Grace Over Effort: Unpacking the Old and New Covenant

The more time you spend with him and a place of boldness, you'll realize that it doesn't matter at all what other people think.

You'll realize it doesn't matter. The only one you need to live for is the Lord.

The only one you need to please is the Lord.

Listen, it is vital in the season that we're moving in as a world, as a country, as a Christian people at a pivotal time

that the fear of man be broken off of you in Jesus' name.

Welcome to the CityLight Church Podcast. Thanks for joining us today, as we look into God's Word and discover the hope and truth that He has for us.

If you want to connect with CityLight Church, feel free to visit us at citylightnyc.com, that's citylightnyc.com.

Pastor Boyan Jansik and his team believe that the power of the Holy Spirit is already working in our hearts and minds.

As you listen to today's teaching, remember that you are deeply loved by God, that you are surrounded by His grace, and that He has a real hope and a future for you.

We're in Galatians 4. I believe this is part 5 because some chapters have been split up into two messages.

But we're in Galatians 4. We're in the middle of this series called Clash of the Covenants because it is vital, it is foundational, it is absolutely a necessity that we know what covenant, what arrangement we have with God.

And there is an old covenant, there is a new covenant, and you must pick one that you want to live under.

And you cannot mix the covenants, and that's what you find most often in the church.

A little bit of the old, a little bit of the new, come up with your own non-biblical confused covenant, and then wonder why prayers aren't getting answered, wonder why you feel distant from God, wonder why you feel shame, guilt and condemnation,

wonder why you are walking civil war, and there is no peace, and you never feel at rest in your relationship with the Lord, the answer is you haven't fully discovered grace yet.

You're living under mixture, and the whole of Galatians is Paul trying to wake the Galatians up who started off in grace, but very quickly the Judaizers came, who added to the completed work of Jesus.

Because the gospel is Jesus plus nothing equals everything.

Judaizers come in, and they bring in mixture, and they say, well, Jesus plus stuff that you do equals everything.

Well, you don't have to do anything. He already did it all. He cried out, it is finished, paid in full.

As far as your salvation goes, you don't have to lift a finger. Hallelujah. Amen.

So I used to read Galatians in my late teens, early 20s, before the Lord opened my eyes to Galatians, I had a really hard time getting into it.

The gospel is I got into, because Jesus is speaking to you right where you are, and you can always end the words of Christ in red.

I mean, it's all the word of God, but sometimes, as a teenager, you only say, if you just want to read those words in red, and they're like, water to your soul, but then I'd get the Galatians, and Paul's talking about these Judaizers, and they want him to circumcise people.

And I'm sorry, but I couldn't relate to that problem. Feel me? And there's nobody here in 2023 chasing you around going, you got to get circumcised in order to be accepted by Christ.

Come on, what some guys are cringing at me right now. Just a very mention of it.

I believe he used that example of circumcision, not because that was, it's a metaphor for mixing up the covenants, but that face, that should be the face, a cringed.

I have to do what? You're telling me Jesus didn't do it all, and so I couldn't relate until I realised that Judaizers are everywhere.

It wasn't a first-century problem. It's an everyday problem. A Judaizer could be a person, could be a church, could be a doctrine. Oftentimes, most often, it's the voice of our own head.

A Judaizer tells you that you owe God something, and that you have to help out with salvation, that you have to add to the already completed work of the cross, because the whole Old Testament, the whole system of the law, there was an emphasis on you, on me.

Hint, that's why it didn't work. It always failed because it depended on humans. Have you discovered yet that humans tend to fail?

In trying to please God, so the whole Old system of the law was based on you, working really hard, trying to keep religious, trying to keep holy, crossing every tea, doubting every eye, in an attempt to get God's righteous.

In an attempt to be found approved before God, yet you always failed. Why? Because if you're guilty and breaking the law in one part, you're guilty of breaking the entirety of the law. It's a rough system.

It's like you write a 5,000 word essay. Perfect. It's brilliant. But one comma, you put in the wrong place. Your points are awesome. Your spelling is immaculate.

Sentin structure. Why? You put a comma in the wrong place and you get an F on the test. That's what it's like to live under the law.

Under grace, however, living on the right side of the cross, you're not endeavoring to gain God's approval with your own self effort. You already have all of God's approval.

You have all of your sins forgiven. You are adopted into the family of God, not based on what you do or can never do. But based on what already Jesus has done in the past, 2,000 years ago, for you.

Living under the law, living under the old covenant, it breeds insecurity. It breeds a performance mentality. You can never enjoy God. You can never rest. You always have to work for Him. And you're only as good as your last work. So you have to constantly impress Him. You have to show up. It's a torturous relationship.

This is why people run away from the church because eventually they just all tuck her down. And it's so different from paganism. We do missions trip to Guatemala where they're new Christians. They used to be pagans. They're the Mayan. And they carry that mentality into the Christianity where they're constantly trying to appease an unappeasable deity.

And it's exhausting. Torturous. Under the new covenant you have rest. Amen. Yet, because that is the cross of Jesus and the grace that affords us, that's the foundation for all that we do. This is why the enemy attacks it so much. And this is why Judaizers will come.

Judaizers are covenant mixers. They want you to get up from under grace and a few more responsibility. But really it sounds noble, doesn't it? But when you do that, you now move away from grace. And according to the very words of Paul, you nullify the grace of God.

So pick a covenant and decide to live exclusively under that covenant. Hint. I would pick the new one since that's what Jesus came to install. And that's what he led for. Amen. Hallelujah.

So let's continue in Galatians. We'll start in chapter 4. That's where we are. And Paul had just finished telling us that we're heirs of God. They were adopted into the very family of God.

He explained that the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ. Why was the law our tutor to bring us to Christ? He said, well, I would not have known sin if it wasn't for the law. The law didn't say don't do that. And I did it. I realized I have a sin nature. I realized I'm powerless against it.

And so the law shows you up. It's like a giant magnifying glass and an x-ray and a detect sin in your life. What's the point of that? For us as people to realize that we're powerless.

We are powerless too. Stop sinning. We're in and of ourselves. We're powerless to change our own lives around. And we're powerless in and of ourselves to receive any kind of forgiveness.

We're lost. And so you get to the end of yourself. You know to get saved you're to get to the end of yourself. The door way to salvation is one of humility.

So you got to get to the end of yourself and realize I cannot do what's required of me. For many people the gospel doesn't open up until they realize that you have to be perfect to gay entrance into heaven.

Perfect. Sin free. Whenever I explain that to someone and they get it they all have the same look of horror on their face.

Then quickly they look at me like well you're perfect. And then I have to explain to them no experientially in and of myself I'm not perfect.

But I have been perfectly forgiven. You have been perfectly forgiven. You've been given God's right standing. You've been justified.

Pronounced not guilty. All of your sins past, present and future have been taken out of the way. You have none imputation of sin.

You have been imputed the very righteousness of God. And so that's how you're heaven bound because when God looks at you he cannot find one spec where I ought to have sin in you.

It's beautiful isn't it? Hallelujah. It takes the pressure off. Yeah. And guess what when the pressure comes off you then live for Christ when you truly get grace.

You know from the inside out empowered by the engine of the Holy Spirit the the aneticio in the Greek the energizing power of the Holy Spirit.

What a difference that is when you just yield to him and now your spirit led in a trying to be religious trying to be a good person trying really hard to abstain from sin those people are miserable.

You know they are. I tell you who knows they are. You talk to the world. They know they are. That's what they think of Christians because they don't meet too many freed ones like you. Hallelujah.

Paul says now I say that the air as long as he is a child does not differ at all from a slave he established that you are an air.

And this is under Greek and Roman rule in a wealthy family. The young air would have a tutor remember the law was a tutor a tutor or a guardian think of it as private school but one on one.

And this tutor or guardian would really stay close to the young child and train them and develop them and teach them and oftentimes this child didn't have a lot of freedom that's what he meant by he's no different than a slave he had to go through the process of being tutored.

As long as he's a child does not differ at all from a slave though in reality he's master of all but is under guardians and stewards until the time this is great until the time appointed by the father today we have this arbitrary age 18.

Doesn't matter where the kid is in their development at 18 because society says they're old enough get out the house right that wasn't so back in that culture it was an appointed time of the father the father said it might be 16 if you really mature it might be 25 if you're you know it was the appointed time of the father he decided when that child was an adult verse three.

Even so when we were children we were in bondage this is so key here he's saying when we were children when we were children was when we were under the law under the system of law remember the system of law you as a hamster on a wheel trying to get God's approval but always failing never ever resting because there was no finished work of the cross.

He's saying we were in bondage under the elements of the world that is the Greek Tastochia to customer this is I'm not trying to be fancy show off my Greek.

This is so important because when Paul said elements of the world everybody knew immediately what he was talking about he used this phrase Tastochia stoichia is a word that's found all over the Greek language but especially when Plato was teaching little children the ABCs.

And Tastochia to customer is the ABCs of the universe.

What are the ABCs of the universe Paul says we were in bondage under the ABCs of the universe Tastochia to customer that is something that all of his listeners would have immediately understood.

This is something that Jews believed Greeks believed Romans believed anyone on any continent in any culture innately believes this and that's this.

You do good you get good you do bad you get bad most people believe this today right even someone totally secular would call it karma or you break the golden rule that things happen.

And grace flies in the face of this grace is the exact opposite of this you got to get that this is not how God is.

While we were yet sinners in total rebellion to God our backs turned to him there is none that seeks after him there is none that desire before we came to Jesus we didn't want him.

We didn't love him we loved our sin but yet while we were still sinners Christ died for the ungodly when we were at our worst Christ came for us.

And it's not just at the cross still he does this over and over again that when you're at your lowest when you're at your worst when you've done bad he'll come and give you good.

So much so that Paul had to address this several times in the New Testament because warped people really that's us all people will then look at that and go wow God is like so good so can I do bad that even more good will come.

So everyone always goes so quiet when I this is a real thing you know every single one of you have thought this as you're being immersed in grace.

There I'm preaching it to you straight there is no fine print there is no nuance here God is infinitely good and God is way better to us than we are to him he's way better to us than we are to ourselves and some of my greatest personal breakthroughs listen.

The greatest things that have come to me were not at the end of a 40 day fast at the end of praying three hour I've done all those things but the vast majority of things that I will boast about that the Lord did for me they didn't come then they came when I was in the gutter they came after was stupid mistake after I did something I shouldn't have done after I made some idiotic just faux pas and I'm like oh man I'm just such a

mess up and then God comes and goes I love you and I don't give you bad for bad I give you good for bad and what that does then now I'm on the floor in the puddle of my own here and and God is all we're going to pick you up we're going to patch up and I can

bought you a present look what I have for you and I'm like I will serve you forever that is grace that is how God operates and that is completely opposite to stochia to

the abc's of the universe this is why so many people don't get the gospel they don't get Jesus because they're approaching and in the way they've been trained by their parents by school by society and that you mess up the chickens are going to come home to

ruse now when's the other shoe going to drop that's when the Lord loves loves to show himself better to you than you are to him and the point isn't

then you experience that a few times you'll get that question wow maybe the Lord doesn't mind sin you know he's just so awesome to me

yeah he does Jesus led to take sin away his standard is holiness and no we don't then sin the grace should have bound

Paul said God forbid but what that does with and this is how a relationship with the Lord is built when you meet someone and they're in love with God you know why they're so in love with God

it's not because they live their life so perfectly it's because they didn't and over and over and over again God still came to them and love them that is grace

and that is what our love for him is founded on and if I have this testimony you're a better person than me maybe you don't maybe you're

a testament is I got saved and I just been flawless ever since awesome but but yet you were born in sin and while you were still a

sinner turning your back on God Christ died for the ungodly amen we don't live under the ABCs of the universe can you see

how this is totally different than every faith system in the world totally different than every religious and the reason why

people reject the Lord is because they've been given this false version of Christianity that's in line with the ABCs of the universe

this is why people will get saved mess up and then run from church because they feel like they messed up they can never come back to the Lord again

meanwhile the father is there with open arms and come back to me who are you going to do to me when I come back here's what I'm going to do

I'm going to love you so much I'm going to bless you so much that you will never ever think of turning your back on me again

do you think when that younger brother came back to the father do you think he wasted any more of his money I guarantee you the parable of the prodigal son

he had that father had one obedient son after that I'm telling you right now he's overwhelmed with the love of the father

we were in bondage under the so the law is the ABCs the system of the law is the ABCs of the universe do bad get bad do good get good

verse 5 to redeem those oh but when the fullness verse 4 but when the fullness of the time had come I studied this in the Greek out also

and it means at the right time in case you're wondering what the fullness of the time was so much funnier in the first service

you ever ask yourself why did Jesus come when he came well here's the biblical answer it was the right time

it was the fullness of the time but it also fell in line with Daniel's prophecy of the 70 weeks

which almost everyone agrees was 490 years so we came at the right time to fulfill biblical prophecy

and even if you don't believe any of that in all of human history there was a never a better time forgot to come as man

then that time when he came the Roman Empire had taken control of most of the then known world they built roads they built bridges

they established trade systems and commerce so that when Jesus did come that's how the gospel and the good news could spread in the most efficient way

at that point in history and that's when he came God and his infinite wisdom and that's what made it the fullness of the time

God sent a man right God sent forth his son born of a woman born under the law to redeem those who are under the law

under the law you were not a son Paul said under the system of law you were a slave

this is why Paul is going crazy when I say crazy I mean all emotional kind of loses it it's the most unhinged you see Paul

because you have these Galatians who were slaves then they became said free in Christ not relying on themselves but receiving the unmerited favor

that comes from the Lord through Christ Jesus and then the Judaizers come in and start adding works and mixing the two covenants

and they immediately go back to being a slave and Paul saying what does this makes sense to you who has hypnotized you

I know silly Galatians right we do this nonsense all the time we do it all the time

you gauging your relationship with the Lord by how you feel

you feeling like you always got to perform so that he would love you and approve of you

you're mixing the covenants no you're not running off to get circumcised as an adult but it's the same thing

you now think you have to do something to gain God's approval you don't have to do anything you have to be in Christ

to redeem those who were under the law that we might receive the adoption as sons and why this is so important

is because they understood that when you were adopted when we get this in America today but it wasn't always the case

but under Roman times even in the first century it was the case when you were adopted you had the same rights and privileges as the natural born air

yeah oh yeah take that to its fullest conclusion you have the same rights as privileges as Jesus

that's when the book of Hebrews it calls Jesus your brother

you're all children in the family of God and show me where there's a distinction made of course Jesus is God

and we worship him but as far as our standing before the Father we're all in the family of God

can we go back to verse four I want to make sure that's five four please I want to make sure

I said God said for one of a woman under the law we're good

to redeem those who were under the law that we might receive the adoption as sons and because you are sons

God has sent forth the spirit of his son into your heart crying out Abba Father this is key

it's a key because you will know if you're mixing the covenants you will know if you're falling into the same trap as the Galatians

you know what a good metric for it is your level of boldness your level of boldness before God and then your level of boldness before man

Alexander Dawey said something I learned about it in Bible school it's I've kept it all these years

Alexander Dawey is where the original healing rooms that Pastor Moe leads came from

it was then from him John G. Lake in South Africa and to this day healing rooms continue he said this sin makes cowards out of men

when you don't know you're totally forgiven you're coward on the inside

you can see it in the way people approach God like an old worm coming up to the throne there's no passion there's no boldness

they're afraid they don't even want to pray long they're afraid if they spend more than 10 seconds in the presence of God a lightning bolt will come and strike them

they come in God please give me XYZ and peace out Amen before anything bad happens

and then they're always worried about what people think they don't have any boldness before man

but the Bible says the righteous are as bold as a lion when you know who you are when you know your identity in Jesus there is a boldness

there is a cry cry doesn't mean boohoohoo when the Bible talking about boohoohoo it says weep

but over and over again for example people cry to the Lord son of David have mercy on me it means you speak loudly and passionately

so when you receive the spirit of his son you're not some timid Mickey Mouse maybe Pambi Christian wondering who you are

oh father you know if you want if it be your will you this is the first thing that shocked me when I got saved I was terrified of praying like talk to the creator

oh and my first day saved to the Christians and they're praying and they're talking to him like he's a friend and they're speaking loud and I'm going

do you remember the first time if you weren't raised in Christianity the first time you heard Christians praying my mind was blown

it's like they talk to God as though he's a friend they talk to God with no filter they're just seem comfortable in his presence you know

in religious people come oh you can't get too familiar can get you always want to create a distance no he's your dad

is your heavenly father and you now have the spirit of his son and there is a cry there is boldness

and it'll manifest in every area of your life first with the Lord you know you can come to him whenever however

and then you realize the more time you spend with him in a place of boldness you realize that it doesn't matter at all what other people think

you realize it doesn't matter the only one you need to live for is the Lord the only one you need to please is the Lord

and then the fear of man breaks off listen it is vital in the season that we're moving in as a world as a country as a Christian people

at a pivotal time that the fear of man be broken off of you in Jesus name it is crucial something will happen

where the message will say oh this is how we should think this is how we should go and you need to be the person going

ah and they'll call you every name in the book and they'll say you're wicked and they'll say you don't have enough love

you don't have enough compassion whatever and if you know biblically that's not the way to go you need to be the one guy saying

I don't care what it cost me I won't live by lies that is not the truth I'm following my savior amen

Hallelujah as a PS can we just put a pen and clash of the covenants and grace first law I just as a PS just look at that verse it's so beautiful

he says God has sent forth the spirit of his son there was a lot of words a lot of names for holy spirit that Paul uses that other writers use

that for whatever reason we just don't use too much in the church we always call him holy spirit but Paul called him the spirit of the Lord

the spirit of liberty the spirit of his son why is that important it's important it's important because too often we separate the Godhead to a fault

I understand that God is manifested in three persons I believe there is a Trinity but I also believe there is a unity

and sometimes almost bordering on paganism people separated and they they've moved away from a monotheistic faith and it's like they have three separate gods

and the Holy Spirit is in third place but he's not that involved yeah he kind of comes later in the Bible and acts he makes people speak in funny languages

he does a few miracles he's been present since Genesis hovering over the water you know in creation you see the entire guidehead

you see the father speak the word that's Jesus while the Holy Spirit is mirror half a thing in the Hebrew hovering

like a mother hen over her chicks over the water and when the word met the spirit creation happened

you know where else you see him at the crucifixion what do you think the Holy Spirit was doing at the crucifixion

kicking back in heaven waiting for his time on the day of Pentecost the Bible says that Jesus offered himself up through the uses another title for him the eternal spirit

the Holy Spirit was right there and the sacrifice of Jesus was received by the father because it was offered through the eternal spirit

and here the Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of his son and the Holy Spirit is in another place called the Spirit of the Lord

is it possible that Jesus is the Holy Spirit? Yes, are they separate? Yes, does this make sense to your carnal mind? No, welcome to my world

no, I want to say this to you because I used to be able to beautifully describe the Trinity when I was 25 years old and fresh out of Bible college

really knew and then the more the older I get the more I pour into the Scripture and the more I meet God the quieter I am

I just go Lord there's some things I mean I get it but I don't get it and there's some things

there's some things that I'm only really going to get when I stand before you amen but I am convinced too many people separate them out

and when to the detriment when the apostle John appeared in the book of Revelation he said I saw the one sitting on the throne

to some people they would say I saw the three sitting on the throne I saw the one one God manifested in three persons

focus also on the unity as much as you do the Trinity why is that important it's important because when you ask for the Holy Spirit to come

it's not some other guy it's the spirit of Jesus it's his spirit it's Jesus the spirit of the Lord

when you talk to the father you're not talking to the stern disciplinarian part of God

Jesus said you see the father you see me you see me you see the father where one this will help you amen

Hallelujah let's go to verse seven therefore you are no longer a slave what is being a slave mean under the system of law

but now you're a son when are you a son when you're completely under grace wow this sounds important I should do a whole series

on Galatians so people are no longer slaves but sons amen then an heir oh this is so why are you also in such a hurry back there always in the hurry

I'm not blowing through this then an heir of God you know Brian was it like that in college the professor had a little clicker

and remember that guy he had the little guy and then he would be like next slide but I'm going to get one of the little clickers for the verses

and I think I'm just I wouldn't trade the my media team blessings for anything no clicker here

the Bible calls you heirs right listen listen listen a good question right if the Bible says you're an heir a good question asked

why didn't my an heir of what did I inherit testament is like last will and testimony the new testament shows you what you're an

heir of we never really talk about that what what did you inherit he said well I guess forgiveness of sins yeah healing in my body

yes friendship with God yes prosperity financial to be clear so when I say prosperity don't think like soul prosperity yes

all prosperity pocketbook prosperity when I talk about money I try to say it in the most offensive way possible to ruffle feathers

yes financial prosperity but really that's just the fruit what's the root it's right there what did you inherit it's not what did you inherit it's

whom did you inherit you're an heir of God your inheritance is God himself he's given himself to you how did you get such an inheritance Jesus is

blood paid for you to be an heir your portion is God you belong to him but he says I now belong to you do you understand the

depth and beauty of this covenant this is why in the song of Solomon the bride to be cries out I am my beloved and my

beloved is mine who I felt the anointing on that I belong to God but because of the covenant he belongs to me he's my portion

forever he's my inheritance you're an heir of God through Christ verse eight but then indeed when you did not know God

you served those which by nature idols pagan false gods you served those which by nature are not gods but now after you have known

God verse nine and then he corrects himself or rather are known by God catch that please just take a moment and read that but now

after you have known God and Paul is dictating this by the way under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit someone else is

describing it he says after you have known God or rather are known by God why because it's actually much more

important that God know you than you know him both are important but first he has to know you and we're in the

process of knowing him it's a journey it's a lifelong journey Paul said my determined purpose is to know him but you

really fully know him until you get there and then it's something so beautiful in first or second John I forget which

John but the epistles he says you will know him the same way you are known by him isn't that amazing how are

you known by God completely thoroughly fully and intimately knows everything knows every what every

cell in your body is doing right now and every thought you've ever had it says that when you stand before

him you will know him even as he knows you isn't that so awesome but until then we're just trying to

bridge the gap know him more and more so we're not totally shocked when we get to heaven some Christians are

going to be so shocked they'll get to heaven with the very basic faith in the blood of Jesus but they have

all these other preconceived ideas and notions of what God is like they're going to get to heaven it's going

to be a giant jubilant party God is going to have a big smile on his face and then go who is this a freak out

and then they'll get to know him and then they'll be like I think that's the space of half an hour where

there's total silence you know that's stupid theology professor totally messed me up told me all this stuff

about he's nothing like this everybody be quiet for a half an hour they're like well glad that's done with

let's move on now for eternity I mean it's much more important that he know you what you

don't want to hear is depart from me I never knew you and he knows you when you say Jesus I give

you my life Jesus come in and then we go on the journey of knowing him but now after you have known God

or rather are known by God how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements what are the

weak and beggarly elements the ABCs of the universe the system of the law do good get good do bad get

bad that's the system of the law it flies in the face of grace it's mixing the

evidence and Paul says how after you've known the truth you're now going backwards you want to be in

bondage I know right silly Galatians how could they do such a thing you this is what we tend to do

every single day you take your eyes off of Jesus and who do you put them on yourself and very quickly you'll

find you don't measure up and then incomes guilt incomes shame incomes condemnation which brings that

and you're racking your brain okay I know what I have to do don't do anything I need to go back to church

yes you do but stop before you do that that's not what you need to do to get your right standing before

God you need to look to Jesus confess him as your Lord talk to him and then all that other stuff but

not to gain God's approval but because you already have it and so much of Christianity set up with

if this then that like if you do this then God will do that like he's this easily manipulable

person who you you have to do then he does something no it doesn't work that way

doesn't work that way

all the stuff I've ever received and God has been so good to me none of it I deserved almost always

came at a time that I expected not hallelujah and then there's times right long seasons of years

praying hours a day we're I mean living in the glory I'm like nothing in the naturalist and

am I happy yeah I have joy and speak but nothing in my life is like really changing finances the same

living in the same place Emily lists broke busted disgusted waiting for my Emily

and I'm like Lord I'm doing all this stuff for you where's my reward

and then he goes well that is the reward you you serving me enjoy that that that is it what do you

what is this a transaction I'm gonna pay you now for being and you go oh okay

and you mess up royally anything now I'm definitely gonna lose and nothing's good's gonna ever

happen and then God says to the angels all right boys back up the truck now the truck of blessings

and just dump it on him and I'm like huh Lord you're really messing me up here because that's

what I do I'm not like you and I'm not like people and I'm not like the ABCs of the universe

in every other religious system and now I'm sitting there under a mountain of blessings and what do

you think I'm thinking I'm thinking Lord you are so good by your grace I will serve you forever

because you are so good far better to me than I am to you amen

but they want to go back to the week and regularly elements to be in bondage you observe days

and months and seasons and years so circumcision was just one of the things they were trying to

get them to keep the Sabbath you know certain holidays are exalted over other holidays

that's all a system of the law verse 12

brethren I urge you to become like me for I became like you and then he says you have not injured

me at all what is Paul saying here Paul is just saying this he's saying hey we're gonna

take a trip down memory lane look you've seen Paul the Apostle Paul the Rebuke Paul has been

very very stern here the sternist you'll ever see him in the scriptures and now it's like he's

okay let me just make a few things clear you haven't injured me at all in other words I'm not writing

you so sternly and rebuking you so harshly because you offended me it's not like hey by the way

I led you all to Jesus and then I left and now you start listening to some other group adding to

the finished work adding to the gospel that I presented to you and I'm now jealous so I'm really

smacking you through this epistle he's not saying hey let's just let's go it up back down let's go

back take a stroll down memory lane review our relationship and let me just say you have an injured

me at all next verse you know that because of I don't even know where we are right now is that the

right verse 13 okay you know that because of physical infirmity I preached the gospel to you at

first oh oh physical infirmity and my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject so

Paul had this trial in his flesh you did not despise or reject but you received me as an angel of

God even as Christ Jesus he's reminding them of how tight they used to be of how close they used

to be remember he's just he's letting go hey look I know I've been harsh to you but remember we

actually have a good relationship I had this thing in my flesh you received me as an angel of

God even as Christ Jesus verse 15 what then was the blessing you enjoyed for I bear you witness

that if possible you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me now this is awesome

because only an egghead theologian can mess up this particular passage listen they'll come there's

whole pockets in Christianity they'll tell you Paul had a terrible sickness there's some people

they just want to stay sick or if they're sick and they haven't received their healing they don't

know how to process that so then they they tell themselves God is doing this doesn't matter that

everywhere Jesus went he healed them over and over again it says every one everyone he healed them

all doesn't matter that Jesus never ever turned away somebody from healing doesn't matter that Jesus

has already passed hence healed us physically because when they whipped him our sicknesses our

diseases fell upon him by his stripes we were healed doesn't matter when you're sick

because pain is a very loudspeaker I've never seen people change their theology quicker than when

they're sick and then they want to justify sickness and and and pretend that God gave it to them no

if you're sick if you're hurting my compassion goes out to you you're not to blame I'm not saying

you have secret or hidden sin in your life but please don't put it on God please don't tell me that

the one who has healed sickness when he was here in the flesh now has some spare in his spare pocket

and just kind of arbitrarily doves it out to humanity so what's going on here listen this is so

crazy they'll take this apart about Paul saying I had a trial in my flesh and take the part where he

says you would have taken out your own eyes and given them to me and then in the end of Galatians he

says see with what large letters I have written you and they say aha he had an eye disease

he had a terrible disgusting they even have a name for it who's oozing pressing out and that

now a couple of problems with that it is hard for a doctor today standing across from you to

diagnose you correctly they're trying to diagnose Paul who's been physically dead for 1900 years

second that part about see with what large letters I've written you it doesn't mean that Paul

literally used 72 point font in his email as opposed to the standard 10 to 12

dear Galatians see with what large letters I'm writing you it just means he first of all he didn't

write his epistles he dictated them he'll often thank the person who did the actual writing

just means he wrote a long letter hey man and then for the complete trifecta they'll add the

third part from Corinthians the infamous Paul's thorn in the flesh and I'll say see his thorn

in the flesh was his disgusting pusty eyeed he was so ugly and he thanks the Galatians for hearing

the gospel from him because he was so hideous just to even look at I might I get a kick out of this

Paul's thorn in the flesh is not a sickness Paul's thorn in the flesh is not disease how do we

know that because he defines so many of our problems would go away if we just continued reading

he defines what the thorn is he says the persecutions the persecute he had the gift of persecution he

calls the thorn in the flesh a heavenly messenger and anglos not a heavenly messenger of Satan excuse me

an anglos a messenger sent to buffet him how was Paul buffeted you see it from as soon as he saved

he had this unique gift to get persecuted everywhere he went no no it was a gift listen in one

plate no I mean it was on the gift level because he would come into town listen he would deliver

a sermon so anointed so full of fire of God all the heathen that heard him they said the gods

have come down in the form of men to speak to us that's on Tuesday on Wednesday to the same crowd

in the same place this is an axe he preaches again and they all pick up stones to to stone him what

happened in less than 24 hours an anglos have say the gift of persecution that's his thorn in the

flesh and to anybody who serves Jesus Christ fully you're going to notice persecution

Jesus even said no one has left mothers or fathers or houses that you won't in this life and

the next reap a hundredfold he said that reap a hundredfold in this life and the next and then he

said with persecution he added that part part for the chorus baby hallelujah the servant is not

above his master and this whole part about you would have plucked out my own eyes nobody here in

the first service but maybe in a second anybody here from Greece or mountain a grown is my mountain

a grown back me up on this one anybody from the Balkans or Greece so they say Paul had this bad

eye and he's saying to the Galatians you would have plucked out your eye and given it to me that's

why Paul had a bad eye and then you got two people with bad eyes you plucked here that doesn't solve

the problem this when he said this everybody back then you everybody in our region knows have you

ever heard this expression before my grandmother used to say this because we're a weird emotional people

we wax poetic my grandma couldn't say I love you but she would say oh child I would pluck

my eye out and give it to you what like get me a chocolate bar tell me you love me

but we say this weird this is where we're from Macedonia which is all over the Bible and

that was a part of former Yugoslavia this is that same mentality that same region across the

Adriatic Sea going down into Greece they'll knew what he was talking about but it took American

filotions to go you know I think Paul had an eye disease it's an expression who said it is

you know what I'm talking about Stella Stella right all sorts of things even like oh you know I

will cut my arms oh no keep your arms give me a chocolate grandma a little chocolate right down

in the corner store all right we're 16 have all this verse if you ever want to get me a gift

I've ever asked for a gift but somebody's going to get this for me one day a plaque with this

verse on it for my desk where I do counseling have I therefore become your enemy because I tell

you the truth I need this on my desk I I'll do counseling with anyone I'll meet with anyone in

our church I actually enjoy it the only part I don't enjoy is that it is the biggest impediment

to church growth is me actually meeting with people I lose more people you think you've

passed you just met more people the church would grow it's the opposite whenever I with your

little bit the church grows then people want to meet with me then I have to tell them the truth

and now I'm I'm not that guy anymore before that I was that guy pastor boy I'm the way you share

the gospel I'd never I didn't even know grace I'm so grateful for you I'm so glad the way you

you're all the compliments then we have a counseling session and I try to be so gentle so but I

guys speak the truth in love the moment of truth oh you're not like how I thought oh you're different

listen this is in your relationships too everybody's gonna always like you as long as they agree

with everything you're saying it's when you tell them the opposite of what they want to hear

that you actually meet the person amen and so you know my greatest fans I hate to use

that word fans but I'm talking about loyal city lighters who who not only love the church but

genuinely I knew love me it was supporting me but when the COVID thing went down all of his

sudden I was enemy number one because I wasn't walking around with a mask and you know hugging

people with an air hug from six feet away because I kept it your open and to those who didn't want

to be vaccinated we provided religious exemptions because we don't believe the government should tell

you what you should stick in your body amen hallelujah but then I became an enemy now so many people

that got jabbed up many of you thankfully if you had to let me let me not say that you didn't have

to but you did it you can say you had to we've had people you know who the biggest resistors of

the vaccine were where people in the medical community city light has a bunch of people in the

medical didn't get it and those of you who did get it you trust the blood of Jesus to purge you

to cleanse you and for the love of God do not be 3x4x5x boosted please please let them use a

pin cushion of their own design not you amen but people thought I lost my mind now the truth is

out I noticed nobody has come back to apologize nobody zero people have come back and said you know

I left the church because I was I was scared to be associated with you

and now no one came back and said hey you know you sounded crazy back that you ever noticed

these supposed conspiracy theorists it's just a matter of 12 to 18 months and then it turns

out they were right all along random pitter-patter of claps random fun so is it safe to

hallelujah all right I think we should move on from that I can I can camp around that verse for

the rest of our time together they zealously court you you know cults have that term love bombing

that's how they get you know it's an actual term church of Scientology has that term love bombing

they zealously court you and make you the center of their world they put all their attention on

you you never been so loved and then you do whatever the cult says to do they zealously the

Judaizers the covenant mixtures case you have gone off on too many rabbit trails the theme here is

do not mix covenants stay under grace covenant mixtures will zealously court you but for no good yes

they want to exclude you that you may be zealous for them but it is good to be zealous in a good

thing always and not only when I am present with you now here's Pastor Paul he's been a review

came up and down he shows his heart he says my little children I love you Galatians

you're acting silly you were being said free now you're going back into slavery you got grace

and now you're going back into bondage your nuts but I love you my little children but there's a

key here in this verse he says for whom my labor in birth again if he's laboring in birth again

that means he labored in birth once before there's a key to seeing our family members saved

our unbelieving spouses that pig headed coworker that you love that you've been friends with for

years there has to be a labor in the spirit like a like a woman with child in labor they're not

going to get saved until something breaks in you they're not going to be saved until you you know

what we all have in common somebody labored for us in prayer to be here we all have that in common

somebody pray and by labor it wasn't just an Lord please bless so and so and let them get saved

no there wasn't it could have been two minutes it could have been 20 weeks 20 months 20 but

somebody took you and presented you to God and said ah like a woman in labor oh god open their

eyes soften their heart let the truth peers let them come into your marvelous light somebody pray

that for every single one of us and now we need to labor in prayer Paul did it twice once to see

them get saved the second time to see them mature in Christ until Christ is formed in them

verse 20 we should have at least one person that we're targeting with our prayers at least one

I mean start with your family you've been promised household salvation that's in the Bible

and that's supposed to get to heaven and wonder where's the crew

Noah's whole house got saved the Philippian jailer he was saved and his whole house

when Paul talked about who he baptized it was the house of Stephanus the how and he he mentions

whole households oh hallelujah I would like to be worship team coming up I would like to be present

with you now and to change my tone for I have doubts about you let's stop here we're going to

continue with Galatians 4 because the second part of Galatians 4 is awesome please read Galatians 4

read it in its entirety read it every day it's one chapter and it will we'll conclude next week

but I'll just close with this Paul said that he has his doubts about him

isn't it wild how the Corinthian church was an infamously carnal church they were nuts

like

according the back time back then was an urban center and was totally heathen and pagan

does that remind you of any other urban center and a bunch of people get radically saved

and they all end up in the same life groups together like two weeks old in the Lord

guess what that produced craziness Paul had to write him be like hey you want to stop getting drunk

when you're taking communion hey you want to stop sleeping with each other and by the way

when you corrected people when they were in total sin like fornication adultery he never said

you nasty disgusting thing repent he would always remind them of who they are he would always

call them to a higher purpose what don't you know your body is the temple of the living God

why this is not who you really are you must have forgotten you've been cleansed you've been

made perfect remember who go back to who you really are he was encouraging and uplifting you never

see him lose it but with the Galatians he never says to the Corinthians you guys are so nuts I

have my doubts about you but to the Galatians he says that I got to let the cat out of the back

he actually he gets so upset we'll read it it's in the bible he tells the Judaism says I wish

they would cut themselves off you see he's talking about yeah that's what he's talking about

he actually says I wish they would emasculate themselves I don't know they're not getting what I'm

saying he says I wish that they would all pull a Lorraine Bobbitt on themselves

this is in the bible he's talking about that he's oh they like to cut so much I wish they'd cut

themselves off the holy impossible did you know that was in the bible it's in there

walk get a plaque of that and put in your front door to to all covenant mixers cut

yourself off before you enter my house

I'm not bending the word it's right there this is an agreed upon thing this isn't like some fringe

belief he says it very plainly what would cause Paul to say that and to say Galatians I'm concerned

for you mixture you cannot tolerate mixture Jesus plus nothing equals everything the moment you

put yourself in the picture you're mixing and that's dangerous territory let's all stand to our

feet lift your hands up hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah thank you Jesus thank you Jesus thank you

Jesus hallelujah hallelujah thank you Lord for your grace thank you Jesus say this out loud

Lord Jesus thank you for your grace I am saved by grace through faith I am approved by the blood of

Jesus I am accepted I have been made perfect I'm a child of God I'm heaven bound I'm sealed with

the Holy Spirit good things belong to me because the blood of Jesus has qualified me and made me

worthy a fiery intimate relationship with God yeah that's my portion prosperity is my portion

healing is my portion victory is my portion thank you Lord across makes it possible

Amen Amen this is the city light church podcast if you've missed any part of today's message or if you

would like to find out more about pastor boy on Janskik and city light church visit us at citylightnyc.com

that's citylightnyc.com feel free to visit us online or in person anytime we would love to connect

with you we pray that you have been encouraged today that you have been reminded how much God

loves you and that you are surrounded by grace thank you for listening make sure that you subscribe

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