please Listen up

Introduction:

by now in our study i hope you see the way to heaven is not by works or by the law

you and i can’t do enough works or keep the law and become perfectly righteous through that

for a person to live in the presence of god that person has to be perfect in all ways

which if we are honest and use common sense none of us are perfect in anyway let alone all ways right?

so we can’t do enough or live rightly enough to get us right with god and able to spend eternity in heaven, how in the world do we get right with god and how do we know if we are going to heaven?

god has promised to make righteous and let into eternity with him in heaven to all those who believe in the son of god...

and Im not talking about believing a guy named jesus was here on earth and was a good teacher

i am not talking about believing jesus was a prophet and a great fella

I’m talking about real belief in him as the son of god and the savior sent from god to save men from our sins

but here is the cold hard truth most don’t and wont believe in christ as their savior and even among professing christians a lot are using religion as a security measure but don’t really believe

look at the lack of attention and care of the things of god in a lot of christians lives and tell me I’m lying here

even among a lot of pastors you can see they don’t really believe like they should because of the lack of work and attention they put into the things of god

people still think they they did in Galatia that they can earn their “spot” in heaven and favor with god

they think if the good out weighs the bad at the end it will force god to accept them because they are basically good

and if they are basically good how could god ever punish them in hell? how could god possibly do that to them

they put the rules of religion and denominational standards above the gospel and they do the best they can

i got news for you if this is you here you’re lost dying and on your way to hell and you better listen up.... its not about what you do its about what you believe in your heart

and heres one more if you are approaching god through religion or through law you better listen up to what the law is really saying

look at the text here:

I. legalist love the law but look at what its emphasizing

Galatians 4:21–23 KJV 1900

Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

A. legalist don’t really hear the law (21)

these are people who all they have ever known and all they will ever do is approach god through their own works and ability

its the denomination or the type of service thats important....

its the songs sung or the order of worship thats important...

its what they have the ability to do or how good they are that matters...

sadly they don’t see the implications of putting stuff and self above the gospel when it comes to approaching god

and look here most don’t see it and they get critical of others who are trying to walk away from legalism in the church

and they try to be better than when the reality is none of us are better than anyone else… and we shouldn’t be comparing ourselves to others anyways

we should be humbled because we are sinners who have been saved… or be humble because you’re a sinner who is going to hell if you’re not saved...

our honor and our glory are nowhere to be seen in the law and its not the work of salvation either so we need to stop looking for it

B. legalism is seen in the difference in Abraham’s 2 sons (22-23)

keep in mind its not works or anything but the promises of god that important here

paul here uses the illustration of Abraham to prove that point...

Abraham had two sons one promised by god through his wife sarah

but as time went on he got discouraged and they had their slave Hagar bear him a child

so the other (ISHMAEL) came in a way that wasn’t form god but he was still Abrahams son right

so what does that have to do with this:

ISHMAEL was:

born after the order and process of nature; born into slavery being born of a slave; born out of the work effort and will of sarah; born of fleshly impulses and the attraction of Abraham towards Hagar

but ISSAC was:

born as a free man; born by the promises of god alone through the work of god alone (Sarah was past child bearing years)

its a different perspective to old question thats been asked throughout church history about mans ability

ISHMEAL was born of mans ingenuity energy and effort but was still born into slavery

and if you follow history the people of god are still being hurt by the offspring of this work of man (MUSLIN FAITH CAME FROM THE OFFSPRING OF ISHMAEL)

ISAAC was born of god keeping his promise to man through gods power and gods love even when man worked against god

and if you follow history man is still being blessed from the offspring if ISSAAC (CHRIST CAME FROM THIS LINE OF MAN)

its the same in salvation where god made the promise to man

he doesn’t need our ingenuity or our work and all our work will do is get us into trouble and eventually make us fall

its his promise, its his power, its his love, and its his work that save us all for his glory

and legalism does nothing but take away from the glory of god and attempt to add to the glory of man

II. Legalism shows the difference between the two covenants

Galatians 4:24–28 KJV 1900

Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

the word ALLEGORY just means an illustration of truth where somehting can be seen or drawn from an event

and when we look at the two mothers we can clearly see the two convents made between man and god

and when it comes to COVENANT THEOLOGY we have to see it for what it is:

The covenant of LAW and the covenant of GRACE (or promise)

A. Hagar was a type of the old covenant between god and man (THE LAW) (24-25)

her children or what came from her was born into slavery

the law says do this or do that so if a person is to reach god they have to do it through their own goodness

keep in mind under the law we have to keep our our morality and try to earn favor with god

their are rules and we are under bondage to the rules and we are to live this way and try this thing and if we cant do it (which we can’t) then thats too bad because the law is all their is

look here you and i will never be acceptable to god through our self efforts because we are sinners and are efforts are filled with sin...

Hagar (law) represents the very center of religion and law

in verse 25 she is said to represent Mt. Sinai which was the jerusalem of that day or the center of religion

she is a type of where the law was given and she is the picture of works and rules and enslavement

she is a picture of any modern religion, church, people, or system that requires men to work their way into good standing with god

she was born a slave and wold always be a slave and her offering would be slaves and they would never be anything but that and thats whats being pointed out here...

you’re works and your religion will never be enough to earn you favor with god

B. Sarah was a type of the new covenant (GRACE or promise) (26-27)

Sarah (or grace) is seen in jerusalem which is above (heaven)

heaven is promised to those who approach god through faith not the law

grace and promise in the heavenly kingdom are both free

anyone who accepts the promise of god which is free and eternal is seen differently by god

now when it comes to believing its not just lip service its real belief that changes you

it changes everything you are and forces you to look differently at the things of god and see clearly the truth of the word of god

god takes our faith that is put in the promises of god and he counts it as our righteousness through the blood shed on the cross by the sinless god man christ jesus

the point here is awesome: (28)

all those who have accept christ as our savior have been born again through the promise of god

we have received the promise and god takes our faith and counted it as righteousness

our faith is credited, imputed, and counted as righteousness which we lack

this is the promise of grace that god has given man and now we gentiles can inherit the promised land and live eternally with god in heaven

and guess what else: it had nothing to do with you or me and it had everything to do with god keeping his promise to man...

its his glory, his power, his love, his work, and his alone

the praise of being saved is reserved for god and the legalist takes that and tries to praise himself with a portion of the praise that belongs to god

and when we do that we are thinking more highly than we ought to about ourselves and we are forgetting the dependance needed to glorify god in our lives

and hey take it how you want but when you say you have to do this and do that and live like this or be this person or do this thing what you are really saying is i got this figured out and i don’t need god because if people acted like me the world would be better off

i got news for you fella if the more people acted like you they would be miserable just like your miserable and my bible tells me to have joy in my salvation

and i can have joy because my salvation doesn’t depend on me at all

we need less yuck faced christians and more joy filled Christians anyways

and case i haven’t said it yet today salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in christ alone and to the glory of god alone

III. legalism enslaves us (29)

Galatians 4:29 KJV 1900

But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.

A. ISHMAEL ridiculed, mocked, and persecutes ISAAC

Paul here uses this historical fact to show delivers why they are persecuted for following real doctrine (and btw side note just cause someone says the word doctrine doesn’t mean they should be teaching it)

but men try now and then to approach god in the flesh… we act like we have the right to do what we want to approach god when and how we want

people, either consciously or not, try to earn credit with god or try to impress god

we actually think god should praise us and be clapping when we do what we should have been doing anyways

(like those people who make sure you know they raise their kids… you’re supposed to raise your kids don’t expect praise)

i got news for us all we are inadequate and cant make ourself acceptable to god in anyway

we are too sinful, to unrighteous, too unholy, too polluted, too helpless, and too hopeless

and i got more news for you or anyone you know who does this:

god isn’t impressed with the self righteous attitudes of most christians today

they preach and proclaim grace but then put false standards and pretend they are doctrinal positions

they pretend to love but they wanna use people for their own glory

and if you wanna church like that ill send you down the road because here at calvary we preach Biblical truth not mans truth and we practice real grace

VI. legalism should be cast out and have no place with a believer (30-31)

Galatians 4:30–31 KJV 1900

Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

A. cast it out of your life

the law cant exist with the grace of god

the law (son of Hagar) cant be heir with grace (son of Sarah)

it can’t be any clearer than the bible puts it “CAST OUT THE SLAVE AND THE SON OF THE SALVE BECAUSE THEY CANT BE HEIRS WITH THE FREE WOMAN AND HER SON”

god will not and does not accept anyone who comes to him through the law.

what man says when he does that is “god here is my works and what i could do, i know you had a way for me but i wanted to rebel and do it my way because it was better anyways”

Look here you ain’t perfect and we are not as smart as god....

he made a way and that way is a way of faith not works

what we should be saying is this “ you loved me so much you sent your son to earth to live perfect and die a death i deserved and he didn’t and i am unworthy of that but i thank you so much and i surrender all i have and all i am to you and cast myself on you because your mercy is more than my sin”

god has promised if we will leave law behind and leave works behind and follow him in faith he will save us and change us

works and all that come later because he does expect us to work and to tell others about him, but when it comes to getting saved and staying saved its all about him and not about us at all...

legalism and rules and all that has no place in the children of graces life and being born in the freedom of grace we are the children of grace

Conclusion:

god sent his son and showed his love to man and feed us from the bondage of the law...

it doesn’t matter what you have done or what you think about what the truth is always true and truth is god loves you and wants to have a relationship with you

but the only way that can happen is if we approach god through faith today

its not about you or me its all about him and his desire to fellowship with you...