Christmas 2022, Luke 2: 1-20

Today we celebrate the birthday of Jesus.  Though the exact day of His birth is not known, what is known without any real dispute, is that Jesus was born and lived in Israel around 2000 years ago. That’s an historical fact, attested to as much as any historical fact.  Wikipedia, which has a section on the historical Jesus, says that “Virtually all modern scholars of antiquity agree that Jesus existed historically.” While they may hold to many differences in opinion about the life of Jesus, most historians agree that He was baptized by John the Baptist and that He was crucified.  Even the Quran states that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary and certain aspects of his life and ministry. Non Christian Jewish and Roman historians, who had no interest in perpetuating the message of Christianity, wrote about the life of Jesus.

So there should really be no debate among rational, intelligent people that Jesus was born and lived and died about 2000 years ago in Israel.  What is of great debate though is the question of the nature of Jesus, and the resurrection of Jesus.  What kind of man is this?  Well, what Christianity teaches is that what you believe about Jesus is the basis for your salvation. 

Jesus is recorded as saying in John11:26  "Whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” Notice He does not say “whoever believes that I live…”  Tens of thousands of people were witnesses of Jesus’s life while He was on earth.  But that recognition of His existence did not save them. What saves a man or woman is whether or not you believed in who He was, in who He claimed to be, the Son of God, that what He said was the truth, and that He died for your sins and rose again as your Savior and Lord.

In Luke’s account of the birth of Christ in chapter 2, he begins with the historicity of Jesus.He doesn’t argue for it. He just states verifiable historical details. He mentions that Jesus was born during the reign of Caesar Augustus.  This Cesar was Octavius, who was the nephew and adopted son of Julius Caesar.  I think most historians agree that Julius Caesar was a real person, and without a doubt, there is far more evidence of Jesus being a real person than Julius Caesar, or Socrates, or Plato or practically any ancient historical figure.

He also mentions that there was a census, which was the reason that Joseph and Mary had to travel to Bethlehem.  Justin Martyr, writing in the middle of the second century, said that in his own day (more than a hundred years after the time of Jesus) you could look up the record of the same census Luke mentioned. And another verifiable historical figure is given as a reference, which was the governor of Syria, whose name was Quirinius.

But of course there was no doubt in Luke’s mind about the historicity of Jesus. And as I said, though there have been many nay sayers throughout the ages who wanted to cast doubt on Jesus’s life, that sort of dissent has been largely debunked, and even atheist historians acknowledge the basic facts of Jesus’s life.

Today, millions of people around the world are celebrating the birth of Jesus. To be fair, I think most could care less about the life of Jesus, and just enjoy the holiday aspects of Christmas. But perhaps a lot of them do believe to some degree that Jesus existed. But I wonder how many would accept the remainder of Luke’s message as the truth? 

The familiar aspects of Joseph and Mary traveling to Bethlehem, finding no room at the inn, and Mary having to give birth to her baby in a barn of some sorts, and lay Him in a manger for a bed are not in dispute, for the most part. Most people find some sentimental value in that part of the story.  

The part that is difficult for most people to believe is the part spoken of by the angels.  But you know, even the idea of angels is not a problem for most people to accept.  It seems that all kinds of people believe in angels, even if they don’t believe in the gospel.  But the message of the angels is where they part ways with the gospel.

Notice what the angels say starting in vs 10 "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;  for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” 

First thing to notice in this statement is the phrase “good news” is translated from the Greek word “euangelizō,” which means the gospel.  The angels were proclaiming the gospel, the good news from God.  The gospel is the truth of salvation.

Next notice that they proclaim the gospel which is that unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior.  This title of Savior is one that was attributed by the ancients to gods and deities, princes and kings, and was eventually appropriated by the emperors of Rome. When Octavius became Caesar he had the Senate give him the title Augustus, which meant sacred, exalted one.  He brought peace throughout the Roman Empire, and was in effect a political savior of the world.  However, he was just a man, corrupted by power and pride and influence as many such men are.  But Jesus was given the title of Savior of the world by God.  He would save man from sin and from death and give them peace with God, which was far greater than any Caesar could ever hope or claim to do. 

Jesus came to earth, to be born in a manger, to be the Savior of the world.  As Peter would speak of Him later in Acts 5:31 "He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.”  Mankind was already under the condemnation of death because of their sin, but through the substitutionary death of Jesus on the cross, man’s sins can be forgiven, man can be reconciled to God, and given everlasting life.  That’s what Jesus was born to do - to be the Savior of those who believe in Him.  And He accomplished that salvation through His death and resurrection.

So the angels proclaimed that Jesus is the Savior of the world and secondly that He is the Christ. Two of three aspects of Jesus’ identity that we must believe in order to be saved. Notice the angels say unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord.  What does Christ mean?  Christ is the Greek word for the Hebrew word Messiah.  Messiah means the anointed One of the Lord.  He is the One spoken of in Old Testament prophecies who would come from the line of David, but who is greater than David because He will usher in an everlasting kingdom. 

He is the One spoken of in Isaiah 9:6 which says, “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.  There will be no end to the increase of [His] government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.”

The third aspect of Jesus’ identity that we must believe is that Jesus is Lord. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  Lord is a title denoting a sovereign, a king.  Jesus is King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.  He is for those who believe in Him their Lord, their Master, their King.  He is the Sovereign One to whom we belong, who has the power and authority over our lives. And I suppose that this aspect of belief in Jesus is the most difficult for most people. 

The apostle Paul rightly confers a superlative degree of emphasis on this title, saying in Romans 10:9-10 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus [as] Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;  for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

To confess Jesus as your Lord, as your Master, as your King, is necessary for salvation.  To believe then on Jesus Christ is to believe in who He is, the Savior, the Messiah, the Lord.  And to believe in Him is to receive Him; receive His forgiveness, receive His substitutionary atonement, receive His righteousness, receive Him as your Lord and King. To believe in part of the gospel, the part that emphasizes a baby in a manger, is not enough for salvation.  But if you believe in your heart all that God has said concerning His Son, and accept Him as your Savior and Lord, you shall be saved.

Today is Christmas, and many of us will be hurrying home to open gifts that we have been given by loved ones.  But I hope and pray that somehow in the midst of all this hustle and bustle of a commercialized Christmas, or even in  the sentimentality and nostalgia of a much more reflective Christmas, we do not lose sight of the fact that God has given us the greatest gift of all, that we must believe for ourselves, and by receiving His gift of salvation we will find peace with God, that we might become a part of His eternal kingdom.

Let us then join the confession of the wise men who sought Jesus, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."

Freedom in Christ, Galatians 5:1-12

Paul has reached the last stage of his legal argument for the doctrine of justification by faith.  During his missionary journey’s to the region of Galatia he had preached the gospel, and the Galatians were converted and he had established churches there for them.  But then not too long afterwards certain men from Jerusalem had come to those churches and began to teach these new converts that they were not fully saved until they had become circumcised and adhered to certain ceremonial and legal requirements of Judaism.

So Paul wrote the letter to the Galatians refuting that false teaching and trying to set straight the ensuing confusion about the basis of salvation.  And the gist of his argument is to correlate the false teaching of adding to salvation certain laws with slavery or bondage.  And the truth of the gospel he correlates to being set free from that slavery.  Now Paul takes 4 chapters to teach that, and we have discussed those chapters in detail, and I cannot possibly review all that has been said in our introduction today.  But suffice it to say that Paul says that salvation is equivalent to being set free from slavery.

And to that point, he continues in chapter five vs one by saying, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”  Salvation has always been by faith.  Abraham was saved by faith.  The scriptures say, “Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness.” So from the beginning, the only way to God was by faith.

But God gave the law to His chosen people to be a tutor to teach them about God, to teach them about sin,  to teach them about righteousness, and to teach them about the need for sacrificial atonement.  The law was never given as a means by which to be made right with God.  But the Jews had taken the law and tried to develop a system of law keeping by which they thought that they could be right with God, whereby they deserved special favor with God.

But when Christ came, the way to God was made clear.  It was by faith in Christ as the lamb of God who by His sacrifice takes away the sin of the world as our righteous substitute, through His atonement on our behalf, by which we are made right with God.  And through Christ’s death and resurrection, that which was taught by the law was fulfilled in Christ, so that we are no longer under the condemnation of the law.  Those laws which could only condemn us, were fulfilled for us by Christ, so that we might be made righteous by faith.

So that is how Paul is able to say that Christ has set us free.  He has set us free from the condemnation of sin, the condemnation of the law, and thus, the legal requirement of the law. Salvation then is really a tremendous gift of freedom.  Human slavery represents but a poor illustration of this truth.  But when slavery was abolished in the United States, it was done so by a war, and an emancipation proclamation made by the President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.  He had the power and authority to make that proclamation because of His position as president.  But it took winning the war to make that proclamation a reality.

In a far greater sense, Jesus Christ, as the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, has the power and authority to set men free from slavery to the law and sin.  But it took a spiritual war which He waged in which He shed His blood in death and rose from the grave in victory before He could make that proclamation a reality.  But just as it was in the case of slavery here in America, it was possible for the slaves to be set free, but yet not realize their freedom and remain enslaved. It was possible for slaves to prefer the security of slavery to freedom and remain enslaved. It was possible for slave owners to deceive some slaves and say that freedom could not be given to them and thus keep their slaves enslaved.  And all of that is possible with spiritual slavery as well.  And that is the point of Paul’s letter, to let these Galatians know that they had been set free, and they should not remain or return to slavery.

Now please understand that Christ did not die on the cross so that we might be set free to do anything we want with impunity. Grace is not a license to sin. Rom 6:1-2 says, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?  May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” We are not set free to continue in sin, or to practice sin, but we have been set free from the penalty of sin, and the power of sin over us.  We have been set free from sin so that we might love God and follow Him.  Not by following the letter of the law, but following the Lord from a changed heart that wants to do His will.

It’s also interesting to notice that Paul’s language in this verse is reminiscent of Peter’s statement in Acts 15:10, in which he was addressing the same situation, that of certain Jews requiring Gentiles to become circumcised in order to be saved.  He says in Acts 15:10-11  "Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”  

So this is not just a Pauline doctrine which was at odds with the apostolic doctrine in Jerusalem. But I think Paul deliberately uses those words to remind his readers that the matter had already been settled in Jerusalem when the same false teaching had been encountered in Antioch, and they had brought the discussion to Jerusalem to be settled by the apostles.  Peter calls the law, particularly the laws pertaining to Jewish customs and ceremonies, as a yoke which we were not able to bear. He uses a metaphor to describe the way an ox pulled a heavy load, or carried a heavy load by means of a yoke.  And when the ox is free from the yoke the burden is lifted and he is free from it.  So it was with the law.  It was something they were yoked to that was a burden that they were unable to bear.  Now that they are free from that yoke, why would they want to go back under it?

Not only is it not practical or reasonable to go back under that yoke, but Paul says it has an even greater danger.  Vs 2, “Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you.” This is a shocking statement that reveals the danger of legalism.

This is the danger: it’s either salvation through Christ or works.   It’s either all Christ or no Christ. It’s either by faith alone or no salvation.  Paul isn’t saying that there are two ways to God; one through Christ and one through works, and if you choose works then you have to go all the way with keeping the law.  Not at all.  Because there is no salvation through works, no salvation through the law.  There never was.  All that the law does is condemn you.  Only faith in Christ, and Christ alone, can save.

When Paul says,  “If you receive circumcision” that indicates that those who attempted to be justified before God on the basis of the law were in effect cancelling out the grace that was given through Christ.  And grace is only  one way to be saved according to Eph 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God;  not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  

There is another consequence of putting yourself back under the yoke of the law, and that is if you do that, then Paul says you are obligated to keep all of the law. Vs 3 “And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law.” In other words, you don’t get to pick some to keep and some to discard. If you’re going to  chose the law, then you are under obligation to all the law.  Someone has added up all the laws given to Moses and came up with the total number as 613. And then the Jews even added some more to those. 

There are a lot of various churches out there that prescribe certain things as necessary, certain laws that we are required to keep. For instance the Seventh Day Adventists teach it’s necessary to keep the Sabbath. But these churches invariably choose to keep some laws and not others.  Paul says that if you choose the law then you must keep all the law.  And we know that no one is able to keep all the law perfectly.  There was only one person who kept the law perfectly, and that is Christ.  James says in James 2:10 “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one [point,] he has become guilty of all.”

Then Paul makes this graphic, shocking statement in verse 4: “You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.” That is just a shocking way of saying it, especially in the context of speaking about circumcision. You who are seeking to be justified by keeping the law, you have been severed from Christ. You are cut off from Him.  You’re going to be judged by your works, not justified by Christ’s work.

What Paul is NOT saying is that you will lose your salvation.  But that if you choose works you have fallen from grace.  How are we made right with God? On the basis of grace through faith. Grace means gift.  Salvation is a gift of God.  Jesus was God’s gift to mankind.  And those who by faith believe in Jesus as the Son of God, as their substitute, as their Savior and Lord, are given the righteousness of Jesus Christ.  His righteousness is given to us.  That’s grace. 

What Paul is saying then is if you are standing at the judgment throne of God, and your eternal fate is at stake, you either claim the righteousness of Christ which was given to you, or you claim your works as the basis for your standing. If you choose works, you have fallen from grace, you’re dependent upon your works. And the Bible clearly teaches that no man will be justified by their works. 

Romans tells us in chapter 3: 20 that “by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law [comes] the knowledge of sin.  But now apart from the Law [the] righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,  even [the] righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.”

If you go back to the law to try to be justified, then Christ profits you nothing, you’re a debtor to the whole law, you’re severed from Christ, you’re fallen from grace and  finally in verse 5, you’re excluded from righteousness. The very righteousness you seek you will be excluded from because righteousness comes from the Spirit and not by keeping the law. Vs 5 “For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness.”

Those walking in the Spirit wait for righteousness which comes as a result of their faith. They are converted, they are changed, they are given the Spirit of Christ to lead them in the paths of righteousness.  They are not trying to earn their righteousness by keeping the law. No one becomes a legalist through the leading of the Spirit.

The word “waiting” speaks of an attitude of intense yearning and an eager reliance upon  something. Here it refers to the believer’s intense desire for and eager expectation of a practical righteousness which will be constantly produced in his life by the Holy Spirit as he yields himself to Him.

There is a faith that works.  There is a faith that is justified by their works.  In other words, their faith is proven by their works.  And those works are the works of righteousness which are the result of a Spirit filled life.  Paul says in vs 6, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.”

If you are in Christ, that means if you belong to Christ, you are truly saved by faith in Christ and His righteousness, then neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything.  Paul himself had been circumcised, but he knew that he had been unconverted while circumcised, and he was saved only by faith in Christ. So in justification the works of the law accomplishes nothing.

But being saved, being in Christ does produce works of righteousness.  It produces works born of the Spirit.  The Spirit in us produces both a judicial righteousness and a practical righteousness.  Judicially we are made righteous by being credited with the righteousness of Jesus Christ.  But practically we do works of righteousness.

Ephesians describes this apparent dichotomy this way in Eph 2:8-10. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God;  not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

So our good works do not save us, keeping the law does not save us.  But our faith which does save us produces works of righteousness in us by a new spirit, a new love for the Lord, and a new desire to serve the Lord and please the Lord.

Jesus said “if you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” So as Paul says, faith working through love is the evidence of being in Christ Jesus.  Not keeping ceremonial laws that restrict the flesh, but doing the work of the Spirit who is in us is the evidence of our regeneration.  If you love the Lord, you will want to obey Him.  And the Spirit will lead you into good works, which God has prepared for us beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Finally, let’s briefly consider the last paragraph of this section as a summary of his argument. Vs 7, “You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?  This persuasion [did] not [come] from Him who calls you.  A little leaven leavens the whole lump [of dough.]  I have confidence in you in the Lord that you will adopt no other view; but the one who is disturbing you will bear his judgment, whoever he is. But I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished.  I wish that those who are troubling you would even mutilate themselves.”

This last section really addresses the teachers of this false doctrine.  Paul says they are not spokesmen for Christ. They had put a stumbling block before the Galatian Christians which had hindered them  from obeying the truth. See, the putting away of the law does not negate the necessity to obey. We are to obey the truth.  But a little leaven leavens the whole lump.  What that means is that it doesn’t take much of a false doctrine to distort and corrupt the entire gospel.  It’s so important that we preach the truth of the gospel and nothing but the truth.  That every tenet of the gospel is correct.  Because what seems to be but a small variance on your spiritual compass can actually end up taking you to the entirely wrong destination.

Paul says if he were preaching circumcision, then he would not be enduring persecution.  The stumbling block of the Jews  was the cross.  And there was no need for the cross if justification could come on the basis of keeping the law.  The whole point of Jesus dying on the cross was to say, “You can’t save yourself. I must die in your place or you have absolutely no hope at all.” When we trust in keeping the law, then we believe that we can, at least in part, save ourselves. The legalist’s view takes away the offense of the cross, the need for the cross, and the accomplishment of the cross.

Paul hated false doctrine so much that he spoke in what may be the harshest of terms in his last statement.  He said rather than just be circumcised I wish these false teachers would actually castrate themselves. Paul knew that the worst thing for the church was to have this false doctrine give birth to what amounted to complete apostasy. 

With such a dramatic statement, Paul has made one thing clear: legalism is no little thing in the eyes of God. It takes away our liberty and puts us into bondage. It makes Jesus and His work of no profit to us. It puts us under obligation to the whole law. It violates the work of the Spirit of God. It makes us focus on things that are irrelevant. It keeps us from running the race Jesus set before us. It isn’t from Jesus. A little bit will infect an entire church. Those who promote it will face certain judgment, no matter who they are. Legalism takes away the glory of the cross. In light of how serious all this is, it is no wonder that Paul says he wishes they would even cut themselves off!

But on the other hand, faith produces belonging to the Lord on the basis of the gift of His righteousness.  We have a wonderful inheritance as the children of God, which is given to us a gift of God.  We belong to Him, and He lives in us, so that we might work the works of faith through love. I hope that if you’re here today you are not trusting in any work of your own, no work of the law for your salvation.  But trusting only in the finished work of Jesus Christ on your behalf.  Salvation is a gift of God. Believe in Him and receive His righteousness and His Spirit and everlasting life.

Born free, Galatians 4:21-31

Paul has reached in this passage the final part of his argument for the Galatians to turn away from the legalistic teaching of the Judaisers.  Paul has appealed to them on so many levels, using various scriptures and illustrations to show that our salvation is by grace through faith, not faith plus the law.  Paul had even appealed on the basis of his relationship with the Galatians as the founding father of their churches in order to encourage them to abandon the Judaizers teaching.

But the final argument has the authority of scripture as Paul goes to the very law that they wanted to go to. He uses the account of Abraham’s sons as an illustration of the gospel of grace versus the law.  The apostle concludes his argument by calling the Galatians, who had begun to think that justification must include adherence to the Mosaic law, to look to the Law itself in order to evaluate the wisdom of flirting with legalism.

He says in vs 21, “Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not listen to the law?” Do you understand what the law teaches?  He uses the term nomos, the Greek word translated “law,” to refer not only to the actual commandments of Moses but which also referred to the first five books of the OT traditionally called the Torah (Genesis–Deuteronomy). When the Jews referred to the law, they considered the entire Torah as the law. So Paul is calling those desiring to be justified by the commandments of God to listen to the whole testimony of the five books in which these regulations are found. 

Paul says if you are living under the law then you are living in bondage.  They were acting like the people of Israel, who had cried to God to be set free from bondage to the Egyptians, and God heard them and by a miraculous deliverance set them free.  And yet they had not been many days in the wilderness before they were longing to go back to Egypt for the leeks and the garlic and the cucumbers.

So Paul gives them an illustration from the law about Abraham and his son Ishmael, and his son Isaac. He says in vs 22, “For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman.  But the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise.”

Paul expects his readers to know the law, the whole story of the law of God, which includes the story of Abraham. And I would hope that you are very familiar with the story of how Abraham was given the promise of a son. God came to Abraham in his old age, and God told him that he would have a son. That Abraham would be the father of a great nation, and his descendants would be more than the stars of the sky and that through his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed.  When Abraham told that vision to his wife Sarah, she laughed. The Hebrew word for laugh is Isaac.

But Abraham believed that God would keep His promise. The scripture says that Abraham believed God and He credited to him as righteousness. God justified Abraham because of his faith in the promise of God.  We are saved by the same faith as Abraham. The scripture tells us that the just shall live by faith. The Old Testament saints were saved by faith, just as we are saved by faith. I would remind you, as I have said repeatedly, that faith is believing in the promises of God. We believe in the word of God and that faith is counted to us as righteousness.  

But I would also caution you that faith does not give you license to apply every thing that is written in scripture to you, and then call that faith, and expect that God will fulfill that promise to you. By that I mean that you should not claim the promise that God gave Abraham, that he would have a son in his old age, and claim that promise for yourself.  God did not give you that particular promise that you will be able to father or bear children in your old age.  I think most of you recognize that would be silly, or at least I hope you would.

But I say that because those of the word of faith movement, the name it and claim it crowd, are constantly taking promises that God made to someone specifically in the Old Testament, and applying it to themselves, and then going about claiming this “promise” that they say God has given them in His word. 

I was talking with a friend of mine the other day after a surf session and we were bemoaning the fact that we were getting older.  And in surfing that means slower, and having less endurance, and a lot of other things that keep us from surfing as well as we would like.  And my friend said he didn’t expect to live much past 70, as most of his family had died young. I tried to encourage him by quoting Moses who said the years of a man’s life are 70, but if due to strength, 80.  I said he needed to keep working out and maybe he would get to 80.

But then I said for my part, I’m claiming the promises to Abraham. Abraham got a new lease on life at 99 years old.  He went from his body being as good as dead to not only fathering a child at 100 years old, but when Sarah died, he married another woman and had even more children.  And Abraham lived until 175 years old.  That illustrates that when God gives you a gift, as Romans 11:29 tells us, that the gifts of God are irrevocable. 

It would be nice if I could claim that promise God gave Abraham for myself.  But I cannot.  It was made specifically to Abraham. But I am making such a big point of this because I hear Christians making similar claims all the time.  And then they expect that God has to give it to them because they believe it.  But the problem will be when God doesn’t give it to you and you die at 65 years old then the testimony of your life calls into question God’s faithfulness. So don’t claim promises that are not intended for you.

But God did give the promise to Abraham that he would have a son in his old age.  But the years went by and Sarah and Abraham were getting older and older and that which had seemed impossible now seemed completely unrealistic. And so Sarah and Abraham hatched a plan to help God out. Sarah gave her handmaid Hagar to Abraham to see if Abraham could have a son through her as a surrogate mother for Sarah. And Hagar conceived, and bore a son they called Ishmael.

But Ishmael was not the son of promise.  He was the son of slavery. Vs23,  “But the son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise.” God had not forgotten the promise that He made to Abraham all those years ago.  And so it came to pass when Abraham was 99 years old that Sarah became pregnant, and she had a son, whom they called Isaac.

So Paul speaks of this story from Jewish history and he infers a special meaning to it which he refers to as an allegory. Many commentators and Bible teachers in dealing with this passage spend an inordinate amount of time discussing the fact that this is not really an allegory, and that we should not look for allegories in the Bible because that is a dangerous way of interpreting the scripture.  The point they make is that an allegory is a fictional story designed to teach something.  But the difference in the story of Abraham is that it is a true story.  And so they say that it would be better to look at this story as typology, and not an allegory.

I don’t think that it really makes a big difference what you call it. I suppose that it’s possible for an allegory to be a true story as well as a fictional one. But I would urge you not to lose sight of the point Paul by an undue focus on the semantics of his statement. Paul says in vs 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.  Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.  But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother.”

Mt. Sinai of course was in the wilderness of Egypt where Moses received the law from God. Hagar is associated with slavery, and thus Mt. Sinai, which in turn Paul says corresponded with the present day Jerusalem, because the Jews were still living under the law.  And those under the law Paul says are under their mother Hagar, who is in slavery with her children.  The Jews were in bondage to the law. .

But Paul says the Jerusalem from above is free, and she is our mother. Paul speaks of the heavenly Jerusalem.  Those born of the promise are miraculously born of the Spirit, not of the flesh and so they are free.

The scriptures have much to say about slavery and freedom, or bondage and freedom. Some have taken such scriptures out of context and espoused what is called liberation theology. I’m not going to take the time to go into that, other than to say that it is an erroneous interpretation of scripture that doesn’t seek individual redemption from the gospel, but a gospel of divine racial liberation.

Jesus said, you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. Freedom as the gospel speaks of it is freedom from the captivity to sin.  We were born naturally in bondage to sin. The seed of the original sin is in each of us from birth so that we do that which is contrary to God. 

We used to sing a song in grade school in chorus class, called “Born Free.”  Lions may be born free, but humans are not born free.  We are born in captivity to sin as the product of original sin which was passed on from father to father all the way back to Adam.  That gives rise to another false assumption concerning free will.  That man is able, with equal inclination, to decide whether to do good or evil. He can choose to be sinful or choose to be obedient to God.

But there is a difference between natural ability, what I am equipped by nature to do, and spiritual ability, what I am inclined by God to do.  I don’t have the natural ability to fly, or the natural ability to live under water.  But we do have the natural ability to make choices.  We have a will whereby we choose to do somethings and choose not to do somethings.  What we don’t have is the spiritual ability to do the things of God.  That’s why it is imperative that we are born again of the Spirit.  Only the power of God in us can set us free from the bondage to sin.  You can choose God if you want to.  The problem is before conversion our heart is deceitful and desperately wicked, and is at enmity with God. God has to change our heart in conversion so that we can choose the things of God.  We choose to do what we want to do, and only God can change our desires.

So here were these Galatians who had known the joy of their salvation, of being set free from the captivity to sin, of having the freedom of the Spirit working in them. But then these Judaisers had came with their message that said in order to be right with God you had to live like a Jew, you had to go back under the ceremonial laws like circumcision and dietary restrictions and observing certain days and months and years.  And they had resignedly said, “ok, we’ll obey the law.” But Paul is asking them, “are you crazy? Why would you want to become a child of slavery again when you have been made a child of promise?”

And then he quotes from scripture again, saying in vs 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.”  What he basically is saying through this quote is that we can rejoice in the freedom of being children of the promise because of the supernatural divine intervention in our regeneration. Those born of the Spirit are the children of promise, who are free from slavery to the law. But the ones born of the woman of bondage are more numerous.  Most people in our culture choose to live under bondage to sin, than to be set free from it.  Just like the Israelites that said that they were happier when they lived in Egypt, and wanted to return there.  They preferred bondage to freedom.

You know, this is true not only spiritually but politically. I hesitate to get political from the pulpit, but you have to recognize that our society in America seems to prefer bondage to freedom.  The laws that are being passed by the lawmakers that we have elected are designed to take away our freedoms and enslave us to a government that tells us what we can and cannot do, and is attempting to control even the way we think. It’s pretty amazing.  And yet millions of people are going along with it, and even advocating for slavery over freedom.

Paul says in vs28 “And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise.  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 calls Galatian Gentiles and all believers “brothers,” saying they  are “like Isaac,” and, as such, are “children of promise.” We that believe by faith are all spiritual children of Abraham and Sarah. We have become “children of promise,” descendants of Abraham “like Isaac,” not through natural birth, but spiritual rebirth; not by keeping the law, but by promise; not by works, but by faith. “If you are Christ’s,” Paul wrote back in chapter 3, “then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Gal. 3:29).

That’s  a great promise, but there is a catch. As wonderful as it is to be “like Isaac,” a “child of promise,” there is a downside. If we are “like Isaac,” then we can expect to be treated like Isaac by the unbelieving.  Vs29 “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.“

The apostle Paul doesn’t take the believers’ identification with Isaac where we might have expected him to go. We might have expected him to speak of the blessings of the covenant, or elaborate upon the gifts and privileges of salvation. Instead, he says being “like Isaac” means persecution. The one born “according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit.” The apostle is referring to the “mocking” of Isaac by Ishmael recorded in Genesis 21:9. Ishmael was “born of the flesh,” that is, through human devising, whereas Isaac was “born according to the Spirit.” This mocking by Ishmael of Isaac corresponds to the persecution of believers by those who profess to know God but are ensnared in legalism. Remember, Ishmael was circumcised, a member (by analogy) of the visible church. “So also it is now,” Paul says. This explains why in the early years of the church Judaism persecuted Christianity and why so often the persecution of the church arises from within the church. Christians are often persecuted by their half-brothers — the unbelieving but religious people in the nominal church.  

Consequently, being “like Isaac” means separation. The truth of the gospel must not have fellowship with the false gospel of the legalists.  What should we do about this conflict between law and grace? The apostle Paul cites the precedent of Genesis 21:10 in which Hagar and Ishmael are “cast out” and not given an inheritance with Isaac. His meaning is clear: both legalism and the legalists are to be excluded from the fellowship of the church. 

Vs30 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."  So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman.

The law keeps you in bondage.  We are not of bondage, but children of the free woman.  And our inheritance as children of the promise is in the heavenly Jerusalem. Our citizenship is there. Our eternal home is there.  Paul draws a contrast between Christianity and legalism, between inheriting all and inheriting nothing. While the “Isaacs” of this world may be persecuted, they are promised a glorious inheritance that the “Ishmaels” of this world will never attain by their works. We are made heirs of God through the principle of grace, not by works, because we are the children of God by faith and not by keeping the law.

The Spirit of Adoption, Galatians 4:8-20

In the previous section which we looked at last week, Paul equated the law to a servant, and those who were under the law as held in captivity to it.  Being under the law then was portrayed as being a slave.  And in contrast being set free by the grace of Christ was correlated to being made a son of the Father by adoption.  

And because you have been adopted as sons, he says in vs 6 “Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.”

The result of sonship is that we have the Holy Spirit in our hearts, so that He is the law of God written upon our hearts, and we are not under bondage to the law written on tablets of stone. That’s the big difference between the old covenant and the new covenant by the way.  The difference is in the old covenant, we were told what we could and shouldn’t do, but we had no spiritual strength to keep it.  But in the new covenant, we have been given the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, through whom we are able to obey.

John said in John 1:17 “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.” And of that grace he says in vs 16, “For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.”

When we think of grace, we are often guilty of thinking of it in only  one dimension. But the scripture says He gives us “grace upon grace.” Grace is being given the forgiveness of sins when we haven’t done anything to earn it.  Grace is being given new life by a reborn spirit. Grace is being adopted into the family of God. Grace is being given the Spirit of Christ to dwell within us.  Grace is being given an inheritance in heaven.  Grace upon grace upon grace.

Because we are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, because we are sons, we are no longer a slave, and if a son, then an heir through God.  Vs 8, “However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods.” Before you were saved, you were slaves to those things which are not gods.  They are not  actually gods, but we acted as though they were gods.  We were ruled by sinful passions within us.  We were held in captivity to sin.  We worshipped the things of this world which are not actually gods, but yet we worshiped them as gods. We served the elemental things of this world. 

That’s natural.  When you are unsaved, you are blinded to the truth and so you worship things that are not gods.  As it says in 2Cor. 4:3-4 “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,  in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”  So before we knew God we were blinded to the truth and thus worshipped the elemental things of the world.

Vs 9 “But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again?” Paul says “But you Galatians who have come to know God, and to be known by God, (that’s a reference to their salvation, to being adopted as sons) have turned back to worship elemental things once again, and become slaves all over again.”

Now notice he is not saying they were enslaved to the same elemental things as they were before they were born again, but they were enslaved to things which are just as weak and elemental as those things, but in a different form.  What sort of elemental things is he speaking of then? 

Well, he answers that question in vs10 “You observe days and months and seasons and years.”  What is he referring to? He is referring to the Sabbath, to the festival days, to the various rites and rituals and ceremonies that were prescribed under the Jewish law.  These things had the appearance of religion, but denying the power of religion. 

Paul spoke further about that in Colossians 2:20 saying,  “If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, "Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!”  (which all [refer] [to] things destined to perish with use)--in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?  These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, [but are] of no value against fleshly indulgence.”

In particular, the ceremonial laws of the Jews were what was in question here in Galatia.The Judaisers had come to the Galatians with a different gospel, a gospel of faith plus works, particularly the ceremonial, outward signs of their religion such as circumcision, keeping the Sabbath, observing certain festival days, and possibly dietary laws.

And you know, similar things are proposed by some churches in 21st century Christianity. There are some churches that advocate that you cannot enter heaven unless you have been baptized.  Some say that you must keep the Sabbath.  Some have advocated for the dietary laws of the Jews  to be practiced.  Some have taken up the practice of certain festivals such as the festival of booths.

I don’t have time to address all those practices this morning.  But I will briefly address the idea of keeping the Sabbath.  The Sabbath was observed from sundown Friday evening to sundown Saturday evening. It was basically observed on Saturday.  Those that attempt to make Sunday into the modern Sabbath are misinformed. It has to be the 6th day of the week.  

But after the resurrection of Christ on the first day of the week, the disciples started assembling together on Sunday to commemorate Christs resurrection.  It was called the Lord’s Day. There are multiple references to the church meeting on the first day of the week in the New Testament, but I am not going to take the time to look them all up for you this morning.  But as Peter said, to keep the law of the Sabbath then is to put yourself back under a yoke which neither the apostles nor the fathers were able to bear.  

However, this verse in Galatians 4:10 is a very important verse to support the view that the Sabbath is no longer required to be kept. Another good one is Colossians 2:16, “Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day--  things which are a [mere] shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.”  The short answer is that if someone tells you that you must keep the Sabbath then they are advocating a form of legalism which is exactly what Paul is admonishing the Galatians for here. 

And because of that concern, Paul says in vs11 "I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.” I fear for you because you are going into legalism, which is a form of enslavement. I fear for you because you are trying to be justified by works. I fear for you because you are rejecting the perfect satisfaction of Christ’s sacrifice for trying to achieve salvation by works.

Listen, that’s the tragedy of the Roman Catholic Church. I know some very sincere people in the Catholic Church who believe in God, they believe in Jesus Christ, but they are trying to find favor with God through the rituals and ceremonies and works that are taught by the church.  And I fear for them.  I met a very nice Catholic man the other day and had a long talk with him. He seemed to have a very sincere belief in God but I fear for him that he is laboring in vain, because he is trying to absolve his sin by going to mass, trying to attain righteousness through taking the host, trying to attain heaven by being baptized, and other such works that they prescribe.

Paul fears that he has labored over the Galatians in vain, because they are turning back to such elementary things. One commentator said that it was as if the Galatians had dropped out of Grace University so they could go back to learn the ABC’s in kindergarten.  So he continues in vs 12 “I beg of you, brethren, become as I [am,] for I also [have become] as you [are.] You have done me no wrong.”  

This is an obtuse statement. There are many different attempts at interpreting what Paul means by this statement.  But I think what he is saying is he was not living like a Jew, even though he was a Jew.  He was living as a Gentile, though a converted Gentile.  He was not trying to keep the Jewish ceremonial laws for the purpose of gaining favor with God.

I think we can back up that interpretation by looking at what Paul had to say to the Corinthians in 1Cor. 9:20-23 he says, “To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law;  to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.  I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.”  

Paul’s practice was not Judaism, but the new covenant of grace through faith. And so he could say be like me, not like the Judaisers, for I have become like you Gentiles for the sake of the gospel.  

Then he adds a statement that is even more difficult to understand in that context. He says “you have done me no wrong.” I think it would be better if it was put with the next verse rather than with vs 12. Because I think he’s quantifying what he is about to say next, by saying, “you haven’t hurt my feelings, that’s not why I am saying what I’m about to say. You haven’t hurt me, I’m not rebuking you because I got my feelings hurt by you.”

So what was he about to say that needed to preface with that? Vs 13, “but you know that it was because of a bodily illness that I preached the gospel to you the first time;  and that which was a trial to you in my bodily condition you did not despise or loathe, but you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus [Himself.]  Where then is that sense of blessing you had? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me.  So have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?”

When Paul preached the gospel to them originally, he had a bodily condition that was afflicting him and in some way that had caused him to be in that region while he was recovering or dealing with that condition.  There has been much discussion among Bible scholars over what sort of condition it was. I’m convinced from the context that it was a condition in his eyes that caused him near blindness and perhaps at that time there was some sort of corruption in his eyes that made it difficult for people to look at him.

I think it’s probably the same thing that Paul spoke of when he said God sent him a thorn in the flesh.  2Cor. 12:7-9 “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me--to keep me from exalting myself!  Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me.  And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”

I think this interpretation is further borne out in this passage in Galatians when he says that if possible you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me.  It’s also indicated at the close of this letter when he says, “See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand.” In other words, his vision was so poor that he had to write in large letters to be able to see.  That’s probably the reason he relied upon another person to write his letters for him, but he signed them with his name which was scrawled in big letters.

But that’s all really a side note to the main point he is making, that in their initial reception of the gospel there was a great sense of blessing that they had in their salvation.  They understood their salvation was by grace through faith.  And when they understood the truth, their salvation was a source of joy, of blessing. But with the adding of legalism, the joy or blessing was diminished or had even disappeared. 

Imagine that you have been locked up in prison because of some financial fraud of millions of dollars that you had committed.  But someone had intervened upon the legal system on your behalf and paid your debt and court costs and had been able to secure your freedom.  Upon being set free you are filled with joy, gratefulness for being set free from the condemnation of the law and the penalty you could never pay.  But imagine some time after you were set free, you found out that you were required to repay all that debt to the one who had set you free by becoming their indentured servant.  I suppose it would not take long for that joy to turn to bitterness knowing that you would spend the rest of your life working to repay this person.  That’s what legalism does, it requires you to repay by your enslavement what had been paid on your behalf to set you free.  And the result of that enslavement is to lose your joy and become embittered.

Not only had the Galatians lost their joy or sense of blessing in their salvation, but they guilty of looking at Paul with hostility.  He says, “So have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?”  I can tell you the answer to that.  Yes.  The pastor that tells the wayward Christian the truth becomes his enemy. It’s the shoot the messenger syndrome. That is the cost of being a pastor, you lose friendship with those you serve because you step on someone’s toes.  But I can tell you that the faithful pastor doesn’t step on toes deliberately to offend people, but because he must say what the Bible says and be faithful to God’s word, irregardless of whether or not it’s what people want to hear.

In light of that, Paul tells the Galatians what the Judaisers are actually trying to accomplish by telling them something other than the truth.  Vs.17 “They eagerly seek you, not commendably, but they wish to shut you out so that you will seek them.”  When Paul says they wish to shut you out, he literally means to “lock you up.” For now, the Judaisers are courting the Galatians, but once they have alienated them from the grace of Christ, the legalists will demand that the Galatians serve them. Legalism is almost always associated with some kind of religious bondage.  They seek you, they seek your attention, but not for your advantage, but for your disadvantage.  They seek to take you into bondage with them.

Many cults use a similar technique informally known as “love bombing.” They initially overwhelm a prospective member with attention, support, and affection. Yet it isn’t really a sincere love for the person; it is really just a technique to gain another member.  Remember, the truth will make you free, but the falsehood of the false gospel will enslave you.

Paul continues in vs 18, “But it is good always to be eagerly sought in a commendable manner, and not only when I am present with you.” The Galatian Christians were no doubt impressed by the zeal of the Judaisers. The legalists were so sincere, so passionate about their beliefs. Paul agreed that it is good to be zealous — but only in a good thing. Zeal in the service of a lie is a dangerous thing. I’m often amazed at the zeal that the adherents of the false gospel have, especially when compared to those of the truth.

Paul knew this well, because before he became a Christian, he had plenty of zeal; even to the extent of persecuting the church. Later, Paul looked back at that time of great zeal in the service of a lie and deeply regretted it. But Paul wanted the Galatians to be zealous for what is good when he was absent, not only when he was present among them.

Paul concludes this section by saying he wishes he could be present among them now.  Vs.19 “My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you--  but I could wish to be present with you now and to change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.” Paul wishes he could be present with them and change his tone, for he is perplexed about them.  I would paraphrase that, he is worried about them.  

And why is he worried about them?  Because he feels like he is having to give birth to them again, spiritually speaking. They were born again at the first proclamation of Paul’s gospel, but then they turned back to elementary things, legalism. So he says, I am in birth labor again with you, until Christ is formed in you.

What Paul is not saying is that they have lost their salvation and they need to be born again, again. It’s necessary to have a second birth, but not a third or a fourth birth. I think he is talking about sanctification, being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.  As we mature in our faith, it’s necessary to be conformed, or recreated in the image of Jesus Christ.  And we do that by yielding to the leading of the Spirit of Christ within us. 

As Paul said in vs 6, “Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!”  It’s as if to say, “Father, not my will, but your will be done.”  It’s the power of God in us that conforms us to the image of Jesus Christ.  It’s not being conformed to Judaism or to some collection of ceremonies that brings about our sanctification.  But it’s walking in the power of the Spirit that accomplishes the purposes of God. It’s having the Spirit of Christ formed in you as the ruling, controlling power in your life. To be born again is not living according to some decrees that regulate the flesh, but living according to the guidance of the Spirit of Christ within us. Having a new spirit, a new heart that is yielded to the Spirit of Christ is the key to a victorious, joyful Christian life.

That’s where Paul is going in this letter.  He is developing an argument that says we are to walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh. He says in chapter 5 vs [Gal 5:18 “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.”

Let me conclude by reading this passage from Romans which speaks of this doctrine of living by the Spirit, and I will just read it without exposition as a closing summary of this message this morning.  Rom 8:9-15 “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.  If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.  But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.  So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh--  for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.  For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.  For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!”

I trust that you all have received that adoption as sons by the regeneration of the Spirit of Christ that is in you. You must be born again.  If that is not your experience, then call upon the Lord today for forgiveness of your sins, that you may be born again of the Spirit and receive the Spirit of Christ to dwell in your hearts by faith.