We, as Isaac Was

Q: What does the Bible say about the two covenants?

The Bible illustrates the two covenants through the story of Abraham's sons: Isaac, the child of promise, and Ishmael, the child of the bondwoman. In Galatians 4, the Apostle Paul uses the story of Abraham's two sons to illustrate the difference between the old and new covenants. Isaac represents the children of promise who are born of the Spirit, while Ishmael represents those born of the flesh, symbolizing those who seek justification under the law. This comparison highlights the nature of the covenants: one that leads to bondage and the other that grants freedom through faith in Christ alone. The old covenant, represented by the law given at Sinai, leads to a system of works that cannot justify, whereas the new covenant offers grace and forgiveness through Christ's sacrifice, making believers children of the free woman, Jerusalem above.

Q: How do we know that salvation is by grace alone?

Salvation is by grace alone, as we see in Scripture that it is not of works, but a gift from God. The concept of salvation by grace alone is fundamental in Reformed theology and is supported by various biblical texts. Ephesians 2:8-9 emphasizes that it is by grace we are saved through faith, and this is not of ourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Paul argues in Galatians that the attempt to mix the works of the law with faith in Christ undermines the gospel and leads to bondage. In this light, salvation being solely the work of God’s grace through Christ ensures that no one can claim righteousness through their own efforts. It is a divine gift that transforms and justifies us, aligning with the broader Reformed understanding of God’s sovereignty in salvation.

Q: Why is understanding our identity as children of promise important for Christians?

Understanding our identity as children of promise assures us of our security and inheritance in Christ. The recognition that believers are children of promise, like Isaac, is crucial for understanding our spiritual identity in Christ. Romans 8:16-17 states that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. This inheritance is not based on our works but on God’s promise and grace, assuring us of our acceptance and security before Him. Additionally, grasping our identity as children of promise encourages us to live in freedom rather than under the fear of condemnation associated with law-keeping. It empowers us to grow in faith and obedience, driven by love rather than obligation, reflecting our new nature as those born again of the Spirit.

Let's turn in our Bibles again to Galatians, and we're in chapter 4, the last part of chapter 4, beginning with verse 21. The epistles, if not all of those that the Apostle Paul was inspired of God to write, began with what has been called the doctrinal teaching of the letter. And then the practical part follows. And tonight we're finishing up with that which would be considered the doctrinal part of this letter. Well, let's begin in verse 21 and read through to the end of the chapter. 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, the one by bondmaid, the other by free woman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh. But he of the free woman was by promise, which things are an allegory.

For these are the two covenants, the one from the Mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem, which now is and is in 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. Nevertheless, what sayeth 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.

In these last verses, which we've just read, the Apostle Paul gives an illustration. And the illustration that he gives is the difference between those who trust in Christ alone for justification, apart from the works of the law, and those who join the works of the law, obedience to the law, to the finished work of Christ. We'll go through these verses tonight. And what a wonderful example we find here. In verse 21, I want us to notice the word law is found two times in this verse, but obviously both times do not refer to the same law.

Notice, tell me ye that desire to be under the law. Now, what law is he speaking of there? He's speaking of the law that was given on Mount Sinai, the law, the covenant law that was given to the nation of Israel. They wanted to be under that. In other words, the ceremonies and the rights, the obligations that were part of that law. Tell me ye that desire to be under the law. He's speaking about the law that we would find in the books of Exodus and Leviticus and Numbers and Deuteronomy. But now notice the second time when he uses the word law, do you not hear the law? What law is he talking about now? Well, we know he's going to go on and speak about the Abraham and the children of the bondwoman and the free woman.

Well, that's not found in any of those four books that I mentioned. That's found in the book of Genesis, right? And you know that sometimes in the New Testament, when the Lord spoke of the law, sometimes it refers to the five books, the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, the law. And then sometimes, of course, the law refers to the Mosaic law that was given to the nation of Israel. Do you not hear, now you're not gonna hear what he's talking about in that law from Sinai about Abraham and his children. You're going to find that in Genesis, but that's part of the law. Remember they're Jews, that's one of the ways they divided the scriptures up.

Let me see if we can find this. Turn over to Luke chapter 24. Luke chapter 24, the risen Lord speaking to his disciples. verse 44, I believe it's the verse I want, and he said unto them, these are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, that's one part of the Old Testament. in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets, that's the Prophets, all of the books of the Old Testament, the prophecies, and then of course the Psalms, which speaks of the wisdom literature, not just the book of Psalms, but But Proverbs and Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon, those books, that's the way they divided the Old Testament up into those three divisions. Some say they divided it into four divisions.

But when Paul asked here, do you not hear the law? Obviously he's speaking about that law that is written in the book of Genesis because he's going on to talk about Abraham and his family. Verse 22 and 23, for it is written that Abraham, and see, do you not hear the law? For it is written. Well, now, where was that written? It was written in the law, but it was written in Genesis, wasn't it? Yes.

For it is written that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a free woman, but he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh, but he of the free woman was by promise. In our Sunday school class last Sunday, Brother Streeter went through this, but let me remind us, we're all familiar with these facts, that Abraham, after years, after years of being promised an heir, after years passed that he and Sarah devised a plan of their own to help God out, I assume.

And Sarah suggested that Abraham have a child for her through the handmaid, Hagar. And he did have a son through Hagar. His name was Ishmael. But Hagar was not the free woman. In other words, Sarah was his wife and she was on an equal level as Abraham. They were both free, the husband and the wife, but the maid, the bondmaid, that means she was a slave, she was a servant. And so he has a son by the bondmaid, by Sarah's maid, Hagar.

Then we know when Sarah was 90 years old and she was past the age of bearing a child, there's no question about that, but God gave her a son. And of course, his name is Isaac. God gave her a son as he had promised Abraham and as he had promised Sarah as well. And this is all written, of course, in the law in Genesis chapter 16 and 21.

But one of these sons was of the free woman, which meant that he was like her. He was free. Isaac was. His mother was a free woman, so he was a free man. But the other son was born of a bondservant, which meant that he was like his mother. He too was a bondservant. And that's important. Paul would just, do you not hear the law? Do you not hear what the law says concerning Abraham and his two sons.

Verse 24, which things are an allegory, for these are the two covenants, the one from the Mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem, which now is and is in bondage with her children. Paul would take these historical facts, these historical facts that Abraham had a son by a bondwoman and he had a son by the free woman, Sarah, his wife. And he would use these facts to illustrate the difference between those who trust in Christ alone or justification apart from the works of the law and those who trust in Christ and also their obedience to the law that was given through Moses.

Now, I want to emphasize something here tonight. I don't think it's necessary, but I want to anyway, that when Paul says which things are an allegory, he's not saying that Abraham and his two wives and two sons were an allegory. No, he's saying those were true facts, historical facts, and he's using this. as an allegory, as an illustration. And the reason I point this out, I don't know if you've ever heard this, but some, I have at least, some say, well, Adam and Eve and the serpent speaking to them, that's just an allegory.

That's not really true. You don't believe that, do you? Yes. Yes, I do believe that. I believe that Adam was the first man that God created and put in the Garden of Eden. I believe that. I don't believe it's just an allegory to teach about mankind and how sin came into this world. You might ask me, well, have you ever seen a serpent speak? No. And I've never seen a donkey speak either. And I've never seen a fish swallow a man either. But I believe these things because it's God's word.

And when Paul says that he's using this as an allegory, he's not saying that this was not real, that this was not real facts, historical facts that took place at one time. No, the history of Abraham and the two sons was not just some kind of an allegory to teach a lesson. He's using this as an allegory. He's using these historical facts to represent two covenants.

Now, I looked up the word covenant, the Greek word, and it's the same, whether it's sometimes translated testament or covenant, all through the New Testament. But many people believe that this would better be understood here as two dispensations or two constitutions.

Because think about it, there's only been one gospel. And only men who've been saved have been saved through looking to Christ. But in the Old Testament, they were looking to the promised one that was to come, to Christ, to him and his work. We look back. to his coming and his work, yes. But there were people saved under that old covenant. Moses was saved, David was saved, Solomon. I mean, think of those prophets, Isaiah, Zephaniah, Haggai. Those men, they were saved, but they lived under that old covenant dispensation.

And what does Paul say about that? It gendereth to bondage. It gendereth to bondage. To live under that dispensation, I like to speak of it as the old dispensation, the new dispensation, the Old Testament, the New Testament. You say, when we saw this recently, this new dispensation, it's called the dispensation, of the Son of God coming into this world. We see that in Ephesians chapter 1. Well, Paul said that old dispensation that had answered to Jerusalem that then was, when he wrote this letter of Galatians, everything was going on there in Jerusalem.

It had not been destroyed yet. That would come in AD 70, we know. And they continued, and Paul knew this because he'd been part of it. Until the Lord revealed himself unto Paul on the road to Damascus, he had been living under that old dispensation. He wasn't saved, but he was trying to be saved by keeping the works of the law. That's what he says in Romans chapter 10, isn't it?

Verse four. Brethren, his kinsmen according to the flesh. Let me read that. Romans chapter 10. The reason Paul could write like he did is for one reason, he knew he came out of this. Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved.

For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge, For they being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. How were they trying to establish their own righteousness?

By their obedience to the law, the ceremonies of the law, touch not, taste not, all of those things that the law prohibited and it gendered to bondage. Well, you'd be afraid to go outside. You might step on a bone of some man that had died and the only thing left was a bone. Well, you would be unclean. Why did they put a cloth over the top of their water pots and strain their water so they would not imbib some animal or insect or whatever you want to call it that the law forbid them to eat. It just gendered to bondage. You had to watch everything, everything that you did or you would be unclean.

You see that over and over, especially in the book of Leviticus. He shall be unclean until the evening, shall wash his clothes and wash himself and Then he's allowed back into the camp. I mean, it was just one prohibition after the other. Had to do with what they ate, what they wore, how they did their work. It gendered to bondage.

Notice, if you look above our text here in chapter four in verse 10, we saw this a few weeks ago or a few times back. You observe days, months, times, and years. Those were all part of the law, right? Ceremonial part of the law. That's what these false teachers had come among the Galatians teaching them. Yes, you believe in Christ, that's good, but you also must observe this law of Moses.

Now, Sarah, verse 26, but Jerusalem, which above is free, which is the mother of us all. Sarah, the free woman in Paul's illustration or allegory represents this new dispensation. And he refers it to Jerusalem, the New Testament church. The Lord Jesus Christ has made us free, not only from the curse of the law, Remember, he redeemed us. That's in chapter three here of Galatians. He redeemed us from the curse of the law. The law cursed us for our disobedience, but he has also redeemed us from the bondage of the ceremonial law.

The church of the Lord Jesus here is called Jerusalem, the Jerusalem which is above. She's the mother of us all, whether you be a Jew or a Gentile, she's the mother of us all. Look in Hebrews with me just a moment where we see the church referred to as Jerusalem. One of the reasons I believe the church is referred to as Jerusalem is because of the way Jerusalem was situated.

It was situated in such a way it was safe. It was safe because of the rocks, the Mount Zion, the mountains. It gave them leverage. No one could attack Jerusalem. And the church is, we're safe because We're built upon the rock, not the mountain like Mount Zion, literally, but Christ the Lord.

But notice here in Hebrews 12 and verse 22, speaking to believers. First he said, you're not come to Mount Sinai. I'm so thankful tonight. I'm not come to Mount Sinai. He tells us even Moses trembled. Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake when God was speaking to him, giving his law. You haven't come to that. No. But you are common to Mount Zion and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels. We sang that hymn just a few minutes ago, ring the bells of heaven. And our Lord in his parable told him there's rejoicing among the angels when one of his is found and brought home.

Yes, the general assembly, the church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect. Not only here in Galatians is the church referred to as Jerusalem, but we see also in Hebrews. But Paul said the Jerusalem that now is, he's talking about that temple that was still there in Jerusalem when he wrote, and the priests that were still there in the temple and carrying on those rites and ceremonies. the ceremonial law. And then in verse 27 he quotes a verse from Isaiah back here in Galatians chapter 4. For it is written, where is that written? It's written in Isaiah chapter 54 in verse 1. 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. Rejoice.

Now, this appears to have been a prophecy of what would and did take place. When the Lord Jesus Christ ascended back to the Father, after he'd come into this world and lived for 32, 33 years, died upon the cross, was buried, rose, and then over a period of 40 days appeared to his disciples, then he ascended back to heaven. How many believers were there? Well, we know on the day of Pentecost, there was 120. 120.

But what happened? That's the desolate woman here, as though she was desolate, had few children. But what happened? Rejoice! 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.

In other words, on the day of Pentecost, 3,000 were added to the church. A few days later, wasn't it? 5,000 were added to the church. And when you read in church history, you find, now whether all these people were saved or not, that's God's business, right? But those pagan temples were emptied by everyone who was saved, taking the gospel and gossiping. That's the word that's used there in Acts, gossiping the gospel. As they were persecuted in Jerusalem, they spread out.

And what I'm saying here is that this church, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, much like a desolate woman that had one or two children now, She has many children, many children. And of course, to you and I today, all over the world, all around the world, God has his children. She sure couldn't be called or likened to a desolate woman today, could she? No. All right, verse 28.

Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. We, brethren, those of us who trust, Paul is writing to these who confess faith in Christ. We who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and in him alone for our salvation. He said, we are like Isaac. Well, there are several ways that there's a resemblance between Isaac and the children of God. I've got three of them written down here tonight. First of all. Isaac was promised to Abraham. He was promised and given by promise, or he was, yes, promised and given to Abraham.

Well, every child of God was given to Christ by promise. Remember his words, all that the father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which has sent me, that of all, A-L-L, that of all which he hath given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

We are like Isaac. Isaac was promised and given He was promised to Abraham, given to Abraham, but we, of course, were promised and given to Christ. Second, we are born again by the Spirit, by the power of God. Now, no one could doubt, though Isaac's birth, some say that's not a miracle.

Well, if it's not a miracle, it's close to one. for a 90-year-old woman to have a child. Obviously, it wasn't just something that happens every day. It was something out of the ordinary. And the only way it did happen is because God gave her the grace, the strength, the ability to conceive and bear a child.

And the same thing is true of you and me, those who know the Lord Jesus Christ, It's not by our initiative. It's not by our works. We'd still be lost and happy being lost if it were not for the grace of God, the power of God. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hear'st the sound thereof. But you can't tell from where it came or where it's going. So is everyone that is born of the Spirit.

Isaac, he was the heir. You remember when Abraham sent his servant to get a bride for Isaac, and that servant told Rachel's family, her brother and her mother, now, my master has one son. Well, he had some other sons, but he had only one son that was the heir of everything. And You and I, because we are one with Christ, we are joint heirs with God and heirs of Christ. Heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Can you imagine what it is to be an heir with Christ? I don't know if we think about this as much as we should. Consider this. Meditate on this as much as we should.

Everything is His. Everything. And we're joint heirs. That's the way the Apostle Paul could say, I have everything. He was in prison, and yet he could write to the Corinthians and say, I have everything. How could he say that? Because he was one with Christ, he was a joint heir with Christ.

Now, verse 29 and 30. But as then, he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit, even so it is now. Now there came a day when Ishmael began to mock Isaac. That's the way he persecuted him, by mocking him. But what Paul is saying, you believers, you will experience the same thing. But remember this, the day came when God told Abraham, put the bond woman and her son out. They cannot be an heir with your son Isaac. And there's coming a day, isn't there, there's going to be a great separation.

Those, I mean, the world's full of religion. I don't, I think man is, is just a creature that has to be religious. No matter if he's in a jungle somewhere, doesn't have any access to any truth at all, he's going to find something that he can worship. It may be a snake, it may be a snail, it may be a whatever. He's going to worship something because that's just part of being a man.

And there's going to come a day when the true worshipers of God and false worshipers are going to be separated. The bondwoman and her son, those who are trying to earn salvation, merit salvation, deserve salvation, they're going to be cast out. But those of the free woman, those who believe that salvation and know that salvation is by grace and grace alone.

We don't contribute anything. Not a thing. People get that out of their mind. Someone said the hardest part of preaching the gospel is getting people lost. because everybody's got something. They're holding on to it, that's right. Oh, but when God the Holy Spirit brings us to the place where we have nothing, we are nothing, we can do nothing, we deserve nothing, but hail God, be merciful to me, the sinner. We're not children of the law, but we're children of the free grace of God. May the Lord bless this word.

We, as Isaac Was

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about the two covenants?

How do we know that salvation is by grace alone?

Why is understanding our identity as children of promise important for Christians?

Sermon Transcript

About David Pledger

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We, as Isaac Was

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about the two covenants?

How do we know that salvation is by grace alone?

Why is understanding our identity as children of promise important for Christians?

Sermon Transcript

About David Pledger

Comments

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