Galatians 4:17

Tell me, you that desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid and the other by a free woman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh, while he of the free woman was by promise. These things are an allegory, for these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai, which engenders toward bondage, which is Hagar. For this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and answers to Jerusalem, which now is and is in bondage with her children.

But Jerusalem, which is above, is free and 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 has many more children than she which has a husband." Now we, brethren, as Isaac, 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.

Let's pray. Father, as we now look into Your Word, I pray that You would speak to us, Lord, that we would stand fast in the liberty that we have found in You, that You have set us free, and that we would not be entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Lord, teach us by Your Spirit. Give us understanding of this passage, we ask in Jesus' name. And all God's people agreed, saying, Amen.

You can be seated.

As Paul continues to tear apart this false teaching that had come to the church at Galatia, a church that was filled primarily with Christians who had come out of a heathen or pagan background, he addresses those who had not come out of Judaism. There were some in the region who did come out of the synagogue and had formerly been Jews.

For the most part, the fellowship there and the four churches planted in the region of Galatia were not formerly associated with the law. They didn't understand all that the Old Testament had to say. There were Pharisees who had become Christians and came to these pagans, now Christians, telling them that before they could truly be right with God and have a righteous standing before Him, they must be circumcised and keep the law of Moses. Essentially, they were saying that one must become a Jew before they could be truly saved.

This group of false teachers, coming from a Jewish background, likely had a very good understanding of the Old Testament and the law. However, the people in Galatia really didn't know the law; they hadn't read the scriptures. When these teachers arrived, they said, "Let us show you what the scriptures say."

Now, Paul, writing to the church in Galatia, uses the scriptures to speak about Abraham from the Old Testament. If we back up just a few verses to verse 17 of Galatians chapter 4, Paul says, "They, these false teachers, zealously affect you, but not well. They would exclude you so that you might affect them." It is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing and not only when I am present with you. In another translation, verse 17 reads, "Those false teachers who are so anxious to win your favor are not doing it for your good. They are trying to shut you off from me so that you will pay more attention to them."

One of the things these false teachers focused on was their desire to gather a group of followers after them. Paul confronted this same mindset when he wrote to the church at Corinth, telling them that to say, "I am of Paul" or "I am of Apollos" is carnal thinking. Paul's goal and aim as an apostle of Christ was to point people to Jesus so that they would become disciples of Him. Paul never wanted people to say, "Listen, I am Paul's disciple." Instead, he would tell the church to imitate him as he imitates Christ. He would also say to the church at Ephesus, "Be imitators of God as dear children."

In contrast, these false teachers came from a background in Judaism where people followed different earthly rabbis, saying, "I am of Rabbi Gamaliel" or "I am of Rabbi Hillel." They sought to gather a group of followers for themselves and were not focused on what was good for the church in Galatia.

They were focused on themselves and were zealous about this. Paul tells us in verse 18 that it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing. It is not a bad thing to be zealous in following the Lord. In verse 19, he says, "My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, I desire to be present with you now and to change my voice, for I stand in doubt of you."

Paul was like a spiritual father to the churches in Galatia. He expressed his deep concern, saying he was travailing in birth again until Christ be formed in them. It wasn't that Paul wanted them to have his own mindset, doctrine, or teaching; he wanted the way of Christ to be formed in the church. The letter he was writing to them was powerful, and some of the words were very heavy. Some of the things he said could have come across as fairly offensive. He wished he could be with them at that moment so they could understand why he was speaking in such a harsh tone.

It has been estimated that 85% of our communication is nonverbal. We all understand this very well, especially when we send a text message or an email that doesn't quite convey the right tone. Many have experienced the confusion that arises when someone thinks, "Why are you so angry at me?" when, in fact, they are not angry at all. The brevity of a text can make it difficult to express mood and tone. Paul faced a similar challenge 2,000 years ago as he wrote this letter. He recognized that his tone might offend them, and they might think, "Who does this guy think he is?"

However, he had a difficult issue to confront them with. He stated, "I stand in doubt of you." This was a heavy message for the church to receive. It would be akin to receiving a letter from me or one of the other pastors at the church expressing concern and questioning whether you are truly saved, even after being part of the church for a long time.

The false teachers had been using the Old Testament and the Hebrew Scriptures to lead the people into adherence to the law and under circumcision. When Paul initially came to them, he likely did not rely heavily on the Hebrew Scriptures; instead, he focused on the gospel of Jesus Christ. However, in this letter, he references the Old Testament, going back to the story of Abraham, the father of the Jewish people.

He goes back to the book of Genesis. It is important for us today, in the time that we have, to consider the story of Abraham. If you would turn to Genesis chapter 12, I want to share an experience I had while talking with Pastor Brian Broderson a few years ago. He was sharing with me an experience he had at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. He was doing the Saturday night Bible study there and was going through some of Paul's epistles. Brian kept referencing Abraham and talking about him.

One week, he decided to go back to the book of Genesis and talk about Abraham. Afterwards, a man came up to him and said, "I'm so thankful that you did that because I really thought you were talking about Abraham Lincoln. I thought you really liked Abraham Lincoln." Sometimes we take for granted that many people within the church, even though they have been in church for a long time, are not very well acquainted with the Old Testament and who Abraham was.

So, we want to go back and consider, for just a moment, who this man was. Abraham was a descendant of Noah through Noah's son Shem, and you can trace his lineage all the way back to Adam, the first man created in the Garden of Eden. Before God called him and before he began to follow God by faith, Abraham lived among heathens in the area of Ur of the Chaldees, which we would call modern-day Babylon or, even more so, Iraq today.

We do not know for certain if he bowed down to and served false gods, although we see references to that in both the New Testament and the Old. However, we do know that God called him, and he heeded that call. We see that in Genesis chapter 12, beginning in verse 1. It says, "Now the Lord had said to Abraham, 'Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred and from thy father's house unto a land that I will show thee. And I will make thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and I will make thy name great, and you shall be a blessing. I will bless him that blesses you, and I will curse him who curses you. In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.'"

Verse 4 tells us, "So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him." The interesting thing is that we find in verse 4 that Abram was 75 years old when he began to follow the Lord from where he was living in the east to the land of Canaan. In verse 1 of chapter 12, it says, "Now the Lord had said to Abram."

It appears that the call came to Abram many years before he actually heeded it. Some of you here today have had that same experience. You went to a church when you were younger. You heard an evangelistic message. Perhaps you even perceived the Spirit of God calling you to follow Him. But you said, "No, I'm not ready to follow the Lord. I'm not ready to submit to Him and follow Him." Then, many years later, you came to the point where you began to follow Him. Well, Abram was very much the same way.

Now, the Bible calls him Abram here, and we're going to see a change of his name take place in our study today. The name Abram, if you're taking notes, means "father of many." Yet, at 75 years old, his wife, who was 10 years younger than he, was 65 years old. They had no children. God comes and speaks a fairly incredible promise to this man who was childless. He says, "I am going to make you a great nation. I will bless you, and your name is going to be great. You are going to be a blessing. I will bless him who blesses you, and I will curse him who curses you. In you, all the nations or all the families of the earth are going to be blessed."

Abram departed from where he was living and began to follow God based on that promise. Remember, he was 75 years old, had no children, and God said, "I'm going to make you a great nation. Come follow Me." On that promise, through that word, he hears from the Lord and begins to follow the Lord by faith.

A few chapters later, in Genesis chapter 15, we see this promise spoken of a second time. Genesis chapter 15 is roughly 10 years later. Abram, at this time, is at most 85 years old, somewhere between 80 and 85 years old. God comes and speaks to him again. The context of this conversation is rather interesting. You see, Abram had come into the land of Canaan. He had left all of his protection. Many people in that time, about 4,000 years ago, found protection by living in close-knit families or among city walls. But at this point in time, Abram had departed from his family. He was living in a tent. He had many servants with him living in tents as well, but they were basically out in the open.

In Genesis chapter 14, he essentially picked a fight with all his neighbors. So here he is in kind of an awkward situation.

Abram found himself in a precarious position in the land of Canaan, surrounded by a multitude of enemies who were rather angry with him. In this moment of fear, the Lord spoke to him through a vision. In Genesis chapter 15, verse one, it is written, "After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, 'Fear not, Abram. I am your shield and your exceedingly great reward.'" This would be good news for anyone in Abram's position, having picked a fight with all his neighbors and facing threats from every side. God reassured him, saying, "Do not be afraid. I am your shield. I am your protector, and I am your exceedingly great reward."

However, Abram responded to God in verse two, asking, "What will you give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" He continued, "Behold, to me, you have given no seed, and lo, one born in my house is my heir." Abram reminded God that He had called him ten years ago and promised him descendants, a child of his own. Yet here he was, in a difficult position in the land that God had called him to, surrounded by enemies, and without the child that had been promised.

In response, the word of the Lord came to him in verse four, saying, "This shall not be your heir." Abram had expressed his concern about not having a child, mentioning that a servant born in his house would inherit everything he had. God clarified, "No, he shall not be your heir, but he that shall come forth out of your own bowels shall be your heir." God assured Abram that He would give him a child.

Then the Lord brought Abram outside of his tent and said, "Look up now toward heaven and number the stars. Tell the stars if you are able to number them." God continued, "So shall your seed, or so shall your descendants be." This was an awesome promise that God gave him. Despite being fearful and living in a tent in the land of promise, Abram had not yet received the promise of a son that God had spoken to him ten years prior. God took him outside and showed him the stars in the sky, saying that if he could number them, that would be the number of descendants He would give to him.

And notice Abram's response in verse six: "And he believed the Lord, and God counted it to him for righteousness." He believed the promise of God, and God accounted righteousness to Abram. God declared Abram right on that day. Abram was not perfect; he was not holy. He had not completely followed the Lord absolutely faithfully. Yet the Lord said, "You are righteous in my eyes" as He looked at him on that day. Why? Not because of all the good works that he had done, but because he believed the promise of the Lord.

The Lord said unto him, "I am the Lord that brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees to give you this land to inherit it." In Genesis chapter 16, in the very next chapter, Abram likely told his wife, Sarai, about this promise that the Lord was going to give them a child. At this point in time, Sarai was 75 years old. She probably said, "Abram, that sounds really good, but I just don't see how it's possible." It seemed incredible; it seemed impossible, the word that the Lord had spoken to him.

Sarai, his wife, then said, "I have an idea." They became impatient. At Sarai's nudging, Abram took Hagar, one of Sarai's servants, and produced a child by this servant, by this slave of Sarai's. His wife said, "Listen, we have to help God out. This just does not seem possible, this promise that you're speaking to me." So he went in unto Hagar, and there a child was produced, whom they named Ishmael. At 86 years old, Abraham now had a son.

However, this move to help God out was not in accordance with God's promise. It was according to man's ingenuity, according to man's work, according to what man could come up with, and not according to God's power. It was not of faith; it was walking by sight. Therefore, it was not a righteous act before God, and it was not accepted by God. It would be insufficient to bring about God's promise. Remember God's promise to Abraham? "Through your descendants, all the nations of the earth are going to be blessed." But this son of the flesh...

In Galatians, Paul tells us in chapter 4 that this son of the flesh was insufficient to bring about the ultimate promise that God was giving to Abraham. That promise was the Messiah, who would come through Abraham's descendants. When we come to chapter 17, we have now moved 13 years into the future from that point. Abram is now 99 years old, and the Lord speaks to him again, promising him a child and multiplied descendants.

Notice this in Genesis chapter 17, verse 1: "Now when Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, 'I am Almighty God; walk before me and be thou perfect,' or 'be thou upright,' or 'walk in righteousness.'" This is a very interesting thing. Abram is 99 years old at this point. It was many years before that—14 years before—when God declared him righteous because Abram believed God, and it was accounted unto him as righteousness. Now, God says to him, "Walk in righteousness."

You see, he believed God, and God declared him righteous. He was right in God's eyes. But now, because he was righteous, God says, "I want you to walk in righteousness." The same is true for you and for me. God, through Christ Jesus, by grace through faith, has put righteousness upon our account. After that, He says, "I want you to walk uprightly before me. I want you to walk in righteousness before me."

However, it wasn't Abram's righteous walk that made him righteous. It was the righteousness that God had given him by grace through faith that gave him the ability to walk in righteousness. So, God said, "Walk before me and be thou perfect, and I will make my covenant with you, between me and you. I will multiply you exceedingly."

Now, I want you to consider this for a moment. It's been almost 25 years since God told Abram, "I'm going to give you a descendant, a son." He is 99 years old, and his wife is 89 years old. She has been barren her entire life. Yet, God comes once again and says, "Walk before me uprightly, and I'm going to multiply you exceedingly." Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, "As for me, behold, my covenant is with you."

And you shall be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name anymore be called Abram, but thy name shall be called Abraham. For a father of many nations, I have made you. Basically, God said, "Abram, you are now Abraham." Abram means father of many, but Abraham means father of many nations. And so God said, "Father of many, I am making you a father of many nations."

I will make thee exceedingly fruitful. In verse 6, I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and thy seed after thee. I will give unto thee and to thy seed after thee the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.

And God said unto Abraham, "Thou shalt keep my covenant; therefore, thou and thy seed after thee in their generations." This is my covenant which you shall keep between me and you and thy seed after thee: every man child among you shall be circumcised. The sign of the covenant that God would give to Abraham and his descendants was that every male child among them would be circumcised.

Now, I don't think when Abraham heard that he said, "Oh, right on, God," because circumcision would be a very painful thing. But I want you to see the progression here. In Genesis chapter 15, verse 6, Abram believed God, and it was accounted unto him as righteousness. He was roughly 85 years old. Now, 14 or 15 years later, the Lord comes back to him and says, "I'm establishing my covenant with you. I've already declared you righteous. I want you to walk in righteousness, and as a sign of walking in righteousness, I want you to yield your flesh to me."

God says the same thing to us as well. He, in Christ, declares us righteous because of the work that Jesus did on the cross. Then He calls us to walk in righteousness and to dedicate our flesh, our lives, to Him as a living sacrifice. And listen, that's not always enjoyable. How many of you have recognized that dying to yourself is painful at times? And yet, that's what the Lord has called us to. He says, "I've declared you righteous. I'm calling you to walk in righteousness. I'm asking you to lay down your life."

As a living sacrifice, Paul would tell the church at Rome, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, I beg you, brethren, by the mercies of God that you offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to the Lord, which is your reasonable service." God was essentially asking Abram to do the very same thing. He was asking him to offer himself, and yes, it would be a painful thing, but to offer himself to God as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto Him.

God instructed Abram, "You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a token of the covenant between Me and you. He that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man-child of your generations. He that is born in your house or bought with money, or of any stranger which is not of your seed, he that is born in your house and he that is bought with money must needs be circumcised. My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. The uncircumcised man whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant."

God said unto Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall no longer call her name Sarai, but Sarah. I will bless her, and I will give you a son by her. Yes, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her."

Abraham fell on his face and laughed. He said in his heart, "Shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years old? And shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear a child?" Abraham said to God, "Oh, that Ishmael might live before You! Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!"

God responded, "Sarah, your wife, shall bear you a son indeed, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant and with his seed after him."

For Ishmael, I have heard thee. Behold, I will bless him, and I will make him fruitful. I will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee this time next year.

God says to him, "No, Ishmael is insufficient for the promise to come. I'm going to bless him; I'm going to make him a great nation. Twelve nations are going to come from him. He's going to have an earthly inheritance." You know what? You go and find the descendants of those people, and they have most of the oil in the world.

But God says the promise of the Messiah cannot come by the work of the flesh; it can only come by the process and the working of God, by faith, not by sight. God says, "Listen, you know the effort that you've given, the works that you've done. Those are good things, but you know what? They are insufficient. It won't work."

Paul reveals in Galatians chapter 4 that all of this that took place in Genesis and the life of Abraham was given as an example to you and me, as an allegory for us. We would recognize that our works, our ingenuity, our efforts done in our own flesh, by our own strength—even if they are good things—are insufficient to bring about the promise of God. Only faith and the work of God are sufficient.

This church in Galatia was being seduced into thinking that they had to keep doing these things, doing these works, and then that would make them righteous, that would give them a right standing. But he says, "No, Abraham believed God, and it was accounted unto him as righteousness." From the position of being declared righteous, he walked in righteousness and denied himself.

He laid aside the law. Do we say we no longer need it? God forbid! We are still called to live and walk in righteousness, but not to earn an inheritance from God. We do so because of the inheritance that He has given to us. The church there in Galatia was being seduced into going back to a legal relationship with God, making themselves once again slaves instead of...

Sons of God, the question comes to you and me as well: What do you want to be with God? Do you want to relate to Him according to a legal righteousness, where you do certain works and then approach God as a slave? Or do you want to come before Him crying out, "Abba Father," as a son or daughter of God? It's a choice.

There are many, and there still are those who say, "No, I want to live according to this set of works, this framework that I've set up for myself." The promise could not come through Ishmael, through the working and ingenuity of Abraham. The same is true for you and me. The heavenly inheritance will not come by the working of our flesh, even if it involves doing good things or trying to keep the law. It will not come through those things. The promise had to come by faith and God's miraculous working.

That's why Paul tells us in Galatians chapter 4, verse 28, "Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise." We are the children of promise by faith. In chapter 5, verse 1, he says, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with the yoke of bondage."

Stand fast in the fact that Christ has set us free from the law of sin and death. He has called us to be His adopted children so that we can have access to God. We can come before Him crying, "Abba Father." He has called us to live as sons and daughters, to walk uprightly before Him. The awesome thing is that He gives us His Holy Spirit and the power of His Spirit to do so.

However, it is not those works, even if they are good works, that give us a right standing before God. Amen. May we be those who stand fast and stand strong in that liberty in Christ. Let us be those who carry the gospel of Christ to those who are bound in affliction and in iron today—those who are slaves of sin and death. They need to be set free by the power of Christ.

Say to them, "You'll be set free if you keep these ten rules. If you keep these eight rules, man loves that kind of religion." Man is constantly looking for that kind of legal approach to God because it makes us feel really good. I kept all those rules you said. If I just do these things, then I'll be righteous. That was Phariseeism; that's how the Pharisees lived.

Yet, Jesus would tell His disciples in Matthew chapter 5, verse 20, "Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Our righteousness cannot only be an external righteousness. Walking uprightly before God is good, but our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees. It must be a righteousness that is from God and starts at the heart, by grace through faith.

Let's stand and pray. Father, I thank You that You have made the way. You've given us access today. Jesus, You there on the cross 2,000 years ago cried, "It is finished." There remains no more sacrifice for sin. You dealt with it as You who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might receive Your righteousness today.

Lord, we thank You that by grace through faith we can be right with the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Maker of heaven and earth, and that we can come before You crying, "Abba Father."

As we prepare to go away from this place today, would the world around us see the character traits of our Father in an upright life, in a life that exhibits integrity, self-control, honesty, love, faith, and purity? God, would the good works of our lives glorify You, our Father in heaven? We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

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