Please turn in your Bibles this morning to Galatians chapters 4 as we look at what the grace of God has done in our lives, how we can grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I am truly amazed at what people believe today, even using the law to justify their behavior. Case-in-point is this E-mail I received a few months back, and periodically I receive E-mails like this, just with a slightly different twist. This is what the E-mail said:
THIS TOOK TWO PAGES OF THE TUESDAY USA TODAY – IT IS FOR REAL
Subject: PLEEEEEASE READ!!!! It was on the news!
To all my friends, I do not usually forward messages, but this is from my good friend Pearlas Sandborn and she really is an attorney.
If she says that this will work – It will work. After all, what have you got to lose? Sorry everybody . . . just had to take the chance!!! I’m an attorney, and I know the law. The thing is for real. Rest assured AOL and Intel will follow through with their promises for fear of facing a multimillion-dollar class action suit similar to the one filed by Pepsico against General Electric not too long ago.
Dear friends; please do not take this for a junk letter. Bill Gates sharing his fortune. If you ignore this, you will repent later. Microsoft and AOL are now the largest Internet companies and in an effort to make sure that Internet Explorer remains the most widely used program, Microsoft and AOL are running an e-mail beta test.
When you forward this e-mail to friends, Microsoft can and will track it (if you are a Microsoft Windows user) for a two weeks time period.
For every person that you forward this e-mail to, Microsoft will pay you $245.00. For every person that you sent it to that forwards it on, Microsoft will pay you $243.00 and for every third person that receives it, you will be paid $241.00. Within two weeks, Microsoft will contact you for your address and then send you a check.
I thought this was a scam myself, but two weeks after receiving this e-mail and forwarding it on Microsoft contacted me for my address and within days, I receive a check for $24,800.00. You need to respond before the beta testing is over. If anyone can afford this, Bill Gates is the man.
It’s all marketing expense to him. Please forward this to as many people as possible. You are bound to get at least $10,000.00. We’re not going to help them out with their e-mail beta test without getting a little something for our time. My brother’s girlfriend got in on this a few months ago. When I went to visit him for the Baylor/UT game she showed me her check. It was for the sum of $4,324.44 and was stamped “Paid in full.” [Interesting choice of words].
Like I said before, I know the law and this is for real.
Intel and AOL are now discussing a merger which would make them the largest Internet company and in an effort make sure that AOL remains the most widely used program, Intel and AOL are running an e-mail beta test.
When you forward this e-mail to friends, Intel can and will track it (if you are a Microsoft Windows user) for a two week time period.
Try it; what have you got to lose?????
I am amazed at what people will believe, even this, but when it comes to Jesus and His free gift of eternal life that is only found in Him, they dismiss it, they ignore it, they reject it, it is just to easy, there has to be a catch. Interesting that they feel that way about the Lord and not about e-mails and other schemes that are out there that are not true. And the reality is, as the e-mail said, “what have you got to lose?” may not be too important with the e-mail but when it comes to your eternal destiny, you have everything to lose!
What people do today, when you ask them “If you where to die, would you go to heaven and why?” they would respond by saying, “Because I am basically a good person, I do my best to help people out, try to live a certain standard of life.” What they are trying to do is be accepted by keeping a law you might say, a standard that they have set or someone else has set for them. The problem is that the law can’t save, it only can show how you are doing and because no man, except Jesus has ever kept the law, then all are condemned by it! It is as the song goes, “I fought the Law and the Law won!”
So far, how many of you are encouraged? Probably not too many of you! I know, what an uplifting message so far! Hang in there because as we study these verses here this morning in Galatians you will see how much we should be rejoicing over what God has done for us, that it is all about Him and not about us! Thus, with that said, let’s begin reading in Galatians chapter 4, starting in verse 3, and let’s see what the Lord has for us this morning.
This is a wonderful portion of Scripture because in these verses I see spiritual growth, obviously something the Lord desires in our life. I see new life begin and in that new life all the blessings of God coming forth. Now, in saying that I have this little acrostic to help you remember this portion of Scripture, what we will be studying this morning showing us what God is doing and has done in our lives. The acrostic is GROW, which stands for:
GRACELESS
OFFSPRING
WILL
And so with the remainder of our time this morning we are going to go through that acrostic and see what lessons the Lord has for us.
1. GRACELESS – GALATIANS
4:3
Paul is saying that before we were saved we were enslaved to, in bondage to “the elements of the world” or the elementary principles of the world. The Greek word for “elements” is STOCHEION (stoy-khi’-on) and it speaks of a line of things and came to mean the ABC’s or basic principles of the world. Just think of it like this, to make up words, to make up a sentence, you have to know your ABC’s, you have to know the basics, but you also have to get beyond the basics to form words, to make up a sentence.
The problem that Paul was dealing with here in the region of Galatia, in these churches was that after Paul brought to them the Gospel of Grace that is found in Jesus Christ, the Judaizers would come in and they would try to add the Law to Grace, which doesn’t mix. They got them to follow some of the Jewish traditions but that only put them into bondage, it did not keep them free. In Galatians 4:17 we are told, “They zealously court you, but for no good; yes, they want to exclude you, that you may be zealous for them.” The Amplified Bible puts this verse like this, “These men [the Judaizing teachers] are zealously trying to dazzle you [paying court to you, making much of you], but their purpose is not honorable or worthy or for any good. What they want to do is to isolate you [from us who oppose them], so that they may win you over to their side and get you to court their favor.”
Legalism isolates people, it makes them self-righteous, and it keeps them in bondage. And they came in trying to sway the people to their side, courting them in regards to Sabbaths and feast days and-so-on, not brining up circumcision right away, and I guess you know why – ouch!!!! And folks, cults continue to do that today; they don’t tell you all that they believe, only the warm fuzzy stuff, to sway you to their side!
I also see this speaking of all religious activity that uses works as a means of salvation, and they all do except for Christianity! You see, not only do we see this in Jewish traditions, but, as I have said, just look at all the religions of the world and the rules and regulations they lay out for people to obey to make them right with whomever they are worshiping, whatever god it may be, or goddess! We see that same philosophy today, people trying to find acceptance with God by their own efforts, and it doesn’t work!
Some of you may have a hard time with this because you feel your good works, your effort has to give you points with God, it has to get you into heaven, but it won’t, it doesn’t! Paul said in Romans 3:20, and again this is from The Amplified Bible, “For no person will be justified (made righteous, acquitted, and judged acceptable) in His sight by observing the works prescribed by the Law. For [the real function of] the Law is to make men recognize and be conscious of sin [not mere perception, but an acquaintance with sin which works toward repentance, faith, and holy character].” You will not be declared innocent before God by your works, only declared guilty by them.
Paul tells us in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” You see, if you want to work for your salvation then your payment will be death, spiritual death! That is the wages you will receive for your efforts, your work! “That’s not fair! Then what can I do to be saved? It seems hopeless!” Exactly, with man it is impossible, but with God, all things are possible! And that will lead us to our second point of our acrostic.
2. REDEMPTION – GALATIANS
4:4-5
Here is the answer to the problem of man’s sin – JESUS CHRIST! You see, at God’s appointed time, or God’s perfect timing, He sent His Son into the world to save sinful man. God incarnate, born of a woman, God becoming flesh and dwelling amongst us, born of a virgin, just as the Scriptures tell us. In Matthew 1:22-23 we are told, “So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’” And in John chapter 1 we are told, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-3, 14.
Now for many, they have wondered why it took so long for the Messiah to come, but it was truly God’s perfect time as Boice tells us, “It was a time when the pax Romana extended over most of the civilized earth and when travel and commerce were therefore possible in a way that had formerly been impossible. Great roads linked the empire of the Caesars, and its diverse regions were linked far more significantly by the all-pervasive language of the Greeks. Add the fact that the world was sunk in a moral abyss so low that even the pagan cried out against it and that spiritual hunger was everywhere evident, and one has a perfect time for the coming of Christ and for the early expansion of the Christian gospel.” It was God’s perfect timing!
Also, keep in mind that Jesus was born under the Law and yet He alone was able to keep it perfectly, the only one who could and has ever done that. Jesus said in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” And Peter tells us that Jesus did just that, He was sinless and thus, Peter tells us, “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” I Peter 1:18-21.
Thus, because Jesus was sinless, He could pay in full the penalty for our sins! That word “redeem” in the Greek is EXAGORAZO (ex-ag-or-ad’-zo) and it literally means to buy out or buy back and it was used of slaves whose freedom was purchased!
Now let’s put that into perspective. We were slaves to sin; in bondage to sin and the Law showed us how far short we came in reaching God’s standard of acceptance – PERFECTION! But, at God’s perfect time He sent His Son, Jesus, to buy us back or buy us out of the slavery, the bondage we were in! Thus, the slave has now become a free man! It is as Govett put it, “Christ, by nature Son of God, became son of man, that we, by nature sons of man, might become sons of God. Wonderful exchange.”
Let me sum up this section with this illustration that drives home the point that we are saved by Grace through Faith and not by the Law through Works. We are told:
A man dies and goes to heaven and St. Peter meets him at the pearly gates. St. Peter says, “Here’s how it works. You need 100 points to make it into heaven. You tell me all the good things you’ve done, and I give you a certain number of points for each item, depending on how good it was. When you reach 100 points, you get in.”
“Okay,” the man says, “I was married to the same woman for 50 years and never cheated on her, even in my heart.”
“That’s wonderful,” says St. Peter, “that’s worth three points!”
“Three points?” he says. “Well, I attended church all my life and supported its ministry with my tithe and service.”
“Terrific!” says St. Peter, “that’s certainly worth a point.”
“One point? Golly. How about this: I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless veterans.”
“Fantastic, that’s good for two more points,” he says.
“TWO POINTS!!” the man cries, “At this rate the only way I get into heaven is by the grace of God!”
“That’s right! Now you have got it!” said St. Peter.
- Source Unknown
Grace is unmerited favor, it is not something that we deserve but God freely gives it to us and all we must do is receive it by faith. Paul, in Ephesians 1:7-8 tells us, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence.” It is the good work that He has done for us, and we must receive that free gift of God by faith not by works! This then leads us to the next point of our acrostic.
3. OFFSPRING – GALATIANS
4:6
Because of what Jesus Christ has done in our lives, the forgiveness of our sins, redeeming us back to God, we have now been adopted into the family of God and we can have a close, an intimate relationship with God. You see, the Aramaic word “Abba” can be translated “Daddy!” or “Papa!” a term used of intimacy.
Think about that for a minute. When my wife was young she was separated from her mom and as she was walking just reached up to the hand that was next to her, thinking it was her moms, but it was not her moms! There was no relationship there, even though the woman may have been very nice, they were not related.
Imagine going up to a complete stranger, wrapping your arms around him and crying out “Papa!” or “Daddy!” Of course you wouldn’t do that and if you did the person would think you were crazy because there is no relationship, you are not his child, he is not your father!
Paul put it this way in Galatians 3:26-29, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 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. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
Do you see what Paul is saying here? He is saying that it doesn’t matter what ethnic background you are from – Jew or Greek. It doesn’t matter what your social status is in society – salve or free. It doesn’t matter your gender – male or female! All that matters is who is Jesus Christ to you? Is He your Lord and Savior and if He is then you are a child of God, a son of God! That is not to say that our ethnic background, or our social status, or our sexual orientation is changed at the time of our conversion. All Paul is saying is that these things are of no value nor do they handicap us in any way. Yes, the Law makes these distinctions but God’s Grace has declared all to be on the same level.
Not only that, but as a child of God we can boldly go before Him and cry out “Abba, Father!” or “Daddy!” Paul put it this way in Hebrews 4:16, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Or as The Amplified Bible puts it, “Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God's unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].”
Now how do we know this to be true, that we are sons of God? Paul tells us in Romans 8:14-17, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” The Holy Spirit not only shows us we are sons of God but He brings us into that personal, that intimate relationship with our heavenly Father! It is as Stott tells us, “Thus, God’s purpose was not only to secure our sonship by His Son, but to assure us of it by His Spirit. He sent His Son that we might have that status of sonship, and He sent His Spirit that we might have an experience of it.” Thus, being adopted into the family of God has certain privileges that come with it and that will lead us to the next and last point of our acrostic.
4. WILL – GALATIANS
4:7
Because we are sons of God, adopted into the family of God, we are an heir of God. Paul, in Romans 8:16-17 tells us, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” We are joint heirs with Christ and thus, as we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, as He is our Lord and Savior, God gives to us everything the Son possess! How awesome is that! How wonderful is that! Paul, in Ephesians 1:3 tells us, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” Do you see the key here? The key is being in Christ, and thus, as we are we then have access to all that God has for us!
Where is the reading of the will? When do we receive these things? The reading of the will is done on a daily basis as you are in the Word of God. You see, if you want to know all that God has for you, all that you have inherited, then read His Word and His Spirit will show you the blessings that are yours in Christ! We then will receive these things as we have need, as the Lord desires, He is in control and as our heavenly Father He knows what we need when we need it!
Notice the progression in these verses we have looked at this morning. First we are in slavery to sin, in bondage to the Law but God stepped in and set us free from slavery, we are no longer in bondage to the Law by our relationship with Jesus Christ. Not only that but then we are declared sons of God, adopted into the family of God through Jesus Christ. It doesn’t end there. We are then, as sons of God, also heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ! How beautiful, how wonderful is that! And folks, it is because of Jesus, not because of us!
As I begin to wrap up this study this morning, let me share with you this illustration to drive home the point of what God has done for us. We are told:
In 2002 Denise Banderman was a youth ministry student at Hannibal-LaGrange College in Missouri. The day came for the class to sit their final exam. When Denise and her fellow students opened their papers they were astonished to find every answer filled in. At the bottom of the page was a message that read: “This is the end of the exam. All the answers on your test are correct. You will receive an A on the final exam. The reason you passed the test is because the creator of the test took it for you. All the work you did in preparation for this test did not help you get the A. You have just experienced . . . grace.”
The course lecturer, Dr. Hufty, spoke to the students about the exam. He said, “Some things you learn from lectures, some things you learn from research, but some things you can only learn from experience. You’ve just experienced grace. One hundred years from now, if you know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, your name will be written down in a book, and you will have had nothing to do with writing it there. That will be the ultimate grace experience.”
- Source Unknown
The reason you are going to heaven is because your Creator took the penalty for your sins. It doesn’t matter how much good work you have done, how nice you are, all the work and all the preparation to enter into heaven by you did not help you get there – it was the grace of God! You don’t deserve it, I don’t deserve it, but God freely gives us the free gift of life that is found in Jesus Christ and all we must do is receive it by faith!
As I close, Peter admonishes us “You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.” The Amplified Bible puts these verses like this, “Let me warn you therefore, beloved, that knowing these things beforehand, you should be on your guard, lest you be carried away by the error of lawless and wicked [persons and] fall from your own [present] firm condition [your own steadfastness of mind]. But grow in grace (undeserved favor, spiritual strength) and recognition and knowledge and understanding of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (the Messiah). To Him [be] glory (honor, majesty, and splendor) both now and to the day of eternity. Amen (so be it)!” May we do that, GROW in the Lord from:
| GRACELESSNESS | to |
| REDEMPTION | to |
| OFFSPRING | to |
| WILL |
May we learn to be communers with God and allow Him to fill our lives with His Grace and His knowledge, so that we may GROW!