“The Call To Keep Moving Forward” Galatians 4:1-11

Grace Abounds

A Sermon Series Through the Book of Galatians

“The Call To Keep Moving Forward”

Galatians 4:1-11

Introduction

Have you ever had a time in your life to where to keep moving forward looked too hard, required more than you thought you had to give, and would take longer than you wanted to spend? As you looked at the road before you, you thought it would be better to turn around and go back.

Exodus 14:11-12 “They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

There is always the temptation to return to the slavery we know than to step out in faith and move toward an unknown future. For the Galatians, they were at a cross roads of wanting to accept a self-righteous approach to religion (even though they had never been Jewish), than to seek through faith to build a close relationship with God. So this morning, I want to encourage you to keep pushing forward in your walk with God, and not turn back to a life that may feel comfortable and know – instead seek to know God differently than you ever have before.

Keep Moving Forward Because You Have Been Adopted and Are Spirit Filled (vv. 1-7)

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, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. 3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world.

In the family life of Paul’s day, a father would place his children under the care of a tutor. The tutor had complete control over the children. They were told when to get up, when to go to bed, what to wear, where to go, what to study, when to study, for how long to study – every part of their lives was controlled by the tutor. In that sense there was no real difference between the servants of the family, and the children of the family, even though, “though he is the owner of everything.”

The “elementary principles of the world,”[1] are what kept you from inheriting “everything.” The cost of being enslaved to the elementary principles of the world is everything. Elementary principles being religion and morality; “Compulsory obedience to definite rules of justice and order were necessary preparation for the freedom of the Spirit.”[2] Religions and traditions formed a valuable discipline for the education of the world.

4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

In Paul’s culture, the father also set a date in the future when the children would be free from that control and inherit what belonged to the family.

Paul has shown earlier that the law was given to push people to understand their need for a Savior – the law explained what sin is, God’s standard of behavior, and how we are then imprisoned with no means of escape because of our rebellion against God, sentenced to death. God gave the law and then waited for it to have its full effect upon mankind. “the fullness of time,” refers to “the completion of the period of preparation in God’s sovereign timetable of redemption.”[3]

(v. 4) “God sent forth his Son, born of woman,” – Jesus had to be both God and man in order to live a sinless life, to completely and perfectly keep the standards and requirements to live a life out before God. He had to be human, born of a woman, to be the perfect substitute – so He could take our place. He came it into the world, and lived a sinless life so that He could, . . .

(v. 5) “to redeem those who were under the law,” – to redeem is to buy back; for the slave it would be to purchase their freedom. Jesus purchased us, He redeemed us by being our substitute – His life exchanged for our lives, our debt was paid by His life. Jesus became the curse on the cross so that our curse of sin could be removed.

“we might receive adoption as sons,” – God could have left us in that state of a freed slave – you are no longer a slave, but you also have nothing. So, He adopted us into His family, as sons.

In the Antebellum south during the time of Reconstruction immediately after the Civil War, the slaves were freed by the ending of the war and Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. But they owned no property, no capital, had no education, and with no means of providing for themselves became share croppers. Many previous slaves, as sharecroppers eventually had massive debts owed to the land owners and became essentially slaves all over again. To prevent us, having been freed from sin, to be able to live a life free from bondage “God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts.” The Holy Spirit (God’s presence within us) is what enables us to now live a life pleasing to God.

Romans 8:14 “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 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!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,. . .”

Orphanage illustration.[4] In the late 1980s in Romania there was a dictator who encouraged his people to have children to drive the population numbers up in an effort to jump start the economy (it went up by 4 million), but he sold the food and food surpluses to foreign countries which he used the money to build himself huge houses and other luxuries and to pay off national debt. So the people starved, and then there was a revolt and the dictator was killed. The world came in to help. It was then that they discovered that unable to take care of the children many parents abandoned their children into orphanages.

100,000 children in warehouses of cribs and children. The horror of these orphanages was that when groups would go into them there was complete silence. Underpaid and vastly overworked workers would change them, feed them, and then go to the next child. There was no time, and the numbers too many, to sit and hold each child, so the children would rock to self-sooth, and they were silent because they had learned that if they cried no one would come – so they stopped crying.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEzTFmiCeks 2:53-3:09 (no sound)

(v. 6) “God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” – Notice in the Romans passage (8:15) and here in Galatians 4:6 “Abba! Father!” have exclamation marks, it is a crying out, a yell. Because the Spirit of God confirms with our spirit, that we are children of God, we cry out Daddy! Father! Words used by a child who loves their dad, and they are crying out for a response. We move from hopeless silence, to crying out to the Father who loves us – because the Spirit speaks to our spirit that He loves us and we are His child.

The Christian prayer is a child talking to their loving Father.

(v. 7) “So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” An heir is someone that inherits something. What is it that a person who is a believer in Jesus will inherit? Jesus as the Son of God will inherit the Father’s estate, and we are co-heirs, with Jesus.

In the ancient world as a means of survival the father would pass on to his son and inheritance (which would pass from one generation to the next). If you became an orphan, you have no inheritance, no means to survive, and most poor people became slaves just to be able to eat and have some kind of shelter. So the chances of the orphan becoming a slave were very high. The inheritance provided the means to be free from slavery. So, when we become a child of God, and an heir to His kingdom, we can be free from slavery because God has all we need. The fear of starvation, freezing in the rain, dying of thirst, or any other horror that may come because I don’t have what I need to survive is gone.

Salvation has two things happening; 1) our sin is transferred to Christ and is done away with and, 2) the Son’s rights and privileges are transferred to us. “Not only did Christ remove the curse we deserved (3:13; 4:5a), but He also gives us the blessing He deserved (3:14; 4:5b). God’s honor and reward are just as secure and guaranteed as our pardon.”[5]

Jesus has not just taken us out of prison and death row, but as we are leaving a medal of honor is hung around our necks and we are paraded through the streets as a hero. If we don’t remember this, we begin to think that my slate is clean and then when we sin, we feel guilt and shame – but we should also remember that on the clean slate was written Jesus’ righteousness. God loves you and sees you as He sees Jesus. Our inheritance is not a prize to be won. It is a gift from Christ.

When Jesus was praying on the night he was betrayed, He prayed specifically for those who would place their faith in Him, John 17:21, 23-24 “ . . . so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” The Father loves those that believe in Jesus (adopted children) just like He loves His own Son. Jesus prayed that we would know and understand how deep the Father’s love is for us.

What is better than the Father’s love for us?

 How deep the Father’s love for us

How vast beyond all measure

That He would give His only Son

To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss

The Father turns His face away

As wounds which mar the chosen One

Bring many sons to glory

“Though we are rich in the gospel, adopted children of God with complete and direct access to the Father, we can go back to relating to Him only through our record and moral merits.”[6] Paul warns that is we allow ourselves to go back to religious moralism we break a relationship that God gave His Son to establish.

Keep Moving Forward Because You Are Known By God (vv. 8-11)

8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. 9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? 10 You observe days and months and seasons and years! 11 I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

“to be known by God,” – God is omnipotent – He knows everything. He knit you together in your mother’s womb, He knows the number of hairs upon your head. To be known by God is not your existence, it is about a relationship. David says is Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”

There is an openness where your heart is open to the Lord, you have a relationship with Him, and You know Him and His ways, and He knows you and in spite of our wicked hearts; We desire for Him as our Father to lead us “in the way everlasting.” But we get to choose what that relationship looks like.

Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” When it’s all said and done, and we stand before God on judgement day, it won’t be about the things that we did, it ultimately come down to, “does God know you?”

Conclusion

Jesus told the parable of the unfaithful servants, and we are described as children of God, the principle is the same, Luke 12:48 “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” We are heirs of heaven, have been given “every spiritual blessing, (Eph. 1:3)” the Holy Spirit speaks directly to our spirit, and we are children of God (that counts as much), what will be required of us (if it is ultimately not about doing stuff?) You have been promised by God everything – what then as a child of God is required of you?

Emulate Jesus. Since God loves us as the Son, and has adopted us as a son, we should seek to be as much like Jesus as possible. We must consume God’s Word, and seek to be as much like Jesus as possible.

Seek God Constantly. God gave His Son so that we can have a close relationship with God; are we then seeking to have that relationship with our Father? Are we acting like a slave who is afraid of God, or are we acting like a child who is assured of our Father’s love? Cry out to your loving Father in Prayer. God wants a close relationship with you – reach out to Him.

Walk Being Led by the Spirit. God wants us to be free, led by His Spirit. We are free from the law to worship God, serve Him, live For Him, — are our daily lives led by the Spirit of God which is rooted in a relationship, or are we walking through life enslaved to rules and man-made traditions that are rooted in trying to please God apart from a relationship?

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[1] Colossians 2:8, 20

[2] W. Robertson Nicoll, The Expositor’s Greek Testament, Volume III (Grand Rapids, Michigan; WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1967) 176.

[3] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Galatians (Chicago, Illinois; Moddy Publishing, 1987) 107.

[4] Russell Moore, Adopted for Life, The Priority of Adoption For Christian Families & Churches (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Publishing, 2009) 46.

[5] Timothy Keller, Galatians For You (United States; The Good Book Company, 2013) 98.

[6] Keller, 97.