Scripture: Galatians 4:21-31
Sermon Series: Galatians – Set Free, Live Free – Sermon 12
I love Dr. Seuss. His protégé, P.D. Eastman, was a Disney animator and wrote in a Dr. Seuss style. You may be familiar with his book, Are You My Mother? If not, today you’re in for a treat.
A mother bird sat on her egg. The egg jumped. “Oh, oh!” said the mother bird. “My baby will soon be here! He will want to eat. “I must get something for my baby bird to eat!” she said. “I will be back!” So away she went. The egg jumped. It jumped, and jumped, and jumped! Out came the baby bird! “Where is my mother?” he said. He looked for her. He looked up. He did not see her. He looked down. He did not see her. “I will go look for her,” he said. So away he went. Down, out of the tree he went. Down, down, down! It was a long way down. The baby bird could not fly. He could not fly, but he could walk. “Now I will go and find my mother,” he said. He did not know what his mother looked like. He went right by her. He did not see her. He came to a kitten. “Are you my mother?” he said to the kitten. The kitten just looked and looked. It did not say a thing. The kitten was not his mother, so he went on. Then he came to a hen. “Are you my mother?” he said to the hen. “No,” said the hen. The kitten was not his mother. The hen was not his mother. So the baby bird went on. The story continues with the bird looking for his mother. He goes to different animals and vehicles and asks them if they are his mother.
Finally, a bulldozer picks up the bird and puts him in his nest just as his mother arrives back. She says to him, “Do you know who I am?” “Yes, I know who you are,” says the baby bird. “You are not a kitten. You are not a hen. You are not a dog. You are not a cow. You are not a boat, or a plane, or a snort! You are a bird, and you are my mother.”
The little bird didn’t know who his mother was. It’s important that you know who your mother is physically. It’s more important that you know who your mother is spiritually. It’s Who’s Your Momma? The Galatians were confused about who their spiritual “mother” was. Because of the teaching of false teachers, they thought they were “Good Works” children, when in fact they were Grace’s Children. It’s critical we know, Who is my spiritual mother?
Turn to Galatians 4:21-31 (p. 915). “Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. For it is written, “Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than those of the one who has a husband.”
Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.”
This is the hardest passage in Galatians. It’s not easy to understand. While it sounds strange to our ears, Paul’s form of argument is very Jewish, which means his first-century readers probably had no problems following him. But that style can seem rather cold and clinical to 21st century readers. There are parts we understand yet others that seem to make no sense.
Most know something about Abraham and Sarah and may know something about Hagar and Ishmael. The key to this passage is verse 21: Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? (Galatians 4:21).
Paul questions those who want to find acceptance with God on the basis of their performance. He says, “Are you not aware of what the law says? The very law, whose slave you want to be, will judge and condemn you!”
They wanted a hybrid religion – part Jewish and part Christian. They believe in Jesus plus want to live under the law as a means of pleasing God.
While we don’t have many today who believe obeying Old Testament Law wins you points with God, yet you’ll find most believe that if you’re a good person, you’re good with God. It doesn’t matter if you’re Christian, Muslim or Hindu. It’s about being a good person. All religions with one exception, biblical Christianity teach that salvation depends on human achievement, that you must earn salvation. It’s not what the Bible says. It repeatedly says: My behavior never earns God’s favor. (say it with me).
The first book of the Bible, Genesis, records that Abraham had two sons with two different mothers. One was a slave, Hagar, who gave birth to Ishmael. The other mother was free, Sarah, who gave birth to Isaac. The status of the mother determined the status of her child. If the mother was a slave, her children were all slaves, even if their father was a king. On the other hand, if the mother was free, her children were all free, even if their father was a slave.
Salvation is the free gift from God. A religion of good works leads to slavery and ultimately, spiritual death. A religion of grace brings freedom and life. Which one do you want? Yet even those who trust in grace often reduce faith in Christ to a list of rules. While they don’t believe obeying rules will get you into heaven, they believe it will make you more spiritual and closer to God. Nope!
My best deeds on my best days are one big mess. It’s all of grace. Do you know why Christ-followers do the right thing? Because Jesus loves me this I know… He loves me so much, how can I not love and live for Him?
Today we’re going to work through this passage by focusing on Three Key Words: Story, Symbolism and Significance.
1. Story, vss. 21-23
Recently, I read of a guest preacher who was preaching in a little church in East Texas and a baby began to cry. The crying got louder and more intense. Finally, the preacher saw the mother stand up and start for the back of the auditorium. Trying to be the gracious visiting preacher, he said, “Ma’am, please stay. Your baby isn’t bothering me.” Without breaking her stride, the mother spoke over her shoulder, “Well, maybe not, but your preaching is bothering my baby.”
Paul’s message bothers those who loved the Old Testament Law and good works. Abraham was their hero. Paul turns the tables on these false teachers. They loved the law, so he used the law to point out their blunders.
To understand what Paul is saying we need to know some biblical history. Perhaps the easiest way to do that is to briefly trace Abraham’s experiences found in Genesis 12-21. Using Abraham’s age as our guide, let’s trace the events upon which Paul is basing his argument.
At 75, Abraham was called by God to leave his home and move to Canaan. God promised Abraham many descendants (Genesis 12:1-9). Both Abraham and his wife, Sarah, wanted children, but Sarah was barren. God was waiting until both of them were (in the words of Warren Wiersbe as good as dead before He’d perform the miracle of sending them a son.
At 85, the promised son still hadn’t arrived. Sarah became impatient and suggested to Abraham that he sleep with Hagar, her slave-maid, and have a son by her. This act was legal, but it wasn’t in the plan of God. Abraham followed Sarah’s suggestion and slept with Hagar.
At 86, Hagar got pregnant. It was natural (that’s a key word), but Sarah is jealous! Clearly Abraham wasn’t the one with the problem of producing a child. Things got so difficult that Sarah threw Hagar out. God intervened and sent Hagar back to Sarah, promising to take care of her son. Hagar’s son was then born, and Abraham named him Ishmael, which means God hears.
At 99, 13 years later, God spoke to Abraham and promised, again! that he’d have a son by Sarah. Abraham is to name him, Isaac, which means “laughter.” Later, God appeared again and reaffirmed His promise to Sarah as well.
At 100, Isaac is born. Abraham named his son Isaac as God commanded. He is born supernaturally. A postmenopausal 90-year-old woman couldn’t give birth. It was a miracle birth that was the divine intervention of God. That’s what grace is. Grace is knowing it’s humanly impossible for us to be good enough for God. God must intervene supernaturally at the cross to perform a miracle. Jesus became sin for us so we can become the righteousness of God.
But Isaac’s arrival created a new problem. Ishmael now had a rival. For 14 years Ishmael was dad’s only son, very dear to his heart. How would Ishmael respond to the presence of a rival?
At 103, Isaac was weaned. Jews weaned a child when they were about 3 years old and had a big party. At the weaning feast, Ishmael mocked Isaac and created trouble. He laughed at laughter, but Sarah wasn’t having it. There’s only one solution and a costly one. Hagar and her son must go. With a broken heart Abraham sends his son away, because it’s what the Lord told him to do.
Ishmael was proud of being the first-born son, and ridiculed little Isaac. Legalism produces pride. Isaac knew he didn’t deserve the blessing as the second son, but he accepted it as a gift. So, which of those two attitudes are most like you? Good works let you brag about how good you are. Grace humbles you to realize that only God’s mercy can save you.
On the surface, this all appears to be nothing more than a tale of a dysfunctional family, yet beneath the surface are meanings that carry tremendous spiritual insights. Abraham, his two wives, and two sons represent spiritual realities. Their relationships teach us vital lessons.
As Paul puts it, Ishmael was born naturally; Isaac was born supernaturally as the result of God’s promise. Ishmael was born a slave because his mother was a slave. Isaac is born free because his mother was a free woman.
Paul uses this example because Jews revered Abraham as their spiritual father. If you were a physical descendant of Abraham, you’re in good with God. As long as Abraham is in your family tree, you didn’t need anything else. It was a matter of lineage, of tracing your family tree. If you could find Abraham back there somewhere, you’re in God’s family. But Paul says, “Not so!” God’s family is made up of those who have a relationship with Him by grace, by faith in Christ. It’s a matter of trust, not your family tree.
This is crucial. Millions today think that being right with God is merely a matter of spiritual pedigree. They’ll say things like, “I’m Catholic so I must be okay.” Or “I was baptized Presbyterian, so I’m going to heaven.” Or “My father was a Baptist preacher. That puts me in good with God.”
Joe Moakley, a Congressman from Massachusetts, would joke that when a child is born into an Irish family in Boston, three things automatically happen. He’s baptized into the Catholic Church, registered with the Democratic Party, and given a union card.
The problem in Galatia was that the Judaizers taught that you either had to be a Jew or to live like a Jew to be saved. They relied on their own ability rather than the supernatural grace of God. 2000 years later, the most religious people are often the furthest from the grace of God and His true freedom.
2. Symbolism, vss. 24-27
Remember English Literature class and books that were allegorical? Two with a Christian worldview were Pilgrim’s Progress and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Pilgrim’s Progress is about the journey of the Christian. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe are about being rescued by Jesus, represented by Aslan the lion. Remember Animal Farm, George Orwell’s political allegory about communism. X-Men is an allegory of teenagers being different and unaccepted.
We have an allegory here, Now this may be interpreted allegorically… (Galatians 4:24). Galatians 4:21-31 is the only place in the New Testament that uses allegory from the Old Testament.
Symbolically, Hagar and Ishmael represent the law covenant and the earthly city of Jerusalem, which represents people who are not yet Christians and in slavery. It refers to those who are under the law (Galatians 4:21). Those trying to earn salvation through works are described as slaves. Hagar represents salvation by good works.
Sarah represents salvation by grace. The Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother (Galatians 4:26). The heavenly Jerusalem is the city of believers. Though normally we read this as a true story with spiritual lessons, Paul uses it as symbolic illustration of grace versus works.
The reason it’s an illustration of grace versus works is because of the choices Abraham made. He had two choices. As Tim Keller puts it, Abraham “could wait to receive what only God was capable of doing, or he could go out and attain what he was capable of doing. Put another way, Abraham could choose to have faith in God’s promise and wait to receive the son, or Abraham could have faith in his own ability and work to attain the son.” Do you see the two choices? Abraham exercises faith in one choice or the other. Either he trusts in God’s ability to provide, or he trusts in his own ability to attain it.
Abraham initially chose to trust his own works. The result was disaster. Sarah became jealous of Hagar. The family is torn apart by dissension, which exists to this day. Ishmael is the father of the Arabs. Isaac is the father of the Jews.
The gospel is not what we can attain by our own morality. When we try to achieve our own righteousness, the result is disastrous. The gospel is that we receive righteousness provided by God. God in His grace gives us what we can never provide for ourselves. God gave Abraham the promised son Isaac when he could not provide for himself. That’s the gospel.
Hagar and Ishmael stand for the earthly Jerusalem still standing with temple and sacrifice at the time of Paul’s writing. Sarah and Isaac stand for the true Israel, the Church, the Jerusalem which is from above (Galatians 4:26). The covenant made with Abraham is the promise of the gospel. From that promise every Jew is excluded unless he comes by the same road of grace and faith which Gentile Christ-followers tread.
Paul makes Hagar the spiritual equivalent of the law given to Moses. That was repugnant to a Jew. All Jews viewed the descendants of Hagar and Ishmael repulsively as dogs or vermin. Any Jew would have been offended by the suggestion that he was a son of Hagar, but that’s exactly what Paul said.
Physically they descended from Sarah, but spiritually, apart from faith in Christ, they descended from Hagar. The true sons of Sarah, like Isaac, are children of promise. At the time of Paul’s writing, Israel was a slave nation. They’re under the heel of Rome. They perceived themselves as free to the extent that they were allowed to practice a limited form of Judaism, but they’re still subject to Rome. Paul says, you might think Jerusalem is free but it’s an illusion, and to think the law or good works can save anyone is also an illusion.
Can we think about this for today? It should break our hearts. Think of the multitudes of seemingly good people in our churches who are sons of Hagar. They attend church regularly They give; serve as leaders. Some even preach or teach, but their reliance is upon their own good works, not Jesus Christ and His sacrificial death. If anyone trusts in their own works to commend themselves to God, they’re sons of Hagar, not sons of the promise.
We dare not skip over this as if it doesn’t apply to us. Please examine your own relationship to Christ in the balance of Scripture. Hold yourself up to the light of God’s Word to see if you’re trusting in Jesus Christ and Him crucified and none of your own morality or good works. As the Holy Spirit affirms that you’re a son of the promise, pray and plead for those still blinded by their own perceived goodness, living as sons of Hagar without Christ.
3. Significance, vss. 28-31
No one wants to be known as a Charlie Brown who falls for Lucy’s duplicitous football fake outs or always blows the baseball game. No one would want to be equated with Hagar or Ishmael.“Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman” (Galatians 4:28-31). In these last verses Paul draws four contemporary applications.
We are children of promise, not of works. He says it twice, vss. 28 & 31. We who believe in Jesus are descendants of Abraham through Isaac. We’ve trusted God’s promise. On that basis alone, we’re going to heaven.
We should expect persecution from those who practice the religion of works. As Ishmael mocked Isaac, religious people do the same. Our greatest attacks almost always come from the religious crowd. No one hates God’s grace like one trying to save himself by good works. Nominal Christians hate true Christians because they can’t understand them and feel rebuked by them. It was religious Jews who hated Jesus. Paul’s worst enemies were fanatical Jewish religionists.
The descendants of Hagar are always threatened by the descendants of Sarah. Sarah’s children live by faith, Hagar’s by works. Faith threatens those who think they can do something to earn their salvation. They’re enslaved by the “law” that demands they keep on working, trying, doing, always trying to do enough to please God. The outcome is always failure, frustration, and spiritual death. They hate us because we stand for the truth that salvation comes only through Jesus Christ and committing your life to Him is the only way to heaven.
We must not compromise with those who do not accept the truth of God’s Word. It was Sarah who told Abraham to throw Hagar and Ishmael out. On one level, it seems cruel and unfair. On a deeper level, Sarah knew what she was doing. The promise of God must be preserved at all costs. If Hagar and Ishmael stayed, there would be unending strife.
In the Church there can be no compromise on the core doctrines of our faith, like the Bible as the Word of God, Jesus as the Son of God, the Trinity, salvation by grace alone, universal sinfulness, the literal resurrection of Christ, the blood atonement, the virgin birth, and the second coming.
We who are persecuted also inherit all the promises of God. This is the flip side of persecution. Though we may be despised and rejected humanly, we’re accepted by God in heaven. It’s the paradox of the Christian life. We’re hated yet loved. Misunderstood, yet understood. Abandoned and never forsaken. We may be counted losers by the world yet are part of God’s winning family. We live by faith and are mocked by those who live by self-effort.
The followers of Sarah will never be understood by followers of Hagar. Ishmael hates Isaac even while he envies him and wishes he could be a child of the promise. Christ-followers have no reason to envy anyone. All that we have and are is by grace and grace alone. No one is as free as we are. We may not be rich in this world, but we’ll be rich in the next…for all eternity.
Ishmael got the world; Isaac got the Lord. Who got the better deal? Isaac. He lived and died by faith. Those who don’t know Jesus are enslaved to sin. They’re no better off than their slave mother, Hagar. Riches and worldly pleasure are all they get. With it comes a gnawing emptiness that nothing can satisfy. And when they die, things get worse. Tragically, their happiness is temporary. Because of grace our joy is eternal.
I love how Jerry Bridges puts it, Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace. Those who know Jesus are forgiven, redeemed, justified, adopted, given a new name and a new life. We’re numbered with the saints of the ages and protected by the angels. When we die, we go Home to heaven. What a deal!
Conclusion
Why does Paul keep repeating the gospel message? There’s a story about the great Reformer, Martin Luther. In the church that he was pastoring, Luther preached the gospel to his congregation, week after week after week after week. His people wondered why they couldn’t move on. “Surely we get the Gospel by now, Pastor! Why do you keep preaching the gospel every week?” Luther’s answer: “Because every week, you forget it.”
We never move beyond the gospel. The gospel is what saves us. It’s not just the beginning of the Christian life; it’s the middle and the end, too. That’s why Paul keeps circling back and reminding us of the gospel. He uses every tool at his disposal to help us see the gospel as opposed to trying to earn points with God by our own effort. All we bring to God is inability; He gives us everything that we need as a gift through Jesus Christ.
So, like the little bird in the book, Are You My Mother? Each of us needs to ask who our spiritual mother is. Is your mother Sarah? Or is your mother Hagar? Are you born of the flesh only, or are you also born of the Spirit? If you think you can somehow be good enough or do enough to earn your salvation, you’re a child of slavery. You’re in chains. You’re Hagar’s child. Ishmaels trust in themselves. Isaacs trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation.
Despite all the superficial differences of skin color, culture, language, and so on, in God’s eyes the human race is divided into two groups—the Ishmaels or the Isaacs, the children of Hagar or children of Sarah. Everyone is descended spiritually from one of those two. You’re either a slave to works or you’ve been set free by God’s grace.
Who’s Your Momma? Make sure you know the answer to that question. Your eternal destiny depends on it. Are you free? Have you committed your life to Christ and trusted that His sacrifice was enough for you?