WEBVTT 00:00:00.550 --> 00:00:03.350 Aaron took it easy on y 'all last week, because 00:00:03.350 --> 00:00:04.690 if I would have been preaching about revival, 00:00:04.889 --> 00:00:07.030 the first thing I would have told you is the 00:00:07.030 --> 00:00:10.169 Cane Ridge revival, which is one of the key moments 00:00:10.169 --> 00:00:12.390 in restoration history, restoration movement 00:00:12.390 --> 00:00:14.490 history, where the Church of Christ started, 00:00:14.589 --> 00:00:19.489 lasted seven days. And there are some reports 00:00:19.489 --> 00:00:23.269 that say it went on for weeks and weeks after 00:00:23.269 --> 00:00:26.609 that. So I'm just saying, we're going to talk 00:00:26.609 --> 00:00:29.219 about revival. I'm going to need y 'all to stop 00:00:29.219 --> 00:00:31.300 worrying about the hour mark on the service, 00:00:31.440 --> 00:00:34.420 okay? All right? No, I'm just kidding. I'm super 00:00:34.420 --> 00:00:37.020 grateful for Aaron filling in last week. He does 00:00:37.020 --> 00:00:39.500 such an awesome job. I loved his message and 00:00:39.500 --> 00:00:43.079 what it means. And I do believe we need to hear 00:00:43.079 --> 00:00:45.780 a message of revival because here's the thing. 00:00:46.460 --> 00:00:49.520 We're talking about freedom. And when the Restoration 00:00:49.520 --> 00:00:51.759 Movement, where the churches of Christ are born 00:00:51.759 --> 00:00:53.780 out of, the Christian churches are born out of, 00:00:53.820 --> 00:00:57.219 when the Restoration Movement started, The whole 00:00:57.219 --> 00:01:02.219 principle was we want to be free from all of 00:01:02.219 --> 00:01:05.900 these traditions and markers that we use to define 00:01:05.900 --> 00:01:09.400 our denominations. We just want to be Christians. 00:01:09.620 --> 00:01:14.180 We just want to be followers of Christ. And so 00:01:14.180 --> 00:01:17.140 we pray for that. We pray for that restoration 00:01:17.140 --> 00:01:21.159 of that simple gospel message of just Jesus. 00:01:21.519 --> 00:01:25.040 And so today I want to pray that revival starts. 00:01:25.849 --> 00:01:28.310 and continues here in this congregation, but 00:01:28.310 --> 00:01:31.430 more so in the church across the world. Can we 00:01:31.430 --> 00:01:34.189 pray together for that? Let's pray. Father God, 00:01:34.310 --> 00:01:36.769 we thank you for Jesus. We thank you for the 00:01:36.769 --> 00:01:40.569 power of his work. We thank you for the power 00:01:40.569 --> 00:01:42.590 of the Spirit and the way that the Spirit works 00:01:42.590 --> 00:01:45.629 within our lives, within us, but more importantly, 00:01:45.689 --> 00:01:49.530 the way that the Spirit stirs up a group of people 00:01:49.530 --> 00:01:52.750 to do amazing things for your kingdom. And God, 00:01:52.790 --> 00:01:54.609 this morning we're praying for revival. We're 00:01:54.609 --> 00:01:56.849 praying that we would be restored to this just 00:01:56.849 --> 00:01:59.829 Jesus gospel, this gospel that says we are going 00:01:59.829 --> 00:02:05.090 to follow and proclaim a life of Christ. And 00:02:05.090 --> 00:02:07.810 so, God, today we pray for that. We pray that 00:02:07.810 --> 00:02:10.310 you revive our spirits. We pray that you revive 00:02:10.310 --> 00:02:13.590 this congregation, revive the church, the kingdom 00:02:13.590 --> 00:02:16.509 in this world so that we would do the work that 00:02:16.509 --> 00:02:19.219 you've put us here for. Father, we love you and 00:02:19.219 --> 00:02:21.400 we thank you. We praise you for your might and 00:02:21.400 --> 00:02:24.219 your goodness. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 00:02:25.759 --> 00:02:29.840 So we're coming to a close in Paul's letter. 00:02:29.979 --> 00:02:31.699 Well, I say a close. We're kind of on the back 00:02:31.699 --> 00:02:34.620 end of Paul's letter to the church in Galatia. 00:02:34.860 --> 00:02:38.099 Remember, that's modern -day Turkey. And all 00:02:38.099 --> 00:02:41.340 throughout this letter... Paul has been fighting 00:02:41.340 --> 00:02:44.280 against this false teaching, these teachers that 00:02:44.280 --> 00:02:46.639 were trying to tell you that there is something 00:02:46.639 --> 00:02:49.719 more that you need to do to be in good standing 00:02:49.719 --> 00:02:52.719 with God. The Galatian believers were being told 00:02:52.719 --> 00:02:55.479 that Jesus wasn't enough, that they had to somehow 00:02:55.479 --> 00:02:59.659 work to receive salvation, that they had to earn 00:02:59.659 --> 00:03:01.680 their salvation. They were being told things 00:03:01.680 --> 00:03:07.039 like, you need to fulfill these laws in order 00:03:07.039 --> 00:03:11.139 for the work of Jesus to save you. And so Paul 00:03:11.139 --> 00:03:14.780 is fighting against these Jesus plus gospels. 00:03:14.780 --> 00:03:16.919 And the Galatian believers were, they were falling 00:03:16.919 --> 00:03:21.409 for it. And so what Paul is really illustrating 00:03:21.409 --> 00:03:23.189 to us in this letter is he's not having any of 00:03:23.189 --> 00:03:26.629 that. He is not going to stand idly by while 00:03:26.629 --> 00:03:30.469 the church of Christ is misled. While the church 00:03:30.469 --> 00:03:33.270 of Christ is being brought to these false gospels 00:03:33.270 --> 00:03:35.370 and falling for it, he's not going to stand by 00:03:35.370 --> 00:03:37.870 for it. He spent the first half of this letter 00:03:37.870 --> 00:03:41.900 making the case that you are free. That you're 00:03:41.900 --> 00:03:44.159 free from the bondage of sin, but you're also 00:03:44.159 --> 00:03:47.099 free from the bondage of tradition and man's 00:03:47.099 --> 00:03:52.800 law and the old law. And not only were you saved 00:03:52.800 --> 00:03:56.629 from... Those things. You weren't just saved 00:03:56.629 --> 00:03:58.770 from your sin. You weren't just saved from the 00:03:58.770 --> 00:04:01.469 law. You weren't just saved from. You were saved 00:04:01.469 --> 00:04:04.169 into something. We've talked about the family 00:04:04.169 --> 00:04:08.289 where God has adopted you in. What Paul is wanting 00:04:08.289 --> 00:04:11.770 you to know is you were saved into a family. 00:04:11.889 --> 00:04:14.669 You were saved into a purpose. You were saved 00:04:14.669 --> 00:04:16.949 into a place of belonging in the Father's house. 00:04:17.089 --> 00:04:20.649 And so now, as we move into the second half of 00:04:20.649 --> 00:04:25.000 Paul's letter. He's going to give a final plea 00:04:25.000 --> 00:04:28.860 to the church in Galatia. He wants to make sure 00:04:28.860 --> 00:04:32.579 that the church understands exactly what he is 00:04:32.579 --> 00:04:35.339 trying to get them to know. He wants to make 00:04:35.339 --> 00:04:38.639 sure they know exactly where they stand when 00:04:38.639 --> 00:04:41.819 it comes to their relationship with God. And 00:04:41.819 --> 00:04:45.720 he does not want the church to backslide. He 00:04:45.720 --> 00:04:49.279 doesn't want the church to go back into the bondage 00:04:49.279 --> 00:04:52.329 of sin or to go back. into the bondage of the 00:04:52.329 --> 00:04:55.949 law. And so I want us to read Galatians 5. We're 00:04:55.949 --> 00:04:58.129 going to read all 12 verses and then we're going 00:04:58.129 --> 00:05:00.610 to kind of break it down. So Galatians 5 verses 00:05:00.610 --> 00:05:04.389 1 through 12. For freedom Christ has set us free. 00:05:04.870 --> 00:05:07.529 Stand firm therefore and do not submit again 00:05:07.529 --> 00:05:11.769 to a yoke of slavery. Look, I, Paul, say to you 00:05:11.769 --> 00:05:14.910 that if you accept circumcision, Christ will 00:05:14.910 --> 00:05:18.079 be of no advantage to you. I testify again to 00:05:18.079 --> 00:05:20.540 every man who accepts circumcision that he is 00:05:20.540 --> 00:05:25.000 obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed 00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:27.819 from Christ, you who would be justified by the 00:05:27.819 --> 00:05:31.120 law. You have fallen away from grace, for through 00:05:31.120 --> 00:05:35.899 the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait 00:05:35.899 --> 00:05:39.439 for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ 00:05:39.439 --> 00:05:43.300 Jesus, Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision 00:05:43.300 --> 00:05:46.519 counts for anything, but only faith working through 00:05:46.519 --> 00:05:50.800 love. You were running well. Who hindered you 00:05:50.800 --> 00:05:55.420 from obeying the truth? The persuasion is not 00:05:55.420 --> 00:05:58.839 from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens 00:05:58.839 --> 00:06:01.660 the whole lump. I have confidence in the Lord 00:06:01.660 --> 00:06:03.899 that you will take no other view, and the one 00:06:03.899 --> 00:06:06.379 who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever 00:06:06.379 --> 00:06:10.699 he is. But if I... Brothers, still preach circumcision. 00:06:10.839 --> 00:06:14.639 Why am I still being persecuted? In that case, 00:06:14.720 --> 00:06:17.240 the offense of the cross has been removed. I 00:06:17.240 --> 00:06:20.680 wish those who unsettle you would emasculate 00:06:20.680 --> 00:06:25.100 themselves. Pretty bold stuff from Paul there. 00:06:25.439 --> 00:06:29.040 And that's some pretty strong language. But the 00:06:29.040 --> 00:06:31.279 first thing we have to talk about, first thing 00:06:31.279 --> 00:06:34.490 is we have to note the word therefore. There 00:06:34.490 --> 00:06:36.670 in verse 1. Whenever you see the word therefore, 00:06:37.009 --> 00:06:39.610 what we have to know is that this means in response 00:06:39.610 --> 00:06:42.730 to or because of what I just said. So Paul has 00:06:42.730 --> 00:06:45.990 said all that stuff in chapters 1 through 4 of 00:06:45.990 --> 00:06:48.230 this letter about your freedom and you being 00:06:48.230 --> 00:06:50.389 adopted into the family of God and this belonging 00:06:50.389 --> 00:06:53.829 and this gospel that you need to obey. And he's 00:06:53.829 --> 00:06:56.670 attacked these counterfeit gospels. And so he's 00:06:56.670 --> 00:07:03.079 saying because of all of that, stand firm. When 00:07:03.079 --> 00:07:06.860 we see, therefore, in verse 1, what Paul is saying... 00:07:06.860 --> 00:07:10.360 Oh, there's another slide of passages. Hope you 00:07:10.360 --> 00:07:14.259 had your Bibles open. What Paul is saying is 00:07:14.259 --> 00:07:18.120 because Christ has freed us, we now have to stand 00:07:18.120 --> 00:07:21.600 firm in that freedom. There's no going back. 00:07:21.879 --> 00:07:26.160 There is no going back to the old ways. Whatever 00:07:26.160 --> 00:07:28.740 your old ways may be, whether, again, whether 00:07:28.740 --> 00:07:31.649 that be the bondage of sin, Whether that be the 00:07:31.649 --> 00:07:35.439 bondage of addiction. Whether that be the bondage 00:07:35.439 --> 00:07:38.220 of rule keeping and law keeping, whatever it 00:07:38.220 --> 00:07:40.560 is, don't go back. Stand firm in the freedom 00:07:40.560 --> 00:07:43.060 that you now have. And when Paul says stand firm, 00:07:43.199 --> 00:07:46.100 he's explaining that this takes an active effort 00:07:46.100 --> 00:07:49.100 on our part to stay in this place of freedom. 00:07:49.259 --> 00:07:53.079 It's not something we can do passively. It's 00:07:53.079 --> 00:07:55.600 not something that we can accidentally do. When 00:07:55.600 --> 00:07:58.480 he says stand firm, he's saying you take ownership 00:07:58.480 --> 00:08:03.420 of your place in freedom. Do your part to stay 00:08:03.420 --> 00:08:08.680 free. Because we have been made free. But if 00:08:08.680 --> 00:08:11.060 we're not attentive to our freedom, if we're 00:08:11.060 --> 00:08:13.519 not paying attention to this liberty that we 00:08:13.519 --> 00:08:17.300 now have in Christ, we might find ourselves living 00:08:17.300 --> 00:08:22.920 in bondage still. There's a story told by a preacher 00:08:22.920 --> 00:08:26.459 of a former slave woman living in the South after 00:08:26.459 --> 00:08:30.660 the Civil War. And this is what this woman said. 00:08:30.819 --> 00:08:33.100 She was a former slave, so she was a little confused 00:08:33.100 --> 00:08:37.059 about her status. And she asked this. Now, is 00:08:37.059 --> 00:08:40.799 I free or been I not? When I go to my old master, 00:08:40.960 --> 00:08:43.600 he says I ain't free. And when I go to my own 00:08:43.600 --> 00:08:47.100 people, they say I is. And I don't know whether 00:08:47.100 --> 00:08:50.100 I'm free or not. Some people told me that Abraham 00:08:50.100 --> 00:08:52.740 Lincoln signed a proclamation, but master says 00:08:52.740 --> 00:08:56.779 he didn't. He didn't have any right to. You see, 00:08:56.799 --> 00:08:59.620 so many followers of Christ live like we're confused 00:08:59.620 --> 00:09:02.779 as to whether or not we're free. We live as if 00:09:02.779 --> 00:09:05.919 we don't know our standing when it comes to God. 00:09:06.039 --> 00:09:09.539 We don't know if we do have this liberty to live 00:09:09.539 --> 00:09:13.460 in the light of His salvation and in that liberty 00:09:13.460 --> 00:09:15.440 and freedom that He's now given us. We don't 00:09:15.440 --> 00:09:18.759 act like or we don't maybe feel like we have 00:09:18.759 --> 00:09:22.320 had our chains removed from us. And so we live 00:09:22.320 --> 00:09:25.620 with these restraints. And we also live with 00:09:25.620 --> 00:09:28.559 this burdened conscience, not understanding and 00:09:28.559 --> 00:09:31.179 not knowing and being comfortable in the idea 00:09:31.179 --> 00:09:39.480 that we do have freedom. But Paul says, you are 00:09:39.480 --> 00:09:44.980 free. No question about it. No debate. You are 00:09:44.980 --> 00:09:49.700 free. Christ has signed this emancipation proclamation 00:09:49.700 --> 00:09:53.200 for all of us. That if we're in Christ, if we 00:09:53.200 --> 00:09:55.440 have given our lives to him, if we've accepted 00:09:55.440 --> 00:09:58.639 his free gift of salvation, we no longer have 00:09:58.639 --> 00:10:02.299 to submit to any earthly authorities. We no longer 00:10:02.299 --> 00:10:05.620 have to submit to the bondage of sin. We no longer 00:10:05.620 --> 00:10:08.679 have to submit to the bondage of the old law. 00:10:09.820 --> 00:10:13.879 See, our old master would have us believe that 00:10:13.879 --> 00:10:18.539 we are still slaves. But Christ says, absolutely 00:10:18.539 --> 00:10:25.320 not. Free. You're free. The chains are gone. 00:10:26.000 --> 00:10:30.379 The cell's been opened. You're free. Paul wants 00:10:30.379 --> 00:10:33.940 to make sure that there is no confusion in our 00:10:33.940 --> 00:10:38.059 status. And he says, don't look back. Do not 00:10:38.059 --> 00:10:41.059 look back. Here's why we need to stay away from 00:10:41.059 --> 00:10:43.259 that bondage. What Paul says in verses 2 -4. 00:10:45.259 --> 00:10:48.200 He says, look, I, Paul, say to you that if you 00:10:48.200 --> 00:10:51.899 accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage 00:10:51.899 --> 00:10:55.279 to you. I testify again to every man who accepts 00:10:55.279 --> 00:10:58.279 circumcision that he is obligated to keep the 00:10:58.279 --> 00:11:01.340 whole law. You are severed from Christ. You who 00:11:01.340 --> 00:11:04.139 would be justified by the law, you have fallen 00:11:04.139 --> 00:11:06.720 away from grace. Paul is saying, if you're going 00:11:06.720 --> 00:11:09.080 to follow a little bit of the law, you've got 00:11:09.080 --> 00:11:12.059 to follow the whole law. You can't have a little 00:11:12.059 --> 00:11:14.539 bit of it. If you want to follow the law, then 00:11:14.539 --> 00:11:17.059 Jesus cannot help you. If you're going to submit 00:11:17.059 --> 00:11:19.179 yourself to the yoke of slavery, you're going 00:11:19.179 --> 00:11:22.080 to have to wear those chains always. That's what 00:11:22.080 --> 00:11:24.059 Paul is saying. He says you can't have a little 00:11:24.059 --> 00:11:27.059 bit of grace and a little bit of law. You can 00:11:27.059 --> 00:11:30.080 either have all of Christ's grace and all of 00:11:30.080 --> 00:11:31.759 the mercy that he's given you and all of the 00:11:31.759 --> 00:11:35.600 freedom that he's given you, or you can find 00:11:35.600 --> 00:11:39.269 yourself still under the law. And you can find 00:11:39.269 --> 00:11:43.909 yourself still in bondage. You see, what I would 00:11:43.909 --> 00:11:49.070 say Paul is saying, and this is my maybe not 00:11:49.070 --> 00:11:53.970 apostle thought process speaking. If you're going 00:11:53.970 --> 00:11:57.409 to trust in your own ability to save yourself, 00:11:57.610 --> 00:11:59.169 if you're going to trust in your own ability 00:11:59.169 --> 00:12:03.710 to get you into heaven, you're out of luck. Because 00:12:03.710 --> 00:12:07.269 you're not strong enough. You're not good enough. 00:12:07.289 --> 00:12:10.350 I'm not strong enough. I'm not wise enough to 00:12:10.350 --> 00:12:13.149 do it myself. This is why we needed Christ from 00:12:13.149 --> 00:12:15.750 the beginning. The legalists in Galatia were 00:12:15.750 --> 00:12:18.789 trying to sell them these Jesus plus gospels 00:12:18.789 --> 00:12:22.029 that made them mix the work of Christ with the 00:12:22.029 --> 00:12:24.409 work of themselves. But the problem is the work 00:12:24.409 --> 00:12:27.809 of ourselves will never be good enough. It will 00:12:27.809 --> 00:12:29.809 never be good enough. It takes the steering wheel 00:12:29.809 --> 00:12:31.690 out of Christ's hands. And I don't know about 00:12:31.690 --> 00:12:33.830 you, but I want Jesus to be the one driving. 00:12:37.620 --> 00:12:41.200 Grace and law are two very different systems. 00:12:42.000 --> 00:12:46.039 They don't mix. And you can hear the way in Paul's 00:12:46.039 --> 00:12:49.340 voice when he says, Look, I, Paul. What he's 00:12:49.340 --> 00:12:52.000 saying is, he's reminding them of his authority, 00:12:52.120 --> 00:12:55.570 of who he is. He's saying, I, I, Paul. The one 00:12:55.570 --> 00:12:57.490 that you have trusted before. The one who has 00:12:57.490 --> 00:12:59.149 taught you. The one who has brought the gospel 00:12:59.149 --> 00:13:01.330 to you. The one who you have trusted for all 00:13:01.330 --> 00:13:04.970 of this time. I, Paul, the apostle, sent to you 00:13:04.970 --> 00:13:08.429 from God, am testifying. And if you've been in 00:13:08.429 --> 00:13:11.070 court, you know what testifying is. It's a very 00:13:11.070 --> 00:13:13.470 serious thing. It is not something you can just 00:13:13.470 --> 00:13:17.330 throw out there. This is a matter of fact. A 00:13:17.330 --> 00:13:20.029 matter of truth. It's a sworn statement. And 00:13:20.029 --> 00:13:24.129 Paul is saying, this is the truth. Don't miss 00:13:24.129 --> 00:13:27.840 it. Because to claim to follow Christ, yet act 00:13:27.840 --> 00:13:30.759 like Christ isn't enough, is a tragedy. This 00:13:30.759 --> 00:13:33.080 is what Martin Luther once said. He says, tongue 00:13:33.080 --> 00:13:37.000 cannot express, nor heart conceive what a terrible 00:13:37.000 --> 00:13:41.879 thing it is to make Christ worthless. And when 00:13:41.879 --> 00:13:45.240 we try to do our own work, when we try to earn 00:13:45.240 --> 00:13:47.639 our own salvation, when we try to get ourselves 00:13:47.639 --> 00:13:50.899 into heaven, when we try to be our own savior, 00:13:51.120 --> 00:13:56.090 we make Christ worthless. Worthless. I want you 00:13:56.090 --> 00:13:59.350 to imagine a man walks into an upscale restaurant. 00:13:59.450 --> 00:14:01.649 One of those places where they don't have prices 00:14:01.649 --> 00:14:03.950 on the menu and you know immediately that you're 00:14:03.950 --> 00:14:06.320 out of your depth. Maybe you've been to one of 00:14:06.320 --> 00:14:08.360 those. Or maybe you're wise enough to not go 00:14:08.360 --> 00:14:11.240 to one of those. But imagine a man walks into 00:14:11.240 --> 00:14:13.179 an upscale restaurant where there's no prices 00:14:13.179 --> 00:14:15.539 on the menu. He's kind of nervous because, you 00:14:15.539 --> 00:14:17.019 know, he doesn't make that much money, but he 00:14:17.019 --> 00:14:19.299 wants to treat himself. So he orders the best. 00:14:19.340 --> 00:14:21.919 He gets the steak and the finest wine, and he 00:14:21.919 --> 00:14:24.940 gets a nice dessert. He gets the full experience. 00:14:25.080 --> 00:14:27.679 And so he's enjoying his dinner, and the waiter 00:14:27.679 --> 00:14:30.019 comes up to him and says, Hey, I just want you 00:14:30.019 --> 00:14:31.820 to know, I'm really pleased to let you know that 00:14:31.820 --> 00:14:34.179 somebody has covered the cost of your dinner. 00:14:34.279 --> 00:14:38.500 It's paid for. for. It's taken care of. The man 00:14:38.500 --> 00:14:42.100 is shocked. And he says, are you sure? You know, 00:14:42.139 --> 00:14:45.720 I don't need somebody else to cover the cost. 00:14:45.820 --> 00:14:48.059 I can handle it myself. And the guy's like, yes, 00:14:48.059 --> 00:14:50.399 sir. It's fully covered. This is a gift from 00:14:50.399 --> 00:14:52.519 somebody. They wanted to do it for you. You don't 00:14:52.519 --> 00:14:56.559 owe a thing. And now I want you to imagine that 00:14:56.559 --> 00:14:59.659 instead of receiving this gift and walking out 00:14:59.659 --> 00:15:03.480 in gratitude and a full stomach, the man instead 00:15:05.019 --> 00:15:07.500 Tries to pay it himself. He insists on it. So 00:15:07.500 --> 00:15:09.879 he gets the waiter and he's like, no, no, no, 00:15:09.899 --> 00:15:11.299 you don't understand. I need the check. I got 00:15:11.299 --> 00:15:12.940 to pay for it. And the waiter's like, no, sir, 00:15:12.980 --> 00:15:14.519 I can't. I can't let you. Somebody's already 00:15:14.519 --> 00:15:16.320 paid for it. And he's like, okay, I'm going to 00:15:16.320 --> 00:15:18.039 pay somebody. So he storms into the kitchen. 00:15:18.120 --> 00:15:20.340 He finds somebody. He's like, let me give you 00:15:20.340 --> 00:15:21.779 money for all of this. And they're like, no, 00:15:21.799 --> 00:15:24.360 sir, we can't. And finally, the manager of the 00:15:24.360 --> 00:15:26.820 restaurant comes out. He says, hey, I don't know 00:15:26.820 --> 00:15:28.820 what to tell you. Somebody's already paid for 00:15:28.820 --> 00:15:30.440 it. So here's what we're going to do. If you 00:15:30.440 --> 00:15:33.000 insist on paying for it, then you can pay the 00:15:33.000 --> 00:15:37.399 full tab. But let me tell you, you can't afford 00:15:37.399 --> 00:15:41.720 the full tab. Which, first of all, my pride would 00:15:41.720 --> 00:15:43.559 have been like, what do you mean I can't afford 00:15:43.559 --> 00:15:46.139 the full tab? I'll tell you a funny story. One 00:15:46.139 --> 00:15:50.419 time I was at, we had this grocery store in Montgomery. 00:15:50.539 --> 00:15:53.019 It was like one of those, you know, like fresh, 00:15:53.279 --> 00:15:56.340 everything's healthy places called Fresh Market. 00:15:56.539 --> 00:15:59.299 Really cool grocery store. I loved it. But a 00:15:59.299 --> 00:16:01.700 little pricey. And I was looking for hot dogs 00:16:01.700 --> 00:16:03.700 because the boys love hot dogs, and I didn't 00:16:03.700 --> 00:16:06.340 go to Publix like I should have, and so I had 00:16:06.340 --> 00:16:07.879 to stop at the Fresh Market because it was the 00:16:07.879 --> 00:16:09.240 closest place I had to pick them up from school. 00:16:09.500 --> 00:16:11.580 So I go in, and I'm looking for hot dogs. I cannot 00:16:11.580 --> 00:16:15.259 find any, like, prepackaged, awful -for -you 00:16:15.259 --> 00:16:19.620 hot dogs. So I finally, you know, humble myself 00:16:19.620 --> 00:16:22.460 enough to ask one of the workers, hey, sir, where 00:16:22.460 --> 00:16:24.820 are the hot dogs at? He's like, oh, well, you 00:16:24.820 --> 00:16:26.759 can always go back to the meat department and 00:16:26.759 --> 00:16:28.539 see if they've got any. That was mistake number 00:16:28.539 --> 00:16:29.980 one. At that point, I should have walked out. 00:16:31.000 --> 00:16:36.059 So I go to the meat department. And the guy standing 00:16:36.059 --> 00:16:38.019 back there, he's like, yeah, we've got these 00:16:38.019 --> 00:16:40.360 hot dogs. They're fresh, whatever, blah, blah, 00:16:40.399 --> 00:16:43.419 blah. He's like, but if I were you, I'd probably 00:16:43.419 --> 00:16:46.940 wait until they go on sale for Labor Day or something. 00:16:47.419 --> 00:16:49.919 I was like, hold up. What do you mean if I were 00:16:49.919 --> 00:16:52.279 you? You don't know what I got in my wallet. 00:16:52.639 --> 00:16:53.960 Let me tell you something. Those are the most 00:16:53.960 --> 00:16:56.500 expensive hot dogs I'd ever bought. And they 00:16:56.500 --> 00:16:58.179 weren't even good enough for what they cost. 00:16:58.500 --> 00:17:02.159 But so our pride would tell us, no, no, no. I 00:17:02.159 --> 00:17:05.440 need to pay for this. I need to put my money 00:17:05.440 --> 00:17:08.859 on this. I need to do my part in getting this. 00:17:08.980 --> 00:17:11.640 But what the manager says is you cannot afford 00:17:11.640 --> 00:17:16.759 it. It's out of your price range. Quit being 00:17:16.759 --> 00:17:19.660 so prideful and understand that it is not something 00:17:19.660 --> 00:17:23.490 you can pay for. And that's what we have here 00:17:23.490 --> 00:17:27.150 with our salvation. Paul is saying it's not something 00:17:27.150 --> 00:17:30.450 that you can pay for. It's not something that 00:17:30.450 --> 00:17:32.670 you can earn. It's not something that you can 00:17:32.670 --> 00:17:35.390 work for. Our pride tells us we need to contribute 00:17:35.390 --> 00:17:38.069 to our salvation. But the truth of the matter 00:17:38.069 --> 00:17:41.329 is it is far beyond our affordability. And that 00:17:41.329 --> 00:17:45.430 is what we're up against. Because we want to 00:17:45.430 --> 00:17:48.710 save ourselves, don't we? We want to be the ones 00:17:48.710 --> 00:17:52.460 that earns the good things we have. We don't 00:17:52.460 --> 00:17:54.779 want to just sit idly by and let somebody give 00:17:54.779 --> 00:17:58.480 us good stuff. We want to work for it. We want 00:17:58.480 --> 00:18:01.680 to put our hands in the dirt and earn it. But 00:18:01.680 --> 00:18:04.599 Paul says you can't. And this is why in verses 00:18:04.599 --> 00:18:07.559 5 -6 he says this, For through the Spirit by 00:18:07.559 --> 00:18:12.559 faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope 00:18:12.559 --> 00:18:15.740 of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus, neither 00:18:15.740 --> 00:18:19.380 circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, 00:18:19.599 --> 00:18:25.859 but only faith. Working through love. We eagerly 00:18:25.859 --> 00:18:30.400 wait. He doesn't say we work. He doesn't say 00:18:30.400 --> 00:18:33.740 we pay. He doesn't say we earn. He says we eagerly 00:18:33.740 --> 00:18:38.799 wait. And you know what that's like, right? You 00:18:38.799 --> 00:18:41.880 know what it's like to eagerly wait. Maybe Thanksgiving's 00:18:41.880 --> 00:18:44.059 coming up. And if you're like me, you love Thanksgiving. 00:18:44.240 --> 00:18:47.240 You love getting to eat some good food. And so 00:18:47.240 --> 00:18:50.099 Thanksgiving comes around and you wake up and 00:18:50.099 --> 00:18:53.640 you can smell because, you know, grandma or mom 00:18:53.640 --> 00:18:56.940 has been cooking since like 4 a .m. because that's 00:18:56.940 --> 00:18:58.740 just for some reason what we have to do even 00:18:58.740 --> 00:19:00.380 though we don't eat until later in the afternoon. 00:19:00.720 --> 00:19:03.000 But they've been cooking all morning. So you 00:19:03.000 --> 00:19:06.180 wake up and you immediately smell the amazing 00:19:06.180 --> 00:19:10.519 smells and aromas of Thanksgiving being cooked. 00:19:12.019 --> 00:19:17.160 But you can't eat it. Until everybody gets there. 00:19:17.400 --> 00:19:20.079 Until everybody's here to gather around the table 00:19:20.079 --> 00:19:23.839 and eat. And so you sit down on the couch and 00:19:23.839 --> 00:19:26.119 you start watching ESPN so they can talk about 00:19:26.119 --> 00:19:27.920 the football games that are coming on that day. 00:19:28.099 --> 00:19:30.400 And then you look in the kitchen and you can 00:19:30.400 --> 00:19:34.339 see the ham getting pulled out. And you can smell 00:19:34.339 --> 00:19:37.319 and now you can see the yams getting put on the 00:19:37.319 --> 00:19:40.119 counter. And you see that green bean casserole. 00:19:40.480 --> 00:19:45.750 I don't know why y 'all like that. For some reason 00:19:45.750 --> 00:19:48.210 people like that, but you see it and you smell 00:19:48.210 --> 00:19:50.710 it and you don't care about the football game 00:19:50.710 --> 00:19:53.029 anymore. All you can think about is the meal 00:19:53.029 --> 00:19:55.529 that you're about to eat and this feast and you 00:19:55.529 --> 00:19:57.829 can smell it, you can see it, you can just imagine 00:19:57.829 --> 00:19:59.750 what it's going to be like when you get to eat 00:19:59.750 --> 00:20:03.170 it and you're eagerly waiting for that meal. 00:20:05.049 --> 00:20:08.509 It's not a passive thing, is it? It's not something 00:20:08.509 --> 00:20:09.990 that you're just like, yeah, when we eat, we 00:20:09.990 --> 00:20:13.039 eat. If you're like me, you're going in the kitchen 00:20:13.039 --> 00:20:14.940 trying to picket stuff and you're like, they 00:20:14.940 --> 00:20:17.759 don't even matter that much. They're just bringing 00:20:17.759 --> 00:20:21.180 the rolls and they're not that good. Can we just 00:20:21.180 --> 00:20:26.579 eat without them? We eagerly wait with anticipation. 00:20:27.799 --> 00:20:29.839 And that's the image Paul's painting here. He 00:20:29.839 --> 00:20:35.779 says we're waiting for that day when Christ redeems 00:20:35.779 --> 00:20:39.430 us. And what I don't, I mean, he's already done 00:20:39.430 --> 00:20:41.250 the redeeming, but I'm talking about, you know, 00:20:41.269 --> 00:20:44.849 that day when it's all finally complete and we 00:20:44.849 --> 00:20:48.109 get our new bodies, we get our new home, we get 00:20:48.109 --> 00:20:52.849 our new status. That day, we eagerly await it. 00:20:52.869 --> 00:20:55.369 And he's saying it doesn't matter if you work. 00:20:55.549 --> 00:20:58.529 It doesn't matter if you try to pay. You can't 00:20:58.529 --> 00:21:05.529 earn it. You just eagerly wait. It doesn't matter 00:21:05.529 --> 00:21:08.690 what you do. if you're walking in the Spirit, 00:21:08.829 --> 00:21:12.390 if you're living by faith, if you are living 00:21:12.390 --> 00:21:15.809 a life that trusts and follows the commands and 00:21:15.809 --> 00:21:20.769 the words of God, you're safe. But don't miss 00:21:20.769 --> 00:21:24.109 what I'm saying. Living by faith isn't just about 00:21:24.109 --> 00:21:26.769 belief. I'm not saying we just sit idly by and 00:21:26.769 --> 00:21:28.710 we sit on our hands until the day of judgment. 00:21:28.809 --> 00:21:32.289 I'm not saying we don't do anything. I'm not 00:21:32.289 --> 00:21:35.829 saying we don't say anything. Living by faith 00:21:36.460 --> 00:21:38.900 It isn't just about belief. In fact, what Paul 00:21:38.900 --> 00:21:44.079 says, he says faith working through love. It's 00:21:44.079 --> 00:21:48.799 not saying working for love, working to earn 00:21:48.799 --> 00:21:52.559 love. He's saying we're working through love. 00:21:54.299 --> 00:21:57.400 It's faith in action. I can't just say I'm a 00:21:57.400 --> 00:21:59.400 follower of Jesus. I can't just say that I'm 00:21:59.400 --> 00:22:02.079 a believer. I can't just say I'm redeemed. My 00:22:02.079 --> 00:22:05.359 life has to look like He's had His hands on it. 00:22:05.819 --> 00:22:08.259 My life has to look like He's the one doing the 00:22:08.259 --> 00:22:10.740 steering or He's the one doing the prompting. 00:22:10.740 --> 00:22:13.720 He's the one doing the speaking. And when I live 00:22:13.720 --> 00:22:17.200 that life, this is what it looks like. It's a 00:22:17.200 --> 00:22:19.859 life led by the Spirit. It's a life working through 00:22:19.859 --> 00:22:23.220 love. And here in verses 7 -9, Paul kind of feels 00:22:23.220 --> 00:22:26.359 like a dad talking to a child who had so much 00:22:26.359 --> 00:22:29.880 potential. You know, maybe you had a kid that 00:22:29.880 --> 00:22:31.839 was really athletic or they were really smart. 00:22:32.180 --> 00:22:35.759 And so Paul is talking to the Galatians like 00:22:35.759 --> 00:22:39.099 a dad talking to his child that had so much potential 00:22:39.099 --> 00:22:41.819 but kind of gets off track and maybe wastes that 00:22:41.819 --> 00:22:43.480 potential a little bit. This is what he says 00:22:43.480 --> 00:22:46.059 in verses 7 through 9. You were running so well. 00:22:47.279 --> 00:22:51.940 Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This 00:22:51.940 --> 00:22:54.460 persuasion, it's not from him who calls you. 00:22:55.049 --> 00:22:58.109 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. Paul 00:22:58.109 --> 00:22:59.789 sounds a little heartbroken. He's like, you were 00:22:59.789 --> 00:23:02.670 doing so good. You had everything going for you. 00:23:02.730 --> 00:23:05.029 You were doing all of the things you should. 00:23:05.130 --> 00:23:06.569 You were living right. You were walking right. 00:23:06.630 --> 00:23:08.690 You were talking right. And then all of a sudden, 00:23:08.730 --> 00:23:11.170 somebody took you off track. What happened to 00:23:11.170 --> 00:23:19.150 you? Who did this to you? Why? And then he tells 00:23:19.150 --> 00:23:23.470 them, he knows why. A little leaven leavens the 00:23:23.470 --> 00:23:26.960 whole lump. In other words, it only takes a little 00:23:26.960 --> 00:23:30.539 bit of compromise to throw everything off. It 00:23:30.539 --> 00:23:32.720 just takes a little bit, and you've seen it before, 00:23:32.859 --> 00:23:36.500 right? Somebody was free. Somebody was clean. 00:23:36.680 --> 00:23:39.799 Someone was running the race well, and then it 00:23:39.799 --> 00:23:45.440 all fell apart. They relapse. They fall back 00:23:45.440 --> 00:23:48.740 into that addiction, or they fall back into that 00:23:48.740 --> 00:23:51.599 trap, and they go back to the lifestyle that 00:23:51.599 --> 00:23:56.630 they were doing so well to stay away from. Because 00:23:56.630 --> 00:24:01.109 they just let a little something in. You know, 00:24:01.130 --> 00:24:04.049 we've heard the stories of the former alcoholics 00:24:04.049 --> 00:24:07.069 that they had been sober for years. And then 00:24:07.069 --> 00:24:11.890 one drink. And now they're back to just going 00:24:11.890 --> 00:24:14.450 and wasting their life and their money and their 00:24:14.450 --> 00:24:16.529 time and destroying their family because of this 00:24:16.529 --> 00:24:22.009 one little thing. You let a little bit in. And 00:24:22.009 --> 00:24:24.690 all of a sudden... You're back in the chains 00:24:24.690 --> 00:24:28.089 of sin. And the same is true for the church. 00:24:28.190 --> 00:24:31.309 When we let a little bit of legalism in, it leads 00:24:31.309 --> 00:24:34.740 us to now being fully bound. By legalism. And 00:24:34.740 --> 00:24:36.900 the same is true on the other end. We let a little 00:24:36.900 --> 00:24:39.240 bit of compromise towards Scripture in and now 00:24:39.240 --> 00:24:42.759 we're fully bound by this overwhelming progressivism. 00:24:42.759 --> 00:24:45.400 And what Paul is saying is just trust the words 00:24:45.400 --> 00:24:48.299 of Jesus. Just trust the commands that God has 00:24:48.299 --> 00:24:52.099 given you and live by that. Don't allow these 00:24:52.099 --> 00:24:59.019 false gospels to take you off track. But Paul 00:24:59.019 --> 00:25:01.099 doesn't just leave them with a rebuke. He wants 00:25:01.099 --> 00:25:02.900 to let them know that he still has a little bit 00:25:02.900 --> 00:25:05.000 of confidence in the church, right? He gives 00:25:05.000 --> 00:25:07.019 them this vote of confidence. He says this, I 00:25:07.019 --> 00:25:09.220 have confidence in the Lord that you will take 00:25:09.220 --> 00:25:13.599 no other view. I have confidence in the Lord 00:25:13.599 --> 00:25:15.759 that you're going to do what you need to do. 00:25:15.819 --> 00:25:18.900 You're going to follow Jesus and just Jesus. 00:25:19.220 --> 00:25:22.240 And the one who's troubling you, he'll bear the 00:25:22.240 --> 00:25:25.799 penalty. Whoever he is. I love that Paul says 00:25:25.799 --> 00:25:27.680 whoever he is. Because I have a feeling Paul 00:25:27.680 --> 00:25:30.640 knows exactly who he is. This is like, you know, 00:25:30.680 --> 00:25:33.579 when your parents are talking about a friend 00:25:33.579 --> 00:25:35.240 that's kind of messing you up. And they're like, 00:25:35.319 --> 00:25:37.259 that little friend of yours. It's like, you can 00:25:37.259 --> 00:25:39.279 just call them, you know, John. You know their 00:25:39.279 --> 00:25:42.500 name, right? But they're like, no, no, no. Whoever 00:25:42.500 --> 00:25:46.839 he is. But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, 00:25:46.880 --> 00:25:50.180 why am I still being persecuted? In that case, 00:25:50.279 --> 00:25:54.339 the offense of the cross has been removed. I 00:25:54.339 --> 00:25:56.480 wish those who unsettle you would emasculate 00:25:56.480 --> 00:25:58.359 themselves. He says, I've got confidence in the 00:25:58.359 --> 00:26:02.319 Lord. Not confidence in you, not confidence that 00:26:02.319 --> 00:26:04.420 you're strong enough, but confidence that God 00:26:04.420 --> 00:26:07.980 will bring you back to truth. And Paul's not 00:26:07.980 --> 00:26:11.759 soft on these false teachers either, is he? He 00:26:11.759 --> 00:26:14.019 says, the one troubling you will bear the penalty. 00:26:14.579 --> 00:26:18.400 They'll get theirs. And in verse 12, Paul makes 00:26:18.400 --> 00:26:21.119 it very clear how dangerous false teaching is. 00:26:21.640 --> 00:26:24.640 I'm not going to explain to you what emasculate 00:26:24.640 --> 00:26:27.420 means. But if you want to look that up on your 00:26:27.420 --> 00:26:30.279 own time, go ahead. I'll just say it's pretty 00:26:30.279 --> 00:26:33.819 painful sounding. So Paul is telling them, he's 00:26:33.819 --> 00:26:36.480 like, this thing, this false teaching, it's not 00:26:36.480 --> 00:26:38.880 something that you just take lightly. Whoever 00:26:38.880 --> 00:26:41.400 is teaching you these false gospels, whoever 00:26:41.400 --> 00:26:43.940 is leading you astray, the penalty is going to 00:26:43.940 --> 00:26:47.680 be theirs. They are going to have their trouble. 00:26:47.859 --> 00:26:51.839 And honestly, I wish they would just go ahead 00:26:51.839 --> 00:26:56.440 and punish themselves. Paul is showing just how 00:26:56.440 --> 00:27:02.390 serious God takes the purity of the gospel. Just 00:27:02.390 --> 00:27:09.210 how serious this just Jesus gospel is. False 00:27:09.210 --> 00:27:12.269 teaching is not a minor issue to God. It's an 00:27:12.269 --> 00:27:15.710 offense to the finished work of Christ. Jesus 00:27:15.710 --> 00:27:21.029 has done the job. He's paid the bill. He's removed 00:27:21.029 --> 00:27:24.690 the chains. And when we start telling people 00:27:24.690 --> 00:27:28.279 that they have to pay. Their part? Or when we 00:27:28.279 --> 00:27:30.680 start telling people that they've got to do some 00:27:30.680 --> 00:27:34.200 work and undoing the chains? We've taken the 00:27:34.200 --> 00:27:38.519 power away from Jesus. It's just Jesus who frees 00:27:38.519 --> 00:27:41.279 us. It's only Jesus who pays the debt. And so 00:27:41.279 --> 00:27:45.359 here's where we land. Paul is not just closing 00:27:45.359 --> 00:27:49.339 this letter. He's making a final plea. He's saying, 00:27:49.400 --> 00:27:53.359 don't go back. Don't go back. Don't return to 00:27:53.359 --> 00:27:55.819 a system that Christ has already freed you from. 00:27:56.039 --> 00:28:00.339 Don't just go back to this bondage. You weren't 00:28:00.339 --> 00:28:03.500 just saved from sin. You were saved into something, 00:28:03.660 --> 00:28:07.220 into a family, a purpose, a life of faith working 00:28:07.220 --> 00:28:10.400 through love. So stop trying to earn what's already 00:28:10.400 --> 00:28:16.359 been paid for. Stop letting that old master whisper 00:28:16.359 --> 00:28:19.500 lies into your ear about your worth and your 00:28:19.500 --> 00:28:24.799 status in the kingdom. Don't let him take your 00:28:24.799 --> 00:28:29.759 freedom away. Whoever he is. I don't know who 00:28:29.759 --> 00:28:33.279 your former master is. I don't know if it's your 00:28:33.279 --> 00:28:35.740 greed. I don't know if it's lust. I don't know 00:28:35.740 --> 00:28:37.500 if it's drugs. I don't know if it's alcohol. 00:28:37.700 --> 00:28:41.460 I don't know if it's legalism. I don't know who 00:28:41.460 --> 00:28:46.839 your old master is. But whoever he is, he'll 00:28:46.839 --> 00:28:49.940 face his penalty. Don't let him put chains back 00:28:49.940 --> 00:28:55.089 on you. Don't let him put chains that have already 00:28:55.089 --> 00:28:59.269 been broken back on you. Your debt is gone. If 00:28:59.269 --> 00:29:01.609 you are in Christ, you're free. If you are in 00:29:01.609 --> 00:29:04.349 Christ, it's been paid. If you are in Christ, 00:29:04.549 --> 00:29:09.730 you are in God's family. You have freedom. Stand 00:29:09.730 --> 00:29:15.430 in it. Stand firm in that freedom that Christ 00:29:15.430 --> 00:29:19.730 has given you. It's an active stand. It's not 00:29:19.730 --> 00:29:21.430 something that happens passively. You've got 00:29:21.430 --> 00:29:26.769 to work to stay in it. But it's already been 00:29:26.769 --> 00:29:30.910 given to you. I think about that slave woman. 00:29:32.569 --> 00:29:35.430 You know, she goes back to her master who has 00:29:35.430 --> 00:29:38.910 no legal right to own her. But if she goes back 00:29:38.910 --> 00:29:40.670 to him and starts doing a little work for him, 00:29:40.769 --> 00:29:44.289 what's going to happen to her? She's back in 00:29:44.289 --> 00:29:50.859 slavery. And she will not be free. But if she 00:29:50.859 --> 00:29:55.599 leaves the master and she just does her job to 00:29:55.599 --> 00:29:58.640 stay away from him, to not work for him, to not 00:29:58.640 --> 00:30:02.140 give him an inch, she will never have to worry 00:30:02.140 --> 00:30:06.980 about being his slave again. So I don't know 00:30:06.980 --> 00:30:11.339 who your old master is. I know who mine is. Whoever 00:30:11.339 --> 00:30:14.359 your old master is, do everything you can to 00:30:14.359 --> 00:30:19.700 stay away from him. Don't go back. Stand firm 00:30:19.700 --> 00:30:21.839 in the freedom that Christ has given you. If 00:30:21.839 --> 00:30:23.839 you've wandered, if you've been trying to pay 00:30:23.839 --> 00:30:26.680 your own way again, if you've let just a little 00:30:26.680 --> 00:30:29.480 bit in, and you feel like the chains are starting 00:30:29.480 --> 00:30:33.119 to get put back on you, if you can feel the cell 00:30:33.119 --> 00:30:37.319 door closing, wherever you are today, whatever 00:30:37.319 --> 00:30:40.279 you need today, we would love to pray for you, 00:30:40.319 --> 00:30:43.579 pray with you. We'd love to help you find salvation 00:30:43.579 --> 00:30:47.259 in Christ. Whatever you need, we invite you to 00:30:47.259 --> 00:30:48.839 come now as we stand and as we sing.