Remembering and Following the Right Path

INTRO: Continuing in the book of Galatians. We will examine the right path to take – the Law or Freedom?

Okay, we will work our way through this chapter tonight. Let us note…

The Law was just a start

Galatians 4:1(KJV)
¹Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;
²But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.

The law brought bondage

³Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:

The Son was the deal maker - 4

⁴But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

They had been redeemed as adopted sons

⁵To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

They were sons in every way

⁶And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

The adopted had become sons and heirs through the Son

⁷Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

They had become truly special instead of slaves

⁸Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.

Paul asks, “Why go back to being a slave?”

⁹But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

Why revert to slavery?

¹⁰Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.

Why give up on God?

¹¹I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

Look at me (Paul) for an example

¹²Brethren, I beseech you, be as I am; for I am as ye are: ye have not injured me at all.

I (Paul) trusted the Law more than all

I now am just like you Gentiles (not trusting the law) – and must trust only His Son

Let’s look back (remembering can be a good thing)

¹³Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first.
¹⁴And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.

I was sick and came here to preach

You received me just like Jesus

You did not care

You would have done anything for me – even give me your eyes if you could

¹⁵Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.

I was your friend for telling you of Christ

But now I have become your enemy?

¹⁶Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?

Because I tell you the truth

This is not right

Can you not listen to the truth? From me?

They are only wanting to control you

¹⁷They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them.

Understand if they want to do good things it will not only be when I am with you

¹⁸But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you.

You are like my own children

¹⁹My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,

I wish to be with you

I worry about you

²⁰I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you.

Let’s remember the Law

²¹Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?

You know Abraham had two sons – one by a bondwoman another by a freewoman

²²For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.

One by the flesh the other by promise (of God)

²³But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

One is tied to bondage the other to freedom

²⁴Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
²⁵For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
²⁶But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

The one tied to the promise is God’s plan for us

²⁷For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
²⁸Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

The one tied to the flesh is the wrong way to follow

²⁹But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
³⁰Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.

No matter how we are persecuted or persuaded by others we follow the way of the free

³¹So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

Gary Marcum – New Beginnings Church – 060610pm