Promised Children

Pastor Hilton preaches from Galatians 4:19–31, focusing on Paul's anguish that Christ be formed in believers. He warns against a "once saved, always saved" mentality that allows living any way after receiving the Holy Ghost, insisting believers must be born again repeatedly. The message centers on the allegory of Hagar and Sarah—bondwoman versus free woman—to show that true children of God are children of promise, not of the flesh. Pastor Hilton argues that just as God miraculously opened the wombs of barren matriarchs like Sarah, Rebecca, and Rachel to fulfill His covenant, He must perform miracles to bring forth spiritual children today. He emphasizes that human effort produces Ishmael, but God's intervention produces Isaac, the promised child. Drawing from Genesis 12–17, he shows that Abraham had to leave his father's house and receive a new identity before the promise could be fulfilled. The pastor applies this to the local church: it must not look to others for revival but expect God to work through its own bowels. He shares that God is ready to open the womb of the church, causing it to travail and bring forth promised children who genuinely love God. The sermon culminates in an altar call, urging those without the Holy Ghost to seek a fresh baptism and for all believers to travail in prayer until spiritual children are born.