Episode 64 - Galatians - Part 9

Speaker 1 00:00:07 Hi, and welcome to the unveiling. I'm Tim, one of the hosts, and along with Andrey and Mark, we are three guys discussing the one true gospel. We hope you're encouraged by this episode. Let's dive right in. Speaker 2 00:00:23 Welcome. This is the unveiling. I'm one of your hosts, Tim and Ij and Mark are with me today. And in fact, we are recording on Good Friday, April 7th, 2023 for this message. You know, guys, this weekend, this Good Friday is the kickoff of the three days, the lead to the event of what we talk about most Jesus Christ and him crucified. Today is the day that he is crucified, but in three days, he rises again. And that was wasn't an accident. That was the plan. That was the way God had planned out our salvation before the before time began. Yep. And, uh, we wanna celebrate that. And today, uh, we are going to continue in what we've been talking about. We are still in Galatians, but we have reached Galatians six. And by the way, in case I haven't said it, this is part eight of the Galatians, uh, podcasts that we've been doing. So, gentlemen, there's an end in sight. We might actually get it done. Before I get started, you guys wanna say anything? Speaker 3 00:01:26 Just to kind of re reiterate what you said, Tim, about just Good Friday, everything that Paul's been talking about in this book, this wonderful book of Galatians, is all about him protecting the message of these three days and not letting anybody pervert that and add to it. What Christ did on the cross was perfect. It was powerful. It was sufficient for the sins of the world, past, present, and future. And for him to do that, God gave us his best while we were at our worst, nobody killed Christ. He gave his life for us. And he did that in the midst of knowing us to our very depths. Speaker 4 00:02:09 Amen. Yeah, I just wanted to say one thing. You know, there is only one person in the history of mankind that was born to die, and that was our Lord Jesus Christ. So without the cross, there is no salvation. And without the cross, there is no resurrection. So this day, he's the most important day in everybody's life, right? In every human's life, you know, because the Lord Jesus Christ, like Mark said, you know, he went to the cross, he finished the work so that, you know, we can be made righteous and resurrected with his resurrection life. So we are so thankful. Speaker 2 00:02:41 Amen. Amen. Thank you guys for those great words. Speaker 3 00:02:45 Well, gentlemen, Speaker 2 00:02:46 What do you say? Shall we dive into Galatians chapter six? Speaker 3 00:02:50 I'm ready. Speaker 2 00:02:51 All right. So Galatians chapter six, starting at the first verse, I am still reading from the n I v for those following along says, brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves or you may also be tempted, carry each other's burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ. I didn't get very far, but that sounds like a good stopping point. Just for a couple of minutes here. Uh, one of the things I wanna note is, is I, I mentioned this on a previous podcast in this particular series about how infighting in the church could be some of the worst fighting I've ever seen. And a lot of people will do it in the name of correction. Oh, you're wrong. I have to correct you Speaker 3 00:03:38 Because Speaker 2 00:03:39 Directly against the first verse here, restore that person gently. And it doesn't happen very often, even into church. Speaker 3 00:03:48 Yeah. Uh, and the next line really puts an exclamation on the way you just said, Tim. It says, watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. The main reason we wanna be gentle when we, when we restore somebody and kind of come into their life and speak into it and maybe call them out on something they're doing, is because we ourselves do the same stuff. We're all tempted by the same things. We all fall. So it's the ultimate hypocrisy when we come out and lay it into, lay into somebody about their sin, because we are just as sinful as they are. And I think that should really, you know, how many, how many preachers out there TV preachers and people do you see screaming on TV about people sin to mule, to point out about Hurricane Katrina when, uh, certain pastors screaming, oh, God's punishing you for their sin. You know, if that's really what was happening, then you should have been going to those people gently and trying to, you know, restore them and bring them to Christ, but not to be screaming at them. Because we know that pastor's a sinner too. Right. And if God was gonna punish people for sin, we'd all be, we'd all be wiped away by hurricane. Speaker 2 00:05:01 One of my, one of my children pointed to, pointed out to me one day, if you'll pardon that pun, that when you point your finger at somebody, the natural gesture of your hand has three points, fingers pointing right back at yourself. So you <laugh> nobody's perfect. I'm not perfect. We're not perfect. Only one perfect person. And on this day, 2000 plus years ago, he went to the cross and died. Sorry, aj, I think I cut you Speaker 4 00:05:27 Off. No, no, no. That's why I always find my hand like this. Tim <laugh> Speaker 2 00:05:31 <laugh>, Speaker 3 00:05:33 You couldn't see. He had his thumb pointing at the person too. <laugh> everything. Speaker 4 00:05:37 Yeah. All fingers us at you <laugh>. Speaker 3 00:05:40 You would've made a great Pharisee <laugh>. I'm finding the loopholes. Speaker 4 00:05:44 Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, I was going to say that, you know, we don't correct others with self-righteousness, but with compassion, you know, uh, not only you know that, uh, you know, we are also prone to do the same thing. But here, if you look at words two, it says in the context of, you know, somebody singing and correcting it says, carry each other's burden. So unless we are compassion for others, right. And also understand and put ourselves in their place and be empathetic, you know, we cannot really correct with gentleness. I think our whole mindset and our heart needs to be in a different place. We don't come from a place of self-righteousness, or we don't come from a place of Yeah, I'm better than you are. Even from a place of more knowledge. You know, oh, I know better than you. I know more scriptures than you're not. Speaker 4 00:06:30 That, you know, from a heart of compassion, from a heart of empathy, and from a, from a heart of love, you know, we carry their burdens. You know, it's like, you know, when our children go through something, it's very natural for us to carry their burden. No matter what kind of sin they committed, we carry their burdens. You know, the first thing that comes from our heart is love and compassion and mercy. You know, it's not self-righteousness. So even among believers, I think that's the heart of a father is what I think, you know, Lord is looking, uh, for us to have. And again, you know, that kind of compassion, that kind of empathy is no way we can do it, uh, by ourselves in our own flesh. It has to be by the spirit, you know, Christed himself living and loving in us and through us. Speaker 3 00:07:12 Yeah. I think the key in that first, first there also is it doesn't say, but you who live by the spirit should rebuke that person gently. It doesn't say you should correct them. You should admonish them. It says you should restore that person gently. Yeah. The whole purpose of coming to them and speaking to them about something they're doing that's either bad for them or for someone else that would be considered sin isn't to show that I'm right, they're wrong. But it's to restore them back into wholeness and communion with, um, everybody in that, uh, church body or family. That's the whole key is restoration. It's not about correction or rebuke just for the sake of it. Speaker 2 00:07:55 And it says, carry each other's burdens. In this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. That's it's love one another, help, you know, will support them, lift them up, you know, pick 'em up off the ground, whatever it is. And that's showing love to that people. So God's saying show that, uh, you know, fulfill the law by showing that you love people and that's not works. That's could, that's compassion. Speaker 4 00:08:19 Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Yeah. I think one thing real quick that might help is, you know, if you think of it in terms of, you know, somebody falling sick, if one of our loud ones falls sick right now, what do we do? We don't judge them. We don't say, Hey, you know, you are in this place because you did something. But you, our whole goal is to restore them back to health. So similarly, you know, if someone is kind of, even though kind of, you know, fallen into sin, it's almost like, you know, falling into sickness. You know, they're not supposed to be there because now they're in Christ, they're full of resurrection life of Christ. They don't need to fall sick and, uh, be, uh, in that state. So that's where, you know, we come from a heart of compassion and love, and then by the spirit, register them right in an art by our own flesh. Speaker 2 00:09:01 Yeah. Amen. Amen. Uh, shall we carry on? Speaker 4 00:09:06 Yep. Sure. Speaker 2 00:09:07 Okay. Then starting back up in verse three, if anyone thinks they're something when they are not, they deceive themselves, each one should test their own actions, then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else. For each one should carry their own load. Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor, was a pretty coherent thought up until that last verse. We'll tackle that one in a second. I love the way he says, if you think you're something you're not, you're kidding yourself. You know, you're deceiving yourself. And that which one of us has it at times, at least given the outward appears of thinking we're better at something than we were, or, you know, I mean, that's, heck, that's the whole basis of trash talking between people, friends who were playing a game. Oh, I'm so good at this. I'm gonna kick your button. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're thinking you're something you're not. Dude, I'm just gonna be quiet. Say <laugh> play. So, Speaker 4 00:10:03 Yeah, you know, one thing that struck me here is, you know, it says, you know, bear one another's burdens. And, um, then it says, you know, everyone should carry our own load. So I think here the messages, and we don't want to use this to force others to bear our burdens. Hey, you know, it is written, you are supposed to bear your, uh, each other's burdens. Say, I'm going to something, you know, you need to bear my burden. It says, you know, you shall bury your own Lord. So it is for others, you know, to be compassionate and to watch out for others. But I think it's not for us to say, Hey, it is written. You know, you're supposed to bear others' burdens. Now you need to bear my burden, like putting ourselves on others. So I thought it's interesting, you know, it says you bear each other's burdens, but when it comes to your own load, bear your own load. So what it means is, you know, we don't go about telling people or, you know, putting people pressure on people. Hey, I'm going through this hardship, you know, you need to help me, but we trust God and we take this to the Lord and he will provide help, right? He will bring people into our lives, you know, who he has prepared to help us. Speaker 2 00:11:08 I like this verse, uh, for each one should test their own actions, and then they can take pride in themselves alone without comparing themselves to, to others. And the reason I like that is because, I mean, let's admit places like Facebook where everyone's posting their highlight reels of their life, right? Oh, here we are in, you know, subtropical location. Here we are at the beach, the mountains, all the great stuff that's happening in your life. You don't get a real sense of who they are, but people compare themselves against the people they're seeing and going, oh, I've gotta be more like that. I gotta do this, I gotta do that. And it leads ultimately to unhappiness and dissatisfaction. I have learned over the years that, uh, I don't need to look at what someone else is doing and go, oh, I'm envious. I'm jealous. I should do that. I, I look and look at what they're doing and go, great, that's great for them. I'm happy they could do it. And if I can't or don't, don't want to, I don't have to put that on myself as some kind of put down or that I've let somebody down or anything like that. I'm happy and content in my life, I'm, you know, I've gotten to that point. But that, that was all mental, all mental struggle for me. Speaker 3 00:12:20 One of the things, uh, that I noticed about chapter six is it takes a pretty strong turn from the other five chapters, which were really very laser focused on what the gospel is, what it isn't that we don't add works. Where now it's like Paul is closing up, he's speaking to these many churches in the province of Galia, and he's leaving them with his final thoughts. And I see these really, it's like a lot of words of wisdom for those churches. Cuz these are like, this is the, these are the churches in Galatia are among the first churches in history, Christian churches back in, you know, 50, 60 ad somewhere in that time. Some you can say mid forties. So he's giving him wisdom on how to live out this gospel together as a church. And even just like in this first chapter you read Tim third, you can take almost any one of these little lines. Speaker 3 00:13:17 And in and of itself, it's, it's great wisdom in these things you know about not comparing yourself to others and to think of yourself, you know, soberly and not deceive yourself. And, but if I look at it also as a continuation of the first thought of restoring people that fall into sin gently, I think he, in some ways he's telling us what our attitude should be as we go to help others that are caught in sin. Uh, you know, we, we don't wanna think we're gonna go in humility. We don't want to go thinking I'm Mr. Spiritual superstar, or I'm smarter than you. I'm somehow better. It's saying, Hey, test your own actions. Let's just focus on ourself. It reminds me a lot of, when Jesus said to you, or trying to remove the speck of sawdust from your brother's eye, you got a plank sticking outta your eye. Speaker 3 00:14:08 Remove that first so that you can see clearly. And I see it along that same lines of we need to come in humility and think of others' interest, at least as good as our own. And, uh, to me that, you know, other than being able to stand on their own, there's great wisdom. But it also is telling us how to approach people, uh, if we're gonna share the gospel or if it's a, a, a fellow Christian to bring something and say, Hey, you know, this thing you're doing here is probably not what's the best for you or what God would have for you. You know, do that in a loving way and in a humble way, and not in some type of uppity, more spiritual than you way. Yeah. Speaker 4 00:14:49 That's a great point you made, uh, mark about, you know, this chapter making a short turn. Uh, I think one of the things I wanted to point out also is, you know, if you look at Paul's letters, it's always a pattern. He first tells us a gospel and then he talks about our, uh, position in and our new state in our Lord Jesus Christ. And then he tells us, you know, based on who you are, now you act like this. So, but what most people do is, you know, they ignore all the, all the things that Paul said, uh, the foundation of the gospel, and then directly jump to these kind of commands, so to speak, or, or, or, uh, are some kind of words of wisdom. And then, uh, make it all, alright, hey look, look, look, Paul said this. If you don't do this, you know, you're going to be judged or punished. But again, I think, uh, we really need to understand that un unless we understand the first five chapters, we are not in a position to actually leave, uh, chapter six. So it's very important to understand that. Speaker 3 00:15:44 Yeah, I I, one of the things that I think I really inherited from you, ij, is just always your focus on context. Uh, what came before, what came after what was in the chapter before, what's the whole book about? And the turn that it takes here in six is a lot about doing. Yeah. But the thing you can't forget if you're going to read these things is that what did Paul say earlier in chapter three? He, he said that, you know, have he asked the rhetorical question? Let me ask you this. You know, did God give you his spirit and do miracles among you by what you believed or by works? Cuz when if you, as you said, uh, gee, if you take six out of context with the rest of the book of Galatians, it sounds very works oriented like you, and it's going to get even more as we go on here. Speaker 3 00:16:38 But you gotta remember the context. It's al it's what I always ask myself when I read something that seems difficult or works oriented. I say, but how do I do that? Yeah. I do it by the spirit, by faith in Christ, by living in the grace of Christ is what Paul said in the very beginning of Galatians one. So all these things here that we read in six, we don't do 'em of our own strength, of our own flesh, of our own, trying hard. Now we do them by the spirit and through our faith in what Christ did for us. Speaker 2 00:17:10 Amen. Speaker 4 00:17:11 Amen. Speaker 2 00:17:12 So we met, I read through six six and I said, we tackle that in a second. I want to just bring this up really fast. This was one of those what I call tithing verses. Uh, cuz I hear Paul is saying the Galatians should support their spiritual leaders by providing for their physical needs and material needs. And the emphasizing for all Christians the importance of generously and mutually caring for the Christian community together. So, you know, so this was one pastors would bring up when he was talking about tithing as he, you're supposed to help the, the help me by helping, you know, I'm just saying help me by helping the church. But it's, it's still, it's a good word. You know, the, the, it's, it's one of those things where we say, Hey, our leaders have physical needs and we should, as the Lord leads us, help them because they're feeding me spiritually. I can feed them physically or whatever. Speaker 3 00:18:09 Yeah. And I think we all know it just this, I've always, um, more preferred to take a more pragmatic approach instead of trying to wrap things in spiritually in everything you do. You know, we, we've talked back in the debunking series about the many ways pastors and churches and all kind of people try to try to, you know, make giving. Like, if you give, God's gonna give you more, it's an investment strategy. Or they, or they lay the guilt on, or they bring the prized couple in the church that stepped out in faith and gave everything they had and then they hit the lotto <laugh> the next week. You know, or something like that. To me, we're all, we're all adults. We're human beings. We live in the world. We know that it takes money to do anything, just normal things that are not even noble purposes. But there is nothing of greater value than being part of bringing the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to the world. So it's just, you know, it's just, I'd rather just be honest and truthful, uh, and not have to take verse six here and beat people over the head with it to <laugh>. That being said, please send your checks to AJ Musk it. Speaker 2 00:19:23 Yeah. <laugh> <laugh>. Aj do you have anything to add to that or shall I move on? Speaker 4 00:19:29 Uh, move on, Tim. Speaker 2 00:19:30 Alright, we're picking back up in verse seven. Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows whosoever sows to pleasure their flesh from the flesh will reap destruction whosoever sows to please the spirit from the spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary and doing good for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially those who belong to the family of believers. Speaker 4 00:20:04 Yeah. So Tim, you know, if you'd allow me, I want to read from a different version because I think this brings out a different truth, uh, in, uh, new kj, which says, do not be deceived. God is not mocked, but whatever a man source that he will also reap for he who, so to his flesh will love flesh re corruption. But he who, so to his spirit will love spirit rep everlasting light. So I'd like to stop here, right? I think in I, it says, you know, who pleases a fresh flesh or it also says, who pleases a spirit that is not there. Here. Uh, at least I think this is my opinion. Uh, others may differ, but again, you know, if you look at the whole context, what we have been talking about, it says, you know, who he who source to the flesh will love flesh the corruption. Speaker 4 00:20:53 And he who source to the spirit will love spirit rep everlasting life. Uh, you know, based on the context. You know, how do you so to the flesh by going back to the law because, you know, law is a power of sin, right? You know, law is the strength of sins. Clearly. It says, you know, the more you try to keep the law, the more you empower the sin. And how do we sort the spirit by living in grace, by grace through faith again. So I think it's the same thing again. So if you don't want to sort the flesh, you live in the land of grace again, like we discussed last time. And you live by faith and live by grace, and then the spirit will work in us. But if you go back under the law, you will, you will end up sewing to the flesh. You know, that's my view. But, uh, uh, but again, this is my opinion, not many interpreted like that. Speaker 3 00:21:39 Well, I'll tell you what aj, I'm one who does interpret it like that. Surprise, surprise problem. But when you looked again at the context, this whole book of Galatians has been about a comparison. It's been a comparison of by the spirit or by the flesh. Yeah. Through faith or through works of the law. This is just a continuation in another comparison of flesh in spirit, which will you choose when you put your faith in Christ? Are you gonna go back and try to do things of your own power by doing religious activities and keeping rules and all that? Or are you going to live in the spirit, living in the spirit, putting your faith in Christ and just setting your eyes on him. Kim contemplating him and being transformed him to his image that is sowing to the spirit, the Christian life. Faith in, uh, grace alone by faith alone through Christ alone, is sowing to the spirit when you keep your eyes on that. And to me, this is just an extension of the theme that Paul has done from chap, from the first lines of, uh, chapter one all the way through to the last chapter here. Speaker 4 00:22:48 Yeah. To support that Mark again, I think you just quoted right? He who gives you the spirit and works miracles among, among you, does he, by the works of the law or hearing of faith. So again, we can apply here directly. How do you sort the spirit? Yeah. By hearing of faith, Speaker 3 00:23:04 One of the things that we know, that's what he's talking about is the first line is the whole, uh, reaping what you sowing thing he's talking about here. Now, if he was talking about it in a works type of mentality, then, then the, the first, the first lines would kind of go with that. But he's not, because we know that we don't reap what we sow, what we've, what we've sawn, I guess is the correct way of putting it. Because Christ wrought what we've sown. He went to the cross force. If we reap truly what we've sown, we'd all be condemned and separated from God forever. Speaker 4 00:23:44 Hey. Amen. Hey. Speaker 3 00:23:45 Amen. So there are aspects I can see on the ver on the horizontal in human life. That's because we live by in a merit society. We have to earn, we have to deserve. So Paul can't be talking about this in a spiritual way. He's got to be tying it in with living by the spirit instead of the flesh. If we left by the flesh, then man's going to reap what he sows. If we live by the spirit, we're going to reap what Christ sewed for us. Speaker 4 00:24:13 Amen. Speaker 2 00:24:14 I like the fact that he points out in here that he says, you know, these people are trying to make you follow the law and be circumcised. They're, they're supposedly under the law. They don't even keep the whole law. Speaker 3 00:24:26 And he said it again here when he, when he talks about if anyone thinks there's something when they're not, they deceive theirselves because the Pharisees were deceiving themselves. They thought, Hey, we're doing the law perfect man. God's fine with us, but all these sinners in the street, what's Jesus going to them for? He should know that we're the righteous ones who come to us if he truly was the son Speaker 2 00:24:48 Of God. Sorry, I did jump forward in our reading cause we hadn't reached that part yet, but I was putting it together in my mind. Yeah. So shall we carry on? Yeah. Speaker 3 00:24:57 Let's, Speaker 2 00:24:58 So let's jump back in where I left off. I believe that's version nine. And it says, let us not become weary in doing good for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Speaker 4 00:25:18 Yeah. You know, here I think it says, you know, let us not grow very well doing good. It's talking about, you know, when we, and it is talking about, you know, we shall reap again. You know, I think we immediately say, you know, if you do good, we will reap double. It's like an investment. You know, like Mark is saying, that's not that, you know, when we do good to others, right? What is the best way to do good, uh, to others is to preach the gospel, right? One way or other. You know, you do good and you also help them out, uh, in their physical needs. But eventually, you know, whether we help them, uh, when we help them through, uh, uh, in their physical needs, you know, we are actually showing the love of Christ. So one way or other, you know, we are drawing them to Christ. Speaker 4 00:25:59 So the reaping that happens is somehow one way or other, you know, if they come to know the Lord Jesus Christ, you know, that is all reaping. It's not, you know, okay, if we give a hundred dollars to somebody, we'll get 200 back. You know, that's not what it is. But, uh, when we do good to others, when we show the love of Christ, they might eventually know Christ that is our reaping. Otherwise, you know, what is it? Right? You know, if someone has poor you give them money or you put, you know, you fill them with, uh, money so that you know, they can get some money every month. But if their soul is perishing, you know what good it is? You know, the Bible clearly says what good it is if you gain the whole world, but lose your soul. So our reaping always is that, you know, people may come to know the one true gospel, may know too, may come to know the one, you know, who allowed them and gave himself for Speaker 3 00:26:47 That. That's a great point, aj. Uh, I also see this as a continuation of that comparison flesh versus spirit that, uh, Paul talked about in the previous verse. And that is that if we're trying to do good by our own flesh, because of our religion, because of the rules, and we're supposed to do good, we're going to, no man can keep that up for the long run. But if we're going to be walking in the spirit and the fruit of the spirit and the love of Christ is just flowing through us, we're gonna be able to do good to all people long term, especially the family of, of believers who also belong to Christ as they're truly our brothers and sisters. Yep. Speaker 2 00:27:31 Okay, let's pick back up where I thought we were <laugh>, which is verse 11. Uh, see what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand. Those who want to impress people by means of the flesh are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. Not even those who are circumcised keep the law, yet they want you to be circumcised, that they may boast about your circumcision in the flesh. May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything. What counts is the new creation, peace and mercy to all who follow this rule to the Israel of God. From now on, let no one cause me trouble. For I bear on my body the marks of Jesus, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen. Now, I want everyone to start writing in large letters. It's spiritual, it's biblical. Paul <laugh>. You cannot do this little tiny chicken scratching anymore, Speaker 3 00:28:43 But anything other than large letters is not of God. And that's a new church rule. We're adding to the other thousand Speaker 2 00:28:51 <laugh>. Speaker 3 00:28:52 So if, if I could, uh, jump in here since you're already gonna be talking <laugh>, um, I once again continuing the same theme. If anybody doubted our interpretation of the first half a chapter six, you see Paul finish up again. He's going back now, he's leaving these people what this whole book has been about. It's not by the flesh, by the works of the law, it's by faith and by the spirit. And I, I love how Paul, this is the second time he said in this book that being circumcised or not being circumcised doesn't mean anything. And you could apply that to the law, to rules. Doing it doesn't help you. Not doing it doesn't hurt you. That's not what counts. That's not the focus of our lives is doing. The focus of our lives isn't getting rid of sin in our lives. The focus of our lives is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That's it. And Paul, I love this. May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, there has never been anything that is more boast worthy than that. Speaker 4 00:30:03 Amen. Yeah. Yeah. Mark, I'm going to double down on you. You know, here it says, uh, again, I'm reading a different version, but it's the same thing as many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh. So how do you make a good showing in the flesh, right? It is basically you try to pick up something from the law, right? Here it is circum session, right? You might pick up Sabbath or you might say, oh my God, I didn't steal anything, or I don't drink, I don't smoke. So you pick up one thing, then you, first of all, you just pick up one thing and pretend as if you're keeping the whole law. And then you try to make a show of it, right? Oh yeah, I am doing not doing this or I'm keeping the law and therefore God has to bless me. Speaker 4 00:30:45 So that is a showing of the flesh again, I think, uh, in the whole context, right? You know, if you read it in context, this whole book, it's like, you know, what Paul is saying is don't go to the law, right? Don't try to keep the law in order to win God's favor. Know that, you know, nobody can keep the law and nobody has ever fulfilled the law. So leave the law alone and come to God through Jesus Christ, by faith alone through grace alone, right? And then after coming to Christ, don't go back to the law again. You used to do good what happened to you? Right? He says, you know, oh, foolish Ians who has you? So after, so after coming to Christ, after knowing the Lord Jesus, christed by faith or by grace through faith, you know, continue to live like that by grace through faith in Christ, that's all we need to do. So don't ever go back to the law. That's a message here. Speaker 3 00:31:36 One, one of the things I find very interesting is what Paul mainly uses circumcision throughout this book as one of the key teaching points. But it's very clear through his other wording. He's not just confining that to that one act, that it, because he uses the term works of the law just as many times as he uses circumcision. Circumcision was one work of the law. Now for Israel, it was a very big work of the law. I mean, every child on the eighth day had to be circumcised. And the nation of Israel saw circumcision as a sign given to them that they were special. And over time it became that they were better than others that weren't circumcised. But what I find really interesting, and I really reading Genesis a couple months ago, is I was reading the account of God, giving the sign of circumcision to Abraham. It wasn't given as a sign of the law of works of your better than others. It was given as a sign of the covenant of grace. Yeah. Which was his promise to Abraham that I will bless all nations through your seed meaning Christ. And so they got it once again, 180 degrees backwards. Circumcision was the sign of the gospel. Really? Speaker 4 00:32:58 Yeah. In fact, Romans four says, it's, uh, seal of the righteousness of faith, exact opposite of what they made it. Right. They made it a work of the law. Speaker 3 00:33:08 Well, that's what mankind wants to do it. I'll just tell that to our listeners. I think we probably pr pretty much on our own spirits can confirm. It just seems natural and right that we would work and earn things, that God would love us more if we do a good job at not sinning, if we do a good, do a good job at giving more. But I just love, um, you used the term a little while ago, uh, Ajay, about working for the favor of God. The the birth announcement on the morning that Jesus was born by the heavenly host and the angels to the shepherds was glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth. Peace to those on whom his favor rests. If you've put your faith in Christ, the favor of God rests on you. It's never going to leave because it wasn't about you. Speaker 3 00:34:00 It's about what he did. And, and one of our other favorites for Romans eight is he who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also graciously give us all things through the cross, through the gospel? God's already given us everything, and that all is contained in Christ. That's why doesn't it just make perfect sense? That's why we put our eyes on Christ, because everything is in him. Everything we needed beyond is in him. Why do we turn our eyes off of him to the law and try start to try to start to earn it again. It just makes no sense whatsoever. Speaker 4 00:34:39 Amen. Speaker 2 00:34:40 You know, this one, verse 17 is, is one of those that, um, doesn't always get understood correctly or perfectly. And I want to just throw this out there, uh, from now on. Like no one caused me trouble for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. And I really honestly believe what he is saying here is, you know, he's been attacked by these judaizers for not teaching circumcision. He's been questioned his authority and his, and, uh, they questioned his beliefs and they questioned his commitment. And he goes, I have been stoned. I've been whipped, I've been flogged. I've been this, I've been, he's been through so much and his body had to have been covered in scars. And so he says, here's the last proof by my own body, how much I am committed to this Jesus and him crucified. Look at, you know, the scars across my body. This wasn't pride in my opinion. This wasn't pride talking. Just look what I've been through. Speaker 3 00:35:35 Yeah. And Tim, I would add to that when he says, let no one cause me trouble, he wasn't, he was talking to the Judaizers, and which is, you know, what this whole Bible is about, you know, this whole book I should say is about, is that they're causing him trouble. They're badmouthing him, trying to steal away the church and put him back under the law. And he's speaking to them. He's saying, look, you're coming in here trying to gain followers, number one, because you're afraid of being persecuted for the cross. Look at my body, it's covered in scars. I'm not afraid of preaching the true gospel. I'll give my life for it, which he ultimately did. Um, so yeah, he's definitely talking to the Galatians here. And number two, they weren't just doing it because they were afraid they were doing it to gain esteem and gain followers. Speaker 3 00:36:25 And hey, look at us. And Paul's like, look at me. He was a broken vessel. Even when he preached. He said, I didn't come with eloquence or human wisdom, but my message or my preaching or with a demonstration of the spirit's power. And, you know, it's just, it's just beautiful just to think of him, you know, like you said, not boasting about what he'd gone through, but he considered those nothing for knowing Christ. All the good things in his life, all the bad things in his life, Paul considered as nothing compared with the surpassing greatness of gro, of knowing Christ. Speaker 4 00:37:02 Amen. Speaker 3 00:37:03 And when you compare that to the Judaizers who were coming in with false motives and trying to get everybody to work again, and they were afraid to do what Paul did, to preach the pure gospel, it's just, that's just a beautiful thing. Um, that's why this man is one of my heroes. I've always just admired Paul so much and wish I was more like him. But by God's grace, I already am in his eyes. Speaker 4 00:37:29 Amen. Speaker 2 00:37:30 Well, guys, I don't, mark, I, I think you mentioned that he were afraid our children would end up finishing this book, but here we are, we've gotten through collations at this point. Speaker 3 00:37:39 Sorry, kids Speaker 2 00:37:41 <laugh>. Speaker 3 00:37:42 But you can go ahead and read it too, if you'd like on your own. Speaker 2 00:37:44 Absolutely. We encourage everybody to read it for themselves. Speaker 3 00:37:47 Over and over, Speaker 2 00:37:48 Since we're coming up to the end of our time, I'm gonna give you guys a chance to give your, give any last summarization of either this chapter or something within this chapter, or the entire book of Galatians, depending on what, uh, what you've got running through your head right now. So aj uh, why don't you kick that off? Speaker 4 00:38:10 Yeah. So I'm going to summarize it, verse 14 and 15, but God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me and I to the world, foreign Christ Jesus. Neither circumcision nor circumcision avails anything but a new creation. You know, I said this before also, uh, grace is a death blow to human pride. So really, you know, when you understand grace, when we understand everything is because of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, not our doing, then you know, there is no room, no room to pride. You know, even if you want to, we cannot. So that's why, you know, when, when we truly understand grace, there's nothing we boast in, but the cross of, of our Lord Jesus Christ. So that is a natural consequence. So that's why, you know, I don't even worry about, you know, being proud or, you know, trying to be humble because of my heart. Speaker 4 00:39:04 I know everything I have is because of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. So the only thing we can boast of is the cross. And the second point he makes is, you know, that is because in the law, Jesus Christ, neither circumcision not on circumcision, right? The law doesn't count. So whether you belong to the law or whether you do not belong to the law, whether you keep the law or not, the doesn't keep, the law doesn't count. Because only if you work for something, then you have something to post about. But if you don't work, you know, there's nothing to post. And he says, none of those things matter, but a new creation. So in Christ Jesus, we have become a new creation, and we live this life by the spirit, you know, through this new creation. So one way to think of, um, living by the Spirit is, you know, you don't live by your old Adam, uh, resources that you, um, got from Adam, but you live by the new creation. Speaker 4 00:39:57 So law Bible says, you know, we are made a new creation in Lord Jesus Christ. So we living by our new creation, our Christ, living in us, it's the same thing. So we need to understand that we are made a new creation, and then we take advantage of the new resources that we have in our new creation. And, and that new resources, we can only take advantage by faith, not by working hard, not by trying to manufacture the new creation, but simply believing that we are made a new creation. And then by faith we access that new creation and live by that new creation. Speaker 3 00:40:29 I I think we just got a new a jism. Tim AJ just said, grace is a death blow to human pride. Bam. That was good aj. And I think the, you got it from the Apostle Paul in directly though <laugh>. Uh, because earlier in the book Paul said that if he preached the law, he would remove the offense of the cross. And the reason the cross is an offense is because grace is a death blow to human pride. And the cross is the ultimate symbol of grace, of God's love for us. We'll have that out on t-shirts, uh, soon for all our listeners to wear <laugh>. I would just like to end with the last verse. 18. Hello. You're killing me. That was what I was gonna do. <laugh>. Well, I'll, maybe we have different, different areas. And when you're done, Tim, if yours is better than mine, just edit me out. Speaker 3 00:41:26 Okay? <laugh>. But I just wanna say, so I don't know about you guys in our listeners, but so many times when we read a book of scripture, we kind of gloss over the greeting and gloss over the final salutation or benediction, okay? Grace, in peace to you from God, father, you know, instead of saying, okay, look what 18 says, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen. That really is a summation of this entire book of everything he's talked about, the undeserved, unearned, unmerited favor in love of God, our already yours. Let that be with your spirit. Receive it, understand it, chew on it, eat it. Live it, breathe it. You know, I just love the way He just, and Tim, uh, by the way, you're smiling and <laugh> and nodding your head. It looks like I stole your thunder, but no, you could take it from there, <laugh>. I don't know where to take it from there. That was a great summation of it. Najay did a great summation of the chapter and a, and the book. So you know what, I think that's best left to me at this point to say thank you so much everybody for listening. Again, we look forward to talking to you the next time. Speaker 1 00:42:45 Tim, again, thanks for listening today. We hope you were blessed by today's message. If so, we encourage you to subscribe and share our podcast with your friends and family. Our entire catalog of episodes can be found on our website at www.theunveiledgospel.com. Or you can listen and subscribe on most popular podcast apps. If you have any feedback or questions, you can send us an email to the unveiled gospel@yahoo.com. You can reach out to us on our Facebook page, the Unveiling Podcast, or you can leave a question or comment on our listener line at 3 5 2 3 9 8 0 0 8 9. Maybe you'll hear yourself on a future episode. That's it for today. As always, God bless and we will talk to you the next time.