Now, we're turning again to the
book of Galatians, chapter 4, and let's read verse 19 and 20.
My little children, my little children, of whom I travail in
birth again until Christ be formed in you. Now, that's the title
of my message tonight. Until Christ be formed, established,
rooted and grounded in you. That's salvation. Christ in you,
the hope of glory. And you in Him. You in Him. Now, Paul, as God's
true servant, was very grieved in his heart. You remember, as
he writes these words, he's departed from them. He's now in Rome and
in prison for preaching the gospel. And he was very concerned for
the spiritual welfare of these believers in Galatia. They heard
the gospel from him. They learned the gospel from
him. And now he gets wind. He hears this rumor that some
of them are starting to defect and to depart from the gospel,
and he's grieving his heart. He wants them to stay steadfast
in the gospel and to abide in the gospel. And he leaves no
stone unturned to try to rescue them from the most grievous and
terrible sin against God, and that is forsaking the gospel
of God's grace in Christ alone for a mixture of works and grace,
and he tries, as God would help him, to retrieve them back to
the gospel of Christ alone. Now, I'm not saying at all that
those who are saved by God's grace and justified in the Lord
Jesus Christ can one day be lost. But I am saying this, a lot of
times those who are true believers get led astray by different things
and they need the help of God's servants with God's message to
put them in the right way and to have them focused upon the
Lord Jesus Christ instead of side issues and different things.
Cause us to look totally unto the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, several
things he has done, he scalded them for their folly of entertaining
such thoughts, as he says back here in chapter 3, verse 3, Are
you so foolish, having begun in the Spirit, are you now made
perfect by the flesh? He patiently explained to them
the difference of law and faith, works and grace. He said, by
the deeds of the law shall no sinner be justified. He had shown
them plainly the redemptive beauty and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ,
how He has redeemed us with His own blood from the curse of the
law, being made sin for us, being made a curse for us, and He has
justified us by His glorious sacrifice? Now He makes an impassioned
personal plea, My little children, You can see the heart, love,
and the desire he had for their spiritual welfare. My little
children of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be established
in you. My little children. Boy, that's
a term of endearment, isn't it? My little children. A most tender
name. John used that often, John the
Apostle, when he writes that first First Epistle of John. He said this, I write unto you
little children, because your sins are forgiven for His name's
sake. You're little children. It's
good in many ways to be like a little child. Remember our
Lord said, except you be converted and be as a little child, you're
not going to enter in. You're a little child. You take
your little one. She's totally dependent upon
you for everything. Everything. left to herself,
she'd perish. And I tell you, that's a good
example for us, little children. We are totally dependent upon
the Lord Jesus Christ to provide not some things, to provide all
things for us in the way of saving mercy. John writes again, he
said, my little children, these things I write unto you that
you sin not, I wish I could quit. One day I will, but he said,
my little children, I write unto you that you sin not, but when
you do, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous. Now that doesn't encourage God's
people to sin. I would, if I could, stop any
sinful thoughts that flood my mind. Someday I will, but right
now it's a constant battle. Just being honest with you. That's
the only way to be, isn't it? Honest. Paul expressed his deep
concern for them as a parent to a dear son or daughter. I
travail in deep agonizing pain as a mother giving birth to a
child. I agonize over your assurance
that you have in Christ Jesus. Let me show you another time
how Paul writes to these believers here in the early church. Turn
to 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, verse 7. 1 Thessalonians chapter
2. He uses kind of a similar phrase
here in 1 Thessalonians 2 verse 7. He said, We were gentle among
you even as a nurse, even as a nurse that cherishes her children,
being so affectionately desirous of you. We were willing to have
imparted unto you not the gospel of God only, But our own souls,
because you were dear unto us, willing to give His life, a parent
wouldn't even think about intervening in a child's life. If his life
was in jeopardy, a loving parent would immediately intercede and
intervene to prevent that child harm, where it might even cause
harm to himself. And that's what he's saying here.
I would lay down my life for you, I would give you the gospel,
but not only that, I'd die for you if it was a help, if it would
be a help to you. His desire is to see these believers
to be rooted and grounded in the gospel. He says here, until
Christ be formed in you, until you are truly made new creatures
in Christ Jesus, until Christ is established in your heart,
and enthroned in your heart, who has gripped your heart, and
has exalted himself in you, and who has caused you to set your
heart, your mind, your love on things above in Christ Jesus. This is his desire. That's my
desire for you. I want you to be rooted and grounded. I want you to have a heart love,
a sweet heart love for the Lord Jesus Christ. To you who believe,
He is, He is altogether lovely. Oh, He's the most lovely one.
He said, not just a form of religion, that's not what I want for you,
with all of its legal ordinances, but until Christ be formed in
you. You remember back here in chapter
1 of Galatians, turn over there. Back in chapter 1, Christ in
you, look at verse 15 and 16. But when it pleased God, who
separated me from my mother's womb and called me by His grace,
to reveal His Son in me, the revelation of Christ to your
heart, that I might preach Him among the heathen, immediately
I conferred not with flesh and blood, until Christ be formed
in you, not just a form of religion, not just morality with all of
its do's and don'ts. It's not my desire to have you
reformed in a moral way, although God's people are upright and
they are moral, but that's not salvation. Morality is not salvation. Morality with all its do's and
don'ts. That's not my desire for you.
I want Christ to be established in you. I want Him to invade
your heart and establish His rule, His kingship, His dominion
in you. That's what He's saying. That's
salvation. That's salvation. Not joining
a church, not walking in an aisle, not making a decision. I had
one of those fellows that I call them giddy-ups. the Giddy Up
organization. And I don't know why they hound
me all the time. I've come to the conclusion, I'm talking about
the Gideons that pass out Bibles. I call them Giddy Ups because
they're always about doing something. And they always beat my door
down. Finally, they made contact with
me on Friday. And I've come to this conclusion
why they're after me. They want my money. What they
don't know is I'm broke. But he was talking to me about
all the decisions. He said, well, I was just down
the road here and I led someone to Christ and they made a decision.
And I said, I don't want to bust your bubble, but listen to me,
salvation is not a decision. Salvation is not something you
do. Salvation is something that God
does in you because He's done something for you at Calvary's
tree and in time He does something in you by His grace. That's what He desires for them.
Oh, that Christ would be formed in your heart. Just not morality,
just not making a decision, that's not salvation. But to have Christ
established in your heart. in your life." This is eternal
life, is to be one with Him, to be one with Him. Listen to
this scripture in John 17. He said, "...this is life eternal,
that they might know thee the only true God whom thou hast
sent." Again, John writes, "...this is the record that God hath given
to us, the eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that
hath the Son, He has life. He that hath not the Son, hath
not life." It's being made one with the living Lord Jesus Christ. It's Christ in you and you in
Him. And it's all by the grace of
God, not some decision that you made. Now look at verse 20. Now, he says, I desire, I desire
to be with you. I want to get right in your face. That's what he's saying here.
I desire to be present with you. and to change my voice." Maybe
he would change his voice maybe in a strict, stern manner and
say, now you listen to me just a minute, young man. Maybe that's
what he's saying. I want to be present with you
and to change my voice. He said, I'm perplexed. I stand
in doubt of you. Now, although Paul was in a Roman
prison, His heart's desire is to be with them, to instruct
them nose-to-nose, toe-to-toe. That's a good way to speak with
somebody, rather than an email, rather than a phone call, face-to-face. I'm not making light of emails
and phone calls, but when the issue is very serious and very,
very serious about spiritual matters, we want to speak nose-to-nose,
eye-to-eye. Face to face. That's what he's
saying. I want to be with you. I want to be with you and change
my thoughts about you. I stand in doubt of you and I
want to have some kind of confidence that you did really believe the
gospel and embrace the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember back in the
earlier part of this chapter in verse 9, turn back over there.
He said this, "...but now, after you have known God, or rather
are known of God, how turn you again to the weak and beggarly
elements? Whereunto you desire again to
be back under the legalism, back under the bondage of the law,
back in the guilt of your sin? You observe days, months, times,
and years? I am afraid of you, lest I bestow
upon you labor in vain." I got this, as my pastor used
to say, I stole this from somebody and I stole this from him. This
is out of his commentary and this is his commentary on this
verse. He said, your concern about circumcision, holy days,
ceremonies makes me fearful of your knowledge of Christ and
causes me to doubt your real interest in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what he's saying. Now,
union with Christ produces fruit, evidences, and when these fruits
and evidences are absent, Pastor Mahan continues, true ministers
of the gospel are concerned for the spiritual well-being of their
hearers when his lordship and his efficiency of Christ wane
in a person. There's ample reason to question
their real salvation that they have in Christ. We stand in doubt
of those who vacillate between Christ and ceremony? I would
stand in doubt of someone who's not resting totally in the Lord
Jesus Christ alone. Now, he says, verse 21, tell
me, tell me, you that desire to be under the law, do you hear what it says? Do
you hear its demands? What the demand of God's law
is? Here's a somber Serious heart
searching questions. Tell me, he says, you that seek
to be justified by the deeds of the law and seek acceptance
with God by your obedience to the law, do you hear what its
demand actually is? What is the demand of the law?
Perfection or death! Because God is holy and He cannot
accept anything that's less than the standard that He has set,
which is absolute Holiness. Holiness alone. The law of God
never speaks peace or pardon, but declares all to be guilty
before God. Guilty before God. It sentences
us to wrath and condemnation. Do you want to be back under
that law? Back under the curse of that
law? You remember he said in chapter 3 verse 10, For as many
of you, many as you, as are of the works of the law, if you're
going that route, doing the works of the law to obtain God's favor,
or, watch it now, to maintain God's favor, you're under the
curse of the law. You're under the condemnation
of the law. You stand guilty before God, subject to judgment
at any moment. The law exposes sin. but it does
not put away sin. It spells it out, but it does
not remove it. The law exposes, but it does
not put away sin. The Lord Jesus Christ, He did
put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. He appeared once
in the end of the age to put away sin, and He got the job
done to the complete satisfaction of God Almighty. The law reveals
sin, but it doesn't remove sin. What does? The blood of Jesus
Christ, His Son, cleanses us, keeps on cleansing us, cleansing
us, cleansing us from all sin, past, present, and tomorrow. All sin continually cleanses
us. I'd rather have that continual
cleansing, wouldn't you? In the Gospels, the law declares
us to be sinners, but it cannot justify the ungodly. The gospel,
by His grace, through the merit of the Lord Jesus Christ, by
His glorious sacrifice, He does justify the ungodly. Christ died for the ungodly. I was studying through 1 Corinthians
chapter 14, where Paul talks about, yeah, the whole 14th chapter
of 1 Corinthians talks about tongues. speaking have the ability
to preach the gospel in a language, a known language, not learned,
not studied. But he said, I'd rather speak
five words with my understanding so that you can understand what
I'm saying than ten thousand words in something that you don't
know anything about, in a language that you can't understand. I'd
rather speak five words. I thought about that. What are
those five words? Well, I just mentioned them.
Five words, Christ died for the ungodly. I'd rather speak those
five words in a language that people can understand and expound
those five words. Who died? Who did he die for? Substitute for the ungodly, the
just dying for the unjust that he might bring us unto God. Christ
died for the ungodly. Then to speak 10,000 words in
Russian, My son's in college, his last year of college, and
he's taking Russian. He's taking Russian. And one
of the interviews that he had recently, they asked him, why
are you taking Russian? Why not take something a little
bit easier? And he said, well, he said, I met a girl from Russia. And I wanted to speak some words
that she could understand. Honey, I love you. So he was
motivated. He was motivated to speak. But
what good would it do to speak to her in English when she doesn't
understand a word that he's saying? I'd rather speak five words and
words that you can at least get a hold of. Salvation of the Lord. There's another five words. Salvation
of the Lord in its origination. Salvation of the Lord in its
execution. Salvation of the Lord in its
application. Salvation of the Lord in its
sustaining power. And salvation of the Lord in
its ultimate perfection. I stole that too. That's an old
outline by Charles Spurgeon. that he preached on that text
from Jonah 2.9, the salvations of the Lord. But it's a good
text. You take that and preach that outline next week, will
you? Salvations of the Lord, you probably already have. But
that's a good sermon. If you have a copy of his sermons,
you can look that up and read that sermon. Well, I've got to
move on here. We'll never get through this.
Look at verse 22. Only in the Gospel do we realize, find and
realize and enjoy peace with God. Peace with God. How is peace with God made? It
says in the book of Colossians that He made peace with God for
us with His own blood. He reconciled us unto God. We hear people say all the time,
people lost in religion, they say, well, I'm trying to make
peace with God. You ever heard people say that?
That's a bad thing to say, because you cannot make peace with God.
It is impossible for a guilty, vile, wretched, impotent sinner
to satisfy a holy, righteous God. I cannot make peace with
God, but thank God in the Gospel, the Lord Jesus Christ being justified
by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. I tell you, that makes the sinner
most thankful for Christ and Christ alone. For it is written,
verse 22, For it is written that Abraham
had two sons, one by a bondmaid, the other by a free woman. Now Paul uses the established
Word of God to make his argument that salvation is by grace alone
through Christ alone, not law, not works, not ceremony, and
refers back, referring back to Abraham who had two sons, Ishmael
by the servant Hagar and Isaac by Sarah, his wife. Now, Isaac
and Sarah represent the free way of grace, free grace in Christ,
salvation by the covenant promise through the merits of Christ.
Ishmael and Hagar represent the way of law, works and flesh. And by the deeds of the law shall
no flesh be justified." Now, verse 23, "...but he who was
born," now watch it, "...he who was of the bondwoman," now that's
who? Ishmael, born the bondwoman,
the servant was born after the flesh. "...but he," Isaac, was
that the free woman, He was born by the promise of Almighty God,
God's sovereign promise, of which all that He has promised, everything
will come to pass. Now here's the contrast in verse
23. Here's the contrast. Ishmael's birth was natural,
born after the flesh, by an ordinary strength or ordinary course of
nature. Hagar was young and able to bear
children. The birth of Isaac, was by the
promise of Almighty God and through a miracle of God. Abraham was
100 years old. Sarah was 90 years old. For a
couple of this age, Sarah was not only 90 years old, she was
barren all her life. When she was able to have children
in those years, she was unable, she was barren, a barren woman.
And for a couple at this age to have children, especially
considering her condition, is impossible, naturally speaking.
But nothing's too hard for God. God told Abraham, you're going
to have a son by Sarah. And it came to pass. We read
this scripture in Genesis 18, 14. Is anything too hard for
the Lord? At the time appointed, God says,
I will return unto thee according to the time of life, and Sarah
shall have that special son. Now, in these two sons and in
these two births, there is a contrast between salvation by works and
grace, law and promise. Not only this is a picture of
salvation in Christ Jesus, but it's also a picture of our new
birth. It's also a picture of regeneration.
The new birth is not after the flesh, but by the promise of
Almighty God. We're born again, not by the
will of the flesh, not by the will of man, but were born again
by the Spirit of God, by the purpose of Almighty God. Of His
own will begat He us with His gospel, His truth, His truth. With God all things are possible. God said, Abraham, you're going
to have that special son through Sarah. And in time, just as God
said it would happen, it came to pass. Now, notice verse 24
and verse 25, and we'll move down through this quickly. Which
things are an allegory? An allegory. For these are two
covenants, the one from Mount Sinai which genders to bondage,
which is Hagar, and this Hagar represents Mount Sinai or the
law in Arabian, answers to Jerusalem, which now is, and is a bondage
Judaism is a way of bondage. Legalism is a way of bondage.
Ceremony is a way of bondage. That's what he's saying. Now,
what is an allegory? What is an allegory? Now, here's
a good definition. It's not the only definition,
but here's one definition. An allegory is a story in which
people and things and happenings have a symbolic meaning. These
two women, two sons, two births, represent two covenants. to covenant. The one Ishmael, Hagar, representing
the law of Moses, the covenant of works, of which no sinner
can be justified. He says there, this covenant
genders, look what it says there, underscore this in your Bible
there, genders to bondage. Bondage, not life, bondage. It cannot produce children to
be heirs of grace. That which is born of the flesh
is just what it is, flesh. It's just like the self-righteous
Pharisees in Paul's day, and that's what he says. This Hagar,
which represents Mount Sinai, and it answers to, or is in same,
notice the center reference there, or is in same with the rank of
Jerusalem, or Phariseeism, or legalism, which now is, and is
in bondage with their children. You see what he's saying there?
Paul writes this, Back over here in chapter 2, you remember this?
In chapter 2, verse 4 and 5, he says, verse 3, "...and Titus,
who was with me, being a Greek, a Gentile, was compelled to be
circumcised by these Judaizers, And that because of false brethren,
unawares, brought in who came in privily to spy out our liberty
which we have in Christ, that they might bring us into bondage."
Back to bondage. Remember this over here? Turn
to Acts chapter 15. When they had that council there,
in Acts chapter 15, Acts 15, Peter stood up and said this,
when they considered this question upon Is Christ enough or do we
need to add circumcision or some other ceremony to the Lord Jesus
Christ to make salvation complete and perfect? Is Christ enough?
Is Christ all and in all? And they, Peter stood up and
said this in verse 9, and put no difference, God put no difference
between a Gentile and a Jew. between us and them purifying
their hearts by faith? Now why tempt ye God to put a
yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor
we are able to bear? But we believe through the grace
of the Lord Jesus Christ that we shall be saved even as others."
This is what Paul is saying. You remember what he said in
Romans 10, "...brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for
Israel that they might be saved." They need salvation. They're
seeking it by the deeds of the law instead of looking to Christ.
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
which is in Christ Jesus." And then he says this, Christ at
the end of the law, "...for righteousness to everyone that believeth."
and rest in Christ alone." Now, Galatians 4, I'll go to verse
26. But Jerusalem, this is a free
way of grace. Jerusalem which is above is free. Salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ,
you see salvation is not from the bottom up. Salvation comes
from the top down. From the top down salvation is
of the Lord. But Jerusalem, which is above, is free. Free. If I know anything about God's
grace, and I know a little bit about God's grace, I've experienced
a little bit about God's grace, but I know this, it is free grace. It is sovereign grace. Being
justified freely by His grace. through the Lord Jesus Christ.
It's a freeway. It's not a toll road. The King's
Highway is a freeway. The way of salvation is a freeway
in Christ. You shall know the truth and
the truth shall set you free. Freedom. Liberty. That's why
he says in chapter 5, verse 1, "...stand fast therefore in the
liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free." And don't be entangled
again with a yoke of bondage. Now you read these three warnings
that he sounds out there in chapter 5, and we'll look at this in
a few weeks, but notice verse 2. If you go the legal way, the
works way, Christ shall profit you nothing. If you go the legal
way, the works way, you are debted to do the whole law. And thirdly,
he said, if you go the legal way, the ceremony way, Christ
is of no effect unto you, and you've departed from grace altogether.
Well, that's strong, isn't it? And we'll look more closely at
that next week. But you see what he's saying here? Jerusalem,
or salvation, which is of the Lord, is free! And the mother
of us all. Salvation is of the Lord, of
the Lord. He that spared not His own Son,
but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also
freely give us all things? The Lord Jesus Christ is the
Mother of our salvation." Now you think about that. He's the
Mother of our salvation. The cause, the reason, the nourishment
of all of our redemption is in Christ Jesus, from Him. We're
born from above by the Spirit of grace. By the Spirit of grace. God had
given Him power over all flesh that He should give eternal life
to as many as the Father had given Him. Of His fullness have
we all received grace for grace. The law was given by Moses, but
grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. We of His fullness have
all received grace, grace, more grace. Oh, to grace how great
a debtor daily I am constrained to be, let thy goodness like
a fetter bind my wandering heart to thee." After I close this
psalm in just a moment. Look at verse 20, 27, in closing. For it is written, Rejoice! Rejoice! Oh, rejoice! You'd camp right
on that word for a while, couldn't you? Rejoice! We are the true
Israel which worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus,
have no confidence in the flesh. Rejoice in the Lord always again
I say, rejoice. Thou that bearest not, break
forth. Thou that travailest not for
the desolate, hath many more children than she which hath
a husband." Sarah was a barren woman all her life until she
conceived by direct intervention of God. Even so, we like Sarah
are barren destitute of life, destitute of salvation until
God, by direct intervention, gives us spiritual life. and by His grace adopts us into
that great family of grace. But now those who are once desolate
without God, without hope, without Christ in this life, now those
who are once desolate are part of a great family of which no
man can number. Remember God told Abraham, you're
going to have a people like the stars of heaven. Can you count
them? No. God knows everyone. He says He
counts the stars and He knows them all by name. He knows His
sheep by name. And He crosses the path of His
sheep, He's on the trail of His sheep, and He calls His sheep
by their name. Through the gospel, the preaching
of a gospel, through the Word of God, He crosses the path of
His sheep and He calls them out irresistibly, affectionately,
and makes them to know that they're part of a great family of those
who sing unto Him who loved us. and wash us from our sin in His
own blood. To Him be all the honor, glory,
both now and forever. Amen. He has redeemed the people
out of every tribe, kindred, nation, and tongue under heaven,
who sing unto the Lamb, worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to
receive all honor, power, glory, and blessing both now and forever. Now, I said all that to look
at verse 28. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was,
are the children, sons of God, by promise. God's covenant promise,
God's covenant power, God through God's covenant sacrifice, the
Lord Jesus Christ. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was,
are children by grace, by grace alone. As Isaac was promised
to Abraham, we are promised and given to the Lord Jesus Christ
in that covenant of grace. All that the Father hath given
to me, they will come to me. As Isaac was conceived and born
beyond strength and course of nature, we are spiritually born
by the power of God Almighty. You hath He quickened who were
dead in sin. Graveyard dead. Dead and, like
you said a while back, dead and stinking. Rotten dead. Rotten
dead. And Adam all died. It's only
by the intervention of God's sovereign power that he says,
Sinner, live! Live. As Isaac was the heir by
birth, as the son of Abraham, we believers are heirs of God
and joint heirs in the Lord Jesus Christ by His adopting, electing,
sovereign love, sovereign mercy. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was,
children of God, children of God by promise. Watch this, but
as then he that was born after the flesh, you remember Ishmael
mocked, mocked Isaac. Sarah heard, complained to Abraham,
said, that's, boy, And old mama, Hagar, got to go. We can't live
in the same house. Grace and works can't live in
the same house. Something's got to happen, and
it will happen. When God saves you by his grace, you won't have
anything to do with work, salvation. Out of here! We're going by grace
and grace alone. That's what he's saying here.
But as he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that
was born after the Spirit, even so it hasn't changed one bit. Not one bit. As it was then,
even so it is today. The way of the flesh, in case
you haven't figured this out yet, let me tell you, the way
of the flesh still hates the way of grace. If you don't think
so, just try it at work in the morning. They think at work God
loves everybody, that's why I told this giddy up the other day.
when he came. I told him, I said, you think
and you preach and you believe God loves everybody, Christ died
for everybody and he's trying to save everybody. Is that what
you believe? Yeah. I said, you just believe three
lies. He said, what? I said, that's
right. God doesn't love everybody. He
loves those in Christ. The love of God is in Christ
Jesus. Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated. Christ didn't die
for everybody. Perish the thought. Are there
folks in hell for whom the Lord Jesus Christ paid their sin debt.
God forbid! The blood atonement of the Lord
Jesus Christ is not wasted. He put away the sin of His covenant
people and He did justify them and they will sing throughout
all eternity unto the Lamb who washed me from my sin in His
own blood. God's love is in Christ. And
the Lord Jesus Christ died, died for His covenant people, and
He will save them. He will. He did and He will.
He did and He will. He'll make us to know that He
did by His grace. Cain hated Abel, right? What'd
he do? Killed him. Killed him. Ishmael
hated Isaac. Even so, it's not changed today.
The way they call heresy, the way they call heresy, The way
this religious world calls heresy is the way I worship God. Sovereign
grace alone. His blood, His righteousness,
all my salvation before God. Grace and works are incompatible.
Grace and works are extreme opposites and cannot live together. Cannot
live together. Nevertheless, what does he say
in verse 30? What sayeth the Scripture? Well,
you know, Mama said, You know, Daddy said, I don't care what
Mama or Daddy said. What saith the Scripture? That's all that matters. Is that
right? You know it is. What does God
say? It doesn't matter what Mama says.
It doesn't matter, well, you know, my old brother so-and-so.
I don't care what old brother so-and-so said. What does God
say? What's revealed in the Word of
God? Nevertheless, what does God say? Here's what He said.
Cast out the bondwoman. and her son. For the son of the
bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman." Cast
them out. What does God say we're to do? Just as God instructed
Abraham, cast out the bondwoman. This is vital that we do just
as God tells us to abandon any and all hope of salvation by
any deeds of the flesh. Just as Paul said when he wrote
to those Philippians, count it all dung. that I might win Christ
and be found in Him." Well, verse 31, "...so then, brethren,
we are not children." You know it's good to know what something's
not. We know what it's not. Salvation is not by the bond
woman. Salvation is not by the deeds
of the flesh. Salvation is not by the deeds
of the law. Salvation is not by the best
you can do. We are children of God by free
promise, sovereign grace, sovereign mercy in Christ Jesus.