Abounding Grace

Guest (Male): Pastor Ed reminds us we've been called to freedom, but that doesn't include freedom to sin.

Pastor Ed Taylor: Liberty is not an opportunity for the flesh. It's not an opportunity to get even, to even the score. It's not an opportunity for you to work out. We'll see later some of the things that are described. You should read ahead. We'll get there soon enough, what the flesh really is and how it manifests itself in our lives. These works of the flesh. That's an extreme.

You don't want to go so far that you want to create lists to try to earn God's favor, but you also don't want to go so far away from the Lord that you're just thinking you can do whatever you want whenever you want. The best place is to stay right in Christ, because sin of any kind is like leaven. We've already learned multiple times today: a little leaven leavens the whole lump.

Guest (Male): This is Abounding Grace, a ministry of Calvary Church in Aurora, Colorado, and online at aboundinggraceradio.com. We're developing Pastor Ed Taylor's new study of Galatians and we've entered the highly practical fifth chapter.

We've established already that we've been called to freedom, but as we'll see today, we're not to use that liberty as an excuse for sin or as an opportunity to act out in the flesh. Let's join Pastor Ed now at verse 10 for more.

Pastor Ed Taylor: Verse 10: Paul turns a corner and he says, "I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is." Paul turns a corner and says, "I'm confident in you in the Lord." He's saying some hard things, but now he's going to encourage them. "I know you guys. I know your heart for the Lord. I'm confident in you in the Lord and I'm confident that you will get back to the right thing."

Notice what he says: that you will have no other mind. This is important because the spiritual warfare for your life and mine is right here, between our eyes and between our ears, and that's our minds. What we believe dictates how we behave. The battle is in your mind, and he's calling them back to what? Unity. Unity. Not a unity like a fake unity where we're trying to pretend we all agree, but a real unity that is the mind of Christ. That's where we all are in unity, when we share the mind of Christ, his heart, his desire for our lives.

He says, "I don't want you guys to have any other mind." Amos, I think it's 2:2, says, "How can two walk together unless they are agreed?" This is the beauty of unity; it brings progress. This is not a unity at the dismissal of doctrine or sound teaching. It's a unity where we find our strength in the Lord and not in our own understanding. "I have confidence in you guys. Don't have any other mind."

Then he says, "But he who troubles you shall bear his judgment. He who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is." Now, Paul knows who he is. This is a rhetorical question. He knows the answer to this. When you use rhetorical questions, it's not because you don't know the answer; it's because you want the person to think through and come to that conclusion themselves. They know the answer.

Just by asking the question, it's causing them to rethink who hindered them. How did this all start? They have to look where they are now and where they were, and there was something that happened. It was a person with false teaching. It was actually a group of people. We've learned that they're the Judaizers. They came with a false gospel and tried to undermine the faith of many.

I want to pause here for a second because it's super important we grasp this at the end of verse 10. At the end of verse 10, it says, "He who troubles you shall bear his judgment." There is a great judgment for false teachers. A great judgment for false teachers and each false teacher will bear their own judgment.

It reminded me of a New Testament scripture later on in the Bible. You can just jot it down: James chapter 3 and verse 1. It says, "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive the stricter judgment." That scripture has always been a part of my mind from early on when I sensed that the Lord was calling me into a teaching ministry. That's a heavy scripture to consider: stricter judgment.

What is the stricter judgment? I don't know. It's always concerned me personally that there will be a stricter judgment in my life on how I choose to teach and what I teach and all of the things surrounding teaching, especially teaching the word of God. There is going to be a stricter judgment. One way to help me understand that was to flip it around and think of it this way: there is a great responsibility that has been handed to me to handle the word of God well and to teach it so it can be understood.

To teach it in such a way where I'm honoring the character and the nature of God, and there is somehow some heavier judgment on me when it comes to teaching the word of God than there is on you because of my role as a teacher. There is a great responsibility in teaching God's truth, and all of us that are involved in teaching must approach our assignment soberly, studiously, and prayerfully. Many pastors will tell you that it's a very time-consuming task to present a Bible study.

Because you come to church a couple times a week and you're up here and you go, "What does that guy do all week? What does he really do? All he does is talk for 45 minutes. Is he golfing all week? Is he playing video games all week? What is that guy doing?" If that guy is doing what they're supposed to be doing, they're studying the word of God and praying in preparation. For someone like me, I have two Bible studies a week. It's a very time-consuming process.

Not only to understand the text and get that right—that's super important—but then also to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit in how it applies to us today, just our church family. What is it God's doing in our church? What's God doing in your life? What's God doing in your home? How does he want the word of God delivered in such a way where it hits the hearts of the people he loves the most? It's a lot of time.

It's so important that the Bible teaches us in the Book of Acts, the early apostles, the church work was getting so large and increasing in number that they said, "It's not wise for us to leave prayer and the study of God's word to take care of these things. But rather, we're going to focus and you raise up people to take care of these other things so together we serve the church." There's a focused commitment to studying the word of God and teaching it, and there's great responsibility.

I want you to know that there's responsibility in your life as well. As you open the Bible with anyone, you have responsibility to take care of that person in front of you. There is some type of stricter judgment on any of us as believers that would help somebody along the path using the Bible, because that's a form of teaching too. Somebody calls you and you're their friend. You met them and they go, "I really want to meet with you because things are really upside down in my life and I want to meet you at the coffee shop and I've got a half hour."

You're going to be held accountable more for that half hour than you are the half hour it took you to drive there. Why? Because you're going to open the word of God and help somebody with his word. Let me just say, the last thing that person needs from you is your opinion. Like, "Oh, this is what I think." Nobody cares what you think. Now, maybe you care about what you think and other people say they care, but nobody cares. In a crisis, we need to know what God's opinion is.

You're going to be held accountable for that. Just think of that half hour. They're sharing with you some difficulty in their marriage and what do you do? "Well, I got a bad marriage too." And then the whole half hour: "Yeah, your husband did this, my husband did twice that." And, "I grew up..." And before you know it, a half hour's burned and you had a chance because God invited you into their life.

You just got caught up in all the emotion of it and you did not give them what they needed. You gave them what you wanted. You emoted, you whatever. We have to be careful because God's going to hold us accountable. We don't go around, "This is what I think and this is what I think and this is what I think." Nobody cares what you think or what your opinion is unless what you think and your opinion has been formed by the Holy Spirit and is rooted in the word of God.

There's a lot of people burning their lives right now, burning their years, burning daylight telling everybody what their opinion is and doing absolutely nothing for the gospel. I don't know what you think that's going to happen in eternity. Even pastors do that, burning a lot of daylight in the pulpit, never really giving God's word. I don't know what they think's going to happen, but I'll tell you this: I know this. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I know where it's going to end. It's going to be disastrous.

If in that person that called you... because we have so many friendships and connections we may not even value somebody calling us. "Oh, it happens all the time. I'm always having coffee with..." But no, God by his Holy Spirit has arranged you to connect with someone. I don't care if you do it all the time. The reason you do it all the time is because you're good at it, because people trust you. Where do you think that came from? Not just your personality, but as a believer, God has made you trustworthy. People trust you.

They want to hear what you have to say because they view you as a person that walks with the Lord. Even if they view you... maybe your whole life has been gossip and slander and everything and that's how some of these connections are. But now you're different, so they're calling you because they want to go to the coffee shop and gossip with you, but you show up understanding your responsibility. Then you change it all and you say, "Hey man, you're different." "I know, because God has given me his wisdom and sister, this is what you need to do. We need to pray for your husband." "I don't want to pray for him. I want to leave him." "No, no, no. We need to pray right now."

"And every Tuesday I'll be here. I'll be your accountability partner. I'll come alongside of you and I'll hold you accountable to this and I'll pray for the Holy Spirit." That's a different meeting, isn't it? Stricter responsibility, stricter judgment. Bible teachers, believers, it's so important we get this. Notice verse 11: "And I, brethren..." Now it seems like he turns. There's all kinds of little twists and turns here at the end of his letter.

But he says, "And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased." Somehow, apparently people were accusing him of still preaching circumcision. Paul just answers logically. "If I still preach circumcision, I would agree with these guys. I would have never written this letter." On top of that, if I agreed with them, then the offense of the cross has ceased.

You know, don't you, that the cross is a very offensive message? That "God so loving the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever would believe on him would not perish but have everlasting life"? For those of us on this side of that verse, it's super encouraging. Yes, amen. But for those on the other side, it's very offensive. "You calling me a sinner?" And then you have to work around that. "You think I'm not good enough?" You have to work around that. "You think yours is the only religion?" You have to work around that because it's very offensive to be able to have a place where you go: "This is your only hope. This is what God has for you. This is how you'll be made right in a relationship with God," and it's offensive.

The way to get around the offense is right here: "Hey, we'll just agree with the false teachers and we'll just agree with..." And I'm preaching the same old message. But obviously Paul was not preaching the same old message and the offense of the cross hadn't ceased. Then in verse 12 he says, "I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off." If you read this before, you go, "Yes, it means exactly what you think it does."

He says, "If that's what they want and they're going to be teaching circumcision, then just let them become eunuchs and go all the way." But they're not willing. Paul was a little feisty there in verse 12. You can write in your Bibles: "Feisty Paul" right there. But you know, sometimes you get that when you're always defending yourself from false accusations and people are trying to lie about you. It gets to you. If you've ever had anyone lie to you or make accusations against you that are completely false, it gets to you, and so you might be a little feisty at times.

But just get back to the Lord like he does here, verse 13. "For you, brethren, have been called to liberty." That's your calling. Did you hear that, brethren, sistern? You've been called to liberty and freedom. "But don't use," he says, "only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"

Legalism has wrecked the believers and made them very unlovely toward one another. It has also brought them to a place where the accusation was, "Well, if you believe in grace, then you're just going to go and do whatever you want and sin recklessly." Paul says, "No, no. Don't forget who's called you to grace, and then remember there are two extremes." There are two extremes with grace. If you're taking notes, it's important to know.

We have been spending a lot of time in Galatians talking about one extreme, and that's legalism: a list of rules and regulations, manmade religious systems that you follow the system in order to earn God's favor or gain favor, which really is just trying to please man. But you live in such a way, "I gotta do the whole system right and that's how I'll be right with God," when we learn you're adopted as a kid. You're immediately his kid, immediately born again child of God. Legalism.

So we spend a lot of time on that. But here on the other side, if you look at a pendulum and it swings all the way to the other side, here's the other extreme when it comes to grace, and that is license, or licentiousness. License. Here's the picture: the extreme is this: "Well, because God has forgiven me of all my sins and the work of the cross is finished and he's going to forgive me past, present, and future and I can confess my sin and he's faithful and just to forgive me my sins, then grace means I can sin all I want."

Paul says it here: no you can't. Grace does not give us permission to sin. God does not give you permission to sin. For those of you that are planning sin right now—and some are—they come to church and they're kind of planning sin this week, planning something going on at work or you got something... in your mind you're thinking about how can I get away with it? How can I hide it? Whatever. God does not give you permission to sin. Ever. Never.

It's like your kids are fighting in the room and they're fighting and one of your kids gets a good one in and they come to you and ask for permission. So the one that hit, kid A, says, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." Kid B says, "Mom, you know what happened and you know how these things work. Can I have permission to punch him in the face?" Mom says, "Sure, see you later," and walks away. No, no mom does that. It's a teaching moment, isn't it? It's an opportunity. "No, no. You were wronged. That wasn't right. But you don't have permission to punch him back."

Which, the one that got punched gets all frustrated because it's a teaching moment. "Well, then I'll just punch him when you don't see." All right, but I didn't give you permission to do that and you'll suffer the consequences of that decision. That's how that works. I often will share this: there's a phrase I've developed over the years that I've learned in ministry, especially when you've been wronged.

I know there's a lot of wrong in the room. A person has wronged you, a person has hurt you, you've been deeply traumatized and you carry pain. And I mean, we're talking deep pain, not just slights and minor offenses, but deep, deep stuff. I know it's in the room and it's on the radio and online. I know. As you're praying, trying to work through it, part of your response is: "I just want them to hurt like I hurt." That's a natural response. It's not a spiritual response.

There might even be a sense of revenge. "I want revenge. I want to avenge this hurt. I want to make it... I want to even the score." You might even pray very biblically and going through the Psalms and you're like, "Oh, yeah, I remember that. I'm going to pray like David did: 'Father, I love you in heaven, you're so wonderful, break their teeth.'" That's a real feeling. It's not a good feeling, but it's real. But I mean, what's their broken teeth going to do to solve the problem and to alleviate your pain?

"Well, it's going to make me feel good." Really? Now your pain has changed you to feel good when someone else hurts. It might give this momentary "ah, I feel good, so good," but then it's going to pass. I was thinking of Moses. Remember when he chose, when Moses chose to leave Egypt, the Bible says that he chose to forsake the passing pleasures of sin. So there might be just a little bit of, "Oh, I feel good," but it's going to pass. And then what? I'll tell you what. After that feeling passes, you know what comes next? You're going to have to deal with your own sin and the consequences. Now it's no longer that hurt, although it's still there. You have a new problem, and that's your sin today.

Then you live a life like that for a year, five years, ten years. No wonder bitterness gets a root in people's lives. No wonder it beats us up. We give permission to it. We invite it in. He says, "No, you don't have permission to sin." Especially with couples that I have a chance to speak with and minister to, there's great sin in the marriage and one of the spouses: "Well, I just want to..." And I say, "No, no, no. Someone's sin against you does not give you permission to sin against them. Ever." Someone's sin against you does not give you permission. God will nowhere... that's why reading the Bible you'll learn: God doesn't give permission to sin.

Emotions might do that, but even emotions leave and they die down. Other people's advice might lead you to that, but not God. God leads us to other better avenues to deal with our hurt and our pain. God reminds us of the cross and the ultimate injustice that has ever happened on the planet and that will ever happen on the planet: innocent Jesus dying for your sins and mine. Hey, brethren, liberty is not an opportunity for the flesh. It's not an opportunity to get even the score. It's not an opportunity for you to work out. We'll get there soon enough, what the flesh really is and how it manifests itself in our lives. These works of the flesh.

That's an extreme. You don't want to go so far that you want to create lists to try to earn God's favor, but you also don't want to go so far away from the Lord that you're just thinking you can do whatever you want whenever you want. The best place is to stay right in Christ, because sin of any kind is like leaven. And we've already learned multiple times today: a little leaven leavens the whole lump. And so sin will destroy a great marriage and sin will capsize the strongest friendships.

A little sin will overthrow the greatest of saints, the greatest of saints. It all started with something small. It all started something imperceptibly small in their lives. Paul said it a different way to the believers in Rome when he wrote (you can just jot it down) Romans 6:1: "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?"

And what are we to live in? Love. That's what we owe each other, isn't it? It's to love our neighbor, to care for one another. There's no law to follow in love. You just love. You just care. You begin to think of others more highly than yourself. There's no law against love. It just flows through a life that's yielded and surrendered to the Holy Spirit. Some of you experience this testimony, I know I have.

Some of you experience this testimony where God's love is just an amazing thing that you never had before you got saved. It's unbelievable. It's like, how did I miss this my whole life? To not only receive love but to give love. To learn this principle: it's always greater to give than to receive. How does that even happen? It's the love of God. We love God with all our heart, soul, and mind and we love our neighbor as ourselves. You've been called to this. Do you see that in verse 13? You have been called to liberty.

Guest (Male): Hey, thanks for listening to Abounding Grace with Pastor Ed Taylor. We're going and growing through a study of Galatians right now. You can hear this message again online at aboundinggraceradio.com or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also listen through our app; search for Ed Taylor in the App Store or Google Play.

You know, Pastor Ed has a new book called Letting Go of Your Past. We all have some things in our past that threaten to undermine our faith and continually plague us, but we weren't made to live in the past. God wants to set us free. In Letting Go of Your Past, Pastor Ed shows you how to break free from the former hurts and habits and start living in the freedom that Jesus alone provides.

We'll send you a copy when you support Abounding Grace with a gift of $25 or more. Our number: 877-30-GRACE. That's 877-30-GRACE. You can also order online at calvaryco.store. Calvaryco.store. Abounding Grace is made possible through the generous support of our listeners, and as we continue delivering God's word one verse at a time, we're looking to our listeners for help.

Together we can reach people with the love and truth of Christ and make a difference in these last days. To make a secure donation, drop by aboundinggraceradio.com or call 877-30-GRACE. The apostle Paul moves from standing in grace to walking in the spirit next time on Abounding Grace with Pastor Ed.

Abounding Grace is brought to you by Calvary Church in Aurora, Colorado.