Christ formed in me

Galatians please chapter 4. Good to see so many here today. Galatians chapter 4 reading at verse 19. My little children whom I travailed in birth again until Christ be formed in you.

I remember many years ago taking my Bible and going to my room and studying the book of Galatians for the simple reason that a man at work asked me a question about Galatians and I did not know the answer and I felt just a little bit sheepish so I went and I studied Galatians. I remember reading the entire epistle several times and coming to chapter 4 and verse 19 and Christ is formed in you and I thought to myself well I'll have to wait till I'm 50 years saved before I can minister on Christ being formed. You feel so inadequate with the lack of an example that sometimes we are.

But those 50 years have come and I still have a burden for verse 19 of Galatians chapter 4. This has been speaking to me and has been speaking to me greatly because I can only see the inadequacy of our own selves and I am thinking today that conferences are marvelous help. They are such a boost to every single person at least they should be because I can remember being formed. I can remember having my attitude shaped.

I can remember having my desires formed and shaped at conferences where I listened to older men who knew their Bibles and who knew God. The Galatians had received the gospel. They were surely brought to the Savior by Paul's work and now something has come in.

Earlier in the epistle there's a verse that says who did hinder you? You did run well but there is something that hindered them and they began to perhaps believe the false teachers and these men who came in and saying that circumcision had to be added and the external had to be added to make my salvation clear and to make it proof and to make it sure. But Paul labors again over them. In fact he travails again.

He travailed for them once to see them brought to Christ and now he travails again because he could see them drifting and perhaps their attitude had been changed. Salvation is all right but it's plus other things and as a result he labors again. These Judaizers or these false teachers rather were men who were trying to shape the individual by that which is the external, by that which comes up from the outside.

You heard about Jimmy going and asking the barber to get a bowl cut. The barber says what's a bowl cut? He hadn't heard of that one so he says well it's just like that cut right over there. His friend who was sitting over there and he said I want a haircut like that one.

Okay he got he got the bowl cut, a bowl on top of the head and you go around the bottom and that's your bowl cut. Why did he want that? Because his friend had that and it attracted him. I like that.

So he wanted to dress like that. He was being shaped by the external. His whole appearance was being shaped by something that was outward and external.

If you obviously many here have seen Mount Rushmore and Rapid City, South Dakota. Tim and Eunice took the gospel there with seats overs in 1997 and sad to say there should be there should be an assembly there today. God worked.

Sad to say the devil destroyed it in seven hours what God took seven years. When you look at when you look at those tremendous faces on Mount Rushmore you can't help but marvel at the work that has gone on. Gutzon Borglund from 1927 to 1941 those 14 years labored with 350 to 400 men and by the way not one was lost in death or accident an amazing an amazing feat.

So those faces are there were formed there were shaped by that which is the external, the chisels, the hammers, the explosions and so those faces in the rock are are something that was shaped by external. I think all of us are very very interested in having more of Christ in our life. I know I am.

I think we would have to admit that if there's anything that we would long we would long to have and that would be more like him. You did catch the last phrase of our opening hymn. Thou art the endless source of purest joy and the last phrase of 140 is that I might be more that might be more conformed to the image of his Son.

I want to try and speak for just a few minutes if I can this morning about having Christ formed in me. The spiritual forming is I'm only thinking now of of Proverbs chapter Proverbs chapter 25 in verse 4. Take away the dross from the silver and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer. The word finer there is a direct reference to God.

Take away this dross from the silver and there shall come forth a vessel for God. The dross. I think we can only see that the dross would go along with those five ugly kings in 1st Peter chapter 2 and verse 1. Malice, wickedness, and evil speakings and and so on.

Colossians chapter 3, anger, malice, and wrath. So there's the dross and it hides the silver. It takes it covers it covers the real silver.

But if you take that away, if you take that away the cloud that diminishes the silver you come forth a vessel that shines. So I'm only interested in taking I'm interested in having that dross being removed. So dear Christian how are we going to have how am I going to be more Christ formed in me? I suppose my preaching brethren could look at this in probably different different all different kinds of ways and maybe maybe you could name at least 13 but I have three three different avenues that I would like to suggest this morning.

Number one that there will be a submission to his teaching. If I can submit to his teaching it's going to be more I'm going to be more conformed to his image. If I can be steadfast in the truth and if I can be steady during the trial.

Now with the help of God I want to try and touch that just for a second. The Lord Jesus taught. He taught in the temple.

I couldn't help but notice this week a little bit as he's as he's moving from village to village. He enters into the temple and he is teaching them in one particular verse I think Luke chapter 21 tells us that he taught them daily in the temple. So he's teaching them.

Surely I wonder what he taught them. Would he not he have taught them what we read in our synoptic Gospels? Would he not have taught them? Surely the law came by Moses but I'm sure that he would have taught them grace and truth and the miracles that he might have done and on those in those parables that are so beautiful to look at. I hope you look at the parables in the Gospels because they're beautiful teaching.

I'm sure that there was teaching there that that often stopped their mouths. In fact the Lord's teaching one day has centered on the fact of his prayer and so in Luke chapter 11 you find that the Lord is praying and one of the disciples listening to the Savior says and as the verse says I think in Luke chapter 11 when he ceased to pray one of the disciples stepped forward and says Lord teach us to pray. What behind that I think dear brethren is this that he was so on the he was so in awe of the disciples were so in awe of the way the Lord Jesus could pray.

It must have been beautiful to listen to him pray. As a result they were drawn to him teach us to pray. So teaching as far as submitting to his teaching four avenues I'd like to suggest now in my little teaching thought can I suggest that there are different avenues and in view of what the Lord would have taught.

I have taken these from the book of the Psalms so these four different avenues would have been taught by the Savior and of course in our New Testament in the epistle truth. Psalm 25 says teach me thy path. So there is a pathway in which I need to be taught and periodically I shouldn't say periodically multitudes of times David is asking is asking God that he might be taught his path.

In number 16 of the Psalms Psalm David says thou will show me the path of life. He had confidence in God that he was going to be shown the path of life. So the longing of the psalmist was that he might have the path revealed to him.

Why? Why was he asking for the path? Because in our walk we very easily we very easily can wander. John chapter 14 tells me I am the way I am the way the truth and the life. So if I go his way if I understand what his way is and make him the captain of that way then there is going to be a safe landing on on the other on the other side.

So teach me thy path. I'm sure that's what the Lord would have taught. Psalm 34 tells me teach me the fear of the Lord.

Teach me the fear of the Lord. So I submit to his teaching. I'm going to be shaped.

I'm going to have a reverential fear of spirit about me. I'm going to tiptoe into the house of God. Holiness becometh thy house O Lord forever.

And so I'm going to appreciate I'm going to be shaped. I'm going to be formed with a measure of the fear of God. Psalm number 90 says teach me to number my days that I might apply my heart unto wisdom.

Teach me to number my days. I've been doing that lately. I've had to do that lately.

Never dreamed that I would have a family member so close linked to me have her name mentioned to pray for at a conference. Never dreamed that that would happen but it did. Duane Peck said to me one day Al what are you going to slow down? He says you're running around like a chicken with his head cut off.

When are you going to slow down? I can't even talk to you. You're so got to go here and got to go there. I slowed down.

It took a doctor 10 seconds to tell me your wife has a tummy full of cancer. I slowed down. Been teaching to number my days.

I'm wondering dear Christian if if we are too busy. I'm wondering if we are going too fast. I'm wondering if we are letting things slide.

Where is the verse that says is that the song of Solomon mine own vineyard have I not kept. And I can think of nephews that I ought to be on their door. I can think of nieces that have burdened us and I don't get there.

So we need to be taught that. Does it take something calamity? Does it take a bolt from the blue to stop us? And I guess I'm asking my businessmen here today who are hook line and sinker in the business world and thank God for that. But I'm asking my businessmen slow down before there's a bolt from the blue.

So in Moses when he writes Psalm number 90 he says he says teach me to number my days. So there's a there's a missionary that went to southern Mexico many years ago in the 50s. He was given he was he was given a short time to live after several many years in the land of Mexico.

Southern southern Mexico. John Beekman was his name. And after the doctors told him that he only had just a couple of years to live he went home and his wife and they started to lay out their little plan as to their work and so on.

One eye on the fuse of his life that could be taken away. The other life the other eye. He plunged himself into into the mission work and saw many Indians in the southern part of Mexico say one eye on the fuse of his life.

The other eye on the fuse of eternity. Realizing that if there was anything that was going to be done for God he had a burden and he wanted to leave his light shine and touch others and so he went into the work as a missionary. One day his wife found him dead.

I said to Roy Webbers sometime ago I said Roy slow down a little bit we need we need you. He says why slow down wouldn't you rather wouldn't you rather die at the work that you that you love. Get a point.

So in our if I submit to my if I submit in teaching as far as the pathway the fear of the Lord and to be able to use it to apply wisdom the days that I have left apply those days and apply them and apply them as far as being wise is concerned being wise applying them and the view of using wisdom to the rest the rest of our days. I'm wondering also about that verse that Paul says to Titus in chapter 2 teaching us to deny ungodliness and worldly lust that we might live soberly righteously and godly in this present world. So my first thought dear Christian I don't want to get stuck in the mud here but my first thought is if I submit to his teaching when I come to assembly when I come to assembly truth a dear younger Christian would you would you take would you take something that is so precious as far as assembly truth is concerned.

Get to know what the assembly stands for and get to know why we do what we do and this submit to that and regardless regardless of how many is in that assembly you are part of I am part of something that is so valuable something that is so precious as far as God is concerned. That assembly truth being baptized and brought into assembly fellowship and then to enjoy the presence of God where two or three are gathered together. Submit to his teaching steadfast in the truth number two steadfast in the truth.

I'm reminded that verse 3 of Jude. Jude reminds us that earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the Saints earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered how can I earnestly contend for something until I first of all get to know it and when I get to know the truth the truth of the assembly and I get to know the truth then I can earnestly contend earnestly contend for the faith being established in the present truth the truth that you and I have been raised with the truth that godly men gifted men have come along and have raised I thank God I thank God I think the older I get I think I am thankful more thankful now than ever that I was brought into a locality assembly all around our little farm there south of Heightsville being raised in three being raised five miles and within three gospel workers you notice I didn't call them preachers three gospel workers learn from those men and I've learned from from other men established in the present truth I was in a man's home just not that long ago and he held up Norman Crawford's book gathered to his name he said Al 1% truth 99% lie think of it 1% truth and I remember breaking bread with that man for years I broke bread with that man and all of a sudden he switched holding a book like that I hope every home has Norman Crawford's book gathered to his name in your home because there was a man who gave his life for the truth established in the truth you know what being established is it's when you get are in a snowstorm and you drive off the road and you're in a four-foot snowbank and you put it in reverse you don't move do you you're established I'm established am I established in the truth of the assembly and the Word of God I need to know the truth 1st Timothy chapter 2 tells us that to be all to come to the knowledge of the truth and so I need to I need to know the truth and then to be established in that submit to his teaching steadfast in the truth steady during the trial you know I've looked at Christians for years who's gone through some of the difficulties of life and they're just as steady they have a smile a contented smile on their face as they move through the trial Hebrews chapter 12 says two words despise and faint because that verse in verse 5 of chapter 12 despise not nor faint and when Gloria was given cancer the word of cancer the Lord and I had a couple of days of communication I wasn't so submissive this only happens to old people but it came steady in the trial the Lord Jesus said not my will but thine be done you have read that in Matthew chapter 26 and in Mark chapter 14 you have read those beautiful words not my will but thine be done as he sweat as it were great drops of blood and this to let you off let you know how my thought process was on the third day it finally hit me why not come to my door why shouldn't that cancer come to my door who am I who do I think I am a moment special then to accept his way I'm reminded of Romans chapter 8 the sufferings of this present time Paul must have known what it is to suffer for the person of the Lord Jesus sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to follow dear Christian maybe you can think of different ways in which all could be shaped formed but I think if I am subject to his teaching if I am steady if I am steady steadfast in the truth and steady during the trial there is something that's going to be formed in me that could not be formed any other way if I could only get there dear Christian that's what God wants from us and that is to be able to go through the various aspects of life that he might be formed in me