Grace From Galatians (11 Of 19)

He takes this knowledge that they had of Abraham and uses it as he makes his third of the five appeals to them.

Paul had no problem regarding the spiritual roots believers have in Abraham, because God's promises were clearly made to him.

But he wanted them to know that having the PROMISED CHILD was based on God’s Promise to Abraham, not Abraham’s obedience to the law.

Some of the Judaizers were teaching that we are justified in the sight of God based on obedience to the law.

Not so, none of us can do enough good to be justified in the sight of God.

Romans 3:10 says, “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.”

That puts all of us in a bad dilemma, because God’s Word makes it clear that God is not going to allow any unholy person into His presence.

Look at Revelation 21:8 “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Every one of us falls into one or many of these categories mentioned, and God’s Word says all of these shall have their part in the “Lake which burneth with fire and brimstone…”

That has to be the worst news that mortal man could ever hear.

SO HOW CAN WE ENTER HIS PRESENCE?

We can NOT get there BY OUR WORKS, so what are we going to do?

We are to put our trust in the SINLESS SON OF GOD.

When He came to the earth, He took our sins and we took His righteousness.

So now we are justified, because when God sees us, He sees us through the redemptive work of Christ.

Let’s look at this third appeal that Paul is making to show these Galatians that they can not make it to Heaven just by obeying the Law.

To teach us this lesson, Paul talks about-

I. TWO BIRTHS

Paul felt that these Galatians that were trusting in the Law to save them, really did not know what they were doing.

In fact, he certainly implied that!

Look at verse 21, we read, “Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, DO YE NOT HEAR THE LAW?”

Paul is saying to those who were trusting the law to save them, “DO YOU REALLY KNOW WHAT THE LAW IS SAYING?”

We all have read something and thought we had a good understanding of what we read, but later discovered we misread it.

Illus: For example, a Christian man was doing some visitation for his church. He was given a visitor’s card and he went to the visitor’s home.

At the bottom were two things for the visitor to check off:

• I would like a visit at this time

• I would not like a visit at this time

He had mis-read the card, and the visitor had check off the second one, “I would NOT like a visit at this time.”

It is so easy for us to read something, and think we are reading it correctly to only discover that we really did not.

This is what Paul was accusing these Galatians of, who were putting their trust in the Law to save them.

The very thing that they are reading and putting their trust in to save them, is condemning them to a Devil’s hell.

Paul takes them one step further and reminds them that if they insist on making all believers come through the family tree of Abraham, then they certainly need to remember that Abraham had two sons!

Look at verses 22-23, we read, “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.”

The reason he chose to use Abraham was because he had two sons:

• Ishmael - represents those who take it upon themselves to do it through the flesh. Remember, Sarah suggested they have a child by her handmaiden Hagar.

• Isaac - represents the promised child. When Abraham did things God’s way, he trusted in the promise God gave him and God gave him Isaac.

The point that Paul is making is that the PROMISED CHILD came as a result of trusting in the PROMISES OF GOD, not the flesh.

Notice the birth of Ishmael that represents the bondage of the Law (flesh). He was born:

• After the process of nature

• Born into slavery, being born of a slave girl

• Born because of the effort of Sarah and Abraham

• Born because of fleshly impulse

As we compare that to the birth of Isaac, we see a contrast, such as: