through the book of Galatians, and we're looking at chapter 4, but I want to backtrack just a little bit going into chapter 3 and what we looked at last Sunday, kind of refreshing your memory of what we have gone through a little bit, because as the Apostle Paul is writing, we want to keep it in the context. And in chapter 3, what Paul was talking about, if you notice in verse 26, In chapter 3 and verse 26, the Word of God says, But after that faith is come, we're no longer under a schoolmaster. That's verse 25. And then it says, For you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Now, what Paul's talking about there, he's talking about salvation. He's talking about being saved by grace through faith. He's talking about being justified, declared righteous, being put into your account the righteousness of Jesus Christ because you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ. What we see in Galatians chapter 3 and verse 26 is talking about a salvation experience. Now, what is that salvation experience? When one becomes guilty because of their sin, they have a sense of guilt because they know that they are a sinner. They understand they have a need, and that need they cannot supply themselves. Therefore, they hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. and they hear how they can be forgiven of their sins. Let me tell you, when I witnessed a Brother Stone, it's been a few weeks ago now, and he's home, we thank the Lord for that, at 82. When I witnessed to him, you know, when he said, I want to be saved, his number one response after he trusted the Lord, he said he was glad he's got forgiveness. And you know what? What a blessing that is, knowing that you are forgiven and that you're accepted because of what Christ Jesus did. Now, this comes at the point of belief. You know what? When a person... I don't know how many of y'all can think back to the point when the Lord convicted you of your sin and you put your trust in Christ, or we say you believed in Christ, You receive Jesus Christ or, you know, there's a lot of different terms that you can use for that. The righteousness of Christ was imputed to you when you believed in Christ. Boom! At that point you become a son of God. Right at that point, you become a part of the family of God. Now, you don't fully understand everything. There are things that you don't understand fully and completely, and you don't know all the ramifications. What does it mean to be a son of God or a child of God? But verse 27 goes on to explain. It says, for as many as of you are baptized or have been baptized, that means immersed into Christ. That's not talking about water baptism, but it's talking about at the point you put your trust in Christ, you have been immersed into Christ. You've been immersed into Christ. You have put on Christ. In other words, as many of you who put your faith and trust in Christ, you're immersed into Christ, you have been put the righteousness of Christ on. And that's something that happens by faith that God does. We have been immersed into Him. Not only that, but it says in verse 28, it says, "...for there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." What that's talking about is talking about the family of God. In other words, when you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, you're immersed in Christ, you've put on Christ, you have the righteousness of Christ, that means you're a part of God's big family. You know who God's family is? It's all the redeemed. The family of God consists of all the believers from the time of Adam until the present day. That's all the family of God. You can go worldwide. You can run into the family of God. You can run into believers in countries that you can't even speak their language. But you know what? There's something in common there. Look at Stomp and Collie. You know what? They're learning English, but they ain't got it down pat yet. But you know what? There's a common bond there. because of the faith we have in Christ. They're a part of the family of God. Now, we're not talking about a church. We're not talking about being part of a worldwide church. That's not what the Scripture's talking about. Scripture never talks about the church in that way. It's always a local body of baptized believers. Here we're talking about you become a part of God's large family. And then in verse 29 he says, and if you be Christ. Now, I want to pause here just for a second because here is another blessing that we have because we've trusted in Christ. What the Scripture is simply saying, you belong to Christ. You belong to Him. Listen to what it says in Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 14. Which is the earnest, that is, the Spirit of God is the earnest or down payment of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession. the purchased possession under the praise of His glory. You have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. He has purchased you with His blood. You are not your own. You are bought with a price. It's what the Word of God teaches us. Therefore, we don't belong to ourselves. We belong unto Him. Listen to what Jesus said in John chapter 10, verse 27. My sheep, hear my voice. And I know them, and they follow me." In other words, those who have put their trust in Christ, they are his sheep. They belong to him. He is our shepherd. We are his purchased possession. It's what the Word of God says over in John chapter 17. And down in verse 6, the Word of God says this, as Jesus is praying that high priestly prayer. He says, I've manifested, or I've made known your name unto the men which you gave me out of the world. thine they were, and thou gavest them me, they have kept thy word." In other words, we have been given as a gift from the Father to the Son. And notice what the Word of God goes on to say in verse 9, I pray for them. I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me. For they are thine, and all mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them. In other words, we belong unto the Lord who hath put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. We are his purchased possession. And let me tell you something, nobody can steal what belongs unto the Lord. We belong to Him. We're kept by the power of God. We're in His hand, and He's in the Father's hand, and there is double security there. We belong unto Him. Now, you know what? There is nothing greater than having a sense of belonging. Don't you... Don't you... You know what? It does something to me. No, I belong to the Lord. I belong to Him. You know what? There's times in life where we might feel neglected. We might feel like we get in our pity party, nobody loves me, nobody cares about me. But you know why Jesus cares? We belong to Him. I am His and He is mine. I want you to notice the second part of that verse 29. It says, Then are you Abraham's seed, that's those who belong to Christ, and your heirs according to the promise. We are heirs. Now, you know what? To be an heir of something means you've got an inheritance. It means you must belong to the family. To be an heir, to inherit, you've got to belong to the family. And here is what we're talking about, what we inherit. Notice what it says, and errs according to the promise. What is the promise? Abraham believed God all the way back in Genesis 15, verse 6, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness. It was accounted to him. It was put to his credit, you're righteous. You've got the righteousness of Christ. Because, simply, you believe. Therefore, you inherit the promises. Now, what promises do we inherit? You know what? Something that was really interesting, Brother Wayne brought out a verse of Scripture over in 2 Corinthians 7, verse 1, having therefore these promises. You know what? We've got the promises of God. And having, therefore, these promises, the Word of God says, let us, therefore, cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh, perfecting in the fear of God. Here, we've got the promises of God. Now, what do the promises of God do? The promises of God cleanse us. Listen to what the Word of God says over in John 17, 17, "'Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth.'" How are we sanctified, set apart, cleansed? It's by getting in the Word of God. You want to clean up your life? You can't clean up your life, but God can. You know what? We can't live that perfect life, but you know what? God can cleanse us through the washing of the water by the Word. It's by getting the Word in us that we get cleansed, that we are sanctified by His truth. All these promises, and we've said this verse of Scripture probably for the past three or four weeks, it says, for all the promises of God in Christ are yes, and in Him, that's Christ, are amen. Unto the glory of God by us, all the promises of God are in Christ. And we're to the glory of God through those promises. We give Him glory. We inherit those promises because we are in Christ. What are some of the promises that the child of God inherits? Let me ask you, what do you have? You've got eternal life. The meat shall inherit the earth. You're going to inherit the kingdom of God. It's what the Word of God tells us. The Word of God tells us that we have an inheritance that's incorruptible, undefiled. It's reserved in heaven for you. In Revelation chapter 21, listen to what this says in verse 7. He that overcomes shall inherit all things. You get that? Do you understand your inheritance? You know what? I don't think my mom and dad have got a major inheritance they're going to leave to me. Now, he just confirmed, I ain't getting nothing. But that's alright, because I'm getting all things according to Revelation 21 verse 7. I'm not looking at what this world can give me, but I've got a greater inheritance because I'm an heir because of the promises of God. I've got an inheritance because I belong to the family of God." Now, as Paul is writing, we haven't even got in the text yet in Galatians chapter 4 where we want to start, but remember Paul is writing defending the gospel. He is defending the gospel of Jesus Christ because what he's done in chapter 3, he's shown how the law cannot save you. Do this, don't do that, you've got to do this, you can't do that. You know what? As a child, I got that. Anybody ever get a smack in when they were a child because they did something they shouldn't have done? He's still getting them. And that's a good thing. As a child, that law is there to kind of keep you in line teaching your rules and morals and values. But you know what? The law can't save you. The law is, what is it called? It's called a schoolmaster. You remember what the word was? Pedagogues. It's one who is a disciplinarian. That's what the law does. It functions to show you your sinfulness. As you see the law of God, you see how far short of God's standards you fall short. It magnifies your sin. It makes sin exceedingly sinful. It's what the gospel does or what the law does. The law cannot save you. The problem is, in our day and time, so many people have a small view of sin. They have a, like, well, you know, that ain't all that bad. It's just a little white lie. You know, people minisculize sin. Let me give you an example. Oftentimes when I witness to people, I'll take them through the Ten Commandments. And as I take them through the Ten Commandments, I will just simply say, have you always honored your father and mother? Some people say, yeah. My mind's going, liar, liar, liar. I've asked them if they ever lied. Well, maybe, yeah, I remember a time or two. You know, they might fudge a little bit. But boy, when I come to the point of, have you ever murdered anybody? Well, no, I've never done that one. Well, you know what? Jesus goes down to the nitty-gritty and uses that law and talks about the heart. And He says, if you've had anger in your heart without cause, you've committed murder already. In other words, the law magnifies the sin. It doesn't minisculize how we do in our lives, but it shows how exceedingly sinful sin is in the sight of God. And if we've broken just one point of the law, we've broken the whole law. So, we've offended a holy and righteous God is what the Word of God is teaching us through the law. Now, the law, what it does, it leads us to Christ because He is our only hope and it's pointing us to Christ. I want you to notice in chapter 4, what we have first off is there is a comparison. Paul, as he is writing and as he is defending the gospel, he is comparing a spiritual truth with a cultural truth. Back in that day and time, now this is not something where we're real familiar with in our day and time, but notice what it says in verse 1. Now, I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, differs nothing from a servant, though he be Lord of all." Now, let me unpack this just a little bit, because here it's talking about a child, and the word child is not the same as you find back in verse 26 and chapter 23. You remember the word child in chapter 3 and verse 26 is huios. The Greek word huios, it means a mature son. Here the word child in verse 1 in chapter 4, it's nepios. That's a totally different Greek word. What does that mean? It means a baby. It means a baby. A baby is like, he compares it to, a servant. A baby, a nepios, differs nothing from a servant. Though he be Lord of all." In other words, his dad might be rich and he's going to get a great inheritance, but that little baby is just equal to a servant because the baby can't do anything but go by what's been told for him to do. Because notice what it says in verse 2. That baby is under tutors and governors. That means that baby is under guides and managers. And the baby's got to be basically taken care of and governed and managed by people until, it says, the time appointed of the father. Now, what does that mean, until the time appointed of the father? There comes a time, back in biblical day and times, when I step this way, it goes... I'll step this way. Notice here in verse 2 or 3, verse 2, it says, there's a time appointed of the Father. In biblical times, there was a certain rite of passage. When a young boy, like in the Jewish culture, when he reaches the age of 12 on that next Sabbath day, they have what's called a bar mitzvah. Some of y'all probably heard of a bar mitzvah. And that's when the young boy becomes a man in the sight of the Jews. They have that rite of passage and it's a special little woo-hoo and this type thing. The father prays a prayer and the son prays a prayer and the boy is no longer considered a boy, he's considered a man. Well, to the Romans, it was a different time frame. It was roughly around 16, 17 years old. They had another type of thing. It was called a toga virilius. Now, a toga virilius is where the young boy took his robe off. That would show he was a child. He had a toga he put on, and it showed he'd become a man. In the Greeks, the Greeks had a custom also, and they had something very similar to the Romans, but it was at the age of 18. That boy become a man. Now, how many of y'all remember when you were a boy, and at a particular point in time, you become a man. You know, we don't practice that as far as in the United States, do we? I think I'm still a boy at times. We don't have that. But hear what Paul is doing. He's using a cultural experience that everybody he's writing to as far as in Galatia, they can relate to. They've seen this practice just about every day. And therefore, the Father appoints the time. when the child is considered an adult. That's a cultural thing in that day and time. And then he says, even so. Now, here's where the comparison comes in. That is the cultural example, and he compares it to the spiritual in verse 3. He says, even so we, when we were children, we were in bondage under the elements of the world. Now, what's Paul saying here? He's talking about when we were not in the faith, we were slaves. And what were we slaves to? The Word of God says the elements of the world. What is the elements? The elements are what's called the beginning principles. It's kind of like the ABCs. It's kind of like where you start at. It's like religious rules and regulations. Notice what it says down in verse 9. But now after that you have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn you again to the weak and beggarly elements, back to the basics whereunto you desire again to be in bondage? He says, because you observe years and months and times, days, months and years and, you know, there's time. You're looking at religious rules, religious regulations. Those are the basic elements that you were brought up under. Now, you know what? What Paul's saying here, these were guidelines, they were rules, they were laws. Law does not save, is what he's saying. And that's true of any religion. Whether you talk to somebody who's a Buddhist, whether you talk to somebody who's a Hindu, they got certain rituals and they got certain practices, but there's none of that that can save you. Now, rules and religion are good for societies in the sense that it teaches conduct, it teaches morals, like Joshua said. Joshua said, he's still getting them spankings. Why is that? Because there's guidelines they're trying to keep him in, teaching him morals. And you know what? That's good for governments too, isn't it? Our government was based upon Judeo-Christian values. That's how it started out. You know what? The laws we have, just the Ten Commandments, I believe they're principles that are woven in our government. You know why? Why you're guilty of a crime if you murder somebody because God says, Thou shalt not murder. You know what, if we believed in evolution, it really doesn't matter if we were murdered or not, does it? Because, you know, we all evolved. If you're an atheist, what difference does it matter if you have morals or not? You're going to all disintegrate anyway. It's based upon Christian principles. It's what our laws were originally based upon. Now, Paul is talking about a cultural experience, but he's relating it to a spiritual experience. Something I find fascinating in verse 2, it says, "...until the time appointed of the Father." You know what? There is a time that was appointed of the Father that I was going to be saved. I didn't know that time. Nobody else knew that time. But God spoke to my heart through His Word, convicted me of sin, and God knew all about it even before it even happened. We're chosen in Him before the foundation of the world is what the Word of God says. Now, if you struggle with that, you just struggle with that until God convicts you of what His Word is teaching. But here, what God's Word's teaching, the Father appoints a time, and we're born again at a particular time. The Word of God says, for by grace are you saved through faith, That's not of yourselves. What's he talking about? I believe it's the whole salvation experience. It's not of you that you've been born again. It's not of you because you've been saved. It's not of you that you choose Christ because... We love Him because He first loved us. He set His love upon us. He chose us. He rescued us from the miry clay. He pulled us from the pits of sin. It's His glory. It's God's timing. And in verse 4, He talks about God's timing even with Christ coming into this world. He says, but when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son. Now, what does that mean? You know what? God could have sent forth his Son right there in Genesis chapter 3 when Adam fell and Adam sinned, but he didn't because it was not the fullness of time. God had a purpose. God had a plan. And in the fullness of time, God sent his Son. God had a timetable. And that timetable was right at the particular time when the Romans ruled and there was what's called the Pax Romana. There was peace pretty much throughout all the Roman Empire which spread out greatly. Therefore, the gospel came at that time. At that time, what was the common language was Koine Greek, a very precise language. Pretty much everybody knew it, Koine Greek. So therefore, the gospel spread a lot easier. Because of the Roman rule, they made roads and they paved roads. And you know what? It made the gospel easier as far as missionaries traveling. At a particular point in time, God's timing is the fullness of time. That's when God sent His Son. Unto us a child is born. Unto us a Son is given. God sent. God gave His only begotten Son. He didn't give His child. The Son is not a child. God sent His Son. Unto us a child is born." That's through Mary. Notice what it says, made of a woman. In other words, Jesus Christ is fully God and Jesus Christ is fully man. He's not part and part and half a part and another half a part or two-thirds and one-third. He is fully God and Jesus Christ is fully man. He came, and the Word of God says, made under the law. Why was Jesus Christ born into this world and made under the law? Because God requires every one of us to keep the law. You know what? We can't do it. We all sin and come short of the glory of God. Therefore, God sent his Son made of a woman. That means he's man. Made under the law, therefore, what he did, he fulfilled every point of the law, which you and I could not do. And when, you know, his life is so important. A lot of times we don't emphasize his life, but the life of Jesus Christ is so important because of his righteousness. He lived a righteous life that his righteousness might be imputed unto our lives. If he had not fulfilled all the law, you know what, we'd still be dead in our sins. But Jesus Christ fulfilled the law. He was made under that law and he fulfilled the law. And what was the purpose of that, it says in verse 5, to redeem them that were under the law. That word redeemed is kind of like the old slave market. If there was a slave up on the block and you're auctioning him off and somebody says, I want to redeem him. How much does he cost? I want to buy him out of slavery. You pay the price and you know what? He's no longer a slave. You want to redeem him, set him free. That's what Jesus Christ did. He paid the price. Who did he pay the price to? God the Father. He paid the price. He redeemed us from the curse of the law. And notice what it says, that we might receive the adoption of sons. Now, let's pause here. Let's chew on this fact for a little bit. How many of y'all have been adopted? Some of y'all? There's been some. Don't raise your hand then. How many of y'all have adopted? Some of y'all. I don't know if Wayne is here. He's adopted. You think about it. This word adoption. Now, Paul, as he's writing, he has been emphasizing justification. Justification means being declared righteous. It's a legal declaration. You're righteous. You're not guilty. It's not put to your account. That's justification. J.I. Packer, who is an older preacher, he might have even passed away by now, I'm not sure, but he wrote a book, and I read it a long time ago, it's called Knowing God. Excellent book, I encourage you to read it. J.I. Packer wrote in that book, he said, Adoption is the highest privilege. Justification means to be declared righteous by God. The forgiveness of past sins with the acceptance of the future. It is our primary need, but adoption is a higher blessing. Now, how can adoption be a higher blessing? He says this, the doctrine of adoption means we are loved by God the Father. Now, think about that. The judge declares, you're righteous, and then he comes off of his bench And he comes down to you and he takes your chains off and he says, come home with me. I want you to be my son. Boy, you know what? That is music to somebody's ears if they've ever been adopted and they know. Can you imagine? Brother Wang mentioned in the Sunday school class about over in the Philippines, before the Pope got there, they were raking the streets of the kids, the street kids, and putting them in cages. Chaining them to poles. They showed a picture of a little girl about 11, 12 years old. I can't remember exactly. Chained to a pole. Inhumane. Can you imagine going to that 12 or 13 year old girl and taking her out of that bondage? Taking her into your home? What that would mean to someone like that? You know what? You could declare them righteous, but that ain't nothing like love, is it? That sense of belonging, how Waynes and Sherry has adopted Joshua. You don't even know I'm talking about him. Matthew. You know what? They are their sons. They've chosen them. They've adopted them. He's their dad. And if you want to argue with him about that, I guarantee he'll give you an argument about it. I think he's argued a time or two about that, hadn't you, Brother Wayne? You know what? They're his sons. They're Sherry's sons. Nothing's going to change that. Even so, we've been adopted. To be right with God the Judge is a great thing, is what J.L. Packer said, but to be loved and cared for by God the Father is greater. Adoption. If you were to define the word adoption, it's to place someone as an adult son. I want you to notice here it says, to receive, that we might receive the adoption of sons. That word, I mentioned it to you all last week. It's the Greek word, houios theison. Houios means an adult son, a mature son. Theios, it means to place. You're placing an adult son. That's what God's done for us. He's placed us in His family. God has adopted us as sons. Now, I want you to understand, as Paul's writing here, he is not being chauvinistic. He's not saying to women, you don't count. In that day and time, as far as in the culture, the ones who could inherit were the men, the boys. But when Paul says, you are all sons of God, Right in the very verse after that verse, he says, there's neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, there's neither male nor female, you're all one in Christ. You're all children of God, sons of God, in the sense that you're all going to receive the inheritance. Now, let me ask you a question. If you were adopted, or if you have adopted, or if you've been adopted, you might ask the question, why? Why did my parents adopt me?" Or if you're the parent, I could ask you, why did you adopt them? I would say the number one answer would be, because I love them. Why did God adopt us? Let me tell you, it's because He loved you. And He loved you with an everlasting love. He redeemed us, them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because you're sons, because you've been adopted into the family of God, God has sent forth His Spirit. The Word of God says in verse 6, He sent forth the Spirit of His Son. This is talking about the Holy Spirit. This is talking about the Spirit of God the Father. It's talking about the Spirit of Christ. It's talking about the Spirit of His Son, all one and the same. He has sent forth His Spirit. And the Word of God says, into your hearts. Now, let me tell you, this happened at the point of salvation. You don't have to have a second blessing. You don't have to pray to get the Holy Spirit. You don't have to... You know what? When you are saved, you get all of the Holy Spirit you can get. And when you are saved, when you're born again, when you believe in Christ, the Word of God says, He has sent His Spirit into our hearts, and thereby we cry, Abba, Father. Now, you know what? Some people use this term very loosely, Abba. It means Daddy. Now, you know what? That sounds very childish, how some people describe Abba or Daddy. It's not talking about baby talk here. It's talking about a groaning and a longing for the Father. Let me give you an example. You remember when Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane? Habba, Father. You know what? It wasn't child talk. He was groaning for His Father. to be embraced by His Father, to be loved by His Father. I talked to somebody just this past week and said, I just can't wait till Jesus embraces me. Oh, that sense of belonging. Let me tell you, you who have been adopted into God's family, He is your Father. He is your Daddy in the sense that you can cry out. When you receive dreaded news, news that you think, oh, it's going to kill you, You know what you cry out? Have a Father. It's not out of fear, but it's a longing for your Father. That's what that's talking about in verse 6. His Spirit makes intercession for us. And then in verse 7, and we'll close out this message in verse 7, it says, Because of this, wherefore, what is wherefore? Therefore, look at what it's before. All that we just said, wherefore, thou art no more a servant but a son. You're no longer a servant. You're an heir. If you're a son, then you're an heir of God through Christ. Do you hear what Paul's argument is? There are some who want to go back under the law through that Judaizing false teaching. You've got to keep the law. You've got to do this. You've got to do that. But if you're a son, you've been adopted into the family of God, the Word of God tells us that you're an heir through Jesus Christ. The Word of God says on Romans chapter 8, for you have not received the spirit of bondage again unto fear. But you've received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. And if children, then we're heirs, heirs of God, and we're joint heirs with Christ, is what the Word of God tells us. That's God's promise to us. Paul's message as he's writing here, he is saying, do you want to go back under the law? If you're trying to earn God's favor, if you're trying to earn God's favor, what you're doing is you're putting yourself under the law. You're a slave. Paul's saying in verse 7, Wherefore thou art no more a servant or a slave, but you are a son. And if you're a son, you're an heir of God through Christ. Now, let me ask you a very simple question. Do you want to live as a slave? Or do you want to live as a son? You know what? The privileges, they're incomparable. I asked this morning, are you a son of God? Are you an heir? A joint heir with Jesus Christ? Do you know Him as your Lord and Savior? Have you put your trust in Him? If you have not, I pray this morning that you would. Let's stand and go to the Lord in prayer. Almighty God and our Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your Word and the promises of Your Word, and the adoption of sons, and how You have called us heirs to the promises of God. And oh, how that promise That was all the way back in the book of Genesis. That Abraham believed God and it was credited to him for righteousness is our promise. Lord, we can have the same righteousness of Abraham through faith in Your Son. So, Lord, we pray that You take Your Word. Help us to see that when we strive gain your acceptance, we're throwing ourselves back under the law. Help us to see that we're accepted as sons and daughters, as heirs of the promise. Lord, we ask that you do an effectual work in our midst, that you would glorify your holy name and we'll be a faithful witness to your glory. And with your heads bowed and eyes shut...