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Bro. Otis Fisher
Galatians chapter 5 verse 4.
Galatians 5 verse 4. You remember last time
Paul was explaining about salvation. He was answering a problem in the church of those that insisted on observing part of the law.
I don't think they ever insisted on all of it. They picked out circumcision and said you must be circumcised as well as believe and Paul is being very specific in the fact that that's not the way it is.
Christ has become of no effect unto you whosoever of you are justified by the law you are fallen from grace.
This verse has been misused so much because those that believe you can lose your salvation use this verse to prove it.
You're fallen from grace. The grace, one is saved by grace but it is not grace that saves you.
Joy, what is it that saves you? All right, faith is part of the blood of Christ.
It is the blood of Christ, the life of Christ that saved us. He could give his life only one time and he did once for all.
Grace is the divine influence upon the heart and its reflection in the life.
Grace is the favor of God and it is the divine influence upon our heart and it is the reflection of Christ in our life.
Without grace you cannot do that. You can do neither, have the influence or reflect his grace.
Fallen means to drop away, to be driven out of one's course, to become inefficient, has nothing to do with salvation.
So when it says you are fallen from grace, John, what is it he's referring to?
If it's not salvation, what is it? So we have fallen out of what?
If you're walking in the Spirit, doing that which pleases God, you have what with God?
Peace, contentment, could we call it fellowship? So to fall from grace you've fallen from your fellowship, the joy of your salvation, not the salvation, the joy of it.
Any questions? It means that we have fallen out of fellowship, friendship, joy, peace, our connection to the
Heavenly Father. We are walking by something else, which it has to be the law or grace, one or the other.
We all walk in both too much of the time.
Seems like yes. He's talking to the church, he's addressing problems in the church.
That's exactly the problem that existed in the church. Yes. So he is addressing the problem in the church, and those that are listening know which of the two they believe.
If they believe it is by grace, then what he is saying does not apply to me.
If I am one that is trying to insist that they be circumcised, then he's talking to me.
So when he says fallen from grace, doesn't he just mean that you are not receiving the grace that you're trying to do through works?
Well sure. And that that's all it means to fall from grace, that you are not in the group that's getting their salvation.
Right. That's right. If they ever had salvation, and I'm not saying they didn't, because I don't know, but if they did, then they're trying to operate outside of Christ, and he can't do that.
He's making it very clear and very plain. Who else is speaking?
It was me. It means that you have given up grace. You don't need grace.
Well. And if you, you can take any circumstance to come along, you see someone who is speaking and doing simple things, and you know that they are, they're not doing right, it's a real comfort to know that except for the grace of God, that might be me.
Because it's grace that keeps us from doing, wrong and sinning.
That's true. All of us forsake
Christ at times, because we all sin. And when you sin, you're saying you can do it yourself.
And you cannot do that. Paul is simply laying down the very basics of the
Christian walk. He said, first of all, it's by grace, and you must know that and walk in the grace and fellowship with God.
If you're not doing that, then you've been misguided or you've never been saved, one or the other.
It means to drop away.
To be driven out of one's course. And to become inefficient.
That's right. That's right. That's exactly right.
A Christian can do that if he doesn't study, because it seems so logical to him that he has to do something.
But upon the insistence of the Bible, you must study and understand there's nothing you can do to keep your salvation.
There's nothing you can do to justify yourself. It's got to all originate with God.
And if man comes along and tries to teach you something else, they're a false teacher. You've become very inefficient.
That's right. Absolutely. And it is the old nature to look at people at what they're doing and judge their salvation.
Excuse me, can you do that, David? Does God do that?
Does he look at what we do to determine whether we're saved? We've had wonderful examples in the
Bible, if you can call them wonderful. They're very explicit of David, of Moses, both murderers.
But he said of David, he's a man after my own heart. Well, how could a murderer be after his own heart?
So he's not a murderer. He is a child of God that sinned.
I brought my amplifier this morning. I'd like to read to you.
If you'll turn to the book of James, to the fourth chapter, and I'd like for you to follow along as I read out of the amplified verses one through seven.
What leads to strife, discord, and feuds? And how do conflicts, quarrels, and fightings originate among you?
Oh, excuse me. I thought everybody was ready. James right after Hebrews.
Do they not arise from your essential desires that are ever warring in your body members?
You are jealous and covet what others have and your desires go unfulfilled.
So you become murderers. To hate is to murder as far as your hearts are concerned.
You burn with envy and anger and are not able to obtain the gratification the contentment, the happiness that you seek.
So you fight and war. You do not have because you do not ask. Or you do ask
God for them and yet fail to receive because you ask with wrong purposes and evil, selfish motives that you intend.
Your intention is when you get what you desire to spend it on your sensual pleasures.
You are like unfaithful wives having illicit love affairs with the world, breaking your marriage vow to God.
Do you not know that being the world's friend is being
God's enemy? So whoever chooses to be a friend of the world takes his stand as an enemy of God.
Or do you suppose that the scripture is speaking to no purpose that says the spirit whom he hath caused to dwell in us yearns over us and he yearns for the spirit to be welcomed with a jealous love.
But he gives us more and more grace, power of the Holy Spirit, not more the
Holy Spirit but more power of the Holy Spirit to meet the evil tendencies and all others fully.
That is why he says God sets himself against the proud and haughty but he gives grace continually to the lowly, those who are humble enough to receive it.
1 -6, well 7, so be subject to God, resist the devil, stand firm against him and he will flee from you.
Very, very plain, very clear. With God his saying and doing are one thing.
I wish that our listening and doing would be one thing. Now Galatians 5 -5, for we through the spirit wait for the hope or the assurance of righteousness by faith.
Well Brother David, I thought that we had righteousness by faith. What's he talking about? We wait for that.
Right, exactly, for the manifestation of this righteousness.
We have righteousness now but you can't see it. We can experience spiritually but not in our physical body.
There will come a time when that does happen but it will be after we're glorified, after we have obtained infinity on the other side.
This righteousness is that which is needed for daily living, not for salvation.
Let's go to another one in the Amplified. Hebrews 12 -15, exercise foresight and be on the watch to look after one another to see that no one falls back from and fails to secure
God's grace, his unlimited favor and spiritual blessing in order that no root of resentment, rancor, bitterness, or hatred shoots forth and causes trouble and bitter torment and the many become contaminated and defiled by it.
Then go to Hebrews 10 -26, for if we go on deliberately and willingly sinning after once acquiring the knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice left to atone for our sins, no further offering to which to look forward.
It's been done one time. Don't think that you can sin and get saved again because you believe that sinning you lost your salvation.
No place in the Bible, Fred, does it show how or where to be saved the second time.
Christ would have to come back and die on the cross again. That's an impossibility. So through all of this, he's telling us to be careful, be watchful, be on guard.
Watch yourself and those around you. Six, for in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love.
Of all of those who seek to be justified by the law are those that are separated from and by God.
Those that seek to be justified by law. Now they're seeking that.
They're not seeking salvation by grace. They're looking to be saved by the law.
All of those people are the seed of Satan. You did run well.
Who did injure you that you should not obey the truth? He said, look, you started off so well.
You did so fine. And when I left you, everything was just going just as smooth as can be.
What happened? He said, what in the world happened to you?
Did you let somebody in that was not saved? Did you let false teachers come in and overwhelm you with their oratory?
Did some of you pretend to be saved and you're not saved and you're of the mixed multitude in and among the true believers?
Are you holding a position in the church and introducing your doctrine into the church?
He said, what happened? You were doing fine. This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.
Now he's speaking of either of himself or of the heavenly father, either one. God called the people through Paul.
Paul was the instrument that did it. So he said, I called you in the name of the
Lord and what you're manifesting now is not of me or of God.
What happened? There's so many churches that are in the world today that you could ask that same question.
What happened? When my grandfather was going to this church, it wasn't like this.
What happened? In verse 9, a little leaven leaveneth the whole lumper.
Deborah, what's he talking about here? What is leaven? It's a picture of sin.
All right, but what is it in the real world? It's like yeast that causes the bread to rise.
Leaven is not yeast. It's just like yeast. Where's Greg?
Greg explained to all of us the simple process of yeast.
What does it do? It can be like bubbles that force the bread out.
It can eat the whole thing. Doesn't it have some relationship to seed?
Yes, sir. Maybe not. And feeds upon the shell of the seed until the new life takes root.
That's a beautiful picture of a Christian. Greg? Exactly.
It feeds on itself, doesn't it? Yes. And it is all known and washed up in the bread.
And the bread is better as a result of the yeast that was put in, but only after the yeast is taken out.
Explain that one point in connection with the Christian in the world. In the world, and I'm not sure, but in the world, the sinful man was put in the world in the shape of the seed of God.
And in the end, the sinful man is taken out. The evil seed is taken out.
And the seed of God is going to be a better condition than it would have been in the sin of Satan not being present if I understood the sermon before.
But the condition is only better for the seed of God after the seed of Satan has been removed by the fire, which is what the faith has been written of.
That's exactly right. I don't know, but that's... That's...
What you said...
That's right. Isn't it amazing how we can find examples in any part of the world, in any facet, any little speck, start from the smallest to the largest.
It all points toward Christ. It was designed that way.
All right. This persuasion cometh not from him that calleth you. Persuasion of works, some so -called preachers of the day, hinder your race.
And it would seem like that, but if used properly, then it will strengthen us.
Just because the process of sanctification is temporarily halted. Now listen to me.
Just because the process of sanctification, which is an ongoing process, just because it is temporarily halted does not mean that justification is taken away.
If that were the case, then salvation would depend upon works, which it can't be.
You can do nothing that will cause you to lose your salvation. You cannot sin so horrendous that God would take it away from you.
I have confidence in you, verse 10 now, through the
Lord, that you will be none otherwise minded, but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.
Fred, that's an awesome statement. But he that troubleth you shall.
And shall is what kind of a verb? Imperative. And it means what?
It's the same as done. Shall bear his judgment.
Bear means what? Come under the load of his judgment.
His refers to who, Greg? Whosoever he be.
He says, I don't know who he is. God does. And he'll be judged by God.
As we all shall. The word bear is bastadzo.
If that means anything to you. It means a grievous result of the judgment of God.
Bastadzo. And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do
I yet suffer persecution? If I'm doing what they say I'm doing, why is it
I'm still persecuted? Would it prove that if I was not persecuted,
I was on their side? But I'm not, so it must be that I'm not teaching what they are.
Then is the offense of the cross ceased. If it were as they say, the cross is of no avail.
It meant nothing. I would, they were even cut off, which trouble you.
He says, I would, if I could have all of those that are upsetting you to be themselves mutilated.
I would do to them just as the heathen priests do to themselves. If circumcision is good, then why not?
Why do not they go all of the way? This is what the heathens do.
Now, that's only part of what he was saying, and I cannot tell you the rest of it. But if you'll go to the verse we just read,
Galatians 5, 12, spend a little time researching. You'll find out just how awful it is that he's talking about.
And remember, the heathen priests did it to themselves. Four, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty.
Brethren, Greg, who's he talking about? Christians only.
You have been called. John, you awake?
John, the two words have been tells you what?
What? Already taken place. You have been called unto.
Bill, unto means what? All right.
You have been called and placed within liberty. Now, Roger, what's this great liberty that Paul keeps talking about?
He's referring to what
Christ is basically.
So their liberty is liberated from what? Liberated from law and death.
That's right. This great liberty. You have been called.
You have been. You can't change it. You have been called. Now, David, was this a general call that says all of you now you're?
All right. It means it's singular. Ye and ye and ye and ye and ye and ye.
Not ye as a group. God never works that way in salvation.
It is a personal, individual call. He has called you into liberty only.
Here's a warning for us. Greg said he's talking to the brethren only. Only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh.
Now, Greg, help me. We're not supposed to use this freedom from the law as an occasion.
What's occasion mean? He just went blank.
Fred. All right. All right.
Occasion by itself does not mean evil. What does it mean? Just just the word happening.
All right. Do not use your liberty from the law now for a cause or for a happening or for an occasion to the flesh.
Bill, what's he mean to the flesh? All right.
So, Charlie, to the flesh, the flesh represents what? Sin. The old nature.
The old man. That in which we were born. That in which he called us out from among.
So, don't use your freedom as a Christian to put money in your pocket.
Did you ever know of anybody doing that? We had a rather large
Christian businessman in our little church in Pecan Heights. And the second or third
Sunday after he joined, he told all of us men outside was standing around talking.
He says, I'm just here until my business gets bigger and then I'm going to move over on the north side. I would say his motive was wrong in the beginning.
I've often wondered what happened to him. Now, but by love serve one another.
So, brethren, Christians, you have been called to be free from the law into the liberty of the gospel.
But don't ever use that freedom for personal gain.
But instead, use it to serve each other. For so by doing,
Deborah, we're serving the Lord. Whatever we do unto each other, we do unto him.
For all the law is fulfilled in one word.
David, how many pages in today's time would their law have occupied?
And you could take all of that and condense it down to one or two words. What are those one or two words?
All right. Thou shalt love thy neighbor,
Charlie, as yourself. Now, does that not teach us to love ourself?
What? Who's talking? You're going to have to put your hand up.
I think we already do love ourselves, so it's an example of loving others.
That's the way they love everybody else. That would be the ultimate.
That would mean I would do anything for you because I would do it for myself. That's not the motive, but that's the principle.
Fifteen. But, now here comes another but. But if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you be not consumed one of another.
Now, Harvey, he says, if you bite and devour one another, how in the world are you going to do that?
Okay. Okay. Find and fall with everybody but yourself. Take heed that you be not consumed one of another.
Now, Greg, we come back to you. Take heed that you be not consumed one of another.
How in the world could one consume another? Okay. Okay.
This reminds me of a story of an old man in our hometown. He insisted it was true. He was out hunting one day in the woods, and he come across two snakes.
They each had grabbed the tail of the other, and they swallowed until they were both gone. That's how you could consume one another.
I never did believe it. But if you bite, bite and devour, this,
David, I think would give you a good sermon title, Christian Cannibals.
Sixteen, this I say then. Walk, the little word walk.
For a patio, to walk with only one thing in mind.
To walk with only one thing in mind. What do you suppose
Paul has in his mind as he says that to us? Exactly.
Walk in the spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Is the tape gone?
Oh. Walk in the spirit and you shall not, imperative again, imperative, fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Why not? Why can you not fulfill the fleshly lust if you're walking in the spirit with God?
Alright. Then there is, is it true then that there is no fleshly lust in God?
So if we're walking in the spirit of God, it has to be spirit because that's all he is.
And that's all we can be right now. So if we're walking in that spirit.
Now, June, would that be walking just on Sunday mornings? If someone professes to be a
Christian and their Christianity shows up only on Sundays, then you know it's just a profession.
It's not the real thing. How much of the day,
Roger, should we spend walking in the spirit? How can
I do that in sleep? Before you sleep.
Alright. Now, what's one good way to start off walking each day in the spirit?
We've mentioned it even today in this class. Alright.
Alright. Alright. We can always depend on Opal to give us scripture.
On anything. That's great. But just a practical everyday application that everybody can make.
As you go about your work, as you look at the world, as you look at the tools of your job, as you look at nature, what can you do?
Well, that's true, but I want to get it down on a very practical application. Well, that's all true, but I want something that I can do personally, besides in the spirit.
I can... Alright.
That's getting right on top of it. Anything with which you're working or observing, look for a picture of Christ.
Look for a biblical truth in it. Find some allegory by this hammer and nail that I can teach the blood of Christ.
Just look at what you're handling. Everything. Riding, driving, singing, walking, milking a cow, whatever.
Just look for some example, because you will not find the example unless you've been exposed to the truth.
You want to say something? It's there all the time, because it's a sacrifice of the cross, or it's unconditional, for free, all the time.
That's right. But the walk is conditional, because it's based on whether you do it or not.
That's right. So if you choose not to do it, that liberty can become dangerous. Yes. And that's why so many churches try to make rules.
It doesn't really work, because then you go back into this very first chapter where it's all the same.
Then you're falling from grace. Yes. You make rules. You just fell from grace. You're relying on rules.
And that's a hard lesson for a church to learn. It takes years for a church to learn that lesson.
It's a hard lesson for an individual to learn. That's right. We must quit.
Our time's up. The tape's probably out, or will be in a moment. There won't be time left on the tape for discussion.
Is there any point somebody wants to bring up? Are there any points you don't want to bring up?
That's right. But more than that, what I want us to get to is that that's true.
And we can quote Scripture. I want to get it down right where rubber meets the road.
Right where we're walking. While we're in that position. While you're washing dishes.
While you're ironing. While you're sweeping up leaves. Whatever. Look for an example of a biblical truth.
It will make that work seem a whole lot easier. Let's stand and we'll be dismissed.