Brethren, if you will, open your
Bibles to Galatians chapter 4. Galatians chapter 4. The topic
of my message today is why we are heirs. I was thinking this
morning, I got up early, and someone that hates this gospel,
they can't stand to hear that all flesh is grass. I can't comfort
them. I have no good news for them. If someone despises what Christ
accomplished on the cross and they want to accomplish something,
there's nothing I can do to comfort them. But for those that believe,
for those that are His, I can comfort them. For those that
are truly needy, I can comfort them. Many times I feel very
needy. Do you ever feel forsaken of
the Lord? I mean low. I think the Lord just took His
hand off of me. I don't feel like I know Him at all. I don't
feel like coming to church. I don't think I can hear anything. Might as well not even show up.
I've experienced that quite a bit. That's normally the time I need
to come. When it needs a physician. I
have unbelief. 7 billion people in the world,
6.999 billion people can't be wrong. I struggle with those things.
Feel alone. God says, there's scriptures
say, let God be true and every man a liar. God's elect are heirs. He won't leave us. Trevor is
Matt's heir. Think he'd leave him down there
in La Jolla? He went down there to him, didn't he? Went to be
with him. The Lord won't leave us. We saw
here in Galatians, the purpose of this book was that these believers,
these people came in, preaching Christ. It's fine to believe
on Christ, but you've got to do something. You've got to add
something to it. You must be circumcised. And
you can fill that in with anything. You must be baptized. You must
take the Lord's table. You must say this prayer. must
walk down an aisle, anything. The whole reason this epistle,
Roach's whole book, was to condemn that and point them back to Christ.
Paul was there with them for a couple years and he preached
Christ to them. Preach all flesh as grass and
all our inheritance is in Christ the Lord. And he left. And these
men snuck in and started preaching another gospel which is not another.
There is no other gospel. There's one comfort, isn't there?
I came in preaching that to him, and Paul wrote this letter. He
said, that's not another. Christ is all. And just like
I'm seeing in this letter in my life, there's valleys and
there's hills, right? I talked about this morning,
Bob. The tops of those mountains are pretty narrow, aren't they?
Them valleys are wide, it seems. But Paul repeatedly through this
epistle corrects them. points him to Christ, comforts
him, corrects him, points him to Christ, and comforts him.
We saw last time that promise that God made to his people,
made to Abraham, and to Abraham's seed, singular, made it to Christ. He said, I'm going to send my
Son into this world, I'm going to save a people, I'm going to
do it all, and I'm going to be their God, and I'll keep them.
We saw the purpose of the law exposes sin, shows us what we
are, exposes God's holiness, what He requires, the perfection
He requires, and gave us a proclamation of the Messiah that was to come.
That way when He came, we would know that's Him. He's kept all
that, and we know He has. And we saw that people that the
promise was made to. It goes on there, Galatians 4
and verse 1, and Paul's going to speak to these people. these
heirs of God, those children of Abraham. Galatians 4.1 says,
Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing
from a servant, though he be Lord of all. But as under tutors
and governors until the appointed time of the Father, even so we,
when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of
the world. But when the fullness of time
was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under
the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might
receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God
hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying,
Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a
servant, but a son, and if a son than an heir of God through Christ. Paul begins there in verse one
and two. He speaks of watched over children. He uses this analogy
of a for them at that time it was school, grade school. That's
what he's talking about. He says, now I'll say that an
heir as long as he is a child differeth nothing from a servant
but though he be Lord of all but is under tutors and governors
until the time appointed by the Father. Back in those days, the
rich father, the ruler of a kingdom, their children, little fellas,
three, four, five, six years old, they need to learn things. They have to learn how to rule,
don't they? The servants' children, they have to learn how to be
servants. Read and write. Learn how to do normal things.
And all these children would be together. They would all be
grouped together. They would learn together. The
servants' children had to learn. The king's child had to learn.
But they were all raised together. They played together in the yard.
Went and rolled around in the mud together. And they did a lot
of chores together. There's no difference. Those
stalls need cleaned. Get you a shovel and go clean
the stalls. Well, I'm the king's son. Yeah, but you're ten. Get
you a shovel and go clean the stalls. They all had to accomplish
things together. The king's child would be the
inheritor of all his estate. He was the Lord of all at that
time. Everything was going to be his. It was all his father.
He didn't earn it. His father earned it, but it was going to
be given to him. But while he was a child, he was the same
as a servant's child. You couldn't tell the difference
in them. I thought about that a long time, read a whole lot
on it, and then I remembered I'd lived through this. I went
to high school with a man, a man now, a boy then, His father was
wealthy, very wealthy. You would know of his wealth.
And whenever he got old enough, he would be with his father.
He had everything his father owned. But you know what me and
James did together? We cleaned toilets together.
He drives a lot different car than I drive now, but it didn't
make a difference. We cleaned toilets together,
didn't we? We understand that in this world. Little children
all grouped together and playing. But spiritually, nothing's changed.
That's a good allegory for our spiritual life, isn't it? We're
walking in this darkness before that light shines on us. We run
around playing together. We fight with other people, other
children. We work with them, eat with them,
live in unbelief with them, live in false religion. We look to
ourselves. We get scared with them. You
cannot, in this world, look at a man or a woman and tell if
they're a child of God. I don't know who the Lord's elect
are. Anyone that claims they can plainly tell who the Lord's
elect are, I would caution you from them. And many times, mature
believers, grounded, mature believers, don't act like they're children
of God, do they? We have tutors and governors over us. That schoolmaster
we looked at last time must take us to the teacher. And we fight
back, don't we? Just like a child, we test its
bounds. And that law doesn't give. It keeps whipping us back
on it. So what's the difference between
a child of the reprobate and a child of God? Before the Lord
saves them, before the Lord gives them life, gives a new man in
them, what's the difference? What's the difference in these
children gathered in this kingdom Here mentioned in verse 1 and
2, who their father is. That's the only difference, isn't
it? Verse 1 and 2 says, at that appointed time that's set by
the father, they are no longer counted as one of the little
kids played in the yard. They're no longer under those tutors
and governors. Turn over to Hosea chapter 11. Between Daniel and Joel in Old
Testament. Hosea 11 verse 1 says, When Israel was
a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt. As
they called them, so they went from them. They sacrificed them
to Balaam, and burned incense to graven images. They were being
trained up. They had tutors and governors over them. They were
acting like children. I taught Ephraim also to go,
taking them by their arms, but they knew not that I healed them."
The Lord's providence guided me through darkness and I didn't
even know it. Before I ever knew Him, He ordained every step I'd
take and every breath I'd take. Verse 4, I drew them with the
cords of a man. I wish there was an H there.
I saw that as a guitar cord. God's preacher came singing that
song of grace in Christ. That Spirit draws them with bands
of love. And I was to them as they that
take off the yoke on their jaw. Christ was our liberty, taking
that bride alive of our mouth. And what did He do? And I laid
meat unto them. We were greatly fed. The Lord
carried me all through this life, sent a man preaching this gospel. Tell me that Christ was all,
and He took that bit and brottle out of my mouth. Gave me meat,
He fed me. Loosed me, didn't He? Has that
been your experience? Was there any difference between
you and any other person that walks on the face of this earth?
Were you the same? Did God draw you with those cords of a man? Somebody say something about
these scriptures. Told you the truth of these scriptures,
and you heard something. And were drawn to it. That message
of saying, Christ is all. Did the Holy Spirit come to you
to free your mouth? Give you something real to chew
on? Something worthy to chew on? Fed you with the meat of the
gospel? If He has, the Lord has given you an inheritance. And
He'll keep you with His mighty hand until that appointed time.
So we can be made like Christ. See Him face to face. Turn over
to 1 Peter. Chapter 1. 1 Peter 1, verse 3. It says, Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant
mercy hath begotten us again into a lively hope by the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance What's that
inheritance we're going to get from the Lord? Is it a mansion?
Is it a crown in heaven? No. It's His righteousness. His holiness. We're inheriting
eternal life to be made like Him. Verse 4, "...to an inheritance
incorruptible and undefiled that fadeth not away, reserved in
heaven for you." Who's this you? Verse 5, "...you who are kept
by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed
in the last time. We have to be kept, we have to
be carried, just like a small child, fully dependent on our
Father for all things. Matthew 18 says, And Jesus called
a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
and said, Christ is speaking here, Verily I say unto you,
except you be converted and become as a little child, You shall
not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble
himself as this little child, the same is great in the kingdom
of heaven. What do children do when they're
in trouble? When they're in need, they cry to their father, don't
they? If I hear daddy from across the house, I can tell that with
the word, same word, but the inflection of the voice, I can
tell if it's something happy that happened, they want to show
me or if somebody's hurt. You parents know them children
cry. You know what that cry sounds like. They want attention or
they really hurt. It still sounds like they're crying. Look back
at our text in Galatians 4. We'll look down at verse 6. And because ye are sons, God
hath sent forth the spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying,
Abba, Father. That's Father, Father. We cry
Daddy, don't we? Alright, verse 3. Those children,
those Jews that Paul is speaking to and us now, I was trapped
in bondage. Trapped. Verse 3 says, even so
we, Paul is saying to these Jews, I'm just like you, me and you.
Even so we, when we were children, we were in bondage under the
elements of the world. They've had this experience.
They were under the bondage of the elements of the world. Those
Jews were. What are those elements of the world? The rudiments of
the world. The basics of the world. They
were bound to them. The Jews were, weren't they?
Those basic things were taught to young Jews. Levitical law.
From an early age. These are the rules. Give it
to them. And it's called elements because it's earthy. It's from
the earth. Water. There's a lot of different
washings in those laws. What they could drink, what they
couldn't drink. Things from the dirt, the meat, what they could
eat. The dietary laws, what they couldn't
eat. Fire for all the burnt offerings. Time. Days were observed. To us, we have time. We live
in time, don't we? The Lord doesn't. But they observe
those things. When to rest, when to work. It
was all the things that you could see and do and feel. Things of the earth. That's what
these Jews were in bondage to and slavery to. They were in
captivity to. They were stuck in that. They
had to do something. Has anything changed in today's world? Two
thousand years later, is something different? Have we evolved to
more knowledge and experience? You replace any of those verbs
with a modern term and nothing's changed. You take burnt offerings. So you have to do burnt offerings
to be able to face the Lord, to be saved. Now it's baptism.
You have to be baptized or you're not saved. Washing the tithing. You have to wash your hands before
you eat. Now you have to tithe. You better give 10% or you can't
see the Lord. Those things are required, isn't
it? Some of the things haven't changed. Drinking alcohol. Keeping
a Sabbath. Better not walk too far on Sundays. The feasts. Passovers. All these things. Nothing's changed.
But once Christ is revealed in a believer, are we still required
to observe those things we're in bondage to? Are we required
to wash our hands and worry about what we eat? What we drink? Turn
over to Colossians 2. So many of these things People argue over nowadays. The
Lord gave me the ability to see it. He gave me the eyes to see
it. He's given you the eyes to see it. But plain in His Word,
nothing to argue over. Colossians 2 verse 20. Wherefore,
if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, from
all these elements, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject
to ordinances, touch not, taste not, handle not, which all or
to perish with the using." When you do them, those things die
and go away. After the commandments and doctrines of men, verse 23,
which things have indeed a show of wisdom and will worship, it
looks smart, and humility, and neglecting of the body, not in
any honor to the satisfying of the flesh. It looks good on the
outside, but there's no benefit to the soul, is there? If you
then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above,
where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God, set your affections
on things above, not on things of this earth." And at a point
in time of our Father's coming, we're freed from those elements.
We're freed from those tutors, those governors, freed from being
a child. We stop looking at what we need
to do for God and see what He's already done for us, what He's
accomplished for us. We don't look to the day of Sabbath,
we look to Christ our Sabbath. He's our rest. We look to things
above. While looking above, we see those
first three verses. Who else was a king's son that
blended right in with everybody else? Who else had an appointed
time with his father? Who else was put under those
laws? Christ was. Back to our text, there in Galatians
chapter 4. Here's the reason that us helpless,
unruly children are made heirs. Galatians 4.4 But when the fullness
of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made
under the law to redeem them that were under the law, that
we might receive the adoption of sons. Here's the deepest,
most intricate, most complicated, Theological thought that can
be debated. Some of these scholars, these theologians now, they want
to dig deep. Here's something deep. God Almighty was made a
man. He walked on this earth. He was
put under the law, made of a woman. He died according to the scriptures.
He rose again and all of his elect are justified and sanctified
in him. He never knew sin and he finished
it all completely. That's deep. It says there, the fullness of
time. Some people call it divine visitation. This time was settled
between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit
before time ever appeared to us, before this world was ever
made. That time was set for Him to come. Made of a woman, made
under the law. Paul's showing us here divine
substitution. The Lord provided a substitute. Christ came into
the world, made in our likeness, bone of our bone and flesh of
our flesh, wouldn't He? Numbered with the transgressors.
He was born of a woman under the law and touched with the
feeling of our infirmities. That's what it said. I read to
you earlier out of Isaiah. It says, unto us a child's born,
but a son's given. Christ wasn't. He could come
out of a woman, the God-man. The man was born of a woman,
but He wasn't He wasn't created then, He already was. He was
given to us, wasn't He? It says there, to redeem a people,
that's divine satisfaction. The Father sent Christ to redeem
a people and He redeemed them. He satisfied the Father. That
was His purpose, an effectual redemption. And when He cried,
it is finished, it's done. Turn over to John chapter 11. We had need of a substitute. One had to take our place. John 11 verse 47, Then gathered
the chief priests and the Pharisees a council and said, What do we
do? For this man doeth many miracles.
If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him. And
the Romans shall come and take away both our place and our nation."
We'll lose our nation. We'll lose our governance. I'm
going to lose my job if people keep believing on Christ. And
one of them, named Cephas, being the high priest that same year,
said unto them, Know ye nothing at all? Nor consider that it
is expedient for us that one man should die for the people
that the whole nation perish not." He's preaching Christ in
contention. Didn't he know what he was saying?
And this he spake not of himself, but being the high priest that
year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation, and
not only for that nation, but that also he should gather together
in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. That was
necessary. One had to die for many. And
we are made one with Him. Turn over to Hebrews chapter
2. That's been on my heart heavy lately. I wish I could grasp
in part how one the Lord's people are with Christ. I wish I could enter into that
truly. Hebrews 2 verse 11. For both
he that sanctifies and they who are sanctified are all of one. For which cause he is not ashamed
to call them brethren, saying, I will declare thy name unto
my brethren in the midst of the church while I sing praise unto
thee. And again, I will put my trust
in him and behold, and again, behold, and I Again, Behold,
I and the children which God hath given me, for as much then
as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself
likewise took part of the same, that through death he might destroy
him that had the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver
them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject
to bondage. The one who sanctified us is
our sanctification and He put us together in one in Him. We
were subject to bondage. We had that fear of death and
Christ came once, didn't He? And all of His members are one
in His body and He's the head of that body. At the point of
time set, Christ became a man made of a woman under the law
and He redeemed His elect, making us sons. There in Galatians 4.6. Here's the result of God's adoption.
Galatians 4.6, "...and because ye are sons, God hath sent forth
the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, giving you that new life,
that new man crying, Abba, Father." Now, it says there, "...because
ye are sons." That's the reason. That's the reason we're given
new life. We didn't choose to do something. We didn't accept
Jesus into our hearts and then we're made sons. No, because
you are sons. Because Christ said, I'll take
that one. I'll be his substitute. She's
mine. Because he said that, that's
why the Comforter comes. Put that spirit in us. Gives
us a new heart. John 15, 26 says, but when the
Comforter has come, whom I will send unto you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify
of me. And ye also shall bear witness,
because ye have been with me from the beginning." Because
we're sons, Christ sends that Spirit to us and he testifies
in our hearts Christ. We look to Him. We see Him. And
we bear witness. How do we bear witness to that?
Yep, that's what happened. That's what happened to me. He
did everything. Men could write volumes of books
about theological doctrine, but a sinner could stand in front
of people and say, that's what Christ did for me. That's a strong
witness, isn't it? Because that Spirit's put in
us that new man's given life. Galatians 4, 7. I'll wrap this up. It says, Wherefore
thou art no more a servant, but a son. And if a son, then an
heir of God through Christ. Turn over to Romans 8, verse
14. Romans chapter 8. Verse 14 says, For as many as
are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For
ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but
ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba,
Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness
with our spirit that we are the children of God. And if children
and heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, If so be that
we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. That's the reason that we observe
the Lord's table. We declare, I died in Christ's
body and I'm already washed in his blood. He purchased me and
it's finished. That's the reason we observe
believers baptism. We declare, I was buried with
Christ and I have risen with Christ. It's finished. He's done
it all and I'm one with him. That is the spirit of a child,
of a son saying, my daddy did it all. Abba Father, has God
made you an heir? Is that what you cry? If so,
you're not under that bondage. He's took that bit out of your
mouth and fed you meat. We have no reason to fear that
bondage. All things are yours. Why? All things are our father's. We have nothing to fear. He'll
take care of it. I pray it's a comfort to you. Let's pray. Father, if it's your will, in
your appointed time, Allow your children to know that
we're children. Allow us to see your strength. Allow us to understand that inheritance
that you've given us. We haven't earned, Lord. You gave us Christ's righteousness.
You've made us like Him, insomuch that He calls us brethren. So
many things we can't understand, Lord. We're helpless, poor children. But allow us to see that we're
your children, Lord. Call out your sheep. Free them
from the bondage that we put ourselves under. Keep us till the end. Keep us in your mighty hand.
Be with our brethren all over, Lord, those that suffer. Heal
them in the heart. Mend those broken bones which
you shattered. Allow us to see our great position
and praise him for it. Always give us a heart to worship
you, Lord. Keep us looking to you all week. We're so prone
to wonder. Thank you, Lord. Thank you for
your mercies. Thank you for your son. Forgive us our sins. It's
your son's name that we ask it. Amen.