No Longer Slaves

Text

Gal 4:1-7.

Introduction

So far we are able to understand the poin the apostle is making to his audience. You cannot depend on anything except Jesus for your salvation. Any other other perverted, updated, or twisted gospel is another gospel.

To suscribe to another gospel is to forfeit grace, salvation, transformation, and the Lord Himself.

In doing this Paul simultaneously exposes the beauty of the gospel by emphasizing grace and freedom

This is something the Law couldn’t fully expose since it had a different purpose. It exposed sin, and incited in me a need for salvation which God bring in Jesus.

Paul continues to show you and me, the value and great blessings of being a child of God.

In a world that’s trying to make Christianity antiquated, irrelevant, and unappealing, I think its good for us to know and be confident in what the bible says we have in Jesus.

Paul says we have grace, justification, freedom, broken out of prison, partakers of the promise

He adds;

“YOU ARE NO LONGER SLAVES”

I know to a people that had literal slaves in their ancestry it hits a little differently and deeper, but no slavery compares to slavery of sin.

Paul does not end the thought of chap. 3, instead, he continues in chap. 4

Gal 3:29 he says, “if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to the promise.”

The best way to understand this portion of Scripture is as a chiasm

A Chiasm is a literary device used for the purpose of emphasis and explanantion

It’s where the writer arranges his thoughts in a sequence which is then repeated but in reverse.

E.g.

When the going gets tough, the tough get going

God is good all the time, and all the time God is good

These serve to expand and emphasise respectively

A biblical example of a Chiasm is in Proverbs 6:16-17.

Some chiasms have a central focal point, where a statement is made between the repeated ideas and thoughts, that’s what I believe is presnt in our text.

Paul/God wants you to know what you have iin Jesus and be confident in that. So that you won’t be operting out of fear and regimen but love and freedom.

1 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,

2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father.

3 So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world.

4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,

5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

6 Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.

The first three verses present a dilemma (Gal 4:1-3)

The last three verses present a blessing (Gal 4:5-7)

The verse in the middle is the catalyst that moves you out of the dilemma and puts you in the blessing

[see powerpoint]

The Dilemma

Galatians 4:1 “1 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,” You’re still on slave level under the law

Because of the design of the law, which was to exposed sin and raise anticipation for the Saviour, all it could do was what it was deisgned to do.

However, even though it treated you like a slave, a slave wasn’t who you were meant to be. God had sonship in mind

APPL. Be a son. Stop treating the gospel like your new slave master. If you do it will never transform your heart. Being a son means trusting in the love your Father has for you. Knowing that wehn you mess up He’s not going to disown you, but you love him so much, you do your best not to mess up but rather, please Him and make him happy.

Here’s how we know we can have this confidence - Galatians 4:2 “2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father.”

This arrangement is just for a time, but under this arrangement a son is no better of than the slave. The only difference is the son has a promise!

To the Galaitians that came from pagan idolatry, He says you were just as enslaved to that, as Jews were enslaved to the Law Galatians 4:3 “3 So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world.”

APPL. There are people that are not saved who think they have freedom and that “church” will take that away. It’s a delusion of the enemy to make you think you have freedom out of Christ and you are in bondage in Christ

Paul uses a word that has the connotations of “elementary things” or ABC’s

Paul uses the same word to describe the system that the Gentiles had been enslaved. Gal 4:8-9.

For the Jews it could not bring them perfection, longevity was never in the plan for the Law, hence the reference to the “elementary things”.

The Solution

It must be noted that Christ is presented as the agent through which the solution is adminsitered.

This dilemma is a great one and it will take a great effort to overcome it

Galatians 4:4 “4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,”

God sent salvation and look at what happened

Galatians 4:5 “5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” - This answer the dilemma of vs. 3

He redeems - Such was the bondage of the law, and the elementary principles, Jesus is pictured as having to buy us out at a price - We have been redeemed not from perishable things but with the precious blood of Jesus.

This redemption means you have value, and that God loves you

We were in the slums of sin, held by the “prince of the power of the air” God not only paid the price, but he came down in the slums to get us

The Jews were so busy judging and condemning everyone who didn’t follow law, They didn’t realize they too needed saving from the slums too

APPL. May we never get to a place where we think we do not need God’s grace

Don’t forget the slums God pulled you out of

He adopts - the redemption, sets us up to be adopted. In this context it is a status of sonship that all believers have through Abraham’s promise

We are moved for bondage to brethrem. Slavery to sonship. Accursed to adopted

The adopted son had: the same name, same status, same inheritance, same rights

God sent his Son to make us children who were by nature children of wrath - Through Jesus He gave you the right to become a son

Galatians 4:6 “6 Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!””

There is a link between faith and justification and the receiving of the Holy Spirit

The dilemma of vs 2 is that the father is distance and he has not bestowed the sonship as yet.....he’s still waiting for the right time.

But now, He (God) sent the Spirit, in your heart

Galatians 3:2 “2 This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?” (3:14)

Galatians 3:24 “24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.”

The justification and the sonship came by faith

Now in this sonship, you are prompted to cry, “Abba, Father”

Abba was not “daddy” and it was not exclusovely used by children in Ancient Palestine (as it is used today). It focuses not so much infancy but on intimacy - It fully acknowledges the majesty of the Great God

God is Sovereign, majestic, mighty, most high, Ancient of Days and He has made us His children - Because God is my Father I will be loyal and I will trust Him

That’s why when I need help I can call my Father, provision, peace - I can call Father

When I am discouraged, downtrodden, disheartened - I can call Abba Father

Now that we have a Father

And because all that I preached to you is true

Galatians 4:7 “7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.”

No longer is my relationship with God determined by what nation i was born in

No longer under the stern disciplinarian

No longer under rudimentary principle

No longer under a letter that kills

No longer am I imprisoned by Law and sin

No longer a slave, but a son

All of that was is made possib;e because what happen in our focus verse, Galatians 4:4 “4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,”

God came at the right time - I don’t if it was the road way, political tension, God made a divine decision to descend in His creation. And He did so at a time that was pleasing to Him (THAT’S SOVEREIGNTY)

He stepped out of eternity and stepped into time

He stepped out of His divine clothes and put on Human clothes

He stepped out of riches and stepped into poverty

He became like us so that He can eventually save us

God sent his Son - God had to send someone becasue all that was here wasn’t worthy.

Only His Son was worthy.

John 3:16 “16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

John 1:29 “29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

Luke 19:10 “10 “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.””

Matthew 1:21 “21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.””

He met me a wretch and turned me into rigtheousness

He met me busted, broken, broke, and broken down and he turned me into something beautiful

He was lifted up, so He could lift me up

He met me a slave....and turned me into a Son