Oxford Bible Church - Living in the Last Days (audio)

In these verses, Paul contrasts the false man-made and man-centred religion of man's achievement (salvation by good works in obedience to the Law) in v2-4, with the true God-centred religion of Divine initiative, grace and achievement (v5-6). In this context, circumcision represents embracing the Law as one's life and salvation, and Paul warns them that if they do that, Christ will profit them nothing, and that if they attempt to be justified by law, they will become estranged from Christ, and they will fall from grace. Thus if they choose the way of the law by cutting their flesh in circumcision, they will also be cutting themselves off from the grace of Christ. We discuss what this means. It certainly means that by trusting in the flesh, they will cut themselves off from the supply of God's sanctifying Spirit in their lives, leaving them to struggle on in the flesh, but is Paul also warning them that they could be cut off from Christ and lose their salvation? We discuss this controversial issue. Paul also points out that being circumcised obliges a man to keep the whole law, thus dooming him to the curse of the law (3:10). Then Paul contrasts this by describing God's way of grace (v5-6). First, the basis for our relationship (right-standing) with God is simply that we are 'in Christ.' He also describes the true Christian life in terms of faith, hope and love, which flourish by the Holy Spirit through our fellowship with God. Therefore externals rituals like circumcision are irrelevant both for our justification and for our sanctification.

Galatians 5:1: "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage." (NKJV). Galatians 5:1: "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." (NIV). This key verse is transitional, moving the letter of Galatians into a description of Christian life of liberty through the Holy Spirit, moving the emphasis from justification to sanctification. He starts from the conclusion of the last chapter: "Christ has set us FREE", and declares that He has done this, so that we might live and enjoy a life of FREEDOM. Therefore, we should refuse to allow ourselves to return to a life of slavery by embracing legalism. First, we discuss what the Bible means by FREEDOM. It is not freedom to do whatever we want, or to sin as we please. We are not set free to sin, but we are set free from sin. Living under the flesh results in bondage. Freedom means being free to be and live as God created and intended us to be. We were made in God's image to belong to God and to be filled with God's Spirit, and to glorify God by expressing His nature and abilities. There are 2 main aspects to our freedom: (1) Freedom from the Law, and (2) Freedom from sin and self. (1) First, Christ set us free from the external restraint and condemnation of the Law, by bearing our sin and condemnation on the Cross, and then by giving us His imputed righteousness when we believe in Him. On this basis, He justified us and set our conscience free from the guilt of sin. There is therefor no condemnation in Christ (Romans 8:1). Thus, we have been set free from the tyranny of having to keep the Law to win acceptance and favour with God, and access to God and His grace. (2) Second, Christ sets us free from the power of indwelling sin (in our flesh) and our independent self-life, by the gift of His imparted righteousness through the indwelling Holy Spirit. That is, He sets our will free from bondage to sin (the sin-nature in our flesh) - this is sanctification by the Word and by the Spirit, for where the Spirit is there is liberty (2Corinthians 3:17). He initially sanctified our spirit (set it free from sin) in the New Birth, when the Spirit came to indwell it. Now He is progressively sanctifying our soul as we walk in the Spirit, rather than in the flesh. Our justification (freedom from the Law) is the basis for our sanctification, for it gives us legal access to the grace of God in the Spirit, which sanctifies us (Romans 5:1-2, 8:1-6). Thus, in order to enjoy a life of freedom in the Spirit, our hearts must first be established in our justification by grace through faith, which is why Paul first of all emphasised this truth in Galatians 1-4, before moving on to describe our new life in the Spirit (Galatians 5-6).

The Bible alone holds the secrets to life after death. It reveals that all humanity is divided into two groups after death, and is set apart unto 2 opposite eternal destinies - Heaven and Hell. While God-rejectors, who die in their sins, go down to Hades to await their resurrection unto final sentencing and everlasting condemnation, those who die in Christ, go up to Heaven, to be with Christ, their Lord and Saviour, forever. A God Day programme.

God has prepared a wonderful eternity for all those who receive His salvation in Christ. We see what the final chapters of the Bible reveal about our everlasting life in the heavenly City. A God Day programme.

Derek shows how the 4 Faces of the Cherubim (the Ox, Eagle, Man and Lion) represent 4 ways that our soul is designed to function, under God's 4-fold anointing, symbolised by the 4 rivers flowing out of Eden. These correspond to the 4 Gospels (Mark, John, Luke and Matthew), each of which emphasise Jesus operating in one of these aspects. A God Day programme.

We look at Genesis 21, which is the basis for Paul's thoughts in this passage. In Genesis 21, Isaac ('laughter') is born, speaking of the rejoicing in Heaven whenever someone in born again. When Isaac was weaned, there was a feast in his honour (v8), which resulted in Ishmael manifesting his insecurity by mocking Isaac (v9). Ishmael, who was 14 years older, was used to being in the ascendency, but now his position was threatened, by Isaac, the child of promise. Paul says this is a picture of how the children of the flesh always persecute the children of the Spirit, and we give examples of this from history. This is also a picture of how the work of the flesh resists the promise of God and the work of the Spirit in our own lives today. Sarah realised that because of this antagonism, Hagar and Ishmael had to be cast out in order for Isaac's promised inheritance to be established, and God agreed with her (v10-12). Likewise, the flesh and the Spirit are mutually exclusive, like bondage and freedom. They are always in opposition (Galatians 5:16-17), and cannot coexist. For the work of the Spirit to be established in our lives, like Abraham, we must cast out the works of the flesh. Otherwise, they will continually resist the fulfilment of God's promise and the work and fruit of the Spirit in our lives. One application to the Galatians is that although the legalistic false teachers were physically Jewish, they were spiritually like Ishmael, bound to Hagar (the Law). Therefore, they were hindering the work of God in the assembly, and so the Galatians should cast them out. Abraham's act of obedience in casting out Ishmael and establishing Isaac as his seed (at the age of 5) marked a significant step forward in God's plan for his life (compare Genesis 15:13 and Acts 7:5 with Exodus 12:40-41 and Galatians 3:17). We know that God revealed this to him, because soon afterwards, he called on the name of 'El Olam', 'the Everlasting God' or 'the God of the Ages' (v33) - the first time this Name of God is revealed. Likewise, when we are obedient to cast out the work of the flesh, the Lord of the Ages, will move our life forward into a new season. Paul concludes that as born again believers, we are by nature free - our spirits have been set free from sin by the indwelling Holy Spirit, and we are free from the Law and its condemnation and curse (4:31).

Paul compares the Old Covenant and its children to Hagar and Ishmael, pointing out that by its nature the Old Covenant (Hagar, the bond-slave) gives birth to children of bondage (Ishmael). He strengthens this identification by pointing out that the origin of the Old Covenant, Mount Sinai, is in Arabia, where Hagar and Ishmael settled after being cast out, from whom came the Arabs. Thus it is clear that the real Mount Sinai must be in Saudi Arabia, rather than in the Sinai Peninsula (a late tradition established during the Byzantine Empire). This agrees with earlier Jewish writings, and with other Scriptures, especially those that locate Mount Sinai in the region of Midian. We discuss the location and discovery of the real Mount Sinai and the split Rock, as well as the place of the Red Sea Crossing, pointing out that scriptures that speak of Yam Suph (translated as Red Sea) point to the Gulf of Aqaba, not the Gulf of Suez or its shallow marshy lakes, which means the parting of the waters was indeed a mighty miracle, just as the Bible describes. Although, the New Jerusalem (like Sarah) had been desolate of children (no one was born again before the New Covenant was established), now she is giving birth to an ever-increasing number of children, as Galatians 4:26-27 points out, by quoting a prophecy from Isaiah 54:1. Thus immediately after the classic prophecy of Christ's sacrificial death and resurrection to establish the New Covenant in Isaiah 53, Isaiah 54 describes the wonderful results of His Sacrifice, including the new birth of multitudes of spiritual children in Christ. Finally, we see that, as always, those who are just born according to the flesh (like Ishmael) persecute those who are born according to the Spirit (like Isaac).

We continue our study of Paul's analogy of Ishmael and Isaac. We take a more in-depth look as how God made it possible for us to receive a supernatural birth like Isaac, through receiving the promise of God in the Gospel, causing us to become the seed of Abraham and heirs of eternal life in Christ. God accomplished this through Christ, the greater than Isaac, the ultimate Seed of Abraham, who, like Isaac, had a supernatural birth, and who, through His perfect life, death and resurrection purchased and received the full blessing of Abraham on our behalf. We look at how God revealed this through the typology in Genesis 22, when Abraham offered up Isaac on Mount Moriah, and received him back from the dead (Hebrews 11:17-19), resulting in the promise of Abraham's blessing coming upon all peoples in Christ, the Seed of Abraham, who would ultimately fulfil the type (Genesis 22:18). When we believe and receive the promise of God through the Gospel, we are put into (union with) Christ and become the spiritual Seed of Abraham, and thereby inherit the blessing by grace (3:26-29). In this way, Isaac, the initial seed of Abraham, is firstly a type of Christ, the greater Seed of Abraham, and secondly of all of us who are in Christ, and who are heirs of the covenant blessing. So when we are born again, we are no longer like unto Ishmael, but new creations made like unto Isaac, children of grace (promise) and inheritors of eternal life. We also discuss how Genesis 22:14 makes it clear that the location of Christ's death and resurrection must have been on Mount Moriah: "Abraham called the name of the place, 'the-Lord-will-Provide'; as it is said to this day: “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” or better: “In the Mount, the Lord shall be provided.” This is a prophecy that God will provide the ultimate Sacrifice of His Son to fulfil the type, on the same Mount (Mount Moriah - see v2) where Abraham offered up Isaac. We see how this confirms the truth of Gordon's Calvary and the Garden Tomb. Although Jesus died and rose again in the earthly Jerusalem, the origin and centre of operation of the New Covenant, is now the heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22-24), especially since the risen Jesus took His Blood there to establish the New Covenant (Hebrews 9:11-15). Thus the New Covenant operating from the heavenly New Jerusalem is our Mother, who is free - corresponding to Sarah in Paul's allegory (see also Psalm 87). By contrast, the origin of the Old Covenant was the earthy Mount Sinai in Arabia, and its centre of operation (at the time Paul wrote Galatians) was the earthly Jerusalem, who was in bondage - corresponding to Hagar.

In these verses, Paul illustrates his message with a symbolic allegory, based Abraham's 2 sons, (1) Ishmael and (2) Isaac, born from 2 different mothers, (1) Hagar (the slave) and (2) Sarah (the free woman). The 2 sons derived their nature and status from their mothers, either (1) slavery (bondage) or (2) freedom. These 2 mothers represent (1) the Old Covenant (Law) associated with Mount Sinai, and (2) the New Covenant (Grace), associated with Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem. (1) Just as Ishmael's birth was according to the flesh, by human initiative and effort (Genesis 16), so the children of the law are the product of their own effort and works. (2) Just as Isaac's birth was supernatural, through receiving God's promise (Genesis 17), so the children of the promise (Gospel) are born of the Spirit, the product of God's grace. We make a special study of God's supernatural work of grace by God's Spirit in bringing Isaac to birth, when Abram and Sarai believed His Word (promise), a picture of our supernatural New Birth by God's Spirit, when we believed His promise through the Gospel. Whereas (1) Ishmael, the man of the flesh, was cast out, (2) Isaac, the man born of the Spirit by grace, inherited the covenant, including the blessing of eternal life. Every person is either (1) an Ishmael, or (2) an Isaac. Who is your Mother?

What exactly is Halloween, where does it come from and should Christians have anything to do with it? The roots of modern Halloween can be traced back to the pagan Celts of Britain, 2000 years ago. One of their main festivals was Samhain on 31st October marking the transition into the ‘dark half’ of the year. They believed that the veil between this world and the 'otherworld' was at its thinnest, allowing both demons and the spirits of the dead to pass into our world and mingle with the living, harassing those who don’t placate them. So sacrifices were offered to them, along with sweet foods (treats), to avoid their malevolent tricks. The Celts disguised themselves in strange costumes and macabre masks, hoping their ghastly appearance would fool the demons into counting them among their number and so leave them alone. Later, Christians replaced this pagan holiday with a celebration of believers in glory. So 1st November became All Saints (Hallows) Day and the night before, All Hallows Eve or Halloween. But the pagan roots were not fully cut off and have increasingly grown into the commercial, death-focused event of today. So modern Halloween is the direct offspring of ancient Samhain, and those who enjoy the present-day festivities are eating the fruit of an ungodly tree. Christians should have nothing to do with Halloween. In the Old Testament, all such occult practice was strictly forbidden (Deuteronomy 18:9-13, Leviticus 20:27). Likewise, Paul tells us to “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.” (Ephesians 5:11). Why? “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (v8). “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you” (2Corinthians 6:17). How can we honour the Lord while embracing a festival of death? Christian parents must have courage to say ‘no’ to children when it comes to Halloween. If necessary, parents and Churches could offer uplifting alternatives, with games and activities, and teaching emphasising God as the Source of light and life, in contrast to the darkness and evil in the world, and the victory of Christ over all darkness. He has liberated us from evil, darkness and death in all its forms. How much better to celebrate the Lord of life than the power of darkness!