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:
• He was born as a free man, born of a free woman
• He was born by promise. Even though Abraham and Sarah were above the years of child birth, when they trusted in the PROMISES of God, he was born.
The point that Paul is trying to make to these Galatians is that:
• Ismael’s birth represents the flesh. It represents folks who say they are trusting in the promises of God but are taking matters into their own hands.
• Isaac’s birth represents the promises of God. It represents folks who are simply trusting in the Lord for the results. God promised Abraham a son, and as he put trust in the promise of God, he saw the promise fulfilled.
In this modern era, we have folks who are still trying to get to Heaven by taking matters into their own hands.
For example, God made them a clear promise in Romans 10: 13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
But they do not feel they can trust in the promises of God’s Word to be justified in the sight of God, they feel they must take matters into their own hands and do certain things themselves to acquire salvation.
They think that what the Lord did on Calvary is not sufficient, but when they take their good works and His works together, that will be sufficient.
Paul wanted to remind them that Abraham had TWO SONS. One that represents the FLESH and one that represents the PROMISES of God. Every one of us here, is of one or the other.
We have looked at TWO BIRTHS, but also we need to look at-
II. TWO COVENANTS
The two mothers represent two different COVENANTS.
Look at verse 23, we read, “But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.”
• Hagar represents the old covenant of the LAW
• Sarah represents the new covenant of GRACE
Let’s look at Hagar-
A. HAGAR WAS A TYPE OF THE OLD COVENANT BETWEEN GOD AND MAN, THE COVENANT OF THE LAW
The Law demands strict obedience or there are consequences.
So if a person wanted to approach God through the law, he had to live to the letter of the law.
Again, Paul is not saying the law is not good, the problem with the LAW IS THAT IT IS PERFECT, but we mortals are not.
The only one who could live to the PERFECT LAW was the SINLESS SON OF GOD.
B. SARAH WAS A TYPE OF THE NEW COVENANT BETWEEN GOD AND MAN, THE COVENANT OF GRACE
While the law condemns us, grace accepts us the way we are and patiently works with us to become everything God wants us to become.
Illus: This is what we parents do. We know what is right and we know what is wrong. Many times our children do not live up to our standards, but we graciously and patiently work with them.
All of us have fallen short of what the law requires. And the letter of the law says we are guilty of sin and doomed to a devil’s hell, but God’s grace accepts us and works with us to become what God would have us to be.
We have looked at TWO BIRTHS and TWO COVENANTS, but we also need to look at-
III. TWO PLACES
A. ISHMAEL WAS BORN IN A PLACE OF BONDAGE
• Look at Verses 24-25, we read, “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.”
Mount Sinai is where Moses received the Mosaic Law. This is why the Word of God says, or “…this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia…”
B. ISAAC WAS BORN IN JERUSALEM - A PLACE OF FREEDOM
Look at verse 26, we read, “But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.”
In the next chapter, Galatians 5, we see it is the will of God that we be born in freedom.
There are a lot of religious groups that keep people in bondage. They tell them:
• If they do not come to church, they can not be saved
• If they do not tithe, they can not be saved
• If they do not bring folks to church, they can not be saved
But a person can do all these things and much more, and still be lost.
Our salvation is based on what the Lord has done, not what we have done. We do the things the Bible teaches, not because we are trying to earn our salvation, but because we are saved by the grace of God.
Conclusion:
Paul’s whole purpose in using this allegory is to show the Galatians that they are justified in the sight of God through the PROMISES, not through taking matters into their own hands like Abraham and Sarah did.
Through the promises of God’s Word, we have been set free from the bondage of the law.
Look at Verses 27-31, we read, “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. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. 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 free woman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.”
I. TWO BIRTHS
II. TWO COVENANTS
III. TWO PLACES
