Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NASB)

1. Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NASB) 23 Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; 24 but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.

2. GALATIANS

3. Ch 3-4: Grace-Faith versus Law-Works • 3:1-9 The Preeminence of Faith • 3:10-14 The Curse of Works • 3:15-18 The Precedent of Promise • 3:19-25 The Purpose of the Law • 3:26-4:7 Sons and Heirs through Christ • 4:8-18 The Emptiness of Legalism • 4:19-31 Law and Grace Cannot Coexist

4. Galatians 4:24-25 Howard Vos “Sinai ‘answers to’ or literally ‘belongs in the same row or line with the present Jerusalem.’ It corresponds in character to the earthly and visible Jerusalem which is in bondage with her children. Both politically to the Romans and religiously to the law, Judaism as centered in this city is in bondage. This Jerusalem, though located in the promised land, still clings to law-works as if she like Sinai were located in Arabia, outside the land of promise.”

5. “Golden Rule of Interpretation” Dr. David L. Cooper “When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense; therefore, take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate context, studied in the light of related passages and axiomatic and fundamental truths, indicate clearly otherwise.”

6. “above” Philippians 3:13-14 “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

7. “above” Philippians 3:13-14 “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” John 8:23 “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.”

8. “above” Philippians 3:13-14 “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” John 8:23 “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.” Colossians 3:1-2 “Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”

9. Galatians 4:26: “Jerusalem above” Howard Vos “The apostle John in Revelation looks forward to a time when the heavenly Jerusalem will come to earth… Meanwhile, this heavenly city exists in its spiritual or invisible form as a brotherhood of believers free from the restraints of law because the love of Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit constrain them to do the will of God from the heart.”

10. Galatians 4:26: “Jerusalem above” Howard Vos “The apostle John in Revelation looks forward to a time when the heavenly Jerusalem will come to earth… Meanwhile, this heavenly city exists in its spiritual or invisible form as a brotherhood of believers free from the restraints of law because the love of Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit constrain them to do the will of God from the heart.” James Boice “…for while it is true that there is a Jerusalem to come (Rev 21:2), it is also true, though in another sense, that this Jerusalem is now present in those born again by God’s Spirit.”

11. Galatians 4:26: “Jerusalem above” Donald Cunningham (The Bible Knowledge Commentary) “Sarah…corresponded to the Jerusalem . . . above, the mother of all the children of grace. This heavenly city, which one day will come to earth (cf. Rev. 21:2), is now the ‘city of the living God’ (cf. Heb. 12:22), the home of departed believers of all ages.”

12. Galatians 4:24-26 James Boice “On the most superficial level, Isaac and Ishmael were alike in that both were sons of Abraham. But on a more fundamental level they were entirely different. In the same way, Paul argues, it is not enough merely to claim Abraham as one’s father. Both Christians and Jews did that. The question is : Who is our mother and in what way were we born? If Hagar is our mother, then we were born of purely human means and are still slaves. If our mother is Sarah, then the birth was by promise, and we are free men.”

13. Isaiah(from The Bible Knowledge Commentary) • Ch 1-39 The Retribution of God • Ch 40-66 The Restoration by God • Ch 40-48 Deliverance of God’s people • Ch 49-57 Restoration by the Suffering Servant • Ch 49-50 The Servant to be rejected • Ch 51:1-52:12 The remnant to be exalted • Ch 52:13-53:13 The Servant to be exalted • Ch 54-57 Salvation to come from the Servant • Ch 58-66 Restoration realized and completed

14. Galatians 4:27 Howard Vos “The desolate one, Sarah, who represents the promise, largely fulfilled in the New Testament church, will have many more children than would be subject to the covenant of law. The New Testament church is predominantly composed of Gentiles, once without the promise and without God as their husband. The Jews, on the other hand, had God as their husband. Though spiritual sons of Hagar, under bondage, were numerous, spiritual sons of Sarah, according to promise, would be far more numerous because of encompassing Gentiles in the New Testament church.”