Shabbat shalom everyone. I hope you have your Bible with you. I would like us to open our Bibles and turn with me to the book of Galatians. Our study is in Galatians chapter 4 today for this ministry meeting. We just concluded in our previous meeting together, Galatians chapter 4, the first 18 verses. And today, with the Lord's help, we will cover Galatians chapter 4 and verses 19 to 31, to the end of the chapter. I just would like to remind you before I'm going to read the text that Shaul Paul, the apostle to the uncircumcision, to the Gentiles, to the world. This apostle was raised by the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, to become a messenger of the Lord Jesus, the Lord Yeshua, to the Gentile world.

God have opened the door for the nations of the world, for people from among the nations of the world, along with people from among the Jewish people, to turn to the Lord Jesus, to the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, and be saved, and be forgiven, and be justified. And so he's writing this letter to the Galatian believers in the region of Galatia in order to help them to grow spiritually and not to allow themselves to fall into wrong teachings. If you remember in Galatians, when he began the letter, the reason that he wrote that letter is because in Acts chapter 15, we read that certain men came down from Yehuda, from Judea and said to the Galatians that they are really not saved unless they be circumcised and keep the law of Moses.

And so the Apostle Paul had to instruct them that salvation is not on the basis of law-keeping but it is based upon faith in the person and the work of Yeshua, Jesus, our Lord and our Messiah. So he wrote this long letter, six chapters, and we are now in the passage, the last passage In Galatians 4, verses 19 to 31, that deals doctrinally with the fact that salvation is only on the basis of faith in Yeshua the Messiah and not based upon works or legalism or any man-made rules. So now please follow me. Galatians 4, verses 19 to 31, in verse 19 Shaul Paul is writing my little children of whom I travail in birth again until not as Christ until Mashiach be formed in you I desire to be present with you now and to change my voice for I stand in doubt of you tell me Ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?

For it is written that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bound maid, the other by a free woman. But he who was of the bond woman was born after the flesh, but he of the free woman was by promise. Which things are an allegory, for these are the two covenants, The one from the Mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, or a picture of bondage, which is Hagar, for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to Jerusalem, which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem, which is above, is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren, that bearest not.

Break forth and cry, thou that travailest not. For the desolate hath many more children than she which has a husband. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after, the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit. Even so it is now. Nevertheless, what sayeth the Scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free. And I'm stopping with the reading here in verse 31. I don't know about you, beloved brothers and sisters, but reading this text many times over, listening to brethren who have been teaching on this subject, reading some of the material of the writings of believers that wrote about this fourth chapter, verses 19 to 31.

I must be honest that this passage is not an easy passage to explain, let alone to read it and understand it. So it is very important that you will pay attention, and I, with the Lord's help, will seek to explain the passage here in Galatians chapter 4 and verses 19 to 31. Now let me remind you that in the first two chapters of the book of Galatians, The Apostle Paul gave his personal testimony. He told already in the first two chapters of Galatians, chapter 1 and chapter 2, that he himself rejected Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, already in days of old, and that he opposed the message of the gospel. He didn't want him himself, even his own Jewish brethren, to believe that Yeshua, Jesus, was actually the promised Messiah of Israel.

He persecuted the assembly, the believers of the early days, specifically the Jewish believers in Yeshua and the Messiah. He explained how in certain time the Lord himself, the Lord Jesus, Yeshua, the glorified Messiah, met him on the way to Damascus and said to him, Shaul, Shaul, why do you persecute me? And Shaul said, who are thou, Lord? And he eventually accepted Yeshua, Jesus, our Lord and our Messiah, as his Lord and Savior. And the very same glorified Mashiach, Messiah, called him to become a testimony to the Gentile world. He says, I will show him how much he will have to suffer for my name's sake.

And so, lo and behold, the apostle, Shaul, his Hebrew name, Paul, his dispersion name, became the apostle to the Goyim, to the Gentiles. Everywhere he went in Asia Minor, he preached the gospel message. He told people that salvation, it's not by any other way except the person of our Lord Jesus, Yeshua the Messiah. They needed to repent, to confess their sins, to realize that without the person of Jesus the Messiah, they were lost, eternally lost, because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. So now he is writing to the Galatians in chapter 3 and chapter 4, and we are going to be in the conclusion of this doctrinal teaching.

You see, Paul was a man that taught doctrine, teaching, sound teaching, that he wanted the Galatians to believe in Jesus the Messiah not on a basis of hearsay, not on a basis of what somebody thinks or somebody would like to influence them to believe, but he wanted them to believe and to remain in relationship with the Lord Jesus on a basis of doctrinal teachings. And that's why, as we have mentioned in chapter 3 and chapter 4, he presented before them a five-fold argument as to why salvation is on the basis of faith alone and not on law-keeping or circumcision or baptism or anything else. And you remember we talked about the scriptural argument in chapter 3, verses 1 to 14.

We talked about the logical argument chapter 3 verses 15 to 29 we talked about historical argument chapter 4 verses 1 to 11 we talked about sentimental arguments chapter 4 verses 12 to 18 and this ministry meeting the apostle Shaul Paul presented before the Galatian allegorical argument. This is so amazing. To remind you, he was a rabbi. He was a Pharisee, a Jewish Pharisee among our own people, Israel. He understood not only the law, but also many, many allegories and as it says many times, parables that the Jewish people often looked into and presented in order to explain certain things that God had given to the people of Israel. Of course, he had to be very careful and we have to be very careful because allegory, if it is not based upon Scripture, we can go with that far away and we can talk and we can say many things that are wrong if we are not careful.

Allegory simply means there is telling a story that reveal hidden meanings some story some event biblical event that behind it there are hidden. Meaning that apostle Paul want to explain to the Galatians that's why he made a reference to the life of Abraham our father. Now there is a difference between parable and the allegory because allegory speaks about hidden things that have meanings while a parable simply means it's not so much a hidden truth but it is a truth that are already given to us in the word of God. So there is a little bit of difference. In the Greek it's called allegoreo. This is allegories and parable is parabolo.

It's two different names but in Hebrew we have one simple word and it is called mashal, meshalim. It is a parable and allegories, stories that are being taught about events that God wanted to present to his people. So here you notice, and I'm just going to jump for a moment to chapter 4, and you notice where it says in verse 24, which things are an allegory. Here you get the word allegory. This is the first time in the New, in the Britach Adashai, and I think the. Only time in the New Testament where you have that one word called allegory. It's not mentioned anywhere in the Brita Hadashah in the New Testament that one single word that the Apostle Paul presents before them now.

So now let's just go over this very difficult passage and with the help of the Lord I will seek to present it before you today. First of all in verses 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23 Paul direct the Galatians to the life of Abraham our father and his family specifically his wife Sarai his servant Hagar his son his first son Ishmael and the second son Yitzhak Isaac notice what he does in verse 19 to 21 first of all he says to the Galatians in verse 19 he says he wanted so much that the Messiah will be formed in the galatian in other words that there will be those believers in galatia will be like the Lord Jesus like Yeshua godly men and women that will give a testimony here in the world and he said to them in verse 19 he said my little children.

Of whom I travail in birth again until, not as Christ, until Mashiach be formed in you. It's like a woman that is ready to give birth to a baby and she's in labor waiting for the day that this baby will come, her little boy, her little girl that she can embrace and train them and teach them and love them and have them to grow healthy. So Paul is saying to the Galatians, you are my children. You are my children. I led you to know Yeshua the Messiah. I preached the gospel when I came to the regions of Galatia and I preached the gospel and you became born from above, born again.

But now what happened, they began to be influenced by those who came and told them that they are really not saved because they haven't been circumcised because they haven't kept the law they haven't kept any rules and Paul said to them my children he said to them in verse 19 of whom I travail in birth this is birth pain and notice he used the word again why he used the word again here because he have already travailed in birth pain like a woman that is waiting for the people in Galatia to become believers now that they have become believers in the Lord Yeshua the Messiah they were justified they were forgiven but they retracted they began to say wait a minute maybe i'm not quite saved maybe Yeshua is not quiet enough i need more so i gotta get circumcised or i gotta keep a rule or law and then what happened you begin to have the works of the flesh and not be led by the spirit.

That's the danger by the way that you and i have today we can be believers and we understand that we are saved but we think that if we are going to be more justified and even more sanctified i got to keep certain things otherwise i'm not pleasing God and Paul says no you are not justified by law-keeping you are not sanctified by law-keeping you are justified by Yeshua you are sanctified through Yeshua he is the one that is leading you so he said to them i travail as he says verse 19 in birth pain again now he has to deal not with their salvation but now he has to deal with their spiritual maturity here's the issue see brothers and sisters listen it's one thing to preach the gospel and tell to somebody that he or she are lost and they need to be saved and to pray for them and to long for their salvation it is another thing to instruct believers to become disciples talmidim followers of the Lord growing in the grace of our Lord Jesus the Messiah you know.

Today we have people who are saved but they never grow they never grow spiritually it's always the same old story they don't grow and mature and become men and women of God and a good foundation they're standing on the promises of God we can be the same if we are not mature and grow spiritually not only to say hallelujah praise the Lord i'm saved my ticket to heaven is given to me and i'm going to be in heaven one day but the rest of my life Jesus the Messiah don't bother me. I want to live as I want to live. Can you imagine? Where's the spiritual growth?

So Paul is saying to the Galatians, you are my children. I travailed for you once when I led you to the Messiah. Now I have to do it again in order to help you to be established in the faith. Not a little baby all the time. You got to grow. And so he's saying to them, I travail again until Christ be formed in you. I want to see you, he's saying to the Galatians, and he want to see us, that the moral features of Yeshua, the Messiah, will be formed in us. That we will be, you know, Christian, in the Greek, and we say it in English, Christian, it comes from the Greek word Christos, Christ, Mashiach in Hebrew, taken from the Hebrew, mean little messiahs.

A person that claimed to be a Christian, a meshichi in Hebrew, is a little of the Messiah, a little sheep of the rock. It's mentioned, the word Christian or meshichi mentioned only three times in the New Testament. And the first time, of course, it is mentioned in Acts chapter 11 when Shaul Paul was in Antioch. Then were the disciples called Meshichiyim, Messiah followers, Christ-like, Mashiach-like people. And so he said, I want to have the Messiah formed in you. He says to them, but notice what he says in verse 20. He continues, he says, really, I'm perplexed, I have a problem. In verse 20 he says, I desire to be present with you now and to change my voice.

For I stand in doubt of you. Paul is saying to the Galatians, you know what, brethren, I love to be already with you right there in Galatia to speak with you and to teach you, but I'm not right now there. That's why I'm writing this letter to you. But you know, brethren, in Galatia, he says, really, I want to change my tone. He was a bit harsh with them because of the way that they deviated from the ABC of the gospel. They wanted to get another gospel. And so he said to them, listen, I really doubt of you. In other words, I really wonder what happened to you, brethren of Galatia.

If you remember in verse 11 of the same chapter, he said, I am afraid for you. In verse 1 of chapter 3 of the book of Galatians, in chapter 3 he said to them, O foolish Galatian, who has bewitched you that ye should not obey the truth before whose eyes Yeshua the Messiah has been evidently set forth, crucified among you. I don't know how to speak to you, Galatians, but I am so surprised that you haven't grown. You have allowed yourself to be influenced by wrong teaching that you will be justified and that you will be sanctified on a basis of being circumcised or keeping rules, laws. No, he's saying to them, you have been already justified through faith in the Messiah.

And the only way to be sanctified and grow spiritually, it's not through law-keeping, it's through trusting the Lord, following Yeshua, being occupied with him, and submitting to his authority. That's the thought that he's saying to them. So now you notice in verse 21, Paul charged them the desire to be under the law. Some of them apparently wanted to be under the law. So notice what he said to them. In verse 21, he said to them, tell me. Tell me, he said to them. Ye the desire to be under the law. Tell me, you tell me, he's saying, you desire to be under the law? Do you not hear the law he's saying to them?

You the desire to base your life and your justification and sanctification on the basis of law keeping. Don't you see what the law says? That's what he began to tell them. And from here on, beloved brothers and sisters, he is moving now to explain to them what the law says and that he gives them, as it says here in these verses, the allegory to explain to them the relationship between the law that was given to our people Israel and the grace that was provided through the person of our Lord Jesus Yeshua the Messiah. He immediately began to give them understanding to show them the purpose that the law was given and what the law led Israel to do and what the grace of Yeshua the Messiah that was promised to Israel, What the grace provided for Israel, for believers, from among the Jewish people and from among the nations of the world.

So notice that, beloved brothers and sisters. In the next verses, verse 22 and 23, Paul referred the Galatians to the Torah. Now let me remind you, when we say Torah, whenever you say the word Torah, you don't only apply this to the law that was given to Israel on Mount Sinai, the Ten Commandments, for example, or the 613 laws that God had given to Israel that is found in the book of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. When we say Torah, it always has a reference to all the five books of Moses. That's why if you read, if you know how the Scripture is being divided, the Old Testament, the Hebrew Scripture, it says Torah, Nevi'im, Ketuvim, the law, the prophets, and the writing.

The law always has a reference to Genesis, Bereshit, Exodus, Shemot, Leviticus, Vayikra, Numbers is Bamidbar, and Dvarim simply means the last Deuteronomy. Those five books of Moses called the Torah in the Hebrew text. So you notice that he says, you want to know the law? You who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? And you notice he doesn't go to the Exodus chapter 19 and 20, But he goes to Genesis, and he shows them what the law says in verse 22 and 23, and he refer them to Abraham and his wives and sons. And notice what he does. And here we start to be a little bit more complicated, and in a moment I will want you to look at the chart behind me.

But you notice what he said to them. First of all, in verse 22, Abraham had two sons. One of them from the bondwoman, from Hagar, and the other one was from the free woman by the name of Sarah. I'm reading verse 22. He says, for it is written. Where it is written? In the book of Genesis. It is written that Abraham had two sons, the one by the bondmaid, and the other by a free woman. Now, pause with me here quickly and go to Genesis now in the Scripture. Genesis chapter 16, I just want to make a reference to that because it is very important to read these verses.

Genesis chapter 16, we read it earlier, but I want to reread it to you. Genesis 16, verse 1, now Sarai, Abraham's wife, bare him no children. And she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Avram, Behold, now the Lord has restrained me from bearing. I pray thee, go in unto my maid. It may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abraham hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai, Abraham's wife, took Hagar, her handmaid, the Egyptian, after Abraham had dwelt ten years in the land of Kna'an, and gave her to her husband Avram to be his wife. So Abraham married Hagar.

And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived. Notice that? She conceived. Hagar, now the bondwoman, married Avraham, our father, and he went in unto her, and she conceived, as we read here in this chapter. Now, if you notice a little bit, if you go to verse 15 here, same thing, Exodus 16 and verse 15, it says there, notice, and Hagar bare Abraham a son and Avram called his son's name which Hagar bare Yishmael. Here we have the fact that Hagar the bondwoman gave birth to a son by the name of Yishmael. Then go to chapter 21 for a moment. Genesis chapter 21 and let me read the verse there the first three verses, Genesis 21 verses 1, 2, and 3.

And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord said unto Sarah as he had spoken, for Sarah conceived and bare Abraham a son in his old age at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him whom Sarah bear to him Isaac in Hebrew we call him Yitzchak so from verse 22 Abraham Paul said that God in the Torah in the law made a promise to Abraham but what happened Abraham didn't wait to receive the promised son but he took Hagar to become his wife and now she became his wife and she bore him a son by the name Ishmael and later on in Genesis 21 he received his second son by the name of Isaac.

Now I want you just for a sec to look with me at the chart here. For a moment. And if you notice, you see Abraham right here in the center. Abraham had two sons from two wives. On the left side, you see Hagar, Abraham's servant. On the right side, you see Sarah, Abraham's wife. And then you notice that the son that Hagar bore to Abraham was one that is called Ishmael, and the one that later on was born to Abraham through Sarah was simply Yitzhak in Hebrew, Isaac, as we call him in English, in Hebrew Yitzhak. So he goes back to the Old Testament history of Israel, and he presents before the Galatians the fact that there were a man by the name of Avraham he had a wife by the name of sarah a handmaid by the name of hagar and both of them gave him the children one Ishmael and one Yitzhak now back to galatian and now again we are reading in galatian chapter 4 in verse 23 and now he is adding to explain or to refer at the Galatians to.

The history of Israel, the history of Abraham. And in verse 23, he continued and he said, but, notice the word but, in verse 23, Galatians 4, 23, he said, but he who was of the bond woman, this is Ishmael, was born after the flesh. But he of the free woman was by promise. And now I want you to think with me for a moment, beloved brothers and sisters. Listen, God made a promise to Abram. Already when he was 75 years of age, and he left Mesopotamia to the promised land, he said to him, Abram, I'm going to bless you. I call you to leave Mesopotamia, and I want you to come to go to a land which I will tell you of.

Genesis chapter 12 when he called Abraham to leave his family and he said to him in chapter 12 verse 1 now the Lord had said unto Abraham get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred and from thy father's house unto a land that I will show thee and I will make of thee a great nation and I will bless thee and make thy name great and thou shall be a blessing abram leave your family leave your father's house leave your kindred come into the promised land i'm going to make you a blessing abram in verse 3 he said i will bless them that bless thee and i will curse him that curse thee and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed so God have called abram and made a promise to Abraham that he will use him to be a blessing to the nations of the world.

What a promise. Abraham was about 75 years of age. But you see what happened, beloved brothers and sisters? Time is passing by and his wife Sarah doesn't bear him children. She was barren. She couldn't bear children unless God who is opening the womb will allow her to give birth. So you know what happened? Later on in chapter 15, God visits Abraham once again. And we read here, and the Lord came to Abraham, this is Genesis 15, after these things, the word of the Lord came unto Abraham in a vision, verse 1. And he's saying, Fear not, Abraham, I am thy shield, and I exceeding great reward. And Abraham said to the Lord, when he appeared to him, he said, Lord, God, he said, what will thou give me, i go childless i don't have any children and the steward of my house is eliezer of Damascus i have a servant in my house by the name of eliezer i don't have any children so notice what God said to him and abram's continuing he said behold he says behold to me thou has given no seed and lo one born in my house is mine heir and behold the word of the Lord came unto him saying this shall not be thine heir but he that shall come forth out of thy own bowels shall be thine heir God is saying to Abraham Eliezer is not going to be the heir I am promising to you as he continued and he said to him in verse 5 and he brought him forth abroad and he said look now towards heaven and tell the stars if thou be able to number them and he said unto him So shall thy seed be.

He continued, and we read that Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. God made a promise to Avram, and yet he doesn't have any children, so what shall we do? Abraham began to wonder, and his wife Sarah began to say, Well, I don't have any children, and I really want to have children, so you know what she did and we just read it in chapter 16 and i'm going to just reread it one more time in Genesis 16 in verse 1 sarah Abraham's wife bear him no children and she had an handmaid an egyptian whose name was hagar and sarah said unto Abraham behold now the Lord has restrained me from bearing I pray thee go into my maid it may be that I may obtain children by her and Abraham hearken unto the voice of Sarai see what happened brothers and sisters God had promised to Abraham that he will give him a seed through Sarai his wife but sadly time passes by his wife was impatient he's 75 years old now he's getting to be older 85 and soon enough he's getting to be 90 years of age and even further almost 100 years of age and he still doesn't have any children what would you do?

So his wife said to him you know what Avram here's my servant take care take her to be your wife and I want to have a child if I cannot have it myself as God had promised you take her marry her and bring me children through Hagar my servant so this is what happened here that there is an explanation here that is found in verse 23 and I am back in Galatians chapter 4 and verse 23 Shaul, Paul is explaining to the Galatians in verse 26, but he's saying to them, he that was born of the bond woman was born after the flesh, but he of the free woman was by promise.

In other words, what Abraham did is by not submitting and waiting on the Lord to give him the child of promise, he disobeyed God and tried to help God to give him a child, but through another person by the name of Hagal. Ishmael was not a son of promise, but he was a son that produced by the energy, you might say, of the flesh. God, okay, you promised me, but I'm not going to accept your plan. I'm going to change your plan and I'm going to receive a child in a different way. I will arrange it to happen. And that's what happened. And if again, if you look at the chart one more time, you will see once again, Abraham had two sons.

The one that came from Hagar, the servant, was the one that was born in accordance with his flesh. It was not the one that God had planned to give to Abraham. And here we have Ishmael, who was born out of the disobedience of Abraham. On the other hand, Abraham has another, his wife, Sarah, and she gave him Yitzchak, Isaac. And he was the son of promise, the one that God said to him, Abraham, in the due time, I will give you a son. Now, it is amazing, brothers and sisters, how Shaul, Paul, is taking the Galatians, who, by the way, didn't have any Bible knowledge as he did.

They were from the nations of the world. Many of them were pagans, idol worshippers. But they became saved, forgiven. And Shaul, Paul, take them all the way back to history to try to explain them justification by faith. To explain to them that they are forgiven, not because they did something, not because they have done something in their flesh, in their energy, in their plan, but it is totally the grace of God. And now notice, back to Galatians. And now, beloved brothers and sisters, from verse 24 all the way to verse 27, Paul explained to the Galatians spiritual truth from the history of Abraham our father and his two sons and here is where you get in verse 24 the first time and really the only time in the Brit HaChadasha in the New Testament the word allegory you notice that?

Verse 24 A, the first part of verse 24 Paul explained that the events that happened in Abraham's history are really an allegory that teach us or reveal to us hidden truths. Hidden truths. Now again, I want to highlight here one thing that I will not, I don't want to neglect to do that. We have to be extremely careful not to take every verse in the Bible and say this is speaking about some hidden truth. You notice that when the Apostle Paul speak about allegory, he take an event that really occurred in Israel's history. And when he put it in the book of Galatians, you can see that the New Testament, the new covenant, base itself upon the Old Testament, the Hebrew.

Scripture it's not something that came out of anywhere so when we talk about allegory explaining hidden truths we base them upon the word of God the entire word of God the Tanakh and the brit the Hebrew Scripture the Torah the law the prophets and the writings and the new testament not on any other some sort of human ideas so back to Galatians chapter 4 and verse 24 a Paul explain to the Galatians that the things that happen in the history of Abraham's life serve to become as an allegory to reveal hidden truths or hidden meanings that will help them understand justification by faith alone and so now in verse 24b he continuing i'm sorry if it's too complicated but i hope the Lord will help you to grasp it as he i need the Lord to help me to grasp this as well so he continue and he's now saying notice in verse a 24b he says these two women notice that verse 24b he says for these are now that these two women these two sons.

These are representing are the two covenants the one from Mount Sinai which which picture or give or genderless to bondage which is hagar and then he continued verse 25 for this hagar is Mount Sinai in arabia and answers to Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with her children now again please look at me for a moment and look at the chart we're going to have now a second chart presented before you very much similar but it's continuing and he says notice that he's saying that these two women namely hagar and sarai represent two covenants two covenants the one that he mentioned here in verse 24 first covenant called a covenant for Mount Sinai this is the covenant that God made with our forefathers with the people of Israel on Mount Sinai we call it a Mount Sinai covenant.

It was the only covenant that God made with Israel that had to do with conditional covenant. All other covenants that God made with Israel was unconditional covenant. Mount Sinai covenant was the only covenant that is a conditional covenant. If you will do this, you will live if you will obey me you will live and if you are not obeying you are cursed and you're going to eventually die in judgment Mount Sinai covenant never was given for justification it was given to Israel as a rule of life to live for God a people that are already came out of the land of Egypt they were already under the blood of the lamb they were redeemed from the land of Egypt but the law was given to Israel as a rule of life to help them to live godly life in contrast to the ungodliness that existed in the world around so these these two women and these two sons hagar sarah Ishmael Yitzhak represent two covenants and again look at this here with me Mount Sinai Hagar represented Mount Sinai which is the law that was given to Israel in Arabia in the desert in Sinai on the other hand the other one Mount.

Golgatha represent the new covenant so he's speaking about old covenant namely the Torah the law and the new covenants the brita hadashah the covenant that was made with Israel through the death of the Lord Jesus Yeshua demasai so i'm reading this again and it's so difficult to explain beloved brothers and sisters but i trust that you can see it in verse 24 which things are allegory verse 24 for these are the two covenants the one from Mount Sinai and then you notice he doesn't continue to speak about the other but he's now talking about that one for Mount Sinai the one for Mount Sinai which gendereth or give a picture to which lead also to bondage which is hagar for this hagar verse 25 is Mount Sinai in arabia that answers to Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with her children so now again look at the chart with me again so we see here the one that the child that hagar gave birth to his name is Ishmael he represent and hagar represent Mount Sinai the law that God had.

Given to Israel on Mount Sinai it's represent also and you notice he used the word Jerusalem here and represent those who still are in unbelief you see because Jerusalem of today Jerusalem of the time where Paul wrote of in the days when he lived was still in unbelief they didn't accept Yeshua the Messiah so they were still not forgiven even though they received the law they were seeking to obey the law to keep the law they were living in the land of Jerusalem but really they were still in unbelief because they could not be justified on the basis of the law and if you think about this today we live 2000 years later it is still the same Jerusalem of today is still seeking with the religious leaders of Israel to keep the law, but it never gives them justification.

It never leads into forgiveness. It's really an act of the flesh. It speaks of works of men who try to be justified on the basis of doing things. Or keeping laws and rules. And look what it says at the end. It says it's leading them into bondage. You notice verse 25, and I'm reading one more time, verse 25. For this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and answers to Jerusalem, which is now, today. It's not yet the future when Israel will accept the Messiah and will be a regenerated nation, but he speaks of today in the days of grace. And then it is still in bondage with her children.

What happened is really, he explained to the Galatians, the law that was given to our forefathers Israel should have led them to the Messiah, but when the Messiah came, they didn't accept him. And so even though they seek to keep the law, they are still in bondage, and they are still unregenerated, unforgiving, not justified, don't have forgiveness of sins. And you see, brothers and sisters, what he's really teaching us here, Paul, in this very difficult passage, that salvation, regeneration, justification, is only come on a basis of faith in the promises of God through the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, and not on the basis of law-keeping, because every time we try to keep the law for salvation, we find out that we fail and God condemns us and we are guilty of failing to submit entirely to the law of God.

That's why we needed the person of Jesus, Yeshua the Messiah. And so in these verses 24, 25, he's telling them that this allegorical explanation of Hagar that simply it represents the law covenant for Mount Sinai and it represents the Jerusalem which is now still in unbelief, still waiting the day when they will finally recognize Yeshua the Messiah. Oh yes, circumcised. Oh yes, trying to keep the law, but never being justified because by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified. That's what he's trying to say with this allegorical explanation. But now he's moving along and I want to move along with you too. In the next verses, notice he's now speaking in verse 26 and 27, he gives another allegorical explanation, but this time he's not explaining Hagar, but he's explaining Sarai.

He gives us an allegorical explanation of Sarai. Now again, look at the chart one more time. I'm going to read the text again. He's speaking about now, here he talked about Mount Sinai, which presents the Jerusalem which is here and now, and still unregenerated here on earth, and then it leads to bondage. Unbelievers rejecting the Messiah, it will lead them ultimately to bondage. And as we find out that eventually the law, though holy, and if we try and we think that we're going to be justified on the basis of the law, it's going to lead us eventually to slavery. Not because there is a problem with the law but because there is a problem with the sin nature and the law should have drive us to Yeshua the Messiah to say God be merciful to me a sinner on the other hand he gives us and I won't point to this in the second line here with Sarah Sarah representing now not anymore Mount Sinai but she represents Mount Golgotha and what happened on Mount Golgotha Yeshua the Messiah died when he died on that shameful Roman cross he paid for the sin of this world he became a substitute the just one for the unjust one in order to bring us to God we who have sinned and have gone astray from the Lord so instead of Mount Sinai he's pointing to Mount Golgatha Golgolet we say in Hebrew now Mount Golgatha of course represent now Jerusalem but this is the heavenly Jerusalem Jerusalem which is above it represents the forgiveness of God and the provision of being with the Lord in glory in heaven and then notice now go back to Galatians 4 and notice.

What it says in verse 26 he continues and he says but Jerusalem which is above is free which is the mother of us all for it is written rejoice thou barren that bearest not break forth and cry thou that travailest not for the desolate has many more children than she which has an husband. Now pause with me here for a moment. Again I would like you to see that and it's very important to understand. Notice he might not use the word here Mount Golgatha. He might not use the word here the new covenant. He doesn't represent it. But he's leading us immediately to the city of Jerusalem which is from above.

In other words, to the place where all the redeemed are going to be. The city of Yerushalayim, which is from heaven. Yerushalayim, which is from above the heavenly Jerusalem. Yerushalayim mehashamayim. This is the heavenly Jerusalem. And how do we enter into this heavenly Jerusalem? We enter it on the basis of faith in the person and the work of our Lord Jesus, Yeshua the Messiah, alone. Not because we kept the law, not because we have been successful in doing some good works, because we believe God's promise, who said that whosoever believeth on him, this is on Yeshua, shall not perish, but have everlasting life. So notice this, Yerushalayim, which is above.

Yerushalayim, which is representing heaven and forgiveness for all those that have trusted in the person of the Lord Jesus, the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah. I would like you to turn to Hebrews chapter 11 for a moment. Hebrews 11 and verse 10. Hebrews 11 and verse 10. He makes reference to Abraham. It says in verse 8, by faith Abraham. And verse 10 says, for he looked for a city which has foundation, whose builder and maker is God. Abraham, by faith, looked for a city which has foundation, whose builder, not man, But his builder and maker is God himself. He's speaking about the city of God, the city of Jerusalem, the heavenly Jerusalem. Look at Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 20.

We read, For they could not endure so much, as it says, they cannot endure that which was commended, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned or thrust through with a dart. He's speaking about Mount Sinai, how judgmental was there when God gave the law. And so terrible was, verse 21, and so terrible was the sight that Moses said, I exceedingly feel and quake. And then he continued in verse 22, But, here come unto Mount Zion, unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to a general assembly, and the church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirit of just men made perfect, and to Yeshua, Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

In other words, what he's saying to the believers, he says, you didn't come to Mount Sinai when you have accepted Yeshua the Messiah, Because Mount Sinai brought against you judgment because you were not successful because of your sin nature to obey the law of God. But you came to Yeshua, the one that came and paid the price for you and died on your behalf. He became the mediator of the new covenant, Brit Hadashah, on a basis of his own shed blood. There's one more verse in Revelation that speaks about the new Jerusalem. Revelation chapter 21, verse 2 and verse 10. It says here, And I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her bridegroom.

Look how beautiful. Look at verse 10. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. See, Shaul Paul distinguishes. He helped the Galatians to understand that the promise of God through Yeshua, the Messiah, is the way that we are being justified and not being justified on the basis of law keeping because we fail to rise to the high requirement of the holy law of God. Now, please go back to Galatians chapter 4. Let me conclude here with these remarks. Very difficult passage to explain, I must say. And I hope the Lord will help you to grasp it.

In the last verses, beloved brothers and sisters, From verse 27 to verse 31, the apostle Paul charged the Galatians to cast out and to judge their flesh, their old nature, and not to depend upon their old nature, neither for justification and not even for sanctification. You gotta put the flesh the old nature down and to allow the Spirit of God to lead you and so look what he said he says in in Isaiah 54 and verse 1 after he quoted this passage from the book of Isaiah that speaks about the future restoration of the people of Israel in a future day he's now leading to the last verses and he's speaking to the brethren and he says now we brethren as Isaac was are the children of promise but as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit even so it is now nevertheless what says the Scripture cast out the bond woman and her son for the son of the bond woman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman so then brethren we are not children of the bond woman but of the free these last four verses are very very important because now he made the application and he's charging the Galatians to recognize that they are not justified.

On the basis of law keeping they are not justified on the basis of any rules of men they're even not sanctified on the basis of laws they are justified and sanctified on the basis of the finished work of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah and they are to cast aside as it says here in this cast out the bond woman and her son in other word cast out meaning that set aside the works of the flesh set aside that which comes out of your sin nature don't think for a moment that you're going to be justified on a basis of law keeping rules of men or laws of even the law that God gave on Mount Sinai you can never be justified on the basis of that law because that law condemned us we needed a Messiah and the law led us to believe in Yeshua the Messiah so he's saying to them brethren just like Isaac a son of promise we are the children of promise you and i.

Galatians and Paul Shaul Paul were children of promise on the basis of faith in the Messiah those of us that are believers here are children of promise just like Isaac forgiven justified because of the fact that the Messiah died and we accepted the work of the Lord and you notice brothers and sisters what he says in verse 29 as he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit you know what happened when Ishmael was born Ishmael always laughed and mocked Isaac Hagar mocked at her at Abraham's wife Sarah mocking you cannot have children Ishmael mocked Isaac you are the son of this woman I am the firstborn and you know throughout the ages Ishmael still persecuting Isaac Ishmael's descendants still persecuting Isaac descended today in the days in which we live and you will notice that your old sin nature represented is seen by Ishmael is always going against your new nature always that's why we are struggling every day that's why every day we have the lust of the flesh rising within us.

And that's why the apostle Paul in chapter 5 says walk in the spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh we have struggles every day because the old nature always is pride the old nature says i can do it my own way the new nature says no no i gotta submit to my Savior to the Messiah and you remember in chapter 5 which we're going to get to that we read in that chapter 5 he says in verse 17 the flesh lusts us against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other so that ye cannot do the things that ye would this pride in us, this sin nature in us, cause us constantly to stumble, is against the things of the Spirit of God.

And so in conclusion, Paul concluded, he said, brethren, verse 31, we are not the children of the bond woman, but we are of the three. Remember these brothers and sisters, that you. Are not saved because of anything that you have done. You are forgiven and saved because of Yeshua the Messiah you are not going to be able to live a godly life because you keep laws you're going to be able to live a godly life as you allow the Holy Spirit of God to guide you to guide us and lead us to follow after Yeshua the Messiah well listen I hope that you have somehow to in a small measure understood what's presented before you in Galatians chapter 4 verse 19 to 31 allegory and as it says here in verse 24 these things are an allegory it's hidden truths that were revealed through the history of Abraham our father two wives two sons two covenants one bringing to bondage the other one bring into liberty and every believer in Yeshua the Messiah is today the child of the free the child that is free and forgiven and for time and eternity will be spent with the Lord Yeshua in glory forever and ever can we say Amen to that.