Village Church Annandale (Sydney) sermons

We look at the most complex section of Galatians today, in this final Daily Bible Time before Dominic Steele takes a week's leave.

There are three sections to this passage: Historical, Allegorical and Personal.

The bottom line is simple. We are children of the promise. We should expect the same outcome as the original child of the promise. We should expect persecution, but also ultimately to receive the inheritance.

Galatians 3:21 Tell me, you who want to be under the law, don’t you hear the law?

22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave and the other by a free woman.

23 But the one by the slave was born as a result of the flesh, while the one by the free woman was born through promise.

24 These things are being taken figuratively, for the women represent two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai and bears children into slavery—this is Hagar.

25 Now Hagar represents Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.

26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.

27  For it is written, 

Rejoice, childless woman, 

unable to give birth. 

Burst into song and shout, 

you who are not in labor, 

for the children of the desolate woman will be many, 

more numerous than those 

of the woman who has a husband.

28 Now you too, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise.

29 But just as then the child born as a result of the flesh persecuted the one born as a result of the Spirit, so also now.

30 But what does the Scripture say? “Drive out the slave and her son, for the son of the slave will never be a coheir with the son of the free woman.”

31 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of a slave but of the free woman.

In this paragraph we read of the good relationship and reception that Paul had with the church in Galatian when he first went to preach the gospel. He was sick during that time and they cared for him.

Some speculate that the weakness of the flesh is the same as the 'thorn of the flesh' in 2 Corinthians 12:7. This may be true. But we can't know for sure.

What we can know for sure is that the Galatians are praised for receiving Paul as a messenger of Christ. This should be our attitude to his writings as we read them. They are the very words of God to us.

Galatians 4:12 Become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You have not wronged me; 

13 you know that previously I preached the gospel to you because of a weakness of the flesh. 14 You did not despise or reject me though my physical condition was a trial for you. On the contrary, you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus himself.

I grew up in Roman Catholicism. It was a formulaic rules based religion.

When I turned to Jesus Christ I aged twenty I discovered the freedom of the gospel of Christ.

Increasingly, disturbingly across Protestantism I am observing bible people turning back to the religiosity of the Catholic practices, and becoming tragically enslaved over and over again.

Galatians 4:8 But in the past, since you didn’t know God, you were enslaved to things that by nature are not gods. 9 But now, since you know God, or rather have become known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elements? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again? 10 You are observing special days, months, seasons, and years. 11 I am fearful for you, that perhaps my labor for you has been wasted. 12  I beg you, brothers and sisters: Become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You have not wronged me; 

We have seen over the last few days on Daily Bible Time that God sent his son to redeem those under the law; that we are all one in Christ Jesus; that we are sons of Abraham and most important of all that we are sons of God - children of God.

With all that there is the wonderful spectacular news about the intimate relationship we are able to have with our creator God.

Galatians 4:6Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." 7So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

What a wonder to be a child of Abraham. What an even greater wonder to be a child of God. Of focus today is on these twin privileges.

Galatians 3:26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus,

Galatians 3:29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Galatians 3:26 for through faith you are all sons of God in Christ Jesus. 27  For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ. 28 There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise.

Galatians 4:1 Now I say that as long as the heir is a child, he differs in no way from a slave, though he is the owner of everything. 2 Instead, he is under guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. 3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were in slavery under the elements of the world. 4 When the time came to completion, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.