An Illustration: Hagar and Sarah
0 Amens
Intro: Jadon prayed to trust Jesus to save her this week. Entered by faith, not blood or works.
Big Idea: Live by faith in the promise to receive the inheritance.
Context: In refuting the arguments used to bewitch the Galatians, he returns to attack them on their own turf- the Law.
I. The History: Not all Abraham’s sons were heirs (vv. 21-23).
- Paul shifts back to polemics, or arguing against the errors of the false teachers.
- The Galatians wanted to be under the law- to live as if Jesus hadn’t died & rose again.
- They thought the Law could form Christ in them- but it is powerless to do so.
- They didn’t fully understand the Old Testament. Reminds them Abe had 2 sons!
- Both sons were connected to Abraham via bloodlines & circumcision (Gen 17).
- “Born according to the flesh”- Ishmael was Abe’s attempt to fulfill God’s promise.
- Born of the flesh refers both to normal circumstances & their short-cut to a son.
- “According to the promise”- Isaac was born to fulfill God’s promise, God’s way.
- He was a miracle baby- born to a barren women over 80, as promised by God. Ill. Jadon
- Only Isaac was the heir, though not the firstborn. Ishmael was thrown out of the house.
- God overturned social conventions to show it was by free grace thru the promise.
Transition: Paul reminds them of the unfortunate realities of Abraham’s family.
II. The Allegory: They represent two religions- true & false (vv. 24-27).
- These historical events also represented a profound spiritual truth that Paul uses.
- The 2 women, slave & free, represent two covenants which produce 2 types of people.
- Sinai => Jerusalem => slaves Jews thought they were free, but were really slaves (Jn. 8).
- To live by the law is to think blessing & cursing comes by dis/obedience.
- Our disobedience brought the curse that Jesus bore- and we live by grace thru faith.
- Bloodlines & law can’t save: Jerusalem is the center of legalism, bringing condemnation.
- Jerusalem from above => free sons The NC enjoys blessings by Jesus’ obedience.
- Though barren for so long, the promise will produce many children (Is. 54).
- Inherit the kingdom by trusting in the promise. Faith connects to Cr => connects to Abe.
33They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?" John 8 (NIV) “Jews believed themselves to be safe- eternally, inviolably safe.” John Stott “Ishmael was born according to nature, but Isaac against nature, supernaturally, through an exceptional promise of God.” John Stott
Transition: Abraham’s 2 children represent the covenant of works and the covenant of grace.
III. The Application: Though persecuted, the true church is the true heir (vv. 28-31).
- Ishmael mocked his brother, threatening God’s promise to him. Ill. Jesus
- Free sons suffer under the hand of slaves. Hagar’s children still mock Sarah’s.
- The biggest threat to the gospel is religious people: moralism, legalism, traditionalism.
- The false teachers, persecuted the Galatians and tried to enslave them. Ill. Javert/Eli
- To be enslaved would separate them from Jesus & grace: spiritual suicide.
- The elect persevere in faith: profess faith & live by faith until the end. Ill. Jadon
- “Get rid of … her son”- God’s rejection of Ishmael resulted in “church discipline.”
- Rabbis used this verse to justify the rejection of Gentiles. Paul turns it on its head.
- Like Ishmael, the Jews rested in birthright & circumcision, not in God’s promise.
- Free sons are heirs. The inheritance is only shared by the sons of promise (Rom. 8).
- Born by the power of the Spirit, not just the flesh, they are free sons. Spirit =>forms Cr
- Born again? Believe in God’s promise? You have a hope, a sure hope, as heirs.
- Born of the flesh & depending on your goodness? You have only a vain hope.
17Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8 (NIV) “The persecution of the true church, … , is not always by the world … but by our half-brothers, religious people, the nominal church.” John Stott “The religion of Ishmael is a religion of nature, of what man can do by himself without any special intervention of God. But the religion of Isaac is a religion of grace, of what God has done and does, a religion of divine initiative and divine intervention…” John Stott “No man who has a choice given him will be so mad as to despise freedom, and prefer slavery.” John Calvin “… the article of justification, for only that is able to support us against these infinite slanders and offenses and to comfort us in all our temptations and persecutions.” Martin Luther “If we are children of the promise, and born after the Spirit, we must surely look to be persecuted by our brother who is born after the flesh…” Martin Luther
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