WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.600 As we continue in the letter of Galatians, where Paul has reminded us so many times there's no other gospel, 00:00:07.780 --> 00:00:17.260 there's no other good news other than the good news that we are saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and not by our works. 00:00:17.260 --> 00:00:22.179 And then he comes to this passage here, talking about the family of Abraham. 00:00:22.660 --> 00:00:27.940 And so we're going to think this morning about the gospel family tree for a few minutes. 00:00:27.940 --> 00:00:39.600 Paul has already in chapter 3 used the story of Abraham, the example of Abraham to make the point that it was never God's intention to save people by the law. 00:00:39.760 --> 00:00:45.659 He called Abraham by a promise 430 years before the law. 00:00:45.859 --> 00:00:50.260 And he never changed his intention that we're always saved by promise and not law. 00:00:50.259 --> 00:01:01.780 Paul, in chapter 3, he talks about Abraham demonstrating the fact that it was never God's intention that the law would save us. 00:01:02.339 --> 00:01:05.879 It was always on the basis of grace and promise and covenant. 00:01:06.879 --> 00:01:14.359 And so now he's going to return to the family tree of Abraham to teach some important lessons on the topic of grace and promise. 00:01:14.359 --> 00:01:20.760 So Galatians chapter 4 and at verse 21, let's read and hear God's word together. 00:01:20.760 --> 00:01:27.459 Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? 00:01:28.280 --> 00:01:34.379 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. 00:01:34.879 --> 00:01:42.980 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. 00:01:42.980 --> 00:01:49.120 These things may be taken figuratively, for the women represent two covenants. 00:01:49.800 --> 00:01:54.600 One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves. 00:01:55.300 --> 00:01:56.060 This is Hagar. 00:01:56.480 --> 00:02:06.080 Now, Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem because she is in slavery with her children. 00:02:06.760 --> 00:02:11.259 But the Jerusalem that is above is free and she is our mother. 00:02:11.259 --> 00:02:13.099 For it is written, 00:02:13.099 --> 00:02:17.259 Be glad, O barren woman, who bears no children. 00:02:17.959 --> 00:02:22.959 Break forth and cry aloud, you who have no labour pains, 00:02:23.319 --> 00:02:28.899 because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband. 00:02:29.699 --> 00:02:34.479 Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. 00:02:34.479 --> 00:02:42.139 At that time, the son born in the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. 00:02:43.019 --> 00:02:44.879 It is the same now. 00:02:45.579 --> 00:02:47.439 But what does the scripture say? 00:02:48.319 --> 00:02:51.379 Get rid of the slave woman and her son, 00:02:51.939 --> 00:02:57.719 for the slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman's son. 00:02:57.719 --> 00:03:06.060 Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman. 00:03:06.759 --> 00:03:09.159 This is God's word. 00:03:10.180 --> 00:03:17.659 Now, as we look around us today, we discover that tracing our family history, 00:03:18.479 --> 00:03:22.639 tracing our family trees is becoming a big deal. 00:03:22.699 --> 00:03:24.740 In fact, it's becoming big business. 00:03:24.740 --> 00:03:31.920 There are now a variety of DNA testing companies that you can send a sample away to. 00:03:32.379 --> 00:03:35.640 They can help you trace your origins and roots. 00:03:35.820 --> 00:03:38.740 You can employ a DNA detective. 00:03:39.500 --> 00:03:44.560 If you don't know who your family is, if you want to find distant family members, 00:03:45.260 --> 00:03:49.420 there is the business of archive research, which grows all the time. 00:03:49.419 --> 00:03:55.239 It's made its way into popular culture with TV shows like Who Do You Think You Are? 00:03:55.739 --> 00:04:02.019 Where celebrities are brought in and they meet with experts who can help them trace their stories. 00:04:02.139 --> 00:04:06.759 Sometimes those stories can be really surprising, really shocking to those who are involved. 00:04:07.159 --> 00:04:08.859 But why is this big business to us? 00:04:08.899 --> 00:04:11.799 It's because family matters to us. 00:04:12.599 --> 00:04:14.879 Family connects us to people and to places. 00:04:14.879 --> 00:04:19.060 Family gives us that sense of roots and having a shared identity. 00:04:19.639 --> 00:04:23.100 Family is important for a sense of belonging. 00:04:24.279 --> 00:04:28.459 Now, central to the whole letter of Galatians is a question, 00:04:29.000 --> 00:04:33.879 who are the children of God and how can I become a child of God? 00:04:34.600 --> 00:04:37.240 And in the background, Paul, who's writing the letter, 00:04:37.300 --> 00:04:40.800 is reacting time and again to false teachers who've been saying, 00:04:40.800 --> 00:04:46.139 On the one hand, because we are Jewish people and because we're keeping the law, 00:04:46.500 --> 00:04:47.699 we are God's children. 00:04:48.379 --> 00:04:51.540 Because of our family tree that we can trace back to Abraham, 00:04:52.360 --> 00:04:54.840 we are in God's family. 00:04:55.360 --> 00:04:57.740 And on the other hand, they were saying to people who weren't Jewish, 00:04:58.199 --> 00:05:02.280 well, you're believing in Jesus, yes, but you also need to become Jewish. 00:05:02.420 --> 00:05:05.080 You need to take on Jewish rituals and ceremonies. 00:05:05.079 --> 00:05:11.199 You need to be keeping the Jewish law if you really want to be saved and be a child of God. 00:05:12.879 --> 00:05:15.680 And so Paul is reacting to that and he's going to say, 00:05:16.039 --> 00:05:17.979 that's the wrong way to think about it. 00:05:18.459 --> 00:05:20.219 We're saved by grace. 00:05:20.360 --> 00:05:23.899 We become children of God by God's loving kindness, 00:05:23.899 --> 00:05:26.019 not because of who we are and what we've done. 00:05:26.659 --> 00:05:32.060 And he's going to use Paul, Paul's going to use Abraham's family tree in order to teach that. 00:05:32.060 --> 00:05:34.560 He's going to give us a warning to say, 00:05:34.759 --> 00:05:37.759 don't rely on your family, don't rely on your own moral goodness. 00:05:38.259 --> 00:05:39.399 And he's going to give hope. 00:05:40.040 --> 00:05:42.160 He's going to say, because it comes as a free gift, 00:05:42.519 --> 00:05:46.319 there is good news for anyone who is willing to listen. 00:05:47.720 --> 00:05:51.379 So our big question, how can I be a child of God? 00:05:51.779 --> 00:05:54.699 Now, boys and girls, let me speak to you for a few minutes. 00:05:55.480 --> 00:06:01.199 Sometimes in our families, we are very like our brothers and sisters. 00:06:02.060 --> 00:06:04.199 Sometimes you're twins and then you're really, really like, 00:06:04.600 --> 00:06:07.180 you know, sometimes we have the same interests. 00:06:08.100 --> 00:06:11.019 We like doing the same kind of stuff together. 00:06:11.519 --> 00:06:13.759 Other times we're quite different. 00:06:14.680 --> 00:06:18.759 Sometimes people wonder, are they actually in the same family because they're so different? 00:06:18.759 --> 00:06:26.300 Well, today in our story, Paul is going to tell us about two brothers who are in Abraham's family. 00:06:26.300 --> 00:06:30.920 One's called Ishmael and one's called Isaac. 00:06:31.699 --> 00:06:35.340 And their stories are very, very different as we're going to think of it. 00:06:36.160 --> 00:06:39.460 And Paul says, we can actually think about these two brothers 00:06:39.460 --> 00:06:45.460 and think about them standing for two different ways to try and know God. 00:06:45.580 --> 00:06:48.699 One is the wrong way and one is the right way. 00:06:48.699 --> 00:06:53.599 So he's going to talk about this boy, this man called Ishmael. 00:06:54.000 --> 00:06:57.860 And he's going to say, Ishmael stands for the wrong way to try and know God, 00:06:58.039 --> 00:07:02.539 which is all about us thinking, well, if I try and be really, really good, 00:07:03.079 --> 00:07:04.480 then God will accept me. 00:07:04.639 --> 00:07:05.980 God will welcome me. 00:07:06.560 --> 00:07:08.980 So if I try and be really good in my family, 00:07:09.459 --> 00:07:10.819 if I try and be good at school, 00:07:11.199 --> 00:07:14.199 go to church and read my Bible, keep the rules, 00:07:14.199 --> 00:07:19.620 Paul's saying, actually, that's not how we are saved. 00:07:20.079 --> 00:07:23.519 That's not how we become a child of God. 00:07:24.819 --> 00:07:28.779 Because God's standards are higher than ours. 00:07:29.980 --> 00:07:32.860 So boys and girls, if I was to ask you, 00:07:33.279 --> 00:07:35.219 are you good at jumping? 00:07:36.039 --> 00:07:38.019 Probably quite a few of you, if you're quite sporty, 00:07:38.159 --> 00:07:39.360 say, yeah, I'm pretty good. 00:07:39.740 --> 00:07:41.759 I'm probably better than some people in my class. 00:07:42.319 --> 00:07:43.480 So you'd have your own idea. 00:07:43.480 --> 00:07:45.120 Here's what good at jumping looks like. 00:07:45.180 --> 00:07:46.780 Maybe you could jump as high as this table. 00:07:47.439 --> 00:07:49.060 Maybe you could jump as high as my head. 00:07:49.560 --> 00:07:49.819 Maybe. 00:07:50.439 --> 00:07:54.340 But if I said to you, here's what I think being good at jumping is. 00:07:54.660 --> 00:07:57.259 Can you jump high so you can touch the roof? 00:07:58.720 --> 00:08:00.680 That's a different standard, isn't it? 00:08:01.140 --> 00:08:02.520 That's an impossible standard. 00:08:02.620 --> 00:08:03.720 We could never get there. 00:08:03.800 --> 00:08:06.319 Even with a trampoline, we couldn't get there. 00:08:07.040 --> 00:08:08.620 And what Paul is going to remind us, 00:08:08.640 --> 00:08:10.560 he reminds us in this letter again and again, 00:08:10.560 --> 00:08:14.680 we cannot be good enough for God's perfect standard. 00:08:14.879 --> 00:08:16.959 It's too high for us. 00:08:17.240 --> 00:08:18.819 So there needs to be another way. 00:08:19.420 --> 00:08:21.839 There needs to be another way for us to be children of God. 00:08:22.019 --> 00:08:23.540 So there's a right way. 00:08:24.079 --> 00:08:27.240 And that takes us to the other brother, not Ishmael, but to Isaac. 00:08:27.939 --> 00:08:30.519 Isaac was the son of a promise. 00:08:31.240 --> 00:08:33.039 He came as a gift from God. 00:08:33.039 --> 00:08:38.500 And for anyone to be in the family of God, it comes as a gift of God. 00:08:38.620 --> 00:08:40.339 It comes as a gift of his kindness. 00:08:40.459 --> 00:08:43.599 And what we need to do is not trust in our own goodness. 00:08:44.159 --> 00:08:45.459 It's to trust in Jesus. 00:08:46.199 --> 00:08:49.539 It's to trust that where we couldn't match God's perfect standard, 00:08:50.019 --> 00:08:51.519 Jesus can and Jesus did. 00:08:51.579 --> 00:08:52.639 And he did it for us. 00:08:53.159 --> 00:08:56.620 And then he died to forgive our sin, to wash our sin away, 00:08:56.819 --> 00:08:58.299 to bring us to God. 00:08:58.299 --> 00:09:03.079 So as we listen to the Bible story, sometimes in our head, 00:09:03.159 --> 00:09:05.699 we think, I just need to be a really good boy. 00:09:05.759 --> 00:09:06.919 I need to be a really good girl. 00:09:07.059 --> 00:09:09.799 And Paul is saying, no, you need to trust in Jesus. 00:09:09.919 --> 00:09:12.919 You need to receive the promised grace from God. 00:09:12.979 --> 00:09:14.500 So let's remember that, boys and girls, 00:09:14.579 --> 00:09:18.579 as we work our way through our Bible passage here. 00:09:19.299 --> 00:09:20.740 Two things I want to say. 00:09:21.240 --> 00:09:25.559 The first is it's important to know your family history 00:09:25.559 --> 00:09:27.459 in spiritual terms. 00:09:28.299 --> 00:09:34.659 Now, who is Paul speaking to at this precise moment in his letter? 00:09:34.839 --> 00:09:36.379 Look with me at verse 21. 00:09:37.599 --> 00:09:42.639 He says, tell me, you who want to be under the law. 00:09:42.719 --> 00:09:43.979 So he's writing to a whole church, 00:09:44.219 --> 00:09:46.620 but then he's writing to a group of people within the church, 00:09:46.679 --> 00:09:49.240 this group that want to be under the law. 00:09:49.719 --> 00:09:55.000 In other words, they want to rely on God's law for their acceptance. 00:09:55.000 --> 00:09:59.039 He's writing and speaking to a group of people who are tempted to say, 00:09:59.500 --> 00:10:02.960 I need Jesus and I need the law. 00:10:03.620 --> 00:10:05.940 So they're tempted to that way of thinking. 00:10:06.039 --> 00:10:11.600 Now, he says to them positively in verse 28 that they are brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. 00:10:11.600 --> 00:10:15.600 In verse 31, therefore, brothers and sisters, he'll say, 00:10:15.960 --> 00:10:17.659 you're children of the free women. 00:10:17.659 --> 00:10:19.560 You already have all these wonderful things. 00:10:19.740 --> 00:10:25.100 So he's warning them, don't go back to an old way, to a bad way of thinking. 00:10:25.100 --> 00:10:30.120 And to help them with that, he uses the story of Abraham again. 00:10:30.820 --> 00:10:35.180 So verse 21, are you not aware of what the law says? 00:10:35.800 --> 00:10:38.159 First five books of the Bible, sometimes known as the law. 00:10:38.500 --> 00:10:42.540 Book of Genesis is where we find the story of Abraham. 00:10:43.139 --> 00:10:47.620 And he's going to use that story to show them that being under the law, 00:10:47.879 --> 00:10:49.320 it is to be in slavery. 00:10:49.700 --> 00:10:53.080 And he's going to point them back to God's way of grace. 00:10:53.080 --> 00:11:00.580 So in verses 22 and 23, we get a summary of two branches of Abraham's family tree. 00:11:01.480 --> 00:11:03.400 And boys and girls, you'll find on your worksheet, 00:11:03.560 --> 00:11:08.360 there's these details that you can fill in so that we can help to track with what Paul is saying. 00:11:09.720 --> 00:11:12.139 Let's read verse 22 again. 00:11:12.340 --> 00:11:15.560 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, 00:11:16.020 --> 00:11:20.680 one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. 00:11:20.680 --> 00:11:22.280 So there are two mothers. 00:11:23.080 --> 00:11:25.360 We only get the name of one of them in this passage. 00:11:25.480 --> 00:11:26.480 Her name is Hagar. 00:11:27.280 --> 00:11:29.420 She's the slave woman. 00:11:30.500 --> 00:11:33.780 And then Abraham's wife is Sarah, 00:11:34.259 --> 00:11:37.120 described here as the free woman. 00:11:37.620 --> 00:11:41.360 So this is taking us back to the story that we find beginning in Genesis 12, 00:11:41.420 --> 00:11:43.080 all the way to Genesis 21. 00:11:43.560 --> 00:11:45.940 And in that section, we find time and time again, 00:11:45.940 --> 00:11:50.160 God made promises to Abraham and to Sarah, 00:11:50.160 --> 00:11:54.500 promising that they would have a child, that God would bless them, 00:11:54.780 --> 00:11:57.420 that they would become a great nation, 00:11:57.420 --> 00:12:02.740 and that one of their seed would be the source of blessing for the whole world. 00:12:02.820 --> 00:12:07.600 Those were promises to Abraham and to Sarah in particular. 00:12:07.600 --> 00:12:12.879 But as time passes in the story in Genesis, 00:12:13.480 --> 00:12:16.980 Abraham and Sarah are old and getting older, 00:12:17.440 --> 00:12:20.279 and Sarah can't have children. 00:12:21.000 --> 00:12:24.120 And so we get to this point in Genesis chapter 16, 00:12:24.680 --> 00:12:27.040 where Sarah comes up with a new plan. 00:12:27.899 --> 00:12:28.639 She says to Abraham, 00:12:28.639 --> 00:12:29.779 I can't have children, 00:12:29.779 --> 00:12:32.860 so why don't you take my slave woman, 00:12:33.220 --> 00:12:33.539 Hagar, 00:12:33.899 --> 00:12:36.659 and start a family with her? 00:12:37.600 --> 00:12:40.059 So we end up in Abraham's family tree. 00:12:40.319 --> 00:12:41.379 We have two mothers. 00:12:41.539 --> 00:12:42.759 We have Hagar, the slave woman, 00:12:42.819 --> 00:12:45.039 and we have Sarah, the free woman. 00:12:45.980 --> 00:12:47.980 And then we have two sons. 00:12:49.360 --> 00:12:50.240 Verse 23. 00:12:51.240 --> 00:12:53.080 His son by the slave woman 00:12:53.080 --> 00:12:56.100 was born in the ordinary way, 00:12:56.100 --> 00:12:58.980 but his son by the free woman 00:12:58.980 --> 00:13:02.379 was born as the result of a promise. 00:13:02.920 --> 00:13:04.379 So his son by the slave woman, 00:13:04.460 --> 00:13:05.940 again, is not given a name here, 00:13:06.019 --> 00:13:08.779 but we know in the Bible that this is Ishmael. 00:13:10.040 --> 00:13:12.659 And Paul says he's born in the ordinary way 00:13:12.659 --> 00:13:16.500 because he's the project of Abraham and Sarah and Hagar 00:13:16.500 --> 00:13:18.600 coming together, having this discussion, 00:13:18.960 --> 00:13:20.560 working out how to get a son, 00:13:20.960 --> 00:13:23.399 born in the natural way, 00:13:23.399 --> 00:13:26.360 representing human effort. 00:13:27.139 --> 00:13:29.379 But then there's this other child mentioned, 00:13:30.240 --> 00:13:32.459 the child who's born as the result of the promise, 00:13:33.000 --> 00:13:34.439 and this is Isaac, 00:13:35.039 --> 00:13:37.240 who is the son of Sarah. 00:13:37.699 --> 00:13:40.039 And he's not born in an ordinary way. 00:13:40.340 --> 00:13:42.000 He's born in an extraordinary, 00:13:42.539 --> 00:13:44.240 in a supernatural way, 00:13:44.779 --> 00:13:46.399 because his birth comes 00:13:46.399 --> 00:13:49.179 as a result of God's kindness, 00:13:49.899 --> 00:13:52.319 as a result of God's faithfulness 00:13:52.320 --> 00:13:53.820 to that promise that he'd made 00:13:53.820 --> 00:13:56.660 as a result of God's gracious provision 00:13:56.660 --> 00:13:59.640 to Abraham and to Sarah. 00:14:00.280 --> 00:14:02.640 So Isaac comes as a gift of grace 00:14:02.640 --> 00:14:04.740 in response to that promise 00:14:04.740 --> 00:14:06.200 that they'd received. 00:14:07.480 --> 00:14:08.860 So here is Paul, 00:14:08.920 --> 00:14:11.100 and he's tracing out these two different branches 00:14:11.100 --> 00:14:12.360 of Abraham's family tree, 00:14:12.420 --> 00:14:13.340 but why is he doing it? 00:14:13.340 --> 00:14:15.379 What point is he making here? 00:14:16.420 --> 00:14:17.860 Well, he's trying to remind 00:14:17.860 --> 00:14:20.240 these Christians who are tempted 00:14:20.240 --> 00:14:21.379 to go back under the law 00:14:21.379 --> 00:14:22.259 and to become Jewish. 00:14:22.580 --> 00:14:24.120 He's saying being a child of God 00:14:24.120 --> 00:14:26.539 is not about physical DNA. 00:14:27.080 --> 00:14:28.779 It's not about our biology. 00:14:29.220 --> 00:14:30.639 It's not about the family 00:14:30.639 --> 00:14:32.279 that we belong to. 00:14:32.799 --> 00:14:35.580 And nor is it about human effort. 00:14:36.320 --> 00:14:37.759 It's not about human effort 00:14:37.759 --> 00:14:38.720 at law keeping. 00:14:39.460 --> 00:14:41.639 Rather, enjoying God's freedom 00:14:41.639 --> 00:14:44.899 is a gift to receive by faith. 00:14:45.680 --> 00:14:47.039 It's the message he's been bringing 00:14:47.039 --> 00:14:48.519 to us again and again 00:14:48.519 --> 00:14:50.679 in the book of Galatians. 00:14:51.539 --> 00:14:53.659 Now, why is he making the point? 00:14:54.699 --> 00:14:56.279 He's making the point, remember, 00:14:56.639 --> 00:14:59.059 these are people who are free in Christ, 00:14:59.139 --> 00:15:00.379 but they're tempted to go back 00:15:00.379 --> 00:15:01.379 towards slavery. 00:15:01.980 --> 00:15:03.259 He's making the point 00:15:03.259 --> 00:15:04.740 to say to them 00:15:04.740 --> 00:15:06.519 that by trusting in Jesus, 00:15:06.519 --> 00:15:08.019 they're already adopted 00:15:08.019 --> 00:15:09.120 as children of God. 00:15:09.419 --> 00:15:10.019 He's saying to them, 00:15:10.259 --> 00:15:10.799 don't forget, 00:15:10.919 --> 00:15:12.120 that's already yours. 00:15:12.240 --> 00:15:13.259 That's your status. 00:15:14.799 --> 00:15:15.759 Let's remind ourselves 00:15:15.759 --> 00:15:18.779 of Galatians 4, verses 4 and 5. 00:15:19.919 --> 00:15:20.379 He says, 00:15:20.439 --> 00:15:21.700 when the time had fully come, 00:15:22.379 --> 00:15:23.899 God sent his son Jesus, 00:15:24.419 --> 00:15:25.240 born of a woman, 00:15:25.639 --> 00:15:26.639 born under law, 00:15:26.759 --> 00:15:28.500 to redeem those under law 00:15:28.500 --> 00:15:30.240 that we might receive 00:15:30.240 --> 00:15:32.179 the full rights of sons. 00:15:33.759 --> 00:15:34.399 Verse 7, 00:15:34.480 --> 00:15:35.819 you're no longer a slave, 00:15:36.220 --> 00:15:36.779 but a son. 00:15:36.840 --> 00:15:37.639 And since you're a son, 00:15:37.740 --> 00:15:40.120 God has also made you an heir. 00:15:40.220 --> 00:15:41.559 You don't need anything else 00:15:41.559 --> 00:15:43.059 if you're trusting in 00:15:43.059 --> 00:15:44.700 the Lord Jesus Christ 00:15:44.700 --> 00:15:45.580 for your salvation 00:15:45.580 --> 00:15:46.480 and your acceptance 00:15:46.480 --> 00:15:47.920 from God. 00:15:48.980 --> 00:15:50.060 But this passage 00:15:50.060 --> 00:15:51.780 stands as a reminder to us 00:15:51.780 --> 00:15:53.740 that even as Christians, 00:15:54.440 --> 00:15:56.140 we stand in danger 00:15:56.140 --> 00:15:58.280 of what we might call 00:15:58.280 --> 00:15:59.379 legalism, 00:16:00.300 --> 00:16:01.920 relying on the law 00:16:01.920 --> 00:16:03.759 in order to be accepted 00:16:03.759 --> 00:16:04.520 by God. 00:16:04.519 --> 00:16:06.899 If I do this thing, 00:16:07.439 --> 00:16:09.120 and if I don't do that thing, 00:16:09.460 --> 00:16:12.039 then God will love me more. 00:16:12.139 --> 00:16:14.539 He will value me more highly. 00:16:15.539 --> 00:16:18.720 Or if I keep this list of things 00:16:18.720 --> 00:16:20.139 that I must do, 00:16:20.480 --> 00:16:23.600 then God will surely accept me. 00:16:24.879 --> 00:16:26.000 And on the other hand, 00:16:26.419 --> 00:16:27.579 if I do badly, 00:16:27.679 --> 00:16:28.460 if I fail, 00:16:28.559 --> 00:16:30.519 then perhaps God will love me less. 00:16:30.639 --> 00:16:31.960 Perhaps God will want nothing 00:16:31.960 --> 00:16:33.440 to do with me. 00:16:33.639 --> 00:16:35.900 And we become very insecure 00:16:35.900 --> 00:16:39.240 or very proud and judgmental 00:16:39.240 --> 00:16:40.940 or despairing 00:16:40.940 --> 00:16:43.840 when our sense of salvation 00:16:43.840 --> 00:16:45.280 is rooted in 00:16:45.280 --> 00:16:47.019 what we are doing 00:16:47.019 --> 00:16:49.120 and how we are performing. 00:16:50.240 --> 00:16:52.080 And so Paul is reminding them 00:16:52.080 --> 00:16:53.580 that the gospel of grace 00:16:53.580 --> 00:16:55.639 gives us freedom from that. 00:16:56.139 --> 00:16:57.440 The knowledge that because 00:16:57.440 --> 00:16:58.259 we're in Christ, 00:16:58.259 --> 00:16:59.899 we are fully loved 00:16:59.899 --> 00:17:01.059 and accepted. 00:17:02.939 --> 00:17:04.220 Let's think about it this way. 00:17:04.759 --> 00:17:05.460 Boys and girls, 00:17:05.579 --> 00:17:07.379 when it's your birthday time, 00:17:08.180 --> 00:17:10.319 do you find your parents 00:17:10.319 --> 00:17:12.160 coming with a sheet of paper 00:17:12.160 --> 00:17:14.160 and adding up your list 00:17:14.160 --> 00:17:16.079 of good things and bad things? 00:17:17.079 --> 00:17:18.000 Do they say, 00:17:20.279 --> 00:17:20.680 oh wow, 00:17:20.759 --> 00:17:21.619 you did really well 00:17:21.619 --> 00:17:22.619 helping with the dishes 00:17:22.619 --> 00:17:23.839 and you're really kind 00:17:23.839 --> 00:17:24.240 and helpful. 00:17:24.400 --> 00:17:25.259 Oh, but 00:17:25.259 --> 00:17:27.740 you did that thing wrong 00:17:27.740 --> 00:17:28.460 and that thing wrong. 00:17:28.619 --> 00:17:28.839 Therefore, 00:17:28.940 --> 00:17:30.379 I was going to give you this gift, 00:17:30.460 --> 00:17:30.920 but now 00:17:30.920 --> 00:17:32.460 it didn't quite make the good. 00:17:33.059 --> 00:17:34.180 We don't do that. 00:17:34.279 --> 00:17:34.859 We give 00:17:34.859 --> 00:17:35.900 out of grace 00:17:35.900 --> 00:17:36.680 and out of love 00:17:36.680 --> 00:17:37.539 and out of kindness. 00:17:37.940 --> 00:17:39.079 And we need to recognize 00:17:39.079 --> 00:17:40.819 that God is far more generous 00:17:40.819 --> 00:17:42.220 and loving towards 00:17:42.220 --> 00:17:43.500 His children. 00:17:43.500 --> 00:17:44.799 And we have this invitation 00:17:44.799 --> 00:17:46.379 to joy 00:17:46.379 --> 00:17:47.200 and freedom 00:17:47.200 --> 00:17:48.240 and security 00:17:48.240 --> 00:17:49.819 in Christ 00:17:49.819 --> 00:17:51.440 if we are in Him. 00:17:52.220 --> 00:17:53.440 Because if we are in Him, 00:17:53.440 --> 00:17:55.519 we enjoy God's perfect gift, 00:17:56.279 --> 00:17:58.559 His perfect love. 00:17:58.960 --> 00:18:00.920 And it's when we are resting in that, 00:18:01.000 --> 00:18:02.100 when we are trusting in that, 00:18:02.160 --> 00:18:04.480 then we have also the freedom to obey. 00:18:05.720 --> 00:18:07.080 He's going to start talking about 00:18:07.080 --> 00:18:08.100 because you're free, 00:18:08.460 --> 00:18:09.580 you get to obey 00:18:09.580 --> 00:18:11.100 out of thankful hearts, 00:18:11.100 --> 00:18:12.220 not because you're afraid 00:18:12.220 --> 00:18:13.220 that you'll be judged, 00:18:13.640 --> 00:18:14.980 but because you want to please 00:18:14.980 --> 00:18:16.200 your Father. 00:18:17.320 --> 00:18:20.440 So know your family history. 00:18:20.440 --> 00:18:22.259 All of us 00:18:22.259 --> 00:18:23.480 are either 00:18:23.480 --> 00:18:24.900 an Ishmael 00:18:24.900 --> 00:18:26.480 by nature 00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:27.559 in slavery 00:18:27.559 --> 00:18:28.240 to sin 00:18:28.240 --> 00:18:29.420 and far from God 00:18:29.420 --> 00:18:30.640 or we are 00:18:30.640 --> 00:18:31.840 an Isaac 00:18:31.840 --> 00:18:33.860 by God's grace 00:18:33.860 --> 00:18:35.400 set free. 00:18:37.120 --> 00:18:38.299 Which family tree 00:18:38.299 --> 00:18:39.420 do we belong to 00:18:39.420 --> 00:18:40.340 and which family tree 00:18:40.340 --> 00:18:41.539 do we want to be 00:18:41.539 --> 00:18:42.880 part of? 00:18:43.519 --> 00:18:44.559 And we need to understand 00:18:44.559 --> 00:18:45.380 that it all depends 00:18:45.380 --> 00:18:46.519 on how we respond 00:18:46.519 --> 00:18:47.940 to Jesus, 00:18:48.080 --> 00:18:48.480 the King, 00:18:48.620 --> 00:18:49.059 to Jesus, 00:18:49.180 --> 00:18:50.120 the Lord and Savior. 00:18:50.119 --> 00:18:51.619 Do we turn from sin? 00:18:51.699 --> 00:18:53.819 Do we trust that He forgave sin? 00:18:53.879 --> 00:18:55.079 That He has the power 00:18:55.079 --> 00:18:57.000 to deal with the power 00:18:57.000 --> 00:18:58.099 and the penalty of sin 00:18:58.099 --> 00:18:59.379 to give us new life, 00:18:59.439 --> 00:19:00.859 to bring us to God? 00:19:02.319 --> 00:19:03.479 And as Christians, 00:19:03.599 --> 00:19:04.639 how can we avoid 00:19:04.639 --> 00:19:06.979 this danger of legalism 00:19:06.979 --> 00:19:08.739 that some of the Galatian church 00:19:08.739 --> 00:19:09.779 was falling into? 00:19:10.659 --> 00:19:12.159 Again, it's about knowing 00:19:12.159 --> 00:19:14.179 your family history. 00:19:15.379 --> 00:19:16.719 Live with freedom and joy 00:19:16.719 --> 00:19:17.799 because you know 00:19:17.799 --> 00:19:19.139 that you're living 00:19:19.139 --> 00:19:20.759 in light of the promise 00:19:20.759 --> 00:19:21.419 and grace 00:19:21.419 --> 00:19:22.399 and because of Jesus' 00:19:22.680 --> 00:19:23.480 finished work 00:19:23.480 --> 00:19:25.460 on your behalf. 00:19:28.259 --> 00:19:29.480 Take a gospel 00:19:29.480 --> 00:19:31.000 DNA test. 00:19:31.839 --> 00:19:33.039 What am I trusting in 00:19:33.039 --> 00:19:33.919 for my salvation? 00:19:34.639 --> 00:19:36.720 Am I trusting in Jesus alone 00:19:36.720 --> 00:19:38.659 or am I tempted to think 00:19:38.659 --> 00:19:40.039 it's Jesus plus 00:19:40.039 --> 00:19:41.319 my efforts, 00:19:41.440 --> 00:19:41.819 plus 00:19:41.819 --> 00:19:43.399 my law keeping? 00:19:43.400 --> 00:19:44.800 If we're trusting 00:19:44.800 --> 00:19:45.920 in Jesus alone, 00:19:46.000 --> 00:19:47.180 we're told we're a child 00:19:47.180 --> 00:19:48.640 and an heir of God, 00:19:48.700 --> 00:19:49.759 we're in God's family 00:19:49.759 --> 00:19:50.680 with all the freedom 00:19:50.680 --> 00:19:52.280 that that brings. 00:19:53.220 --> 00:19:55.560 So know your family history 00:19:55.560 --> 00:19:59.840 and also know your family story. 00:20:00.519 --> 00:20:02.759 In verses 24 to 31, 00:20:03.820 --> 00:20:04.820 Paul moves away 00:20:04.820 --> 00:20:05.600 from a straightforward 00:20:05.600 --> 00:20:06.640 family tree 00:20:06.640 --> 00:20:08.560 and he begins to use allegory. 00:20:08.660 --> 00:20:10.160 He uses this family tree 00:20:10.160 --> 00:20:12.340 to stand for spiritual truth. 00:20:12.339 --> 00:20:13.619 He's continuing 00:20:13.619 --> 00:20:14.959 to build his argument 00:20:14.959 --> 00:20:16.199 that we trust in grace 00:20:16.199 --> 00:20:16.919 and promise 00:20:16.919 --> 00:20:17.799 and not effort 00:20:17.799 --> 00:20:18.439 and law. 00:20:19.079 --> 00:20:20.199 So he's going to say 00:20:20.199 --> 00:20:21.599 these families represent 00:20:21.599 --> 00:20:22.839 different realities. 00:20:23.039 --> 00:20:23.679 First of all, 00:20:24.179 --> 00:20:25.759 the two families represent 00:20:25.759 --> 00:20:28.259 two different covenants. 00:20:28.819 --> 00:20:29.740 So look with me 00:20:29.740 --> 00:20:31.159 at verse 24. 00:20:33.119 --> 00:20:33.839 And we find that's 00:20:33.839 --> 00:20:34.740 exactly what he says. 00:20:34.879 --> 00:20:35.799 These things may be 00:20:35.799 --> 00:20:36.899 taken figuratively 00:20:36.899 --> 00:20:38.159 for the women 00:20:38.159 --> 00:20:40.459 represent two covenants. 00:20:40.460 --> 00:20:42.319 One covenant 00:20:42.319 --> 00:20:44.640 is from Mount Sinai. 00:20:45.299 --> 00:20:46.340 So that's the covenant 00:20:46.340 --> 00:20:48.660 of law at Mount Sinai. 00:20:49.039 --> 00:20:49.799 But then there's 00:20:49.799 --> 00:20:50.640 another covenant. 00:20:51.380 --> 00:20:52.180 There's the covenant 00:20:52.180 --> 00:20:53.759 of promise. 00:20:53.920 --> 00:20:54.579 Verse 28, 00:20:54.680 --> 00:20:55.420 Now you brothers 00:20:55.420 --> 00:20:56.200 like Isaac 00:20:56.200 --> 00:20:57.519 are children 00:20:57.519 --> 00:20:59.779 of promise. 00:20:59.779 --> 00:21:02.279 So as I was saying 00:21:02.279 --> 00:21:03.139 just before we started 00:21:03.139 --> 00:21:03.779 reading the Bible 00:21:03.779 --> 00:21:05.220 that in Galatians chapter 3 00:21:05.220 --> 00:21:06.440 Paul had already said 00:21:06.440 --> 00:21:08.579 promise comes first. 00:21:09.559 --> 00:21:10.379 Promise was always 00:21:10.379 --> 00:21:11.180 the only way 00:21:11.180 --> 00:21:12.379 to be a child of God. 00:21:12.940 --> 00:21:13.700 And in actual fact 00:21:13.700 --> 00:21:14.859 the law's purpose 00:21:14.859 --> 00:21:16.460 is to lead us 00:21:16.460 --> 00:21:17.940 to see our own sin 00:21:17.940 --> 00:21:18.859 and to see why 00:21:18.859 --> 00:21:19.619 we need Jesus 00:21:19.619 --> 00:21:21.119 as Savior. 00:21:22.059 --> 00:21:22.700 And so 00:21:22.700 --> 00:21:24.200 Hagar and Ishmael 00:21:24.200 --> 00:21:24.819 represent 00:21:24.819 --> 00:21:26.420 living under the law 00:21:26.420 --> 00:21:28.279 whereas Sarah 00:21:28.279 --> 00:21:28.779 and Isaac 00:21:28.779 --> 00:21:29.740 represent living 00:21:29.740 --> 00:21:31.539 under the covenant 00:21:31.539 --> 00:21:32.400 of promise. 00:21:32.960 --> 00:21:33.820 And he goes further 00:21:33.820 --> 00:21:34.580 and he talks about 00:21:34.580 --> 00:21:35.600 two places. 00:21:36.920 --> 00:21:37.880 Verse 25, 00:21:38.100 --> 00:21:38.800 Now Hagar 00:21:38.800 --> 00:21:41.160 stands for Mount Sinai 00:21:41.160 --> 00:21:42.039 in Arabia 00:21:42.039 --> 00:21:43.580 and corresponds 00:21:43.580 --> 00:21:45.300 to the present city 00:21:45.300 --> 00:21:45.980 of Jerusalem 00:21:45.980 --> 00:21:47.519 because she is 00:21:47.519 --> 00:21:48.320 in slavery 00:21:48.320 --> 00:21:49.920 with her children. 00:21:50.380 --> 00:21:51.519 So there's the physical 00:21:51.519 --> 00:21:52.420 city of Jerusalem 00:21:52.420 --> 00:21:53.400 in verse 25 00:21:53.400 --> 00:21:55.519 and then verse 26 00:21:55.519 --> 00:21:56.759 there's the Jerusalem 00:21:56.759 --> 00:21:57.660 that is above 00:21:57.660 --> 00:21:58.519 which is free 00:21:58.519 --> 00:22:00.340 or the heavenly Jerusalem. 00:22:00.780 --> 00:22:01.740 So one is a place 00:22:01.740 --> 00:22:03.040 filled with slaves 00:22:03.040 --> 00:22:04.120 marked by slavery. 00:22:04.540 --> 00:22:05.300 The other is filled 00:22:05.300 --> 00:22:06.380 with children of God 00:22:06.380 --> 00:22:07.140 who are enjoying 00:22:07.140 --> 00:22:08.080 freedom. 00:22:08.560 --> 00:22:09.500 And that points us 00:22:09.500 --> 00:22:11.019 to these two conditions 00:22:11.019 --> 00:22:13.820 that Paul is driving towards. 00:22:14.420 --> 00:22:16.100 So one is slavery. 00:22:16.280 --> 00:22:16.840 One covenant 00:22:16.840 --> 00:22:18.080 verse 24 again 00:22:18.080 --> 00:22:20.080 is from Mount Sinai 00:22:20.079 --> 00:22:21.759 and bears children 00:22:21.759 --> 00:22:24.740 who are to be slaves. 00:22:25.899 --> 00:22:27.079 Verse 26, 00:22:27.179 --> 00:22:27.879 But the Jerusalem 00:22:27.879 --> 00:22:28.740 that is above 00:22:28.740 --> 00:22:30.139 is free 00:22:30.139 --> 00:22:31.839 and she is 00:22:31.839 --> 00:22:33.240 our mother. 00:22:35.919 --> 00:22:36.519 Now, 00:22:36.699 --> 00:22:37.579 we maybe don't get 00:22:37.579 --> 00:22:38.379 the sense of this 00:22:38.379 --> 00:22:39.039 but there is a real 00:22:39.039 --> 00:22:40.279 shock factor 00:22:40.279 --> 00:22:41.779 in what Paul 00:22:41.779 --> 00:22:43.019 has just said. 00:22:43.599 --> 00:22:44.119 So remember 00:22:44.119 --> 00:22:44.960 he's speaking 00:22:44.960 --> 00:22:45.859 against 00:22:45.859 --> 00:22:47.699 these false teachers, 00:22:47.700 --> 00:22:49.680 these Judaizers 00:22:49.680 --> 00:22:51.819 who are so proud 00:22:51.819 --> 00:22:53.100 of their family tree, 00:22:53.779 --> 00:22:54.539 so proud 00:22:54.539 --> 00:22:55.440 of their DNA, 00:22:55.680 --> 00:22:56.319 so proud 00:22:56.319 --> 00:22:57.500 of their law keeping, 00:22:58.200 --> 00:22:58.700 believing that 00:22:58.700 --> 00:22:59.819 that made them 00:22:59.819 --> 00:23:01.059 children of God. 00:23:01.860 --> 00:23:02.759 And he turns 00:23:02.759 --> 00:23:03.319 and he says 00:23:03.319 --> 00:23:04.220 to you 00:23:04.220 --> 00:23:05.279 spiritually 00:23:05.279 --> 00:23:07.720 you are slaves. 00:23:08.220 --> 00:23:08.819 You think 00:23:08.819 --> 00:23:09.380 you are free, 00:23:09.500 --> 00:23:09.940 you think 00:23:09.940 --> 00:23:10.440 you're children 00:23:10.440 --> 00:23:11.059 of promise 00:23:11.059 --> 00:23:11.860 but because 00:23:11.860 --> 00:23:12.580 you're not trusting 00:23:12.580 --> 00:23:13.299 in Jesus 00:23:13.299 --> 00:23:14.759 spiritually 00:23:14.759 --> 00:23:16.660 you're slaves. 00:23:16.660 --> 00:23:17.940 Jerusalem is described 00:23:17.940 --> 00:23:19.160 as a city 00:23:19.160 --> 00:23:20.060 full of slaves 00:23:20.060 --> 00:23:21.620 because by and large 00:23:21.620 --> 00:23:23.080 they had rejected Jesus. 00:23:24.040 --> 00:23:24.560 They decided 00:23:24.560 --> 00:23:25.580 we don't need Jesus, 00:23:25.720 --> 00:23:26.279 we'll continue 00:23:26.279 --> 00:23:26.920 to trust 00:23:26.920 --> 00:23:28.740 in our own righteousness, 00:23:29.220 --> 00:23:30.279 in our own efforts 00:23:30.279 --> 00:23:31.180 at law keeping 00:23:31.180 --> 00:23:32.580 and so they rejected 00:23:32.580 --> 00:23:33.700 Jesus, 00:23:34.080 --> 00:23:35.560 God's Savior. 00:23:36.340 --> 00:23:37.360 So Paul says 00:23:37.360 --> 00:23:37.820 to them 00:23:37.820 --> 00:23:39.140 when you trace 00:23:39.140 --> 00:23:40.380 your family story 00:23:40.380 --> 00:23:41.640 spiritually 00:23:41.640 --> 00:23:43.720 you discover 00:23:43.720 --> 00:23:44.960 a nasty surprise. 00:23:44.960 --> 00:23:47.319 I was reading 00:23:47.319 --> 00:23:47.799 about some 00:23:47.799 --> 00:23:48.440 of the highlights 00:23:48.440 --> 00:23:49.980 of that TV show 00:23:49.980 --> 00:23:51.480 Who Do You Think You Are? 00:23:52.059 --> 00:23:52.819 I think it's been on 00:23:52.819 --> 00:23:53.680 for 10 seasons 00:23:53.680 --> 00:23:54.740 and one of the 00:23:54.740 --> 00:23:56.960 most surprising, 00:23:57.220 --> 00:23:57.900 shocking moments 00:23:57.900 --> 00:23:58.840 for one of the guests 00:23:58.840 --> 00:23:59.400 was when 00:23:59.400 --> 00:24:00.420 Ainsley Harriet, 00:24:00.819 --> 00:24:01.819 you know the TV chef, 00:24:02.220 --> 00:24:02.960 he was on 00:24:02.960 --> 00:24:03.460 finding out 00:24:03.460 --> 00:24:04.640 about his family history 00:24:04.640 --> 00:24:05.900 and he discovered 00:24:05.900 --> 00:24:07.200 that his great, 00:24:07.340 --> 00:24:08.400 great grandmother 00:24:08.400 --> 00:24:09.579 when she was just 00:24:09.579 --> 00:24:10.640 two years old 00:24:10.640 --> 00:24:11.480 in Trinidad 00:24:11.480 --> 00:24:12.380 was sold 00:24:12.380 --> 00:24:13.240 into slavery. 00:24:13.240 --> 00:24:14.740 And so there was 00:24:14.740 --> 00:24:15.500 a real shock 00:24:15.500 --> 00:24:16.000 for him 00:24:16.000 --> 00:24:16.940 discovering 00:24:16.940 --> 00:24:17.460 that he was 00:24:17.460 --> 00:24:18.039 descended 00:24:18.039 --> 00:24:20.480 from this slave woman 00:24:20.480 --> 00:24:21.180 who he'd known 00:24:21.180 --> 00:24:23.000 nothing about. 00:24:24.660 --> 00:24:25.759 Paul wants 00:24:25.759 --> 00:24:27.039 to shock 00:24:27.039 --> 00:24:27.900 his readers 00:24:27.900 --> 00:24:29.519 to say to them 00:24:29.519 --> 00:24:30.620 look if you continue 00:24:30.620 --> 00:24:31.660 on this path 00:24:31.660 --> 00:24:32.460 that the false teachers 00:24:32.460 --> 00:24:33.180 are recommending 00:24:33.180 --> 00:24:35.359 your family story 00:24:35.359 --> 00:24:36.500 will be about slavery. 00:24:37.000 --> 00:24:37.640 You will make 00:24:37.640 --> 00:24:38.839 yourself slaves 00:24:38.839 --> 00:24:39.900 if you walk away 00:24:39.900 --> 00:24:40.940 from Jesus 00:24:40.940 --> 00:24:42.880 and his grace. 00:24:43.240 --> 00:24:44.759 To the legalist 00:24:44.759 --> 00:24:45.200 he's saying 00:24:45.200 --> 00:24:47.039 you think you enjoy 00:24:47.039 --> 00:24:48.660 promise and privilege 00:24:48.660 --> 00:24:49.599 because you're 00:24:49.599 --> 00:24:50.819 Abraham's children 00:24:50.819 --> 00:24:52.140 but because you 00:24:52.140 --> 00:24:53.259 reject Jesus 00:24:53.259 --> 00:24:53.980 your father 00:24:53.980 --> 00:24:55.240 is Ishmael 00:24:55.240 --> 00:24:56.640 not Isaac. 00:24:58.000 --> 00:24:58.859 To rely on 00:24:58.859 --> 00:24:59.740 our own ability 00:24:59.740 --> 00:25:01.299 rather than 00:25:01.299 --> 00:25:01.960 the supernatural 00:25:01.960 --> 00:25:03.660 grace of God 00:25:03.660 --> 00:25:04.960 is to remain 00:25:04.960 --> 00:25:05.599 in slavery 00:25:05.599 --> 00:25:06.980 is to remain 00:25:06.980 --> 00:25:08.799 under judgment 00:25:08.799 --> 00:25:10.180 and this should 00:25:10.180 --> 00:25:11.220 stand as a 00:25:11.220 --> 00:25:12.079 warning 00:25:12.079 --> 00:25:13.200 to us. 00:25:14.859 --> 00:25:15.299 I don't know 00:25:15.299 --> 00:25:15.879 how many of you 00:25:15.879 --> 00:25:16.299 have done 00:25:16.299 --> 00:25:17.960 the series 00:25:17.960 --> 00:25:18.419 called 00:25:18.419 --> 00:25:18.980 Christianity 00:25:18.980 --> 00:25:20.019 Explored 00:25:20.019 --> 00:25:20.980 but in one 00:25:20.980 --> 00:25:21.899 of those sessions 00:25:21.899 --> 00:25:23.000 there is a question 00:25:23.000 --> 00:25:23.759 that is asked 00:25:23.759 --> 00:25:26.079 why should God 00:25:26.079 --> 00:25:26.700 let you 00:25:26.700 --> 00:25:27.359 into heaven? 00:25:28.019 --> 00:25:28.460 And there are 00:25:28.460 --> 00:25:29.059 various people 00:25:29.059 --> 00:25:29.619 who come up 00:25:29.619 --> 00:25:30.200 on the screen 00:25:30.200 --> 00:25:31.379 and they present 00:25:31.379 --> 00:25:32.139 answers that 00:25:32.139 --> 00:25:32.740 ultimately 00:25:32.740 --> 00:25:34.480 are not good enough 00:25:34.480 --> 00:25:34.980 but answers 00:25:34.980 --> 00:25:36.000 that many people 00:25:36.000 --> 00:25:37.079 rely on. 00:25:37.079 --> 00:25:38.839 I'm a good 00:25:38.839 --> 00:25:39.439 person. 00:25:40.119 --> 00:25:41.399 I give to 00:25:41.399 --> 00:25:42.039 charity. 00:25:43.079 --> 00:25:44.460 I try and obey 00:25:44.460 --> 00:25:44.919 the law. 00:25:45.039 --> 00:25:45.799 I've never been 00:25:45.799 --> 00:25:46.399 to prison. 00:25:46.579 --> 00:25:47.599 I read my 00:25:47.599 --> 00:25:47.980 Bible. 00:25:48.199 --> 00:25:49.059 I pray. 00:25:52.539 --> 00:25:53.740 And what Paul 00:25:53.740 --> 00:25:54.519 teaches, what the 00:25:54.519 --> 00:25:55.139 Bible teaches 00:25:55.139 --> 00:25:55.799 is that any 00:25:55.799 --> 00:25:56.720 answer that 00:25:56.720 --> 00:25:57.639 begins because 00:25:57.639 --> 00:25:59.599 I, it is 00:25:59.599 --> 00:26:00.079 doomed to 00:26:00.079 --> 00:26:00.500 failure. 00:26:01.079 --> 00:26:01.839 The only way 00:26:01.839 --> 00:26:02.679 into God's 00:26:02.679 --> 00:26:03.319 presence, the 00:26:03.319 --> 00:26:03.859 only way to 00:26:03.859 --> 00:26:04.579 know and enjoy 00:26:04.579 --> 00:26:05.259 God's love is 00:26:05.259 --> 00:26:06.659 because Jesus. 00:26:07.079 --> 00:26:08.259 Because Jesus 00:26:08.259 --> 00:26:08.839 loved me. 00:26:09.159 --> 00:26:09.740 Because Jesus 00:26:09.740 --> 00:26:10.720 gave himself for 00:26:10.720 --> 00:26:10.819 me. 00:26:10.879 --> 00:26:11.500 Because Jesus 00:26:11.500 --> 00:26:13.000 died in my 00:26:13.000 --> 00:26:14.019 place and for 00:26:14.019 --> 00:26:15.679 my sins. 00:26:16.879 --> 00:26:18.119 So he gives a 00:26:18.119 --> 00:26:18.879 warning about 00:26:18.879 --> 00:26:20.259 slavery and 00:26:20.259 --> 00:26:20.859 then he gives 00:26:20.859 --> 00:26:21.559 the promise, 00:26:21.699 --> 00:26:22.339 the reminder 00:26:22.339 --> 00:26:23.240 of freedom. 00:26:23.720 --> 00:26:24.359 Almost the 00:26:24.359 --> 00:26:25.599 flip side to 00:26:25.599 --> 00:26:26.000 Ainsley 00:26:26.000 --> 00:26:26.859 Harriet's story 00:26:26.859 --> 00:26:27.480 is the story 00:26:27.480 --> 00:26:29.339 told by C.S. 00:26:29.399 --> 00:26:30.379 Lewis in 00:26:30.379 --> 00:26:31.039 The Horse and 00:26:31.039 --> 00:26:31.639 His Boy. 00:26:32.079 --> 00:26:32.399 I don't know 00:26:32.399 --> 00:26:32.899 how many of 00:26:32.899 --> 00:26:33.500 the boys and 00:26:33.500 --> 00:26:34.679 girls have read 00:26:34.679 --> 00:26:35.379 through some of 00:26:35.379 --> 00:26:36.240 the Chronicles of 00:26:36.240 --> 00:26:36.599 Narnia. 00:26:36.720 --> 00:26:37.259 Well, in The 00:26:37.259 --> 00:26:37.700 Horse and His 00:26:37.700 --> 00:26:38.160 Boy, which I 00:26:38.160 --> 00:26:38.480 think is the 00:26:38.480 --> 00:26:38.980 third one in 00:26:38.980 --> 00:26:40.319 the series, the 00:26:40.319 --> 00:26:41.099 story begins with 00:26:41.099 --> 00:26:41.740 a boy called 00:26:41.740 --> 00:26:42.259 Shasta. 00:26:43.140 --> 00:26:43.960 And Shasta was 00:26:43.960 --> 00:26:45.640 being raised by a 00:26:45.640 --> 00:26:46.380 really mean 00:26:46.380 --> 00:26:47.059 fisherman who was 00:26:47.059 --> 00:26:47.700 basically keeping 00:26:47.700 --> 00:26:48.440 him as a slave and 00:26:48.440 --> 00:26:49.099 he thought this 00:26:49.099 --> 00:26:50.559 man, this horrible 00:26:50.559 --> 00:26:51.440 mean man was his 00:26:51.440 --> 00:26:51.839 dad. 00:26:52.819 --> 00:26:54.640 But then he goes 00:26:54.640 --> 00:26:55.359 on this adventure, 00:26:55.480 --> 00:26:56.200 he runs away from 00:26:56.200 --> 00:26:56.779 home, goes on 00:26:56.779 --> 00:26:57.920 and it turns out 00:26:57.920 --> 00:26:59.079 he's actually a 00:26:59.079 --> 00:26:59.579 prince. 00:27:00.079 --> 00:27:01.059 He's actually a 00:27:01.059 --> 00:27:01.940 son of the king 00:27:01.940 --> 00:27:03.819 living as a slave. 00:27:03.819 --> 00:27:04.919 But actually, he 00:27:04.919 --> 00:27:06.279 had this glorious 00:27:06.279 --> 00:27:07.079 freedom. 00:27:07.220 --> 00:27:07.839 And Paul is 00:27:07.839 --> 00:27:08.700 saying, look, you're 00:27:08.700 --> 00:27:09.839 wanting to go back 00:27:09.839 --> 00:27:10.799 to slavery but you 00:27:10.799 --> 00:27:11.859 have this glorious 00:27:11.859 --> 00:27:13.039 freedom to enjoy. 00:27:13.480 --> 00:27:13.919 That's what he's 00:27:13.919 --> 00:27:14.839 saying to us as a 00:27:14.839 --> 00:27:15.139 church. 00:27:16.159 --> 00:27:16.899 The opposite of 00:27:16.899 --> 00:27:17.899 slavery is freedom 00:27:17.899 --> 00:27:18.619 and the opposite of 00:27:18.619 --> 00:27:19.359 human effort is 00:27:19.359 --> 00:27:20.559 God's initiative, 00:27:21.059 --> 00:27:21.740 God's power, 00:27:22.319 --> 00:27:23.179 God's grace and 00:27:23.179 --> 00:27:24.279 that's represented 00:27:24.279 --> 00:27:26.279 by Isaac's family 00:27:26.279 --> 00:27:26.759 tree. 00:27:28.299 --> 00:27:28.879 So in verse 00:27:28.880 --> 00:27:31.080 29, at that 00:27:31.080 --> 00:27:32.940 time, the son 00:27:32.940 --> 00:27:33.340 born in the 00:27:33.340 --> 00:27:33.820 ordinary way 00:27:33.820 --> 00:27:34.620 persecuted the 00:27:34.620 --> 00:27:35.620 son born, how? 00:27:36.140 --> 00:27:37.120 Born by the 00:27:37.120 --> 00:27:38.800 power of the 00:27:38.800 --> 00:27:39.160 spirit. 00:27:39.820 --> 00:27:40.680 So here is a 00:27:40.680 --> 00:27:41.340 reminder that 00:27:41.340 --> 00:27:42.740 Isaac was a 00:27:42.740 --> 00:27:45.320 gift from God. 00:27:45.700 --> 00:27:46.780 There is grace 00:27:46.780 --> 00:27:47.940 in evidence here. 00:27:48.320 --> 00:27:49.800 And Paul also 00:27:49.800 --> 00:27:51.560 parallels this with 00:27:51.560 --> 00:27:52.320 the story of 00:27:52.320 --> 00:27:52.600 Israel. 00:27:52.720 --> 00:27:53.220 That's why he 00:27:53.220 --> 00:27:53.920 quotes in verse 00:27:53.920 --> 00:27:55.880 27 from Isaiah 00:27:55.880 --> 00:27:56.940 chapter 54. 00:27:56.940 --> 00:27:58.100 These are words 00:27:58.100 --> 00:27:59.120 spoken to 00:27:59.120 --> 00:28:00.519 exiled Israel, 00:28:00.980 --> 00:28:01.799 feeling abandoned, 00:28:02.059 --> 00:28:02.880 feeling small, 00:28:03.059 --> 00:28:04.059 feeling weak and 00:28:04.059 --> 00:28:04.580 helpless. 00:28:05.519 --> 00:28:06.440 Here is hope for 00:28:06.440 --> 00:28:07.620 them that God 00:28:07.620 --> 00:28:08.960 would restore them 00:28:08.960 --> 00:28:10.720 by his grace and 00:28:10.720 --> 00:28:12.640 would expand their 00:28:12.640 --> 00:28:13.140 family. 00:28:13.279 --> 00:28:14.039 Here is promise 00:28:14.039 --> 00:28:14.980 that God's kingdom 00:28:14.980 --> 00:28:15.700 will be much 00:28:15.700 --> 00:28:17.480 bigger than 00:28:17.480 --> 00:28:19.200 anybody ever 00:28:19.200 --> 00:28:20.380 imagined. 00:28:22.200 --> 00:28:23.600 So Paul uses 00:28:23.600 --> 00:28:24.759 the story of 00:28:24.759 --> 00:28:26.519 Isaac and he 00:28:26.519 --> 00:28:27.259 uses the story 00:28:27.259 --> 00:28:28.539 of Israel to 00:28:28.539 --> 00:28:29.259 bring hope. 00:28:30.579 --> 00:28:31.099 Hope. 00:28:31.700 --> 00:28:33.039 Because it's all 00:28:33.039 --> 00:28:33.940 about Jesus, 00:28:34.900 --> 00:28:36.220 anyone can 00:28:36.220 --> 00:28:36.799 become a child 00:28:36.799 --> 00:28:37.339 of God. 00:28:38.139 --> 00:28:38.579 It's not 00:28:38.579 --> 00:28:39.400 restricted to 00:28:39.400 --> 00:28:40.019 those who have 00:28:40.019 --> 00:28:40.960 the right family 00:28:40.960 --> 00:28:41.660 pedigree. 00:28:42.339 --> 00:28:43.099 It's not about 00:28:43.099 --> 00:28:43.859 our human 00:28:43.859 --> 00:28:44.639 family. 00:28:44.779 --> 00:28:45.200 It's not about 00:28:45.200 --> 00:28:45.920 our background 00:28:45.920 --> 00:28:47.019 and circumstances. 00:28:47.019 --> 00:28:47.720 It's not about 00:28:47.720 --> 00:28:49.480 our ability or 00:28:49.480 --> 00:28:50.440 morality. 00:28:50.700 --> 00:28:51.279 It's all about 00:28:51.279 --> 00:28:52.779 faith in Jesus, 00:28:52.960 --> 00:28:53.680 trusting in who 00:28:53.680 --> 00:28:54.940 he is as the 00:28:54.940 --> 00:28:55.559 son of God and 00:28:55.559 --> 00:28:56.079 what he has 00:28:56.079 --> 00:28:57.019 done in 00:28:57.019 --> 00:28:57.519 coming to 00:28:57.519 --> 00:28:58.419 rescue us 00:28:58.419 --> 00:28:59.339 from our 00:28:59.339 --> 00:29:00.059 sin to bring 00:29:00.059 --> 00:29:01.460 us to God. 00:29:02.639 --> 00:29:03.179 It's really 00:29:03.179 --> 00:29:03.879 important for us 00:29:03.879 --> 00:29:05.379 to notice how 00:29:05.379 --> 00:29:06.460 he closes off 00:29:06.460 --> 00:29:07.240 his discussion 00:29:07.240 --> 00:29:08.259 of these two 00:29:08.259 --> 00:29:09.079 family trees. 00:29:09.240 --> 00:29:09.960 Verse 29, 00:29:10.159 --> 00:29:11.579 we read about 00:29:11.579 --> 00:29:12.379 Ishmael 00:29:12.379 --> 00:29:13.960 persecuting 00:29:13.960 --> 00:29:14.839 Isaac. 00:29:17.119 --> 00:29:18.179 And Paul says 00:29:18.179 --> 00:29:18.679 at the end of 00:29:18.679 --> 00:29:19.279 verse 29, 00:29:19.480 --> 00:29:20.419 it's the same 00:29:20.419 --> 00:29:21.379 now. 00:29:21.859 --> 00:29:22.519 That these 00:29:22.519 --> 00:29:23.659 false teachers 00:29:23.660 --> 00:29:25.160 are persecuting 00:29:25.160 --> 00:29:25.660 those who are 00:29:25.660 --> 00:29:26.660 trusting in 00:29:26.660 --> 00:29:27.000 Jesus. 00:29:27.840 --> 00:29:28.120 And then 00:29:28.120 --> 00:29:28.759 verse 30, 00:29:28.840 --> 00:29:29.400 what does the 00:29:29.400 --> 00:29:30.140 scripture say? 00:29:30.620 --> 00:29:31.240 Get rid of 00:29:31.240 --> 00:29:32.019 the slave woman 00:29:32.019 --> 00:29:32.860 and her son, 00:29:33.220 --> 00:29:33.800 for the slave 00:29:33.800 --> 00:29:34.480 woman's son will 00:29:34.480 --> 00:29:35.340 never share in 00:29:35.340 --> 00:29:35.980 the inheritance 00:29:35.980 --> 00:29:37.440 with the free 00:29:37.440 --> 00:29:38.100 woman's son. 00:29:38.180 --> 00:29:38.820 So in Abraham's 00:29:38.820 --> 00:29:39.759 family, under 00:29:39.759 --> 00:29:40.500 Abraham's roof, 00:29:40.580 --> 00:29:41.259 there was fighting 00:29:41.259 --> 00:29:41.680 and there was 00:29:41.680 --> 00:29:42.140 tension. 00:29:42.279 --> 00:29:42.640 There were two 00:29:42.640 --> 00:29:43.920 families, two 00:29:43.920 --> 00:29:44.519 brothers who 00:29:44.519 --> 00:29:44.980 couldn't live 00:29:44.980 --> 00:29:45.560 under the same 00:29:45.560 --> 00:29:45.759 roof. 00:29:45.880 --> 00:29:46.440 Ishmael was 00:29:46.440 --> 00:29:48.040 persecuting his 00:29:48.040 --> 00:29:48.800 younger brother 00:29:48.800 --> 00:29:49.600 Isaac. 00:29:49.740 --> 00:29:50.360 And there is this 00:29:50.359 --> 00:29:51.579 reminder, only 00:29:51.579 --> 00:29:52.359 the child of 00:29:52.359 --> 00:29:53.740 promise would 00:29:53.740 --> 00:29:54.879 receive God's 00:29:54.879 --> 00:29:56.179 spiritual inheritance, 00:29:57.459 --> 00:29:58.339 not Ishmael. 00:29:58.539 --> 00:29:59.299 And then Paul 00:29:59.299 --> 00:30:00.500 applies the story 00:30:00.500 --> 00:30:02.019 to the church and 00:30:02.019 --> 00:30:03.259 says that in the 00:30:03.259 --> 00:30:04.319 same way, you 00:30:04.319 --> 00:30:05.119 cannot have 00:30:05.119 --> 00:30:05.939 existing in the 00:30:05.939 --> 00:30:07.099 same place a 00:30:07.099 --> 00:30:07.939 theology that 00:30:07.939 --> 00:30:08.959 rests on grace 00:30:08.959 --> 00:30:10.139 and a theology 00:30:10.139 --> 00:30:11.019 that rests on 00:30:11.019 --> 00:30:11.839 human works. 00:30:11.979 --> 00:30:12.559 One of them 00:30:12.559 --> 00:30:13.859 must go so 00:30:13.859 --> 00:30:15.000 that grace alone 00:30:15.000 --> 00:30:15.740 is left to 00:30:15.740 --> 00:30:16.179 stand. 00:30:16.779 --> 00:30:17.099 And so we 00:30:17.099 --> 00:30:17.539 must be really 00:30:17.539 --> 00:30:18.299 careful in our 00:30:18.299 --> 00:30:19.699 churches to 00:30:19.700 --> 00:30:21.059 preserve the 00:30:21.059 --> 00:30:22.019 gospel of grace 00:30:22.019 --> 00:30:23.000 to defend it 00:30:23.000 --> 00:30:24.920 from legalism 00:30:24.920 --> 00:30:25.740 which is always 00:30:25.740 --> 00:30:27.779 a danger that 00:30:27.779 --> 00:30:28.420 we face. 00:30:30.140 --> 00:30:30.960 Which family 00:30:30.960 --> 00:30:32.680 story is 00:30:32.680 --> 00:30:33.539 ours today? 00:30:34.620 --> 00:30:35.279 Are we under 00:30:35.279 --> 00:30:35.759 law? 00:30:36.380 --> 00:30:36.840 Thinking it's 00:30:36.840 --> 00:30:37.500 all about do 00:30:37.500 --> 00:30:38.759 better, try 00:30:38.759 --> 00:30:40.000 harder and in 00:30:40.000 --> 00:30:40.799 the end I hope 00:30:40.799 --> 00:30:41.660 that God might 00:30:41.660 --> 00:30:42.740 accept me? 00:30:43.900 --> 00:30:44.519 Or are we 00:30:44.519 --> 00:30:45.580 under Christ 00:30:45.580 --> 00:30:46.519 where it is 00:30:46.519 --> 00:30:48.000 true security 00:30:48.000 --> 00:30:49.120 because we're 00:30:49.119 --> 00:30:50.259 resting on his 00:30:50.259 --> 00:30:51.599 finished work, 00:30:51.759 --> 00:30:52.879 his precious 00:30:52.879 --> 00:30:54.339 promises to 00:30:54.339 --> 00:30:55.779 us so that 00:30:55.779 --> 00:30:56.699 we can know 00:30:56.699 --> 00:30:57.939 that we are 00:30:57.939 --> 00:30:58.799 God's children 00:30:58.799 --> 00:31:00.199 because only in 00:31:00.199 --> 00:31:01.619 Jesus is there 00:31:01.619 --> 00:31:02.719 freedom to enjoy 00:31:02.719 --> 00:31:04.059 God's promise. 00:31:04.519 --> 00:31:05.279 Only in Jesus 00:31:05.279 --> 00:31:06.019 can we become 00:31:06.019 --> 00:31:07.699 children of God 00:31:07.699 --> 00:31:09.519 through what 00:31:09.519 --> 00:31:10.299 Jesus came to 00:31:10.299 --> 00:31:10.879 do for us.