Book of Galatians - Ch. 4, Vs. 13-Ch. 5, Vs. 3 (08/27/2000)

Park Meadows Church

Subscribe

Download

Share

00

00:00

Now if I could have everybody's attention, please I want someone here to tell me how it is that a

00:09

Christian can never go to church How can a

00:22

Christian never go to church now, it's the truth

00:48

Leave it up to Nichols Most people think of the church as this building

01:17

A Christian cannot go to this building and be in church, and go to church because they bring the church with them

01:24

And as Clarence pointed out, we're always in church Does that confuse everybody?

01:34

Confused you? You can go to the church building, you can't go to church because God put you in the church

01:51

I begin to think it wasn't for a minute Just before we get separated, we're bringing the church together by bringing ourselves together

02:20

To encourage, to instruct, to learn, to praise Alright, come now to Galatians 4, 13

02:35

Paul is reminding these people of something that it seems like they have forgotten

02:43

He says, you know how through infirmity of the flesh

02:48

I preached the gospel unto you at the first He is talking about his infirmity, his problem, his illness, his disease

03:03

He never spells it out exactly, I think he has though indirectly That it was a problem with the eyes

03:13

And he says, I want you to remember that when I first came to you, I had this awful disease of the eye

03:21

And that my temptation or my infirmity which was in my flesh, you despised not nor rejected

03:32

But received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus Where is then the blessedness you speak of?

03:42

For I bear you record that if it had been possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me

03:52

I said that's the way you were when I first come You received me as you would receive

03:58

God The word temptation, going back to it for a moment

04:06

The trial made of you by my bodily condition Paul speaking to them since condition served as to test the love of the

04:17

Galatians toward Paul And they passed the test Am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?

04:32

Now we're getting rather personal He said, I have not changed

04:39

Something has changed You consider me now to be your enemy Why is that?

04:47

Since it is the very same gospel that I'm teaching you I'm giving you the truth and now you don't like it

04:56

Something had to change Now we're going to see what it is because he certainly addresses it

05:06

They consider him to be an enemy They zealously affect you but not well

05:15

Yea, they would exclude you that you might affect them He goes on to say

05:23

I want you to tell me what is it that has affected you It has caused you to think that now

05:31

I'm your enemy I'm telling you the very same truth

05:37

The truth has not changed Do you now consider me to be trying to mislead you?

05:45

Is that what you're saying? I tell you with all assurance of God that it is not

05:51

I that is misleading you Somebody has Somebody has misled you to the point that you now think that I am leading you astray

06:05

He says they are your enemy They're trying to draw you away from the truth so that they can make money off of you

06:14

Greed, pride, money is the root of all evil

06:21

These false teachers saw an opportunity in which in the absence of Paul They took the opportunity,

06:32

Virge, to little by little teach an untruth In order to draw them, to depend upon them, and to make money off of them

06:46

Question Why do false teachers attract large crowds?

06:54

Because it makes them feel good

07:00

In other words the false teacher says things that appeal to the worldly people

07:06

The spiritual side of it It tickles their ears

07:14

It tickles their ears Richard, what do you think?

07:22

Why do false teachers draw such a large crowd? Because it would be hard to take the responsibility for them being there along with Virge Alright Anyone have anything to add?

07:48

They teach tolerance instead of truth Tolerance allows you to accomplish whatever you're doing

08:00

It convicts the spirit and causes you to want to change

08:10

Tolerance tells you you don't have to Okay, just a minute,

08:15

Jessie You want to say something? I was just going to say, thinking of today's church world

08:24

I've been promised, and that you can accomplish

08:34

That your flesh, living in the flesh, desires

08:40

To make it easy and desirable And the people that follow that are the ones that do not know the

08:49

Word And if they're not grounded in the Word, they have no way of knowing what you feel

08:58

Okay, that's good, Jessie That's right

09:25

Yes Alright, you're all saying exactly the same thing, and it's right

09:49

But at the same time, you're pointing out these things You're also saying that the truth is hard The truth is the truth

10:03

And we don't like to hear it sometimes If we're still in the flesh

10:11

And most of us spend a lot of time in the flesh, even though we would rather not

10:20

But it appeals to the carnal man I was listening to one on the television yesterday for a little bit

10:31

Anytime I want a good laugh, I usually go to him And maybe

10:37

I shouldn't laugh about it, but it's ridiculous Just pure ridiculous And such intelligent looking people

10:46

And they're so sincere I pray that the Lord will shake them up And cause them to see the truth, if they're saved

10:55

If they're not, that's another story So, anything that attracts a huge crowd, real quick, be very careful of it

11:07

Any movement, any program Anything, whether it's in the church or out of the church

11:13

If it grows fast, be very, very cautious My little children, verse 19, now

11:25

My little children, the very dear term he's giving to them Remember, he's very angry with them

11:33

Of whom I prevail in birth again until Christ be formed in you

11:39

Now he's going back to the thought of a child being formed in the womb

11:47

And being birthed And he said, it's just like having birth pangs again with you

11:55

I went through it once, and now I find that Christ is not even formed in you yet Getting your children to believe is like having a prolonged birth

12:11

The pain of it almost more than he can bear He said,

12:17

I would have you to grow up Hebrews addresses this very problem Said, let's move on, away from all of the front end of everything

12:26

Get into the meat of the gospel Get into the heart of it Because that's where you should be by now

12:33

But you're still babes, he says in Hebrews In verse 20,

12:40

I desire to be present with you now And to change my voice Bill, what does he mean, change my voice?

13:16

Well, it's not the latter It's the first He's already pointed out things they're doing wrong

13:27

And he knows it, he knows that they're doing it They know that they're doing it

13:32

And he said, I would, that I didn't have to do it But I do

13:37

In other words, he's saying, I've been commissioned to this And I have no choice

13:43

Therefore, you'll hear the truth from me He added,

13:48

I stand in doubt of you Well, Virgie would, since they have changed so radically since he left them

13:59

He's saying, I would really like to be there with you So that I could look you in the eye as I speak to you

14:09

How many would rather talk on a telephone As to stand face -to -face with the person and talk?

14:16

How many would rather see the person to whom you're speaking? One of those minutes,

14:21

Paul, walking back to the telephone And that is the escape route

14:31

Very many of you do Sometimes it's easier on the phone And then again,

14:53

I doubt it from the way you're acting 21, tell me, ye that desire to be under the law

15:01

Do you hear what the law says? Do you even understand the law?

15:11

So he's putting out a challenge to them I challenge you to tell me What does the law tell you?

15:20

For it is written That Abraham had two sons The one by a bondmaid, the other by a free woman

15:31

But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh

15:37

Now, Greg, explain to me and make me understand

15:45

That statement that the son that was born to Hagar Which was after the flesh

15:54

How is it Paul uses that as a symbol of the flesh?

16:00

Why does he take that route? That's right

16:18

They thought that since we're to have a son And we're way too old to have any children

16:23

This must be the way God has planned for us to Therefore, Sarah gave to her husband, her maid

16:32

And she had a son by that We'll get into more of that this afternoon in Genesis Because we're right at that point

16:41

And I hope we understand a little more then But Ishmael was born of the flesh representing the world

16:56

The free woman, which was who? Sarah How old was she when their son was born?

17:09

How old? Ninety That's way too old for a woman to have a child

17:16

We know that, she knew that That only added to her confusion

17:24

And it was all a lack of understanding and believing Beyond any shadow of a doubt

17:30

What God had said If God says it, is it apt to happen?

17:38

When we say something, is it apt to happen? See, when we say something and then later do it, there's two different things

17:51

When God says something and it happens, it's all one thing If he says it, it happens It's just one thing

18:00

Which things are an allegory? So he's going to use, or is using Ishmael and Isaac now as a picture

18:08

For these are the two covenants The one from Mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage

18:15

The other is Hagar For this, Hagar is

18:20

Mount Sinai in Arabia And answereth to Jerusalem, which now is

18:26

And is in bondage with her children But Jerusalem, which is above, is free

18:34

John, what did he mean, Jerusalem that is above? David, what does it mean to you,

18:55

Jerusalem which is now above? Let me ask a question, which comes first?

19:17

Now David, don't answer Which comes first, the real thing or the false thing?

19:24

Clarence? The real

19:36

The real, how did you come to that conclusion? That's what

19:46

I thought Well, Christ came and was here and we're going to see the false prophets

19:57

Why didn't we see the false prophets first? Why don't you see counterfeit money before they ever made any money?

20:12

That's right There has to be something to copy So the false came second, always second

20:21

The false leaders in the Old Testament, starting with Nimrod, or even before that Nimrod had a full -blown church organization

20:37

Priests, temple virgins, and everything But it was copied after the real

20:46

Look at Agar and Isaac Who's speaking? If you looked at Agar, Agar would represent the world and towards the living world

21:01

And Isaac representing us living in spirituality

21:33

Mary Ann, she won't say anything, so I'll speak for her You didn't need to say that But Jerusalem, which is above, is free

21:52

Which is the mother of us all The us all,

22:00

Deborah is referring to who? To Christians, to born again, the seed of God in the world

22:07

For it is written, Rejoice thou barren that bearest not, break forth and cry

22:13

Thou that travailest not for the desolate, hath many more children than she which hath an husband

22:23

Now, Greg, how are we going to make sense out of that verse? She was part of it,

23:01

I can't see all Well, what you saw was backwards I can see the desolate, the seed of Satan is reporting more on it

23:15

Than we are, additional You had it right on it, it just turned around,

23:21

Greg Multiply what he talks about, that they'll be multiplying because the desolate has many more children

23:28

That's the multiplying verse that would not have occurred Had there not been sin

23:36

Alright, does everyone understand? The desolate is the wicked, there'll be many more of those than there will of the wife that had a husband, which was

23:47

Sarah Even though they were married, he was married to Agar Now, we brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise

23:59

But as then, he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit

24:06

Even so it is now Will it ever be any different in this world?

24:15

When did Ishmael start tormenting Isaac? What makes you say that?

24:34

That's the reason that Sarah insisted that Agar and Ishmael vanish

24:47

When did that happen? He was just a young lad But what had, what occurred?

24:55

What was the feast for? It was for winging him, winging him from his mother

25:06

He was being winged from his mother Alright, but there was something else that took place too

25:18

Well, look it up It started at a feast, alright, but we want to know

25:26

The feast was for the weaning and something Now, Galatians 5

25:34

In this chapter, Paul is speaking about grace as daily living You must get that fixed in your mind

25:44

What? Well, I guess they didn't get copied

26:01

No, they're here Nevertheless, what says the scripture?

26:08

Always go to the scripture Cast out the bondwoman and her son for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman

26:16

They both cannot be the seed of God So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free

26:27

The average church of today Let me describe it for you Not this church

26:33

We're not average folks What?

26:44

The average church consists of this A mild -mannered man stands in a mild -mannered pulpit

26:51

Telling the mild -mannered people to be more mild -mannered He says, you're doing fine, just be better Now, chapter 5

27:10

In this chapter, Paul is speaking about grace as daily living The grace for daily living

27:16

Not about saving grace That's a different subject What God does in time is only what he determined in infinity

27:32

His own will be His own will being the alone cause

27:39

His own will being the lone cause of all of his acts and works

27:47

I hope you really understand that God's will is the only cause of everything that he does

27:57

So that, David, would make him sovereign, wouldn't it? He is sovereign

28:07

God from all infinity did by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will

28:13

Freely and unchangeably foreordain whatever comes to pass

28:20

Whatever has already been fixed, it is a done deal Everything's finished

28:28

He cannot change without undoing everything It is perfectly and divinely true that God has ordained for his own glory

28:38

Whatever comes to pass Verse 1

28:45

Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free Now, Greg, to stand fast means what?

28:58

Not move Don't keep looking around for someplace to jump Stand fast

29:06

Stay Be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage

29:14

Jesse, what was the yoke of bondage? The law

29:25

Are we to make sure of where we are and where we stand and who we are? Is that any concern to us,

29:35

David? How do you determine who you are and where you are?

29:44

Through the word Is it of much importance then to study the word?

29:55

How important is it? This man sitting with you, I don't recognize him this morning

30:03

How important is the word, Richard? It's our past, our eternal past It can be no more important, can it?

30:17

It's just, it is It is God in printed form

30:25

So, do not let anyone teach you to return again to the living of the law

30:32

We are free from the yoke of the law Now, in this chapter, we're going to see some small things that lead to the law that actually are under the law

30:45

Behold, I, Paul, say unto you that if ye be circumcised,

30:51

Christ shall profit you nothing So, if you have to do anything, then

30:57

Christ is not going to be of any benefit to you whatsoever If you do anything for salvation

31:05

The joining of circumcision with the gospel as a thing necessary to justification and salvation

31:14

Christ's undertaking will profit you nothing 4. Embracing circumcision after Christ's coming is virtually to deny and disown that He has come

31:28

You follow? If you think you have to add something to it, it's the same as saying that He did not come or that what

31:38

He did was not sufficient And in effect, it is to renounce and disclaim

31:44

Him because of His coming The promise was fulfilled and circumcision of its own nature ceased

31:54

So, learn this To join anything, and I stress that To join anything with Christ and faith in Him 5.

32:06

For justification of a sinner before God is a plain denial of Christ and a despising of His ability and sufficiency to justify and to save us

32:25

If you know someone that says, well, salvation is of God, alright, but I must do and then tell you what they must do

32:36

That cannot be and you be a child of God It has got to be

32:42

His way, His method only He will not accept part man in it

32:51

It requires no movement on part of man for salvation

32:58

You understand that? Is anyone here a little bit foggy on that?

33:09

Now, I'm talking about baptism or anything else It cannot be added to salvation

33:20

There's a place for baptism, but not for salvation

33:29

For I testify again to every man that is circumcised that he is a debtor to the whole law

33:37

He's a debtor, not a debtee A debtor Clarence means what?

33:45

He's a debtor to the law Alright And we do not

33:54

What did Christ do to the law? Fulfilled it.

33:59

Did He do away with it? He fulfilled it. It's fulfilled in Him Then how is it that the

34:09

Father can say there can be no one spend eternity with me unless they keep the law?

34:23

And we're in Him Therefore, did

34:30

He keep the law for us? Why did

34:36

He keep the law? For the

34:45

Heavenly Father Everything He did while He was here was for the Father He came to save and to redeem that which was lost

34:55

What is it that was lost? Who's talking?

35:06

Is that all? He came to fill the law We were lost, but He came to claim us back

35:16

He came so that we could see

35:25

God And He came so that we could know

35:34

God That's the only way we could come to God I've seen the law.

35:41

Something else has slipped my mind I have. And He said, you're...

36:03

He came to redeem everything that was lost

36:15

I didn't hear you, Jesse You need to stand up and wave,

36:21

I guess Now, He came to seek and to save that which was lost

36:27

If you go back to Genesis, you find out what was lost It was the entire creation

36:34

It tells us in the New Testament that the creation is waiting, groaning, waiting on the manifestation of us

36:44

So that the creation can get a new body Does this creation belong to God?

36:57

Alright Is this creation under a curse? Why? Because of man

37:08

So He had to come in the form of man, because man is the one that sinned He didn't come in the form of a tree or a rock

37:15

Because creation was made the subject of the curse, but not willingly

37:22

God put it under that curse Now, what I want you to understand is that He did not come just to save you and me

37:31

He came to redeem everything that belongs to God And He did

37:40

When it says, He so loved the world, the word is cosmos That is all of His creation

37:53

Are you following me? So the

37:58

Bible plainly tells us that everything Jesus did while He was here was to please the

38:03

Father Not to please you and I, but to please the Father Now it so happens in God's wisdom and plan

38:12

That in the saving of the entire creation, it included us

38:17

We that are His Because we were lost along with everything else

38:25

So fix it in your mind this morning that He came to save everything or to redeem

38:32

The very word redeem means to buy back Meaning once it was and now it wasn't and now

38:39

He bought it back and it is So He came to redeem everything that belonged to the

38:47

Heavenly Father That in itself indicates that there is something that does not belong to the

38:53

Father Virg, what is that? Seed of Satan They will not be redeemed

39:04

Is there any questions? Well, we are going to stop here and see if there are any more questions

39:17

And where did we get to? Three?

39:27

Ok, we will start with four next time Now, did you have something that you thought of while going through this and you want to voice it?

39:44

Was that a hand up or just somebody scratching their head? Then everybody understands everything perfectly

39:57

Think about it this week Keep it in your computer, pull it up every once in a while, look at it

40:03

Make a copy of it Let's stand, I am going to ask

40:08

Richard if you will dismiss us today, please sir Dear Lord, we just thank

40:14

You again for this day that You have provided for the hearts of all of us