CRUMB 0031 – CAST OUT WHAT?

“Cast Out” is a strong hard term and a hard pill to swallow for the legalistic mind.

But when God needs to make a strong emphatic point, He uses strong language. And when HE says “cast out”, He means it with it total absolutism.
It leaves no room for debate or even discussion. It’s a settled matter. That’s it.

“God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God” [Psalms 62:11].

Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Ishmael And Isaac

It’s very interesting when we look at what happens here in [Genesis 16:1-16].

Although Abraham is seventy five years old and seemingly losing hope, God still promises him a biological son and heir, “he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir” [Genesis 15:4].

Now Sarah (Sarai) was barren woman.

[Genesis 15:6] says that Abraham “believed in the LORD; and He (God) counted it to him for righteousness”. Paul the apostle reiterates this in [Romans 4:3].

Eleven years go by and there is still no promised son, and Abraham is now eighty-six years old.

Taking Matters Into Own Hands

Finally, Sarah’s had enough and she can’t wait any longer. She says to Abraham “Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid (Hagar)“.

She has decided to take matters into her own hands. “It may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai” [Genesis 16:2].

Hagar conceives and she starts to despise Sarah “in her eyes” [Genesis 16:4].

Now poor Abraham starts to face the flak, “And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the Lord judge between me and thee”.

So Abraham tells her, “Behold, thy maid is in thine hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee” [Genesis 16:5-6].

Sarah does exactly that. She starts to deal harshly with Hagar, her maid, till she can’t take it any longer and flees into the wilderness.

However, while she’s out there, God meets her, and tells her to go back to her mistress Sarah. HE tells her to name her son Ishmael, and promises to bless her offspring down the generations.

The Fourteen Year Significance

Fourteen years now go by before God fulfills His promise to Abraham. He is now a hundred years old and his wife Sarah is ninety. They finally have that promised son and He’s named Isaac, as God so instructed [Genesis 21:1-3].

[Genesis 21:9] tells us that, “Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking”.

So she tells Abraham to “cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac” [Genesis 21:10].

Now, THE BIG QUESTION is, why did God send Hagar back to her mistress the first time, only to let her and her son be “cast out” fourteen years later?

God was looking down the aeon of time two thousand years later, when HE would sovereignly use this episode to establish a vitally important “Doctrinal Truth” through the apostle Paul, for this “Age of Grace” in which we now live.

READ ON…

The Poison Of Legalism

After Paul the apostle had established the Body of Christ Church of ‘Grace Age’ believers in the city of Galatia, the devil moves in to snatch away their liberty in Christ.
(Remember, that the devil is a thief and operates through legalistic religiously minded people).

“And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:” [Galatians 2:4].

That what religion with all it’s legalism does. It not only brings into bondage, but also keep us there.

So what was happening here?

These religious legalists came down and were telling these “Grace Age” believers that, “Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved” [Acts 15:1].

They were trying to attack the assurance of their salvation. These Galatians had simply believed by faith + nothing, in the “Gospel of Grace” that “Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again for our justification” [1 Corinthians 15:1-4] and [Romans 4:25].

Paul the apostle had received this Gospel of Grace by direct “revelation from the Lord Jesus Christ” [Galatians 1:11-12].

Then as if this was not enough, these legalistic believing footmen, who were from the sect of the Pharisees, further confuses them by adding on more legalism.
“That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses” [Acts 15:5].

We Thank God For The Apostle Paul

PRAISE GOD! We thank God for the great apostle Paul. He stood his ground and refused to budge an inch. THE TRUTH HAD BEEN ESTABLISHED AND IT WOULD STAND AT ALL COSTS!

“To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you” [Galatians 2:5].

Is it any coincidence that the apostle Paul also waited fourteen years, before going up by “revelation”, to Jerusalem with his “Gospel Of Grace” to the other apostles there [Galatians 2:1-2]?

NOT AT ALL. It was by Divine Providence, Wisdom, plan and purpose.
God’s Ways “are past finding out” [Romans 11:33].

This ‘fourteen year’ period seemed to be a time of gestation for the new “Age of Grace” truth to be established.

This is the TRUTH where we as believers in Christ stand today.

We Are Those Children Of Promise

Having being saved by the “Power of God” [Romans 1:16] by truly believing in the Gospel, Paul the Apostle tells us, “Now we (that’s you and me), brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise” [Galatians 4:28].

“But as he (referring to Ishmael) that was born after the flesh persecuted him (Isaac) that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now [Galatians 4:29].

Legalism is of the flesh and will always attempt to put down that which is of the Spirit.

Remember that when you are saved through the Gospel of Grace, it’s a work of the Holy Spirit. It’s the “POWER OF GOD”.

It stands, no matter what. God will see to it, it’s HIS office, so be encouraged.

You are in HIS HANDS, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is Greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand” [John 10:28-29].

The Great Assurance

How does the great apostle Paul put it?

“In Whom (Jesus Christ) ye also trusted, after that ye heard (Romans 10:17) the Word of Truth, the gospel of your salvation”.

Paul is talking about the the Death, Burial and Resurrection of Christ Jesus here.

“In Whom (JESUS)“, he continues, “also after that ye believed (+nothing else), ye were sealed (unbreakable) with that Holy Spirit of Promise”.

What a wonderful assurance that is!

“Which is the earnest(deposit) of our inheritance until (a time word) the redemption of the purchased(By His shed Blood on the Cross) possession(that’s us in the Body Of Christ), unto the praise of His Glory” [Ephesians 1:13-14].

So “Fear not”,  for you stand on ROCK SOLID ground.
For this throws that legalistic mindset and presence right out of the window into oblivion.

So go ahead freely, be all you can be, do all you can do, “to the Praise of His Glory”.

The Final Nail In The Coffin Of Legalism

Paul emphatically drives the point home and nails it in Galatians.

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 freewoman” [Galatians 4:30].

Law cannot abide under the same tent or vicinity of Grace. They don’t mix.
The Scriptures are clear for all of us to see and discern.

And since that is the case, the “Israeli Programme”, which is under the Law, “cannot” be mixed with the “Body of Christ Programme” which is under Grace.

Today God’s Grace Gospel message is not offering a “Kingdom”.
It is offering “Salvation” through the “death, burial and resurrection” of His Son Jesus Christ to all who just BELIEVE + NOTHING ELSE.

Jesus made a powerful statement in [Matthew9:17]. HE knew what would happen.
“Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved”

Law and Grace can “NEVER” get along together.

We have to learn to leave the Law where it belongs.

We must leave God’s agenda for the nation of Israel alone, which God Himself has set aside to be fulfilled after this “Age of Grace” comes to a close.

Stick with the apostle Paul. He alone is our apostle for this “Age of Grace”.

“For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:” [Romans 11:13].

“And ye shall know the Truth and the Truth shall make you free” [John 8:32].

Beware of ‘binding’ and ‘blinding’ religious legalism.

More Truths to follow in Crumb 32 shortly…