188 - Viewing Everything Through Grace#
188 - Viewing Everything Through Grace
(JP Text Group - beloved compilation)
Brothers and sisters, peace in the Lord!
First, let’s look at today’s text, Galatians 4:21-31 from the New Testament.
Sharing topic: Viewing Everything Through Grace
Let’s read this scripture together, Galatians 4:21-31.
Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a bondwoman and the other by a free woman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the free woman through promise.
Which things are symbolic, for these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar. For this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, for she is in bondage with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.
For it is written: “Rejoice, O barren, you who do not bear; break forth and shout, you who are not in labor! For the desolate has many more children than she who has a husband.”
Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless, what does the Scripture say? “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.
Let’s start with a prayer:
Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise You! As this new week begins, may You renew us once again through Your words, and supply each of our needs through Your words. You know what each of us lacks in our hearts right now, please provide us with timely nourishment, and help us through Your words to recognize the grace of Jesus Christ in our lives.
Heavenly Father, please give us strength so that we can live out Your likeness in this new week. Help us during this time, may the Holy Spirit personally renew each of our hearts! In the name of our Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen! Hallelujah!
The topic we are sharing today is: Viewing Everything Through Grace
In fact, all matters in the world can be found in the Bible. Many things seem familiar to us, which is equivalent to what is said in Ecclesiastes, “One generation passes away, and another generation comes; but the earth abides forever.” So when we see these matters, we can say: Oh, everything in the world has already been recorded in the Bible, and some things we don’t understand or feel wronged about have already been recorded in the Bible.
Today we want to view everything through grace. For example, in Galatians chapter 4, we read about two people, one is Sarah, and the other is Hagar.
You should know that the Galatian church is a very special church. When the Apostle Paul established the Galatian church, they were initially born in grace; this group of people accepted the truth of justification by faith. Where is Galatia today? It is in a certain place in Turkey.
That area is very large. When Paul wrote this letter, we must believe that this is not Paul’s own idea; the Bible is inspired by God! Amen! God will never waste His inspiration by recording nonsense in the Bible. We must know that the Bible you hold is the word of God. To this day, what we want to tell our brothers and sisters is that there are still people teaching the law, teaching people to keep the Ten Commandments.
However, Paul here has some teachings for those who want to live under the law. Look at verse 21, “Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law?” This proves that the purpose of Paul writing this letter today is not to hope they continue to live under the law, right?
He does not want them to continue living under the old covenant of the Ten Commandments, which is a very miserable way of living. Today, some say we must teach the law, we must preach the Ten Commandments, and let people keep the Ten Commandments. So Paul says, you who desire to be under the law, here the law mainly refers not to the Ten Commandments, but to the Pentateuch, which is the Old Testament.
The first five books we are looking at are still being observed by the Jewish people today. They not only keep the Ten Commandments but also the five books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, which they all must follow.
Abraham had two sons, one was born of a bondwoman, and this was born according to what? The Bible says it was born according to the flesh. So, what is the flesh? The Bible mentions those who are of the flesh, those who are spiritual, and those who are of the body. What is of the flesh? It is acting according to one’s own will, relying on one’s own efforts.
When Hagar bore Ishmael, what did she rely on? Her own strength. Was that God’s promise? No, it was Sarah who made a mistake, insisting that her bondwoman Hagar bear a son for her. So this is called acting according to the flesh.
Many times we know that when God wants to give us something, we are uneasy, we say: “Lord, we must do something; if we don’t do something, we won’t be at ease. Look, time has passed, why hasn’t it been accomplished? We must help God do something.”
Some even say: “God does part, and we must do part; we must take responsibility for our part, so that God can do His part.” Haven’t you heard such teachings? In fact, such teachings are all law-based teachings.
Did God promise Abraham to give him a son? Yes, He did. But they waited and waited and still did not see it, and finally, they couldn’t help it and said: “No, we must help God do something.” As a result, through Hagar, they bore a child named Ishmael. So here it says one is born of a bondwoman, born according to the flesh, named Ishmael.
The other is born of a free woman, which is God’s promise. What is the name of that child? Isaac. In verse 24, Paul tells us, “These things are symbolic, for the two women are two covenants.” Which two covenants? The old covenant of the law and the new covenant of grace.
When Abraham lived in Egypt, when he left Egypt, Pharaoh gave him many treasures, which you can call blessings. One of those blessings was Hagar; Hagar did not just suddenly appear.
Abraham went to Egypt and deceived Pharaoh, saying what? That she was his sister. God prevented this from happening, and then Pharaoh gave him many possessions and also gave him a maidservant named Hagar, so when he later returned to Canaan, he conveniently brought Hagar back with him.
After bringing her back, Sarah could not conceive, so Sarah said to Abraham, you should go into my maidservant. This is the content of Genesis 16:2, “Sarai said to Abram, ‘The Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Please go into my maidservant; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.’” Abram heeded the voice of Sarai.
At this time, was Sarah’s faith correct? She thought the Lord had prevented her from bearing children. Today, you should know how many people cannot conceive, and they conclude that God does not give them children. Is this thought correct? Completely wrong.
Brothers and sisters, this is not God’s promise. God’s promise is to make us a fruitful vine, to give you many descendants! In the Bible, God’s promise is that He will make the barren woman a joyful mother of children.
Look at verse 27, “Rejoice, O barren, you who do not bear.” How can she rejoice? How can the barren rejoice? Because at first, she did not bear, but God is going to give her many descendants, Amen! At first, she felt ashamed, but God replaced her shame with joy.
“You who have not been in labor, shout aloud,” why? Because now there are many children! “For the desolate has more children than she who has a husband.” What does this mean? Others all have a husband, but today you have a spiritual husband, Jesus Christ, this refers to spiritual matters. So what you see now is just a metaphor.
Do not misunderstand: Ah, you say today if you believe in Jesus, you will have many husbands, do not believe that. Do not understand it this way; it is a metaphor, saying what? Using this matter to illustrate some spiritual issues, Amen! Even if some people cannot conceive, in Jesus Christ, they can have many spiritual children. This is a metaphor.
Sarah’s idea itself was wrong, and as a result, she made one mistake after another, saying “Please go into my maidservant.” In fact, this was a secular culture at that time. She thought that today, if you have a child with my maidservant, as long as the child is under my name, then I can cover my shame.
Abraham listened to his wife’s words, so Abraham went into the maidservant Hagar and bore Ishmael. Are our human thoughts very good? Sometimes we feel that we have helped God, and we have taken a step forward in God’s plan. At first glance, isn’t it very effective?
But problems arise in the middle. What does the Bible say? When the maidservant Hagar realized she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress Sarah, looking down on this legitimate wife. So verse 23 we just read says, “But he who was born of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh.”
Since you are acting according to the flesh, then there will definitely be problems arising from the flesh. Do you understand? If you act according to God’s will, no one can hinder it. If you rely on your own words, remember, you will have to rely on yourself step by step to resolve these troubles.
Let’s emphasize again, when you read about the flesh, it definitely refers to relying on human strength. Ishmael was born through Abraham’s own strength. God does not want our lives today to rely on our own efforts. It is not that we should not work hard; it is that you should rely on God’s strength and wisdom to do things, Amen!
If we rely on our own efforts, if you start by relying on yourself, you will continue to rely on yourself to maintain that result. Any effort that comes from self cannot give you a sense of security because you must rely on your own strength to continue to maintain it!
Some people tell us: Just believing cannot be saved; you must also have good behavior. So when he has such a belief, once he accepts this doctrine, he will have to rely on his own efforts to constantly have good behavior to maintain that he is saved. Isn’t that tiring? It’s too tiring. You think you have to maintain this for a lifetime; can you not be tired? Who can do it?
This is relying on one’s own strength. Is life like this? It is the same. For example, you change yourself for someone; you want to maintain an elegant image in front of someone. We have a sister whose temper is quite fiery and strong-willed. As a result, she meets a man she admires very much. She knows that the man particularly likes the gentle type, so how does she behave in front of this man? Like a gentle bird. If these two people get married, you know how she must please her husband? She must maintain this facade for a lifetime, isn’t that right? How tiring.
I’ll tell you a joke. Some time ago, I went to a place for training, and a brother shared that he had a friend whose wife was such a person. His wife acted very gentle in front of strangers. One time, just to tease this friend’s wife, he changed his voice and said:
“Hey, is Boss Wang there?”
“Oh, hello, who are you?” (the friend’s wife), and then he immediately changed back, saying:
“It’s me, I’m Xiao Liu.”
“Oh, Xiao Liu!”
Immediately different from one second ago. You say, how tiring it is to pretend.
So brothers and sisters, isn’t life like this? If you want to rely on yourself, you need to maintain that kind of image in front of people; you will have to keep it up, and you will become very, very tired. This is why many people feel very relaxed when they come to church. Why?
They don’t have to pretend anymore. You see, today in the world, aren’t there many people living with masks? In fact, they are very tired. Because they are clearly not that kind of person but have to pretend to be that kind of person. They clearly should not say such words but have to say so, in order to maintain a good image in front of people, they must always pretend to be that kind of image. They will become very tired and have endless problems!
Abraham’s family encountered such a problem. This passage of scripture actually tells us that the two women symbolize two covenants; Sarah symbolizes the covenant of grace. She is Abraham’s legitimate wife. In other words, Hagar is the illegitimate wife; she is just a maidservant. This maidservant should not have come in, but what happened? Who brought her in? That’s right!
Did God initially establish a covenant of grace with the Israelites and with Abraham? Later, who came in? The Ten Commandments came in. Who brought them in? The Israelites themselves brought them in. It was not God who said: “Oh, I see you are too comfortable under grace; let me give you the Ten Commandments.” No!
This situation is the same as in Abraham’s family. Did God make a promise with the Israelites? I will bring you into a land flowing with milk and honey. But in the meantime, they did not see this result, right? Problems arose, and as a result, the Ten Commandments were brought in. So this is a metaphor.
Verse 24 says, “These things are symbolic; the two women are two covenants: one from Mount Sinai.” What covenant is from Mount Sinai? The covenant of the Ten Commandments, the covenant of the law. So this covenant says “gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar.” Therefore, those who live under the law are destined to be slaves! This means that in God’s eyes, even though Hagar bore Ishmael, she bore a son, but in God’s eyes, what is she? Still a slave.
If you carefully observe in the Bible, no matter how many wives a man marries, God only recognizes his legitimate wife. Do you understand? The others are not recognized.
This Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is. So what kind of people live in present-day Jerusalem? People under the law. Isn’t Jerusalem the holy city? They live in the temple relying on the law, right? That’s right, these two are the same, corresponding to present-day Jerusalem, for Jerusalem and her children are in bondage.
Since Hagar represents the law, what about Hagar’s child? He is also a child of the law, also a slave, right? So this is the terrifying part: being born under the law, your children are also under the law; you receive the law, and what you give out is the law; you are bound yourself, and you bind others; you are condemned yourself, and you condemn others. Isn’t this the attitude of living under the law? So this is the way of life under the law.
Verse 26 says, “But the Jerusalem above is free.” There is an earthly Jerusalem, and there is also one above. What does the one above refer to? The heavenly Jerusalem. In the heavenly Jerusalem, is there a need for human effort? When we all enter the kingdom of heaven, do we need to work hard like today to earn a living?
What kind of life is there in the heavenly Jerusalem? You live under God’s complete provision, Amen! So here it tells us this is all a metaphor; when you are on earth, you should think that you are actually a citizen of the heavenly Jerusalem! What is the state of those who live there? Completely without human effort, relying entirely on God’s free grace, Hallelujah!
But the Jerusalem above is free; she is our mother. What does this mean? Are we today under the law the same father? So do not say they are children of the devil; do not say that. They have the same father as us; only the mother is different. But we are brothers, so should we take care of our brothers? That’s right.
So please remember this point: the law of the Ten Commandments comes from Mount Sinai; Moses’ law was given on Mount Sinai. Today, many believers want to return to Mount Sinai. The book of Hebrews tells us not to approach that fiery mountain. Let’s look at a passage of scripture, Hebrews 12:18-23. So today, do not return to Mount Sinai; it is very dangerous; that is a fiery mountain.
For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. For they could not endure what was commanded: “And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.”
And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.” But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect.
This mentions two covenants. Galatians 4:26 previously mentioned two women, two covenants, two mountains. The book of Hebrews 12 gives us the answer. The first tells us what the situation of Mount Sinai is: it cannot be touched. There is fire, blackness, darkness, and tempest. At that time, hearing God’s words was terrifying, including their highest leader, Moses, who was also afraid and trembling.
But how does verse 22 say? “But you have come to Mount Zion.” Mount Zion refers to the heavenly Jerusalem, Amen! So today, do not return to living under the law; you who desire to be under the law, some people do not want to go back? They want to live under the Ten Commandments, but that is a very miserable life.
Verse 25 says, “This Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, for Jerusalem and her children are in bondage.” Those who are in bondage have a characteristic: they will tightly cling to the law. Think about it, in a family, if there is a slave, what does the slave want to do to please the master? Is it to work very hard? Right?
You cannot work slowly; otherwise, the master will still look down on you. You must do everything to the best of your ability and be very diligent; only then can you please the master. So today, some teach: Ah, you must be like this, and then God will be pleased with you. He is a slave.
Many times, we hear the most such words: If you do not read the Bible, you do not pray, God will not pay attention to you anymore; God will not listen to your prayers. As a result, after such teachings are repeated many times, when he does not read the Bible and performs poorly, he will feel guilty and ashamed, saying: I haven’t read the Bible; I’m still a Christian.
What I want to tell everyone today is: The heavenly Jerusalem, how do its children view these matters? What is the conclusion? Even if you do not read the Bible, you should not feel guilty, but you will feel hungry.
Reading the Bible is spiritual food. Today, many people understand this principle. If you do not eat for three days, will you feel guilty? What will you feel? Hungry, that’s right. This shows that your body is normal. You don’t say, “Oh, I feel so guilty; I feel so ashamed; I haven’t eaten.”
You say, “I’m so hungry.” So when food is given to you, what will you do? You will eat quickly. So we read the Bible, we draw close to God, and we pray; we should have this attitude in life. This is the way people under the new covenant of grace should live, Amen!
In this situation, you might say: “Oh, I haven’t eaten for a day; I haven’t read the Bible for a long time. Suddenly, when I read the Bible, it’s wonderful!” You feel a sense of fullness, Hallelujah! Isn’t gathering the same? If you haven’t gathered for a long time, you feel something is missing, but it’s not guilt; it’s hunger.
So the slave tightly clings to the old covenant of the law, relying on his own behavior. The slave’s life is destined to live under poverty, sickness, worry, and curses. He cannot obtain the inheritance and abundant blessings because usually, he sees how his own behavior is. Once his behavior is not good enough, he will feel that his master does not like him, isn’t that how a slave is? Because he is a slave. If you insist on living under the law, even if you are a Jew, the descendants of Ishmael will be the same; you will definitely live this way: often feeling self-reproach, guilt, and condemnation. You also do not dare to believe that God’s grace will come upon you freely. This is a way of life under bondage.
Some say: Ishmael is long gone; will we be like him? Yes, even if you have believed in Jesus, you will still live under various bondages, living a life trying to please God through your own efforts; you are living under bondage.
In fact, you are pulling yourself back under the law, letting Hagar treat you, and she will treat you according to the law. But the Jerusalem above is free; grace is free, Amen!
Do you find out how Sarah’s daughter is? First of all, what kind of image is Sarah? Beautiful! And she is not only beautiful but also remains beautiful even at an older age, right? So people under grace are like this; she is not only joyful today, but you will find that even after many years of believing in the Lord, she is still joyful. This is a different way of living because her mother is different. So what kind of mother raises what kind of son.
This is completely different from the slave; one lives in fear and trembling every day, while the other lives very freely and joyfully because one is a slave and the other is a son.
Genesis 16:4 tells us, “And he went into Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes.”
Finally, problems arose, right? People in the world relying on themselves will definitely have problems. We need to repeat once more: Hagar symbolizes the law; Sarah symbolizes grace. When people rely on the law and begin to have a little effect, they begin to boast and become proud.
But the law is not without merit. There was a time when, whether in real life or in visible effects, the law was very effective. At that time, grace seemed to become a servant, of no use. When did this date start? From the time the Ten Commandments entered until Jesus Christ came. During that time, the law was effective.
Just like we talk today, Abraham and his wife Sarah initially waited and waited, but they could not see the child God promised them coming. So in the meantime, they suddenly thought of an idea: let’s bring Hagar in. Isn’t that bringing in the Ten Commandments? At that time, when Hagar became pregnant, was it a good thing for Abraham and Sarah? Absolutely a good thing.
Think about it, finally, my efforts have borne fruit. Look, if it weren’t for this, God’s child would not have come; we waited and waited; what if we both die? Then we have no hope. While we can still do something, let’s hurry and have a child. As a result, when he saw, “Ah, look at how effective my method is! Hagar is already pregnant!”
So Abraham, Hagar, and Sarah were all very happy. This is why many people are still willing to live under the law today. Is there a little effect? Yes, there is a little effect. But when they see the effect, they say: “Oh, great! Look, this is more effective than grace, right?” Because at that time, was grace present? It had not yet come. So at that time, was the law effective? It was a comfort to Abraham.
But later, you will find that relying on one’s own efforts, when Hagar’s belly might be getting bigger and bigger, this guy became more and more proud. So the more people understand the law, the greater their pride and self-righteousness become. Later, didn’t she begin to look down on her mistress more and more? So her mistress could not stand her anymore and finally drove her away. After being driven away, in the wilderness, God met her.
Let’s look at this passage of scripture together, Genesis 16:7-9,
Now the angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. And he said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.” The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand.”
Brothers and sisters, is it good to drive away the law? Yes, today we all know that we should not live under the law but under grace. But at that time, Sarah had already driven Hagar away. Why did God let her return? Isn’t it better that she left?
At the beginning, God made a promise with Abraham: I will bring you into the land flowing with milk and honey. Later, they became too proud and wanted to rely on their own efforts to obtain God’s grace, so they secretly brought in the Ten Commandments. After bringing them in, the Israelites cried because they could not keep them.
At that time, why didn’t God take away the Ten Commandments? Wouldn’t it be fine to take them away? Did they know they were wrong? Yes. Well, wouldn’t it be fine to take them away? Why did it last for more than 1500 years? The reason is simple: because grace had not yet grown up! At that time, had Isaac been born? Not yet. So when grace had not yet come, the law was still a comfort to people. This family needed the law, especially when Isaac had not yet been born; Ishmael was still good. The law can also bring some comfort to people.
But when the true son of grace grows up, which is better? Of course, grace is better! Please remember that any country’s laws are good; they can restrain the behavior of some lawless people. Do you understand? Because they still do not have grace, they can only be under the restraint of the law.
So if a country has no grace and no law, that country must be chaotic. People in the world must rely on laws to maintain temporary peace in this world. This is why God does not let Hagar go directly; don’t come back. No, this family still needs her, just like every country in the world needs laws today. Because without laws, people will do whatever they want, which is very dangerous. So in this situation, is the law still good? Yes, but when people understand grace, it means the son of grace grows up, and he completely solves the problem of human sin from the heart! Hallelujah!
Think about it, today when we understand Jesus Christ, everyone’s heart is filled with the love of Jesus. Does the law of any country become very small? Because if our hearts are filled with love, love does not harm others; love is selfless, for the benefit of others.
1 Corinthians 13, “Love does not seek its own benefit, but seeks the benefit of others.” Love is not… is not… is not…
Think about it, if there is such a group of people in any country, do they still need the law? Of course, because today many people in many countries do not understand this supreme law of love, so do they need such laws? Yes, they must have them, and we also need to respect such laws.
Because he is also our brother, Hallelujah! Because he indeed needs to restrain some lawless people. But once a person truly understands the grace of Jesus Christ, he cannot become a lawless person unless he does not understand God’s grace at all.
The existence of Ishmael was good before the son of grace came; it could bring some comfort to Abraham. In other words, before the grace of Jesus Christ came, the law still had its effect and would also emit some glory, Amen!
This is why today many people say that those in the church under the Ten Commandments also have miracles and will also see some works of the Holy Spirit. Absolutely correct! But if you look closely, the miracles that occur in the church are few. But if you look at the church of grace, the miracles that occur are many.
So the Bible also tells us that when the glory that is to come arrives, the former glory is not counted as glory. Ishmael symbolizes the law from the time of Moses until the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. This symbolizes that when the son of grace, Isaac, is born, Ishmael has already been in the house for a long time. The Bible records that Abraham was 99 years old when Ishmael was about 14 years old and was circumcised. What we are talking about is that when Isaac was born, Ishmael was about 14 to 15 years old.
Think about it, this child has been in the house for a long time. By our worldly standards today, he is the firstborn. No matter who gave birth to him, he is the first son in the family. So how does this son feel? I am the eldest! I have the right of inheritance! Isn’t it easy to become proud?
In many historical dramas in China, whether it is an emperor or a king, does the firstborn son have such privileges? The first son born to the emperor, no matter how incompetent he is, is still the crown prince. If this crown prince dies, the later ones have the opportunity to compete. It is not that the eldest dies, and the second takes his place; that is not how it works. When the eldest dies, the other children compete, but while the eldest is alive, he is the crown prince. This principle is also the same in the Bible.
But here we see that God did not recognize Ishmael; God recognized Isaac. Ishmael had been in this house for a long time, and he mistakenly thought that this house belonged to him. In fact, he could have many blessings. You cannot say that before Isaac was born, Abraham treated this child poorly. No, he also loved this son very much.
But this son may not know his true identity, or he may feel that his mother came from a humble background. As her son, he cannot. He may doubt whether he can inherit this inheritance. I must rely on my own means to obtain everything. Isn’t this a bit like palace intrigue? Because my mother comes from a humble background, I must rely on my own efforts to secure my position. Once he sees the child of the mistress being born, he will think of ways to eliminate this child. So I think you see the Bible is definitely more interesting than any Japanese drama, Korean drama, or palace intrigue; this is real!
When Jesus was on earth, was He born under the law? Think about it; doesn’t this open up a type for you? When Isaac was born, Ishmael had already been in this house for a long time, about fifteen years.
When Jesus was born, the law of Moses had existed for about 1500 years. Jesus continued to grow, right? Didn’t Isaac also begin to grow? Have you noticed that when Isaac was just born, did Ishmael persecute him? No, the Bible does not record this. Brothers and sisters. But he was born under the law; he was covered by the law.
When Isaac was very young, Ishmael might have taken care of him, might have helped him. So when our lives are still very small, those under the law, the pastors help us, love us, and we feel that the law is also very good for us, right? We might think this way.
At first, the law was indeed like this, but the law has a characteristic: once you violate its will, it shows its power. Jesus was born under the law to redeem those who were under the law.
So for about 1500 years, the Jews were under the law, from the time of Moses on Mount Sinai until the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. After Jesus was crucified, at that time, the law was fulfilled by Jesus. It was a good thing that Jesus fulfilled the law on the cross, and indeed this happened.
However, before this, we must know that when Ishmael had a little achievement, he began to despise his mistress. This is precisely the terrifying aspect of the law. Under 1500 years, the Pharisees, scribes, and Sadducees managed the church very well relying on the law. When Jesus suddenly came, He spoke differently from them. At this time, who began to persecute whom? That’s right, the law began to use its past traditions and achievements to persecute Jesus Christ.
In the past, it was like this, and now it is also like this. So the law can just reveal people’s pride and self-righteousness. Galatians 4:29 says, “But as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now.”
Why does the fleshly one persecute the spiritual one? In other words, why does the one under the law persecute the one under grace? When did the persecution begin? Let’s find the source.
Genesis is the source of many things. Think again, when did Ishmael or Hagar begin to persecute Isaac? It was not when she was pregnant; at that time, Isaac had not yet been born, so how could she persecute him? That was not persecution. Think about it, she despised her mistress. As a result, who won? At that time, it was not persecution; it was not the law persecuting grace; it was grace that directly drove her away. When did the persecution begin? Let’s look at a passage of scripture, Genesis 21:8-10. This is very important content. I will explain it to you; it is very interesting. Once you understand this, many problems in life will naturally be resolved.
Genesis 21:8-10
So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. Therefore she said to Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, Isaac.”
Have you found the answer? When did the persecution begin? In verse 8, let’s read it together: “So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned.”
When did the law begin to persecute grace? On the day grace was weaned. On that day, the law began to persecute him. This is a very important content; you must remember. Those who are under the law do not begin to persecute those under grace at the beginning. Weaning represents what? Having discernment, Amen!
When you have no discernment, they do not pay attention to you; you can do whatever you want. But when you have discernment, you will find that problems begin to arise. Today, does this problem also appear in the church?
Today we have accepted grace; you have discernment. Suddenly one day you tell the pastor: “Pastor, this doesn’t seem to be right; Jesus has already fulfilled the law for us.” The pastor says: “Ah, where did you hear that? Are you listening to heretical things? I see you are like a heretic.”
Doesn’t this begin to persecute? But before this, you could not distinguish who was right and who was wrong. You did not know grace and law at all. Whatever the pastor said was what it was. Would he persecute you? No. When you have discernment, he begins to persecute you; when you begin to refute him, he begins to persecute you. So this is why past good friends suddenly change their faces when I talk about grace with them; they begin to distance themselves from me, saying I am a heretic, condemning me, and even saying they will use lies to slander me. Why is this happening? Because you have already been weaned.
So this is a good thing because you have already been weaned! Not being weaned means you have no discernment; what is right and what is wrong, if he says it is wrong, you say, “Okay, I will listen to you.” Will he persecute you again? No. So before Isaac was weaned, Ishmael and Hagar would not persecute him. When he was weaned and had discernment, they began to persecute him.
Let’s look at a passage of scripture, Hebrews 5:13. Let’s read it together: “For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.” We read here. What is he? A babe who can only eat what? Milk, that’s right. So a Christian who drinks milk is a babe, with no discernment.
For a child who has just been born for less than a year, whatever you give him, he will eat. You give him goat’s milk, he drinks goat’s milk; you give him cow’s milk, he drinks cow’s milk; you give him human milk, he drinks human milk. Isn’t that so? If you casually give him some urine, will he drink it? Yes, he has no discernment. This is a small child, right?
So the growth of this child’s life is in whose hands? In his mother’s hands. Whatever you give him, he will eat. So such a child is called a spiritual babe. A spiritual babe has no discernment at all because he is a babe. You give him whatever, and he believes whatever. We feel that this faith is very simple; we believe and are saved. At first, we feel: “Oh, this Lord is so good.” Because there is no discernment, we do not know what grace, law, Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, and these things are. We just know that believing in Jesus is good.
But as he grows older, doesn’t he gradually gain discernment? This has nothing to do with our actual age and how long we have believed. You cannot say that this person has believed for 50 years, so he is a mature Christian. Not necessarily. Some people have believed for a lifetime, and they are still babe Christians. It is just that others tell them that believing in Jesus will take them to heaven, and they say, “Yes.” But when others tell them that if they do not behave well, God will punish them, they say, “Yes.” What kind of Christian is this? A babe!
So this has nothing to do with our age and how long we have believed. What is it related to? It is related to understanding God’s truth. Why are they babes? Because the following says very clearly, “For he is unskilled in the word of righteousness.” What is the word of righteousness? The original text uses another word, called the word of justice. In other words, they do not understand what the righteousness of Jesus Christ is, so they can only drink milk, can only drink milk, and have not been weaned.
Brothers and sisters, today many famous pastors say that in the church, we must talk about God’s justice, and they speak quite seriously. That’s right; we must talk about God’s justice. If we do not understand God’s justice, we are all babes. But what do they think God’s justice is? It is judgment, it is punishment.
“You must listen; if you do not listen to God’s words, do not gather, do not read the Bible, do not pray, just wait for God to deal with you because God is a just God.” Is this how they talk about God’s justice? This is judgment; “If you do not obey, just wait for God to bring disaster upon you.” They think they are talking about the word of justice, but in fact, they do not understand what the word of justice is.
Where does our righteousness come from? It is the righteousness that Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross, which is now upon us. So this is something we need to be skilled in often: You possess the righteousness of Jesus Christ. This is something we need to understand. So why do they always say, “If you do not do well, God will deal with you”? They must pull people back under the law to make them live like slaves, but we are sons, right? How does this identity of the son come? Jesus redeemed your sins on the cross and died for your sins. When you believe in Him, you become a child of God. It is not by our behavior and efforts that we become sons of God.
No matter how hard Ishmael tries, he cannot have the identity of Isaac, right? Because he is a slave; his mother is a slave, so he is born a slave. No matter how hard he tries, he cannot change this identity. Do you understand?
And today, how is our identity changed? In Adam, no matter how hard we try, we are sinners; you can never change this identity. Only through the cross of Jesus Christ can we become sons from slaves. We need to always remember which identity? The identity of the son, this is righteousness! Hallelujah! This righteousness is not earned by your efforts but is freely given to you by Jesus Christ! So we must remember: Because of Jesus Christ, today we possess the righteousness of Jesus; in Christ, I possess the righteousness of God, Hallelujah!
Brothers and sisters, do not look at people’s titles, no matter how famous the pastor is, no matter what professor he is, do not look at these; these cannot make you more spiritual! You must understand the word of righteousness. If you do not understand, you are still a babe. Once you understand the truth of righteousness, what will happen next? You will be weaned.
Once you are weaned, what will happen? Well, it seems we need to read Genesis 21:8 again. I will read it again for you to see if you can find the answer? “So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned!” What happens when you are weaned? A great feast! Hallelujah! Why should we think that persecution began when weaning started? Do not think this way; although this is also the case, there is a bigger thing, that is, on the day you are weaned, God prepares a great feast for you like Abraham did for Isaac! Because you can taste it; you can enjoy it.
But if you are a child? You cannot enjoy it. Do you understand? A child under one year old, even if your family has all kinds of delicacies, can he eat? If you give it to him, what will happen? It could be fatal, right? But once the child is weaned, he can taste it.
Brothers and sisters, so be weaned! Understand the righteousness of Jesus Christ! When you understand, the abundant grace, God has already prepared for you! Once you understand the righteousness of Jesus Christ, you will see that God has prepared a great feast for you, just like Abraham did for Isaac when he was weaned. But those under the law cannot see this; those under the law have believed for many years but have not received this; they cannot see it.
I just asked you, why do those under the law persecute those under grace? The fleshly ones persecute the spiritual ones? Because it is very simple; they only persecute you on the day you are weaned. Two things happen simultaneously. One is that God prepares abundant grace for you, and the other is that persecution begins. Why do they persecute you? Two words: jealousy!
Think about it, when we are under grace today, how do we often declare? “I am under grace; I am loved by God; I possess the righteousness of Jesus Christ; the abundant grace of Christ is upon me; I am an heir!” You always mention blessings, right?
Those under the law say, “By what right? What have you done to say this?” Right? They are jealous of you because you have already been weaned; you already know the word of righteousness; you already have discernment; you can taste the good things that the Father has prepared for you. Your name is Isaac, which means “laughter.” You are the Father’s laughter; you are the beloved son of the Father; the Father loves you very much! Hallelujah! Now tell the person next to you: You are the Father’s laughter! Hallelujah!
When we understand that the righteousness of Jesus Christ is upon us, you will know that you can possess God’s abundant blessings! It’s just that at that time, they did not receive this, so they began to persecute you. It only reveals their own nature, the nature of the flesh.
This is somewhat like what? Just like the elder son in Luke 15 treats the younger son. Do you understand? The younger son squandered everything. When he returned home, the father accepted him and prepared a great feast for him. And how did the elder son react? When he heard that this prodigal son was sitting there eating the food he wanted to eat, what did he do? First, he was very jealous of his younger brother, right? Second, he complained to his father. So those under the law have this characteristic; they will be very jealous of those under grace. Why do you always receive so many blessings?
He often complains to God, “Why don’t you give me? Why do you always treat me like this?” So those under the law, you will hear them say: “Father, what do you want me to do for you to bless me? For you to let me go?” Have you heard such prayers? Isn’t it very interesting? Is the Father’s heart like this? No, it’s just that they have not been weaned yet, or they are the children of Hagar, so they are always trying to obtain the Father’s blessings through their own efforts, right?
But we are different because we are sons. The blood of Jesus Christ has forgiven all our sins; because of His death, we have been justified. His death and resurrection have justified us. Because of this identity, the Father has prepared a great feast for us, so we know that the Father loves us. This is why today we say that when we bless you in the name of Jesus Christ, blessings come upon you! When we heal you in the name of Jesus Christ, the sick person suddenly gets healed!
And what will they say? “You are a liar; it’s impossible; you must be bearing false witness.” Do you know why he slanders you? He says, “I have been a pastor for so many years, and I have never seen such a thing happen.” It’s just that people are unwilling to talk about it because talking about it will hurt their hearts. In the past, a sister said, “Teacher Ren, I want to ask you something, and you must answer me truthfully. Have you really seen God heal a sick person? Or have you really seen a sick person healed under your prayer?” I said, “I have seen this happen many times. You should know from my past sermons that there are many testimonies, all from our church.”
She was actually suffering from depression, unable to sleep at night. Isn’t this very easy for us? Too easy, isn’t it? We feel it’s not a problem. She went to many churches, all of which had thousands of people. In one church, she asked a pastor, “Pastor, I have depression; can you pray for me to be healed?” What did the pastor say? “I have served God for so many years, and I have never seen anyone healed through prayer.” She asked several pastors in different churches, and they all said the same thing. So she asked me, “Are you really sure?”
Isn’t it a pity? So today, living under the law is so regrettable; they cannot see that God has already changed their identity and are still trying to obtain the Father’s love through their own efforts. But we have already become sons! This identity is not changed by our efforts; it is because of Jesus that our identity has already been changed!
When you are weaned, it means you understand that the righteousness of Jesus Christ is your righteousness. At that time, you are already at the abundant feast of God, Hallelujah! This is why we often mention the grace of Jesus Christ. Those who cannot stand it say, “Why do you always talk about grace?” They cannot stand it; you always have to mention that God’s healing is very easy; they cannot stand it because they cannot see it; they have not experienced it. You always say that all the blessings of the kingdom of heaven are mine; they cannot stand it, saying, “I have worked hard for a lifetime, and I still dare not say that the kingdom of heaven is mine; how can you say it is yours?” They do not dare. So they begin to persecute you, saying you are wrong, saying you have problems, saying you are earthly. So what? The Father loves us this way, Hallelujah!
Ishmael and Isaac have the same father. Please remember, those who attack us are not unbelievers; they are precisely our half-brothers. The one who attacks Isaac is not someone else but Ishmael because their mother is the law, and he is also trying to obtain God’s blessings through his own efforts. But our mother is grace, Amen!
We do not rely on our own efforts; we rely on what Jesus Christ has done for us on the cross. We have received the identity of the son of God, all of this is accomplished by Jesus Christ on the cross, given to us freely, Hallelujah! So those under the law always throw stones at us; this stone is the law. They always throw the law at people. So you see, those people under the law, they throw stones at people at any time, always wanting to condemn others, always wanting to slander others, always wanting to kill others, throwing the law at people.
Do you know why they throw the law? They hope that we will be like them. This is called fairness. We are all trying to obtain God’s blessings through our efforts, right? Isn’t that what makes them happy? But they have worked hard for many years, and today we suddenly say, “You don’t have to work hard; God loves me like this.” Of course, they feel unbalanced in their hearts, but this is called grace, isn’t it? What is grace? The worker receives wages, which is not grace but what is due; only the one who does not work—today God says, “I give it to you freely.” This is grace. We receive blessings this way! Hallelujah!
We are children of grace; we are heirs of the inheritance. We will not persecute them; on the contrary, the situation always appears that those under the law persecute those under grace. Those under grace have a characteristic: they always bless others. You see, didn’t Jesus teach us this way? To pray for those who persecute you, to bless your enemies, only to bless, not to curse. This is the style of the children of grace.
In our hearts, we know that God’s righteousness is upon us, the righteousness of Jesus Christ is upon us, and we know that we are in God’s abundant blessings, Amen! So at this time, you can bless your enemies because you are so blessed that you no longer need to compare with them. For example, today, think about it, when Abraham prepared a great feast for Isaac when he was weaned, at that time, are you particularly happy in your heart? The father prepared such a rich feast for me.
If you meet your enemy at the door, you say: “Come in and enjoy it together.” Isn’t this the style we should have? Because it is not you who paid for it; it is not you who worked hard to obtain it; it is your father who prepared it for you, so you can say to your enemy, “Come in with me and enjoy what my father has prepared for me.” At this time, your enemy will feel ashamed in his heart. This is what the Bible says; it is equivalent to what? Heaping burning coals on his head. But please remember, the characteristic of the children of grace is to bless, bless… and not to curse, Amen!
So we need to understand this word of righteousness, understand the grace of Jesus Christ, and view everything through grace. Now do you understand? Why do those people attack you? Because they are jealous of you because you have too much grace from God upon you because you are Isaac; you are the descendants of Isaac, Amen!
Because you are a son, it’s that simple. You need to view the Father’s good will through Jesus Christ, to pray for them, and not to attack them, Amen! Then let them enjoy the great feast of the Father with us. Those who understand grace, what should we do?
Pray for those under the law, bless them, Amen! So that they also understand the word of righteousness, and when they understand, they will be your true brothers and sisters, Hallelujah! So I wish our brothers and sisters to view all the people and things around us through grace, Hallelujah! Do not feel why they attack me; it doesn’t matter; bless them because you are a child of grace!
Let’s pray together:
Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise You! Thank You for letting us understand the word of righteousness today, letting me know that I am a child of grace, I am not a slave; I am a son! Because Jesus Christ, You have exchanged this identity of sonship for me on the cross. Today, I no longer rely on my own efforts to obtain the Father’s pleasure because You have already delighted in me! Because of Jesus Christ, You have completely delighted in me!
I have understood this truth of righteousness, and I am willing to taste the abundant feast that Jesus Christ has given us! I also want to share this good news with those around me, letting them understand the righteousness of Jesus Christ, letting them understand the Father’s good will, and entering this great feast with us! Thank You and praise the Lord! As this new week begins, Heavenly Father, please give me strength, so that my mouth will always bless others, always bless others! Because I am a child of grace! Hallelujah! Let me live out the glorious style of Jesus Christ this week and become an example for all! In the name of our Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen!