Bible In A Year - Galatians

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Okay, we'll begin this morning. It's good to be in the land of the living.
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I was sharing the some statistics I had read Yesterday with members of the family and it was
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I think the population the United States increased 2 .9 million in 2006
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I think they estimated 300 million in the country a birth every eight seconds a
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Death every 11 seconds and an immigrant every 27 seconds. It's hard to think that way but but many have been ushered off into eternity and Many born and brought in and God has given them life and and many sustained
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Everybody yeah, everybody here sustained you're here alive breathing in the land of the living and God has been merciful to us another night
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As we slept he did not and kept us By his power and We are his if we're the people of God the children of God as we're going to learn through faith in Christ Jesus Then we're the
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Lord's forever. Let's go to him and thank him and and ask for his blessings upon our time Our Father in heaven we do praise you and thank you for the wonder of life.
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Thank you for the wonder of you you have you have not only created us and For your people you have recreated us
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Being born again born from above Regenerated by your Holy Spirit Give a new life and how we praise you for that life in Christ We thank you that everything about us is
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Jesus everything about us is the Lord Jesus Christ and as the Apostle Paul had said for him to live was
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Christ And to die is gain what we just think about that thought of how our focus and our hearts
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Are all of our attention? all of us should be Pointed toward Jesus and everything would be and should be for his glory
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And that's what we desire as we gather together today that we would learn of him that we would learn from your word how?
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How blessed we are as a people to be sinners saved by grace to be a people who were?
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Running away from God and that whole condition that whole Situation to be changed to where we are a people who desire to embrace the true and living
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God because of your work in our hearts We thank you for the opportunity to worship we thank you for the blessedness of the of the church and the the the people of God our brothers and sisters in Christ whom we can gather and sing with and Testify of the goodness of the
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Lord towards us and to study your word and we pray you teach it to us now In Jesus name
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Amen Okay The bottom is loose, maybe that's good that could just be me going like this
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Okay, that's all right today this morning is the book of Galatians, so if you turn there And to be ready to look at the scripture there,
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I just like to Give you a little bit of a background And then we'll take a look at what it is that the
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Apostle Paul was writing in this book And what the what the theme is what the purpose of this book is
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It's it. It's it is an important book to be able to understand It is a blessed book to the people of God because it's one where just really nails down what it means
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When it comes to salvation and how salvation is received This book is a book that was the earliest of the writings of the
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Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit And it is the only one of Paul's letters that was targeted for a specific region an area of the of the map so to speak if you would turn your
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Bibles to the to the back and look in the map and you could you could see the certain region is called
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Galatia It wasn't an actual local church that Paul was writing to a
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Galatia is that that region if you Geography you have
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Africa down here the Mediterranean Sea is here and over in the east is Israel and just north west of of Israel is what is now known as Turkey And that's where we're talking about that area there the region of Galatia Paul went there on his missionary journeys his first missionary journey you remember in Acts chapter 13
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He was sent out to go on that journey And he preached at the gospel in the
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Galatian cities of Antioch Iconium Lystra And Derby and from from there
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Paul returned Back to Antioch And we'll kind of get into this a little bit if I if I remember to do this to go to the book of Acts just to See that but when sometime after that Missionary journey and the gospel is preached and God saves as he only can save not by works
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But only by the gospel not not it is not you'll see that through this whole study this morning
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That it is not by works. It is all of grace. It always is grace. It's always
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God's favor It is always God doing something for us. We could not do for ourselves. It is something that God gives
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It's something that God works, and and God brings to us God visits us we don't try to do something to obtain the favor of God on our own merit and And the and the churches were established
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The gospel was powerful and lives were changed and you can go back and read in the book of Acts how how there was great joy and there was a change and it just brought a dramatic change in the lives of those whom
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God saved through the preaching of The Apostle Paul as he went on his journey from but but when he gets back to Antioch is sometime around Around that time he he receives word that those churches that had been recently established
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Were under assault there was an attack coming to them and you'll see this Where the Apostle Paul goes someplace?
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There's people that are coming right behind the Apostle Paul and maybe out of pride maybe out of wanting control maybe
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Just having to exercise their their position They come back behind the
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Apostle Paul, and they are trying to especially when it comes to the Gentile Believers they're trying to put something on them a yoke upon them a burden upon them that the
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Apostle Paul says They're not even willing to bear themselves. They don't even they won't even do it themselves
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And we're gonna we'll see a little bit about that what and Paul hears that They these
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Judaizers are those who are trying to say you Gentiles have to become Jewish proselytes
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You must be circumcised you must keep the law you must observe all of it in and Jesus You got to have
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Jesus and Something else what is what I mean if you just think about that Jesus in order to be saved you must have
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Jesus and Fill in the blank. What does that do for anybody in this room? I?
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mean You know all the alarms are coming on right Flashes are going off.
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It's never Jesus and anything It's Jesus and Jesus alone isn't it salvation through Christ alone and Paul?
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He shoots that that gun if so to speak he unloads the double barrel of Christ and Christ alone all the time whenever whenever he's teaching
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Whenever he's preaching and whenever he's writing the scriptures that that we have it It's it's Jesus and Jesus alone
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And these these guys are coming in and they're undermining the central New Testament Doctrine of justification by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.
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They're just trying to add something to that and Paul hears this
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And he is upset with this because there's a historic There's something historical that's behind this and if you hold your place in Galatians Just turn with me quickly to the to Acts chapter 15
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I told you earlier that in Acts chapter 13 the Apostle Paul went out from With it with with his company goes out from Acts chapter 13 goes out from Antioch Missionary journey returns back to Antioch and when he gets back to Antioch.
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He is he declares what it is that has taken place That the gospel in not only coming to the
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Jews and saving the Jews But when they went out and they were preaching God saved the Gentiles also
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Now there were some in the group and you'll see in Acts chapter 15 certain men Which came down from Judea taught the brethren and said except you be circumcised after the manner of Moses.
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You cannot be saved They're saying that yes, you believe in Jesus But you also must be circumcised and with that circumcision comes where the following of the law
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You've got it. You've got to keep the law and Paul and Barnabas It says in verse 2 had no small dissension and disputation with them
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They're upset about that Because that's not odd. That's not the way that that goes completely against grace that is adding something to Jesus Christ He says they determine that Paul and Barnabas and certain other of them should go down to Jerusalem to the
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Apostles and the elders about This question they're gonna go down to the source They're gonna go to the pillars go right back to the
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Apostles and they're gonna have this council They're gonna get together and they're gonna side. What is it that we ought to do with these
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Gentiles the Gospels come to them What should we do with them? So they so they go to Jerusalem and And when they get there
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Peter verse 7 rose up They're all together now and Peter rises up and says men and brethren, you know that you know
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How that a good while ago God made choice among us that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel and believe
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So Peter had experienced this since it had been going on with Peter Cornelius the things that were were happening
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Gentiles were being saved and God which knows the hearts bear them witness verse 8 giving them the
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Holy Spirit even as he did unto us. They're regenerated They're indwelt by the Spirit of God and he put no difference between us and them
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Justifying or purifying their hearts by faith Now therefore why tempt you
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God? To put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear
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He said why is it that there are some that are trying to say to these believers these new precious babes in Christ Why is it that that there are those that are coming?
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These Judaizers are coming and saying you need to add to that circumcision keeping the law observing it all obey the law of Moses do all these things and Then they they will be saved because you know in a way what are they saying?
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They'll be like us That's what we do We're where we uphold the law these
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Judaizers They're full of pride and they go about to establish their own righteousness by their self -effort and by their works
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And they and they just do not they do not understand what it is When it comes to the purity of the gospel, and that's why
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I believe Paul is so upset That's why I believe Paul he fires off this letter, and I'm going to explain it in a little while, but he says
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Peter and Peter is here. You know Paul is present at this Council and Peter says don't put a yoke
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Why are you putting any want to put a yoke upon the neck of the? Disciples and this yoke has to do with the yoke that would be on the animals that would would
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Control them and make them go in the way that that you want to go and of course it was a It was a yoke that was heavy that would be upon him verse 11, but we believe
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That through the grace of our of the Lord Jesus Christ We shall be saved even as they no circumcision.
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No obeying the law It's by grace, and it's it's through Jesus Christ Then all the multitude kept silence and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul Declaring what miracles and wonders
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God had wrought among the Gentiles by them So Peter has said what what happened with him Peter and and Paul and Paul Also says what had taken place through his ministry verse 18 known unto
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God are all his works from the beginning of the world wherefore this is now James has risen up and James seems to be the one who who
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God uses to take the lead of this Council and He's he's speaking and he says in verse 19 wherefore my sentence is that we trouble them not
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This talking about the Gentiles we do not want to trouble them which from among the
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Gentiles are turned to God We don't want to agitate. We don't want to stir up We don't want to put upon them anything that we ought not to be putting upon them
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But that we write unto them verse 20 that they abstain from pollution of idols and from fornication and from things strangled and from blood and We see this repeated again
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Well, let me read verse 24 for as much as we have heard that certain which went out from us
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There was some that had gone out from Jerusalem and troubled you with words Subverting your soul saying you must be circumcised and keep the law to whom we gave no such commandment
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The Apostles are saying we didn't send them out This is not the this is not the truth that we have received directly from the
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Lord Jesus Christ We don't give any commandment in this area And he says in verse 25
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It seemed good unto us being assembled one one accord to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul Men that have hazarded their lives to the name of the
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Lord Jesus Verse 28 for it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things
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This is what they wanted them to do it It was crucial if they had said you needed to be circumcised if they had said you needed to follow the law of Moses Then they would be directly contradicting the gospel that would not be good news because nobody can keep it
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The people who were perpetrating this and putting this yoke upon other people they weren't able to keep it
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Because nobody can keep the law. It's just impossible. We already learned that in Romans chapter 3 when when we studied
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Romans But what they did says They did say in their decree of this council is they sent out some things that would be things for them that would in their
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Practical Christian living after they were saved would be important for them to do and that had to deal with their former lifestyle and it had to do with with whether or not they would violate their conscience before God or whether they wouldn't
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Would pollute their not only Pollute them themselves with this idol worship and all that was in the in the areas in which they lived but also it would pollute their bodies as far as for the the lasciviousness and the
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Fornication that was taking place to separate themselves from that because it all had to do there was a lot of spiritual
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Connotation in that it had to do with the false worship They said separate yourself from all of that and what are you going to separate yourself unto unto
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God? Unto the Lord Jesus Christ to be pure before him. So go go back to the book of Galatians if you would with me
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And we see that then these teachers were insisting That the Gentiles must first become the
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Jewish proselytes as I had said submit to the law of Moses and live that out and follow the law of Moses and and Paul is shocked by the
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Galatians in that they were open to this they were allowing this to come into the churches and Paul is devastated by that and he writes the letter to one to defend justification by faith and to to warn the churches of the of the consequences of jettisoning or Abandoning the essential doctrine of justification by faith.
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So right Paul writes this letter and it's a passionate letter There is great emotion in this letter.
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It's urgent one of his most urgent and unusually Severe letter he writes in the way that he writes
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It's almost like it's almost like a parent who is dealing with their child and it's like, you know
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It's just comes out. It just is there's just this such a care that you you want It's almost like the child going across the street
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You know when there's traffic, it's not like you go out there Well, Johnny the traffic looks a little bad and I think
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You know You could possibly get hit by the car and we might have to take you to the hospital and the parent just goes
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You know, what are you doing and pulls him pulls him back in acting quickly and that's what
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Paul is doing He's he he writes this book and it's and he changes the way he writes even even in the
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Greek He skips verbs and things are just not normal because he's he's just getting
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I mean, it doesn't even have the characteristic Greeting at the beginning like, you know me has and maybe a commendation to them and he just goes right into it
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We see that in in chapter one It may be the only book to Also the only book also if you look in chapter 6 that Paul Wrote with his very own hand without the help of a
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Stenographer you'll notice in many of the other Gospels if you read the very last part of it It'll say that it's written by someone.
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It's Paul that is that is dictating It is somebody writing and then it's delivered by somebody else to the region look in 6 11 you see how large a letter
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I have written unto you with mine own hand. I mean
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Paul was just into this and he Whether he couldn't trust anybody else or he just wanted this
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It was just so serious and he was so grieved the tears flowing from his eyes. No doubt for what was taking place here
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He pens this book He's a man of God who? Has a duty to safeguard the gospel of God in the honor of God's name and to watch have a watch care over the churches
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That burden is upon him he cares for the churches for the people that he had gone out to preach to where churches were established and Really?
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It's our responsibility also today. That's where it practically comes to us today When it comes to the gospel being attacked when it comes to core doctrine being subverted
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Anybody trying to come in and add anything to Jesus Christ It is anathema it is it is that person is to be as Paul says if you go in chapter 1
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He says I marvel verse 6. I am so amazed that you are so soon
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Removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel
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He says you have you have like in a military way you have deserted your post
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Because Paul's Paul's desire and in his exhortation to them in chapter 5 in verse 1 is to stand fast in the
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Liberty in The Liberty that we've been we've received through salvation in Jesus Christ.
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That's the theme of this book We are free set free from in Christ and we are
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Freed by justification through faith in Jesus Christ And we are justified through faith in Jesus Christ it and we are not no longer to be under the bondage the yoke of the law and Paul says
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You are now leaving that and you're putting yourself or allowing this other gospel to come in He says verse 7, which is not another but there are some that some there are the
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Judaizers The same somewhere it says of the Apostles in Acts 15 that they've come to trouble you but it wasn't our commandment
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We didn't send them. We didn't tell them to come in there are some that trouble you or disturb you and they would distort or pervert the gospel of Jesus and That word trouble there is strong.
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It means that they they it's like a stirring or an agitate It's like the set sediment in the bottom of the of a pond and you and you stir it up and then you can't see
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Anymore, though. It's no longer. The water is no longer clear. And that's what he's talking about They agitate in trouble and Paul says it this way
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He says but though we are an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached
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Let him be accursed or let that man that person be cursed of God as we said before So say
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I now again 1 9 if any man preach any other gospel unto you then then you have received
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Let him be accursed Mean it's strong. Isn't it?
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It's very clear and it's and it's it's coming from the Apostles pen And really this is one of his as he begins to deal with this whole issue and he's defending the doctrine of justification by faith
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Paul here Criticizes and he condemns the perpetrators of the false gospel.
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How many Gospels are there when it comes to salvation? Really miss let's get basic.
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How many Gospels are there? There's only one and That gospel that good news is
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Not in a plan. It is not in a creed. It is not in a certain set of List of rules and regulations.
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It has nothing to do with methodology. Do you remember? When I read in Luke chapter 2,
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I think it was in Luke 2 or Luke 3 when Mary and Joseph brought
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Jesus into the temple and Simeon was there and he had been promised by God that he would not die till he had seen
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God's Messiah Till he had seen the Savior and when he was holding
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Jesus in his hands He was thanking God that he now could die He could leave because he
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God's promise was fulfilled and he wasn't holding in his hands the ABC plan of salvation
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He didn't have a piece of paper and it didn't say a you're a sinner B You must repent and see do this then you must pray this prayer.
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He wasn't holding that in his hand. He wasn't holding a confession of faith
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In his hand, he wasn't holding his scroll which Simeon wasn't holding a scroll saying that he was a member of the synagogue and that that was what was going to save him
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He wasn't holding a piece of paper that listed all the things that he had done in his life that Maybe it would make him acceptable before God.
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He was holding a person He was holding God the
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God -man in his hands Looked upon him and he says mine eyes have seen
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God's salvation. It's in a person. It's in Jesus Christ There's only one gospel. There's no other that's why
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Paul I believe uses the word He says this is some other gospel, which is really he says no gospel
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It's not good news because if you add anything to Jesus Christ you subtract everything
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Totally, it's it's worthless so he does this first and then and then to defend and to go into this
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This idea of what the whole the whole thrust is and Paul is defending this central doctrine
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Look with me in chapter 2 if you would It almost sounds like the book of Romans this one verse
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But check this out in chapter 2 and verse 16 It's a lengthy verse and It's a verse where Paul says this is how you're saved and this is how you're not saved
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This is how you receive the righteousness of God and Justification and this is how you do not receive it.
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You're not you're not able to do it this way notice this Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law
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That is what the Judaizers these false teachers were were spreading were perpetrating
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When knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law Okay, let's let's do it this way.
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Let's see how many times he does each one in this hand. I'll do It's not by the works of the law in this hand
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I'll do by the faith of Jesus Christ knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law But by the faith of Jesus Christ even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be
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Justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified
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I mean three and three He just lays it out three times. I mean usually you could say something once and that's enough
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You're not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ and Paul is just in this in this verse
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Just laying it out so clear and repeating it three times the truth that you're justified and only
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By faith in Jesus Christ and he says the same faith even we have believed on Jesus Christ So that we might be justified by the by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law
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Because by that work or that effort of trying to keep the law No flesh no person can ever be justified the
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Judaizers didn't get it the Apostle Paul had this message Revealed to him directly by God.
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We see that in chapter 2 You can go back and read that about his testimony that he was alone God taught him these things
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God showed him these things that that that that salvation is All by grace and if you mix or add any any work at all into it
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You totally take away From that it's it's it's clear as he goes on even in this chapter
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He just shows the folly of these Christian Jews in abandoning their new faith and returning to the old legalism
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Notice with me if you would in verse 18. He says for if I build again the things which
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I destroyed I make myself a Transgressor and what he's saying there is look when the gospel came you were liberated
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When the gospel came you were you were a group of people and you may have you know Especially those who were keeping the law
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Those who kept that law it was a burden to them because nobody can keep it There's absolutely no one that can keep the law perfectly in order to in order to enter heaven
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We must be perfect and if a person Wants to try to get it through the law they have to keep that law 100 % perfect that means you have to get a hundred all the time on every test
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Of every test of life when it comes to anything that you do in thought word or deed you have to be 100
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No, you can't be 99 .9999. It's 100 and Paul says it's futile to do that and when
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God came with the gospel and Saved you showing you that you don't have to keep the law But but you must repent of sin and turn to Jesus Christ and through faith in Christ You are saved you receive the righteousness of God you are
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Justified or declared righteous before God No longer a sinner before God as far as God looks forgiven and you receive that perfect obedience of Jesus Christ And you become a child of God Then what do you do with this law?
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It's no longer a yoke to you. It's no longer a burden. It is something that you say well
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You know that's what God saved me from he saved me from that me trying to Save myself or me trying to do something and the
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Paul says here. Why are you going to pull that? Former lifestyle and that former trust that former way that you thought you should be saved
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Why would you bring that in and pollute Christ and pollute? Salvation through Christ alone and and add it to faith in Christ and therefore
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By adding it Paul says be careful of this doctrine because a little leaven
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Leavens the whole lump you bring it in it's gonna. Just mess up everything and that's why Paul is so frustrated
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And that's why he is he is is so aggravated and grieved more than anything in frustrations
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Maybe not a good word because because it has kind of points to himself and it it's not that's not the right word
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He is he is grieved He is he is stirred that they would allow this to come in and notice what he says in verse 20
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Kind of lays out what it means to be saved in the in the Christian life. I am crucified with Christ nevertheless
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I live yet not I but Christ lives in me and the life which I now live in the flesh
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I live notice this I live not by the effort of my own being but I live by the faith of the
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Son of God Who loved me and gave himself for me and then he concludes this chapter by saying I do not frustrate the grace of God I I am
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NOT setting aside the grace of God. I I am NOT casting it off. I am NOT violating it
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I am NOT bringing it to nothing. That's what he means by that He says I don't I don't
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I'm not setting aside the grace of God for if righteousness comes by the law
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Then Christ Is dead in vain or Christ died needlessly, that's what he's saying if you could
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Obtain righteousness if you could get salvation through keeping the law, then why did
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Jesus have to die? It's futile. It's it's unnecessary and Paul is saying look
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I'm not setting aside The the grace of God. I'm not I don't I don't frustrate it.
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I mean I I preach the grace of God I preach the gospel of grace That's what that's what he did and he's and he's and he's laying over and over again in his arguments as he's defending this central
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Doctrine that it is through Christ in Christ alone. And when he goes into chapter 3
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He begins first of all Of course, he comes out with these with these words of his utter amazement and he's totally shocked and look in 3 1.
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Oh Foolish Galatians He says you're foolish you are
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You have I think Mike or I think it was Pastor Mike or Steve recently. I wrote a note my my margin
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You have unplugged your mind you have unplugged all reason You are unwilling to think about what it is that you're doing
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And isn't that so true people get caught up in doctrine. They get caught up in in false teaching because it sounds good.
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I Know what it lets us live a little bit differently, you know, maybe a lot of times it it panders to And caters to the flesh
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Because it doesn't keep us on the straight and narrow This case here, of course, it puts a burden upon us, but he calls them foolish
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Galatians. Why do you think he says this? I mean, I already told you but I need a breathing break
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Why does he say this? Yes, Pat. Yeah Right you disengaged your mind and you weren't you did not hold on to and you did not stand fast and what you had
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You just you know what message came to you You you know what it was that saved you and now you're trying to bring this system of works this this old
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Testament law keeping That these people who are saying this to you can't even keep themselves notice if you would just hold your place there in chapter 6
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Paul says this I've remember I said in verse 11. I've written to this in my own hand. I've written you
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And check in 612 as many as desire to make a fair show in the flesh. They constrain you to be circumcised
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Only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ See Paul went the route of preaching
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Christ and through that came persecution These guys are saying circumcision. Everybody's gonna go along with that. There is no offense there.
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Yeah, well, we'll agree with that and there's no offense But notice the verse 13, but neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law
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But desire to have you circumcised so that they can boast in you He says they the message that they're bringing to you
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They don't they they can't even and they don't even do it themselves How foolish and he goes on in chapter 3 and he says who has bewitched you or Who has cast a spell upon you?
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Basically, that's what he's saying. I mean who has Basically today or one of the the phrases we would use who's pulled the wool over your eyes
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Don't you understand what it is that you be he says in verse 2 this only what I learn of you and he begins to He begins to talk to them and appeal to them about the spiritual experience that they had gone through when
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God saved them How did it come to them? How was it that they were saved? What did God do to bring them to his son
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Jesus Christ and what did God do in their lives? so that they would be Forgiven and become the children of God and he appeals to this and he goes after this and he says this and he uses these
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These questions he's kind of got a kind of get him to think about because that's what they need to do They're not thinking and mark it down when a believer gets in trouble
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We're not thinking and I'm not talking about we're just not thinking intellectually and we just don't we just don't remember facts about the
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Bible It's when we allow anything to subvert the Word of God When we allow anything to come in and say this is what
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God's Word says and but If you ever hear a teacher said this is what God's Word says, but and it's contrary to that Flee you run away from that.
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It's not the truth as it is in Christ It's the it's danger and the signs ought to be the warning signs ought to be flashing if that happens
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Paul says this only what I learn of you. Did you receive the Spirit? Or did you receive the
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Spirit of God by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith when you were keeping the? Law is that when
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God saved you is that when you were born again? Is that when the Spirit of God and dwelt you is that when you were forgiven?
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Is that when you became a child of God and we can look back on our lives and we can say When we were going to this church that church the
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Lutheran Methodist Catholic, whatever church it was when we were in that religious system
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Trying to find favor with God trying to to to to work off our sins trying to save ourselves
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Is that when we were saved and of course the answer to the question is no It wasn't by that It says did you receive the
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Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith? By the hearing of the message that said you needed to believe trust in the
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Lord Jesus Christ of course It's through faith. Are you so foolish first three having begun in the
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Spirit and you are now made perfect By the flesh or mature I mean you you began in the
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Spirit and now you are going to be made perfect by the flesh And what does that mean by the flesh? by the works right by Keeping of the law.
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So you start in the Spirit and Now you're going to be made mature and you're gonna go on and you're going to you're going to please
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God and you're going to Grow as a Christian by going back and reverting back to the law. Of course not he's saying it's not that way
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He says in verse 4 Have you suffered so many things in vain if it be yet in vain? And of course the suffering is when those that will live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
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It comes to those who hold to the clear message of faith in Christ alone
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He says you've suffered so much and all of that is going to be for nothing If you go back to the law people weren't persecuting them for keeping the law
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I mean that was the that was the easy road. That was the one everybody was doing that was the broad way But the narrow way in Jesus Christ far different.
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He says are you going to you've done all that in vain? He therefore verse 5 that ministered to you the
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Spirit and works miracles among you Does he do this by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith?
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What God when God works? When it comes to salvation and we must compare scripture with scripture right all throughout the scripture
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We see that it is of course by faith. So in that instance there Paul appeals to their former experience
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Of the Galatians and saving them and then then he goes on in this chapter And he shows that even
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Abraham Like Paul did in Romans chapter 4 even Abraham was justified by faith because who were they?
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They're Jews who? Who have a lot of stock in Abraham, right? They look at the past and that's their that's their connection
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And he says in verse 7 know you therefore that they which I mean verse 6 even as Abraham believed
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God And it was accounted him for righteousness Know you therefore that they which are faith the same are the children of Abraham And so if you and if I can't do it in this class
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But if you go through chapter 4 you will see of course the verses We've already read that have to do with faith verse 7 faith verse 8 through faith 9 faith verse 11
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The just shall live by faith verse 14 at the end through faith Verse 22 by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe and on and on through the chapter
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It's faith. It's faith alone. It's believing upon Christ and of course that faith is a gift of God and that's how
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God saves us and Paul is making it super clear to them that they have
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That they have gone a different way And they're holding on to and trying to hold on to something else and They've allowed they've allowed this into the church this teaching and isn't it a warning for us today that that we should safeguard
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The gospel that we should be careful what we allow to be taught and who it is
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That's why you know some people say well, you know when it comes to the church membership or those are going to preach
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You see it in other churches they just allow anybody to do it somebody can walk in I'm a believer
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I know how to teach plug them in That's why we have a period of time where we watch and we're careful to prove someone's salvation of course first I mean to to see if if God has really worked in there in their lives and then to prove their gifts and to prove where They are so that we can see if they are faithful to the
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Word of God and they are someone who has a heart for God they are someone who Not only when it comes to teaching, but when it comes to membership, there's also an examination
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Before we allow someone in because first and foremost I mean we want believers to be gathered together and we don't want someone to come in and we're thinking that They think that just because they join the church that they're that something is going to happen for them that chalks up another one
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So they find favor be before God and it is important for us as a church to have those safeguards
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The Apostle Paul does this Well in this teaching as he's defending this doctrine
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We see him after this what he does is he goes on and he proves at the end of this chapter the
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Purpose of the law. He says you got it messed up Let me let me just show you what the law was all about and he says in verse 19
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Wherefore then serves the law what is the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions till the seed should come to whom the promise was made and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator and you
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Could take this and you can go back to Romans chapter 1 2 & 3 and particularly in verse 3 where the purpose of the law is stated there as That all the world would come guilty before God that's the purpose of the law
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It's to show us that we're sinners and it's to show us that we need something else
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We need some Someone else who can do the job for us someone else who can save us and Paul even says that here and look in verse verse 22
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The scripture has concluded all under sin That the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe but before faith came
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We were kept under the law shut up under the faith, which would afterwards be revealed Wherefore verse 24 the law was our schoolmaster or the law was a tutor
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To bring us to Christ that we might be justified by faith The intent of the law was to show us that we're sinners
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We cannot keep it We are transgressors or breakers of God's law
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We need a Savior and just like in the in in those times When they had tutors who could only teach the young children for a certain age limit to a certain amount of information
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They would then those tutors would pass those children on to the next grade level so to speak the law
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Can only do so much it can't save it can show us that we need to be saved and it brings us to Christ And then
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God by his marvelous grace saves us through faith in Jesus Christ alone Interesting here.
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Yes, brother No, it doesn't mean that we're without law through Mike's teaching that we we've been going through in in Matthew chapter 5
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We see in Paul. I think Well, he did we we looked at it when we went through Romans is that is it's not that we're a lawless people we are under the law to Christ and When it comes to when we when we look back upon the law when we look back on the scriptures when there are the the the
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Moral law the things that that are the laid out in the Word of God that and as as Mike has been teaching when
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Jesus looked back upon the law and he explained it and he and he Interprets and he brings out the the clarity of it.
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We're still to keep and to walk as a way of living Under the
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Word of God, but not law for salvation They were doing it to be saved. We're doing it
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We keep and live a life of purity and holiness Desiring to walk in the way of God to be a people who watch our mouth the way we think the way we act with other
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People our relationships we're doing it because we're already saved, but we do we do
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We we have the Word of God that we look to and what the Word of God says We do as far as to walk in a way that pleases the
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Lord Sorry another hand. Yes That's another class another another section for another class
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I'll get to the or I'll talk to you afterwards about that because I want to try to get through everything before in the next 10 minutes
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What's interesting as he gets at the end of this chapter here? Notice what he says Verse 25 after faith has come.
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We're no longer under the schoolmaster for you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus how much clearer could it be?
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You're all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus I want us to look just quickly though here notice verse 28
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Paul speaks here about spiritual equality. He says there is neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither bond nor free
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There's neither male nor female for you are all one in Christ Jesus Paul is saying here is that God in his economy has there are differences in races.
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There are differences in social Order there are differences when it comes to gender
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But when it comes to being saved, we're all one in Christ We're all on the same plane as far as spiritual equality before God.
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We're all the children of God by faith in Christ Some people though I've taken this verse out of context or misapplied this verse misused this person in the churches
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And they will say this is where they will go to Defend the position that you can have women preachers or women pastors in churches
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You see the Bible says that there's neat. There's no Jew nor Greek. There's neither male nor female
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We're all one that means we can all do the same thing We can all teach we can all be pastors, but that's not what that verse is saying, right?
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The verse is saying that when it comes to salvation, we're one when it comes to being God's people. We're one
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We're all in the same that no one is a better child of God than another but it doesn't deal
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Cast out or do away with other scriptures which talk about the roles and responsibilities
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And the giftedness of people when it comes to the church God uses the men
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God calls his men to to be the men of God who would teach the Word of God That's the that's the authority when it comes to roles and authority
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The same some people some people would I mean if you want to take it to that extent Then why not say okay if you're gonna blow up all roles and all authority, why don't the children just run the house?
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Right there one if they're saved let them run the house, but we know that the and why not let the wife
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Rule the husband, you know if you're gonna take it to the extreme Let them do let them do that because I mean, you know the the woman the wife
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She's on the same playing field as the husband But when it comes to roles and responsibilities and authority
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God has set them up in the house It's the husband the wife and the in the children in the church
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It's the the men God putting that responsibility of the teaching and the leading of the church
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Under them when it comes to society. I mean, why doesn't everybody just become my I'm a Christian. My boss is a
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Christian I'm gonna tell them what to do because we're equal in Christ. You see the the the foolishness of that That's not what he's teaching
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What he's saying is that we're equal in Christ and that's and that's what he's dealing with in that verse as we go on now in chapter 5
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What we see there is that Paul Let's see, how much can
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I do here in chapter 5 verse 1 Paul says stand fast therefore in the Liberty we're with Christ that made us free and Be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage or don't be subjected to or don't be burdened by the yoke of bondage
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What's that yoke of bondage? He's talking about? The law right the ceremony to keep to keep that Paul says look stand firm and He says in verse 2
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I Paul saying to you that if you are circumcised Christ shall profit you nothing if You succumb to this teaching if you cave in if you give in to the false teaching
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You have to then if you were going to do what they say you have to come under the law and notice what he says
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I testify again verse 3 to everyone that is circumcised or everybody who puts themselves under the law
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That he is a debtor the law to do the whole law you got to do the whole thing You could just can't pick and choose what you want to do if you go back to that Are you stepping back into something better or worse?
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What is it? It's worse, right? And notice what he says here. This is such a confusing verse verse 4
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Christ has become of no effect to you or you are cut off from Christ or you are estranged from Christ You'll see that in other translations
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Whosoever of you are justified by the law who of whosoever of you who are attempting to be justified by the law
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You are fallen from grace. I knew that verse in the Bible was there that says you can lose your salvation
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That's what people use that verse for that phrase there says you are fallen from grace See you can you can believe upon Jesus Christ You can be justified by the law but justified by Christ and you know what you can lose it because it says here that people are fallen from grace and That's not what
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Paul is teaching here. What he's saying is is He's talking to people who are in trouble
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The they are those that have heard the gospel they have been saved now These Judaizers are coming in to try to get them under the yoke again and he says look if you succumb to that you got to keep the whole law and you
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You have the word fallen there fallen from grace means you've lost your grasp on something
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You've lost the grass you used to have something but now you're losing that grass and you've lost it
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It's no longer something you have and what is that you had you were? Operating under the economy of grace
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You were you before? understood That that it was by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone
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And you were justified by faith, but now if this teaching comes in if you believe that then you have removed yourself
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From the economy of grace rejecting salvation by grace, and it's possible It's possible
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What Paul is saying here is that the faith that you have was never even genuine? He's talking to people who possibly
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If they if they fully embrace this they're gonna prove that their faith was not genuine
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They're gonna prove that they're not saved they weren't saved to begin with and how do how do I know this if you look in?
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chapter 4 Look at verse 11 Paul says well
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He says in verse 10 you observe days and months and times and years this legalism this formalism
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I'm afraid of you lest I have bestowed labor upon you in vain He's saying look I came in and preached and if you're not believing this then was it useless the work that I had done here
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He says in verse Notice this in verse 19 No, yeah
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My little children of whom I have travail and birth again until Christ be formed in you
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I desire to be present with you now verse 20 and to change my voice Remember he has this
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This severe letter that's coming. He says I want to come and I want to change my the way that I'm speaking
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He says for I stand in doubt of you Paul was looking for the evidence of the
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Spirit of God regenerating them and them being children of God and jettisoning and getting rid of and staying away from This idea of being saved or coming back under the law or putting themselves under the yoke of the law
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And he says I stand in doubt of you Paul is wondering what's going on and that's why he's writing this thing not only for The honor of God not only for the purity of the gospel, but for their very soul's sake
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Says look if you keep going this way, it is dangerous don't ever add anything to Jesus Christ because you've been freed in Christ freed from the the not only the the burden of sin, but the penalty of sin and Freed and justified through faith in Christ in Christ alone and that is the whole message of this book and They did not they were allowing this to come into the church and read read the book
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And of course, I just to finish up verse 4 there. He's not saying that these people were saved and fell from salvation
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Why couldn't why wouldn't why wouldn't that be true? Anyways, even if we just didn't have this verse, what else do we do when it comes to interpreting
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Scripture? We go elsewhere, right? We just look and see all the places where it says that even
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Jesus Christ alone himself that that we are not And cannot be saved.
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Nobody can pluck us out of his hand Okay, there's so many other things the last argument the
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Apostle Paul uses that he in chapter 5 He says look the characteristics of somebody who's saved and regenerated is they have the fruit of the
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Spirit This is what their life is really like love joy. Peace long -suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperance
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Against such there is no law. That's what that's what it's really like and God saved you from the works of the flesh
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Now you have the fruit of the Spirit and and that's what I'm looking for in your life Chapter 6 is more practical to it
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Just talks about different things that we ought to do In the church and one of Paul's greatest verses in this book is in verse chapter 6 14
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God forbid That I should glory or that I should boast in anything else other than the cross of the
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Lord Jesus Christ save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ By him the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world a great book
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I Think I dealt with most of the things that I wanted to and Paul says, you know If you think of anything that we're to do we're to stand firm
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Stand stand fast in that liberty where with Christ had made us free
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Because he says in in chapter 5 and in verse 13, he says brethren. You've been called to Liberty That's what salvation is all about free from the law free from the consequences and the judgment of sin
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Don't use the Liberty for an occasion to the flesh though. That's what Bruce was talking about earlier
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Don't use the Liberty that Christ has given you to go live any way that you want to do and that word Don't use it for an occasion to the flesh or an opportunity
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The flesh is a military term that deals with a base of operations that word opportunity don't use
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The Liberty that you have in Jesus Christ as an excuse or as a base of operations to go out and live any way that You want to live?
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We're we're to live purely and holy and honorably before the Lord. That's what what it ought to be Any questions any comments?
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I know we ripped through a lot of a lot of different things But it's a tremendous book and I encourage you to to go through it and get it down at least understand it in a in a
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Measure so help give you a foundation in order to be able to stand firm and to contend for the faith
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Let's pray father. Thank you for your word. Thank you for how clear it is
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Father more than anything. We just thank you that that we are yours the people of God through faith in Jesus Christ We look back upon our lives and many of us can say we were trying to do something to be saved
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They're trying to be religious And it was all futile It was all worthless
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And you came and you revealed to us our sin and our great need of a
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Savior And you've given us a great Savior and your son Jesus Christ and we bless your name
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Continue to be with us as we continue to worship today For the glory of Christ we ask in his name.