Christmas: From Servanthood To Sonship

Topic: We celebrate Christmas because God sent His Son to provide humanity with salvation and sonship.

Intro:

* Talk about commercialization of Christmas.

* Why has this happened? Fewer people know WHY we do celebrate...

* Those who don't know Christ are servants to this world.

* Paul told the Galations that Christ came so that we no longer need to be servants, but that we can be sons!

* Context -- Galatia was a church that had embraced Christianity, but now had reverted back to Judaism. Paul is attempting to show them the error of their ways, that works of the law will not save them, but only by grace through faith...

I. THE PROBLEM OF SERVANTHOOD (Gal. 4:1-3)

* The problem was that the Galation church was living as if Christ had not come.

A. Servants to the Law (v. 1-2a)

* An example is given of a child who is heir to an inheritance. They are...

1. Under Government (v. 1)

* legally, child and slave are in same position

* as a child, the heir cannot assume control of an inheritance.

2. Under Guidance (v. 2)

* child is under the control of others until he is no longer a minor.

B. System of the Law (v. 3)

1 The Law was Inferior

* The law is inferior to all that God has provided

2. The Law was Incomplete

* Even though the law was vast (over 600 laws) it was incomplete

* Purpose of the law is to reveal the sinfulness of man - Rom. 3:20

* Christ came not to destroy the law but to fulfill (or complete) it..

II. THE PROVISION OF SALVATION (Gal 4:4-5)

* Because the law was incomplete, it could not provide redemption. Therefore the Father sent His Son..

A. The Conditions of His Coming (v. 4a)

1. Fullness of Prophecy

* Gen 3:15, etc. (give several of the prophetical OT passages referring to His coming...)

* Christ came at a time when there could be no doubt about the fulfillment of these prophecies.

2. Fullness of Predicament

* Some ask why He delayed His coming...

a. To deepen conviction of sin, and show inability of all existing systems to bring men to God.

b. Law was written on tables of stone -- prove themselves powerless to save.

c. 4,000 years to show that all man-devised systems for salvation had failed.

3. Fullness of Preparation

* conditions of the day ... peace under Roman rule, communication great (highways), nearly a universal language (Greek), Jews were dispersed in every nation .. looking for the Messiah

* The world was ready to hear the angels proclamation!

* The Fullness of Time had come!!

B. The Confinement of His Coming (v. 4b)

1. Born of a Woman

* Christ is second Adam -- the God-Man (talk about His Deity and Humanity)

2. Born Under the Law

* In order to deliver us from the Law, Christ had to be born under the law..

* The obedience of Christ to that law is an essential element in the process of salvation.

C. The Characteristics of His Coming (v. 5)

1. That those Born Under the Law Might be Redeemed (Justified)

2. That those Born of Woman, Might be Adopted By God

III. THE PRIVILEGE OF SONSHIP (Gal. 4:6-7)

A. Sons Through Adoption (v. 7)

* Thus no longer servants (v. 3)

B. Spirit Through Redemption (v. 6)

* We also have the presence of the Spirit in our lives.

Conclusion:

* We are all born as servants to sin.

* Christmas is to celebrated as a because Christ came to break the bondage of sin, to provide salvation, and to adopt us as sons!