of God can bear infinite sin, and
he can satisfy for infinite sin. I read a story years ago about
a young boy that had been to church with his father. And the
preacher preached what I'm talking about tonight, what I'm preaching
tonight. And on the way home, the little boy said, Dad, he
said, how could one man bear the sin of so many? How
could one man pay in full for the sin of so many people? I thought a little bit about
how he's going to answer that question. That's an awesome question.
And as they walked along, the father saw a grasshopper in the
grass. He said, son, what is that? He
said, that's a grasshopper. He said, there are a lot of grasshoppers
in the world, aren't there? He said, yes, sir. He said, how
many grasshoppers are worth one little boy to his daddy? You,
my son? How many grasshoppers would it
take for me to give you up and take
them." Oh, he said that and I reckon all the grasshoppers in the world
were with one little boy. He said, well, you know, son, what
scripture says? God sits on the throne and he considers the inhabitants
of this world as grasshoppers looking up. You mean that's all
we're worth? Well, I'll tell you. in the sight
of the twice-holy God. We're worse than grasshoppers
because the grasshoppers never sinned against God, never tried
to throw God off his throne and never nailed his son to a cross.
So I'll tell you, the reason the Son of God, the infinite
Son of God, the almighty, eternal Son of God can pay the sins of
you and me and all of his people of all generations is because
of who he is. And the reason you could never
pay for him is because of who you are. I can't satisfy one
transgression of my own because of who I am. I'm a fallen creature.
He's infinite. And I tell you this, he was made
a curse. Now he was not only cursed by
men. It says over there in Isaiah,
Isaiah 53, you remember, it says, He says he's despised. He's rejected
of men. He's a man of sorrows. He's acquainted
with grief. We hear, as it were, our faces
from him. He's despised. We esteem him
not. He was taken from the judgment,
and no man declared his generation. He walked the winepress alone.
He was forsaken of all, cursed by men, cursed by men. He was cursed by the law. Having
our sins laid on him, imputed to him, charged to him, the law
found him and found them on him. And the law charged him with
them and condemned him. And the law delivered him to
be crucified because of his sins. And he was cursed not only by
men and by the law, but he was cursed by the justice of Almighty
God. that God's justice found our
sins on him, and God's justice punished him by death. And Zechariah
wrote about it and said, Awake, O sword of justice, against my
shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, smite him! And God did. It pleased the Lord
to bless him. And it says here, Cursed is everyone
that hangeth on a tree, or crucified on a cross. Cursed. Christ hath redeemed us from
out from under the curse of the law, for it's written. It's written
all the way through this book. Cursed is everyone that hangeth
on a tree. All right, let's see where it's
written. Deuteronomy 21, 22. Now then, if a man, Deuteronomy
21, 22, you have it? If a man, Jesus Christ was the
man, has committed a sin worthy of death, all the sins he had
on him were worthy of death. every one of them. And he'd be put to death. That's
why he was put to death. And you hang him on a tree. If
a man's hanging on a cross or hanging on a tree, one reason
why he's there, he's done something worthy of the death. He's guilty
of something that ought to be punished by death. And Jesus
Christ was guilty because he bore our guilt. He was there. We were crucified with Christ.
That's right. All right, his body shall not
remain all night on that tree, but you shall in any wise bury
him that day, take him down from that cross, and put him in a
tomb. That's what they did. That the land where he is hanged
is accursed of God. Christ was cursed of God for
his sins. Put him in a grave, that the
land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for
inheritance. Take that guilty Crucified person
down, put him in a grave. That's what they did. Escape,
go! Boy sends away. It's gone. Paid the debt, put
away. What happened then? His resurrection
says God accepted him, that we're reconciled in him. That's right. He's accepted. Acts 17, verse
31. Because God hath appointed a
day in which he hath judged this world in righteousness by that
man, whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given assurance to all
men. in that he didn't leave him in the tomb, he raised him
from the dead. Raised him from the dead. You
can't, payment God's justice cannot twice demand for sin. First, at my bleeding surety's
hand, who was cursed, condemned, and crucified, and buried, and
God in his power And in his greatness raised him from the dead, and
called him to glory, and sat him at his right hand. That's
my show, that's your show. Where Christ, our forerunner,
has already entered within the banquet. We're not guilty. We're
not guilty. He's deliberate. Now, brethren,
verse 15, brethren, I speak after the manner of men. Let's look
at verse 14, that the blessings of God, the blessings of Abraham,
verse 14, let's read, that the blessings of Abraham might come
even on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ. What's the blessings
of Abraham? Well, number one, Abraham's called
the friend of God. Abraham, my friend. It's in the
Bible twice. If you want to mark it, first
it's in Isaiah 41. You think about this. In Isaiah 41, verse 8, Thou, Israel, art my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham, my friend. That's
a blessing, isn't it, to be the friend of God? Well, that's the
blessing that comes on us. The same blessing. Look at James,
that's where it's written again. Abraham, friend of God. In James,
chapter 2. verse 23, James 2, 23. And the
scriptures, the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham
believed God. It was imputed to him for righteousness.
That's the other blessing, the blessing of Abraham, righteousness.
What is righteousness? Righteousness is holiness. There's
just one kind of holiness and that's perfect holiness. You
can't be part holy. God is holy. And in Christ we
are holy. With his spotless garments on,
we are as holy as his Son. Near, so near to God, nearly
we cannot be in the person of his Son, we are as near as he.
We are within the veil. That's the holy of holies. Righteousness
is holiness. Abraham, it was imputed to him
for righteousness. And he was called a friend of
God. Friend of God. What's these blessings? Christ
redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for
us, in order that the blessings of Abraham might come on us. What's another blessing of Abraham?
Friend of God, righteous, and the sworn promise of eternal
life. Turn to Hebrews 6. I don't do this, and you don't
either, because the Lord tells us not to swear by heaven and
earth or any other thing you know, just your words be yea
and nay, that's sufficient. But Almighty God, in Hebrews
6, verse 13, made a promise to Abraham of eternal life. In Hebrews
6, verse 13, when God made a promise to Abraham. Because he could
swear by no greater, God swore by himself. God swore to Abraham,
saying, Surely, blessing I will bless you, and multiply, I will
multiply thee. And so after he had patiently
endured, he obtained that promise. And you hold that right there
for a minute. So Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law,
being made a curse for us. that the blessings of Abraham,
friend of God, righteous as God, promise of life. God can't lie. God, who cannot lie, promised
eternal life, and he swore by himself. Now, hold that there
and look back at my text. Let's read verse 15. Brethren, I speak after the manner
of men, though it be but a man's covenant. A man's agreement,
a man's contract, a man's covenant, if it's confirmed, nobody's going
to disannul it, and nobody's going to add to it. That's right.
You write a last will and testament, and I witness it, and Rob witnesses
it, and you signed it, and the martyr notarizes it, and it's
signed, sealed, and delivered. You don't add anything to it
or take anything away from it. That's a man's covenant, and
that's signed, sealed, and delivered. That's right. We'll turn back
to Hebrews 6. We're going to talk about God's
swearing and God's testament. God's testament. So verse 15,
after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. 5. Men
barely swear by the greater, and an oath of confirmation for
them is in the end of strife. That's the end of it. But God,
willing more abundantly to show to theirs a promise, The immutability
of his counsel confirmed it with an oath that by two immutable
things, God's word and God's oath, in which it is impossible
for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation who fled
for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us. And it's signed, sealed, and
notarized and delivered. It can't be disannulled or added
thereto. When God made the promise of
life in Christ, sealed it with his blood, it can't be disannulled,
added to or taken from. It's as sure as the throne of
God. Now, the last verse. We'll pick up with 17 when I
get back from the trip. Now, to Abraham and his seed
where the promise is made. Now look at that carefully. To
Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He said not the
seeds as of many, but as of one. Abraham and thy seed, and his
seed, which is Christ. One old writer said this, the
promise of eternal life, of all these mercies and blessings,
was not made to Christ alone or Christ personal. I know he
became our surety. and entered into a covenant with
his father, but the promise was made to Abraham, who is the father
of us all, to Abraham, who represents the church, to Abraham, who is
the first one of Israel, true spiritual Israel, the promise
was made to Abraham and his seed, which is Christ. The promise
was made not to me only, personally, not to Christ only, but to us
one. That's right. We have no promise
except in Christ. It's made to Christ and his church.
Christ and his body. See, let me show you some scripture.
1 Corinthians 12. Promise was made to Abraham,
who represents all believers, who's the father of us all, and
to His seed, Christ. Christ came through Isaac, His
seed. 1 Corinthians 12, 12. The body's one and has many members. And all the members of that one
body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. Christ is
the head, we're the body. They're one. And our Lord prayed
in John 17. Let's turn over there. John 17. Here's how I personally pray. John 17, verse 20. John 17, 20.
Neither pray I for these alone, But for them also which shall
believe on me through their word, that they all may be one, as
thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may
be one in us, that the world may believe thou hast sent me.
And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them, that they
may be one as we are one, I in them, thou in me, that they may
be perfect in one, that the world may know thou hast sent me, and
love you love me." So the promise of eternal life. Don't bring
in Moses and the law and all these things. Made to Christ
and his church. Abraham and his seed, which is
Christ. That's so clear. And I was in
him. Our Father, how we thank you
for your word. We praise thy name. This night,
not only for this word that we hold in our hands, but you've
taken this gospel and revealed it to our hearts. And we hold
this word, not only in our hands, but we hold it, believe it, rest
in it, trust in your word and your promise in our hearts. Thank
you, Lord. To thee be all the glory and
the praise. And I pray that you bless this message, these messages
preached today, so clear in your way, that life is in Christ,
that it's not by works, it's by grace, by thy grace, through
Christ, through faith in him, rest in him, trust in him, and
our being in him by your mercy. I pray that you would strengthen
the confidence. and the hope and the faith of
thy people. And it be any here this evening
who has not laid hold of the truth as it is in the Lord Jesus
Christ, of your glorious good news and glad tidings and great
gospel and the rest and the peace, where we cease from our labors
and cease from our works and enter into his rest and peace. I pray that you make the message
to be effectual to the heart, as only you can do, by your grace,
by the power of your spirit, for your glory. I pray for Christ's
sake. Amen.