Galatians 4:21-31
Final Appeal
We are in the last of what I call the "deep section" of this book,
not the end of the book but the end of main discussion that flows
through the book. In the first four chapters, Paul was answering the
question, "How far into Judaism must one go to be saved?"
He had answered that question back in \\#Gal 2:16\\. We do not go any
into the Old Testament Law to be saved. Not any. Yet, Paul continued
trying to convince these churches even after he had made that
statement. Because he knew some of them would not believe him. He
had been attacked and maligned by the Judiazers or the false teachers.
In our text, Paul gave his final appeal to these church to abandon
their new found errors and return to faith in Jesus Christ.
I. Summary of the Galatia Condition
A. Leading up to his final argument, Paul pulled no punches in
dealing with these churches.
1. Throughout these four chapters, Paul had been trying to get
these Christians to wake up and see their true spiritual
condition.
2. Some Examples:
a. \\#Gal 1:6\\ He marvelled they had moved from Christ
so quickly.
b. \\#Gal 3:1\\ He called them "foolish" and "bewitched."
c. \\#Gal 4:11\\ He feared that perhaps they were not
saved at all.
d. \\#Gal 4:21\\ He asked if they had ever heard the law
that they were placing themselves under?
B. In this chapter, Paul summed up the Galatian churches with
three statements:
1. \\#4:9\\ You have or are about to reject grace.
Gal 4:9 But 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?
a. Notice the term "bondage."
(1) Paul had already stated that keeping the Law has
not, could not, and will not save \\#Gal 2:16\\.
(2) What attempting to keep the Law does is to bring
people into "bondage," Paul’s word not mine.
(3) Anyone who attempts to earn their salvation or to
please God by their works is locked into a never
ending cycle:
(a) You can never be or do good enough to be
saved. Never.
(b) The end result will always be that you will
live hopelessly and die eternally.
b. This is not the fault of the Law.
(1) The Law’s purpose was and is to teach us what
wrong is. \\#Gal 3:24\\.
(2) The bondage comes in when we take the Law and
attempt to use it to clean ourselves.
(3) A school book makes a poor bar of soap.
2. \\#4:16\\ You have rejected me.
Gal 4:16 Am I therefore become your enemy,
because I tell you the truth?
a. As we have already noted, the ploy of the Judiazers
was, "If you can’t destroy the message, destroy the
messenger;" and so they had attacked Paul before
the churches he had hazarded his life to begin.
b. Now a sufficient number of people in those churches
viewed Paul as their enemy.
c. It amazes me how people can be so easily manipulated.
(1) We have to suppose that the churches of Galatia
were filled with Christians who have the same
Holy Ghost we have.
(2) We know the Apostle Paul was filled with the Holy
Ghost and had the ability to prove he was God’s
messenger by performing miracles.
(3) Yet in just a short period of time, these
churches were turned from Paul—and even more
from Christ.
d. All I can say is that Christian better watch out.
(1) Being old, smart, or even saved does not mean you
cannot be deceived.
(2) We do not want to lean on our feelings, opinions,
or our impressions.
Mark 13:22 For false Christs and false prophets
shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to
seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.
(3) Instead USE:
(a) Use the Word of God. That means read it,
understand it, and follow it.
(b) And learn to lean on and listen to the Holy
Ghost of God.
3. \\#4:17\\ You have been adversely influenced
Gal 4:17 They zealously affect you, but not
well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might
affect them.
a. On the earthly level, the bad influence on them would be
the Judiazers.
b. In actuality, the bad influence on them was the devil.
c. The devil found an open door and exploited it
thoroughly.
II. Notice Paul’s Gifts in Action
A. I mentioned before that in that Paul used three graces in this
section to teach the churches in Galatia.
1. Old Testament Scripture
2. Logic
3. His gift of revelation
B. Notice that he uses all three in this section.
1. He used the Old Testament Bible passage of \\#Ge 21:9-21\\.
a. That is a tough and harsh passage.
(1) Sarah was bitter at Hagar and her son, Ishmael;
and demanded that Abraham send them away.
(2) Abraham was not too excited about the idea, but
God told him to do it; so with nothing but a
bottle of water, he sent them into the
wilderness.
(3) For a while it looked like they were going to die,
but God sent an angel and showed Hagar where
she could find water,
(4) God blessed her and Ishmael with blessings from
that point on.
b. Paul told the Gentiles that seemingly harsh account was
a lesson to them.
2. He knew that by his gift of revelation.
a. \\#24\\ Paul said that historical account was an
"allegory."
(1) That is very similar to a parable.
(2) It is a story with a heavenly meaning.
(3) Some years ago, another fellow and myself had a
disagreement concerning some Scripture, and he
turned to another passage, read a meaning into
it, and promptly figured he had proven his point.
(a) I pointed out that he had not proved
anything by reading something into a
Scripture that was not there.
(b) He said the passage that he read was an
allegory which proved his point.
(c) I told him that he did not have authority to
call something an allegory which the Bible
did not say was an allegory.
(d) He referred to this passage and said, "Well,
Paul did it."
(e) I said, "You are no Paul."
b. I hope we all understand that Paul, Peter, James,
John, and all of the other Bible writers had gifts and
abilities that we do not.
(1) You can call yourself the Most Righteous Apostolic
Senior Bishop if you want, but unless you are
presently able to raise the dead and walk on
water, I am not buying it.
(2) You are more than welcome to think of me as
narrowed minded, lacking of Holy Ghost, filled
with doubt naysayer if you wish because I am
going to think of you as a NUT.
c. This was the gift that Paul had and so he used the gift
to explain a secret truth tucked away by God in an
Old Testament event.
(1) It is the same gift that he used to tell us about
the rapture of the church.
(2) It is the same gift that he used to set us
straight on the gifts of the Holy Ghost.
(3) It is the same gift that he used to teach us about
end-time judgments.
(4) If we believe Paul on these and other topics,
there is no need to doubt him on this one; and
if we doubt Paul on this one, there is no need to
believe on the other topics.
3. The third grace that Paul used in this section was pure
logic or common sense.
a. Some folk have it. Some folk do not.
b. But with the other two graces with which God had
endowed Paul, he was able to give counsel to the
churches at Galatia.
III. \\#4:19-31\\ What Paul Saw from this Old Testament Passage
A. Paul saw that Hagar’s child (Ishmael) was a picture of the Law
and Sarah’s child (Isaac) was a picture of Grace.
Gal 4:22 For it is written, that Abraham had two
sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a
freewoman.
23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born
after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was
by promise.
B. How so? Three predominate ways:
1. By their birth order:
a. \\#22\\ This text does not directly mention it, but
their order is indicated.
b. Ishmael was born first then Isaac.
c. The Law came first, the grace.
2. \\#23\\ Ishmael was born by the flesh’s efforts while
Isaac was born by God’s promise.
a. So keeping the Law is man’s effort to earn
righteousness.
b. Grace comes by God’s promise. All we must do is to
believe.
3. Ishmael mocked Isaac, a picture of the Jews now
persecuting the Christians.
Gal 4:29 But as then he that was born after
the flesh persecuted him that was born after
the Spirit, even so it is now.
C. What was Paul’s conclusion from this passage?
1. Cast away the Law—at least as the means of salvation.
Gal 4:30 …Cast out the bondwoman and her son:
for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir
with the son of the freewoman.
2. Stand firmly in the liberty, freedom, that Christ has
given to us:
Gal 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty
wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not
entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Paul is not finished with this book but he is finished with this
topic. It has been a deep because exposing error requires study,
focus, and spiritual reasoning. The Law has a place today. It is
still a school teacher, teaching us right from wrong; but we not
under its penalties or duties. Every believer must take the Word of
God and listen to the Holy Ghost. If you do so, God will be pleased
with you and your life will be blessed.
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