Freedom: Law v. Grace
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History Lesson
History Lesson
Learning from history helps us to learn so not to repeat itself or to replicate it so we can have the results they who came before had. Tonight may we learn from some history, because that is what Paul uses in allegorical form to make his next defense.
Think back to when you children were that, just children, did you ever say “they are a handful?” Then as they grew and as adults there are a heartful. You want the best for them, you pray for them, you give them advise, even if they do not take it. You speak from your heart to theirs. As children they step on your toes but now as adults they can step on your heart with some of the decisions they make. Paul loves the churches of Galatia and he wants the best for them and also to correct the trouble makers that came down from Jerusalem.
So far in the book we have seen:
Paul defends his apostleship, being from God not man (Gal1-2)
Paul defends justification by faith vs. law of Moses (Gal3-4)
He used several different arguments along the say
Personal argument (Gal3:1-5)
Scriptural argument (Gal3:6-25)
Practical argument (Gal3:26-4:7)
Sentimental argument (Gal4:8-20)
Tonight, we will see an allegorical argument (Gal4:21-31)
In our passage tonight Paul will take history, something they all would know and uses it in a story form, an allegorical form and not lose the historical content.
Allegory (noun)- A story, poem or picture that can be interpreted to real a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one (i.e. Pilgrims Progress an allegory of the spiritual journey from hell to heaven).
Paul uses Ancestry and Jewish history to make his point, but maybe I should give some historical and scriptural background to set the stage so we can get more from the allegorical story.
Paul uses Sarah and Hagar; Isaac and Ismael (Gen12:21) but that is way too much to read, so here is a brief timeline:
Age 75: Abram called by God to go; Abram given promise (Gen12:1-9)
Abram told to leave home, his father and go to a promised land, a promise of land, blessings and seed given; would be a father of many nations
Age 85: Waiting on the promise was hard, so turned to the flesh (Gen16:1-3)
Sarah has been waiting, 10 years of waiting, her dead womb is still dead and nothing is happening so she takes matters into her own hands and offers her servant, Hagar to Abram to bear a child for her.
Age 86: Hagar pregnant; Sarah jealous (Gen16:4-16)
Hagar gets pregnant and instead of joy, Sarah gets jealous and throw Hagar out; but the Lord stepped in and brought her back, Ismail is born.
Age 99: God reminds Abraham of the promise (Gen17-18)
God speaks to Abraham again, speaks about the son of promise that is coming and that he is to name him Isaac. The Lord also speaks to Sarah to confirm and reaffirm the promise.
Age 100: Son of promise, Isaac, born (Gen21:1-7)
Isaac (name means laughter) the son of promise is born. Ismael is 14 years old and now there is a rivalry that gets started on Ismael heart.
Age 103: Conflict arises between Sarah and Hagar (Gen21:8ff)
The weaning of Isaac happens and the whining of Ismael increases (or may call it mocking) by Ismael. So, problems started at home. There was a solution, but a costly one, costly to Abraham, the bond-slave (Hagar) and the son of the flesh must go. This was not Sarah’s wanting, but God’s direction, look and see.
9 Now Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking. 10 Therefore she said to Abraham, “Drive out this maid and her son, for the son of this maid shall not be an heir with my son Isaac.”
11 The matter distressed Abraham greatly because of his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the lad and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named.
13 “And of the son of the maid I will make a nation also, because he is your descendant.” 14 So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder, and gave her the boy, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered about in the wilderness of Beersheba.
An allegory, a story behind a story and that is what we have here. We have family history with its up’s and down’s like any family, but then there is a spiritual story that comes in and Paul uses it to compare the law and justification by faith (or grace if you may say). Paul again, uses history, the Judiazers own point, to make his point as he defends the gospel, the argument of justification by faith.
Allegory: The Set Up
Allegory: The Set Up
The set up, the characters that make up the allegory
21 Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman.
23 But the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise.
Paul is getting the attention of the Galatians and any Judiazers.
Who is Paul trying to get the attention of (v.21)?
How does he go about getting their attention (v.22-23)?
Maybe Paul is saying “OK you want to be under the law, OK, let me show you using the law today and a story from history from yesterday.
Our characters
Abraham who had two wives - one a bondwoman the other a freewoman
The bondwoman Hagar; the freewoman Sarah;
God did not intend for Abraham to have two wives it was man working outside of God’s will but God still used it for the good.
Something to consider, ponder: How often do we think we are doing the right thing but get outside of God’s will because of it? (stop; pause for any answer)
Abraham had two sons - one of the flesh, the other born of the promise
Impatience brought the son of the flesh, because Sarah and Abraham traded the promise for the flesh thinking it would fulfill the promise.
Can we do this? Start off right and end up wrong? Do we get impatient with God? Do we take actions before God wants us to act? Come on now, Abraham and Sarah waiting 10 years, wasn’t that enough?
Allegory: The Story
Allegory: The Story
Paul goes on to make his defense, gives historically and allegorically.
24 This is allegorically speaking, for these women are two covenants: one proceeding from Mount Sinai bearing children who are to be slaves; she is Hagar. 25 Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.
26 But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother. 27 For it is written, “Rejoice, barren woman who does not bear; Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor; For more numerous are the children of the desolate Than of the one who has a husband.”
28 And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also.
A simple comparison, allegory
back in (vv.22-23) Paul speaks of two sons, one of the flesh, one of the promise, we have a birth in the flesh and one of the Spirit, one to bring physical life the other to bring eternal life. wen we look at this passage and match it up with Genesis 21, we can see some great spiritual truths.
Isaac the illustration of the believer
Born of God’s power (Gal4:28)
When we look at (v.28) and at the birth of the believer. God sealed Sarah’s womb, then opened Sarah’s womb; God did it. Then God drew you, God saved you through Christ, God’s desire, God’s power gave you birth just as God made Sarah give birth to Isaac.
Brought joy (Lk15:7; Php4:4-8)
Isaac’s name means (Laughter) could you imagine the joy Sarah and Abraham had when the son of promise was born.
What about you, there is joy in heaven when you repent
7 “I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
Then there is your own joy that comes in Him, check out the familiar passage for many about rejoicing in the Lord in Php4:4-8 when you get a chance, it is worth the read.
Grew and was weaned (1Pt2:2; 1Cor13:11)
Our spiritual birth is only the starting point of our spiritual life. We are born “babe’s in Christ” who then learn to be weaned from the milk to the meat of the Word.
2 like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,
Grow from our childlike ways, putting those things away to grow to the fullness of Christ
Something to consider, ponder: what things is God calling you to put away. What things are keeping you from enjoying your freedom in Christ? What form of legalism is keeping you in bondage that you need to let go of?
He was persecuted (Gal5:17; Rom7:14-24; Mt5:10-12)
Isaac was persecuted by his brother Ismael (who represents the flesh in our allegory) just like a Christian today can struggle with our flesh and it can create problems for us. When we get to Galatians 5 we will deal with this in much more detail, but here is a taste of it.
17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.
You can read more about this type of struggle with flesh and with the sin within in Rom7:14-24. But still Jesus spoke that you are blessed if you are persecuted for His name (Mt5:10-12)
Now there is no record of problems at home with Ishmael until Isaac was born. When the spirit, the new nature comes in there is conflict with the old nature as noted there in Gal5:17.
The physical conflict within Abraham’s home are the same with can have today within ourselves when we do not put away the things of the flesh, the old ways. When we try to put law (flesh) and grace (spirit) together, they don’t play well with one another and they cannot co-mingle.
Paul now makes a shift from talking about the old nature (flesh) and the new nature (spirit) to the old way (law) vs. new way (grace).
Hagar was not God’s choice for Abraham, she was the second wife. Sarah was God’s choice. Man took things out of God’s hand and put it in their own hand. God still had grace. Grace is not just a N.T. thing. From the beginning there has been grace.
God’s grace; God’s provision
God had grace when He provided for Adam and Eve in garden
God always provided for them, even after the fall, just there was work that would have to happen as a consequence to the fall.
God had grace for Adam and Eve after the fall (Gen3:21)
An example of God’s grace is he provided covering for them instead of lashings. God’s grace made sacrifice for them to cover.
God gave a promise of grace in the coming Redeemer (Gen3:15)
Oh blessed Redeemer who has been revealed, the victorious Redeemer in which we have our hope..
God operated under grace not law with Abraham (Gal3:17)
17 What I am saying is this: the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise.
The covenant that God made with Abraham came while in a deep sleep. Abraham had ceased doing anything, all work, all effort. All Abraham had to do was accept the the promise and the covenant. God did all the work.
Does that sound familiar to you today? God does the work.
While we were yet sinners Christ died for us (Rom5:8)
God circumcises us (Col2:11)
God forgave our sins and justified us, whereas we have peace with God (Rom5:1)
And he continues to do the work even when we fall short (1Jn1:7; 1Jn2:1-2)
Hagar was a slave, a bondwoman, a bondmaid (Gal4:22-23, 30-31) as compared to Sarah a freewoman. Hagar had a position of liberty as a wife, but was still in bondage. Israel, the Jews had the position of liberty but were still in bondage.
May we remember why the law was added.
The Law was added because of sin, came for a time until the seed would come. The Law came to give knowledge of sin (Rom3:20; Gal3:23-25)
20 because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.
It was a tutor to lead men to Christ
23 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. 24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
Hagar was never meant to bear a child; this was the doing of Abraham and Sarah outside of God’s will. Because they were impatient and unbelieving.
Hagar= flesh, the Law in our allegory set before us tonight
Could not give spiritual life (Gal2:21)
Could not give righteousness (Gal2:21)
Could not give the gift of the Spirit (Gal3:2)
Could not give an spiritual inheritance (Gal3:18)
May we remember that Isaac was the seed of promise (Gen21:10)
Ismael who is also before us tonight was born a slave a wild man, no one could control him (Gen16:12)
12 “He will be a wild donkey of a man, His hand will be against everyone, And everyone’s hand will be against him; And he will live to the east of all his brothers.”
His mother (Hagar = law) could not control him (Ismael = flesh) just like our old nature cannot be controlled by the spirit, for the flesh and the spirit are contrary was previously said (Gal5:17).
There is a simple choice that is hidden in this allegory.
Chose Hagar/Ismael representing law and flesh; or Sarah/Isaac who represents Spirit and grace
Chose bondage outside of Christ or Freedom, liberty inside of Christ
If your choice is the later, the the flesh needs to be put out
30 But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, For the son of the bondwoman shall not be an heir with the son of the free woman.”
It is impossible for law and gave to live together; just as much as it is impossible for the flesh and spirit to, for they are contrary to one another. The Judiazers in Paul’s day are the legalists in our day who want to reconcile Sarah/Hagar and Isaac/Ishmael which is contrary to the Word. We cannot mix faith and works for salvation. Salvation is God’s free gift of righteousness!
The law (represented by Hagar) was given to Israel, no other nation, no other people, the promise, the seed of promise,, the son of promise was given so that “all nations would be blessed.
The Judiazers wanted Mt Sinai and Mt. Zion to be married together (Gal4:26; Heb12:22)
26 But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother.
We, the church are the spiritutal Jerusalem with the new Jerusalem to come, our heavenly one!
22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels,
Oh how we come to Zion when we enter the church, the body. Some sing we marching to Zion, but how about we are marching in Zion right now! Just something to think about!
The application (take away)
The application (take away)
What good is the allegory without an application? Paul uses history to show the application for those in Galatia and for us today.
30 But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, For the son of the bondwoman shall not be an heir with the son of the free woman.” 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman.
As child of God; cast out the bondage, the slavery, the old nature ways.
Our old nature wants to take us back into bondage, to persecute and accuse us.
We cannot change our old nature, but God can when we are born of water and Spirit (Jn3:6)
Know that even outside of our own personal battles there are those on the outside that want to destroy or deceive (2Pt2:1)
Where the Judiazers of the day may have looked good
The carried credentials
Had high moral standards
Made lots of converts
Had lots of rules and regulations for everything
They were a form of legalism that could not save them. Legalism then, and today leads to bondage and defeat and not the liberty in which Christ died to set us free (Gal5:1)
(invitation slide- freedom from bondage)
Do you have a form of bondage in your life? sin, secret sin that you need to be set free from? Do you have a form of legalism within you that is holding you back, be freed from these things tonight, from sin in baptism from legalism through prayer and application.
(Invitation slide 2) song, prayer