So thankful that our Lord loves us so, that He'll hold us fast. The blood will never lose its power. The Apostle Paul wrote in the book of Galatians, defending the faith. That's where I'd like for you to turn to this morning. Galatians chapter 4. And what the Apostle Paul is writing concerning defending the faith, he is talking about being justified by faith. Justified means to be declared righteous in the sight of God. It's a judicial term. It means that you are not guilty. He spoke concerning salvation by grace through faith. The just shall live by faith. And the reason he spoke this, because there were certain men who crept in and started trying to teach the Galatian churches, the churches throughout the area of Galatia, that they needed to keep the law, that they had to do certain things, they had to be circumcised, and they had to do this, and they had to do that. But it's not of works, is what the Apostle Paul wrote, lest any man should boast. But it's by his mercy that anyone and everyone is saved. The only way a child of God can become a child of God is because of the mercy of our Lord. It's kind of interesting because I think history often repeats itself. Back in the Old Testament in Deuteronomy chapter 15 and verse 15, the Word of God says this. God gives a warning. He says, "...and you shall remember that you were a bondman in the land of Egypt." In other words, the people of Israel, the children of Israel, back in the Old Testament, God told them, you've got to remember this. You have to remember this. Put it in remembrance. And the reason is, is because they're apt to forget. Aren't you apt to forget at times? Sometimes I forget more than I want to forget. And my forgetter's working better every day. But the Word of God says, you shall remember that you were a bondman. You were a slave. in the land of Egypt. And the Lord thy God redeemed you and your house, because He is well with thee. Therefore I command you this day to do this thing. Remember, remember you were once a slave. The problem is the children of Israel would forget that and go back into bondage, go back into slavery. They would desire to go back into Egypt, want those leeks and garlics, but they didn't realize that what they got to do to get those leeks and garlics, what little bit they got, they had to work like a dog, they had to work like slaves. And they wanted to go back under slavery. So here we find in the book of Galatians, Paul is talking about those people who had trusted in Christ They had been born again, they had been taught false teachings, and they wanted to go back under bondage, back to being a slave under the law, back to being a slave to the flesh, going back to that life. So what Paul does, as he has so far in Galatians, he has used the Old Testament and instructed those believers. And he has used personal examples concerning slavery. And Paul is confronting, and he's confronting really harshly with words up to this point. Now, anybody in here has ever confronted anybody. over sin, over something somebody's done wrong. Have you ever confronted somebody and they're in the wrong and you know they're in the wrong and you want to try to help them and correct them? And if you're a child of God, sin kind of burns you up a little bit. And when you find out they're in sin, you get a little flustered and you want to confront that sin. And when you confront them with their sin, if you're a child of God, you've got a heart That kind of reaches out for them also. In other words, the reason you're confronting them is because you love them. You know what? We don't confront people because we hate them and we want to jump down their throat. If you're a child of God, you confront people because you want them to turn from their wicked way. You don't want to see them going through pain and the punishment that comes that's involved with sin. And so here what the Apostle Paul does, as we pick up in chapter 4, He's going to start yearning for them with his heart. He's going to start desiring to express himself straight from the heart. He's gone from Old Testament, he's gone to personal examples, but now he's just coming straight from the heart. Notice what it says in verse 12. The Word of God says, Brethren, In other words, this first time in the book, he's called them brothers. Brothers, I beseech you. I'm begging you is what he's saying. I'm pleading with you. Anybody in here ever had a wayward child? You don't need to raise your hand, but you know what? I used to be a wayward child. And you know what? If you know your child has gone off track and gone into all kind of junk, you know, after you try to reason with them, what you do, you try to plead with them. Don't go that route. Don't do this. And you beg them not to do certain things when they become older. Why? Because you know the heartache and the sorrow and the problems that are involved with that. Paul says, I beseech you, be as I am, for I am as you are. You have not injured me at all. You've not done me any wrong. I want you to become like me. And how was Paul? Paul was free from the law. He was once under the law. He says, I want you to become like I am. I want you to have the heart that I've got. I want you to love the Lord Jesus Christ with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. And you love Him like I love Him. Notice down in verse 19, we'll come back to verse 13. He uses another term. It's the only time Paul uses this term throughout all the epistles that he wrote. He says, my little children. In other words, he's using a term of endearment. My little dear children is what he's saying. He is reaching out to them. It's kind of like a motherly affection. You know what? A mom, if she's a decent mom, she loves her children, don't she? Now, you know, I've seen some news stories where there's some moms that ain't too motherly. But you know what? If you're a mother and you have children, you love the Lord, you love your children. And your heart goes out to your children. They're dear to you. And what happens when you see your child doing something they shouldn't? Your heart is stirred up. And you know what? That's what happens with the Apostle Paul. His heart has been deeply affected because these people here, he loves them dearly. So he's pleading with them just like you would plead with somebody that you love. For us to enjoy the privileges and the promises of sonship, the same way with the Galatian believers, the only way you can enjoy those privileges and promises is that you've got to live by faith. If you live in the flesh, you're not going to enjoy the promises of God. You're not going to enjoy the privileges that come with that sonship because you're living in flesh. And by the flesh shall no man be justified. You are going to be miserable. Now, you know what? I believe a verse that sums up the whole book of Galatians is Galatians chapter 2 and verse 20. The Apostle Paul said, I am crucified with Christ. I have become dead with Christ. I am dead to the flesh. He says, but nevertheless I live. Yet not I, but it is Christ that's living within 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'm living by faith is what Paul says. And the only way you're going to enjoy God's promises is by living the life of faith. So what Paul does, he goes back to the first time that he met these Galatian believers. He goes back to the very first meeting that he had with them. And notice what it says in verse 13. It says a lot there. Verse 13 says, You know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first. Paul's going back to their very first meeting. And what he is saying, he is saying he had a sickness. He had infirmity of the flesh. and that sickness caused them to be able to hear the gospel. In other words, God used sickness in the apostle Paul's life to take him to this area of Galatia to preach the gospel. Now, Paul probably didn't know that at that particular time because he was sick. He was probably going to get well. What was wrong with Paul? You know what? Scripture's silent about it. We don't know. We don't know exactly what happened with Paul. Some people say he was in the area of Pamphylia, which is notorious for malaria. And back in that day and time, now, you know, we got missionaries over in Kenya. They get malaria every now and then. And they talk how their joints ache and how they're just miserable. It feels like you're going to die. But they've got medicine now for them, so they get better over a period of time. Back in Paul's day, they didn't have the drugs and medicine to make you feel better to get over malaria. And what happens with malaria, malaria can cause all kinds of problems if it's untreated. So it's a possibility. We're not saying he had malaria because the Word of God doesn't say that. We're kind of speculating. We're kind of trying to think. What was it that drove Paul to go to Galatia? Well, you know what? One thing for sure, he was sick. And you know what? One thing for sure, it's God that brought that sickness on, and he used it for the purpose for the gospel to go into the regions of Galatia, those churches of Galatia. Now, you know what? If he was a man in our day and time and that happened to him, there's a lot of people who are faith healers, you've heard of those. They would have probably said, look, the Apostle Paul, he's a fake, he's a phony, look, he's sick. Uh-uh. You know what? They've got wrong theology. Here, this sickness God used for a purpose. It was not of the devil. It was God guiding the Apostle Paul to a particular area. The same principle is found when the Apostle Paul is locked up in jail. You know what? They might have said, well, he must not have been a man of much faith because he got locked up. Couldn't get out. But look what come out of that jail. There was letters to the Ephesians. There was letters to the Philippians. There was letters to Colossians. All those churches, and we've got them today. Look what was born out of that prison ministry. So as we're looking at this disease that actually drove Paul to the churches at Galatia where he preached the good news of Jesus Christ to them, he is sick, but he's still preaching. Now, from my understanding, that malaria, it kind of, it goes in waves with you. You know, there's times when you can feel good enough to preach, but there's times you're so sick, you can't do hardly anything. Maybe it was that. Whatever it was, it was repulsive. Look at verse 14. And my temptation, or my trial, which was in my flesh, you despised not, or you didn't loathe it. He says, nor rejected. The word rejected in the Greek means spit out. Now, the word spit out means to puke or to vomit or to throw up. Now, that's not a good term we like to use, but you know what? This is repulsive, isn't it? This, what Paul's talking about, whatever he had, it caused people possibly to be Get away from me. Now, you know what? I don't know how many of y'all have been around sick people. Sister Becky, I'm sure, has seen her share of some things that are repulsive. If you ever work in a hospital and work with patients, you know what? If there's body fluids oozing out of places and excess and gunk and all this kind of stuff, you might, you know, you have a compassion to help people, but there's sometimes you just don't want to get too near. You know what I mean? There are some things that's just kind of like, and let me tell you, I've been in hospitals where some of it's like, and they want me to hold their hand and have prayer with them. You know what I'm talking about? Something that just kind of makes you, but here, and Paul is saying he's got some kind of fleshly affliction And you know what, from my understanding, there is the optical part of your eye where malaria affects sometimes. And it could have been something oozing out of the Apostle Paul's eyes. That's something that happens if you don't treat the malaria, from my understanding. Now, can you imagine trying to talk to someone or listen to someone with junk oozing out their eyes? But I want you to notice Paul says, They didn't reject him. They didn't push him off. They didn't puke when they saw him. But what happened? Now, get the picture. Back in biblical times, they did not have many doctors. They don't have the medicines that we've got today. They don't have the facilities we've got today. Here, in Paul's time, notice here. Even go before Paul's time. Think back to the book of Job. You remember when Job had balls pop up on him? And what did Job do to get rid of those balls? He took a piece of broken pottery and started scraping the balls, and they were all over his body. Now, you know what? I'd rather see a doctor. I don't think I could take that potsherd, or the broken pottery. I know somebody probably could. Danny would probably do something like that. You've got to be tough to do something like that. I'm not that tough. I've got a weak stomach. Here, notice here, in this particular time, as Paul comes to them in his weakness, in his infirmity in the flesh, He says, you receive me as an angel of God. Now, if you look in the book of Acts, chapter 13 and 14, when you look at when he's in that area ministering, you remember some of them called Barnabas Jupiter and Paul Mercury. In other words, they esteemed them high. They thought they were gods. And you remember Paul corrected them. But you know what? They thought greatly of them. And as he's preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, many of them received him and they wanted to minister to him. Now, here they're trying to take him in and trying to help him out with the fleshly repulsive something going on with Paul's body. And they want to help him. Now, you know what? If you help somebody like that, that makes a deep impact upon your heart, don't it? If you were very, very sick, And nobody wanted to do anything to help you, but there was somebody that come along and really helped you and took you and took care of you. You'd appreciate that person a lot, wouldn't you? There'd be a bond there. There'd be a great love. And that's what's there, what Paul thought, between the Galatians and himself. He is thinking there is a strong bond there. So what Paul does in verses 15 through 18, he questions their present state. Where they are, he says in verse 15, where is then the blessedness you spake of? In other words, where is your spiritual satisfaction? You were once satisfied with grace, saved by grace. It's not of works. You were satisfied with faith and faith only. It's not of works. Where is that spiritual satisfaction now? He says, for I bear you record that if it had been possible, you'd have plucked out your eyes and given them to me. Now, I don't know if Paul is using just a term saying you'd have gone to the extent of just tearing out your eyes because eyes are precious. You know what? We value our eyesight. Paul's saying, you would have been willing to give me one of your eyes if it was possible. Now, it's a possibility that Paul's hinting about what his problem is here. He could have had an eye problem. He could have had a serious eye problem. Back in the biblical day and time, you know what? They didn't have these like we got. Can you imagine what it was like back then? They probably had more eye disease. They didn't have the ophthalmologist, didn't the optometrist, and then they didn't ... You know what? They didn't have the benefits that we've got. Paul may be alluding to he had an eye problem which possibly, I'm not saying definitely, possibly could have been caused by the malaria. Look in chapter 6 of the book of Galatians, down in verse 11. Paul, as he's signing off on this letter, he has been dictating it. And now he's signing off on it. He says, you see how large a letter I have written unto you with my own hand. Why did you write in such large letters? You know what? If you're blind, you're going to write bigger. And here Paul is even partially blind. I don't think he was blind. I think he had some major vision problems. And because of those vision problems, I believe he wrote larger. There's another verse of Scripture, a passage of Scripture, found over in Acts chapter 23, where Paul is talking. And I want you to notice this scenario here in chapter 23 of the book of Acts in verse 1. The Word of God says, And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in good conscience before God until this day. And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth. Then said Paul in the hymn, God shall smite you, you white-walled. Now listen, Paul is getting pretty bold there. For saidst thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law? And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God's high priest? Are you cursing God's high priest? And then notice what Paul said. I wish not. I didn't know, brethren, that he was the high priest. For it's written, you shall not speak evil of the ruler of your people." Now, the high priest is right in front of Paul. But Paul didn't even recognize him as high priest with all his garb on. Sounds like there's some vision problems here, doesn't it? Notice in Galatians chapter 4, these people of Galatia, express great love for the apostle Paul. They loved him dearly when he first came to them and preached the gospel to them. And the Word of God goes on to say in verse 16, he says, Am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth? Because I speak the truth to you, are you counting me as your enemy now? You know what? A lot of people are going to love you if you just say what they want to hear. But when you say truth, that hits them right between the eyes, you know what? That's going to drive some people away. And here's where Paul's at. Do you know what I'm talking about? Some of you all have spoken truth to somebody that didn't want to hear the truth. They didn't want to be around you. Boy, you know what? I used to – there's times when I – in the past in visiting people, Preacher man's coming. You see the door shut real quick. I've had that happen more than once. I've seen people run from me. What's going on? You know what? They don't want to hear the truth. And therefore, they've become an enemy in their own mind. So what the Apostle Paul does, he warns them. And he warns them, notice in verse 17, they zealously affect you, but not well. Now, what is the King James Version saying here? What Paul is saying, he is saying very simply, these Judaizers, these false teachers, they are really showing a lot of concern for you, but it's not for good. This term, zealously, affected is kind of like a man pursuing a woman in a courtship. This man desires this woman, and so he's trying to date her. And he's pursuing. And he's zealously pursuing. And if somebody gets in his way, he's going to get upset. But it's good to be zealously affected, he says in the next verse. But go back to the first verse in verse 17. They zealously affect you, but not well. But in verse 18, he says it's good to be zealously affected. Paul sounds like he's contradicting himself. But notice what he's saying in verse 17. They zealously affect you, but not for good. Yes, they would exclude you that you might affect them. In other words, they want to cut you off from all the promises and the privileges of the grace of God. They want to put you under work so you will pursue after them, that you'll go seeking after them. They want a following is what they want. It sounds like a cult. They'll do anything for you to... Anybody ever have somebody come knock on your door and they say, we'd like to come and do a Bible study with you. Can we come back next Monday night and do a little Bible study? You know, we just have it in your home. You know, that's what Jehovah's Witnesses go around doing all the time. They just want to have a little Bible study with you. And you know what? If you're not grounded in the Word of God, you know what happens? They'll come in and have a little Bible study with you before you know it. You're going into Jehovah's Witnesses, whatever they may call it, the house of Jehovah's Witnesses. The what? The cult. We can call it that. Here is what they're wanting. They're wanting a following. In verse 18, he's saying, it's good to be zealously affected, always in a good thing, and not only when I'm present with you. In other words, it's good to be pursued after if the motive is right. Paul saw the motive of the Judaizers, and it was not a right motive. So therefore, he's calling them out, and he's giving them a warning, be careful, watch out. What is Paul's desire? What is his ultimate desire in warning them and giving them examples from the Old Testament and giving them personal examples and pouring out his heart? What is Paul's earnest desire for these believers at Galatia? Notice in verse 19, he says, My little children, my dear little ones, he loves them. And he's showing his expression of his love here. Paul only uses this expression right here in this passage of Scripture. He says in verse 19, "...my little children of whom I travail in birth again." In other words, I've given birth to you. I've been like your mother. I've given birth. You have come to know Christ because of the gospel which I have preached. I have fathered you in the faith, so to speak. He's saying, I'm going to give birth to you again. Now, you know what? That's kind of difficult, isn't it? Women, you ever given birth to your child that you've already given birth to? That's not in our language. But what Paul's saying, he's got to prevail again just like it was when they first trusted Christ. And he's going through the same pains again, and notice he says, until Christ be formed in you. It didn't say until Christ be born again in you. Until Christ is fully matured in you. Paul is working and prevailing until Christ is formed within those believers. What Paul's desire is, is for them to be like Christ. His desire is that they might be called Christians. You know what Christians are? Little Christ. That they might show forth the Lord Jesus Christ, that they might become mature, and that Christ might be living His life through them. Galatians 2.20. He wanted them to be at that point, but they're so far from that point. Just frustrated. Notice in verse 20, I desire to be present with you now and to change my voice. In other words, I don't want to be speaking harshly. I'd rather be right there with you and I'd rather change my voice because I stand in doubt of you. In other words, I'm perplexed by you. I'm at a loss at what to do with you. They're going back. They're going backward Living as a slave under the law, Paul's desire is that they might become like Christ. He didn't say, my desire is that they might become like the Holy Spirit, how some people might teach today. His desire is that they might be like Christ. You know what? The main desire as far as pastor of New Life Baptist Church, I must tell you, I am thankful God's placed me here. And I am thankful for each and every one here, as far as members, as far as well as those visiting with us. I am thankful. But my heart's desire is that Christ might be formed in you, that you might be like Christ. that you would be conformed unto the image of His Son. And that's the whole purpose of you being born again, is that you might be conformed to the image of His Son. Now, how does that happen? We brought it up in Sunday school. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. We brought it up in Sunday school. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. How do you transform your mind? You know what? It's by getting in the Word of God. and seeing the Lord Jesus Christ in those pages. And as you're gazing upon His glory, listen to what it says, and we close out in Sunday School even with this verse, but we all, that's talking to believers, every one of us, we're beholding with an open face. That means we've been born again. We've got an open face, we can see. And we're looking at, we're beholding, we're gazing. As in a glass, that's the mirror of God's Word. And as we're gazing upon God's Word, we're beholding the glory of the Lord. And as you behold the glory of the Lord, do you know what? The more you gaze upon the glory of Jesus Christ, the Word of God says you're changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. It's by the Spirit of God this happens. As you focus upon Jesus Christ, as you read His Word, and as you look at the life of Christ – oh, the Gospels are so important in this – as you are focusing upon Him, the more you are changed from glory to glory. Now, you know what? That's my heart's desire for you. Is your life being changed more and more? to conform to the Lord Jesus Christ? Do others see Jesus in you? Do others call you a Christian? Do they know what a Christian is? Is your life a display of Jesus Christ? Or do you know Him? I pray God's Word convicts of sin And if your life is not conforming to Him, may He convict you right where you're at. That we might live a life yielded to His Spirit, and His Spirit works through His Word, putting it in our heart, conforming us, changing us. Old things passed away, and behold, all things become new. It's God at work. I pray that's your heart's desire. Let's stand and go to the Lord in prayer. Our Father in heaven, we are so thankful for Your salvation. And Lord, we know that those who have been born again cannot be unborn, that You will hold us fast because of Your great love, not because of our faithfulness, not because of our goodness, but because of Your goodness and Your faithfulness, Your great love. Lord, we pray, That You would work in our hearts, conforming us into Your image. That others would see Jesus in us. Often the question's been asked, if the only Jesus is the Jesus that people see in me, what kind of Jesus do people see? Lord, we pray You work an effectual work in our hearts. Give us a desire to see Your glory, that Your glory may shine through us and into the hearts and lives of others. Magnify Your presence, O Lord, through Your Word which has been spoken. Open up our ears. Open up our hearts. Do a glorious work for Your namesake. With your heads bowed and eyes closed,