The fullness of time was come,
the time determined and fixed by God from all eternity. Our Lord was the Lamb slain before
the foundation of the world in God's purpose and in God's covenant. And when the fullness of time,
you know when Adam fell in the garden, the first thing God announced
to him was that the seed of woman would come and would bruise the
serpent's head. The serpent would bruise his
heel, but there's the promise of the coming of this time, this
fullness of time. And then God announced to Abraham
that he would send the seed through Isaac. And God announced to Moses
the prophet would come. And God, all the way through
the Old Testament, showed to Israel types and pictures of
Christ who would come. Well, the time came, the fullness
of time, that fixed time determined from all eternity. Christ referred
to it often. He called it manna hour. He said
to Mary at the wedding feast in Cana, he said, what have I
to do with thee? Manna hour has not yet come.
And then when he talked about going to Jerusalem, and Peter
and the apostles tried to discourage him from going to Jerusalem,
because they knew they'd kill him. But he said, shall I ask
the Lord, the God, to deliver me from this hour? For this hour
came I, for this cause came I to this hour. Well, when the fulness
of time was come, God sent his Son, made of woman, made under
the law, to do what? To redeem them. To redeem whom? Well, he talks about them, sons.
Sons of God. To redeem those sons of God who
were under the law. To redeem them that were under
the law. Verse 5, that we might receive the adoption. That we
might have the gift that God purposed for us in Christ. That
we might receive all that God had given to us. You see, the
sonship, and because you're sons, Verse 6, because you are sons,
God sent forth his son. Because you are sons, God sent
him here to redeem you. Because you are sons, God sent
his spirit into your heart, whereby you cry, Abba, Father. You see,
if you're a son of God now, you've always been a son of God. That's true. This sonship existed
from all eternity. But sonship is the gift of God
in Christ. Sonship is not something that
we secure and that we discover and that we fall into. God doesn't change goats into
sheep. He hunts lost sheep. You see, the fellow that had
a lost sheep, he was seeking his sheep. And the woman was
seeking her coin. And the father is waiting for
his son, who was lost. And this sonship existed from
all eternity, it's the gift of God in Christ. Sonship is a blessing
of everlasting covenant. God said to Jeremiah, before
I formed thee in the belly, before I formed thee in the belly, I
sanctified you and set you apart. Over here in Romans chapter 9,
turn over there a moment. Romans 9, verse 11. For the children being
not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the
purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but
of him that calleth it was said to her, The elder shall serve
the younger. As it's written, Jacob have I
loved. How long had he loved Jacob? Jacob wasn't born when
he said this. Jacob, have I loved? I'll tell
you how long he's loved him. He said in Jeremiah 31.3, I have
loved you with an everlasting love, and therefore with a lovingkindness
have I drawn thee. Jacob, have I loved? Esau, have
I hated? Our Lord talked about his sheep
that the Father had given him, other sheep I have. They're sheep,
they're my sheep, he calls them by their name. It's like over
here, I believe it's Psalm, turn to Psalm 147. I believe that's
the one, I'll find it. Psalm 146 or 147. Psalm 147 verse 4. He telleth the number of the
stars, he calls them all by their name. God calls the stars. Can you imagine how many stars
are in the heavens? I wouldn't even attempt to estimate
the billions and billions of stars. He calls them all by name.
And I tell you this, he calls his sons by their name, too.
And let me show you an illustration of that over here in Luke 19.
In Luke 19, verse 9. Verse 5. When Jesus came to the
place, he looked up and saw him, and he said, Zacchaeus, make
haste and come down, for today I must abide at thy house. I
must. This is why I came. The Son of
Man must be lifted up. He must go through Samaria. He must. And I must abide at
your house." This is all ordained of the Father. And he made haste
and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it,
when the people around there, the Jewish leaders and Pharisees,
they murmured saying this, that he had gone to be the guest with
a man that's a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood and said,
Lord, behold, the half of my goods I give to the poor. If
I've taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore
him fourfold." And Jesus said, now listen to this, this day
is salvation come to this house for as much as he also is a son,
a son of Abraham. Now who are the sons of Abraham?
Well, we've been studying this all through Galatians. If you
be Christ, then you're Abraham's sons. If you be baptized into
Christ by one spirit, then y'all are Abraham's seed. But that
town was full of Abraham's natural seeds. But our Lord said, this
man whom I've called, whom I've come to redeem, to whom I've
revealed myself, who's had a marvelous change in his spirit and attitude,
all of this is because he's the son of Abraham. He's a son. 5, verse 10, the
Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. What was lost? A sheep was lost.
What was lost? A son was lost. What was lost? A possession was lost. What was
lost? His people. Now listen to this. Known unto God are all his works
from the beginning. So he has sons. He has an elect. He has a people chosen in Christ
and given to Christ, the scripture says, before the foundation of
the world. Known unto God all his works from the beginning.
The foundation of God standeth sure, the Lord knoweth them that
are his. All that my Father giveth me will come to me. Him that
cometh, he will come. Zacchaeus will come because he's
a son. He's a lost son. He's a strange son. He's a rebel
son, but he's a son. And he's going to come. Thy people,
thy sons, shall be made willing in the day of thy power. I came
to Christ because I'm a son. Because. That's what it said
there in our text. Because you're sons, God sent
forth his Son. Because you're sons, God sent
forth his Spirit. Because you're sons, he came
to redeem you. He came to redeem you. Now listen
to this. But the fall in Adam and sin
intervened. These sons were given to Christ.
Christ said, I don't pray for the world, I pray for those whom
you've given me. That was his prayer in John 17.
I don't pray for the world. The world's not going to be saved.
It's not going to be changed. It's going to perish under condemnation. But those sons are going to be
saved. And I don't pray for the world, I pray for them which
you've given me. Thine they were, you gave them to me." And I prayed
for them. I prayed for them. And these
sons came under that sinful condition. The law of God was broken. Sin
separated us and our God. That's why he said, your sins
have separated you and your God. I know the whole world was plunged
into sin. I know all the sons of Adam.
were plunged into sins, and so were these sons of God who were born of Adam, of his
race. And your sins have separated you and your God. You have sold
yourselves into slavery. That's what I preached on not
long ago. Turn to Isaiah 50 a minute. Remember he said this, where
is the bill of your mother's whom I've put away, I didn't
put you away. Which of my creditors is it to
whom I've sold you? I didn't do that, for your iniquities
you sold yourselves. For your transgressions is your
mother put away, for your transgressions your iniquities separated you
from me. But I can save you, and I will save you. Because his people sinned against
him, They plunged into slavery, to sin, to the curse of the law,
prisoners of the law, captives of the law. Justice has sentenced
them to death, but Christ said, the Spirit of the Lord is upon
me, he has sent me to preach the gospel to the poor, to set
at liberty the captives. Give sight to the blind, to set
those people free. And so, by our text, Galatians
4. In the fullness of time, God
sent his son into this world to redeem. What do you redeem? You redeem something that's yours. That's right. It's down at the
palm shop. Because of sin, because of rebellion,
it's lost. And you redeem it. You buy it
back. You purchase it. You pay the
price that's on it. There was a price on our heads.
because of sin. There was a price on our head
because of the law offended and broken. And God sent his son
down here, the Lord Jesus Christ, made of a woman, to buy back
the slaves, to redeem his sons from captivity, from the curse
of the law, from the condemnation, that we might receive the adoption
of sons and cry what we ought to cry before our Father. That's right. His sonship is
eternal. But sin intervened and interrupted,
and they were lost. The sons were lost. The sheep
were lost. The Son came down here and redeemed them and called
them back. And they come. And he says here,
because you are sons, because you are sons, God has sent forth
this spirit of his Son in your heart, and you cry, Wherefore,
ye are no more a servant of sin, but a son. And if ye are a son,
then ye are an heir of God through Jesus Christ. And one of the
old Puritans wrote this hymn. Sons we are, through God's election,
who in Jesus Christ believe, by eternal predestination saving
grace we have received. Pause my soul, adore and wonder,
ask why such love to me? Why such love to me? Such awesome
everlasting love. Father gave me to his son, to
Christ, entered a covenant on my behalf with Christ. to redeem
me from slavery, from bondage, from captivity, from darkness,
the Son of God, and send his Spirit in my heart, ask, pause
my soul, adore and wonder, ask, why such love to me? God put
me in the number of the Savior's family. When did he put me in
the number? You settle that for me. Did I surprise God one day and
enter the family? I might have upset the apple
cart and got more in there than it's supposed to be, or less
in there than it's supposed to be. When did God put me in the
same? When did he give the people to
Christ? He calls them his jewels. I'll
make up my jewels. He calls them his bride. He calls
them his church. He calls them his sheep. He calls
them his sons. He calls them his brethren. He
calls them his family. Pause my soul a day and wonder,
ask, why such love to me? God has put me in the number
of the Savior's family. When in that blessed habitation
which our God for us ordained, when in heaven's full We with
the saints and angels stand, free grace only shall be the
song throughout that land, free grace. So here in verse 8, and here
brings up this issue of why the book of Galatians was written.
Paul says in verse 8 concerning these Jews and Gentiles, how
be it? At one time, you knew not God. I didn't know God. You didn't
know God. Paul didn't know God. Oh, he
thought he did, but he didn't know the true God. When you were
in Gentilism or Judaism, you knew not God. You had no true
knowledge of God. Oh, people know there is a God.
Sure they do. They know there is a God by faith. Let me show you that in Romans
1. People out there in the world, just like we were, I was in false
religion. I thought I knew God. I gave
him that name, God. I gave his son that name, Jesus. I called the Holy Spirit the
Holy Spirit, but I didn't know him. I knew there was a God,
and that's what he says that the natural man knows. Look at
Romans 1 verse 19. Because that which may be known
of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For
the invisible things from the creation of the world are clearly
seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his
eternal power and Godhood, so they are without excuse. Men
know there is a God, but they don't know him. They don't know him. Just the
very thing I'm talking about, his covenant. They don't know
anything about his covenant. His sovereignty. His omnipotence,
all power, his omniscience, ever-present, his omnipotence, almighty, sovereign,
the God of heaven and earth, God of purpose and power. They
don't know that God. They all talk about Jesus Christ,
but they don't know Jesus Christ, that he is God. He created all
things. All things were created by him
and for him. All things are held together by him. He's the Father's
Son. He's the Redeemer from all eternity.
He cannot fail. He came into this world in the
flesh and gave us a perfect righteousness, died on the cross and gave us
a perfect atonement. He seeks his sheep and calls
them out. The Holy Spirit doesn't try to do anything. He fulfills
the purpose of God. We know there is a God. We don't
know him. When you knew not God. The picture everybody knows is
of God. I know that by creation and then over here in Romans
2.14 by conscience, by the law written in their hearts. When
the Gentiles, Romans 2.14, which have not the law, do by nature
the things contained in the law, these having not the law are
law unto themselves, which show the law written in their hearts.
their conscience bearing them witness, their thoughts meanwhile
accusing or excusing one another. They know the law of God. There's a knowledge of God which
all men have. There's a light that lighteth
every man that comes in the world, a light of creation, a light
of conscience, a light of law written on earth, but they don't
know God. The only true knowledge of God
is in Jesus Christ. No man knoweth the Father but
the Son, he to whom the Son will be revealed. The only true knowledge
of God is in Jesus Christ, who said, no man cometh to the Father
but by me. Of whom John wrote, and the Son
of God has come and given us an understanding that we may
know God. And then watch this verse in
2 Corinthians chapter 5. 2 Corinthians 5, listen to this. 2 Corinthians 4. For God who commanded the light to
shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to give the light
of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ
Jesus. The knowledge of the glory of
God in the face of Christ Jesus. But we have this treasure in
earthen vessels that the excellence and the power might be of God
and not of us. All right, go back to my text,
verse 8. when you knew not God. The Gentiles in their paganism
knew not God. The Jews in their religion knew
not God. Not the true God. You did service to them which
by nature are not God's. We had our own gods, and we did
service. That is, we went about religious
ceremonies, rituals, worship, in the name of those who are
not God at all. I tell you, simply because you
give an idea of God, the name God, that doesn't make it God. Figments of our imagination become
God, Jesus. But we did service to them which
are not God's. All right, now watch verse 9. through the preaching of the
gospel, through the revelation of the Spirit of God, that God
has given us the light and the knowledge of himself in the face
of Christ. These people knew God. God revealed
himself to them in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul said
he preached the gospel to them and they received this gospel
and heard this gospel and knew God, rejoiced to receive it.
But now, after you've known God, or rather, what's this, or rather
are known of God. One of the old writers says,
what did Paul say in here? Rather are known of God. Actually,
he said, those who have the greatest understanding of the word, been
in the faith of Christ the longest, have given a lifetime to the
ministry, actually only know God in part. Only know a little
of the omnipotence of God. They know God. They know him
in his true character, sovereign. They know him in his son, redeemer.
They know him in his spirit, comforter. They know him in his
gospel of free grace. But oh, the vastness of God,
we only know in part, and preach in part, prophesy in part. Now watch this, but he knows
us. Our relationship as sons of God rests not so much Oh listen
to me, rest not so much on our knowledge of him as upon his
knowledge of us. You see what I'm saying? And that's what makes this thing
so important, this eternality of sonship. I've been in the
ministry now a long time, I've studied a long time, I've pushed
a lot of messages. But my relationship with God, Abraham's relationship with God,
I'm like a babe in swaddling clothes compared to Abraham,
but he didn't know much about God. You could put it in a thimble,
what we know about God. But my relationship with God
and the promise of life, oh I must know Him, I know that, this is
eternal life, that they might know me, the only true God. This
is eternal life, Christ said, that they might know thee the
only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. I know whom
I have believed. I'm persuaded he's able to keep
that which I've committed to him against that day. But let
me tell you something. I grieve over how little understanding
I have of God. The majesty of God, the power
of God, the greatness of God. Many, many, many, many, many
things that I can't even begin to understand. But I'll tell
you, my relationship with him rests more on his knowledge of
me. Elect according to the foreknowledge
of God. That's my hope. Elect according
to the foreknowledge of God. In John 10, he said, I know myself. They know me. And I died for them, and I give
them eternal life. Psalm 139, I've got to read this.
Psalm 139. Oh, turn over there with me. And I hope you're understanding
what I'm saying. Don't boast of your knowledge of God. That's
one of the earliest evidences that we don't know, when we start
bragging about how much we know about God. in Psalm 139, that he knows us. In Psalm 139 verse 1, O God,
thou hast searched me and known me. You know my down sittings,
my uprisings, my every movement. Thou understandest my thought
afar off, before I even think them, why I think them. I encompassed
this my path and my lying down, you acquainted with all my ways,
my movements, my thoughts, my ways. There's not a word in my
tongue, but O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset
me before and behind, laid your hand upon me, such knowledge
too wonderful for me, it's high, I cannot attain to it." You know,
as you get a little older, you quit talking about what you've
done for God, you start talking about what he's done for you.
You quit talking about how much you know him, begin talking about
how much he knows you. You quit talking about decisions
you've made, and works you've performed, deeds you've done,
you start talking about, oh, what he's done for me. Look at verse, Obed verse. Such
knowledge is too wonderful. Look at verse 15. My substance was not hid from
thee when I was made in secret. Where is that? That's in my mother's
womb, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect, unformed,
just a seed. And in thy book all my members
were written, everything about me, everything. All my members were
written in your book, which in contingence with fashion, as
yet they didn't even exist. There was none of them. Is this
particular? Or is this generally overhaul
of the world? This is particular. This is sons.
This is family records. How precious are thy thoughts
unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!
If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand.
When I wake, I am still with thee. God has revealed his glory. to us in the face of Christ Jesus.
But we haven't seen a glimmer of that glory until we see something.
I don't know all about God, but he knows all about me. He said
to some folks at the judgment, I never knew you. The one thing that separated
them from eternal glory, I never knew you. They said they knew
him. Why, they said, we preached in your name. You don't know
us, we preached in your name. We cast out devils in your name.
We did wonderful works in your name. I never knew you. When you knew not God, you played
around with everything called religion. You just played it,
did all these things. Now that you know God, the true
and living God, how? By the gospel, by the word of
God, by revelation of his glory in the face of that man, Jesus
Christ. Now I want to know, Paul said, how on earth, verse 9,
do you want to turn again, turn again to circumcision, Sabbath
days, ceremonies, feast days, tithing, playing Why do you want
to turn to these things? This is awesome. Such knowledge is too wonderful
for me. I just really am just overwhelmed, overcome at the
majesty and greatness and power of the relationship with God
on his part, not mine. Why do you want to go back to
the weak things? Why are they called weak things? Because they
couldn't give life. to the people that did it. They
couldn't give righteousness. Israel never had any joy, or
peace, or comfort, or life. They died in the wilderness,
their carcasses were buried there. Weak things. Why do you want,
why do you want, why do preachers want to lay those things on people
when we've got the glory of Christ? And preachers say you can't be
saved if you don't tithe. You can't be saved if you don't
get baptized. You can't be saved if you don't come to the altar
and pray free. You can't be saved if you don't become a Baptist.
You can't be saved if you don't keep the Sabbath. Why are you
going to go back to that stuff? Weak. It never helped anybody
then. Beggarly things, why are they
called beggarly things? Because they lay in earthly elements
such as meat and drink and farm and ceremony. Our blessings are
spiritual. I think everybody ought to be
careful what they eat, how they eat, how they treat their body,
and you will. The Spirit of God dwells in you,
it's the temple of God your body is. But to do anything to find
acceptance with God is foolish. It's foolish. It's weak, especially
when it's talking about meats and drinks. Touch not, taste
not, handle not. All that I touch, taste, and
handle is earthly, beggarly. I told my class this morning,
everything external is temporary. Everything internal is eternal. All of this, what I put in my
mouth that defies me is what comes out of it. My relationship with God is a
heart relationship, not bowing a certain way. Get up, pray every
morning at 4 o'clock. You think that's going to impress
God? That's beggarly, that's earthly. We are weak and beggarly,
and I'll tell you something else, they're bondage. Now that you've
known God, or what I'm talking about, he said God knows you,
God knows you. He made you his, his son. Now, why would you turn to weak
things that couldn't save, couldn't give life, couldn't give peace,
beggarly, earthly things? Touch, taste, handle. Wear these uniforms of religion.
Let your hair a certain length. Why would you want to go to that?
It's a bondage. Then you desire again to be in
bondage. Bondage to a denomination, bondage
to a religion, bondage to a preacher, bondage to a bishop, bondage
to a priest, bondage to a pope, bondage to any man living, or
any elements. You observe days, verse 10. I've
told you about that, those are Sabbath days. You observe months,
new moons. You observe times. Three times
a year these Jewish males had to go to Jerusalem. People are
making trips to the Holy Land. Mohammedans are going to Mecca.
Somebody else is going here. Just like these old Jews went
to Jerusalem three times a year. Is that going to help you? You
observe years. I'm afraid of you, sir. I'm afraid
of you. I noticed one thing in studying
this. Turn to Hebrews 10 for a moment. The word never. The word never in relation to
Moses' law. Never. Here in Hebrews 10. Bear with me a few minutes. Let me give you this here. Hebrews
10 verse 1. The law having a shadow of good
things to come and not the very image of the things can never
Never will those sacrifices which are offered make the comers perfect.
Never. Verse 4. It's not possible, never
possible, that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sin.
Verse 6. In burnt offerings and sacrifices
thou hast had no pleasure. Verse 8. Above when he said sacrifice
and offering, burnt offerings and offerings for sin, thou wouldst
not neither have pleasure therein which are offered by the law.
Every high priest's standard, ministering, daily ministering,
offering, oftentimes the same sacrifice. Never take away sin. Never. Never. I'm afraid of you, verse
11, I'm afraid for you, Paul said. I'm alarmed about anyone
who feels that Christ, his blood, his righteousness, his intercession
is not sufficient to save. but feels like he must add something
we do, or ritual we observe, or work we perform to make that
work effectual. I'm afraid. I'm afraid. Brethren, verse 12, and I'll
close. Brethren, I beseech you, be as
I am. What was power? Free from the
law. I'm not talking about freedom from God's moral law. We're not
talking about God's moral law. God's moral law, the obedience
to God, godliness, honesty, purity of life, love for one another,
love for him, righteous living, that law is as stable and strong
as it's ever been, the law of God. We're talking about these
types and shadows and patterns that God gave this from. Don't
get back up drunk. Now listen to verse 12. Brethren,
be as I am, high was power, free from the law of Moses, free from
the bondage of the law. Reckon yourselves to be dead
indeed to the law, as a way of acceptance with God. Cease from
the observance of days and months and years, and worship God in
Christ in the Spirit, in truth. Account all that you have given,
done, in order to find acceptance with
God to be lost and done for the excellency of the knowledge of
the Lord Jesus Christ. For I am as you are, redeemed
by the blood, secure and safe in Christ Jesus.