Why You Can’t Earn God’s Acceptance (Galatians Part 5)

Good morning church it's a great day to worship to sing we're gonna sing this song that we taught y'all last week that says it's by grace through faith that we've been saved we can't boast in it it's all because of Jesus that we have a reason to celebrate this morning says you catch the song sing along with us Oh you saved me I'm walking in the mercy that you've shown Lord you changed me not by works but grace through faith alone you redeemed me the oldest goal my life has been made Lord you freed me these chains are breaking just the cross of Jesus your grasp a story Lord you paid me You bee so kind It's because of you You paid my hope, my love, me to Christ Not by strength, not by might Just the cross of Jesus Christ I will not boast in anything It's only by grace By grace through faith I have his name in me By grace through faith I have his name in me By grace through faith I have his name By grace through faith I'll never be the same By grace through faith I have his name By grace through faith I'll never be the same

I will not boast in anything My hope, my love, me to Christ Not by gain, not by strength, not by might Just the cross of Jesus Christ I will not boast in anything Come on, Archie. Thankful he saved you. Come on, say it with me again. It's by grace through Come on, church. Church houses, it's by grace through faith that we've been saved. That's the gospel. It's the glorious gospel because we did nothing to earn that. It's Jesus plus nothing. Couldn't do it on our own. We needed him and he did it. He gave his life for us so that we could have freedom so we could celebrate today. We have an amazing opportunity to celebrate with 50 people-ish who are getting baptized all over Abundant Life this morning. Let's celebrate that. Come on. It's one of my favorite things that we get to do. It's amazing people are taking this public step of faith, their next step to go on with Jesus. It's this beautiful picture of being buried with Christ in his death and raised to walk in new life. And again, it doesn't save us. We're just saying what saves us. It's his grace through faith that saves us. But man, it's something we can celebrate together this morning. So as we continue to sing of the love of God for us that he demonstrated so beautifully on the cross, let's celebrate with these people as they come out of the water. Let them hear you. And Jesus, we want you to hear us now as we lift up our praise to you. By faith, God, we thank you for your love for us that changed everything. We worship you today, Jesus.

How great the pain of searing loss, the Father turned his face away, as wounds which mother chosen one bring many sons to glory. And this is love, you took my place as heaven turned away. This is love, you bore a debt I never could have paid. I see the scars upon your arms, I know we'll never fade. This is love, perfect love. Behold the man upon the cross, my sin upon his shoulders. Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice call out among the scoffers. It was my sin that held him there until it was accomplished. His dying breath has brought me life. I know that it is fair. And this is love, you took my place as heaven turned away. This is love, you bore a debt I never could have paid. I see the scars upon your arms, I know we'll never fade. This is love, perfect love. I will not boast in anything. No gifts, no power, no way is mine. But I will boast in Jesus Christ, his death and resurrection. Why should I gain from his reward? I cannot give an answer. But this I know with all my heart. His wounds have paid my ransom. Yes, they have. Oh, there's nothing else to pay. Nothing else to be given. Oh, I'm set free in you, Jesus. We say thank you. We say thank you. Come on, say thank you, Jesus. Thank you.

This is love, you took my place as heaven turned away. This is love, you bore a debt I never could have paid. I see the scars upon your arms, I know we'll never fade. This is love, perfect love. ♪ Oh, this is love ♪ ♪ You took my place as heaven turned away ♪ ♪ This is love, you owe a debt I never could not pay ♪ ♪ And I see the scars upon your arms ♪ ♪ I know you'll never pay ♪ ♪ This is love, perfect love ♪ ♪ Oh, this is love, perfect love ♪ ♪ This is love, perfect love ♪ ♪ Perfect love, we thank you for your love ♪ ♪ So I throw my hands and praise you again and again ♪ ♪ Cause all that I have is a hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ And I know it's not much, but I'm nothing else fit for a king ♪ ♪ Except for our hearts singing hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ On my way to you, on my way to you, on my way to you ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ All my words fell short, I got nothing to do ♪ ♪ How could I express all my gratitude ♪ ♪ All my gratitude ♪ ♪ I could sing each song as I often do ♪ ♪ Every song must end in you, in you, in you ♪ ♪ In you, in you, in you, in you, in you, in you ♪ ♪ So I throw my hands and praise you again and again ♪ ♪ Cause all that I have is a hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ And I know it's not much, but I'm nothing else fit for a king ♪ ♪ Except for a heart singing hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ Don't you get shy on me, lift up your heart ♪

♪ Cause you got a light inside of us all ♪ ♪ Keep on praying praise the Lord ♪ ♪ Praise you God with faith ♪ ♪ Oh come on my soul, oh don't you get shy on me ♪ ♪ Lift up your song, cause you got a light inside of us all ♪ ♪ Get up and praise the Lord, praise the Lord we sing ♪ ♪ Oh come on my soul, oh don't you get shy on me ♪ ♪ Lift up your song, cause you got a light inside of us all ♪ ♪ Get up and praise the Lord, oh come on my soul ♪ ♪ Oh come on my soul, oh don't you get shy on me ♪ ♪ Lift up your song, cause you got a light inside of us all ♪ ♪ Get up and praise the Lord ♪ ♪ We pray, come on give me praise today, we thank you Lord ♪ ♪ We both sing you Lord Jesus, yeah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ So I'll throw up my hands and praise you again ♪ ♪ Cause all that I have, cause all that I have is a hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ And I know it's not much, but I'll never get a scapegoat or a king ♪ ♪ He's set for a heart singing hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ The Lord is down on all my hands ♪ ♪ To praise you again and again ♪ ♪ Cause all that I have is a hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ And I know it's not much, but I know He'll stand for me ♪ ♪ He'll stand for a heart singin' hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪

♪ Hallelujah ♪ Come on, give Him a hallelujah this morning, Jesus. You're worthy of our worship. You're worthy of our praise. We thank you, Jesus. Amen. Thanks for celebrating with us this morning. Man, God is good. He's faithful. He's alive. He's in the room. Amen. Hey, take the next 30 seconds. Right now, 30 seconds on the clock to greet someone around you. Welcome them to church this morning before you take your seat. I was an angry man. I didn't love me. How could I love Jesus? But when I found out that Jesus loved Jim, then Jim could love Jim because Christ loved Jim. I heard that Abundant Life was coming to Johnson County and I said to Jim, we need to go there. The first week in December, we went. The pastor was talking to us that first Sunday and Jim brought up, do you need to be baptized to be a member of this church? And Pastor Lance said, baptism is not necessary. It's just that it's an obedient act.

But we both thought, why haven't we? And maybe we should. When we came back to the group, we started a study. We were in Isaiah at the time and it talked about baptism. And so that's how the word got brought up. At that point, Jim had said he was not going to get baptized. And one morning I was getting ready. I believe the Holy Spirit asked me to call and talk to Jim about getting baptized. Debbie called me the next day and she said, you know, if Jim really, that question keeps coming up, if Jim really wants to be baptized, I'll do it with him. She says, I've only been sprinkled. It's been on my mind, on my heart to be baptized. So I'll be happy to do it with him. It seemed like it was because of what Jim's been going through that they would step alongside of us and do that with us. It was pretty exciting. They discussed it briefly. And at first I was a little bit hesitant. And then as we finished talking about it, I go, I'm in. And she was like, well, I guess I am too. Like, okay, let's do this. It was just so great and special. And to share it with Jim and Eileen, as we have shared his illness and prayers with them, it's been difficult. So this was kind of a wonderful blessing.

We had been sprinkled as babies, but that was about it. And so when they said they were going to do it, oh, I was excited for them. And then next thing we know, I'll do it too. And then all of us decided one by one that we would do it. We're being a stretcher bearers for each other. And Christ called us to do that. To me, baptism means being able to wipe a slate clean. It's being able to go into the water and leave all of your sins and your past failures and your past disappointments and come out with a renewed relationship with Jesus. Really, the baptism was the first we were really introduced to abundant life. But I think if I had to think about what is it, what does the A-Life mean to me, it means me finding joy in just everyday life. This small group has probably been together for 25 years. We have laughed and cried a lot, and we've had difficulties as most people do. Jim was in the hospital and the small group came up and we had Bible study together. What's happening for me is, and what I wanted is that I would be rejuvenated. I have terminal cancer. cancer. Lance and Derrick and Chris all said this to me, when you're not here Jim we will be there to take care of Eileen. That means a lot to me. I don't even know how to preach after that. Jim, your life speaks, not from the grave but from heaven. And Jim and his small group has made a dynamic impact on our church family, especially in Johnson County. I had the joy of meeting Jim a couple of months ago. So

grateful for his legacy, his testimony. And today I want to go back to the book of Galatians because Jim's story fits really perfectly with where we're going today. So it's been three weeks since we're in the book of Galatians. We're doing a verse by verse study through this book because it's all about the A-life. How to live the A-life. We're in a two-year discipleship journey called the A-life. It comes from John 10 verse 10. Jesus said the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy but I've come to give you life and you can have it more abundantly. And so together we're taking our next steps to live the A-life, the abundant life in Christ over the next two years. And for some of us the next step is baptism, to go public with our faith as Jim did just a couple of months ago. And what was happening in Galatia? Why did the Apostle Paul write this letter that we now study? So Paul in the mid-40s A.D., one of the early Christian missionaries, had gone to Asia Minor, which is today Turkey, and he'd planted some churches in a region known as Galatia. He'd shared with the people there that Jesus was the one that died for their sin and he'd rose them again and by faith in him they could be forgiven. And so he begins making disciples, that's the call of the church, and he begins planting churches there. And he leaves and he gets word that something has happened. False teachers have come in and began undoing the gospel that he had taught them. What is the gospel? Jesus plus nothing equals everything. That when Jesus died for your sin, he rose again and by faith in him you can be forgiven. And there's nothing you can do beyond what Jesus has done for you to get you into heaven. Yet they had come as Judaizers. They were teaching these Christians that they first have to become a Jew to become a Christian. They have to go through the Hebrew rite of circumcision. They're adding something they had to do to what Jesus had done. And the moment you add one thing to what Jesus had done, it's no longer the gospel. It's a counterfeit gospel. It's a false gospel. And so Paul picks up a pen and with urgency he begins to write them. So, it's been about three weeks, so let me kind of re-engage where we're going, what we're learning. Listen carefully. Your acceptance by God is not based on your works for God but rather Christ's work for you. Check this out. Jim had put his faith in Jesus years and years ago and by faith in the Son of God that he died for his sin and rose again. In that moment, what Jesus called being born again, Jim became a Christian. He was forgiven of his sin. What happened just recently through his baptism? He simply

made a public declaration. That's all it is. And I want you to see that what happens over and over again, 2,000 years later, like it was in the early days of Christianity, the distortion, the deception of religion, of people that come and add things that Jesus done, giving you a list of things you've got to do. And the apostle Paul is now teaching them, reminding them of what he'd already taught them, that listen, your acceptance by God is not based on your works for God but rather Christ's work for you. 2 Corinthians 5.21 puts it this way. He writes to the Corinthians, for he made him, Jesus, who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him. What is the implication? 2,000 years ago, the sinless Son of God came like the sons of men so that he could hang on the cross, take upon himself all of our sin, and three days later he'd rise again. And I want you to know what happened on the cross of Calvary. Jesus traded places with us. You see what happens is the righteous perfection of the Son of God, the sinless, righteous holiness of Jesus, he places it on you as a child of God. The moment you put your faith in him, God places all the righteousness of Christ upon you, and on the cross he took all of your sin, all of your shame, all of your stain, and he placed it on his sinless Son. He took all of your blame for every single sin. So that now when God looks at you as a Christian, as a child of God, purchased and parted by the blood of the Son of God, he no longer sees your sin. All he now sees is the perfect righteousness of the Son. Implication, what that means is, on your worst day as a Christian, you know your worst day, picture your worst day, think of the worst day, I mean, you know when it is like, you know, rush hour traffic at the 470 triangle and people are crazy and you just wanna go into road rage and for a moment you do. Listen, on your worst day when you snap at your husband coming home from church of all places and we've been singing Jesus is all I need and you know, next thing you know,

your husband gets under your skin and you take his head off. You know, one of those moments. Come on, you know what I'm talking about. Like, in your worst moment as a Christian, check this out, you still have the same standing before God as you did before because your standing with God is built only on what Jesus has done for you and nothing you can do can change your standing before God because your work can undo Christ's work. Now, I want you to see now what we're learning. Listen carefully, we are righteous in the eyes of God, not based on anything we do, but exclusively based on what Christ has done. Now, we're gonna pick it up right now in Galatians chapter three. What's happening in Galatia? These early Christians are being taught that to be a Christian is Jesus plus circumcision equals everything. They were being taught that they have to go through the Hebrew rite of circumcision to become a Christian, much like people are taught today. You have to go through the Christian rite of baptism to become a Christian. Now, listen carefully. Baptism is not the reason you're a Christian, but a reflection that you're a Christian. You see, I want you to know what happens. Religion always takes the symbols of our salvation

and turns them into the source of our salvation. Circumcision was a symbol of the covenant God made with the ancient Hebrews, but it was never the source of their salvation. What's happened? Judaizers, teachers, false teachers, are teaching that now circumcision is the source of one's salvation. In the same way today, people will say Jesus plus this, or plus this, or plus this, a list of things to do. And so what happens in Galatians three? The apostle Paul is gonna start with a series of questions. He's trying to lead the Galatians to their own conclusions, so he's gonna lead with questions. Jesus would often lead with questions. He was trying to get his listeners to draw their own conclusions. In the same way, Paul's gonna lead with a series of questions, hoping to lead his readers to the right conclusions, biblically. Because what they're doing is both unbiblical and illogical. Pick it up with me in Galatians chapter three. If you're ready for this, say let's go. Here we go. All right, Galatians three, verse one. Oh, foolish Galatians, wow. I mean, forget the niceties here, Paul. Forget the warmups.

I mean, he just comes out, hits them right between the eyes. You guys are fools. Oh, foolish Galatians. I mean, this is pretty strong language, but this is the urgency of the situation. Gospel clarity is mission critical. Oh, foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This word bewitched in the Greek language actually is the word we get hypnosis from, hypnotized. He's saying who has hypnotized you? Who has cast this satanic spell over you? Who has deceived you? You understand religion is a deception and a distortion. When I talk about religion, I'm talking about religious legalism. Legalism, I told you a few weeks ago, what is it? It's where you begin adding things that you've gotta do onto what Jesus has done for you and suggesting now your standing before God is based on you instead of simply based on Jesus. And what's happening here is the very same thing. They've been deceived. It's a satanic deception. Remember what John 10, verse 10, the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. And well, the number one thing Satan has done is work on the inside of the church.

Listen, he could not destroy the church on the outside. What he's doing now is on the inside. False teachers have gotten on the inside to sow deception and false doctrine. And it's this satanic spell that now they're under. You know, so I'm praying for some of you that through this series, God would break the satanic spell that's been cast over your life through false religion, deception, distortion, that you would see the joy of Jesus, the difference between religion and redemption. Jesus said, if the Son shall set you free, you shall be free indeed. And we need to be free from religious legalism of trying to work our way into heaven, keeping a list, hoping to appease God, hoping in some way I can earn the favor of God. He says, who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth before? whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified. This only I want to learn from you. Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith? See, circumcision was part of the Mosaic law. And every time you begin to keep a list of things you gotta do, you put yourself back under the law. He's saying, hey, did you begin by faith to now be perfected by the law? Hey, see, these teachers are bringing them back

under the old covenant. The old covenant is the law. The new covenant is grace. What happened in Matthew 5, 17? Jesus said, I haven't come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it. See, the law demanded perfection. The law could not bring our salvation. It could only bring our condemnation. The law was only there to teach us of our need for Jesus. He's trying to show you that, listen, you can't live in both covenants. It's either the old covenant or the new covenant, but you can't straddle the two and combine the two. That's like trying to mix oil and water. You can't mix oil and the water. You can't mix the old covenant with the new covenant. He's trying to get them to see, you can't be saved by grace and now live by the law. He says these words, are you so foolish? Having begun in the spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain if indeed it was in vain? Therefore, he who supplies the spirit to you and works miracles among you, does he do it by the works of the law or by hearing of faith? I want you to know, you live as a Christian the same way you became a Christian, by grace through faith. See, the Galatians are being taught

that you get saved by grace through faith, but now you gotta do everything else yourself. It's all about works. You gotta earn it. And I want you to see that every stage of your salvation is the very same way, by grace alone through faith alone. In fact, I want you to see a verse. Now, when I think about the New Testament, there's a lot of verses there, but it can probably honestly be summarized in about a dozen verses. This is one of those passages you ought to memorize. This ought to be a memory verse for you, okay? Because this is one of the passages I think just summarizes the New Covenant, the New Testament. Look, it says Ephesians 2, eight and verse nine. It says this, for by grace, you have been saved through faith. I want you to notice something. We need to be saved. For by grace, you have been saved through what? Faith. I want you to notice the implication is that we need to be saved. I had somebody years ago tell me, Pastor Phil, we don't get saved in my church. That's a Baptist thing. I thought, well, it's too bad you don't get saved at your church

because that's not a Baptist thing. That's a Bible thing. I mean, that's the language of the New Testament. Acts 2, 21, whoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Yeah, Romans 10, 13, whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. It's not a Baptist thing, that's a Bible thing. If you're a Christian, it's because you've been saved. Romans 10, nine and 10, if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. We need to be saved from what? Saved from sin's penalty. Romans 6, 23, the wages of sin is death. We're under the penalty of sin, which is death, not just physically, but eternally, separated from Christ eternally. We need to be saved from sin's penalty. Every time we sin, we put the wages of sin upon us, which is death, but check this out. For by grace, you've been saved from sin's penalty through faith. Now, what is grace? Somebody told me, what is, I mean, sometimes you don't know the terms, the language. What does it even mean to say grace? Somebody said, well, is that praying? You know, I say grace before I eat.

You should say grace before you eat, but that's not what I'm talking about. Well, so what is grace? Grace is God giving you something you don't deserve. Grace is unmerited favor or undeserved favor from God. That's grace. So what is grace? The grace of God is God giving you that which you don't deserve. We've all sinned, we're all guilty, we deserve the penalty. The wage of sin is death, Romans 6, 23, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. See, the grace of God is seen on the Son of God as He hung on the cross and died for our sin. He took our place and our penalty. He took our punishment. He's ransomed us, He's redeemed us as an act of God's grace. Now, how do we receive that grace? Through faith. For by grace, you're saved through faith and that not of yourself, it is a gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast, and say, man, I'm here because I am awesome. I mean, really, I earned my way here. If you knew how awesome I am, you'd understand why I'm here. Nobody's gonna get to do that.

You know why? Because Romans 3, 10, It says, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Nobody can say, I was good enough to get into heaven. Good is the wrong standard. The standard is perfection. And no matter how good you've been, you ain't perfect. I'm not either. We need Jesus. Now check it out, that's why it's called a gift. You can't earn it. You can't earn a gift, you can't buy a gift. If you gotta buy it or earn it, it's not a gift, it's a reward. So years ago, I took my first trip to the Holy Land. We like going to the Holy Land tour. Guys, I'm telling you, when you go, your faith becomes sight. You connect all the dots. We go to these archeological sites of all these places and spaces where Jesus was, and biblical things happened. And we're at one of these archeological spots, and I can't remember where we were, but there's always their people selling. So it's kind of a tourist trap too, gotta warn you, okay? And they were there passing out pomegranate juice. I'd never had pomegranate juice. Yeah, I'll try one. So a man looks at me and says, a gift, a gift, a gift. Well, it's a gift. Well, thank you very much.

I took it, started to drink it. Mm, it was good, pomegranate juice. Who knew? I start to walk away. I hear him say, $5, $5. He got me. I took the bait and switch. Yeah, because if I don't pay him, now he's gonna say, thief, you stole it. Here's what I want you to understand. When God calls salvation a gift, it's not a bait and switch. The Galatians are being taught it's a bait and switch. Yeah, you receive the gift by faith, but now you gotta earn it. You gotta purchase it. You gotta buy it. Everything left is up to you. That's why now you gotta go through the Hebrew item circumcision, or in this modern era of Christianity, you've gotta go through this and do this and do this and do this, or it doesn't count. It's not Jesus plus nothing. I want you to understand the nature of salvation. Every stage of salvation is done in exactly the same way. Paul's teaching them, you don't start by faith, and now you gotta do everything else through works. You don't start with a new covenant of grace, and now you gotta go back into the old covenant of the law. Understand, every stage of salvation is by grace alone,

through faith alone, in Christ alone. When I say stages, there are three stages of salvation. Check this out. We have been saved, and yet we're being saved, and yet we still need to be saved. There are three stages of salvation. The Bible calls them, in Romans 8, justification, sanctification, and glorification. Let me explain. Justification happened instantly. The moment you put your faith in him, you are forgiven of your sin. Justification, just as if I'd never sinned. Now, glorification, check that out, that happens in heaven. Justification is the salvation of the spirit, what Jesus called being born again. You came into this world with a living body, a living soul, but a dead spirit, because you were in Adam when he sinned, and when Adam sinned, his spirit died within him. That means he passed that state onto all of his posterity, his entire family tree, you and me, all of humanity, which is why Jesus said, you must be born again, and the moment you put your faith in the son of God, you receive the spirit of God, and the spirit of God gives life to your spirit. Justification, salvation of your spirit. Now, check this out. The third stage happens in heaven. It's called glorification.

It's the salvation of your body. Jim's body gave up under the curse of sin called cancer, and one day, your body will give up under the curse of sin. It may be old age, or it may be something else, but these bodies are going to die under the curse of Adam's sin, but don't fret, because you're gonna get an upgrade when you get to heaven. I mean, this age of body image, I'm just telling you, if you don't like your body image, relax. You're gonna get an upgrade. I'm telling you, for all of eternity, I'm gonna have long, flowing, blonde locks. Man, I'm gonna love every minute of it, too. I'm telling you, no bifocals, no bunions, no bad back, no bad knees. No, the Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 15, the body that goes into the grave is perishable. The one that comes out of the grave is imperishable, corruptible, to incorruption, eternal, immortal, like that of the resurrected Christ, but check this out, in between justification and glorification, somebody calls sanctification, and the same way you got justification is the same way you are sanctified. Listen carefully, justification is forgiveness of sin's penalty. This deals with our sinful actions. I need to be forgiven of what I have done. I've lied, I've cussed, I've stolen, I had a dirty thought, I said a dirty word.

You have to, don't be looking at me like you're all self-righteous. Yeah, because the stuff that lives in me lives in you, too. That's why we all need Jesus. Now, at the moment you confess your sin to Him. him, what Jesus called being born again, and you believe he died for your sin and rose again, is what the Bible calls justification. In the eyes of God, it's just as if I've never sinned. He instantly declares me holy and blameless and sinless. That is my positional reality in Christ, according to Ephesians chapter one. Now, that's not my practical reality, that's my positional reality. Practically, I'm not holy, I still sin, and that's why we need to simply not be forgiven of sin's penalty, we need to be delivered from sin's power. You see, I need to be forgiven of what I've done, but I need to be delivered from what I am, a sinner by nature. You see, I did not become a cheater the first time I cheated. I cheated because I was born a cheater. I did not become a liar the first time I lied. I lied because I was born a liar. You guys are looking at me cross-eyed. Relax, I'm not cheating, I'm not lying. It's an illustration, okay? You see, sin is what we do because sin is what we are. We're born as Adam's fallen posterity,

the fallen sons of Adam and the fallen daughters of Eve. The sin is born in, and that means I need to be forgiven of what I've done, but I need to be delivered from what I am. That's sanctification, deliverance from sin's power, deliverance from our sinful nature. Why do apple trees bear apples, not peaches? Because they're apple trees. Why do peach trees bear peaches and not cherries? Because it's their nature. Why do human beings sin? It's our nature, it's born in. And here's the reality, I can't change the things I do until Jesus changes what I am. We do what we do because we is what we is. But you need to know what happens at the moment of salvation. 2 Corinthians 5, 17 says this. If anyone be in Christ, he's a new creation. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. And that instantly, I'm forgiven of my sin. Now gradually, subtly, I'm being delivered from the power of my sin. So what does that mean, sanctification? Listen carefully. Sanctification is a word that simply means set apart. Not necessarily a theological term. It can be even a secular term. It just means set apart.

So this morning before I preached, I had a breakfast burrito from our cafe. I sanctified it. Of all the burritos there, I set apart one for me. I would have sanctified a donut, but I couldn't find one. I'm just being honest, okay. Yeah, of all the burritos there, I set it apart for me. This is what sanctification means. God has set you apart for himself. He set you apart from the world. He has set you apart from your sin so that you can gradually grow to become like him. Well, justification happens instantly. Justification happens instantly. The moment you put your faith in Jesus, he forgives you of sin's penalty. Sanctification happens gradually, subtly. It doesn't happen instantly. Now, I'm telling you that because there are people who teach sanctification happens instantly at a moment in time. That you can literally become sinless in this life, this side of heaven. There's a real theology that teaches that. Had a guy years ago tell me that, well, he was saved in 1988 and he was sanctified in 1995 and he hasn't sinned since. I looked at him and said, well, other than lying, that might be true. No, here's the reality.

Glorification is where you become sinless. That happens in heaven. But I will tell you this, as you are being sanctified, well, you'll never be sinless. You start to sin less and sin less and sin less as you grow in Christ's likeness. See, sanctification, to summarize in Romans 8, 29, God wants to conform you to the image of his son. Now, here's what I want you to see. The Galatians were teaching you have to keep the works of the law to be sanctified. Religious legalism, a list of things you gotta do. When the reality is you are sanctified the same way you got justified, by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. You see, religion by nature is nothing more than a coverup, it doesn't deal with the problem. Guys, I'm gonna confess this, TMI, a little too much information, I'm certain. But on Sunday mornings, I put the deodorant extra thick. TMI, like, I use deodorant every day. You should, too, by the way. I'm just saying, and those around you know who you are. I use deodorant every day, but on Sunday mornings, like I layer it on extra thick. I know TMI, sorry. Not only that, when I go back at house, I have a bottle of cologne back here and I spray myself down before I come out here. You know why? Because I'm working up here. I work when I preach.

I mean, I perspire when I preach, I'm telling you. I'm working. And I want to smell good for you. What can I say? And boys, I'm just telling you, it's a good idea. Use a little cologne for your wife. She likes it when you smell good. I'm just saying. It's true. But let's be honest. You can use deodorant, you can spray yourself down with perfume, but let's be honest. We're just covering up the problem. We're dealing with a symptom. We're not dealing with the source, which is why you got to do it over and over again. See, that's the nature of religion. That's the nature of keeping a list of things to do. No matter how good they might be, no matter how religious, do this, do this, do this, do this. To be a really good Christian, no, listen carefully, you're not getting to the heart of the problem. You're just covering it up. It's like lipstick on a pig. Yeah, you can dress up a pig, put lipstick on the pig. I mean, put a prom dress on the pig, dress it up, but it's still a pig. And the nature of a pig is to go back to what? The mud. That's the nature of religion. It's a cover-up. Jesus is about to clean up. That's what Paul's trying to teach the Galatians.

Oh, go ahead, do the Hebrew rite of circumcision. Go through that little religious motion, but you don't get to the heart of the problem. In the same way, you can be baptized and still not be a Christian. You just got wet. See, it's a faith declaration, a public profession, but the heart of the problem is a human heart. Unless Jesus comes inside of you and begins to change you, you have no chance of living a holy, Christ-like kind of life. Legalism tries to do it from the outside, man-made terms and conditions, but Jesus can only do it from the inside as he sets you apart gradually to become increasingly like him. Sanctification is the process of being set apart unto God gradually to become like Christ. That's the goal of the Christian life, Christ-likeness. Listen carefully. Sanctification is not achieved through your works for God. That's the law. Rather, God's work for you. That's grace. You're sanctified the same way you got justified. You're delivered from sin's power the same way you were forgiven of sin's penalty. By grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, I am what Jesus says I am. I can do what Jesus says I can do. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I don't have to sin again. That is not my identity. My identity as a child of God, as a son of God, defines my activity. So when I'm tempted to sin, I surrender again to him, and as long as I'm surrendered to him, I cannot sin. Now, that's not the law. The law, you're going to white-knuckle it. I'm going to hang on.

I'm determined this time. I'm going to do better than last time. I really mean it this time. I'm going to work harder. I'm going to do better. Here's what happens. Your willpower will cave in no matter how determined you are. No, you need a greater power than your willpower. I'm talking about resurrection power, the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. And this is why I want you to see the most important thing I'm going to say all day right here. Christ died for us to bring us justification. Now he lives in us to bring us sanctification. He died for you to deliver you from sin's penalty. Now he lives in you to deliver you from sin's power. But most of us never live in the power of the resurrected Christ. We try to live the Christian life in the power of self. And I'm trying to tell you, you live it the same way you got it, by grace through faith in the Son of God. Galatians 2.20, another verse you should memorize. One of the linchpins of the New Testament, certainly of the book of Galatians. Paul said, I am crucified with Christ. It's no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. Now Chad Glover preaches this amazing message a few weeks ago out of Galatians 2 and verse 20. And I want you to see, Paul is teaching them, no, you cannot live a sanctified life outwardly. Go be circumcised or not, it doesn't matter. The outward performance of religion. No, you have to recognize your co-crucifixion, that 2,000 years ago, God saw you in Christ.

That means you died with him. You recognize your co-crucifixion. All of a sudden, He begins to live through you, not just simply living in you. I've been crucified with Christ. It's no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. In the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Legalism wants you to be conformed outwardly, but it's Jesus who transforms you inwardly. And in the heat of temptation, you recognize your co-crucifixion. I'm crucified with Christ. It's no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. In the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. And this is so important. I had an email question a few weeks ago as we started Galatians, such a good question. Pastor Phil, if it's all about grace, then what is there to keep us from sin? I mean, we live in an age where grace has become a license to sin. God's love has become a license to sin. Let me answer the question with the Bible, is that okay? Romans six and verse one. The Apostle Paul knew somebody that asked that question. Romans six and verse one.

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. Certainly not. How can we who have died to sin live any longer therein? Do you understand that grace is not freedom to sin, it's freedom from sin. Jesus didn't die a brutal, bloody, ugly death to affirm our sin and celebrate our lifestyles. He died a brutal, bloody, ugly death to free us from our sin and change our lifestyles. I want you to know something. The same Jesus that saved you is the one who's now changing you. That's sanctification. Back in chapter three of Galatians. Therefore, he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does he do it by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith? See, Paul's comparing and contrasting. Old covenant, new covenant. Which one is it? You've gotta choose. If you wanna live by the law, you can do that, but with that comes a curse. Listen carefully. Just as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Now, Paul is a genius here.

He uses Abraham as an example. The Judaizers, these false teachers teaching people, they have to become a Jew and go through the Hebrew rite of circumcision to become a Christian. He now uses Abraham as an example. Abraham, the father of the Jews, the one that God gave the Hebrew rite of circumcision as a symbol and sign of the covenant. He says even Abraham was justified by what? He believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. He's saying, guys, even Abraham. They would have revered Abraham above all men, the one that gave them the rite of circumcision. He says even Abraham was not justified by his circumcision. He wasn't justified by that work of offering Isaac up on Mount Moriah in Genesis 22. He's actually quoting here Genesis 15, six. Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. You see, in every dispensation, Old Testament, New Testament, Old Covenant, New Covenant, at any time in human history, one has always been saved by faith in God. He appeals here specifically now to Father Abraham. Abraham's standing with God was not based on his works for God, but rather his faith in God. Now he goes on here in verse seven. Therefore, know that only those who are of faith

are sons of Abraham. Now I want you to listen to the well tomorrow. I did a well podcast on this very passage because this is one of the texts that people appeal to to try to prove replacement theology. The church has replaced Israel. And what we're talking here is about the Abrahamic covenant. And people confuse the Abrahamic covenant with the Mosaic covenant. Genesis 17, God called the Abrahamic covenant an everlasting covenant. But what they say here is that we're all now sons of Abraham. He's talking spiritually, not physically. There are spiritual components and promises of the Abrahamic covenant, and physical components and promises of the Abrahamic covenant. As Gentiles, non-Jews, we are the spiritual recipients of the Abrahamic covenant, but we have not replaced the physical recipients of the Abrahamic covenant. You need to listen to that well tomorrow. Therefore, know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham, and the scripture for seeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith. Preach the gospel of Abraham beforehand, saying, in you all the nations shall be blessed. So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the command of God.

Curse, for it is written, cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. What they were being taught is you do this one thing in the Mosaic law, circumcision. But Paul's reminding them, no, the law demands perfection. If you do one part of the law, you gotta keep all of the law. And the problem is nobody can keep all of the law, which is why the law is a curse, because it demands perfection. You see, the law could point out our sin. It could not deliver us from sin. Think of the law for simplicity. Think of the 10 Commandments. You guys have heard of the 10 Commandments. Like, let's say God's top 10. Not all the law, but God's top 10, the 10 Commandments. So what are they? It's don't cuss, don't chew, don't run with girls that do. There's three of them. Kidding, teasing. Not. Okay, okay, so number one, have no gods before me other than me. It's the first of the 10 Commandments. Do you know anything you've loved or served more than you love to serve God? That's an idol, it's a false god.

Yeah, we all broke that one, guarantee. Somebody said, well, I haven't killed anybody. Okay, you're right. And one of the 10 Commandments is thou shalt not commit murder. Well, good for you. Aren't you a goody two shoes? All right, you haven't murdered anybody. Congratulations. Let me ask you, have you ever lied even one time in your life? Yeah, that's another one of the 10 Commandments. Don't lie. Certainly not in church. If you've lied just even one time, little white lie, go ahead. Can we be honest here? I want you to notice something. God gave us the 10 Commandments. He gave us the law, not because he thought we could keep them, but because he knew we would break them. You see, the law was never meant to bring our salvation, but to show us apart from Jesus our condemnation. He calls the law a curse because it demands perfection. It's pass-fail. James 2 10 says, if you stumble in even one point of the law in the mind of God, you stumbled in all of the law, and that's the standard of heaven, it's perfection. And that's why Paul calls it a curse. Don't let anybody take you back under the law,

the religion of keeping a list of things to do. This is why some of us have been taught that if you miss church or you miss mass, it's a one-way ticket to hell. Huh? Listen, I'm a pastor. That's how important I think church is. But I gotta tell you, if you miss church, you're not going to hell. If you know Jesus, you're still going to heaven. See, religion always adds these man-made conditions. That's what was happening in Galatia, and it still happens today. That's why Paul is writing with urgency for gospel clarity, the exasperation, the frustration. I don't know how many times I've had a conversation. I've asked somebody, hey, do you know for sure you're going to heaven? Well, Pastor Phil, how can anyone know? How do I know I've done enough? I know right away this person has been raised in a system of religion. They've never known the joy of redemption. If it was up to you to do enough, it would never be enough. You could never do enough because you couldn't. Jesus did. Jesus plus nothing is everything. But when you start living by a list and thinking you're standing with God, goes up or down based on how you kept the list,

it is a curse. How do you know you kept the right list? How do you know you've done enough? Oh, and if you keep the list, you better do it perfectly. You better not miss. The law demands perfection. It can only bring our condemnation, not our salvation. Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for the just shall live by faith. Yet the law is not of faith, but the man who does them shall live by them. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us, for it is written, cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree, that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. So let me ask you, what are you putting your faith in to find your acceptance before God? Paul's asking the Galatians a set of rhetorical questions. I'm asking you a question. I want you to answer this just introspectively. If you died today, and you stood before heaven's gate, what would you appeal to, to enter therein? Well, Pastor Phil, I got sprinkled as a baby. I went through confirmation.

I took communion. I can quote the catechism. Or maybe in another faith denominational tradition, well, Pastor Phil, I asked Jesus into my heart when I was six. Well, then I got baptized. And I went through Iwana, and I, well, I can quote 200 Bible verses. I had perfect attendance at Vacation Bible School. We call it Kids Week now, we're cool. And man, I went to church like every Sunday, and I served. If your answer begins with I, you've already answered wrong. What are you gonna appeal to? I love Jim's story. I'm so glad I got to meet him a few months ago out at the Johnson County campus. His life speaks today, not from the grave, but from heaven. Jim is not dead, he's very much alive. And one day, as Jim is, we all will be. I don't care how young or old you are, it will come faster than you think. Are you ready? When you close your eyes in time and open them in eternity, do you know what you will see? And if you answer anything other than I appeal to the blood of Jesus, you've already answered wrong. Listen carefully, you are accepted by God based on one thing, your faith in the shed blood of the Son of God that has forgiven you of your sin, wiped your slate clean.

Has there been a moment in your life that you said yes exclusively in what Jesus did at Calvary? I'm gonna ask you to bow for just a moment. With every eye closed and every head bowed, I really do want you to take a moment and reflect. And answer that question, the most important question you will ever answer in your life is right now. At every campus, Blue Springs, Independence, Crossroads, Johnson County, Tipton Correctional Center, right here in Lee's Summit, every church house around the world, wherever you are right now, do you know emphatically with certainty you're home for eternity? If not, that can change. I'm gonna ask you to pray a simple prayer of faith right where you sit, God will heal your prayer. For by grace you're saved through faith, faith is something you exercise. We're gonna do it right now. I want you to pray this with me, say Jesus, I believe you died for my sin, that you rose again. And by faith today, I ask you to forgive my sin, come into my life and change me from within. Thank you for saving me and giving me your grace to set me free. Now help me follow you all the days of my life until I see you, in Jesus' name, amen. Would you give Jesus today the glory, praise him,

would you, church? Thank you.