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is is going to be the Lord said Lord supper we will be celebrating Lord supper next Sunday evening also past a butler he he will be off holiday come Tuesday so he'll be back in the office on the 4th of December and Bible study will resume this Wednesday on the 5th of December so things are back to normal this this this week and we're glad to have Pastor Mike Patrick with us from the C Reformed Baptist Church he'll be with us both this morning and this evening and we appreciate him coming all the way from Surrey not to be our guest our guest preacher today well let's that's it for announcements that saw begin worship this morning by turning in our Bibles to Psalm 116 Psalm 116 psalm 116 thanksgiving for deliverance from death I love the Lord because he has heard my voice and my supplications because he has inclined his ear to me therefore I will call upon him as long as I live the pains of death surrounded me and the pains of Sheol laid hold of me I found trouble and sorrow then I called upon the name of the Lord O Lord I implore you deliver my soul gracious is the word and righteous yes our God is merciful the Lord preserves the simple I was brought low and he saved me return to your rest o my soul for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you for you have delivered my soul from death my eyes from tears and my feet from falling I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living I believed therefore I spoke I'm greatly afflicted I said in my haste all men are liars what shall i render to the Lord for all his benefits toward me I will take up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord I will pay my vows to the Lord now in the presence of all his people precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints o Lord truly I am your servant I am your servant the son of your love the son of your maidservant you have loosed my bonds I will offer to you the sacrifice of Thanksgiving and will call upon the name of the Lord I will pay my vows to the Lord now in the presence of all his people in the courts of the Lord's house in the midst of you O Jerusalem praise the Lord Amen well let's begin worship this morning by singing hymn number three hymn number three and Alaska stand [Music] [Music] let's go to our great God and just ask his blessing to be upon our worship this morning let's pray our gracious and our loving Heavenly Father we come into your holy presence this morning through your son the Lord Jesus Christ we praise You Father for the the beautiful day that it is how can we not but praise the God of heaven and earth for all creation praises you this day on such a beautiful and glorious day as the the mountains and the snow on those mountains that the green grass the trees all these things do what they have been created to do and that is to bring you glory and to bring you praise and so father we too want to want to adore you this day as your creatures as those who have been given tongues to to speak of the Creator tongues to give you praise and adoration we pray Lord that together as a congregation we would do just that very thing that we would praise you that we would behold such a great God as you are thank you that you are the creator of heaven and earth and father we praise you for the the glory that we see around around us even the physical the physical glory but even the glory of a cell of our salvation fathers we consider that that is a glorious thing as well that that you worked that you worked at a wonderful work in our hearts and caused us to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and gave us an interest in the things of Christ that we would find ourselves here in this place this day beholding you and listening to your wording and seeking seeking your face through prayer in and offering up our these hymns and songs and Psalms as as praise to you so father we thank you that we get to do these things we pray that you would be pleased to to bless as a as a congregation as a congregation with your with your holy presence this morning as well may we have dealings with you father may you be pleased to come amongst us and we do pray that we would know of a truth that the Spirit of the Living God is here in this place we know the Spirit of God is is like the is like the wind we cannot see it yet father we can we can know its effect we can we can see its effect and so how we pray that you would be pleased to bless us this day free Grace Baptist Church with a sense that's of the Spirit of the Living God that you would enliven your word and quicken your word in each one of our hearts and cause this Lord to be to be praises of you and worshippers of you this day father how we praise you for your son to Lord Jesus Christ we thank you for the forgiveness of sins we praise you Lord that you are a God who does who does take our sins and cast them into the deepest part of the ocean you remove them as far as the East is from the west of of those that you have set your love upon it how we praise you for that we pray Lord that as we come this day that you would be pleased to - to cause us to be washed afresh in that precious blood of your son the Lord Jesus Christ we know Lord we we each still deal with that Adamic sinful human nature and so lord we pray that you would be pleased to forgive us afresh even this day for the sins that we've committed against a holy God we do pray Lord that your blessing would be upon those that cannot be amongst us today those who are sick those who are ill we pray your blessing to be a button upon each one father we think of Linda dear money we thank you Lord we praise you for the good the good news in regards to her cancer how the the tumors are shrinking and we just gave you our grateful thanks Father for having bless the means and we pray that you continue to bless her and hold her and caused her interest to know your your strength from day to day and know that that they are your children and they walk with you by faith and acknowledge Lord that so that you have prepared this way for them and you've given to them Grace and we pray that they would know that grace continually in their hearts day by day we do pray your continued blessing be upon pastor Porter Lord you would strengthen him physically as well and we pray that you would give to him that which he requires that that touch of good health and we pray not just for him but for others amongst us who are ill this day we pray Lord that you would be pleased to touch each one with your with your with your goodness father cause them to know the strength that you give from day to day we rejoice father in the health and strength that you do give us on a day-to-day basis when we live in a sinful world where there is sickness where there is disease all around yet father we do enjoy a degree of health and strengthen and ultimately your mercy upon us and we just returned to you our grateful thanks for your goodness and your kindness so Lord we pray that you would restore these people and and cause them to to know that strength that comes from on high we do pray Lord for those who amongst in our congregation who are who are expecting little ones we pray that you continue to bless them and cause them well it cause the mother's father to continue in strengthen from day to day we don't want to presume that Lord they that they they have a little one that that will be carried to term we recognize that your hand of goodness it allows these things to happen and soul are we just acknowledge your your kindness and your goodness to these individual families and we pray your rich blessing upon them they would continue to know your help and your aid from from day to day Lord we just gave you our grateful thanks that as a local church here we're not alone here in Wellington but are there other churches right within chilliwack that that acknowledge you and are seeking your face this day we pray below that you give to them what they stand in need of cause them Lord to - to preach the Word of God faithfully in their pulpits and we do pray that you would be glorified not just in our place here but in all churches throughout Chilliwack and and and throughout the Lower Mainland and we do pray Lord your blessing upon our nation that all the way through the preached word through the through the gospel as it goes forward the Lord you would affect this nation of ours cause it to be a nation where where the Word of God will be allowed to continue to be preached and where churches who are allowed to be opened in and we're where we do enjoy a great deal of religious freedom in our nation Lord we pray that you would continue with us and cause these things to to not be to not be infringed upon but we pray that we might enjoy and make make use of these these are privileges that are ours in this nation Lord we consider other nations around us where they do not have those same privileges we we think of throughout the throughout Asia as we're reminded of this past Wednesday of just the encroaching the encroaching government upon upon some of these nations and and how the fact the for the fact that there are so many hundreds of millions of unreached people in some of these nations as well Lord we do know you to be a merciful God and we pray that you would cause that cause the Word of God to go forward in some of these in some of these nations and and people groups we pray at you to raise up workers and raise up those that would go into these fields that are that are white unto harvest then we pray Lord that you would supply their need here in the gospel many have been great have have been born and and grow up and never have heard the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and we know Lord that without without Christ we will die in our sins and so Lord we pray that you would just be merciful and raise up individuals raise up gospel labors for some of these fields that they would that they would preach the word and the Lord you would bring in those who are whom you have sent your son the Lord Jesus Christ that to save we do pray that you would work mightily in some of these nations and work mightily through the leaders and the missionaries that are in these places pastors we pray though that you just give them strength from day to day and a degree of protection and help and aid we think of those in persecuting countries where there are our individuals in prison this day and who are being harassed and we do pray Lord that you would minister those that your servants as well and cause them to know your your help and your aid and your comfort in places of discomfort we pray that they would continue on that they would not shrink back but they would know that that they would know that they they serve a holy God and a God who is with them and able to comfort and encourage them and ultimately is able to do what you please and so Lord we just pray your continued blessing upon the persecuted church and cause them to persevere and be bold with the gospel even under heavy persecution so Lord we just ask if you would be pleased to continue with us here in this hour we thank you for the privilege desirous to to meet together as a local church and we do pray Lord that you would bless our time together may you be may you be worship may we recognize that the holy god that you are and may we fear you father may we love you with all of our hearts and soul and mind and strength so so be with us now we do pray in Jesus precious name Amen well please turn with me in your Psalter to Psalm 73 Psalm 73 and we're going to pick up verse at verse 17 will read it or will sing from 17 to 28 or 17 to the end so that's Psalm 73 17 to the end I ask you to stand please [Music] [Music] dude and please turn with me your Bibles to 2 John chapter 2 John chapter 2 is bTW through the New Testament last week we read chapter 1 the calling of the disciples and and here we have in chapter 2 a rather infamous chapter in the sense of the Lord Jesus first first miracle attorney of water into wine and and then the that other aspect of Christ's cleansing the temple where he where he threw the those who were in the temple turning turning the temple into a into a place of Commerce he threw them out and and sought to clean up a place for worship of the of the triune God and he had a pietà he did it with a holy vengeance so let's set let's read John chapter 2 we'll read the entire chapter on the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee and the mother of Jesus was there now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding and when they ran out of wine the mother Jesus said to him they have no wine jesus said to her woman what does your concern have to do with me my hour has not yet come his mother said to the servants whatever he says to you do it now there were set there are six waterpots of stone according to the manner of purification of the Jews containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece jesus said to them fill the waterpots with water and they filled them up to the brim and he said to them draw some out now and take it to the master of the feast and they took it when the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine and did not know where it came from but the servants who had drawn the water knew the master of the feast called the bridegroom and he said to him every man at the beginning sets out the good wine and when the guests have well drunk then the inferior you have kept the good wine until now this beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and manifested his glory and his disciples believed in him after this he went down to Capernaum he his mother his brothers and his disciples and they did not stay there many days now the Passover the Jew of the Jews was at hand and Jesus went up to Jerusalem and he found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves and the money changers doing business when he had made a whip of cords he drove them all out of the temple with the sheep and the oxen and poured out the changers money and over turned the tables and he said to those who sold doves take these things away do not make my father's house a house of merchandise then his disciples remembered that it was written zeal for your house has eaten me up so the Jews answered and said to him what sign do you show us since you do these things jesus answered and said to them destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up then the Jews said it has taken 46 years to build this temple and will you raise it up in three days but he was speaking of the temple of his body therefore when he had risen from the dead his disciples remembered that he had said this to them and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had said now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover during the feast many believed in his name when they saw the signs which he did but Jesus did not commit himself to them because he knew all men and had no need that anyone should testify of man for he knew what was in man a man well let me just pray and and we'll sing another hymn and listen to the preaching of God's Word let's pray our gracious and our loving Heavenly Father we come now to that that's that hour of worship where we hear the word of God opened up and so Lord how we pray your blessing to be upon it so just as we've read here in the scriptures concerning that that the wonderful Lord Jesus Christ who who upon gathering together disciples and sought to to go about doing good and ultimately demonstrating that he was the son of and we praise You Father these things are revealed to man not by man but rather by your gracious Holy Spirit and the things of Christ are made precious by the Spirit of the Living God and still learn how we pray that you would be pleased to bless this next hour as we as we listen to your word opened up we pray Lord that you would be pleased to cause your spirit to to be here in this place and be with the preacher be with pastor Kirkpatrick give him strength and aid from on high we prayed you give among ssin as well to bring your word here in this place this day and we know Lord that it's not a it's not a word of man but rather it's a it's a word of the Spirit of the Living God that does take and quicken these things and so Lord how we pray that you would be pleased to sanctify those in our midst who who are believers that we would grow in Christ that we would that we would that we would desire to to put on the Lord Jesus Christ each and every day and and grow in the things of Christ and for any and all who make perhaps are in this place unsaved how we pray Lord that your gracious Holy Spirit would prick the conscience and cause them to to see they that they see that they know they know nothing of the of the person of Christ and that Lord Christ would be would be seen as as one a savior for sent for their very souls this day and so Lord we pray that you would be merciful to us as a congregation cause your word not to return to you void but we pray they would take it would find its mark in each one of our hearts you'd be pleased to bless it and own it and we ask these things in Jesus precious name Amen well turn with me in your hymn books now to the final hymn which is 418 in the larger Trinity hymnal 418 and I'll ask you Stan [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] good morning everyone that's good to see you all once again you can turn with me in your Bibles to Galatians chapter 5 last week looked at Galatians chapter 4 verses 21 through 31 this Paul finished his section on theology and now he transitions to application so we'll look at some application today Galatians chapter five we're gonna look at verses 1 through 15 this morning but I will begin reading at Galatians chapter 4 verse 21 to set the context for us Galatians chapter 4 verse 21 tell me you who desire to be under the law do you not hear the law for it is written that Abraham had two sons the one by a bond woman and the other by a freewoman but he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh and he had the free woman through promise which things are symbolic for these are the two covenants the one from mount sinai which gives birth to bondage which is Hagar for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with their children but the Jerusalem above is free which is the mother of us all for it is written rejoice o barren you who do not bear break forth and shout you who are not in labor for the desolate has many more children than she who has a husband now we brethren as Isaac was our children of promise but as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the spirit even so it is now nevertheless what does the scripture say cast out the bondwoman and her son for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman so then brethren we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free stand fast therefore in the Liberty by which Christ has made us free and do not be entangled again with the yoke of bondage indeed I Paul say to you that if you become circumsized Christ will profit you nothing and I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law you become estranged from Christ you who attempt to be justified by law you have fallen from grace for we through the spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything but faith working through love you ran well who hindered you from obeying the truth this persuasion does not come from him who calls you a little leaven leavens the whole lump I have confidence in you in the Lord that you will have other mind but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment whoever he is and I brethren if I still preach circumcision why do I still suffer persecution then the offense of the cross has ceased I wished I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off for you brethren have been called to Liberty only do not use Liberty as an opportunity for the flesh but through love serve one another for all the law is fulfilled in one word even in this you shall love your neighbor as yourself but if you bite and devour one another beware lest you be consumed by one another amen let us pray Heavenly Father we are thankful that we can come before you and O God for those who believed on Christ have called upon him as their Savior we know that we have freedom in the Lord Jesus so god help us by your spirit to stand fast in that freedom help us to have a right understanding of the truth that we might live in a way according to the truth them Oh God we know that we need your truth we know that we need your scriptures we know that we need your spirit to help us each and every day for we still battle and struggle and fight against our sins we know that you help us by your spirit and O God we know that we are grounded that our fight is grounded in what Christ has done for us he has won the battle or a thankful that we can lean upon our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ but o God even now as we come to study your truth your word we know that we need to vine aid so we pray O God that you would send forth your spirit we pray thee be with both the preacher and the listener O God for those that need to be comforted comfort them for those that need to be convicted convict them o God we know that your spirit does this so we pray that your spirit would move and O God if there any here today who do not know you we pray that you would release their chains that you would save them that you give them new hearts that they would believe on the Lord Jesus and find freedom and life and righteousness in him well God it's only in Christ Jesus only in him is there freedom and life and righteousness so God we do pray though in all things that we do we pray that you would be glorified we pray these things in the name of Christ amen well as I said at the outset Paul has come to his application section in the book of Galatians he's defended through several chapters the doctrine of justification by faith justification by which one is righteous not by their own work but by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for one cannot be righteous before God based on their own good works their own keeping but they must believe on another must believe on the Lord Jesus for only in him is their life and freedom and righteousness but now he comes to the application section for these Galatians as he transitions he gave that we saw last week he gave that illustration the bond woman and the free woman Hagar and Sarah and now he comes to say to these Galatians stand fast in the freedom that you have in the Lord Jesus Christ you who believed on Christ you don't have to go back into bondage but you have freedom in the Lord Jesus so remain stand fast in that freedom which you have you see there are several problems that we see as we go a lot of problems we see in Galatians but especially as we transition as we look at this application section we see two problems of infringement people taking their own preferences and making them God's law but on the other side of things we see licentiousness people saying I believed in Jesus I can therefore live any way I want to because I am righteous in his sight and Paul's gonna write to combat both of those things in this text now I should say we're always gonna have a legalist among us and we're always gonna have a life sensuous person among us that's just gonna be reality until Christ comes back but as I always say remain in the middle you're justified by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ but those who are justified will be sanctified but even our sanctification even though we're called to work at our salvation with fear and trembling it is God who works in us both to will and to do even our sanctification we still lead upon our Lord Jesus Christ in the battles that we do go through for justification righteousness is only by Christ's righteousness so perhaps we can ask the question as we look at this application section how should a Christian live without adding works to one's justification how should a Christian live without adding some sort of covenant-keeping to being right with God at that final there's no final justification but on that Judgment Day what we got to avoid that we don't come before that throne we don't come before the judgment-seat based on anything we do but we lean on Jesus Christ but still how might a Christian live in this life and we'll seek to answer this question under two headings this morning first of all the liberty of Christ in verses 1 through 6 then secondly the law of love in verses 7 through 15 so the Liberty of Christ and the law of love let's first look then at the Liberty of Christ and verses 1 through 6 and notice we see the foundation and I actually what's going on he gives the command first in the New King James but really what comes first is the saying Christ has made us free that's the foundation which one stands upon we don't stand upon our own good works we stand upon Christ who is righteous we stand upon him who releases us from those chains with the freedom which Christ has made you free that truth therefore then stand fast in the freedom with which you have you have true Liberty in the Lord Jesus Christ you see true Liberty when we think about Christian Liberty sometimes we think about things of preference we think about alcoholic beverages or schools that we go through but the true essence of Christian Liberty is the fact that we are found in Christ we are free from the guilt of sin we are free from the curse of the law our confession even talks about this in chapter 21 of Christian Liberty the Liberty which Christ hath purchased for believers under the gospel consists in their freedom from the guilt of sin the condemning wrath of God the rigour and curse of the law and in they're both being delivered from this present evil world bondage to Satan and dominion of sin from the evil afflictions the fear and sting of death the victory of the grave and everlasting damnation and so many other things that's true Liberty is who we are in the Lord Jesus that freedoms that we do and are found in him so the charge then is stand fast Christ because you are already free in the Lord Jesus Christ so he says that stand fast therefore in the Liberty by which Christ has made you free that's the positive command but he also gives a negative one as well do not be entangled again with the yoke of bondage the yoke was what went on the back of an ox and it was meant to weigh them down was meant to weigh someone down you see when he says to these Galatians with these false teachers that were saying it to go back under the law to be saved he's saying what he's saying is you weren't actually putting that burden back upon yourself that load that you cannot carry on your own that load that you cannot carry at all this is the burden of going back under the law as a means of being right with the Lord God Almighty and you see this was the problem at the Jerusalem Council in acts 15 Galatians probably is written before that in acts before acts 15 we see that Jerusalem council people came and Judaizers came and taught that salvation was faith plus circumcision and this led to this council and it came to the point where it was the case where they would not call Gentiles to be circumcised but certain things they did but on nonetheless they talked about this idea of a yoke in acts 15 verse 24 since we have heard this is the letters going around to the churches since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words unsettling your souls saying you must be circumcised and keep the law to whom we gave no such commandment it seemed good to us being assembled with one Accord to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul men who have risked their lives for the name of the Lord Jesus Christ we have therefore sent Judas and Silas who will also report the same things by word of mouth for it seemed good to the Holy Spirit to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things that you abstain from things offered to idols from blood from blood from things strangled and from sexual immorality it's a burden to have that law back under someone's shoulders upon someone's shoulders and so he's saying do not be entangled again with this yoke of bondage and it is just that it's slavery it should be common sense that once you're free why go back into bondage but that's not always the case because you see people want tangible things we talked about this last week right it's the problem with the Hebrews they actually like the smell of the burnt offering going up because they knew and saw that cry that the sacrifice was going up we still have that today don't we we still want visual things we know that we are justified in God's sight but sometimes that's hard for us to understand because there's no voice from heaven saying you are righteous in God's sight I mean that's not kind of that's sort of not true we don't have a beaming audible voice but we have the Word of God that says we are righteous in God's sight and that's sometimes not good enough for us is it we always want those extras those tangibles and it was the case for the first century Christians as well so Paul says stand fast don't go back with the yoke of bondage so then he says in verse 2 indeed I paw to highlight the importance of what he's saying say to you that if you become circumcised to be right with God Christ will profit you nothing if you mix a little faith and a little bit of works to be righteous before God Christ's work is null and void if you think that I'm going to be righteous before God because of faith plus my own good works on that final day when I claim on that Judgment Day it's me God covenant to accept my best efforts Christ will profit you nothing you see there might be some here today who profess to be believers and you profess to be Christians but what are you leaning upon in that profession of faith is it because of your covenant keeping is that because of your good works are you a Christian but are you saying you to yourself you're a Christian because you to church or because you were born into a Christian home or you were baptized as a child you see if you're leaning upon those things that's not true faith true faith is leaning on Christ and Christ alone for salvation so if you're leaning on your own good works repent and believe on the Lord Jesus and you shall find life and freedom and hope in him because if you mix the little faith and a little bit of works Christ will profit you nothing God doesn't covenant to accept our best efforts God covenants to save us in Christ's best efforts indeed I Paul say to you that if you become circumcised Christ will profit you nothing because you see it wasn't just circumcision circumcision was just a description for the whole if you actually if you a it's not just circumcision but they had to keep the entire law and Paul says this in verse 3 I testify again to every man who become circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the entire law it's not just that circumcision you have to do everything written in Deuteronomy and there's a lot of specifics in there that are hard to keep even the law actually says that according to Galatians 3:10 when Paul quotes Deuteronomy chapter 27 verse 26 curse it is everyone who does not continue in all the things which are written in the book of the law to do them everything they're to keep everything in order to find some sort of righteousness before God now we know from Galatians and from other parts of scripture that the law was meant to teach us we can't do any of it right we think about that entire law and what it says and what it signifies not just the external things but the internal things there is no way that we can keep one jot and tiddle of it and if you think you can keep one jot until of it you're lying and I know you in that law so what submit to show us you're a sinful person and you need to look to Christ for life and hope and so if you go back if you become circumcised as a way of salvation you have to keep the entire thing and so then Paul goes on to say you have become estranged from Christ you who attempt to be justified by the law and then he goes on to say in that section you have fallen from grace now this is a difficult passage isn't it fallen from grace typical reformed people don't teach that you can fall from grace but when we think about the context in what's going on you have become estranged from Christ because you see you're not leaning upon Christ properly and in the contacts he's talking about faith versus works being righteous before God by believing on Jesus or righteous Fiat by your own covenant keeping so he's contrasting those things and look how vehement Paul is about the gospel if you add anything to Christ's work you have fallen from grace if you add anything to Christ's finished work you've become estranged from Christ it's serious stuff here when we think about the gospel is because it's Christ and Christ alone it's not by our own goodness it's not by our own good keeping it's by Christ and Christ's own working so humanly speaking they sort of fell from grace but it proved that they were never truly saved anyway so that's what's going on it's not as though if you're a believer and you believed on Christ and you struggle with assurance I'm not really talking to you you are a believer you have believed on Jesus be assured that you have faith what he's saying is if you lean upon your own works you've fallen from grace that's what he's saying in the context then he goes on to say as he continues to explain all this verse 5 for we through the spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith again a difficult passage to think through about what's going on here probably what he's talking about here is the day when Christ comes back we eagerly await for that Judgment Day and again for us because we're visual people we want that declaration that says you are not guilty you see brethren we are essentially justified right now if we believed on Jesus but on that final day when we stand before the judgment seat God the Father will say to us not guilty because of Christ's work God the Father will say not guilty and we will say it's nothing in our hands that we bring but to that cross that we do cling and we will hear it and declared to us that we are righteous in God's sight because of the Lord Jesus Christ so he's referring to one standing it's referring to one's one standing before God not some sort of final justification people teach that today when they talk about faith and works right you're justified initially by faith but then in order to be finally righteous before God you have to keep something along the way towards the end you always ask that question what when is the threshold when do you fall off the bandwagon are no longer saved when do you fall off from what you need to do you see it's kind of a lack of assurance if you actually have to keep it towards the end that's not right on that final day we will be acquitted we will be vindicated but again it rests solely and solely on Christ alone because the hope the thing is we still struggle with sin unless you you never sinned which is probably never no one here we all struggle with sins after we are justified before God sight in this life and so the hope is we will be declared not guilty because of Christ for we through the spirit eagerly wait for the hope of the righteousness by faith and he goes on to say as he continues to explain this text for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything faith working through love basically saying ethnic distinctions don't matter there's either Jew nor Greek slave nor free male nor female when it comes to believing on Jesus because the Judaizers were teaching you had to be a Jew to be saved that's not right anyone from every tribe tongue and nation if they believe on Jesus Christ are part of the people of God so neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything but what faith working through love not faith form by love that's an important distinction because the Roman Catholics teach that faith form by love by your own keeping well that's not what it says faith working out evidencing through this love and what's interesting is paul uses this phrase in two other places in the scriptures and they both include love and law and new creation in 1st corinthians 7 19 circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything but keeping the commandments is everything but then he says in galatians 6:15 from Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything but a new creation you see our faith is not formed by love but our faith is evidenced by love and it might not be perfect love and it's definitely not a perfect love but those who are part of the new creation which paul says in galatians 6:15 we'll live in a way that pleases God and that living in a way that pleases God is keeping God's law not to be saved but as a pattern for living and we'll deal with that more when we look at verses 7 through 15 but obedience is being part of that new creation we are justified certainly justification precede sanctification but those who are justified will be sanctified so he's clear what's the freedoms that we have the freedoms we stand fast deliberate is the liberties that we have is based on Christ alone now this also gives us an application as well when it comes to things in different when it comes to things like Christian Liberty under that things of preference and brethren you must not infringe on another person's Liberty you must not do that by adding works to salvation that's wrong but you also must not do that by your own preferences that are not based on God's law and claiming them to be God's law people have differences of opinion when it comes to enjoying certain things in life don't get you're being a bonnet over those things you see when it comes to things like school I don't care if you homeschool or not if you want to home-school wonderful but not everyone might have the luxury of being able to do that you might have to send them to a private school or a public school you'll have to think through that and use the wisdom and the brain that God has given you to do when to think through those things we sometimes have to use our noggins and have wisdom and think through things sometimes or things like food or things like drink or things like jobs or things like politics I know that's hard to say sometimes but that is true people can have different opinions when it comes to politics and we must not infringe on those things not say you can't have a Throwdown with someone and here's my opinion here's yours but realize that you can have differing opinions on some things with respect to these things but you know whenever we talk again about these things it doesn't mean again we shouldn't have wisdom rights I just said that I'm repeating myself when it comes to things like alcohol for example Christ just turned water into wine when we read that this morning right it's not wrong to have an alcoholic beverage get this in moderation it's not wrong to enjoy the things God has given us as a sign of festivity in moderation and what's really interesting is people when they have their preferences and they get there being a bonnet over something it's usually really arbitrary you see people get their knickers and a knot over someone who enjoys an alcoholic beverage legally in moderation but they have no problem eating 18 thousand calories a day they should suck put a gullet or some a cork in their mouth but rather they get their knickers in a knot over the alcoholic beverage now if you eat 18,000 calories a day I get that I love savory things the worst thing for me was when they invented bottomless fries at restaurants because I could just keep eating and eating and eating and usually your spouse is like I just want to ok well I'll have the other 20 but you see there's a problem there's arbitrary things and when you think about other things as well it's arbitrary that's why we need to know God's law well that we might not infringe on someone else's liberties as well because if you infringe on someone's liberties what you're doing is not letting them obey God's law by the spirit but I should say as well even with our preferences we are to love one another right if we have a Liberty we shouldn't just go it's my liberty too bad because Paul doesn't do that does he even when it comes to the example of circumcision Paul gets very demon 20 talks about circumcision as a way of salvation doesn't he when it comes to a cultural practice Paul is willing to circumcise Timothy so that would not be an offense to the gospel sometimes brethren we might be able to enjoy an alcoholic beverage without sinning but if we invite a brother or sister over who does struggle with that we just maybe should forego that for the evening why so that we show love and kindness towards one another the stronger brother should love the weaker brother and the weaker brother just needs to grow up into maturity knowing that those things are ok to enjoy in moderation there's two sides we always forget that stronger should you know we should consider the weaker but the weaker has to grow as well so you must not fringe upon another's liberty when it comes to salvation or things indifferent because you are not God so that's the liberty of Christ let's then look secondly at the law of love in verses 7 through 15 no one is to use an analogy of running you ran well who hindered you from obeying the truth because you see false truth leads to disobedience right you see we have freedoms to keep God's law and when we seek to keep God's law we know that it's based on what Christ has done for us so we don't have to fret but if you have to keep God's law to be righteous before God you're gonna fret a lot so you having the right understanding of something helps us in our practice as well you ran well who hindered you from obeying the truth who hindered you from obeying what is said and what's interesting here's the analogy of hindering carries with it the running idea someone sticking out their foot to trip someone who caused you to cheat who caused you who ran into your lane that's what he's saying when he comes to this race that we all run those people who say you must believe by faith and works are cheating and they're gonna be found out for and they are found out for it who hindered you from obeying the truth then Paul goes on to say this persuasion does not come from him who calls you they might say they're from God we have to listen are they actually from God they might say yes I am a Christian I am a preacher but I believe that you have to believe on Christ they have to keep these seven sacraments as well I believe on Christ but usually that butt is an indicator of something you have to beware and be on guard with respect to these things this persuasion does not come from him who calls you because a little leaven leavens the whole lump even reality and false teaching even a little bit leavens the entire lump a little bet bit can spread into the church circumcision itself doesn't seem like that big of a doesn't but it is a pretty big deal with what it signifies brethren sometimes people come in here come in to churches and have their differing opinions and they have the way of justification by faith and works and they'll take some people aside and say you know don't just don't agree with that guy's saying but believing a little bit of faith plus works they were factions might begin to join in churches because the little leaven leavens the entire lump why do you think we hold fast to dr. the doctrines of justification with vehemence because a little leaven leavens the entire lump so Paul knows this Paul's been very vehement in his letter about this but he has confidence in the Galatians I have confidence in you in the Lord that you will have no other mind they'll be fine they'll return to the truth but the false teacher he calls judgment upon him Huw troubles you shall bear his judgment who ever he is he will bear his judgment before the throne of God and so then Paul goes on to say in verse 11 when talks about this idea when he talks about he talked about persecution and I brethren if I still preach circumcision why do I still suffer persecution the Jews persecuted Paul because he didn't preach circumcision the Jews persecuted Paul because he preached the Lord Jesus Christ the Jews persecuted Paul because he preached the gospel other than the one that they preached and even then they the the Judaizers actually afraid of persecution because it said he says in 612 only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ they were Nancy boys they didn't want to hold fast the truth and preach the Lord Jesus but Paul did and Paul faced the persecution for preaching Christ for if I still pre if I preach circumcision then the offense of the cross has ceased because again people are more receptive to works based aren't they because they can see it and they can do it when it comes to faith you tell them to their wretched and that's hard for them to understand but yeah because they can understand without God changing them but nonetheless we need God to change them that they might come and believe so if Paul preached what the Jews wanted to hear why would he have been persecuted then the offense of the cross has ceased cross is no longer a scandal the cross is no longer foolishness if he preaches salvation by works again people want an exemplary Jesus don't they people want an aloof Jesus he doesn't see me people want a Genie Jesus who gives me my three wishes and give me whatever I want but people don't want to crucify Christ people don't want to crucified Lord they want to crucified Jesus who hangs on that cross bearing the wrath of God for the sake of his people taking that sin upon himself for the sake of his people people don't want that Christ they don't see that battered bloodied and bruised Savior they don't want that only those who've been changed will see you've been given new hearts and new minds will look and live you that's how we know salvation is not of us because it's God Almighty who works to change because who would believe on a crucified Savior a crucified Christ so Paul says this if I then the offense of the cross has ceased then in verse 12 he gives another implication another call of judgment and this might tickle or cause some of us to be offended I could wish that those who drove you to trouble you would even cut themselves off he's basically saying he's talking about spiritual castration that's what he's saying that's what the language signifies here and it has a pagan background and a Jewish background the pagan background people would do this for a religious region or for a religious ritual that they were saved by it but even in the Jewish background there were eunuchs who would be cut off from the branch according to Deuteronomy 23 but not just Deuteronomy 23 but even back to Abraham as well when it comes to the Covenant of circumcision in Genesis 17 those who would not be circumcised would be off there's a judgment aspect involved in that Abrahamic covenant and Paul's drawing back to all those things and what's more a bit of more of a dig against the Judaizers they would have claimed Abraham right they would have claimed him as their own and he's saying you are not part of Abraham those I wish I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off so he says these things with respect to the running the little eleventh circumcision persecution but then in verses 13 through 15 he talks about how Liberty does not mean licentiousness that would have been the charge of the Judaizers well they can live in in there any way they want no that's not true for you brethren have been called to Liberty only do not use Liberty as an opportunity for the flesh but through love serve one another for all the law is fulfilled in one word even in this you show love love your neighbor as yourself again Christians you're not a Christian because you do these things you do these things because you are a Christian you seek to live in a way that pleases God because he saved you and it doesn't mean we can live in any way we want to and this is where the true gospel holiness lies Philip RIKEN says now that the God now that God has accepted me through Jesus Christ I am free in him and this freedom is the key to gospel holiness you see this is true freedom freedom isn't living anyway I sort of want to freedom isn't self fulfillment or personal freedom I can do whatever I want to true freedom means liberation from sin death and the devil that's true freedom the world today teaches a freedom that is based on your own self fulfillment that's not freedom being free from sin is true freedom in the Lord Jesus Christ for Christ's burden is easy and his yoke is light and so even here he quotes the law he quotes the Old Testament quotes Leviticus as a pattern for living and what's kind of interesting too sometimes you'll meet some professing Christians who say I don't need law I just need love how do you love by keeping I mean that's very clear with what he's saying for all the law is fulfilled even in this you shall love your neighbor as yourself and clearly implied in this is the first table as well we must love the Lord our God with all our heart and love our neighbor as ourselves we must now no other gods before us we must not make for ourselves false idols we must not take the Lord's name in vain we must love the Lord's Day and remember it and keep it holy we also must honor those in authority we must also not kill others or kill ourselves we must not lust after others we must preserve the chastity of others we must also not take or steal we must also not bear witness we must also not covet that's how we love one another isn't it and all the positive aspects as well you know coveting being content you know not lying telling the truth not stealing but working hard not you know lusting but loving you're the person God has given you to love not murdering other people or yourself but preserving the life of other people and yourself as well those things are all involved those positive aspects are all involved when it comes to the Christian life we must love God and love our neighbor notice it's not love your neighbor because he treats you huh it's just love your neighbor as you wish to be treated that's difficult sometimes isn't it when someone's a movie person to you we are still supposed to love them even when they're not very nice to us so he says this he quotes Leviticus here and then he goes on to say in verse 15 but if you bite and devour one another beware lest you be consumed by one another this is just the opposite of loving biting devouring sometimes we should probably just not say something even though we might want to say it especially with preferences if you really don't like what someone when it comes to those preferential things don'tyou don't have to talk to them about those things that's just fine and okay sometimes we all feel like we have to say something we don't we should probably for the most part just keep it to ourselves for a while think about what we want to say and then we can say it because sometimes when we do that when we get our being a bonnet over those preferential things we bite and devour one another over petty little things it's so ungodly isn't it don't think I struggle with these things I got my preferences too we all struggle with those things but we're not supposed to bite and nitpick and devour one another beware of these things lest you be consumed by one another the opposite of this is to love one another even goes on to say in for chapter 5 verse 26 let us not become conceited provoking one another envying one another and then for chapter six brethren if a man is overtaken in any trespass you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness considering yourself lest you also be tempted bear one another's burdens and if anyone thinks himself to be something then he is nothing he deceives him self so how might we love one another how might we avoid discord by or how might we avoid discord by loving one another so the clear application is as free believers love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself that's very clear it's not hard but it's hard isn't it like it's very clear what we're supposed to do but it's actually hard to carry that out without the spirit because we're still sinful we still have remaining corruption we wrestle with the spirit against the flesh and again the Christian gospel does not mean like sancious living there are those who battle and fight on and we still sin and struggle in this life we repent and confess those things to God knowing that we have the Lord Jesus that advocate with the father in whom our sins are forgiven by the Spirit we stri after holiness by Christ we strive after holiness not by our own good works as Luther says and although there be remnants of sin yet still in us they are not laid to our charge but pardoned for Christ's sake so even in our Christian life we must still look to the Lord Jesus Christ always as the author perfect our our faith and as that advocate who even pleads now and intercedes now for us so how should a Christian live live in the Liberty of which Christ has set you free love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul in mind and you love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind as one who is free in the Lord Jesus but if you're an unbeliever here today my task for you is not to love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul in mind because you can't I charge to you is to believe on Jesus because you are still in bondage with your sin when you think about every jot and tittle of that law when you think about those 10 words we think about the internal aspect of it have you never lusted have you were and never been angry in your heart have you ever never lied have you never coveted have you never stolen time have you never spell you went over the speed limit because that's part of commandment number 5 have you never broken the Lord today let's be honest we all woke up today and broke that as soon as we woke up have you never had any other gods before you that shows you that you need to believe Christ look to the Lord Jesus and you shall be free your chain shall be broken and you shall be redeemed in him look to the Lord Christ and find freedom and liberty in him well let us pray generally father we are thankful again for the things that Christ has done for us the liberties found in him we know God that this is based on your goodness based on your kindness and not based on our own and we know God that sometimes even as believers we struggle with preferences and we struggle with making those things our own law we struggle with infringing and we even struggle sometimes to add works to justification forgive us for this O God we know that we are righteous before you because of Christ's work we know God that you sanctify your people as well we do pray that you would sanctify us cause us to die unto sin caused us to grow more and more into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ and help us to do this in a way that is pleasing to you help us to love your law help us to love your commandments and help us to seek to live these things in a way that is pleasing to you O God we know that we need your spirit to do these things so god help us to love you help us to love others we confess we have not loved you as we ought we have not loved others as we ought O God but we're thankful for the high priest the Lord Jesus and whom we lean upon and whom we stand upon in whom there is freedom then right here today who do not know you I pray that you would change them O God cause them to come to saving knowledge in the Lord Jesus and O God if there any here today who who professed faith in Christ but rely on their own works caused them to believe as well we know God leads by Christ and Christ alone when we stand on that judge that jet that judgement seat that final day shall be based on his righteousness that we will be declared not guilty we long for that day O God and we pray that Christ would come quickly we know that you are gracious and good to us and give you praise for these things so God we pray that you be with us now we pray in the name of Christ close with a brief time of meditation when the piano is finished you're dismissed