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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the You can reach us toll-free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the BibleInmenistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, and that today’s first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

Alright, this is Galatians and Lecture 19. Galatians, Lecture 19. 19. Everybody’s got a copy of the lectures by now. I pray tell. And every once in a while I will refer to a scripture that’s not on the notes. The first three that we’re going to look at are not in your notes. You may want to write them down. Because I think of something additional after I’ve done already done them. And I think, I didn’t write that in there, but I can go ahead and cover it anyway.

And so, but first of all, we’ll start by reading in Galatians, the book of Galatians, and chapter 3 verse 15 is where we will start and read to verse 20. So if you will follow me there, verse 15, brother I speak after the manner of men, though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man does a nulleth or at it there too. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. They say if not in the seed as of many, but as of one, to thy seed which is Christ.

And this I say that the covenant that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law which was 430 years after, cannot disanile, that it should make the promise of not effect. For if the inheritance be of the law it is no more a promise. But God gave it to Abraham by promise. Therefore, then, serviced the law it was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made. And it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.

Now, mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. Is the law then against the promise of God? God forbid. For if there had been a law given which could have given life, early righteousness should have been by the law. I just like that last verse anyway. Now, I want you to take your Bible and turn to the book of Acts in chapter 17. The book of Acts and chapter 17, make it chapter 7 is my first mistake I’ve ever made.

Chapter 7, man has given a pretty long sermon here and he’s talking about kind of a history report of the nation of Israel and God telling what was going to come what was going to happen and if you will look there in Acts chapter 7 and look in verse 51 where he says you stiff neck and uncircumcised and heart and ears now you know that automatically that would make somebody offended if I was a good apparent call you that when you get offended.

Well, you shouldn’t be offended if you’re not guilty. If you’re guilty, ah, you stiffed necked and uncircumcised and harden ears. You do always resist the Holy Ghost as your fathers did so do ye. By the way, this was his last sermon, which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted and they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the just one of whom you have now been the betrayers and murderers. Now get verse 53 called that’s important, who have received the law by the disposition of angels and have not kept it.

The disposition of angels means they would like distributed by the angels. It’s talking about this order and the giving over and it says and you have not kept it. Now turn in your your Bible to the book of Psalms, the 68th Psalm back there in the Old Testament. Psalm 68. And there’s a verse that I want you to look at. And it’s interesting, a little verse, because it kind of tells us something that we may not be fully aware of.

So in chapter 68, look at verse 17. In Psalm 68 and verse 17 says, the chariots of God, chariots of God, are 20,000, even thousands of angels. The Lord is among them as in Sinai in the holy place, because we’re going to read where God says He gave the law to Moses by the disposition of angels. In other words, they were the mediator. So God evidently got to see something that none of us got to see. He saw things in heaven and angels ministered whatever He saw to Him and whether or not they assisted in the writing or the remembering or what it was, the Scriptures doesn’t really tell us.

But there is an idea about this found in the book of Hebrews in chapter 8. So now look there in the of Hebrews in chapter 8. Hold your place there and Galatians will be coming back there. But in the book of Hebrews in chapter 8, look in verse 1. So in Hebrews, he’s talking to Hebrews, Jewish Christians about the purpose of the law, how it was given, and how that Jesus Christ is better than Melchizedek and better than Moses, better than angels, better than the law, better than everything.

In verse one, now of the things which we have spoken, this is the sum. We have such a high priest who is set on the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens. This high priest is Jesus Christ. And he’s sitting in the right hand of the majesty in heaven. So that’s better than any man because well men lived and men died and they were the high priest but then the next one had to take over.

And so every year they would have to offer new sacrifices. But this high priest, he offered a sacrifice but it was only one sacrifice not that has to be done again and again and again. It was done once and for all that makes him different. And verse 2, a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man. So then we’re not talking about the one that Moses had and we’re not talking about the temple that Solomon had built.

We’re talking about something before all of this where he says in verse 3, for every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices, wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer. But if He were on earth, He should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law, who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle, for see, sayeth he, that thou makeeth all things according to the pattern show to thee in the Holy Mount.

So whenever we’re going to read in the book of Galatians about God making a covenant with Moses, it was different in the fact that when God made a covenant with Abraham, it says in Genesis in chapter 15 that after God had made this covenant with Abraham of justification by faith alone and that the heathen would be justified by faith alone. He caused Abraham to fall into a deep sleep and it says that an animal was sacrificed and split thereof and then he talked about the light that went between the two because he was like two people had made a covenant and they both agreed upon their life.

They would keep their word. But Abraham was not awake. Abraham was asleep. So this was a covenant made by one God. Abraham did not have to enter into this covenant. He made no promises to God. This is about the promise that God made to Abraham. Now when it comes to Moses and the given of the law, then there was a mediator between God and Moses, and God says it was the angels, that they were mediators because, see, God is one and he didn’t need to have a mediator.

Because he made the promise without Abraham having to sign anything. So it was between God given his word. And so God even had a sacrifice that proved that I’m going to keep my word if it cost me my life. Well, it did. Because Jesus came and became that sacrifice. So go back there now to the book of Galatians, the book of Galatians. And we’re talking about the promise that God made to Abraham was an unconditional covenant. It wasn’t conditioned upon Abraham doing something, it was conditioned upon what God promised.

Now, the one that makes the promise, if it’s between two people, you can’t add to it without the approval of both people. Both people can acknowledge if both agree, but if they don’t, then they don’t. Have you ever heard of signing a note to pay rent on a certain amount if you don’t have to get out? Well, that’s not one-sided. That’s two people making an agreement. Sometimes you can buy a car and you go to the bank and they promise to give you the money and you promise to do what?

Pay them back. And if you don’t pay them back, what can they do to you? So that’s between two people. You got an agreement. Now you can’t change that. Once you’ve signed both parties are signed, that’s law and it’s legal. So when it came to God and Moses, well, there has to be, you know, that law was given, but that was a promise that the Jewish people, the nation of Israel, said all that he hath commanded us, we will do.

They agreed to the contract, to the covenant given by law, and therefore they’re not supposed to break the law. And if they broke the law, they had to make the right sacrifices. Did Israel ever break the law. So they have at times broken the covenant. Now when it comes to God who made a covenant with Abraham because Abraham wasn’t involved in the deal, it’s just that God gave his word. This is what God’s going to do. He is going to justify heathen by faith and Abraham has nothing to do with it.

He was the participant and everybody who comes down the pike could be justified by faith because God gave a promise and the promise that He made cannot be annulled. So God did not have to get Abraham’s approval. He didn’t have to get God’s approval to add the law to come alongside. The law that was added to this God can do because the covenant was only with Him anyway. So He can add to it but He can’t break his promise because he promised was given and God cannot break his word.

The law did not break the promise. The law did not change the deal that God had made with Abraham, even it was only one sided that he’s going to justify man by faith. And so the given of the law does not annul that promise that God had made. So God could add the law, but the law was to come alongside and show every man that he cannot save himself by his works, therefore he needs a sacrifice so that God can keep his word to save a man by faith alone.

So that’s what’s going on here. So look there in these verses and we’ll make a few little comments down through here. First page here, the covenant came before the law of Moses. So this covenant that God made was 430 years before God ever gave the law. So that promise was that God would save a man by faith without the law because the law wasn’t even given yet. And so it let her aid there two times that is covenant. Covenant means compact or a fetter which would bind together, conditional, unconditional, dependent upon man’s performance or actions if it’s conditional, conditioned upon you.

Unconditional, independent of man’s performance or action. There are considered to be eight covenants, Abraham, Davidic, or two examples. Dispensation, oh my chart that I have, I’ve got seven dispensations. The one that I did in 1969. I had the same amount of dispensations. I haven’t found any more. I haven’t added to it. Now, if I wanted to, since I drew my own chart, I could add another one if I wanted, but it wouldn’t be a biblical, I don’t believe. So look at that number three on verse 15.

Paul drives his point by using something familiar, the principle of a human covenant and made for two or more parties. So you can sign agreements between people in all three, sign it or two sign it. an agreement and that’s why you have to be careful about what you sign and what you promise. And the Bible says it’s better not to make a vow than to make a vow and not keep it because when you promise something what should you do?

Keep your word. And that’s what everybody does today, right? We’re a man of our word. I gave my word and most people’s word isn’t worth very much anymore. Ask the guy at the bank. you say, loan me $10,000 and I’ll pay you back someday. Yeah, see how that goes. But number four, Abrahamic covenant, superior to the law. Why? Because it came first and it was based upon God keeping his word. The law was between God and man and guess who won’t keep their word.

What is wrong with the law? What the man didn’t keep it. Man did not keep his word. Man promised, but man doesn’t do it. You can promise today, I’m gonna live according to the law and keep it perfectly from this day forward. You wanna try it? Well, you’re gonna have trouble. You’re not gonna do it. You’re gonna fail. Now look at the next thing. Made by God, ratify when Abram was sleeping. This was how covenants were made, an animal would be split into two halves.

It was symbolic, but whatever was covered at that point could not be changed by either party. And so therefore, God had to keep his promise. So that’s why the addition of the law he could do and be justified, but it could not change the promise, the law being added to it. It could not change this covenant that God had made with Abraham. So if God says, your man is saved by grace and not by his works, these legalistic Judaizers was trying to put them under the law.

Well, they’ve already got already promised you to be saved by faith, not by the law. So that means that these legalistic Judaizers were out of place. It means their message was a wrong message. And they were false teachers. And they were not to be believed. Abraham, I mean, I should say Paul is laying out a beautiful case of why salvation is by grace, must be by grace and only by grace and can never be by the law. Because the law cannot disownel what God promised that a man be saved by faith alone.

Look at the next statement. Let her see there, there was no mediator, one who stands between the two parties involved. The law, Moses was the mediator between Israel and God, law given through angels to Moses. So there was somebody between the people and God, and God used the man named Moses. And so God was able to use him. But you see, that means that he was speaking for God and also speaking for Israel. He was like bringing the two together.

And that’s what you have when you have a mediator. The next statement here, the promise God is one, verse 20, meaning there was no need for a mediator for the promise to Abraham because it was made by God alone. So letter D, it was an unconditional covenant of promise to justify man without his works. So here we are 2,000 years since Christ died. When Jesus came, the gospel that was preached at his time must be the same gospel that was preached in Abraham’s time.

And the same gospel we preach today, because there’s not another gospel. There’s not another good news on how a man is saved. If a man is saved by grace, the only way you can have another gospel is a man that’s saved by works. You can have another one, except it has to be something that you can add to the gospel. But he says you cannot add to the gospel of grace. So what were the legalistic Judaizers trying to do?

Add to the gospel. And that calls it to be an accursed message. Why does it say that it is a cursed message in the book of Galatians in chapter one, verse six through nine? Because it put you under the law. And cursed is everyone who is under the law. Cursed is everyone that continues, if not in all things, which are written in the book of the law to do them, they’re under a curse. So he’s trying to get these.

Believers to understand this and to see this. Now look at number five, verse 16, to Abraham and his seed. One seed, which is Christ. That is Christ. Paul is showing that the blessing of Abraham, the covenant, the promise of receiving the blessing was only through one seed, which is Christ, not through many seeds, which would be through men and the law. The conduit for all to receive the blessing of Abraham was specifically to one seed through Christ. In other words, down the road there would be one man, not many men, not people, but one man that through him that seed all the families of the year can be blessed because they can receive salvation because that one person is going to be born a perfect individual and he’s going to keep the law perfectly and he’s going to make the payment for all the sins

of all the world so that salvation can be given to everybody. And so therefore, every man can be justified by faith alone. Now there’s people who will not trust Christ as Savior. And if they really understood this, it would be a shame to turn it down to reject it. Verse 17, so something that comes from the first covenant, the law, can’t cancel or change it any part of the first, the original. The law was 430 years after the promise.

Most Jews today answered that Abraham was saved by following the law. It’s interesting to see their reaction when you point out the time difference. How could Abraham have been saved by the law when he lived 400-something years before the law was ever given? Top of the page 2. In verse 18 when it says, if it be of the law then it is no more a promise. If a man could be saved by his works, then it would not be saved by grace, the way God promised to save.

So it will annul the promise that God gave. If a man could be saved any other way, then by grace. But he can’t be. And if it be a promise, then no more of law. If it is by the promise, he can’t be by the law. But if it is by the law, it can’t be by the promise. It can’t be both ways. That are that God gave it to Abraham. The promise was made to Abraham. All of them, families of the earth, benefited from that covenant that God made with him.

Nobody has benefited from the fact that God made a covenant with Israel through the law, because nobody has ever kept the law. Man has failed. So that’s the proof that man is a sinner cannot save himself by his works till now I’m in new what requirement it was the righteousness of God. And like Paul says in chapter 10 of the book of Romans, Paul says, I know they’ll have my prayer and heart desires for Israel that they might be safe, or I bear them record that they have a zeal of God but not according to knowledge.

For they’ve been ignorant of the righteousness of God, who are about time to establish your own righteousness and have not submitted themselves into the righteousness of Christ. And Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believe it. Christ is the end of the law. So why are you trying to put people back under the law when Christ is the end of the law for righteousness? And God proved that by given of the law, man cannot save himself in any way, shape, or that’s in verse chapter three and verse 19, see there verse 19.

It was added because of the transgression, sin was in the world before the law was given but there was no law. And then God gave the law, people still died. And let her be all or under sin. See the law was the proof that man needed that he’s not righteous and cannot save himself. And God only took 1,500 years to convince men of this truth. The next statement in letter E, being ordained by angels, God gave angels authority to carry out and deliver the law to Moses.

Angels did not create or enact the Mosaic law, but it was received by the angels from God and delivered to Moses the mediator between Israel and God. So then you have a bunch of these things done here about how God has and will use angels. And I also believe according to the book of Hebrews in chapter 1 that I have a guardian angel. I have a guardian angel. I’ve had others, but they transferred, but I’ve had a guardian angel.

When I used to drive a bus in the middle of the night, scared them so bad, they put in for transfers, and I’d got it and send some more. But every one of us, the Bible says they’re minusing spirits for those that are going to be saved, not going to be saved, that are going to be delivered from this world. But you are blessed by having a guardian angel. Now, every one of you in here, now I don’t know if you’ve got one or you’ve got more than that, but I know you’ve got at least one.

And so you say, I can’t see them, but they see you. And that’s all you need to know. Don’t start praying to the angels and so forth. Don’t start looking over your shoulder. And you don’t like them, see them. But anyway, look up here. This hand representing you and me and the wall of represents sin. The Bible says we all are sinners. centers. And so the law verifies us because God has given a righteous law. There’s nothing wrong with the law of God.

There’s nothing wrong with what God required. It’s just that we can’t keep it because we have a sinful nature. And we lust and we covet and we lie and we steal and we do everything we’re not supposed to do. And neither do we love the Lord about God with all our heart and mind, body, soul, and strength. Then neither do we love one another as ourselves. So God used the law to show us that we’re sinners and cannot save ourselves.

And the law is to point us to one person in Christ. So the law says if you sin, you’ve got to die. The wages of sin is death. And every soul that sin is shall die. But God loves us. Does it want us to go to hell? But there’s a place called heaven and I want to go to heaven, but God says you’ve got to be perfect. Well that takes care of me and everybody else in the world. None of us can save ourselves, but we are all guilty.

So Jesus Christ, who was the Lord God in the flesh, came into this world because He loves us. He hates our sins because our sins separate us from it. So Jesus Christ who had no sin didn’t have to die. that He took all of our sins, paid for the moment across, so that God the Father could keep His promise to save us by faith. So the law that condemns us, forces us to look for a savior. And there’s only one that’s Christ.

So when we trust Christ as our savior, He saves us from something to something, from hell to heaven, and gives us the free gift of everlasting life. and we get to go to heaven on what Jesus Christ did for us. That’s mighty good news. Let’s pray, shall we? But his bow nice, close, no one looking around. If you’re here tonight and you’ve never trusted Christ as your Savior, I hope you understand maybe just a little bit better. That if you haven’t trusted the Lord, now is a good time to do so.

Would you believe that he died on the cross, that he paid for your sins, came back from the dead? And that if you trust him, he’d save, he’d give you eternal life. And if you’re watching by internet, right there on the screen says, yes, I will trust Christ as my Savior. If you’ve never trusted them, I pray that you would. Follow me, thank you again for your blessings. Thank you for this time together, and the study of your work in Christ’s everything.

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And now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound, and we will be changed. Hada can meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day. Believing that the Lord is coming soon, just keep looking up.