Paul's Epistles - Galatians
Part 11 – Hagar and
Sarah
Pastor Bruce A.
Shields
House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org
INTRODUCTION
Paul has spent the majority of his letter
to the Galatians trying to open their eyes to their wandering from the Truth
Peter, having surrendered to the false
teachings of the circumcised group, allowed false teachings in the Galatian
church, such as adherence to the Law, legalism, keeping of days, months, years,
festivals, as well as rituals such as circumcision, teaching that these things
were needed WITH Jesus to actually be “saved”.
Paul corrected Peter on this matter, and
has written much in the Galatian letter about the fact we are saved by Grace
through our Faith, and adopted into the Promise of God, which was made to
Abraham.
What made Abraham righteous to God? His
faith, not works.
God gave Abraham a Promise, that he would
have a son, and through that son, the Savior would come, the Messiah. And all
who belonged to the Promise (Christ Jesus) would be Heirs to the Kingdom of
God!
However, Abraham and Sarah intervened. Not
sticking to their faith in what God promised them, they planned to “help” God’s
promise become fulfilled.
Abraham fathered a child with one of their
slaves, Hagar, making this a “Work of the flesh”).
This was not accomplished by the Spirit of
God, but by the working of man.
Therefore the first born which was
supposed to be Isaac, fulfilled through the Spirit, was now a work of the
flesh, Ishmael.
Sarah later had the child God Promised,
and Abraham now had two bloodlines.
The one made by works of the flesh, and
later, the one by the Spirit of God and fulfillment of the Promise.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE Galatians 4:21-31
21 Tell me, you who want to
be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? 22 For
it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the
other by the free woman. 23 His son by the slave
woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was
born as the result of a divine promise.24 These things are being taken figuratively: The women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written:
“Be glad, barren woman,
you who never bore a child;
shout for joy and cry aloud,
you who were never in labor;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
than of her who has a husband.”
28 Now you, brothers and
sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise.29 At that
time the son born according to the flesh persecuted the son born by the
power of the Spirit. It is the same now. 30 But
what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave
woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s
son.” 31 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are
not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.you who never bore a child;
shout for joy and cry aloud,
you who were never in labor;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
than of her who has a husband.”
I.
TWO WOMEN, TWO
COVENANTS
a.
The slave Hagar – represents the Law (Old Covenant)
i. Plans made by Sarah
and Abraham
ii. Woman
chosen by Sarah
iii. Abraham
choosing to listen to Sarah, rather than believe the Promise of God.
1.
Not the first time we see man getting in
trouble for listening to his wife rather than sticking to what God told him.
b.
The free woman Sarah – represents the Promise of God
(New Covenant)
i. Plans made by God
ii. Woman
chosen by God (Sarah, although barren)
iii. God
fulfilled His promise, keeping His word, although Abraham and Sarah did not
wait in faith.
c.
These things are taken figuratively
i. Paul states these
things are figurative, not literal.
ii. Because
children of Ishmaels line (Muslims) can still come to the Lord and be saved.
II.
TWO CHILDREN, TWO
BLOODLINES
a.
Hagar the slave gives birth to Ishmael the slave
i. If a slave has a
child, it too is a slave.
ii. Works
of the flesh give birth to works of the flesh
b.
Sarah the free woman gives birth to Isaac the Promise
of God
i. If a free woman has
a child, that child too is free.
ii. Work of
the Spirit of God gives birth to Spiritual things
c.
The war that will never end
i. Ishmael, being the
first born, should have received his father’s blessing and kingdom. However, he
was illegitimate.
ii. Isaac,
being the fulfillment of God’s Promise, did receive the full blessing. The
legitimate heir.
iii. Ishmael’s
descendants became Muslim.
iv. Isaac’s
decedents became Christian.
v. This is why the war
rages on forever…Islam against Jews and Christians.
1.
For the war to end, either Muslims have to
surrender that Ishmael was first in line, and Isaac was legitimate, or all of
Christianity would have to surrender that Christ was the fulfillment of God’s
Promise, and Ishmael, being first born is the way to God, which means accept
Islam.
2.
Neither will happen. Therefore the war
will rage on forever.
III.
CHILDREN OF THE
PROMISE
a.
The son born by works of the flesh (Ishmael/Islam)
will persecute the son born by the Power of the Spirit (Isaac/Christianity)
i. This is happening
today.
ii. Islam
hates Jews because they believe Jews perverted the Old Covenant scriptures to
reflect God blessing Isaac instead of the first born Ishmael.
iii. Islam
hates Christians, because they think we believe there are 3 Gods (Father, Son
and Holy Spirit as different beings), and we say Jesus is God, which they
believe is blasphemous.
b.
What does the scripture say?
i. Paul recites
scripture stating, “Get rid of the slave
woman and her son, for the slaves son will never share in the inheritance with
the free woman’s son.”
c.
We (those who accept Jesus Christ, the Promise given
to Abraham) are adopted as sons of the FREE woman and heirs to the Promise
CONCLUSION – not by works or law, but by faith and the promise
Paul makes it clear
to the Galatians that there are two covenants, represented by Abraham’s two
sons.
One son (the first
born) was born by works of the
flesh, instead of waiting on God’s promise.
The second was born
by the work of God’s Spirit, the fulfillment of His Promise by Faith.
The slave Hagar’s
son, Ishmael, is a slave born under the Law.
The free woman
Sarah’s son, Isaac, was born by the Spirit of God, and the Promise.
Islam comes from
the line of Ishmael, a slave born by works of the flesh, and Christianity is
the fulfillment of God’s Promise which began by the Spirit bringing forth the
son Isaac that God promised.
The decedents of
Ishmael will ALWAYS persecute the decedents of Isaac.
Scripture says we
must “Get rid of the slave woman and her
son for the sons of the slave will never share in the inheritance of the free
woman’s son.”
If you are militant, you may use this
scripture to hunt down and kill Islamists…however, the only way to make someone
NOT a slave, but FREE is to set them free.
Jesus said, “I did
not come to condemn, for they are condemned already, I came to set free.”
Salvation allows
ANYONE who accepts Jesus Christ (the Promise by God to Abraham) to be adopted
IN as FULL sons and daughters to the Most High.
If a slave dies a
slave, they are still a slave, but if a slave comes to the Lord, then they will
truly be FREE.
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