Are you ready to get into YAH's word
today? I am as well. I want you to open your Bibles with me to Galatians chapter 3 and we're
gonna begin with verse 11 in just a moment and we're gonna continue in our series that we've
entitled "Galatians Revealed" so the first two parts are already out on YouTube and a lot of
people are watching those, we're getting some tremendous comments and what we're wanting to
do is pull back the veil get into the Hebraic context of what Sha'ul really meant when he wrote
the letter to Galatians and so this is the third part in this series, we're gonna get into some
really interesting stuff here today. Let's begin with verse 11 of Galatians chapter 3 it says, "And
that no one is declared right by Torah before Elohim is clear," It was clear with Sha'ul and it's
clear with us. Some of the criticism that we get is that we're teaching that people can be justified
simply by Torah obedience or Torah observance without belief in Yeshua and that's just not the
fact. We realized that we are born again through belief in Yeshua but it's unto something, it's
unto good works, amen? And how do we define good works? How was good works defined to us? Good works
is defined by obedience to the Torah so it's not Torah observance on the justification or belief
in Yeshua under justification, it is belief in Yeshua unto obedience to the scripture. Can you
say amen? So we agree completely with Sha'ul that no one is declared right by Torah before Elohim,
that is a clear fact - "...for," It says, "the righteous shall live by belief," And that is a quote of
Habakkuk chapter 2 in verse 4. "and the Torah is not of belief but the man who does them shall
live by them." He's quoting Leviticus chapter 18 verse 5 there and what's happening here is that
Sha'ul is contrasting works under justification and belief under justification and works without
belief is dead but also belief without works is dead, so again it's not one of the other, it's both.
Doing Torah commands that we believe in Yeshua, did you know that? Deuteronomy chapter 18 verses 15
through 19, we have a command in the Torah it says that the people must Shema the Prophet like
Mosheh. The word "Shema" means to hear and obey and if the people are unwilling to Shema the Prophet
like Mosheh then they will be judged, so the Torah actually commands that the people hear and obey
Yeshua so if you truly are Torah obedient you are a believer in Yeshua, can you say amen? And then
look at verse 13, this is a very interesting passage. "Messiah redeemed us from the curse of
the Torah," All right so this is where religion says okay you see that Messiah has redeemed us
from the Torah, but is that what it says? Does it say Messiah has redeemed us from the Torah? No, it
says Messiah has redeemed us from the curse of the Torah. The Torah itself says if we obey the
Torah the Torah was sent to bring what? Life and blessing, but if we disobey the Torah then what
comes to us? Death and cursing. So there's a curse associated with Torah disobedience and Messiah has
come to redeem us from the curse that's associated with Torah disobedience and what is that curse?
Death. Now let me bring it home very clearly to you - just take the Ten Commandments. Nine out of the Ten
Commandments have a death penalty associated with them and there's one that doesn't on the surface
level, it's you shall not steal but the Torah says if you steal a person like you steal a child or
you still another person that's kidnapping and there's a death penalty associated with kidnapping,
so in essence, 10 out of the Ten Commandments have a death penalty associated with it so what did Yeshua do for us? He came and He paid our death penalty. What did He do? He took the death out
of the law for those who believe. Now the death remains for those who do not believe but death
has been removed for those of us who do believe, that's exactly what this verse is stating. Messiah
Yeshua has redeemed us from the death that's in the law. He's redeemed us from the curse that's
associated with disobedience to the Torah, can you say amen? Notice. "having become a curse for us,"
Or having taken our death for us. "for it has been written, cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,"
And that's Deuteronomy chapter 21 verse 23. "in order that the blessing of Abraham," Or Abraham.
"might be upon the nations in Messiah Yeshua," Here's the blessing. "to receive the promise of the
Spirit through belief." And so the Almighty made a promise to Abraham and to his Seed, the
Messiah, that through Abraham and Messiah all the nations of the world would be blessed and how are
all the nations blessed? Through belief in Yeshua by receiving the Indwelling Set-apart Spirit the
promise of the Indwelling Set-apart Spirit is the key to success in the New Covenant, without the
Indwelling Set-apart Spirit you will fail even in the New Covenant, amen? You can't even enter the
New Covenant without belief in Yeshua and Yeshua provides them the Indwelling Set-apart Spirit,
it's definitive of the New Covenant. Now here's a verse that we talk about a lot but I just want
to mention it here, Ezekiel chapter 36 starting with verse 25, it says, "And I shall sprinkle
clean water on you, That's an allusion toward water baptism. "and you shall be clean from all your
filthiness and from all your idols, I cleanse you." A lot of people don't even realize when they're
being water baptized it's the Almighty cleansing them from their filthiness and from their idols, a
lot of people say well I don't worship any idols, oh yeah, anything you put above the Almighty as
an idol and when you believe in Yeshua and you enter into water baptism, you died to your own
flesh and to your own will you enter into death with Him you die, you're buried, you're raised, and He
cleanses you from filthiness and from idols. Verse 26 "and I shall give you a new heart," Everybody say
hallelujah for that. He doesn't put a bandaid on the old heart, He gives you a new heart. "and put
a new Spirit within you and I shall take the heart of stone out of your flesh," Again that's the
heart of resistance and rebellion to the truth. "and I shall give you a heart of flesh." Now you know
what I say? That's the what kind of heart? The want-to heart, you get the want to. You want to obey
when He gives you the right heart, you get the want to heart. "and I shall give you a heart of flesh
and put my Spirit within you." Now what happens when you get His Spirit? You get the power to so
that's a winning combination that want to and the power to. People say, you're just dragging people over
into bondage - well it's not bondage when you want to, can you say amen? And you're successful when
you have the power to. "and I shall cause you" See He doesn't even trust us to do it, they failed the
first time, He's given us His Spirit and He's the one that causes us to do it. "and I shall cause you
to walk in my laws and guard my right- rulings and you shall do them." What are you going to do? You're
going to walk in His laws and you're gonna guard His right-rulings, it's all in the scripture, it's
all there. So back to Galatians chapter 3 verse 15. "Brothers, as a man, I say it a covenant even though
it's a man's yet if it is confirmed no one sets it aside," No one can abolish it or adds to it so
he's speaking in earthly terms, he says a covenant between men when it's confirmed cannot be changed.
"but the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his Seed," I don't know what your translation
looks like but mine has a capital there and that's appropriate the Seed is the Messiah and
the promise is that through Abraham and Messiah all the nations of the earth will be blessed by
receiving the Indwelling Set-apart Spirit. "He does not say, "and to seeds," as of many but as of one, "and
to your Seed," That's Genesis chapter 12 and verse 7. "who is Messiah." So this is talking about Messiah. Verse
17. "Now this I say Torah that came 430 years later that's after this covenant that was made with
Avraham and Messiah does not annul a covenant previously confirmed by Elohim in Messiah so as to
do away with the promise. Okay? The promise, what's the promise? The Indwelling Set-apart Spirit that
would come through belief in Yeshua to all nations. "For if the inheritance," What's the inheritance?
Justification through belief and receiving the Indwelling Set-apart Spirit. If the inheritance
is by Torah if it comes by Torah observance apart from belief in Yeshua, it is no longer by
promise but Elohim gave it to Abraham through a promise. Verse 19 "Why then the Torah,"
Let's talk about the Torah. It was added because of transgressions, in other words, to reveal the
Father's righteous ways and to give guidelines to live by. "it was added because of transgressions
until the Seed," Speaking of Yeshua. "should come to whom the promise was made," Again the promise of
justification by belief and the receiving of the Indwelling Set-apart Spirit. "it was ordained
through messengers," Or through angels. "in the hand of a mediator." Who was the mediator? Mosheh. "The
mediator, however, is not of one." In other words, Mosheh a didn't mediate on behalf of one party
only but Elohim is one, so Elohim is the other party. So this covenant is not a mere earthly
covenant between men, this is a covenant between Elohim and Avraham and Messiah. Verse 23 "Is the
Torah then against the promises of Elohim?" Now we need to slow down and pause over this a little
bit, is the Torah against the promises of Elohim? Is the Torah against justification through belief
in Yeshua Messiah and the giving of the Set-apart Spirit? Now religion would say it is but is it?
What does Sha'ul say? Let it not be, in other words, no, the Torah is not against the promises of
Elohim. The Torah is not against justification by belief in Yeshua, the Torah is not against receiving
the Indwelling Set-apart Spirit. "For if a Torah had been given that was able to make alive," Now we
really need to pause over this and take a deep look. "truly, righteousness would have been by the
Torah." Again, we mentioned that the Torah was sent to give what? Life and blessing, but it also says
if you disobey it'll bring death and cursing, so applying this, we see if a Torah had been given
that was able to make a life. In other words, if the Torah was able to make people obey it. if the
Torah itself was able to make people obey it then the people would receive life, He would make them
alive, okay? Now we realized that the Torah didn't have that power, the Torah itself did not have the
power to make the people obey it, didn't it? And they failed to obey it and when they failed to obey it
they broke the Covenant and they didn't receive the life and the blessing that was promised. Instead
they received the death and the curse. Now I want to show you another writing of Sha'ul in the book
of Romans, let's go to Romans chapter 7 real quick and we'll pick up with verse 14 and I want you to
see how Sha'ul tells us that man had fallen so deeply into sin and depravity that they were unable to
obey the Torah. All right, Romans chapter says, verse 14, "For we know that the Torah is what spiritual," I
want you to underline these words. "but I am fleshly," This is Sha'ul speaking, I am fleshly, I'm giving
over to my flesh sold under sin. In other words, I'm a slave to sin and sin is the transgression of
the Torah so is the problem with the Torah here? He said the Torah is spiritual. He said I'm the
problem, I'm fleshly, I'm a slave to sin. Verse 15 "for what I work," In other words, what I do. "I know
not." He can't figure out why he's doing what he's doing. "For what I wish," What does he wish to do? He
wishes to obey the Torah, we're gonna see that very clearly. "that I do not practice," In other words, I
fail to obey the Torah. "but what I hate," He hates to transgress the Torah. "that I do. But if I do what I
do not wish," I do not wish to transgress the Torah. "I agree with the Torah that it is good." Can you
underline that word good? So we get spiritual and we get good. Verse 17 "and now it is no longer I
that work it," In other words, I'm not transgressing the Torah by choice. "there is something else
going on in my flesh that drives me to disobey." "And now it is no longer I that work it but the
sin," Okay now when you see the sin think of evil inclinations that reside in the flesh. "dwelling
in me. For I know that in me that is in my flesh dwells no good," He said he was fleshly sold under
sin, he's a slave to his flesh so he's a slave to sin and he says there's nothing good that's in
his flesh. "for to wish is present with me," What's he wishing to do? Obey the Torah. "but to work the
good," It's good to obey the Torah. "I do not find for the good that I wish to do," Which is obedience to
the Torah. "I do not do but the evil I do not wish to do," That's disobey the Torah. "this I practice.
And if I do that which I do not wish," To disobey the Torah. "it is no longer I who work it." It's not
something I do by choice is what he's saying. "but the sin dwelling in me." The evil inclinations of my
flesh driving me to sin. Verse 21 "I find therefore this law this dynamic that when I wish to do the
good," Which is to obey the Torah. "that the evil the force that drives me to disobey is present with
me." In other words, in my flesh. "For I delight in the Torah of Elohim according to the inward man,"
That's Psalm 119 verse 16. Now let's pause there. This is Sha'ul, the one that many religions say
abolished the Torah and what is he saying here, from his own pen, for I delight in the Torah of Elohim. Now if it was his intention to abolish the Torah would he delight in it? He delights in
the Torah, Sha'ul delights in the Torah. Let's make it clear, from his own pen he said I delight in the
Torah of Elohim according to the inner man. In other words, my spirit delights in the Torah of Elohim.
Again that's a quote, Psalm 119 verse 16. "But I see another torah," That's a little "t" torah, another
law dynamic. "in my members," Speaking of his flesh, in his body. "battling against the torah," Or the law the
dynamic. "of my mind." What is that? His will, the torah of the mind is the will, so there's something in my
flesh that's battling against my mind because my mind my will wants to obey, I want to obey but
there's something in my flesh that's battling against my desire to obey and what happens? "and
bringing me into captivity to the torah," That's a little "t" torah, the law or the power. "of sin
which is in my members." So there's something in my flesh that's warring against my will, I want to
obey but it's taking me captive and it's causing me then are driving me into sin and sin is the
what? Transgression of the Torah. You see the problem? He wants to obey but he can't. He wants to obey
but there's a dynamic a power of force of evil that's dwelling in his flesh that won't allow
him to and when he wants to do it he's unable to do it and this force battles against his will
and brings him into captivity to sin so he ends up transgressing the Torah and he doesn't want to
do it so what is it say in verse 24? "Wretched man that I am." I mean, when you understand these things
you get to that place, I'm a wretch without Yeshua. I'm a wretch without the power of the Indwelling
Set-apart Spirit and people that say I want to be a Torah-observant person but they don't really
believe in Yeshua or they don't embrace the Spirit you can't be, you cannot obey the Torah
without belief in Yeshua and being empowered by the Indwelling Set-apart Spirit. If you don't have
the Indwelling Set-apart Spirit you are a mess, that's a more common, you know, modern vernacular
type word, Sha'ul said wretch, he didn't say it in English, I don't think he knew English. "Wretched man
that I am. Who shall deliver me from this body of death?" What's he pointing to when he says that? He's
touching his own flesh, this body of death, these evil inclinations that are in my body driving me
to disobey the Torah which ultimately will lead me to death, who will deliver me from this body of
death that leads me to death, what's the answer? Verse 25 "Thanks to Elohim through Yeshua Messiah
our Master. So then with the mind," Or with my will. "I myself truly served the Torah of Elohim." What?
Let's stop again, let's pause. Is this Sha'ul? Who came in and kidnapped Sha'ul? Because religion tells
us that Sha'ul abolishes the Torah but what does he say here? When I say Sha'ul I'm talking about
Paul the Apostle Paul. "So then with the mind with my will I myself truly serve I serve the Torah of
Elohim but with my flesh the Torah." Or the law the dynamic of sin. So my mind is a in agreement with
the Torah, my mind wants to obey the Torah, my mind serves the Torah but with my flesh I serve or
I'm enslaved by sin and sin is the transgression of the Torah. Now we have to move over to Romans
chapter 8 to get the conclusion of this matter Romans chapter 8 verse 1. "There is then now no
condemnation to those who are in Messiah Yeshua are those who have believed upon Yeshua," Don't stop,
don't put the period there, keep moving. Who do not walk according to the flesh, does that mean you
don't give in to the evil inclinations of your flesh but according to the Spirit you're walking
according to the liberty that the Set-apart Spirit has provided to you you're walking in the power
of the Indwelling Set-apart Spirit and that power gives you power over the evil inclinations of your
flesh so that you can what? Live a lawless life? Live like there is no Torah? No, so that you can
obey the Torah and when you obey the Torah what happens you get life and blessed. See? Is it coming
together for you? Alright verse 2. "for the torah," Or the law or dynamic. "of the spirit of the life in
Yeshua Messiah," In other words, the dynamic of the Indwelling Set-apart Spirit giving believers to
want to and the power to, we've already talked about it, to be obedient. "has set me free," Let's
wait just a minute. There's so many songs today in the religious world, lots of songs about being set
free - I'm set free I'm set free I'm set free - they sing it every way you can imagine. I'm set free.
And in their minds they're thinking I'm set free from the Torah... I'm set free to be lawless. I'm set
free to live my life in a manner that is right in my own eyes. Set free, set free from the Torah, set
free from the law, set free from that heavy burden. You know, what does the Torah say about itself? It's
not too hard to do. It's not too hard to do when what? You're filled with the Indwelling Set-apart
Spirit then it's not too hard to do. You get the want to and the power to so he's not talking about
being set free from the Torah, notice what it says. "for the torah," Or the law or the dynamic. "of the
Spirit of the life in Messiah Yeshua has set me free," From something. "from the torah," Or the
law or dynamic, that's torah. Of what? Sin and death. That's what you've been set free
from. You've been set free from slavery. You've been set free from the slavery of giving in to
the evil inclinations of your flesh, in other words, He did something necessary to provide for
us the power to overcome. In other words, it's another Exodus, we've been brought out of Egypt and
Egypt is the evil inclinations of our flesh, amen? You've been brought out, you've been made free, you
don't have slaved your flesh anymore. Hallelujah. "has set me free from the torah of sin and death."
Again that torah there is the little "t", that means law our dynamic has set me free. Let me say law, has
set me free from the law of sin and death, that's what most English Bibles say. He set you free from
the principle of you sin, you die and the reality is without Yeshua, without belief in Him, you don't
have the Indwelling Set-apart Spirit who will set you free from sin that leads to death but that's
what you've been set free from. Well that's enough to shout and praise YAH about it. Hallelujah. Now
let's dig a little deeper verse 3. "for the Torah being powerless," What's this talking about? Not
having the power to make one obedient. The Torah doesn't have the power to make you obey it. "for the
Torah being powerless in that it was weak through the flesh," What does that mean? It couldn't on its
own overcome the evil inclinations of your flesh. "Elohim having sent His own Son in the likeness of
flesh of sin," Or in the likeness of sinful flesh. "and concerning sin because of the sin dynamic
that has enslaved us all condemned sin in the flesh," That simply means He rendered powerless,
sin for those who would believe in Yeshua. "so that the righteousness of the Torah," Slow
down, okay? I'm going to slow down right here. "so that the righteousness of the Torah," What's
that talking about? The righteous requirement prescribed by the Torah, in other words, how you're
supposed to live. The Torah is not abolished, there's a righteous requirement that must be fulfilled,
what's happened is you've been set free from the evil inclinations of your flesh and given the
power to obey the Torah. Let's go slow. "so that the righteousness of the Torah." The righteous
requirement of the Torah should be completed or obeyed in us, in us who? In us believers, in
Yeshua who have received the Set-apart Spirit. Notice, who do not walk according to the flesh. In
other words, you don't give yourself over to the evil inclinations of your flesh but according to
the Indwelling Spirit that's only inside of you that you received after you believe in Yeshua so
how do you get the power to be victorious? You must obey, Deuteronomy 18 verses 15 through 19 and Shema
the Prophet like Mosheh, Shema, hear and obey believe in Yeshua and when you believe in Yeshua then you
receive the Indwelling Set-apart Spirit who gives you the power to overcome the evil inclinations
of your flesh, you get set free, you get brought out of Egypt, you're emancipated, you no longer slave.
Can you say amen? And by trusting in the Spirit you have the want to and the power to be obedient so
that the righteous requirement of the Torah might be fulfilled in us who believe. Now, back
to Galatians 3, picking up with verse 22. "But the Scripture has shut up all mankind under sin," Sin
being the transgression of the Torah, the Scripture makes it very clear that every man is a sinner.
"that the promise by belief in Yeshua Messiah," The promise of the Indwelling Set-apart Spirit
might be given to those who believe but before belief came before Messiah was manifest we were
being guarded under Torah. In other words, Torah was the guiding truth to live by, to keep us close
to Elohim, having been shut up or reserved for the belief about to be revealed belief in Yeshua he
was about to be revealed on the earth. Alright so those who would believe upon Him were reserved
for that belief. Verse 24, therefore the Torah became our trainer unto Messiah. The Torah
leads us to Messiah Yeshua. Now there's so many wonderful types and shadows and pictures in
the Torah but there's also direct commands. Mosheh knew of this prophet to come, he says a prophet
like me, Mosheh was a mediator of a covenant, was he not? Yeshua is like him in a lot of ways but in
one particular important way Yeshua is also a mediator of a New Covenant, Mosheh knew that and
Mosheh commanded the people in the Torah when this prophet like me, this mediator of a New Covenant
arrives then you must Shema Him, a Hebrew word meaning to hear and obey. So does not the Torah
lead us to Messiah? If we truly obey the Torah would we not believe in Messiah? Of course we would.
All right. "Therefore the Torah became our trainer unto Messiah in order to be declared right," Or
justified by belief. Verse 25 "and after belief has come belief in Yeshua under justification we
are no longer under a trainer." For justification. We no longer trust in observance of the Torah
apart from belief in Yeshua for justification. Yeshua had to arrive for us to believe, prior to
that we had the Torah. Okay? But now that Yeshua has arrived our justification is through
belief in Yeshua unto obedience to the Scripture. Verse 26 "For you are all sons
of Elohim through belief in Messiah Yeshua through," Verse 27 "for as many of you as were emerged," Or baptized. "into Messiah have put on Messiah. There is not Yehudi nor Greek, there
is not slave nor free, there is not male and female, for you are all one in Messiah Yeshua." Now
interesting that he would say this because I believe that Sha'ul understood very clearly the
divisions that were in the temple, the women can only go so far, Gentiles could only go so far,
there was a wall of separation between even the Gentiles who had converted to Judaism and the
Jews and so he mentions that in Messiah the wall of separation is brought down not just the wall
that separated the Gentiles that had converted to Judaism and the Jews, but also the wall that
separated the women from the men - and all the women said hallelujah. So he's reflecting on
this right now, he says there is not you who deed nor Greek. Everybody in Yeshua is one, there is
not slave nor free, okay? So it's not an ethnic thing, it's not a socio-economic thing, there is
not male and female, it's not a gender thing, for you are all one in Messiah Yeshua and if you
are of Messiah then you are seed of Abraham and heirs according to the promise.
Alright. Now let me take the promise a little bit further - yes, the promise is if you believe in
Yeshua you'll receive the Indwelling Set-apart Spirit but it goes deeper than that because when
you receive the Indwelling Set-apart Spirit you get the want to and the power to be obedient
when you obey then what happens you get life and blessing but it goes further than that, then
you go out into the nations and you teach others the same thing.You teach others about Yeshua,
and then through you all the nations of the earth are blessed. In other words, you bring
life and blessing to everyone. Hallelujah.
