Summary: Thesis: The people who “put on Christ” are God’s children.

Title: “All God’s Children got a Robe”

Text: Galatians 3:23-29

CIT: The Galatians who “put on Christ” became God’s children.

Thesis: The people who “put on Christ” are God’s children.

Major Objective: Evangelistic

Specific Objective: That they will “put on Christ.”

Sermon Question: How?

Outline

Chase

How do we become children of God?

1. Is it through the law? – No!

2. Is it though our social position? – No!

3. Is it though our relationship with Christ? – Yes!

“All God’s Children got a Robe”

Galatians 3:23-29

Introduction

When I started in seminary, all of the first year students were required to go through a worship service in which any new staff was installed and the new students were consecrated to their new life in seminary. Several days before the service I had a fitting for a robe. We found the one that fit and my name was put on the hanger. Now I want you to know that I am not much for wearing robes. Whenever we sang in the church choir we would often wear a robe. Due to my size, I could never could find one that could fit right. Most of the time they were all way too short. The sleeves would end at my elbows, which were supposed to go to my wrists. So you can imagine my great happiness the day that I tried on that robe. It was good to have one that fit me and was long enough.

When the service happened several days later, all of the new students were gathered in a room near the sanctuary to organize our procession and pick up our robes. There was my name right there on the hanger, so I took the robe off the hanger and put it over my arm. We all were to carry the robes into the service, waiting until near the end of the service when we would all put them on to symbolize our new life in academia. A the start of the service the faculty processed into the room and down the aisle to their seats. All of them wore their beautiful robes with their academic colors of scarlet for theology and light blue for education, garnished by other colors of the rainbow. When the service had ended all of the new students got up put on their robes, so that we could then shake the hand of the seminary president and faculty members. I did the same, except….wait! This was not the robe that I had before. It was too short, and it didn’t fit around my mid- well you know. It had happened to me again. He had a robe, she had a robe, every one had a robe that fit them, ……except for me.

I wanted so bad to put on that robe and look good. I wanted to know what it was like to feel what it was like to be seminary student. It was a chance to be a part of a select group and community. In our world today how important it is to be accepted, to fit in. We want to be a part of something greater than we are. Just like my luck with robes.

How do we become children of God?

Most people want that feeling of being part of something greater. To be a part of a select group. This is the struggle that our text encounters today. Our text is written by Paul to the churches of Galatia, which would be modern day Turkey. This area was under Roman rule and considered a province. These very churches could have been founded by Paul and Barnabas in one of his trips trough the region.

We know that with in the congregations there were both Jews and Gentiles. There seemed to be a division between the two. Paul is having to write to them to defuse some heresies that had come into their midst. Many of the Jews in Galatia thought that their position as Jews made them of great. More so, they thought this is what made them the children of God. Paul teaches them that this is not correct. If they want to be the children of God that they were called to be they will need to put aside their past ways of thought.

Is it through the law? – No!

Illustration

Many of you might have seen the musical the King and I that stars Yul Brynner as the king of Siam, which is modern day Thailand. The story is actually based on the diaries of Anna Leonowens who was the widow of an officer in the Indian Army. Mrs. Leonowens came to Bangkok in 1862 to take up the position of governess in the royal court. For five-and-a-half years, she tutored the children of Rama IV, who was also known as King Mongkut. Anna’s duties as the governess were to educate and be primarily responsible for their upbringing. The king had 58 children that she had to teach.

Her life and dealings with the king were written in her diary. There she talks of the conflict she has in relation to the social structure and laws of the land. She thinks that her life in Siam should be identical to the life she had in England. She was at another place in her life and she needed to learn to understand the culture of the people of Thailand. In the musical, there even flames a romance between the king and Anna.

Explanation

One of the beliefs that the Galatians held that they were the children of God though the law that had been given to them and that they were so careful to follow. Was this possible? Could they become the children of God though the law? Paul tells them, “No!”

The law did serve a purpose but it was not how they became the children of God. The law served the role a tutor. During that time in Galatia and the Middle-East there were slaves who were in charge of children from age six to sixteen to discipline and keep them straight and out of harm. They were considered to be a superior slave with their main responsibility being moral supervision. Similarly, it would act like a truant officer that brings pupils exercises physical discipline on those guilty of misconduct. The law then served as a guide giving humanity an understanding of moral principles. That particular attendant was in charge of the children until they reached manhood. At adulthood, they no longer needed a tutor.

Application

The law today does not have the power that it used to. Mainly it serves in the area of moral supervision. It is not a means for salvation. We are not chosen because of the law. It does not make us children of God. It still served a purpose that of getting us ready for being spiritual adults. It made us ready for the coming of Jesus, and after that coming of Christ, we are at an age of accountability.

Is it though our social position? – No!

The word snob has never had a good mean to it. When we hear the word we think of people that believe themselves to be better than they really are. Have you wondered where the word came from?

Illustration

“SNOB”

When Oxford and Cambridge Universities decided to admit commoners as students in the 1600s, the unprecedented flood of new innovative thought had a tremendous impact on British society. Each student was listed on the record by name and title. The commoners’ names were listed with the Latin inscription, Sine Nobilitate, meaning Without Nobility. The abbreviation was S. Nob., which within the rigid class systems of the time had both positive and negative connotations. The word "snob" is still in use today.

Bits & Pieces, June 25, 1992.

Explanation

In some respect, the Galatians were snobs. The Galatians thought as well that they could become the children of God through their social positions? Was this possible? Paul in his letter to them says, “No!”

Remember the words that he told them 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Wherever Christ is, there is unity and equality in that diversity. The Jews believed there were two classes of peoples, the Jews and then the Gentiles. The Gentile in a sense had no class to the Jew. As well, the Greeks believed that there were two classes of people. There were the Greeks and the barbarians. Barbarians were to be the lowest of the low, with not social skills or refinement. Paul sets them straight. The Jews were not better that the Greeks, the Greeks were nor better than the Jews. In Christ, the gap is bridged, and the ordinary rules of society no longer apply. There was to be no social or sex discrimination, instead there is oneness in Christ, undoing the division between the Jew and Greek. All other divisions as well will have no bearing in our standing with God. With God, there is not spiritual preference.

Application

Have you ever wondered what is would be like to be rich? A movie star? The president? a pro golfer, or Martha Stewart? We associate these people with power and position. Yet, you could be all those things, do all those things, but would it really matter? No it would not! Once again, it would not let us be any closer to God. It would not give us preferential treatment in the eyes of God. It would not make us the children of God. All of these social barriers are not existent in the eyes of God. It does not matter if you are of the line of Abraham, because through Jesus all can be a part of that family.

Is it though our relationship with Christ? – Yes!

We have explored two of the ways that the Galatians thought they were the children of God only to find out that those ways were false. Paul tells them to remember their relationship with Christ. He tells them to remember the day that they were baptized.

Explanation

Remember Paul’s words to them in Galatians 3:27 “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Paul says that those who were baptized had put on Christ. In a sense they had put on a robe that had fit them perfectly. What does this mean?

In the act of baptism it was more than baptism, this was calling upon the name of Christ thus becoming a member of the body of the church. When they were baptized they Put on Christ. This means that the clothed themselves with His character. They were now like Him. The ritual included the removal of clothing as one enters the water, an act of signifying separation from “the old man” and his evil deeds. The new robe is put on as one comes out of the water, signifies Christ himself. Symbolically in that time people would put on that new robe after baptism believing it would empower them with the very characteristics of Christ.

Illustration

When I was in high school, I spent much of my extra curricular activities in the choir. We would have various opportunities to travel and go to mass choir events sponsored by universities trying to recruit students. We would spend much of the day singing together for several large group works and then each school choir would individually share one or two songs. One of the more memorable events we participated in was at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. All of the other school’s directors had graduated from Concordia. They were known for their perfection and professionalism. The conductor from my choir had graduated from a rival university that is known for their energy and passion in performing.

The first song that we did was a beautiful classical number. It opened the floodgates of all the proud mother’s eyes. The next piece was a piece from an 19th Century composer that was fairly difficult. All I remember is that we nailed it. It was perfect. For our last number, we did what several other choirs attempted but failed. We did an African American spirituals. We rocked the piece. We had the place moving. There were other groups that may have been better when it came to note perfection. But we were the ones that had the charisma and audience appeal. I remember that spiritual song well. Maybe you have heard it before.

I’ve got a robe,

You’ve got a robe,

All God’s Children got a robe;

When I get to Heaven,

Goint to put on my robe,

Goin’ to shout all over God’s Heav’n.

Refrain:

Heav’n, Heav’n,

Ev’rybody talkin’ ’bout

Heav’n ain’t agoin’ there,

Heav’n, Heav’n,

Goin’ to shout all over God’s Heav’n.

I knew that it was a protest song of the African American during the times of slavery, but it was not until recently I realized the importance of the song. Maybe you can picture yourself in the situation. A small group gathered in worship, praising God. In their song it was more that praise, they knew something that their masters did not. Everybody talking about heaven ain’t going there. That’s right, you heard it. Everybody talking about heaven is not going there.

Those who sang that song knew what it meant to sing that song. We need to wear the robe if you want to go to heaven. We need to accept Christ as Lord and Savior for our lives. We need to buried in waters of baptism. We need to put on that robe and clothe ourselves with Christ.

Application and Conclusion

Friends we have learned that the Galatians were not able to become children of God through anything they had done from their previous lives. They could not become Children of God through the law. They could not become children of God through their social position. It was their new life in Christ that held the answer. They were left with that choice Paul gave them if they truly wanted to be children of God. That choice was…to “put on Christ.” The option to become the children of God is here today. If that is your desire, you will need to put on Christ? You will need, to wear the robe Christ has for you? It will fit perfectly, and it will be a most beautiful white. It is only then, that we will become the children of God. Will you wear the robe? Will you “put on Christ?”