Grace to the Barren
Galatians • Sermon • Submitted
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I love catchphrases…and the world we live in is full of them
“Just do it...”—Nike
“Impossible is Nothing...”—Addidas
“It is what it is...”
“Dont talk about it, be about it...”—Bob Burns, drummer for Lynrad Skynard
And the Bible is full of catchphrases too:
“Fight the Good Fight...”—1 Timothy 6:12
“A wolf in sheeps clothing...” —Matthew 7:15
“Rise and Shine”— Isaiah 60:1
“The powers that be...” —Romans 13:1
But there is one catchphrase that many of us grew up hearing that many of us grew up hearing...
“God Helps Those Who Help Themselves...”
According to Barna research, 81% of Christians believe that this phrase is originated from the Bible.
However, this phrase doesnt come from the Bible at all…
You can find it Greek mythology...
This is actually where the phrase originated from...
You can find it in the Koran...
But you wont find it in the Bible...
And as a matter of fact, as we consider the passage that we find ourselves in this morning…we actually find that this is the question that the Galatian churches were dealing with in the first century…
You see, what this passage does is set up a binary way of looking at Christianity. In verse 22 Paul writes… “Abraham had two sons...” And then he gives us an analogy that tells us that there are two types of Christianity that exist in the world that we live in:
There is a Christianity built on only what God can do—these people are totally dependent upon God, His promises, His power, His strength, His faithfulness...
And there is a Christianity that is built on what God can do…as long as we help him out a little bit...
One is entirely miraculous and spirit driven…
the other claims to trust in the promises of God....but it doesnt really trust God to fulfill His promises.
Instead, these people say with their mouths that they live by faith in God…but with their lives they live as if everything depends on them. Their motto is, “God helps those who help themselves.”
And this is the question that this passage forces us to answer…What are we really banking on to change us? What are we really trusting in to give us peace? Are we relying on God to work? Or are we doing things on our own power…?
And thats a question for you…in your life right now…are you trusting God to work? In your own soul? In your family? In your job? Or are you just relying on your own power?
And I think if we were honest, what we would have to admit is that far too often…we live by the statement, “God helps those who help themselves...” even if we dont say we believe it...
If we were honest…we live a Christianity that is far too often dependent upon our efforts…our work…our power…our strength…
It’s just as true for us today as it was for the Galatian churches that Paul was writing to in the 1st Century...
There is no Christianity so dead as Christianity built on man’s strength, because it is a Christianity without Christ. The Apostle knows this full well. These churches in Galatia had begun with Christ, with the true gospel, but now they are in danger of turning to the law, and without even realizing it, turning away from the promise of God. They are leaving the power behind. So, Paul means to bring these Galatian Christians to a moment of decision...
And this is the purpose that Paul writes the verses that we are about to read...
But before we read them I want to give you the big idea…Here is what we are going to find in this passage...
And so let’s pick up in Galatians 4:21
Tell me, you who want to be under the law, dont you hear the law?
Paul begins this last argument with a hypothetical question. It’s a little bit snarky…he essentially says this… “Hey explain this to me…you who want to live under the law…”
Now…ive tried to make this clear throughot this study through this series…but just in case I havent let me make sure I bring some clarity to what Paul means when he says “under the law.”
When Paul says under the law…who he isnt talking to are people who try to walk in obedience…every believer is called to obey the law...
Jesus is pretty clear on this…he said, “If you love me…obey my commandments.” (John 14:15)
And in Matthew 5 Jesus says...
17 “Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.
And he goes on to say in verse 19...
19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.
So it is clear…obedience to the commands of God is something that God expects from every born again Christian. And Paul himself affirms this teaching in Romans 6 and in Galatians 3...
So when Paul talks about being “Under” the law…he isnt talking about simply a desire to obey...
So if that isnt what Paul means, what does he mean?
To Live Under The Law simply means to believe that God’s acceptance of you is determined by your works and efforts...
To live under the law means to believe that “God only helps those who help themselves...”
To live under the law is to believe that God accepts you if you have faith in Jesus…and were baptized…or you speak in tongues…or you go to sunday school…or if you fast and pray often…or whatever it may be...
To live under the law is to believe that God accepts you based upon anything besides the work of Christ.
And so Paul show us that…if this is what we believe…we havent worked out what the scripture teaches us…we havent looked deeply enough into the law.
Because here is what we find in the law and the Gospel:
God Rejects all forms of Self Effort when it comes to Salvation...
God Rejects all forms of Self Effort when it comes to Salvation...
Put another way…what the scripture teaches us is this…when it comes to God accepting us…he rejects our efforts to earn it...
Look at v. 22
The story of Abraham:
God promises Abraham that he would take care of Him..
1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Then God tells Abraham that His blessing will come through His wife Sarah who is going to have a son…and it would be through this son that all the nations would be blessed...
But you see, there was only one problem with this…Sarah was really really old. (Like imagine your great grandmother…you youre almost there)
And do you remember what Sarah does when God tells them this? SHE LAUGHS…and not a happy laugh...
She thinks it’s impossible…
shes been through menapause…
her child bearing years are long gone…
and even when she was of age, she was completely barren…TOTALLY incapable of having kids...
And so…Sarah and Abraham decide to help God out...
It’s only logical right? I mean I aint having kids afterall...
…maybe what God meant was that we needed to figure something out on our own...
And so Sarah offers Abraham a deal…we read about it in Genesis 16…Sarah offers up her servant Hagar to Abraham to be a surrogate...A decision that was common in this culture...
And Abraham foolishly accepts it...
So Abraham sleeps with Hagar and bears Ishmael...
And then God goes back to Abraham and essentially says to him this… “Hey, i guess you didnt understand the first time…I said SARAH you barren wife would bear you a son...”
And what does Abraham do?
17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”
Then he offers up Ishmael...
18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!”
And God responds in verse 19...
19 God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.
Thats the story…One child was born of natural human effort…one child was born of supernatural divine providence....
So lets pick up on Paul’s statement...
22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. 23 But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. 24 Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.
What did God call Abraham too? He called him to believe the promise…and what was that promise? That God would send a Son who would provide salvation for the whole world...
But Abraham responded with his own effort…He thought he needed to help God out a bit…And thus Ishmael was born...
Abraham offers his efforts to God… Genesis 17:18 “Oh that you Ismael might live before you...”
And God rejects Abraham’s efforts…Ishmael wasnt the promised child…God rejected Abraham’s self effort to provide salvation for himself...
And this is something we need to hear this morning: God refuses to accept our self effort to save ourselves…You cant buy God’s acceptance of you…His grace…or His mercy… God isnt for sale...
He rejects any attempt we offer to buy his love our earn our salvation…
So what does he want?
God Desires total Dependance on His Grace:
God Desires total Dependance on His Grace:
24 Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written, “Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than those of the one who has a husband.” 28 Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” 31 So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.
Here is Paul’s Point...
Issac’s offspring are those who simply trust…place their faith…in the promises of God...
Ishamael’s offspring are those who rely on their effort...
In the world’s economy…the blessed one’s are the one who earn...
In God’s economy…the barren received blessing…the hopeless are helped…the ragamuffins are restored…
In the words of Jesus...
Blessed are the poor in Spirit…for theirs is the Kingdom of God
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted...
Blessed are the meek…for they shall inherit the earth
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful…for they will receive mercy...
Blessed are the poor in hear…for they shall see God...
God’s desire of you was never to make yourself presentable to Him…He receives you based on the merit of His promised Son…not based on your performance…THAT’s GRACE
What God wants from us as a church…is total dependance upon His grace
And so what is the result?
Freedom
Freedom
1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
You are free from condemnation.
You are free from self effort...
You are free from sin...
You are free from shame...
You are free from guilt...
And this was a supernatural work…not self effort…
“For freedom…Christ…has set you free...”
Christ has set you free church…sin has no hold on you…shame has no say over you…death has no grip on you...
Christ has set you free...
And so…to close…we need to realize this...
There are folks in the room this morning and you long to live a life that is pleasing to God. However, have a shadow of guilt and shame that lingers over you because you just don’t feel like you measure up. And first, here’s what I need you to hear this morning. You don’t. You don’t measure up. You are completely barren in and of yourself. And what you need to do this morning is receive this message: God gives grace to the Barren. God helps those who cannot help themselves.
Then there is another group. There are people in the room who are in the complete opposite camp. You feel like your performance is pretty good. You feel like you religious obedience makes you acceptable to God. You wouldn’t say this out loud, but in your heart you feel like you deserve salvation. You don’t feel like you’ve done anything that bad, and the bad things that you have done, you asked forgiveness for it…so you feel like you are pretty good. And what you need to here this morning is that God rejects all human efforts to attain salvation.
So there’s only one right response this morning. It’s to repent of our self-sufficiency, repent of our lack of faith, and to thrust ourselves into the gracious arms of God…the God who only helps those that can’t help themselves.
So if you feel like you are acceptable before God based on your religious resume or your moral performance, or if you feel like God accepts you because of family that you were raised in…or because you’ve gone to church your whole life…or because you were baptized…or because you’ve gone on a mission trip…or because you’ve fed the hungry…or because your feed the hungry…Ive got bad news for you… “God rejects all human efforts to gain salvation.” God will reject your efforts to justify yourself…
But if you feel hopeless and helpless…If you feel like there’s no way God could ever accept you. You haven’t shared the gospel with anyone is forever, you haven’t served the poor, you haven’t lived a life that’s pleasing to God at all. Ive got great news for you… “God helps the barren…God helps those who can’t help themselves.”