April 23, 2023
Pastor Frank Bowden

Sermon Notes

I. It’s Not on You to Fulfill God’s Promise

Galatians 4:21-23
Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise.

Self-effort and faith in God cannot live in harmony

II. Jesus + _______ = Slavery

Galatians 4:24-27
Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she 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. For it is written, “Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than those of the one who has a husband.”

God doesn’t need any potential from you to work miracles in you, and that’s the beauty of the Gospel

III. Help Us to Live When It’s Not Easy

Galatians 4:28-31
Now you,brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.

DIY (do-it-yourself) religion leaves people frustrated and enslaved

Next Steps

• I confess my sin and trust Jesus as my Lord and Savior for the first time
• I feel weighed down by self-effort, pray for me to live by faith this week
• Pray that I have an opportunity to share my hope in Christ with someone this week

Deep Dive

1. How does Paul use the history of Abraham’s two sons to illustrate the supremacy of promise over law?
2. Why do you think the Galatians, once freed, are returning to slavery “under the law?”
3. What are some ways you put too much trust in your own works (slavery) instead of fully trusting God with your life?

Springboards

1. How do you define freedom?
2. When in your life have you felt most free?
3. What is the freedom that is found in the grace of God? How does that differ from other forms of freedom?