All right, if you wish to follow
along, turn to Galatians chapter 4. Now, I will not say that I'm
going to be leaving chapter 1, 2, and 3. But we're kind of moving
on. And I'll probably, throughout
this, will refer back many times to stuff we've already looked
at. But now we're going to go on to an illustration that our
brother the Apostle Paul gives concerning this thing of being
a child of God or a son of God. Or though it's not in the text,
there is at least one or several places in the scripture it talks
about the sons and daughters of God. And Paul gives this illustration,
I'll just read five verses, Galatians chapter four, verses one through
five, where Paul wrote these words, now I say, that the heir,
this is an illustration he's giving, that the heir, as long
as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be
lord of all. but is under tutors and governors
until the time appointed of the father. And there, my brothers
and sisters, is the main reason Paul gives this illustration. I will repeat this, but remember
what I said concerning the schoolmaster. The same thing I say concerning
this illustration of airship and a child differing nothing
from the servant though he be Lord of all. Don't take it any
further than the Apostle Paul takes it. Don't try to go back
and study, for instance, Roman history about what Paul's talking
here, about here, and then apply it to all scripture. Paul is
giving this illustration for a specific reason. We see that even in adoption. If we look at the subject in
scripture of adoption, and we look at it in the context of
what we think about as adoption, right? Adoption is here is a
child that needs parents, and for whatever reason, they have
no parents. That child needs to be adopted
so they are legally moved from one family to the other family. That is not the doctrine of adoption
given in scripture. No one ever moves from one family
into the family of God. We're either in the family of
God eternally by the purpose and counsel and will of God,
or we'll never be in the family. We're not in the devil's family,
then he adopts us into his family. That is not the scriptural, maybe
adoption in our thing, going from one family to another. I'm
just illustrating. Don't take any illustration too
far. Use it for the reason the Spirit
of God used it. So it goes, let me read it again. 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 is under tutors and governors until the time
appointed of the father. And those who have studied the
history, especially of the Roman government and Roman provinces,
this was a practice that was practiced by the Romans in that
day. But here's the thing, even so
we, do you see that? Even so we Paul doesn't go into
any other detail in this illustration He just gives the illustration
and says even so we when we were what? Children you said we're
already children You see it. We're already children. We're
already an heir Okay, when we were children were in bondage
under the elements of the world he's referring to when we before
we were converted by the gospel and Look, but when the, here
it is, but when the fullness of the time, do you see double
these, you see it? But when the fullness of the
time was come, God sent forth his son made of a woman, made
under the law to redeem them that were under the law. So I
will stop. So when did he redeem those he
redeemed who were under the law? He doesn't tell us here, but
the only answer of scripture, Mac, is when he died on that
tree. That's when he redeemed us. But then we see more. Well, that's the fountain. That's
the foundation. That's the grounds upon which
this adoption, okay, this placing as a son takes place. But look,
to redeem them that were under the law, that was at the time.
Now you understand that, right? We've read that. That was at
the time. But look, that we might receive
the adoption of sons. So we didn't receive it. when
he redeemed us, but he redeemed us so we would. Do you see what
he's saying there? He redeemed us so we would. Now, let me move. My title for
this morning is Eternal Children Made Sons by Redemption, okay? Eternal Children Made Sons by
Redemption. And I kind of struggle with that,
and I realize there's probably a better way to word that, but
we'll let that stand for now. Our brother Paul uses the example
of a child born to a wealthy man with servants as an illustration
of the blessing of the adoption of sons, right? That's what he's
talking about. Not every Roman practiced this
because not every Roman had something to give to an heir, to give to
a child, okay? Paul uses this illustration of
a child born to a wealthy man who had servants, this man had
servants, and he uses it as an illustration of the blessing
of the adoption of sons. Four things before I give you
my main message. Number one, like, as I've already
said it, like the schoolmaster, like that illustration, do not
take this illustration further than Paul uses it, because you'll
just get in trouble when you do. He's talking about, here's
a, Wealthy man, he has a heir, he has a son, okay? That son's
a child. That child may know nothing,
Jack, about being an heir to this fortune, nothing about it.
And that child's treated just like the servants in the house.
He's under tutors, he's taught, he has to go to school. He doesn't
have the privileges of a full-fledged son, but he's still a full-fledged
son nonetheless. But he hasn't experienced those
privileges yet. But there was, in Roman law,
a time that the father said, teachers, governors, you have
that child ready. I want him to be trained. I want
him to understand certain particulars in life, the ABCs, our one, two,
threes. And when that time came, then
that child moved into sonship, was adopted. They experienced
the adoption. That's as far as you ought to
take the illustration. Don't go in, don't try to study
Roman history and figure out what all else applies. The Spirit
gave us what applies. You understand what I'm trying
to get at there. Number two, the blessing of the adoption
is not like today's adoption. It was not a transfer from one
family to another. It is a moving from one state
to another or from one position to another. That child, under
the Roman law, was an heir the whole time, but they had no idea
of what they had in store for them. They knew their father,
they loved their father, all of these things, but they really
didn't know what they had coming, did they? What they had coming. You remember the account of the
prodigal son? There evidently came a time when
it was said, okay, Father, give me what belongs to me. They evidently,
Jack, had come to the adoption, to that time and place where
it was now legal for them to have part of what they you know,
were due and the prodigal son wanted his now, right? He wanted
his now, okay? Anyway, as an illustration, the
blessing of the adoption is not like today's adoption. It wasn't
a transfer from one family to another. It's a moving from one
state to another or from one position to another. Number three,
as I said, I am a faulty man trying to use language to describe
something that is profound because it's not the illustration we're
concerned about, Ellen, it's who God is and what he's done.
The illustration's just to maybe get us a little visual picture
of what this truth is. Number three, the adoption is
experienced by us through faith in Christ. It's experienced by
us. by, through faith in Christ and
in him only. Verse 22 says, but the scripture
of chapter three, I'm sorry, but the scripture hath concluded
all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might
be given to what? Them that believe. Now what's
the promise? Jack is that inheritance. All of that blessing that the
Father had purpose for us. The specific time that it was
sure or had a foundation was when Christ redeemed us from
the law when he died on that tree. But we were still even
children under bondage, under tutors and governors, okay? You
get the picture? Look. But before faith came,
we were kept under the law, shut up under the faith, which should
afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster
unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Look, but
after that faith is come, we're no longer under the schoolmaster. Now see the correlation to the
illustration and the actual fact there? There's a time when this
sonship is to be experienced. Okay, when is it experienced?
But after that faith has come, we're no longer under a schoolmaster,
for you're all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Do you see that? Now I know there
are those who say, well, see there, you're never a child of
God till you believe in Christ. That is not what that says. Not
what it says. The very illustration that it
goes into lets us know we were the children of God before the
foundation of the world, but we knew nothing about it. And
when we were born into this world, we were born just like every
other servant in this world. We may have been an heir to the
throne of God, manner of speaking, okay? But we were just like everybody
else. And we were under the law just like everybody else. We
were under siege like everybody else. We were under a felt condemnation
like everybody else. But we were still children. But
God appointed the time. Do you see that? God appointed
thee time, so here's number four. But the adoption of sons experienced
by faith, or we could say entered into by faith, has, this is what
religion, Christian religion, put that in quotes, does not
get. The adoption of sons experienced by faith, or entered into by
faith, has Christ wrought redemption as its foundation. Faith is not
the foundation of it, it's the redemption wrought by Jesus Christ. To redeem them. When? When? But
when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his
Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that
were under the law. And he did that in his life and
death in this world. What was that for? That we might
receive the adoption. of sons. Think about it. Even
under Roman law, under this Roman practice, the father was making
sure everything was happening to bring things up to that specific
time. Was he not? He was making sure,
Ellen, that those teachers and governors, that schoolmaster
was doing what they were supposed to do so that that son would
be ready to enter into his heirship. He was already there, but to
enter into it at that time appointed of the father. Okay. So let's
examine two thoughts from our text, just two. Here's number
one. The elect of God, before gospel
conversion, although they are elect, although they are God's
children. And I'm not gonna turn back and
read it, but you could find that stated clearly in John chapter
11, verses 51 and 52, when Caiaphas the high priest prophesied. Him
being the high priest that year, he prophesied. Now, he meant
it a totally different way. But it says that he was moved
to say this by the Holy Ghost. Go back and look at it sometime.
John 11, 51, 52. And he said that it's expedient for this
man, he was talking about Jesus of Nazareth, he did not believe
him to be the Christ. He was not wanting to fulfill
the purpose of God in the redemption of God's people. He was wanting
him dead. You understand that? He was wanting
him dead. And he said, it's expedient for
this man to die, not only for this nation, not only for the
Jews' sake. This man's a troublemaker, Jack.
He's causing trouble. He needs to die. This will help
the Jews. But then he made this statement, not only for them
also, but for all the children of God that were scattered abroad. He was talking about people like
us right here today, but he had no idea what he was saying. But
the book clearly says he spoke by the Holy Ghost. God moved him to say this. He
meant it a totally different way, but God used it to give
us that. We were the children of God.
We were just like everybody else. Just like everybody else. We
were by nature just like everybody else. We were the children of
wrath, even as others. Did that prodigal really love
his daddy when he demanded of his daddy his due? No, he did
not. But his daddy was still his daddy. And he was still his son, even
though he was not acting much. Like a son, was it? Give me my
portion. Give me what's mine. And what
did he do with what the father gave him? Wasted it. Wasted it
with riotous living. But he was still the father's
son. You see that? But what happened? A time came when he came to himself. He said, my servants have enough,
my father's servants have enough to eat. I will arise and go to
my father. Do you see it? Do you see it?
We were just like everybody else, and that's exactly what Paul
says by the illustration, and then what he said. Look, 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 is under tutors
and governors, and here it is, until the time appointed of the
Father, even so we, when we were, what? Children. Do you see it? Still children.
Still children. Even so, when we were children,
we're in bondage under the elements of the world. Now, if we keep
this in context, what's the main bondage we were under? The law. That's the whole context of it,
is it not? That's what Paul's dealing with throughout this
whole epistle, and as I said, he's relentless in it. He never
quits from the first part of it to the end of it. The law,
the law. So, think about this. Two things here. Although not
the children of the devil, Okay? Although we were not the children
of the devil, we too were under demonic influence, just like
these roving servants were. Do you see it? We were under
tutors and governors. And it wasn't all just law and
religion, Jack. It was the flesh. The desires
of the flesh and of the mind. And we were by nature the children
of wrath, just like everybody else. Although we were not the
children of the devil, we were still under demonic influence,
and we were governed by what? The flesh. The flesh, just like
everybody else. Second thought under this. Remember,
this is his first thought. The elect, before gospel conversion,
although they are the elect, although they are God's children,
they were by nature just like everybody else. God did not choose
us because we had some little spark of good in us because of
anything he seen in us. The scripture is clear, Paul
is clear, Romans is clear, chapter nine is clear. The election had
nothing to do with anything good or evil in us. He didn't choose
the best because there were none. He didn't choose the most evil
because we all by nature are most evil. We may not all show
it outwardly the same, but that same old corrupt fountain pan
is right down here in us, just like the absolutely reprobate
that God rejected. Inwardly, Jacob and Esau were
no different. They were no different. So again,
even though we were gods by eternal election, we were like all others. We were under the law, Romans
3 verse 19. We were under seed, Romans 3
verse 9. We were alienated and enemies
by wicked works in our minds, Colossians 1 verse 21. But aren't you glad it says, look, but when the fullness of
thee time was come, That's all past tense, ain't it? We're not
talking about something that's even happening right now. Although
there are some things that are happening right now and continue
to happen by an act of God, there was one thing that took place
back yonder, or back yonder, which is the right way to put
that is. Back yonder, okay? That's when Jesus Christ redeemed
us from the curse of the law. That's the grounds of all. That
was even the grounds of the election before the foundation of the
world. We were chosen in Christ, not in ourselves. Chosen in the
one who would what? Give us forgiveness of sins.
So you see it. So again, we were just like everybody
under the law, under sin, alienating enemies in our minds by wicked
works, but when the fullness of the time was come, bless God,
God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law,
just like us. Do you see that? Just like us. For what reason? To redeem them
that were under the law. Here's the question. Did he do
it? Or did he not? He did not make,
Mac, he did not make redemption possible. He either redeemed
or he did nothing. He is an imposter. Jesus of Nazareth
either redeemed us when he died on that tree, and we died with
him when he died on that tree for his people, or he is an imposter. He did nothing for us. He made
nothing possible. He made nothing available. He
didn't leave anything up to us. He did this why? That we might
receive the adoption of sons. As I have said before, quoting
from another preacher, if that don't ring your bell, your clapper's
broke. You just don't really get this
illustration, nor do you have any real relationship to the
reality the illustration illustrates. I know now. I didn't know it
then, but I know now what it's like to experience the adoption. to go from, well, God's just
up there. He's distant. He's love, but
he's also wrath, Mac. And he wants me to be saved,
but at the same time, he may damn me. And all of a sudden,
I go now to crying what? Abba, Father. That's a big change,
is it not? to metaphorically, if not literally,
but metaphorically down in here, shaking my fist at God saying,
give me what I'm due. And did what he does. When he
does, I waste it. And I squandered, not knowing
that God has never really given me what I deserve. Because I
deserve to be abandoned by him in the midst of the darkness
forever. Gotta move on, number two. Here's the second thing,
God the Father had appointed a certain day to secure our release
from bondage. That's both the illustration
and what he says in light of the illustration. Is that not
what I just read to you? One, justice had to be satisfied,
God had to be honored, and faith alone could not do that. If faith
alone could do that, there would have been no need for Jesus Christ
to go through the hell he went through on that tree. Would there? Ellen, there'd have been no need
for him to even be made flesh and go through that. No need. If faith alone, faith
alone does not satisfy justice. Faith is the fruit of his redemption. It is not the cause of it. It is the result, the sure, established
result of the Father. When my son redeems them, they
will receive the adoption of sons. Not right then, but they
will all receive it. They will receive it. You see,
faith alone could not do this in light of our original state,
Colossians 1, 20 and 22. We were alienated and enemies
in our mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled. And how'd he do it? In the body
of his flesh through death. Not through faith, through death. You see that? What we're trying
to preach as gospel preachers is it all hangs upon the person
and work of Jesus Christ, and it all can be then summarized
and boiled down to when he died on that tree. Everything. Everything. My blessings from
start to finish get go from one eternity to the other and that's
probably not even the right way to say it It's all based upon
the personal work of Jesus Christ boiled down to him dying for
me on that tree Second thought faith alone could not satisfy
justice or honor God's holiness, but in light of redemption by
blood, faith is paramount, because that same passage, Colossians
1, then in verse 21 and 23, it says, if ye continue in the faith. So that lets me know, Mack, he
only reconciled those who were brought to faith to start with.
And those, if they're brought to faith, if God did it, if this
is God's work, not our own work, not our own bringing it up or
mustering up, he that's begun a good work in you, what? Will
perform it to the day of Christ, if ye continue in the faith. There it is, grounded and settled. You don't go floating off here
just every little bit. You may have doubts about you,
but if you believe Christ, you don't doubt Christ. You can mark
that down. You may doubt you, you may even
doubt if you even have a part in that, but you don't doubt
Him. grounded and settled in the hope of the gospel. Number
three, gotta move along. Redemption secured our experience
of the adoption, to redeem them that were under the law that
we might receive the adoption of sons. And again, that might
is not maybe so, maybe not. This is giving the holy God a
right to let us experience adoption. What right do we have to it?
How did we earn the airship? We did not, have not, and never
will. Even after we experienced the
adoption, Sandy, we don't earn the right to keep it. We would
turn from it in a heartbeat if God didn't lay hold of us. We'd
turn from it in a heartbeat. Redemption secured our experience
of the adoption. Verse five makes it clear. We are where we are now in Holy
Ghost, in Holy Spirit wrought gospel conversion because of
Jesus Christ of redemptive obedience on that tree. And this is exactly
what Paul in leading up to this says. Chapter two, verse 16,
knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but
by the faith of Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Jesus
Christ that we might be justified, not by our believing, I added
that, but not by our believing, but that we might be justified
by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law, for
by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. Again, I say, if that don't ring
your bell, you ain't got no clapper. If you don't get that, God's
not really taught you anything yet. Because that's where you
really begin to experience the adoption. That's where you find liberty.
You don't find liberty of what God does to you, you find liberty
of what God did for you in Jesus Christ. Because sometimes, he
may let you have a little bit of taste of yourself. Huh? Yeah, sometimes he may let you
have a little taste of yourself, whereas the only place you find
that place to, it's in the crosswork of Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father,
most righteous, glorious God of heaven and earth, enable us,
Lord, to lay hold of Christ, to lay hold of Him, to believe
Him, to trust Him, to rest in Him. In Christ's name, amen.