Weekly Scriptures | Sermon Notes | Sermon Video
The entirety of the contradiction and denial can be summed up with this one ridiculous statement, indicative of the disease of historical blindness. “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.” Can you imagine the depth of their deception? The Nile River has a wide expanse in some places, but the River of Denial is too wide to cross everywhere, impossible to survive without a floatation device. Paul seems to be addressing a people hysterical over historical truth—a wave of deception that prevents them from latching onto the buoyancy of Christ. As such, Paul seems intent on revising revisionist history. Facts matter, although if you watch the news today you’d conclude otherwise. They suffered historical amnesia. Those who forget their history are bound to repeat its mistakes! “We have never been in bondage to anyone although we emerged from bondage to Egypt and landed in bondage to Rome.” They inherited historical misinterpretations. Those who incorrectly interpret the meaning of history are bound to repeat its mistakes! Israel may not mean what you think—you must expand your mind or you will miss something eternal. They invited historical misconceptions. Those who misunderstand the lessons of history are bound to repeat its mistakes! The children of the promise, in what seems to be a reference to the physical line of Isaac, was not so at all. Isaac was conceived to bring forth the Messiah, not just a nation.
And maybe the most egregious error you might make is to indict God’s character, as if God’s sovereignty is on trial. Rather we ought to defend God’s character. How gracious is He who guides us with historical precedent; judges us with historical justice; comforts us with historical predictability; and reasons with us with historical rationale. But, if you forget your history, or incorrectly interpret its meaning, or misunderstand its lessons—you are bound to repeat its mistakes! The Nile River has a wide expanse in some places, but the River of Denial is too wide to cross everywhere, impossible to survive without a floatation device, and the only thing offering you buoyancy is Christ.
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