Sound Doctrine

Guest (Male): When it comes to giving your heart to the one you worship, there are only two choices. Here's Pastor Jeff.

Jeff Johnson: You don't have the spirit of Christ in you, you're not gods. Guess who's you are. If you're not gods, you're the other guys. You don't want to be there. You don't want to continue life there. That's the worst. You're getting ripped off, sold a bill of goods, lied to, led by your nose. He just wants to rip you off to steal, kill, and destroy. We have a good shepherd that wants to give us life and that much more abundantly.

Guest (Male): A great friend is someone in our life who is not afraid to tell it like it is. Yes, sometimes the truth hurts. The Galatians had a friend like that, and his name was Paul. We'll see just what he had to say to the Galatians today on Sound Doctrine. Pastor Jeff Johnson is taking us through this challenging epistle, and we see that the Galatians were like many today. They thought they needed to add something to their faith in order to please God and get to heaven. They had really strayed. Here's Pastor Jeff with the details from Galatians chapter 3.

Jeff Johnson: So we're getting into some really good stuff now. We've already been in great stuff, but now it's getting good stuff and it keeps on coming. We're in chapter 3 of the book of Galatians, and it just keeps getting better and better. This morning, we're going to be talking about staying in the spirit. So important. Paul's in the region of Galatia. It's a huge area. A lot of a lot of cities, a lot of churches. He's sharing Christ with the Gentiles big time. Many of them are coming to the Lord. He's been there before in these areas that he's writing about here and and he's exhorting.

He's already been there. They received very well, but now he's back. He's fighting continuing the fight of faith and the fight of grace because the Judaizers, who were law people, preached Christ plus the law. And remember over in Galatians chapter 2 verse 20 where Paul said, I'm crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me. The life which now I live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God. In other words, to frustrate the grace of God would be to say, I'm not saved by grace.

I'm saved by grace plus something else. That's that's to frustrate the grace of God. That means that Jesus was crucified for no reason. So we're dead to the laws what Paul is saying. And I'm not going to frustrate the grace of God. And now in chapter 3, he continues this argument, his struggle for grace and grace alone. In verse 1, Paul continues and says, Oh foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth? Before whose eyes Jesus Christ has been evidently set forth crucified among you. So who has bewitched you? And then we're not talking about the TV show with the twitching of the nose.

You know, where a spell comes on, you know, or an enchantment. The Greeks were afraid of what was called the evil eye. All right? That evil eye represents like um a a snake would find its prey and then hypnotize them and then attack. And they they wow. They were they were really freaked out about that. So the word is very interesting here, being bewitched. This came from the Judaizers, and it wasn't the twitching that was going on. It was looking down their noses at these Gentiles saying, Oh, you you Gentiles, you don't get it. You know, it's so much more than just receiving Christ.

So bizarre when you think about it, what they were preaching. You see, these Gentiles were naive. They were newbies to the faith. They were Hey, let's face it, spiritually dull in many areas. They didn't get the fullness of it all yet. They're young. And that Jews would say, Glad you're born again, but you need rules. You guys need regulations, man. And so they began to put them on them. He said and they believe that then you will become spiritual once you do Yes, I'm glad you have Christ, but once you do these things and prove, you know, yourselves, then you'll be spiritual.

But you must live the crucified life, the crucified life. And I think what they were saying in that is it's a life that is painful. But you can't crucify yourself. That's that's not what Jesus is saying. I'm crucified with Christ. I didn't I'm not I can't crucify myself. I can put one nail in, but I can't get the other one in. Let alone down at the feet. Can't crucify yourself. That's ridiculous. So this painfulness I I think maybe they're talking about and you must be circumcised, you know. You guys have got to do this. It's part of your following Jesus and experiencing the pain.

But these individuals, they're failing to see that all these rules and regulations of the Old Testament are to reveal truths to us, not to be acted on literally, but they're spiritual truths given to us so we can see it that much more clear. Let me kind of make this clear. Look at Galatians 3:24. Go ahead a little bit. Chapter 3 verse 24. Where far wherefore, Paul says, the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ that we might be justified by faith. The law is only a schoolmaster. Now those of you that were in school and had some real strict school masters, in other words, you lift your hand up and bam, a ruler hits you, you know.

Bam and bam, bam. You getting banned all the time. See, the law was to drive us to Christ. The law was good, Paul said, because we can't do the law. We can't work our way to heaven. We need to be crushed by and hit by the law in a way that humbles us and brings us to the Lord, to trust in him and him alone, to believe that it's faith that justifies. We can't keep it. There's another good illustration. You don't have to turn there, but just write it down. Romans 2 verse 28 and 29.

Romans chapter 2 28 and 29 where Paul says, For he is not a Jew. And remember we we did this before. I like to put in Jew there. I'll I'll put in Christian. He is not a Christian which is one outwardly. Neither is that circumcision. And there's that circumcision of the Jew, but I'm going to put baptism in there which is an outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew, a praise to God, a Christian which is one inwardly. And the circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter of the law whose praise is not of men, but of God.

This is a spiritual work of God. Yes, in the Old Testament it was outward cutting away. But here it's the cutting away of the heart. God deals with the heart. You see the picture? An Old Testament term now brought into a spiritual light. It has nothing to do with Have you been water baptized? Oh, you're not you're you're not going to make it, man. What are you talking about? That's not what it's about. Have you received Christ? Are you born again? That's what it 's about. This is a work of God's spirit. This is that new covenant of grace, the truth of the gospel of grace.

Look at chapter 5 of Galatians verse 1. You're there? Galatians 5:1. Stand fast therefore, Paul says, in the liberty wherein Christ has made us free and not entangled again in the yoke of bondage. And he's talking about the law. To know his word. You shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free, make you free. Paul was very clear. In the last portion of this verse verse 1 of chapter 3, he talks about their eyes. We're so enlightened that he to see him, you know, crucified. I mean, he was very clear in what he shared with them about cru- the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

I am crucified with Christ. Phillips's translation puts this first portion here in verse 1, and he says it this way, Oh you dear idiots of Galatia. Wow, that's hitting them pretty heavy. You idiots of Galatia. It's one thing to have a soft heart, but a soft head danger danger. Easily deceived, leaning to your what? Own understanding instead of what the word of God says. Oh, help us, Lord. We do have a lot of our own understanding, don't we? But God has a lot of word to correct our own understanding because it there seems a way that's right to a man, but the end thereof is death.

We need his word. Spiritual immaturity is here. Remember over in Corinthians this is in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 where Paul deals with this and he says in verse 1, I and I, brethren, I couldn't speak to you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, fleshly. Even as unto babes in Christ, I have fed you with milk and not with meat, the heavier things. For hitherto you were not able to bear it, neither are you yet able. For you are carnal. You're in the flesh. For whereas there is among you envying and strife, divisions, are you not fleshly walk as men, as a natural man?

For while one says, I am of Paul, another says, I am of Apollos, are you not flesh? I mean, going after looking to men to follow men? I I I want to give you some heavier things, spiritually speaking. I can't. You guys are still in the flesh plane, thinking weird thoughts, and you're being deceived. You're even following after men. Man, who has bewitched you that you look to a man instead of to God? He will fail you. He'll blow your mind. He's a man. So spiritual immaturity a a baby will stick anything in his in its mouth, right?

Anything. Paul's just saying, don't swallow this, man. Don't go for this. Paul's kind of saying, I posted flyers everywhere. When I was with you, I made sure that I made it very clear. I can't make it any clear. Jesus crucified. There's no other way to be forgiven of sin. If you get this, you won't be bewitched. So get it. I'm crucified with Christ. Identify. ID yourself. When he died, you died. He killed you. When you receive him as your Lord and said, you're dead and you now live by the faith of the Son of God who loved you and gave his life for you.

So look at verse 2 now. Galatians 3 verse 2. He says, This only would I learn of you. Received ye the spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith? This supernatural born again experience to receive God's spirit in your life. That it blows my mind. So here's Paul's first question to these foolish Galatians. Is it by the law that you receive the spirit or by the hearing of faith? Now when he says hearing, he's not talking about our physical ears. He's talking about our hearts, listening, hearing the word of God, being pierced by the word of the Lord.

We know this that faith comes by hearing. You finish it. And by the word of God and hearing the word of God. You see, that's all we need. And I pray that that's all you get here. You get God's word because if you're getting God's word, you're being pierced in your heart. God's dealing with you as an individual. He knows all about you. His word is there to reveal your heart to yourself so you can go, Oh, ick. You know, I'm a wicked man. You got it. And then you'll walk humbly before him, and then you'll begin to be filled with him and used by I mean, it just goes on and on and on.

The Holy Spirit is mentioned here in Galatians 18 times. He's received by hearing of faith. That's how the Holy Spirit is received. He's not a prize through the law. Okay? He's not if I do this, if I do that, if I'm good, if I'm a good little boy, God is going to give me his spirit. But I got to just I got to do these things. No no no no. It's doesn't work that way. They thought and they were they taught and were teaching, if you get circumcised, you get cut, you're going to receive the Holy Spirit.

That's bizarre. That wrong. But that's what they were teaching. The Holy Spirit, now listen, is evidence of your conversion that you truly are a child of God. The Holy Spirit is evidence of that. Over in Romans, write it down, Romans 8:9. He says, But you are not in the flesh in Romans chapter 8 verse 9. You're not in the flesh, but in the spirit. If so be that the spirit of God dwells in you. Now if any man has not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his. So if the spirit of God dwells in you and you can save for a fact that he is there and there's a lot of you going, What are you talking about?

That the spirit of God is in me? What? You're not getting it. Okay? Well, he says, if you don't know that and you don't have the spirit of Christ in you, you're not gods. Guess who's you are. If you're not gods, you're the other guys. You don't want to be there. You don't want to you don't want to continue life there. That's that's the worst. You're getting ripped off, sold a bill of goods, lied to, led by your nose. He just wants to rip you off to steal, kill, and destroy. But we have a good shepherd that wants to give us life and that much more abundantly.

Over in Ephesians, jot this one down. This is in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 13. He says, In whom also you trusted after that you heard the word of truth, the gospel, the good news of your salvation. You heard that Jesus died for you. He wants to come into your life. In whom also after you believed in faith, you believed in him, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. Sealed. That means he puts a stamp on you. You're mine. And you know, you can walk out here saying, I'm gods. I'm a child of God.

How do you know this? The spirit of the Lord is there. He put his seal on me. To whom you know, uh to as many as received him, John 1:12. He gives you the power to become the children of God. So he always ask a new believer, now that you've received Jesus into your heart and you give them that verse, you say, What are you now? And they'll go, I'm a child of God. That's the first time they've ever said that. They have already revealed and it's been revealed to them and and they said it.

I'm God's child. I wasn't before. What a what a conversion, what a an awakening. And then there's John 14. In John 14 in verse 17 he says, Even the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it sees him not, neither knows him, but you know him for he dwells with you and shall be in you. And that's that's incredible. Once I receive Christ, his spirit comes to live inside of me. It's powerful. Now what what can this spirit be grieved by? By many things. We can resist the Holy Spirit. In fact, there's a there's a Acts chapter 7 verse 51.

This is where Stephen was rebuking those that were ready to kill him. They were going to stone him. He said, You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you do always resist the Holy Spirit. Oh you guys, you're religious, but you don't have a relationship. Christ is not in you, the hope of glory. You're stiff-necked, you're religious in your hearts and in your ears. You can't hear. So the Holy Spirit can be resisted. He can be we can grieve the Holy Spirit by living in sin. The Holy Spirit can be quenched. Actually, you feel far from God.

Guess who moved? God didn't. He's always been there. He always wants to bless you. You moved. You got cold to the things of God. You got sort of backslidden condition. And you're cold now. Well, that's you quench the Holy Spirit. And yet in the scriptures, we see that he's our power, he's our joy. Remember what Acts 1:8 says? Jesus says, Wait in Jerusalem. There you'll be endued with power from on high. And this power, this dynamic of God will come into your life and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, the utter most part of the world.

In Ephesians chapter 5 Hopefully you're writing these down. Ephesians 5:18 and 19 he talks about don't be drunk wherein is excess of the world. Don't go the way of the world and get high. That's not a high. That's a low. That'll take you out. Don't go that way, but be ye being filled with the Holy Spirit. And then you'll go forth with songs of hymns and and praise unto the Lord. You'll be thankful to God. Why? Because he's our joy. He satisfies our hunger within for that incredible joy of the Lord, for just arising above this earth, not allowing the earth to give us their superficial joy of things and and getting high and doing this and getting that.

No, it's it's a blessing that God gives and the world can't take it away. Being filled with the Holy Spirit. And then of course, there's that that one we all know of John chapter 7. The last day of the great feast, Jesus stood up and said, If any man thirst Talk about quenching your thirst. Let him come to me, Jesus said, drink. And he that believes on me as the scripture has said, out of his belly will flow rivers of living water. Man, and this is what he spoke of of the spirit that was to come.

Men would just well up. It would well up within them and they would bring forth Jesus. They would be what? His witnesses. You can't keep something so incredible hidden. You got to give it away. The riches we have in Christ. So Paul's second question, go back to Galatians now verse 3. He says in verse 3, the second questions, Are you so foolish? You already called him foolish once, now twice. Having begun in the spirit, are you now made perfect or complete by the flesh? Interesting. Over in Ephesians again in in chapter 5 starting with verse 14.

He talks about awake out of sleep, rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light. See that you walk very carefully. Don't be a fool, but be wise. Redeem, buy up the opportunities because the days are evil. Wherefore, being not unwise or stupid. Don't be stupid, but understand what the will of the Lord is. How many of us want to understand what the will of the Lord is? I do. Hey, look at. And then he goes on. This is again Ephesians 5:18. Don't be drunk with wine. Wherein is excess, headaches. It'll destroy your body, kill your liver, whatever.

But but be filled with the Holy Spirit. That's the will of the Lord. He wants us to be filled. So we lift up our cup and we say, Lord, fill us up. Fill us up with your Holy Spirit.

Guest (Male): Is that your desire today to be filled with the Holy Spirit? I hope and pray that it is because he can do amazing things through you. This is Sound Doctrine, and today Pastor Jeff Johnson has shared a message from Galatians chapter 3. This great New Testament epistle contains some of the most challenging lessons we can learn about being a believer in Jesus Christ in the 21st century. If you'd like to hear this study again, there are several options. First, go online to sound doctrine radio.org. We have a massive archive of Jeff's messages right there waiting for you at sound doctrine radio.org.

That's also the place to go to download our free app. Take Sound Doctrine with you wherever you go through the Sound Doctrine podcast app. Download it today from sound doctrine radio.org. We're also on oneplace.com, and you can find us on most of the podcast platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts. If you appreciate the teaching you're hearing on Sound Doctrine, you can show your support through a financial gift. Simply head over to sound doctrine radio.org and click give in the top right-hand corner. And thank you in advance. Again, we're at sound doctrine radio.org. Join us for another study in Galatians next time we meet for Sound Doctrine with Pastor Jeff.

This program is brought to you by Calvary Chapel Downey.