Free to Grow

Nathan Klahsen

Free Indeed • Sermon • Submitted 6 years ago

Galatians 4:8–31

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As an adopted child, we are free to grow in Christ.

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Introduction

Something about plants?

Our garden in Hamilton

A Child of God knows freedom. Vss 8-11

Galatians Knowing God’s Grace

First, to be a child of God is to know the freedom of God’s grace. To put it even more simply, a Christian is someone who knows God:

Galatians 4:8–9 ESV

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?

To be a child of God is to know the freedom of God’s grace. To put it simply, a Christian is someone who knows God.

Verse 8: The experiences of Jews and Gentiles were different, Paul thinks of both as times of enslavement.

A time when the

An even better way to say this is that Christianity is a matter of who knows us! We can get to know God only because he already knows us—personally—and has revealed himself to us. So Paul makes this clarification: “now that you have come to know God—or rather to be known by God” (). To know God is to be a child of God, but this depends on the even more fundamental truth that we are known by God.

This is the freedom of God’s grace, that he knew us long before we ever came to know him. The initiative for membership in God’s family comes entirely from God himself. Imagine a tiny baby girl living in an orphanage. A man comes for a visit. As he sees the baby lying in her crib, he loves her so much that he adopts her into his family. She grows up to call the man “Father” because he is the only father she has ever known. But she knows him as her father only because he first knew her as his daughter. This is the love that God has for all his sons and daughters in Christ.

GOSPEL MOVE

Anyone who receives such grace, such undeserved favour, could never go back to the orphanage. Yet this is exactly what the Galatians were trying to do! Paul could hardly believe it: “But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?” (). The Galatians were converting back to practical paganism. It was like déja vu. They were going back to the first principles of paganism, back to their religious ABCs. Although they had graduated to faith in Jesus Christ, they were re-enrolling for spiritual kindergarten

Galatians Knowing God’s Grace

An even better way to say this is that Christianity is a matter of who knows us! We can get to know God only because he already knows us—personally—and has revealed himself to us. So Paul makes this clarification: “now that you have come to know God—or rather to be known by God” (Gal. 4:9). To know God is to be a child of God, but this depends on the even more fundamental truth that we are known by God.

Anyone who receives such grace, such undeserved favor, could never go back to the orphanage. Yet this is exactly what the Galatians were trying to do! Paul could hardly believe it: “But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?” (Gal. 4:9). The Galatians were converting back to practical paganism. It was like déja vu. They were going back to the first principles of paganism, back to their religious ABCs. Although they had graduated to faith in Jesus Christ, they were re-enrolling for spiritual kindergarten

Verse 9: Christianity is a matter of who knows us We can only get to know him because he already knows us ---> personally.

This is what Paul is painting for us in verses 21 to 31 as he talks about two people named Isaac and Ishmael. The key phrase is in verse 29:

Galatians 4:29 ESV

But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now.

Paul wants us to see the main difference here between the two: Ishmael was born according to the flesh, that is, in the natural way that children are born. Abraham and Hagar attempted to produce an heir through their own human ability, since Sarah couldn’t have children. But Isaac was born supernaturally, in the sense that this was something that could only happen if God intervened with a miracle between a 100 year old man and a 90 year old woman. This brings us back to Galatians 3:2.

Galatians 3:2 ESV

Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?

Galatians 3:2

Paul is telling us that our status as sons, as children of faith in God’s promise, comes about by the Spirit and not by natural human efforts. We we believe, when we have faith, that what God has done is enough, we rest. There is freedom. We’re not slaves to the law, to sin, our old ways anymore. We are children of freedom.

SO WHAT: There was a time the Galatians didn’t know God —> into all sorts of stuff: astrology, deity, whatever. They were going back to the orhpanage —> Galatisn were being chocked by the weeds of justificiation through works.

APPLICATION: There was a time you didn’t know God. Christianity is a matter of who knows us We can only get to know him because he already knows us

GOSPEL MOVE: So let me ask you this: Are you known by God. Are you believing in the gospel. 5 Fingures. Are you resting in that God himself came to rescue you.

Transition: As an adopted child, we are free to grow in Christ because we know the freedom of God’s grace.

Remind yourself of the freedom that you have through the joy of being in God’s Word.

A child of God enjoys the ministry of God’s Word Vss. 12-16

To be a child of God is to love the instruction of God

Vs. 14-15: Paul’s question —> What happens to your enjoyment?

Galatians warm welcome was nbot so much that they loved Paul, as it was that they loved God’s Word.

BUT also notice: God used Paul’s problems to achieve His purpose.

What then has become of your blessedness? —> Lit. “Counted themselves happy.” They received the word of God with real joy.

Verse 16: They had lost the joy of being in God’s Word. Galatians are now turning on Paul and had lost the joy of God’s word.

We’ve been blessed to be part of the Knollwood family. You’ve accepted my family into yours, but that’s not the case with all. We see that here with Paul.

Galatians Enjoying God’s Word

The example of the Galatians reminds us that the primary qualification for any Christian minister is that he must preach the Word of God. Too many churches have the wrong expectations of their ministers. Consider this description of the “Perfect Pastor” (which, thankfully, does not come from my own job description):

He condemns sins, but never upsets anyone. He works from 8:00 A. M. until midnight and is also the janitor. He makes $60.00 a week … and gives about $50.00 a week to the poor. He is 28 years old and has been preaching for 30 years.… The Perfect Pastor smiles all the time with a straight face because he has a sense of humor that keeps him seriously dedicated to his work.… He spends all his time evangelizing the unchurched and is always in his office when needed.

Ministers should not be judged by their ability, appearance, personality, popularity, or any of the other standards ordinarily used to judge them. Ministers should be evaluated primarily by their faithfulness to the Word of God. If they are faithful, then to welcome their message is to welcome Christ himself. “Happy is that Christian society,” wrote the Scotsman John Brown, “when the minister loves his people, and the people love their minister ‘for the truth’s sake.’ ”

Unfortunately, the Galatians were starting to turn against Paul. They may not have wronged Paul before, but they certainly seemed to be wronging him now. Their hospitality was turning into hostility, presumably because the Judaizers had been denigrating the apostle and denying his gospel.

Paul writes to the Galatians, therefore, as a wounded lover. He wonders, “Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?” (Gal. 4:16). His gospel has not changed. He is still proclaiming the good news about the cross and the empty tomb. He is still preaching justification by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Yet the Galatians were starting to reject the one true gospel. Unwilling to hear the truth, they were treating Paul like an enemy. The very message that first created the bond of their affection for him was starting to cause a rift between them.

Transition: As an adopted child we are free to grow in Christ as we enjoy the ministry of the Word of God.

To be a child of God is to love the instruction of God.

A: Have you lost awe of God — Professor=Face to face with God.

Somwhere we loos our happiness for the Word of God:

What do I do about it?:

1: Confess your stale heart

2: Mourn your lack of affection.

3: Don’t be content with how it is.

4: Pray for God to change your heart

5: Sing, pray, listen, and read the gospel. God uses his word through the power of the Holy SPirit to change you

6: Afterward, remove anything that’s leading you there.

Let our Heavenly Father, by the Holy Spirit, weed out in your life those things that have distracted your from the joy of the Word of God.

Transition: As an adopted child we are free to grow in Christ as we enjoy the ministry of the Word of God.

A Child of God is transformed into the life of God’s Son vss 17-20

Something happens when people enjoy the ministry of God’s Word. Th more they learn the Bible, the more they start to look like Jesus Christ. They start thinking the things he thinks, love the things he loves, do the things he does, even suffer the things he suffers. A child of God is transformed into the life of God’s son.

Verse 18: Paul says that it’s good to have zeal - we need to be zealous - as long as it’s for the right purpose.

Galatians 4:18 ESV

It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you,

But here the false teachers were using the Galatians for thier own purposes

Verse 19: Pauls says what he is zealous for:

Galatians 4:19 ESV

my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!

We pray that God would give us a passion to be conformed to the image of Christ.

“Formed” (morphoo): to cause something to have a certain form or nature.

Paul wants Christ to be a mold to shape the lives of the Galatians. Paul wants them to be like Christ.

Transition: As an adopted child we are free to grow in Christ as we are transformed into his image.

The Christian has the freedom to be transformed into the life of Christ. Christ shaping us, molding us, changing us, and forming us into His image so that we might be liberated to experience life in him, for him, through him, by him, and with him.

Galatians 4:17 ESV

They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them.

Galatians

You can see Pauls agony for this church here, that Christ would be formed in them. And this is my prayer for you. That you knollwood would be so shaped, molded, by Christ that you may be liberated to experience life in him, for him, through him, by him, and with him.

God gives us the passion to be conformed to the image of Christ.

As Christ is formed in us, which only happens by the Word, this affects our proclamation. So we pray that God would give us a passion to see others transformed for the glory of Christ.

In verse 19, this is why Paul is labouring. What he wants more than anything. Like a mother who longs, even through pain, to give birth to a child, Paul longed to see the Galatians transformed for the glory of Christ.

This should be our heart. My heart as your pastor, and also your heart. We should pray for each other, teach each other, and model the Christ-like life before each other because we want others to be transformed. We are not followers of Christ merely for our own sake.

We are here together, for each other (church membership). We weep, plead, confront when necessary, pray, exhort each other.

Paul says he will not be satisfied until that happens. “…until Christ is formed in you.”

Transition: As an adopted child we are free to grow in Christ as we are transformed into his image.

SO WHAT? Conclusion

In these verses, Paul has shown us what it means to be a true child of God. It is to know the freedom of God’s grace, the joy of God’s Word, and so to be formed into the image of CHrist. Once this starts to happen - once we have passed from slavery to sonship - it really is unthinkable to go back to being a lsave again.

One man who never forgot that God has redeemeed him, bought him, from slavery was John Newton. Newton knew a lot about slavery because he was a slave-trader before he became a Christian. He knew from that point on he was no longer a slave to sin; he was a son of God.

To remind himself he would always be a former slave, Newton had fixed on the wall of his study.

Deuteronomy 15:15 ESV

You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today.

Like John Newton, anyone who has become God’s own dear child need to remember never to go back into bondage.

Recap: As an adopted child, we are free to grow in Christ. This is shown as people who know freedom, who enjoy the word of God, and are transformed into the image of Christ.

As an adopted child, we are free to grow in Christ. Better yet, it’s your only option. The character of an adopted child in Christ is who who knows their Father, loves the instructions of their Father, and is being transformed into the image of Christ.

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