Today, we are returning to our study titled Law and Grace. We’re in the “Grace” study using the book of Galatians. We took a little break last week for sharing time and communion. Now, we’re back in Galatians. We’re just beyond the halfway point. There are 6 chapters in the book, and we will pick up today in chapter 4. Before we jump in, let’s take a moment and pray.
Lord, I pray that You would show us Your grace today. We all benefit from Your grace continually, to some degree, whether we recognize it or not. I pray now that we would grow in our realization of Your grace. I pray that if there are things in our hearts and minds that are still captive to the elementary principles of this world, that You would show us and transform us. We want to live lives of freedom and grace. Our focus is on You. Teach us we pray, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
I said that we’re going to talk about Galatians 4 today which we will, but I do want to back up a few verses in chapter 3. The beginning of chapter 4 hangs on a thought that was introduced at the end of chapter 3. We’ll understand chapter 4 better if we go back and reread a few verses.
The chapter and verse placement is not entirely arbitrary. I’m glad that we have chapter and verse numbers because it makes things much easier to find and share with others. However, the original writers did not insert chapter and verse numbers. Paul was writing a letter to the Galatian churches. He did not include the chapter and verse numbers.
When you’re reading the Word, it is a good idea to look across the break between chapters and carry the thought across. Sometimes, it helps you pick up things that may pass unobserved if you let the big number at the beginning of a chapter separate a thought in your mind. One of these that made a big impact to me was the transition of Matthew 9 to Matthew 10.
Matthew 10 begins this way:
He [Jesus] called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: Matthew 10:1-2
When I read Matthew 10, I think in my mind, “Jesus called the twelve.” This is true, of course, but it is only a part of the story. Check out the end of Matthew 9:
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9:37-38
Jesus’ calling of the twelve is actually an answer to prayer. Jesus exhorts the disciples to pray, and then he chooses the twelve. I think that’s cool, and I missed it many times because those two verses are separated by a space and big number 10 in my Bible. Maybe that’s not a problem for you, but I just wanted to share it in case it is helpful to someone.
So, Galatians chapter 4 begins with Paul making a clarifying statement: “What I am saying is that …” Before we go into that verse, let’s read from chapter 3 what Paul is going to now clarify for us in chapter 4. Galatians 3:26-29 says this
You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3:26-29
Paul is saying a couple of remarkable things here. We are sons of God, children of God through faith. All who were baptized into Christ have clothed themselves with Christ. Usually, we think about God dwelling in us. “He’s on the inside.” We already talked about Galatians 2. Well in chapter 2 verse 20, it says, “I am crucified with Christ, therefore I no longer live, but Jesus Christ now lives in me.” But, He’s not just on the inside.
When you have faith in Christ, you are new all over. New inside, new outside. Jesus talked about the fact that you don’t put new wine into old wineskins because the old wineskins would burst. Well, if the Spirit is the “new wine” we must be made into new vessels to receive it. Jesus told Nicodemus how we must be born again. We must be made altogether new.
Regarding the outside, Romans 13:14 talks about clothing yourself with Christ and Ephesians 4:24 talks about putting “on the new self to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Colossians 3:10-12 talks about how we “have put on the new self which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its creator.” Not only do we get a new self, the new self is being continually renewed.
I don’t want to go down a rabbit trail here, but I do want to take a minute to talk about baptism. Here in Galatians 3, we see the connection between baptism and the new self. Baptism is an act of obedience which has significant impact in your life. If you have not been baptized or if you were baptized as an infant, I encourage you to consider this verse carefully. All who were baptized have clothed themselves. If you were not baptized or were baptized as an infant, you have not taken that opportunity to publicly clothe yourself with Christ by your own choice. There can be a significant movement forward in your relationship with God when you obey in receiving baptism. If you want to talk more about it later, you can talk to me or Carl or Fred.
Verse 28 says there is no Jew, Greek, slave, free, male, or female, we are all one in Christ. Colossians 3:11 says the same thing taking it one step further saying there is no circumcised or uncircumcised. You and I, Christian, are one. When God looks at us, He sees Jesus. We abide in Jesus inside and out. God looks at us, and He is as pleased with us as if He is looking at His Son because that’s what He sees. We look like Jesus now, inside and out.
Then, verse 29, “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Paul pretty much shoots down the argument of the Judaizers right here. These Judaizers were saying, “Hey, you’re not a Christian if you’re not following the law, too.” Paul says, “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed.” If you are Abraham’s seed, you can’t have more of a share of the promises of God than that. Earlier in Galatians 3:16, we read that Abraham received promises from God, and his seed received the same promises. It says Jesus is that seed and because we are fully in and of Christ, we are part of that seed, too. Faith in Jesus justifies us fully even to being part of Abraham’s offspring. That’s why we sing the song, “Father Abraham.” I am one of them and so are you, so let’s all praise the Lord.
Let’s go now into Galatians chapter 4:
What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. Galatians 4:1-2
That makes sense right? If the heir is 6 years old, he doesn’t get the keys to the Lamborghini. He doesn’t get unlimited access to all the accounts of his Father. He has to go to school. He has to eat his peas. He is subject to the butler and governess and whatever guardian has the temporary authority until the heir has reached the age of accountability.
So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. Galatians 4:3
We were not yet God’s children. When we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world.
We were bounded by the rules and requirements of our parents. We didn’t have freedom to come and go as we pleased. We didn’t have the freedom to make our own decisions. If we decided that we didn’t want to do something that we were told, then there would be consequences. One of the basic principles of the world is “cause and effect.” If you do this, then you will get that. If you disobey, then you will get punished. This kind of thinking continues beyond childhood. It continues in school, in the workplace, and in civil and criminal law, and in every other religion.
I heard Chuck Missler say this, “There are only two kinds of religion. There is the kind of religion that says, ‘Something in my hand I bring.’ And then, there is the religion that says, ‘Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling.’ ” Religions that require you to bring something, they amount to slavery. If you mess up, if you fail to bring the right thing at the right time in the right way, then you’re disqualified. You are perpetually a slave; you can never be a son. Fortunately, there is another way:
But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Galatians 4:4-5
According to God’s plan, neither too early nor too late, He sent his Son. Jesus was born of a woman, the virgin birth. He was born under the law that he might fulfill the law and its requirements. Through faith in Jesus, we are redeemed, rescued from under law that we might receive Sonship.
Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir. Galatians 4:6-7
The full rights of sons are not limited to “business transactions.” We don’t just get a checkbook. It’s a relationship. We are not slaves with a checking account called prayer. We are children who can cry out Abba; we can cry out Daddy. We can come to Him like little children. He will accept us.
We are not illegitimate children. We have been made children of God and heirs also.
Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. Galatians 4:8
I doubt anyone here has an altar in their house to a little “g” god. It is not common in the west, but in other parts of the world it is. Without God though, we are all slaves to something. Paul wrote in Romans 7:25 that in his flesh, he was a slave to sin, but in his mind, he was a slave to the law. Whatever we chase after, we become a slave to. It’s crazy too because we are slaves to many different things. The verse is right, we were slaves to those plural, not that singular.
But now that you know God--or rather are known by God--how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! Galatians 4:9-10
We are children of God. If we fall back into the old ways of thinking, we allow ourselves to become enslaved again. Don’t do it! In the case of the Galatians, they began observing Sabbath’s and special holy days, new moon festival’s and Sabbath years.
Sadly, this puts me in mind of the liturgical calendar of the church. I don’t have anything against Christmas or Easter, but if we allow those days to become something that they aren’t, then we would be better off not celebrating them.
How many people come to church only twice a year? Churches are packed at Christmas and Easter. They often add extra services. Why? Because people think those days are more holy and by observing those days, they have met some minimum standard of Christianity. How is that different from the Galatians? Every day is a chance to spend time with the Father.
I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you. I plead with you, brothers, become like me, for I became like you. You have done me no wrong. Galatians 4:11-12
Paul is worried about the Galatians. Their wrong thinking is so severe, so serious that he begins to think that sharing the gospel with them was a waste. Is it a problem to say, become like me? Should he rather have said, become like Jesus?
I had one of the best compliments I can remember a couple of weeks ago. It was at work. I happened to be looking at one of the parts in a different way than normal. One of our operators who is known as a kind of a cut up, someone too big for their britches, was looking over my shoulder at the same thing. One of the technicians was walking by, and he said, “Travis, do you know what you’re looking at?” You could tell Travis wanted to come up with a quick retort, but instead, he settled for, “No, but I’m looking at what John is looking at.” To that, the technician replied, “Well, at least you’re looking in the right direction.”
It might sound silly to you, but I had to blink back tears. Fortunately, they were behind me. What is my point? I want my life to be an example to others. I want to point them in the right direction. If they step in my footsteps, I want it to lead to Christ, not away from Him. I can think of no greater hope for my life than to encourage others to look to Christ, to have faith in Him. We should all be examples pointing others to Jesus by what we say and by what we do, the choices we make.
As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you. Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself. Galatians 4:13-14
Paul came to the Galatians as a result of an illness. We don’t know the illness, but it must have affected his appearance or his manner of carrying himself. To the Galatians, this unpleasantness of Paul’s condition was no hindrance at all. In fact, they were openly hospitable to Paul.
What has happened to all your joy? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. Galatian 4:15
What is the first thing that happens when you start down a legalistic path? It saps your joy. Suddenly, you move from freedom to bondage. You go from not knowing of a problem to suddenly being surrounded by the chance of error and failure. This kind of living is very selfish and protective. You want to guard your own position and not associate with someone who may not be as good or as holy as you are.
Initially, the Galatians loved Paul even to the point of sacrificing for him.
Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth? Galatians 4:16
Unfortunately, this is the path of many who do not heed the call of Christ. It results in them becoming enemies of the truth. People may say, “Don’t quote Scripture at me!” Or, they may no longer respond to your calls or messages.
Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you [from us], so that you may be zealous for them. It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always and not just when I am with you. Galatians 4:17-18
Those under the law are looking for others who can be pulled into its dominion. They want others to follow after them. A natural response to that is to say, “Don’t be zealous. Be on an even keel. Don’t be swayed.” But that is not what Paul says.
Zeal is good. Those of you who are more sanguine and choleric can wave it in front of those of us who are more phlegmatic and melancholic. The outgoing boisterous ones can say, “God says zeal and enthusiasm are good” to the ones who are more introverted.
Isaiah 42:13 even says of God, “The LORD will march out like a mighty man, like a warrior he will stir up his zeal; with a shout he will raise the battle cry and will triumph over his enemies.” I think that is a cool image. God the Father will stir up his zeal and triumph over his enemies which are also our enemies. It will be terrible to behold.
My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you! Galatians 4:19-20
Okay Moms, now’s your chance. Who of you would like to give birth to the same kid twice? Nobody would, and yet that’s where the Galatians have brought Paul. Something has gone wrong. The Galatians did not take root in the gospel. They have been swayed from belief in grace. They are pursuing life under the law.
This is an interesting phrase “until Christ is formed in you.” This is a necessary part of our salvation. Christ must be formed in us so that we have confidence in our salvation. This formation comes from hearing the truth. It comes from spending time in prayer. It comes from fellowship with other believers. It comes from obeying the commands of Christ.
The Galatians have exasperated Paul. He is shocked. His surprise drives him to think they must not fully understand what living under the law means.
Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? Galatians 4:21
Paul is saying, “Maybe you just don’t get it. Is it that you don’t understand the consequences of what it means to be under the law?” You may have heard this before. The law is like a yardstick. It can tell you how tall you are, but it can’t make you taller.
Have you guys been watching the Olympics? The Americans have been pretty successful in the swimming events. There is a commercial that I have seen multiple times. It shows Ryan Lochte diving in the Atlantic Ocean on the American side and then swimming all the way to London. When I was a kid and we would be at the beach, we would joke around about swimming to England to see the queen. Or if someone went floating off on a raft into water that was deeper than we should have been swimming, we’d yell with compassion in our voice, “Say hello to the queen.” Because that’s where you would invariably end up. All paths from the east coast of the US apparently lead to England.
Arguably, Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps can swim 100 times faster and farther than I can. And yet, if Lochte, Phelps and I all jumped into the ocean at Myrtle Beach with the need to swim to England, it wouldn’t matter who swam the farthest or the fastest because we’d all drown. How far do you think those Olympians could swim? 20 miles, 50 miles. As fast as they look on TV, these Olympic swimmers swim less than 5 miles an hour. How long could they swim without rest or food? Turns out the world record for an ocean distance swim is 122 miles. It’s 4000 miles as the crow flies from Myrtle Beach to London. It just can’t be done. You can’t swim from America to England.
That’s what being under the law is like. Not eating ham can’t make you holy. Skipping sausage can’t strengthen your relationship with God. Cutting off a small sliver of skin isn’t a ticket that can get you in to heaven.
For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a promise. Galatians 4:22-23
If you don’t know it, you can find the stories of Abraham’s two sons in Genesis 16 and Genesis 21. The birth of Ishmael by Hagar was an attempt by Abraham’s wife Sarah to get an heir because she was already 75 years old and unable to have children.
Sarah and Abraham act as “God’s little helpers.” Have you tried to do that? You see something that you’re sure needs to happen, but it isn’t happening on your timing. So, what do you do? Well, I’m just going to help God and speed this up a little bit. Sarah said an amazing thing when she decided to give Hagar to Abraham to try and get a son. She said, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Sarah and Abraham recognized it was the Lord who was in control of her not having children. Why couldn’t he be in control of her having a child according to his promise?
And so, God fulfilled his promise and Sarah did become pregnant and have a child at 90 years old.
These things may be taken figuratively, for the women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. Galatians 4:24-25
There is a lot of imagery thrown out here which would have been meaningful to those who had a Jewish background. First, Paul is saying that this true story can also be taken figuratively, allegorically. Hagar represents Mount Sinai which was the mountain where Moses received the law. Hagar also represents the present city of Jerusalem because this is the center of the law at Paul’s time where the sacrificial system was still operating. Lambs and bulls and goats were still being brought as offerings at that time. These figurative children of Hagar/Mount Sinai/Terrestrial Jerusalem are slaves.
But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. For it is written: “Be glad, O barren woman, who bears no children; break forth and cry aloud, you who have no labor pains; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband.” Galatians 4:26-27
This verse, “for it is written” is Isaiah 54:1. It follows the verses about the suffering servant, all prophecy about Jesus. Isaiah 53:12 says, “Therefore, I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.”
Then, “Be glad …” It is a promise of the promised offspring.
Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. At that time the son born in the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. Galatians 4:28-29
We are Abraham’s seed. We are identified with Jesus inside and out. We are children of God, children of promise. The children under the law persecute the children under grace.
But what does the Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman's son.” Galatians 4:30
The quote here comes from Sarah. This is what she told Abraham when she saw Ishmael mocking. Paul under the influence of the Holy Spirit wrote this verse here as a testimony against the Judaizers, against those who were calling the Galatians back under the law. There is no possibility to be under the law and under grace at the same time. If you come back under the law, then you are under its penalties as well.
We’ve covered a lot of ground today. Just a few truth points in summary:
1. We are children of God through faith.
2. We who were baptized are clothed with Christ.
3. We are all one in Christ Jesus.
4. If we belong to Christ, we are Abraham’s seed and heirs.
5. God sent His Son to redeem us (those under the law).
6. We receive the full rights of sons.
7. God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts who calls out, “Abba, Father.”
8. You are no longer a slave, but a son.
9. Since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.
10. It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always.
11. You are children of promise.
Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 4:31-5:1
I exhort you to stand firm and not be burdened by slavery to the law or slavery to sin. Desire and aspire to live the free life without encumbrance. If you are under a burden, I encourage you to cry out to God. Literally, find a quiet place where you can be alone and cry out. Hebrews 5:7 says that when Jesus was on earth, “he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears … and he was heard because of his reverent submission.” If it’s good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for me.
Let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, we bring our burdens to you as well as our wrong thinking and our legalistic tendencies. Show us what true freedom is. Take away the yoke of slavery and give us instead your yoke which is easy and light. Show us how to submit to you and how to submit to one another. Restore unto us the joy of our salvation. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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