Do We Follow God? Series

Do we follow God?

Galatians, Part 8

Galatians 4:8 – 4:20

Introduction

- Purpose of the letter

1. To teach

2. To correct

3. To point us to Jesus

- Recap from last week:

- We discussed who are considered “sons of God”

• Those in the faith (Those who have placed their faith in Jesus)

-- IMP: Without Jesus, there is no heir, no sonship, nothing … except separation

- There is a warning about prideful actions

-- Even as an heir; we cannot get a big head – we must be under submission

- The lesson for believers today is to heed the words that Paul encourages us with

-- We are no longer slaves to the world; but slaves to Christ

-- It is in this knowledge that our actions must be focused and directed

- RE: The honor and happiness of an heir is in the value of what is inherited

• Heirs of God

• Joint-heirs with Christ

• Galatians 4:7 is the fulfillment of what being an heir is

- Read Galatians 4:8-20

- Pray

∆ Point 1 – Do we follow God? (8-11)

- IMP: These words are directed at the church, for us to comprehend and abide

- Prior, we lived a life without God; slaves to whatever master ruled us (v8)

-- It is critical to understand the life that we had before Christ; we all one!

-- Whether saved at 5 or 55; we were slaves to something other than God

- (v9) HUGE: Not only knowing God but KNOWN by Him

-- 1 Cor 8:3, “But the man who loves God is known by God.”

-- Psalm 139:1, “You have searched me, LORD, and you know me.”

- Both of these verses give us insight to the intimacy God has with us

-- It shows the change in our position; we are no longer enemies with God

-- And yet, Paul asks the pivotal question of all of us reading this today

-- “Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?”

- We have knowledge of God, He knows us intimately and completely …

- … But, we find ourselves falling back into the same old patterns of sin!

- Do we not remember the life we’ve been rescued from? So why return?

-- (v10-11) Lots spend our time celebrating certain days, but why do that?

-- Will we not learn from our past lives that the pagan stuff doesn’t matter?

-- IMP: We may enjoy a holiday – but it does not define us or save us

- To be known by God is to be chosen by, and loved by, him.

- IMP: B/C He chose to know us as his own people, we know Him as our God

- This is the benefit of a personal relationship:

-- APP: It’s a relationship initiated and sustained by God's grace

- TRANS: Let’s look at where we have come from in one short synopsis:

-- His rebuke for foolishness regarding false gospel (3:1) was followed by

-- His explanation of the Galatians' conversion experience (3:2 - 4:11)

-- Why? In order to show the relation of the gospel to the law (freedom)

- So where does he go from here?

∆ Point 2 – A Personal Appeal (12-20)

- Paul launches into this next section of his letter with concern; a definite plea

- Paul’s plea is simple (v12-16):

-- First, he identifies that he was one with an illness

-- This illness was probably from his beatings in Galatia

-- Acts 14:19, “Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead.”

-- APP: If you’d have lived through this, you prob. have some ailments …

- In v13 it shows that he had an illness which led him to them in first place

-- Perhaps they had some kind of medical treatment there? Orthopedic meds?

- There have also been biblical commentaries to discuss that it could be malaria

-- (v14) Jews and Gentiles had a tendency to identify sickness with sin

-- It was a way to say that God was displeasured (they are curse for sin)

-- Could be seizures from another illness, or even some eye problems (v15)

- See how Paul says they could have been? He uses the word(s) contempt or scorn

-- What was originally written was the word “miseo” which means “loathe”

-- The Greek word translated by the English word "loathe" is particularly graphic

-- It literally means "to spit" or "to expectorate"; to “hate and detest”

-- Paul was appreciative that the Galatians were not repulsed by his condition

- The Galatians did not want to spit, gag, barf, or vomit in his direction