to the letter of Galatians chapter 4. Galatians chapter 4. Tonight we'll look at the first 11 verses in this chapter. Galatians chapter 4. 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.

Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. 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, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because you are sons, God has 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, then an heir of God through Christ.

How be it then when you knew not God, you did service unto them which by nature are no gods, but now after that you have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn you again to the weak and beggarly elements? Where unto you desire again to be in bondage?

You observe days and months and times and years. I'm afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain. Divide the message tonight into three parts, and the title of the message will be The Fullness of the Time. The Fullness of the Time. But my first point is, this chapter begins with another example. in these first three verses. Another example, remember last week we looked in chapter three, Paul used the example of a schoolmaster, a pedagogue, a schoolmaster to picture how that the law of Moses had served.

It was the law of Moses, of course, that these false teachers who had come among the Galatian churches they tried to get these believers to turn to, to observe. These people in the churches of Galatia had heard the gospel message, the message of salvation through Christ and Christ alone received by faith and that justification comes by faith alone and doesn't include anything else. Now, it's not our faith, we understand that, it's not our faith that justifies us, it is Christ, his work, his person and work that justifies us, but faith is a connecting link between us and Christ. The union which exists between every child of God is a union by him being in us by his spirit and us being in him by faith.

The law, remember we saw this last time, the law Paul wrote served as our schoolmaster. And a schoolmaster, I said it meant more than a teacher, but it did mean a teacher. And the law teaches us. It teaches us our need. It teaches us our inability. It demands much but gives no power to perform.

It also teaches us that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness as the Apostle Paul writes in Romans chapter 10 in verse 4. He spoke about his kinsmen according to the flesh, that is Jews, Israelites, national Israel, that they were ignorant of God's righteousness, going about to establish their own righteousness, had not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

And we know that the law pointed out that to be accepted, God said to be accepted must be perfect. And that was pictured every time a person brought a sacrifice. If he brought an animal to be sacrificed, that animal had to be perfect. Outwardly, physically, it had to be perfect. You couldn't bring some lame animal and offer that unto the Lord. God wouldn't accept it. And that's just another way of picturing the perfection that is in Jesus Christ, his perfect righteousness, his perfect obedience, his precious blood. And it is by him, the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ.

Which means, as he says there in verse, look back in chapter three, And verse 26, for you are all the children of God by faith in Christ, which means that you are Abraham's seed, that spiritual seed that God promised to Abraham. If you trust in Christ, then you are children of God, which means, as he says in verse Verse 29, if you be Christ, then are you Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. In other words, we've received the promises, the blessings that God promised to Abraham in the same way that he received those promises and especially justification. Abraham believed God and it was imputed or counted unto him for righteousness. How did it come to Abraham? The promise? By faith. And the same is true of us today that live in these days.

Now, with this chapter 4 and verse 1, he uses a different illustration, a different example, but it's much the same. Because he ended that last chapter, or where they divided the chapters, of course, It ended with the fact that we were heirs, a believer, a child of God, is Christ, is Abraham's seed and heirs. You are an heir of God. Now Paul uses the example of an heir. Let's suppose, and I just wrote this out, It's very simple, very easy to understand.

But let's suppose there's a particular man, he has a very large estate, and he has one son. And in his last will and testament, he has willed that everything that is his go to his son when he dies. Well, the man dies a young man. He leaves behind a child that's five years old, let's say, five years old.

Now, according to the law, this five-year-old immediately is what they call heir de jure. That is heir by right. But he's not heir de facto. He's not heir in fact. That will only come, being heir in fact, that will only come when he reaches the age that his father stipulated in his will. He didn't turn over all of his estate to a five-year-old to do with it.

No. He, in his will, determined there would be governors or guardians, I should say, who would have governors and tutors over him until he reached that age of maturity, whatever the age was. And during that time, he was just like a servant. It was all his. I think of a big estate, you know, a big castle and land and animals and all the wealth that the father had given unto him, it's all his. But he lives as if he was a servant.

Why? Because he's under a guardian, a governor, a tutor to make sure that he learns, he studies, and he matures so that hopefully when he reaches that age he will be able to handle the wealth that he has received. We've all probably Not only seen in movies and read in stories, but even in person. We've probably all known some that inherited a large sum of money from their parents and they were not capable of handling it. And in just a few weeks and some just a few months, it was all gone. Kind of like the prodigal son, right? He took his inheritance. And he went off and he's wasted it all.

Well, that's what Paul is saying here that the Jews, the church among the Jews, the church of the Lord Jesus among the Jews, they were kept under that law he calls under the elements of the world. And he's referring what he calls the elements of the world. He's referring to the ceremonies, the rituals, the sacrifices. that were all part of the law, the law that God gave through Moses on Mount Sinai. And these are the very things that these false teachers had come among the professed believers there in Galatia and told them, yes, faith in Christ, but also these other things you must also observe. And he calls them elements of the world because they consisted of worldly things.

I was just been reading through the book of Leviticus and, you know, it's named Leviticus because it gives a walk about the priest and the sacrifices and all of that. And it all just dealt with, deals with worldly things, you know, touching things. Being unclean into the evening and having to wash and just elements of the world, the sacrifices, the washings.

You couldn't eat this and you couldn't wear clothes. That's one that always kind of gets my attention. You couldn't wear clothes that was mixed of two materials. In other words, cotton and linen. You couldn't do that. You say, well, what did that, why did God do that? Well, for one thing, it showed the separation of God's people from the world. You couldn't plow with a, have a horse and a donkey pulling the plow.

I mean, there's just regulation, elements of this world, worldly things, in other words. And that's what these false teachers were trying to get or attempting at least and some no doubt convinced that we've got to observe these things. We've got to live like the Jews did under the law.

But Paul's emphasis is that serve. Just like in the illustration I gave, the governors or the guardians served in air until they reached the age of maturity, the age which was stipulated. And once they reach that age, they're no longer under a guardian. And that's what Paul likens the law of Moses to, a guardian that kept the nation of Israel until they reached the age, the time that God had appointed.

And that brings me to my second point, the fullness of the time had come. Notice in verse four, 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, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because you are sons, God has 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, then an heir of God through Christ.

When did the fullness of the time come? Notice that verse 4, the first part of it. But when the fullness of the time was come, when did that time come? When God purposed and God said it would come and it came with the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you turn over a few pages to the letter of Ephesians, Paul deals with this And this letter as well in Ephesians.

In verse 10, he said that in the dispensation of the fullness of times, there it is, the fullness of times, he might gather together in one all things in Christ. both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in him. The dispensation of the fullness of times. What does the word dispensation mean? Well, it means administration. And with the coming of Christ began what is called this new or gospel dispensation. as opposed to the old or legal dispensation. Now, we refer to it as the Old Testament, the New Testament in our Bibles. When did this dispensation of the fullness of time began?

It began with the coming of Christ, with the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, there's only one gospel. The same gospel that was preached to Adam in the Garden of Eden is the only gospel. There's never been but one gospel that saves sinners, and that's the gospel of the grace of God. But the administration of this gospel has certainly changed with the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now look at these several truths that Paul declares in this passage, God sent forth his son. But when the dispensation of the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his son. And I might say his only begotten son. He has many sons by adoption. But he only has one son by eternal generation, one who is one with the Father and one with God the Holy Spirit.

And by this statement, God sent forth his son, we shouldn't read into that that somehow the son was some maybe inferior to the father, taking orders from the father. No. When we think of the Blessed Trinity, we know that there's an equality of persons in the Godhead. That the Son isn't, or the Father isn't more eternal than the Son, or the Holy Spirit. And the Father isn't more omnipotent than the Son is, or the Holy Spirit. I mean, there's one God, and what is true of the Father is true of the Son. But in the covenant of grace, no doubt the eternal son agreed to come, to be the surety for his people to come. And that entailed him coming into this world. Now, how did he come into this world? He was made of a woman. That's what he says. Made of a woman, made under the law.

The body, listen to this, I think this is so wonderful and so important that we understand this. The body that God the Holy Spirit prepared the Lord Jesus from the Virgin Mary, that he took the Son, the eternal Son, took into union with himself. That union, from that moment, is now an eternal union.

He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. In other words, there's a God-man in heaven. There's a God-man on the throne, and that throne is now called the throne of God and of the Lamb. And when we, by God's wonderful, matchless, marvelous grace, when we reach that eternal shore, we'll see God when we see Christ, the God-man. All the world, and God willing, we'll think about this more on Sunday, but the resurrection of that body. That body that was united to the eternal Son of God. He is today at the Father's right hand as God-man. And he was made, as the Apostle Paul tells us here, made under the law. In other words, subject to the law. He obligated himself to become subject to the law. He had to fulfill the law perfectly.

And in Isaiah chapter 42, it begins with, Behold, my servant, mine elect, whom I uphold. Who is this speaking of? Of Christ, right? God's servant. And in that chapter, it goes on to say, He, that is Christ, He will magnify my law. Just by being under the law of God. He who is God by being under the law of God magnified God's law and made it honorable. That's what the script made it honorable by his perfect obedience. And then the apostle says he redeemed to he did all this to redeem them that were under the law.

Now this refers, of course, to both Jews and Gentiles, because while Gentiles were not under the law of Moses as given on Mount Sinai, all men are under a natural law, which was part, the moral part, at least, of that law given at Sinai. And he accomplished our redemption, we know, by going to the cross. and suffering in our stead, suffering the penalty of our sins, so that we could sing that hymn just a few minutes ago, I am redeemed.

Not with silver or gold, no. It'd be impossible if you had all the gold in the world. You could not redeem a soul. But oh, that precious blood. That precious blood by which he purchased his church. The blood of God, the writer of Acts says, the blood of God.

He so satisfied the justice of God that we might have the privilege as it is here of being adopted as a son of God. You know, being made a son is more than just being forgiven, isn't it? If a criminal appeared before a judge and the judge Had mercy upon him. He's guilty, but the judge, for some reason, found it in his heart to forgive him. That'd be great. But if he found it in his heart not only to forgive him, but to take him home and adopt him to be one of his sons. Now that would be something, wouldn't it?

And God not only forgives us, but adopts us as children. Now, Paul says, because we are sons, that is, we are accepted in the Beloved, he sent forth the Spirit of his Son. And that's important there also. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit that God the Father sent. But notice it says he sent forth the Spirit of his Son. The Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son.

And he's come into our hearts enabling us to use this term Abba Father. Did you know I was looking in my concordance the New Testament title of Abba. This title is translated Abba. It's only used three times in the New Testament. It's an Aramaic word. And the reason Paul says we cry Abba, the Jews would understand what that meant, an Aramaic word which is a Hebrew word actually, yes, a Hebrew word. But Paul says father, pater, pater I believe it is, P-A-T-E-R, Gentiles, they wouldn't understand that word Abba.

Oh yeah, but they understand that word father. And we have the privilege to call God our father. To them which believe are given the privilege to have God as their father. Let me quote that, read that scripture. John chapter one, you're familiar with it. To as many as received him, to them gave he power to be called the sons of God, even to them which believe on his name, which were born, not of blood, which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. You've been born of God. You have the privilege. God sent forth his spirit into your heart, giving you the privilege to address him, to call him, to know him, not only as your God, but as your father. Our Lord taught his disciples, when you pray, say, our father, our father.

And whether Jew or Gentile, through Jesus Christ, We both, as believers, we both have access unto God. What are we to take from verse 7? Wherefore thou art, back in our text, Galatians 4, wherefore thou art no more a servant. Well, now remember he had said in his example there that the heir was just like a servant until he reached that age. And what he's pointing out is that the Lord kept the church of the Lord Jesus Christ among the Jews as children until they reached that age, that age of the fullness of the time.

And now as believers, we're no longer under that law. which later in this chapter he will say, gendereth, gendereth unto bondage. What does that word gendereth mean? It means it brings about bondage. Those under the law, trying to keep the law, brings about bondage. Well, here's the last point.

Paul expressed his great concern in verses 8 through 11, how be it then When you knew not God, you did service unto them which by nature are no gods, but now after that you have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn you again to the weak and beggarly elements, where unto you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and times and years. I'm afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain. You notice he acknowledges that there was a time when these Galatians, when Paul had come among them preaching the gospel of the grace of God, they, like other Gentiles, were serving and worshiping false gods. And I put down here in my notes, and I won't, I know I'm maybe going too long, but just a minute.

All men are going to have a God. Just remember that. All men are going to have a God. It seems to be natural or inherent in man, he, she is going to have a God. They may make up one, may make one after the imagination of their own heart, but everyone is going to have a God. You and I, by the grace of God, know the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the God, the only true God.

But Paul says that before he came preaching the gospel, they were guilty of worshiping these gods that were nothing more than imaginations of men. But now, Paul, now rather for Paul, this is a great mystery. that after God has revealed himself unto you in Christ through the preaching of the gospel, learning and knowing the true and living God who foreknew you from before the foundation of the world chose you, how in the world could you then turn to these weak and beggarly elements?

How could you go back to that? Weak and beggarly. Weak, no power. It takes power to save a sinner. And that power is only in Christ. And turn to weak and beggarly elements, don't do this, don't do that, don't touch this, don't eat that, don't wear this. Why, how in the world do you think that has the power to save a sinner? It doesn't. It can't.

And, you know, in the letter of Colossians, Paul says these were just symbols, but the body is Christ. And Paul here in our text, he mentions that they were going to the days. He says in verse 10, you observe days. That's Sabbath days. Christ is our Sabbath. The Sabbath was a rest. Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.

But they were trying to observe and keep the Sabbath and months. There's a full moon, a new moon. At the beginning of every month there was a feast of new moons, times. All those feasts, remember three feasts every year the males had to attend at Jerusalem, years, the seven years, trying to observe all those things.

Paul said, I'm afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain. Now that, remember this. In 1 Corinthians 15, he said, Be you steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. For as much as you know, your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Paul knew that his labor wasn't in vain.

That's not what he's saying here. But for them, if they turn from the gospel of the grace of God, and try to include these works, then it would be in vain for them because you cannot mix grace and works. Salvation is all of grace or it's all of works, but it cannot be a mixture of the two. I trust the Lord to bless His word to us here this evening.