Sermon Galatians 4: 4-7

Sermon 12/30/07 “Who’s Your Daddy” Galatians 4: 4-7

 

     She was everything he had dreamed of, no that’s not true, she was more than what he had dreamed of. They had been dating for some time and had so much in common, they were perfect for each other. Every moment was gold, every date perfect, they laughed, joked, were serious, even cried together. It was one of those rare matches but from the beginning he knew there was more to it than just the two of them.

     You see, there was a son, a little boy who had his Mom’s eyes and smile. What about this little stranger, could it be possible to love someone enough to commit to live with them. Now, his Mom no problem that was mutual but what kind of relationship would develop here? There were barriers and obstacles. The man and the boy were captive to the authority of a third party, a biological dad who had never really been in the picture but exerting presence just the same, even if only in name. The two were held captive; they were forced to remain strangers, held at arms length.

     The big day came, no not the wedding day, that was incredible but it wasn’t the big day in either the man or the woman’s lives. You see they had chosen and were given each other. But on this particular day, the man stood before a towering, polished wood desk of a judge.

     The same black robed judge who until this day was only known to the man for dealing out punishment, edicts, and law. But this day, the judge’s face was different, it was smiling and satisfied. The obstacles had been faced, the walls had been removed and the barriers addressed, now this judge would determine the fate of the boy and the man.

     The judge had given the child an advocate, one who looked at the entire situation, considered every option and would appeal to the judge on behalf the boy, a representative to deal with the obstacles and walls. This barrister took the stand and after fulfilling all that was needed gave worthiness to the man. Then the judge with all the formal proceedings known to the office, pronounced the boy free from the captivity of the one who didn’t care, the one who had only caused pain, the one who was forced to relinquish all rights. With a wave of his hand he pronounced the man free to be a father… a daddy and the boy to be a son.

 

NIV  ⁴But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, ⁵to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. ⁶Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." ⁷So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

 

     Paul begins this letter to a group of people whom he really loved, a group of people in an area of the world known as Galatia. This letter was in response to news that had come to him. We learn in this short note that when he was in Galatia he had been desperately ill; these folks had taken him in and cared for him. That what Paul’s doorway, his unique opportunity to present the gospel to them, which they readily accepted.

     They received this gift of grace by faith and assurance that they could never earn it only accept it. There sins were paid for by the very blood of Jesus. They were justified completely, the penalty gone. They had been made totally new, transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, regenerated. And amazingly, they were adopted into the family of God. When Paul presented this to the Galatians they believed it completely. So do we, this is actually one of our, the Church of the Nazarene’s, statements of faith.

 

Article of Faith IX.

     We believe that justification is the gracious and judicial act of God by which He grants full pardon of all guilt and complete release from the penalty of sins committed, and acceptance as righteous, to all who believe on Jesus Christ and receive Him as Lord and Savior.

     We believe that regeneration, or the new birth, is that gracious work of God whereby the moral nature of the repentant believer is spiritually quickened and given a distinctively spiritual life, capable of faith, love and obedience.

     We believe that adoption is that gracious act of God by which the justified and regenerated believer is constituted a son of God.

     We believe that justification, regeneration, and adoption are simultaneous in the experience of seekers after God and are obtained upon the condition of faith, preceded by repentance; and that to this work and state of grace the Holy Spirit bears witness.

 

     God used Paul and this example of adoption to let us know just how far this grace stuff goes. The Lord is not just lending us a hand, just being a good God, He is literally making us an equal part of His family.

     In this letter an event was happening, some of the people in Galatia had a background in the Jewish faith. They had been taught that by virtue of their birth and the fact that God had communicated with Jewish people through the centuries like Abraham and Moses they weren’t a slave to sin. They had been given the very law of God, what was meant to be a guide they had made into salvation. They had taken these rules and made them the remedy for sin. They carried this belief system into this new church in Galatia and they began to weave these requirements with the new Christians around them. Now these new Christians had come out of pagan culture and had no idea what they needed to do. So when these people or Paul calls them Judaizers said, “You must do this, this and this to be a Christian, they believed them and submitted. These new Christians were simply going from a being a slave to sin, to being a slave to rules. Paul tells them, “That is bologna.”

     All of them and all of us, regardless of background, must have faith to receive the grace, in other words they had to have a relationship with God. They had to begin thinking of him as a real Dad. They had to begin thinking of themselves as part of a family.

     So we take this two thousand year old scripture and I am tempted to say, “so what, no body is running around here trying to get us to keep the all the laws we find in Leviticus, so how does this apply us in 2007? Then the Lord begins to tap me on the shoulder and say, “Just a minute here, let’s look at it a little deeper.” That forces me and us to ask… could there be people today, who have been raised in a Christian home; been part of a church; been taught well; done all the right things; said all the right words but still be a slave? Only see God as a judge? Know exactly how church is supposed to work? We know exactly how “saved” people are suppose to behave, dress, talk and walk, rather than depend upon God’s grace poured freeing to us and to them.

     Could it be that there are people here, at this very moment, who are going to church and doing everything they know to do to be good but still be a slave?  They work in the church, or in a host of great help organizations and serve others, doing, doing, doing, and have never grasped… that it is by faith through grace that we know God and call him Daddy? Could it be they only know God in the sense of a Master/Servant relationship? Trying so hard to please, instead of just taking time to be with Him and others.

     Could it be that there are people sitting in this very place, thinking that because they are here and really aren’t bad people that’s good enough. Never realizing God must be Papa, up close and personal, and we are the dependent child, loving, trusting. It’s not about what you do or don’t do, it’s about who you know.  Could it be there are some who have never talked to him intimately, never touched His face? Keeping him separate from sections of their lives, keeping him distant, at arms length? When God is “Dad” it means we crawl up into his lap, listen to what he has to say, lay our head on his shoulder.

     As the man and the boy were brought together under the binding word of a judge, they looked into each other’s eyes. The small hand reached up and took the strong hand of the man and the relationship went from uncertainty to certainty; from one of hesitation to one of confidence. That day the father and son, better know to us as Patrick and Mike Thompson walked out of the courthouse as united, legal, binding family.  No longer captive to a third party, fearful of what the future might hold.

By this adoption they were free to do life together.

     As we end this year and an era of this church we can start with total freedom. Not following the rules, or serving in an attempt to please or here Sunday after Sunday but never really connecting to God. We really can place our hand into the mighty hand of God, understanding He has adopted us? God Eternal has brought us into His household, His family, made us heirs to all that is His. Let me repeat that one and may you take it deep within you. This relationship with the Lord can be certain, confident, complete, whole, free, no restraints, no hesitation, no faltering, or wavering given by Jesus Christ… our advocate. Our advocate who looked at the entire situation, considered every option, satisfied the judge, our representative who fulfilled all that was required and gave worthiness us. Jesus Christ with whom we are now co-heirs with, a family. And we are free to do life together with God.