Galatians # 11 Gal 4-6 thru 4-16
We’re going to continue our teaching from the book of Galatians. Last time we took up (GAL 4:1-5) so I want to just read over those Vs 1st so that we can get an understanding of what is being said.
I) GAL 4:1-5 (explain)
A) GAL 4:6-7
1) In the last part of this V Paul uses the phrase “CRYING, ABBA, FATHER.”
(a) The word “ABBA” is a CHALDEAN word for “father.”
(i) Simply what Paul is saying is that WE CRY, FATHER, FATHER.
2) Some have taken this word “ABBA” to be MORE SPIRITUAL or HAVE SOME MYSTICAL SIGNIFICANCE.
(a) Some have even gone around CHANTING IT TO SOME SORT, thinking that it is going to make them more spiritual or draw them closer to God.
(b) There’s nothing wrong with the word (Paul uses it), but it’s not going to do more then saying FATHER, FATHER.
3) The thing that Paul is trying to get across here is that God has now come into our lives when we accepted Jesus into our heart.
(a) John said in (1 John 4:4) “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” KJV
(i) Because we received Jesus as our Lord and Savoir, the HS has also come into our heart. Now the greater 1 dwells in us.
(b) This all has taken place because, as Paul says it in (V 6) “Ye are sons.”
B) In (V 7) Paul somewhat repeats himself. Let’s read it again GAL 4:7.
1) Now when Paul says that we are “NO MORE A SERVANT (slave NKJV), BUT A SON”, is he telling us that we are not servants of God?
2) Last week I said that it is good to study the Word of God Verse by verse, that way you can get the full meaning in context.
(a) Paul tells us in this V that we are not servants of God. When you read this you have to read it in context.
3) Paul refers to us as “SERVANT OF GOD” in (ROM 6:22; EPH 6:6; 1PET 2:16)
(a) Paul refers to himself as a servant of Jesus Christ in (PHIL 1:1)
C) So to read that we are not servants of God in (GAL 4:7) seems to contradict what the rest of the Word of God says.
1) But it doesn’t, you have to read what Paul is talking about in context.
2) What has Paul been talking about in these Vs here in (GAL 4)?
(a) We’ve been talking about being a young child, where the child is placed under tutors and governors.
(i) These tutors and governors were servants.
(ii) Paul said that the child, “Differeth nothing from a servant, until the time appointed by the father.”(V1 KJV)
(b) In (V 5) Paul talks about the “Adoption of sons,” meaning that the son is placed back into the same family with the full rights and privileges as a son.
(i) When Paul says that we are no more servants, he saying that we are no more in slavery under the basic principles of the world. (GAL 4:3 NIV)
(ii) We’re not servants to the principles of the world, and we are not servants to Satan.
(iii) Now we are servants of God (by choice). But even more then servants, we are sons of God; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
II) GAL 4:8-11
A) Paul was amazed and even astonished that the Church here at Galatia would go back to idolatry.
1) This church is made up of many Greek who formally were into Greek mythology.
2) Turn over to ACTS 14
(a) In (ACTS 14:8) it tells us that Paul was in Lystra which is in 1 of the providence’s of Galatia.
(b) ACTS 14:8-15a
(i) They called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius or Mercury.
(ii) In the Greek, both these words come from Greek mythological gods.
(iii) “Mercurius” is the Greek God “HERMES” and “Jupiter” is the Greek god “Zeus.”
(c) Paul quickly stated that these gods were false gods.
(i) But we can see where this church at Galatia is coming from, what they came out of.
B) GAL 4:12-16
1) We’ll get into this later if we have time.
Galatians#11 Gal 4:6-4:16.docx
WOLCC Thursday 5/22/97