I invite your attention back
to Galatians chapter 5. I want to read these verses again,
and I want you to listen carefully to what Paul is saying. This I say then, walk in the
Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. For the
flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.
And these are contrary to one another, so that you cannot do
the things that you would. But if you be led of the Spirit,
that is, walk in the Spirit, if you are led of the Spirit,
you are not under the law. Those are pretty clear words,
very decisive words, very distinctive words, and they said about a
really strong distinction that Paul has made throughout this
book of Galatians. And two things in this passage
of scripture we just read are very clear, very clear. The first is that Paul is assuredly
addressing the believer's liberty. liberty from the bondage of the
law and the bondage of sin and that liberty namely is justification
and righteousness and sanctification by the work of the Lord Jesus
Christ. He begins this very chapter by
saying stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ
has made you free and be not entangled again into that old
yoke of bondage. So that's what Paul is talking
about first of all in this passage. And these things are received
through faith and only through faith. And none of the above
things that he's talking about, walking in the Spirit or not
walking in the flesh, is accomplished by applying to the law to any
level or to any degree. Because he goes on to say, they
that walk in the flesh are not under the law. So whatever he's
talking about, walking in the spirit and not walking in the
flesh, that's not accomplished in any way by the law or by your
personal doing or not doing. The second thing is that in this
passage, Paul clearly links the lust of the flesh with being
under the law. He links those two things together. There is no comparison in law
and grace. There is no comparison. There
is only and always a contrast, an opposition, a diametric opposition. Now the terms lust of the flesh
and under the law respectively referred to a man in his Adamic
nature, how you were born into this world from your mother's
womb. and his Adamic nature also is
addressed with kind of a legal religious twist here because
Paul is dealing with those who have been say they've been saved
by the grace of God but are under the bad influence of spies sent
among them to spy out their liberty and have caused them once again
to doubt whether maybe Salvation by grace isn't enough. Maybe
we do need to act in a certain way to be saved, to keep the
law to be saved. Now in either case, they are
not a product of walking in the Spirit. And in neither case,
flesh or spirit, it's very important to understand, walking in the
Spirit or not walking in the flesh, neither one of those things
are capable or even designed toward making Adam a better example
of evolved humanity. Neither of those things. Well,
I walk in the Spirit. That's going to make Adam better.
No, it's not. Adam ain't never going to get better. Adam's just
bad. He's been bad from the beginning
and he's bad yet today. Adam is our carnal nature. our federal head in which all
humanity fell and are made guilty of his transgression according
to Romans chapter 5 and verse 12. Adam is our carnality, our
fleshly nature, our carnal humanity and it will never be better and
there's no part of salvation. Listen. There's no part of salvation
wrought by Jesus Christ that is designed to make Adam better. No part of salvation is designed
to make Adam better. That's just the truth. I know
people like to think that way. Well, I know what I used to be
and I'm not what I used to be. Well, you're not what you used
to be because something happened to you inside, not outside. No matter what you do outside,
it's just fluff, I'll guarantee it, and of no value whatsoever.
The law, having no ability to touch the heart, because it's
written on stones, it can't be bent, it can only be broken.
The law cannot touch the heart. Might, however, for fear of censure
or desire for some reward, improve social behavior. It may improve
morality, but all it does is skim the surface of the cesspool,
but it will never turn manure into meatloaf and mashed potatoes.
It just won't. Our Lord said it this way when
He declared the necessity, the absolute necessity of a new creature
in the Lord Jesus Christ. He says that which is born of
the flesh is flesh. It ain't going to change. And that which is born of the
spirit is spirit. Regeneration. New birth. Born from above, however you
want to put it. Or as some old country preachers
say, bond again. I don't say that, but some people
do. Regeneration comes through hearing the gospel with ears
of God-given faith. Life precedes all things. And
spiritual life precedes hearing the gospel. You say, well, how
long does it come before you hear the gospel. I don't have
any idea, but I know this as far as our own experience goes.
It's like cutting on a light switch. We cut on a light switch. We know that there's an electrical
connection that's made before that light comes on. But we can't
tell the difference between the time that light switch clicks
and that light comes on. Regeneration and conversion, or regeneration
and faith, are Siamese twins. They're two sides of the same
coin. But it happens only one way,
and that is through the preaching of the gospel of God's grace
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Through the preaching of the
gospel. That's what Peter said in 1 Peter chapter 23, he says,
we're born again, not of corruptible seed, the word there is semen,
not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible, even by the word
of God which liveth and abideth forever. And this is the word
which by the gospel is preached unto you. The gospel is not in
the word of God. The word of God is in the gospel.
And that's important to remember. This book is the gospel from
cover to cover. It's not about Old Testament
history. It's about Jesus Christ as shrouded in Old Testament
history. It's all about the Lord Jesus
Christ. James says, "...of His own will begat He us, birthed
us with the word of truth." That's how it takes place. That's why
God sent His preachers out into the world to preach the gospel,
to call out His sheep. Because they're going to hear
the Word. They're going to hear the Word of God, they're going
to hear the voice of Christ, and they're going to follow Christ. You're
not going to do it any other way. It's through the preaching
of the Word. God has chosen through the foolishness of preaching
to save them that believe. Somewhere along the line, if
you're one of God's sheep, God's going to cross your path with
somebody to tell you the truth. He's going to do it. He'll always
be that way. I don't care who you are, He's
going to send a man to you to stand up on his hind legs and
tell you the truth. However, that regeneration does not change
or alter that which is born of the flesh. It just doesn't change
it. Doesn't change it whatsoever.
Regeneration does not improve that which is born of the flesh.
Regeneration, because it is the creation of a new creature, can
only subdue the behavior of the flesh, and that only as the believer
walks in the Spirit, believes Christ, looks to Christ. The
flesh is subdued not by force or duress, but by the redirection
and renewing of the mind, the new creation. Walking in the
Spirit is the life of faith. the life of faith, lived in the
knowledge and the understanding that this life is the work of
God. Some men came to Christ one time
and said, what must we do to work the works of God? And our
Lord said, this is the work of God that you believe on Him whom
He has seen. John 6, 28 and 29. Paul says
over here in Galatians chapter 2, just a couple pages back in
your Bible, he said in verse 20, I am crucified, and that
word am is was, I was crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live.
I live, yet not I. Yet not I. But Christ liveth
in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the
faith of the Son of God." Now you look up that phrase, get
your little pen sometime and read the book of Galatians and
look up that phrase, by the faith of the Son of God or by the faith
of Christ. Paul means something specific
in this Galatian letter with that terminology. He means the
work accomplished by Jesus Christ. I live by the faith of Jesus
Christ, by the work accomplished by Jesus Christ, the one who
loved me and gave himself for me. That's how I live. That's
how I live. That's how this life of faith
is described. I can't even say it's my life,
can I? I can say He's my life. When Christ, who is our life,
shall appear, we shall appear with Him also, Scripture says.
And what Paul is addressing in this passage is that life produced
by Christ living in a person through faith, and he calls that
walking in the Spirit. walking in the Spirit. That life,
the Spirit, or spiritual life, will not fulfill the lusts of
the flesh. That's what he's saying. Will
not fulfill the lusts of the flesh and cannot be produced
or enhanced by being under the law or applying to the law for
help. Read verse 16. This I say, and
look what it says, walk in the Spirit and ye shall not Fulfill
the lust of the flesh. That's what it said. Verse 18, But if ye are led by
the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now those are factual
statements. Those are just statements of
fact. And that's important to understand. People like to add
little maybes and somebys and okays and perhapss in there.
But there ain't no perhapss. Walk in the Spirit, you shall
not what it said, fulfill the lust of the flesh. And also,
if you're led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. It doesn't say you're going to
try to get out from under it, or you're not completely out
from under it, or you're not under the moral law or the ceremonial
law. It says you're not under the law. And that's exactly what
it means. Now Paul gives verse 17 as the
reason why a person walking in the Spirit will not fulfill the
lust of the flesh. He says this, for the flesh lusteth
against the Spirit. They're at war. And the Spirit
against the flesh, and these are contrary to one another.
They're contrary to one another. You know what contrary means.
My mother used to say, boy, you're contrary. We used to do a little
nursery rhyme, Mary, Mary, quite contrary. What does that mean?
She's contrary. She's against something. She's
not for something. My mom used to tell me I was contrary. That
meant I wasn't doing what I was supposed to do. I was against
her. Boy, you're contrary. The fear of spirit and the flesh
are contrary to one another. And look what it says. So that
creates something, a dilemma, if you will, in the child of
God's life, but nonetheless His real life, so that you cannot
do what you would. You can't do what you would.
What does that mean? These two things are diametrically
opposed to each other, and in fact, do not operate in the same
realm. They're not even in the same sphere. The flesh walks
in the realm of sin, death, and the law. The spirit walks in
the realm of life, faith, and righteousness. Look over at chapter
3 and verse 21. Verse 21. Is the law then against
the promises of God? Of course not. God forbid, for
if there had been a law given, which could have given life,
verily righteousness would have come by the law. Righteousness
doesn't come by the law, because there is no law given that would
give life, and therefore cannot give righteousness. Romans 6
and verse 14, Paul makes that pretty clear over in Romans.
Romans 6 and verse 14, he says, for sin, shall not have dominion over
you. Why? Because I've given up smoking
and chewing and messing around and going to movie shows. Sin
shall not have dominion over you. Why? For you're not under
the law. You're under grace. That means
if you're under the law, sin has dominion over you. It's that
simple. If you're under the law, sin
has dominion over you. Look over 1 Corinthians chapter
15. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. In verse 56 it says, The sting
of death is sin, and so that sinneth it shall die. Now look
at that next phrase. And the strength of sin is what? Debauchery? Drinking, smoking,
chewing? What is the strength of sin?
The law. The law. That's what it says.
The strength of sin is the law. Now, what that simply means is
there is no instance in which walking in the Spirit will fulfill
the lust of the flesh. They're contrary to each other.
And no instance when fulfilling the lust of the flesh will accomplish
anything remotely spiritual. They just operate in different
realms. Likewise, there's no instance
where walking in the Spirit will bring a person under the law.
There is no instance. So if a person says, well, I
know I'm a child of God, but you've got to keep the law. No!
These are contrary to one another. There is no instance of that.
No instance whatsoever. The walking in the Spirit will
never bring a believer under the law. No way. And in no instance where being
under the law will cause anyone to ever be spiritual. I know,
boy, there's a whole lot of religion today think, you know, that's
spirituality being under that law. They think that's spirituality. I'm under the law. I'm keeping
the law. I'm a good man. I'm a holy man because I keep
the law. What does the Scripture say? The Scripture says... Well, let's read it. Romans 3.
Romans chapter 3. Verse 19. And we know. So, if
you're a child of God, you know this. And if you don't know this,
you think otherwise, it's probably because you're not a child of
God. Because He said, we know. We know that what thingsoever
the law saith, it saith to them that are under the law. Why does
it do that? Now look at the next phrase.
So that every mouth might be stopped, and all the world may
be guilty before God. What does the law say to you,
Dave? You're guilty. I'd rather be under something
that says I'm innocent, wouldn't you? Something says I'm not guilty. I'd like to be under something
that says I'm justified and I never have been guilty before God.
I'd like to hear that. I don't want to be under the
law. The notion that the believer can be holy by applying to the
law is as utterly ridiculous as thinking that a person can
be holy by committing adultery. Think about it now. It's just
as ridiculous. Or being a drunk. Or heretical.
Because Paul follows these very words Speaking of the lust of
the Spirit, or the lust of the flesh and the Spirit, he follows
this lust of the flesh by saying this in Galatians 5. He says,
But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law now.
The works of the flesh are manifest. Now the works of the flesh and
the law is already combined together to say the same thing. Isn't
it? What are they? I'm going to keep the law. Well,
here's how you keep the law. Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. No, that ain't what it means.
That's what it means. We need to get this through our
thick skull. We might have some peace on this earth if we can
get this through our thick skull. Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred,
various simulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, endings,
murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such and such the like, of
the which I tell you before, and I've also told you in the
time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit
the kingdom of God. That's the works of the law. He said, no,
it can't be the works of the law. Yes, it is. This is what
people have difficulty with understanding, but it's nonetheless true. We'll
get to that in a moment. Paul is declaring with no equivocation
that the flesh and the law are incapable of bringing forth fruit
unto God, and the Spirit is incapable of bringing forth fruit unto
death. A good tree, the Lord said, brings
forth good fruit. An evil tree brings forth evil
fruit. That's what they do. That's what they do. In James
chapter 3, he said a bitter spring cannot bring forth sweet water,
and a sweet spring cannot bring forth bitter water. They just
can't do it. There are two different kinds of springs. And when we
speak of these things, we are not addressing what should be
or what might be. We're talking about what is.
Paul's not giving any leeway here, no mitigating circumstances
in this language. He says if you're led by the
Spirit, you're not under the law. He didn't say you might
not be under the law, or it could be possible that you wouldn't
be under the law. He says you're not under the law. And they that
walk in the Spirit will not, not might not, will not fulfill
the lust of the flesh. Now, if you're a believer, knowing
what you are inside, this becomes a really great source of good
news. A great source of good news.
When we speak of these things, we're addressing what is. The
old adage, east is east and west is west and never the twain shall
meet, I think is applicable here. That's what Paul is declaring
concerning the spirit and the flesh. And the Lord said it this way,
He has separated our sins from us as far as what? East and West. Well, what does that mean? Well,
they're just as far apart as you can get. That's what the
Spirit and the flesh are. They're as far apart as you can
get. There is never a mixture of these two things. Never! I
hear of men and women today talking about this new use of the law,
this new application of the law, especially among Reformed preachers
and teachers. They talk about a new application.
Forget it! There ain't no new application.
The believer has nothing to do with the law. Whatsoever. The law is dead to the believer.
The believer is dead to the law. The believer by the law is dead
to the law. Paul says in this very same book. I think that
though this is not a treatise on the believer possessing two
natures, it's not necessarily erroneous to use that in this
context, but I'm not going to. I know that men quibble about
that. Some state that man has one nature in which resides two
opposing principles or laws. Others say that the old man and
the new man do not speak of two natures. I have no problem with
men referring to the flesh and the spirit as two natures, if
what is being referred to is the outflow of that which defines
a being's character, because that's how the word natural is
used. In this sense, nature determines what's natural. And if your character
is sinful, if you have a sinful, carnal nature, that's what you're
going to produce. That's where your mind's going
to be set. That's where your heart's going to be set. If you're
a person who's been made spiritually alive, your mind's going to be
set there, going in that direction. And those two ain't running on
parallel lines. They're going like this, further and further
apart all the time. For me, the argument about two
natures or two principles is not very useful for either side. And I know that neither side
would dare attribute spiritual things to the flesh or vice versa. The argument may rank a little
higher than tomato or tomato, but not much higher than tomato
or tomato, I don't think. Paul is contrasting the two,
the flesh and the spirit, and making it very plain that he
is not speaking of a life of moral and ethical perfection
when he talks about walking in the spirit. He's not talking
about meritorious holiness or seamless piety in this life. He admonishes the believer to
walk in the spirit, but he does not admonish them not to fulfill
the flesh lest the flesh. He says, walk in the Spirit,
and ye shall not. He doesn't say don't walk in
the lust of the flesh. He doesn't need to say that. We do that
all the time. We do that all the time. He declares
that the believer walks in the Spirit and shall not fulfill
the lust of the flesh. When a person, and I use the
word when here, when a person walks in the Spirit, he will
never fulfill the lust of the flesh. never fulfilled. And I use the word when in reference
to that time in which believers' eyes are fixed on Christ. And
his heart is enamored with Christ. And he's in love with Christ.
And he's worshiping Christ. In those blessed, rare moments
as we live on this earth in this body of sin, those rare, blessed,
sweet interludes into our life when we worship God. We will
not fulfill the lust of the flesh. We won't. In those moments, the
believer does not fulfill the lust of the flesh. This sweet
estate, unfortunately, never ascends to the lofty place of
perfection. Because even in the most precious
moment of fellowship with Christ, there is always something about
us that makes perfection an impossibility. What is it? Our flesh. It's contrary to that. Always. So we never can do what we would. Paul gives verse 17 as a reason
that when you walk in the Spirit, you will not fulfill the lust
of the flesh. He says, for the flesh lusteth against the Spirit.
That's the reason he gives. If you're walking in the Spirit,
you're not going to fulfill the lust of the flesh. Two different
things. Two different lives, if you will, in our being. Verse
17 explains the principle that he has espoused throughout this
whole epistle. He's explaining that the flesh and the spirit
are never on the same page and never will be. They'll always
operate in different and opposing arenas. And two things are truly
stated in this verse. First, you can never attribute
to the flesh anything that is spiritual. So stop looking at yourself. Just stop. It ain't going to
do you no good. Do you know good to meditate
and contemplate your belly button? It's not going to do you any
good. If you look inward, all you will find is something to
be embarrassed about and ashamed of and hope nobody finds out. That's all you're going to find.
If you think you find righteousness, you're lying to yourself. You're
deceived. You can never attribute to the
flesh anything that is spiritual, and you can never attribute to
the Spirit anything that is of the flesh. They tried this. The Judaizers tried to get the
Galatians here and said, Well, I know you're saved by grace
and born of the Spirit, but you've got to do certain things to end
this thing upright. You've got to live a certain
way so you'll end up right. Verse 3 of chapter 3 says, Are
you so foolish, O Galatians? Having begun in the Spirit, are
you now made perfect in the flesh? That's an impossibility. It'll
never work that way. It'll never work that way because
it can't work that way. They're contrary to one another.
Now if I do a good thing, if I do a righteous thing, I can
never say that I was the cause of it. I can't. I'll have to give glory to where
it's due. It's God working in me. If anything ever good comes
from me, and if it is, I'm absolutely sure I'll never know of it. If
I think it's good, I'll probably tell you about it. And if I do,
just call me the self-righteous pig that I am, because that's
what I am. If I think it's good, it'll probably leak out on me,
because I'm still a man of the flesh. But if it is good, I won't
know about it, I know that it's ordained because we are God's
workmanship, ordained in Christ Jesus unto good works, which
He has before ordained that we should walk in them. It's ordained
of God, if it is good, and it's going to come from God, and God's
going to get the glory for it. That means I have to be out of
the picture. When I was a young boy, my dad
would accuse me of things, and I'd say, Me? Me? That's what I'm talking about.
You look at me and say, well, you're a good man. Me? You don't know me. If you knew me, you'd think I'd
be in a penitentiary on death row, if you knew me. Preachers
live in the constant fear that somebody will find out what a
fraud they are. We really do. Because inside there's a blackness
and a darkness that we're ashamed to even talk about. If anything good happens, God's
got to get the glory for it, not me. Conversely, when I do
that which is unrighteous and sinful, I can never attribute
that to the Spirit of Christ in me, but must lay the blame
at my own feet. I did it. I'm to blame. Now what Paul said in Romans
chapter 7, over and over again, when I would do good, evil is
present with me. I find then a law in my members. Sin's always there. He didn't say that. He does say
sin made me do it. He does say that. But he uses
the personal pronoun I over and over again. He said, I did it. I did it. It's my fault. Secondly,
because there are two opposing natures here, or spirits, the
spirit of flesh and the spirit of life. These reside in my members. They are mutually prohibitive.
The Spirit prevents me from going as far as I would desire in my
flesh. Thank God. But sadly, my flesh prohibits
me from going as far as I would in my spirit. This is the life
of the believer. That's why Paul said, Who shall
deliver me from this body of death? I thank God through Jesus
Christ. Therefore, with my mind I serve
the law of God, and with my flesh I serve the law of sin and death,
and that's me. Far from being the religious ideal of this trance-like,
ethereal, mystical, higher plane, or oh so popular, deeper life
that men talk about, walking in the Spirit is a struggle with
the flesh from day one. And it will last until we draw
our final breath here on earth. And a good biblical illustration
of that is when Abraham was buried, Isaac was on one side of the
grave and Ishmael was on the other. The Son born of the Spirit
and the Son born of the flesh. Finally, to reassure the believer
that walking in the Spirit has nothing to do with the flesh,
Paul asserts that walking in the Spirit, being led by the
Spirit, has nothing to do with the law. Nothing to do with the
law. But if you be led of the Spirit,
you're not under the law. Neither the flesh nor the law,
which operate in the same realm and produce the same results,
have anything to do with the spiritual life. They don't have
anything to do with it. You say, well, don't you love
the law? Oh, I do. It's good. It's holy. It's just and right. But it's contrary to me. as I live in Christ Jesus. Contrary
to me. I love it like I love my old
grandma. She's dead. Every once in a while
I might go by to her grave site and say, hey granny. I might
put a flower on her grave. That's all I'm going to ask from
granny though. Because she's dead. That's how I love the law. The law and the flesh are alike,
and they are opposite and contrary to the Spirit. That's spoken
of over and over again in Scripture. They're contrary to the Spirit.
Romans 8, verse 5. Paul says, For they that are
after the flesh, do mine the things of the flesh. That's what
they mine. And they that are after the Spirit, the things
of the Spirit. Colossians chapter 2. Colossians
chapter 2. Paul wrote two books after he
made that terrible error of trying to appease the Jews in Acts by
going on and taking on a Jewish ceremony, thinking that he might
get some of them Jews to listen to him. Well, they turned against
him worse after that. When he realized that you couldn't
use the law in that capacity whatsoever to gain anything spiritual,
he wrote the book of Galatians and the book of Colossians, the
two most scathing reports concerning law and grace. And in Colossians
chapter 2, he said this down in verse 14. How contrary is it? He says, blotting out the handwriting
of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us. He
took them out of the way and nailed them to His cross. That
is contrary to us. That is against us. The law is
against us. Why? Because we're felons by
nature. We're felons by nature. Where the law is, there is sin. Do you realize that? Where the law is, there is sin,
there is death, and there is bondage. Where the law is, there
is sin, death, and bondage. When Paul said that the strength
of the law is sin, he was saying that without the law, there is
no sin that can be charged or imputed. What if there were no speed limit
signs? Think about it. And you went down Big Cold Road
at 95 miles an hour. Could they do anything to you? If there was no law about speed,
could they do anything to you? Could do anything to you. Why?
Because there ain't no law about it. Where there is no law, there
is no transgression ever imputed. That's what Paul is teaching.
There is no transgression. Where the law is, there's imputation. of sin and transgression. So
if that sign says 35 and you get caught doing 95, that sign
represents the law that's going to put you in jail. But unless
that law is there, 95 ain't a sin. 95 ain't a transgression. Transgression of what? There
has to be a law. There has to be a law. That's an important thing to
understand. That's what Paul said, the strength of sin is
the law. Romans 5, verse 13 says this,
For until the law, sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed
where there is no law. Well, there's sin there. Why
wasn't he punished? There wasn't no law. There wasn't no law. There has
to be a law in order for sin to be punished. The law entered
that sin might abound. That's what it says in Romans
5, verse 20. The law entered that sin might
abound. What does that mean? Appear as
it is. As an exceedingly sinful thing
against God Almighty. The law is not evil. The law
is not sin. But the law operates in the realm
of sin to define evil for what it is. That's what Paul said
in Romans chapter 7 and verse 7 and verse 13. Listen to what
he said. Now Paul was a lawyer. He was a legalist. I mean, that
fellow believed he did what was right and he was acceptable before
God. And his resume is impeccable. His resume is impeccable. Hold
there at Romans 7 and turn for a moment over to Philippians
chapter 3. Listen to his resume. Now if you was a religious fellow
and you run a church or something, run a group of churches and you
want to hire somebody to do the right kind of thing at your church,
this is the guy you want to hire. He got a pedigree. Who want them
doctors who want them DD doctors? No, that doesn't mean dumb dogs,
but they usually are. He says in verse 4 of chapter
2, Though I might have confidence in the flesh, Though I might also have confidence
in the flesh, if any other man thinks that he might trust in
the flesh, I have more reason than he does. Why? Well, I was
circumcised the eighth day. I kept the law before I even
knew what the law was. I was of the stock of Israel,
of the tribe of Benjamin, which historically was said the last
tribe to lose its identity, and Hebrew of Hebrews. He said my
granddaddy was a Hebrew, my great-granddaddy was a Hebrew, and on down the
line. As touching the law, I was a Pharisee. I lived the law. I held everybody else to account
that didn't live the law. I pointed my finger at folks
and told them what they had to do. I wouldn't lift a finger
to help them. I told them what was right and what was wrong.
I lived that way. And he said, concerning zeal,
When I heard of a group of people talking about this man from Nazareth
being God, I went and got letters from my superiors and said, let
me go kill everybody that says that. Concerning zeal, I persecuted
the church. Touching the righteousness which
is in the law, I was blameless. That's a pedigree. Well, we want you to be our pastor.
He said, you know what that was though? It was dung. He said, every bit of that is
manure of no value. It's refuse to be cast away.
It belongs in the sewer, not in the pulpit. That's where it
belongs. In Romans chapter 7, he says
this, in verse 7, he says, What shall we say then? Is the law
sin? God forbid. No, I had not known
sin but by the law. That's how I knew it was a sin. For I had not known lust except
the law had said, I shall not covet. I wouldn't know what I
was doing was lusting. I wouldn't know what I was doing
was coveting. There wasn't a law to define it. There wasn't a
law. The problem with the law? The law is just fine. Nothing
wrong with the law whatsoever. Look at verse 13. Was then that which is good made
death to me? No. Just told you it's dead. God forbid. But sin that it might
appear sin, working death in me by that which is good. That
sin by the commandment might appear exceedingly sinful. The
strength of sin is the law. Sin, death, and the law cannot
operate in the realm of the Spirit. It just can't. Conversely, since
Christ has delivered His people from under the yoke of bondage,
in this very same book in chapter 3 and verse 13, redeemed them
from the curse of the law. Since He's done that, Since he's
put their sin away by the sacrifice of himself, since he's satisfied
God's law for them, and they are no longer under the law,
since he has removed death from them by giving them eternal life,
and since the believer is not under the law, listen very carefully,
no sin will ever be charged to a believer. Think about it. Roll that over
in your head. You'll never be charged with
it. Why? You're not under the law. Where
there is no law, there is no transgression. The law is not
for the righteous man, but for the sinner, Scripture says. Paul
was talking about the law in 1 Timothy chapter 1. Does the Bible say that? No. The Bible
actually says that. Romans chapter 4, verse 8. Listen very carefully. You know what it is to be blessed? What is it? To have health? I
know some mighty fine, blessed, sick people. On deathbeds, as
a matter of fact. Talking about one a while ago,
old Maurice Montgomery. Been blessed to preach the gospel
all these years. And if you ask him, how you doing, Maurice?
He'd say, I'm just fine, better than I deserve. Mike's daddy
says that to me every time I give him a call. I say, how you doing,
Brother JD? Better than I deserve. Always
answers the phone that way. What is it to be blessed? Is
it to have a new car? People say, well, Lord, give
me that car. Lord, give me that car. Are you paying for it? Are
you making payments on it to the bank? The Lord didn't give
you that car. Well, He gives you what you get,
and it don't cost you nothing. Now, He gave you wealth, and
He may give you a job where you can buy that car, but He didn't
give you that car. If He gives you something, you got it. It's
just that simple. What is it to be blessed? Here's
what it is to be blessed. Romans chapter 4, verse 7, saying,
Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven. There's blessedness.
And whose sins are covered. Now look at verse 8. Blessed
is the man to whom the Lord will not charge with sin. You mean there's somebody walking
around on this earth that God will never charge or see? And
I'm telling you, every one of God's children will not be charged
with sin. He says over in Romans chapter
8, in verse 33, He says the same thing. Who shall lay anything
to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. It
means it is God that has declared them not guilty of any sin and
not guilty of having ever sinned. That's what justification means.
That's what it is to walk in the Spirit. Like Peter said,
don't forget that you were purged from your old sins. You were
purged from your old sins. As a believer walks in the Spirit,
he will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. That's what Paul
is teaching. He will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. A few
verses and then we'll quit. 2 Corinthians 3. 2 Corinthians 3, verse 17. That's the first group. Now the Lord is that Spirit,
and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there's liberty. You're the Lord's free man. Look
at Galatians chapter 5 and verse 1. Stand fast therefore in the
liberty wherewith Christ has made you free. Be not entangled
again with the yoke of bondage. Then over to Colossians chapter
2. Colossians chapter 2, verse 6. As ye have therefore received
Christ, so walk ye in Him. How did you receive Him? By walking
down an aisle? Ain't nothing down here except
me. You don't want nothing to do with me. I can't help you.
I can only hurt you. I can't help you live. How do
you receive Christ? By the Spirit, through the Word. Walk that way. By the Spirit,
through the Word. So walk ye in Him rooted, and
built up in Him, and established in the faith, as ye have been
taught, abounding therewith for thanksgiving. You can't be thankful
if something hasn't been done for you. And He's done everything
for you. And beware. Let's see, any man
spoil you through philosophy, philo, love, sophie, truth, but not really,
philosophy, love of one's own opinion, philosophy, and vain
deceit. Seemed like deceit would be enough,
wouldn't it? But vain deceit, that's empty deceit, empty lies.
And they'll do it after the tradition of men. After the rudiments of
the world. And that's just another word
for works. Throughout the book of Colossians. And not after
Christ. Why? Because you see in Christ dwelleth
the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And you can underline that next
verse if you want to and put your name in it. If you're a
believer and you are complete in Him. You are complete in Him. This I say then, walk in the
Spirit, ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. For the
flesh lusteth against the Spirit, the Spirit against the flesh,
and these are contrary to one another, so that ye cannot do
the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit,
ye are not under the law. I'm telling you, that's good
news for old sinners, isn't it? Father, bless us for understanding,
we pray in Christ's name, Amen.