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0:59Now, life is about discovering the world around us. We learn that very early, come into this world, clean slate. And much of life is just discovery, one discovery after another. You certainly realize that once you have children, and now we're on the cusp of having grandchildren and looking forward to those little lives and showing them the world. And life is. About discovering the world around us. There's another element of the world around us, and that is what goes on behind the scenes. And that is the spiritual realities that make up or behind what we see all around us. One aspect of that spiritual world is spiritual warfare. And spiritual warfare is often something that is sensationalized, and other times it's often minimized. There are those who seek information about the spirit realm from extra-biblical sources, and the Bible calls that spiritism, and it is forbidden. But then there are those who dismiss the spiritual realm altogether as something irrational.

2:29The word that describes that mindset today is secularism. And yet, Paul states it very clearly and abundantly that spiritual warfare is a reality. Listen to what he says in Ephesians 6:12, for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers and powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly. Places. So, a question. How do we avoid the extremes of Spiritism and the extremes of secularism as we seek to understand the spiritual war that we're all caught up in? Well, the answer is very simple. We let Scripture inform us about the spirit realm. This is our doorway. This is the information that we are to take in and to understand about the spiritual realm. It is a light that shows us.

3:34So we let Scripture inform us, and then we be content with what it reveals. We call that the sufficiency of Scripture. It may not tell you everything that your curious mind may want to know about the spirit realm, but what it does tell you is sufficient for you to know. So we let the Scripture inform us, and we be content with what it reveals. You can be sure that's true in anything in life, that the Scripture tells us what you need to know. And one of the great aspects of this spiritual war, this spiritual conflict that we are all caught up in, it is often described as a battle between flesh and spirit, flesh and spirit.

4:25I read it earlier, but Paul articulated this concept very well. Romans 8. Romans 8:6, he says, For the mind set on the flesh is death, the mind set on the spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God, or it does not subject itself to the law of God, or it is not even able to do so. So much of what goes on in our lives and what goes on in the world around us on a macro level and on a micro level, and even in our own thoughts and hearts, is happening because of what's happening in the heavenlies, what's going on in the spiritual realm. That is where the great conflict shows up. It's in the recesses and in the quiet places of the human heart, but there is a rage, a spiritual conflict that rages in the heavenlies and in our own hearts. In fact, one writer said it like this: If once the curtain were pulled back and the spiritual world behind it came into view, it would expose to our spiritual vision a struggle so intense, so convulsive, sweeping everything in its rage, that the fiercest battle fought on earth would seem by comparison a mere game.

6:01Not here, but up there. That is where the real conflict is engaged. Our earthly struggle drones in its backlash. So spiritual war is real. And today, we'll be looking at a text that personifies this spiritual conflict in very vivid colors. A war between flesh and spirit. And it's personified. And Paul does a very nice job of personifying that for us in this allegorical little section that he is laying out for us. Well, this is the fourth part in this little mini-series that began in verse 21. Paul speaking to those who are under the law. Look at what he says. Tell me, verse 21, you who want to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? And so Paul goes on. He talks about two sons, two literal sons, born of two literal women, one a slave woman, one a free woman. And then he goes on to relate these in verses 24 and 26 to two covenant mothers. Allegorically speaking, these are two covenant mothers. There's the Ishmaels and the Isaacs in the world, and then there are those covenant mothers that bring them into existence.

7:27And then, last time we looked at verse 27, Where Paul brings in this writing from Isaiah 54, 1 that says, Rejoice, barren woman, who does not bear. Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor. For more numerous are the children of the desolate than the one who has a husband. As I said last time, I believe that this barren woman that Paul is referring to is Paul's present Jerusalem. It was enslaved like Hagar, barren like Sarah, without a husband, and would remain so until God takes her again as his wife. But even if you're still sorting that out in your mind, don't miss what comes next, because that's where the emphasis is.

8:18Paul leaves no question about who her children are. Notice how he, in verse 21, was talking to those who wanted to be under the law. Verse 21, tell me you who want to be under the law. And then in verse 28, he changes. And now he wants to talk to the brethren. And you, brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise. So even though that the present Jerusalem was barren, without husband, and desolate, God was at work bringing up the true children of Abraham through the gospel of Jesus Christ, going far and wide.

8:58But it was certainly not happening without a strength. Struggle. Spiritual labor, as Paul calls it in verse 19. My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you. Spiritual labor, spiritual conflict, spiritual war. And what Paul does in these verses is he lets us see this war between the flesh and spirit. That's what we want to look at today. We want to look at this war between flesh and spirit so that you and I will know who we are and how we are to respond in this world of spiritual conflict that is going on around us. And he does it very nicely. He personifies it. This is one of those show and tell. It's a very nice. There's, let me talk to you about Isaac. Let me tell you who he is. Let me talk to you about Ishmael. Let me tell you who he is. Let me tell you about the conflict between Ishmael and Isaac. And let me tell you about the struggle that's going on in the world. And let me make sure you leave with the lesson, the main point of all of this. Well, that's where he's going. Very straightforward and simple. And it gives us, it's like he lifts the curtain so that we can see the spiritual realm and what is going on in this great spiritual conflict. So let's just walk through this.

10:28First of all, we want to look at the work. Of the Spirit personified. The work of the Spirit personified. Look at what it says in verse 26, 28. And you, brethren, notice he's shifted audience, brethren, and you, brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise. You, brethren, you, beloved ones, there in Galatia, you are like Isaac. Those like Isaac are the true believers. They are the brethren there in Galatia. There you have the Judaizers who are under the law and wanting to make everybody come under the law, to turn them into Jews, essentially.

11:15But then there are those who had received the truth, and Paul identifies them as children of promise. They're true believers. So let's think through this work of the Spirit carefully. Here is the work of the Spirit, Isaac. Now, just as Isaac, you can think about it, well, let's just think about Isaac for a second. How did Isaac come about? Well, first of all, he came about in the mind of God. He came out of the thinking of God. This is one of the differences between the works of the Spirit and the works of the flesh. Where is that thinking? Where does the Where does that point of origination? Well, Isaac came about in the thinking of God. He was born in God's mind.

12:09God knew what man's hopeless condition was. He was moved by mercy. He was moved by grace to bless humanity and to bring about that blessing through Jesus, Abraham's seed. Isaac was not the work of human will, human effort, or even human imagination. No one would have thought an old woman could give birth. And yet God did. So Isaac came about born in the thinking of God. But notice it came about as a promise of God. Promise of God. Just as Isaac's existence, think for a moment, was a direct result of God's promise to Abraham, so are all who believe in Jesus. All who believe in Jesus are also a direct result of a promise that God made to Abraham and to his seed in you all the nations. Galatians 3:8. You look back just a few verses, Jesus, or Paul says this in verse 3:8, the scriptures foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith. Preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, All the nations will be blessed in you. As you trace that back, he's speaking about the seed of Abraham through the faith of Abraham. That is how God is going to bring about blessing upon all the nations.

13:50And so God justified Abraham by faith. He also promised to justify those from all the nations by the same kind of faith. In fact, there would be many, to such a degree, there would be many in the world with the same faith as Abraham. That's the promise. This Isaac came about in the thinking of God, came about because he made a promise to Abraham. And then Isaac third came out by the action of God, came out by the action of God. It's like the Spirit of God hovered over the barrenness of Sarah's womb and said, Let there be an Isaac.

14:42Creative work of God. See, he was something that only God could do. And the result? From the thinking of God, the promise of God, and the action taken by God. God, the result was in Isaac. Isaac is a work of the Spirit, born according to the Spirit. And so we who are in Christ are like Isaac. Make sure you see that. That's the connection Paul is making. You are a result of God's promise, like Isaac. You're a result of God's activity.

15:28We can, if you're in Christ today, you can make this statement. I once was not, but now I am. I once was not alive to God, but now, through the gospel, I am. God brought me forth. My relationship with God is the result of a promise that he made to Abraham and to Abraham's seed and to all the nations. And I'm caught up in that. If you are a true believer here today, know for certain that you are a fulfillment of a promise. That's what Paul is wanting you to take away. A promise that God made. Not a work of the flesh, but a work of the Spirit like Isaac. Something only God could do. As you look at your life and you look at all those ways. That God, the family that he put you into, the people that he brought into your life, and those that shared Christ with you, and you came to believe, and all that, all that is God's work, Spirit at work, bringing into an existence a soul that didn't know God, now knows God with the same kind of faith that Abraham had. That's a work of God. That's a work of the Spirit. Isaac is a personification of the work of the Spirit. And so are all believers. They're truly in Him. Second, I want you to see the work of the flesh personified. The work of the flesh personified. Look at the first part of 29. But as at that time, he who is born according to the flesh, I'm going to stop there. This phrase, there is one who is born according to the flesh.

17:28That's contrasted with the one born by the Spirit in these verses. But at that time, the one who is born according to the flesh, now who is that? That's Ishmael. He's just been talking about. Think about Ishmael. There are those who are born according to the flesh. That is, they come out of the will, the thinking, the planning, and the actions taken by fallen humanity. Now, let's step through this work of the flesh carefully. We can put that in the same paradigm as we just did with the work of the Spirit.

18:05Here, Ishmael is described as having come about according to the flesh. So, number one, Ishmael came about according to the thinking of man. He was born according to the thinking of man. That thinking, you've heard this before, it's kind of like, I need to bring about what I think is best. Have you ever heard that voice? I need to accomplish God's will. I need to do what I think is best. And this is exactly what was going on in Sarah's mind. She thought, well, maybe since I can't have a child, I will help God out and I will come up with a way to bring about God's promise upon Abraham.

19:01Genesis 16. You can turn there, and you can put your thumb there if you'd like. I've already read these verses in a previous sermon, but I'm going to walk through them again just so that you can see how this work of the flesh was personified. Genesis 16:1. Now, Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children, and she had an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, Now, behold, the Lord. Has prevented me from bearing children. Please go into my maid, and perhaps I will obtain children through her. And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

19:41Think about that. The thinking of man. That's what first initiated Ishmael coming on to the scene. I think I know what's best. I think I know how to bring this about. I think I know how to bring about God's favor. I think God needs my help. In fact, I don't need to wait for God. I'll just go ahead. So Ishmael came about according to the thinking of man, Sarah. But he also came about according to the plan of man. So instead of Sarai waiting for God, what does she do? She convinced Abraham, Sarah, and Abraham to take matters in their own hands and says, you know what? Let's use Hagar. I've got a great plan.

20:34And so, verse 3 of Genesis 16, after Abram had lived 10 years in the land of Canaan, Abram's wife, Sarai, took Hagar, the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to her husband, Abram, as his wife. You see, those who are thinking according to the flesh see no reason to wait for God. The idea is, I will move ahead with my plans, and I will adjust them as they go. Go. In fact, if I need to use other people to accomplish my end, I'm happy to do that. If, in the end, it's what I desire or what I think God desires, then I will carry that about. But Ishmael comes about out of the thinking of man, he is born according to the plan of man. And Ishmael was born and came out of the actions taken by man.

21:27Number three, you know, see, Hagar didn't have any say in the matter, she was a slave, she was Sarah's attempt to bring about God's blessing. And so, in Genesis 16:4, we continue reading the story. He went into Hagar and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her sight. And Sarai said to Abram, May the wrong done me be upon you. I gave my maid into your arms, but when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her sight. May the Lord judge between you and me. But Abram said to Sarai, Behold, your maid is in your power. Do to her what is good in your sight. So Sarai treated her harshly, and she fled from her presence. Notice that the conception of Ishmael didn't bring about God's blessing. No, it didn't bring about Sarah's joy. It didn't bring any joy into that home at all. About conflict, conflict. So, did Sarah learn? How did Sarah seek to remedy the situation? Did she repent? Did she seek the Lord? Or did she come up with another flesh-born plan?

22:54Her thinking, well, I've created an Ishmael. Now I'll just get rid of Ishmael. And that's often the case. Those who create Ishmaels are often quick to try to get rid of them. It's hard to live with them, actually. And Ishmael is a great name. Nothing to take back from the name. The name means God here is. It's a beautiful name. But it becomes an icon of a work of the flesh. The result when we plan, when we conceive ideas to achieve our desires, and we carry out those plans, the result is Ishmael's. Ishmael is a work of the flesh. This is what it looks like. And we should be able to identify very well. When we get out of step with God and we don't wait for Him and we seek to do the things that we want to do.

24:00Or bring about things that we esteem, we can easily create Ishmaels. Now, how does this relate to Galatians 4? Well, the Judaizers are Ishmaels. They are born according to the flesh. They're under the law. They were born under the law, or they've converted to the law, whatever, but they think, they plan, and act according to the flesh. They're Ishmaels. And they thought that they could bring about God's blessing on the earth by making the Jews or making all nations become Jewish, come under the law. But what they were doing is they were like Sarah, they were using people and enslaving them because these Judaizers didn't understand the purpose of the law, they didn't understand the promise of God that was in the law, and they didn't understand the power of God.

25:00And just like Sarah thought she could bring about God's blessing through a human enterprise, the Judaizers thought that their flesh-born works was a better standard than faith in Christ. And don't think for a second that Paul is advocating that faith is without works. No, faith works. In fact, faith is necessary to bring about a whole nother category of works. Category that actually pleased the Father. And so don't misunderstand. Paul is not saying that faith doesn't work. Faith produces.

25:42But what he is saying is works don't produce faith. Flesh-born works do not produce faith. They do not bring a person into a right relationship with Christ. Faith in the gospel in Christ does. Think about it for a second before we move on. Just Ishmael was a work of the flesh. How much of your life has been spent creating and getting rid of Ishmael? Isaac was a work of the Spirit. And the Bible makes it very clear that the works of the flesh are incompatible with the work of the Spirit. They are at war with each other. It's at the heart of this conflict we're talking about in these verses this morning.

26:35Look back at verse 29. We've looked at the work of the Spirit personified, and in the first part of that verse, we've looked at the work of the flesh personified. Now I want to look at this war between flesh and spirit and how Paul personifies it. The war between flesh and spirit personified. Look back at verse 29. But as at that time, he who is Born according to the flesh, that is Ishmael, persecuted him who is born according to the Spirit, that is Isaac. So it is now also.

27:10The one born according to the flesh persecuted him who is born according to the Spirit. And historically, this is what takes place. In Genesis chapter 21, 5. Read these words. Now Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Sarah said, God has made laughter for me. Everyone who hears will laugh with me. And she said, Who would have said to Abraham and Sarah that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age. The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. Now Sarah saw the son of Hagar, the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking, mocking.

28:09The word for mocking is laughing. And it's related to the word Isaac. There's kind of a play on words. When Sarah names Isaac, laughter. Like, who in the world would have ever thought that God would bring this about? It was a laugh. Of joy. And yet, what happens at the end of verse 9 in Genesis 21 is Ishmael is mocking. He too is laughing, but he's laughing at Isaac in a kind of derision. He's making sport of, he's joking, he was ridiculing.

28:55It was an expression of despising what God had done. Sarah was expressing a kind of laughter that celebrated what God had done. Ishmael was laughing in a way that was ridiculing what God had done. But it's more than that. Ishmael was doing more than just mocking Isaac himself. The Hebrew verb is very strong. He was putting Isaac in a state of being mocked. In other words, he was influencing others. He was putting disdain on Isaac and doing so to where others would also join in.

29:51That's the conflict between the two boys. This war between the flesh and spirit is first personified in a conflict. Between the two boys. But then it goes up a notch. It becomes a conflict between the two mothers. And historically, this is what happens. Listen in Genesis 21:10. Therefore she said to Abraham, Drive out this maid and her son, for the son of this maid shall not be an heir with my son Isaac. The matter distressed Abraham greatly because of his son. But God said to Abraham, Do not be distressed because of the lad and your maid. Whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named.

30:42And of the son of the maid, I will make a nation also, because he is your descendant. Keep in mind, as you're reading through Genesis chapter 21, what's being stressed is not the rightness of Sarah's actions toward Hagar. What is being stressed in that passage is the incompatibility of the members of this household. The incompatibility of Ishmael living with Isaac, and the incompatibility of Sarah living with Hagar anymore. Hagar despised Sarah. Ishmael despised Isaac. You see, under normal circumstances, a slave-born son would not share the inheritance or the estate of a natural-born son. That was true in Abraham's time. That's true in Roman times when this was written. But this is historically what happened. Ishmael wanted to drive out Isaac, and so Sarah drove out Isaac and, I mean, drove out Ishmael and Hagar.

32:05You see, the flesh wants to drive out the spirit, the spirit wants to drive out the flesh. The two aren't going to. That's a rough household. And think about the turmoil in that household. Wow, whose idea was this? Talk about bringing up in Ishmael, a work of the flesh, and this is what happens. There was an incompatibility in Abraham's home. Something had to give. You see, there was a conflict between Ishmael and Isaac that could never be remedied. And so they had to be separated. There is a war between the flesh and spirit. And many times that's what we feel. We see that around us, war, flesh and spirit, but we also see it going on within us. Paul is going to write a lot about this conflict between spirit and Flesh in Romans.

33:03But notice at the end of verse 29, so it is now. So it is now. Paul is not just giving a history lesson, he's relating what has happened to what is happening in Galatia. The same conflict that existed between Ishmael and Isaac was still around in Paul's time, and it was manifesting between the Judaizers and the true believers in Galatia. Just as Ishmael was driving away Isaac, so the Judaizers were driving away the true believers in Galatia.

33:40They wanted churches who would have faith in themselves and faith in their performance to the standards that the Judaizers were teaching rather than faith in Jesus Christ. They wanted faith in an idea that you could complete the salvation that God began. You can complete your sanctification. And what Paul is saying, no, you can't begin with the work of God and complete it on your own. No, it's still faith to faith. The same is true in our time as well.

34:23Much like Hagar and Ishmael despised Sarah and Isaac, there are many sons. Systems of works today that despise the preaching and teaching of a gospel of grace through faith alone. You can find these systems in Jewish thought. You can find these systems in Islamic thought. You can find these systems in many pseudo-Christian thoughts. A doctrine of work will drive out, seeks to drive out the doctrines of grace. And the doctrines of grace drive out the doctrines of works. There is no compatibility in the same household between grace and works.

35:18Grace does not sit well with achievement. Grace does not sit well with a focus on the flesh. And flesh, human works, does not sit well with the doctrines of grace. Well, this conflict that began with these two boys quickly is really a conflict between two mothers as one solution, necessary separation. The conflict, the civil war between the two boys stemming from the The two mothers results in a necessary separation. Look at verse 30. But what does the scripture say? Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be an heir with the son of the free woman. In no way. That's the idea. Cast her out. In no way shall the son of the bondwoman be an heir with the son of the free woman. Now, we just read those words in Genesis 21, verse 10. The words that Paul quotes is actually Sarah's words. Notice how he's saying, This is what the scripture says. But the words are Sarah's words to Abraham. And the only change is the wording. Sarah says, Cast out this, drive out this maid and her son, for the son of this maid shall not be an heir with my son, Isaac. With my son, that first person gets changed to the third person. And Paul says, cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be an heir with the son, third person of the free woman. Everything else, the same. Interesting.

37:19As you look at this, the point of all this, Abraham, these were Sarah's words to Abraham, but God told Abraham to honor them. God agreed, a separation was necessary. And what happened historically, when Sarah saw Ishmael's behavior, she realized her son could not coexist with Hagar's son. He wouldn't allow it. Ishmael's status would always be less than Isaac's. And that was something that Ishmael could not ever tolerate. He would never, Ishmael would never be the heir of the estate as long as Isaac was alive.

38:08And so God affirmed that the right solution for the problem was a complete separation. The Ishmaels need to be separated from the Isaacs. And that's going to be true in the future. God has appointed an eternal separation. It was an ugly event in human history, this whole Sarah and Hagar thing, and as you read it, you grieve. But historically, God took care of Hagar and Ishmael. And even though Ishmael becomes a symbol of slavery and Hagar, God was merciful to them. It's the first time the angel of the Lord shows up. And Ishmael becomes a father of many nations. And God has promised to bless all the nations, but it's through Isaac. He was doing something. Something through Isaac. That's where the seed was going to come up that was going to bless all nations, including the Ishmaelites.

39:10You can think for just a moment, if Abraham had waited for the Lord, this situation would not have come about. Ah, but it happened for our instruction. That's what I love about the Bible. It just throws humanity in the raw right out there, and it shows us. Even people that are going to be hailed as great emblems of the faith sometimes operated in the flesh. But all this goes to show that man cannot solve his own problems. If you're reading through Genesis, it's like, okay, even after God makes a great promise, we foul it up. We can make a mess of things even when we're trying to fix them if we operate in the flesh. No, we can't bring about a blessed state by our own doings.

40:06For all the nations to be blessed, it's going to take a work of God. For God to sort out the things that you and I are really going through today, it's going to take a work of God. We can't bring about his favor, his blessing, through works of the flesh. How does this relate to Galatia? What Paul is saying is: law and grace cannot coexist. Works cannot tolerate grace. Grace cannot tolerate works. And I'm talking fallen human works with their purpose of pleasing God or obtaining His favor. Works cannot tolerate grace. Grace cannot tolerate works. Listen to how Luther said it.

41:05Now, as the people of grace neither have nor can have the law, so the people of the law neither have nor can have grace. For it is impossible that the law and grace should stand together. Therefore, we must be justified by faith and lose the righteousness of the law, or else be justified by the law and lose the righteousness of faith. Friends, the righteousness that comes by faith is far superior to the righteousness that comes by the law, because there isn't any righteousness that comes by the law, it just exposes unrighteousness. The law revealed Israel's barrenness. And if you're honest and you let the law do its work, it will reveal your barrenness.

42:00You don't have the kind of righteousness that God wants. You don't have that without him. That's the point of the law. The law paves the way for grace to be seen for what it is: grace. So, in this spiritual war, Paul has shown us the work of the Spirit, personified. He's shown us the work of the flesh, what that looks like. He's shown us this war between the flesh and spirit. And he brings us to one conclusion. Look at verse 31.

42:40So then, brethren, we are not the children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman. There's a lesson he wants us to learn. So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, but of the free woman. Paul is saying, so then. So then. This is the concluding emphasis of everything that starts at verse 21. It comes to this conclusion. So then. And it's strong. Make sure you get this. In light of everything that's been said, the blessed status on planet Earth and for eternity is for those who are born of the Spirit.

43:24It's a work of God that comes about by believing in Jesus Christ. I don't know. How or why, but that's where it happens. You believe in Jesus Christ, you take in what he did, you take in who he was, what he did, and you take that in, and it transforms you. When you take it in by faith, transforms. Love how he says it. We are not slave woman children, we are free woman children. He's saying, We are free from the performance stipulations of the law because we have a relationship with one who has completely obeyed the law and possesses the righteousness of the law. Who's the free woman? The Jerusalem above, born from heaven. It's the idea: we're born from heaven as a result of God's promise.

44:27You see, to let go of the gospel is to let go of God's promise. That's his lesson. Don't let go of the gospel. That's what he wants everyone in Galatia to take away. Don't you dare let go of the gospel. Those who let go of the gospel let go of God's promises in the gospel. When you let go of the gospel, you let go of who you are. How many of you are ashamed of your mother?

45:00Don't let anybody come in and shame you for your mother. But those who let go of the gospel are ashamed of the mother who birthed them. We're not to be ashamed of the gospel, it's the power of God to salvation. He's all speaking metaphorically here, of course. Hagar and Ishmael represent a religion of natural man and what he can do through effort and conditioning. Sarah and Isaac represent a supernatural religion born of God's Spirit and based upon what only God can do. Look, only God can save you, only God can transform you into the image and likeness of Christ. He wants perfection, and he knows how to bring it about through the work of Jesus Christ and your union with him. You're not getting there anywhere else. Anyway else.

45:57I love how John Stott summarizes this section. The religion of Ishmael is a religion of nature, of what man can do by himself without any special intervention of God. But the religion of Isaac is a religion of grace, of what God has done and does, a religion of divine initiative and divine intervention. For Isaac was born supernaturally through a divine promise. And this is what Christianity is. Not natural religion, but supernatural. The Ishmaels of this world trust in themselves that they are righteous. The Isaacs trust only in God through Jesus Christ. The Ishmaels are in bondage because this is what self-reliance always leads to. The Isaacs enjoy freedom because it is through faith in Christ that men are set free. So we must seek to be like Isaac, not like Ishmael. We must put our trust in God through Jesus Christ, for only in Christ can we inherit the promises received, receive the grace, and enjoy the freedom of God. End quote.

47:20So, friends, listen just a moment. What Paul is saying, if we can bring it to bear on our own hearts, what he's saying to the Galatians, and what he's saying to us today: listen, on your own, you don't have the righteousness revealed in the law. You don't have it. And you can't bring it about. You don't have the righteousness of the law. That's what the law shows us. You don't have it. So then, where do you go to obtain it? How do you grow in it?

48:00You need someone to have mercy upon you. You need to have somebody rescue you out of the ruts of your own unrighteousness that you are stuck in. And then, having rescued you from these ruts of unrighteousness that you're stuck in, you need somebody to take you in the hand who knows the way of righteousness, who can take you there and to make you righteous and cause you to grow in righteousness. But where? Where can we find such an individual?

48:34How can we find someone who's not enslaved to sin himself? Where is he? If the law has shut up everybody under sin, who is he? Where is he? How do we learn the paths of righteousness? We must learn the paths of righteousness from somebody who knows those paths, who himself is not enslaved, who himself is not under sin, who himself is able and willing to have mercy and pull people out of their ruts of unrighteousness, who is willing to take the time and to teach righteousness. Who is there out there that does that? And the Bible has one loud answer: Jesus Christ. He's a teacher, he's a Savior, He's full of mercy, He's willing, and He's able, and that's why you are to come to Him, and that's why He calls you to come to Him.

49:30Don't let go of the gospel. He was perfect. And we know he is perfect. He died for the sins of the people. We know he died for the sins of the people. Why? Because he was raised from the dead. That's how we know he was righteous. He didn't stay dead. The law had nothing against him. So he laid down his life. Why did he do that? For the sins of his people. So his resurrection proves his perfect life, proves the reason for his death, death.

50:11And it gives us new life according to the promise, a new life, blessing in him. You see, you are in the midst of a spiritual war, friends. It's real. Paul doesn't sensationalize it, nor does he secularize it, but he explains it in very clear terms. Are you an Isaac, a work of the Spirit? Are you an Ishmael, still striving in the flesh? You know that the works of the flesh and the works of the Spirit cannot coexist together eternally. Separation is coming.

51:04The lesson to be learned here today: if you are an Ishmael, embrace the gospel. Are you an Isaac? Don't let go of the gospel. And as you're growing, learn to wait upon God. Let him work through you, for he is certainly at work. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we bow before you, Lord, thanking you for the truth that you just spell out so vividly in such colorful terms. We thank you for the way your Spirit has inspired these words to show us hidden things, things of the spiritual realm that we could not know unless you chose to reveal them. Father, we see these works, this conflict in our own members of our own body, as Paul did. Father, we are very much acutely aware of the struggle between my way and yielding to your way. We see that. Father, we want to grow in your way. I pray for everybody here today, all the Ishmaels that are sitting here today, Father, that you would truly bring them to the end of themselves, that they may see the futility of the works. Of the flesh.

52:32Father, see the grand good news in the freedom and life that is in Christ Jesus by faith alone. Father, we treasure these truths. Help us to have that faith and to grow in that faith that Abraham had for your glory in Jesus' name. Amen.