Heir or Slave - Choose Wisely

Regardless of how old we are, going home should bring about emotions

Hopefully you have warm thoughts and feelings about home

I’ve been blessed to live in many places

From very small and unimpressive apartments in the city setting

All the way to a pretty nice ranch property

The look and smell of each was different to my senses

But the feeling of home is always the same

There is a warmth and comfort

A sense that THIS is where I belong

That is the feeling I have here at Grace Church

I hope that is the feeling you have when you worship here

Likewise, I feel like returning to the book of Galatians is like coming home

We took a little break when we finished chapter 3

So I want to give a “lay of the land” reminder

to make sure we all recall what was going on at the time

The book of Galatians was written by the Apostle Paul to the church of Galatia

A church that Paul established

Paul was calling on the church to stay true to the basic teaching

To not ADD to the message of the Gospel

To not fall back on “the Law” of Moses for justification

That the Gospel of Jesus Christ was sufficient

That the law was there to guide us toward Jesus

not to disrupt our relationship with Jesus

Where we left off in Galatians 3 last time,

Paul said this is Galatians 3:29

Galatians 3:29 ESV

29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

This question of being an heir of Abraham, even though not a blood-relative

That’s what Paul was describing in our core text today

Paul was describing what it meant to be an heir in that time

It sounds confusing, but in context of the time I think we can handle it

Galatians 4:1 ESV

1 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything,

“Heir” and “Slave” sound like they are very different things

“Heir” seems simple enough, right?

Lexham Theological Wordbook κληρονόμος

κληρονόμος (klēronomos). n. masc. heir. Someone who will inherit the possessions from a parent.

That’s what we would expect, but hold on the the term “will inherit”

in the original Greek, the term we translate as “slave” is doulos

Which isn’t necessarily the same meaning we think of as “slave”

Define “doulos”

δοῦλος (doulos).

Servant, slave.

Refers to someone who is the property of another

One of the reasons I like teaching one verse at a time is that it forces me to slow down

At a quick read, I didn’t give enough importance to the tense issue between heir and slave

The heir has the promise of getting something of value or importance

In the culture at the time that means when they “came of age” they would get their due

Or, like now, when their benefactor passes away, then they get the stuff to which they are entitled

But, until the time is right, we are no different than the slave

I think of that JG Wentworth commercial

“It’s your money get it now”, or something like that

In our spiritual life, we can’t accelerate God’s plan

This includes the receipt of our inheritance

Let’s break tor lives up into a timeline

Our Timeline in Life

Chosen but slave to sin

This is our life before Jesus

God has chosen us, but we are born into slavery

The Jewish people were born into Mosaic law

We were and are born into sin and still living in and for this world which is sin

Regardless of our religious practices, the good works we try to do, even our kindness

We are not capable of living without sin in our hearts

We are dead in sin and trespasses

Here’s an illustration

If you have a young teenager who is in a wealthy family

One day that teen will inherit great wealth

If the family is wise

The parents will provide a limited allowance

allowing the teen to learn how to handle money

The parents will provide transportation, not a car

The teen wants to drive on their own

But parents will drive them where they need to go

The parents will take them to outings with friends

But have structure around who, when for how long and who will chaperone

When the time is right,

Perhaps there is a credit card

Maybe even a car for their use

And they can go out with friends without a chaperone

If we’re talking about a true “boy-girl date”

Well, our child might be able to do that just before they get their AARP card in the mail

Only if they were REALLY good, though

All the while, they are heirs with a promise of greater things to come

That’s how it was for the nation of Israel

Bound by the precepts of the Mosaic Law

Only a piece or remnant of Israel will still be in the inheritance when God’s plan completes

It is the spiritual Israel that will be included

The ethnic Israel, those who do not claim Jesus as the Messiah,

They are not a part of this love story because they reject Jesus

Just like our teenager example, there are overseers and rules and discipline in place

These a re the are the “Guardians and managers” referred to in Galatians 4:2

Galatians 4:2 ESV

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

It is the job of the guardian to provide direction and encouragement

Until the time God sets for us to decide for ourselves

That is the day WE get to choose to be heirs to the promise made to Abraham

I’m getting ahead of myself

It’s easy to get off track in our Spiritual journey too, if we don’t remind ourselves that God already has a plan

Romans 8:30 ESV

30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

God called us which means we are

Already justified

and we will be glorified

we WILL receive our inheritance

But, there’s always a “but”

Notice the tense in Romans 8:30 is present tense

Paul has no doubt or equivocation

Paul is really speaking the future into the present, though

Because we aren’t ready for the inheritance

Our Timeline in Life

Chosen but slave to sin

Jesus redeemed = heirs

When Jesus redeems us , we become heirs through His Spirit

All according to God’s promise and timing

Galatians 4:4 ESV

4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,

That phrase “fullness of time” is just weird

That refers us to Mark 1:15

Mark 1:15 ESV

15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

This is our Spiritual coming of age

When God has us at the right place and we have accepted the invitation to accept Him

Then we have grown in spiritual maturity

That’s when real blessing start to pour out

That’s when the responsibility of our spiritual lives is more fully upon us

Now that we KNOW the Gospel Jesus brought

Now that we have been guided by the law on living a righteous life

Now God allows us a freedom to make a declaration

This would be like the teen in the example earlier

That first time you let them drive the family car for a group date

Mess it up and expect consequences

Even though sometimes the guilt and repentance is so great that the punishment is withheld

Jesus came,

The purpose of the law was being fulfilled by believers

Then God wrote that inner law into our hearts

That’s how we know right from wrong in our hearts

Whether we choose to act righteously or not

Since Jesus came and redeemed us, Galatians 4:5

Galatians 4:5 (ESV)

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

says that we MIGHT BE adopted,

Because we have a choice to make

It’s not as if we are entered in the drawing for a winning number

If we choose to be heir instead of slave to sin

Then our adoption is complete

Remember that I said God wrote the law in our hearts?

God also gave us the Holy Spirit to keep us on-track

and it is the Holy Spirit who will keep us comfortable in the knowledge that we are redeemed

If you lack comfort in knowing for sure that you are already redeemed and therefore heir

Please see me about your prayer life

We all need to know the Holy Spirit is with us

even to help us pray with purpose and belief

Galatians 4:6 tells us that as sons, the Holy Spirit is in our hearts Romans 8:15 and it happened for a purpose

Romans 8:15 ESV

15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

When we fully rely of God the Father

Then we should never fall away in fear and lack of trust or understanding

When we call on God, it is God who answers

The same God who is the creator of the universe

God is able and willing to save us

So much so, that He has already saved us for all eternity

Maybe not the WAY or WHEN we wanted

But we are eternally saved

Which brings us to our third point in our timeline

Our Timeline in Life

Chosen but Slave to Sin

Jesus Redeemed = Heirs

All Heirs Inherit

We should have great peace about this

All Heirs inherit

Galatians 4:7 ESV

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

We may be like the teen who is wanting their inheritance early

thinking they should be able to drive the BMW and fill it up with a credit card on the way to a date

But, unlike that example we know the heirship will end in us actually inheriting the gift of eternal life with God

All through God

All by His perfect method and timing

I won’t to conclude with additional hope

Recall the parable of the Prodigal’s Son

The Son took his inheritance early and wasted it away

When He returned, His father went out to meet him

His father restored him with a robe and celebration

The son’s inheritance was still intact

Jesus is waiting for each who have strayed away

You have NOT lost your inheritance

Do not delay, turn back to Jesus

Let Jesus bless you with the inheritance that is forever

Let Jesus welcome you BACK into the family of faith

That we may all praise and glorify God together

AMEN!