[Music] Christ has set us free, and this is a powerful statement that we like to proclaim. But what is this freedom like? Can I be more free in my preaching today? So as we know, many people in this world, they are looking for freedom. But can the freedom that the gospel offers be something that would draw people to Christ? I certainly think so, but we must get the right understanding of freedom ourselves. For many people in the world, the idea of freedom is to be able to do whatever they want as they please without any restraints. But even if they can do that, okay, just assume even if they can do that, they will eventually find they are not free from fear, they're not free from guilt, they are not free from a sense of restlessness. And when things quiet down, they cannot escape the emptiness of life and the inevitable fate of death. They can be going on holidays but still filled with worries. They can have many things they own but they are unhappy because of a single desire which is not

fulfilled, they cannot be their true self because they worry about how people will perceive them. They can do anything but they don't know what to do. That's the problem with people these days. Recently, I heard that besides FOMO, which is fear of missing out, people these days are gripped by FOBO, fear of better options. Have you heard of this? People today are free to make any decisions, okay, but at the same time, they're not free because they fear they will miss out on the better option. So in the end, they make no decisions. So freedom is not about being able to do whatever you want. You are free to go skydiving without a parachute, but should you do that? You are free to play the guitar with your tongue, strumming the guitar with your tongue, but should we do that unless you want to get views on your social media and can it even produce beautiful music? Okay, so many people just desire freedom, but they don't know what they want the freedom for. Is it freedom that leads to despair, destruction, and

death, or is it the freedom that leads to Glory, joy, and beauty, and real Freedom today. I'll argue is knowing and being able to desire and pursue what God has created us to do. To be free is to be a real human just as how God has created Adam and Eve before the fall. They were walking closely with God, they were subduing and ruling over all things. In other words, to be free is to be able to do what God calls us to do, to enjoy God's presence, and to give thanks for everything that God, our father, has blessed us with. It is to be a child of God. And after the fall, we are not free because we are in the bondage of sin. We obey our sinful desires. We do not naturally seek the things of God. We usurp the position of God, seeking to be our own God, seeking our own Glory. We oppress, we exploit, we scheme against one another because we cannot help but believe that this is the only way we can survive, survival of the fittest. And this is

the bondage that we are in. Let me show you a picture to illustrate what bondage looks like for many of us. In some parts of South Asia, this is how they catch monkeys. In the past, they will take a coconut and chain it to a pole. On the other end, they will punch a small hole, hollow out the inside of the coconut, and then they put some sweet rice, which the monkeys like to eat, inside the coconut. The hole in the coconut is such that it's big enough for the monkey's hand to reach inside. But if the monkey is holding on, clenching its grasping on to some rice, it will not be able to remove its hand from the coconut. So grabbing and holding on tight to your food is such a natural and conditioned behavior of the monkeys, you know, and they never thought of letting it go just to get away from the food. They just cannot understand why it can be a good idea to let go of their food. And because of that, they are stuck to the coconut and stuck

to the chain, and they'll be caught by the hunters. After that, do you think the monkeys are stupid? Yes, okay. What about humans? Are we much wiser? I can think of many things I can put in the coconut that can catch a human. Is it money, is it power, fame, or men's approval? Things that we cannot let go although we know that we are being enslaved like the monkey. We are also conditioned to rely on what has worked so well for us in the past when we were living as slaves as fallen human beings. But for us, we are now children of God. We need to see the whole forest of blessings that God has given to us instead of just the coconut. But so often we forget we are no longer slaves, but we are children of God. As slaves, we train ourselves to react quickly, grab fast, hold on to things tight, compete fiercely so that we can win in games like this. Okay, sorry, I thought this game is the game we play in church camp, right? The best illustration of how we are all

conditioned and trained to react fast, okay, and hold things tight, okay. Everywhere we turn, we are taught, and we believe that we need to do all these things to succeed in life as slaves. Maybe some of us learn other skills, some of us learn that it is better to act blur, live longer, okay. Others learn that, Oh, I need to flatter others, okay. We are so good at living as slaves, but we neglect to learn how to live as children of God. Now, I must say there's nothing wrong for children of God to train our reflexes to react quickly, to compete with others, and to become better at what we do, but we must check if these things become a bondage to us. It becomes something that we cannot give up, it becomes something more important than God, then we are unknowingly trapping ourselves to the coconut, and we may also be holding on to things in the coconut, and to give up the freedom that we have, not realizing that the Father has blessed us with the whole Forest today.

as we continue with the book of Galatians on the theme of what we means to be no longer slaves, but children of God. I want to make the case that one distinctive trait in the life of a child of God is the freedom that he enjoys. Okay, but we must know what how this freedom is different from the freedom the world imagines. Okay, but how do we get this freedom, and this is what we hope to answer today. So before we go to our passage, let's do a quick recap and orientate ourselves in the book of Galatians because we are at the turning point of the book. If we look from a whole book perspective of Galatians, we see that chapter 3 and 4 is actually Paul's presenting his case and presenting his theology. Okay, it is well known to be a tough section in the Bible with some really difficult verses. So good job to everyone for surviving, and after that you'll get easier in chapter 5 and six. We'll see Paul shifting gears to talk about how to live a Christian.

Life only after he makes sure that we have understood the truth of the Gospel. Okay, so in chapter 5 and 6, we will learn more practically about the spirit, about freedom, and about life. So what is this whole theology that he has put across in Galatians that we should also learn today? Okay, so I mentioned before, he called the Galatians foolish, and then he pointed out that Abraham was justified by faith, okay, and it was counted to him as righteous. He believed God and was counted to him as righteous, and he claimed that all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse. And in Christ Jesus, no, and we might also receive the promised Spirit through faith. Okay, in Christ Jesus, you're all sons of God through faith, and you are all Abraham's offspring as according to promise. And through all this, Paul also showed how God's covenant faithfulness and his Redemption plan for mankind is not an afterthought. It is something that he's orchestrating and unfolding by his Sovereign Grace.

throughout history, from the time of Genesis all the way until the coming of Jesus. So in chapter 4, Paul says, So you are no longer a slave, but a son; if a son, then an heir through God. Last week, preacher emphasized that this is the greatest blessing that we need to know. If that's the case, Paul really can find no reason for us not to live as a child. He said, You have come to know God, rather to be known by God, rather to be known. That how can you turn back again to the weak, weak, and worthless element? Elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more. And after this heavy theology, Paul shared how he labored for the Galatians, how he loved them, how theyed the gospel, and loved him even though he had a bodily ailment. So we ended last week with Paul expressing his personal anguish, his love, and his confusion. And he said, My little children. He calls them my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until

until Christ is formed in you. I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, for I'm perplexed about you. And Paul did not obviously end his letter on such a note. He did not run out of words to say because he's too, uh, he was too filled with anguish and disappointment. He did not give them the silent treatment. Therefore, we should also not stop praying, engaging, communicating, communicating to people, even though we are disappointed and perplexed. And after seeing this Human Side of him, his pastoral and Human Side, he continues to argue his in Galatians. And from chapter 3 and 4, we see there is two contrasting ways to live. So today we'll be wrapping up Paul's theological argument, which will exhort us to live by faith in the promise of God as a child of God in a way that is free. So let's look at the text today. Um, we start from verse 21. 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 true promise. So Paul ask another question here, tell me, tell me. He's addressing those who wish to obey the teachings of the Judaizers, or those who desire to be under the law. Today we may not be encountering Judaizers, but there are many believers among us whose religion is legalistic. They have turned the gospel into law, and they think that status before God is dependent on a strict adherence to regulations, traditions, and ceremonies. They are in bondage. These people have turned the gospel into law. They need a scripture like this one to open their eyes and to make them pause and think. Have you, do you not listen to the law? And Paul started his argument from Abraham in chapter 3, and now he's going back to Abraham, but putting the focus on his wives and his children. And once again, Paul is using a story that the Judaizers are very familiar with to tear

down their own arguments while Abraham had other wives and Sons. These two sons here clearly refer to Isaac and Ishmael with their respective mothers Sarah and Hagar. So let's go to the story in Genesis. So there are two sons. Isaac was born to Sarah, who was a free woman and the wife of Abraham. Ishmael was born to Hagar, who was a slave and Hagar was a second wife or the concubine of Abraham. It is not just that the status of the woman are different of the mothers are different, the conception is also different, okay, different not in terms of the biological process but different circumstances gave rise to their birth. Both Abraham and Sarah were childless in their old age and in their human thinking it appeared that they will die without a child, okay, they'll die that way. And they thought about the promises that God will make them into a great nation. And then Abraham and Sarah thought, hey, maybe I can help God fulfill his promise, you know. So, so he, they make their servant Hagar to have a child with

Abraham and this obviously created a lot of Anguish in the family. Isaac, on the other hand, was born out of human planning effort and means. Isaac was 14 years old, okay, was born 14 years later, okay, after the birth of Ishmael when Abraham was 100 years old, and Sarah, who has been Barren, was over 90 years old. God's promise was fulfilled at last in the birth of Isaac. So, Isaac was not born by natural means but Supernatural true and exceptional promise of God. And Hebrews tells us, Hebrews tells us, by faith Sarah herself received power to conceive even when he she was past the age, since, since she considered him faithful who had promised. So, Ishmael was Abraham's Sons by proxy according to the flesh, and Isaac was his son by promise, a living witness to Divine Grace. So, we have two contrasting ways again said after the fall, think about it, after the fall, everyone is born according to the flesh, a slave by nature in bondage to sin. It is only in the Fulfillment of

God's promise to bless the Nations through Abraham's seed, who is Jesus Christ, and by the grace of God that we are born again and set free in Jesus Christ. So, everyone is either an Ishmael or Isaac, either by who he is naturally, a slave, or by grace of God has been set free and has been called a child of God. So, what is Paul driving at? What's the point of this story? So, it was likely that the Judaism were claiming that only those who belong physically to the family of Abraham had any share in the promise of God. M to him and to be part of family you need to be circumcised. That is also for the Gentiles Believers as well. And for the Jews, their boast is always that they were descended from Abraham, the father and founder of their people. After the fall of men, it was Abraham that God plainly revealed himself to. So, he's a very special person that God wants to use, and God promised to give Abraham the land of Canaan. The Offspring as numerous as the

stars in the sky, and God made a covenant with Abraham and his descendants. So Jews themselves believe they are secure in the Covenant. They are definitely there. So what Paul did was to remind them that actually Abraham had other sons, and they were all circumcised, even the male servants. If you remember what they commanded, what God commanded, even the male servants were circumcised. If that's a case, what makes the Jews different and confident in their blessings, okay? And then not the children of Ishmael. So if the Gentiles were to go through circumcision, how are they not like the descendants of Ishmael, so how are they not like the other children, other sons of Abraham, okay? Why what is it that makes them truly God's people? Surely there's something else besides circumcision. And in the famous exchange between Jesus and the Jews in John chapter 8, Jesus told them, told the Jews right of the of his day, If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the

truth and the truth will set you free. But they argued, This the Jews replied, Jesus, we are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, 'You will become free'? Then Jesus replied them in verse 39, If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did. But now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. In Matthew 3, Jesus also rebuked the Jews' self-confidence. He said, Do not presume to say to yourself, 'We have Abraham as our Father.' For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. So what is it that truly sets the people of God apart? It is the faith in the word of God, the truth, the promise of God that tells us what God is able to do and what God has done, and then doing the works according to the word of God. So Isaac represents God, what God gives to Abraham.

unconditionally out of his promise. And Ishmael represents what Abraham strives to attain from his own desires and God's promises. And Paul later tells us in verse 23, we are children of promise just like Isaac. And do you believe? And do you know this? And if you do, this should shape how you live as children of promise. We did not earn our Salvation. We were those who were blessed through Abraham's seed, Jesus Christ, by Grace. He promised to bless us, and all that we have are God's blessings, not just our Salvation, but everything else we have in this life. And when we live with such a conviction, we have Assurance, we Have No Lack. We see that all we have is a blessing from God to his children, and we will depend on God. And when we have good things, promotion, children, good grades, you know, friends, you know it's from the promises of God the Father And His blessings. And we will not abuse or waste these gifts. And because you know the blessings come from the father, you can give thanks

use it for the father's purpose. You do not fear losing them, and that is why Abraham was able to sacrifice Isaac later in Genesis because he knows he did not earn it. It was a gift from God, and this gives you the freedom to obey God when it's difficult because you're not overly attached to a particular thing or person. Your soul allegiance and your confidence are in Jesus Christ alone, and you are you can let go and not be stuck to the coconut because the whole forest will provide for you. I don't know whether I shared this before. I might have, okay. There was this instance where I went to the botanic gardens. I hardly go there, but there was once I went there, and I was struck by the beauty of a tree, okay. It's a very huge tree, okay, and I've never seen a tree so beautiful and majestic, you know. It's probably more than 100 years old, and immediately in my mind, I have this strange desire to own the tree, you know.

it is so beautiful. I want this tree to be part of my life. Okay, um, it is very strange because I never had desires to have plants. Okay, but how to own this tree in botanic garden. Okay, how much how big can must my house be to put this tree in, right, and how much money I need to make to buy a house to feed this tree, and how do I convince the uh and parks to give me the tree, right. As I was comp, I was contemplating all these things, right, the spirit prompted me. This tree at this moment is my to enjoy. God created the tree for my enjoyment, for that moment of course not just for me. You can go and visit the tree as well. God created the tree through the human hands, planted the tree to provide shed, shelter, food for the animals, and to amaze me and many other visitors about the beauty of his creation. If I own it, okay, realistically if I own it, I have to maintain it. I don't know how to maintain the tree, but God bless me with the

beauty of the tree without me having the burden to care for it. Someone will care for it, okay, so that others like myself can be blessed instead. God has entrusted other things, like my family and friends, to care for, so that others can be blessed by them. So if God is my father, and like the hymn we just sang This Is My Father's World, then we have indeed everything, but you don't need to hold it so tightly. If I want to see the tree, I can always go back and look at it, okay? Everything we have, we see, we learn, we do is for our blessing and also for us to bless others. All glory goes to God for this Divine Providence, so we must get this clear. God created the Garden of Eden with the mind to bless Adam and Eve, just like how parents would decorate and furnish a room before their baby arrives. God did not create Eden, wanted all the trees and animals, and realized, hey, I need someone to take care of the garden, so he created Adam.

and Eve to be the slaves to be the gardener. Perhaps what Adam and Eve had to do in both cases would be similar, but one would be working as a child. This is more for my enjoyment, and the other one will be working as a slave. I need to do this. I was created um to be a slave. If we do not have this right understanding, Earthly blessings like promotion, children, marriage can enslave you and become a curse to you. So, brothers and sisters, are you contented with God's blessing and calling in your life? Do you see God's blessings and calling already present in your life? All these things that you have not earned yourself, graciously given to you from the father, or do you think you earn with your own efforts? If you believe that you get to where you are today purely by your hard work, talent, or even flattery, smooth talking, and relationship management, you will have to double down on all this to stay where you are. You cannot afford to sleep up. You cannot afford to slow down.

you are constantly burdened and worried about falling short. If you fail, you beat yourself up and you vent your frustration on others. You are enslaved to your own methods, principles, and your own rules, and that makes you not free to obey God, which is your greatest calling. And today, many people are enslaved, enslaved by their own fears and expectations, enslaved by words of doctors, words of teachers, words of bosses, enslaved by pronouns they want to choose to use. They are enslaved by the social media who tells them they need to be super moms, crazy Rich dads, financially free, can dance well, have a good body, and have a personality that screams my life, my rules, my style, my attitude. These are the things that we are enslaved to. And see, CS Lewis wrote in his book The in the problem of pain, the lost, the people who are lost, enjoy forever the horrible Freedom they have demanded. This is actually freedom, but it's not the freedom that Christ gives us. The laws enjoy forever

the horrible Freedom they have demanded, and are therefore self and slave. So, what is the fundamental difference between the two sons? The religion of Ishmael is a religion of nature, what man can do by himself without any special intervention of God. They're not free because they lack the desire to rest in God's promises. It is not that they reject the desire to reject God, they just want God on their own terms. Judaizers want God's blessings as well, but not on his terms. They don't desire to feel like children in need of a father, they don't feel like they want to be a patient in need of a doctor. They want to earn their own righteousness to prove that they are worthy of God's salvation. But the religion of Isaac is a religion of Grace, of what God has done on the cross, and a religion of divine initiative and divine intervention. So, brothers and sisters, we must seek to be like Isaac, not like Ishmael. We must put our trust in God through Jesus Christ, for only in Christ we can inherit the

promise receive the grace and freedom, and enjoy the freedom of God. But knowing that we are children of Promise is just the first step, okay, because the reality is, and I know the life realities everywhere we turn, every time we experience life, it will make us doubt our identity as children of Promise. Everywhere we look, it will look as though living by flesh is better, it's more natural, it's smarter, and other religion. If you come to the end, if you're desperate, if you're so troubled, other religion also ask you to let go. Today I show you something that if I can tell you something that you need to let go, but will you let go? You won't let go. Ultimately, you need to be able to trust God's promises more than you trust anything else before you can let go of anything. And you need to trust in God's promises and know more deeply and clearly what it is, how it is fulfilled, and be captivated by the beauty of God's promises. If not letting go, the example of the coconut is

a very simple example. Let go, just let go. What's so difficult about letting go? But everyone of us, we know there are certain things that we cannot let go, so we need to know the promises even more deeply. So we go to verse 24 to 27. Now, this may be interpreted allegorically. These women are two covenants: one from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery, and she is Hagar. And Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia. She corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 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. In verse 24-26, we see again two opposites presented by Paul, with something missing to correspond to Mount Sinai. Okay, so just now the text, if I break it down into this.

there's something that is missing to correspond to M sin. So, if hagga represents M sin, what does Isaac represent? And do you remember what M SI represents in the Bible in Exodus? Anyone? What happened there in Exodus, right? We learned that this is the place where God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. When Jews think of M, they will immediately think of Moses and the Ten Commandments. And how did they get there in Exodus? The Israelites, they left Egypt, they passed through water, they spent 40 years in the Wilderness, they were tempted multiple times, and they F multiple times before they received the law in M SI. So, what stands in contrast to M SI? Okay, there are different views of what that question mark is, but my view is it represents um. I suggest that there's someone who is greater than Moses who imparted an even more important truth on the mountain in Exodus. This is what they went through in the Book of Matthew. There was a person called out of Egypt by an Angel, passed through the water of

baptism by John the Baptist led into Wilderness fasted 40 days and 40 nights and overcame all Temptations from the devil. And who is this person? This is Jesus. And when he went up to the mountain instead of giving us the law like Moses did, he give us a new set of law that represents the Ten Commandment. No, he taught us something profound that is in contrast to the law. Jesus gave us the Beatitudes. So instead of the you shall, you shall, you shall not, you shall not in the Ten Commandments, Jesus sermon of the mouth proclaim a list of blessed are. It's not about commanding us to obey a set of laws. It is about promising blessings on the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those whose hunger and thirst for righteousness, those who are pure in heart, the peacemakers, those who are persecuted for righteousness sake. It is not about what we should do. It is about what God is promising. Now can you see the difference, the transition between the law to the

promise and Jesus points us to the Jerusalem above. Points us to his promise on who are the Blessed ones. He points us to freedom. And brothers and sisters, this is a new covenant. But our human tendency is to look at the present, the Earthly, our own works, and this represents slavery. Are we blessed already? Yes, if we are True Believers. Our Lives will be like those described in the Beatitudes. But I know some of you will say, How come I don't feel blessed? You know, I've been looked down, I've lost my possessions, I've been despised by the world, my world is falling apart, and I have no one to depend on, I have no future. Maybe some of us are in this state right now. So Paul goes on in verse 26-7 to quote Isaiah 54. In chapter 54, Isaiah was addressing the exiles in the Babylonian captivity.

he compares their state to a barren woman, okay, and immediately the exaust would have thought that it is a very fitting description, uh, to their current situation, okay. So, in those days, a barren woman is despised and had no hope because there's no children to take care of her in old age, okay, and the Exiles were immediately F, hey, yeah, that's what we are. We have lost our homeland, we are in a foreign land, there's no one to help us. But Isaiah caused them to Rejoice because he prophesies that in the future there will be a restoration where there will be more children than ever. Because although you are Barren now, there will be more children than ever. How can a barren woman who does not bear have more children than the one who has a husband? Isaiah is reminding them of their ancestor Sarah who was Barren and it was in despair until God intervene and she received the promise that she shall be Nations Kings of people shall come from her. And but this is not by

natural means but by the supernatural means of God's intervention from the barrenness of Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Hannah, and Elizabeth. Do you realize there are so many barren women in the Bible? God showed us again and again that it is not human will, human effort that will fulfill his promises and carry out his Redemption plan, but he himself. And so, this prophecy in Isaiah, when he was comforting the Exile, it was fulfilled because fulfilled partially when the Jews were able to return home to Jerusalem after the Exile, but the real and the fuller spiritual fulfillment for Christians, which Paul is pointing to, is the growth of the Christian Church. Okay, since the people, Christians, are the Seed of Abraham, and this is beyond the imagination of the Jews from a barren woman, Sarah. Now there are more children, more than just the Jews, but all the Gentiles who believe in Jesus become part of Abraham's family. And because of the inclusion of the Gentiles by faith, the Gentile Believers now outnumber the

Jewish Christians and this great reversal and Visage by Isaiah from barrenness to fruitfulness, from despair to Joy, from death solution to blessing, can only be accomplished by the divine intervention of God himself. From today having know-how our God is a faithful God who can orchestrate impossible reversals to fulfill his promises in ways more than what we can imagine, this should give us the hope, this should give us the courage to let go. Okay, I cannot, I cannot force you to trust God. I can only show you how God revealed himself in the Bible to be so trustworthy, so worthy of Praise, And so faithful, and how powerful he is, and then how he can be trusted throughout the whole Redemption history, so that perhaps brother and sisters you can put your trust in Jesus. So if you don't feel so blessed in your situation, brothers and sisters who on to the word of God, put your hope in God's promises. Remember verse 26, Jerusalem above is free, she is our mother, we were born again by the spirit of the

Jerusalem, we were born again by the Spirit, for the Jerusalem above, which is the New Jerusalem, which will come down from heaven at the end of history. Look back on how you have experienced one great reversal. What is one great reversal you have already experienced? From a slave to a child of God. That is one big reversal already. You have seen it, you experienced it yourself. And then right now, you test and approve how God is preparing you, sanctifying you, so that you can be at home in the New Jerusalem to come. And later, when we read in verse that tells us there will be an inheritance in the future. So, we look to the past, we look to the present, and we look to the future to give us the hope that we can trust in Jesus, because he's the first and the last. He's the Alpha and the Omega. And after, we know that we are children of promise, and holding on to, trusting, holding on and trusting God's promises. The text today tells us one last important

thing okay expect persecution and stand firm verse 28-31 now you Brothers like Isaac are children of promise but just at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the spirit so ishma was persecuting Isaac okay but what does the scripture say cast out the slave woman and her son for the son of 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 and after that um that is chapter 5 verse 1 which is a team for today gives us a very powerful team for Freedom Christ has set us free stand firm therefore and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery and in this section we see a transition from second person pronoun like you you you Paul is saying you you you you you okay more than 40 times in this chapter chapter 4 okay to lastly identifying with Galatians in first person but like saying we and us he concludes this section affirming that

he believes despite what the Galatians are doing and believing in that he and this Galatians they are brothers and sisters all from the same family all the children of promise. And continuing in the story of Isaac ishmail he brought out another important truth those born according to the flesh will persecute those born by the power of the spirit. Let uh let's look at Genesis for the text here so Genesis 21 that is when Isaac was born. And when the child grew and was weaned Abraham made a great feast on that day that Isaac was weaned. But Sarah saw that the son of Hagar ishmail okay the Egyptian whom she had born to Abraham laughing. So she said to Abraham cast out this slave woman with her son for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac. And though Abraham was not actually pleased to do so he didn't actually listen to the wife this time around right. But God told Abraham let them go he will also make ishmail

into a great nation, and God has a plan for Hagar. God also showed grace to Hagar and the children as well. So instead of laughing, actually, this word laughing in some other translations, they use mocking. This is a scorn from those born of the flesh towards those born of the spirit. And you think about it, Ishmael was a teenager when Isaac was a toddler. He was born 14 years later. He will be stronger and more powerful than Isaac. Okay, so Isaac was a teenager, Ishmael was a teenager when Isaac was just a toddler. Okay, and sometimes the mocking and persecution can come from those who are much stronger and more powerful. And although we also know that we will face persecution from the world, let us also be mentally prepared that we will face mocking from people who are close to us, actually, they are half brothers. Okay, these are the people who are religious, the lukewarm Christians, the nominal Christians, or anyone who claims to be Christians. Yeah, you think that they are

your brothers but you may be facing mocking and scorning from them. Just like Jesus was bitterly opposed, rejected, and mocked, and condemned by the Jewish people, so was Paul. Paul quotes Genesis with cast out the slave woman and her son to call the Galatians to get rid of the influence and the teachings of Judaism. There can be different expressions in Christianity. We can all have preserved our different ethnic identity, but legal bondage and freedom cannot coexist in Christianity. And of course, these people born from Ishmael, if they have faith in Jesus, they can be part of the family. But this teaching cannot coexist with the gospel itself. So as we conclude, let me remind us what we have covered. Again, we are children of promise. We are like Isaac, born into Abraham's family and God's family as a result of the promise and not by virtue of their lineage or by human effort. And we are born again to be children of God. We do not just know we are born out of God's promise, but we

today we also live by the promise as children of God, and not as slaves. And even if the situation is not most ideal, we hold on and we trust God's promise, knowing that he's a God who can do impossible things, and while being assured that our real blessings and inheritance is spiritual, is eternal, is Heavenly. And let us also not be discouraged if we face opposition and scorn from those who are close to us, but they are actually slaves. Ultimately, that's why we can profess that for Freedom, Christ has set us free. Therefore, stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. And this is very paradoxical, but the Victorious Christian life is what Paul describes in 2 Corinthians chapter 6: 9 to 10, as unknown and yet well known, as dying and behold we live, as punished and yet not killed, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing everything. And this is a paradoxical Christian Life if

you hold on to God's promises. There will be persecution, but we hold on to the promises, and we can have hope for the future. As we meditate on this verse, and since it's the Olympic season, I thought it's fitting to end with the story of Eric Liddell, the 400-meter gold medalist of the 1924 Olympics. One hundred years ago, also in Paris. I believe his story can show us what is real freedom as a child of God. Okay, is there a picture of him? No. Okay, so, okay. Eric Liddell was born in Tianjin, China, to a missionary family from Scotland. Okay, and he stayed in China until he was 5 years old before he was sent back to study in London. He was a devout Christian who preached at evangelistic meetings, and he was an outstanding athlete who played rugby and participated in the 100 meters and 200 meters race. He was hot favored to win the gold medal for the 100-meter race at the Olympics. However, when he learned that

the Heats for the 100 meter race for on a Sunday. He privately decided not to take part in it, and he informed his coach. His coach understood his uh his his decision and uh said, okay, maybe maybe you train for the 400 meter race as well. But actually, his 400 meter race uh is not so fantastic. He has no chance of winning a matter, and he had a few few months to train for it because the schedule was out only a few months before the race. And when the public knew about this decision, they were Furious. They accused him of being unpatriotic and giving away uh a certain go matter. And he quietly accepted the consequences. He did not criticize the Olympic Committee. He did not criticize other Christians who are computer on Sunday. He just want to. He was free to make this decision. He exercised freedom without the fear of men or public opinion. He was not enslaved to the go matter that he thinks he can win, and he was not enslaved to public expectation. So on the day when he

had to run the 400-meter race and um he received a message on a piece of paper from a teammate. Okay, from a verse from 1 Samuel 2:30, those who honor me I will honor, encouraged by the note and um knowing that his teammates also support him in the 400-meter race, he gave his all. He sprinted through the 400 meters as though he was running his usual 100 and 200. He ran freely without fear or failure, and to the surprise of everyone, he finished first. He won the gold medal at the same time he broke the Olympic and the world record. And after the race, he explained how he ran. He said, I was running the first 200 M as fast as I could, and then with God's help, I was running the second 200 M even harder. And his story, his inspirational story, was made into several movies. You can look on YouTube and can search his name. And after the gold medal, he became a hero back home. Okay, people flock to see him preach in church.

Evangelistic meetings, and he used his, of course, to go around sharing the gospel and bring people to Christ. But one year later, he shocked everyone again by returning to China to serve as a missionary. That was him exercising his freedom again. He said, I believe God made me for a purpose for China. So he taught science, he taught Bible, he taught English, and sports in a mission school in China. And when Japan invaded China, he sent his wife and children out of China for their safety. At that point in time, he was free, free to leave China with the wife and children. Many missionaries left, but he exercised his freedom, freedom to stay in another way, freedom to serve the people of China who are displaced by the war. In 1943, he and his a few missionary colleagues who stayed behind were arrested and were H in the Japanese concentration camp. Although he was a prisoner, he was never a slave. He wase three, he has chosen to chosen to be there to serve. He continued to teach, to lead Bible studies, to counsel.

others on top of the duties and the hard labor he had to do in the concentration camp. And when there was an opportunity for prisoner exchange, you know, where the Japanese would release some prisoners in exchange for the Allies releasing some prisoners, did he seize on this chance for freedom? No, he did not. He turned it down so that another person could return home. There was a greater freedom that he enjoyed than the freedom to go home. Just before the World War ended, he passed away from a brain tumor at the age of 42. For his selfless service in the concentration camp that touched the lives of many, the Chinese built a memorial with a Bible verse and later a statue at his grave. This is a remarkable honor for a Christian missionary to be honored with a statue in China. Okay, his freedom in Christ comes from his earthly parents as a child of God, holding tightly to the promises of God and responding to his calling as a child of God. And it is this that empowered him to

serve selflessly and to break speed and cultural barriers. It was not by human effort or kindness. The inscription on the memorial is from Isaiah 40:31. Sadly, the Chinese omitted the first line. Sorry, let me see. Sadly, the Chinese is that the verse. Let me see. Sadly, the Chinese omitted the first line because they do not want to honor the Lord that they do not know yet. But this Lord is actually at the heart of Eric's Leader's life. Let's read this together. Isaiah 40:31. But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. Let's um take some time to go into our own personal prayer to think about things that may be enslaving us and preventing us from leaving the freedom of a child of God. Let's pray. Thank you, Father, for giving us your word and the Spirit by which we can know your word. And Lord, we know this is a

difficult passage, and we may not yet fully understand, so we ask for your spirit to continue to convict us, to enlighten us, and to draw us close to you, to give us the confidence, the joy, and the desire to call you AB father. And through the story of Isaac and Ishmael, help us to see that it is all about you and your promises, not about our human efforts and our plans. Open our eyes, to make us sober-minded, to see which of our desires and expectations are actually enslaving us and making us into monkeys. Lord, let no enslavement deprive us of the true freedom in Christ to serve you wholeheartedly with our lives. Help us to seek blessings in this life in your terms, not at our own terms. And Lord, we know you know our weaknesses, have mercy on us, and give us the grace to enjoy the freedom that you have already given to us. Incline us to abide in you, so that we may renew our strength and mount up with wings like eagles. We give you all the praise.

Christ Has Set Us Free (Galatians 4:21-5:1)

Christ Has Set Us Free (Galatians 4:21-5:1)