Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
When I was younger I used to drive across the country in order to work at different job sites, but whenever you decide to travel long distances, sometimes you are going to run into some troublesome weather. One time I got up very early in the morning to leave from Lead, South Dakota, and there were a couple of prominent mountain passes that I needed to drive through that day. I always pulled a large trailer with me, and after hooking it up, I noticed that it was just starting to snow. As I enjoyed my first piping hot cup of coffee, I started driving down the road, but within 45 minutes, I found myself driving up a steep mountainside through a pile of fresh snow. This created some very deep snow drifts, and I was the first one who had driven through them. I will never forget that day because no matter how hard I tried to reach the top, I wasn’t going anywhere because the drifting snow had become far too deep to get past them. The only solution was to slowly back down the entire mountainpass, driving as cautiously as I could, so I didn’t end up jackknifing my trailer.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
The snow had frustrated my morning completely, and to frustrate something is to block a plan from succeeding, or prevent somebody from reaching their goals. The Apostle Paul was once a Jewish Pharisee, and had a very good knowledge of the law, but in order to become a Christian, he needed to learn to let those things go. No one kept the law and no one can be justified by it, and Paul didn’t want to frustrate the grace of God that was working deep inside of his heart.
Galatians 2:20-21 (KJB) I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
To frustrate is to stop an action, plan or an effort from being completed. There were a group of Pharisees who wanted some Christians to be circumcised, but the Apostle Peter took issue with them.
Acts 15:4-11 (KJB) And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them. But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses..And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter. And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.
There are many people who are still trying to keep the Old Testament, and some of them even profess that they are Christians. But this is why the Apostle Paul didn’t want to frustrate God’s grace, because these people are doing the same thing. It happens when they try to combine Judaism and Christianity together, and in that process they are putting a yoke of bondage back upon themselves and others, a yoke that none of us could bear!
Consider a man who has been set free from prison. Why would he turn around a month later and then return to his cell all over again? After all, he was given liberty, but then he chose to return to his bondage of his own accord. That makes no sense at all and it is foolishness, because Jesus died to free us all from the bondage of the Old Testament.
Galatians 5:1-6 (KJB) Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
Paul came to the conclusion that he could never obtain righteousness by the law. To shed any qualities of self-righteousness, he had to distance himself from the law so that he could obtain the righteousness that is found through faith in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:4-9 (KJB) Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
This is one of the reasons a Christian is forbidden from going to law enforcement or the court system for justice. Jesus could have gone to the law and condemned this entire world, but He laid down His life for us all on the cross instead. There were many laws in Judaism and there are many more of them out in the world today, but no one has kept laws perfectly, and if people were honest with themselves they would have to admit that fact. So when you don’t keep them all perfectly you basically condemn yourself. Each of us have sinned, and the only way if we can be freed from the condemnation of our sins is through faith in Christ Jesus. People have a concept of forgiving each other in this world, but that’s not going to get them to heaven. Jesus taught that if you believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins. This is why we have Commandments of baptism, partaking of Holy Communion and other doctrines of our faith. No matter how rigid your stance is, and how devoted to the law one might be, it can never save any of us. This is because through the gospel, we have an understanding that only the mercy of God through Christ Jesus can provide us with eternal life. The Apostles gave no commandment to keep the law, and those who try to do it have fallen from grace
Acts 15:24 (KJB) Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:
Galatians 6:12-13 (KJB) As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.
When I left town that day, my trip basically came to a dead end, because the snow had frustrated all of my efforts to leave. But there are many people who want to be in heaven who are doing the same kind of thing today. When they begin trying to keep the things of the Old Testament, they are frustrating the work of God’s grace, which in the end will only lead to being stopped in their tracks. In many ways, this has always reminded me of that fateful day, when I eventually ran into,….
….The Snowdrift
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.
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