Living as Sons and Daughters of God Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:25
Saturday 08292015 KalihiUnionChurch
Beyond the issue of Gentile and Jewish customs, it is a matter of fundamental importance regarding the truth of the gospel, namely, of Christian freedom versus bondage.
IN STEP WITH THE SPIRIT (Gal. 5:25) WALK BY THE SPIRIT IN FREEDOM (Gal. 5:16-‐17) 1. Freedom through Grace (Gal. 1) 2. Freedom through Faith in Christ (Gal. 2-‐3)
3. Living as Sons and Daughters of God (Gal. 4) 4. Living in Freedom (Gal. 5-‐6)
BE LED BY THE SPIRIT THROUGH PRAYER (Gal. 5:18) 5. Cultivating Your Friendship with God 6. Transforming Power of Biblical Prayer 7. Entering the Heart of God 8. Praying in God’s Community
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Freedom Through Faith in Jesus Christ THREE OPTIONS OF FINDING FREEDOM
1. LEGALISM: Right behavior with wrong belief. 2. HYPOCRISY: Right belief with wrong behavior. 3. FAITH: Right belief with right behavior. GOD’S COVENANTS WITH HIS PEOPLE
1.
God’s covenant with Abraham. • By grace alone, God blesses His people. • Through faith alone, God’s people receive His blessing. 2. God’s covenant with Moses. • We all disobey the law of God. • We all deserve the harsh judgment of God. 3. God’s covenant through Jesus Christ. • Jesus fulfills the Law of Moses. • Jesus completes the promise to Abraham.
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Freedom Through Faith in Jesus Christ
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PAUL AND THE JERUSALEM ELDERS
Paul is recognized as having been entrusted with the gospel message with the task of preaching the gospel to the uncircumcised. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PAUL AND PETER
Paul corrects and admonishes Peter in public for his inconsistent behavior at table fellowship with the uncircumcised, even after his experience with Cornelius in Caesarea and his vision in Acts 10.
We are saved by grace ALONE through faith ALONE in Christ ALONE.
Galatians 2:19-‐20
For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
What is justification? Justification is the gracious act of God by which God declares a sinner righteous solely through faith in Jesus Christ.
Justification is “the hinge around which everything turns.”
John Calvin
Reformation theologian
Central Idea #1
God has graciously adopted us, giving us the privileges of being His sons and daughters.
Adoption and Justification Justification is the primary blessing, because it meets our primary spiritual need. But this is not to say that justification is the highest blessing of the gospel. Adoption is higher, because of the richer relationship with God that it involves. J. I. Packer
Adoption and Justification If you want to judge how well people understand Christianity, find out how much they make of the thought of being one of God’s child, and having God as their Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls their worship and prayers and their whole outlook on life, it means that they do not understand Christianity very well at all. J. I. Packer
Adoption and Justification The doctrine of justification makes us right with the Father, but in the doctrine of adoption we are loved by God the Father. To be right with God the Judge is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the Father is a greater thing. J. I. Packer
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave or free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Gal. 3:26-‐29
Three Conditions of Adoption
1. Adoption requires someone who comes at the right TIME.
Deuteronomy 30:19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.
Loneliness
Joy
Galatians 4:4-‐5
But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.
The Lord said to Moses, “When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go. Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, “Let my son go, so he may worship me.”
Exodus 4:21-‐23
Hosea 11:1
“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.”
ADOPTION TO SONSHIP
The term “adoption to sonship” was a LEGAL term that referred to the full legal standing of an adopted male heir in ancient Roman culture.
Ephesians 1:4-‐6 For he has chosen us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will — to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
Three Conditions of Adoption
1. Adoption requires someone who comes at the right TIME. 2. Adoption requires someone with the right QUALIFICATIONS.
RIGHT QUALIFICATIONS
Jesus is fully divine.
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. Colossians 1:15
RIGHT QUALIFICATIONS
Jesus is fully divine. Jesus is fully human.
Phil. 2:6-‐7 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross! Phil. 2:8-‐9
RIGHT QUALIFICATIONS
Jesus is fully divine. Jesus is fully human. Jesus is fully righteous.
Three Conditions of Adoption
1. Adoption requires someone who comes at the right TIME. 2. Adoption requires someone with the right QUALIFICATIONS. 3. Adoption requires someone with the right RESOLVE.
RIGHT RESOLVE Resolve means the right PURPOSE. Adoption is not accidental, but purposefully pursued.
The privileges of “sonship” through the Spirit
• We live with a new identity before God.
i i a w a H TE f o A C e I t F a I t T S R l E a i C c H ffi T O BIR
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave or free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Gal. 3:26-‐29
The privileges of “sonship” through the Spirit
• We live with a new identity before God. • We enjoy intimacy with God.
Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” Galatians 4:6
The privileges of “sonship” through the Spirit
• We live with a new identity before God. • We enjoy intimacy with God. • We are guaranteed an inheritance from God.
Now if we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-‐heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:17
Central Idea #2 We must walk in God’s grace and live with great zeal for His purpose even when we encounter opposition.
THREE PRAYERS 1. “God, show us how to walk in your grace.”
“God, show us how to walk in your grace.”
• Show us how we got here.
Gal. 4:21-‐26 Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise. These things are being taken figuratively: The women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother.
Gal. 4:27-‐31
For it is written: “Be glad, barren woman, you who never bore a child; shout for joy and cry aloud, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband.” Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise. At that time the son born according to the flesh persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. But what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.
Sarah/Isaac Mt. Zion, “Our mother” Jerusalem from above, “new” FREEDOM o Hagar/Ishmael Mount Sinai t g in d r o P resent J erusalem Acc flesh the SLAVERY
o t g n i d r e o s i c c m A o r p e n i v i d
OUR ABRAHAMIC LINEAGE
“God, show us how to walk in your grace.”
• Show us how we got here. • Show us who we are.
Galatians 4:8-‐11 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God — or rather are known by God — how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.
“God, show us how to walk in your grace.”
• Show us how we got here. • Show us who we are. • Show us where we’re going.
THREE PRAYERS 1. “God, show us how to walk in your grace.” 2. “God, help us to trust in your Word.”
“God, help us to trust in your Word .”
• Help us to live it when it’s not easy.
Galatians 4:12-‐14a I plead with you, brothers and sisters, become like me, for I became like you. You did me no wrong. As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you, and even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn.
“God, help us to trust in your Word .”
• Help us to live it when it’s not easy. • Help us to hear it when it’s not popular.
Galatians 4:14b-‐16 I plead with you, brothers and sisters, become like me, for I became like you. You did me no wrong. As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you, and even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself. Where, then, is your blessing of me now? I can testify that, if you could have done so, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?
THREE PRAYERS 1. “God, show us how to walk in your grace.” 2. “God, help us to trust in your Word.” 3. “God, give us great zeal for your purpose.”
Galatians 4:17-‐18
Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may have zeal for them. It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good, and to be so always, not just when I am with you.
Galatians 4:19
“God, give us great zeal for your purpose.”
• Give us a passion to be conformed to the image of God.
Galatians 4:19-‐20
My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!
Galatians 4:19
“God, give us great zeal for your purpose.”
• Give us a passion to be conformed to the image of God. • Give us a passion to see others transformed for the glory of Christ.
Central Idea #1
God has graciously adopted us, giving us the privileges of being His sons and daughters.
Central Idea #2 We must walk in God’s grace and live with great zeal for His purpose even when we encounter opposition.
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:25
