Hagar or Sarah? Between Bondage and Grace – Sermon – Pastor Dave Page

To fully grasp Paul’s message, we must revisit the story of Hagar and Sarah, found in Genesis 16 and 21. Their story is not just an ancient historical account; this morning, we want you to see it is a vivid picture of the spiritual realities we face today.

The Story of Hagar and Sarah

God had promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. However, as years passed and Sarah remained barren, doubt crept in. Instead of trusting in God’s promise, Sarah and Abraham took matters into her own hands and Sarah gave her servant Hagar to Abraham as a wife so that she might bear a child on Sarah’s behalf. Now understand, this was a common cultural practice at the time, but it was not God’s plan. Hagar conceived and bore a son, Ishmael. However, tension soon arose between Sarah and Hagar.

Hagar, now pregnant, began to despise Sarah, and Sarah, in turn, treated Hagar harshly, causing her to flee into the wilderness. In the wilderness, an angel of the Lord appeared to Hagar, telling her to return and submit to Sarah. The angel also gave her a promise—her son, Ishmael, would become a great nation. Hagar called God “the God who sees me” because He had noticed her affliction and provided hope in her distress.

Years later, when Abraham was one hundred years old and Sarah was ninety, God fulfilled His promise, and Sarah gave birth to Isaac. The birth of Isaac brought joy, but it also ‘reignited’ the conflict between Ishmael and Isaac. Sarah saw Ishmael making fun of Isaac and insisted that Hagar and Ishmael be sent away. Abraham was quite upset, but God reassured him that Ishmael would also be blessed, though the covenant promise would be fulfilled through Isaac.

This historical event is the backdrop for Paul’s teaching in Galatians. Paul uses the story to contrast two ways of approaching God—through human effort (represented by Hagar and Ishmael) or through faith in God’s promise (represented by Sarah and Isaac). Just as Ishmael was born through human endeavour and Isaac was born through God’s intervention, so we too face the choice between relying on our own works or resting in God’s grace.

Two Sons —>Two Covenants (Galatians 4:21–31)

I think Paul draws from the story of Abraham’s two sons—Ishmael, born to Hagar (a slave), and Isaac, born to Sarah (a free woman) for a very good reason. These two sons represent two covenants:

• Hagar and Ishmael symbolize the old covenant, which is based on human effort, law-keeping, and slavery to religious rules. When Sarah remained barren, she and Abraham took matters into their own hands. This was an attempt to fulfill God’s promise through human effort rather than waiting on God’s timing. Ishmael was the result of that decision—a son born into slavery, not into the promise.
• Sarah and Isaac symbolize the new covenant, which is based on God’s promise and grace. When Abraham and Sarah were far beyond childbearing years, God miraculously enabled Sarah to conceive. Isaac was the child of promise, born not by human effort but by the power of God. Those who trust in Christ live as children of promise, not as slaves.

This is not a theme that is found only here in the story of Abraham and Sarah. Another powerful biblical example of the contrast between the old and new covenants is found in Mount Sinai and Mount Zion. At Mount Sinai, the Israelites received the Law—a covenant based on obedience and fear. The scene was terrifying: fire, darkness, and a voice so overwhelming that the people begged not to hear it again. This represents the old covenant, which brought awareness of sin but not the power to overcome it.

In contrast, Mount Zion represents the new covenant of grace. It is a place of joy, festivity, and welcome into God’s presence through Jesus, the mediator of a better covenant. Instead of fear and trembling, there is celebration and freedom. Just as Isaac was born through the power of God’s promise, so too are we brought into God’s family through faith in Christ, not by works of the law.

Hebrews 12:22-24 – “But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem… to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.”

Liberty, Not Burden (Galatians 5:1)

Paul has been repeatedly warning the Galatians against stepping back into legalism. He declares, “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.” Paul’s opponents argued that the doctrine of grace was dangerous—that without the Law, Christians would live recklessly. But Paul knew that it is grace, not law, that truly transforms lives (Titus 2:11-12). The law could only demand righteousness; grace supplies the power to live it.

What Paul knew and had experienced personally was that legalism was a burden too heavy to bear. The Jews of Paul’s day understood this well. Circumcision, representing the entire Mosaic Law, was a sign of the old covenant. By turning back to it, the Galatians were rejecting the blessings of the new covenant. Those who trust in the law for righteousness become bound to its impossible demands. Paul says that those who attempt to be justified by the law have “fallen from grace” (v. 4). This does not mean they lost their salvation; rather, they have moved from the freedom of grace back into the burdensome sphere of law.

Conclusion

Watchman Nee, the early missionary to China, put it simply yet powerfully:

“Law means I must do something for God; grace means that God does something for me.”

Church, this is the heart of the gospel message. The law tells us that we must earn our way to God through our actions, our rules, and our performance. But grace shifts the focus entirely—it’s not about what we can do for God; it’s about what He has already done for us.

Application Points:

It’s easy to get caught up in trying to measure up, to think that if we just try harder or do more, we will somehow earn God’s favour. But grace tells us something radically different. Grace tells us that God’s favour is already ours—not because we’ve done anything to deserve it, but because Jesus did everything necessary on our behalf.

Let me give you an illustration: We’ve likely all been that child who has just made a huge mistake. You’ve broken something valuable, and you’re sure that your parents are going to be furious with you. As you wait for the consequences, you’re preparing yourself to face punishment. But when your parents come into the room, instead of scolding you, they hug you and assure you that everything will be okay. They’ve already taken care of the situation, and they love you no matter what. That moment of grace—of unconditional love and forgiveness—that is a microscopic glimpse of what God offers us in Jesus. We don’t earn His love or His forgiveness through our actions; it’s a free gift.

Now, let’s look at another powerful example from the Bible—the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). Here, we see a young man who chose to live thinking he could do things on his own. He asked for his inheritance early, left home, and lived a reckless life, squandering all that his father had given him. He eventually found himself destitute, feeding pigs and longing for the scraps they ate. At this low point, he decided to return home and ask his father for forgiveness. But what happened when he did? His father saw him from a distance, ran to him, embraced him, and threw a party in his honor. The father didn’t require him to earn back his place in the family. Instead, he welcomed him back with open arms and celebrated his return.

The Prodigal Son’s story is a story of grace. Despite all the mistakes and failures, the son’s identity as a son was never lost. The father didn’t demand that he earn his way back—he simply welcomed him home with love and forgiveness. This is what grace looks like—God’s invitation to return, no matter how far we’ve wandered, and to be accepted and embraced fully in Christ.

Now, consider your own life: Are you living like the Prodigal Son, believing that your mistakes disqualify you from God’s love? Or are you like the elder brother, trapped in a mindset of legalism, thinking that you need to earn God’s love through your performance and adherence to the law? Both brothers missed the heart of the father’s grace, but only one was willing to experience the freedom that grace brings.

That’s what grace does, it offers us freedom. Not the freedom to live recklessly, but the freedom to live in the full assurance that we are loved and accepted by God, no matter our shortcomings. Grace enables us to let go of our need to prove ourselves and instead rest in the sufficiency of Jesus’s finished work. It’s not about striving to meet God’s standards; it’s about embracing the fact that He has already met them on our behalf.

Romans 8:1-2 says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” There is no condemnation for you if you are in Christ. That means all your failures, all your mistakes, all your shortcomings are covered by the grace of God. You are free from any law that condemns you and free to live in the power of the Spirit, who gives life.

So, ask yourself today: Am I living under the law, striving to earn God’s approval, or am I walking in the freedom of grace, resting in the fact that I am fully accepted by God through the finished work of Jesus? The choice is yours, and it’s a life-changing one.

Embrace that freedom today. Let go of the need to prove yourself and simply rest in the grace of God. Like the Prodigal Son, you are welcomed home, not because of what you’ve done but because of who you are—God’s own. Live in that freedom, walk in that grace, and remember: “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.”