In NT times, converting to Christ was a big deal. Why?

• Judaism was accepted by the Romans but not Christianity.

• Christianity was a radical departure from what they knew.

• Jewish leaders tried to keep people in their religion.

• The Galatians fell prey to drifting back into Judaism, which was religion.

• Paul is urging them to live by the Spirit of freedom and not come under the domination of the law (slavery).

• Their effort to please God was taking matters into their own hands.

• He used the example of Abraham - he took matters into his own hands and you’ll see how it turned out.

• Story:

• God gave Abe a promise - he’d have a son.

• Ten years later, no son. He took matters into his own hands and shacked up with Hagar - Ishmael.

• This ended in slavery.

• 25 years after the promise, he had another son with Sarah - Isaac.

• Ishmael became the enemy of Isaac.

• This son was the son of the promise, which resulted in freedom.

• *** Paul used this to ask the Galatians whose son they want to be.

• When Abe took matters into his own hands it ended in slavery.

• When he trusted God and waited on the Spirit it ended in freedom.

• When you operate by the Spirit you don’t try to open doors that God said He would open - you WAIT for Him.

• God’s “yes” and “go” are two different things.

• When you wait you become the person who can handle what He said “yes” to.

• You have to harness your ambition and wait for God to move, otherwise you become like Abe with Hagar - it will end in bondage.