Turn with me now, if you would, to Genesis chapter 16. Genesis 16. We have come to the story of Sarah and Hagar, or we could call it Isaac and Ishmael. And this is a key story. I've written some prefaces in here at the beginning of my notes to tell you we're gonna read quite a bit. We're gonna read scripture more than we would normally read. I try to keep that down as much as possible because we get lost. We zone out. And I really wanna encourage you to ask the Lord to zone you in.

I'm telling you this is a key story. This story is key to understanding the scripture. This is a key that unlocks all of the scripture. It's a key to understanding the fact that all scripture was given to declare a spiritual truth. Are there physical matters in here? Yes, there are. But all of these physical matters were given to declare a spiritual truth. That's why every story in the Bible was given. These are not morality lessons. These are not how-to's, how to be saved. Well, follow what they did. That is not what this is. That is not why these were given.

The reason this story is a key is because it's recorded in the Old Testament and the New Testament. All right, we look at these Old Testament stories and we dig and search for the spiritual picture. We don't have to do that on this one. There's no digging and searching needed. The Apostle Paul spelled it out for us in the New Testament. So what we're gonna do is we're just gonna look at one and then look at the other.

We're gonna look at the Old Testament story and then we're gonna look at the New Testament story. I'm gonna declare it and I pray, I pray God will open our eyes to this. I encourage you to ask the Lord to open your eyes to this. Even those of you who already know what I'm gonna say, I have personally seen this more deeply than I've ever seen it before. It's truly amazing to me and it truly supports, establishes, proves salvation by grace alone. Grace alone.

All right, look with me at Genesis 16 verse 1. It says, now Sarai, Abram's wife, bear him no children. Ten years before this, in Genesis 12, God promised Abraham a seed. We read it just a moment ago. I'm gonna give you a seed, a family, through a son. And now 10 years have passed, and Abraham still doesn't have a son. He is 85 years old at this point. Sarah is 75 at this point and realizing that she is past childbearing age.

Verse 1, Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bare him no children, and she had in handmaid an Egyptian whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now the Lord hath restrained me from bearing. I pray thee, go in unto my maid, it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai, and Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar, her maid, the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt 10 years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.

God promised them that he would give them a son. That was God's word. But after 10 years of waiting, this is what they said. And I would encourage you, as much as the Lord will let you, read between the lines right now. Look for the spiritual picture right now, all right? After 10 years, this is what they said. They said, God must not have meant that he was just going to give us a son.

He must have meant that we needed to take action in some way first. There must be some contribution to this promise that we need to make. And Sarah said, with me now, this is impossible. So she said, Abraham, you take my younger maid and have a child with her because that must be what God meant. Let's take matters into our own hands and do it this way because I'm pretty sure that's what God meant. By the definite free gift promise to us directly that he said, I'm pretty sure that's what he meant in saying that. To me, that sounds like the only way that we're going to have a child. I just don't see any other way unless we get involved and take action. There's not going to be any other way.

Verse 4, And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived. And when she, Hagar, saw that she had conceived, her mistress, Sarah, was despised in her eyes. Hagar conceived a child with Abraham. And the moment she realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarah.

Verse five. And Sarai said unto Abram, my wrong be upon thee. I have given my maid into thy bosom. And when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes. The Lord judged between me and thee. But Abram said unto Sarai, behold, thy maid is in thy hand. do to her as it pleaseth thee.

And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face. And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou, and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.

And the angel of the Lord said unto her, return to thy mistress and submit thyself under her hands. And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. And the angel of the Lord said unto her, behold, thou art with child and shalt bear a son and shalt call his name Ishmael, because the Lord hath heard thy affliction.

And he will be a wild man, and his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him. Remember that. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, Thou, God, seest me, for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?

Wherefore the well was called Bir Lehiroi. Behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered. And Hagar bare Abram a son, and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare Ishmael. And Abram was four score and six years old when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abraham. He was 86 years old. Chapter 17, verse one. And when Abram was 90 years old and nine, 99 years old, Ishmael is now 13 years old. When Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram and said unto him, I am the Almighty God, walk before me and be thou perfect, and I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee.

And thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham. For a father of many nations have I made thee. Abram means high father. That's what the name Abram means, high father. And Abraham means high father of many nations.

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

Verse nine, and God said unto Abraham, thou shalt keep my covenant, therefore thou and thy seed after thee and their generations, this is my covenant which you shall keep between me and you and thy seed after thee, every man child among you shall be circumcised. And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man, child in your generations, he that is born in the house or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed, he that is born in thy house and he that is bought with thy money must be circumcised. And my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the circumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people, he hath broken my covenant.

The token of circumcision, let me see if I can regather us all, I know that was a lot to read. The token of circumcision was given to Abraham's house. All right, really, really let that sink in. Directly to Abraham's house, one man's house. That token of circumcision designated Abraham's seed.

Verse 15 says, And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, she shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I'll bless her and give thee a son also of her. Yea, I will bless her and she shall be a mother of nations. Kings of people shall be of her. Sarai means princes, Sarah means princes of many.

Verse 17, then Abraham fell upon his face and laughed and said in his heart, shall a child be born unto him that is 100 years old? And shall Sarah that is 90 years old bear? You know, everybody gives Sarah a hard time for laughing at God when he told them the news. Abraham did it first. Abraham did it first.

And what that proves to us is the only faith that the father of the faithful had was the faith God gave to him. That's the only faith he had. He didn't have any faith of his own. He laughed and he said in verse 18, and really dial into this, I'm pretty sure a lot of our reading is coming to an end.

Okay, dial into this. Abraham said unto God, Oh, that Ishmael might live before thee. You know, I'm going to give you a son and a seed. And he said, Oh, let it be Ishmael. Verse 19, and God said, Sarah, thy wife shall bear thee a son. Indeed, and thou shalt call his name Isaac, and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant and with his seed after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee.

Behold, I've blessed him and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. Twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time next year. And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.

And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the self same day as God has said unto him. And Abraham was 90 years old and nine when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, and Ishmael his son was 13 years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. In the self same day was Abraham circumcised and Ishmael his son. And all the men of his house born in the house and bought with money of the stranger were circumcised with him.

Chapter 18 is where the Lord appeared to Sarah and said the same thing and she laughed. And the Lord said, wait and see, it's going to happen. All right, it's going to happen. And it did. In our Bible study, we just looked at chapters 18 and 19. And then in chapter 20, Abraham sinned again. They went somewhere else and he said, why don't you tell them you're my sister? But it did happen in chapter 21. So turn with me over to chapter 21.

Verse one, the Lord visited Sarah as he had said and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken. For Sarah conceived and bare Abraham a son in his old age at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him whom Sarah bare to him Isaac. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old as God had commanded him. And Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born unto him.

Verse nine. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar, the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking, mocking Isaac. Verse 10, Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son. For the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son. And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight, because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman, in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice, for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed. And Abraham rose up early in the morning and took bread and a bottle of water and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder and the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba, and the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs. And she went and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bow shot, for she said, let me not see the death of the child.

And she sat over against him and lifted up her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the lad. And the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven and said unto her, what aileth thee, Hagar, fear not. For God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad and hold him in thine hand for I will make him a great nation. And God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water and she went and filled the bottle with water and gave the lad drink. And God was with the lad and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness and became an archer. That's what he became. And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.

Okay. That is the story of a man having a son because God told him he was going to have a son. And the man saying, here he is, Lord. And the Lord saying, No, that's not him. That's a son of your own way and your own doing. That's not what I meant. And then the Lord giving him a son in the way the Lord meant. And the two sons not being able to live together in the same house. and the son of the man's own way and doing being cast out, had to be cast out.

Now what is the spiritual picture of that? Turn with me to Galatians 4. This is the most important thing we'll ever see. Galatians 4, verse 21, tell me, You that desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? In Galatians chapter one, Paul said, salvation and acceptance with God doesn't come by the law.

Now a lot of people see Ishmael as, you know, he wasn't accepted because Abraham didn't obey the law, didn't obey what God said. He did wrong, you know, he was the child of sin, you know, it shouldn't have happened in the first place. People think, that's not what this story is saying. That's not what this story is saying.

In Galatians 1, the Apostle Paul said, salvation and acceptance with God does not come by the law. In Galatians chapter 2, Paul said, it's not by the law. In Galatians chapter 3, Paul said, It's not by the law. And now in Galatians chapter 4 verse 21, he says, Tell me, you that desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law?

For it is written that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a free woman. The bondmaid was Hagar. Right here she's called Agar. who had Ishmael. The free woman was Sarah who had Isaac. Verse 23, but he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh. But he of the free woman was by promise.

Ishmael was born by the ability of the flesh. Through a young woman who was of childbearing age, the flesh could do that. The flesh could do it, do this. The flesh could do it. Ishmael was born by ability. Isaac was born by the promise and gift of God in a way that was outside of the ability of the flesh. Why did God wait 25 years to make sure it was outside of the ability of the flesh? In the flesh, by the flesh, it was impossible.

Verse 24, which things are an allegory. That means it's a physical story with a spiritual meaning. Verse 24, which things are an allegory for these are the two covenants, the one from Mount Sinai. That's where God's law was given. Do this in your flesh and you'll live. You'll be accepted of God. But he said that covenant leaves men and women in bondage because they can't do it. They can't do it. The works of man's flesh will never please God.

And he said, that's what Hagar represents. Verse 24, which things are an allegory for these are the two covenants, the one from Mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Hagar, Hagar. Verse 25, for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and answereth to Jerusalem, which now is and is in bondage with her children, Hagar. and the fruit of her womb, Ishmael, they represent the holy law of God. She is Mount Sinai. She is Mount Sinai. The holy law of God that God gave to Moses. You know, the law came by Moses. What is Moses? Everybody's looking to Moses.

You know what the point, let me tell you the point of this. I'm gonna finish, but let me tell you the point of this. Don't look to Moses, look to Christ. You say, Gabe, you could have said that in the first five minutes. Well, I'm saying it now. This is what I'm telling you. This is why I'm telling you this is the most important thing we will ever say. This is telling us, if you look to Moses, you're gonna be cast out. I'm telling you. And listen to this. See if this doesn't really hit home with you. See if this does not really hit home with you.

We read, do you recall that we just read that God dealt kindly with Hagar and Ishmael? You know, they were kicked out. Well, why didn't they just die out in the wilderness? God dealt kindly with them. He gave them water. He spared their life. He said, Ishmael, I'm going to bless you. He heard the cry of the lad. He said, I'm going to bless you. I'm going to bless your seed throughout the world. Why? Because God is not against the law. This is Mount Sinai. God is not against the law. Christ didn't come to destroy the law, but the law is a standard that no sinful flesh can live up to.

It can't save. Abraham said, well, what about this? Will this work? And he said, no, that won't work. The scripture said, we read it, it said Ishmael would be against every man. And every man against him. Well, that's God's law against every sinful man and every sinful man against God's law.

We've sinned against the law. We read that Israel, Ishmael was an archer. The law is an arrow that pierces the sinful heart. That's the law. That's the law. That's what the law does. The law can only cry death because of sin. Death because of sin. Because of this, it makes every mouth stop and all the world become guilty.

Therefore, this thing must be by grace. It must be by grace, that's the only hope man has. I promise you I'm almost done. Verse 25. For this Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia that answereth to Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, free from the law. Why?

Because God's grace in Christ satisfied the law and delivered God's people from the bondage of it. Christ was condemned and crucified in the stead of His people according to the law. His blood was shed and He died according to the law. The law cried death because of sin. Christ died in the stead of his people according to the law. But with the law being satisfied in him, Christ arose from that death according to the law.

No more sin. Death can't hold where there's no sin. And that's how he delivered his people from the bondage and the curse of the law. That's why they're free. the grace and mercy of God's truth, who is Christ. Christ Jesus, the Lord, has made him free. Verse 29, Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia that answereth to Jerusalem, which now is and is at bondage with her children. But Jerusalem, which is above, is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice thou barren that bearest not. Break forth and cry thou that travailest not. For the desolate hath many more children than she which hath a husband.

Now we brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit, even so it is now. As Ishmael, who was of the deeds of the flesh, as Ishmael mocked Isaac, who was of the promise of God's free grace. Works always mocks grace. It always does. The works of the flesh will always despise the free gift of God's grace.

Verse 29, but as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless, what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son, For the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman. God's grace deals very harshly with the works of man's flesh. To the point that grace says there is no room for man's works. The works of the flesh must go. They must be cast out. The two cannot coexist. They cannot live in the same house together. They cannot be mixed.

Salvation and acceptance with God is by His grace and His grace alone. Period. We cannot become heirs of God through the deeds of our flesh. So verse 30 says, nevertheless, what sayeth the scripture? Cast out the bond woman and her son, for the son of the bond woman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman. So then brethren, we are not children of the bond woman, but of the free.

That means, therefore, so then brethren, here's the conclusion and the summary of the whole matter. We're children of God, saved and accepted to live in his house forever by grace alone. It's by Christ alone. It's by God's gift. It's by God's promise of life directly to his people. To him be all the glory for that. Amen.