God With Us Pt.1
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Raise your hand if you are in the Christmas spirit?
How many of you are more like me, you’re just not quite there yet?
I’m trying, it’s always a struggle for me. I’ll get there by Christmas eve. It’s a slow, gradual build up for me.
But I do love celebrating and contemplating the birth of Christ.
Let me tell you how the Christmas season starts off in the Barbo house. We have a tradition where the Friday or Saturday after Thanksgiving we go out to Curry Farm and of course the main objective is to pick out a Christmas tree. Of course they’ve got lots of activities for the kids and so we do all that stuff.
But the main thing is picking out the Christmas tree. Or in this year’s case, two Christmas trees. We came home with a Fraser Fir for the Sun room and a Leyland Cypress for the front room.
I don’t know how picking out a Christmas tree goes in your home, but in mine it usually turns into a fight. On a good year it’ll be like a two way fight, where there’s two sides. But sometimes it gets way more complicated, and I’m not going to say any names but there have been some tears shed, probably more years than not.
But in the end it’s always fun, and that’s just a part of the tradition for us.
What is it that makes picking out a Christmas tree difficult? Of course theres the different opinions. Everyone views the trees from their own angle, with their own set of eyes. And one person might point out a gap they don’t like, whereas another person might point out that there’s too many wild branches sticking out too far.
And that’s really it isn’t it. It’s the standards that make it difficult. The tree has to meet the standards. Of course as the dad in the home, I’m the one that has to enforce the standard that the tree can’t be too tall. For some reason we’re always attracted to the trees that are too tall. (We could put it outside).
Tension/Transition
Tension/Transition
Today we’re starting a new series (a Christmas Series) entitled God with us. This may not be a popular thing to think about at Christmas time, but did you know there were standards for Jesus’ birth?
These standards are what we know as The Law.
Today we’re going to be talking about the legality (if you will) of Jesus’ birth.
Truth
Truth
Our primary text for today is going to be Galatians 4:4-5…
Pray.
4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
Fullness of the time had come - I did a little studying on this word fullness. I’m not very smart and so sometimes I read things like, “the fullness of the time” and I think, what the heck does that mean? Of course we know what time means. But what does the fullness of the time mean. So I dug into this word for fullness. The greek word is pleroma (play-roma). In it’s most literal sense it just means full.
One of the illustrations I found that helps understand the meaning of this greek word is the idea of a ship being fully manned. You can imagine that you wouldn’t want to set sail, especially back in antiquity without having a fully manned ship, you need everyone who is necessary to sailing a ship across the open ocean before you set out on that kind of journey.
The other day I went to a coffee shop, and I go to a particular one (not Starbucks btw) because they have packets of honey (I like honey in my coffee as opposed to sugar or creamer,), and I walked over to the little bar where the honey is and took the lid off my paper cup of coffee and it was so full, that just in taking the lid off I spilt coffee everywhere, I’m really not sure how they got it that full, I think they put the lid on it and then poured the coffee in through the hole in the lid. And so that gave me an idea to help us understand what the fullness of time means.
At just the right time. (Glass filling illustration). All this history had to happen. Alexander the Great and then the Hellenistic period, and then the Roman Empire, and the development of the koine greek language (both as a spoken and written language), and Roman transportation routes, and 400 years of silence from heaven, and the Jewish religious leaders, and the census put out by Ceasar Augustus, and I’m certain that the list goes on and on.
And it was probably way more difficult for me to get that right, than it was for God to send His son at just the right time in history.
God sent forth His Son - This is Christmas in five words, right? Maybe five of the most important words in all of creation. (In the beginning God created, you got to have those five to mark the beginning of creation, right? And then maybe, God sent forth His son.
Born of a woman - of course we make note that Christ was not born of a man and a woman, but just a woman because He was miraculously conceived, but in order to be both fully God and fully man he still needed to be born of a woman.
And so, as John would say in John 1:14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
And then here’s where we’re really going to hone in this morning for a little while…
born under the law - Jesus was born under the law.
This is where I need to back up and establish a little context. We could ask this question, why does Paul feel the need to make this statement to believers in the region of Galatia?
Paul, probably with the help of guys like Barnabas and Timothy, established churches in some cities in the region of Galatia, such as Lystra and Derbe. Well at some point some other people (they’re often referred to as the Judaizers) came along and basically they said, “It’s fine if you want to believe in Jesus, but faith in Jesus alone won’t save you. You also are going to have to follow the Jewish law in order to be saved.”
And so to help us understand where Paul is coming from when he writes, “born under the law”, let’s make our way through a few verses that will help us understand the bigger picture of Paul’s letter to the Galatians.
6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
Paul says, listen, there’s one gospel. The one I preached to you. Which would have been Jesus Christ crucified for our sins, buried, and resurrected on the third day.
10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.”
And here Paul quotes Deuteronomy 27:26. Which is essentially saying if you’re going to follow the law, you got to follow the whole law, and be obedient to it, perfectly.
11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.”
And here Paul quotes Habakkuk 2:4, which he also quotes in Romans 1:17 and the author of Hebrews quotes in Hebrews 10:38.
12 Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.”
Here Paul is quoting Leviticus 18:5 which he also quotes in Romans 10:5. And the reason I’m giving you these references is to help you know that Paul knows what he’s talking about. And unlike me Paul isn’t having to look it up in order to quote it, he’s got the Old Testament committed to memory.
13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),
And here, listen, this is wild y’all, Paul is quoting Deuteronomy 21:23. If you go read Deuteronomy 21:22&23 (which is law, not prophecy) it says that if a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death by being hung (hanged) on a tree, that his body can’t remain on the tree overnight, but it has to be taken down and buried otherwise the land is accursed.
And so Jesus, not only in His death, but even after His death, fulfilled the law.
But the point Paul is making is that Christ, in His death, became sin for us.
14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Blessing of Abraham - that he would be the father of many nations.
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Point: A child was given to us that we might become children of God.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
You have been baptized haven’t you? You don’t have to baptized to be saved, but if you call yourself a follow of Christ and He said to be baptized then you probably ought to be obedient. BTW - the word baptize is a transliteration. Greek word: Baptizo, we (they - translators) didn’t translate the word, they just transliterated it. If we were going to actually translate it then it would read, immerse, or immersion.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Of course Paul’s not refusing to acknowledge the reality of ethnicity, or social status, or gender. What he saying is that if inheritance of eternal life comes through Christ, then ethnicity, social status, and gender are not what decide access into God’s covenant family.
29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Word nerd: The greek word for heir is: klay-ronomos
This word is formed from two words:
the first of which is: kley-ros which means lot (as in a distribution or allotment of land).
The second word is: nomos which means law.
And so we could think of this word as meaning, legal allotment, or legal portion.
Of course that’s what it means to be an heir. It means you are legally entitled to some sort of property.
And so Paul is saying, if you are in Christ then you are legal heirs according to the promise that God made to Abraham.
And now we’ve caught up to chapter 4.
1 Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, 2 but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father.
Paul is essentially saying that so long as the heir was still a child he/or she was subjected to the same rules and expectations as a slave in a house. Although as the heir he is actually over the slave, he doesn’t get to tell the slave what to do so long as he’s still a child.
3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world.
What Paul is saying here is that before the fullness of time had come, when God sent forth His Son, the general state of humanity was in bondage to the elements of the world, which are like the guardians and stewards mentioned in verse 2, which regulate the slave, and the child before the child received his inheritance at the time appointed by the Father.
4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
God sent forth His Son - Christmas!
Under the law - BTW: Who did the law come from?
And He sent Him forth, born of a woman, born under the law for a purpose.
5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Bottom Line: The birth, life, and death of Jesus secured a binding covenant promise—so everyone who trusts in Him has the right to the inheritance of eternal life.
Application
Application
Now let me show you some things about just how subjected to, or born under the law Jesus was.
And of course we can’t start a Christmas series off without reading some part of the Christmas story from Luke 2.
21 And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.
Eight days, in accordance with the law. - Leviticus 12:3
22 Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord
Days of purification, Luke wants you to know that this is in accordance to the law - Leviticus 12:2-8.
23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”),
According to the law - Exodus 13:12 and 22:29, Leviticus 27:26, and Deuteronomy 18:4.
24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
In Accordance with the law - Leviticus 12:2&8.
39 So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.
What do I want people to do?
Closing
Closing
What is Christmas season about?
It’s about faith, it’s about hope, it’s about God so loving the world the He sent His only begotten Son to us, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
It’s about good tidings and joy!
You can have all of those things because you can rest assure in this, that Jesus is who the scripture says He is, that He did what the scripture says He did, and that you are legally a child of God because Jesus Christ perfectly fulfilled the law.
The God Who created the heavens and the earth, The God Who sits on His throne as the sovereign and supreme ruler and judge of the whole cosmos has legally declared you His child, by sending His child to be the propitiation for your sin.
Invitation: To be adopted as God’s child the only requirement is that you put your faith in Jesus Christ.
Christmas party @ 4:00.
