Freed from the Law (Galatians 4:21-5:1)

Below is my sermon manuscript from this past Sunday. You can catch the audio and video here.

I don’t know about you, but over the last year or so, this question - and maybe one that you can relate to - keeps popping into my head. It’s this: “What the heck is wrong with these people?” Now I know that I’m a rebel and a fool in so many ways. You’ve probably asked that question about me. But I think we can all turn on the news or scroll through social media. And we get to that question really fast. Something’s just not right.

Now I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this. And I think I understand at least part of the problem. You can be the judge. And to get there, I want to take you back to my junior high locker room. And getting picked on. I remember one guy throwing my hair brush in the toilet. And getting torn down and shoved into lockers. But what were those boys trying to accomplish? Why were they being so mean? I think they were trying to prove themselves to the other guys. And establish their place - where they stood - in that locker room.

I really think that’s what we’re seeing play out today. People screaming at public hearings. Or tearing into people on Facebook. They’re trying to prove themselves. They’re trying to establish their place. Now a few weeks back, I preached through a post-COVID vision series. In our last gathering, I talked about how the American church’s mission is being lost and compromised. As professing believers are giving their lives over - not to Jesus and His mission - but to other kings and kingdoms. It’s definitely happening. It’s incredibly sad. 

But here’s a question: how are you right with your king? How do you enter that kingdom? And stay there? You have to prove yourself. You have to demonstrate that you belong. And keep doing that. Again and again.

You try to believe and practice and share all the right things. And to show you’re for real, you bully those who don’t. You idolize something. You demonize something else. But here’s another thing you do - and something we’re seeing more and more. You show you really belong by becoming more and more extreme. Why’s that? You prove yourself in part by comparing yourself to your enemies. But that only works and lasts so long. To really prove you’re legit and to truly stand out from the crowd, you even have to outdo your friends.

And that’s why the extremes - on both the left and the right - keep getting pushed further. Suddenly you’re not a true conservative if you’re not anti-mask and vaccine. You’re not a legit liberal if you’re not a full-blown socialist. If you don’t have a Che Guevara poster on your wall. 

We get more and more outlandish and more and more mean. And that’s how you earn your place. It’s how you get a hearing. And yes, make a buck. And that’s maybe in part why social media looks like the worst of junior high locker rooms today. So you can put your head through the wall? i can jump off the top bleacher. You stole all his clothes? I’ll put his head in the toilet. I see your belch in the face. I’ll raise you an atomic wedgie. Welcome to ‘Merica. On Twitter.

Well, we’ve been walking slowly through the book of Galatians. Here Paul is writing to this church he’d planted, and he’s begging them not to get sucked into the same kind of thing. In that church were false teachers. We call them the Judaizers today. And they were saying, to those believers, “If you want to be legit Christians, you first have to be real Jews. You have to do all of these right things. That you see in your Bibles. And rail on those who don’t.” 

And Paul is saying, “No! Christ has come. And salvation is by grace. We don’t have to prove ourselves anymore.” And he begs and pleads those Galatians to ignore those Judaizers. And to not return to the slavery of that life. Of getting your identity from what you do. and how you think you compare to others.

Reading God’s Word Well

Now if you’ve not noticed, this is an extremely confusing passage. But I think you will find, that if we can understand the picture Paul is painting here, the point is actually pretty simple. But, before we get there, here’s the first thing I want you to hear from Galatians 4:21 through 5:1. 

First, if we want to honor our Lord, we have to learn to read His word well. For starters, let me ask you this: how many of you were raised on The Veggie Tales? Now if you have no idea what I’m talking about, good for you. But I’ve lately been enjoying some videos and listening to the podcast from their creator, Phil Vischer. Way before he was trying to wake up American adults, he was creating videos for them as kids. And they were videos with vegetables as the characters. And they were all the rage with youth groups and Christian families. 

But I remember the controversy that erupted when they ended up playing on Saturday morning TV and without all the biblical imagery. What’s interesting is that the shows weren’t really that Christian in the first place! In fact, some time later, in an interview, he said this about his show:

“I looked back at the previous 10 years and realized I had spent 10 years trying to convince kids to behave Christianly without actually teaching them Christianity. And that was a pretty serious conviction. You can say, ‘Hey kids, be more forgiving because the Bible says so,’ or, ‘Hey kids, be more kind because the Bible says so!’ But that isn’t Christianity, it’s morality.” (Phil Vischer)

What a picture of humility and repentance, right? But now, older Phil might wish he could talk to younger Phil and say, “You want to teach kids the Bible? You might want to understand what it teaches first.” And that’s really what the apostle Paul here is saying to this Galatian church in front of those false teachers. He asks, “Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law?” 

Now this isn’t as confusing as it may sound, but the word “law” in the Bible can be used in a couple of senses. First of all, referring to the commands given to Moses, that we can try to use to impress God. And second, referring to all the books of the Bible. Paul is saying, “Guys, if you’re going to try to keep all those rules, are you sure you’re really hearing what the whole book says?”

And of course they weren’t. And we so often don’t either. We can read the Bible just like the Veggie Tales. As a book of rules to keep. Or heroes to aspire to be. But that’s a really bad understanding of the book. And it’s not Christianity at all. It’s just morality. The point is to see that we fall short in doing all God asks. And that we’re in need of a hero to bridge that gap. And that we can’t earn our way to God.

Now, to remind that church of this, he recounts to them of Bible story. One found in the book of Genesis, in chapters 16, 17, and 21. Where you have this man who’s been promised by God to one day have descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. But he doesn’t have an heir. And his wife is really old. So what does he do? Abraham takes matters into his own hands. And he sleeps with one of his slaves, a woman named Hagar. And together they have a son, Ishmael. 

Of course, not too long later, his wife, Sarah - against all odds - gets pregnant and births a son, also. That’s Isaac. And the apostle Paul here says, “Remember that story?” in verses 22 and 23:

Gal. 4:22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman.

Gal. 4:23 But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise.

Here’s what he’s saying. One son came from Abraham trying to do this in his own strength. It came about by sin. That’s what he means by “flesh” there. The other came about through God’s promise. It came by faith - or at least it was supposed to. Paul says, “Do you not remember that?”

He’s telling them that that story summarizes so much of the Bible. Why would we try to live our lives in the flesh? Where we do it. Then we’re proud of it. Where we don’t need God. And just use Him to make ourselves feel good? And then look down on others who don’t measure up? If we read the Bible, and that’s where we end up, we’re just not reading it well. At all. 

Karis, we have to watch out for this. It’s so easy for us to read God’s word closely every day and completely miss the point. And the point is this. God is good. We’re not. And everything we receive is completely undeserved. It’s all of grace, or karis. All by His promise. If we want to honor our Lord, we have to learn to read His word well. 

On Allegories

Now, while we’re talking about reading our Bibles well, I need to talk about where Paul goes next - when he talks about allegory. I’m going to take a series of asides during this message, and that’s the first. Allegory. What’s that? It’s when you take different aspects of a story - the people, the places, the things - and you try to assign them deeper, spiritual meanings.

My daughter has really been into Marvel movies lately, and she asked me some questions recently about Endgame, and I told her to ask Pastor Rob, because he really liked that movie. He may have gotten really emotional. Whether or not it was intended by the producers, Rob had difficulty not seeing it as an allegory of our great faith. And he’s pretty compelling. 

Throughout church history, people have read their Bibles - even some spiritual giants - and have seen an overabundance of allegories. The parable of the Prodigal Son is a good example. Where people have tried to say the pigs represent demons. The ring given to the son represents baptism. The party represents the Lord’s Supper. The calf eaten in that parable pictures Jesus. If you really want to dig into this further, see how church fathers like Origen and Augustine read the parable of the Good Samaritan. 

But this just isn’t a helpful way to read our Bibles. And it so often leads you astray. However, Paul does say he’s speaking “allegorically” here. But as we hear his words, we have to remember a couple of things. First, this is not just Paul here. It’s the Holy Spirit, inspiring these words. God can do that. But, second, also think of what Paul’s doing here a bit more like Rob and Endgame. “You know - Tony Stark - Iron Man - giving up his life, really reminds me of Jesus. The defeat of Thanos reminds me of Christ’s complete triumph over Satan. You see redemption in Thor and Hawkeye. And, of course, this beautiful picture of resurrection - of people lost in the ‘snap.’”  

Paul’s just using a story from the Old Testament to guide the Galatians to the truth. And that’s what comes to mind - because, you know, he’s the apostle Paul. If we want to honor our Lord, we have to learn to read His word well. And we generally won’t see many allegories. Unless, of course the Bible tells us that’s what we should do. And that’s exactly what we see here.

Freedom in the Promise

With that, let’s move to a second thing I want you to see. Second, if we hear what His word says, we’ll see clearly the path to life. What’s Paul trying to do in bringing up this Old Testament story? Paul is painting a picture. And pushing a point. Of how we need to live if we really want to live.

What’s he saying - in verses 24 through 26? Something like this: “You know Hagar, that slave woman Abraham slept with, when he took matters into his own hands? She reminds me of the slavery that comes from trying to do things your way, in the sinful flesh. 

And Abraham here makes me think of the law God gave at Mount Sinai - the covenant with Moses. How people have tried to keep all those rules to earn their way with God. In their own strength. And how it leads to nothing but bondage and misery. People are still trying to do that today. In Jerusalem and her worshippers. There in Galatia with those false teachers. There’s a better way. There’s a heavenly Jerusalem. That’s Sarah. And she’s our mother - if we walk in faith and walk in freedom. In that new covenant.” 

Paul here reminds them - and us - where true freedom is found. It’s when we trust God’s grace. Where we turn from our own efforts. And open up our empty hands. And trust our Lord to fill them. Trying to measure up when the standard is so far beyond us means we’ll never keep up. And that’s slavery. Making bricks without straw. It’s miserable. Because it’s impossible. 

But there’s another thing Paul is doing here. He’s reminding us that what’s impossible with us is possible with the Lord. He tells them what God might be up to. In verse 27, he quotes these words from long ago, from Isaiah - when God’s people are exiled for their sin. They’re without hope, and Isaiah the prophet also takes from this story of Abraham and Sarah and makes a point. He says, “You may feel pretty hopeless right now. But you’re like Sarah. Barren and no hope of life at all. But, just like Sarah - despite your sin - God’s going to do something amazing. Rejoice.” 

The apostle is applying those words to these struggling Christians. Paul here is encouraging these Gentile Galatians - who are again being hassled by these Judaizers. He wants them to trust God is at work among them. That good things are happening and coming. And we need to hear this, as well.

I’ve been saying this a lot. But, I’m encouraged about what God’s going to do in this hard season. We’re surrounded by super-religious types who are saying all kinds of crazy things - people who may identity themselves as Christians in opinion polls but aren’t carrying Christ into public spaces. God wants us to hear these words and keep going. To believe He is at work among us. And trust Him for big things. 

Maybe - like in Galatia - it won’t be the repentance of the religious, but the salvation of the irreligious. But God’s not finished. Hear those words: “Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor!” If we hear what His word says, we’ll see clearly the path to life. We’ll know where to find freedom. But we also won’t lose hope. Because when it feels like there’s nothing we can possibly do - that’s exactly when God tends to work.

On Slavery

Now here’s aside number two. This passage is a bit confusing. But to our modern ears, it can also be fairly offensive. Right? Because we’re talking about slavery here. And not only that, but what seems to be abuse. Hagar is a slave to Abraham and Sarah. And then Abraham takes her into his bedroom. 

Apparently it was an accepted practice in that day - much like it was accepted here, back in the day, down south. But that doesn’t mean it was acceptable to God. And Paul recounting here doesn’t mean he’s endorsing it either. Telling a story about Thanos killing half the world doesn’t mean that you endorse mass murder. Neither does writing one.  

But neither of those things - slavery, sexual abuse - fit with God’s design for humanity or our sexuality. They go against the grain of what the Bible teaches. His creation. His redemption. So we have to stand against their existence today. And seek to undo their effects. Whatever it might cost.

Firm in Our Father’s Love

Let me move to the last thing I want you to hear from this passage. Third, if we grasp our Father’s love, we’ll know we could never turn away. In the last section of this passage, in verse 28 of chapter 4 through verse 1 of chapter 5, Paul concludes his argument and hits them hard with his main point. The doctrine of grace is hard for us to accept as fallen humans. It’s like we have this deep allergy toward it. And God is trying to fortify the Galatians and us against the alternative - this performance mentality that makes us miserable. And He says basically three things here. 

He says, first, you’re His children. Step into it. Verse 28: “Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.” Now Paul doesn’t pull any punches. Those Judaizers no doubt thought, “We’re the true children of Abraham. Those Gentiles - those immature Christians - who don’t keep the law - they’re Hagar’s kids.” They also taught that the law was the pathway to freedom. 

But Paul flips the tables on them and says the opposite. “You who believe in Christ - who are done trying to do things your way and keep the law - you are the ‘children of promise.’” He says the same thing in verse 31. Step into it. Enjoy it. Revel in it - that You’re His child by grace. 

And don’t go back. To those chains. This is your identity if you’re in Christ. You don’ have to go to great lengths to construct another.

He says, second, trouble will come. Stay strong in it. Look at verses 29 and 30. Paul brings up another detail of the story - where you can see in Genesis 21:9 Ishmael laughing at - mocking - Isaac - probably ridiculing the idea of him being the true heir. “Just as in those days, so are they now,” Paul says. We, too, with these Christians addressed so long ago, will be attacked - and not just by people out in the world - but those in the church. We can’t let it phase us. People don’t like grace. Or to see it in others.  

In verse 30, Paul reminds us of some other details in Genesis 17 and 21. Abraham feels bad and wants Ishmael to be the heir. But Sarah says, “No. Kick the boy and his mom out.” And the Lord tells Abe to do what she says. While He also makes promises to Hagar and Ishmael. Again, this is a verse the Judaizers would have used to ostracize Gentiles - or those who wouldn’t buy their legalism. But Paul again turns it on them. And makes another point to the Galatians: “It’s them that don’t belong, not us. We’re the heirs, the children of promise, and not them!” 

And that’s still the case for us today. The religious, the legalists, those fixated on appearances, those who don’t get the gospel, they’ll still misunderstand us and come at us. And we can’t let it phase us. Because their future is bleak. And ours is breathtaking.

Paul says, third, freedom is yours. Stand firm in it. Hear verse 1 of chapter 5 again: “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Now this goes back to what we talked about a couple of weeks ago, but how are we children of God? Through the Father’s work of election. But also through Christ’s work of redemption. 

He saved us by His blood. That was the payment. And He made the payment not so we would stay in slavery but walk in freedom. We’ve been freed. How about we act like it? 

Back in Christ’s days, people would go to jail, they’d end up as slaves, in order to pay off debts. Imagine a friend, showing up with funds, to get you out of that situation. And you say, “Nah, I’m good.” And telling them to leave. We wouldn’t think of that. We’d run out in joy. But that’s so often what we don’t do. We run back to Egypt because it’s just what we know. We run back to rule keeping, because it’s comfortable. But that dishonors Christ and what He came to do. 

Know what a yoke is? It hung over the necks of oxen and kept them together to work in the field. It was usually wood, big and really heavy. Picture the law - this performance mentality - on our shoulders - pulling us down by its weight. That’s what trying to prove ourselves to God, to others, to ourselves does. The Spirit says here, “Don’t submit to it any longer. You’re free.” This is your identity, church. You’re not defined by your activity - your productivity

Hear author and teacher Steve Brown:

“The good news is that Christ frees us from the need to obnoxiously focus on our goodness, our commitment, and our correctness. Religion has made us obsessive almost beyond endurance. Jesus invited us to a dance… and we’ve turned it into a march of soldiers, always checking to see if we’re doing it right and are in step and in line with the other soldiers. We know a dance would be more fun, but we believe we must go through hell to get to heaven, so we keep marching.” (Steve Brown)  

Are you ready to dance? And let me tell you - I’m a bad dancer - when it comes to getting on the dance floor and how I live in the gospel. The pull back toward that kind of marching life is strong. And there are plenty today still trying to push us toward it. The Lord tells us to stand. And not give in. And really to bust a move. For what He’s done for us in Christ. If we grasp our Father’s love, we’ll know we could never turn away.

On Liberty

Here’s my last little aside. On liberty. Allegory, slavery. Now liberty. Freedom isn’t what people say it is today. Today’s it all about self-expression. Doing what you want. Defining yourself. But that’s not true freedom. I love these words from Jackie Hill Perry:

“When salvation has taken place in the life of someone under the sovereign hand of God, they are set free from the penalty of sin and its power. In a body without the Spirit, sin is an unshakeable king under whose dominion no man can flee. The entire body, with its members, affections, and mind all willfully submit themselves to sin’s rule. But when the Spirit of God takes back the body that He created for Himself, He sets it free from the pathetic master that once held it captive and releases it into the marvelous light of its Savior. It is then able to not only want God, but it is actually able to obey God. And isn’t that what freedom is supposed to be? The ability to not do as I please, but the power to do what is pleasing.” (Jackie Hill Perry)

Freedom isn’t in doing what we want but in what He wants. But here in Galatians, we see something maybe even more dangerous. Trying to do what we think God wants in our own strength - in an effort to earn His favor. That’s the path away from freedom. Parents back in the day would say, “Veggie Tales is alright. At least they’re not watching SpongeBob - or South Park!” But that misses the point. Because religion that emphasizes our works leads to slavery, not liberty. It’s just as bad - probably even worse. 

Living Free in Christ

I want to close with some more thoughts on application. Now it’s common to apply this in a spiritual way to the disciplines and practices of the church. Are you reading your Bible? Good. Spending time in prayer? Great. But if you’re looking to those things to make or keep you right with God, it doesn’t work. And it destroys those things. Recently I realized I was using our Field Guide I made in the exact way I told you all not to use it. Mindlessly checking off my readings for each day. And I had to step back and repent. That doesn’t prove anything. And it takes a book about freedom and turns it into slavery.  

But there’s also a way to apply it that feels, at least, more secular. You prove yourself through how much you work. Or how much money you make. Or how well you take care of your body. Doing well? You’re proud. Not a good week. It’s despair. 

But that’s actually deeply spiritual. You have a king you’re serving - maybe money, maybe power. You have a vision for the good life, a kingdom. And you’re trying to prove you deserve a place, that you measure up. You’re doing whatever you can not to miss out on those things. That’s your “hell.” You give your life to that false god, that idol, to that view of what life should be - “heaven.” How would we describe that life? It’s slavery. 

But here are some other ways I think we drift into living by works and not grace. When we try to take and edit the perfect Instagram pic to display this perfect image of our lives. And then we watch and tally all the likes. And even wonder why certain friends haven’t noticed. 

I was speaking to a dear sister this week who was explaining the struggles women  face today. The pressures of having this appearance that measures up, that guys like - that also looks good enough for Instagram.

Think about criticism. If we’re not living by grace, it’s devastating. Our worth is in what people think of us. We’re seeking hard after their approval. We’re pointing to our score card. And we want them to see that it looks great. But if they question that, we can’t handle it. And we become defensive. 

School is about to kick off, and with that comes the pressure to achieve. Doing things in a way that glorifies God is one thing. But making our studies a false god is another. Trying to prove ourselves through our academics is a tough load to carry. It’s slavery, for sure. 

And so much of the time, we’re trying to prove ourselves to our parents. Often to moms and dad who don’t get grace - and even want to prove themselves to others by bragging about how well you’re doing. 

And let me tell you, it’s even so easy to slip into in ministry. In the day of the celebrity pastor, the age of the megachurch, you can so easily find yourself judging how you’re doing through attendance. You have a good week if your sermon seems to go well. Or guests who show up end up coming back. It’s so easy to look and compare yourself to how others are doing. And yes, find others you can look down on and criticize. But that’s slavery. We don’t have to live this way. We can lean into our identity in Christ.

Now I’m not a big fan of country music, but as a guitar player, I can’t not be in awe when I see Vince Gill play. He was asked once who his country music icon was, and he said this:

“I have to go with Merle Haggard. The way that he wrote songs spoke to me differently than anybody ever has, and I would attribute some of it to the fact that he went to prison. He knew what it felt like to not be free and it made him tell the truth.” (Vince Gill)

Grace changes everything. And drives out the insecurity fueling all the insanity we see today. You have nothing to prove. You have no one to impress. You can tell the truth about yourselves. And it also changes the way you interact with others. You can tell the truth to those around you. Faith leads to love.   

If we have Christ’s approval, we don’t have to compare ourselves to others. We don’t have to hurl insults at those around us. It’ll transform the way we walk around this town. And how we update our statuses on social media. As Scott Sauls puts it, “When the grace of Jesus sinks in, we will be among the least offended and least offensive people in the world.” 

And not only that, we’ll even reach out, we’ll seek out, people who are different from us - those we might see as offensive, those by whom we’ve been offended. That’s the way of Jesus, the way of grace. Yes, it’s hard. We struggle to live up to it. But that’s why we have the Spirit. And He’ll do it by His strength for His glory. Let’s pray.