Part CXXVI on Galatians Study

Hebrews 11:6b
"...it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."
The key to this verse is to seek Him, not for power or worldly things but rather His righteousness, for without His righteousness NO one will see (know) God.Besides He rewards those who do with all due diligence seek Him, or those who study while sitting under God and learning through the Holy Spirit to rightly divide the Word.  Now back to the Book of Galatians. We see in chapter 5 now the next one after faith is -


Galatians 5:23a.
"Meekness,..."
We know that a lot of people think to be meek is to be a milquetoast. Someone who never has enough gumption to ever take something up for himself. But that is not what meekness means in Scripture. The best way to explain meekness in Scripture is to look at Moses. Now was Moses a milquetoast where everybody walked on him? No. Moses was a leader, Moses was a man who was highly educated in all the schools of Egypt. He was a military leader. We think he was a civil engineer. Moses did everything, but what does the Bible call him? "The meekest man that every lived." Moses' attitude was such that God could use him, he was pliable, he was someone God could mold, and Moses became a great man because of his being meek. To be meek we have to be pliable and useable just as Saul of Tarsus became on the road to Damascus. Now the next one is -


Galatians 5:23b
"...temperance:..."
Do we know what real temperance is? We think in America at least, it is the fight against alcohol, whiskey and so forth as being temperance. No, temperance goes across the whole of human activity. It merely means to maintain a balance in whatever we do. This is something that is well pleasing in God's sight. We don't slip over to far to the right or to far to the left, but through the basis of the living Word of God, we maintain a balance. In all nine of these fruits of the Spirit, Paul says -


Galatians 5:23b
"...against such there is no law."
Who can fault someone who is the epitome of these nine Graces. Well no one can! We have shown persons with these nine Graces. Now you show us someone who exhibits them in their life and we'll say that this person is to be envied. Because they have God's nature and Christ restored to them, they are truly a God-child.


Galatians 5:24-25
“And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh (in Romans 7:18 Paul reveals that: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwells no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.” and the in chapter 8 verse 7: “ Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” When Adam lost the Spirit of God he became flesh. Of this flesh Romans 6:6-7 says: “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.   For he that is dead is freed from sin.”)with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” As the disciples on a number of occasions were told by Christ to deny self and to take up their cross, they like the church of our day had no understanding of His request to surrender all to His charge as an accursed thing that was due death's penalty, which He nailed to the cross. It may be that the truth of our being crucified with Christ has not been taught. And many they are who shrink back from the self-denial that it implies, and as a result, where the flesh is allowed in any measure to have its way, the Spirit of Christ cannot exert His power. Only as the flesh is kept in the place of crucifixion can the Spirit guide us in living faith and fellowship with and within Christ Jesus. This is the purpose and meaning of our first estate and what the Holy Spirit equips us for through our passage through  this estate. The first crisis is the Lord's Last Passover (Pesach or lamb) meal for it is in it that an exchange is made and then another crisis of consummation is faced, do we surrender our will for God's Will (by taking of the Garden cup) in the form of another crisis death. And this is the cross and our death of self and to the world. This is also revealed by Christ Jesus in Matthew chapter 10 verses 38 and 39:
“And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” Jesus spoke seed words to His disciples which only after they received the Holy Spirit sent from above did they even begin to understand their meaning. We when we come to the crisis of the requirement placed on all who would accept the mystery of Lord's Passover, New Covenant meal and then the cross' work, the loss of one life and the New Life which is on the other side of it, what we've called the second blessing. Entry into the New Covenant and the power of an Endless Life. And of course this is all received by His faithfulness working within us.


Before we leave this allow us to look at just one more passage of scripture this is found in Luke chapter 14 and beginning with verse 26-33:
“If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh (renounces) not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.” This is of course our Lord's own words on our subject of study and what do we find in verse 33 but this one word “forsake” or as we've shown “renounces” all that he has, he can not be my disciple. So argue they will over words and their meanings and even doctrines or mans opinion of them but this one thing they can not do deny the LORD His right to intervene or rule those who have put Him in first place.