 church at Galatia so what has happened so far so somebody has come in to the church Paul has already preached the gospel to the church at Galatia and then somebody has come in and has gotten them has perverted the gospel has taught a gospel of workspace salvation to these people and the church or you know people in the church are believing it so Paul is giving you know a defense of the gospel in the book of Galatians he is first you know came in in the first chapter and said you know anybody that comes in and perverts the gospel or preaches anything else he says even if I come to you and preach a different gospel he says you're not to believe it let that person be accursed so then of course in Galatians chapter 3 in Galatians chapter 2 we saw this idea that you know to be children of Abraham you know the Jews they thought you know that you know they were they were special because they were heirs of Abraham and Paul teaches us in Galatians chapter 3 that anybody who has the faith Abraham was saved through faith and anybody that has that same faith that believes that same gospel the gospel that was given to Abraham is an heir of Abraham so we continue that thought in Galatians chapter 4 and then Paul right away in the first few verses here he starts to add another aspect or another twist to the lesson that he's teaching the Galatians so look down at Galatians chapter 4 and verse number one and the Bible says now I say that the heirs as long as he is a child differed nothing from a servant though he be Lord of all so here he's taking this idea that we're all heirs through faith you know that same faith we're all heirs of Abraham Jesus said the same thing I am able to raise up of these rocks children of Abraham he said that to the the arrogant Pharisees who were you know thinking that they were something because of you know their heritage but he says that the heirs so now we know we're all heirs if you're saved you're an heir of Abraham as long as he is a child differing nothing differ nothing from a servant though he be Lord of all but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father so he injects this different idea he says okay so you're an heir you're a child he's like but look but children in the world you know their servants he's like even even any person in the world is under you know some kind of you know leadership from tutors and governors so he says even so we when we were children were in bondage under the elements of the world so everybody he says as an heir as a child is in bondage under you know this system of the world but when the fullness of the time was come God sent forth his son made of a woman made under the law to redeem them that we're under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons and because you're ye are sons God has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts crying Abba father so we know that we've been adopted wherefore thou art no more a servant but a son and if a son then an heir of God through Christ so he's saying look you're your children of Abraham you're an heir of Abraham he's like but look if you were you were if it's further than that like there's a spiritual aspect where when you got saved through Christ you became adopted by God you're an actual heir of God and you're free through that like you're not going to be free by being an heir of Abraham you're free by being adopted by God is what he's saying so he injects this idea of bondage versus freedom and not only are you an heir of Abraham but you're actually an heir of God you're and you're free because of that okay you're free because God has adopted you look at verse number nine I'm sorry verse number eight how be it then when you knew not God he did service unto them which by nature are no gods but now after that you have known God or rather this is interesting turn to Matthew chapter 7 but he says after that you have known God or rather he kind of like catches himself and says or rather are known of God now how turn you again to the weak and beggarly elements where into you desire again to be in bondage so he's comparing this idea of this new belief that they had that this new belief that the church is adopting in works to being back in bondage he's saying look he's like you have known God or rather are known of God and that's interesting look at Matthew 7 verse 22 just that that phrase are known of God because what that means is this in Matthew chapter 7 verse number 22 the Bible says many will say to me in that day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy name and I name cast out devils and I named on many wonderful works these were people that knew who God was and we're calling Jesus Lord but we're bragging about their works they were boasting and in verse 23 the Bible says and then I will profess unto them I never knew you depart from me ye that work in equity so you see it's really that's why that second phrase in verse number nine of Galatians chapter 4 is so important because it's really about God knowing you it's not about us knowing God it's whether or not he knows you that's the important one in the Bible go back to Galatians chapter 4 verse number 10 so he's saying that by them by them you know they're turning again to the beggarly they're turning again to the world basically is what he's saying and they're putting themselves in bondage by doing that so we see in these first few verses this idea of works based salvation being compared to bondage and you know the true gospel being compared to freedom okay so this that's what I want you to get from these first few verses here okay you're not only you're not an heir of the world anymore you're an heir of God if you're saved you're an heir of God your father you're adopted by him and because of that you're free okay you're no longer in bondage so he's saying why are you you wanting to go back into bondage he's like why are you turning to be in bondage when you have freedom right there look at Galatians chapter 4 and verse number 10 and then he says then he gets specific he gets specific about some of the silly you know things that they're doing in verse number 10 he says he observed days and months and times and years he says I'm afraid of you lest I be stowed upon you labor in vain okay what he's saying here is turn to Romans chapter 14 while I'm explaining this what he's saying is they're observing all these festivals and they're observing all the Old Testament days and you know all the different Sabbaths and all this different thing they're observing all these things and he says I'm afraid of you he's basically saying like I mean it's kind of the equivalent modern day equivalent I'm saying like are you guys a bunch of morons or what's going on here you know he's like what in the world he's like I mean if I would have known you were this you know unintelligent I maybe wouldn't have spent so much time with you in the first place it's kind of what he's saying in verse number 11 he's like lest I be so he's like I'm afraid of you lest I be stowed upon you labor I've wasted my time with you people it's what he's saying okay look at Romans 14 and verse number five let's look at his days and months and times and years Romans 14 5 the Bible says one man esteemeth one day above another another esteemeth every day alike let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind this answers the whole question of you know remember the you know the clash of cultures I mean whose Romans you know he's written it's geared to the Romans okay it's for everybody but it's geared to the Romans he's talking to Gentiles here and he's saying look he's like you got these cultures and they all have all these different holidays and all these different festivals and all these different things that they celebrate he's like look whatever man you know wants to celebrate whatever it doesn't make any difference but he says in verse number six he says that he that regardeth the day regarded as long as you regard it unto the Lord is what he's saying so don't you know you can't have a day we're worshiping some other God but he says look as long as you know you have some you know day in your culture and you you choose to keep that day and you regard it to the Lord is like fine okay and then he that regardeth not the day to the Lord he does not regard it he that Edith Edith to the Lord he that give it God thanks and he that Edith not to the Lord he Edith not and give it God thanks so what what were the Galatians doing here what was going on here that you know the Paul was bringing this specific thing up they were they were following all the holy days somebody had come in and was telling them as part of this works-based gospel that they needed to follow all these holy days to be either more justified or you know justified in general it was tying it to salvation they were saying that these things were required I mean if they were required you think James would have brought it up to the Gentiles in you know Acts but he didn't it obviously is not the case look at Galatians chapter 4 in verse number 12 and Paul goes on and he says brethren I beseech you he's like I beg you be as I am for I am as you are and you have not injured me at all no you know you know how through infirmity of the flesh I preach the gospel unto you at the first so he's saying he says to them he's like look when I was with you at the first time now we don't know like if this was Paul's thorn in his flesh that he's talking about here maybe he was sick when he was there the first time or he was injured or whatever but he's like and my temptation which is in which was in my flesh my test that was in my flesh he despised not nor rejected but received me as an angel of God even as Christ Jesus so he came there the first time and he was injured wounded sick whatever and he's like you didn't reject me because of that he must have been you know put out to some degree to mention it here but he's like you accepted me as Christ Jesus we're in verse 15 where is then the blessedness he's spake of for I bear you record that if it had been possible you'd have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me he's just he's just kind of shocked at this point that he was there and they esteemed him so highly even in the condition that he was in that they would just turn so easily I mean he's kind of offended he's kind of offended imagine somebody that came here and preached and built a ministry and then comes back six months later a year later and it's just completely gone into heresy no one has stood up for the truth and it's just people the wolves have just taken over the entire church I mean he's he's offended and then he says in verse 16 am I there for you become your enemy because I tell you the truth I mean he's kind of rebuking them and he's saying look you know are am I still this blessed person that you know you you were just fawning all over and just listening to every word I said or am I now am I your enemy now they zealously affect you but not well yay they would exclude exclude you that you might affect them so he's saying he's like these people that came in he's like I mean they must have been some charismatic people they came in and they were very convincing and they really they zealously affected the church you could be zealously affected in the wrong direction is what Paul is saying here you know be careful with your emotions you know we'll talk about that a little bit later but he's saying look they've they fired you up he's like they fired you up and they have they have got you on fire for a false gospel is what he's saying look at verse 18 but it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing which is not what they are and not only when I am present with you my little children of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you you know he's basically saying I'm going to preach until you get saved okay in verse 20 I desire to be present with you now and to change my voice for I stand in doubt of you so what he's saying right now in verse number 20 he's basically saying you know are you even saved that's what he's saying to them he's like are you even saved he's like did you know how many times do I have to come back and preach the gospel for you to get saved because I doubt that you're even saved right now I mean Paul is saying that to these people right here now you think okay well you know we really shouldn't doubt people salvation but here's the thing you certainly would if you went out soul winning and you got somebody saved out soul winning and you know they or you got somebody that you know you know you gave them the gospel and they accepted it and you know they prayed and they asked God to save them I mean you would think all right they're saved but then if you came back you know two three months later and they were just you know oh no we found the book of Mormon you know and and we really think that the book of Mormon is what's true I mean it's workspace salvation and we think that this is the right thing I mean I mean let's be real you would doubt that they got saved you would doubt that they got saved you would wonder about their salvation look at verse 21 now he goes into a big explanation another you know defense of the gospel here and in kind of backs up he kind of gets out of the the personal he was kind of like you know he went into a personal thing for a while like you guys you guys were so excited to have me there and I was such a blessing to you and now I mean do you not even care what I say now and he goes into that but now he's gonna launch into another biblical defense of the gospel look at verse 21 and that's where I want to really focus the sermon this evening he says tell me you that desire to be under the law do you not hear the law so now he's talking to the people that have believed this okay he's talking to the people that maybe even are preaching this he says you that desire to be under the law do you not hear the law he's like if you desire to be under the law and you think that you're gonna be saved under the law he's like you don't even understand the law is what he's saying verse 22 for it is written that Abraham had two sons the one by a bond made and the other by a free woman so we're gonna start to see why he brought up this idea of workspace salvation having to do with bondage and grace through faith having to do with freedom being an heir of God turned to Genesis chapter 16 so he brings up the story of Abraham and Abraham's two sons one by his wife and the other by you know his bond made haggard look at Genesis chapter 16 and verse number one now sarai abram's wife bear him no children and she had a handmade an Egyptian whose name was haggard and sarai said to abram behold now the Lord hath restrained me from bearing I pray thee go in unto thy maid unto my maid that it may be that I may obtain children by her and abram harken to the voice of sarai he listened to her and sarai abram's wife took haggard her made the Egyptian after abram had dwelt 10 years in the land of Canaan and gave her to husband eight to her husband abram to be his wife so she actually you know he marries her of course as a as another wife and he went in on to haggard and she conceived and when she saw that she had conceived her mistress was despised in her eyes so here you know Sarah is not sarai in this verse is not able to have children and she's bearing the Bible says if she bear him no children and then she says well why don't you just go into my my handmade my servant and have children through her you know it's kind of like a surrogacy so he marries her and then of course you know that the household just doesn't really work out from there right I mean haggard you know despises sarai and haggard ends up having to leave and it's a big mess but the point is is that that was the first son that abram had now go back to Galatians chapter 4 in verse number 23 Galatians chapter 4 in verse number 23 so that's the story that verse number 22 was talking about the one by the bond made in the other by a free woman we haven't seen the one by the free woman yet but the Bible says in Galatians 4 23 but he who was of the bond woman this is Ishmael haggard's son was born after the flesh but he of the free woman was by promise which things are an allegory so he is saying that when Isaiah is born a few verses later he's saying that child through sarai was the child of promise and the bond woman haggard's son was a child it was a child born after the flesh and I'll explain that to you in a minute but the Bible says it's an allegory okay it says this is an allegory so what that means is this story is not only a story that actually happened but by Paul saying it's an allegory it means that it's teaching a moral lesson this is gonna he's gonna use this story to teach a deeper meaning a moral meaning here and I'm gonna explain that to you now the Bible says this this is the allegory allegory and verse number 25 or verse 24 these things are an allegory for these are the two covenants the one from the Mount Sinai with gender at the bondage which is agar and that's haggard of course in the Old Testament for this agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and answer it to Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with her children okay so what he's saying here is that the child through haggard is an allegory is a picture of the covenant of Mount Sinai which of course was the covenant of the law which of course the Jerusalem which now is what was the religion at that time the Jerusalem that was at that time they believed in just following the law and just you know they thought that they were following the law they weren't even following the law but the point is they believed in works-based salvation that was the that was the religion of the Jews at that time that just you know if we're good and we're religious you know we're gonna be you know going to heaven okay and they're in bondage so he's saying Jerusalem now is in bondage and that is a picture of haggard the bond woman and her son okay because she was he was born after the flesh okay now this is the current way of the Jews and it's interesting because these are the type of people that came into the church in Galatia as we saw a few verses earlier that these were kind of like Judaizers they were trying to Judaize the church in Galatia saying you need to follow the law you need to observe the times you need to observe all the different things that the Jews you know salvation is gonna come through Mount Sinai they're trying to put them underneath the bondage that Jerusalem currently was under is what the Bible is saying here and it only brings bondage and back up to verse number 23 the bond he was born after the flesh it's interesting because in Genesis chapter 12 Abraham is Abraham is promised that he will be a great nation in Genesis chapter 15 Abraham and so you know he got didn't get real specific on that he just says I'm gonna make you a great nation he tells him to get out of the land that he's in right now and take this journey I'm gonna make you a great nation and then in Genesis chapter 15 a complete chapter before Ishmael is born and he goes in on to haggard God promises him that he's going to have a son from his own bowels from his own body God makes that specific promise to him but what Abram did and what Sarah I did was they took God's promise they're like you know what God needs some help and we're gonna do this thing you know I know God promised me this thing but I'm gonna do it my way I'm gonna do it man's way this is the allegory is that Abram he took he had the promise of God already he already had the promise of God but he said no I'm gonna do it my way and that's exactly what works base salvation is is throwing away the promise of God and saying no we're gonna do this man's way and the allegory is that this and this is what Paul is teaching and why he started out with this idea that you know there's a free air and air that's in bondage man's way only brings bondage is what he is getting at here now look at verse number 26 but Jerusalem so Jerusalem which is now Jerusalem which is now is in bondage he's talking about the actual Jerusalem the actual religion that was going on then and then verse 26 he says but Jerusalem which is above is free this is the heavenly Jerusalem he's speaking spiritually now which is above is free which is the mother of us all and he's talking about true salvation verse 27 for it is written rejoice thou barren that bear us not break forth and cry thou that travail us not for the desolate hath many more children than she with hath and husband now this is quoting Isaiah 54 just go ahead and we'll and it's funny because Isaiah 54 is talking about the same concept of bringing in the Gentiles underneath you know the adoption of God turned Isaiah let's just go there real quickly turned Isaiah chapter 54 Isaiah chapter 54 Isaiah 54 just kind of explains this basic concept in a few verses look at this is what Paul is quoting in Galatians 4 27 where it's a single barren now that did us not bear break forth into singing and cry aloud that thou disnot travail a child for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife say at the Lord enlarge the place of thy tent and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations spare not lengthen thy cords and strengthen thy stakes for thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles and make the desolate cities to be inhabited fear not for thou shalt not be ashamed neither thou shall be confounded for thou shalt not be put to shame for thou shall forget the shame of thy youth now shall remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more for thy maker is thine husband the Lord of hosts is his name in thy Redeemer of the Holy One of Israel the God of the whole earth shall he be called look anybody is talking about bringing in the whole earth it's like anybody that is is an heir that of faith is is you know that's how God's going to be the God of everyone on the earth and saying the tent you know it's not going to be desolate the tent is going to be bursting at the seams the Bible says so that is what Paul is quoting in verse number 27 look at verse number 28 so look Abraham wanted a physical seed so he and Sarah took things into their own hands and ignored the promise of God that's the story okay this is workspace salvation right here God has provided look God has provided salvation through his son he did it all himself and through faith we faith in that we are Abraham's promised children look at verse 28 now we this is what he says brethren as Isaac was are the children of promise that's how but as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit so it is now in the allegory continues turn to Genesis chapter 16 so here we have I mean Ishmael is born he's born he's you know he's a child of Abraham's he's the one born after the flesh and the one born of the promise was Isaac it doesn't mean that there are any more or less of a person it's just one was God's way and the other was man's way that's the allegory look at Genesis 16 verse number 11 and this is again talking the angel of the Lord talking to Sarah and it says in Genesis 16 11 and the angel of the Lord said under her behold thou art with child and shall bear a son and she'll call his name I'm sorry this is Hagar and she'll call his name Ishmael because the Lord hath heard thy affliction and he will be a wild man his hand will be against every man and every man's hand against him he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren so that's talking about the type of man that Ishmael is going to be in the nation that he's going to have go back to Galatians chapter 4 and verse 30 Galatians chapter 4 and verse number 30 the Bible says nevertheless what say at the Scripture cast out the bond woman and her son for the son of the bond woman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman so then brethren we are not children of the bond woman but of the free so the allegory again is this the bond woman is man's way you know that is the the path of Hagar and Ishmael that is man's way and that represents the covenant it says the two covenants that represents the covenants the covenant at Mount Sinai it represents the law represents salvation through the law and it leads look there's no here's the thing it's it's called bond you know the bond woman bondage you know it's called servitude you know there's it's because there's no freedom there there's no freedom there there's never going to be any freedom there salvation through the law just leads to slavery that's it there's not ever going to be salvation there's not ever going to be freedom through that path so it says you know these two paths can't be together is what he's saying now the promise the promise turned to Genesis 17 the promise through Isaac you know Sarah's son through Isaac that's what God promised in the first place that's what God promised in Genesis chapter 15 that's what God ends up you know delivering on that is God's way that is the path of grace and the path of salvation without works and God fulfills his promise despite Abram despite Abram and Sarah I taking things into their own hands the promise of an heir was made twice before this happened in Genesis 16 it was made in Genesis chapter 12 and it was made in Genesis chapter 15 look at Genesis chapter 17 this is the lesson tonight this is the lesson tonight it will apply it here in a minute but look at Genesis 17 see because because when Isaac was born Abram had a son called Ishmael he was a teenager at that point I mean he had a son and look what he says in verse 17 of Genesis 17 then Abram fell on his face and laughed and said in his heart this is he again God is telling him he's gonna have a child he said shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years old and shall Sarah that is 90 years old bear and Abram said unto God and Abraham at this point said unto God oh that Ishmael light Ishmael light might live before me he's like just make it Ishmael he's like fulfill the promise through Ishmael which you know if you think about it I mean the son was already there you know he had a son he wasn't barren anymore I mean he's like just just fulfill the promise through him make him a great nation this is what he's saying in verse number 18 but what would that really that kind of wrecked the allegory wouldn't it that kind of wrecked the allegory because it could be kind of like kind of like Abram had some something to do with it and Sarah had something to do with it and then God came in and kind of just helped it along it basically be like man's way and God's way working together but God said no my way my way and God said verse 19 again he says this how many times do I have to say this and God said Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed and now shall call his name Isaac and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant and with his seed after him so God says no he's like it's my way it's going to be my way despite what you did despite what you tried despite you not really what it was was kind of lack of faith not believing that God was actually going to provide him a son God had to get really specific and say look it's going to be Sarah that's going to bear a son it's not going to be your way it's this way turn to Proverbs chapter 29 so we see that this is the allegory it's the allegory of the bond woman and the free woman and that is the law versus the true gospel it's bondage versus freedom there is no salvation in man's way and it makes sense because I mean if you logically think through it there's no possible way that you know following the law could ever make you not guilty of breaking the law I mean it can't take that away turn to Proverbs chapter 29 so what's the application here we see a great allegory that Paul again this is what Jesus was telling teaching Paul in Arabia this kind of stuff these kind of connections to what God's plan was and the different pictures that God was painting in the Old Testament and to what he would fulfill in the New Testament so what's the application turn to Proverbs chapter 29 and verse number 18 the application I want to make this evening is this first of all in Proverbs chapter 29 look at verse number 18 the Bible says this it says where there is no vision the people perish but he that keepeth the law happy is he so look at the first part of that verse there it says where there's no vision the people perish so first of all you saw here Abram coming up with his own plan and executing his own plan before we get back into that let me just say this the Bible even says look it's good to have a plan it's good to have a plan in your life if there's nothing in the world wrong with having a plan as a matter of fact the Bible here is telling us you know if you don't have a plan if you don't have a vision you know things are not going to be good for you so it's good to have a plan you need to have a plan in your life and whether that be for you you know a plan for you personally maybe if you're not married don't have a family maybe that be for your family if you're married and you have a family maybe that be a plan you know look if you're married and you have a family you need to have a lot of plans but I mean maybe that's for your kids look I mean you can't I mean you can't float through this life day to day and just have no plan I mean it's not going to work out I mean that's the problem with so many people is that you know it's just today this and tomorrow that and you know whatever I mean it's just like look where do you want to be in five years that's the kind of plan I'm talking about and if you don't know you know where you're going to be right where you are now or worse or worse off so look this applies to all areas of your life having a vision for what you want in your life think of your spiritual life thinking your spiritual life think of your church life think of you know the activities in church what's your what's your vision for your role in this church have you ever thought about that I mean am I the only one that has to think about that what is your personal vision for what you want your role in this church to be you know I mentioned things like just a small example like men's preaching night you know like maybe if you haven't maybe you want to start getting more involved in the church and in doing things like you know getting more involved like maybe you'll you'll come to a men's preaching night or maybe you'll you know what I'm gonna preach I'm gonna put a sermon together and I'm gonna preach at men's preaching night you know maybe you know it with with ladies it's it's volunteering for things or coming to events or helping out with events and just helping in certain years I'll tell you one thing I'll tell you one thing not to just go off on this but I was thinking about I'm thinking a lot about you know the independent church lately I'm thinking a lot about the independent church that's coming in the next two or three or four months or whenever it is it's gonna be like that I'm telling you it's gonna be quick and I'll tell you what I'll tell you what I'll know like I know the people that had a vision when they came in here into this ministry because I will have a group of people that I know that I can rely on at that point I will have a group of people who have a vision for what they want to how they want to be involved in this ministry I will have that group of people it's nice I will have a group of people that I know that I can trust I can rely on that I don't have to just go this whole thing alone and look by that time two years I'll know who those people are but look if you think you know what's my vision I would like to be one of those you have to have a vision for your spiritual life you have to have a vision for you know your involvement in this ministry you have to have a vision for that well I mean what's your vision you know what's your vision for your kids what's your vision for the schooling for your kids what's the vision for you know the future for your kids what's your vision there do you have a vision do you have a vision for your kids I mean better have a vision for your kids or you know what about I mean I mean what about things like you know your finances what about what's your vision there you know ways to save money you just flopping by day by day you know are you just you know day by day spending everything that you have no plan no vision no budget just whatever every single day I mean look you're gonna perish in that area if you have no vision the Bible says how about you know you know in five years in these areas if you have no vision for it you're gonna be where you are now or worse well how about your job how about your job turn to Daniel chapter 1 I've been thinking about this one a lot lately and I've been reminding myself about this one too but look here's the thing about visions here's the thing about visions folks and I remind myself about this all the time or especially you know at harder times like visions they don't change with emotions visions don't change with just how you feel visions don't just you know today you know today I feel like this and you know today I don't and today I don't feel like doing this and today you know that's not there's no vision there there's no vision there here's what it takes Daniel's one of my favorite people in the Bible maybe the favorite person in the Bible look at Daniel chapter 1 and verse number 8 just been taken into captivity he had gotten brought into the king's house as you know to be one of the wise men to be one of the advisors of the king you know to be someone who educated the king's family and the royal court and you know I mean there was a lot of you know there was food and drink there and all this anything you want to eat and drink I'm sure I mean it was the king's food and this is what was offered to Daniel look at the Bible says but Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat nor with the wine which he drank therefore he requested of the prince of the Unix that he might not defile himself then the story goes on to say that this guy's like you know what they're probably just gonna kill everybody you know if they see that you're not eating you're not eating right you know they're just gonna get annoyed you know and he cost everybody their life including mine but Daniel he just purposed his heart just like I'm just not gonna do that now I'm just not gonna go there I'm just not gonna do it so look visions goals they just they just don't they just you just decide what to do and then you do it no matter how you feel you do it I mean you follow through on it Daniel purposed it in his heart and he followed through on it and that carried him throughout his entire life you could tell that kind of character you know followed him his whole life you know I mean so I mean what's your vision at your job I mean if you don't have a vision at your job I feel sorry for your family first of all but what's your plan you know what what's your plan to do better what's your plan to learn more I mean you should that is your plan you know the is your goal to be an expert in your area whatever it is is that is that your vision you know maybe you could start your own business you know all these different things but look these things and this is why a vision can't change every other day this is why you can't have a vision one day and then have a bad week or a bad month at work and then just drop your vision because these visions like becoming an expert in your field at work these things take years years it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at anything 10,000 hours fact that's working 40 hours a week that's four or five years to become an expert in a field at something look what the Bible is telling us is that if you have no vision if you have no plan you are going to fail you are not going to make it you will not accomplish anything now here's the irony of this whole situation here's the irony of the whole thing and and and looking at this thing from the ministry the irony is just it's like it's like blasting me in the face but the irony is this raise your hand if you want to accomplish nothing in your life no one would ever say me I want to accomplish nothing what do you want to be good at nothing what do you want to how do you want to have a family I I want to just suffer no one would ever say that no one would ever say that yet everybody's walking around with no vision everybody's walking around with no plan everybody's walking around just thinking they're just gonna they're just gonna blindly fall into you know success in life it's not gonna happen the Bible tells you it's not gonna happen you have to have a plan you say okay I'm convinced okay good I've convinced you well there's a catch there's a catch see Abraham Abraham he had Abraham had a plan Abraham and Sarai they had a plan they had a plan how to get a son and they followed through with that plan but it was not God's plan and that's the problem so the second part of this lesson of this application tonight is this we need whatever our plans are they need to be opera we need to be operating inside God's plan for our lives that is the key that is the trick our plan our vision needs to be within God's plan you say how do I how do I know that you know I mean I mean God I mean God literally spoke to Abraham I mean God is not audibly speaking to me and if he is come talk to me after church but look God is not gonna audibly speak to you you're not gonna hear a voice in your head that's not God if you're hearing voices in your head it's something else but the thing is your plan needs to be inside God's plan but here's the thing we have the Bible we have the whole Bible this is God's plan for you right here completely you say I don't see my name in there well here's how it works folks this Bible this Bible you are all holding in your hand it defines the roles and responsibilities in your life to your God to your family to your friends to your wife to your church to everything it defines your roles and responsibilities to everything in your life and as long as your vision lines up with that you're good you say I you know give me some examples I was thinking about some some more obvious examples that I've seen the most I mean there's infinite examples of this but here's some examples say you have my vision is to be you know as to is to you know for a man my vision is to become more successful at work I want to become the boss you know I want to make some more money for my family I want to learn everything about my job and eventually I want to start my own business and I want to get you know some more freedom so I can maybe you know you know spend some more time at church and maybe go on some mission trips and in a few years and you know just have some more opportunity for my family so I mean I'm gonna work 80 hours a week to get that done and you can't go to church anymore because you're working so much and you can't go soul winning anymore because you know you're working weekends look not God's plan it's outside of God's plan that's an ishmael that one is yours that one's your idea don't pin it on God that's another thing people will constantly come up with their own plans that are clearly outside God's plan and I have to be silent when they're telling me these things especially we're in a group of people they're like here's my plan ishmael ishmael ishmael and I say you know is look it's if it's outside God's plan it's not God's plan it's not God's will it's yours you know I have a I have a vision to make more money so I'm gonna put my wife to work I'm gonna put the kids in public school and not God's plan not God's plan that's that's that's an ishmael that one's yours you know I mean pick I mean so many times people will create a vision that on its face seems like a good thing I mean pick anything job career homeschooling financial goals I mean this was probably the worst this was probably the worst that I've seen the most is like man as soon as I make this much money then I'm gonna I mean I'm just gonna be obsessed with money for 10 years and as soon as I get rich then I'm gonna serve the Lord what brother I'm doing this so I can help the church you know I'm pushing so hard in my life and trying to you know make so much money and I have three different jobs and all this and you know I just can't be involved right now but as soon as I make that money you know then I'm gonna be all spiritual it's completely outside God's will and you know so don't try to spiritualize things don't try to spiritualize your ishmael's spiritualize your ishmael's like God just me needs me to do this right now no no God God wants you to be here God wants you to be here because look God's never gonna accept the ishmael God's never gonna bless that it doesn't even make I mean when I make this much money then I'll get in church you know and then you know I'll sell out then look God is gonna destroy those plants God is gonna destroy those plants so look folks this is so easy this is so easy look life life is so easy look at least the decisions you say life doesn't seem easy sometimes I agree it doesn't seem easy sometimes but here's the thing the decisions are easy the decisions in life are easy because you just do what you're supposed to do according to the Bible that's what you do look you get you establish you establish let's come up with a methodology here you establish a baseline you establish a baseline you get you know you get squared away you get in church you get your family on the right track you get the kids out of public school you have a vision to never put them there I mean you get your family set up you're in a good church you're out soul winning you're serving the Lord you have a plan to support your family your vision is to work hard every single day you do all these things make all the plans in the world then but when the things come up now that you have this baseline when things come up when opportunity comes up because look if you're if you get a good solid spiritual baseline opportunity is going to pop itself open to you doors are going to be open left and right but look you better watch out for those doors that are ish males and not God's doors because those doors are going to open to especially when you get a good baseline especially when you get your family on the right track especially when you start doing something with your life that is affecting this spiritual battle in this world the devil's gonna open up the wrong doors for you if you try to get you to walk through a couple ish male doors maybe you're working real hard and you're getting to be the boss and you become the boss and the boss and the boss and the bosses boss and all of a sudden that becomes who you are and all of a sudden you know the things of the Lord become small and that becomes the goal you start putting the horse the cart in front of the horse got my cart and horse mixed up there for a second but look you got to be careful but you got to get a saw it's all about the solid baseline it's all about getting that baseline you get in a good church get your family in the right track you get some you understand what the Bible says you listen to you know some Bible preaching you're getting the Bible thrown in your face three times a week and then look when something pops up that's not of God it's going to be very obvious it's going to be very obvious but look anything that would derail that baseline once you have it you know that's not of God that's how you know but you must understand what God's plan is and isn't it's kind of a chicken and egg thing because you know if you have the baseline you'll understand you know what God's plan is and you'll recognize when something is not God's plan but if you don't have the baseline it's going to be tough to recognize what's what that's how you get these people they're just like they're just going in every direction all the time what are you doing this week I don't know it's just different all the time you know these are the people I mean they can't these are these are the unstable people they don't have the baseline they don't recognize they don't recognize these things so they're they're just walking through doors I mean think of it think of if you're a saved person and think of how easy this is it's like a it's like a shooting gallery for Satan I mean it's like shooting fish in a barrel how many more analogies do I need to come up with here because you're just you're just this Christian you know nothing you have no baseline just walking through doors walking through doors walking through doors and I'm sure they're all the wrong doors because you have no you have no base this is the importance of a Bible preaching church it's important to reading your Bible of gaining that knowledge and wisdom this is the look this is the allegory of Abraham a man a man forcing his plans on God's vision for his life that's the allegory God has a plan for you he wants you here he wants you in his word he has a model for you to follow and look he'll open doors along the way for you to realize this plan and you should recognize what those doors are and and don't go around walking through Ishmael doors or kicking in doors on your own like Abraham did or Abram Galatians look Galatians Galatians and what Paul is talking about here the Galatians this works salvation this works based salvation is man forcing his solution on a problem that God has already solved that is what Galatians chapter 4 is about and it applies directly to all of our lives let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer