1 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:10,960 We finished on verse 10 so we pick up from verse 11 tonight 2 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:17,760 following through Colossae remember is modern day Turkey. 3 00:00:18,760 --> 00:00:23,720 Paul didn't start the church. They haven't seen Paul Pafras 4 00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:26,880 was the starter of it along with Laodicea. 5 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:32,520 It was a spring off from church at Ephesus where Paul spent a 6 00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:36,000 good deal of time teaching and then handed it over to Timothy. 7 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:42,440 And so it was an outspring from Ephesus. 8 00:00:42,440 --> 00:00:47,040 It was a great church Colossae, but it was under attack as any 9 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:50,360 church that seeks to speak the word of God. 10 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:56,880 The devil will send his agents there to try and break it and 11 00:00:56,880 --> 00:01:03,960 destroy it. This 11 in him Jesus, you were 12 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:08,560 also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands. 13 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:12,360 So as we read that immediately and circumcision is a difficult 14 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:15,280 subject, isn't it? I remember one time we had this 15 00:01:16,480 --> 00:01:21,720 in a smaller church we were teaching at and and then in came 16 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:23,840 a whole group of people and we're in Romans and we're 17 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:27,040 talking just purely about circumcision, uncircumcision. 18 00:01:27,320 --> 00:01:30,160 And I thought this is a great topic for visitors to arrive on 19 00:01:30,160 --> 00:01:34,880 today. But notice here it gives us 20 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:39,880 straight understand in him were also you were also circumcised 21 00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:47,480 with the circumcision made without hands and what it what 22 00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:52,040 is that in the putting off of the body of the sins of the 23 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:55,640 flesh by the circumcision of Christ. 24 00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:00,520 It's interesting how circumcision came into being, 25 00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:03,720 isn't it as the covenant with the nation Israel started. 26 00:02:03,720 --> 00:02:08,280 We ever wondered why why why did God say circumcision? 27 00:02:09,039 --> 00:02:15,480 You know, because man is sinful and and the particular area of 28 00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:22,000 the anatomy where circumcision occurs is where man produces 29 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:27,760 life again. But the problem with man after 30 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:32,000 the fall of Adam is that the life that man continues to 31 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:38,280 produce is what sinful. And so this takes us back. 32 00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:42,000 That's a bit of a foundation why circumcision was involved. 33 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:47,920 And so Paul is bringing up circumcision here to those in 34 00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:52,080 Colossae. Paul moves and he's been 35 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:57,800 teaching about the Gnostics and he's going to move from the era 36 00:02:57,800 --> 00:02:59,840 of the Gnostics. One group of people who are 37 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:04,000 elitists and said that they were they were in the know only them. 38 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:08,240 Did you know that the Jehovah Witnesses, the 144,000 which 39 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:11,200 they believe that they are, that that is actually full. 40 00:03:11,920 --> 00:03:13,600 It was full quite a few years back. 41 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:18,040 Don't know who he is. There's you know what number of 42 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:21,760 you I'm 139,404. I don't know. 43 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:23,440 I don't know how they work that out. 44 00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:28,280 But all those that have followed on from that now are going to be 45 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:32,800 those who in their thing will take up residency on earth. 46 00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:36,520 And if they live well, they won't be annihilated. 47 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:42,280 It's a shocking religion, but that's where the Gnostic heresy 48 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:45,880 comes from, because to the Jehovah Witnesses, it's just 49 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:48,400 them. It's it's them and nobody else 50 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:54,720 is right. And so Paul now is moving to the 51 00:03:54,720 --> 00:04:00,040 Judaizers who were bringing their false teaching to 52 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:05,120 Colossae, who were teaching that in order to be righteous before 53 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:07,600 God. And remember, the Gnostics were 54 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:11,440 saying, well, if you want to be righteous, you have to have this 55 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:15,480 extra special knowledge. Jesus isn't enough. 56 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:17,480 It's not because they have a different Jesus. 57 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:22,200 And Paul had spent most of chapter 1 and nearly my good 58 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:26,480 part of chapter 2 saying in him he, he's, he's God, he's deity. 59 00:04:27,080 --> 00:04:30,120 In him you're complete. You don't need anything else. 60 00:04:31,160 --> 00:04:36,280 So now another group Judaizes. We're teaching that in order to 61 00:04:36,280 --> 00:04:38,760 be righteous, that is to be right with God, have a 62 00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:43,480 relationship with God, that faith in Jesus Christ is what is 63 00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:46,520 not enough. Now as we read this, we probably 64 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:49,680 think well, Gee, that's that's that's just in the old days. 65 00:04:49,680 --> 00:04:54,800 I'm glad that's not around not both Gnosticism and legalism 66 00:04:55,040 --> 00:05:01,480 exists today and infiltrate every church you see. 67 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:08,320 People will say, well, Jesus is good, but it's not enough. 68 00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:15,160 You need something more, you need to do this, you need to 69 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:18,960 pray this way, you need to fast or you need to do this. 70 00:05:18,960 --> 00:05:23,320 And they were saying, so in order for you to be, to be 71 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:28,880 saved, to be righteous, you must also the Judaizers were saying 72 00:05:29,280 --> 00:05:33,440 you also had to adhere to the law, the law of Moses. 73 00:05:34,600 --> 00:05:39,480 So you've got to be circumcised because you have to be look what 74 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:42,840 happened to Abraham. But they forget when was Abraham 75 00:05:42,840 --> 00:05:48,240 circumcised after God said you're righteous. 76 00:05:49,280 --> 00:05:54,240 It was a sign after of what had happened to Abraham, my God. 77 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:59,080 So you've got to be circumcised. The Judea eyes are saying, and 78 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:04,160 you've also got to keep the law. Faith in Jesus is not enough. 79 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:12,600 And, you know, the problem is, is legalism is, is good for 80 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:17,360 people who want to be religious. And, you know, in our flesh, our 81 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:22,240 old man, our old way, we like to be religious. 82 00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:26,600 We, we that's why you know, the chapels and the, you know, the 83 00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:30,240 great chapels that were built. And you walked in and you heard 84 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:34,920 the singing was woo, you know, and it was, oh, you feel I felt 85 00:06:34,920 --> 00:06:40,080 very religious in there because it it, it, it, it feeds our 86 00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:46,120 flesh. Paul said you don't need any of 87 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:49,880 it. You are complete in him. 88 00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:52,920 It's enough. Jesus says enough. 89 00:06:53,960 --> 00:06:58,360 And you have been circumcised, by the way Paul says, in whom 90 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:02,800 you are circumcised, but not the physical circumcision, not the 91 00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:07,040 cutting off a small piece of flesh that the law required 92 00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:11,160 under the law. But the circumcision of every 93 00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:16,600 Christian is a true circumcision, which the sign of 94 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:19,600 circumcision actually was a symbol of what was supposed to 95 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:22,440 have happened already to Abraham's heart. 96 00:07:22,440 --> 00:07:25,200 Circumcision that followed was something that already happened 97 00:07:25,200 --> 00:07:29,600 to his heart. Our true circumcision is our 98 00:07:29,680 --> 00:07:35,720 circumcision through Jesus Christ, where you renounce not 99 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:41,080 only a small portion of your body, but your entire flesh, the 100 00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:45,720 whole old you. You say, well, how does that 101 00:07:45,720 --> 00:07:49,000 happen? He was the tragic error of the 102 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:53,680 Jews because they were counting really on the physical 103 00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:59,720 experience they still are today and not upon the spiritual, so 104 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:05,920 that they had been physically circumcised, but they were still 105 00:08:05,920 --> 00:08:10,160 walking in the flesh. Well, you know, I'm circumcised, 106 00:08:10,160 --> 00:08:14,480 I'm right with God, I'm done. I've fulfilled the stamp. 107 00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:19,000 He's ticked me off. It's religion, not relationship. 108 00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:25,760 It's works, not grace. And Paul said that totally 109 00:08:25,760 --> 00:08:30,520 negates the physical ritual, because the physical ritual is 110 00:08:30,520 --> 00:08:33,120 what's supposed to have happened to your heart. 111 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:39,960 The idea is to cut off the life of the flesh out of the old 112 00:08:39,960 --> 00:08:47,600 Keith was cut off at the cross circumcision, and then not to 113 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:51,840 live after the flesh. Paul said if the Gentiles have 114 00:08:51,840 --> 00:08:56,080 turned away from the life of the flesh and are living after the 115 00:08:56,080 --> 00:09:01,320 Spirit, even they, though they may not have had the physical 116 00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:05,880 right of circumcision because it was practised by the Jews, it is 117 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:13,280 accounted to them in God's eyes as circumcision because God is 118 00:09:13,280 --> 00:09:15,680 looking at what the heart of a man. 119 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:20,440 And so Paul here affirms the same truth. 120 00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:23,400 He's saying, believers, don't worry about this because you are 121 00:09:23,400 --> 00:09:28,240 circumcised. How did that happen When Christ 122 00:09:28,240 --> 00:09:31,400 out on the cross and you surrendered your old life, He 123 00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:37,720 was cut off completely. So the true circumcision is that 124 00:09:37,720 --> 00:09:43,480 of the Spirit within my heart when I turn away from the life 125 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:48,280 of the flesh to live after the Spirit through the faith and 126 00:09:48,280 --> 00:09:54,480 power of Jesus Christ, I have been circumcised in God's eyes. 127 00:09:54,600 --> 00:10:00,960 Paul's saying that is I have been now set apart to live after 128 00:10:00,960 --> 00:10:04,560 the Spirit, before God, and that's what God counts. 129 00:10:05,680 --> 00:10:08,240 He's not looking at the physical circumcision. 130 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:09,600 He says I'm looking at the heart. 131 00:10:10,920 --> 00:10:14,480 The tragic thing about rituals and they they exist today, 132 00:10:15,240 --> 00:10:19,680 physical rituals in particular, is that too often people begin 133 00:10:19,680 --> 00:10:25,200 to substitute the ritual for the reality, sadly, in Catholicism. 134 00:10:25,480 --> 00:10:29,160 And there are a lot, a lot of lovely people in Catholicism who 135 00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:33,280 just don't know the word of God and they live under the power of 136 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:38,840 the Pope and, and his edict. But how many stories of her? 137 00:10:38,840 --> 00:10:42,080 Well, they've had to go and send someone to get the last rites, 138 00:10:42,640 --> 00:10:45,560 to receive the last rites. What does that do? 139 00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:57,920 Or christen them somehow sprinkle the water in the ritual 140 00:10:57,920 --> 00:11:02,680 of baptism. How many people today are 141 00:11:02,680 --> 00:11:07,520 falsely trusting in the ritual of baptism for the reality? 142 00:11:08,320 --> 00:11:09,840 So are you a Christian? Yeah, I was baptised. 143 00:11:10,520 --> 00:11:14,280 Oh, actually I was christened. And so they tick it off. 144 00:11:15,560 --> 00:11:18,240 When I was in the WA police, I had a lot of young men come to 145 00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:21,600 me and say we just, we just want to get our kids christened, you 146 00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:27,080 know, and I go, I, I don't christen people because the 147 00:11:27,080 --> 00:11:30,160 Bible doesn't teach me my christening. 148 00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:35,720 I'll do a baby dedication, but not oh, we just want to get our 149 00:11:35,720 --> 00:11:38,240 kids christened because once I've got our kids christened, 150 00:11:38,960 --> 00:11:42,320 we're good, He's good, she's good, we're good to go. 151 00:11:44,760 --> 00:11:47,240 The ritual of baptism, as Paul is going to point out, he 152 00:11:47,240 --> 00:11:52,440 actually is death to the old life, the old life of the flesh 153 00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:57,120 that I might be in the risen Christ. 154 00:11:57,120 --> 00:12:02,280 I die with him and I rise with him, living now after the Spirit 155 00:12:02,280 --> 00:12:06,000 of God because as when I receive Christ as my Lord and Saviour, I 156 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:09,960 confess that I'm a Sinner. I God recognises that I died 157 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:12,600 with him and now he gives me what a new life. 158 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:19,960 I'm born again and the Holy Spirit now baptises me into the 159 00:12:19,960 --> 00:12:23,360 body of Christ. I'm immersed in him and he and 160 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:27,960 me now. If I have been sprinkled when I 161 00:12:27,960 --> 00:12:36,560 was a child and I was, or I've been dunked as an adult, but I'm 162 00:12:36,560 --> 00:12:42,400 still living the old life as many Australians are, and I'm 163 00:12:42,400 --> 00:12:47,400 still living after the things of the old life, then the physical 164 00:12:47,680 --> 00:12:53,840 ritual means nothing. It's it's irrelevant. 165 00:12:55,640 --> 00:13:01,280 But if I by the Spirit and living and walking after the 166 00:13:01,280 --> 00:13:06,200 Spirit, the new life in Christ, I'm serving him, I'm loving him, 167 00:13:06,520 --> 00:13:11,040 I'm praying to him, I'm seeking him, My life has changed. 168 00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:13,000 You can see man, you, you, you're different now. 169 00:13:13,880 --> 00:13:18,320 It may be that I was maybe, perhaps I was converted in the 170 00:13:18,320 --> 00:13:22,320 Bush of Australia and there wasn't enough water to dunk me. 171 00:13:23,760 --> 00:13:27,120 But that doesn't negate my salvation as some people say, 172 00:13:27,120 --> 00:13:28,800 well, have you been baptised? Well, if you're not baptised, 173 00:13:28,800 --> 00:13:35,200 you're not saved or the new life that I'm now living in. 174 00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:36,960 Jesus Christ, the thief on the cross. 175 00:13:37,200 --> 00:13:40,240 They didn't take him down and dunk him in the bang water and 176 00:13:40,480 --> 00:13:42,040 then banging back up again, didn't they? 177 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:49,920 Lord today Remember Me when you come into your Kingdom. 178 00:13:50,600 --> 00:13:53,640 Jesus said I I'll remember you today. 179 00:13:53,640 --> 00:13:59,960 You'll be with me in paradise. No rituals, circumcision of the 180 00:13:59,960 --> 00:14:09,480 heart because Peter says now does baptism save, but not for 181 00:14:09,480 --> 00:14:15,200 the putting off of the filth of the flesh one Peter 321 so it 182 00:14:15,400 --> 00:14:23,640 isn't the ritual, but it is hot the conscience towards God of 183 00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:28,000 living and walking really after the Spirit of God. 184 00:14:28,840 --> 00:14:31,640 Lord, what would you have me to do now? 185 00:14:31,640 --> 00:14:38,440 He goes on to say there's 12. So we're circumcised and now 186 00:14:38,440 --> 00:14:43,760 also we're buried with Him in baptism, wherein also you are 187 00:14:43,760 --> 00:14:46,800 risen with Him. How? 188 00:14:47,040 --> 00:14:50,320 How? Notice how this has occurred 189 00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:55,280 through the faith, and my Bible says through the faith of the 190 00:14:55,400 --> 00:15:00,280 operation of God. Some of the Bibles say through 191 00:15:00,280 --> 00:15:06,600 the effectual working energy of God, who has raised him from the 192 00:15:06,600 --> 00:15:12,760 dead, that is the power of God, and you being dead in your sins 193 00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:15,280 and the uncircumcision of your flesh. 194 00:15:15,760 --> 00:15:19,160 He has quickened together with Him, made alive together with 195 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:23,520 Him, having forgiven you all trespasses. 196 00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:28,040 Don't that. So Paul ties together these two 197 00:15:28,040 --> 00:15:32,800 rituals that both symbolise much the same thing, circumcision, 198 00:15:33,400 --> 00:15:38,000 baptism. To the Jew the ritual was 199 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:42,320 circumcision, which was to be the symbol that I'm going to 200 00:15:42,320 --> 00:15:45,480 live after the Spirit, not after the flesh. 201 00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:52,000 To the Christian baptism, what signifies the same thing? 202 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:56,440 Romans chapter 5 and 6, the new life after the Spirit as I'm 203 00:15:56,440 --> 00:16:01,240 laid in the waters of baptism. When I come out, I'm saying to 204 00:16:01,240 --> 00:16:05,160 everyone, what's happened? I'm doing this because my heart, 205 00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:11,200 my old me, we're symbolically burying them, staying at one. 206 00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:13,640 We're having a funeral service for the old me. 207 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:17,680 And as I come out of the water, I'm now walking in the newness 208 00:16:17,680 --> 00:16:21,080 of life under the power and influence and direction of the 209 00:16:21,080 --> 00:16:25,960 Holy Spirit. Now that only has meaning if 210 00:16:26,720 --> 00:16:29,400 there's been a circumcision of my heart. 211 00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:34,480 So to the Christian, baptism signifies the same thing. 212 00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:38,680 The new life after the Spirit, the old life after the flesh 213 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:43,600 dominated by the flesh is dead. It's buried. 214 00:16:44,360 --> 00:16:48,000 And now I'm going to live a new life after the Spirit. 215 00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:51,840 And both of the rituals symbolise the same thing. 216 00:16:53,840 --> 00:16:58,000 To the Jew it was circumcision, to the Christian it was baptism. 217 00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:00,720 And that's the truth applies to both. 218 00:17:01,080 --> 00:17:03,560 It is not the physical right that does it. 219 00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:08,400 Circumcision, baptism doesn't do anything. 220 00:17:10,200 --> 00:17:15,359 It is what has happened in my heart and in reality in my life. 221 00:17:15,920 --> 00:17:21,160 So being dead in your sins, the uncircumcision of your flesh, 222 00:17:23,240 --> 00:17:28,560 God has made you alive together with him having forgiven you all 223 00:17:28,560 --> 00:17:32,880 trespasses. In Ephesians chapter 2, it is 224 00:17:32,880 --> 00:17:37,400 the correlating verse here Paul says and you haven't been made 225 00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:41,600 alive who were dead in trespasses and sins. 226 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:45,800 For in times past you walked according to the course of this 227 00:17:45,800 --> 00:17:47,480 world. So we had to bury that old 228 00:17:47,480 --> 00:17:54,040 person, that simple person. So the thing I love here is 229 00:17:54,040 --> 00:18:02,400 though, having forgiven you all trespasses, your whole past has 230 00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:06,440 been blotted out through your faith in Jesus Christ. 231 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:10,360 That's the thing that we can't comprehend sometimes because 232 00:18:10,360 --> 00:18:12,320 we've plagued with the things that I've said, things that I 233 00:18:12,320 --> 00:18:19,240 did, and we go, oh, every trespass, every sin has been 234 00:18:19,240 --> 00:18:22,400 blotted out as a result of your faith in him. 235 00:18:22,920 --> 00:18:28,280 Not only that, the law and these are the ordinances that he's 236 00:18:28,280 --> 00:18:31,880 going to talk about, the law of Moses. 10 commandments you shall 237 00:18:31,880 --> 00:18:34,800 have, Lord your God shall not steal, shall not lie, shall not 238 00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:40,160 covered all those things and we broke on all of them the law 239 00:18:40,160 --> 00:18:44,200 which these people were trying to push upon the Colossians, the 240 00:18:44,200 --> 00:18:47,160 ordinance of the law which Peter says in Acts chapter 15. 241 00:18:47,320 --> 00:18:50,000 We can't, we can't we, we can't live these things. 242 00:18:50,200 --> 00:18:53,120 Remember the Holy Spirit fell upon Cornelius and Caesarea. 243 00:18:53,880 --> 00:18:57,400 Peter was preaching up there. Acts chapter 10 and the spirit 244 00:18:57,400 --> 00:18:59,600 fell and Peter was halfway through his message and the 245 00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:02,800 spirit and, and the Cornelius and the Roman band and the all 246 00:19:02,800 --> 00:19:05,880 the Romans Gentiles got saved and filled with the spirit. 247 00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:11,120 So there was a big powwow in in Jerusalem about what's going on 248 00:19:11,120 --> 00:19:16,040 here. And Peter said, well, if this 249 00:19:16,040 --> 00:19:18,560 is, they said it, well this is happening, then they got to get 250 00:19:18,560 --> 00:19:23,320 baptised, they got to be circumcised and they got them 251 00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:25,760 start eating this and not eating that. 252 00:19:25,760 --> 00:19:30,160 All the news, Peter said that's that lay upon them a burden that 253 00:19:30,160 --> 00:19:32,080 we, even our fathers haven't been able to. 254 00:19:32,240 --> 00:19:35,560 We don't do that. We we crumble in that area. 255 00:19:37,560 --> 00:19:41,640 So the ordinance of the law, the observ observances of the 256 00:19:41,640 --> 00:19:46,640 Sabbath days, the dietary laws, the types of meat that you can 257 00:19:46,640 --> 00:19:48,960 eat, and the various traditions of the Jews. 258 00:19:49,360 --> 00:19:52,840 As far as the dietary laws, you can't have milk and you can't 259 00:19:52,840 --> 00:19:57,280 have meat together. He said, blotting out the 260 00:19:57,280 --> 00:19:59,480 handwriting of ordinances, verse 14. 261 00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:02,640 That was against us, which was contrary to us. 262 00:20:03,120 --> 00:20:05,560 And he, Jesus, took it out of the way. 263 00:20:05,760 --> 00:20:08,640 What did He do it to it? He nailed it to the cross. 264 00:20:09,320 --> 00:20:17,200 The law used to condemn us. So Christ here, this is the end 265 00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:21,480 of the law to those who believe. That's why people say we're not 266 00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:23,400 under the law, but they don't know what they're talking about. 267 00:20:23,600 --> 00:20:26,160 We're not under the law because Jesus nailed it on the cross. 268 00:20:26,440 --> 00:20:30,480 It has nothing to do with us. The law could never make you 269 00:20:30,480 --> 00:20:33,160 righteous. This is why it's nailed to the 270 00:20:33,160 --> 00:20:36,080 cross. The law could only condemn you 271 00:20:36,160 --> 00:20:37,800 because it told you where you failed. 272 00:20:39,840 --> 00:20:43,880 It was contrary to you. It was condemning you 273 00:20:43,880 --> 00:20:44,680 continually. Oh, yeah. 274 00:20:44,680 --> 00:20:45,920 I haven't done this. I know. 275 00:20:46,280 --> 00:20:47,960 And I broke that. And I broke that rule. 276 00:20:48,160 --> 00:20:50,240 You know, we used to call them the do's and don'ts. 277 00:20:50,240 --> 00:20:51,920 Isn't that why people didn't go to church? 278 00:20:52,600 --> 00:20:55,080 Oh, I, you know, I, I and I don't do this. 279 00:20:55,080 --> 00:20:57,440 I do do that. And I, you know, and the walls 280 00:20:57,440 --> 00:20:59,080 would collapse if I walked into church. 281 00:21:01,280 --> 00:21:02,880 That's because they collapsed under the wall. 282 00:21:04,720 --> 00:21:08,480 Now Jesus has blotted out these handwritings of ordinances which 283 00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:11,920 were against us. Thus, I'm not under the law. 284 00:21:11,920 --> 00:21:16,480 It's been put aside because it doesn't make you righteous and 285 00:21:16,480 --> 00:21:21,040 has nothing to do with me. I'm not under a righteousness 286 00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:24,720 that is affected by rules and regulations. 287 00:21:25,880 --> 00:21:30,480 My righteousness, my standing before God has nothing to do 288 00:21:30,480 --> 00:21:34,960 with my actions. My righteousness has to do with 289 00:21:34,960 --> 00:21:38,600 my faith. If you stand before God by the 290 00:21:38,600 --> 00:21:41,560 do's and don'ts, you'll stand before God with a dirty, filthy 291 00:21:41,560 --> 00:21:47,840 clothes, filthy, filthy clothes. But if I stand before God in 292 00:21:47,840 --> 00:21:51,960 Christ's righteousness, unclothed, the robe of 293 00:21:51,960 --> 00:21:55,080 righteousness, and I'm not judged. 294 00:21:57,680 --> 00:22:04,480 So my righteousness has to do with my faith. 295 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:08,920 Now this living faith will produce actions. 296 00:22:09,160 --> 00:22:12,240 And this is where I'm troubled today because I think many 297 00:22:12,240 --> 00:22:14,960 people come to church and I think because they're going 298 00:22:14,960 --> 00:22:18,640 through the rituals. I go to Calvary Chapel, I carry 299 00:22:18,640 --> 00:22:22,320 a Bible occasionally and I go to a men's or a women's meeting 300 00:22:22,320 --> 00:22:24,320 occasionally. And I, I teach Sunday school or 301 00:22:24,320 --> 00:22:27,240 I do this or whatever. I think, well, that's what gets 302 00:22:27,240 --> 00:22:33,040 me by no, it doesn't. Faith will produce actions and 303 00:22:33,040 --> 00:22:35,000 it's not those actions that it's talking about. 304 00:22:35,720 --> 00:22:40,480 It's talking about the way that you live, whether you're living 305 00:22:40,480 --> 00:22:45,120 in sin or not. James, chapter 2, verse 17, 306 00:22:45,120 --> 00:22:48,200 James says that's also faith by itself. 307 00:22:48,400 --> 00:22:51,680 If it does not have works, if we can't see that you're a 308 00:22:51,680 --> 00:22:55,440 Christian, it's dead. Many people are coming to church 309 00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:56,440 and you know what? They're dead. 310 00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:00,480 They they're hanging on to rituals. 311 00:23:01,800 --> 00:23:04,480 But someone will say, well, you have faith and I have works. 312 00:23:05,040 --> 00:23:08,120 Show me your faith without your works and I'll show you my faith 313 00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:11,000 by my works. You'll be able to tell I'm a 314 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:16,560 Christian by how I live. You believe that there is one 315 00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:18,560 God. You do well, even the demons 316 00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:22,000 believe and tremble. But do you want to know a 317 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:25,160 foolish man that faith without works is dead? 318 00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:30,200 And if I say I have faith and yet my works are not in 319 00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:34,640 correspondence with my mouth and my words, then I am making a 320 00:23:34,720 --> 00:23:39,040 false boast of faith and I'm going to get caught out In 321 00:23:39,040 --> 00:23:42,680 Matthew Chapter 7 says when Jesus returns, people come, oh, 322 00:23:42,680 --> 00:23:46,640 but I, I promise on your name. And I and I and I did this in 323 00:23:46,640 --> 00:23:50,640 your name and I did this in your name and I did this Jesus depart 324 00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:54,160 from me workers of iniquity and righteousness. 325 00:23:54,840 --> 00:23:57,600 I never knew you. I don't know who you are. 326 00:23:59,240 --> 00:24:02,800 And that means I do not depend upon my works as righteous basis 327 00:24:03,040 --> 00:24:06,040 in my standing before God. I don't say, well, I'm righteous 328 00:24:06,040 --> 00:24:07,800 because I pray so many times a day. 329 00:24:08,760 --> 00:24:11,480 I'm more righteous than you because I read my Bible and you 330 00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:14,840 don't. No, I'm not righteous because of 331 00:24:14,840 --> 00:24:18,280 what I have done or what I haven't done. 332 00:24:19,280 --> 00:24:22,600 I'm righteous because God has imputed righteousness to my 333 00:24:22,600 --> 00:24:26,520 account because I'm believing and trusting in Jesus Christ 334 00:24:26,880 --> 00:24:31,400 completely. Now, because I am believing and 335 00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:34,640 trusting in Jesus Christ, I really want to know him. 336 00:24:34,840 --> 00:24:37,680 And I read the Bible. I'm not told to read the Bible. 337 00:24:37,840 --> 00:24:40,600 I love reading the Bible. You see, there's a difference. 338 00:24:41,040 --> 00:24:44,640 Oh well, you know, can I be a Christian and can I do if you're 339 00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:50,000 asking such questions, step away, go away and and really 340 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:53,640 think about coming before the Lord, because if you're coming 341 00:24:53,640 --> 00:24:55,680 before the Lord and I want can I still do? 342 00:24:55,960 --> 00:24:59,840 And will I lose my if I'm you're sounding a little a little bit 343 00:24:59,840 --> 00:25:07,120 like Lot's wife shouldn't be because you should consider that 344 00:25:07,280 --> 00:25:11,600 all that you were before and what you did is as Paul says was 345 00:25:11,600 --> 00:25:20,200 his life manure. I am righteous because God has 346 00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:24,720 imputed righteousness to my account because I'm believing 347 00:25:24,720 --> 00:25:27,160 and trusting in Jesus Christ completely. 348 00:25:27,560 --> 00:25:31,240 Now, because I'm believing and trusting in Jesus Christ, I want 349 00:25:31,240 --> 00:25:35,040 to know him. And so I do read the word 350 00:25:35,520 --> 00:25:39,080 because I do trust in him. I do pray and I love him. 351 00:25:39,280 --> 00:25:41,720 I do communicate with him. I pray every day. 352 00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:44,760 I want to speak with Him every day, I love him, and I want to 353 00:25:44,760 --> 00:25:47,640 keep in constant communication with Him and in constant 354 00:25:47,640 --> 00:25:52,200 fellowship with Him. But that doesn't make me 355 00:25:52,200 --> 00:25:57,600 righteous. That is only the result of the 356 00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:01,040 fact that I'm righteous through my faith in Jesus. 357 00:26:02,200 --> 00:26:05,720 It's important that we distinguish that, vitally 358 00:26:05,720 --> 00:26:07,400 important that we distinguish that. 359 00:26:07,400 --> 00:26:10,240 Why is that? Because it is so easy for you 360 00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:14,400 and I to relate our righteousness to our activities 361 00:26:15,720 --> 00:26:19,240 and to our works. Well, I preach every Sunday. 362 00:26:19,560 --> 00:26:23,600 That doesn't make you righteous. It's all about Jesus. 363 00:26:26,680 --> 00:26:37,000 You see, when I look to my works, I'm always putting myself 364 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:40,920 in position of Oh, so you, you watch TV, do you? 365 00:26:41,760 --> 00:26:47,800 I don't. Oh, what Bible translation do 366 00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:51,360 you read? Oh, I don't read that one. 367 00:26:52,880 --> 00:26:56,360 And so when you pray, are you on your knees? 368 00:26:57,640 --> 00:27:05,360 You're not OK. And so we're always judging 369 00:27:05,360 --> 00:27:09,240 others who aren't doing as much as I'm doing. 370 00:27:10,400 --> 00:27:15,240 You become a Pharisee and see, that makes me a little better. 371 00:27:16,240 --> 00:27:19,840 That makes me a little more righteous and also puts me in 372 00:27:19,840 --> 00:27:23,040 the position of sort of judging when, you know, they just don't 373 00:27:23,040 --> 00:27:26,520 really have it, do they? So it's a dangerous place to be. 374 00:27:26,520 --> 00:27:30,560 God doesn't want me to be there, But when my righteousness is 375 00:27:30,560 --> 00:27:35,480 just through my faith in Christ, I can't boast in my 376 00:27:35,480 --> 00:27:40,400 righteousness, nor can I boast in the works that I'm doing. 377 00:27:41,040 --> 00:27:43,160 You have a great marriage. You're a good husband. 378 00:27:43,160 --> 00:27:46,360 You're a good father. No, God's. 379 00:27:46,640 --> 00:27:48,720 God's been wonderfully kind to me. 380 00:27:50,160 --> 00:27:54,280 Yeah, that's the truth. Galatians 614. 381 00:27:54,280 --> 00:27:57,800 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our 382 00:27:57,800 --> 00:28:01,640 Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me 383 00:28:01,880 --> 00:28:04,480 and I to the world. And if you come across someone 384 00:28:04,480 --> 00:28:07,720 who is boasting in their efforts, boasting in their sacr. 385 00:28:08,040 --> 00:28:10,240 So how, how how long have you been fasting for? 386 00:28:11,320 --> 00:28:14,200 Oh, you only went 30 days? Yeah, I went 40. 387 00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:20,600 You'll get there one day. Then you have a classic example. 388 00:28:21,080 --> 00:28:23,280 You see, God has made me righteous. 389 00:28:25,640 --> 00:28:29,440 His righteousness is something he imputes to me through my 390 00:28:29,440 --> 00:28:33,080 faith. It totally eliminates boasting. 391 00:28:33,240 --> 00:28:35,040 It's all God had nothing to do with it. 392 00:28:36,240 --> 00:28:38,600 So when you get people who are just always talking about how 393 00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:42,600 good Jesus is, how wonderful Jesus is, and I, I don't know 394 00:28:42,600 --> 00:28:44,800 what I do without the Lord, the Lord is so good. 395 00:28:44,800 --> 00:28:47,040 So bless me. Then you know that person has a 396 00:28:47,040 --> 00:28:49,840 real faith because they're just talking about the Lord. 397 00:28:49,840 --> 00:28:51,240 They're not talking about themselves at all. 398 00:28:53,640 --> 00:28:57,720 So Jesus brought an end to the rule that the law had over man, 399 00:28:58,600 --> 00:29:02,200 nailed it to the cross. That's the end of the law. 400 00:29:02,480 --> 00:29:05,480 It was a schoolmaster until the time of Christ. 401 00:29:05,640 --> 00:29:08,840 When Christ came, law was no more valid. 402 00:29:09,800 --> 00:29:11,440 The law told us we need a saviour. 403 00:29:11,440 --> 00:29:14,200 When the Saviour came, we don't need that anymore. 404 00:29:17,440 --> 00:29:20,560 So that no man can be made righteous by keeping the law. 405 00:29:20,560 --> 00:29:22,960 You can't. You can only be righteous 406 00:29:22,960 --> 00:29:24,560 through believing in Jesus Christ. 407 00:29:24,720 --> 00:29:28,560 Verse 15 and having spoiled the principalities and the powers, 408 00:29:28,840 --> 00:29:30,840 now we read that he had authority over these 409 00:29:30,840 --> 00:29:33,720 principalities and powers. Now we're told that he spoiled 410 00:29:33,720 --> 00:29:36,680 them or he defeated them and he made a shell of them openly 411 00:29:36,680 --> 00:29:41,000 through the cross, trying triumphing over them in it, in 412 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:44,400 the cross. So the cross of Jesus Christ is 413 00:29:44,400 --> 00:29:46,960 the place where victory over Satan was complete. 414 00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:51,440 Satan not often has tables turned on him, doesn't he? 415 00:29:51,920 --> 00:29:55,040 He's not omniscient. He doesn't know all things, and 416 00:29:55,040 --> 00:29:57,040 he falls into the trap so many times. 417 00:29:57,240 --> 00:29:59,280 You remember in the Book of Esther how the fellow called 418 00:29:59,280 --> 00:30:02,800 Haman, he wanted to get more to Ki, you know, Hung, and he was 419 00:30:02,800 --> 00:30:05,160 going to get, they were going to kill all the Jews and wipe out 420 00:30:05,160 --> 00:30:07,720 the Jews in one day. He was planning this, so he 421 00:30:07,720 --> 00:30:12,200 built this gallows 90 feet high so that the whole city would see 422 00:30:12,200 --> 00:30:15,200 more to Ki hanging under Haman's rule. 423 00:30:15,600 --> 00:30:19,440 He's going to kill all the Jews. Then the report came about what 424 00:30:19,440 --> 00:30:22,240 happened. Haman ended up hanging on those 425 00:30:22,240 --> 00:30:26,880 gallows himself, Satan bringing Jesus to the cross, raising up 426 00:30:26,880 --> 00:30:29,840 the people against him. But it was at the cross where 427 00:30:29,840 --> 00:30:33,640 Jesus defeated him. For the law had a claim on us 428 00:30:33,640 --> 00:30:37,160 because we had violated the law, and thus we had to die. 429 00:30:37,600 --> 00:30:41,520 Satan had a claim on us because we had served Satan and the 430 00:30:41,520 --> 00:30:44,120 wages of serving. Serving Satan is death. 431 00:30:44,720 --> 00:30:48,080 But Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the law. 432 00:30:48,560 --> 00:30:51,160 He redeemed us. Here's the other thing He did. 433 00:30:51,400 --> 00:30:54,720 From the power, not only of just sin, but from the power of 434 00:30:54,720 --> 00:30:56,840 Satan, He purchased us. Remember? 435 00:30:57,000 --> 00:31:00,360 He took us out of the Kingdom of darkness and into the Kingdom of 436 00:31:00,360 --> 00:31:06,080 His beloved Son. And He paid the price because it 437 00:31:06,080 --> 00:31:08,760 cost. He died in our place. 438 00:31:09,320 --> 00:31:12,280 He spoiled the principalities. He triumphed over them. 439 00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:14,640 Then Paul says this, and I'll hurry. 440 00:31:15,240 --> 00:31:21,560 Let no man therefore judge you in meat drink, respect of a holy 441 00:31:21,560 --> 00:31:24,680 day, the new moon, or the Sabbath days. 442 00:31:25,120 --> 00:31:28,640 These were all under the law. They weren't to eat certain 443 00:31:28,640 --> 00:31:30,640 kinds of meats. They were to prepare the meat in 444 00:31:30,640 --> 00:31:35,320 a special way that holy days, Sabbath days, new moons. 445 00:31:35,840 --> 00:31:39,280 Paul was saying don't let anyone judge you in these things. 446 00:31:39,840 --> 00:31:44,520 They no longer apply to me and my relationship with God. 7th 447 00:31:44,520 --> 00:31:46,440 Day Adventists meet on a Saturday. 448 00:31:47,680 --> 00:31:50,960 My relationship with God is not enhanced by me keeping a 449 00:31:50,960 --> 00:31:55,400 particular diet. I can't diet myself to be more 450 00:31:55,400 --> 00:31:58,560 righteous. I'm not taking bacon anymore, 451 00:31:59,600 --> 00:32:03,160 you know, and I'll have to admit this because I will. 452 00:32:05,800 --> 00:32:08,160 When I was a new Christian, I really want to serve the water. 453 00:32:08,160 --> 00:32:10,600 I mean, and I love bacon. I was a meat inspector. 454 00:32:10,600 --> 00:32:13,880 I can get bacon, as much bacon and meat as you want. 455 00:32:13,880 --> 00:32:16,800 I, you know, we, we lived on steak and meat and everything. 456 00:32:17,560 --> 00:32:19,280 And I thought, oh man, I'm reading through the Old 457 00:32:19,280 --> 00:32:21,320 Testament, man, I really want to get right with God. 458 00:32:21,480 --> 00:32:24,680 Stop bacon. Don't eat pork because the Jews 459 00:32:24,680 --> 00:32:26,160 don't eat pork. So I stopped it. 460 00:32:29,480 --> 00:32:31,560 This is not very good. I don't like this. 461 00:32:31,560 --> 00:32:34,560 And it didn't make any difference to me. 462 00:32:35,240 --> 00:32:38,320 It was stupid. But that's how we get without 463 00:32:38,360 --> 00:32:41,760 understanding what the righteousness of God has done. 464 00:32:41,920 --> 00:32:43,800 Someone should have come up to me and slapped me in the face of 465 00:32:44,800 --> 00:32:48,040 have a bacon sandwich. Jesus has done everything for 466 00:32:48,040 --> 00:32:55,030 you. But these were only a shadow of 467 00:32:55,030 --> 00:32:58,470 the things that come the Sabbath day. 468 00:32:59,110 --> 00:33:00,630 Or do we have to have a Sabbath day? 469 00:33:00,630 --> 00:33:03,710 No, the rest Sabbath day was a rest day, wasn't it? 470 00:33:04,470 --> 00:33:09,070 So to finish this, where do we get our rest now? 471 00:33:11,270 --> 00:33:14,470 We rest in Christ. We no longer having to struggle 472 00:33:15,030 --> 00:33:18,560 to be right with God. We rest in Him. 473 00:33:18,800 --> 00:33:20,800 And when we rest in him, you know what? 474 00:33:20,800 --> 00:33:26,200 We have grace. And when we have God's grace, we 475 00:33:26,200 --> 00:33:28,800 have peace. How do we get it? 476 00:33:28,800 --> 00:33:33,560 All faith we've given it.