Episode Transcript
I think what the Galatians were trying to do is that they were trying to find spiritual perfection, spiritual growth, spiritual maturity, and they took off in the wrong direction. They took off in the direction of legalism, and adding behavior situations to make themselves more perfect and more spiritual. It's a thing that happens in Christianity all the time. You've heard of the term legalism, or fundamentalism. Sometimes it's called fundamentalists believe the same thing all of us believe, since the apostle Paul, but when they call them fundamentalists, often they mean that they add to what the Bible says, You can't do this. You can't go here, you can't read this way, you got to dress that way. You can't cut your hair that way. You can't wear pants, or whatever the little group has invented beyond scripture. And it isn't hypocrisy. Sometimes it can be dictatorial, little pastor pushing himself on the people. But usually it's people trying to be more perfect trying to find godliness, trying to be more holy, trying to be more spiritual, trying to be more like Jesus Christ. And the mistake they made is a mistake that's been done throughout history by adding rules going beyond scripture. So when Paul hit out on him yesterday, as we analyzed it, it was basically that he's saying, You guys started with a spirit. And now you're, you're gonna perfect by the flesh. What's the matter with you? I'm perplexed by you, foolish Galatians. He's not insulting me. He's waking them up. That's what he's trying to do. So as we go into the second Bible study, today, we're going to have to go various places, but mostly, we'll stick with one section. Let's go to chapter five. And, and and read that and let the Holy Spirit speak to us, and then analyze a few verses other the subject basically this morning is the glorious message revealed and received. And so as we receive it, of course, we choose to obey. And as we obey, we experience what the poor Galatians were looking for in the wrong way and in the wrong place, in the wrong way, by by adding to Scripture, and in the wrong place by adding the law, even though it was the law of Moses, and I was reading this morning and my devotionals happened to be in Hebrews, in my personal reading, and it talks again that the old covenant is kaput, it's over, it's finished. It's not useful anymore. Now we're in the new covenant. And so we're trying to go back to that was a waste. All right, so Galatians chapter five, and let's read a verses 16 to 26, shall we? I think this is the core of what I'd like us to meditate on this morning, that we are going to look at other verses. So here is the word of Allah Lord, beginning with verse 1605. So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature, for the sinful nature desires, what is contrary to the spirit and the spirit, what is contrary to the sinful nature, they are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not on the law. The acts of the sinful nature are obvious sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I want you, as I did before, warn you that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Against such things, there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. Go to chapter six, verse seven, do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sews, the one who sews the pleases sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction. The one who sews to please the spirit from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity. Let us do good to all people, and especially to those who buy
belong to the family of faith. So the reading for this morning, now we keep a nimble finger there will bounce to a few verses. And in fact, let's go to chapter one to look at three points I'd like to make this morning. The first one is, as we receive and believe the glorious message, there is an immediate and immediate effect on our lives. And there's more than than seven, but I mentioning seven that show up here in the Epistle to the Galatians. He has many more things that happen, the moment we we believe and receive the glorious message of Jesus Christ. But there are seven mentioned that I wanted to point out this morning. So the first one is, it's immediate, but it happened in the past, to all of us who were converted. To me, it happened when I was 12 years old. I wasn't conscious of many of these things. All I knew when I was converted was I was going to heaven and not to hell. And boy was I glad that I had eternal life once and for all. And when I died, because my father had died two years earlier, I knew people die. And they die young, not just old, as I used to think at one time, people die. And I know where I'm going when I die. That was all I knew. For the moment. That's what I rejoiced. And then later, I realized, wow, a whole bunch of other things up I do. I wasn't aware of it. But it is good to be aware of it. And it's good to be reminded of such things this morning. Also in the My devotional reading, they have a reading of Psalm 106. And it's indicting the people of Israel for forgetting, forgetting, forgetting. They forgot the acts of God in Egypt, they forgot the drying of the Red Sea, they forgot that God kept their clothes on their sandals. without wearing out in the desert, they forgot that they gave them food, they forgot that he provided water, they forgot that he overcame the others. And the indictment was that my people have forgotten and we tend to forget to and then we get up at the when we say, well, that's the same old stuff, hey, we better remember every day the same old stuff, because that's why we are in Christ. Yes, we grow, but you never give up on the foundation. So chapter one, verses four and five, we were rescued immediately upon believing in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Look at what it says. In fact, in verses four and five, it says, who gave himself up for our sins, to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever a man, the great Apostle Paul, who had been taken up into heaven, and he went up into the third heaven, where he saw things that are not lawful to talk about, he says, Nevertheless, he opens up the epistle, by praising God and giving thanks to God for the rescue operation that happened by the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I you know, we all got very emotional when we saw on television, and most of you I'm sure did on television, you saw the miners being rescued from that mind that has become a great parable and a grind. I bet you there's been 10 million sermons around the world preach on the on the redemption on the rescue operation of those miners in Chile. When we were there last week on Friday. In fact, I had asked if we could have the pastor, the miner who was called a pastor down in the mind, and he came Jose and Rica's is his name, and he lives about three hours north of San Diego. So somebody drove him down. And he came in, he's just a regular guy, about 50 years old, brought his wife, his brother and his wife, and I found out more about the family that day. 33 miners were down there. That was their 33rd birthday, that they they came through to the thing, it's not a big deal, but it was interesting. And then somebody in the crowd had a sign that said Jesus was 33 when he died on the cross. Not really a very important theological point, but interesting. Anyway, so he comes and it was his his anniversary. He wanted to take his wife out that night. So I said to him, You staying overnight after the service at the park, and he said no, I want to go home because I want to celebrate with my wife tomorrow. I said I will stay overnight and then go tomorrow. So he stayed overnight. When he took off and the next night, I was getting ready to go and preach and I got a call and they said Jose left you the t shirt that he came out from the mind with that. That said thank you Lord, and He will give it to you as a gift because you brought him down and had him on the platform to honor the Lord. It was international because it was on television both nationally and internationally to fortify for these Miss countries he said if tomorrow night this is the message he left me with his T shirt. You preach with my T shirt on you can have it as a memento from our meeting together. I said I'll do it and I've got it here. So I prefer
this is the one he had fortunately he watched it today. His the one he came out of the of the mouth
fine with it on it says God's yes in your thank you lord and an English Thank You, Lord, he had asked for a T shirt, he dreamt up this idea he told me himself, and then Campus Crusade provided it, it says over here in English, so it has a Bible verse in the back, I'll translate it freely in your hand are the depths of the earth. And the heights of the mountains are yours. To Him be the honor and the glory. I mean, they came out on television with this, you know, yeah, praise the Lord. And I put it on, and I left it on all through the preaching. And we got all sorts of Facebook, kids and all sorts of stuff, the television channel, God and everything. They thought it was a wonderful thing. So on top of it all he came, but you know, the point I'm making by bringing him up is this, what a picture of God's rescue operation, they were in a hole that was dirty and dark, and hardly surviving, they found a way to break down, they're just like Jesus Christ did, coming down to earth through the Blessed Virgin Mary, by the work of the Holy Spirit, He came down to this dark world, the light of the world, to a dirty polluted world to rescue us. And the capsule is a picture of redemption and Jesus Christ, the Phoenix capsule, I use it over and over as an illustration. And as they came up one by one, that's a picture of redemption. Also, redemption and rescue is basically the same concept in the Bible. When I met with the president of the country, a day or two later, I know that morning, I guess, I had made a point that I was going to give him the gospel with the story of the miners connected with the prodigal son. And I said, Mr. President, when each one of them came out of the capsule, and you're welcome them back to life, and you gave him a hug, and your wife hug them, to me without being sacrilegious. It was a picture of what God the Father does. When everyone one by one, we come out of the grave, and we come out of sin and, and the dirt and the depth of sin in the world. And we come into His kingdom, he welcomes on Psalm just like the prodigal son, so I gave him the gospel in one big shot there in the Government House. But you know, it is a beautiful thing to remember. I think that's why we get kind of emotional at the thought of all these fellows being down there, one by one coming up coming up. And I'm sure you worried like I did. And I've heard other people say, We worried that the thing would collapse so that the whole thing would go and some of the guys will be left behind that. Wouldn't that be awful, and all that. But you know, that's the drama of redemption. And on the cross, when Jesus Christ hung on the cross, there was drama there that we sometimes don't see, you remember that just before he died on the cross, the Savior said to the disciples, as they were in the garden, he said, the prince of this world is coming. But he doesn't have a foothold on me. He doesn't have any room and me, there was a battle going on that we are basically isn't taught very in detail. And therefore we shouldn't go beyond what is written. But there's enough DG, that on the cross, there was a mighty battle taking place, until the last minute, Satan was trying to get Jesus to get off across I think the last shot he took was through the two thieves who said, if you're the Son of God, what a challenge, I am the Son of God, well, if you're the Son of God, why don't you get off this, and then get us off to him. We'll believe in you what up temptation that Satan put before Jesus Christ, there was a Bible and in Colossians, two at talks, that as he was on the cross, He overcame the forces of darkness, the demons that were against us, you know, and he put them to shame on the cross. But the Bible was, it wasn't just that he was taking away the sins of the world. And that was a big deal. All the sins of the world were laid on him. Behold, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, God, the Father laid on him the sins of us all. So he was carrying that immense load that we can't even imagine. He was a holy God the sun, and on him was laid all the garbage you think every thought you've ever thought, every deed you've ever done and put all the sins of billions of us dirty little humans with our dirty little thoughts and our dirty little miles, oh, my soul, What a thing to have to carry on the cross. But he did it and he redeemed us and we belong to him. Thanks to that, you know, in the New Testament that talks about redemption. The theologians tell us that the Holy Spirit uses three Greek words with one concept to teach what redemption is. The words are agar, outsole, exago, Rasul and Luke draw, and it means to buy in the market or grotto. exagrid also to take out of the market, it's talking about slaves, and then to set him free. And that's what the Lord did. And you know, we must never forget that when we were singing, What can wash away my sin, Nothing but the blood of Jesus, that's redemption. So the Lord Jesus came down, so to speak, and then put us in the capsule and took us out of the dirty mine and the hole in the ground and the sin and took us out. He took us X Agasa out of the market, and then
and set us free. And those guys are now free out of that mind, and we are free and Jesus Christ is that exciting of what? Yeah, we must never forget that never, never, never, you know, who has the greatest danger of forgetting those things are people brought up in a Christian home, go to Christian school, Christian, high school, Christian college and you know, even seminary, you get so used to it. The people I find that are always excited about the message of the cross are people who are not brought up in a Christian home or a Christian church or a Christian school. And they see the contrast in their life when what they used to be to what they suddenly become when Christ comes. And I find that many people can drag their feet about evangelism and reaching out to millions of people, you can usually say, I bet you are brought up in a Christian home. Sure, it all seems so natural. You know, it's been all hot since I was a baby. So it seems all hot. But to an unbeliever is not all hot. It's very new hat, and very exciting at that. So let's never allow ourselves to forget, we are rescued. The second wonderful thing that happens, the moment we will leave and receive is in chapter one and verse 16. What a beautiful verse. I picked it up years ago, when I started reading the Bible for myself, as a teenager, look at what it says, well, let's do 50 When God who set me apart from birth, and call me by His grace, He comes, was pleased to reveal his Son in me, so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, the phrase is to reveal his Son in me to reveal his Son in me. You know, Paul is making a point here, obviously, or rather the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul. And the point is coming back to the introduction, and that is, these fellows, these Galatians in that region of Turkey, they they had received Jesus Christ, Paul himself led them to Christ, when He was sick, apparently with some eye disease or something that theologians think. And here, now they want to be perfect. And instead of perfecting themselves, by understanding the basics, they think that by adding legalism and outward rules and following little, little legalistic, fundamentalists, foolishness, that that's how they were gonna get holy, you know, don't look at a movie, don't put makeup, watch your hair, don't wear pants, don't sing contemporary music, whatever, you know, lay down some rules so that you can be wholly who as Paul says, Forget it, boys and girls, this is ridiculous. You're adding to the gospel. Here's the basics. And here it says to reveal his Son in me, I can speak a little loudly on the subject. Because then I was 25, I was brought up in a Christian home went to Sunday school, not a Christian school, but semi, you know, Episcopal, so it wasn't too bad. And, you know, I got the Creed and I got the I believe God, the Father Almighty.
I had it all memorized, you know. And then at 17 and a half, really got serious with Jesus Christ, bought myself a new Bible, ask them to baptize me by immersion. I had already been sprinkled. And so I took it seriously, but the least 25 I was beginning to think how do you overcome temptation? How do you live with what the flesh dictates? How do you handle the world and all their mocking? And all the stuff that goes on? How do you handle it? So we began to hear and I began to listen to what the preacher said. And basically, when we would go up to a visiting famous or well known Bible teacher in our circles in Argentina, we young guys would take them out to coffee to buy them dessert and ask questions. And usually what they said was, read the Bible. Do you read the Bible? Yes, sir. We read the Bible. Pray you pray. Yes, we do. Pray we pray Allah, witness for Christ. Yes, sir. We pass out literature. We have Sunday school classes, we do street meetings, how much you have to pray and read and evangelize before you get the victory. None of them that we could tell, could tell us, they just said well do more of the same, and it'll happen one of these days. But you know, it just didn't work. And so once I was in a bookstore, I didn't have money to buy a book, but I read a few pages for free. I've already confessed to the bookstore manager years later, I went I said, I'll pay you anything you asked me. But I read many a book for free in your bookstore, you know, just sit there. This is a read fast. I learned speed reading by sneaking out book Christian books on the victorious life. But finally, I never got it. I had to come to the USA and live in the home of a pastor named Ray Stedman and I saw in him what I was looking for, but I didn't know what it was. He was a happy Chappie. He was a real man. He was not a baby or a sissy or, you know, he was a man. He was great that men in church liked him. And there was a freedom about him and a non legalistic about him. He was just a free what it says here, redeemed were free.
But how did he do it, and it took about three more months at Multnomah University is called now. And a man came and spoke and spoke very plainly about Christ lives in me. And then later, I just realized this phrase, what a beautiful phrase to reveal his Son in me to reveal to me, his son and me. That is the secret that Galatians were looking for by adding legalism if you want to put it that way, fundamentalism into their life to try and reach perfection. The key is not that what you add to your faith, what you add to Jesus Christ, what you add to Amazing Grace, no, no, no, he says, it's all there already. Is son lives in you, Jesus Christ lives in you Galatians. You don't have to add anything you have to acknowledge. So what does it say? He says he was pleased to reveal his Son in me. And in fact, in chapter two and verse 20, the famous verse that Mr. Ian Thomas used in chapel when I got it finally at age 25, almost 26. In fact, I may have been 26, not that it makes a difference. But it was important to me, where he says, I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live but it's not I, it's Christ living in me. And you know that dear friends, brothers and sisters, perhaps some of you still are struggling with that idea, the key to living a holy life, to overcoming temptation, not that you become perfect, not the side of heaven, we shall see it if time allows. But rather, it is Christ living in you, He is there from the day you were converted, you may not have known it, you might not have understood it. Or you may have thought like I did, sure he's here he's given me eternal life. And one day, I'll see Him in heaven and so on. But I didn't understand that that's the master key to everything. That's the phrase, the master key, Christ in us is the master key to serve Christ in us as the master key to being Holy Christ in us is the power to overcome temptation. Christ in us is what makes us the kind of people we dream of being. And the Galatians, we're dreaming of perfection, perfection is a goal, but it won't be achieved till we get to heaven. However, the seeker does not lie in adding religion, orders, lines, and so on by some outsider, it's Christ living in us, then I've got to move on. And then we'll be back to 21, we immediately become righteous in the eyes of God. And we must never forget that either. Look at 21, it says, I do not set aside the grace of God. For if righteousness could be gained through the law that is keeping the law, Christ died for nothing. But because Christ died, brothers and sisters, we are declared righteous in the eyes of God. That's something that takes a long time to understand, for many of us, to accept it, and to praise God and say, hallelujah, I am right in God's eyes, in the eyes of God, because of Jesus Christ, he can look at me just as if I had never sinned, except that I have, and I've been forgiven, but I am righteous, we have become the righteousness of God in Christ, so that in the eyes of God, when you get up in the morning, or you go to bed at night, and you think about the stuff that happened during the day that you did that was unplanned, in the eyes of God, you are still righteous, because you have been made righteous, by the life of Christ, the death of Christ, and what he's done in your life. That's something to rejoice about. Some things, you know, we don't understand them. 100%, but you can still thank God for it. And the more you think of the more you get points, and through the years, I found, and I've been at it for a while, you discover little different angles of the old truth, that you praise the Lord, for when you hardly understood at all. The Son of God lives in me. I am righteous in the eyes of God, what an amazing thing, as if I'd never seen I am justified, that's what it is. Then in three, two and three, what happens immediately when you receive Christ? Look at it, you receive the Holy Spirit? Well, let's read one, you foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before your very eyes? Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I'd like to learn just one thing from you. Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law? Or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit? Are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? So this is the core of the argument with a Galatians. They wanted to please God, they were not little hypocrites. They were not religious nuts. They were trying their best. They wanted to please God, but they were doing it the wrong way. And so the Apostle says to them, when did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? Did you receive the Spirit by keeping the law or did you receive the Spirit by believing what you heard? Obviously, it was by believing what we heard about Jesus. We
receive the Holy Spirit the moment we were converted, most of us hardly realized it. How many of you were the day you were converted, knew for sure, unless you were converted in certain circles, that you actually receive the Holy Spirit right then and there. All I knew was Louise, you believed in my son, you confess with your mouth, you are saved, don't worry about a thing. That's all I knew. It took me quite a while to realize, Wow, the Holy Spirit came into my life that night when I was 12 years old, I became a temple of the living God, the Holy Spirit lives in me. It's a gloriously. That's why to call it a glorious messages. Absolutely no exaggeration, it is absolutely glorious. To think that God himself came into your life, the day you were converted, we thought it was just the forgiveness of sins, that's big. But it's more than that. You are a temple of God. And so he says, over here, you will receive the Holy Spirit. You know, sometimes, I find as you get around the world that maybe you have to that simple believers who are not too sophisticated, who haven't taken any courses on philosophy, lucky guys here confuse you like mad. They read the Bible, and they say, That's it. God has forgiven me, I'm a temple of God, I've got the Holy Spirit Hallelujah. And they enjoy their Christian life, more than many of us will think and think and think and read and read and read. And, and we get all confused with 1000 ideas and arguments back and forth. What a blessing to have a simple minded all and really just take the word of God and read it. On this last trip, my wife and I took a little vacation, and I decided to take an untouched by me Bible, no wonder linings, no notes, nothing, just a new Bible, just to read it a fresh, totally fresh, because when I read my Bible with notes on the linings, it always makes you think of when did I write that one down? Oh, I remember was Chuck Swindoll. Or, you know, it was Ray Oh, it was me a glorious comment. But you read a fresh Bible as I'm not gonna read it. Like it's the first time in my life. And I tell you, it was so it still is exciting. I love my Bible on purpose at home, and I thought I'm gonna mess up my messages. I don't have my old Bible to rely on in case of a crisis, you know, so I'm here with a Bible without notes, a very exciting you actually have to trust the Lord is very, very unusual. You know, instead of trusting, you know, to trust the Lord has quite a surprising experience. I recommend it to all of you, especially preachers, but you know, you receive the Holy Spirit. Think of that just already we could write a song, though this more to come chapter four, verses six and seven. What does it say? Well, let's read it so as to be sure, it says, Because you are sons of God, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit, who calls out Abba, Father, so you're no longer a slave, but a son. And since you're a child, I should say, God has made you also an air. So there's two truths here connected first, we are children of God, it says sons, and that's fine, proper translation, but it means of course, children, men and women, sons and daughters, we are children of God. And so we cry out, so normally all Father, Father, Father, Father in heaven.
And for a believer that's like daily stuff, isn't it to me, at least since I was a little boy and my dad died, God has been my father. And it's very clear. In that sense, I'm grateful My father died, because to me, God is everything he is my father, he looks over me, he cares for me, takes care of me, I never doubted he watches over me. As for 75 and a half, almost 76 years. God is my Father, what a what a truth. You know, that's one of the great revelations of the New Covenant, that God is our Father, not just our Creator, but our actual father. And so he says, Because you are children, you've received the Spirit of his Son, the Holy Spirit. That's why it's so natural to cry Father, Father, because the Spirit in us moves us to pray even automatically, many of us at least, it just comes out all the time. So we are to rejoice that happened the moment you believe, even if you didn't get it at first, and I know I didn't, but now I do. And boy, do I love being his child. And then connected with that in verse seven is because your son, God has made you also an heir. You know, one thing about Galatians, just for fun, not that it's that profound, but it's been said by others. Galatians is sort of a short version of the book of Romans. And what we're about to go into now is like Romans seven and eight, but up to now as Romans one through six, so to speak, and our quick version of Romans is is Galatians because he was dealing with some of the same issues but you're doing in Romans, I believe it is. It says we are heirs of God and CO heirs with Jesus Christ. You know, when you think of an inheritance, everything that Jesus has is ours because we
We are children of God, and we are heirs of God in Colossians, two, nine and 10. It says that in Christ, the whole fullness of deity divinity, dwells in bodily form. So when Jesus was alive, on walking around Israel, in him, the whole fullness of divinity was in Christ in human form and bodily form. And you verse 10, says, and you, you, as a woman, you as a man, you have come to fullness of life in him. Everything Christ is and has, you have in Christ. That's what it say. And it's repeated in many places, is one of those profound truths that we don't often touch. But it's very important when you're dreaming of perfection. And I'm sure most of you here dream of being more perfect, more holy, more mature. That's why you're here. That's because you love the Lord and you care for the things of God. You're not just a casual Christian, you're a mighty serious Christian. So brothers and sisters, everything that God has for us, we have in Christ, we don't have to fly to India to see a revival. Go ahead and go and see a revival. But you're not going to get more of Christ by going to India, or because there's a revival in Argentina, people used to say, I'm going to see the revival in Argentina, see if I can pick up a bit of the showers of blessing. Look, you've got everything in Christ, you have it all in Jesus Christ, and you have come to fullness of life in him. Everything you need in Earth is in Christ, and Christ is in you. And you have come. Am I making the point? Yeah, well, you all look sort of serious and think you have coffee already. But you know, it really is an important thing. Christ lives in me, all that I have is in Christ than all of Christ is in me because He indwells me. And then the last thing is 511, though there's more, as you can probably tell, well, 514 freedom that Christ has set us free, stand firm, and do not let yourselves be burdened again, by the yoke of slavery, you see, he's continues to make the point you'll see the Galatians weren't trying to be free. They wanted to be happy. They wanted to be free in Christ, but they weren't happy and they become legalistic. And they felt, what shall we pile on so that we will be good Christians, so that we can be real Christians. And so they were piling on more rules and more regulations that are post biblical, there are biblical rules or regulations, but they're actually minimal when you look at him when we add on human stuff, and that enslaves people. So Paul says, Look, you're free for Pete's sake, and you're going back to the ad law upon law, and manmade rules get off it, he says, you are free, Enjoy your freedom and Jesus Christ. And then he says, of course, don't use your freedom to give room to the flesh. It's not that kind of freedom he's talking about, but you know, he says, Don't go back to the yoke of slavery, and brothers and sisters. Anything that goes beyond scripture begins to enslave you, shuck it, you follow Jesus Christ, and you have everything you need in Christ, who indwells you and everything you will ever need is in Christ, and you need nothing else, but Jesus Christ, and everything that he offers. So those are what we get immediately, when we surrender to Jesus Christ. The second point is the ongoing in the present blessings that are revealed here in Galatians. I just call it ongoing, present blessings, and we'll look at five and then I want to get to the real point that I'm aiming for this morning. And time is eating up on me the first thing, which is the one thing I don't like about the Christian life is persecution. I am utterly chicken. And I've been in situations where I've been threatened with my life by the communists at one point, by a religious group in Latin America, in the earlier years, and the Bible talks about you know, in the world, you will have tribulation, but Cheer up, I have overcome the world. One thing that we ought to be ready for in the Christian life is persecution on him 511. In fact, he says these words, brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, that is the old Mosaic Law, why am I still being persecuted? In that case, the offense of the cross has been abolished. In other words, Paul was being persecuted. He was thrown in jail, his own brothers from Israel, attacked him, mocked them, they threw him in jail, they asked the Romans to get rid of him. He was being persecuted white for the cross of Christ. And you know, one of the ongoing realities that we have to face now in America, praise the Lord right now. Nobody's killing people for their faith. Nobody's being murdered or butcher or thrown in jail generally, for being a believer in Jesus Christ. But all of us know that there is psychological persecution that there is marking and smirking and looking down on you and nobody likes that. I don't like it. I'm a tough guy. I can take it but I don't like it. Nobody likes to be sneered at that's persecution. But many people shout out to that. And it says in chapter six, we don't have to study it right now. But in chapter six, it's
As there are some people who who deny the cross just so as not to be persecuted. And you know, the cross is what elicits the most anger in many religious people and even atheists do crazy stuff about the cross of the blood, you weird people. Yeah, yeah, we get it, but we're ready for it. So persecution is part of the package, get ready for it, and learn to shrug it off in a nice, nice way. You know, when I get to press conference, in some places, they make fun. I got used to it. When I don't get it, I get a little disappointed. I love it. You know, my adrenaline pumps when that when that happens, you know, but if you don't settle it, you might chicken out if I may use an unbiblical phrase that when somebody mocks us,
I'm not sure if I believe that. Oh, go ahead and tell him that you believe in what do you chickening out in front of a guy who's got to take a shower just like you every morning and put his shoes like you and and you're so panicking in His presence. Tremble before God, forget some little weasel, who is one of 7 billion people on the face of the earth. Why worry about what some person says, We know they're gonna mom, they didn't mock Jesus Christ, they killed him for Pete's sake. And if he killed our Savior, of course, they will make fun of us. They don't like it. And they think we're a bunch of fools. We're ready for that. So is that settled, it is second, growing in faith, like Abraham, this one deserves a whole bible study all on its own. But in chapter three, and verses six to 14, we won't read them all. But it actually talks about the faith of Abraham, growing in faith. Now, you know, that, to me is one of the things that myself on our team, we're still working on it, and we keep growing. The Lord teaches you to grow in faith. Faith is something we grow by experience. And when the Lord puts us through the wringer and allows things to come into our life that we can't understand. And there are times when some of you are going through it, because you happen to be my friends. And I know it and we as a team are going through it. You search your heart, I mean, being the so called leader, I sit for hours, sometimes thinking is something I need to deal with, is there some sin that I'm not aware of, is there something that needs to be done, what is going on here, whatever it is, in a sense, doesn't matter. I want to grow in my faith, I want to inspire my team members to believe that God will provide our needs, you know, and I've grown in my faith since I was a kid, my wife was reminding me this morning, when I was about 2122, just beginning to work at a bank, a British bank in Argentina. And there was a strike. And I was the only support of my widow mom, and my five little sisters and my little brother. So when we will strike no payment that unions didn't help you, you are out of cash. And I remember you still had to go to the bank, but nothing was going on. Everything was on strike. And it was about four miles, maybe five miles in four miles. So into town. That's quite a walk. I was lazy. And so I've been reading George Mueller's biography. He was a man of faith who believed God to provide my faith and prayer. And so one day I was out of money to go into the bank. And I thought, this is a chance for God to show me how to get to the bank. And I thought, I'm gonna go to the bus stop, because we didn't have a car or anything. I had a motorbike but didn't have money to put the gas at the stupid motorbike. So I had to go by bus and it cost 25 cents more or less American. So I thought, I'm going to walk to the corner. And somewhere the Lord must have a quarter somewhere. I couldn't think of any other way that the Lord would provide for my trip into town that morning. So I walked very slowly was a little dark. There was a fog. And I walked and walked and got to the corner where the bus would stop. I looked around if somebody had dropped a cord. I thought that's the way the Lord's got to ask. It sounds childish, but it was my first steps of real trusting the Lord for something tangible. I looked at Look, no quarters anyway, so I thought I better walk into town. So it was quite a walk. So I start walking, it was foggy go down, there was a hilly street down the way. And suddenly, I hear a guy getting his car out of the garage, pushing it. And he jumps into the car down the hill thinking it would start you know, putting into gear like in the old days, and the car didn't start so he gets out. I'm watching all this. And I thought I'm gonna be a nice Christian. I'm gonna help this guy push his car. So I said, Why don't you get in? I'll give it a shot. So he did. And he started up the car and he took off in the fog. And I kept walking towards the bank, you know, and suddenly about two blocks beyond the here car idling, and it was the guy says, gee whiz, you have to get the car going. I didn't even ask you where you're going, where are you going? He said, I'm going to the bank of London and he said, Oh, get on. I work across the bar. Come on. So I got my free right Oh, The Lord answered my prayer. You know, it was a little step of faith, a quarter that I thought I'd find on the ground I never found but the Lord had another plan. And he grew my faith and the principle is the same. You trust God and you grow in your faith and one of the great things about the Christian life and the Lord wants us to grow in faith. It's a command
and grow in faith and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So he'll put us through things in life so that we will grow in faith and we mature in so we mustn't, although sometimes we do get impatient, some of us more than others, to say, Lord, I'm not sure exactly what you're doing, but I know you're growing my faith. And therefore though I don't like what we're going through right now, I trust you, I pray to you show me how to learn to trust you more. Some of you guys, I know, we're praying with you for months now, if not years to sell a house here at a house lay on a piece of land here, that piece of land there. But the Lord knows his timing. And he loves us enough to do what he did to Abraham, test them, test them, test them, so that he could be God's man. And Abraham, we still mentioned him, and he lived at least 3000 years ago. So we want to do that, too. So the next point is receiving Abraham's blessings, I'm not going to go into that one. It's a profound one. But it's a blessing that comes when you become a child of God. God insists on calling us that we are descendants of Abraham, and that the blessings that God promised Abraham, come on us. It's a mysterious and a deep thought. That's not for today, it's a whole week study. But nevertheless, it is an intriguing thing, that God wants to bless His people with abundance. It says in Genesis like 14, or something, that Abraham was just absolutely overwhelmed with capitalism with gold and silver. And God used him as an example of the Lord would like to pour out His blessings on us too. So let's be ready to receive his blessings. That's an ongoing thing. And then 415 is when I want to just park on for one second, the apostle is still exhorting the Galatians. So I remember it was a bunch of churches in Turkey, and he says, what has happened to all your joy, a phrase hit me one day. And now sometimes I look around when I'm about surrounded by Christians, and I look at their faces, see what has happened to all your joy. And Sunday's I look at myself and I say to myself, what has happened to all your joy? You know, the joy of the Lord is your strength. The fruit of the Spirit is love. Joy number two, and yet, how many of us have lost the joy? Now the question is very valid. And he says to these fellas, hey, you guys want to be perfect? You want to walk with God? What's happened to your joy? What's happened? He's making them think by becoming legalistic. And piling on rules that are beyond the New Covenant, you're losing your joy, because the joy of the Christian life is the freedom that comes from the Holy Spirit whose fruit is love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, patience, self control. So the joy they lost the joy, have you lost the joy that I asked you that? At this moment? I could say no, I'm very happy. I'm here with you. I'm preaching the word I couldn't be happier. But have you lost the joy? If you lost the joy, spend a little time with the Lord and say, Lord, why have I lost the joy? Is it that I'm looking to the wrong things for my spiritual life? Is it that I'm mistrusting you is it and unconfessed sin, whatever it is, you should be a joyful Christian, it doesn't mean that melancholic people are going to be exuberant, like cheerleaders. No, but that's the human side, I'm talking about spiritual joy. You know, the difference between happiness and joy is that happiness has to do with what's happening around us. If what's happening is to our liking. We're happy, if what's happening isn't to our liking that we're unhappy, but joy is anchored to the rock. And so we are joyful, and Jesus Christ, even if we're not happy with the circumstances around us, and it's good to remember that. So what's happened to all your joy? He says to them, Joy is one of the great privileges of an ongoing Christian life, even in the midst of troubles. And then for 19, what does he say over here and for 19? My dear children, for whom I'm again, in the pains of childbirth, until Christ is formed in you. Now that is the climax of his indictment on the poor Galatians. He says Galatians I love you guys. I went to evangelize you. I brought you the gospel. I brought you the good news. You love me so much. You were willing to pull out your eyes for me. So obviously, that's what a theologians figure. It was an eye disease that was bugging Paul. And he says, And now what's happened to your joy? He says, I'm going through childbirth pains again. You know, evangelism seems like a big happy go lucky party. And it is in some ways, but I can tell you as an evangelist, I sit on the platform and I prepare for the idealistic message. Not quite like a woman having a baby. I don't know what that's like, but it's painful. Evangelism isn't a joke. Evangelists tend to be people not mean a Sunday, but evangelists tend to be happy types, you know, sort of singers, musicians, outgoing, you know, and so on. But inside, you're going through the pains of child
birth is a battle, you'll never find more opposition from satan than when you're trying to evangelize even from your old buddies. Because same old thing, man, people come up to me and says, you know, I've heard you for 50 years, when you see the same thing all the time, I say thank you very much. So that's a compliment that I haven't changed a thing in 50 years. That was my goal from the beginning. I'm going to stick with the Gospel of John. So go ahead and point the finger at me, you honor me by telling me I haven't said a new thing in 50 years, because the gospel never changes. But it is a battle. I can tell you. It's a battle against the flesh against the devil, who is number one doesn't want you to pull out one from his kingdom. And it's a battle against fleshly, carnal Christians who instead of rejoicing, it's like, well, thank God, there's somebody preaching the gospel, they criticize this or that, or the music or your hair or something, you know. So the Holy Spirit says, I am in pain, he says to them for you guys. It's like being born again. You guys have given up grace, you've given up the goodness of God, you want to come to perfection by doing stuff. So the Apollo reaches a climax. And now here comes the fire. Poof, you know, I am slow. And not only do I repeat the same old thing, but I do it many times over. But here we go. begin with verse five of chapter five. It says these words, and five, five, here we go. This is the response, our response to such rich blessings. He's made the point with the Galatians. He slammed them lovingly, he told him this is foolish. This is ridiculous word. Where are you coming from? Where's your joy? I'm, I'm going through childbirth pains for you guys again, and he says this is the way you should have done it. Here we go. Verse five. He says, By faith, we eagerly await through the Spirit, the righteousness for which we hope. Now, he's talking here, I was pleasantly surprised to realize for the first time I'll admit that he's talking about the Second Coming. In Galatians. He basically doesn't talk about the second coming, because it all has to do with their life on Earth. But he does say here, you want to be perfect. You want to be righteous to perfection. That's a good dream. Galatians it's a goal that we go for, but by the Spirit. We are wait for that righteousness for which we hope they were dreaming of being perfect on Earth, which is unattainable, though that is still the goal to be perfect, more perfect, more holy, more pure, more, more godly, more anointed by the Holy Spirit. But he says By faith through the Spirit, the whole picture here is the Holy Spirit. So if you're longing for joy, if you're longing for spiritual perfection, for spiritual growth, for more maturity in your life for more fruitfulness, it's the Holy Spirit when dwells you who is the key and the first thing here is we eagerly await through the Holy Spirit, that righteousness, what it means is we are righteous, but we shall be perfect and righteousness. When we see Jesus Christ first John chapter three, where he says, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is, at last, when we see Jesus face to face at the resurrection, or when he takes us home. When we see him next, we shall be like him at last. All sin has gone all failure, old guilt, all trying, all effort is gone. Number two, verse 516. So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh or the sinful nature, live by the Spirit. What's he talking about? That day by day, as we live out our Christian life, we depend not on our wisdom, not on our knowledge, not on our background, nor on our pedigree, not on our people surrounding us, not on our past experiences. Today, as a believer, many years in the kingdom, I trust and live in the Holy Spirit. I was just reading an email from the Vietnamese brothers, their excitement about seeing their country, re evangelist or evangelized. For the first time truly, truly, their faith, their excitement, their effort, a unity. Some people are sacrificing unbelievably, in Vietnam, Vietnamese believers. We were there for a pastoral conference, all sorts of interesting things happen. But when you read this, I thought incidentally, of this passage, where it says live by the Spirit, these Vietnamese Christians who have gone through persecution, one fellow who got the team into Vietnam and everything else successful businessman in the States, Vietnamese, his grandpa and grandma were killed by the communists in the early years, literally butchered with machetes, chopped up to pieces, both his grandpa and his grandma who are pastors, his dad and mom were clergy. They were persecuted severely during the worst years of the communist control in Vietnam. And now they're with the Lord and this fellow the son and grandson of these folks. What a guy What joy what a vision he's giving ever
One thing he makes to get Vietnam to turn to Jesus Christ, and they are dreaming that 10% of Vietnam will be truly born again, Christian by 10 years from now, there's 93 million people as the 13th largest country of the world, Vietnam, 93 million people, and they are going for it sacrificing wise people in the State Department they've never seen in, in the American State Department. Why is the clergy than the Vietnamese clergy, they walk with the Lord, as it says here, they live by the Spirit, and they give by the Spirit and they sacrifice the stories that come out of what these Vietnamese Christians are doing. So we were honored to participate with him. And I invite you to pray, because it's something else, especially for those of us who are alive during the Vietnam War. And remember, all the stuff that went on, to go there and proclaim Jesus Christ seems like a dream. And it's a beautiful thing to see. Number three 517. It says, the sinful nature desires, what is contrary to the Spirit, and the spirit is contrary to the sinful nature, the Holy Spirit again, you have a battle in your soul, I have it in mind. You might think, Gosh, when you get old like you, doesn't the war stop? I'm afraid not. The war goes on till the end. That's what the scripture shows us. Only when we see Jesus at the resurrection, or when he takes us home before the Day of Resurrection, will we finally be through with his battle. But it says here that the spirit is contrary to the flesh, the King James says, and both are right, but the flesh, the sinful nature, and the sinful nature against us. That's the war that you experience in your heart day after day. And it doesn't stop it goes on. But we can have victory in that war by the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit is contrary to our very own sinful nature, our very own temptations and attractions to things that are wrong. And by the Holy Spirit, we can win the Bible. And then number four, we are led by the Spirit 518. How does it say? It says exactly that, if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. You see how it gives making the point of the poor Galatians who keep thinking we must do something, we must do something, and something is legal, some legalistic thing, we got to add some rules and regulations. Otherwise, you know, the whole church is gonna blow apart. Paul says, no, no, no, the Holy Spirit of Paul says, you are led by the Spirit. See, he says, not legalistic rules. You can be yourself in the Holy Spirit, speak words that come from your heart, because you are filled with the Holy Spirit, and with the Word of God, just speak what the Lord lays in your heart, be a blessing to another person, you know, we need each other how many people last night chatting with a few of you were saying you called up on a day when I absolutely needed you. And you gave me just the right passage that I needed that day, we can speak to each other freely. And when you feel led by the Spirit, go ahead and say it, you know, if it's a word of encouragement, the promise from the Word of God and encouragement to another brother, even if you don't know whether they need it or not, is the Holy Spirit says Pick up the phone and call them do it. And when you don't do it, you always live to regret it. And if the Lord says Drop him a note and tell them this and that do it, you know, be led by the Holy Spirit that takes learning and you will make mistakes. But it's worth it all. The idea of being a blessing to other people by saying what the Lord lays on your heart. And then in 522, the famous passage, of course, the fruit of the Spirit, you see, the whole emphasis Paul is giving him is this dear Galatians I know what you're aiming for. You want to be perfect, you want to be godly, you want to be holy, you want to be fruitful, this is good, but you're going about it the wrong way. It's the inner Holy Spirit dwelling in you that does it. So be filled with a spirit, and then let the fruit of the Spirit grow. And of course, you've all meditated many times on what the fruit of the Spirit is. But in the battle in the battle, those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. In other words, we have to come to a point in our life and we all have and sometimes you have to repeat it later in life when you forget or when you slip backwards to crucify the flesh. Leon Morris, a great commentator on Romans, talking about chapter seven when it says that we have to modify the flesh, it means put it to death. He says, you either kill sin, or sin will kill you. That means we need to radically deal with the issue of sin in our life. But then 525 He says, keep in step with a spirit that you notice 29 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with a spirit. We keep in step with him, not he keeping step with us. So we need to find out what does the spirit want? How do we know what he wants? It's in the book. That's what we know. And then the Holy Spirit speaks to us and in circumstances of life, we apply biblical principles.
to real circumstances, and that's how we keep in step with the Spirit. He doesn't keep step with us, we keep step with him. And we know what he wants to do. It's in writing. And then we know how he applies it to circumstances. If you know biblical principles, you're going to be safe if you follow the impulses of the Holy Spirit. And then number seven, and last, is inverse 6868. The one who sews to please the spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life sowing to please the spirit. So there you got seven principles right out of this little passage. And Paul is really digging deep here. And we've done it awfully quick and unfairly. So for me and for your sakes, but it's something to meditate on that the Christian life, you go for what the Lord wants you to do, not by adding manly rules and regulations, not by forgetting what Scripture says, but by actually taking seriously the presence of the Holy Spirit. And this is the good news that we proclaim to the world. What a privilege to speak such a glorious message, isn't it? I mean, when you think of just what we meditated this morning, that's what the gospel is. That's the message. No wonder we Christians get excited about proclaiming the good news. And calling people to Jesus Christ. There's nothing like it in the whole world is the life. It's the only life is life the way God intended it to be. And if it wasn't for sin, and the sin nature, everybody could be living this life and what a life it is. It's a glorious life. I remember the chairman of our festival in Houston, when the last press conference, he said, The words almost identical to this. I can't remember the exact but he says, quote, most impressed me about the Christian life, as I've been part of this festival is the high quality of life that Jesus Christ offers. And I thought he's right, he's right. The quality of life that Jesus Christ offers is bar none in the whole world. And yet, sometimes we bemoan it. Anyway, let's bow our heads in prayer. Oh, God, our Father, thank You for Your Word, a what it tells us, thank you, Holy Spirit that you didn't dwell us that you do try to speak to us. And sometimes we don't listen, and sometimes we gratefully do. Thank you, Lord, for guiding for directing, for giving us power to overcome temptation. And we thank you that UN dwellers through Jesus our Lord, amen.
Hi, this is Wendy Palau. As someone who got to spend precious time with Luis or papa as I called him, I can tell you that his heart for evangelism was contagious. I hope hearing his voice and message today stirred that same passion in you, Louise love to remind us that evangelism isn't about waiting for a special calling. It's a call for all of us today. That call went out 2,000 years ago, when Jesus said, Go into all the world and preach the good news to everyone. And we take that literally, and we're on a mission to share the gospel with every person on the planet. Will you join us? Will you pray for us? You can visit luispalau.org to help spread the hope of Jesus further and faster than ever before. Thank you for listening today and God bless you.
