Galatians part 4 – Be heirs not slaves!
Thesis: Paul challenged the Galatians to not go back to being slaves and being trapped in the bondage of sin but instead become and heir of God and be free from sin by the Spirit.
Introduction:
As we have been progressing through the book of Galatians we have discovered that faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to get into Heaven. Human effort driven by a works religious mindset will not get you into Heaven instead it will put you into bondage and steal away your joy.
Paul has been confronting the false teaching of the Judaizers and re-convincing the Galatian Churches to return to the true Gospel. He has stressed that it is more important to please God rather than to please others. He has told them if you quit serving God and pleasing Him than the sacrifice of Jesus means nothing. He challenges them about their actions by asking, “Do you really want to negate Christ’s death and resurrection?”
Paul frequently has referred to his former way of life when he too was trapped into a works related religious mindset. He convincingly relates to them how he too at one point thought that he could earn his way to heaven. But that all changed when he had a divine encounter with Jesus on the Damascus road. He actually discovered that his religious mindset and works driven religious mindset actually put him in opposition to the Lord. The deceived mindset of the religious actually does not draw them closer to the Lord but further away and in opposition to His message of “grace.”
In our message last week Paul asked the Galatians a few questions about their past experience in Christ to remind them of what the truth looks like. I am reminded of a quote about experience which states:
All truly wise thoughts have been thought already thousands of times; but to make them truly ours, we must think them over again honestly, until they take root in our personal experience.--Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
This quote on experience reminds me why Jesus told us to not forget about His sacrifice and why He instructed us to continue to practice Communion. He wanted us to allow the experience of communion and remembering to take root in our hearts.
He also reminded the Galatian church that Abraham became saved and a friend of God not because he followed the Law but because he believed by faith. He uses Abraham as an example to show that the law had a purpose for a short time period but once Jesus “The Seed” came he brought in the fulfillment of the law. Therefore Jesus in Paul’s own words did the following according to Galatians 3:25 “Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.”
He stressed in chapter three that the law was not opposed to the promises of God but taught about those promises and taught us about how life really is birthed. Life is birthed through faith in the Promised One. The law showed that we are all prisoners to sin and we cannot get to heaven by human effort therefore we needed the Promised One to set us free. Therefore Jesus came fulfilling the prophetic words of the OT and fulfilling the covenant of faith promised to Abraham.
As a result of the death, resurrection and ascension of Christ and our willingness to accept Christ by faith we then get the awesome privilege of becoming “The Sons and Daughters of God.” Since Jesus came and ushered in this new era of faith and grace there is now no more distinction between Jew or Greek, slave or free man, male or female but we are all one in Christ Jesus. We are all on the same plain equal in the eyes of the Lord Yes, we are all equal in that we all belong to Him.
Video Illustration: “What is grace?” - Interviews done on the street of a busy city asking this question. The clip shows that the majority of people have no idea what grace is!
Paul himself had a hard time convincing people that salvation is really a grace thing not a works thing. In our video we see that even today many people do not know what grace is.
Paul had the same problem in his era because grace just seems too easy for most of us to believe. Instead of listening to the message of Jesus we instead think “There has to be human effort in this somewhere!” You may ask “Why do we think this?” I believe because all the religions of the world have said “You can only be saved if you work at it!” But faith and grace are the tickets to becoming not only saved but they also lead to us becoming children of God.
Scripture Text:
Galatians 3: 26-29:
26You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Galatians 4:1-31
1What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. 2He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. 3So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. 4But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. 6Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.
8Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. 9But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? 10You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! 11I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.
12I plead with you, brothers, become like me, for I became like you. You have done me no wrong. 13As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you. 14Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself. 15What has happened to all your joy? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. 16Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?
17Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may be zealous for them. 18It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always and not just when I am with you. 19My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, 20how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!
21Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? 22For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. 23His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a promise.
24These things may be taken figuratively, for the women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. 25Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. 26But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. 27For it is written:
“Be glad, O barren woman,
who bears no children;
break forth and cry aloud,
you who have no labor pains;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
than of her who has a husband.”
28Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29At that time the son born in the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. 30But what does the Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” 31Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.
T.S. Paul winds up Chapter 3 telling us that we are the sons and daughters of God because of Jesus Christ and his willingness to offer himself as the ultimate sacrifice. His ultimate sacrifice then ushered in the new era of faith and grace.
I. What does it mean to be a son or daughter of “Abba” Father?
a. We then become heirs of God himself? But what does it mean to be an heir to God Himself?
i. Definition of an heir: Webster’s Dictionary 1. A person who inherits or is legally entitled to inherit, through the natural action of the law, another’s property or title upon the other’s death. 2. Anyone who receives property of a deceased person either by will or by law.
1. The Word tells us that we become the children of God when we by faith believe -- place our trust and put our lives into the control of Jesus.
a. How do we become children by divine adoption?
i. At one point in our life we were not God’s people because we were owned by sin -Rom. 9:26
ii. But because we have believed on Jesus-John 1 :12
iii. And because we have experienced His divine act of love-I John 3:1 -2
iv. Rooted in genuine faith-Gal. 3:26, 27
v. And the willingness on our part to testify to this divine miracle through water baptism we then become changed and transformed -Gal 4 :4-7
vi. And the amazing result is God adopts us into His family -Rom. 8:14, 15.
vii. The blessing of being adopted causes us to no longer be slaves to sin but free in the Spirit. Gal. 4:26, 28
viii. This freedom is linked to the promise of Abraham our spiritual predecessor to God and a spiritual example of how to have a relationship with the Father. Galatians 3:28
2. We therefore receive the title as God’s children through this sacrificial act of faith and surrender to Jesus. His death made this all possible.
3. Since we do this we get to receive the rights and the property of God Himself.
a. Yes, as children of God we will inherit the property of God through the death of His Son Jesus.
b. What does God own? The Bible tells us He owns everything! In Revelation we are told that He holds the world in his hands.
c. He not only owns everything on the earth but also everything in Heaven.
d. He sounds like someone I want to be related too? What do you think?
b. When we become the heirs, or the children of God we then receive not only all that belongs to God but we also become recipients of all the promises from the Father. In a nutshell, we get to reap the benefits of all the Promises of God to His family:
i. Following information from http://www.bible.ca/d-7promises-god.htm
1. They state, “We are all accustomed to promises. We are also accustomed to seeing them made and broken. Anyone who has lived for a number of years would certainly never lay claim to having kept every promise made. There are many reasons why this is true. Sometimes we forget, sometimes we are negligent, and sometimes it may be due to circumstances beyond our control. A brokenhearted young lady will often say, "But he promised to marry me". And the answer comes back: "Yes, but I changed my mind". People do change their mind, and they do break their promises. What about the promises of God? How certain are they? The Apostle Paul, in writing about the promises of God to Abraham, addressed the church at Rome with these words: "For the promise that he should be heir of the world, was not to Abraham or his seed through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith . . . therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed" (Romans 4:13, 16). God’s promise to Abraham was first spelled out in Genesis Chapter 12. It was repeated in Chapter 22. Verse 18 reads: "And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice"…
ii. What can be said about God’s promises to us? The answer He will keep them and fulfill them. So lets take a moment and hear just a few of the 1,000 of promises to God’s children.
1. God has promised His children that He will supply there needs.
a. He has promised to supply every need we have. The Bible says: "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus". Philippians 4:19.
b. He says we will take care of us just like a good father takes care of his children.
c. He will release some of his resources when we are in need of them.
d. But note: It does not say He will meet all of our wants!
2. God has promised His children that His grace is sufficient for them. In other swords it’s enough to get us into Heaven (2 Corinthians 12:9).
a. Grace is enough! Truth is you will not come up short from getting into Heaven. The promise is Grace is all you need to get your ticket into Heaven.
i. On the other hand this promise says human effort will not get you into Heaven.
b. God has made provision for our salvation by His grace through faith.
i. Ephesians 2:8-10: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
ii. It is through an obedient faith that we have access into the grace of God according to Romans 5:1, 2. 1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
3. God has promised that His children will not be over loaded with temptation. He will never give us more than we cannot handle.
a. Instead, He assures us that a way of escape will be provided. This promise is recorded in 1 Corinthians 10:13.
b. Jude wrote: "Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy" (Jude v 24).
4. God has promised His children victory over death.
a. He first resurrected Jesus by way of assuring our resurrection. Peter said: “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.” (Acts 2:32).
b. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures." (1 Corinthians 15:3, 4).
c. Later on Paul adds: “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (I Corinthians 15:57).
5. God has promised His children that all things work together for good to those who love and serve Him (Romans 8:28).
a. It may be difficult for us to see and understand how this is accomplished at certain times in our lives, but God has promised it, and He will deliver on His promises.
6. God has promised His children that those who believe in Jesus and are baptized for the forgiveness of sins will be saved. (Mark 16:16 and Acts 2:38).
7. God has promised His children eternal life (John 10:27, 28).
iii. God’s faithfulness is found also in these promises so lets listen to them:
1. The promise of God to His children here is it will happen as He said it would, "Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass." 1 Thessalonians 5:24
2. The promise from the Father here is that He will have compassion on us, "For this is like the days of Noah to Me, when I swore that the waters of Noah would not flood the earth again; so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you nor will I rebuke you. For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, but My loving kindness will not be removed from you, and My covenant of peace will not be shaken," says the LORD who has compassion on you." Isaiah 54:9-10
3. The promise here is that God would never destroy the earth by flood again, "When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth." Genesis 9:16
4. The promise from the Father here is that He will not abandon us like many of our earthy fathers have, "Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." Genesis 28:15
5. The promise of the Father here is that He will keep His covenant to us and remain faithful to us, "But because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. "Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His loving kindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments." Deuteronomy 7:8-9
6. The promise here is the Father has never failed to keep His word, "Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the LORD your God spoke concerning you has failed; all have been fulfilled for you, not one of them has failed." Joshua 23:14
7. The promise here is He will give His children rest, "Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised; not one word has failed of all His good promise, which He promised through Moses His servant." 1 Kings 8:56
8. The promise from the Father is he will not let you slip and fall because He never sleeps, “He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” Psalm 121:3-4
9. The promise from the Father is He will be patient with us, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
10. The promise from the Father is He will always be faithful even when we are not, but he will always know His children, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness." 2 Timothy 2:13, 19 These promises were adapted from: http://pachome1.pacific.net.sg/~ppcoc/2promise.htm
iv. We could spend the entire morning reading all the promises from God to His children but we do not have the time. But my point is these are all for you if you have accepted Jesus as your Savior.
T.S. – Paul reminds the Galatians and us that we are the children of God because of our willingness to place our faith and trust in Jesus. And since we are related now to the Father we then becomes heirs to the things of God as long as we do not choose to go back to a life of slavery to sin.
II. Now that we are free and no longer slaves to sin we need to stay that way.
a. Paul tells them “Don’t go back to being slaves!”
i. We were once slaves to those of the world but when we found Jesus we became free! Paul addressed this Christian group in our text and in essence says, “But I am amazed how you Christians want to return to being slaves.”
1. God has not just faced this situation with the Galatian Christians but He has faced it with the nation of Israel as well. Just read the Old Testament and you see it repeated over and over.
2. The truth for us to understand is there are still many doing this same thing today.
a. They are rejecting the way of faith for the way of sin and slavery.
ii. What does it mean to be a slave?
1. Webster’s Dictionary: A human being owned as property by another and is absolutely subject to his will. 2. Bondservant divested of all freedom and personal rights. 3. A person who is completely dominated by some influence, habit or person.
2. Paul tells us if we live with out faith and refuse to experience grace then we are slaves of sin.
iii. Paul even shows his disgust with these Christians when he says, “Have I wasted my time with you?”
1. Are you not glad that God has never said this to us!
2. Paul shows his human frustration in this text toward the ones he invested in time and they still have walked away from the truth.
3. I myself find it perplexing to see how easily some people who once experienced freedom will so easily want to return to their old way of life which was filled with bondage, pain and misery to sin.
4. But I can relate to Paul’s frustration and bewilderment over the people who are so quick to abandon the truth.
a. I have many times looked at someone who has done this and just shook my head.
5. Paul has pleaded, rebuked, and reminded these Christians to be like him because he once was were they are deceived! He tells them over and over in this book “Do not continue to make the same mistakes I made! Learn from my example and be free!”
b. Paul also tells the Galatian Christians to not be “Traitors” to the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
i. Paul in our text reminds the people why these religious people want to lead them away from the truth. He in my words says, “Remember the liars want to lead you astray so that you align with them against the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
1. We must always be on our guard because the enemy wants to lead the elect away from the Lord and get them to commit treason.
ii. He tells them that they are foolish-stupid-dumb if they want you to join this army of deception and defect the army of the Lord.
1. As he said previous to the Galatians you are foolish and bewitched – brainwashed by an evil spell. I add and why can they not see it?
a. Pride I believe, and also a lack of humility.
iii. He also could have said it this way, “You really want to be under the law and become a legalistic grace killer don’t you? Now I’m really perplexed!”
1. Swindoll states this about “Grace Killers”: There are killers on the loose today. The problem is that you can’t tell by looking. They don’t wear little buttons that give away their identity, nor do they carry signs warning every body to stay away. On the contrary, a lot of them carry Bibles and appear to be clean-living, nice looking, law-abiding citizens. Most of them spend a lot of time in churches, some in places of religious leadership. Many are so respected in the community, their neighbors would never guess they are living next door to killers. They kill freedom, spontaneity, and creativity; they kill joy as well as productivity. They kill with their words and their pens and their looks. They kill with their attitudes far more often than with their behavior. There is hardly a church or Christian Organization or Christian school or missionary group or media ministry where such danger does not lurk (pg 3, The Grace Awakening).
2. Max Lucado in his book In the Grip of Grace describes the profile of these legalistic “Grace killers” as:
a. This person’s personality is - “I am better than you are!” Lucado says they are, “stuck up.”
b. They view themselves as - “I may have problems but I am not as bad as them!”
c. Their theology is - “Hey God look at how bad they are!” “They love being the snitch to God – the tattle tale!”
d. Their Bumper sticker says - “God is watching you and so am I.”
e. Their complaint to others is - “I wish I knew what happened behind their closed doors.”
f. Their view of grace is, “You are not saved you sinner!” “Yes you need Grace!” “Beg for mercy from me and Him!” They desire to stab grace in the back.
g. Their view of sin? - “Yes they are guilty- hammer down!” (Pages 8, 9).
3. I sense that Paul would say something like this today to those who want to kill grace, “I am so sick to my stomach and blown over that you really want to once again be slaves to the law of sin and you want to become grace killers!”
iv. So Paul now decides to use an allegory from Jewish history to teach a lesson from the law about freedom and slavery! Listen closely!
1. Abraham had two sons according to Genesis 18:9-15; 21:1-7
a. One by the slave women Hagar born man’s way and his name was Ishmael.
b. One born to Sarah the free woman born by a miracle and a promise from God which was Isaac
2. These two sons represent 2 covenants:
a. The 1st covenant brings slavery – because it’s man’s way of helping God out! Because man thinks God needs our help and our wisdom! This attitude breeds faith in mankind to do it not God! This does not work with God!
b. The 2nd Covenant brings freedom – because it’s God helping man out! God does not need our help to fulfill His promises! He is more than able to do what He promises. This attitude breeds faith in God to do it not man! This does work with God!
c. The one who is the slave wants to persecute and persuade the ones who are free to join them in being slaves.
i. So they push religious works instead of grace to glorify man not God.
ii. The slave will never be a Son of God because they follow an evil covenant and think they can make themselves children of God without His help.
d. The free ones will be the son’s, and daughters of God because they are heirs of the promise to Abraham and Sarah.
i. That promise is that those who believe on the Lord by faith and look to Him to rescue them will be saved.
ii. So faith is the key not human effort to becoming a child of God.
3. So Paul reminds them that they need to choose which covenant they want to align themselves with? The point that the Galatians needed to know and we need to know is which lifestyle do you want to choose freedom or slavery?
4. Paul in the book of Romans also addressed the problems that were being faced in Galatia and he expounds on this subject bringing a little more clarity to our topic. Lets see what he had to say.
a. Paul in Romans 6:15-23 speaks about this same subject. He notes that we can be either slaves of sin or slaves to God and this later one brings freedom from the law!
b. Paul also in Romans 7:7-25 clarifies more of what he says here in Galatians when he talks about how the law cannot deliver you from sin it only comes through Jesus Christ:
i. Paul reveals how he falls short and thanks God for Jesus Christ because if it all was about human works he would not make nor would we.
ii. In this section of Romans he also talks about the advantages of the law.
1. The law Teaches what sin is but it cannot deliver us from sin.
2. The law however gives us knowledge and insight about God but it does not have the power to set us free from sin.
3. Paul reminds them remember, “I know what I am talking about because I was there at one time in my life!”
4. But Paul reminds us that faith in Christ does have that power through Jesus Christ!
iii. Paul also in Romans 7:14-25 identifies with his listeners and even us today. Maxwell states, “Paul identifies with the struggles of common men and women. He knows we all can feel trapped (Rom. 7:14); confused (7:15): eager to do what is right (7:18); unable to follow through (7:18); an inward war (7:21-23); and frustration (7:24). Good leaders do not seek to impress, but to identify.
iv. He reiterates in Romans that son-ship and daughter-ship come through the Spirit not through the Law: Romans 8:12-17
Conclusion:
Paul makes a great profound statement in Galatians 4:4, 5, “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive the full rights as sons.”
Quest Study Bible states this about these two verses: Jesus didn’t arrive late or early. He came right on schedule. Some suggest world conditions were ripe for the rapid spread of the gospel: the ruling Romans had ushered in an area of relative peace through law and order; their network of roads made travel more convenient; the widespread use of the Greek language simplified communication. At the same time the proliferation of empty religions among many people created a spiritual hunger within them for something genuine (1608).
We ourselves need to understand and realize what time it is today. The time is right for us today to choose to live by faith and not by human effort. We need to realize that salvation is a gift from the Lord and we can not on our own power make ourselves right with God. We must humble ourselves and surrender to Jesus and use our limited amount of time to serve the Kingdom of God..
It’s only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth--and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up--then we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had.
--Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
Stories for Preachers notes: Some folks save it, others make it, most waste it, several kill it, and a few actually are on it. Many try to manage it and end up losing it. Time is a taker. Once past, it never returns. How it’s spent determines the satisfaction of life.
Today I believe the message from Galatians 4 tells us to stay rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the way of faith which then bestows grace on our lives. Once we have received this gift of grace and holiness and the freedom that comes with it we must hold on to it. We risk losing our position in the family of God if we choose to go back to the way of slavery. The way of slavery is the idea that “I can save myself” if I work hard enough. If we become deceived by this religious mind set we will only be robbed of our joy and once again be locked in the cell of bondage and sin.
