Mm. All hail the power of Jesus'
name, let angels prostrate fall. Bring forth the royal diadem,
and crown Him Lord of all. Bring forth the royal diadem,
and crown Him Lord of all. The chosen seed of Israel's race
He ransomed from the fall Hail Him who saves you by His grace
And crown Him Lord of all Hail Him who saves you by His grace
And crown Him Lord of all Every kindred, every tribe on
this terrestrial call. To Him all majesty ascribe and
crown Him Lord of all. To Him all majesty ascribe and
crown Him Lord of all. That with yonder sacred throne
we at His feet may fall, We'll join the everlasting Son and
crown Him Lord of all. We'll join the everlasting Son
and crown Him Lord of all. If you will, turn with me and
read along in Galatians chapter 4. I feel like it was just a couple
months ago that we were here in Galatians 4 and I preached
from this passage and it was March of 2020. That was a little
while ago, wasn't it? It's been a bit. So it'll do
us good today. Galatians 4 will begin in verse
21. Tell me, ye that desire to be
under the law, do you not hear the law? For it is written that
Abraham had two sons, one by a bondmaid and the other by a
free woman. who was of the bondwoman was
born after the flesh. He of the free woman was by promise. Which things are an allegory?
For these are the two covenants. The one for Mount Sinai, which
gendereth to bondage, which is Hagar. For this Hagar is Mount
Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem, which is now, which
now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem,
which is above, is free, which is neither 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 was
born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit,
even so it is now. Nevertheless, what saith the
scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her
son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son
of the free woman. So then, brethren, we are not
children of the bondwoman, but of the free. Now, we're given
a charge after that. That's not the end of the paragraph.
Chapter five, verse one. Here's the last one of the last
phrase of the paragraph. Stand fast, therefore, in the
liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and be not entangled
again with the yoke of bondage. Let's pray together. Father, thank you for preserving
your word and sending it to us. Lord, allow us to learn These
things, apply them to our hearts. Allow us to see the liberty we
have in the blood of your darling son. Lord, and keep us from going
back to bondage. Keep us from turning from your
finished work to Sodom and Gomorrah. We're so weak, Lord. We have
no strength of our own. Be our strength as you promised
you will be. Keep us, Lord. Forgive us for what we are. Be
with us in spirit today as you see fit. Have your presence among
us and teach us. Comfort us. Comfort the hearts of your people. In Christ's name that we ask
it. Amen. Turn to hymn number 235, Pass
Me Not. Hymn number 235. Hear my humble cry While another's
hour calling Do not pass me by Savior, Savior, hear my humble
cry While on others Thou art calling, do not pass me by Let
me at a throne of mercy find a sweet relief. Heal me there in heat contrition,
help my unbelief. Savior, Savior, hear my humble
cry, While on others Thou art calling, do not pass me by. Trusting only in Thy merit, would
I seek Thy face. Heal my wounded, broken spirit,
save me by Thy grace. Savior, Savior, hear my humble
cry. While on others Thou art calling,
do not pass me by. Thou the spring of all my comfort,
more than life to me. Whom have I on earth beside Thee? Whom in heaven but Thee? Savior, Savior, hear my humble
cry While on others Thou art calling, do not pass me by If you still have Galatians 4,
we can leave a marker there before I go back and forth a little
bit. Genesis 21. Genesis 21. The title of my message is The Cause of
Mocking. I meet a lot more people that mock
the gospel and mock the Lord than worship Him. Lots. It's disproportionately so. We'll see the cause of mocking. Genesis 21. I'd like for you to read along with
me in your Bibles. Genesis 21 verse 8. The children grew, the child
grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast
the same day that Isaac was weaned. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar,
the Egyptian. that she had borne unto Abraham,
mocking. 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. God
said to Abraham, let it not be grievous in thy sight because
of the lad and because of thy bondwoman. And 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, first thing, 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. The Lord had promised
to visit Sarah, and He had promised to put a child in her, and He
did. That's what we looked at last
week, wasn't it? He did. And this made Sarah rejoice. He visited her. He put life in
her. He gave her a child, preserved,
grew that child in her. He was born. And it says in verse
6, Genesis 21, 6, and Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh. so
that all that hear will laugh with me. He's made me to rejoice.
Made me to rejoice, laugh, be happy, have joy in what his hand
has done, what his will and his purpose has done. I'm happy about
that. Oh, I just, I can't, I'm grinning near the ear. I can't
be any happier. But that was a whole lot different
than the way she laughed before. Look back here in Genesis 18.
Just a couple pages you left. Genesis 18, look here in verse
12. The Lord had spoke what he was
going to do in Genesis 18, 12. Therefore, Sarah laughed within herself,
saying, After I am waxed old, shall I have pleasure, my Lord
being old also? Verse 13. And the Lord said unto
Abraham, didn't say anything to Sarah, did he? He spoke to
Abraham. Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying,
Shall I of a surety bear a child which I am old? Why did she laugh
at that? I said I was going to visit her. I said I was gonna
put life in her, and she laughed at me. She mocked me. She persecuted
me. He asked in verse 14, Abraham,
is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time,
I will return unto thee according to the time of life, and Sarah
shall have a son. He said in one year, I'm gonna
come right back. I'm gonna put life in her. She's gonna have
a son. Then Sarah denied. He hadn't spoken to her yet,
has he? But boy, she's denying. She's denying, saying, I laugh
not. I didn't laugh. But we get real
defensive when we're wrong, don't we? Well now, let me tell you
what happened. Let me tell you what happened.
Hold on now. I didn't. Just bow. Stop fighting and surrender.
She didn't, did she? The Lord hadn't put life in her
yet, that's why. You get that? The Lord hadn't
put life in her. Then Sarah denied, verse 15,
saying, I laughed not, for she was afraid. She was afraid. And he said, Nay, but thou didst
laugh. No, you mocked. You laughed. Sarah thought the
promise of the Lord, the one that he made, was too hard for
him to accomplish. That's why he answered and says,
Anything too hard for the Lord? He knew her heart. The Lord looks
on the heart. That ought to shake mankind to
their core. You can fool me, you can fool
anybody else. You can say, oh, I was laughing out of fun and
not laughing at it. Well, God looks on the heart. Sarah thought the promises the
Lord made was too hard for him to accomplish, and she mocked
him. She laughed at him. She laughed at the silliness
of this precious promise. That's not uncommon. That's what's
happening. all around us. And that's what
we were before God was pleased to save us through the preaching
of His gospel. She laughed at the idea that life was going
to be put in her by God. That is foolish. She already
was alive. Now she's going to have a child.
They said you're buried and you're dead. I'm going to make you live.
That's impossible with her, isn't it? She laughed. She persecuted.
It means make sport of. She mocked at God. He was gonna give her spiritual
life. That's what this is a sign of individually in Sarah. He's
gonna save this woman. How could that be? She's been
the wife of a prophet for 70 years. God's only prophet on
earth. Every time he gets a promise from God, I'm the first one he
tells. He comes home, I make him a sandwich, he tells me all
about it. How's God gonna give me spiritual life? I've been
saved for 450 years. I've been saved my whole life.
Yeah, laugh at God, mock him, watch what happens. She'd been
a wife of this man. She lived with this man. She's
the first one to hear all the stories and she laughed at the
promise of God. You know why? This just seems
like a chuckle, don't it? Eh, that's just silly. She's
at war with God. You think that's funny? She's
at war with God. That's what she's doing. Then
life came. She thought she was just God's
choice woman walking this earth. She could do no wrong. She knew
there was something right wrong and good and evil, and she knew
what was best, didn't she? Thankfully, God saved her. God
put life in her. And there was joy, not mockery.
And now that religion of the past, all that stuff she was
playing, all that stuff she was doing that just sounded good
because mommy and daddy said it, now we can't have that no more. Oh
no, what have we done? She rejects it. Look back in
her text. They're in Genesis 21 verse 9. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar,
the Egyptian. But she had born under Abraham
mocking, you know, Sarah didn't say Ishmael, did she? You think
she forgot his name? She had forgot his name, did
she? Now, she said the son of Hagar, the Egyptian son of Hagar. She took the issue with Hagar,
not with that child. Our Lord did that in the synagogues,
didn't he? He had strong words for those Pharisees, but not
ever so there. He had strong words for those
leaders. He took issue with those preaching a false gospel and
saying stuff they ought not say. He didn't take it out on them
little kids, on those people there. I take issues with those
that preach lies, but oh, my heart burns for those that hear
it. Those that are trapped underneath it and don't know any better,
God hadn't revealed himself to, because it ain't going to profit them.
You ain't going to be saved under a false gospel. He won't save
his people that way. He said so. He said so. Sarah now, that she finally had
life in her, she took issue with Hagar primarily. That's who she
went against. Now she chose Hagar, didn't she?
This whole scheme was her idea, wasn't it? She's turning from
her idols. Now she's taking issue. Sarah
probably loved Ishmael. There's not a doubt in my mind.
Abraham and Hagar, that was her idea. So she could have a son. Do you know that? She wanted
Ishmael. She wanted to be her son. Look
back at Genesis 16. Look here in Genesis 16 with
me. Verse 2. Genesis 16, 2. And Sarai said
unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from Barry.
I've heard these stories you talk about. The Lord said he's
going to put life in me. That's hilarious. I'll take care of it. It ain't
gonna happen without me. You got plans? It ain't gonna
happen that way. I know what's best. Lord, restrain me from
bearing, I pray thee. Go in unto my maid. It may be
that I may obtain. Is that what it says? It may
be that I may obtain children by her. And Abraham hearkened
to the voice of Saria. She said, I, that I may obtain.
Not that the Lord may obtain this one he promised. Not that,
well, Abraham, you're the head of this family, that you may
obtain a son. Carry on your name, carry on
your looks, carry on your bloodline. She said that I may obtain, that
she may obtain. She wanted this child, didn't
she? And I imagine, even though she hated Hagar, she hated Hagar
so bad whenever she was pregnant, she took off running, didn't
she? And the Lord met her in the wilderness. He allured her
in the wilderness, brought her by a whale, spoke to her. That
old woman was picking on a young woman. because she couldn't keep
from it. Sin was in her, wasn't it? But Ishmael came, and I don't
think she had any problems with Ishmael. You ever been mad at
a baby? People nowadays are, but you might be against mommy
and daddy, but you got a newborn baby, just look at that thing.
They look like little aliens. They're ugly. Most babies are
ugly as all get out, ain't they? And we say, it's so precious
and cute. You say, it's pretty. Of course she liked Ishmael.
Them two probably got along. She didn't like how it came about,
but she liked the results. There's a man child in the house,
a little toddler running around. That brings joy, don't it? Doesn't
that make you happy? Oh, Brother John, his two great grandbabies
were playing together. They met yesterday. He sent me
a picture. I said, boy, that's just sweet,
isn't it? That's good, isn't it? She was happy to have a strong
boy around. She didn't have to care as much. They had to help
her out. Ishmael and Sarah likely mocked together. Where do you
think he learned that from? I mean, it's a sin nature he's born with.
You'd be amazed what little people watch you. You'd be amazed what children
could pick up from mommy and daddy. Watch our word. And strangers
too, right? She didn't cast them out before
life was put in her, did she? Been there his whole life. She
didn't have a word to say about it. And I thought of that, you
know, that's like those two malefactors on the cross. One on our Lord
hanging there, and they both of them, they cast their teeth
at him. Both of them was cursing him.
Together, they're mocking at war with him. Laughing. A little
giggle. They're at war with God. And
then something happened. Life went into one of those malfactors. And he turned and said, why are
you laughing at me? You know who this is? I mean, you're here
on purpose. We're sinners. We deserve this.
He's done nothing amiss. This man is holy. Don't you dare
talk to him like that. What's wrong? You see the change?
That happened while it was all nailed up. That's on the cross. Same change happening here. Her
and Ishmael mocked God. They laughed at God, thinking
they were God's children the whole time. Thinking they were
serving God. They thought they was doing God's work. And they
laughed together. They chatted together until life
was born inside of one of them. Sarah went with the flow until
life was formed. Then she turned from her idols.
She turned from that false religion. She turned from mocking God that
saved sinners. And she turned from the means
She used to think was a foolish way of saving sinners. So that's
why God saves sinners. He's going to save by the preaching
of the gospel. She was persecuting God and his people from that
to honor in the Lord. I said the way I've met people
before they think they're apostles, modern day, but I'm telling you
this, well, no man preached to me. I just I was reading the
scriptures. It just came to me. And then they write open letters.
Everyone can read. I saw really like an epistle.
That's not how. you're gonna quit mocking God's
way of how he saves sinners if God saves you. You'll say, that's
how it happened. Amen. Don't happen no other way. Ain't going to. Shortly now,
here it is, this little fella's probably about three years old.
That's when they just weaned. That's plenty enough time to start drinking
milk, get away from mama. This little fella's weaned, they
threw a party. And here's his teenage brother. He's just picking
on him. I ain't tell what kids do. Don't
older brothers pick on younger brothers. That's all it was,
wasn't it? I was born and both of my brothers was about, give
or take, Ishmael's age. That's mid-teenager. That's 14, 16 when I come on
the scene. And my first few years was pretty rough. This happened
to my family. I was mocked. I was picked on.
And boy, I'd fight back. And I'd give them all I had. I'd just hit them as hard as
I could hit them. And it was like I was a punch bag. Nothing
didn't affect them at all. They probably messed with me.
Probably why I fight so hard now. They didn't do anything. They didn't even seem to notice.
That was not how Ishmael mocked. This is not how Sarah mocked,
how she laughed before. Turn over Galatians 4. I just
read this in the scripture reading. We'll look at it again. Galatians
4. Some might say, well, he was
just an unruly teenager picking on his little brother. No, he
was, Abraham commanded his house. He knew God. So there's a hate
in his heart that came from Adam, is what it was. It wasn't just
mocking. Galatians 4, verse 27. 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." Does that say mocked? Does that say, well,
he giggled? He just had a little grin, a
little smirk, snicker or something like that. It said he persecuted
him. Paul says he persecuted him. And nothing's changed in
our day. He said, even so, it is now. The gospel of free and sovereign
grace in Christ is mocked at, laughed at, and persecuted. And
so are the Lord's children. We looked the other day at that
blind beggar. What was the first thing that happened to him? Opposition
came. Opposition came. Started to smile, didn't it?
Well, now hold on. They started going, where are you going to church at, did
you say? I'm glad you're going to church. Did you quit drinking,
quit smoking, quit running with women or whatever, you know,
people get a little But then you start, they start hearing who's
preached there, not that you go in church. Why are you doing
that? Confusion comes in, right? A
little bit of opposition, then a little bit more opposition,
then a little bit more opposition. They started out crying, Hosea
has come. Look at him. Two days later, they hung him
on a cross. Opposition started coming and
it hasn't changed throughout time. It's always been this way.
There is enmity. There's enmity between The serpent
and the Lord's people. There's enmity between him and
our Lord, isn't there? That's what we read in Genesis
3. The Lord said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this,
thou shalt be cursed above all cattle, above every beast of
the field. Upon thy belly shalt thou go, and thus shall I eat
all the days of thy life. And I will put enmity between
thee and the woman. What do you tell them, Pharisees?
You're of your father, the devil. No, it's one or the other, ain't
it? It's one or the other. It can't be both. He said, I will put enmity between
thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed. It shall bruise thy head and
thou shalt bruise his heel. Does that mean Christ won't crush
Satan? Yeah, that's all his work, but
there's still enmity between a child of God and the darkness
of this world. Why? Why? What is a person, what's the
reason that religious folks either snicker or want war with God's
gospel? And both go in the same. If they
take up arms and they get in a tank to come blow his place
up, or they go, and shrug a shoulder. It's the same, God says. He said
he mocked, snickered, laughed, persecuted. It falls in the same
basket, don't it? Satan heard of this covenant of grace, this
particular redemption. this election of God to an undeserving
people. He said, you mean that you're
going to send yourself to be a propitiation? You're going
to carry these people, these undeserving people? You're going
to do that? I'm not putting up with that.
I'll be God. You're making bad decisions.
Pride come before a fall, doesn't it? That's what happens. What
are people mad about nowadays? Same thing Ishmael was. I'm standing
right here. I want to get me a son. Hey! I'm your son. I look just like
you. No, no, this one's the one that
God made. You were by conventional means,
this is miraculous. This is a gift from God. No. Well, that ain't fair. What do
you mean I'm not gonna be the heir? Some Bible scholars, they
may stumble upon particular redemption, don't they? They may stumble
on those things in Roman nine for the children Not yet being
born, neither have it done any good or evil, that the purpose
of God, according to election, might stand not of works, but
of him that calleth. It was said unto her, the elder
shall serve the younger, as it is written. Jacob have I loved,
and Esau have I hated. And that doctrine of election
doesn't bother men and women. It's not the doctrine that bothers
people. Doctrine's fine. The Jews are God's elect people,
physically, is what the picture is, right? Oh, that's fine. Yeah,
that don't bother me. What bothers them is pride. As in people saying
back in the 80s, why not me? Why him? Me? That's not fair. I'm good. I'm not that bad of
a person. Why not me? You imagine Ishmael
at that weaning party. He was strong. He knew how to
do a lot of things. He knew how to do everything.
He's helped his daddy. He can pitch tents, cut firewood,
whatever's needed. And then this toddler comes along
that can't do anything at all in themselves, and there's a
big to-do. There's a feast for this one. A big party. Why? What about me? What about me? They want an heir, I'm standing
right here. No, Ishmael, you grew up here, you're Abraham's
offspring, but you cannot be the heir. You're by his hand,
not the promise of God. Anger comes out. They'll take
up rocks to bash your head in. What do you mean? You telling
me I ain't good enough? I'm telling you nobody's good enough. God
can save sinners, that's what I'm telling you. I won't have
this man reign over me. Pigeonhole and watch what happens.
They'll knock your head off. If the Lord works in the heart,
we only want to do his will to serve him. We see we did not
merit being an heir. You remember Eliezer? That's
what Abraham spoke to the Lord. He said, Lord God, what wilt
thou give me seeing I go childless and the steward of my house is
this Eliezer of Damascus. Lord, if you don't give me a
child, Eliezer is going everything. You think he heard that? You
think Eliezer heard that? You mean I'm getting everything?
And then what happened? Ishmael come. Well, it kind of
knocked him down a list. He ain't gonna be king now, huh?
Then Isaac come, the one he promised. Abraham told him, here's what
God told me, Eliezer. Come here, listen. It was mentioned
you might get something before. Then Israel came, you probably
ain't gonna get much. Now Isaac, the promised one came, you ain't
getting nothing, Eleazar. Did he get mad and take his toys
and go home? No, he was the one that Abraham
sent to find Isaac a wife. Come here, Eleazar. You're here
in my house, you ain't getting a nickel. Now go find him a wife.
You got it, Abraham. What's the difference in them
two? One knows God, and the other one don't. Now who maketh thee
to differ? How could this be possible? You're
still in Galatians 4, verse 30. Nevertheless, what saith the
scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the
bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman. So
then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the
free, of the free. Stand fast, therefore, in the
liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free. and be not entangled
again with the yoke of bondage. You walk away from it, don't
you go back. That ain't the heir, don't touch it. Mark it, leave
it alone. Don't look at it, don't read
it. Don't touch it, don't think about touching it. Leave it be. It's done. How can this be? How can we have such freedom?
How can we have such liberty? How can we be the children of
promise? Do you know what we are? I know
what I am. Has God revealed to you what
you are? I hope he does. It'll hurt, but I hope he does.
That's good. How can this be? How can this
happen? How can we be children of promise?
That's an age-old question, isn't it? From Job on, it's been asked
from the oldest book in these scriptures. How can a man be
just before a holy God? Job said it, Bildad asked it,
and it would be wonderful If millions of people right now
in our generation would ask it too, how can a man be justified
with God, or how can he be clean that's born of a woman? How can
this be? There must be a lamb. Isaac's
gonna ask this here in a chapter. Daddy, where's the lamb? He was
trained up from a young age. Where's the lamb, daddy? Look
over in Romans 3. Romans 3. Here's where man has a problem.
Romans 3 verse 23, for all have sinned and come short of the
glory of God. By ourselves, in our own works,
by the works of man's hands, by your choice, your doing, your
thinking, your whatever, you've sinned and you've come short
of the glory. You can't be an heir. Well, what
hope do we have? Verse 24, being justified freely
by His grace. through the redemption that is
in Christ Jesus, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation
through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for
the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance
of God to declare, I say at this time, his righteousness, that
he might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Where's boasting then? It's excluded. By what law? Works? Nay, but by the law of
faith, by the law of Christ, by the law of liberty. Therefore,
we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of
the law. Where's the lamb? Is the question. How can God be just and justify?
We have to have propitiation. We have to have a mercy seat,
a blood-covered mercy seat, an acceptable sacrifice. Until then. Until we see that
we're dead and we can't do anything, God must do it all, and He must
do it in His Son and His blood applied to us. Until we see Christ
crucified, until life is given, persecution on all points is
all we are. We will laugh, we'll mock, until
the Lord's pleased to give us a new heart that cries out to
Him. You're not an heir. You're right,
Lord. You're a dog. Give me some crumbs from your
table. Amen. It's different, isn't it? So
what do you tell Paul? It's hard to kick against the
pricks, isn't it? You keep fighting. In that instance, he taught Paul
in the heart that he looks upon. All right, back in our text,
Genesis 21. What's going to happen in a. In a sinner after life
is given, once the Lord puts life in somebody, that mocking
laughing that was just so natural before you didn't even know he
was doing it. All of a sudden, it's disgusting
now. It's disgusting now. There's a man, I better talk
about him while I can, Lord, might save him. He's been listening
to me quite a bit, and he got me a suit jacket. And he said,
I need my preacher to tell me about Jesus, not dressed like
him. And I understood what he was saying. Just like that blind
man, I didn't want to take him out back and take a belt to him
and whip him. He said, don't you say that! It ain't right. And y'all not
joke about these things, but he doesn't know any better. But
it's the heart that's in there. You see what I'm saying? Now
down the road, as the Lord teaches him more, if he's pleased to,
he'll say, I can't believe I said those things. I can't believe
I thought that way. That was so wrong. I shouldn't
have done that. I shouldn't have said that. What I did was wrong.
I was laughing. I didn't know I was at war with
God. I just thought I was a Christian
like everybody else underneath the sun until God showed me I
was in Christ. to show me what that was. I was
a saint. You know, saints mentioned more
than any other reference to his people in the scriptures. Why?
Because we're sanctified, we're set apart, we're made holy. I
didn't know those things. That's what happens. If God puts
life in a sinner, they can't suffer around being around what
they once were around no more. They cannot go back to a goat
can. A goat can eat grass, it can eat briars, it don't make
a difference to that goat. A sheep can't. She can't do it. Look
here in Genesis 21 verse 9. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar,
the Egyptian, who had borne unto Abraham, mocking. That's what she was just doing
a couple chapters back. Wherefore she said unto Abraham,
cast out this bondwoman and her son, for the son of this bondwoman,
this product of works, shall not be heir with my son, with
Isaac, the one that God's promised. Works and the covenant of works
and the covenant of grace cannot mix. It cannot mix. Peter tells
us that Sarah called Abraham Lord. And just as she petitioned
Abraham, get this bomb woman out of here. Get that son out
of here. She loved him. You know she loved him. She'd
been there 16, 17 years. We ask the Lord. We ask the Lord
Jesus Christ, our King, to remove all them works that we have.
Lord, take his grave clothes from me. Make me stop talking
like somebody that don't know you. and stop putting on shows
and airs and titles and religion and everything else. Lord, make
that stop. Lord, I did all these works. I thought I did all these
great things for you. Make me forget that. Put that
away. Yeah, I know you've forgiven
it as far as East is from West. Forget it. Oh, such shame. Get it out here. Remove the enemies
of the gospel. Just like I was till you saved me. Why? Why? Now we see the works of
our hands cannot make an heir. For the first time, for the first
time ever, we see it's not a true heir. God must do the work. God
must make a spiritual seed, children of Abraham, not us. And those
dead works, you've got to renounce them, turn from them, walk away
from them. If you're his, you'll be made to do it. Now this isn't
just an eject button from being under the law. the works must
be cast out. They can't produce an heir, they
can't produce life. So many people say, we're free from the law.
You ever met a lady that talked about her husband? I wrote that
article last week and I deleted the first half of it. I met a
lady one time and I said, what's your husband like? And she said,
oh, I got a nice car and a nice house and I don't have to work.
And I know, but what's your husband like? Well, no, he got me a servant
to take care of me and I don't have any rules. I can do anything
I want. And it's just, I have such benefits. Yeah, but what's
he like? He said, I don't know. We don't
spend much time together. That's a shame. It's a shame. The Lord's true people, his sheep,
they're not gold diggers. They're not here for the benefits.
Well, we're gay. Somebody took care of us. Absolutely
not. That's a benefit. We're thankful
for the Lord saving us from our sins. We're thankful, truly,
for the Lord keeping us from eternal death and damnation we
earned. Trust me. Thank you, Lord. Thank you. But
I want the one who did that. It's not the features and the
benefits. It's not a sales ad. I want the person who did it.
That comes with it. Well, what if heaven ain't streets
of gold and I don't have a big mansion? What if I'm living in
a tent on a hillside and it's cold? Is the Lord there? I don't
care. He'll warm me up. He'll be just
what I need. I want to be with him. Whenever we The Lord works in
us. He produces life in us. When
we stop going to church where lies are preached, we stop hanging
out with those that believe a God that we don't believe in. They
don't believe a true and living God. When we stop associating
with and calling brother and sister, those that are the child
of the bond woman, not the child of the promise, it's going to
be painful. It's going to be painful. We've
got friends in this world and we're going to miss them. And
there's going to be some social activities and positions and
authority that we're just gonna have to walk away from. And there's
gonna be some entertainment. Somebody asked me one time, well,
what do you have for the children? Don't you have plays? What about when
Christmas comes, don't you have a child's play? I said, no, we
just have Christ. You'd be amazed what little children. What about
Samuel? Samuel heard the Lord, heard his voice, didn't he? God
spoke to a child. That's what we have for him.
You have to walk away from all those things, people you like, people you love. Verse 9, Sarah saw the son of
Hagar, the Egyptian, which she had borne unto Abraham, mocking.
Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her
son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be here with my son,
even Isaac. And the thing was very, the thing was very grievous
in Abraham's sight because of his son. Ishmael was likely a
good boy. He was raised right by a faithful
father that knew the Lord. He was strong, hardworking, diligent.
He looked like his daddy, and to cast him out was very grievous
to Abraham. This boy hadn't done anything
wrong to him. This was all the adult's fault, wasn't it? And
God said, put him out, pack him up, send him out in the wilderness,
get rid of him, because this is a picture of works that can't
stand, salvations of the Lord. How could Abraham be consoled?
If you take one of your boys, you had two children, and you
take one of them, it's been around you for a long time. Give them
a bowl of water and a loaf of bread. Send them packing. What
could mend that heart? That's very grievous. Very grievous. Christ had to be preached to
Abraham. Look at this, verse 12. This is precious. This is
an old, old story, isn't it? 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. You
remember why this is all happening, Abraham? Let's go back to the
first one. Remember why we do this? Remember that? Why are we here today? Why are
we here? Christ and him crucified. We're
going to make a great nation of you, Abraham. Why? Christ
is going to come through you. The one that's going to save
you is going to come through your lineage. And he said, the seed, not as
of many, but as of ones, will come through Isaac. He had to
be reminded one more time. Christ is coming through Isaac,
put away the work she hands, stand still and see the salvation
of the Lord. It says in verse 13, physically,
he said, also the son of the bomb woman will I make a nation
because he's thy seed. I'll take care of him. You don't
have to, I will. You can't, I will. We saw before
Hagar being a Lord in that wilderness. We'll look at this again, but
the Lord provided her well and spoke to her. But for now, verse
14, Abraham rose up early in the morning. He did the first
thing. He obeyed the Lord early. And he 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 Lord, if the Lord separates
somebody, friends of this earth, loved ones, whatever it is over
the gospel. I pray we'll see the seed of
Abraham. I pray we'll see the Lord and
that we'll put a water Ball of water and bread. I pray we take
the gospel, Christ the living water, Christ our bread, our
daily bread, and put it on the shoulders of those who mock and
who persecute us and who ridicule us and who laugh at us. Just
say, look to Christ, that's all I can give you, now go on your
way. And mark him and leave him alone as the Lord commanded,
as he's commanded us to do. All right, let's pray together. Father, thank you for this hour.
Lord, bless the hearts of your people, give them comfort that
this work of salvation, this covenant you've made in order
and all things are sure is of your hand, secured by your hand. Lord, let us turn from our idols,
from ourselves, our pride, our thoughts, and turn to the one
that redeemed us. Allow us to see His seed, His
perfection, His finished work, His accomplishments. Master,
sing His praises. Thank you for this hour, Lord.
Be with those that you've sent heavy trial, that
are very grievous. Show them Christ one more time,
Lord. Thank you for this day. Forgive us for what we are. Forgive
us our sin. Be merciful to me, a sinner,
Lord. It's in Christ's name that we ask it. Amen. Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let
me hide myself in Thee. Let the water and the blood from
Thy wounded side which flowed be of sin the double cure. Save from wrath and make me pure. Could my tears forever flow? Could my zeal no longer know? Peace for sin could not atone. Thou must save and Thou alone. In my hand no price I bring Simply
to thy cross I cling While I draw this fleeting breath When my
eyes shall close in death When I rise to worlds unknown and
behold thee on thy throne. Rock of ages, cleft for me. Let me hide myself in thee. Lord willing, we'll meet again
Wednesday. Brother Angus is the guy I got a hold of. He sends
his love. the warmness that everyone showed
to him. And he may be stopping on his
way back through. And I said, well, if you get
a chance, maybe we'll be of service to whatever day that happens
to be. Or come on a Sunday, we'll put you to work. But I was thankful
to have him here. But remember then was our traveling
days. He's heading back to Australia
today. It's a long plane ride. And those that the Lord uses
to preach around this nation, I'm thankful for the men and
women, or men that the Lord's raised up to preach and the women
that help them and serve them. And that the Lord didn't, he
told us to pray for laborers in the harvest. I pray that the
Lord raises up young men, makes them strong, gives them hide
like an alligator, and puts that gospel in them and makes them
go out and preach. I pray so. Anyway, the Lord be with you.
Thank you. A week from today, we'll have
a meal. So bring what you like. Notice
please, thank you.