Before I get started, I don't
really need this cane. I just want you all to feel sorry
for me. I'm just teasing you. Thank you,
Jim. Oh, it's so good to be back with
you on this night. We meet to worship, and it just
struck me when we were singing that hymn, Brother Jim, that
instead of saying, It was there by faith I received, it was there
by grace. And you know, Isaac Watts didn't
write that chorus. If he had, I think he would have
put grace in it. That's the way it ought to be.
But it's so good to be back with you and see old friends and brethren
in Christ. I think about you a lot. I join
you in worship. by way of the internet and listening
to messages and seeing you and keep up with you. And it's just
a joy to be back with you. So let's get started. Galatians chapter four. Galatians
chapter four. I wanna talk to you on this subject,
beginning at verse four. I'll talk a little bit about
what's led up to this. The fullness of the time. The
fullness of the time. Now as we know from scriptural
testimony, and this is true throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation,
the Lord Jesus Christ, the second person of the Holy Trinity, the
Godhead, is the eternal Son of God. He has always been, he will
always be, and he stands as the surety, the substitute, the Redeemer,
the Mediator and Intercessor, the Preserver and the Glorifier
of all whom the Father gave Him before the foundation of the
world, known as the elect of God. A lot of people don't like
that, but that's what the Bible says, and that's the God we worship. God, purpose before time. God
is eternal. He's not subject to time. He
created time. He acts in time. He does many
wonderful works in time, especially the work of our redemption, the
cross, as you said, that God forbid that I should glory, boast,
or have confidence except in that one thing, the cross of
our Lord Jesus Christ, the glory of his person, the power of his
finished work, the success of it in every way, no failure. But God himself in his nature
is eternal. And he's immutable, and that's
mind-boggling. I often say, you probably heard
me say it in the past, you know, somebody says, well, I can't
wrap my mind around that, and I always say, join the club,
fella. Because our God is so high above us in the nature of
his being, but isn't that the way it ought to be? One of the
problems that is brought up in the Old Testament, and in other
words, in the New Testament, too, And we see it in our day
is that people worship a God that they have formed in their
imagination who's really like themselves. And not the God of
the Bible at all. One old writer said, they reason
from the ground up instead of from heaven down. And that's
why God has to reveal himself to a sinner. in order for us
to know God. And how does He reveal Himself?
He reveals Himself to His people in the glorious person and the
finished work of Christ. If you want to know God, this
is life eternal, the Lord said in His high priestly prayer in
John 17, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and
Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent. You cannot know God, the true
and living God, in a saving way, in an intimate way, apart from
Christ. Now, God purposed before time,
before this world was ever created, to save a people of His choice
and to save them in a way that would honor and glorify Him.
And He gets all the glory, and He leaves nothing for us to glory
in ourselves. The Bible speaks of salvation
as that which was given to God's people in Jesus Christ before
the world began. Isn't that amazing? Before you were ever born, your
name was written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Your name was placed
within the heart of our Savior and on the shoulders of our Savior.
And many have a hard time understanding how the Bible portrays salvation
in terms of eternity and time. And a lot of people get this
confused, but it is mind-boggling, but at the same time, there's
a clarity about it. For example, when we speak of
salvation, we're speaking of an eternal matter. It's a matter
of an eternal covenant, the everlasting covenant of grace made before
time between the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. And so when
we talk about the eternal aspect of salvation, we're talking about
the eternal mind and purpose of God, which never changes. You know, if you're one of God's
people, one of His sheep, when God changed you in new birth,
your mind changed towards Him. Because before you were converted
under the preaching of the gospel by the power of the Spirit, you
were an enemy of God in your mind by wicked works. Isn't that
what the Bible says? Fallen in Adam, spiritually dead,
spiritually depraved, with no inclination or no desire for
the things of the glory of God in salvation. But when He changed
you, it didn't change Him. He didn't change His mind towards
me. My name was written just like your name was written. The
Bible speaks of those who were marked out, who were chosen before
and given to Christ. And as that scripture I just
quoted a while ago, that we were given a salvation in Christ Jesus
before the world began. Well, that's the eternal mind
of God. And then there's a legal aspect of salvation. That takes
place in God's mind, has no beginning and no end. It's a justification
of a sinner before God based upon an act in time. And that's
the redemptive work of Christ on the cross. Because to be justified
is to be forgiven of all my sins on a just ground. And the only
just ground there is is the blood of Jesus Christ. That's it. And it's to be declared righteous
in God's sight. on a just ground, and the only
just ground there is the righteousness of Christ. His righteousness
imputed. So that's the legal ramp. He had to come, Christ
had to come into this world, and he had to die on that cross
to satisfy the law and justice of God. And as a result, God
is just to justify the ungodly. Isn't that amazing? And then
there's a spiritual realm of salvation. That's the work of
the Holy Spirit in the new birth. At some point in time, if you're
one of God's people, one of his elect, at some point in time,
through the providence of God, he's going to bring you under
the preaching of the gospel. And there the Holy Spirit is
going to do his great work of raising the dead, giving you
spiritual life. All of that. Give you the gift
of knowledge. Give you a new heart, a new spirit,
new life, a new desire. Give you the gift of faith in
Christ and repentance of dead works. Give you a heart to follow
God. He doesn't make you sinlessly
perfect now. You're already perfect in Christ, legally. But in ourselves,
we still have the flesh, and that's when we begin the warfare.
You may have heard me say the three things that characterize
a Christian life is our standing before God in Christ, which never
changes, and then our state in this world, which does change
from dead to life in the new birth, and then the next word
is struggle. Because from then on, it's a
struggle, isn't it? You ever been through that struggle?
You're going through it right now, aren't you? Every one of
us, it's a warfare of the spirit against the flesh and the flesh
against the spirit. And then there's the glorified realm,
and that's when God will take us into his bosom. And when we
die, or when he comes back again, and that change that comes about,
and we go to be with him forever and ever and ever in glory. So
the bottom line is the Bible teaches that what God purposed
before time has its establishment and fulfillment in time, and
that's what we're seeing right here. Look at verse 4 of Galatians
chapter 4. It says, but when the fullness
of the time was come. The fullness of the time. This
is a specific time. This is a God-appointed time. This fullness of the time speaks
of God's absolute sovereignty. He's the ruler of time. Read
Ecclesiastes 3. Everything there's a season and
a time. Why is that so? Why is that schedule in the Bible? Because God did it. We think
about God in his providential work, and sometimes it baffles
us, doesn't it? We don't know what's going to
happen tomorrow, do we? We don't know if we're going to live or
die or go on. We don't know, but God does. There is a time
appointed, and God appointed that time, and after that the
judgment. God is absolutely sovereign over all things, over time, over
this world. He's sovereign in providence. He's sovereign in salvation.
Everything. There's nothing above God. And
so when he says, when the fullness of the time was come, he speaks
of God's sovereignty and he also here speaks Christ deity look
at it, but when the fullness of the time was come God sent
forth his son That's the that's Christ That's the second person
of the Trinity that speaks of his deity the Son of God without
beginning without end eternal sent into this fallen world And he didn't he didn't stop
being God and Now there are things when we want, when we see recorded
in scripture about his life on earth that, you know, you would
only attribute to a human. And there are things you would
only attribute to God and you can apply both to the God-man.
God manifest in the flesh, but that's who Jesus Christ is. He's
God. God sent forth his son. And then
look at the next line, made of a woman. That speaks of his sinless
humanity. His impeccable humanity. It means He was not born the
way we were born. We were born in sin. We fell
in Adam into a state of death and depravity and darkness, unbelief. But Christ was not born that
way. He was conceived in the womb
of the Virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit. He's the woman's seed. The seed of woman. And here it
says He was born of a woman, specifically to let us understand
that His holy, sinless, impeccable humanity was special. You know, the Catholic Church,
they speak of the immaculate conception. You've heard that
term? You know who they're talking
about? Mary. Oh, no. You know, Mary herself
said, that her son Jesus was her what? Savior. Well, who needs
a savior? A sinner. If she wasn't a sinner,
she didn't need a savior. She's not the immaculate conception,
Christ was. He's the immaculate one. He's
the one who came to this world made of a woman. Sin of God,
the Father. The God-man. God with us. Look
over at Hebrews chapter 2 with me. And why was this necessary? In Hebrews chapter 2. And look at verse 14. We could read this whole chapter,
but I'll just give you this one verse. If time will allow. It
says, for as much then as the children. Now whose children? God's children. We're going to
see in a few minutes God's adopted children. They are partakers
of flesh and blood. That's you and me. That's God's
elect. He, Christ, also himself, likewise took part of the same. Flesh and blood. Yet he was without
sin. But he had to take part of flesh
and blood. Why? 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. For barely he took not on him
the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham."
Now who's the seed of Abraham there? That's God's elect. Jew
and Gentile. But look at verse 70. Wherefore,
for this reason, in all things, it behooved him to be made like
unto his brethren." Why did he have to be made like unto his
brethren? Well, to redeem them, to save them. But that word behooved,
you know what it is? It's the Greek word for debt.
A debt had been placed upon him before the foundation of the
world in the everlasting covenant of grace. He was made the surety
of the covenant. That means he took the debt,
the sin debt of his people upon himself. And in order to pay
that debt, he had to be made like unto his brethren, yet without
sin. And it says that he might be
a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to
God to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. Now that's
why in the fullness of the time, God sent forth his son made of
a woman. We'll go back to Galatians 4
now, verse 4. Not only was he made of a woman,
he was made under the law. Now what does that mean? That
means he was made responsible to satisfy the law and justice
of God in the stead of his people. All of our salvation before the
world began by the sovereign God who sent him forth in the
fullness of this appointed time, all of our salvation was conditioned
on Christ, placed upon his shoulders. The whole blessing and benefit
of it None of it was placed upon us. That's the glory of this
covenant of grace. It's not a conditional covenant
towards us. God doesn't say in the covenant
of grace, He said, now I'll get you started and then you finish
it out. No, no, because if He did that,
it would fail. That Mosaic law, now that was
conditioned on the people of Israel. as far as their prosperity
and their keeping the land. And they failed, so would we.
What law was he made under? Whatever law condemned his people
for their sins, he was made under. Whatever law Adam was under,
whatever law Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, whatever law Moses,
Aaron, Joshua, whatever law they were under, whatever law, it's
the law of love, it's the perfect law of love. that condemns all
of us based upon our works, but thank God we're not under law,
we're under grace. And that's what this is all about.
Christ was made under the law so that we're not under the law.
And boy, I love Romans 8, 33 and 34. It said, who shall lay
anything to the charge of God's elect? It's God that justify. Who can condemn us? It's Christ
that died. Yea, rather He's risen again
and seated at the right hand of the Father ever living to
make every intercession for us. If you're in Christ, you're washed
in His blood, you're clothed in His righteousness, you cannot
be condemned. You cannot even be charged legally
with your sins. because they were charged to
Christ. That's what that verse means when it says He was made
sin. He was charged with our sin debt. And for that reason,
God was just to punish His holy, harmless, undefiled Son. That's what substitution is all
about right there. And that's the glory of it. God
sent forth His Son made of a woman, made under the law. Well, what
was the purpose of all this? Look at verse 5 of Galatians
4. to redeem them that were under the law, to pay the price, a
ransom, as our surety and our substitute, he shed his blood
to pay the debt, to satisfy justice, to bring forth an everlasting
righteousness of infinite value, whereby God would be just to
justify the ungodly. And then secondly, verse five,
that we might receive the adoption of sons. Now, when were we adopted
into God's family? Turn back to Ephesians chapter
one with me. I said turn back, turn forward
to Ephesians chapter one. One page or two. Listen to this. And don't you love this verse,
this whole sentence here. I mean, it just puts everything
in perspective for us. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ. How many blessings
did he bless us with? All of them. And what does that
mean? There's not one blessing of salvation
that we can say, I earned that or I deserve it. It's a gift. Everything, every blessing, every
benefit of it. And it says, verse four, according as he hath chosen
us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according
to the good pleasure of his will, and to the praise of the glory
of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Predestinous to be adopted. Now that tells me that we were
adopted before the world began. But just like in an adoption,
when a couple goes in and wants to adopt a child, they choose
the child they want to adopt. That's God's electing grace.
And then they have to make sure the lawyers or whoever's with
them, the legal people, they have to make sure there's no
legally bound issue that would keep them from adopting that
child. Well, Christ took care of that on the cross for us.
All the obstacles were removed, all the means were provided for
our adoption. And then they go tell the child,
you've been adopted. And that's what's happening here,
that we might receive the adoption of sons. When we're born into
this world, we're like orphans under the power of Satan and
sin. And we live our lives in the
darkness of unbelief until God sends the message to us to tell
us, you've been redeemed. You've been adopted. And by the
power of the Spirit, we do what is not in our natural understanding. Because the natural man receiveth
not the things of the Spirit of God, neither can he know them.
They're spiritually discerned. What God does, He puts within
us a desire, a will, He makes us willing in the day of His
power to receive that adoption of grace. And we're brought spiritually
into His family. And look at verse 6. Now the
way this is stated out is important. It says, and because you are
sons. Now it doesn't say in order that
you might become sons. It says, because you are sons,
God has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts,
crying, Abba, Father. Because God chose us, justified
us, sent Christ to redeem us, because of that and adopted us,
he sends forth his spirit into our hearts. That's the new heart.
The natural heart won't receive it. That's what the Bible tells
us, John 1, verses 12 and 13. No, the natural man won't receive
it. But when he gives us a new heart, and that's what he says
he'll do, he'll give you a new mind, a new spirit, new life,
faith, and repentance. Then you'll see the reality of
grace, and it'll bring you to your knees towards God, and make
you want to wrap your arms around the Savior, crying, Abba, Father.
Look over at Romans chapter 8. And listen to this. Verse 13. Well, let's read verse 12. Therefore,
brethren, we are debtors not to the flesh to live after the
flesh, We don't owe anything to the flesh, our works, our
will. We don't owe anything to ourselves.
But for if you live after the flesh, you shall die. Now understand
living after the flesh can be false religion just as much it
can be drunkenness or whoredom or drug addicts or whatever. In fact, most of this book is
written to religious people who are lost, who are doing their
best to keep the law. And failing, as we all will. So that's living after the flesh.
You understand that. For if you live after the flesh,
you'll die. That's death. But if you through the Spirit
do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live. Now how do we
mortify the deeds of the body? We look at them as they've been
imputed to Christ and he died to satisfy the justice of God
for them. They cannot be held against us
anymore. It's dead. We died with him. When he died,
we died. When he was buried, we were buried.
And when he arose again, we arose again. That's what believer's
baptism confesses. Our identity and our unity with
Christ in all that he accomplished in our stead. So he says in verse
14, for as many as are led by the Spirit, they are the sons
of God. For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to
fear, that spirit of bondage which would put you under the
law, trying to make yourself good enough for God. No, that's
bondage. That's death. But you've received
the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba, Abba. That word
Abba, I've read a lot of people trying to translate it. I don't
think anybody's really hit it. Now here's what I see it as.
It's a term for God that only his children have a right to
use. Special. He's not just God my
creator, he is, but he's not only that, he's my Abba Father. I remember Brother Tim James
said one time, he said, it's like saying Papa, Papa, something
like that, but it's a closeness, not an over-familiarity now.
You know, there's that, you know, not the big daddy upstairs or
the old man, not that junk. But I mean, it's a respectful,
thankful, worshipful term for God. Think about it. And then he says in verse 17,
and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs
with Christ, if so be that we suffer with him, that we may
be glorified together. Go back to Galatians four. Verse six, Abba, Father. Can
you say Abba, Father? But if you know Christ, if you
plead his merits alone, you can say Abba, Father. You've got
a right to do it. You know, that's what that John 1, 12 passage,
you know, when it says, those who receive Christ, they have
the power to become or to be called sons of God. That word
power, there's not ability, it's the right. If you say you're
saved, if you say you're a child of God, what right do you have
to say that? What truthful right? Well, there's only one right
that we have. We're accepted in the beloved. We glory in the
cross. We look to Jesus, the author
and finisher of our faith. And then verse 7 of Galatians
4. Wherefore, for this reason, thou art no more a servant, but
a son. Well, what does that mean? I mean, when God saves us, we're
still servants of Christ, aren't we? Well, hold on to that thought. He says, and if a son, then an
heir of God through Christ. Now turn to Romans 6. What does he mean we're not servants
anymore but sons? Well, what he means there is we're no longer under the
slavery of the law, that kind of servant, a forced servant. But we are now bond slaves of
Jesus Christ, sons of God who are in line for an inheritance
that's incorruptible. Yes, we're servants but we're
not We're not under the legal threat or the black whip of the
law. We're not in bondage or in jail. We're free. Now look
at Romans 6 verse 17. It says, But God bethanked that
you were the servants of sin. Now what is a servant of sin?
It's an unbeliever. It's one who's totally depraved
and in bondage to sin and to Satan and to self. But you have
obeyed from the heart. That's the new heart. That form
of doctrine, that's the gospel, which was delivered you, and
literally you could read it this way, which you were delivered
to. God somewhere, he found you and delivered you under the gospel.
You could read it either way because the gospel's delivered
to us by the preachers that God sends, but we're delivered to
that. One time God delivered me to
13th Street Baptist Church. And he got me out of the dung
heap of false religion. And he says, being then made
free from sin, you became servants of righteousness. What is a servant
of righteousness? It's a believer, it's a sinner
saved by grace who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ and rests
in him for all salvation, all forgiveness, all righteousness,
all life, all glory. That's a servant of righteousness.
You rest in Him as the Lord your righteousness. You believe because
God has given you these gifts of faith and repentance and perseverance
and He will not let you go. You're a son or a daughter of
God, crying, Abba, Father. And all because God from the
very beginning in the fullness appointed that time. The fullness
of that time that he sent his son into the world, made under
the law, made of a woman, made under the law to redeem sinners
like us out from under the law.