6:30pm Service

Sunday 24th July 2016

St Mary's Church, Bury St Edmunds

Preacher: Duncan MacInnes

Galatians 4: 21-31

Galatians 4: 21-31 'Grace to the Barren'

In our series on Sunday evenings here at St Mary's, over the past few weeks we have been looking at Paul's letter to the churches in Galatia – Galatians. Galatia was a region in what is now central Turkey, and Paul's letter was to the churches in that region.

The context on the ground in those churches was a difficult one, for those churches were being challenged, and many believers led astray by false teaching, in this instance by the Judiasers – people who taught that in order to be a true Christian believer you had to follow the Jewish law – in effect to become Jewish. Paul writes this letter directly confronting and challenging this false message, and these false teachers – and in many parts of his letter he doesn't mince his words! And in its place Paul upholds, defends and affirms the wonderous, liberating, free gospel of grace alone; through faith alone; through Jesus alone.

In tonight's passage, Paul attacks these false teachers, the Judiasers, from a different angle to one before. He gives an Old Testament history lesson and applies it to his (and our own) time.

So let's have a look at the passage together, Galatians chapter 4 verses 21 to 31 on page 1171 in our Bibles.

At first glance it is a rather perplexing passage, with Old Testament history used in Paul's argument. And as such, it is a passage in my preparation, that I have been grateful for some really good commentaries!

We are witnessing an interesting period in history in the world, and certainly the western world at the moment. Economic turbulence has created political turbulence, in western Europe and North America. At the moment it seems political populism is in the ascendency – from Donald Trump in the United States, Marine le Pen in France, Geert Wilders in Holland, to UKIP and the 'Brexiteers' in Britain. Good on simple easy to remember slogans, and obvious 'common sense' solutions, but often (and usually most of the time) lacking in detail of how the policies they promote will be implemented, and the concessions, compromises and alliances needed for them to happen. Liking, following and voting for a policy is one thing, but when the rubber hits the road [PAUSE] Question mark?!

The influence and effect of the Judiasers in Galatia were a bit like the new populist poltics and politicians on the block today. They presented a popular and fresh (so it would seem to some of the Galatian Christians) take on following God. 'It's simple – to be truly Christian all you need to do is get circumcised and follow Jewish law'. It's something people can do – something that is tangeble, it's not spiritual 'head in cloud', just get circumcised, follow Jewish law, and hey presto! It must have been seductive, as Paul was writing this letter addressing the issue!

But like many populist politicians, the Judiasers lacked substance and reality, and overlooked history. Paul – who himself was one of the greatest Jewish scholars of his day - was about to educate the Judiasers, and give them a history lesson.

To Jews and the Judiasers Moses was the key figure in the Old Testament they looked up to, but it's Abraham who Paul points to in verses 22 and 23:

For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a promise.

Paul is talking here of Abraham's sons Ishmael born of the Egyptian slave girl Hagar (in Genesis 16), and Isaac born of Sarah, Abraham's wife (in Genesis 21). As the Judiasers chief charge was circumcision and Jewish law, it's a bit strange – at first glance – that Paul here talks about Abraham and his sons instead.

Leon Morris in his commentary says:

“[Using the argument from Abraham] would have been a most unexpected use of the law. The Judiasers would have made much of the law's demand for circumcision and the observance of holy days and feasts, and it is highly unlikely that they would have paid a great attention to Abraham's offspring...The mother determined the status of the children (not the father), so the son of the slave girl was necessaily a slave.”

Abraham's son born of Sarah – the 'free woman' – was a gift from God, as Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 years old! It was a gift from God, and a promise that God would build his people through the line of Isaac.

Verse 24:

These things may be taken figuratively, for the women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves. This is Hagar.

This is quite an incendiary and very provocative thing to write amongst the Jewish and Judiasers. Paul is saying here that Jewish law first instituted at Mount Sinai when God met Moses on the mountain, is irrelevant, it's useless. In fact it's slavery. This is because the new covenant – an everlasting and unbrakable one – secured by the cross and resurrection of Jesus, has swept away the need for rules based Judaic covenant. It was a remarkable thing to say – here was Paul, one of the greatest Jewish scholars, one of the greatest minds, saying that Jewish law was in fact slavery!

What's more, in verse 25, Paul ladels on, and cranks up the rhetoric – the covenant at Mount Sinai is like Arabia, which to Paul's Jewish and Judiaser hearers stood as the land of Ishmail's decendents – the Arabs - very much foreign, gentile and looked down upon by Jews. But, whats more is that Paul, also says Sinai stands for Jerusalem 'because she is in slavery with her children'. Arabia and Jerusalem, one gentile and the other Jewish, but both under slavery to sin, both unclean because they have yet to be washed anew by Jesus.

But, verse 26, all who have accepted Jesus, and his offer to be washed anew, are now born into the Jerusalem that is above – the heavenly Jerusalem.

The Jews saw Jerusalem – as Jews still do today – as the place where the presence of God is closest to them. Muslims have to visit Mecca for the Hajj once in their lifetime, Hindus and Buddhists have their shrines and temples where the presence of god is to be experienced. Jesus says come to me, and I will give you rest. Come to me, and I will give you rest.

As Christians the true Jerusalem, the true kingdom rests in our hearts with the presence of the Holy Spirit. We do not have to go to a particular place to find God, and do rituals for him. God sought, found and seeks the lost through the person and work of Jesus, and only him.

Then Paul, in verse 27, quotes from Isaiah 54:

“Be glad, O barren woman, who bears no children; break forth and cry aloud, you who have no labour pains; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband.”

This is a well known passage from Isaiah, but why does Paul include it here?

There are two main reasons commentators give.

Firstly, Sarah, Abraham's wife was barren, but broke into laughter and joy at the birth of Isaac (which means 'he laughs') at the age of 90. Christians have reason to be joyous too, as we are barren – nothing do we bring to God but our dirty and sinful rags, but through Jesus we are made new and are reborn in the Spirit. We should rejoice in Jesus.

Secondly, the Isaiah passage alludes to the condition of Jerusalem just after the exile of its population to Babylon – a city deserted, 'like a barren woman'. But when the Jews returned to Jerusalem they were in greater numbers than before the exile, and Paul may well have been alluding to the even greater gathering of people – people coming to faith and following Jesus – as he was writing the letter in his own time. Church historians say that the first century was one of rapid growth in the church, at a period of time when lines of communications in the Roman world were more advanced, enabling the gospel message to spread far and wide. [PAUSE]

And all this is down to a promise, verse 28. The belevers in Galatia and belivers today, were and are children of promise, like Isaac, who was God's promise to Sarah and Abraham, belivers have salvation and the promise and guarantee of God's Spirit to be there with us. Paul here is emphasising again the continuation inside the new covenant of Old Testament history fulfilled by the new – belivers and followers of Jesus have the same promises and priveledges as Isaac, but even more so.

We as belivers are children of the promise, and are living that promise now, as we run our Christian race, but verse 29, we will face hurdles and stumbling blocks in our race. And these hurdles, opposition, like the Judiasers within the Galatian church, can come from within rather than from outside the church. James Montgomery Boice states that:

“The remarkable thing about the perescution of Christians is that this will not always be by the world but also and indeed more often by their half-brothers – the unbelieving but religious people in the nominal church”.

An example of this that springs to mind, is opposition to a new church plant in a local area from an established church in the same area that is not open to the gospel, and is scornful of the new initiative.

Two of the great Christian figures of the nineteenth century, JC Ryle, and Charles Spurgeon encountered great opposition from parts of the church and church establishment – what Boice calls 'unbelieving but religious people' – in their day. But they established ministries with a lasting legacy, pointed and helped thousands to know and love Jesus, and produced writings that build up and edify people today, and will in the future too. Whereas their opponents are largely forgotten.

Another great Christian figure, was the great Cambridge minister and preacher Charles Simeon of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, who also faced challenge and opposition from within the church. When he became vicar of Holy Trinity he started to face mounting opposition from the existing congregation of the church for preaching the gospel, instead of preaching what went before, very little really – just stories and reflections. Simeon carried on preacing the gospel faithfully and it attracted many new people to the church – more and more were coming to hear the gospel message through Simeon's preaching – so some of the people who were opposed to this locked their pews to the newcomers (in the days when the 'great and good' had their own lockable pews in many Anglican churches – pretty shameful really), so Simeon encouraged the newcomers to sit in the aisles of Holy Trinity! And this was not to be the first and only time he faced opposition.

In 1831 towards the end of his ministry at Holy Trinity, Charles Simeon was asked how he coped and persevered through all the many challenges he faced in his fruitful ministry there, Simeon replied:

“My dear brother, we must not mind a little suffering for Christ's sake. When I am getting through a hedge, if my head and shoulders are safely through, I can bear the pricking of my legs. Let us rejoice in the rememberance that our holy head has surmounted all his suffering and triumphed over death. Let us follow him patiently; we shall soon be partakers in his victory.”

It was like it then, and is thus today, we face opposition, but through prayer, and God's help, God – through Jesus, the one who has gone before us – will help us through.

Verse 30:

But what does the Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman's son.”

This is the conclusion to Paul's illustration of Hagar and Sarah's sons to make a point. Timothy George in his commentary says:

“[In writing] 'get rid!' of the slave woman and her son', Paul was calling on his erstwhile disciples to free themselves from the grip of the Judiasers and to expel them from their midst...This grim imperitive, 'get rid!' raises the issue of the limits of tolerable diversity within the Christian community. It is clear from Paul's Corinthian correspondence that he was quite willing to tolerate considerable divergences of opinion and even irregularities in order to preserve unfractured the unity of the church. But the false teachers of Galatia had transgressed those bounds. What they were advocating was a denial of the gospel itself. When this kind of heresy invades the church, there can be no question of compromise or concessions for the sake of superficial harmony.”

We must get rid of slavery to empty religion and those, like the Judiasers, who espouse it, and clothe ourselves in the assurance of Jesus' salvation, once and for all, that cancels out slavery to sin, and nullifies slavery to religion.

As Christians, verse 31, we are indeed children of the free woman – children of God who gives us true freedom from the power, the penalty and slavery of sin, and freedom from empty religion that enslaves so many today, just as it did in Paul's day.

So in summing up, how can we take tonight's passage and apply it to our lives today?

• We should question and test simple solutions. The Judiasers were offering a simple formula to add on, to add extra spice (but was actually poisonous) – Christians should become Jews to really be Christian. Paul calls this out – it is wrong, it is dangerous, it is slavery. We need to question and test what our leaders are saying by the ultimate standard of scripture. Does it sound a bit odd? We need to test and question it.
• We need to examine ourselves. Are we following people or agendas that are unhelpful in our walk with Jesus, and could knock us off course? We need to ask God for his help in highlighting areas where we still need to change, and for his help so we can make those changes.
• We must expect challenge and suffering. Jesus says 'take up your cross and follow me'. The Christian race is a race of endurance, it will have its hurdles to surmount, and those of us who are in ministry – of whatever shape or form – will face opposition and obstacles. But we have a great God who is there to give us the strength to stay the course.
• We should rejoice. God in his mercy and love sent Jesus to deal with all our sins – past present and future, and through trusting and following him, we are truly free, and heirs of the coming kingdom – now that's something to rejoice about!