December 9, 2018 - Pudong

That one of the things that Jesus accomplished when he came to this Earth was to give us a different kind of relationship with God what I'm going to call this morning and an adult relationship with God. So children might say, oh I have to do this but as adults we ought to be able to say what this is what this is what I want to do. So an adult relationship with God is going to look dramatically different than an immature relationship with God and that's what Galatians chapter 3 in chapter 4 tells us So normally when I'm sitting at my dining room table or at my desk and I'm I'm preparing what I'm going to share on a Sunday morning. I'm thinking about I'm thinking about us. I'm thinking about the people I know here this group. But I also know that as Christmas season approaches that people are inviting guests in that there are people here. Anyway, that didn't make no claim to being a Christian. And if you're a guest that might be true as well and because if someone who cares about me, or I care about them and they invite me to come here about something that's important to them. Well, I'm going to go unless I can think of a good excuse.

But with that in mind, we're going to look at a great Christmas passage. That's not in Luke Chapter 2 or Matthew chapter 1 in in the book of Galatians and we're going to we're really going to unpack we're going to discuss really what's at the core of Christian belief. This is what Christians believe and so I think that than what we look at this morning or going to be going to be relevant to all of us whether you call yourself a Christian or or not. So you're going to do I'm going to pray I'm going to pray silently right now, and I'm going to ask you to pray and I'm going to even if you don't call yourself a Christian. I'm just going to ask you to pray and say God. When would you use what said this morning in my life? So you're going to pray and I'm going to pray and I'll close this in just a few moments.

And Lord we ask you to use this time for your glory and for our good and we ask in Jesus name. Amen. All right. So the passage it were going to look at in the book of Galatians is chapter 4 in going to look at Verses 4 and 5. So I'm just going to read them to you and I think they're up on the screen as well. So when the fullness of time it come God sent forth his son born of a woman born under the law to redeem those who were under the law so that we might receive adoption as Sons. And one thing that is really clear and it doesn't really need me to expound upon it but is really clear In this passage. Is that God pursues. You see that that God is the cinder God sent forth his son and that God is the sent one. He's the son also who's being sent. We don't fully understand the Trinity but God is both the sender and God is sent one and he is pursuing people who turn their backs on him. He's pursuing people who in and of themselves have done nothing worthy of his Pursuit. But he still pursuing them anyway, and so that is the main idea of this passage that God sent forth his son. If you ever actually even used one of those a Bible study method where you kind of diagram a passage or a few sentences. I've got an example where I did it to this passage on the next slide. It's a really helpful tools to try to find out. What is the most important thing I what is really trying to be emphasized in the passage and and especially if English isn't your native language, but you're studying the Bible in English so you can break the passage down to all its Clauses and here if you'll see the theme the independent clause there is God sent forth his son. That's the main idea everything else hinges on that if that Claus isn't in the in the versus nothing else makes sense. So everything else is what's called a dependent clause it tells us some detail about God. Sending forth his son tells us the house in the winds in the wise. So when did God sent forth his son verse for when the fullness of time had come Christmas? How did God sent forth his son he was born of a woman and born under the law and then why did God send forth his son to redeem those who were under the law so that we might receive adoption as Sons. So this morning we're going to we're really going to exhume and we're going to focus on the wins and the wise the timing and the reason in Verses 4 and 5. Now to understand the the whole backdrop of these verses and really this whole passage. It's helpful to understand something about Roman culture. So that was the culture of the day when Paul was writing the church in galatia and Paul and his readers would have fully understood this and it's going to help us really appreciate the passage more if we understand this aspect of Roman culture as well. So I want you to picture a Roman middle class upper middle class gentleman. He's got some money or he has some land and so he has slaves and anyone who had money or land in in Roman culture that they owned slaves the the population of Rome about the time that this letter was written was was around a million people and they estimate that about half of that population was made up of slaves now walking down the street you wouldn't have recognized them as slaves because slaves didn't just exist to they weren't you didn't have slaves just to to work on your farm, but they were they were educated and intelligent than they would they would keep the books in your business or they wouldn't have go she ate on your behalf. And a father would also by certain slaves and he would charge them with raising his children. So unlike unlike this day in like today where a man will will father a child and then ideally want to be a part of their lives while they while they grow up at this time at the time that this letter was written. The father would would bring a child into the world, but then he would put them in the care of these specially chosen slaves. to be raised this version that the ESB call so slaves Guardians others will call and call them schoolmaster's so it wasn't a very close relationship at all because the children were weren't raised by the parents, but my but my slaves It's all in my mind. I kind of I kind of picture this this family meal and the whole family together and they're eating and I kind of picture the father of sort of leaning over to the mom and sing at what's that one's name again because because it wasn't an intimate relationship because the children weren't raised by him, but bye-bye a Slave but they were only raised by slaves until the time would come when the father decided to make a change in the relationship. So this is usually occur between the ages of 14 and 18. So you if you have this son and he's reach this age when his father has determined that he is ready to pass into manhood and they had the ceremony called liberalia. Eminem the ceremony came that the sun would take off the toga or the clothing of a child. It was clearly marked as a child's clothing and then he would put on the clothing of an adult. And at that point he was given new rights and new responsibilities and his family give responsibilities in the business. You was you was no longer under the care of a guardian or slave. He became an adult member of the family. So that process of that process was very well known in Roman culture. And it was called adoption. So sometimes in scripture when you when you read that term adoption. This is what it's referring to. So it's different from from our day because now when you read about adoption, you're talking about taking a child who is not a biological member of your family and then bringing them into your family. But at this time and what Paul is referring to is taking a child who was a biological member of the family and making them an adult son and giving them all the rights and the Privileges that went along with them and their unique in Roman culture and it wasn't like the Jewish Bar Mitzvah in that it wasn't a set date like the 13th birthday. It happened when the father determined that the sun was ready. The father determine when the time was right. So that was very clear that backdrop was very clear to the churches in galatia that Paul was riding too. They understood that was meant when he said adoption as Sons later said that he was talking about a different kind of relationship with the father and adult relationship with the father.

So that backdrop culturally let's look so Paul said when the fullness of time had come fill in liberalia. The father had determined that the sun was ready to become an adult member of the family. And so it was here that God had determined that the time had come when it's people would change the way that they were to relate to him and you can look all throughout this passage and it starts back in chapter 3 and see references to time all through it. And by the way, that's another great Bible study as you're looking through the text seeing what words or phrases or themes are are emphasized or repeated until we're going to we're going to start back in chapter 3, and we're going to look at verse 19 and I'm going to start reading there. This is what I mean the law which came 430 years afterward. That's our first reference to time does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God. So as to make the promise void, where is The Inheritance comes by the law it no longer comes by the promise, but God gave it to Abraham buy a promise why then the law to pause here for a moment because up to this point in the book of Galatians. Paul has been making the case that that Believers they're not under the ceremonial this Old Testament law anymore until then. He asked the question will if you're not under the law, why did why did it exist in the first place? Why then the law what was its purpose and then he answers it. He says it was added because of transgression until The Offspring should come to whom the promise had been made and it was put in place through Angels by an intermediary now an intermediary implies more than one but God is one. Is the law contrary to the promises of God certainly not for the law had been given that could give life than a righteousness righteousness would indeed be by the law but the scripture imprisoned everything under sin so that the Promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe now before Faith came fourth reference. We were held captive under the law in prison until the coming Faith would be revealed. So then the law was our Guardian until Christ came in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come that's our eighth reference. We are no longer under the law. We are no longer under a guardian a Schoolmaster. So you can see the parallels there right to to that Roman concept of adoption to this Roman child stepping into adulthood no longer under a guardian when I'm trying to get to show as we go through that passage is that the timing is important? And that's why versus four and five are really the climax of the whole thing because there's this not yet. Not yet. Not yet. Now now the fullness of time it come. And then you go on and things are in persimmon things are no longer like it was in the past. There's this very clear before and after there was this before in the law and there was this after in Christ and the difference between the before and the after the dividing point between before and after was simply this God sent forth his son. Christmas The dividing point between before and after was Christmas.

Now what was going on here was the maturity. It wasn't really about the maturity of his people because in fact the Old Testament Israelites. They didn't get a lot. I mean neither do we? When a mature word was not the people but the plan of God, so in the mind of God, the law head had done its thing the law all had accomplished its purpose is it had demonstrated that man was sinful and it had revealed his own righteousness. And and in that passage, we just read all of humanity was locked up under judgment. The law showed us that we are all guilty. We were condemned. The law had done its thing. And now it was time for phase to the fullness of time had come and the father knew that it was time for phase two. And that next phase happen when price king. That's what Paul saying. Just keep reading verses 1 through 3 in chapter 4. I mean that the air is is 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 this world. So again, there's still more references to time. So for us living on this side of the coming of Christ, we're no longer under the guardianship of the law. We're no longer like a slave. We're no longer like Wesley Morrison in in me saying I have to go to church. I have to read my Bible. I have to go to catechism class. Rapping let Along by some Authority taking us where we don't really want to go. That is an immature relationship with God. And we've been delivered from that because Christ came. So that's the the timing now we're to take a look at the at the why why did God send the sun? We see that in verse 5 says to redeem those who were under the law so that we might receive adoption as Sons or or some version. Say the full rights of sons.

That we might be placed as adult sons in the family. It's about our status before the father's about our standing before God cuz that's what we've been talking about. That is what changed when we were adopted as sons are standing with God changed. That's the why to change are standing before the father. But before we get to that. Before we get to our adoption as Sons we have to deal with this issue of redemption, right? Cuz he says to redeem those who are under the law so that we can receive adoption as Sons soap Redemption had to take place before the adoption couldn't Now the concept of redemption is not a family concept. Don't liberalia had to do with the father determining that the time was right to change his son status in the family to make him an adult son. That's what I'd option was. But the concept of redemption will that's a Marketplace term me slavery's up a part of the story here too. But this is where the slaves were bought and sold. To redeem those who were under the law. See we were all under condemnation. We were all guilty according to the law. We were under the Judgment of God we deserved. And really you have to understand sin in order for that to mean anything.

When I when I first came to China was almost 20 years ago and it is I would try to talk about this message when I would try to talk about the gospel with my Chinese friends. We we found was a really challenging topic because this this Chinese word for Force inner Tire in is also the the word for criminal and so I'm sitting there talking with my Chinese friends if I want we all need Jesus because we're all criminals and and I know some of them were looking at me oddly and just saying, who are you? Maybe you're a criminal.

But I'm not I don't need Jesus.

Abide definition really fits this passage. Doesn't it cause confusion then but it's really accurate here. We're all guilty of breaking God law.

We don't even have to go through the Old Testament and look for some of the steer a little my new show a little detail that we didn't wear the right type of clothing or hair was wrong.

Military have to go through it all. Let's look at Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 5.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

How you doing with that?

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. You've been living your whole life that way.

me neither

Blocking dims doesn't he?

We're guilty. We're locked up under it. like slaves

the Paul said Jesus Christ came to redeem those under the law to pay a price in order to liberate in order to set free. So so picture of slave now, the only way the slave will ever not be a slave is for a price to be paid in order to set him free. And that's what Jesus came to do. So the Redemption that Paul is talking about in verse 5 didn't actually happen in Jesus's birth. It happened at his death, but that's why Christ came he came to die. That was the price that was paid for my Liberation for my freedom and for yours.

Another book that Paul wrote. He said the wages of sin is death. What you and I ironed like our like our wages in our job what we learned for our sin was death Eternal and spiritual separation from God.

Christ bore that punishment he paid my sin debt. He took the wages that I deserved. He did this to redeem me so that I might receive a adoption as a son. But I might be placed into a mature relationship with God not like some distant little kid somewhere but as an adult, son.

So in this ceremony of liberalia that this teenage young man was allowed to relate to the father differently Moore's appear in a business partner and not just some distant little kid. Think about what it would feel like this step into this entirely new relationship with your father.

God's telling us that he sent his son in order that we can have that kind of relationship with him. Not the type of relationship that's characterized by a list of do's and don't dues distance and slavery, but the type of relationship that is characterized by intimacy and authority and privilege as his children as his mature adult sons. I keep talking by the way about son's because this ceremony of liberalia is in view, but an impact might even hear some people read through this passage and they'll say that we might receive adoption as sons and daughters. But I think Paul was being very intentional with his word choice here because who actually had the authority who was actually heir to the father's wealth and power.

It was the Sun. T'pol wasn't discriminating. He was saying regardless of where you are in this world. You can have a mature adult relationship with God as a son as a name. And we see that I'm done. Just making it up. We see that here in Galatians were going to look back in chapter 3.

For in Christ, you are all sons of God through faith for as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free. There is no male and female. You are all one in Christ Jesus and if you are Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring heirs according to the promise. So the privilege of being an adult son or an adult are of God is open to everybody regardless of what your life is like here.

And then in verse 6 of chapter 4 and because you are Sons God has sent the spirit of his son into our hearts crying Abba Father.

So don't don't read the the term Abba Father as is as it's just what a three-year-old would say to his dad about. What is the point of ABBA is that this is the one you know, there's an intimacy. There's a family relationship. The reason I call my dad even though he's 79 years old and I'm 42. It's not that I still think I'm a three-year-old around him. It's because there's closeness there. We know each other we talk easily.

So a mature relationship with God is as involving intimacy, because the spirit of Jesus has been sitting to our hearts. We can enjoy that type of relationship with God. We since him. He's here we talked to him. the Old Testament Israelites never imagined such closeness or intimacy with God, but because Jesus came we can John contrast to what the the nation of Israel experienced Our Lives aren't monopolized by some code of conduct some list of do's and don'ts like it would be for a normal little kid. We are just trying to follow the list. Looking for 7 so you are no longer a slave but a son and if a son than an air through God formally when you did not know God you were enslaved to those that my nature are not Gods. But now you have come to now that you have come to know God or rather be known by God. How can you turn back again to the weak and worthless Elementary principles of this world? Who slaves you want to be once more? You observe days and months and seasons and years I'm afraid that I may have labored over you and vein So Paul, he's angry. He's incredulous. How can you come to know Christ want to step back into this immature way of relating to God? A way of relating to God that's characterized by do's and don'ts. The kind of things that Wesley and I had to do when we were in fifth grade singing. Why would you ever step out of this mature relationship into something like that?

But but Christians do that all the time.

Sometime back. I was I was with an acquaintance. He was a surgeon in the US and he was a Believer and I asked him about his relationship with God and I used that phrase cuz I knew you would know what I was talking about it immediately. He started telling me how his relationship with God meant that he didn't drink to access that he didn't smoke and you didn't use foul language particularly in front of his colleagues. Meaning those are those are all good things not getting drunk and not smoking and not cussing at that's all those are all good things. What are those are the defining characteristics of your relationship with God?

Is your relationship with God all about not getting drunk and not using bad words?

But it's it's easy to talk about someone else. It's the same is true for me. I so naturally fill my connection with god with what I can do for him. Show me my free life is filled with request for for this person to hear the gospel and come to Christ or for this ministry event or for this sermon.

I don't naturally connect with God is Abba Father. I naturally connect with God is boss. With Taskmaster do I so desperately want to please? I am naturally I'm afraid of intimacy is if he's going to find out something.

So I treat my relationship with God is this list of things that I can do for him? But does anyone in this room actually believe that those are the most important things about my relationship with God? I mean the reality is when we talk about what's really Central what's really core. Those things aren't even a blip on the radar.

Now, of course, we should we should apply scripture to all areas of Our Lives 222 how we live how we how we drink how we relate to one another the ministry that we try to do as we try to communicate the gospel.

But those aren't the defining characteristics of my relationship with God if it is am I really living out of this mature relationship. The guy wants to have with me. Cuz that's not a mature father son relationship. That is not what Jesus Christ came to give us. So let me I want to be very careful because I don't want you to hear me saying obedient isn't important or Ministry and serving the lord. That's not important. I don't want you to hear me saying so let me know when you put in a different way if you were to ask me.

About my relationship with my wife and tell me about your relationship with some. And I said, well she's my wife so I don't cheat on her. And I do do the dishes three times a week. And I tell her she looks nice.

If you asked me to tell you about my relationship with my wife, and I said, I don't cheat on her and she looks pretty and I tell her you would think something was a little off.

Cuz those are all good things did not cheat on my wife and to help around the house in to tell her she looks nice. Those are all good things, but those aren't the core of my relationship with some who sings are the Overflow. That's the real working of this love and this Intimacy in his adoration that I have for her.

These things that I do and these things that I don't do art the center. They're the they're the outflowing of what's really at the core. You see we have on this side of Christmas. We have rights and privileges that the Old Testament people of God couldn't have even dreamed about. name a few so the nation of Israel had had a system of sacrifices to address their sin and they were grateful for that. But it was ongoing week after week year after year this cloud above them always reminding them of their guilt. Today we are because of Christ able to have access to one sacrifice forever complete without that cloud of guilt following us around all the time.

We can enjoy closeness with God so that the again the nation of Israel they were separated from God by by the veil. So they they Envision God is residing in the inner inner sanctum of the temple in that was called the holy of holies and they were separated from him by Avail. They couldn't go into we are God resided. but when Christ I said when Christ died that veil was ripped into

not from bottom to top is if man was trying to get to the gods but from top to bottom as if God was the anxious one. to get to us

the Old Testament Israelites again before Christ They had people to mediate for them to stand between them and God and Prophets to speak for God and Priests to represent them to God. We have the Holy Spirit. Actually in us the teachers God's truth to make the words of scripture relevant and applicable to our lives. I mean, we're grateful for those who teach in for the authors that we read but we have the Holy Spirit to actually guy we sing about that we talked about that. He's present. He's with us we have decisions to make today.

And spirit is with us.

What a privilege.

And we have those things because God sent forth his son. We are heirs to all of that because God sent his son.

the birth of a child

in a barn in Israel 2000 years ago. Was the turning point in the way God connected to humanity.

And not only that it was the turning point in my life. The birth of a child in a barn 2000 years ago was the turning point in my life.

I want to ask you to consider how it affects yours.

Is it the turning point of your life? Because God sent forth his son. You can pray. You can be free from guilt. You can enjoy an intimate adult relationship with God. Because God sent forth his son.

Now the Bible will describe it describes itself as living and active. It is very appropriate to respond to something that is living and active. It's not like just a history book where you read and acquire knowledge. You think all that was interesting. I learned something new this morning.

Is it appropriate to respond?

The Bible warns about being the type of person who hears it and doesn't apply it. And I know the majority of us here in this room. We already identify ourselves as Christians and and maybe and maybe as I shared my story it connected with yours. Maybe you could relate to some of that.

That you don't connect with guy with the intimacy that he desires. Maybe you can do it like me relate to God is your boss and you just want to you just want to earn points.

That is not the type of relationship that Jesus died for. He wants so much more than that employer-employee type relationship. She wants intimacy and services are a great expression of that when it's motivated by that love and intimacy. 4 or I think even another Twist on that attitude is this since that hey I do. Alright. I certainly do better than the next guy. So God, I think you owe me. So why is my child sick or why haven't I found a spouse yet. You're not living up to your end of the bargain?

That is definitely not the type of relationship that God came to give us. He owes us nothing nothing but condemnation River. That's what we're at this morning.

Everything else is a gift from Christ.

But then I know that there are some here that are visiting or some here that that come regularly but wouldn't call himself a Christian and I think for you a very reasonable response would be to acknowledge that under the Bible that you're under condemnation and I know that sounds yucky. But the reality is that everybody relates to God in one of two ways. You're either in an adult relationship with God through Christ. Or you're under condemnation when it doesn't matter if you're trying to live up to certain standards or not because we're not we don't live up to his standards right? Remember love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your might that characterizes no one's life. We're guilty and that's in destroys our relationship with God and really it destroys a lot of other things too, including our relationships with other people.

That sin has consequences. River the wages of sin is death spiritual Eternal separation from God.

But our sins are mistakes. Don't prevent God from from loving us. That's why he pursues that's why he sent forth his son even when we don't deserve it.

Is there is nothing that you and I can do to bridge the gap ourselves? But Jesus came and he lived a sinless life. He never said not even once. And yet he suffered and he died for sin.

He paid a penalty for sin that he didn't deserve.

But how can you how can you accept that payment on your behalf? What are you do? How do you respond in an ounce at in the Bible talks about that response in a lot of different ways but I think the most common verb for for that response is is believed. The most common way they describe the Bible describes accepting price payment for our sin. Is that that verb to believe? Passage. I know you're familiar with for God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life for God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world because we're already condemned right the law did that he didn't need to send Jesus to do that? But in order that the world might be saved through him whoever believes in him is not condemned but whoever does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the son of God.

And then in chapter one of John but to all who did receive him who believed in his name. He gave the right to become children of God and so often you'll hear Christians little talk about receiving priced and it really just means to believe to believe in him. And so it when it started I was talking about if you don't identify with Christ, how can you respond to this? And I think a great way to respond is is belief and in any great manifestation a great way to demonstrate that belief is it's just through prayer. Just talking to God acknowledging that you're under condemnation acknowledging that he's pursued you.

Acknowledging that you want to follow him? That you want to take that sacrifice on your behalf.

And those aren't magic words praying a prayer doesn't save but prayer is a good demonstration of that belief and you can do it right now you want to talk? So I think that would be a great first step and I think it doesn't set you up for a perfect life, but it will change your life. And then do that to follow up on that. I think it would be great to come talk to me to come talk to people that you seen up on the stage work or the people that brought you here to help to help you think through. What is it mean to follow Jesus?

You know, maybe maybe it's something else. I don't know how God is working on your heart to respond to this passage. But I would encourage everyone to respond to God.

father we are grateful that you gave us your word that I bet you speak to us. And that it is irrelevant for our lives today. Father we are grateful most of all that you sent forth your son to pay the penalty for our sin. Lord I pray that your spirit would be making it clear how you would have your people and even those who don't know you to respond to this text and I pray that people would respond by pursuing an intimate relationship with a guy who is pursued them.

And we pray this in Jesus name.