Good morning, everyone. Good to see you all here this morning and have some of you back. We appreciate that. Beautiful, sunny morning. Sun's coming in the window at that angle. I guess it's that time of year, hey? 

Well, this morning, we're beginning a study of a new book, The Letter to the Galatians. And we've studied this book together before, maybe a couple of times. But the reason I wanted to go back to it is because I feel like today and this time in the church and the world, there's never been a greater need for truth. And this is a book that really is direct and clear and addressing some issues of deception and lies and false gospel. Paul really drives home the truth. So that's the reason I felt compelled to go back to Galatians. Besides, if you're preaching in Galatians or Romans, you have it made. So any chance I get, we'll go to one of those books. 

Well, in this world today, it seems to me that concerning the things of the world, the current news, the politics and governments of our world, it's impossible to know what is true. I've come to understand more and more that many things that I've been told all my life, that have been given to me as truth, as certainties, are not true. So many in authority in my life have lied to me, have connived and schemed for their own interests, power, and money, and led me astray. And this has been true since I was a child, in school, in my religious education, from my government. Even the agriculture industry, the medical industry, the food industry, goes on and on. 

Whether it be, I don't know if some of you remember this, but doctors in white coats on television telling me that they prefer to smoke camels, right? Or Earl Butz, who was the head of the USDA under Nixon and Ford, he contrived the food pyramid and told me the base of a healthy diet is sugar and carbohydrates. Or even my priest, when I was a child in the Catholic school, who told me that good works and penance would get me to heaven. 

And it's getting no better in our world. With social media, and AI, and more sophisticated deceptions, it's really difficult to know what is true and what is manipulation on every side of every issue. And if we spend our time in these rabbit holes, if we get ourselves all worked up and afraid and angry, then where does that leave us as the church, as believers in Jesus Christ in this world? The only source of truth in this world is the only book that God ever wrote. And in this book, God's word is truth in every word, in every context, in every subject that it comments on. 

And it's up to us to study and know this book, to know what God says, and to choose to believe him, to trust him, and to stand on his truth. Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." Jesus is the truth. To know the truth is to know him. In John 17, Jesus said this, "And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." This is eternal life, to know Jesus, to know the only true God, and to know the truth. 

Well, Paul was chosen. He was sent by God to the Gentiles. And I love Paul's explanation of this in Acts 26. Let's look at Acts 26 at verse 16. This is Paul's testimony before King Agrippa. Acts 26:16, Jesus talking to Paul says, "But rise and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness, both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me." 

And Paul said, "Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision." God sent Paul. Jesus sent Paul to preach the gospel, to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified, how? By faith in me. 

Paul was faithful. He was obedient to the call of God, to the commission that Jesus gave to him, to go to the Gentiles and preach the gospel of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and salvation through faith in him alone. And Paul traveled to the region of Galatia in his first missionary journey. He went from Antioch and traveled to southern Galatia and founded churches in Antioch of Pisidia, in Iconium, in the region of Lyconium, and Lystra, and Derbe. And we read about that in Acts 14. Paul preached to Jews and Gentiles alike in these regions, and the churches were made up of a mix of the two. 

Although, as we look at the reception that Paul received in the synagogues and from the Jews, it was likely the churches were predominantly Gentile. After Paul had founded these churches and he had taught them concerning doctrine, grounding them in the faith, after he had departed, legalistic Jews came following Paul through this region and undermining the truth, the teaching of Paul, and the word of God. The primary issue was that of the role of the Mosaic law in justification as well as sanctification. And this false teaching began to confuse the believers there. 

We see this even with Peter in chapter 2. Let's look at Galatians 2 at verse 1. Paul says, "Then after 14 years, I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas and also took Titus with me. And I went up by revelation and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those who were of reputation, meaning the apostles, lest by any means I might run or had run in vain. Yet not even Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty, which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage." 

So this is the Judaizers, the false teachers who came in after Paul preaching a works plus faith system. Look at verse 5. He says, "To whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. But from those who seem to be something, whatever they were, it makes no difference to me. God shows personal favoritism to no man. For those who seem to be something added nothing to me." 

The apostles didn't change what he was preaching or add anything to his gospel. But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter, for he who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles. And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do.

Now look at verse 11. "Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face because he was to be blamed. For before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles. But when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were--" look at this statement. 

When I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, "If you being a Jew live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews? We who are Jews by nature and not sinners of the Gentiles, knowing--" this is the important statement, verse 16. "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law. For by the works of the law, no flesh shall be justified." 

Paul couldn't have said it any other way, could he? Three times there, we're not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Christ. So we see how the false teachers and the confusion had even affected Peter and Barnabas so that they were not straightforward about the gospel. The truth is instrumental not only in understanding the gospel, the way to life, how a man is saved, but the truth is also vital in understanding sanctification and the way of life. And this is where the confusion among the believers became a real problem in Galatia, as we see with Peter. And Paul was very concerned when he heard of this. 

And he wrote a fiery letter to these churches, no commendation, no long greetings, no niceties, but right into the matter at hand. He's very upset and he's very concerned because, my friends, the truth is at stake. And Paul knew that the truth was everything, and without it, the gospel could not go forth. So we see a very serious issue here in the letter to the Galatians. And it's never been more applicable than it is in the church today. The need for truth is evident in the Christian church more so now than ever. And it is the truth, according to the word of God, concerning the gospel, that must be at the forefront of our minds as we live and minister as ambassadors for Christ in this world.

Let's look at Galatians 1 at verse 1. Paul, an apostle, not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead, and all the brethren who are with me, to the churches of Galatia. Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. 

"I marvel that you are turning away so soon from him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel, which is not another, but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel to you than that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if any preaches any other gospel to you than that which you have received, let him be anathema, accursed. For do I now persuade men or God, or do I seek to please men? For if I still please men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ." 

I've given you four points on your outline. First, the lost man's need for truth. Second, the believer's need for truth. Third, the need to speak the truth. And fourth, truth for the glory of God. 

Well, Paul was an apostle, a sent one, as we saw in Acts 26, sent by Jesus to the Gentiles to preach the gospel and establish churches and strengthen the brethren in the truth. One of the major tactics of the legalistic Jews called Judaizers, who were perverting the gospel and troubling the believers in Galatia, was to undermine the authority of Paul, therefore undermining his message of salvation by grace through faith and the Christian life by grace through faith as well. So we see Paul at the very beginning of this letter in the first words he wrote addressing this issue of his authority and continuing through the second chapter. 

This was an issue in Corinth for Paul as well, you remember, as the false apostles who preached another Jesus were questioning Paul's authority and the validity of his message there too. Let's look at 2 Corinthians 11. See a very similar passage there. 2 Corinthians 11 at verse 1. "O that you would bear with me in a little folly." Paul didn't want to defend himself, but he found it necessary to defend himself in order to defend his message. And indeed, you do bear with me, for I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 

But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you may well put up with it. For I consider that I am not at all inferior to those most eminent apostles, even though I am untrained in speech, that I am not in knowledge. But we have been thoroughly manifested among you in all things. 

Did I commit sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted because I preach the gospel of God to you free of charge? I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to minister to you. And when I was present with you and in need, I was a burden to no one. For what I lacked, the brethren who came from Macedonia supplied. And in everything, I kept myself from being burdensome to you. And so I will keep myself. As the truth of Christ is in me, no one shall stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia. Why? Because I do not love you. God knows. 

Look at verse 12. "But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast." These are the false apostles who are trying to undermine Paul's authority and his message. He says, "What I do, I'm going to do to cut their opportunity off in the church." 

"For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ, and no wonder, for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works." Well, we learn several important truths from this passage that we also find in Galatians. We see that Paul is a true apostle, that he sent from God, from Jesus himself, with the message of the clear, pure gospel of Christ. 

Peter tells us that there have always been false apostles and prophets, always perverting the truth, undermining and attacking God's true servants who preach the truth. Peter writes, "Even as there will be false prophets among you." You remember when Paul called the elders from Ephesus to meet him, he told them that after his departure, savage wolves would rise up, come into the church, or rise up from within, and that they would teach false doctrine, they would not spare the flock, but lead them into deception. He tells them to commit themselves and the church to the truth, to God, who is sufficient to keep them from error and to produce fruit among them. 

False teachers and false doctrine are a reality in the church, and Paul says they are from Satan, who masquerades as an angel of light and as ministers of righteousness in the pulpits of churches, as authors of Christian books, and in churches and denominations that claim the name of Christ. An associate of mine, a man I've been attempting to witness to for some time, sent me a text this past Friday. It was an image of a false Jesus on a cross, along with some Gregorian chant music, and he wrote this to me. "I am praying for you that this Friday would be good and efficacious for your salvation." 

The doctrine of his so-called Christian church is the doctrine of the Judaizers, the doctrine of the Galatian heresy, and the confusion of this false doctrine in church affects billions in our world. There's no clarity, there's no truth, and not only are billions trapped in this vain tradition received from their fathers, but true believers are confused by this doctrine as well. This is the essence of the intent of the book of Galatians, to make sure the believers are abundantly clear concerning the truth, truth for salvation, truth for the Christian life. 

There is another Jesus taught in this world, in the so-called church. It is a Jesus who cannot save, whose death on the cross was insufficient, and therefore we must add our good works, our law-keeping, participation in sacraments, and religious rites and rituals, and the sacrifice of our suffering in order to fully accomplish our salvation. This is the very issue at hand in the letter before us, and Paul wants them to know right off the bat that it is Jesus who sent him. It is Jesus who gave Paul his gospel, and there's no other good news besides the gospel of grace. 

And we see Paul's immediate emphasis on the gospel, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Look at our text, Galatians 1:1. Paul, an apostle, not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead. And all the brethren who are with me to the churches of Galatia, grace to you, peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Look at verse four, "Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever, amen." 

The matter of first importance is the truth of the gospel. This is the way to life. A man cannot be saved apart from the gospel. This is the need of the lost man and Adam, the truth, the power of the gospel. Romans 1:16, Paul says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it, in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith.'" 

If we do not understand clearly the truth of the gospel, then nothing else matters. And this is why Paul is so upset. He's so concerned about what was going on in Galatia, about the influence of a false gospel of works plus faith. When my friend texted me on Friday, his religious works-righteous message, I responded with Romans 3:19 to 26. And I said, "Only the death of Jesus is efficacious for my sins. That no one is justified by the works of the law, for by the law is the knowledge of sin, that justification is only by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ, as he imparts his righteousness to me by faith and my sins to Christ through faith." 

He texted me back a crying emoji and said, "I will pray that much harder for your soul." He understands his church. He understands his doctrine, his faith in Christ plus works, plus ritual, plus religion. And he understands clearly the gospel that I believe, that the Bible teaches salvation by grace through faith alone in Jesus alone. He just doesn't believe it. And he believes that I will go to hell apart from the church. At least he's intellectually consistent unlike many Baptists I know. 

And my brothers and sisters, this is why the truth is so important for the believer as well. Think about this with me. As confusing as things can be concerning the things of men and government and politics and business, how to raise your children, how to relate to your wife, you can find all kinds of answers on the internet. As hard as it can be, as hard as it can be to know what is true, what is right in these carnal areas, so too has Satan confused the spiritual world. 

How can a lost man and Adam in our world today know the truth concerning the gospel? How it is a man can be made right with God? So many religions, so many philosophies of men, even within Christianity, differing doctrines, contrasting messages, denominations, so many voices. And with this, the sinfulness of man, the desire of man to stand on his own two feet, to make his own way, and his reluctance to believe the truth. All of these forces are working against the truth, against the furtherance of the gospel. And my friends, the only answer is the truth. The only answer is the clear gospel of Jesus Christ. 

I remember years ago, my wife's grandpa always used to say, "You know what the good book says? God helps those who help themselves." You know what? It doesn't say that. You know what? It doesn't teach anything like that. Who's going to tell the truth? Who's going to bring a clear message of truth to dispel all the error and confusion? Only those who know the truth. Only those who are clear in their own minds concerning the truth, who have had the love of God poured out into their hearts by the Holy Spirit given to them, who have a desire to see the lost saved and God glorified. 

Only those who believe the truth and are walking in the truth. Paul said, "We believe, therefore we speak." Every time in the book of Acts, we just started the book of Acts on Thursday. Every time in the book of Acts, it says when they were filled, controlled by the Spirit, what did they do? They spoke. They spoke the truth boldly. We need to speak the truth in love to every creature, to everyone the Lord brings across our path. The only way we can speak the truth is if we know and are clear about the truth. 

This was the danger in Galatia: false teaching, confusion, lies meant to confuse the believers and take them captive to hollow and deceptive philosophies not according to Christ. And we see the same kind of problems today in the church. Confusion, lack of a clear message, ecumenism, tolerance of lies and false teachers, a desire to just get along no matter what. 

Paul said in 2 Corinthians 11, if someone comes preaching another Jesus, another gospel which you have not received, you may well put up with it. Will we put up with it, my brothers and sisters? Will we compromise to get along? Will we avoid the hard sayings to maintain peace and unity? Many say today that it's not loving to preach the truth of the Word of God, that we should not speak to those things which divide. But Jesus said that he brought a sword of division. And that sword of division is the truth. 

It's not our desire to divide or offend, but the gospel itself is divisive. It divides saved and lost men, those who are willing to believe and those who are not, believers from unbelievers, light from darkness. And the gospel is offensive, particularly to religious men. Turn to 1 Corinthians 1 with me, verse 18. 

1 Corinthians 1:18, Paul says, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. For it is written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.' Where's the wise? Where's the scribe? Where's the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe." 

How's God saving men? Through the foolishness of the message preached. Faith comes by hearing, hearing a message about Jesus. For Jews request a sign and Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, look at this, to the Jews a stumbling block, to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God. 

The gospel is a stumbling block. It's an offense, a stone placed in their way that causes them to fall and then a great rock that falls on and crushes the one who will not believe. It's an invitation to deliverance through faith and at the same time, a pronouncement of judgment on those who will not believe. John 3, we love this passage and in verse 14, Jesus said, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up on the cross, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved." 

Now listen to verse 18, "He who believes in him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, why? Because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." The message is clear in the Bible, salvation is by grace through faith in the one-time sacrifice of Christ in my place for my sins on the cross, in his death, burial, and resurrection from the dead. Salvation is by imputation. Y'all understand imputation? 

You take your credit card and you go to the store and you slide it through that thing or tap it or walk by or whatever you have to do now. And what does it do? It credits from your account to the store. Or if you make a deposit, it's credited to your account, imputed to your account. Salvation is by imputation. God imputes to our account his righteousness making us fit for heaven when we believe. 

Turn over to Romans 4 with me. Romans 4:1 and we'll see something very interesting in light of all the religions of the world. Paul's just explained justification by faith and not by the law in Romans 3:19 to 26. And then he says, "What then shall we say that Abraham our father is found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the scripture say? Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace, but as debt. Look at verse five, such a stunning verse. But to him who does not work, but believes on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness." 

God justifies the ungodly. Praise the Lord because I'm one of those, right? Good people don't go to heaven, it's the people who know they're bad that need a savior, that turn to Jesus in faith. He says, "Just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works. How much more clear could that be? Imputes His righteousness apart from works. Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin." 

Jesus said in Matthew 5:48 that we must be perfect as God the Father is perfect in order to enter the kingdom. The only way that we can be righteous is by imputation. God's own righteousness is credited to our account through faith in Jesus, and our sins are imputed to Him at the cross. And now we who believe are born again, we're made new, we are sent to the world to bring the good news of the gospel to every creature that they might believe and be saved. 

Turn over to 2 Corinthians 5 with me, we'll close here. 2 Corinthians 5, I'm lying, we're going to look at one more passage. 2 Corinthians 5:14. 

I love this statement, 2 Corinthians 5:14. What was it that motivated me as a child? That hickory stick them nuns had, that was pretty motivating. The priest grinding his thumb into the back of my hand and putting me on my knees when I was seven, eight years old, that was pretty motivating. What was it that motivated me? I wanted to obey the law and participate in the religious rituals and sacrifice, whatever, in order to avoid the punishment of God. That was the only motivation I had. And I really didn't want to do that. 

2 Corinthians 5:14 says, "For the one who believes Jesus, the love of Christ compels me." That's the explanation of my entire life. That's the explanation of what I do. The love of Christ compels us. Isn't that amazing? In the gospel, the love of Christ compels us. Thankfulness for His grace and mercy is what drives us, motivates us to live for Him. We're not trying to earn His favor in a self-focused, works-righteous religious system. Our greatest desire is to live for Him. 

"For the love of Christ compels us because we judge thus, that if one died for all, then all died. And He died for all, listen to this, that those who live, that's us, should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. When I meet someone, I don't say, 'Wow, they've got a nice house, they've got a nice car, they do all these things.' When I look at them, I say, 'Is this person saved? Do they know Jesus?' That's all that matters. 

From now on, we regard no one according to the flesh, even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he's a new creation. Old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new. Now, all things are of God. You know, when I used to go out and trap and hunt, I remember in college having arguments with my wife because I was an evolutionist, and animals lived by instinct and reacted to stimulation. 

When I used to go out and trap and hunt and farm and do all those things I did, that's how I saw everything. Just natural explanation. Now when I go out, I went out last night, feed the calf, stars, beautiful clear sky and stars. You know what I thought? Jesus made that. All right? And let me tell you something, those pigs that are living in my hoop house right now, they're not just protoplasm that's evolved over billions of years and they react to their stimulus and those are animals with personalities. Those are creatures of God. They are individuals. They have friends. 

All things are of God. Everything I look at now, all things are of God who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ as though God were pleading through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf to be reconciled to God for He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 

God has committed to us the word of reconciliation, the gospel, and the most important thing we can do is to be clear with that message, to be bold, to preach it, and to stand against the lies and errors of this world. Paul even asked the believers to pray that he would preach the gospel as he ought, that he would be bold. 

"I marvel," he says, "that you're turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel, which is not another. But there are some who trouble you, and they want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel to you than that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed." That means anathema, let him be cursed to hell if he preaches another gospel. 

False teaching was allowed to creep into the church, the lie of the devil that a man can be righteous by his own works, by the law, by religious rituals. And Paul says, "I am amazed, I'm amazed that you're turning away from the true gospel to a heteros, a different message altogether. And it's not good news, it's certain death and damnation." 

In Romans 9:30, Paul says, "What shall we say that the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith? That Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness? Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were by the works of the law, for they stumbled at the stumbling stone." Paul says the gospel, Jesus, is a stumbling stone. 

"Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, and whoever believes on him will not be put to shame." The religious man says, "No, I got to do the X, Y, and Z. You got to be baptized. You got to go to confession. You got to do good works. You got to suffer. Contribute your sufferings." 

That friend of mine, one of his favorite things to tell me is, "I'll be at the head of the line in heaven because I'm a farmer and I suffer more than anyone else." He said, "I'll tell him when I get there." He's a farmer. He came to the front of the line. It's a shame. It's a cry in shame. And the problem is most of the church today is not willing to stand up and speak the truth. And it's the only way they can be saved. It's the only way I could be saved. There were faithful witnesses who were willing to tell me the truth. Praise God for them. 

It's vital that we know the truth. And it's vital that we're willing to make the hard application of truth to the lies of religion of the world. That we're willing to speak the truth in love so that men might know and believe. Are we willing as Paul to evaluate churches and preachers by the message they preach? If they add works or sacraments or rituals to faith for salvation, are we willing to condemn them, to warn the brothers about them? 

Paul said in Romans 16:17, "I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them." Note those. The word means to warn, to call out publicly by name those who cause divisions, teaching doctrines contrary to Christ. The truth is what men need, and the truth is what we need. We're continually renewing our minds. The truth is the way to life, the salvation by grace through faith in Jesus. 

And the truth is the way of life, the Christian life for us is salvation by grace through faith. And the truth is that way, that the way we can glorify God in all that we do. We can bear fruit, that we can win men to Christ. Paul summarizes this truth at the end of chapter two after describing the events with Peter. He says, "For if I build again," speaking of the law, "if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I, through the law, died to the law in order that I might live to God. Do you see the purpose? I had to die to the law in order to live for God. I now live by the Spirit."

Paul says, "I've been crucified with Christ, it's no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain." 

Righteousness comes through the grace of God. Positional righteousness and justification, and personal righteousness and sanctification can only come by the grace of God through faith. In chapter three, verse three, he says, "Are you so foolish, having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?" 

We need the truth, and we can only know the truth by the Word of God, and we can only, and only if we are willing to study it, to know it, to believe it, to take it for ourselves, to reckon it to be so, to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. And then and only then can we preach it clearly, can we preach it boldly, for the glory and the purpose of God. 

Let's close in prayer. 

Father, we're so thankful for the simplicity that is in Christ, the gospel of our salvation. Thank you that you've made it so clear in your Word, and I just pray that you would help each one of us, every believer, to be assured and affirmed in the truth, that we would be clear in our own minds, exposing error through the truth, shining light into the darkness, and help us to be willing to stand for truth and to love one another, to speak the truth in love, that we might be encouraged and built up, that we might bring people to Christ and that we might glorify you in all that we do. In Jesus' name, amen.