Are you an heir of God?

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to an heir of something, and not just an heir of your parent’s, or grandparents estate, but an heir of a massive fortune, or an heir of country. You hear stories about this happening, but it doesn't quite sink in, because we are not an heir of something that is so life changing that we dont have to worry for the rest of our lives In the world we have as of late 2020 2755 billonaires, and only 10 of those are under 30. The youngest billionaire on the planet is German heir Kevin David Lehmann, who is just 18. His father, Guenther Lehmann, transferred a stake in German drugstore chain drogerie markt to his son when he was 14, but it remained under a trusteeship until his 18th birthday, which was in September 2020. He is estimated to be worth 3.3 billion dollars. He is an heir of a massive fortune, set for life.

What if I told you today that if you are in Christ you have something better than young Kevin Lehmann. If you are in Christ what you will inherit with be worth far more than he ever will on this earth, all because of Jesus

Look with me at Galatians 4:1-7

Today I want you to answer the question are you an heir of God?

Main Idea: Being an heir of God means you are a son of God, and an heir through him.

Being an heir is an already not yet reality for the believer.

Paul is verse 1 and 2 is using this language for a specific reason, now the greek term for child hear is better translated to an infant or a child who is nursing. This child while being the heir would not be able to yet take responsibility for what they would inherit, because they are to young they lack understanding, and capability.

During that time much like today there was an age that they would be considered to being mature enough, to handle adulthood. Up until that time they are under someone else's care, and the father had authority to decide when that day would end. When a Roman child could be an adult, specifically hear to when a boy became a man.

It was a privileged event when that would take place, for the people of Rome the festival was known as the Liberalia and it was held of the 17th of March. And it was at that time when a child would be formally adopted by the father, and what father would do during that event was acknowledge that this child was in fact a son, and and an heir of him, and what the father would do is replace the Toga praetexta with a toga virilis,

According to one scholar a toga Praetexta would be worn by those who were freeborn youth, and the toga virilis would be a toga that would assume manhood in Rome.

This symbol was a big deal to any young man in Rome including his father, and up until that point the child was in fact considered a slave, not really a son.

Listen to how one man put it. “When the child was a minor in the eyes of the law—it is this word that Paul actually uses—his status was no different from that of a slave, even though he was the future owner of a vast estate. He could make no decisions; he had no freedom.”

This young man could have all the inheritance in the world, yet it was not truly his yet.

The biblical scholar goes on to say, On the other hand, at the time set by his father the child entered into his responsibility and freedom. The application of the illustration is obvious as Paul applies it to the inferior condition of a person under law, both a “minor” and a “slave,” and to the new freedom and responsibility that come to him in Christ.

( most of you have met my 20 month your old daughter, and as cute as she is, she lacks responsibility, she lacks many things, and the fact is she would not know what to do if she inherited anything) While I have seen great progress in her young life ( including, identify things that are hot and blowing on them, cutest thing you will ever see, but there is no-way she is ready to have the responsibilities of adulthood )

She doesn’t comprehend what its really like to know who Jesus is yet, she needs instruction, and She is under my control.

Yet, she will be an heir to whatever I have one day, even though at this time she isn’t ready.

Prior to being an heir we are under slavery.

Paul just used a few examples in the previous verses. These examples were given as an example that children needed a guide, a guardian, a manager to show them until they could truly understand how to live.

It didn't matter what your background you were Jew or Gentile you needed some sort of instruction inorder to live.

Jews had the law, and gentiles usually had some sort of instruction, and if you were lucky enough had a personal guide or guardian for yourself.

Prior to coming to Christ, both jews and gentiles needs were met through things like the law, or other worldly systems, and in fact they were made slaves by them.

There goal was to achieve some sort of salvation or acceptance through the standards that have been taught to them, but salvation never came to them by following these systems. No matter how good the system was, or how good the person was it never truly brought them to God. What came from it was only slavery. Salvation for them was never found in the elementary principles of this world.

Though these principles we are enslaved, and lost without an sort of hope, but lets read verse 4.

Believers are made sons because of Christ.

Here we are slaves of sin, slaves of the law or some sort of other system, and something happened. Christ came.

God sent his son at the perfect time. I personally love history, and being someone who loves history its often cool to look and see what went on during certain times. During the time Christ came, many Jewish people, and scholars said that the Lord was silent. They hadn’t had a prophet come to them in several hundred years, they were under Roman control, even though at the time it wasn’t so bad like other times we read about in scripture. Despite what seemed like silence God was up to something.

Alexander the Great in 336 bc formed one of the greatest kingdom’s ever at 20 years old and would conquer much of the known world at the time in about 10 years and through his conquering the greek language emerged as the dominate language which is what your new testament was originally written in, and he would also greatly influence trade routes in much of the known world.

In addition during the time when Christ would come he would come during a time known as Pax Romana- really means Roman Peace, and because of that peace the area of Rome was able to be traveled and trade in ways that were not previously possible. Roads were being built, and if you have heard the saying all roads lead to Rome you would actually believe it, look at a map sometime its pretty fascinating.

So with language, travel, and trade being easier it would make for the perfect time for something very impactful to come.

When God seemed silent he was fulfilling a promise that we have been learning about that was thousands of years in the makings.

He sent his son at the perfect time. Jesus didn’t just come from the sky, he didn’t leave the presence of the Father by appearing out of nowhere, he came by a woman, born under the law.

This women was Mary, she was Jew, and she was a virgin, and that virginity was important, because if Jesus had not been born of virgin that he would have that same stain that you and I have of original sin.

But he was born under a virgin, and lived that perfect life that we have talked about during our study of Galatians. He had to live that life to fulfill the law.

In this specific section of scripture it says that Christ came to redeem us.

Listen to Charles Spurgeon, He was the lawmaker and the lawgiver. He is both the judge of the law and the executioner of the law, and yet He Himself came under the law. No sooner was He born of a woman than He came under the law. This was voluntary and yet necessary. He willed to be a man, and being a man He accepted the position and stood in the place of man as subject to the law of the race. When they took Him and circumcised Him according to the law, it was publicly declared that He was under the law. During the rest of His life He reverently observed the commands of God. He was extremely attentive to details. regard to the ceremonial law as it was given by Moses. He despised the traditions and superstitions of men, but for the rule of the dispensation He had a high respect.

Christ followed it all perfectly, but why? So he could stand in our place.

If you were with us a few weeks ago, we talked about how Jesus took that curse for us, and imparted that on himself so we could have eternal life.

Galatians 3:13 said, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”

It was a true great exchange, our sins for his righteousness. The Judaizers could not argue with Paul, Christ fulfilled the law not them.

I mentioned it a few min ago we were a slave to what we previously believed. For some of the Galatian people it was faith plus something, for you and I it was probability a made up system that we tried to live by and as we have learned the last several weeks that does not give life it does not make you a child of God. WE have to be redeemed, and as we have learned if you dont follow the law perfectly you are under the law, and need of some sort of redemption.

So redemption is the only hope and redemption is what we receive by faith through the finished work of Christ.

And through that Redemption we are adopted. From enemy to Son, from death to life, from slave to free.

I love the song Children of God by Third Day because its such a beautiful picture of what happens to a believer when they are adopted by God, and the music video is a powerful video filled with a story of adoption and how adoption leads us to a better understand of who our heavenly father is, we have a family in the church here who has taken that step, and what a beautiful testimony of the gospel.

But in that song there is a line

Children of God, sing your song and rejoice For the love that He has given us all, oh Children of God, by the blood of His Son We have been redeemed and we can be called Children of God Children of God

Adoption is a beautiful picture of what happens when Christ comes and rescues us. Without a heavenly father, and now with one.

Its amazing, because if we think about verse 1 and 2 and what happened to the sons of Rome when they were of age is what happens to us when we are saved but its something better. Last week I said that we are clothed with Christ and his righteousness, the young men of Rome dreamt that they would receive that new Rome from their dad. Because they knew that once they recieved it all that was their dads was now theirs. They got the keys to the kingdom to the fortune, to all that came with being a son of their day.

Believers in Christ are clothed with something greater, a better robe one that does not fade, does not have to be washed, does not start to smell after wearing it over and over again we are clothed with righteousness of Christ, redeemed, and now adopted.

Amazing church that this is what Christ does for his Children. But it doesn’t end there.

Believers are heirs of Christ

Amazing that God would call us to be not only his children but an heir. As heirs we have the Holy Spirit. Remember the promise back in Galatians 3:14 that said, so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

Its the Holy Spirit that awakens the person to believe in him, and as one commentary notes, If, therefore, the Galatian Christians are calling God “Abba,” they are “sons of God”; the ability to call God “Abba” is evidence of being a son of God. This means they are no longer “slaves,” living in the old era (typing on a manual typewriter). And since they are sons, they have the inheritance.

I love the progression that Paul has made in this book, but specifically in the last few verses. Someone starts as a slave, a child not knowing what is right or wrong, following systems that only bring death, to sons who are by the grace of God redeemed and adopted. To an heir. Believers in Christ get the greatest of all inheritances and that is himself. We get Christ and we get the Spirit. Every promise that God has ever made is for us, everything, and because of that we should praise him!

Its different than the Kevin David Lehmann who has billions of dollars its different than the young boy who just became a man, because this inheritance doesn't end when we die. If you are in Christ by faith alone you have an inheritance forever. if you are in Christ by faith alone you have an inheritance forever.

There is a reality that many of us in this room or listening have our Father and Mother are going to pass away, our possessions are going to decay, or all together fall apart, but our adoption by our heavenly father never will.

One to know how good our inherence is listen to 1 peter 1:4 it says this, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.

Think about that. Imperishable, ever bought a food item that sounded really good when you bought it only to find out when you were ready to cook it that it had gone bad. Our inheritance never goes bad.

undefiled- it is so pure. The stain of sin, the stain of mistakes, the stain of just this messy life is not what our inheritance is.

unfading- simply means not losing brightness, vitality, or strength. Think about when you get a brand new car, not new to you but brand new, no scratches, no flaws, and its got some power, but over time you see it start to fade away. Our inheritance is not like that.

Its imperishable, undefiled, unfading. Eventually Kevin Lehman stock with run dry or he will die, the young man may live a life that is full of joy and prosperity, but it will fade away, but as sons and daughters in Christ we have a promise, a sonship, and royal throne that lasts forever.

If you are not a believer I have to bring some bad news and that is you are not a child of God or an heir, you are dead in your sins, but by his grace and the finish work of Christ on the cross you can be a child of God, and an heir of him. But in order to do that you must acknowledge your sin, and repent of that and put your faith in him today.

And if you did that today, or have already be set free you can sing the final lyrics of that song I mentioned and they are this.

We are the saints We are the children We've been redeemed We've been forgiven We are the sons and daughters of our God

Children of God, sing your song and rejoice For the love that He has given us all, oh Children of God, by the blood of His Son We have been redeemed and we can be called Children of God Children of God

IF you have a decision you would like to make I would love for you to come forward and talk with me about that, Let us pray.