Freedom: An allegory (Law v. Grace)
Freedom: Justification by Faith • Sermon • Submitted
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· 24 viewsLegalism has to go; Let grace lead the way
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Historically Speaking
Historically Speaking
Think back to when your kids were little, did you think “they are a handful?”
As adults they are a heartful so want the best for them you pray for them, you give them some knowledge even as adults and pray they listen and take it for what it is worth, from your heart to theirs. As children they step on your toes but now they are grown they can step on your hearts with some of the decisions they make.
Paul in the story today is historically speaking in an allegorical way but using a true story to do it.
(slide) Allegory (n) - A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one. (i.e. Pilgrims Progress an allegory of the spiritual journey from hell to heaven)
Now let me give some historical background that may help us to get more out of the allegory today.
Paul uses Isaac and Ishmael as well as Sarah and Hagar and these you can find in Gen12-21, but I will briefly give a timeline by years so to set us up for today’s passage.
(slide) Age 75: Abram called by God to go; Abram given promise (Gen12:1-9)- Abram told to leave his home, his father but in turn he is promised many descendants
(slide) Age 85: Waiting on the promise was hard, so turned to the flesh (Gen16:1-3) - Sarah had been waiting 10 years and the promise has not been fulfilled so she takes matters into her own hands; gives Hagar to Abraham to bear child for her.
(slide) Age 86: Hagar gets pregnant; Sarah gets jealous (Gen16:4-16) - Hagar gets pregnant and instead of joy, Sarah gets jealous and throws Hagar out; but hey, the Lord stepped in and brought her back - Ishmael is born (Gen16:4-16)
(slide) Age 99: God reminds Abraham of the promise (Gen17-18) - God speaks to Abraham about the son of promise and that he is coming and to name him Isaac; later God speaks to Sarah too and reaffirms the promise
(slide) Age 100: Son of promise, Isaac is born (Gen21:1-7) - Laughter, the son of promise is born and his named Isaac meaning laughter. Now Ishmael is 14 years old when the son of promise comes so there is now a rival, this will come into play as we look at the allegory in a few minutes
(slide) Age 103: Conflict arises and Hagar and Ishmael told to go (Gen21:8ff) -at 3 years old at the weaning of Isaac there is the whining (or mocking) by Ishmael. This starts the problem at home. The solution, costly to Abraham, the bond slave (Hagar) and the son of flesh (Ishmael) must go. This was not just at Sarah’s wanting, but God’s direction.
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.
There is a story behind the story here (hence the allegory) where we see some family history with it’s up’s and downs it is really a spiritual story that compares the law and Justification by faith (grace). Paul uses the Judiazers own point to make his point as he defends his position.
I. The Allegory: The Set up
I. The Allegory: The Set up
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.
Gal4:21
Paul in getting the attention of the Galatians and any Judiazers there saying, hey you want the law, OK let me show you using the law today and tells us the characters he is going to use.
(slide) Abraham had two wives - one of bondwoman, other freewoman - bondwoman Hagar; freewoman Sarah; God did not intend Abraham to have two wives it was man working outside of God’s will here, but God still used it. - How often do we think we are doing the right thing but get outside of God’s will because of it? (insert personal story)
(slide) Abraham had two sons - One of the flesh, one of the promise - impatience brought Abraham and Sarah to this point, and traded the promise for the flesh thinking it would be the promise. - Do we do this? Do we get impatient with God? Do we take actions before God wants us to act? Abraham and Sarah waited 10 years, isn’t that enough?
II. The Allegory: The Story
II. The Allegory: The Story
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.
Paul back in (vv.22-23) spoke of two sons, we can spiritually speak of these being our two births. The one in the flesh and the one is the Spirit; the later is what made us children of God.
when we look at this passage and match it with the story in Gen21 we can see some good spiritual truths.
(Insert slide with spiritual truths of Gen21 and Gal4)
(slide) Isaac is the illustration of the believer.
(slide)Born of Gods power -when we look at at (v.28 we see born according to the spirit) - God had sealed Sarah’s womb, God opened Sarah’s womb; God did it! God drew you, God saved you through Christ, God’s desire, God’s power gave you birth, just as gave Isaac birth.
(slide) He brought joy - Issac’s name means “laughter” - could you image the joy that Abraham and Sarah felt when the child of promise was born. How about you, when you were born again, sins forgiven, raised up and seated were you joy filled? Did it make you laugh with joy?
(slide) He grew and was weaned - our rebirth is only the starting point, we have to be weaned from the milk and grow to the meat of the Word; we need to mature in Christ.
(slide) He was persecuted - Will come back to this in a minute
2 like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,
18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;
1Pt
See with the weaning, with the maturing it means we put away childish things
11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.
What is God calling you to put away. What things are keeping you from enjoying your walk in freedom? What form of legalism is being allowed in your life? We will touch on this a little more in a few minutes.
Isaac was persecuted by his brother Ishmael (who represents the flesh) just like as a christian today our flesh can cause us problems, Gal5 will deal with these things in more detail so you just need to keep coming back. There were no recorded problems at home with Ishmael until Isaac was born. When the spirit, the new nature comes in there is conflict with the old nature.
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.
The conflicts within Abraham’s home are the same we can have today within ourselves when we do not put out the old ways. When we try to put law and grace together and the flesh and the spirit together, they don’t play well with each other and cannot co-mingle.
The law could not control or change Ishmael, it could not justify Him, and Isaac never needed the law. It has been said.
19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.
“The old nature knows no Law and the new nature needs no Law.”
Paul makes a shift from talking about the old nature and the new nature (flesh v. spirit) and moves to old way (law) vs. new way (grace)
Hagar was not God’s choice for Abraham, she was his 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.
(slide) God had grace when he provided for Adam and Eve in the garden - God always provided for them, even after the fall, just there was work that would have to happen, consequences due to the fall.
(slide) God had grace for Adam and Eve after the fall - An example of God’s grace is He provided them covering instead of lashings after the fall (Gen3:21) - God’s grace made a sacrifice to cover them.
(slide) God gave a promise (grace) of the coming Redeemer (Gen3:15) The gracious promise to believe of the victorious Redeemer that would come!
But wait, that is just in the garden, how about back to Abraham?
(slide) God operated under grace not law with Abraham (430 years before law)
(slide) God established the covenant while Abraham was in deep sleep -Abraham did nothing accept to receive the promise and accept the covenant. God did all the work; To the believer today it is the same we have to receive the promise (the gospel) and accept it for God did all the work by sending Jesus to establish the covenant of grace.
(slide) Hagar represented the law that was added while in bondage (Egypt) - The law was added for a time to lead the people to grace when it finished it’s task it had to be put away.
More about Hagar (not on a slide)
She was a slave, a bondmaid, bondwoman (Gal4:22-23, 30-31) as compared to Sarah who was a freewoman, she had a position of liberty. Eventhough Hagar was a wife she was still in bondage.
Remember why the law was added according to Paul?
Gal3:1
19 Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made.
It served as a mirror so man would know and see his sin.
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 the 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.
Gal
Hagar was never meant to bear a child; this was the doing of Abraham and Sarah outside of God’s will. Because they were unbelieving and impatient.
(slide) Hager = Law could not give life (Gal2:21)
(slide) Law could not give righteousness (Gal2:21)
Law could not give righteousness (Gal2:21)
(slide) Law could not give the gift of the Spirit (Gal3:2)
(slide) Or any spiritual inheritance (Gal3:18)
(slide) Isaac, was the seed, the heir (Gen21:10)
(slide) “No amount of religion, no amount of legislation can give the dead sinner life. Only Christ can do that through the Gospel” - W. Wiersbe
Ishmael was born a slave a wild man, no one could control him
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 (flesh) just like our old nature cannot be controlled by the law I have already said they are contrary to each other (Gal5:17)
So what is the choice, and what is the solution
Chose Hager = law or Sarah = grace
Chose bondage / slave or liberty in Christ
The solution is the law, the bondage, 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.”
20 but I could wish to be present with you now and to change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.
It is impossible for law and grace to live together just as it is flesh and spirit, they are contrary to each other. The Judaizers in Paul’s day and the legalists in our day want to try to reconcile Sarah and Hagar, Isaac and Ishmael , but that is contrary to the Word.
You cannot mix faith and works, God’s free gift of righteousness and man’s attempt to earn righteousness
(slide) Hagar was not married again - Hagar who represented the law, there is no record of any other marriage, Hagar/Law was given to Israel, no other nation, no other people. The promise of grace was given that “all nations would be blessed”
The Judiazers wanted to have Mt Sinai and Mt. Zion wed.
22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels,
The Jerusalem which is above represents the grace of God that came down in Christ Jesus.
26 But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother.
Don’t be married to Hagar/law/legalism - Walk in the liberty in which CHrist Jesus gave you.
1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
Or as Paul finished off this passage
31 So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman.
Reminding the Galatians they are born of the free woman.
As hard as it was for Abraham to put out Hagar and Ishmael; he did it with a broken heart. Think of the cost it was for God when He gave His Son for us! To bear the curse of the law to set us free.
III. Practical Blessings
III. Practical Blessings
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.
I read it again to keep it in context and to draw some points before closing out
As children of God; heirs of the promise, in this allegorical story today Sarah is shown as the mother of grace, is our spiritual mother so to speak and the old nature (Hagar/Ismael)
Our old nature wants to persecute us and bring us into bondage
We can try to change the old nature, but that will fail, we need to be born again of water and spirit
6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
We can try to compromise with our old nature and new nature, but that doesn’t work either. It did not work in Abraham’s household and it won’t work in yours. We know we need to be aware, be alert of the false teachers who are trying to meld grace and _ _ _ _ _ you can fill in the blank.
1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.
We need to know they are out there, they may be blatant or they may be secretive, but if you are ready they will be ineffective in getting you to compromise.
We need to be like the passage today and need to cast those things, and those people out from us. Don’t let legalism take you someplace grace doesn’t want you.
Where Judiazers may have looked good
(slide) Carried credentials
(slide) Had high standards
(slide) Made lots of converts
(slide) Had lots of rules/regulations for everything
Legalism leads to bondage and defeat not liberty and walking in freedom!
(lead to invitation) - ask about is there legalism in your life? Are you walking in freedom?
Be free of the bondage (insert slide)