A King Becomes a Child, so We Can Become Children of the King!
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Galatians 4:4–7 (ESV)
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Setting the Stage
Setting the Stage
In this passage Paul is explaining justification by faith…
The purpose of the Law of God…it’s role for mankind.
And here he makes a few very deep statements regarding the incarnation of Christ.
Let’s look first at this phrase in…
v.4…fullness of time…
We don’t really know the fullness of this statement.
We do know that Jesus arrived upon the scene of human history at the time previously ordaind by God…
We, also, know a few things that made the timing of the incarnation very good for the spread of the gospel…
The presence of Jewish synagogues in many places, enabling Christian missionaries to reach both Jews and Gentiles simultaneously.
This was due to the way Conquering Kingdoms spread their captors throughout the land to dissipate the ability for them to form rebellions.
The Greeks allowed for their captors to continue to worship in their own way.
The Romans were known for their advancements in roads, water travel, architecture, and much more.
There were laws in place by the Romans that kept vigilante groups and riots at bay.
The network of Roman roads and the enforcement of peace by the Romans aided evangelists in their missionary efforts.
The Greek language had spread throughout the civilized world.
This was due to the Greek domination across a large portion of the globe.
It was a language that everyone under the Romans learned.
So, huge portions of people could be reached with the Good News of Jesus Christ in one language.
These are just some of the human ways that the spread of the gospel was hugely aided by the circumstances at the time of the incarnation.
Another phrase Paul uses…
v.4…God sent forth His Son…
Here we see Paul make a truth statement that once again teaches us that the Son of God did not come into existence at His birth…
——> Otherwise, He could not be sent…
But, rather than coming into existence…
We see One who always existed take upon a human nature…
The eternal Son of God took upon flesh…
To forevermore be the God-Man.
And He did so willingly and in order to redeem a people for Himself.
With regards to mankind’s need salvation, the truth of the matter is…
Humanity has always known that it would take God to save us.
Romans 1 tells us that mankind spend their lives worshipping the creature rather than the Creator.
This belief has taken many false forms throughout the history of mankind.
Even now in our culture we deify nature.
——> we deify ourselves.
And label one or the other as the Savior of the world.
We have to deify something because the truth of our need for God to save us is so ingrained into our being.
We twist the truth, however, to keep God suppressed.
But to the Jews…God had revealed Himself to them in more than just creation and conscience.
But, the mystery remained.
The unknown was in the details of the HOW?
How would God save us?
This mystery has been revealed in Jesus Christ.
God the Son…would incarnate…take upon flesh…
God Himself would take upon the very nature of whom He would represent in salvation.
This is why Paul states…
v.4…born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law
This is the great mystery of God’s love for His people.
The love of God so far surpassing all understanding…
That the eternal Son of God would leave His throne room in heaven…
Take upon human nature. (Represent)
Take the form of a creature.
Be born of a virgin.
Live under the conditions of a fallen creation.
Place Himself under the Law, the Covenant of Works…
First made with Adam.
Keep that Covenant perfectly…
Tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin…
In order to redeem us from the Law.
IOW, to take us out from under that Covenant of Works…
To place His people in a new covenant…
In which all the curses have been removed…
And, all the blessing obtained for us, by Christ.
And the purpose of this infinitely gracious and glorious act, we are told is…
v.5…so that we might receive adoption as sons.
Adoption is a very precious thing.
It is an expression of redemption.
Parents choosing a child and removing them from a bleak, volatile situation…
And placing them into a loving home where they will be loved, cared for, nurtured and given a name.
This is what God has done for us though Christ.
We were happily living in a very harsh, volatile, destructive situation…
One that was dangerous for our present condition and our future outcome.
But, in love and grace, Jesus came to bear the burden of our guilt…
So, that we could be more than mere creatures of God…
So, we could become the children of God.
And that, by faith in Jesus Christ, is our new name…
We are the children of God.
Joint heirs with Jesus Christ.
For a full adoption to be legalized the rights of the former family have to be negated…done away with…
And all rights and privileges are awarded to the new family.
The old family no longer has any claims…
Only the new family can lay claim on the child…
Colossians 1:13–14 (ESV)
13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
We no longer belong to the Domain of Darkness.
We’re no longer citizens of the fallen world doomed for condemnation.
Christ, by becoming flesh, has done something for us that we desperately needed…
Colossians 2:13–15 (ESV)
13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
His perfect life, made His death worthy of cancelling the debt we owed God’s justice for our own transgressions.
v.15…read…No one has a rightful claim on us but Jesus.
Any claim they may have had, has been disarmed.
Any accusation they could have made has been cancelled…
By the blood of jesus on Calvary’s cross.
Revelation 1:5–6 (ESV)
5…To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
The blood of Christ has washed us clean.
We’ve been made priests within the Kingdom of Christ.
A kingdom in which the glory of God will shine forever…
And, His sovereign reign and dominion will never end.
So, Paul concludes…
Galatians 4:7 (ESV)
7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
We are sons and daughters of the most, high God.
Made so through the person and work of Jesus Christ.
We have been adopted by God into His righteous family.
Did you know that when a child is adopted in the U.S. the parents are told they can never disinherit the child?
You can disinherit your natural children.
But, you can never disinherit an adopted child.
And, we by faith in JC are adopted into the family of God…
And we will never lose our inheritance.
Ephesians 1:13–14 (ESV)
13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
This is the promise of our never being disinherited.
We’ve been given God the Spirit to take us all the way home.
Such a wonderful guarantee that Paul concludes in…
Romans 8:38–39 (ESV)
38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Praise be to God for the gift of the Son…
The King became a child, so that we could become children of the King.
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer