"We Are Free From Bondage"

Galatians 4:19-26

19) My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,

20) I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you.

21) Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?

22) For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.

23) But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

24) Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.

25) For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.

26) But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Preface

M

Any people do not know how to be something more than just a “human being.” They feel that whatever needs to be done in us will get done through our education or “betterment.” Ultimately, when unable to accomplish this, they become frustrated and are drawn further away from the Lord.

Main Thought

What the scripture says of the two sons of Abraham represents the two covenants that were to come. The first covenant was made with Israel and delivered from Mt. Sinai. Its end result was bondage. To us, it reinforces the fact that we are in bondage. When the Law speaks of a “penalty,” it alludes to the fact of that bondage. We must remember that though to Israel was given the Law, they were in primarily because of the Law.

Israel was under the Law for over 3000 years and never managed to keep it. The reason for this was simple and deliberate. You see, the Lord wanted us to see that though they knew that they should and were expected to do “right,” they were without the means to carry either out.

Frequently, we excuse ourselves by saying that we have not been “taught” something before. This might “hold water” were it not for the fact that even after we become familiar with certain things, we still do not execute them. As opposed to the acquisition of knowledge having made acceptance easier, it proves to be just as hard because humans must understand that knowing God is humanly impossible.

The point of the Law was to bring us to God, period. If it had been possible to do this through that means, Man would have had no need for Jesus when He was offered. For this reason, alone, we know that success was impossible.

Though we frequently say that we “know the truth,” if we are unable to live free from the flesh, we are still in bondage. As long as one continues to “break” the Law, he is still under it. On the contrary, since the Law only governs the flesh, if we refuse to “live” there, we will have no need of it, for under these circumstances, it does not condemn us.

Understanding that we are capable of living “free,” yet, also knowing that we do not do so, we will ask, “How do I change?” Though this may be the question we ask, what we really want to know is exactly what to do to achieve this; we are requesting a simple formula. If it were possible for us to obtain one, if we used it, we would still be “doing” something.

We remain “in bondage” in many ways due to our reactions to what is “done” and/or “said” to us. This would all be immaterial if we would surrender ourselves to the direction of the Holy Spirit as God requires.

Many believe that the solution to their problems in this area would come from their being “left alone.” If you are one of these people, rest assured that as long as this is your “problem,” it will also remain your “test.”

This is a prime indicator of our “love interest” (that person being us) and as long as that person remain “us,” we will continue meeting this test. All of the “upheaval” caused by our selfish interest keeps us on the “defense.” This is not to be, for the Lord knows that in order for us to be effective for the kingdom of God, we must be “offensive.”

In order to be “at ease” with the One to Whom we have pledged our allegiance, we must accept that God will do His job and that He will bless whatever we do on His behalf.

As God takes us from “faith-to-faith,” we are to manifest victory in the face of confusion, defeat and bewilderment. Under these circumstances, people will think that we have “lost our minds” and this is O.K., for in this way, we can become familiar with the spiritual mind.

We’ve all heard that the secret to success in salvation is to learn to praise God. Perhaps it would give us some focus to understand that this is “directed praise”—not just an admonition to “make something up.” You see, if we would just recognize the Lord for Who He is and what He has done, we would find that our situations are not as “dire” as they might appear.

The easiest and most familiar “reactions” that we have are those that will do us the most harm. You see, rather than to get “caught up” in our situations and circumstances, the “reaction” that will save our lives is to concentrate on Jesus! In that salvation is a “press” the Lord is aware that there will come times when it will take everything that is within you to keep your mind focused on Him. He is also aware that it is essential that we come to understand just how important that “fight” is.

“Freedom” from anything comes at a cost. In the case of our freedom, we will have to pay the price of self-denial. Jesus paid the price for our access to freedom, but we must be willing to “suffer” in order to realize that freedom in our lives.

To be freed, we must acknowledge what “binds” us. Those who are addicted to their “humanness” will find themselves bound to and by their five senses—their feelings and emotions. One can be sure that he is delivered when he is no longer “ruled” by these, but rather, his faith in God!

Also, as with anything, if we are to receive it, we must also first recognize that we need it! If we never come to recognize that there is a greater life for us than that of the flesh; we can convince ourselves that we are happy in our “misery,” then being “…free from bondage” will remain beyond our reach.