Introduction:
A. Children love to answer the question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
1. I read an online article where the writer asked a 2010, a preschool class the question about what they wanted to be when they grew up and here are some of their answers: “When I grow up, I want to be: a ballerina, a New York Rangers hockey player, the owner of a pizza store, a cab driver, a spy, a cowgirl, a rock star, a pirate, a knight, and a guy that goes into outer space.”
2. Don’t some of those answers make you smile? Don’t they bring you back to your youth, to an unsullied and easy time when no hope or dream was too silly or far-fetched?
3. The same writer then conducted a Twitter poll and asked the same question to a bunch of tech-savvy adults and here are some of their answers: “When I grow up, I want to be: happy, happy and confident, secure, at peace with who and what I am, and don’t forget loved, I definitely want to be loved when I grow up.”
4. The adult answers are a bit different, wouldn’t you say?
B. The late comedian Lenny Bruce used to say: I won't say ours was a tough school, but we had our own coroner. We used to write essays like: What I'm going to be if I grow up.
1. The writer Maya Angelou wrote: “Most people don't grow up. Most people age. They find parking spaces, honor their credit cards, get married, have children, and call that maturity. What that is, is aging.”
2. The truth of the matter is that neither growing old, nor growing up are guaranteed in life.
3. And even if we age, or grow old, that is no guarantee that we have grown up or matured.
4. All of that is true physically and is also true spiritually.
C. Today, as we return to our study of Galatians, we come to a section where Paul challenges the Galatians to grow up in their faith and in their relationship with God.
1. One of the tragedies of legalism is that it gives the appearance of spiritual maturity when, in reality, it leads the believer back into a “second childhood” of Christian experience.
2. The Galatian Christians, like most believers, wanted to grow and go forward for Christ, but they were going about it in the wrong way.
3. The Judaizers had bewitched them into thinking that the Law would make them better Christians.
4. They thought they were going forward and growing up, but in reality they were regressing.
5. Paul took three approaches in this section as he sought to convince the Galatians that they didn’t need the Law and legalism in order to grow up in the Christian life.
I. The first approach Paul took was to Explain Their Adoption (4:1-7)
A. Galatians 4 begins: 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. 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. (4:1-7)
1. As we work through these verses, we notice that Paul explains three things:
a. What we were – we were children in bondage.
b. What God did – He redeemed us and adopted us.
c. What we are – we are sons and heirs.
B. First, let’s understand what we were – children in bondage.
1. Here Paul used a cultural illustration of how children were under guardians and managers until they came of age.
2. In the Roman world, the children of wealthy people were cared for by slaves who were their guardians.
3. And no matter who his father was, the child was still a child who was under the supervision of a servant.
4. In fact, the child himself was not much different from the servant who guarded him, in the sense that he had no power, authority or access to the money in his inheritance.
5. This was the spiritual condition of the Jews under the age of the Law.
6. The Law, as you recall, was the “guardian” that disciplined the nation and prepared the people for the coming of Christ (Gal. 3:23-25).
7. So, when the Judaizers led the Galatians back to the Law, they were leading them not only into religious bondage, but also into moral and spiritual infancy and immaturity.
8. The elementary principles of the world were like the ABCs, the basics.
9 So a step toward legalism was not a step toward maturity, but a step back to immaturity; to childhood under a guardian.
10. Thankfully, God set us free from that!
C. Second, let’s understand what God did for us – He redeemed us and adopted us.
1. Paul tells us, “But when the fullness of time came”…God acted.
2. Only God knows why the time that Jesus came was the right time – the fullness of time.
3. From the historical point of view, the Roman Empire itself was at a perfect time for Jesus to come.
a. Religious bankruptcy and spiritual hunger were everywhere.
b. Roman roads connected city to city like no other time in history.
c. Roman laws protected the rights of citizens, and Roman soldiers guarded the peace.
d. The Greek and Latin languages were known by everyone throughout the empire which aided communication.
4. And so at that critical time, in the fullness of time, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law.
a. In that verse, Paul points out Jesus’ dual nature – He is the God/Man.
b. He is God’s Son, but He is born of the seed of woman, just as the ancient promise from Gen. 3:15 said.
5. And why did God send His Son at that time? To redeem and adopt.
a. To redeem means to set free from slavery by the payment of a price.
b. The word comes from the slave markets of the first century.
c. A person would redeem a slave by paying the purchase price and then setting them free.
d. But suppose that in addition to freeing that slave, you also adopted him and said to him, “Come with me to my home and live with me. I want you to legally join my family, take my name, and have an equal share in my inheritance.”
e. I doubt that ever happened, but that’s what God has done for us through Jesus.
f. We have been redeemed, set free from slavery of sin and the Law by the purchase price of the blood of Christ.
g. And then we have been adopted - brought into God’s family and have been given the “full rights” as his own children.
D. Third, let’s therefore understand what we are – we are sons and heirs.
1. How amazing is all of this!
2. We are no longer slaves, but are sons and daughters.
a. And as sons and daughters, God has put His Spirit into our hearts and we can cry out “Abba! Father!”
b. The Spirit assures us that we are God’s children.
c. The word “Abba” is an Aramaic word that little children would use to speak to their fathers.
d. It is an intimate, personal word of endearing affection.
e. In English we might say “Daddy” or “Papa.”
f. But think about this: Why would Paul use an Aramaic idiomatic phrase in a letter to Gentile, Greek-speaking Galatians who probably don’t know any Aramaic, which was the common language of Jewish Palestine?
g. The answer is: Because Jesus Christ used it in talking with His Father (Mk. 14:35), and we can have the same relationship with God that Jesus had.
h. God is no longer some distant, scary God – He is now our Heavenly Father, our Daddy – how cool is that!
3. But in addition to being sons and daughters, Paul also wants us to know that we are heirs.
a. We are airs to all that God owns and guess what? God owns it all!
b. If God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, then so do we because we are his beloved children – His heirs.
4. Paul’s point to the Galatians is: In light of all this, why would anyone ever go back to the old life of slavery to the Law?
a. Why would anyone want to go back to rule keeping as a means of pleasing God?
b. Why would anyone give up our rights as children and heirs of God’s grace to go back to the futility of the Law?
c. It doesn’t make sense, does it?
II. The second approach Paul took was to Lament Their Regression (4:8-11)
A. Galatians 4 continues: 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.
B. Many of the Galatian Christians had been worshipers at the idol-worshipping temples, and had lived the immoral lifestyles that went along with those religions.
1. Unless we stop and think about it, verses 8-11 may seem to be a warning to the Galatians not to go back to this kind of pagan idol-worship.
2. After all, before they knew God, they were “enslaved to those that by nature are not gods” (v. 8) and “whose slaves you want to be once more” (v. 9).
3. But then we remember that the whole point of Galatians is a warning not to adopt Jewish legalism.
4. The Judaizers were not encouraging the Gentile Christians to ignore God’s law, as they had in their pagan days; rather, they were urging them to adopt all the OT Mosaic Law in order to be saved.
5. What Paul was trying to tell them was that trying to earn one’s own salvation through legalistic morality and religion is just as much enslavement to idols as outright paganism and all its immoral practices.
6. In the end, the law keeping religious person is as lost and enslaved as the irreligious person – Why? Because both are trying to be their own savior and lord, but in different ways.
7. Both are based on “the basic principles of the world” – which ultimately is the attempt to save ourselves.
8. Paul is saying that any basic “thing” – money, sex, mountains and so on – can be worshiped, treated as a god, and become the basis of your religion.
9. And whatever it is that we worship, we will be enslaved by it.
10. Here’s the scary part: If anything, the idolatry and slavery of religion is more dangerous than the idolatry and slavery of irreligion, because it is less obvious – the irreligious person knows he is far away from God, but the religious person does not.
11. This is why Paul is in such fear for them because their new legalistic approach to salvation was worse than their old slavery because they had no idea of how far away they were from the Father.
C. Before I move on to the last point, I want us to notice something that is easy to miss.
1. Look at verse 9, “But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again…”
2. Did you notice how it seems that Paul corrects himself?
3. Paul isn’t saying that they don’t know God – it is very important that we know God.
4. When Paul used the word “rather,” he probably means “more importantly.”
5. Paul is saying: How can you turn back to idols since you know God and, more importantly, are known by God.
6. In the end, which is more important – that we know God or that God knows us?
7. Our knowing of God may rise and fall depending on many things, but God’s knowing us is absolutely fixed and solid and that should give us assurance and hope – God knows you!
III. The third approach Paul took was to Seek Their Affection (4:12-20)
A. Galatians 4 continues: 12 Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. 13 You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, 14 and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. 15 What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? 17 They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. 18 It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, 19 my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! 20 I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.
B. Paul was a wonderful spiritual father who knew how to balance rebuke and reassurance.
1. In these verses, Paul turned from “correcting” to “embracing” as he reminds the Galatians of their love for him and his love for them.
a. In so many ways, the best ministry flows out of relationships.
b. Ministry is about people, and Paul knew it.
2. So Paul reminds them of how he became like them – that is, he had given up the Law and had lived like a Gentile, and he wanted them to do the same.
C. Then Paul reminded them about their past relationship.
1. At one point they had loved Paul so much that they had been willing to sacrifice anything for Paul, but the Judaizers had come in and stolen their affection for Paul.
2. Paul reminded them that it was because of some illness that he initially came to them and shared the Gospel with them.
a. We all wish we knew more about Paul’s ailment – we assume that this is the thorn in the flesh that Paul described in 2 Cor. 12.
b. Some have suggested that the ailment was malaria.
c. Others have suggested that it was some affliction of the eyes (perhaps a consequence of the blinding when he was converted on the road to Damascus.
d. Whatever it was, it must have made Paul somewhat repulsive in appearance, because he commends the Galatians for the way they received him in spite of the way he looked.
3. Now Paul wants to know: what has happened to all that love?
a. Of course, Paul knew what had happened – the Judaizers had come in and stolen their hearts.
b. Paul is saying, “My feelings for you haven’t changed. Why have your feelings for me changed?
4. Paul then asked a critical question: Have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?
a. When they liked his message, they treated him like an angel, but when he said things they didn’t want to hear, they turned on him.
b. When he rebuked them for leaving the Gospel, they grew cold as ice toward him.
5. Even though every church leader knows it is going to happen, it always hurts when people turn on us and leave us.
a. People can be so fickle – one minute they love you and the next minute they don’t.
b. Sometimes it is because we have neglected the sheep or done something that we should have done differently.
c. But many times it is because we haven’t done what they wanted us to do, or that we confronted them with something they didn’t want to face.
d. Every shepherd learns, sooner or later, that if you work with sheep you’re going to get bitten, and you’re going to get sheep dung on your boots.
6. Paul then contrasted his sincere concern for the Galatians and the right kind of ministry he conducted, with the wrong motives and ministry of the Judaizers.
a. Paul tried to point people to Jesus, the Judaizers just tried to draw people to themselves.
1. The task of the spiritual leader is to get people to love and follow Christ, not to promote himself and his ministry.
b. Paul told them the truth, the Judaizers told them lies.
1. Prov. 27:6, “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.”
2. The Judaizers were into flattery and made much of the Galatians, but for no good purposes – selfish ones.
c. Paul presents himself as a spiritual parent in great pain for his spiritual children.
1. I, of course, have never given birth to a child (I’ve been there for a few births, but that doesn’t count), but we all know that giving birth is very painful and is hard work – that’s why they call it labor!
2. Paul truly cared for them and labored for them.
3. He so wished he could be there with them in person.
4. And he so wished he could be able to change his tone, but the perplexing situation required that kind of tone.
Conclusion: What should we think and do in response to this sermon?
A. First, I would encourage us to continue to ask ourselves: What am I trusting in for my salvation? Am I really basing my salvation on what Christ has done for me, rather than on what I do for Him?
B. Second, I would encourage us to explore the question: Am I really experiencing my redemption and adoption? Am I really set free? Do I really have an “Abba! Father!” relationship with God?
C. Third, I would encourage us to consider our motives and goals in ministry: Am I helping others grow up in Christ? Am I helping them depend on God? Am I doing everything for God’s glory?
D. Finally, I would encourage us to ask ourselves: Am I willing to hear the truth even when I don’t like it? Am I willing to tell the truth to others who might not want to hear it?
E. So, what do you want to be when you grow up in Christ? All of these application points have something to do with growing up; becoming mature in Christ. Do you think it’s time to grow up?
Resources:
Galatians, The NIV Application Commentary by Scot McKnight, Zondervan, 1995
Galatians For You, Timothy Keller, The Good Book Company, 2013.
Galatians, Maxie Dunnam, The Communicator’s Commentary, Word, 1982.
The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians, William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible Series,
Westminster Press, 1976.
Be Free – Galatians, Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, Victor Books, 1989.
Born Free: Seven Promises You Can Count On, What Happened to All Your Joy? Sermons by Ray Pritchard. http://www.keepbelieving.com/sermon_series/Galatians
