Welcome to Anchors Of Truth,
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live from the
3ABN Worship Center.
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We welcome you to
the 3ABN Worship Center
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once again.
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And we welcome you to the
sacred hours of the Sabbath.
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And we welcome you to night
number three of our Anchors
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series, The Law of Life,
with the most intriguing title,
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Love God and Do As You Please.
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I really wonder
what that is all about.
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And I'm sure that Ty Gibson,
our speaker, has much to say
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on a very intriguing subject.
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We have to
apologize to brother Ty.
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We have not treated him
well, yea, these several days.
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It has been cold and
rainy each of the days
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that he has been here.
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But he has been here
when times have been better,
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so he knows that this is
not the norm for this area.
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But we have not
treated him well.
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Yet, the song says when
Jesus shows His smiling face,
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it is always
sunshine in our souls.
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So though the weather is
cold and rainy, there is indeed
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sunshine in our souls.
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And the messages that we
have heard have certainly
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shined God's love
and light in our souls.
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They've been
very, very interesting.
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More than that, inspirational
as well as informational.
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And we really
appreciate how God has used Ty
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these last two nights.
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And we expect no less
from him this very night.
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Again, an interesting topic,
Love God and Do As You Please.
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Very, very interesting topic.
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I know the Lord has a
word for us this very night.
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Our song tonight comes
from some counsel given to
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Timothy in the Word of God.
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Paul telling us to stand.
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To stand for the right
though things are going wrong,
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though your
courage seems to fail.
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You just stand for Jesus.
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Because God has not
given us a spirit of fear.
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But He's given
us love and power.
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And so as we stand for Him, we
know that He will stand with us.
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That is God's
promise to His people.
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We shall pray, sing
our song, and then we will
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turn the pulpit over to our
friend, our brother in Christ,
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Ty Gibson of
Light Bearers Ministry.
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Shall we pray.
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Father God, we praise You
and thank You so very much
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for the privilege that is ours
to come to the house of prayer.
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We are thankful, Lord,
that Jesus is our Friend.
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We are thankful that He
has a word for His children.
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And we ask, Lord,
that You would give us
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open and attentive ears
so that we may hear the Word,
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but also do the Word.
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Because it is in the doing that
we are made like Christ Jesus.
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So bless the speaker, bless
those who sit in this house,
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and those who hear
from around the world.
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May Christ be seen and
glorified again this night.
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And we thank You
in Jesus' name, amen.
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You just stand, when all
your courage seems to fail;
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stand, when it seems
that evil will prevail;
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stand, for He shows us in detail
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that His love will never fail;
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and He'll stand with us.
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You just stand, when you've
said all that you can say;
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stand, and trust
the Lord to make a way;
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stand, and live your
life from day to day,
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trust God to make a way,
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and then walk through it.
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For God has not given
us the spirit of fear;
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He's given us love and power,
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the courage to
resist the tempter's snare.
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Be ye not weary in doing well,
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for only time will tell.
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The works He's begun in you
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will help to see you through.
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You know God's word is true,
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and everything He
promised He will do.
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So having done all to stand,
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stand.
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You just stand, when you
feel no one's on your side;
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stand, defy the
urge to run and hide;
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stand, though gloom
and darkness override;
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trust God to turn the tide
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and pull you through it.
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He'll do it in
the name of Jesus.
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Stand, for He is
always there for you;
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stand, and watch Him
lead you safely through;
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stand, and though
you know not what to do,
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know that He's
looking out for you.
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And He won't fail you.
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For God has not given
us the spirit of fear;
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He's given us love and power,
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and the courage to
resist the tempter's snare.
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Be ye not weary in doing well,
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for only time will tell.
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The works He's begun in you
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will help to see you through.
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You know God's word is true,
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and everything He
promised He will do.
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So having done all to stand,
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stand.
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Plant your feet and stand.
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Thank you, C.A.
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Good evening, everybody.
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One of my absolute favorite
things to do is to listen in
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to conversations that
my two grandsons have.
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They're brothers, and
they are Mason and Austin.
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This particular conversation
occurred when they were
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about 4 years
old and 6 years old.
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And sometimes I
record the conversations
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because they're so
hilarious and insightful.
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They didn't know I was
listening in, and I was writing
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as fast as I could.
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And this is what
occurred between them.
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Mason had just
said no to a demand
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of the littler guy, Austin.
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Austin then said, "Big
people are suppose to do things
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for little people,
not the other way around."
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Mason responded and said,
"Well, then why does mommy
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always tell both
of us to do things,
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and she's
bigger than both of us?
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And we're both
little compared to her."
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Austin responded and said,
"But you are the big brother.
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So you should do
everything I tell you do to,
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because I'm little."
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He was so emphatic.
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Finally Mason responded
and said, "Well, I don't think
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you're that little.
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So you should do
things for yourself."
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To which Austin responded,
"But I'm littler than you are."
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And Mason ended the
conversation by saying,
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"But there are lots of
little people in the world.
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And I can't do
everything for all of them."
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That's the essence of
the kind of negotiating
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we go through
continually in our minds
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in relationship to God.
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And I want to share
with you this evening
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that the big
thing, the big task,
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that needs to be done for
us has, in fact, been done
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by God for you and me.
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This is a series
on the law of God.
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Again, I'll just
mention, as we launch into this
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third part in our
series, that the law of God is
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not a subject that
excites a lot of people.
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It's not something that
we're eager to explore and
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study and look at.
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Because we generally perceive
the idea, the very idea,
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of law as restrictive.
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If somebody begins
speaking about law or rules
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or regulations, we tend to lean
away from those conversations
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because we feel like
it's encroaching upon
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our liberty.
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But we discover in
Scripture that God's law itself
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is unlike any
other kinds of laws.
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Unlike civil
laws, unlike human laws,
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that are merely
based on the necessities
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of human societies in
order to keep them operating
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soundly on a judicial level.
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God's law is different.
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It's distinct.
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And certain aspects of God's
law do show up in civil law.
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"Thou shalt not commit
murder," obviously shows up
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in civil judicial systems.
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But God's law goes deeper
than that, as we're going to
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discover this evening.
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We don't need to
dicker with God as to
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who ought to do
what in the relationship.
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Because as we're about
to discover, God has done
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everything
necessary for our salvation.
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And we're in the
position of simply, by faith,
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responding to what He
has achieved on our behalf.
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He's the big guy in the universe
and He's done the big task
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on our behalf.
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Now you should
be, I would imagine,
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uncomfortable with
the title this evening.
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Did you feel a little
bit of discomfort when C.A.
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told the title?
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Love God and Do As You Please.
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I want you just to
hold that in your mind.
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We're going to come back to it.
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It's a little bit of a riddle.
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I meant for it to kind
of, you know, rouse you
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in your thinking.
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To wonder, "Is
that true or not?"
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We're about to discover
whether it's true or not.
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We're going to spend our
time in Galatians chapter 5,
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for the most part.
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We'll look at some
other passages, but definitely
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we're going to spend most of
our time in Galatians chapter 5.
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This is a powerful
passage of Scripture in which
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the apostle Paul is
unpacking the glory of
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the gospel of Christ.
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And he's making it
so astoundingly clear
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that we need make no
mistake regarding the part that
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God plays and what it is
that He's looking for from us.
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Galatians chapter 5
starting with verse 1.
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Paul begins by saying, "Stand
fast therefore in the liberty
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with which Christ has made
us free, and do not be entangled
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again with a yoke of bondage."
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Okay, let's just
pause right there.
00:12:52.90\00:12:54.40
This is very unique
language that we spent some time
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exploring from
other passages last night.
00:12:58.87\00:13:01.64
Notice, Paul says,
"Stand fast in the liberty
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where with Christ
has made us free."
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There is a past tense,
accomplished, achieved liberty
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that Jesus, as our Savior,
has already worked out for us.
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We're not called upon in
the gospel to manufacture
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our liberty.
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We're not called upon
to work out our liberty
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from sin and guilt. No.
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Jesus has accomplished
salvation in Himself.
00:13:34.98\00:13:39.71
You'll remember the language
from our previous message
00:13:39.75\00:13:42.48
where Paul, in Romans
3, spoke of the redemption
00:13:42.78\00:13:46.86
that is in Christ Jesus.
00:13:46.89\00:13:50.09
It's an accomplished fact.
00:13:50.29\00:13:52.16
And our faith, our obedience,
our trust, even our belief,
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doesn't
manufacture any new facts.
00:13:57.57\00:14:01.14
Our faith is externally focused
on things that are already true.
00:14:02.50\00:14:10.68
Notice that the good news
of the gospel is, in fact,
00:14:10.88\00:14:15.15
good news.
00:14:15.18\00:14:16.52
It's not called good advice.
00:14:16.99\00:14:19.65
Good advice is what's offered
by every other philosophical
00:14:19.69\00:14:24.33
and religious
system in the world.
00:14:24.36\00:14:26.36
Good advice is
telling you and me as sinners
00:14:26.56\00:14:29.76
what we ought to
do, what we should do,
00:14:29.80\00:14:32.37
what we had better do in
order to rectify our situation.
00:14:32.40\00:14:36.94
Good advice points me toward
something I need to achieve.
00:14:37.47\00:14:42.84
But good news
points back to something
00:14:43.61\00:14:47.68
that's already been achieved.
00:14:47.72\00:14:49.05
It's news.
00:14:49.08\00:14:50.42
It's something
that's already happened.
00:14:50.45\00:14:52.75
And we, then, are called upon
to acknowledge the good news,
00:14:52.79\00:14:57.99
to believe the good news,
to exercise faith and trust
00:14:58.03\00:15:01.36
in what's already
been accomplished.
00:15:01.40\00:15:04.57
So Paul begins here by
simply telling us, you should
00:15:04.60\00:15:08.80
stand fast in the
liberty with which Christ
00:15:08.84\00:15:14.31
has already liberated you.
00:15:14.34\00:15:17.15
You're free in Christ
if you will choose by faith
00:15:17.35\00:15:22.92
to acknowledge the liberty
He's worked out on your behalf.
00:15:22.95\00:15:26.19
There is no additional
work to be done by you and me
00:15:26.45\00:15:30.96
to create additional liberty.
00:15:30.99\00:15:34.10
It is a matter of,
by faith, acknowledging
00:15:34.13\00:15:38.27
the achievements of Christ.
00:15:38.30\00:15:41.44
And then Paul goes on to
build upon this foundation
00:15:41.47\00:15:46.27
by telling us that we're
not to be entangled again with
00:15:46.31\00:15:49.58
the yoke of bondage.
00:15:49.61\00:15:51.05
Did you catch that in verse 1?
00:15:51.08\00:15:52.88
"Stand in the liberty with
which Christ has made us free,
00:15:52.98\00:15:57.02
and don't be entangled
again with a yoke of bondage."
00:15:57.05\00:16:01.36
What is this bondage
that Paul is urging us
00:16:01.39\00:16:05.46
not to be entangled with again?
00:16:05.49\00:16:08.13
Well, he's
speaking in his own context.
00:16:08.33\00:16:10.87
Back in chapter 4, he talked
about bondage in verse 25.
00:16:11.07\00:16:17.94
He had been talking
about the old covenant
00:16:17.97\00:16:21.64
verses the new covenant.
00:16:22.34\00:16:24.11
He had been using the story
of Abraham and his two sons,
00:16:24.45\00:16:29.18
Isaac and Ishmael.
00:16:29.22\00:16:30.79
One by the bondwoman and
the other by the free woman.
00:16:30.82\00:16:34.86
One by Sarah, and one
by one of Sarah's servants.
00:16:34.89\00:16:39.26
And notice, the apostle
Paul, trying to contrast between
00:16:39.29\00:16:42.83
old and new covenant,
basically says the difference
00:16:42.86\00:16:46.30
between these two is
that the new covenant
00:16:46.33\00:16:49.70
is based on the
promise of God to do what God
00:16:49.74\00:16:53.44
in His power alone can achieve.
00:16:53.48\00:16:56.08
The old covenant, by contrast,
is based on what Abraham
00:16:56.24\00:17:01.12
and Sarah put their
heads together as human beings
00:17:01.22\00:17:04.29
to apply their
effort, to apply their power,
00:17:04.32\00:17:07.96
to the task of helping
God fulfill His promise.
00:17:07.99\00:17:11.76
God had said to
Abraham, "You will have a son.
00:17:11.96\00:17:16.06
I, God Almighty, promise you,
even though you're old, Abraham,
00:17:16.10\00:17:21.14
even though your body is
past the age of child birth,
00:17:21.24\00:17:24.97
and even though your
wife Sarah's body is beyond
00:17:25.01\00:17:28.88
the age of natural child
birth, I promise you, Abraham,
00:17:28.91\00:17:32.58
you will have a son.
00:17:32.61\00:17:34.25
You will have a son.
00:17:35.38\00:17:36.92
And in that son, all the nations
of the earth will be blessed.
00:17:36.95\00:17:42.02
All the people of the
world will be blessed in that
00:17:42.06\00:17:44.69
promised lineage, through
which Messiah will come."
00:17:44.73\00:17:49.16
But Abraham and
Sarah, getting impatient,
00:17:50.23\00:17:55.57
decided to apply themselves
to the task in their own way.
00:17:56.20\00:18:02.08
"We're not going to be able
to produce the child God has
00:18:02.44\00:18:06.48
promised, so let's
help God produce or achieve
00:18:06.51\00:18:12.02
what God apparently can't
get done Himself on our behalf."
00:18:12.05\00:18:16.93
And so they came up
with the idea of Abraham
00:18:17.09\00:18:22.10
having relations with
Sarah's handmaid in order to
00:18:22.33\00:18:27.87
produce an heir.
00:18:27.90\00:18:29.70
God refused to acknowledge
Ishmael as the proper
00:18:29.80\00:18:37.38
promised heir.
00:18:37.41\00:18:39.08
He refused because there was
something fundamentally wrong
00:18:39.68\00:18:44.59
with the theological
outlook of Abraham and Sarah.
00:18:44.62\00:18:49.79
God simply renewed the
promise, repeated the promise.
00:18:50.06\00:18:53.16
He said, "No, that
child is not what I promised.
00:18:53.19\00:18:56.60
I promised to produce a
child out of Sarah's body
00:18:56.93\00:19:02.87
based on My power
to get the job done."
00:19:02.90\00:19:06.61
It's very interesting
in the story that Paul
00:19:06.64\00:19:08.94
is referring to here.
00:19:08.98\00:19:10.31
It's very interesting
that when he tells the story,
00:19:10.65\00:19:14.62
he's referring back to something
that everyone of the people
00:19:15.08\00:19:19.12
he's talking to
would be familiar with.
00:19:19.15\00:19:21.36
He's telling the story
of Abraham, and there is
00:19:21.39\00:19:25.13
a part of the story
that is very, shall we say,
00:19:25.16\00:19:29.73
uncomfortable for everybody,
because after Abraham and Sarah
00:19:29.76\00:19:37.31
attempted to fulfill
God's promise by the potence,
00:19:37.34\00:19:42.01
the biological potence, of
Abraham with the bondwoman,
00:19:42.04\00:19:48.22
God said, "Abraham,
now everybody in your line
00:19:48.42\00:19:53.09
needs to be circumcised."
00:19:53.12\00:19:56.69
Circumcised.
00:19:57.03\00:19:58.46
Why circumcised?
00:19:58.49\00:20:00.30
It's such an odd
thing for God to require.
00:20:00.43\00:20:03.80
But God required it
as a constant reminder
00:20:03.83\00:20:07.54
that Abraham had
employed his own power
00:20:07.57\00:20:11.51
to produce the heir.
00:20:11.54\00:20:13.21
And God, in that symbolism,
was saying to Abraham,
00:20:13.24\00:20:17.21
and to Sarah by
extension, "Not by your power,
00:20:17.25\00:20:21.05
not by your ability.
00:20:21.08\00:20:22.72
The promise is going to
be fulfilled by My power,
00:20:22.75\00:20:26.52
by My promise."
00:20:26.55\00:20:27.99
And so Paul, drawing upon that
story in chapter 4 of Galatians,
00:20:28.02\00:20:33.19
draws a contrast
between the child of promise,
00:20:33.56\00:20:37.67
that's Isaac, and the child
of works, which was Ishmael.
00:20:37.70\00:20:44.51
And he says, "This is
symbolic of the two covenants."
00:20:44.54\00:20:50.61
Now think this
through very carefully.
00:20:50.65\00:20:52.81
Essentially, what we have
before us in the old covenant
00:20:52.85\00:20:56.89
and the new covenant is this:
00:20:56.92\00:20:58.89
The old covenant isn't so
much something that applies
00:20:59.52\00:21:03.19
to a certain time in
history as it is something
00:21:03.22\00:21:06.93
that applies to a
certain kind of experience
00:21:06.96\00:21:09.66
at any time in history.
00:21:09.70\00:21:11.33
It's not the dispensationalism
idea that people use to,
00:21:11.60\00:21:17.04
in the Old Testament,
they were saved by works,
00:21:17.07\00:21:19.67
and now in the New Testament
times they're saved by grace.
00:21:19.71\00:21:22.64
No.
00:21:22.68\00:21:24.01
Grace has always been
the only means of salvation.
00:21:24.05\00:21:27.38
And down through history,
Old Testament and New Testament,
00:21:27.42\00:21:31.29
and our very day as well,
each one of us at any given time
00:21:31.32\00:21:37.59
in our spiritual experience,
we are living old covenant
00:21:37.63\00:21:43.03
ideas or we're
living new covenant ideas.
00:21:43.67\00:21:47.97
To live within the old
covenant is to live within
00:21:48.07\00:21:52.24
a paradigm of salvation that
is dependent on self to fulfill
00:21:52.27\00:21:59.15
personal salvation to
some degree or another.
00:21:59.35\00:22:02.08
Whereas the new covenant
is a person, an experience,
00:22:02.62\00:22:08.06
in which the dependence
is utterly and completely
00:22:08.09\00:22:12.06
on God to make good on
the promise that He has made.
00:22:12.09\00:22:17.67
So when we come to
chapter 5 with that background,
00:22:17.77\00:22:21.00
the apostle Paul says,
"Stand fast in the liberty
00:22:21.04\00:22:25.87
with which Christ
has made us free."
00:22:25.91\00:22:28.84
You're already free
by the promise of God.
00:22:28.88\00:22:31.85
You can't manufacture
your freedom, your salvation.
00:22:31.88\00:22:35.32
What you need is to acknowledge
Christ as your Savior
00:22:35.62\00:22:40.12
and rest your
entire dependence upon Him.
00:22:40.16\00:22:44.96
"Stand fast in the liberty with
which Christ has made us free,
00:22:44.99\00:22:50.07
and don't be entangled
again with a yoke of bondage."
00:22:50.10\00:22:53.70
Now we understand what he
means by the yoke of bondage.
00:22:53.74\00:22:56.60
In the context of
chapter 4, what is the bondage
00:22:56.64\00:23:01.11
that he's urging us not
to be entangled with again?
00:23:01.21\00:23:04.35
It's the bondage of an old
covenant manner of relating
00:23:04.48\00:23:08.98
to salvation and to God.
00:23:09.08\00:23:11.05
Don't be entangled,
theologically or experientially,
00:23:11.29\00:23:18.23
with a way of thinking
and living that is focused on
00:23:18.26\00:23:23.37
depending upon yourself.
00:23:23.40\00:23:26.63
Allow yourself to live within
the liberty of the salvation
00:23:28.07\00:23:32.84
that has already been
achieved for you in Christ.
00:23:33.04\00:23:36.41
Well then he
unpacks the idea further.
00:23:36.44\00:23:39.45
And we come now
down to verses 5 and 6.
00:23:39.48\00:23:42.58
We can't look at every
verse for the sake of time,
00:23:42.62\00:23:44.62
so we're going to
look at the high points
00:23:44.65\00:23:46.55
of his reasoning here.
00:23:46.59\00:23:47.92
Going down to verses 5 and 6,
we have a marvelous and powerful
00:23:47.96\00:23:51.99
declaration of the truth
of righteousness by faith.
00:23:52.09\00:23:56.53
Now if you have spent any
time in Christian circles,
00:23:56.56\00:24:01.74
you have heard the terminology,
"righteousness by faith."
00:24:01.77\00:24:05.54
Here is the single, the
only time that the phrase itself
00:24:05.74\00:24:10.85
occurs in the Bible.
00:24:10.98\00:24:12.98
In chapter 5 of
Galatians, 5 and 6.
00:24:13.01\00:24:16.15
That doesn't mean
the idea isn't present
00:24:16.18\00:24:18.82
in Scripture other places.
00:24:19.02\00:24:20.36
It is.
00:24:20.39\00:24:21.72
Genesis to Revelation,
righteousness by faith
00:24:21.76\00:24:23.93
is the subject.
00:24:23.96\00:24:25.29
But the exact wording,
"righteousness by faith,"
00:24:25.33\00:24:28.36
occurs one time in the Bible.
00:24:28.56\00:24:30.07
And it's right here.
00:24:30.10\00:24:31.43
Notice, verses 5 and 6.
00:24:31.47\00:24:33.13
"For we," Paul says,
"For we through the Spirit,"
00:24:34.00\00:24:38.34
that is the Holy Spirit,
"eagerly wait for the hope
00:24:38.37\00:24:43.38
of righteousness by..." What?
00:24:43.41\00:24:45.68
"...righteousness by faith."
00:24:46.05\00:24:47.98
There's our term.
00:24:48.02\00:24:49.35
Now he's going to
break it down for us.
00:24:49.38\00:24:51.25
Verse 6, "For in Christ
Jesus neither circumcision
00:24:51.65\00:24:57.13
nor uncircumcision
avails anything, but faith
00:24:57.16\00:25:02.70
that works by love."
00:25:02.73\00:25:05.07
This is amazing what
Paul is telling us here.
00:25:05.27\00:25:08.37
First of all, we
just need to clarify
00:25:08.47\00:25:11.01
that he's only
referring to circumcision
00:25:11.04\00:25:15.61
as one of the hot
button issues, one of the
00:25:15.64\00:25:17.81
controversial
issues of his time.
00:25:17.85\00:25:20.12
If we were to modernize
it to our particular setting,
00:25:20.68\00:25:24.62
we wouldn't speak about
circumcision or uncircumcision
00:25:24.65\00:25:28.12
in this context, because
that's not a controversial point
00:25:28.16\00:25:31.53
that people are pressing in upon
and arguing over whether or not
00:25:31.56\00:25:36.13
it has saving virtue.
00:25:36.16\00:25:38.27
We would put in there
other things that are hot button
00:25:38.57\00:25:42.07
issues of controversy today, and
issues that we, quite frankly,
00:25:42.10\00:25:45.74
find to be important,
but Paul is telling us
00:25:45.77\00:25:48.94
don't have saving value.
00:25:48.98\00:25:52.55
So we might say, "For in
Christ Jesus, neither..."
00:25:52.65\00:25:57.95
What? And what
would you put there?
00:25:58.35\00:25:59.92
Sabbath keeping or
not Sabbath keeping?
00:25:59.95\00:26:03.59
Practicing health principles
or not practicing principles?
00:26:04.76\00:26:09.76
Would you even go so far as
to say, keeping the law of God
00:26:10.67\00:26:14.80
or not keeping the law of God?
00:26:14.84\00:26:17.11
It's a very uncomfortable
question for those who
00:26:18.07\00:26:20.28
believe the Sabbath,
and for those who believe in
00:26:20.31\00:26:23.78
the immutability of God's law,
the eternality of God's law.
00:26:23.81\00:26:27.65
I'm one of those.
00:26:27.68\00:26:29.02
I'm a Sabbath keeper.
00:26:29.05\00:26:30.39
I believe in the
seventh day Sabbath.
00:26:30.92\00:26:33.42
I'm one who believes
that God's law is immutable
00:26:34.12\00:26:37.69
and eternal.
00:26:37.73\00:26:39.16
But Paul is simply
saying to you and me
00:26:40.26\00:26:43.06
with regards to salvation,
00:26:43.26\00:26:47.00
with regards to salvation,
this nor that avails anything.
00:26:47.97\00:26:53.74
There's only one thing
that avails for salvation.
00:26:53.78\00:26:56.88
Allow Paul to unpack
his own thinking here.
00:26:57.28\00:27:00.82
He says there's one thing
that avails for salvation.
00:27:00.85\00:27:05.25
Faith that works by love.
00:27:05.29\00:27:09.46
That's all. That's all.
00:27:09.49\00:27:11.59
Are we uncomfortable with that?
00:27:12.79\00:27:14.83
Do we find ourselves struggling
to understand whether or not
00:27:15.13\00:27:21.10
Paul is doing away with any
kind of behavioral compliance,
00:27:21.14\00:27:26.47
any kind of obedience?
00:27:26.51\00:27:28.04
Is he attempting to
sideline, to marginalize,
00:27:28.08\00:27:31.51
or to do away
with the law of God?
00:27:31.55\00:27:33.78
Absolutely not.
00:27:34.08\00:27:35.58
He's simply putting the
law of God in its proper place
00:27:35.62\00:27:40.36
in the scheme of things for
salvation and for the gospel.
00:27:40.39\00:27:45.36
Think about it this way.
00:27:45.66\00:27:47.00
If I make the
statement to you right now
00:27:47.03\00:27:49.50
and ask you to
respond true or false,
00:27:50.00\00:27:52.83
I wonder what
your answer would be.
00:27:52.87\00:27:55.27
Obedience to the law of
God is necessary for salvation.
00:27:55.77\00:28:00.18
True or false?
00:28:00.21\00:28:01.94
I head whispers
of true and false.
00:28:05.15\00:28:08.25
I mean, true and false
as two different answers.
00:28:09.18\00:28:13.82
Okay, just wrap your
minds around this little nuance,
00:28:13.86\00:28:16.96
this little change, okay.
00:28:16.99\00:28:18.69
Just exercise your
mind with me biblically.
00:28:18.73\00:28:21.06
Let's think
biblically tonight, okay?
00:28:21.10\00:28:24.60
The first statement, "Obedience
to the law of God is necessary
00:28:24.87\00:28:29.20
for salvation;" true or false?
00:28:29.24\00:28:30.57
Just let the answer register,
whatever your answer is.
00:28:30.61\00:28:32.91
I'm just going to
change it slightly now, okay?
00:28:32.94\00:28:34.94
Here we go.
00:28:34.98\00:28:36.31
Obedience to the
law of God is inevitable
00:28:36.34\00:28:40.92
within salvation.
00:28:40.95\00:28:42.92
Do you hear the
difference between the two?
00:28:43.79\00:28:46.76
Obedience to the law of
God is necessary for salvation.
00:28:46.79\00:28:50.99
In that scheme of
things, what comes first,
00:28:51.03\00:28:53.26
obedience or salvation?
00:28:53.29\00:28:55.06
Obedience comes first as the
means of obtaining salvation.
00:28:56.30\00:29:03.34
Now what's the difference
in the second wording?
00:29:03.67\00:29:06.64
Obedience to the
law of God is inevitable
00:29:06.84\00:29:10.25
within salvation.
00:29:10.78\00:29:12.41
What's the difference now?
00:29:12.45\00:29:13.85
Salvation is a free
gift that is in place.
00:29:14.18\00:29:18.89
And within the experience
of salvation, what occurs?
00:29:18.92\00:29:23.29
Obedience to the law of God.
00:29:24.23\00:29:26.19
Obedience begins to
occur as the natural by-product
00:29:26.86\00:29:32.10
of salvation by grace
through faith alone in Christ.
00:29:32.13\00:29:36.10
Now don't turn
there, for the sake of time,
00:29:36.14\00:29:38.71
but this is a familiar text.
00:29:38.81\00:29:40.51
And I'll just take us there and
come back to Galatians, okay?
00:29:40.54\00:29:44.38
And you'll see the difference
here very, very clearly.
00:29:44.48\00:29:47.25
In Ephesians chapter
2 verses 8 through 10,
00:29:47.28\00:29:52.75
listen to the words here.
00:29:52.79\00:29:54.56
"For by grace you have
been saved through faith,
00:29:54.92\00:29:59.66
and that not of yourselves;
it is the gift of God,"
00:29:59.69\00:30:03.40
notice the language now,
00:30:03.43\00:30:04.77
"not of works, lest
anyone should boast.
00:30:04.80\00:30:10.17
For we are His workmanship,"
I'm in verse 10 now,
00:30:10.41\00:30:13.84
"created in Christ
Jesus for good works,
00:30:14.04\00:30:18.58
which God has before ordained
that we should walk in them."
00:30:18.61\00:30:22.68
Did you hear the text?
00:30:23.52\00:30:25.02
Works are mentioned twice.
00:30:25.79\00:30:29.12
Did you catch it? Twice.
00:30:29.72\00:30:32.13
Notice the difference.
00:30:32.16\00:30:33.60
"For by grace you have
been saved through faith,
00:30:33.63\00:30:36.40
and that not of yourselves...
lest any man should boast."
00:30:36.43\00:30:41.04
So we're not saved by works.
00:30:41.80\00:30:45.57
But then he goes on and says,
"For we are His workmanship
00:30:45.61\00:30:48.91
created in Christ
Jesus unto good works..."
00:30:49.01\00:30:52.81
What's the difference
between, "of," and, "unto"?
00:30:52.85\00:30:55.92
Do you hear the
logical connection between
00:30:56.52\00:31:00.16
the two aspects?
00:31:00.19\00:31:02.02
Do you see the direction
that Paul's thinking is going?
00:31:02.22\00:31:04.56
If I say to you, "I am
not saved of good works,"
00:31:04.59\00:31:10.87
have I negated
good works all together?
00:31:11.03\00:31:14.47
No, because now I'm going
to turn around and I'm going to
00:31:15.77\00:31:17.57
say something else.
00:31:17.61\00:31:18.94
"But I am saved
unto good works."
00:31:18.97\00:31:22.34
Do you hear the difference?
00:31:22.84\00:31:24.18
This is Paul's thinking.
00:31:24.21\00:31:25.55
I'm not saved by my works.
00:31:25.58\00:31:28.48
But if I'm saved,
will there be works?
00:31:28.52\00:31:31.09
Yes or no.
00:31:31.12\00:31:32.45
Yes, there will be good works.
00:31:32.49\00:31:33.92
The good works are inherent
in the salvation itself.
00:31:33.96\00:31:40.76
I don't procure, I
don't achieve, I don't gain
00:31:41.06\00:31:45.67
salvation by my obedience.
00:31:45.70\00:31:47.84
But if I am genuinely
experiencing salvation
00:31:47.87\00:31:52.24
by faith through
grace alone in Christ,
00:31:52.27\00:31:54.44
will there be obedience,
will there good works?
00:31:54.74\00:31:57.15
Yes, that's going to be
the natural outgrowth of
00:31:57.18\00:32:01.82
my saving
relationship with Christ.
00:32:02.02\00:32:04.12
Now come back to
Galatians chapter 5.
00:32:04.15\00:32:05.92
You're going to love this.
00:32:05.95\00:32:07.29
This is amazing.
00:32:07.32\00:32:08.66
So he's told us in verse 1 that
Jesus has already set us free
00:32:09.69\00:32:14.13
in Himself as our Savior.
00:32:14.16\00:32:15.73
He accomplished
salvation for us.
00:32:15.76\00:32:18.57
Stand in that liberty.
00:32:18.60\00:32:20.24
And then he says,
verses 5 and 6 again,
00:32:20.27\00:32:23.67
"We eagerly wait for the
hope of righteousness by faith."
00:32:23.71\00:32:26.57
And then Paul explains exactly
how righteousness by faith
00:32:26.61\00:32:31.48
works, how it operates.
00:32:31.51\00:32:33.88
He says, because in Christ
Jesus, it's not circumcision
00:32:34.55\00:32:39.82
or uncircumcision that avails
anything for my salvation.
00:32:39.92\00:32:43.73
It's not Sabbath keeping
or not keeping the Sabbath.
00:32:43.76\00:32:47.30
It's not keeping the law or not
keeping the law for salvation.
00:32:47.33\00:32:52.13
Notice the qualification.
00:32:52.17\00:32:53.77
Paul is not doing
away with the law.
00:32:53.94\00:32:55.87
He's simply putting
it in its right place.
00:32:55.90\00:32:57.87
And then he says
this, watch this:
00:32:57.91\00:32:59.94
What does avail?
00:33:00.34\00:33:01.84
Faith that works by love.
00:33:02.44\00:33:07.28
That's what avails.
00:33:07.58\00:33:08.92
That's what really
makes the experience
00:33:09.32\00:33:14.49
everything its suppose to be.
00:33:14.52\00:33:16.66
And he's done
something interesting here.
00:33:16.69\00:33:19.03
The word here that is translated
in the English, "works,"
00:33:19.06\00:33:23.53
"faith works by
love," is a Greek word...
00:33:23.57\00:33:28.27
Which when I say it,
you'll immediately know
00:33:28.90\00:33:31.87
what the word means.
00:33:32.31\00:33:33.64
Because it's very
close to an English...
00:33:33.68\00:33:35.31
You know that the
English language, don't you,
00:33:35.34\00:33:37.68
is not a pure language.
00:33:37.71\00:33:39.31
It's an amalgamation,
it's a hi-jack operation.
00:33:39.78\00:33:42.62
The English language is a
hodgepodge of Greek and Latin
00:33:42.82\00:33:47.49
and Spanish and various other
languages all brought together
00:33:47.52\00:33:52.06
in some kind of weird mix.
00:33:52.09\00:33:54.06
And that's why we have so
many strange grammatical rules
00:33:54.10\00:33:56.67
that even those of us
who know English grammar well
00:33:56.70\00:34:00.20
can't figure out sometimes.
00:34:00.24\00:34:01.80
It's a mess, the
English language.
00:34:01.84\00:34:03.97
And there are a lot of
Greek words that we use.
00:34:04.01\00:34:07.81
Here's one; I'm going
to say the Greek word,
00:34:07.84\00:34:09.78
and you'll immediately know
what the English equivalent is.
00:34:10.25\00:34:13.15
The word, "works," here
is in the Greek, "energeo."
00:34:13.18\00:34:18.69
What's the word?
00:34:19.55\00:34:20.89
Energy or energize.
00:34:20.92\00:34:23.16
So literally what Paul is saying
here, follow his reasoning,
00:34:23.19\00:34:27.36
he says, "We eagerly wait
for the hope of righteousness
00:34:27.40\00:34:33.13
by faith..."
00:34:33.17\00:34:34.50
So righteousness is by faith.
00:34:34.54\00:34:36.71
And it's not this or that or
the other, outward compliance.
00:34:37.01\00:34:40.31
No obedience to any requirement
that produces salvation,
00:34:40.41\00:34:45.58
that purchases
it, that merits it.
00:34:45.61\00:34:47.68
No.
00:34:47.72\00:34:49.05
But faith which
is energized by love.
00:34:49.52\00:34:55.32
Or we might say it this way;
faith that is empowered by love.
00:34:55.72\00:35:00.83
There is an electrical
system in this building,
00:35:01.50\00:35:06.30
there is a wiring system,
there are switches on walls.
00:35:06.33\00:35:11.17
If the switches are
turned off, there is no power
00:35:11.97\00:35:16.81
moving through the
conduit of the wiring system
00:35:16.85\00:35:20.68
to bring illumination and
warmeth into the building.
00:35:20.72\00:35:23.99
What needs to happen is
to walk over to the wall
00:35:25.05\00:35:27.96
and flip the appropriate switch.
00:35:27.99\00:35:30.76
And immediately what happens?
00:35:30.79\00:35:32.63
Power begins to
flow through the system.
00:35:32.66\00:35:37.37
Similarly, the human being
is a system that needs to be
00:35:37.70\00:35:43.17
electrified, if you all.
00:35:43.20\00:35:45.27
Energized, empowered.
00:35:45.47\00:35:48.04
And according to the apostle
Paul, what is the energizing,
00:35:48.08\00:35:52.01
empowering factor in
the plan of salvation?
00:35:52.21\00:35:57.29
It is the love of God.
00:35:57.32\00:35:59.82
Righteousness, he
says, is by faith.
00:36:00.02\00:36:03.02
And faith is energized by love.
00:36:03.06\00:36:06.06
These are the basic three
components in Paul's thinking.
00:36:06.46\00:36:10.90
Righteousness is not
something that you and I
00:36:11.03\00:36:14.90
can focus on productively.
00:36:14.94\00:36:17.34
We can't
manufacture righteousness.
00:36:18.47\00:36:22.44
In fact, the Bible goes so
far as to present to you and me
00:36:22.48\00:36:26.95
how absolutely unrighteous
we are and how impossible it is
00:36:26.98\00:36:32.49
for us as human beings
to achieve or to manufacture
00:36:32.52\00:36:36.22
righteousness on our own.
00:36:36.26\00:36:38.09
For example, Jesus
says, "Which one of you
00:36:38.13\00:36:42.56
by taking thought can add
one cubit to his stature?"
00:36:42.60\00:36:47.27
It's a really great illustration
that Jesus is using.
00:36:48.50\00:36:51.97
He's simply saying that
you can't, by mere mental
00:36:52.01\00:36:57.25
determination, get taller.
00:36:57.28\00:36:59.95
It doesn't matter how
long you apply your mind
00:37:01.45\00:37:05.05
to the positive
thinking toward getting taller,
00:37:05.15\00:37:08.76
"Which one of you,"
Jesus says, "by taking thought
00:37:08.86\00:37:11.49
can add one cubit to his..."
00:37:11.53\00:37:13.83
You can't get taller by
thinking about it hard enough
00:37:13.86\00:37:17.60
or trying hard enough.
00:37:17.63\00:37:19.27
And Old Testament Scripture says
that all of our righteousnesses
00:37:19.83\00:37:23.51
are as filthy rags,
and then reasons with us
00:37:23.54\00:37:27.94
that a leopard
can't change its spots
00:37:27.98\00:37:31.65
and a human being
can't his or her skin color.
00:37:31.75\00:37:35.62
What's the point that
the prophet is making?
00:37:35.85\00:37:38.32
There are things that
are beyond human capacity.
00:37:38.72\00:37:43.12
There are things that are
beyond our ability to pull off,
00:37:43.16\00:37:46.29
to achieve.
00:37:46.33\00:37:47.66
You can't get taller by
thinking hard enough about it,
00:37:47.70\00:37:50.13
and you can't change
the color of your skin
00:37:50.17\00:37:53.13
by trying hard enough.
00:37:53.17\00:37:54.80
So righteousness is not
something that you and I
00:37:55.50\00:37:58.97
can productively
focus on and try to achieve
00:37:59.01\00:38:02.24
in and of ourselves.
00:38:02.28\00:38:03.88
That's the point.
00:38:04.15\00:38:05.48
If I had a billion dollars...
00:38:05.51\00:38:06.92
That's pretty
motivating, by the way.
00:38:06.95\00:38:08.85
If I had a billion dollars
here before you this evening
00:38:08.88\00:38:11.99
and I asked all of you, "Do you
want this one billion dollars?"
00:38:12.45\00:38:17.03
Everyone of you in your right
mind would say, "Of course.
00:38:17.06\00:38:19.86
Give it to me. Hand it over.
00:38:19.89\00:38:21.40
I'll take it."
00:38:21.43\00:38:22.76
You want it, but if I
said to you in the next breath,
00:38:23.67\00:38:26.80
"There's just one
condition. Just one.
00:38:26.84\00:38:30.11
Not three or four or
five, just one condition.
00:38:30.97\00:38:33.17
All you have to do is
jump and touch the moon once.
00:38:33.98\00:38:38.65
One time.
00:38:39.25\00:38:40.58
That's all you've got to do."
00:38:40.62\00:38:41.95
How many of you would actually
stand up and start jumping?
00:38:41.98\00:38:45.02
You wouldn't.
00:38:46.22\00:38:47.56
Because you know that the
task that has been assigned
00:38:47.59\00:38:52.86
is beyond the
realm of possibility.
00:38:52.89\00:38:56.16
Similarly, righteousness,
in the equation that Paul is
00:38:57.20\00:39:02.17
building for us
here, righteousness is not
00:39:02.20\00:39:04.91
something that human
beings are capable of achieving
00:39:04.94\00:39:09.24
or manufacturing by thinking
about it, by trying hard enough.
00:39:09.28\00:39:14.02
Paul says that
righteousness is only by faith.
00:39:15.78\00:39:21.32
But what about faith?
00:39:23.06\00:39:24.39
Is faith something that you and
I, by merely trying hard enough
00:39:24.69\00:39:29.96
or thinking hard enough,
can manufacture and produce
00:39:30.00\00:39:33.17
in ourselves?
00:39:33.20\00:39:34.54
Here's the
biblical picture of faith.
00:39:34.57\00:39:37.24
First of all, we're
told in Romans that God has
00:39:37.74\00:39:41.04
given or dealt to every
person a measure of faith.
00:39:41.14\00:39:45.45
So from the get go,
faith itself is a gift of God.
00:39:45.48\00:39:49.68
It's not something that
is commonly represented as
00:39:50.39\00:39:53.42
positive thinking.
00:39:53.46\00:39:54.82
Often times, faith is
represented in our world
00:39:54.86\00:39:58.56
as simply thinking positive
thoughts and visualizing
00:39:58.59\00:40:03.26
things so that
they'll come to pass.
00:40:03.30\00:40:05.17
Sometimes you'll hear
preachers talk about faith
00:40:05.20\00:40:08.64
in the sense of believing
hard enough that God will
00:40:08.67\00:40:12.31
give you the best
parking space, for example,
00:40:12.34\00:40:15.24
in a shopping center, as
if that were of significance.
00:40:15.28\00:40:19.55
Faith is not a trivial
matter of positive thinking.
00:40:19.75\00:40:24.55
First of all,
biblically speaking,
00:40:24.59\00:40:26.82
faith is a gift of God.
00:40:26.86\00:40:28.36
It's like a sleeping giant
of possibility lying dormant
00:40:28.39\00:40:32.79
in every one of our hearts.
00:40:32.83\00:40:34.16
It's there.
00:40:34.20\00:40:35.53
To make this clear, I
could use my own experience.
00:40:35.56\00:40:38.33
I had faith, as a gift from
God, deposited in my human soul
00:40:38.67\00:40:46.07
from the beginning of my life.
00:40:47.58\00:40:50.31
It was there.
00:40:50.35\00:40:51.68
But I did not begin to
experience the exercise
00:40:51.78\00:40:56.18
of my faith until
I was 17 years old.
00:40:56.22\00:40:58.92
It was there, it
just wasn't active.
00:40:59.85\00:41:02.86
Are you following me?
00:41:02.89\00:41:04.23
It was present.
00:41:04.26\00:41:05.69
Like for example, the
faculty of reason is present.
00:41:05.89\00:41:10.33
It's there as a
potential that can be exercised.
00:41:10.87\00:41:14.20
But not everybody
exercises their cause and effect
00:41:14.24\00:41:17.64
reasoning capacity.
00:41:17.67\00:41:19.21
Some people jump off
buildings thinking they can fly.
00:41:19.24\00:41:22.91
And gravity has
its way with them.
00:41:22.94\00:41:25.11
The fact is, that just because
you have the capacity to reason
00:41:25.31\00:41:30.12
doesn't mean you're reasonable.
00:41:30.15\00:41:32.35
Do you hear the difference?
00:41:33.12\00:41:34.52
So faith was there in my
heart, but it was inactive.
00:41:34.99\00:41:38.53
It was lying dormant
until I came in contact
00:41:38.56\00:41:42.60
with the love of God.
00:41:42.93\00:41:45.20
And that's Paul's point.
00:41:45.23\00:41:47.00
We, according to Scripture,
only achieve righteousness
00:41:48.10\00:41:53.91
by faith...
00:41:53.94\00:41:55.28
And then Paul adds
the third component.
00:41:55.31\00:41:58.11
What does he say in verse 6?
00:41:58.15\00:41:59.78
...and faith is
energized by love.
00:41:59.88\00:42:04.55
I can't achieve
righteousness in and of myself.
00:42:04.95\00:42:08.02
Nor is faith something that
I can stimulate and bring into
00:42:08.06\00:42:11.89
action if left to myself.
00:42:11.93\00:42:13.80
The vital need is far
more fundamental than that.
00:42:13.83\00:42:18.03
I need to have a living clear
vivid encounter with the love
00:42:18.23\00:42:25.07
of God in Christ.
00:42:25.11\00:42:27.64
That's what
Calvary is all about.
00:42:27.88\00:42:31.21
Jesus dies on the cross
in order to demonstrate,
00:42:31.38\00:42:36.35
to use Paul's
language in Romans chapter 5,
00:42:36.38\00:42:39.79
to demonstrate the love
that God has for you and me.
00:42:39.82\00:42:44.46
God demonstrated the love
that He has for you and me
00:42:45.16\00:42:49.96
in the death of
Christ at the cross.
00:42:50.00\00:42:51.73
A demonstration is
something that is put on display
00:42:51.77\00:42:55.50
to behold, to see it, to
grasp it, to comprehend it.
00:42:55.54\00:43:00.51
And so when Jesus anticipates
that He's going to the cross
00:43:00.54\00:43:04.15
to die, He says
things like this, He says,
00:43:04.18\00:43:06.82
"I, when I am lifted
up, will draw all to Me."
00:43:06.85\00:43:12.09
Notice the word, "draw."
00:43:12.19\00:43:13.92
It's the idea of
being attracted to Jesus.
00:43:13.96\00:43:18.76
He is simply saying
that, "When I die on the cross,
00:43:18.79\00:43:22.23
something beautiful
is going to be revealed."
00:43:22.86\00:43:26.37
The self-giving,
self-sacrificing,
00:43:27.20\00:43:31.01
love of God will be
revealed at the cross.
00:43:31.04\00:43:34.84
And anyone who looks upon
that display of divine love
00:43:34.88\00:43:40.32
will find their heart strangely
warmed and drawn back to God
00:43:40.35\00:43:46.89
in repentance.
00:43:46.92\00:43:48.42
That love is what one author
calls a, "matchless attraction."
00:43:48.62\00:43:56.30
It's without rival.
00:43:56.56\00:43:58.90
What we see happening in
Jesus is a display of love
00:43:59.10\00:44:03.97
that moves our hearts at
the deepest possible level.
00:44:04.17\00:44:09.18
As we mentioned in an
earlier message, you and I
00:44:09.38\00:44:14.12
are engineered for love.
00:44:14.15\00:44:16.28
Psychologically, emotionally,
and even biologically,
00:44:16.32\00:44:20.36
we are made to operate by
the energizing, empowering,
00:44:20.46\00:44:25.93
force of God's love.
00:44:25.96\00:44:28.00
Just like the light
system in this building
00:44:28.03\00:44:31.17
is energized by electricity,
the human being is energized
00:44:31.77\00:44:36.94
by living, vital,
encounter with the love of God.
00:44:37.14\00:44:41.34
This is why over and over again
we find in the New Testament
00:44:41.38\00:44:45.18
this idea that we are
called upon to, to quote John
00:44:45.21\00:44:50.39
in 1 John chapter 3,
"Behold, what manner of love the
00:44:50.42\00:44:55.29
Father has bestowed upon
us that we should be called
00:44:55.32\00:44:59.03
the children of God."
00:44:59.06\00:45:00.40
What are we to
do with this love?
00:45:00.43\00:45:02.26
Behold it.
00:45:03.16\00:45:04.50
Not just with the eyes, but with
the mind and with the heart.
00:45:05.43\00:45:09.57
To look upon this
love and to allow it access
00:45:09.90\00:45:15.61
to our hearts.
00:45:15.64\00:45:16.98
To embrace it, to accept
it, to allow ourselves to be
00:45:17.01\00:45:21.45
loved by God in the way that
Jesus revealed His love for us.
00:45:21.48\00:45:29.09
When that happens, the apostle
Paul says something radical
00:45:29.29\00:45:33.83
and amazing, and utterly
non-human in the sense of
00:45:33.86\00:45:40.47
our own power
begins to take place.
00:45:40.50\00:45:42.70
Something that's supernatural,
not natural, begins to happen.
00:45:42.74\00:45:46.71
Righteousness is by faith,
and faith is energized by love.
00:45:46.98\00:45:54.22
You and I need then
to focus our attention
00:45:54.25\00:45:58.89
upon the cross of Christ.
00:45:58.92\00:46:00.99
And as we do,
notice what's happening.
00:46:01.19\00:46:04.23
To focus on the cross of
Calvary means we have turned our
00:46:04.43\00:46:08.23
attention away from whom?
00:46:08.26\00:46:09.86
From ourselves, that's right.
00:46:10.73\00:46:12.70
We have turned
away from ourself.
00:46:12.90\00:46:16.10
Which is to say, we have turned
away from self-dependence.
00:46:16.14\00:46:20.74
We have turned away from
our own resources and abilities.
00:46:20.78\00:46:24.88
We've turned away
from our own power
00:46:24.91\00:46:27.72
to manufacture righteousness.
00:46:27.75\00:46:30.49
We've turned
away from ourselves,
00:46:30.59\00:46:32.59
we're looking upon Christ.
00:46:32.62\00:46:34.22
And as we look to Him,
we begin to be empowered
00:46:34.26\00:46:38.79
on a level we never imagined.
00:46:38.83\00:46:42.46
Because we begin to
love like God loves again.
00:46:42.73\00:46:47.94
And there's no greater
power in all the universe
00:46:48.14\00:46:52.44
than the power of God's love.
00:46:52.47\00:46:55.34
So Paul is
reasoning with you and me.
00:46:55.64\00:46:58.08
He is pleading with you and me.
00:46:58.11\00:47:00.45
He's saying, "Don't be entangled
with the yoke of bondage
00:47:00.48\00:47:04.25
to an old covenant orientation
in your relationship with God."
00:47:04.29\00:47:08.89
Don't allow your mind
to be caught in the snare
00:47:09.22\00:47:13.90
of old covenant theological
views where the focus
00:47:13.93\00:47:19.03
is on me and what I ought
to do and what I had better do,
00:47:19.07\00:47:22.60
or else, in order to be
saved, in order to make it.
00:47:22.64\00:47:26.78
No.
00:47:26.81\00:47:28.14
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
look full in His wonderful face;
00:47:28.18\00:47:32.95
and the things of this
earth will grow strangely dim
00:47:33.52\00:47:37.35
in the light of
His glory and grace.
00:47:37.39\00:47:40.42
You will find yourself
irresistibly attracted to God
00:47:40.46\00:47:46.33
if you focus your attention
off of yourself onto Christ.
00:47:46.36\00:47:51.80
The promise of the gospel that
Paul is unpacking for us here
00:47:52.07\00:47:57.44
is a salvation that is by
grace alone through faith alone
00:47:57.47\00:48:02.84
in Christ alone.
00:48:02.88\00:48:04.58
He's the Savior and His
love is the energizing force
00:48:04.78\00:48:10.19
of that salvation.
00:48:10.22\00:48:11.85
Well then Paul goes on.
00:48:11.89\00:48:13.62
And he reasons
further and says some things
00:48:14.09\00:48:18.29
that we tend to
find uncomfortable,
00:48:18.33\00:48:21.46
but are vitally necessary for us
to understand and internalize.
00:48:21.66\00:48:25.73
Go down to verses 13
and 14 of Galatians 5.
00:48:25.77\00:48:29.87
He says, "For you, brethren,
have been called to liberty..."
00:48:30.27\00:48:35.28
Alright, he's made that
clear in the previous verses.
00:48:35.31\00:48:38.81
You've been called to liberty.
00:48:38.85\00:48:40.22
Stand in the liberty by
which Christ has made you free.
00:48:40.25\00:48:43.79
But then he says this,
he says, "...only do not use
00:48:44.02\00:48:48.62
liberty as an
opportunity for the flesh,
00:48:48.82\00:48:52.66
but through love
serve one another."
00:48:52.99\00:48:56.60
Do you hear what
he's saying here?
00:48:57.50\00:48:59.07
We're liberated in Christ.
00:48:59.43\00:49:02.10
Our salvation is by
grace alone through faith alone
00:49:02.14\00:49:05.71
in Christ alone.
00:49:05.74\00:49:07.11
And listen, Paul is saying,
there are one of two ways
00:49:07.41\00:49:10.35
you can relate to that liberty.
00:49:10.38\00:49:12.21
You can either, within
that liberty, love one another
00:49:12.45\00:49:18.35
and love God supremely...
00:49:18.39\00:49:20.26
Right?
00:49:20.29\00:49:21.62
...or you can misinterpret
your liberty as an excuse,
00:49:21.66\00:49:26.86
as an occasion,
as an opportunity,
00:49:26.90\00:49:30.00
to continue in sin.
00:49:30.03\00:49:31.43
Do you hear what he's saying?
00:49:32.13\00:49:33.47
You can say to yourself,
you can reason to yourself
00:49:33.50\00:49:35.94
like this, you can say,
"Wow, if God's that good,
00:49:35.97\00:49:39.44
and He's forgiven me by
His grace alone through faith
00:49:40.08\00:49:44.18
alone in Christ, if
salvation isn't something I can
00:49:44.21\00:49:48.18
contribute to, if I
can't be saved by my works,
00:49:48.22\00:49:52.52
well then I'll
just sin with gusto.
00:49:52.55\00:49:55.99
I'll just do
whatever I jolly well please.
00:49:56.02\00:49:58.59
I'll live for myself."
00:49:58.63\00:50:00.83
That's one way you
can reason through grace.
00:50:01.03\00:50:03.67
But what would Paul say to
you and me on that account?
00:50:04.47\00:50:06.90
He would say, "You don't get it.
00:50:07.24\00:50:08.74
You don't get it.
00:50:09.00\00:50:10.34
People who are in
love don't violate
00:50:10.37\00:50:14.38
the one they're in love with."
00:50:14.48\00:50:16.24
That's how Paul
would reason with you.
00:50:16.78\00:50:18.25
Don't use your liberty
as an occasion for sin.
00:50:18.28\00:50:23.52
Don't capitalize on the freedom
that God has given you in Christ
00:50:23.55\00:50:27.82
by continuing in a life of sin.
00:50:27.86\00:50:31.03
No, liberty, the liberty
that has been purchased for us
00:50:31.06\00:50:34.56
in Christ is intended
to bring us back to God,
00:50:34.60\00:50:37.47
not to send us off into
sin with a presumptuous hope
00:50:37.50\00:50:42.40
that we'll be saved in our sins.
00:50:42.44\00:50:44.74
Jesus by His grace
doesn't save us in sin.
00:50:45.74\00:50:50.55
He saves us from sin.
00:50:50.71\00:50:54.28
And according to
Paul's reasoning now,
00:50:54.72\00:50:57.62
he says, "...do not use liberty
as an opportunity for the flesh,
00:50:57.65\00:51:03.93
but through love
serve one another."
00:51:04.69\00:51:06.53
Do you hear what he's saying?
00:51:06.56\00:51:07.90
You've been saved by grace,
so stop violating one another
00:51:08.53\00:51:12.63
in the body of Christ.
00:51:12.67\00:51:14.34
He goes so far in verse
14 to say, "For all the law,
00:51:14.50\00:51:21.01
all the law is fulfilled in
one word," in one statement.
00:51:22.41\00:51:26.61
And what is it?
00:51:26.85\00:51:28.18
Wow.
00:51:28.22\00:51:29.55
"You shall love your
neighbor as yourself."
00:51:29.58\00:51:34.06
And then he gives this rebuke,
"But if you bite and devour
00:51:34.16\00:51:42.13
one another, beware lest
you be consumed by one another."
00:51:42.16\00:51:45.90
This is kind of a, I
guess we could call it a kind of
00:51:45.93\00:51:48.67
Christian cannibalism.
00:51:48.70\00:51:51.34
He says you bite
and devour one another.
00:51:51.77\00:51:53.74
What's this
that he's describing?
00:51:53.78\00:51:56.08
Gossip and
backbiting in the church.
00:51:56.34\00:51:58.88
People living in
violation of one another.
00:51:58.91\00:52:03.05
Paul says, "No, don't
sin against one another
00:52:03.18\00:52:05.99
because you have the
liberty of salvation by grace.
00:52:06.02\00:52:08.89
Salvation by grace
ought to heighten your desire
00:52:08.92\00:52:12.26
to live in love
toward one another."
00:52:12.29\00:52:14.86
Grace doesn't condone sin.
00:52:15.93\00:52:18.50
Grace is the mechanism by
which God gives us the power
00:52:18.60\00:52:22.57
to overcome it.
00:52:22.77\00:52:24.54
That's Paul's understanding,
that's his thinking.
00:52:24.74\00:52:27.74
He goes on and he says
something very fascinating
00:52:27.78\00:52:30.65
down in verses 22 and 23.
00:52:30.68\00:52:33.38
He talks about what the
Christian life will look like.
00:52:33.52\00:52:36.25
He says, "But the fruit of
the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
00:52:37.65\00:52:42.26
longsuffering, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness,
00:52:42.29\00:52:45.36
gentleness, and self-control."
00:52:45.56\00:52:47.66
Those are the kind of
things that will be taking place
00:52:48.13\00:52:51.67
in the life that is
saved by grace through faith
00:52:51.70\00:52:54.37
and has liberty in Christ.
00:52:54.40\00:52:55.80
And then he says something
very, very interesting.
00:52:55.84\00:52:58.84
The latter part
of verse 23, he says,
00:52:58.87\00:53:01.71
"Against such
there is no..." What?
00:53:01.74\00:53:04.85
There's no law.
00:53:05.28\00:53:06.61
There's no law against love.
00:53:06.82\00:53:09.98
There's no law that forbids joy.
00:53:10.02\00:53:12.35
There's no law that
stands against self-control.
00:53:12.39\00:53:15.96
Paul is saying that when
we live within the parameters
00:53:15.99\00:53:20.16
of grace where the
love of God begins to become
00:53:20.20\00:53:24.87
the impetus and the motive
and the constant inclination
00:53:24.90\00:53:30.61
of our hearts, when that
begins to take place within us,
00:53:30.64\00:53:33.68
Paul is informing us something
so remarkable takes place
00:53:33.71\00:53:38.05
that within the power
of God's love, we begin to
00:53:38.18\00:53:40.68
love like God loves.
00:53:40.72\00:53:43.08
Loving Him and
loving one another.
00:53:43.28\00:53:45.85
So now we come
back to our title.
00:53:46.09\00:53:47.92
Love God and Do As You Please.
00:53:49.02\00:53:51.53
What do you
think, true or false?
00:53:51.56\00:53:53.29
True or false?
00:53:55.63\00:53:56.97
Love God and Do As You Please.
00:53:57.00\00:53:58.97
Well it could be
true, it could be false.
00:53:59.33\00:54:01.37
It all depends on whether
or not you really love God.
00:54:01.40\00:54:05.61
I mean, think about it.
00:54:06.47\00:54:07.81
If I am truly, by
virtue of the love of Christ
00:54:07.84\00:54:12.11
displayed toward
me, drawn back to Him,
00:54:12.15\00:54:15.05
and I love God
because He first loved me,
00:54:15.08\00:54:18.35
watch this, I'm going to
please to do what He pleases.
00:54:18.55\00:54:23.22
My heart will be changed.
00:54:23.26\00:54:24.83
There's this powerful statement
in, Desire Of Ages, page 668,
00:54:24.86\00:54:29.73
commentary on the life of
Christ that you're going to find
00:54:30.23\00:54:32.60
very interesting in this regard.
00:54:32.63\00:54:34.64
It says this...
00:54:34.67\00:54:36.44
Notice, it comes from the heart.
00:54:40.74\00:54:42.58
That means, Jesus came to this
world to reach people's hearts.
00:54:44.58\00:54:48.28
Notice our role,
"...if we consent..."
00:54:52.75\00:54:55.46
What do you think of that?
00:55:13.58\00:55:14.91
That is a longer version
of the title of this message.
00:55:16.91\00:55:22.05
Love God and Do As You Please.
00:55:22.08\00:55:24.39
Jesus, when He was in
this world, said, "I do always
00:55:24.75\00:55:31.36
those things that please God."
00:55:31.39\00:55:33.96
Notice, Jesus found in
His relationship with God
00:55:34.23\00:55:38.77
that He pleased to
do what God pleased.
00:55:39.27\00:55:43.07
Isn't that how love works?
00:55:43.10\00:55:44.57
Notice what the Bible
says in regards to this
00:55:46.31\00:55:50.55
in Psalm 40 and verse 8,
00:55:51.05\00:55:53.05
where David really
gets the new covenant.
00:55:53.15\00:55:55.68
He understands it when he says,
"I delight to do Your will,
00:55:55.72\00:56:02.29
O my God, for Your
law is within my heart."
00:56:02.32\00:56:07.53
You hear that?
00:56:07.56\00:56:08.90
The language of delight,
the language of pleasure,
00:56:08.93\00:56:12.37
the language of
pleasing to do what God pleases.
00:56:12.40\00:56:16.84
Why?
00:56:16.87\00:56:18.21
Because God, in His great mercy,
has so beautifully loved us
00:56:18.34\00:56:24.85
first in Christ.
00:56:24.88\00:56:26.82
When we look to
Calvary, we see such a marvelous
00:56:27.18\00:56:31.75
beautiful display of
self-sacrificing love
00:56:32.12\00:56:36.79
that it radically
changes our heart toward God.
00:56:37.39\00:56:42.20
Something happens
deep on the inside
00:56:42.53\00:56:46.07
of our humanity.
00:56:46.50\00:56:48.10
And the apostle Paul says
that you begin to experience
00:56:48.24\00:56:51.87
a righteousness which
is by faith, and a faith
00:56:51.91\00:56:58.38
that works by love.
00:56:58.81\00:57:01.52
That is my prayer
for you and for myself,
00:57:01.55\00:57:04.85
that we would be
partakers of the love of Christ
00:57:04.89\00:57:08.96
by which faith is
energized to lay hold upon
00:57:08.99\00:57:12.99
the righteousness of Christ.
00:57:13.03\00:57:15.53
Would you pray with me.
00:57:15.56\00:57:16.90
Father in heaven, thank You
for loving us the way You do.
00:57:16.93\00:57:22.14
Thank You, Father, for the
beautiful truth of righteousness
00:57:22.84\00:57:26.04
by faith that works by love.
00:57:26.07\00:57:28.68