Galatians - “Justifying the Unjust” (2/3)

Galatians 4:1-7 - “Sons and Heirs”

INTRO

Good Evening,

It is so good to see you all and I am excited to open up the Word of the Living Lord to see what he has in store for us…

SCRIPTURE - GOD’S WORD

I get excited about God’s Word because I believe it to be the truth…

Proverbs 30:5 (ESV)

Every word of God proves true;

he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

In a world full of lies and things that I can not rely upon… I have God’s Word that is truth… that I can turn to and count on… that stands the test of time and will never fade…

But I also get excited about God’s Word because it

it living, active, and able to pierce our hearts…

Go to Hebrews 4:12

Hebrews 4:12 (ESV)

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

PIERCING = “To pass into or through; often by overcoming resistance”

In other words… The Words in the bible are not two-dimensional… they do not rest on the page… they are not just a good story or a collection of events…

Rather… they are alive and active… they have power and are capable of piercing your heart… even when faced with resistance… even when you do not want to hear it… even when you want to ignore it… God’s Word pass through and into our hearts and pierces it…

No matter how cold, lifeless, and in opposition our hearts might be towards God… His Word has the power to pierce the heart of stone… to convict it and reveal its great need for a Savior…

I have never read anything like God’s Word… the more I read it the more I see how it knows, describes, and explains the condition of my heart… And I can not deny it…

TRANSITION

With this is in mind… I hope you are excited about God’s Word as well… We will be in Galatians 4:1-7…

We are in a new series in the Book of Galatians…

We this week and next week in this bool…

Last week we examined Galatians 2:15-21…

And learned:

We are “justified by faith in Christ Jesus”

that our defense and the one we can point to for the source of salvation is Jesus Christ…

That we stand legally before the righteous Lord and God as not guilty because of Jesus Christ… not because of our works…

This week… we will be looking at how our faith and justification in Christ… means that we are “Sons & Daughters of Christ” - that we are heirs and have been adopted by the Lord himself into his Family…

Please follow along with me as I read from Galatians 4:1-7

Galatians 4:1–7 (ESV)

I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father.

In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

QUESTIONS:

WE always ask ourselves two questions when approaching God’s Word:

What is God Teaching us through this text?

How do we Apply that Teaching to our Lives Today?

CONTEXT:

To be able to answer those questions… context is key…

Context provides clarity to the circumstances surrounding the story…

Context provides clarity regarding the circumstances surrounding the story…

We learned last week… that the book of Galatians was written by Paul (formerly known as Saul)… a man who once persecuted Christians… approved the stoning of Stephen… had a life changing transformation… and became a follower of Christ… witnessing to how good the Mercy and Grace of God is through Christ Jesus…

WHEN:

The book was written around AD 49… about 49 years after the birth of Christ…

Written to Churches in Southern Galatians Cities:

Antioch

Iconium

Lystra

Debre

WHY?

The churches were faced with false teachings

In particular the idea that religious traditions were necessary for salvation… which is not true...

The churches were faced with false teaching from Judaizers… that taught circumcision was required for salvation…

In other words… Faith alone… in Christ alone… was not enough…

So Paul writes to these churches to remind them them to hold true to the Gospel… to not listen to false teachers… and to remind them that they are children of God…

This leads me to the first question we ask ourselves: “What is God Teaching Us Through This Text”?

POINT #1: When you place your FAITH in Jesus Christ, you are ADOPTED into the FAMILY of GOD

Galatians 4:5 (ESV)

to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

ADOPTION = “A legal proceeding that creates a parent-child relation between persons not related by blood; with the adopted child being entitled to all privileges belonging to a natural child (Including the right to inherit)”

A summed up version of Adopted could be defined as = “the act of bringing someone who is the offspring of another into one’s own family”

Adoption is something that is near and dear to my heart… I have seen how adoption can completely and utterly change the life of an individual… I have seen how adoption puts on full display the relentless pursuit of how God chases after us, chooses us, and brings us into his family…

I am going to be very honest and transparent… when I was growing up… I was not sure why families with kids would adopt…

I thought adoption was for families who were unable to have kids…

I did not know why someone would adopt for any other reason than that…

But now that I have seen adoption up close, personal, and have experienced how adoption has changed lives… my wife and I desire to adopt…

SLOW DOWN - HOOK

Adoption has helped me see and realize… that a family is not based on blood alone…

Rather… that family is founded on love…

and that Children can be chosen…

STORY #1 - COLE ANDRES

In college, I met my best friend - COLE ANDRES…

I first met Cole my freshman year… he had a dorm to himself… when I first met him… I hated him… He was energetic… talked a lot… He talked about working out, Jesus, and all the dreams and goals that he had… and I can remember thinking… man this guy is just way too much…

But overtime, I got to know Cole… Cole lost his mom to cancer… Cole was a hard worker… he was respectful … honest … transparent … and truly cared for other people … Cole had every reason to be angry with God at his situation… yet he loved God …. Cole had big dreams, big plans, and his personality and positivity was contagious …

Cole broke me out of my box when I was in college… In fact, when we were in College Cole spoke and preached a sermon… He encouraged me and showed me that if God calls you to something … you can do it… that if you have gifts and talents… you use them for the Lord… Cole helped me dream … When my girlfriend broke up with me after 6 years of dating… Cole was there for me…

I share all this with you… because one Summer… Cole did not have a place to go… he needed a place to stay … and I went to my parents and asked them if Cole could stay with us… my parents without hesitation said yes… A the end of College… my dad gave Cole once of his knifes as a symbol that Cole was like a Son to him… we love him… he is family… not by blood… but because some children are chosen…

When Cole had no one… my family was there… when Cole was lost… my family was there… when Cole needed a home and a place to stay… my family was there… When Cole was far off and alone… My family brought him in and gave him a home… Cole was given a family not of blood… but because some children are chosen

Friends… the same is for you… You are not in the Family of God because you were born into it… you were far off… you were lost … you were in need of a home… and God looked at you rescued you… not because you were so good or great… but because he is a good God who loves you… You were adopted… brought into the family of God because he chose you…

Psalm 68:5-6 in the NIV says…

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

When God adopts you… you are legally grafted into his family tree… your status is becomes SON or DAUGHTER and you have a Father that loves you… cares for you… and who has prepared a family for you…

Question: Do you realize that you have been adopted into the family of God? Do you realize that you were far off and that God brought you near? Do you see that God has prepared a family for you? That you selected you? that he chose you? that he calls you a Son or Daughter? And that you receive an inheritance from him that does not perish? what God is this? What Father is this?

TRANSITION - CHILD OF WRATH

“What Else is God Teaching Us Through This Passage”?

This is important for you to Understand because if you have not been adopted… if you have not received the title - “Child of God”… then you are a “Child of Wrath”…

TRANSITION - POINT #2

POINT #2: If you are not a CHILD of GOD then you are a CHILD of DISOBEDIENCE

Ephesians 2:1–3 (ESV)

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

The “Prince of the power of the air” = is referring to Satan

“Sons of Disobedience”, the Word “Disobedience” = is noun, describing the state of failure to submit to the law, custom, or practice of an authority”

In other words… A Son of Disobedience… is someone who is in a position where they have pushed back against God’s law, customs, and authority”.

In other words… if you are not a Son of God… you are a son or daughter of Satan… You either obey your Heavenly Father… or you obey Satan…

Some of us don’t realize the impact of being adopted… because we do not realize what we have been adopted from… we do not realize the severity or how bad our condition was before Christ…

Some of us just think…

Well I know I am not perfect…

I know I have made mistakes…

But I would not go as far as to say.. that I am a child of disobedience or a child of Satan…

Some of us do not realize or recognize that we are in a position where we push back against the law, customs, and authority of God…

SLOW DOWN - HOOK

“Friends… even if you have only said a lie… you still committed a crime… and you belong to the father of all lies - Lucifer…”

Its not just some people are saved by God and some are not…

Its not just that there are Christians… good people… not so good people … bad people …. and awful people …

The reality is… there are children of God and children of disobedience…

Question: Which family are you a part of? Are you a son or daughter of the Savior? Or are you a son or daughter of Satan? Which family are you a part of?

TRANSISTION - POINT #3

“What is God Teaching Us Through This Text”?

POINT #3: When you are ADOPTED, the SPIRIT of God LIVES inside of you and you can CRY out to God, saying ABBA FATHER!

Galatians 4:6 (ESV)

And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

Romans 8:15 (ESV)

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

God gave you the Holy Spirit so that you could know and be assured that you are saved and a Child of God…

God does not want you to just wallow and always question whether or not you a Christian…

The Bible teaches that you can have assurance of salvation… that you can know without a doubt that you are a child of God… that you have been adopted into his family…

This is assurance and this guarantee of salvation comes from God and is a gift…

The enemy Satan would love for you to always be questioning whether or not you are a Christian…

Why?

He wants you to question your identity… if he can get you to question your identity… then you will be left paralyzed and unable to actively be on mission for Christ…

For example:

If I had doubts that my Dad was my actual Father…

Then I would call into question his character, motives, and whether or not he truly loves me…

I would question whether or not he truly has my back… that when he says he loves me… if he truly means it…

But because I know my Dad is truly my Father… and that no one can change that…

I can trust that he has my back… I can trust that he loves me… I can trust that when he tells me that I am his son… that I truly am… and I do not have question whether or not I am his son…

Question: Do you know what your identity is? Do you who you belong to without a doubt? Do you know that you are a child of the King? Or have you been paralyzed and constantly combing over whether or not you have been saved? Do you know for a fact who you are?

Does the Holy Spirit live inside you?

I want to wrap this up by looking at Galatians 4:6

Galatians 4:6 (ESV)

And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

Abba! Father! = is term that expresses endearment, love, and affection… used by young children to speak to their Fathers…

I have a soon whom I love…

I love him so much…

One thing that I want to make sure that he knows is that he can always come to me…

I want him to know that when he calls out to me that I will embrace him…. that when he runs to me my arms will be open and he will experience and see just how much I love him…

When he has done something Good, I will uplift him…

When he does something Bad… I will be the first one to remind them that I love him… that he is still my son… and I will be the first one to embrace him…

When my son hears my voice… I do not want it to be unfamiliar… I do not want him question whether or not he can come to me… I want my son to know my voice… that way when he hears it… he looks for me… that he tries to find me… I want my voice to source of comfort, love, and affection…

Friends… have you called out to God like a young child calls out to his Father?

Have you experienced the loving, gentle, and kind embrace of the Father?… Do you know his voice?… because of Child of God knows the voice of God… and a Child of God calls out to God… Have you called out to God like a young child in calls out to his Father with love and affection?

We look at Galatians 4:1-7 tonight…

The first questions we ask ourselves when we approach God’s Word is:

1.) What is God Teaching Us Through This Text?

He taught us that we have been adopted into the family of God… that no all family is born of blood… but the children of God are chosen by God…

He taught us that we are either a Child of God or a Child of Disobedience the Devil… “That even if you have only said a lie… you still committed a crime… and you belong to the father of all lies - Lucifer…”

He taught us that Children of God have the Holy Spirit living inside them… and that they can call out to God with love and affection… like a young child calls out his Father…

The Second Question we ask ourselves is how do we apply these teachings to our lives:

You can be honest with yourselves to evaluate whether or not you have been adopted into the family of Christ?

You can realize that if you have not been adopted into the family of God… that you are a child of disobedience…

You can rest and know that you are child of God if you have the Holy Spirit… God does not want you to not be certain… and you can call out to God like a young child calls out to his Father…

TRANSITION - INVITE WORSHIP TEAM ON STAGE

Its wild how the book of Galatians that was written by Paul and addressed to Christian Churches in A.D. 49 still applies to people like you and me today… would you please pray with me… PRAY and invite