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Galatians chapter 5 and verse 8.
This persuasion cometh nod of him that calleth you a little leaven 11 of the whole lung. I have confidence in you through the Lord, that you will be none otherwise minded. But he had trouble with you shall bear his judgment for revealed. And I'd rather if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution?
Then is the offense of the cross sees I would there even cut off which trouble you.
For brethren, you have been called unto liberty only use not liberty, for no kids you do the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the laws fulfilled in one word, even in this thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
What if he buoyed and evolved or one another? Take heed that you may not consume one another. This I say then walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh, for the flesh, the lusted against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh. And these are contrary, the one to the other, so that you cannot do the things that you would.
What if you be LED of the Spirit?
You're not under the law now. The works of the flesh are manifest. Which are these? Which all trees? Fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft.
Variance emulation.
Wrath, stripes, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, troubling, and such life, of which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past that they would do such things, shall not inherit the Kingdom of God, but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy.
Peace, long-suffering.
Gentleman, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, against such there is no law, and they there are Christ have crucified the flesh with the affections and loss. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain Lord provoking one another.
Envying one another.
DC Willis and his book on this.
Group of Dilation speaks out of this book as beautiful Break.
All right into the young man to be strong in the gracious right peace.
They don't ever find that we're totally strong in the law because the law doesn't work. There's nothing wrong with the law. What's wrong with that?
Well, so the.
First year faith worketh by love in the end of verse 6 and.
And the end of verse 13 it says by love serve one another.
What you say is so important, and I had it on my heart this morning because it's grace that teaches us in Titus to live soberly to denying ungodly lusts. We should live soberly, righteously godly in this present age when you see a believer who has that those characteristics in their life, that godly, that practical godliness.
There's a Christian who's not putting himself under the law.
But one who really understands the grace of God because it's grace that teaches us those things in Titus chapter 2. And this is very important to get ahold of in our souls. Brethren, grace does not give us liberty to live as we please. We do read of those who were rebuked for turning the grace of God into lasciviousness or taking license from the fact that God is gracious, but they really didn't understand what grace was.
And so we were singing that hymn that it was grace that taught our feet to tread the narrow way. And I suppose that's why Peter in his epistle could exhort the Saints to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It's a deeper appreciation and understanding of grace that we need. And it's interesting, the contrast in the two, or not the contrast, perhaps, but the development in the two verses that were before us in John's Gospel.
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This morning, because there we read, first of all, you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free. But there's a further development when it comes to the sun. A few verses later on he says, if you know this, you shall know this. If you know the sun, you shall be free. Indeed. That's a development because it is possible to know the truth and to hold the truth, if I could put it this way, to be clear as ice and just as cold.
And we may be able to enumerate the truth, We may be able to put forth doctrinal accuracies, and that's good. We need to have the truth clear before our souls. And we're thankful for those who can set the truth before us in the assembly clearly and concisely in a way that we can understand and grasp it.
But if that's all it is, brethren, that's not enough. But why is does he develop it further with the Son, and say He shall be free indeed? Because, brethren, we can't know the Son and not have the heart engaged. We might know the truth and not necessarily have the heart engaged. But if the truth brings before us the sun, and if Christ is ministered to our hearts, and he is real and precious to us, that's true liberty, brother, because if our hearts go out to this one, then our.
Going to follow in the path of faith, not because we feel constrained by some outward moral conformity, but because our hearts go out to him. And Brother Chuck mentioned that word legality this morning, which I think sometimes we toss around and perhaps sometimes use it out of context. Let me suggest that legality is really outward moral conformity without the heart engaged. And rather than that, that's going to lead us to problems.
Difficulties. But if the heart is really engaged, then those things on the outside will take will take shape without being being legal. It's not that what is on the outside doesn't matter because sometimes people say, well, the Lord knows what's in my heart. Well, that's true, but that's only part of it. But out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh what I say and what I do on the outside.
Ought to come from a heart that's responsive to himself. Oh, I just say, let's get a deeper sense of grace in our souls. It will teach us to deny ungodly lusts and to live soberly, righteously, and godly.
In this present age, Anika, brother down in Bolivia, brother beloved.
Said in a meeting like this one day said.
Brethren, there are two ways of being together.
One is to be frozen together and the others be melted together.
You can understand the statement like that. The Lt. might work a little while, but we don't like to be frozen up.
The warmth of love, how wonderful it is.
Well, we read here that we are to walk.
In the Spirit.
Whether word for our.
Conscience and for our hearts to realize that.
We're in this world and we're traveling.
Every day.
In the record of every day and every moment is being kept.
And God has brought for us here in this chapter.
At least twice, if not three times.
If we're to walk in the spirit.
Well, we know that the love of God is spread in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
And when it comes to worship?
And that is to be in the spirit.
So in the departure of the Lord Jesus.
As he talked to his disciples.
The Latin, which would be so important.
And the Lord went away from this world, of course, by the cross.
What? As he spoke to them, he talked to them about this comforter.
A person. We realized that.
The Spirit of God is a person in the Godhead, equal with the Father and with the Son. We realize that this person is dwelling in our bodies. You.
Control our life. He would bring us into the knowledge of the truth that sets us free. He would occupy our hearts.
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With the beloved Son of God.
Now the sacrifice he made, the glory that belongs to him.
And this blessed One, who is to be the king.
I believe it's five times.
In the 24th Psalm.
Look it up five times. He is the king of glory.
The King of Glory.
This is the person.
That we're concerned.
As to how important he is in our lives?
And no man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost.
Now they come to know who is Lord in my life?
There's power in my life.
Directs me in every step.
And that is, I am to walk into spirit.
Will not fulfill the loss of the flesh only by walking in the Spirit.
Will I rise above that flesh which would control me is walking in the Spirit.
When we start verse 16, that seems to be where we are already, but verse 16 it begins practical sanctification. And you know there is absolute sanctification. Thank God when we're saved, we've been set apart from this world for God forever. That's absolute sanctification. And that's the first part we had in this chapter, but now we're starting.
Practical sanctification.
You know, sanctification is merely to be set apart by God for himself as a fight of Christ and every one of us are sanctified. What does it mean? Well, that's what the Saint did, a set apart one for all the Saints we find in the well, I couldn't say the paper but that's why I read it. They make us say after 2-3 hundred years and many things they got to do the attitude and miracles.
But I was a straight pop million. I was faith and you're all states just means we're set apart, sanctified for God for his glory, given us as part of the bride to his Son. That's what Romans 17, I mean John 17th part part the Lord merely given thanks to his Father for us.
It humbles us to think that's the theme of the prayer of our Lord.
But what I want to bring out we're starting practical sanctification walk in the spirit will fulfill the lust of the flesh. The next verse tells us that there's a warfare going on and if you're saying that you're in dwelt with the Spirit of God, there's a warfare going on.
The flesh lusts us against the Spirit, the spirit against the flesh, and that's going on all the time, every minute of your life it's going on perhaps even when you're sleeping and dreaming, but that's going on. Satan can encourage the lust of the flame. He can encourage and direct the flesh. And it's only the Spirit of God in you that can help. But you know, you got to recognize we have this warfare as.
Thieves and Six tells us.
It's a, it's a warfare with heavenly places. It's not down here. It's spiritual wickedness in a heavenly places. Now, if you look at Jeremiah on this, it's very important. Jeremiah, I think 42 or three Jeremiah, I'm Jeremiah. Jeremiah.
40, Probably 242.
You know they wanted to know from God.
To Jeremiah, where they should be and what they should do. Isn't that the most important thing for us? Where is the Lord's table? Where will the Lord be and each of them? And what should we do as servants of Him? Well, when they told him, the Lord told him. When I would find that verse 10 of 42 applied in this place.
Abide right where you are, in Judea, Jerusalem.
The place that God has chosen, the place His name there and and all the blessings that will come. What did they say in 4214? I won't read it all. We're going to go to Egypt. What's Egypt? It's this world. It's this world of sin and all the wickedness in it. That's Egypt. We're going to go there. Why? We'll see no one.
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We'll see no war, and I'll tell you, it's really soft.
If you want to leave where the Lord would have you be, you will have less warfare. That's true. You'll see no more war because there's nothing there to fight about. You blend in with them. In Christendom, there's no warfare. Everybody agrees to the same thing, whatever you like to. There's no warfare. The warfare is when you're gathered right here, it's the greatest warfare there is with your.
Papers and relatives, we don't fight them, but there's that warfare always because of what we stand for and how we talk next. And so it says here in our chapter.
Let's see, the flesh losses against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh, and these things are contrary one to the other. So you cannot do the things that you would, you know, if we let the flesh have.
Any response in us, we're not going to be able to do what that new nature, the inner man, wants to do. We can't. Satan takes over even on your mind, if you start reasoning your own thoughts instead of the word of God. Satan loves to take over. He makes the mind a plaything. There's a warfare to stay in that. I think this is the important part of walking.
You know, we have to face that. That there is.
Always an opposition to the spirit, always an opposition to the spirit. That's the devil, and he's clever and he can bring in any kind of temptations to get you to leave the path that you should be on.
Like people to know that we have a guide in this world that we live in very sure guide the Holy Spirit of God, one of the persons of the Godhead that dwells in us. This is a reality. I don't know if we could just get a hold of it in a more real way and he's there to guide us. We live in a world that.
Teaches us to be controlled by our desires, especially in our country.
Our culture is is geared that way, advertising appeals to the desires, our own desires, and maybe not necessarily bad desires, but if we're going to be guided by our desires, brethren, that is not what we have here. It's being guided by the Spirit of God and he specifically with us with that in view. And I'd like to read that verse in John 16.
Brother John Curry mentioned, but it's so clear there in the 13th verse of John 16, albeit when he the spirit of truth is come.
He will guide you into all truth. Isn't that wonderful? He will guide you and we need to train ourselves young people.
And us who are older as well, to be guided by the Spirit of God to walk in the Spirit. It's exercising ourselves to walk in the Spirit. When I act, am I doing this because of some desire of my own, or is it the Spirit of God that is guiding me in this?
And something that is a check for us all.
Is that the Spirit of God will always guide according to the word of God. If you think, you say you feel. Some nice people go so much on their feelings. I feel this is the Lord's mind for me.
But sometimes you can show a verse that distinctly contradicts that and people will say, well, I just feel this is the Lord's will for me. Don't go by your feelings. Go by the Word of God. It will never let you down and the Spirit of God will never guide you contrary to the word of God.
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It's so wonderful to realize it in a world that is so contrary. We have a sure guide to get through this place, but word for that we would have real trouble. But we have a sure guide. Another verse I'd like to leave for the young people because it's been such a blessing and my own soul is Psalms 32.
The Lord can guide you in every aspect of life.
As to a job, as to who you're going to marry, the Lord is there for us, and His Spirit dwells in US to guide us.
According to True.
Psalm 32 and verse 8. I will instruct thee, and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go. I will guide thee with mine eye. Be not as the horse or the mule, which have no understanding, whose mouth must be held in with bitten bridle, lest they come near unto thee.
Of times were guided by the Benton Brighton bride. Thank God in his mercy.
He doesn't let us go the way we might think to go. He puts the bed in and He guides us. That's guidance without understanding. But God wants to guide us with understanding, and that's what it means to be guided by the Spirit of God. He guides us in the light of Scripture with understanding. And that's what is true Christian liberty to be.
By the Spirit of God in our lives, but it's something we need to be exercised about forever.
Something that will just fall into place without any exercise on our part. It's walking. I'm going to walk down the road. I've got to exercise myself, and walking in the spirit means that I have to be exercised about things. This is a practical exhortation.
Robin that also what the meaning of Ephesians 433 years and a ring.
Unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. No brother used to say this verse means.
Is shown out by a child.
Walking according to the truth of God as guided by the Spirit of God. And there are two exhortations that are so concise.
For us on that.
And they are, you might say, negative. Grieve not the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, or by your seal. And the other is quench not the Spirit. What grieves the Spirit is the allowance of the flesh.
We're not to do that. We're not to grieve that spirit, and quenching the spirit is hindering his action in myself or in another.
Spirit to teach us and guide us.
Well, we certainly should keep, you should endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Another exhortation of Ephesians is.
Be filled with the Spirit. That's a responsibility that comes home to our own souls. Be filled with the spirit sometimes. Say, if you have a glass half full of dirt, how are you going to fill that glass with water?
You've got to do some emptying before you can fill it with water.
And sometimes, brethren, there's things in our lives that hinders the Spirit from filliness.
It's our responsibility, that exhortation. Well, it's not just individual, but I know this subject in our chapter is individual, but it's collective. The Spirit of God teaches and guides collectively, and I think that's so important. If you go back to John's Gospel 14 and verse 26.
John 1426, where we have been quoted in John it was individual, but I believe here.
It's so important, but the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things. Now that can be individual, but let's remember he's the teacher of the Church collectively, the assembly. And that's where we really learn truth. Individually we learn truth, but you never learn truth like you do go into the.
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Meeting or the assembly meeting, that's where you learn truth that's needed for you in that assembly individually. Thank God it's true, but you're missing a lot if you don't go to the assembly meetings. That's where the Spirit of God has liberty to really teach. The church never teaches, but out in Christendom all the churches so-called are teaching. But of course we know.
The Spirit of God is the teacher now and he teaches in the assembly, and I think that's precious. Each one of us can enjoy that truth that comes out in our assembly. You can't do it can enjoy it if you're not there. I've always said there's something for everybody in every reading meeting, and if they don't come, they just don't get what's for them, that's all.
That's sad, isn't it? But there's something, and if you really pay attention, you're going to find what it is for yourself may be different than for others, but there's something for you at every reading meeting. What we have here in Galatians is an error so serious that it takes one off of the ground of Christianity altogether. Amen. And that's the principle of law.
The circumcision, all all that Paul had to do.
To escape his persecution and the opposition of the established community of Judaism was to circumcise the Gentiles. That's all he had to do. Verse 2 Behold, I Paul's hand to you, if he be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. You you've abandoned Christian ground for Jewish ground. That's what you've done.
When you're circumcised, I testify again to every man that is circumcised.
He's a debtor to do the whole law. He's taken himself off of Christian ground, which is grace, put himself under law. He may not realize that. And then he goes on and in verse 11. And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution then? Is the offense of the cross ceased? The Jews thought themselves superior to the Gentiles because they had the law.
They had the promises, they were the circumcised, the Gentiles, the unclean dogs were uncircumcised. They were trying to elevate the Gentiles in in the church up to their level. Their thought was absolutely wrong because there aren't 2 levels in the church where all members one of another and there is none that is superior to the other. Whether you're a Jew or a Gentile makes no.
We're all rotten to the core. That's how we began. And then he saves us and gives us a new life in Christ. And all those distinctions that existed in the Old Testament are obliterated by the cross. He's taken it out of the way, and now we stand in an altogether new relationship to God, and that's in grace.
And by virtue of the finished work of Christ and circumcision is something if I submit to that on the Gentile and I submit to that.
Then I'm on a higher level, a higher level of Christianity. Now we can promote that kind of thing amongst ourselves, not insisting on circumcision, but but we can have an idea that this group amongst us is is a more spiritual group than another. And we can promote that kind of thing that is absolutely unscriptural.
And it administers to the flesh.
If we're circumcised, he says in the 6th chapter verse 12, as many as desire to make a fair show in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. Paul refused circumcision for Gentiles because that would that would deny the ground upon which they stand before God.
Which is great, he says.
And she working if I can find the verse.
I.
Verse Verse 12 of chapter 4. Brethren, I beseech only back up a minute.
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Of verse 9, but now after that she have known God, he's talking to the Gentiles, or rather are known of God. How turn me again to the weekend beggarly elements where until you again desire to be in *******. They were in ******* to a system of their religion. They had a religious system worshipping false gods. They were never worshipping the true God as the Jew was.
They were never under the Law of Moses, but they had their laws, their regulations, what they could do, what they couldn't do, how to offer their sacrifices to the gods they worshipped, and all that they were in bonding. Now the Jew wants to put them in principle under the same kind of religious ******* by putting them under law. Same kind of thing. In principle. Of course, it's not the same thing because the one was the worship of the true God, Judaism, and the other was the worship of false gods, but in principle.
Me doing something after a ritualistic fashion to gain favor with the deity that I'm worshiping. That's Judea. That's the principle of law, he said. He says verse 10. You observe days and months and times and years. I'm afraid of you. Now Christendom has got that today. They have days and months, times and years. They've got Christmas, they've got Easter. The Roman church has a lot more than that. They've got 7 official holidays through.
Year, all of which is supposed to make those that submit to those things that are Christians give them a higher standing before God. That's a total falsification of the truth of Christian position, which is solid grace, pure grace, and it's God bringing us into favor based upon the finished work of Christ. Not based upon anything that I could do. I always used to wonder in Leviticus 13 and 14 where you have the the leper.
There was one case of the leper.
He was totally covered with leprosy. He considers many cases where a sore brings out, comes out in an arm or in the forehead or someplace in the body, and they have to look at it and see how deep it is and whether it grows or so on. But there's the one case where the whole man is full of leprosy and it says he's clean. Now what is that a type of?
That's the type of a man who couldn't say, couldn't roll his sleeve back and say there is some good flesh. I'm not completely covered. I'm not completely bad. I've got some good in me. There's a piece of good flesh. But the man that was completely covered with leprosy had to see himself as vile, as totally leprous. Then he was clean. That's a picture of one who has judged himself before God.
As being totally sinful and when we come to that, that's the denial of self. It's not not self denial, not putting off this or that thing to make me better in the flesh, but it's the denial of self denial of all that we are in the flesh. We're no longer in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be the Spirit of God dwells in US.
Circumcision is something that we could do, that we might glory in the flesh.
And if there's anything that we can glory of Indiana the flesh, we're off Christian ground.
And totally. And that's what we've got to get a hold of. They just wanted Paul, just Paul, we're asking is that you circumcise the Gentiles, that's all. And Paul says if you do that, you're you, you, you have, you're guilty of the whole law. You have to keep it all. If you offended one point, you're condemned by it. You're off the ground of grace and you're on the ground of law. It's the principle of law that is deadly. It's not the law.
The law is holy and just and good, but it's the principle of law.
And we're not under law, we're under grace. And to get a hold of that, Mister Harvey says the hardest thing for us to get ahold of is grace. Grace.
Even those seven beasts, they call them sanctifying graces. And so our eighth verse.
They mix it up. And so on our eighth verse, it says that this persuasion of the plausibility of this cometh not from him that calleth you. And so there's a certain plausibility to that. And so you say you belong to a certain organization and every organization has rules connected with it. And if you keep those rules, you're in good standing. And there are exterior things. Circumcision was an exterior thing. You could see if somebody was circumcised or not.
And so there's a certain sense in which we can follow along even in the current rate of those gathered to the Lord's name. And we don't do certain things, and we do certain things and we're in good standing with the brethren. But that's not what grace is, is grace is living to please the Lord, and that's what he's bringing out down here. It's characterized by submission and obedience to the Word of God. And it soon becomes manifest because a person may go on along a very long time.
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Avoiding gross outward things and there's a great plausibility to this argument that we were just have certain rules that you follow and if you follow them, you're in good standing. But that's a completely different thing than grace because we've been brought now we've been given a new nature, a power of that nature and the word of God to guide us. And so then things come up and they manifest itself that am I really walking in submission and obedience to God? Am I really walking.
Communion with the Lord. It's a pathway that it's impossible for the flesh to to walk in. In Judaism, there were a great number of rituals, and if a person followed those rituals, they were in good standing, but they could follow them without having an ounce of life. But in Christianity, it's a pathway that's that's marked out by the Spirit of God, and it's in a pathway that's impossible for the flesh to walk in.
Compared to Judaism, really, the outward rules of the Brethren are pretty simple.
But it's apparently that's impossible for the flesh to walk in because it's LED of the Spirit of God, and God will manifest whether we're walking according to the Spirit of God or whether we're just walking in order to please men. What do you mean by the rules of the brethren? Well.
If I may say that people, if you ask your neighbor and you said, well, Clem Buchanan, he doesn't do this and he doesn't do that and he doesn't do the other thing.
And he can and, and they may look at it in terms of simply exterior things, but you know, I, it came home to my own soul at, at teachers college. They tried to clarify situations and they brought people up to explain why. I've told this before, but it really struck me. They brought people up to 10 people, They called them out of a class of 350. I wasn't there. The professor described it to describe why they did what they did. And there was a moral.
Question and two took a very moral stand, and the first one, he said. I don't do that because I'm in the Salvation Army and it's forbidden by my marching orders.
There was a girl there and the professor said, you know, we need to respect people's religions and the tenets of their religions. And then this girl, she didn't lift her head. She just said, she said, I belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. To do such a thing now you've got the standard would dishonor the Lord. Now you got the standard, you got Christ. That's the standard. Well, we don't talk about rules among us.
Never. It's the word of God and it's a commandment sometimes.
And if you love the Lord Jesus Christ and his word, it isn't a rule to do it or to follow it, that we don't ever want to get it under that thought when they left from Toledo, the last thing they said. And I don't mind telling you, write your rules on the board and we'll do them.
But we have none. I couldn't write 1. I said I can't put the whole Bible up there. And so when they went together as a group to open brethren, they individually had to sign 21 rules.
God is not mocked, be not deceived, but we have no rules. This is hard work. And you know when he gives us a request this do in remembrance of me. If you love him, it becomes a commandment.
He didn't make it that way. We do. It's not a law.
Take a team of horses to keep a believer who loves him from that table. That's not a law. Isn't it wonderful, the patience of God to teach us that the flesh probably nothing?
He says in the 6th of Genesis the end of all flesh is come before me and God is still testing. He's got one more 1000 years to test back to proof that the flesh thought there's nothing. It is the spirit that quickeneth the flesh prompt with nothing. The first brain that God put forth in the Bible I believe.
In Exodus 17 and briefly it says.
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That God would have war with Amalek from generation to generation, that is. And I say the young people, sometimes the only people, you young people is you're just like your parents.
And Adam be going to send in his own likeness and image, and every person that's been born in this world has been born with that sinful nature.
Born in sin, says David. And we have to learn that. And the only way that God has is to put us on the standard of a new man. And that's the liberty that we're talking about, the liberty of grace, that perfect law of liberty to let that new nature of innocent. But we got to watch out for the old one because he's still there.
The.
Of the Spirit, just the opposite. The Spirit always brings fruit for the Lord and for God, but flesh is always worth not fruit ever.
So there we have it laid out nicely. Like to point out something that has been a help to me too in verse 17.
Reading it as you see it in Mr. Garveys translation, the the flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh. These things, these are contrary, the one to the other. And he puts it so that he should not do the things that he would. It's not that he cannot do it.
Yes, we can do it if we're led by the Spirit, but it is that there are contrary principles, and if you give place to the flesh, you will not.
Allow the Spirit. If you allow the Spirit place, you do not allow the flesh. There are two contrary principles, and I think all of us have felt the battle that goes on so often in our human breast because of these two principles.
The flesh and the spirit. Remember in South America, one of the Indian brothers said English to brother Eric Smith one time. There's two dogs in my breast and they're always fighting. One is white and one is black. I think brother Smith asked him who's winning the battle. And the Indian says the one I feed the most.
But if you turn to Romans 7, you'll see the.
Full blown example of this. It's one who's quickened, has life, but is not living in the spirit. He hasn't saved yet. Even there's a difference between being quickened or having life and 9 being saved. But verse 18 For I know that in me that is in my place dwelleth no good thing. Well, that's one who's quickened. He couldn't know that without the Spirit having quickened him.
For the will is present with me. But how to perform that which is good, I find not. For the good that I would do, for the good that I would, I do not, but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more that I do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
He's not saved yet. I find that a law that which I would do good.
Evil is present with me, for I delight in the law of God after the inward man. No one could delight after this precious Word unless the Spirit of God has saved him and brought him into this blessing. But he's not there yet. He's still letting the flesh rule in his life, yet he's quickened. He wants to please God.
You can't do it when you let the flesh have his way. That's the full, I think the full example of this.
Seems to me that Peter gives us a standard and an example.
Power. How to do this in first Peter?
4 verses 1 and 2.
First, Peter.
4 verses 1 and 2 for as much then as praise.
Has suffered for us in the flesh. Arm yourselves likewise with the same mind.
For he that has suffered in the flesh has.
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Feast from sin.
That he made no longer. That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh.
To the lusts of men, but to the will of God. Very practical and simple.
When we.
Deny the flesh that must rise up and do something, and we don't let it have its way. It suffers and we don't sin practical that way. The divine life has no power of itself. And I think it's important to realize that the power for the divine life, the new nature, is the Spirit of God. You might have a vehicle in the parking lot and you might have the very best engine.
In that vehicle, you say, I've got the best engine that technology can provide. But if you don't put gasoline in that engine, you'll go out and turn the key and it's not going to fire up. There's going to be no power. You say, why? I've got the best engine that GM or Chrysler or whatever can provide for me. Well, there needs to be something put in that engine to give it power, to make it fire up. There needs to be gasoline. And so the power for our lives as Christians is the Spirit of God.
And that's already been brought before us. And I don't want to belabor the point, but just in connection with walking in the spirit, perhaps what we've been saying is summed up in a little illustration back in the book of Deuteronomy, which brings these principles perhaps together by type and illustration. And it's important to see these illustrations. They help us to grasp the truth perhaps more clearly in our souls. And I was thinking in Deuteronomy chapter 33.
Of the blessing of Asher.
Deuteronomy chapter 33 and verse 24 And of Asher he said, let Asher be blessed with children, let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil. Thy shoes shall be iron and brass, and as thy days so shall thy strength be. Well, we notice here that there's power because.
Asher was to dip his foot in oil. The feet speak of our walk. The oil is often used in scripture as a type of the Holy Spirit.
I think we can see that it corresponds with what we have in Galatians in connection with walking in the Spirit. But there are several things that are brought out here in connection with this. First of all, it says let Asher be blessed with children. That's what we might say is bearing fruit. We often hear about bearing fruit for God's glory. Do you want to bear fruit for God's glory? It's only going to be as you walk in the power of the Spirit, as you dip your foot in oil.
Later on in our chapter, he speaks of the fruit of the Spirit and the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit, but it only comes from dipping our foot in oil. So let him be blessed with children. Then there's an interesting statement. You know, brethren, the Bible is perhaps the only balanced book there really is in the world. Every other book you read, you're going to find that it's slanted some way or another. But the Scripture is so balanced, perhaps before we comment on that, that expression, let them be.
To his brethren, we'll just go to an expression in thought in Corinthians where Paul said, which has been brought out. He said, We labor that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. That was Pauls desire. That was the first motive of his life, that in his service for Christ he would have the Lord's acceptance and approval. He was misunderstood by the Corinthian brethren who questioned his authority as an apostle questioned his.
Treated him miserably weren't perhaps supporting him the way they should have. He said that's OK I'm laboring for the acceptance of the Lord That's my first motive. But brethren when we're when we walk in the spirit and I don't want to tear down or take away from anything that's been said because I heartily agree with what's been said about in connection with not just looking for acceptance with our brethren and trying to live a certain mode of life that's.
To the brethren, I understand the context in which those comments have been made, but here's something interesting. When one dips his foot in oil, let them be acceptable to his brethren. Young people, there is a path of service and faith where you can walk, where you will have if you are in the path Misunderstanding. Yes, Paul had that criticism. Yes, Paul had that. But in a sense too, you will have the acceptance of your brethren. And I say that as.
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Careful balance. We don't want to do things that rub our brethren the wrong way and purposely do something that we know is going to grate the teeth of our brethren. If meat offend my brother, I'll eat no more of it so long as the world shall stand. Yes, our first motive is Christ laboring for His acceptance.
But I also suggest that when the Lord has something for you to do and you're walking in the path in the power of the Spirit, then he's not going to let your brethren stand in the way. He'll even work in their hearts so that they will have fellowship with you in what you're doing. Just a safeguard. Don't step out, feel you need to step out of the assembly to serve in a broader path. No, it's true. It's good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth, but.
Of Asher, let him be acceptable to his brother, let him dip his foot in oil, and then what's the result?
His shoes shall be as iron. That's power. You want power for your pathway. It must be your pathway walked in the power of the Spirit. You've got to dip your foot in oil. Let his feet be as iron. And then something else, brass, that would perhaps speak of endurance. Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. It says in Hebrews chapter 12, the Christian pathway is not the Sprint. It's not the 100 yard dash. It's the marathon.
It takes endurance to go on day after day. The enemy's busy, as we've been saying. The flesh is active. If we let it be so, and these things are against us in that way, are we going to have endurance for our pathway? Let him dip his foot in oil. Then he goes on. We won't read it, but he speaks about the happy man and the man who has corn and wine, and the one who experiences the everlasting arms about him. But I believe the hinge is that it's a man who.
Foot in oil, he walks in the power of the Spirit. There's two conflicts that are mentioned in Scripture, and we've had our attention called for the one in Romans 7, Romans 7. The things that I would, I do not the things that I would not, that I do, or wretched men that I am who shall deliver me. That's the conflict between the two natures, the old and the new nature.
In the in Romans 82 it says the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death.
Which is what brought me into ******* in Romans 7. Romans 7 more describes the state of the Old Testament Saints before the Spirit was given. In Galatians, that portion we're looking at the conflict is between flesh and spirit and there's victory. The Spirit of God is power. It's the it's the gasoline in the engine. In Roman 7:00 you got the engine, but in in Galatians, you got the engine filled with full of gas and that gives the power. But the new nature is.
Does not have power over the flesh the flesh is going to win there but he's given us more than just the new nature he's given us the Spirit of God Christ interceding for us on high the spirit here below we have everything that we need to to walk pleasing to God we draw the analogy between the Spirit of God and gasoline and.
It's helpful, but to bring the comments back to what Brother Bob said. Is that the Spirit of God?
Is, is a person of the Godhead and intelligent and leads us intelligently into the truth of God. And so that's what the Spirit of God is doing. And that's the means by which we're led by the Spirit of God is by reading the Word of God and getting hold of the truth of God. And the Spirit of God will never lead us contrary to the word of God. It's very important because people often talk about displays of power and there's evidence displays of power like burning.
If I may say that, but it's not the Spirit of God at all, because it's contrary to the Word of God. And there's a very simple test to that and just reiterate that.
It won't support application of the verse that was read in John 16 to the Spirit of God guiding us into all truth. I believe has a direct reference to the truth of God revealed in the epistles.
There we get the intelligence of the Spirit of God to walk in the Christian pathway.
In Ephesians chapter 4 where we get to walk not as other Gentiles walk, and it just delineates the behavior of those Gentiles. Then it goes on to say, but you have not so learned Christ. There is where we learn the truth. I am the truth. But then it goes on to say in that same context.
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If not so learned the truth as it is in Jesus. We have the life of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Gospels as a model for our behavior and our pattern of life. We have Him in the glory as the object of our faith, empowering us and leading us on in the pathway of faith so that we become like Him in the pathway, the light, the the truth as it is in Jesus.
We see everything that man should be to God.
And we see everything that God is to man. And so we have the epistles to bring us into Christian teaching and understanding of what a Christian is. And we have the pathway of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Gospels as a pattern for our behavior down here. So we have every resource in order, as we had before us in our chapter, that we should not do the things that we would we.
Allow these things that dishonor God and that are not acceptable according to the standard of the Lord Jesus Christ. But the Spirit of God enables us to not do those things. And so we have it all summed up as Christ, the new standard, and the Holy Spirit to empower us to follow Him.
What was characteristic of the Gentiles was that they followed dumb idols as there was number intelligence to what they did. But what is characteristic, as you pointed out, the truth into which the Spirit leads us is what is our reasonable or intelligent service. And so to bring it back to what Brother Jim said, we may not always understand why the brethren do what they do, but don't criticize it and abandon it, but get into the Word of God and find out, because God has preserved.
To the truth. Let's just read a verse in connection with that, because I'm glad he pointed that out.
And it was my experience, if I'm allowed to say that coming into the assembly, I disagreed with what the assembly there taught the first time I came into the assembly.
But it says that if one that is unlearned. Help me find this in First Corinthians.
14 First Corinthians 4 First First Corinthians 14 and verse 24 verse 23. If therefore the whole church become together in one place and all speak with tongues, and they're come in one that is unlearned or unbelievers.
Well, they not all say that you're mad, but if all prophesied and they're come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all, and thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest, so that falling down in his face, he will worship God and report that God is in you of a truth.
And so when the Word of God is opened and it touches the conscience, that's what prophecy is. There's the acknowledgement that the Lord is there and that the Lord has maintained a testimony. And if we don't have intelligences to why things are done the way they are done, where the Lord has preserved a testimony, we need to get into the Word of God and we need to find out why not just throw things out.
So the order of the book of.
Romans.
You don't get instructions as to exhortation and behavior till you get through all the doctrine of the 1St 12 Chapters.
And 1St 11 Chapters and then the first verse of the 12, He says, I beseech you therefore, President, by the mercies of God, that he present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable intelligence service. He teaches us how.
And then he asked us to do it.
He has abounded unto us in all wisdom and intelligence. It tells us in Ephesians 1, and it's in contrast to the service in the Old Testament. If you had come along to one of those priests or Levites and ask them why they did things in certain ways, they wouldn't be able to really tell you intelligently. We look back and we see why the crop and the feathers had to be taken out and why the sacrifice was killed in a certain way and certain things were done. We take it up intelligently.
In the light of what is revealed in the New Testament and we know that it all speaks of Christ. But they carried on that service because it was required when they'd have an Bayou didn't go by the what they the regulations why and offered strange fire why they were slain. And so as we said this morning, it was a service of fear, not a service of intelligence. But we have now an intelligent service to render to him. And if you'll just allow me to say this too, I.
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What this all shows, brethren, that is the things we have been Speaking of this afternoon in this reading meeting. It shows that we can go on and live for God's glory even in in the year 2000. I just want to say that on a practical note because maybe there's young people here and you're saying, well, these are difficult days. You brothers don't know how difficult it is out there at school and at work sometimes. Well, perhaps we don't, but I like that verse in first in second, Peter 1.
Says, according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, and some of those things have been enumerated here this afternoon. We have the very life of Christ. We have the Spirit of God for that life. We have the word of God as light and instruction for our pathway. We have the word of God as food for the new life, because the new life not only does it not have power.
Its dependent life and so it needs food and refreshment. Here in this world we have all things that pertain unto life and godliness. And when we stand at the judgment seat of Christ, are we going to be able to offer some excuse for failure in our lives?
Some excuse for compromise or giving up of the of the truth or some aspect of the truth. He's going to say I gave you everything. Everything was at your disposal, all the resources and not only that, but myself living at the right hand of God as your high priest and advocate to preserve you and to restore you in the path of faith and service. And it's nice what it says later on in that chapter in second Peter, it says, wherefore I will not be negligent.
Put you always in remembrance of these things, though you know them, and be established. Now notice this little expression in the present truth. This book we hold in our hands, brethren, is sufficient guidance and direction even for the year 2000. It's sufficient to guide us in our personal walk. It's sufficient to answer every problem and difficulty and question in the family circle. It's sufficient guidance and direction for.
Go on collectively as the people of God gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus. It's the present proof. Was it relevant in in Peters day? Indeed it was. That's why he was bringing it before them again and again and stirring them up. We've had things before us in these meetings that aren't new to any of us. Perhaps we've heard these things over and over. Some of us by the grace of God from the very days of our childhood. Do we need them again? Yes, because it's the.
Truth. This the truth of this book, brethren, is as relevant as when it was penned by inspiration. And so this is a very, very, the very, very practical side of things. We can go on with the resources that we have in Christ provided by God himself and in the truth that is the present up-to-date word of God. Tell us about the picture of the way the Lord appeared to Joshua.
When they were going to go in and possess the promised land.
And the difference between that and the way he appeared to Moses.
When he was going to send him to bring them out of Egypt.
You give us a thought, brother.
Well, Moses comes first.
Both of them are on holy ground because they were in the presence of Jehovah.
And Jehovah was showing to Moses.
There's a Bush over here.
And it's burning.
And it doesn't burn up.
Telling Moses and telling the children of Israel.
That that one was going to be able to carry them through the afflictions of the wilderness. And when they left Egypt, they got in the wilderness and they had the affliction and they were consumed, but they were not burned up. They were burned, but they weren't consumed. You count the number of them. It's almost the same going into the wilderness as coming out of it. Now they were going to get into battle.
When they got into the promised land.
And when, brethren, Christians get into the possession of the heavenly places and walk in them, the battle gets fiercer and fiercer. How did Jehovah appear to Joshua?
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Captain of the Lord's Host.
With a drawn sword in his hand. If the battle is the Lord's, it's not ours, it's the Lord.
That's important, isn't it, because the real conflict didn't start with Israel until they went to possess the land, which speaks to us in type of all that is ours in Christ. It's true, as you say, they had a skirmish with Amalek in the wilderness and so on, and there were difficulties of the way. But in the measure in which a believer seeks to practically enjoy and walk in the good of all that is his in Christ, the enemy is going to be right there to seek.
Us up and rob us of that enjoyment and it's remarkable with Israel when they went in to possess the land as long as they remembered that the captain of the Lords host was going before them to fight the battle they were they had victory over the enemies. Why they went up to Jericho and there was a great victory won. They didn't have to raise a sword, but the the walls came tumbling down and there was a great victory because they went up in the strength of the captain of the Lord's host.
But then they said, oh, we'll just go up and we won't even send all our men up to AI because it's just a little city and we won't have a problem. Why look at the great victory we've had here at Jericho. Why they were soundly defeated. God teaching his people that they couldn't possess their inheritance apart from they do it in the realization that they were it was there was one going before to fight for them and brethren, we're no more. We're no match for any situation. We're no match for the enemy, whether it's.
City or a big city, but we can go up in the strength of the Lord. We can walk in the practical enjoyment of the precious truth of God. We can walk in the power of the Spirit, not in our own might, but because we have one who's going before, who fights for us. We're no match for the enemy, but the Lord Jesus said that greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.
Why did the Lord say to Moses at the burning Bush?
Remove thy shoes from off thy feet. We know it was holy ground. But why did he say to Joshua?
Loose thy shoe from off thy foot.
Why feet?
With Moses and foot with Joshua. I heard Brother Chuck give a good answer to that. Could I ask him to give it again? I was just going to thank you.
Exodus is the book of redemption feat because it gives us our standing before God and Christ. Joshua is every foot that you, every piece of land that you put your foot on should be yours. That's the land of inheritance. So it's foot in Joshua, it's feet in Exodus.
I have sort of thought with the Exodus it was the I am.
It's holy ground because of who he is in Joshua. It's because of what he's going to do.
A little difference there than the I am, isn't it? But it may be. I like your idea too.
I'd like to ask us to have a little bit of teaching from 2nd Corinthians 6.
About the.
Contest the trial.
That we have, and our young people pointed out, as to walking with God.
And where the power is.
And who it is that gives the help? Would somebody read from?
Verse 14 to the end of 2nd Corinthians 6.
I want to read that to John.
2nd Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 14.
Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part has he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God.
And as God has said, I will dwell in them and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean things, and I will receive you, and will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters.
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That the Lord Almighty.
Next Verse. Next Verse.
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness and fear of God.
That wonderful statement.
Saith the Lord Almighty. It is unusual.
And the contest?
The Battle of the Saints of God today.
Is probably the hardest battle that God's people have ever had to fight, but who do they have to do it?
Like to suggest in the chapter we have here in Galatians 5, perhaps it relates more to the battle in the wilderness that was mentioned between Amalek and Israel where Israel was.
Or Joshua was down in the planes fighting Amalek, which is a picture of Satan's efforts on the flesh, and Moses was up on the mountain and he had his hands extended.
And as long as his hands were up, Joshua won the battle. And that seems to be what relates to our chapter here is the blesh and the Spirit. Whereas what has been mentioned, the conflict in the land, it's a very real conflict as well. It seems to what relates more to Ephesians, where we have what relates to Canaan. And the conflict is not so much with the flesh there as it is.
Spiritual wickedness and high places. It's the devil.
That is the source of problem there. And just like to going back to our chapter Galatians 5 there. It's been mentioned already and I think it is perhaps if we could touch on the works of the flesh verse 19 in contrast.
With verse 22, the fruit of the Spirit.
There's a definite difference. Works is something that involves activity.
It's the activity of the flesh and if the flesh is active, this is what is going to be produced. And it's a pretty awful list that is mentioned here, but I think it's important to understand what this list involves and it's sexual immorality to begin with and then it goes on to.
Spiritual wickedness in idolatry, In witchcraft.
That's that's a very real thing in our society today. I'm shocked. In the stores you see games that are sold right along with good games perhaps, but that lead directly into witchcraft. The Ouija board is on sale there, and parents need to be aware that these things are there.
There, and our kids are exposed to it and if they don't realize it.
They're going to get sucked into those things, their works of the flesh. And then there's things that have been mentioned. Brother Don mentioned variance. And that's something that is very common in our world today. Just to be different and the spirit of wanting to be different and always saying something different is, is not good.
It doesn't mean that we're always exactly think the same thing, but to have that spirit of variance, it's the work of the flesh.
But just wanted to draw attention to the verse 22, the fruit of the Spirit. And if you look at the list of nine things that are mentioned, none of them in themselves are actions. They're all passive. They are fruit. They are what is produced. And you might ask, how does a Grapevine produce fruit?
Does it have to wave its branches around so that fruit will come on it?
No, all that has to do is that the branch has to remain well connected to the main trunk of the vine, and the SAP flowing up through that main trunk down the branch will automatically produce fruit. And sometimes you see people that are laid on beds of sickness absolutely can't get off that bed.
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But they produce beautiful fruit, love, joy.
Peace. What a beautiful thing. It's the life of Christ in the believer. And as we live in fellowship with the Lord Jesus, those fruits automatically will be produced in the believer.