Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
Let's go ahead and sing it out on the verse.
Oh,
page 194. Let's sing it out on the second.
I have seized from my wandering and going astray since Jesus came into my heart and my sins, which were many are all washed away since Jesus came into my heart.
Jesus came into my heart, Jesus came into my heart.
joy or my soul.
Jesus came into my heart.
fast and sharp since Jesus came into my heart.
And no dark clouds of doubt. Now my pathway of storm.
Jesus came into my heart.
my soul.
in the valley for me.
And the gates of the city beyond I can see Jesus came into my
my heart.
Now you guys are singing good but let's sing it even better on the last.
I shall go there to dwell in that city I know since Jesus came into my heart, and I'm happy so happy as onward I go.
Jesus came into my heart.
joy or my soul.
Jesus came into my heart.
Great singing let's open up with a word of prayer.
Father God, thanks so much for this church, thank you for these people who come out here on a Wednesday evening to serve you. I pray that our singing would glorify you Lord, I pray that you bless the service and the preaching to come in Jesus name I pray.
Amen.
Please send your song books page number 125.
Page number 12125 we're going to sing the solid rock.
125, and let's go ahead and sing it out on the first.
I hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest rain, but only lean on Jesus name.
On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand.
All other ground is sinking sand.
Page 125 let's sing it on the second.
When darkness fills his lovely face I rest on his unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale my anger holds within the veil.
On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand.
All other ground is sinking sand.
His oath is covenant his blood support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way he then is all my hope and sing.
On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand.
All other ground is sinking sand.
When he shall come with trumpet sound, O may I land in him be found.
Dressed in his righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne.
On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand.
All other ground is sinking sand.
I stand all other ground is sinking sand.
On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand.
I stand all other ground is sinking sand.
On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand.
Let's begin by giving you a little bit of a warning and say this, that this passage
of scripture we're going to look at tonight and the sermon tonight as a result is going
to be very heavy on doctrine.
The Apostle Paul is an intellectual, which is why I believe he was chosen by God to write
as many of the epistles as he did.
And you'll notice with the Apostle Paul's epistles that he tries to balance this idea
between being heavy on doctrine and heavy on application.
In fact, usually what he does in his books is he spends the first half with a book like
Galatians or Ephesians where there's six chapters, the first three chapters dealing
heavily with thought and intellect and doctrine and then the last three chapters dealing with
application and how to apply it to your lives.
And tonight we're definitely going to end here in chapter three with some heavy thoughts.
So I say that to say this, whenever there's kind of a sermon like this that's heavy on
doctrine and very intellectual, there's a handful of you that will love it and then
there's a few of you unfortunately that if you're going to pay attention you're going
to have to do it out of character.
So I'm just telling you to put your learning hat on and get ready to learn the Bible.
I hope that's why you come to a Bible study is to study the Bible and any time the Bible
is open it's good for us.
Now let me just kind of give you some thoughts before we jump into it and let me say this.
The reason that it's a little heavy on doctrine, this portion of Scripture, is because the
Apostle Paul is dealing with this idea of two different covenants, Old Testament covenants,
and the covenants that he's dealing with are the Abrahamic covenant and the Mosaic covenant.
And let me just kind of set this up for you so you can understand.
If you remember as we've been going through the book of Galatians we've been talking about
the different themes of the book of Galatians and there's four different themes and tonight
we're going to focus in on theme number three.
The Apostle Paul is focusing in on theme number three and if you remember theme number three
is warning and fighting against the Judaizers.
And of course we know that there are Judaizers that are coming from Jerusalem to the region
of Galatia and they are attacking the gospel and salvation by grace through faith.
They are teaching people that in order to be saved they must also follow the Mosaic
law and they are attacking the Apostle Paul in the process.
And as a result the book of Galatians deals with these issues where Paul defends the gospel,
Paul defends himself, Paul goes on the offensive against the Judaizers and then he of course
teaches us about how to actually live the Christian life through the Spirit and not
simply by trying to keep a set of rules.
So what we're going to focus on tonight is that third theme, the warning and fighting
against the Judaizers.
And the Judaizer is one who is trying to bring in Jewish law and culture into a Christian
covenant, trying to tell New Testament Christians that they have to follow Old Testament Mosaic
laws in order to be saved.
And if you think that Judaizers and Judaism may be as far from us today, first of all
there is still a religion called Judaism today that all of this applies to.
But even closer to home there are all sorts of so-called Christians today, and I shouldn't
say so-called because I do think a lot of them could be saved, that are Zionists.
And they are pretty much Christian Judaizers and people who try to uplift Judaism as though
it's something that should be lifted up.
This is what the Apostle Paul is going to deal with tonight.
And the reason that he's dealing with these covenants, let me just give you an example
and then I'll give you a little bit of context.
I think in 2020 I preached a couple of sermons on the covenants in the Bible.
And let me just say this, there are several covenants in the Bible.
People often will intermingle the covenants as though there's just kind of one or two
or something like that.
But there's several covenants.
There's the Abrahamic covenant, that's the covenant that God made with Abraham.
And Paul's going to talk about that in our passage tonight.
There's the Mosaic covenant, which is the covenant that is often, when we talk about
the Old Testament or the Old Covenant, the Mosaic covenant is usually the covenant that's
being referred to in that context.
It is the covenant that God made with the children of Israel on Mount Sinai when Moses
led them out of Egypt into the wilderness, which is why it's called the Mosaic covenant.
And it is the idea of keeping all those laws and Levitical priesthood and all the different,
the spiritual ceremonies and things that they kept.
And that is the Mosaic covenant.
There's another covenant called the Davidic covenant.
That is a covenant that God made with David.
And that has to do with the fact that Jesus Christ would rule and reign from the throne
of David and that David would always have a king or a descendant of David would always
sit on the throne of the nation of Judah.
And then of course there's the New Covenant.
The New Covenant is about New Testament believers and the covenant that God made when we talk
about the Old Testament or the Old Covenant, it is a reference to the Mosaic covenant.
We talk about the New Testament or the New Covenant that involves all of us, salvation
by grace through faith and all the Gentiles that could be saved.
Now let me just say this.
When it comes to Zionism, they usually ignore the Davidic covenant because there's no value
in that to them because that's just a covenant that says that David was going to have descendants
sitting on the throne and that eventually the Lord Jesus Christ would sit on that throne
since they don't like the Lord Jesus Christ, they usually just kind of ignore that covenant
all together.
And then of course the New Covenant they reject out of hand as well and they don't believe
in the New Covenant or the New Testament.
So when we talk to Judaizers or Judaism or when we're talking to Zionists who are trying
to lift up Judaism, what they usually focus in on is the Abrahamic covenant and the Mosaic
covenant.
And what they usually do is they kind of mix these two covenants into one covenant that
they misuse and they twist and they misrepresent in order to try to lift up this idea that
the Jews are still God's chosen people and that God favors them no matter what they do
or no matter what they believe.
And this is why the Apostle Paul kind of sets his sights on these two covenants.
That's what he's going to talk about in this passage and I want you to understand that
the Apostle Paul between verses 14 and 29 completely eradicates the idea that either
one of these covenants helps the Jews or lifts up the idea of Judaism or the idea that the
Jews are God's chosen people.
So it's a very interesting passage of Scripture but like I said it's a very deep passage of
Scripture.
And what I'm going to do tonight is I'm going to give you ten statements.
I'm going to walk you through this passage of Scripture.
I'm going to give you ten statements to try to help you understand this.
You can take notes on the back of your course of the week there's a place to write down
some notes.
Honestly the statements themselves are so complicated that I'm not sure that you'll
be able to write them down.
I'll try to give them to you as clearly as I can and as slow as I can so you can write
them down if you're like, if it's something you're interested in.
But this is information that is very interesting regarding what we believe because look you
hear us preach these sermons against Zionism and documentaries or whatever but you need
to understand that these beliefs come from the Word of God.
And I would say that this passage we're going to look at this evening is probably, I don't
know, I don't want to say it's the best but I would argue that it's the best if not one
of the best passages in Scripture regarding this idea of why we are anti-Zionist at Verity
Baptist Church and the new IFB as a whole.
So let's jump into it, Galatians chapter 3 verse 14.
Oh, let me say this also by way of introduction just to help you understand.
Because the Apostle Paul is talking about two different covenants, he's comparing them
and contrasting them and he is explaining how they relate to each other.
He calls them by different names just to be able to differentiate them, okay?
So I want you to just kind of keep your eyes open for these words.
Whenever he uses the term blessing or promises, he is referring to the Abrahamic Covenant.
And if you understand the Abrahamic Covenant, that should make sense because the Abrahamic
Covenant was a promise with a blessing associated to that promise.
The Abrahamic Covenant was a promise made to Abraham that he would not only have descendants
but that his descendants would produce a descendant that would be a blessing to all nations.
So when the Apostle Paul is speaking about the Abrahamic Covenant, he uses these terms
to regard it or to speak about it, blessings and promises.
When he refers to the Mosaic Covenant, he refers to it as the law.
And if you understand the Mosaic Covenant, that should make perfect sense because the
Mosaic Covenant was a covenant made with the nation of Israel where God gave them a set
of laws and God said, if you follow these laws, I will bless you.
And if you don't follow these laws, I will curse you.
So the Apostle Paul refers to this covenant as the law.
And I just want you to understand that because as we walk through this, he's going to be
referring to blessings and promises versus the law.
And you need to understand what he's talking about that he's referring to these other
covenants.
And that's going to become clear here in a minute.
Galatians chapter 3, look at verse 14.
The Bible says this, that the blessing, now keep in mind, we're coming in context.
We already dealt with verses 1 through 13 last week.
I'm not going to re-preach that to you, but he's been talking about this idea of faith
and works and the law and righteousness by faith and specifically about how Abraham was
saved.
If you remember, we saw last week in verse 6, even as Abraham believed God and it was
counted unto him for righteousness.
Verse 7, know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of
Abraham.
So we've already been, he's already been attacking Judaism in these passages and he's
been talking about the differences between salvation and all those things.
I won't re-preach last week's sermon, but I want you to understand that it's within
context and if you weren't here for last week's sermon, then you can check it out on our website
and catch up.
Galatians 3, 14, that the blessing, that the blessing of Abraham, because remember, the
term blessing is a reference to the Abrahamic covenant.
So he says that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ.
So we're already really getting some anti-Zionist statements here, because the Zionists and
the Judaizers teach that the blessing of Abraham, the Abrahamic covenant, is for the Jews only,
and that we as Gentiles are to bless the Jews if we want God's blessing upon our lives.
This is literally what people like John Hagee and dispensationalists teach.
They'll say that we as America need to bless Israel if we want God's blessing on our lives,
because the Abrahamic covenant and God bless Abraham and God bless his descendants and
we have to bless those people, even though they're anti-Christ, even though they reject
Christ and they hate Christ, but notice what Paul says.
He says that the blessing of Abraham, a reference to the Abrahamic covenant, might come on the
Gentiles.
How does it come on the Gentiles?
Through Jesus Christ.
Notice that we might receive the promise.
I want you to notice the words being used here, blessings of Abraham, the promise.
Why?
Because the Abrahamic covenant was a covenant made with Abraham where he made a promise
that was connected to a blessing.
That we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Look at verse 15.
Brethren, I speak after the manner of man, though it be but a man's covenant.
Now, I want to point out here that what we're talking about is covenants.
Blessings of Abraham, receive the promise, is a reference to a covenant.
He says, though it be a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man does annulth or
addeth thereto.
And here's what he's saying.
He says, we're talking about covenants and we're talking about the fact that covenants
cannot be disannulled.
The idea there is that they cannot be made void or you cannot add thereto.
He says, no man disannulleth or addeth thereto.
They cannot be voided and they cannot be altered.
And here's what he's saying.
If a covenant between men cannot be voided or altered, then how much more would a covenant
between men and God not be voided and altered?
That's what he's saying there in verse 15.
Brethren, I speak after the manner of men, though it be a man's covenant, yet if it be
confirmed, no man disannulleth or addeth thereto.
Verse 16.
Now, to Abraham and his seed.
Now, here's what I want you to set, okay?
Let me just give you the first statement and you can write this down if you can write quickly,
all right?
What Paul is saying is this, that the covenant that God made with Abraham of the blessings
and the promises was not to the descendants of Abraham.
And look, let me just say this about Jews and Jewish people.
We're not anti-Semitic as some people try to accuse us.
You say, what do you want for Jews?
Well, you know what I want for Jews is for them to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ that
they might be saved.
It's the same thing I want for Muslims and it's the same thing I want for Hindus and
it's the same thing I want for all the unsaved pagan Christians out there, so-called Christians,
who are trusting in their works and not on the Lord Jesus Christ.
So this has nothing to do with race or ethnicity or a group of people, but it does have to
do with false religion.
And what Zionists today are doing is that they'll stand up against Islam, they'll stand
up against Mormonism, they'll stand up against the Jehovah's Witnesses, they'll stand up
against the Hindus, but then they'll give the Jews a free pass because they're God's
people, whatever that's supposed to mean.
And what Paul is teaching us is that the covenant that God made with Abraham, because remember
the Jews today and the Judaizers today and the Zionists today, they say God made a covenant
with Abraham.
God made a covenant with Abraham's people, his descendants.
And therefore, no matter what they do, though they rejected Christ, though they crucified
Christ, though they still do not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, they'll say no matter
what, those are God's people and we have to bless them.
But is that what the Bible says?
And by the way, as Baptist people, we should always ask the question, what does the Bible
say?
Well, let me tell you what the Bible says.
The Bible says this, Galatians 3.16, now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made.
Now if the verse ended there, period, and that was the end of the chapter, then the
Zionists would have a point.
Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made.
But Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, does not end there.
He says this, he saith not.
Who's the he?
God.
God saith not and to seeds, you notice the S there at the end of the word seed, and to
seed as of many, but as of one and to thy seed.
And here's what Paul is saying.
Paul is saying God did not make a covenant with Abraham telling Abraham that God would
just carte blanche, just bless all of Abraham's seeds, plural.
He said the covenant was made with Abraham and one seed, a specific seed.
Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made.
He saith not and to seeds as of many, but as of one and to thy seed, singular, what
seed?
Which is Christ.
What was the seed that was made?
What was the promise that was made to the seed of Abraham according to Paul?
Not the Jews in general, but to one descendant of Abraham, the Lord Jesus Christ.
So I mean we could end right there and just be done.
We've already destroyed Zionism.
The covenant with Abraham was not in general to all Jews.
It was to a specific descendant of Abraham, the Lord Jesus Christ, and not all descendants
of Abraham, the Jews in general.
That's clear.
And he goes on, verse 17.
And this I say, that the covenant, because remember we're talking about covenants, that
the covenant that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law.
Now I want you to notice, now we're talking about a different covenant.
And this I say, that the covenant that was confirmed before God in Christ, the law, which
was 430 years after.
430 years after what?
After the covenant we just got done talking about in verses 14, 15, and 16.
Do you understand what I'm saying?
In verses 14, 15, and 16, we're talking about the covenant that God made with Abraham.
Regarding a very specific seed of Abraham, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The blessings of Abraham and the promise of Abraham and that covenant, Paul says in verse
17, contrasted to this covenant.
And this I say, that the covenant that was confirmed, that covenant with Abraham that
was confirmed before.
There's one covenant that came before, before of God in Christ.
The law, that's the covenant of Moses, the Mosaic law, which was 430 years after.
Because God made a covenant with Abraham, and then 430 years after, he made the Mosaic
covenant with the children of Israel, which was 430 years after.
Cannot disannul that it should make the promise.
What's the promise?
The covenant of Abraham of none effect.
What is that saying?
Go to Hebrews, keep your place in Galatians 3 if you would, and go to Hebrews chapter 8.
Further on in the New Testament, you've got Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians,
1 Corinthians, 1 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews.
Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews.
Hebrews chapter 8.
What is Galatians 3, 17 saying?
And this I say, that the covenant that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law,
which was 430 years after, cannot disannul that it should make the promise of none effect.
Here's statement number 2 for you.
The covenant with Abraham, remember the blessings and promises, was before the covenant with
Moses, the law.
I know you're in Hebrews 8, but let me just read to you again from Galatians 3, 17.
And this I say, that the covenant with Abraham that was confirmed before of God in Christ,
the law, the covenant with Moses, which was 430 years after, after what?
After the covenant with Abraham.
The law cannot disannul, mean make void, the covenant with Abraham that it should make
the promise of Abraham of none effect.
What does Paul say?
He's saying the covenant with Abraham was before the covenant with Moses, which did
not come until 430 years after.
And he's saying the failure of the covenant with Moses, the law, cannot disannul the promise
of the covenant with Abraham.
You understand what I just said?
Some of you did and some of you are already asleep.
That's okay.
Paul, because remember, he's talking to these Judaizers who are saying that if you want
to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, which was promised through the covenant of Abraham,
you must keep the laws of Moses, which was made a covenant with the law.
And what Paul is teaching is that, look, the covenant of Abraham came 430 years before
the covenant of Moses and the covenant of Moses failed.
He says, and the failure of the covenant of Moses cannot void or disannul the covenant
with Abraham.
You say, did the covenant with Moses fail according to the Bible?
Yes, it did.
Hebrews chapter eight, look at verse seven, Hebrews eight and verse seven.
For if that first covenant had been faultless.
Now, I want you to understand, in the context here in Hebrews eight, we're talking about
two covenants, the old covenant or the Old Testament, the law covenant with the nation
of Israel, the Mosaic covenant, and the new covenant through the Lord Jesus Christ with
Gentile believers and anyone who believes on Christ, including Jews.
So he says, for if the first covenant had been faultless, referring to the Mosaic covenant,
the writer of Hebrews is comparing and contrasting the old covenant with Moses versus the new
covenant with Christ.
He says, then should no place have been sought for the second.
Here's what he's saying, if the old covenant was so great, why did God give us a new covenant?
If the old covenant was faultless, why did God have to give us a new covenant?
But then people don't like it when you say this.
Well, the old covenant, that was the laws of God and that was the word of God.
And I agree, those were the laws of God and that was the word of God.
And people will get offended and say, well, then why are you saying that it was faultless
and it failed?
And the writer of Hebrews clarifies the problem was not with the covenant, the problem was
with the people keeping the covenant.
Look at verse eight, for finding fault, it doesn't say with the law or with the word
of God, it says for finding fault with them, with the people, not the covenant.
You say, why?
Because they failed to keep the covenant.
And if you don't believe me, read the Old Testament.
The entire Old Testament is just the children of Israel failing, failure after failure after
failure to keep the covenant.
For finding fault with them, he says, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, well, I will
make a new covenant.
That's the New Testament.
With the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, notice they need to come to our,
we don't need to come to their side, they need to come to our side.
Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took
them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt.
That's proof that we're talking about the Mosaic covenant.
Who brought them out of Egypt?
Moses.
He said, I'm not talking about, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers
in the day when I took them out of the land by the hand to lead them out of the land of
Egypt, because they, the people, continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not,
saith the Lord.
So notice, who was the problem?
Not the covenant, but the people.
They failed.
And now here's what Paul is saying, go back to Galatians 3.
He's saying the covenant of Moses came 430 years after the covenant of Abraham.
But here's why he brings it up.
Because though the covenant of Abraham came first, and then 430 years later came the covenant
with Moses or the Mosaic covenant or the law, whatever you want to call it, the Old Testament,
the Abrahamic covenant was not fulfilled until Christ came to this earth.
And what Paul is telling these Judaizers is that though the Mosaic covenant failed, because
Paul is living as a New Testament, New Covenant Christian, he says though the Mosaic covenant
failed, the failure of the Mosaic covenant does not disannul or make void the promises
made to Abraham.
Look at Galatians 3.17, and this I say, that the covenant that was confirmed before God
in Christ, the law, which was 430 years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise,
the promise to Abraham, of none effect.
Look at verse 18.
For if, for if the inheritance, now what's the inheritance?
The inheritance, what's an inheritance?
It's something that's passed down from one generation to another, right?
We talked about it on Sunday.
Parents leave an inheritance for their children.
But it's not always physical.
It's not just houses and money.
It could be a godly heritage, a goodly heritage.
And here is the inheritance that Abraham left.
He says, for if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more a promise.
I want you to understand what he's saying.
He says, if the inheritance, what inheritance?
The inheritance of being God's people.
The inheritance of being the descendants of Abraham.
The inheritance of being considered the people of God.
If the inheritance be of the law.
If that could be earned by simply keeping the laws of Moses, it is no more a promise.
You need to get this word promise in your head regarding the Abrahamic Covenant
because that has to do with faith.
That we believe and we put our trust in the promise that God made.
And in the next chapter he's going to start talking about the son of promise
and the son of Hagar and all of that.
So you need to understand.
He says, for if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more a promise.
But God gave it to Abraham by promise.
When you see the word promise, just think faith.
Here's what he's saying.
If the inheritance, being a child of God and being one of God's people, be of the law,
then it is no more a faith, no more a promise.
Because the faith is in the promises of God.
We sing about the promises of God.
But God gave it to Abraham by promise.
Here's what he's saying.
The covenant with Moses, the law, is not the covenant that guarantees the inheritance.
You understand what I just said?
Because what are we debating?
Are the Jews God's chosen people?
That's the question.
Are the Jews God's chosen people?
Are Christians God's chosen people?
You are God's chosen people.
Well, what Paul is saying is that the inheritance, the descendancy of Abraham, does not come
through the Mosaic covenant or the laws of Moses, but it comes through the promise made
to Abraham.
The covenant with Moses, the law, is not the covenant that guarantees the inheritance or
the descendancy of Abraham or the ability to be able to call yourself one of God's people.
But instead, the covenant with Abraham, the blessing and promises made to Abraham, that
is where we receive the inheritance to be able to be called the people of God.
Galatians 3, 18, for if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more a promise.
But God gave it to Abraham by promise.
I realize that this is a difficult passage, and Paul's a smart guy, and sometimes he writes
above our grade level.
I understand that.
But I hope you're understanding this, because it's extremely important for doctrine.
Look at verse 19.
Wherefore then, and I appreciate the three of you who are paying attention.
Thank you.
Verse 19.
Wherefore then serveth the law?
So now Paul asks this question, because Paul just got done saying a few things, right?
What did he say?
He said, look, you need to understand the covenant made with Abraham, the blessings
and promises, the covenant made with Moses.
The covenant with Abraham came first, and the covenant with Moses failed.
The covenant with Moses does not make the covenant Abraham void.
And the descendancy, the inheritance, the ability to call yourself God's chosen people
does not come from the covenant with Moses, but it comes from the covenant with Abraham.
So now Paul says, verse 19, wherefore then serveth the law?
He says, well then what's the point of the law?
What was the purpose of the law?
What was the purpose of the Mosaic covenant?
Wherefore then serveth the law?
What was the point of it?
What did it do?
What did it serve?
He says it was added because of transgressions.
Now what's a transgression?
It's a synonym for the word sin.
The Bible defines sin as a transgression of the law.
The Bible tells us here, Paul is telling us that the reason that God gave the Mosaic covenant,
it was added to the list of covenants, because remember we had several covenants.
Why was the Mosaic covenant given?
He says one of the reasons was that it was added because of transgression.
Why?
Well think about it.
The children of Israel just came out of Egypt.
They went from, when they went into Egypt, they were 70 souls.
They were a family.
When they came out of Egypt, we've been studying it in the book of Numbers,
they were tens of thousands of people, millions of people.
They were a nation.
Well the nation, because of their sin, needed laws to regulate the civilization or the nation
or the government of the children of Israel.
So why was the Mosaic covenant given?
Why was the Old Testament laws given?
Wherefore then serveth the law?
It was added because of transgression.
It was added to regulate the sin of a nation.
It's the laws of a nation is what we're reading in the Old Testament.
But how long was it supposed to last for?
Forever.
It's the Mosaic law forever.
They're God's people forever.
Now look, I do believe that the Mosaic law will make a comeback during the millennial reign,
during the Davidic covenant.
But I want you to notice that this idea of the Old Covenant and the New Covenant,
because here's what dispensationalists teach.
They say, they teach that God had a plan with the Jews,
and they will say, the dispensationalist Christians will say,
but the Jews messed it up, so then the Gentiles were plan B.
Gentiles were an afterthought.
Gentiles, because he had his chosen people, but because they messed up,
they crucified the Son of God.
Whoops, that's a big mistake.
Now God puts them on timeout, and he's going to just focus on the Jews for a while,
and then the Gentiles for a while, and then the Jews will make a comeback.
That's what they teach.
Is that what the Bible says?
Look at Galatians 3.19.
Wherefore, then, serveth the law.
It was added because of transgression, till.
You see the word till there?
It had an expiration date.
It was given till a certain time.
Till when?
Till the seed should come to whom the promise was made.
It was the seed that the promise was made.
It was Abraham who made a promise.
God made a promise to Abraham and to his seeds, not seeds as of many,
but to thy seed, which is Christ.
So when was the covenant with Moses till?
It was till the seed, the Lord Jesus Christ, should come to whom the promise was made.
Was the promise made to the Jews?
No.
The promise was made to Christ,
and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
So the covenant of Moses, the law, was added to manage sin,
to manage transgressions for the nation of Israel while it was a nation,
and it had an expiration date.
It was until, it was only meant to be in effect until the seed of the covenant of Abraham,
who is the Lord Jesus Christ, should come.
Look at verse 20.
Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.
Verse 21, is the law then against the promises of God?
So you see, now Paul's asking these questions because he's making these arguments,
because he understands that people are going to,
they're going to hear this and they're going to have these arguments, right?
He understands that if he says, look, the Mosaic law failed,
and the Abrahamic law covenant was not about the Jews, it was about Jesus,
and the Mosaic law does not make the Abrahamic covenant void.
He knew people were going to have these arguments, so he's answering the questions.
What do I love about the apostle Paul? He's like a lawyer.
He's answering the arguments before they even ask it.
They ask, well, in that case, wherefore then serveth the law?
So he answers the question.
Then the next question, verse 21, is the law then against the promises of God?
What does that mean?
He's saying, is the Mosaic covenant against the Abrahamic covenant?
The idea is this, are you telling us that God made two covenants that contradicted each other,
that were against each other, that worked against each other?
And Paul says, verse 21, is the law, the Mosaic covenant,
then against the promises, the Abrahamic covenant of God?
Question mark.
Answer the question, God forbid.
He says, look, the covenant of Moses, the law, is not against or does not work against the covenant of Abraham,
which is, by the way, why we as New Testament believers,
though we are not under the old covenant or the law of Moses,
say, why are we studying the book of Numbers on Sunday night?
Why would we study the book of Leviticus and Exodus?
Why study the Old Testament at all?
Well, look, the old covenant is not against the new covenant.
Now, it doesn't apply today in the sense that there is no Levitical priesthood, there are no sacrifices,
there are no Sabbath days, we don't keep those things, but we can still learn from it.
And this is the part that I think is silly, people will say, well, if God took away the...
And by the way, let me just say this, and I've proven this in other sermons,
but when we talk about the law failing, because why was it given?
It was given to regulate a nation.
The failure and what was taken away, what was removed, was the religious ritual ceremonial parts.
We no longer have priests, they no longer sacrifice animals, we no longer have a tabernacle or a temple.
Let me let you in on a little secret, God still doesn't want you to go to bed with your aunt.
Do you understand that?
Because people are like, oh, well, God got rid of the law, so now he can do whatever he wants.
No, you know what, murder is still murder. Adultery is still adultery, God still doesn't want you to steal.
None of that has changed.
But the ritual covenant that God made with the children of Israel, he said, you are my people.
That has been done away with, why? Because it failed.
So, verse 21, is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid.
The covenant of Moses, the law, is not against or does not work against the covenant of Abraham,
the blessings or promises.
Look at verse 21 again.
Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid.
For if, and this is important, if you have not been tuning in, just tune in for one second,
especially if you're a soul winner, and then you can tune back out and go back to whatever you're doing on Facebook.
If, verse 21, last part of verse 21,
For if there had been a law given which could have given life,
verily, righteousness should have been by the law.
That's just, I love the logical arguments by the apostle Paul.
So what does that mean?
If there had been a law given which could have given life,
verily, righteousness should have been by the law.
Here's what he's saying.
If the covenant of Moses, the law, if it could have given spiritual life,
because when you got saved, you were born again, you were quickened, you were made a new creature.
If the laws of God could have given you spiritual life,
he says, then verily, righteousness should have been by the law.
You understand that?
He said if there was a set of rules you could have kept and got yourself saved,
and got born again and got eternal life,
then God would have just gave you a set of rules and said keep these rules and you can go to heaven.
Now Paul already kind of dealt with this.
If you go back real quickly to Galatians chapter 2 and verse 21,
we saw it when we were in Galatians 2, but I want you to see it again in Galatians chapter 21,
because these verses go together.
It's easy to remember Galatians 2-21 goes with Galatians 3-21.
Galatians 2-21, Galatians 3-21.
Here's what Galatians 3-21 says.
For if there had been a law given which could have given life,
verily, righteousness should have been by the law.
Here's what Galatians 2-21 says.
I do not frustrate the grace of God,
for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
Here's what he's saying.
He's saying in Galatians 3-21 he says,
if there was a set of rules that could have given you eternal life,
then righteousness would have came by a set of rules.
And God would have given you a set of rules and said keep these rules and then you'll be saved.
But that's not possible.
In Galatians 2-21 he says,
if righteousness could have came by the law, then why did Christ die?
If I could have just been good enough to go to heaven,
if I could have just repented of enough sins,
if I could have just got baptized enough and done enough good things to get myself to heaven,
then why would Jesus die on the cross?
The answer is that Jesus died on the cross because there's nothing you could have done to save yourself.
You needed somebody to save you.
Go back to Galatians 3.
Look at verse 22.
But the Scripture concluded all understanding.
See he says, if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
He says in verse 21, if there had been, chapter 3, a law given which could have given life,
verily righteousness should have been by the law.
But then he says this, but the Scripture has concluded all under sin.
No one can keep the law for all sinners.
There is no keeping of the law to get yourself saved.
He says, but the Scripture has concluded all under sin that the promise,
Abrahamic Covenant by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that are Jews.
Is that what it says?
That the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that are born physically descendants of Abraham.
Is that what it says?
John told the Jews of his day, hey don't tell me that Abraham is your father.
He said, think not to say that Abraham is your father.
He says, look God can make these trees bring forth descendants of Abraham.
Don't talk to me about your physical descendants.
He says, look that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ, the promise of the Abrahamic Covenant might be given to them that believe.
You say why? Because it's a covenant of promise.
You got to believe the promise.
You got to have faith in the promise.
The Covenant of Moses, the law could only bring death.
It could not bring life.
It could not give eternal life.
If there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
But the promise is that the Covenant of the law could only bring death.
And it could only point us to the Covenant of Abraham or to Christ.
Look at verse 23.
But before faith, now what are we talking about?
We're talking about a covenant here.
Don't get confused by the wording because remember, when we're talking about, it's the Abrahamic Covenant versus the Mosaic Covenant.
Abrahamic Covenant, here are the words that Paul is using to talk about that covenant.
Blessings, promises, belief, faith.
The Mosaic Covenant, he's using this consistently, the law.
So he says, but before faith, and he's referring to the Abrahamic Covenant of faith, Covenant of promise.
Covenant you have to believe.
But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterward be revealed.
Because remember, the Abrahamic Covenant came first, the Mosaic Covenant came 430 years later,
but the Abrahamic Covenant was not fulfilled until the coming of Christ.
But before faith, referring to the fulfillment of the Covenant of Abraham, which was the coming of Christ,
before faith came, we were kept, Paul's a Jew and he's talking to Jews, he says,
we were kept under the law, under the Mosaic Covenant, shut up unto the faith which should afterward be revealed.
He's talking about the coming of Christ.
You say, I don't know if that's that clear.
He's going to get real clear here in a minute.
In verse 23, he's saying the Covenant of Moses was the only thing apparent until the fulfillment of the Covenant of Abraham,
which was the coming of Christ, which was the Lord Jesus Christ.
Look at verse 24, wherefore.
Now the word wherefore means for that reason or for which reason or for what reason.
And I want you to notice what he's saying, and this is what I told you, Paul's a smart guy and he's making some arguments,
you got to pay attention.
Wherefore, the word means for this reason, for that reason,
wherefore the law, that's the Covenant of Moses, was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ that we might be justified by faith.
He says wherefore, he says for that reason.
For what reason?
The reason we just saw in verse 23.
What did we see in verse 23?
But before faith came, before Jesus came, before the fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant came,
we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterward be revealed,
and it would be revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ.
He says because all we had, Paul says, was the Mosaic Covenant until the Abrahamic Covenant was revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ.
He says wherefore, for that reason, the law, the Mosaic Covenant, was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ.
See, here's what the Bible teaches, and this is what the Jews don't understand,
and this is what the Zionists don't understand, is that the entire Bible points to the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the theme of the entire Bible.
The prophets speak of Christ, the law speaks of Christ, all those sacrifices are preaching in a typology of Christ.
So he says look, the law, the Mosaic law, was a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ,
that when Christ would come, we would look at the law and say, oh that's what those sacrifices represent.
When they killed a bird and took the blood out of the bird and let another bird go free,
it wasn't about the bird, it was about Christ and my salvation, that he shed his blood and I was made free.
The Old Testament was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ.
The Zionists missed that. The Jews definitely missed it.
They said no, no, we're God's people because we keep the Mosaic law.
And Paul says, look, if you kept the Mosaic law, and this is what Jesus said,
if you believed Moses, you would have believed me.
If you believed Abraham, you would have believed me.
He said Abraham believed me.
Abraham, he said you don't keep the Mosaic law, you don't even believe the Old Testament.
But he says look, the reason for the covenant of Moses, the law, it was the only thing apparent until Jesus showed up and it should have brought you to Christ.
It was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ.
And by the way, let me just say this, this is why in our Gospel presentation, you can, and we do, we teach that you should begin with the dealing of sin and the law.
Obviously we should not overemphasize that and we should not make it some weird thing, but we shouldn't ignore it either.
It's why we teach people, as it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one.
For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
For the wages of sin is death. Why?
Because the law is a schoolmaster, the law is not something that we look at and say,
Man, I think I can keep that and maybe get myself to heaven.
No, the law is something we look at and realize, I cannot keep that, therefore I need someone to save me.
It was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, you can apply that in a sense to salvation,
but the actual primary application was that the Old Testament covenant, all those Sabbath things, all those ceremonial things,
all the sacrifices, all those things, Hebrews says, were a foreshadow pointing to the Lord Jesus Christ.
It should have taken you, it was a schoolmaster to point you to Christ.
And by the way, when Christ came, those things were taken away. Why?
Because we don't need them anymore. Because Jesus appeared.
But after that, look at Galatians 3.25, but after that faith is come.
Faith there is referring to the Abrahamic covenant fulfilled in Christ.
But after that faith has come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
What is that referring to?
It is referring to the fact that we no longer have priests and Levites, we no longer have sacrifices and Sabbath days,
we no longer keep high days, we don't keep any of that, we're not under the schoolmaster.
We know that the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant has come, but after that faith has come,
we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
And I hope that at the very least tonight, if you haven't been paying attention,
it would be impressed upon you the importance of studying the Bible within its context.
Because these are not random statements that the Apostle Paul is making,
but he is building argument upon argument, line upon line,
and he's making a very solid argument against Zionism, Judaism.
Verse 25, but after that faith has come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
The covenant of Moses, the law, was done away with when Jesus, the fulfillment of the covenant of Abraham, was come.
Now, let me just give you some concluding statements as we look at verses 26 to 29.
In verse 26, Paul says this,
For ye are all the children of God.
Now, that's not where it ends, I just ended it there to make a statement.
That doesn't end there and say, we're all the children of God, all of us, that's what some people believe.
He says, for ye are all the children of God, notice it, by faith in Christ Jesus.
So here's what Paul is saying, because of faith in Jesus,
anyone and everyone who has that faith, Jew or Gentile, can be called the children of God.
For ye are all the children of God, by faith in Christ Jesus.
Let me ask you something, if someone does not have faith in Christ Jesus, according to this verse, can they be called the children of God?
There's only one way to be a child of God.
And they'll say, no, no, but what about the Abrahamic Covenant?
Well, I'm glad you brought that up, because the Abrahamic Covenant is all about faith in Christ.
What makes someone a descendant, a child, the people of God, is having faith in Jesus Christ.
For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ, look at verse 28,
there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Here's what he's saying, because of faith in Jesus, everyone and anyone who believes in Christ, Jew or Gentile, can become a child of God.
And because of faith in Jesus, everyone who has made a child of God is the same in the eyes of God, which is why he says, there's neither Jew nor Greek.
Because remember, these Judaizers are coming to the Gentiles and saying, you've got to become a Jew.
You want to be saved? You want to be a part of the Abrahamic Covenant? You've got to get under the Mosaic Covenant.
And Paul just denied that and demolished that, and now he says, there's neither Jew nor Greek.
There is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
And look, it doesn't matter what family you were born to, what culture you were born into, what religion you were born into, you must come to Christ for salvation, period.
Male or female? Doesn't matter. Jew or Greek? Doesn't matter. Bond or free? Doesn't matter!
For ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And then in verse 29 he says this, and if ye be Christ, don't miss it.
Because he spent the last several verses building up to this verse.
If ye be Christ, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according the promise.
So let me ask you a question. Can the Jews say that they're Abraham's seed according to Galatians 3.29?
Would they say that they are Christ's when they deny Christ's?
So how are you considered part of Abraham's seed, part of Abraham's ascendancy? You've got to be Christ's.
Because the Abrahamic Covenant was about Christ the entire time.
And if ye be Christ, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Let me just make a couple applications and we're going to be done.
Remember, this whole context was about the Judaizers and the Zionists. We're adding the Zionists in because they're Judaizers too.
And if you've been paying attention, the few of you that have been, I appreciate you, let me ask you these questions.
What do the Judaizers have? What covenant can they cling to?
Now they don't cling to the Davidic Covenant because the Davidic Covenant was about Jesus reigning on the throne of David, so they're not going to cling to that one.
And even in the Old Testament when the descendants of David were on the throne, that got done away with. That's done.
There is no Jewish king on this earth. And when there will be a Jewish king, it will be the Lord Jesus Christ ruling and reigning over the entire world.
So do they have the Davidic Covenant? No they don't. Why? Because it's about the Lord Jesus Christ ruling and reigning in the millennial reign.
Do they have the New Covenant? No they don't. They reject the New Covenant. They reject the New Testament.
The Jews do not believe in the New Testament. They don't believe in the Old Testament either, but they just give lip service to the Old Testament.
But they reject the New Covenant and the New Testament. So they don't have the Davidic Covenant and they don't have the New Covenant.
So here's what they often will pretend that they have. They'll pretend they have the Abrahamic Covenant and they'll pretend they have the Mosaic Covenant.
And they'll misuse it and misrepresent it and take it out of context to try to say that it says that they are God's chosen people.
But now that Paul has thoroughly explained these two covenants to us, we've got to ask the question, do they have the Abrahamic Covenant?
And the answer is no, because the Abrahamic Covenant was the entire time about the Lord Jesus Christ.
Not seed as of many, but as of one, and to thy seed which is Christ.
Okay, do they have the Mosaic Covenant? No. Why? Because it failed! It was done away with.
It was till the fulfillment and the coming of the Abrahamic Covenant.
So if the Mosaic Covenant is gone, and if the Abrahamic Covenant is about Christ, then the question I have to ask you is this.
Do they have anything? And the answer is no. No, they do not. Because they are not teaching the Bible.
You say, who are God's chosen people? New Testament believers and Old Testament saints who believed in the coming of Christ.
Look at Galatians 3.29 again, and if ye be Christ, then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs according to the prophets.
Let me tell you something. Abraham's seed are not a bunch of Jews in Israel right now, or New York or Los Angeles, who reject Jesus Christ.
You say, can Jews be saved? If they put their faith in Jesus Christ, absolutely there is neither Jew nor Greek.
You say, who are God's chosen people? Those who believe on Christ, those who trust on Christ, those who put their faith in Christ, those who believe in the promise of Christ.
When I was a kid, we used to sing a song. We sang the song, Father Abraham had many sons, many sons had Father Abraham.
I don't know why they sing this song in dissolational churches. They do. Because it completely goes against everything they believe.
They say, the Jews are God's chosen people. We're red-headed step-children or something.
But when I was a kid, we would sing the song, Father Abraham had many sons, many sons had Father Abraham. I am one of them, and so are you.
So let's just praise the Lord. You know what? Father Abraham did have many sons, and you're looking at them.
And I'm looking at them. Because if you be Christ, then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promises of our heads in our world of prayer.
Heavenly Father, we love you. We thank you for these portions of scripture. I know they can be heavy at times, the explanations given.
But it's good for us to look at them, think about them, analyze them, study them out, and when we really look at them, it becomes clear what the Bible teaches about these things.
Help us to realize that the entire Bible is about the Lord Jesus Christ, period. It's always been about Christ.
And to be considered one of God's people, you must put your faith in Christ, believe in Christ.
Lord, we love you. We thank you for this clear teaching from the Word of God. In the matchless name of Christ, we pray. Amen.
Amen. We're going to have Brother Moses come up and lead us in a final song. I just want to remind you that we of course have soul winning tomorrow.
The time has changed. It's at 6 p.m. So if you'd like to go soul winning, there'll be a time for you to be able to do that at 6 p.m.
If there's anything that we can do for you, please let us know. We'll have Brother Moses come up and lead us at this time.
Please join our song books, page number 138.
So burdened with sin and distress
Till I heard a sweet voice saying make me your choice
And I entered the haven of rest
Till I anchored my soul in the haven of rest
I'll sail the wide seas no more
The tempest may sweep or the wilds for me keep
In Jesus I'm safe evermore
I yielded myself to his tender embrace
And faith taking hold of the Word
My fetters fell off and I anchored my soul
The haven of rest is my Lord
I've anchored my soul in the haven of rest
I'll sail the wide seas no more
The tempest may sweep or the wilds for me keep
In Jesus I'm safe evermore
Let's sing it out on the third.
The song of my soul since the Lord made me whole
As many old stories so blest
Of Jesus who'll save whosoever will have
The home in the haven of rest
I've anchored my soul in the haven of rest
I'll sail the wide seas no more
The tempest may sweep or the wilds for me keep
In Jesus I'm safe evermore
Let's finish it strong on the last.
O come to the Savior he patiently waits
To save by his power divine
Come anchor your soul in the haven of rest
And save my beloved is mine
I've anchored my soul in the haven of rest
I'll sail the wide seas no more
The tempest may sweep or the wilds for me keep
In Jesus I'm safe evermore
Great singing. Can I please have Brother Allen close to some word prayer?
Heavenly Father, we just come before you. We thank you for the service and thank you for the church.
Help us to not just hear your word but to be able to apply it in our lives.
And please bring it back. Thank you all for so many for the rest of the week.
We love you. Amen.
We love you.