Sunday 31st August – A result of God’s promise

31-08-2025, A resulf of God's promise, Galatians 4:21-30, pastor adrian kitson

²¹Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? ²²For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. ²³His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise.

²⁴These things are being taken figuratively: the women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: this is Hagar. ²⁵Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. ²⁶But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. ²⁷For it is written:

‘Be glad, barren woman,
    you who never bore a child;
break forth and cry aloud,
    you who were never in labour;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
    than of her who has a husband.’

²⁸Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise. ²⁹At that time the son born according to the flesh persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. ³⁰But what does 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.’

Have you ever wanted something so much and finally got, only to find out that it it horrible?

When I was a young Uni student in Perth, I was into cars and motorbikes. I had a 1970 Holden station wagon that I had spent a lot of time on – shag pie carpet throughout the interior (royal blue), even resprayed interior metal surfaces that colour, installation of three gauges, a good stereo system, cutting the rust out and panel work…. I was chasing a vision of what the car could be. To top it off I wanted more power. So I pulled the existing motor out and put a larger reconditioned motor into my machine all by myself, That took a couple of weeks in a friends dingy shed.

The dream was complete. I even put a chrome air cleaner which sat nicely on that new orange coloured motor – matched in with the blue, I thought.

All was well until one day, driving my dream bus somewhere, I heard a big clunk and pretty quickly some hissing sound of boiling water.

Upon inspection on the side of the road I discovered that a small nut from that shiny air cleaner had fallen right through the carburettor and into the top of the motor and caused big damage.

The dream car quickly turned into a cursed car. I couldn’t do this all again! I sold it off!

Paul now speaks directly to the people urging these Galatian Christians with the reality of what seem to so long for – a return to keeping the Law as the foundation of their self-esteem, security and hope.

Here, Paul reminds me of Colonel Nathan Gessup played by Jack Nicolson in that old movie, A Few Good men. “You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth!”

You who want us all to live under the Law of God, do you know what that Law demands? Do you really know what you are doing when you urge people to trust in a ‘gospel +’ way of life? Do you know what you are doing when you add anything, especially those moral and religious rules, to the grace of God already given in Jesus as our only hope and life?

Paul brings the goes to a complicated allegory from events in a primary Old Testament story of God’s covenant history that all of these law-relying people would know deep in their bones.

Paul goes back to Sarah and the promise of God to her and Abraham to continue his covenant with human being through them, even though they were long past child-bearing age. (Gensis 12 and 15).

He goes back to what they know but then switches it around to turns it into a word of serious challenge to any Law-reliant Christian, but also a word of freedom and joy for those who are not.

He is saying there are two ways of being related to the father of Faith – Abraham; one right way and one wrong way.

Abraham had two sons; Ishmael and Isaac.

Abraham was promised the promised land, a great name in the world and many descendants (Genesis 12 and 15) and life-long role of being a blessing to all people in the world, but he and Sarah could not have children.

So, Sarah and Abraham took matters into their own hands and agreed that Abraham would sleep with the young slave girl, Hagar, to keep the covenant promise alive. Hagar gave birth to Ishmael (Genesis 16).

Fourteen years later, when Abraham was 100 years old, he has another child, but this time with his wife, Sarah.

Paul sums it up.

²³His [Abraham’s] son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise.

So, we have two families:

Hagar (family by human effort) and Sarah (family by God’s promise)

Those sprucing keeping Jewish Law in the Galatians churches would consider themselves to be in the family of Sarah – in the family of God’s promise. That is the reason they are calling the people to take on Jewish Law – so they too can be sure that they are in that family of promise.

But Paul does a switcheroo on them! He says that these two women represent two covenants; two families based on two covenants, and not the ones you think.

… the women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: this is Hagar.

What?

Hagar – Ishmael – Mt Sinai (Law) – Slaves!??

It should be:

Sarah – Isaac – Mt Sinai (Law) – Free!!

Paul is saying that Hagar’s family – Ishmael’s family, the one born of slave and not the one born of promise (Sarah-Isaac) represents the family born at Mt Sinai – where the Law of God was given? That supposed to be Israel (Sarah-Isaac-Mt Sinai- Free)! Israel is the covenant community founded on the Law of God – (circumcision, temple, Mt Sinai, Moses, 10 commandments…..) not Ishmael’s family.

This is very disturbing for fine upstanding religious people!

Paul goes further. This family of the slave, Hagar, are slaves, and represent the current city of Jerusalem – a people in slavery, or reliant on the Law of God for their life and future.

Two cities for these two families

Hagar – existing Jerusalem – slaves

(keeping the Law)

Isaac – the new Jerusalem – free

(living in gospel)

Why? Because by taking matters into their own hands when it came to being assured that God’s promises, Abraham and Sarah put faith in themselves, not the Lord.

Your genes do not determine your family line when it comes to God’s new creation in Jesus – on what or whom you rely determines whose family you are in. Faith in the grace of God in Jesus is what makes us the family of promise, not keeping the law – which is taking matters into our own hands again.

And this taking matters into our own hands (lie Abraham and Sarah did at first) has its usual effect

Read Genesis 16 and follow the story of jealously, disruption, disunity, anger and malice between Ishamel, Isaac, Abraham and Sarah. It is ugly and it hurts.

Of course, Ishmael is traditionally understood to be the father of the Arab peoples (the place which Paul reminds them is Arabia (v25) and Abraha, the father of the Jewish people – look how that is still playing out!

The point: Reliance on God’s law as the means by which we are assured we are accepted and blessed by God is really reliance on self, and that always produces havoc and disintegration in every way.

Paul is confronting anyone Christian who over-relies on the moral and religious law of God with the truth that they are like Abraham and Sarah – over-relying on themselves for hope, future resurrection, peace and new life of God.

Those marvellous things we know we all need are available to us, but only as gift. Abraham and Sarah would eventually learn this when that baby boy Isaac was born in impossible circumstances – all by the Word of the Lord; all by his gracious promise.

So, Sarah, the ‘free women”, whose son was “born as a result of promise” (v23) is now “the Jerusalem that is above that is free”.

For you and me Sarah = the new Jerusalem/creation/heaven, our mother.

The miraculous working of God in giving birth to this family of faith, apart from relying on the Law, is now our home – where we truly belong

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

Our life, well-being, work, marriage, relationships, goals, hope and dreams, rest not on our own goodness but God’s gospel of the crucified Jesus.

Our life is true and fruitful not by our own skill or behaviour or understanding of things, but God’s gracious presence and all he has achieved for us in Jesus and gifts to us in Jesus.

This is confronting when we doubt God’s promises of life and limb and purpose for living and take matters into our own hands to assure ourselves that we matter.

When we make children, grand-children, career, money, power, approval and such our worth our false strategies for self-worth will usual collapse in the end. The kids go off the rails, the grandkids don’t call, drought comes, we are ‘moved on’ by the company, we make a mistake, and friends desert us….

And then those conflicts, jealousies, disruptions, pains and regrets are born and they are so hard to deal with – especially without any help.

But friends, think on Sarah and Abraham and the new city of Jerusalem – the family home for people of the promise.

Friends, we live in the family for disappointed failures. Sarah is such an encouragement if you see yourself as a failure. In her day, she would have seen herself this way and have been told by others the same.

This gospel of Jesus is such a blessed relief when all we have is God’s promises to cling to because all else has finally failed word we know that only his words of truth and grace are getting us through.

So, Paul ends up saying:

‘Get rid of the slave woman and her son,

Shun reliance on the moral and religious laws and ceremonies and etc as your assurance and hope for life to the full and go back to reliance on the words of Jesus; the achievements of Jesus, the wisdom of Jesus as your freedom and hope for now and later.

Why?

for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.’

By grace lavished upon this wayward world and this wayward heart we are the free woman’s sons and daughters set to inherit every promise of God in Jesus.

‘Be glad, barren soul,
you who never could bear good fruit;
break forth and cry aloud,
you who never prayed for and longed

for someone else to be born into God’s grace
because more are the children of the barren soul made new
than of a soul that finds hope only in others.’

Be glad, people of the promise.

Personal or Group Reflection Guide

Introduction

This passage contrasts two covenants represented by Hagar and Sarah, and it challenges us to rely on God’s grace rather than our own efforts.

Opening Prayer

Begin with a prayer, inviting God’s presence and guidance as you study His Word.

Scripture Reading

Read Galatians 4:21-31 aloud.

Reflection Questions

Understanding the Text:

- What are the two covenants represented by Hagar and Sarah? (Galatians 4:24-26)
- How does Paul use the story of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar to illustrate his point? (Galatians 4:21-23)
- What does Paul mean when he says, “Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise”? (Galatians 4:28)

Personal Reflection:

- In what ways do we sometimes rely on our own efforts rather than God’s grace?
- How can we embrace the freedom that comes from being “children of promise”?

Application:

- How can we apply the message of this passage to our daily lives?
- What steps can we take to live more fully in the freedom that Christ offers?

Key Points to Highlight

Two Covenants: Hagar represents the old covenant of the law, while Sarah represents the new covenant of grace 1.
Children of Promise: As believers, we are like Isaac, born as a result of God’s promise and not by human effort 2.
Freedom in Christ: Paul emphasizes that true freedom comes from relying on God’s grace rather than adhering to the law 3.

Closing Prayer

End with a prayer, thanking God for His Word and asking for His help in applying the lessons learned.