Epistles of Paul 23

Well, good evening, brethren. We have been covering in the previous studies why Paul wrote this epistle, and we saw in Galatians 1-7 that some Christians were trying to pervert the Gospel of Christ, and by continuing to emphasize a number of physical rituals, and many of them, obviously, were ceremonies that God set up, but there were also many man-made additions, phatasical things that Christ criticized. And I was just talking to somebody today that came recently from Israel, and this person was saying it's unbelievable that some of the things they do there that are just so strange. But anyway, we'll move on now, and then what Paul was saying is that we have to obey God, but we have to believe that Christ's sacrifice is what is going to make us right. We have to believe in that. His Christ's sacrifice, his action, his work, is what justifies us, but we have to have absolute faith and trust in what God is doing through Christ. And that does not mean that faith now puts away or is an excuse to disobey God. Otherwise, Christ would be a minister of sin, and that's what he emphasizes in Galatians 2-17.

So that obviously is not the case. We've got to keep God's laws. And then, as we move a little bit further in the epistle, in verse 9, it shows how in Abram's case, or Abram is an example of how justification is by faith. And in verse 14 is where we concluded lost time, which shows that the promise of blessings to all nations is by faith, is by faith, through Jesus Christ. And that's ultimately how we receive God's Holy Spirit, because he says that the blessings of Abram might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith, so that we can receive the promise of God's Holy Spirit through faith. Right. Now, here is an important point that I want to emphasize at this time, that through faith, through Jesus Christ, that's why we received God's Holy Spirit.

Let's just keep your fingers there, because we're going to be coming back to relations, but just turn a few pages ahead, maybe only two or three pages in your Bible, to Ephesians chapter 1 verse 5, and Ephesians chapter 1 verse 5, we read, having predestined us to adoption as sons. Now, the word adoption there is, could be translated as well as sonship, which I think it would be a better translation, as sonship, and which the Greek word is heothezia, which is basically sons and placed in a position of sons. So, we are predestined to sonship as sons through what Jesus Christ has done. Sons to himself, sons of God, according to the good pleasure of God. That is God's plan, that we are really going to be his children. Then, a little bit further down in verse 10 of Ephesians chapter 1, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times, that is, when God has finally finished this whole plan, and the time that is allocated for it is completed, he might gather together in one all things in Christ, so that he may bring us all together in one, in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth in him. So, understand that God's purpose, that we are predestined to, what God has planned, as we read in verse 5 of Ephesians chapter 1, is to be children of God. He has destined or predestined that our plan, that his plan for us, is to be his children, to really be his children. And therefore, as we read here in verse 10, that he might gather together in one, so that through Christ gathers us all together in one, and for what purpose?

To receive the inheritance. To receive the inheritance. In other words, as children of God, that we can inherit the kingdom of God. And it says that we bring together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth in him. All things will inherit all things, you know, in heaven and in earth. Verse 11, in him, that is Jesus Christ, we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of God, of him.

So God has a purpose for us to inherit the kingdom of God, that whole kingdom, which represents everything, all things. That is what God has for us. So God has a great purpose for us, and that he says, who works all things according to the counsel of his will. So it's God's will, this is what he wants to do for us. And then he says, that we who first trusted, we who first trusted, you probably heard me say a number of times, that a good word for faith is trust.

So we, we first had faith, trust. We first trust in Christ. So Christ's faith, Christ's action, Christ's faithful actions that he has done according to God's will, has opened up the doors for us to be the ones that we can be the first ones to trust him, so that we should be to the praise of his glory. And then in him, you, that's us, you and I, we also trusted, after you heard the word of truth.

What is the word of truth? The word of truth is the promise of God for us to be his children, to be in his kingdom, to give us the kingdom of God. That is our ultimate purpose. That's the word of truth, which is the gospel of our salvation. That's the good news, to be in the kingdom of God, the good news of the kingdom of God. He knew, also, having believed, you were sealed with God's Holy Spirit of promise. So we believe in that, therefore we sealed with God's Holy Spirit of that promise.

What do we mean, therefore, God's Holy Spirit of the promise? Because the Holy Spirit is a guarantee, verse 14, which is the guarantee of our inheritance. God's Holy Spirit is that seed that begets us, that really makes us true children of God, and it is a down payment, it's a seed of what will really become children of God in the kingdom of God.

So God's Holy Spirit is a seal of that promise, just like when a baby is begotten in a mother's physical mother's womb. It's basically a guarantee, unless obviously something goes wrong, but there's a guarantee that that child will be born. Likewise, once we receive God's Holy Spirit, it's a guarantee that we'll be in the kingdom of God, unless you and I mess it up and reject it. So that's a guarantee. So continuing now in Galatians chapter 3 verse 14, when we read that the blessing of Abram might come upon every nation, not just the Israelites, but every nation in the world through Jesus Christ, that we might receive the promise.

The promise, which is God's Holy Spirit, which is basically the guarantee of the greater promise that we are going to be children of God. So that's receiving God's Holy Spirit is the promise that we are really begotten children of God. That's why when Christ after He resurrected, He told the apostles, wait in Jerusalem until you receive the promise of the Father, which is God's Holy Spirit, which really makes us truly sons and daughters of God. All right, so from verse 15 through verse 29, all is going to explain a little bit more about that promise, which is committed through a covenant.

So He's going to explain how the covenant, in a sense, is God's promise, that we will receive the final promise and then elaborate a little bit on that promise by the end of this chapter. So let's continue reading that verse 15. Brethren, I speak in a manner of men, though it is only a man's covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annulses it. So He's saying, Brethren, I'm not going to talk in physical terms, in a way that physical people look at things, and a covenant, a promise, a contract, a contract that is signed between two parties.

Once it's confirmed, once the contract is signed, you can't change the contract unless you have a whole new contract. But once that contract is signed, say for instance, you have a contract that says, I'm going to buy a car and the car will cost $20,000 and I'm committing to pay down that car so much a month for an experience.

You can't change that contract. You can say, oh well, now after you've signed a year down the road, well the car is now $22,000. No, you can't change that. You can't change the price of that.

You can't add or subtract to that contract. I mean, sure, you can make amendments and make changes, but basically it becomes a renewed or updated agreement, but the basic contract is there. So he's saying, look, I'm talking in physical terms. Once you make a contract, that's a contract, it's binding. Right. Verse 16. Now, the contract that God made to Abraham and he seed, says, yeah, now to Abraham and he seed where the promise is made. The promises were initially made to Abraham and he seed because of Abraham's faithfulness. And then he continues, he does not say to seeds, plural. We're going to look at that as of many, but as of one, and to your seed, which is Christ. So the promise to Abraham was made to Abraham, and to his descendant, which would be Christ. So the promise was made to Abraham, and to his seed, which is Christ, and Christ is the one that is the, let's call it the the poverty, the key in the soul fulfillment of this promise. So the promise was made to Abraham and to your seed, which is Christ, not too many. Now let's look at that promise by first looking at it in Genesis chapter 12.

Now I want to look at it first when the promise was initially made or stated, but it was not yet a covenant. Okay, it's important for us to understand that. So in Genesis chapter 12, start reading in verse one, now the Lord had said to Abraham, Get out of your country from your family and from father's house to a land that I'll show you, and I'll make you a great nation, and I'll bless you, and make your name great. I'll bless those who bless you, and I'll curse those who curse you, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. So this in you points in a sense in him through his descendants, and specifically his descendant, which will be the seed, Christ, all the nations, all the families will be blessed. Now go down a little bit to Genesis chapter 12 verse 7. Then the Lord appeared to Abraham and said to your descendants, I'll give you this land. All right, so he says, I'll give you this land. And there he built an altar to the Lord who had appeared to him.

Now it's interesting, and if you have an opportunity, please read this verse in the King James Version. Also, if you read in the Dobby and Young's literal translation, it says the same thing. But in the King James Version says, And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said unto thy seed, singular, I'll give this land, and there built he an altar unto the Lord who appeared unto him.

Dobby, which is a literal translation, and Young's literal translation is also literal. It also has the singular. A lot of modern translations, like even the New King James, has descendants. But on the margin of my New King James Version, if you look at the margin, on the margin of my New King James Version, it's got a little one next to descendants, and next to that little one says lit, which means literally seed. So even the New King James Version admits that the literal word there is seed. And that's what we read in Galatians chapter 3 verse 16, that it says the promise was to Abram and to his seed. Now, the promise then got restated, let's call it, in Galatians, I beg your pardon, in Genesis chapter 15, Genesis chapter 15 verse 18. You read there, on the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, and to your descendants I have given this land from the river of Egypt to the Great River, the River of Ephratis, etc. etc. In the King James Version, a guy says to your seed. Now, obviously, reading to your descendants is not wrong, but the literal is to your seed.

Then, in Genesis chapter 17, starting in verse 1, says that Abram was 99 years old, the Lord, okay, so sorry, when Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, I am Almighty God, walk before me and be blameless, and I will make a covenant between you, between me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly. And then Abram fell on his face, and God talked to him, saying, as for me the old, my covenant is with you. So now it's when it's actually talking about I'll make a covenant, my covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I've made you a father of many nations. And I'll make you exceedingly fruitful, and I'll make nations of you, and kings shall come from you, and I will establish my covenant between you and your descendant. Again, the word seed in the King James Version, and in Derby and the Young's Literal, to your descendant, between me and you, and your descendant after you, in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you, and to your descendant seed. So, and then we can see that there is the sign of the covenant, which is the circumcision, is established at that moment. So that is when it's mentioned here as the covenant made. Now, why does God make covenants? Because in the end, the covenant says obey my law. It's the same law. God makes covenants to make a promise that he's going to bless us even more if we keep his law. So, it's just an opportunity for God to bless us even further. So now, going back to Galatians chapter 3 verse 17, we read, for I say that the law, which was 430 years later, the law which was 430 years later.

So Yah it says the law, but we saw that God said to Abraham obey my laws. So, which law was 430 years later? Well, if we just jump ahead very briefly to verse 19, and we'll talk a little bit more about that a little later, what purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions.

So it is a law that was added because of transgressions. So it's actually referring to the ceremonial law. So the ceremonial law, which was given while we were in Mount Sinai, which we'll go into that a little bit more in detail, was given 430 years after that covenant was made, very probably when it was made, as per Genesis 17, when the covenant was made and the sign of the covenant was there through circumcision. So that was 430 years later. So if we're just going to put some approximate dates, they left Egypt somewhere around about between 1443 to 1446. It was 1443 years to maybe 1446 years before Christ, BC, before Christ.

430 years before that brings us to 1873 or 1876 before Christ. So that's just to give you an ideal dates, approximate dates. The point is the ceremonial laws, which were added at Sinai, cannot cancel the promise made to Abraham, which was based on faith. Now if we look at when they left Egypt in Exodus chapter 12, in Exodus chapter 12, so let's go to Exodus chapter 12, verse 40 and 41. It says, now the sojourni that you know was the pilgrimage, the period that the children of Israel programmed, who lived in Egypt. In other words, think of it as like between brackets, who lived in Egypt. Yes, that's the children that lived in Egypt, but they programmed first through other areas around in the promised area before they went to Egypt. So now the sojourni of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt was 430 years. So they're sojourni, they left Egypt, Yah in Exodus 12 is when they left Egypt, and their sojourni was 430 years exactly what we read in Galatians chapter 3 verse 17, as we saw. Now continue to read here in verse 41. Now it came to pass at the end of the 430 years on that very same day. Wow!

So God does have a calendar, right? Right. It came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. It is a night of solemn observance to the Lord. In other words, that day, the 15th of Nisan, which starts with the night to be much observed, is exactly 430 years after the covenant was done with Abraham, when he changed the name from Abraham to Abraham, and gave him the covenant, and the sign of the covenant was the circumcision.

To my understanding, that's the best I can understand. So let's continue in Galatians chapter 3 verse 18. A big part of it, we are reading verse 17. So let's continue reading verse 17. And this I say that the law, that's the ceremonial law, which was 430 years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. So like he said in verse 15, hey, I'll give you an example of a human agreement or contract. You have a human contract, for instance, like I gave an example, for instance, you make a contract to buy a car and make that commitment. That commitment was made to Abraham. And so the ceremonial law that came later cannot change that covenant, that promise, for blessings, for an inheritance. It cannot change that.

So verse 18, for if the inheritance, you see, gets back to this point of the inheritance, that is the promise that we're going to inherit the kingdom of God, that we're going to be children of God. Then he says the inheritance is of the law, for if the inheritance is of the law, if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise. But the inheritance is of promise, because God said to Abraham, obey my laws, and I promise him, it's a promise, it's a faith.

But God gave it to Abraham, I promise. And so that promise stands. Now, it's important here to look at the situation in Yat about the law, because it's good to reemphasize here the point that in verse 19 says, what purpose then does that law? It is important to note that the article, the, is in the Greek in this instance of the law. So it's talking about a specific law. Right? And then it says, what purpose does the law, you know, it was the ceremonial law serve. It was added because of transgressions. What are transgressions? We know in Romans 6 verse 23 that the wages of sin is death. Transgression is breaking the law. Look at 1 John chapter 3 verse 4. 1 John chapter 3 verse 4. 1 John chapter 3 verse 4.

Whoever commits sin commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. So committing sin, breaking the law, transgressing the law is lawlessness. If you have a King James version, this verse, whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, reads whoever commits sin transgresses also the law. So it uses the same word as in Galatians, or it's translated to the same word as in Galatians 3, 19 because of transgressions. It was added because of transgressions. It was added because of breaking the law. Look at Romans chapter 4 verse 15. Romans chapter 4 verse 15.

Because the law brings about wrath, for there is no law, for where there is no law, there is no transgression. You see, without God's law, there's no transgression. So the ceremonial law was added because of transgressions, transgressions to God's law. And then look, continue reading in verse 19, but now in the second part, the address was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come. Who is the seed? Well, we just read in verse 16 that the seed is Christ, until Christ should come at his first coming. So the law, ceremonial law, which was given 430 years after the promise to Abraham, after the covenant, which is symbolized by circumcision. So that law, ceremonial law, is only temporary until the seed should come, which is when Christ came, because he basically stopped sacrifices. That was what we read in Daniel 9, you know, until the sacrifice ends. So he stopped that, the need of those sacrifices.

So on Mount Sinai, on Mount Sinai, we see that first God spoke to the nation, that's Exodus 20. Then he said, no, don't give them the Ten Commandments, he says, no, don't speak to us anymore. Then we know Moses went up to the mountain, God talked to him 40 days, he came back with the two tablets of stone. Then there was a big party, a pagan party, idolatry, and sexuality into there, and all the other things. God was very cross, Moses broke the tablets. Then we know he went back to the mountain. For another 40 days, he came back, and he came back with instructions, instructions to build the tabernacle. Why? So they could do the offerings, so they could implement these ceremonial laws. Remember, that's what it is. So on Mount Sinai, and in that area, God gave them instructions through by giving the through the Levitical, to execute through the Levitical priesthood, those ceremonial laws of sacrifices and washings and all that. But also he gave them some civil laws to govern the nation. There were a number of laws which were related to how to govern a nation, particularly a very carnal nation. Think of it as like a civil code. Now, that civil code obviously is not applicable, because that was applicable while they were a physical nation and a god. But now they rebelled, they were dispersed, they came under Romans, and now, in our case, we are, as we read in Romans 13 verse 1, and in 1st Peter chapter 2 verse 13 and 14, we need to submit to the authorities, to the civil authorities. So yes, there was a civil code as a nation and a god, but in addition to that civil code, there was also a ceremonial law of sacrifices and washings, which pointed to Christ, but also pointed, as we'll see a little later, to God's Holy Spirit. So, which laws therefore were until Christ?

The ceremonial laws. Turn with me very briefly to Hebrews chapter 10, Hebrews chapter 10 verse 12. Hebrews chapter 10 verse 12. We read here, by this man, that's Christ, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, he sat down at the right hand of God. So those other sacrifices are no more needed. Those other sacrifices are not required. You can read that also in chapter 10 verse 1 of Hebrews chapter 10 verse 1 for the law. That's a ceremonial law. Having a shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things can never, with those same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make those approach perfect. You see? So that was only that ceremonial law. Those physical ceremonial laws were only temporary until Christ came, which he says in verse 12, after he had offered one sacrifice.

And whilst the other sacrifices they were offering, you can read in Hebrews chapter 10 verse 11, which the priests were doing, repeatedly the same sacrifices which can never take away sins. But now we've got the sacrifice of Christ, which can take away sins. He's made it by one offering. Read in verse 14. By one offering, he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. You see, Christ's offering is sufficient to justify us and ultimately to perfect us, to save us, if we are being sanctified by God's Holy Spirit.

You see? So going back to Hebrews chapter 10 verse 1, those sacrifices at the end, it says, which they offer continually year by year, it says they can never make those approach them perfect. Those sacrifices can never make the people perfect. But Christ's sacrifice, in verse 14, by one offering has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

How are we all being sanctified? By God's Holy Spirit. How do I know that? We can read that in 1st Peter chapter 1 verse 2. 1st Peter chapter 1 verse 2. It says, we are those that are writing the letter there to the pilgrims, and it says, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father in the sanctification of the Spirit for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. So God's Holy Spirit is what sanctifies us. It's the sanctification of the Spirit.

All right, so the other example is Titus chapter 3 verse 4 and 5. Now this is a very, very beautiful scripture that we should remember because it's got a lot of meaning. Titus chapter 3 verse 4 and 5.

But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, the kindness and the love of God, God the Father, our Savior, towards us appeared, is when Jesus Christ came and saved us. So yeah, Christ is our Savior, but so is God because God centers his beloved Son to die for us. So God is our Savior, but Christ is the one that literally died for us and is our Savior. And so when the kindness and the love of God, our Savior toward man appeared, that in other words, when Christ appeared, and that was not verse 5, not by works of righteousness which we've done, Christ didn't come because you are an eye of such a goody-goody person, no, but according to his mercy, according to God's loving kindness, mercy, according to his grace towards us, he saved us.

Well, he hasn't saved us yet, quote-unquote, but he started the process, but through that one sacrifice, ultimately we will be saved. We will be perfected through, because of Christ's sacrifice, but it's through, through what? Through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.

You see, Christ had to come to send us the Holy Spirit. Christ had to come to send us the promise of the Father, which is the Holy Spirit, which is what begets us, which really makes us sons of God. Christ had to come and die for our sins.

He had to be faithful and do that. That's his faithfulness. He had to do that so that then he had paid for our sins, and therefore we now could receive, because of him passing over our sins through that act, we could receive God's Holy Spirit. And so he sent us the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, right? And God's Holy Spirit does a washing of regeneration.

In other words, it regenerates us. It begets us again. We are begotten again. We are born of God now. Not yet born, but we are begotten to be born. We have been fathers of God through the Holy Spirit. So that's the washing of regeneration and renewing. It's the renewing of our mind that God's Holy Spirit helps us. It breaks our mind, breaks our conscience, works with our minds, and renews us, makes us, helps us to become a new man through the power of God's Holy Spirit. And so the kindness and the love of God, our Savior, okay, which is Christ, He opened up the way for us, right, because of His mercy, because of His kindness, of what is done. And therefore we now have received God's Holy Spirit to beget us, to regenerate us, and to renew our minds so that we can be sanctified. This is the sanctification of the Spirit. So that's what we see here. So let's continue now.

We were reading in verse 19, right, we're reading in verse 19, and we saw that the sacrifice of Christ, and let's just read verse 19, what purpose does the law serve? It was added because of translations, till the seed should come, to whom the promise was made.

So the promise was made to Christ, and because of that, He then, as our Savior, passes us or gives us the Holy Spirit. We are baptized with the Holy Spirit after the baptism through the laying on of hands, right, where the promise was made, and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. But before I go on to that section about appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator, I want to emphasize one thing more about Christ's sacrifice that is important, and that is in Hebrews chapter 9, Hebrews chapter 9 verse 8 and 9. Hebrews chapter 9 verse 8 and 9. All right, so it says, yeah, this was symbolic of the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered, which cannot make Him or perform the service perfect in regard to conscience. You see, those sacrifices, they could not make the people perfect. Christ's sacrifice makes us perfect, Christ's sacrifice makes us perfect, and it continues. And this was symbolic, cannot make Him or perform the service perfect in regard to conscience, concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until time of Reformation. So those sacrifices, that ceremonial law, was imposed till the seed should come, which is until the time of Reformation. So what is this Reformation? That is a time when our worship to God is now in a different way. Let's look at that in John chapter 4. John chapter 4. John chapter 4.

In John chapter 4, verse 20, when Christ is talking to this Samaritan woman, and 4 verse 20, this woman says, our fathers worship in this mountain, and new Jews say that in Jerusalem is a place where one ought to worship. That's where the temple was, and you're supposed to worship there in the temple. And Jesus said, woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You and I today do not need to go to Jerusalem to worship God.

You worship what we do not know, verse 22. We know what we worship for salvation of the Jews. And then he adds, verse 23, which is important, but the hour is coming, and now is, now is, when Christ is the time of Reformation, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth. You see, now, after Christ's sacrifice, we need to worship God in Spirit and truth, not going to the temple as they had, and acting up with physical things, and the Jews were adding a lot of things to what the law had, so which Christ really criticized there. So yeah, we see that that we'll continue reading. For the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and truth. So this is the Reformation, the time of Reformation. We do not need to go to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices. This new covenant that Christ has established and setting up for us, it's a new covenant, it's the Reformation of the covenant. We worship God in Spirit and truth. And as we know, in Romans chapter 12, verses 1 and 2, it says, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice. Our sacrifice is now a living sacrifice. We need to be a sacrifice with our lives, how we behave, how we talk, how we encourage people, how we're kind to people.

Like Christ was a sacrifice, He was a sacrifice He gave His life. We need to give our lives, but as a living sacrifice. Presenting our bodies a living sacrifice only acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service. So don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. How? Through the help of God's only Spirit, the sanctification of the Spirit, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

All right, so let's now go back to Galatians chapter 3 verse 19, and we're going to look at that section where he says, the seed should come to whom the promise was made, and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. Now this word, angels in Greek is agolos, or agolos, messengers, and that Levitic, that ceremonial law was appointed through messengers, in other words, the Levitical priesthood, through the hand of a mediator, which was Moses. So God gave to Moses that ceremonial law, and the Levitical priesthood then, as a messenger, appointed, made that law be applied. All right, so once again, the Ten Commandments were spoken directly to the nation by God, but Moses went to the mountain and brought to the Israelites the instructions to build a tabernacle and all the Levitical duties for those ceremonial laws to be applied. Another example is in Acts chapter 7. Acts chapter 7 verse 51 through 53. Acts 7 verse 51 through 53. You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, and he was talking to these people because they were really putting very strange and additional things which were burdens, which were difficulties to the people, and it's just things that probably, if we would go there today, we'd go back to that time, if we could travel in time, we would be, in a sense, very disgusted with some of the practices that these people were doing, being religious, but he says, you are stiff-necked and uncircumcised. Christ was really upset with them. You always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the just one.

Which prophesied the coming of Christ, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, because you are betraying me and are going to murder me. Who have received the law, in other words, you've received the Lord, the ceremony law, by the direction of Agulos, Agnogolos, which again is these messengers, and have not obeyed it. You've received the law through your priesthood. You have the priesthood. The priests there, every time by the temple, you have receiving the Lord. The priests tell you the Lord, but you're not doing it. You're not doing it. So let's go back to Galatians chapter 3, and now we're going to read verse 20. Now this covenant is made between two parties, right? Like if you're going to buy a call, there's two parties. The one that, for instance, is going to lend you the money and you. So there is like the bank and you. So there's a contractor or a mortgage for a house or whatever it is. Now a mediator does not mediate for one only. So in the covenant there was a mediator, right? And Moses was mediating this covenant, this old covenant for them, and was mediating between them and God. So God is one. God is one of the parties in that covenant, and you are the other party, right? Is the law then against the promise? Because this was the promise was done, and now is this the law that was added, the ceremonial law against the promises of God, that covenant of God? Certainly not. For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. You see, no law gives life. No law gives life. No law gives true righteousness.

Look at Romans chapter 10, Romans chapter 10, and we're going to read, starting from verse 1. Romans chapter 10 verse 1.

Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear witness that they are the zeal for God. They're very zealous, but not according to knowledge. They're not doing it properly. They don't understand, but you know, they're very zealous. Like today, there are many Christians. They're very zealous. They're very good people, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant, this is talking out to the Jewish-Israelite community, they being ignorant of God's righteousness. They are ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, their own self-righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.

You see, we have to humbly submit to God, to follow Him, to humble ourselves, to believe, to trust, and that is an act of submission to God's righteousness. God's righteousness then is is credited to us because we trust Him, and because we trust Him, we're going to do what He says, and then God's righteousness is credited to us. Verse 4, For Christ is the end of the law, for righteousness. Oh, you don't have to obey the law because Christ is the end of the law, so there's no more law. No, that's not what it says. Christ is the final fulfillment of the law. Christ is the final end purpose of the law. What the law points, the law points, what the law wants is you and I to be a being like Christ is. He is the end, the final end purpose of the law. The final objective of the law is the final standard then what the law points to. So, law just tells us what is the standard, and if we do that, therefore righteousness, because we can't do it, but because we trust Christ, that is credited to us as a gift. God's righteousness. Then we're going to submit to that righteousness instead of saying, no, I've got to do my own self-righteousness, and I've got to be better. So, it is God's righteousness, not our righteousness.

So, continue now in Galatians chapter 3 verse 22. But the scripture has confined all under sin. The scripture has confined, we all have sinned.

The promise is because of Christ's faithfulness, not your faithfulness or my faithfulness, that the promise by the faith of Christ, by his faithfulness, might be given to those who believe, might be given to those who trust. So, it's from faith to faith. God's faithfulness, Christ's faithfulness, right? We're going to believe that what he did, that he's act, because of his faithfulness, his sacrifice, he's giving of his blood for us, right? What? We got to trust that. So that the promise might be given to us, that we believe, because of what Christ did.

Verse 23, but before faith came, before faith came, what do you mean? Before the one that was absolutely faithful, he was faithful, and he opened up the true way that we can trust him, and through his faith, we are forgiven for what he did for his faithfulness.

But before faith came, we were kept under the guard of the law. So, the ceremonial law kept some degree of behavior, of good behavior, all right, kept for the faith which would afterwards be revealed, because the law pointed to Christ's offering, which is that washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, Christ's offering of his sacrifice to pay for our sins, and then receiving our Holy Spirit to change us. So, continue now in verse 24. Therefore, the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. So, the law was our instructor, was our supervisor, our life morality supervisor, okay, that we might be justified by faith. The law pointed us to Christ so that ultimately we may be justified by faith. Now, that Christ is come, we don't need the law, because we are in the ceremonial law. We don't need a ceremonial law. Now verse 25, but that faith has come, we no longer need that tutor. Now that Christ has come, now that faith has come through Christ, and he's opening up the door that now we, by trusting him, can receive justification because of what is done, and we can take his sacrifice, which perfects us completely. If we are continuing the way of sanctification, we no longer need that ceremonial law. No longer, no longer need that. So, we have Jesus Christ's sacrifice to forgive us, and God's Holy Spirit to guide us day by day, and Jesus Christ gives his in us through God's Holy Spirit. Now, therefore, we are the sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, because we receive God's Holy Spirit, which begets us by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It begets us, instead, divine seed. And then in verse 27 says, for as many as you as we are baptized into, into Christ, into Jesus Christ's spiritual body, which is the body of Christ, which is the Church of God, the family of God, we now pour on Christ. We pour on the new man. In other words, we at baptism, we sign the new covenant contract, and every year at Passover, it is as if we renew that contract annually. And so it says here in verse 27, for as many as you were baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. So we now put on a new man through the renewing of God's Holy Spirit.

And verse 28, and there is not a Jew, no Greek, there's not a slave or three, there is not a male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. We all one. What do you mean we one? Because we're baptized into that spiritual body of Christ. And that's what Christ says, I pray that they may be one like we are one. And so that's what, that's what it is. We got to be united, united in purpose, in action, in belief, in faith. We need to grow in that unity of faith.

And so verse 29, and if you are Christ, then you are Abram's seed and hairs according to the promise. You see, if you are Christ's, we are hairs according to the promise. We are now, if we are Christ's, we are in the body of Christ, and the body of Christ is a descendant of Abram. So, therefore, we are Abram's seed and hairs according to the promise. The promise given to Abram is now to us, and that promise has been expanded and enlarged in the new covenant with new life.

And what is that that we are to inherit? What is it that we are to inherit? Well, turn with me to Romans chapter 8 verse 17. Romans chapter 8 verse 17. And if children then is hairs of God. We're going to inherit divinity in the God family, hairs of God, and joint hairs with Christ, and joint hairs with... So whatever Christ is going to inherit, we are going to inherit.

And what is Jesus Christ inherited? Hebrews chapter 1. Hebrews chapter 1 verse 2.

Hebrews chapter 1 verse 2 says, And in his last day spoken to us by his son, whom he has appointed, hair of all things. Christ is going to inherit all things, all things. What does all things include? It includes all the galaxies, all the planets, the whole universe.

So what are you and I to inherit? All things. Look at Hebrews chapter 2 verse starting in verse 6, and it says halfway through verse 6, What is man that you're mindful of him? Or the son or man that you take care of him? You made him a little lower than angels. We human beings, yes Christ, but when he was a human being, but we as well, it applies to us, we are a little lower than angels.

You have crowned him with glory and power. You've crowned Christ. You'll crown us with glory and power as Christ's brothers, inheriting, being co-inheritors with Christ. We're going to inherit God, and we're going to inherit with Christ.

And set him over the works of your hands, and you've put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, if nothing that is not put under him, but now we do not see yet, we do not yet see all things put under him.

But not yet. That's going to come in a new heavens, a new earth. Yes, we will rule for a thousand years, and then after that, there'll be the judgment, and then after that, there'll be a new heaven, a new earth. And then that is the ultimate, the ultimate reward.

What trials, what difficulties, what it is that we go through. I know it's painful.

We are now before Passover. There's many trials, many difficulties, but that's nothing compared to what God is going to give us. The promise, that promise, the inheritance that is promised through a covenant. But Galatians, in the end, they were Judaizers at work, and there's always a tendency to go back to the old routine, to the old worn-out path. And that is a concern that Paul will highlight in the next chapter.

Good evening, brethren.