Comfort Instead of Truth

Once again, I welcome you to the midweek service of beacon Baptist Church on Kirkpatrick Road, Kirkpatrick Rd. in Burlington, NC.

We continue on under the covert, 19 situation which are all longing to see come to an end but we are not in charge of that God is and we are continuing to deal with the what our state requires an situation seems to require. I hope you to general enough to hear the congregation singing the great hymn. That's one of the things I really miss and like so many things. It's easy to take congregational singing for granted until it's taken away from you and then you realize what an important part of Christian worship and Christian life that hymn singing is that's not surprising, because the Bible instructs us to say when we gather together in the name of Jesus Christ to sing to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord. So our singing is a matter of praising God. We sing first for him and to him, but it is secondly a matter of doctrinal instruction.

We are singing to one another. Teaching one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, and so it's very important that we select hymns that have solid doctrinal content. First of all they need to be correct. We don't want to be singing in because there's something about the melody that tends to fasten the words of the hymn into our minds may be better than the preaching of the word. It shouldn't be that way, I suppose, but the way were constituted often is that way so music is a powerful medium and it's powerful both for good and for bad and we don't have to convince you that our adversary the devil uses music to entice people to sin and to instruct people in sin, but God's people use music to direct worship and adoration to God and to instruct God's people in sound doctrine.

So we want our hands to be doctrinally correct. But we also want them to be doctrinally dense. We don't want them to be frothy. We don't want them to be saying little of nothing. We want them to be teaching truth from the word of God, so that long introduction we begin our Wednesday evening service. Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way of the unrighteous man his thoughts let him return to the Lord and he will have mercy on him and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon who is a pardoning God like the let's pray. Father, we commit this time to you. You know who is joining us by means of the Internet tonight. You know who may be listening to this even in days and weeks and months to come.

Father we pray that your Holy Spirit will meet with all of us who are blood bought children of God enjoying our hearts together in that spiritual union which is impossible to to fully describe and yet your word declares that it is so we are all members of one body who are bought by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and so we gather together those scattered in many different places we gather together tonight and we ask your blessing. We ask your help.

We ask for your ear. As we approach your throne in prayer we ask the Lord that you will encourage those who are discouraged that you will strengthen those who are in need of strength that you will convict those who are straying into sin, and that you will glorify your son, the Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray.

Amen.

Well, it is my understanding that our governor Roy Cooper here in North Carolina has now issued a requirement that everyone wear masks when they go out from their homes.

I don't know all the details.

I read it, just a couple things very quickly on the Internet this afternoon so I may not have all the details correct. There are some some the what should I say some some exceptions, some some the clarifications that I'm not prepared to tell you about tonight, much less comment on, but because of that I think would be advisable that when we gather together here in this assembly this coming Lord's day that we wear are masks that will enable us to say through our masks that will be easy but we have not been singing. We have just been reciting the words of the hymns rather than singing them. But if were going to be required to wear masks anyway. Then let's by all means take advantage of that to sing. So when you come to church this Lord's day morning at 930 I wear your mask and if you don't have one will have some here to provide for you and then we will engage in congregational singing. For the first time in will many many weeks and even several months. Here's a good Kim for our consideration tonight. It is a prayer blessed father hear our cry cast out Samba draws nigh, not for merit. We have none for your mercy for your son. Blessed Jesus make our plea in your name to God.

We fully through your blood. We seek his face by your priesthood claim his grace blessed Spirit meet our need in our silence intercede translate groans. We cannot speak heal the broken help the week triune God please grant our prayer as your glory.

We declare May your promised kingdom come May on earth. Your will be done. We are praising the Lord that Sarah Cardwell will not need additional surgery for her injured knee, although there is an optional surgery, which is much less extensive which she may elect to have. It's not necessary and she's been given the privilege of making a decision on that and goad had surgery/shoulder surgery and that went well.

She's a cousin of Sue Elliott. She has bone cancer were rejoicing in the good surgery report Drew Guthrie has you know got a good report concerning her cancer and the ceasing of her treatments, and shall be having follow-ups first three months than six months and so pray for her though. She's weak and she has a ways to go to regain all of her strength I Dawn driver Hammond is home after 24 days in the hospital. She has had cancer.

Her treatments are now on hold. Please pray that the Lord will renew her strength and are also rejoicing that Melanie Moody is now back at work. Having recovered from a pretty mild case of covert, 19 but nevertheless when one of one of her coworkers came down with it and they tested everybody in found that she tested positive, and she did have some very minor mild symptoms compared to what can happen now.

She's been certified healthy and well and returned to work and rejoice in that in her recovery. A government official of the week is North Carolina State Representative Stephen Ross. Please remember him as you are a for our government officials passed a Bible tour. As you know is recovering from a heart attack. He is in good spirits. I was able to talk to him in person a little bit this afternoon. That was a joy to be able to see him in and talk to them face-to-face. He is weak he needs to rest. He needs to gain strength, but things are improving and he is looking forward to a good recovery, Evelyn Butler, that the mother of Gail Ellis fail and is under hospice care that we continue to pray for the staff and residents of White Oak Manor that have had the largest infestation of covert, 19 in our area were also have been asked to pray for Michael Lori's fellow RES who is a an acquaintance of Jerry Holt. She called the church and asked us to pray for him. He has been diagnosed with covert, 19 that came too late to be printed on our prayer sheet. Please add Michael Flores and we continue to pray for Trevor Johnson as he's in the states covering from his illness and dealing with some family needs. Paul Snyder also in the states.

Likewise, recovering and dealing with family needs Stuart Roth who is now dealing with the radiation from the pellets that were implanted in his liver to arrest the cancer released to continue to retarded from spreading and is awaiting a donor and we trust a liver transplant. Please pray for him and then we been praying for Plato who is a neighbor of missionary Tom and Connie Chapman in Chile and I'll have an update on his situation moment were also praying for Peggy Koontz, the mother of Thad Boyd who had replacement surgery on Monday to give her a good recovery and we are praying for Harry Maples. He's a member Providence Baptist Church in Asheboro. He has traveled several times with our pastor Michael Carnes to Zimbabwe to conduct ministerial training.

Therefore, the for the pastors who are under the Ministry of missionary Stuart Waugh, and Harry has been diagnosed with cancer in his kidney. He is scheduled for surgery in August to remove the kidney and at that time they will do some test to determine if there's been any additional spreading. If not, then I presume that the surgery will take care of the issue but if it spread.

Of course, and follow-up treatment of some kind.

I don't know whether radiation or chemotherapy will be in order. So pray for him. He's a dear brother. Good Bible teacher and we trust the Lord will raise him up to health and strength. Once again, this time I will pass on some missionary communications.

I'll start with the one that I mentioned earlier, the update from Plato plateau. However, they pronounce that in Chile I can find the right sheet here from Tom and Connie Chapman yes dear, praying friends. The infection has read and caused an infection of the Endo card DM member bring the lines the interior of the heart so Plato will have to be connected to the respirator for another three weeks before they can attempt us to reduce the sedation and provoke natural breathing have to wonder if his heart can hold out that long. On a positive note to the two of Plato's sons that are here. Had dinner with us yesterday and we had a marvelous opportunity to share a clear presentation of the gospel with them. One of them. Marcello was quite open. In fact, he and his wife listen each morning to a man reading a portion of the Bible. God bless you, thank you for persisting with us as we labor in prayer, pleading with the Lord to be merciful to Plato to his family and to us and to heal our friend Tom and Connie Chapman. I have lengthy letter, email letter from missionaries Andy and Trish Goodman in Alaska and I will read a portion of it since this quite a lot here and I don't know that I have time to read all, but they rent right ministry at K a C that's kingdom air core in Alaska is looking a bit different this year. Student pilots have arrived some with their families and are getting settled after foreign timing for 14 days. The King Ranch kitchen is operating and we are enjoying meals together.

We were saddened to have to cancel events like Brooks range Bible camp. We are encouraged that God is providing space for long-overdue projects on airplanes the ability for Randy to focus on completing his CFI and deeper relationships.

I don't know what CFI is another pilot died letters but I know Andy has a lot of training already. I would suspect that this may have to do with qualifying him to instruct others in the flying airplanes. If you are listening tonight Andy or Trish and I know you do tune in to these meetings at times. The please pass along the information you will know what CFI is like many of you, we weighted week by week is Alaska updated restrictions to see if and when we could give our summer students and staff the green light to head north. Once Alaska reopened.

We started moving forward at the Palmer hanger and is working regularly and taking care of the facilities and lawn he's been flying more regularly and studying for his CFI. He, along with the other KDC staff work on aircraft maintenance both in Palmer and up at King Ranch about 45 minutes north of Palmer. I'm grocery shopping at Costco weekly for the needs at King Ranch the kitchen for each 20 to 40 people daily, mostly those who live at the ranch we will spend Mondays at King Ranch for staff meetings, ranch based flying and aircraft maintenance and connecting with staff and students. Students and staff also regularly come to Palmer by airplane or car throughout the week students will do some ground school training with Andy and they can do some of their flight training from the airport in Palmer is a good idea of their lives. They have two locations at their moving back and forth to two ministry locations.

There will be nine student pilots over the course of the summer. Most are already at King Ranch where they will live for the summer. Some stay in cabins or K AC housing others came in campers which they will live in all summer. It is an adventure.

Each staff family adopts a student for the summer to help them navigate their training and mentor them through this experience. We are excited to invest into students and their families. Over the next few weeks, our students, Mark and Duane are local to Palmer so we will be able to stay connected with them throughout the year and he already knows both of them fairly well because they volunteered over the winter at the Palmer hanger so it's a good fit for us were excited to see God's plan unfold for them in missionary aviation and so forth.

We are back to our regularly scheduled programming for the most part, and she says another thing she says, speaking of daylight. We celebrated the longest day of the year the K AC family at King Ranch and longest day of the year. There is a whole lot longer than the longest day of the year here is a photo. Here is a number of photos is a photo here of the Goodman family taken around midnight and its light outside. I can imagine.

Please pray for how God will be working in us and our students in our work for the summer. Mark and Wayne are K AC student adoptees as they learn and discern God's plan. Pray for Andy as he completes his CFI pray for Duane King in his recovery from both the replacement of the heart bypass surgery. The King's plan to be back in Alaska in July. We are thankful to have family visiting this summer.

Praise God for the opportunities that our kids have to go to camp this summer for his glory. Andy Tricia Grace and Micah good some time ago you responded to an opportunity to help the church in Siberia and Russia to purchase the apartment building that they were meeting in so that they would not lose a place to meet the critical need at that time. Go back and do all the details, but this is the guess you'd say the final report on what took place. It comes from Pastor Kyle quite of community Baptist Church in Elmendorf, Texas. He's the one who has the contacts in Siberia and one who launched this project to raise this money. He writes dear brethren, brother surgery model law is written to confirm the purchase of the meeting place for the church in loose limps. Siberia, the total of the funds contributed from you from brethren in England and the church in Irkutsk was sufficient to make the purchase, along with repairs that are needed they were able to note negotiate a lower price with the seller.

The remaining funds they had left over funds about $7400 will be set aside to help purchase a meeting room for another church in the city of rats which recently lost its meeting place.

I appreciate your response of each of you to this need. Thank God for his provision through you and then brother surgery talk a lot of rights. Thanks be unto God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ, grace to you, brethren, and peace be multiplied. We give thanks to Christ our Redeemer that with your help we bought an apartment for the church in the city of loose limps church prays for you and give thanks to God for your involvement in this ministry, brothers and sisters from loose limps and warm greetings to all of you, and give thanks to all the brothers and sisters who participated in the help to buy the church apartment, prays to God, thanks to you all the photos you can see all the rooms in order that you can have an idea of the size of the apartment your brother in Christ, surgery, wish I could show you the photos. Of course I can't. I have them right here, but I'll describe them. This first one shows the congregation gathering in the largest room, the one they use for their church meetings is one that shows another room, small room another one. Likewise, another one likewise with her several rooms. It's a part and abusing it all for their church ministry. I have a an update from C Lawson venture compos in Brazil dear friends in Christ. Warm greetings. It seems that our city is still heading towards the climax of the contagion phase of Cova 19. For this reason, we sadly continue under a form of lockdown, no gatherings, no services in our churches as far as Roger and I are concerned we are trusting God's sovereignty over this whole situation in our small apartment. We are enjoying. See seeing each other or we are enjoying each other drinking good coffee reading good books, praying and preparing sermons and Bible studies pastoral visitation counseling is done through iPhones or the hot sap got one of those, but I seldom use it. I see loss continue preaching for my pulpit to an empty church fume entrance made it through Facebook and YouTube also wrought Bollinger and I are preparing ourselves for the 2020 seal conference for women to will be online each of us will speak once our main speaker will be Elise Fitzpatrick. God has used Elise to speak to women all over the United States.

Please pray for this conference. Thank you for your support. We love you in Christ, see loss advisor compos and finally an update from the greens. Jesse and Hannah and their two children who are finishing up the deputation preparing to go to a country that I think most of you will know because of the sensitive nature of the country. I'm not going to identify on the Internet, but it says dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we have seen our May 5 departure date come and go. The first thing holding us back is our monthly financial support. We are at about 95% of our minimum minimal goal. We had meetings in our last months were canceled due to coronavirus that we had projected would bring us up to hundred percent. As things open up more, by God's grace, we should be able to reschedule those meeting and raised remote training support sadly were not able to finish the process of getting Ezra's visa before coronavirus. Our friends in the country recently told us that as of right now they are not giving out or renewing Jesus.

This of course is subject to change. Third, and finally would be the issue of getting a flight there are more and more flights heading to our country and we are generally encouraged on this issue.

Please pray that these three things. Please pray for these three things, and that we would be ready to leave for China this fall I just mentioned, the country done mentally without the Ebola leave for this country this fall or winter Christ Jesse Greene so that our Bibles to Galatians chapter 5 all the way through to the last sentence and I slipped on Wednesday night June 3. We had our first message from Galatians chapter 5 on five symptoms of self serving religion. We had our second one on June 10 and we are coming now to the third one possibly the final one will see how time goes on tonight which is of course June 24. Five. Symptoms of self-serving religion. They are found in two verses. I will actually read three. The five symptoms are found in two verses in the final chapter of the epistle of Paul to the Galatians just to remind you that this epistle was written primarily to warn and in the very sternly toward the Galatian church about the dangers of succumbing to false teachers and of departing from the true gospel of Jesus Christ and the temptation to depart from the gospel was by coming under the influence of false teachers who would come into theirs territory and to the Galatian territory consisted of four churches.

The plan by the apostle Paul on his first missionary journey see if I can member the four of them. They are Mr. Derby I Coney and Antioch and wherever Paul went. It wasn't long until false teachers followed and often times they were what we call today Judaizers of the term is not used in Scripture, but they were Jewish Christians at least a professed faith in the Lord Jesus Christ by the error which they taught. We have to seriously wonder if they truly understood the gospel and they didn't understand it.

How have they truly embraced it by saving faith. So it's very possible that they were not true Christians, but they at least claim to be and possibly in some cases were, but their theology was terribly skewed and they were mangling the gospel of grace with works and they works elements had to do with various elements of Judaism taken from the law of Moses requirements, such as circumcision and dietary regulations and observance of certain feast days and other things that we required under the law of Moses and these Judaizers would come where the gospel had been sold and where people had come out of paganism for the most part some of them were also Jews who had come to embrace Jesus as their Messiah.

But most of these are Gentile Gentile believers who would come out of paganism and had believed in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation and the gospel that was preached to them by the apostle Paul, of course, was the gospel of grace we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone is nothing that we can do to save ourselves or to add to our salvation that is much that we can do to serve the Lord and to bear fruit, and to make progress in sanctification. But that's a different issue but in regard to salvation.

Salvation is by God's grace working in our heart, enlisting faith in the finished work of Christ what he has done.

That's what saves us the fireworks will Christ not mine is the songwriter said and any alteration of that clear, simple but unique message to salvation is by faith alone and what Christ has done not by anything that we do any alteration. That message is a false gospel and so Judaizers had brought a false false gospel something the churches of Galatia were believing it or at least gave evidence that they were coming under the influence of it very very strongly under the influence of it. Paul writes one of his strongest and sharpest rebukes to be found anywhere in all of his epistles to the churches of Galatia on this very issue. But going down to the end of the epistle you recall Paul generally would take Quill from the hand of the Sec., to whom he been dictating the letter and write a closing benediction, usually about one verse in his own handwriting to authenticate the epistle, but in this case, he took the Quill goal. How many verses let's see about nine verses from the conclusion of the epistle and included in these words about the false teachers and that's where we see these five symptoms of self-serving religion because it's clear that these Judaizers were more concerned with serving themselves than serving Christ more concerned with serving themselves that in serving the members of the church is Galatian. Their religion profession of Christianity, but corrupted as it was, but their religion was very much a self serving religion rather than a Christ honoring self abasing religion is what Paul wrote in verses 11, 12 and 13 see with what large letters I've written to you with my own hand as many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh. These would compel you to be circumcised only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ for even those who are circumcised keep the law were not even those rather very important to get that word in their changes everything for not even those who are circumcised keep the law with a desire to have you circumcised, that they may boast in your flesh right. What are the five symptoms of self-serving religion. The first two we've already addressed the last three were going to look at least will continue working with that list tonight, but they are not give them all to you first image instead of reality.

That's number one psychology instead of Scripture.

That's number two comfort instead of truth number three symbolism instead of obedience. Number four in statistics instead of stop substance.

Number 5.they I'm basing all of these upon phrases in those two verses. Some of these things overlap a little bit but they're all they'll have distinct elements to make them different from the others. Going back to the first one since it's been nearly a month since we looked at that image instead of reality. Paul said in verse 12 as many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh here are people who are interested in how they are perceived more than what they actually are true Christianity is concerned with being genuine from the inside out genuine before God. Genuine faith genuine repentance, genuine love for the Lord Jesus Christ. All of these are inward matters.

And of course if they are genuinely within us. They do work their way out in our behavior, our actions are words our attitudes as of but here are people whose first concern is there image how they appear to others as many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh know that desire that the state that error. That tendency didn't die in the first century with these Judaizers that Paul is writing about this is still a great temptation among people today. Yes, even those who call themselves Christians today to be more concerned about their inmate than they are about their condition. The true condition of their heart.

Do you know the motto of the great state of North Carolina. Every now and then I'll bring that up.

It's a Latin phrase, I believe, but what it means in English what it says in English is to D rather than to seem that's a good model. Let us be concerned to be genuine today strong today. Whatever we ought to be to be real rather than to seem to be any of these things so many times. The emphasis is upon what we seem to be what are image sometimes when when the people's perception of us or of the ministry of the church or something isn't as favorable as we would like the solution as we gotta work on our image, we gotta work on our our public relations we got to figure out a way to present ourselves to package ourselves a more favorable light. And that's still duplicating the same problem. That's not our main concern our main concern is to be true to Christ, true to the Bible to be as genuine in our souls as we can possibly be. And then it's up to the Lord as to whether he causes that to bring a favorable impression to others or not he's able to do that. There are times when by God's working in hearts. He will make Christians appear favorable to make them desirable even to the unconverted that something he can do. He does that, from time to time for his own purposes, but the Bible teaches us that the general state of things is actually going to be hostility, antagonism, opposition enmity from the world because we are Christians and we are identified with the Lord Jesus Christ and that was the attitude of the world toward him and he told us that the attitude of the world toward us is going to be the same as for him. So what is this business of trying to improve our image, in order to be better thought as I come from that's a symptom of a self-serving religion instead of Christ serving religion now.

I repeated number one what was the second one we may we may or may not get along to the others that I am sure we will. But the number two psychology instead of Scripture.

You recall Paul said this and again I review because this goes back a ways. It's been several weeks since we dealt with it, but he went on a verse 1220 said as many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh. These he would go would compel you to be circumcised, they would compel you to be circumcised and I showed you how they did that actually from chapter 2 of the same book, so I will go back to that tonight, but they compel you through manipulation they compel you through emotional and psychological pressure. They compel you by psychological coercion and they are using these techniques to get the response from you that they desire, rather than depending upon the truth of God's word utilized by the convicting power of the Holy Spirit to bring a response from you to line up with true they're using psychology instead of Scripture, and again dear friends that tendency has not disappeared from the face of the earth, it still with us in many different forms. We need to realize what this boils down to is this if were going to see eternal results. They must come from the work of God's Holy Spirit we can't produce eternal results, not by anything that we do, no matter how skilled, no matter how clever the matter what good salesman. We are, no matter how winsome we are, how skilled we are at bleeding people to think and to do the way we would like them to do.

We are incapable of producing eternal results that can only be done by the spirit of God and the Spirit of God tells us that he works through the word of God. Where does faith come from faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us. Faith comes by hearing and hearing what hearing psychological teaching psychological theories, psychological techniques, no faith comes by hearing and hearing by you know the answer.

The word of God the Word of God were going to accomplish anything of eternal value. It has to be done through the ministry of God's word.

We teach the word.

We preach the word we open the word to show people the word praying to God the Holy Spirit will open their hearts to understand and receive word of God.

That's how God's work is accomplished effectively not there psychology.

So if you depending upon psychology or anything else but the word of God and I might add one more thing to it. If you depending upon anything else but the word of God alone because we've always got this tendency to think that we have to augment the word of God. Of course it's is primarily the word of God, but we can make the word of God more effective by this human technique, my vacuum and technique like this way of doing things. This this particular way of doing things and so forth. On and on and on we go in here we go again and the Bible doesn't tell us that faith comes by hearing the word of God, along with human techniques and psychological manipulation. The Scripture says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

So not only is salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. But our evangelism and our effectiveness in in Christian ministry is by the word of God alone.

They didn't prayer the God the Holy Spirit will blessed so psychology instead of Scripture. You gotta get rid of that number three comfort instead of truth.

That's the last part of verse 12. I read verse 12.

Again, as many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh. These would compel you to be circumcised only that is the reason why this is the only reason why was Paul's concern only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.

That's why they are pressuring you to be circumcised. Why so that they can avoid persecution is that a valid reason, absolutely not. They are more interested in comfort and in truth. If the truth brings persecution and they're willing to compromise the truth in this setting. Here's how it worked. The Judaizers were what they were Jews by birth by background by training by background, religion, they had now embraced Christ as the Messiah that already made them suspect in the eyes of the Jewish friends who did not believe Jesus is the Messiah, but it got worse the Jews who were unconverted, have had a deep seated antipathy toward Gentiles Study the New Testament without realizing that is so Jews wouldn't even get near Gentiles.

If they can avoid could be avoided completely, but they were very careful to avoid any contact with Gentiles Sunday night. If you listen to the message we were looking at Christ trial before Pilate in John chapter 19 that we read that the Jewish religious leaders wouldn't even go in to the pilots, palaces, praetorian where the trial would normally take place because that would put them in a Gentile residence and that would contaminate them so that they would not be qualified to partake of the Passover because contamination by contact with Gentiles meant that you had to go through certain ritual and period of ceremonial cleansing before you were allowed to participate in the ceremonies of the Jewish religion again so they wouldn't even command to avoid what they consider to be contamination by Gentiles, so Jews had the G seated antipathy toward Gentiles white. How does that figure in these Judaizers. Jewish Christians who had now had embraced Christ were of course part of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is made up of Jews and Gentiles who believe in Jesus right that goes back to the early chapters. The first two chapters of Galatians again and you remember there how that in Antioch of Syria not Antioch Presidio part of glacier, but in Antioch Syria.

When Paul was there as one of the pastors in the church along with Barnabas. Peter came from Jerusalem and he was eating at the table with the other Christians and Gentile Christians eating with them eating their diet until certain we read came from Jerusalem. And then Peter separated himself from the Gentiles, and would only eat with the Jew. Why well to avoid contaminating contact with Gentiles. But these are your brothers and sisters in Christ. It is no contamination. Peter knew that but these from Jerusalem pressuring him that goes back to the psychological pressure were pressuring him to separate from the Gentiles until the Gentiles were willing to accept circumcision. In effect, to make themselves Jews through the ceremony. That was the entrance door into Judaism and why were they concerned about that will evidently not so much for themselves. Though some of them really making were doing this for themselves. They may have still have these ingrained racial prejudices still dealing with that problem today are but in many cases it wasn't so much for themselves. They they knew that as believers in Jesus Christ.

They could have fellowship with other believers in Jesus Christ, and it didn't have to be based upon a kosher diet in order to do that but there unconverted Jewish friends didn't agree with that and if there unconverted Jewish friends knew that they were fraternizing with Gentiles eating Gentile food, contaminating themselves in the presence of Gentiles.

Then there Jewish friends would be highly critical and probably would cut themselves off from the Judaizers because that's the way it worked. If the Judaizers contaminated themselves by Gentile contact, then we've got to cut ourselves off from them so that we don't contaminate ourselves with that contact and it was a form of persecution to persecute them because of their contact with Gentiles. So what were the Jews Judaizers doing they were pressuring the Gentiles to be circumcised. Why Paul tells us why only that they may not suffer persecution.

The cross of Christ. That's what they were doing it.

That's what they were doing it so that the cross of Christ which involved fellowship with all who were followers of Christ, but so the cross of Christ, which they said they believed in.

Nevertheless was causing them persecution from there unconverted Jewish friends and neighbors and family and to avoid that persecution they were pressuring you to be circumcised.

In other words, what report recalling this comfort instead of truth. They were more interested in being comfortable avoiding criticism, avoiding persecution, avoiding the antagonism of their family and friends. They were more interested in that than in standing true for what the Bible taught them was truth can that be a problem today. We still have that evidence of self-serving religion course we do. Of course we do to become a follower of Jesus Christ does bring you a certain measure of hostility of enmity, of antagonism, and yes, even persecution, which is growing is becoming stronger in the day in which we live. The hostile ones are becoming more open, more bold in their hostility and antagonism publicly against all things Christian. So what are you going to do about that. Are you going to stand humbly and firmly upon the truth of the gospel.

The truth of God's word. The truth that is the the extension of the Lord Jesus Christ himself and his word of truth.

Are you going to stay under for truth, regardless of the cost, even when it cost you discomfort and hostility in persecution or are you going to trim off the more offensive elements of Christian doctrine in order to soften and if possible avoid hostility, persecution. That's what these people were doing comfort instead of truth and so to avoid being looked down upon by unbelievers.

They compromised the truth they crave the approval of men more than the approval of God again. How could anyone claim to be a Christian taking that position. How could anyone comfort himself into thinking that he might be a Christian. How could anyone have any sense of assurance that he truly is a Christian taking that position.

But they did in summer doing the same thing today so examine your own heart and life and ask God to help you to be true to his word, regardless of the cost because being true to his word as being true to the Lord Jesus Christ and being false in regard to the word of God is to deny the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember Sunday night neutral.

You cannot be good have to take your stand with the son of God and be faithful to his name.

God help us to do so, shall we know look to the Lord in prayer.

Father, we need your help. For we are flesh and we are therefore weak and we are all prone to shave the truth and the cut corners for a variety of reasons, we see the road apostles did that we remember Peter who denied his Lord around the campfire in the courtyard of Caiaphas, the high priest, we realize a Peter could do such a thing, then it's not beyond any and every one of us falling into the same sinful temptation as a father would look to you to strengthen us to help us to shores up to give us a bedrock conviction in the truth of the word of God and the willingness to stand on it regardless of the cost. Following want to thank you that Sarah Cardwell is getting a good report regarding her need. We pray that you will give her wisdom as she decides whether or not to have this minor surgery. We thank you that and goad came to her shoulder surgery successfully and we pray for her ongoing cancer treatments. We thank you to Drew Guthrie is doing better has gotten a good report, and we pray for her and for Dawn driver Hammond rejoice that she's home from the hospital.

We pray for the strength which she so greatly needs at this time. We thank you that Melanie Moody is back to work and doing well want to pray for North Carolina state representative Stephen Ross.

We ask that you will protect individual preserve him more than anything else that you will guide him by your word that he may make your truth the bedrock of of of the knowledge by which he makes his decision, Lord making a man of integrity.

Making a man of truth. Pray for Pastor Bob matures his recovery from his heart attack. Thanking you for preserving him. We pray for Evelyn Butler that you will help her in her recovery from her fall. Pray for Michael Flores is he's battling covert, 19 that you will protect and preserve him. Pray for Trevor Johnson and Paul Snyder and Stuart Law. These dear missionaries, who all have health needs, and we commit them into your care. We pray for Pato, the neighbor of Tom and Connie Chapman might preserve his life. Pray for his sons you might cause the gospel to take root in their hearts. We pray for Peggy Koontz that you will bring healing to her her needs. We pray for Harry Maples that you might preserve him until he can have the surgery. We pray that you will cause it to be successful, to defeat his cancer and we pray for Leslie White, Sue Vestal's cousin who is dealing with bring term to remove or send an declining now.

Father, we commit our lives, our souls, we commit our families. We commit our congregation.

We commit our nation, our beloved nation into war sovereign and strong arm's please the Lord, be gracious unto us for Christ's sake now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit man