“So that He might Redeem”
Galatians 4:1-7
Last Sunday we talked about what I believe to be
The most significant part of Christmas, and that is the incarnation.
God didn’t just put on a human body…
God didn’t just get inside a human and cohabitate in order to closely associate…
In short, God didn’t just observe man.
GOD BECAME MAN
And we talked about why that had to happen.
This morning I want to show you how timely it was,
And the extreme benefit we gain from it.
Some of you may remember our study of the book of Galatians,
But for those who did not take part,
Allow me to give you the overall point of the letter.
The Galatians were a region of churches consisting of such churches as Antioch, Lystra, Derbe, & Iconium
What you may also remember is that that region
Was a hot-bed for legalistic Judaism.
(In fact it was Jews from Antioch & Iconium
That followed Paul to Lystra in order to have him stoned)
So it is no surprise that those same Judaisers who attacked Paul
Are now attacking the churches he planted in the region.
And their main objective is to turn the Galatians
Back into a legalistic religion.
The main argument centers around the concept of circumcision.
Faith in Christ alone is not enough.
You must also adhere to the Law.
(You must be Jewish, not just Christian)
(Today it could be baptism or worship on Saturday, or missions)
Certainly the church today affirms the importance of good works,
But as fruit of salvation, not a means unto salvation.
Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
And I might as well point out that this is
Precisely what circumcision was as well.
This is clearly seen in Abraham.
Romans 4:9-12 “Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, “FAITH WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.” How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised; and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised.”
And so even circumcision, as with all religious works,
Was merely a symbol of salvation, but not a means unto it.
But the Judaisers insisted otherwise and attacked the Galatian churches
Seeking desperately to draw them back under their spiritual control.
And so we see the purpose for Paul’s letter.
1) To clarify the true gospel of salvation by grace alone through faith alone.
2) To condemn the heretics who were promoting a false gospel
3) To chastise the Galatians for being so gullible as to buy their deceptions
And that can be clearly seen from a complete study of the book of Galatians.
This morning we are in one of the gospel clarifying portions.
WE SEE ONE OF THE BENEFITS OF CHRIST’S COMING
3 things
#1 OUR SLAVERY
Galatians 4:1-3
You immediately notice that Paul is speaking
In an illustrative sense as he speaks of an heir.
This is actually a concept he began in the previous chapter.
God had made a promise to Abraham.
A promise of blessing on him and his seed. (Not Israel, but Jesus)
And the idea is that if we desire to be heirs of that promise
We must become children of Abraham, or of His seed, Jesus.
And that is precisely what happens when we come to faith in Christ.
Galatians 3:26-29 “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.”
When we are IN CHRIST then we are automatically heirs of the promise
That God made to Him and to Abraham.
And Paul now carries that same theme into chapter 4.
(1-2) “Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father.”
And I hope you understand the implication.
Your father may be a multi-millionaire,
And you may indeed be set to inherit the entire estate,
But while you are a child you have no say in the matter nor control of it.
Instead you are held back, taught, and trained
Until the day you are ready to assume responsibility.
We understand it in our culture; certainly it was true of a Jewish boy.
Jewish boys don’t officially become men until their bar mitzvah
On the first Sabbath after their 13th birthday.
Until that day, they are “under guardians and managers”
These are intended to prepare the boy
To become the man that his father expects him to be.
Paul then takes that reality and makes a spiritual parallel to it.
(3) “So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world.”
Paul says what is true for every Jewish boy in a cultural sense
Is true of us all in a spiritual sense.
“while we were children”
Is Paul speaking of just age here? – No.
He is using the term “children”
As a statement of ignorance and immaturity.
Look down at verse 8,
Galatians 4:8 “However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods.”
And so it is clear he is not just saying when we were younger,
But when we were immature and ignorant
And more specifically did not know God.
He goes on to say in verse 3
That we were “held in bondage under the elemental things of the world.”
Just as a young boy often feels held back by all the rules
So was the same for us.
WHAT ARE “the elemental things of the world.”?
We can gain much insight later in the text.
Galatians 4:8-11 “However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.”
Paul said in verse 9 that they were
Turning back “to the weak and worthless elemental things”
WHAT ARE THEY?
Verse 10, “You observe days and months and seasons and years”
And so it becomes clear to us that the “elemental things”
That enslaved us was a life under legalistic religious ordinance.
And this is true elsewhere as well.
TURN TO: COLOSSIANS 2:16-23
To them the “elemental things of the world”
Looked like obedience to God’s Law, but it wasn’t.
In reality it was sensual, Phariseestic, arrogant, self-glorifying,
Mystical, and absolutely worthless ritual.
But that is where the Galatians were formerly enslaved.
Allow me to develop the picture a little further.
Galatians 3:23-24 “But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.”
And so there we see that the Law was a tutor.
It was not the final aim, but was a tool to lead us further.
And according to Galatians 4:1-2 the guardians and managers
Were intended to tutor us with this curriculum
To prepare us for a true relationship with the Father.
But the problem was that the guardians and managers
Corrupted their purpose, and kept us separated from the Father
And from our inheritance by forever keeping us under the Law.
Matthew 23:13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.”
Why did the guardians and mangers do this?
Because with the heir out of the way,
They wished to seize the inheritance.
Remember the parable of the vineyard that Jesus gave?
The Father sent slaves to reap the produce of the vineyard,
But the tenants beat the slaves and robbed them.
So the Father then sent the Son to collect the payment.
Matthew 21:38 “But when the vine-growers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’”
And this is what Paul is revealing.
We were formerly enslaved under corrupt guardians,
Who desired to keep us under the Law forever,
And therefore to prevent us from obtaining our inheritance.
We couldn’t get the inheritance because we were trapped in religion.
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TRAPPED IN RELIGION?
Men do this on purpose to keep you loyal to them,
And they never really turn you loose to serve Christ.
[I was angered at a Seventh Day Adventist Church]
He keeps his pews packed with a fear tactic
That if they miss they fall out of fellowship with God
And incur His wrath.
We’ve seen other religions and denominations do the same.
• If you aren’t here every Sunday to partake of the Lord’s Supper…
• If you don’t participate in Mass or confession…
• If you don’t spend two years on a bicycle as a missionary…
And with such threats, they steal any sense of security,
And keep people enslaved under those “elemental things”.
And that is where we all were.
The slavery of trying desperately to make God love us
Through our persistent dedication to ritual and religion.
#2 OUR SAVIOR
Galatians 4:4-5
God sent His Son to change our slavery into sonship.
“when the fullness of the time came”
It means when the time on God’s calendar was finally here.
When the time was right, when God’s appointed time came to fruition.
And I also see a hint of attitude here.
It is almost like saying, “When God had had enough”
When God had had His fill of the guardians and managers.
Then “God sent forth His Son”
And that can certainly be seen in the attitude of Jesus can’t it.
And when God had had His fill,
He “sent for His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law”
And as we studied Sunday
“born of a woman” – because God had to be man
“born under the Law” – because He had to bear our burden
Romans 8:1-3 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,”
He came in our likeness to fight our battle and earn our victory.
(5) “so that He might redeem those who were born under the Law,”
He came to this earth as a man to fulfill the Law
And then to spread His success to us.
The guardians and managers forever held the Law over our head. And as long as we failed, they had grounds to keep us in line.
But Christ came and perfectly fulfilled it,
And He forged a way for us to be set free.
“that we might receive the adoption as sons.”
• He fulfilled the Law (our tutor)
• He set us free from the guardians and managers
HE USHERED IN OUR BAR MITZVAH
He made it possible for us to quit being a slave
And start enjoying the benefits of being a son.
AND THE BIGGEST ASPECT IS SECURITY.
(If we learn anything from the prodigal, it’s the security of a son)
We no longer walk in fear of God rejecting us.
Now we have been adopted. He has selected us,
He has signed the papers, He has made us His sons.
We now enjoy a status with God that can never be undone.
Jesus made that happen.
He had seen enough of the legalistic abuses taking place
Keeping people from their right as heirs of God
And He came to earth as a man to set us free.
2 Corinthians 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”
Our Slavery, Our Savior
#3 OUR STATUS
Galatians 4:6-7
Perhaps a child had lived in an orphanage waiting to be selected.
• But every time a couple comes to visit he makes some sort of mistake, and the couple chooses another child.
• He is trapped by his own failures and lives in fear of never being found worthy.
• But then one day a family takes him home and tells him he is their son.
• But because of the boys history of rejection he has difficulty believing them.
Until one day he finds his adoption certificate
And sees the seal stamped on the paper that reveals
That he is now a son forever and it can never be changed.
Verse 6 is our certificate.
(6) “Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
HOW DO I KNOW I AM A SON?
Because God worked a change in you
That caused you to look at Him as a Father.
He poured His Spirit into us, and that is why we naturally cry out to Him “Abba! Father!”
Which is a very personal term equivalent to our phrase “Daddy”
God made us a son through Jesus.
He makes us feel like a son by giving us His Spirit
Romans 5:5 “and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
Romans 8:15-17 “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”
Because of the Spirit, we know we are sons of God.
(7) “Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.”
And there we see again the point of Christmas.
To set us free from the fear instigated by the guardians
And to move us into the security of being an adopted child of God.
And because we are sons, we are heirs.
All the promises that God made to Abraham
All the blessings of Scripture
They are yours.
You can’t lose them…
Never to be revoked…
God adopted you and chose to give them to you,
And they are forever yours, because Jesus set us free to be sons.
And so this morning I want you to have a Merry Christmas
Realizing the absolute security found in being a son of God.
Furthermore I want you to bask in the joy of knowing
That you have an inheritance that your Father has stored up for you
And it is made possible all because
God became a man and made it possible.
2 Corinthians 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”
