Well, good evening. I have a few things up here that I wanted to share with you, so forgive the stacks of books that are sitting next to me. Let's begin with a word of prayer. Our Heavenly Father, we thank you tonight that we, by your grace, are together in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you for your providence, and we thank you, Lord, for your word. And we pray that you would bless your word this evening, to encourage our hearts, help us to think more clearly about your work of salvation and what that means for us, and what that means, Father, for your glory. So we ask for your blessing upon this time, upon the worship of your name. If you would turn in your Bibles to the book of Galatians chapter 3. I feel I'm pretty thankful this evening that a few weeks ago my mind started, for whatever reason providentially, my mind started thinking about the doctrine of adoption. Again, I don't know why, it just did. And then last week, as we were hearing the message, I read the next question, which was question 35, which is on the back of your program. What benefits do they that are effectually called partake of in this life? And if you remember last Sunday night, we heard a wonderful sermon on the effectual call. But what benefits do they, am I turned on? Sorry, it was me. So what benefits do they that are effectually called partake of in this life? And the answer is that they that are effectually called do in this life partake of justification, adoption, sanctification, and the several benefits which in this life do either accompany or flow from them. Now there could be, or are, there are volumes of books written on the doctrine of justification by faith alone. Probably not as many, but too many to count, are the books that are written on sanctification. And that doesn't count the ones that are written teaching us how justification and sanctification relate to one another. But what is left out in some of these discussions is the doctrine of adoption. What we find when we look at the Westminster standards, both in the Westminster Confession as well as the catechism, the Baptist catechism that we're working through, the 1689 Baptist London Confession, and even the Savoy Declaration, when you look at all of those reformed documents and confessions of faith, what you will find is a chapter on adoption, a standalone chapter on adoption. It's about a paragraph long. but it sits in between justification and sanctification. That there is both a logical and a real flow between justification unto adoption, and then again going into sanctification and Christian growth. So, tonight as we look at our text, Galatians chapter 3, We want to focus our attention on adoption. And trust that the Lord will bless his word. Let's look beginning in verse 26. Of Galatians chapter three. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of for as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave. though he is a master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by 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 had come, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Therefore, you are no longer a slave, but a son. And if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. What a wonderful text this is when you think about the fact that there's only one person in all of Scripture that uses the term adoption, and that's the Apostle Paul. Now, throughout the Scriptures, the principle and the implications of adoption can be found all over the place throughout Scripture, where the Bible teaches us that Christians are sons and daughters of God. The reason when we are sons and daughters of God is because God has adopted us into his family, but the specific word adoption is only used five times and all five times that it was used by the apostle Paul. And this is one of those texts in which we find the word used during the ministry of Jesus. He not only went to the Jews first, But he also went from city to city teaching in their synagogues, as was his common practice. We always find him most of the time teaching on the Sabbath in synagogues. And then he would heal. He would heal the sick. He would heal the blind, the lame, the demon-possessed. But he would perform many of these miracles, and if you went back through the Gospels and just paid attention on what day did Christ do most of his miracles, you will find that there was a consistency in the fact which made the Pharisees angry, you may recall, the fact that he performed these miracles on the Sabbath day. On one particular occasion, that we are told about in Mark chapter 3. It was a Sabbath day. The crowd was so large that not everyone could fit into the house, but outside the house, a part of the outer edge of the throng were his mother and his brothers. They were calling to Christ, they were calling to Jesus, trying to get his attention, and the people within the house began to say to him, your mother and your brothers are calling you. And you may remember Jesus's response. Once he has told it, look, your mother and your brother are outside seeking you. He says to them, who is my mother or my brothers? Who is my mother or my brothers? And he looked around in the circle at those who said about him. And he said, here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and my sister and my mother. Now, Jesus wasn't denying that Mary was his mother by physical birth or that he had brothers, physical brothers, wasn't denying that. But he was pointing out the fact to those who were listening to him that his real mother and brothers and sisters are those who know him and those who follow him. And as a doctrine and as a truth is developed throughout the New Testament, we find over and over again, this emphasis of children of God being sons of God, being daughters of God, uh, and not in opposition, but, but in contrast to our fleshly brothers and our fleshly sisters, there's a distinct difference. between being a child of God by adoption and just being someone's son or someone's daughter. And reading a short little book, and if you haven't read it, I would encourage you to read a short little book on Heirs with Christ, The Puritans on Adoption by Joel Beegee. And what I think he does in this book is rather amazing. It's only about 100 pages in length and you could read it in one sitting. But at the beginning of his book, he acknowledges the fact that there seems to be in some areas of reform criticism, if you want to use that term, people who would criticize reformers, that there's some indication in his reading that the idea of adoption has sort of been pushed to the side and hasn't received the emphasis that it should receive or should have received from the Puritans or the reformers. When in truth, as Joel Beakey does excellently in this book, And the truth of the matter is that there was a great emphasis on adoption and the importance and the comprehensiveness of adoption. So I want to begin thinking about this text from the perspective of some statements from some Puritans about the importance and the glory of adoption. Now I say the glory of adoption and let me sort of ask a question, not to get an answer, just to cause you to think for just a moment. When is the last time you thought about your adoption in Christ? When is the last time you thought about your adoption as it relates to regeneration and your faith? thought of yourself as a child of God, a son of God, or a daughter of God, and what it costs Christ to redeem us in order to make us his children. In reality, it wasn't something that I thought about very often at all, until just a few weeks ago when my mind again was turned toward this topic. But I think some of these comments, and there's just a few of them, might help us and might encourage us to begin to think about this adoption that Paul speaks of in Galatians chapters three and four. William Perkins said that a believer should esteem his adoption as God's child, as greater than being the child or heir of any earthly prince. We should esteem our adoption as God's child as greater than being the child or heir of any earthly prince. The son of the greatest potentate may be the child of wrath, but the child of God by grace hath Christ Jesus to be his eldest brother. with whom he is fellow heir in heaven, he hath the Holy Ghost also for his comforter and the kingdom of heaven for his everlasting inheritance. Hugh Benning wrote that to claim to be a son or daughter of God is a higher word than if a man could deduce his genealogy from an uninterrupted line of a thousand kings and princes. There is more honor, true honor in it, and more profit too, he concludes, for spiritual adoption enriches the poorest and ennobles the basest and inconceivably beyond all the imaginary degrees of men. That's a mouthful, that sentence, but basically what he's saying is words cannot explain Words are not adequate enough to fully explain the wonders of being adopted into being called a child of the living God. Richard Sibbes, one of my favorite Puritans, says that all things are ours by virtue of our adoption. All things are ours by virtue of our adoption. Because we are Christ and Christ is God's, there is a world of riches in this to be the sons of God, and what a prerogative is this. that we have boldness to appear before God, to call him Father, to open our necessities, to fetch all needful things, to have the ear of the King of heaven and earth, and to be favorites in the court of heaven. The dignity, the dignity, wrote Thomas Manton, the dignity is so great That Manchin goes on to say that when it is set beside any other earthly privilege and rightly viewed aligned with any other earthly privilege, we must blush. We must blush and hide our faces because all the splendid titles which are so ambitiously affected by the world are but empty shows and gilded vanities, and do much to come short of this privilege, both in honor and in profit. Moreover, all other titles will perish when we die. All other titles will perish when we die. But the title of being a son of God will not cease at the grave's mouth. So as we think about these, the wonder of adoption, and we come to our text, uh, Galatians chapter three and verse 26, the first thing we need to do is just do a short summary of where this fits within the book of Galatians, a little history about the city or the region of Galatia. So we can understand a little bit more clearly about Paul's writings. The region of Galatia, most people believe this letter was written to the southern portion of the region of Galatia. You can read Acts chapters 13 and 14 to look at Paul's journeys through this particular region. And in looking at Paul's journeys, Luke also points out in those two chapters in Acts, he gives a detailed sermon that was preached during the visitations of Paul. It was a very, in that day, a very modern culture. The region consisted of several cities. The letter itself was written as a circular letter to these various cities within Galatia. But Galatia was by no means just a very simple, basic town or a series of cities. It had a lot of influence in its culture and its religion. It had a lot of influence both from the Jews and from the Gentiles. The culture of Galatia and that area and that region was a Greek culture. And yet, though it was a culture of Greeks, it was still under Roman rule. There was a large Jewish population within these cities, but along with that Jewish population was a mixture of Gentiles. So you had both Jew and Gentiles, you had a Greek influence in the culture, and at the same time you had the region of Galatia under the rule of Rome. Within the church itself, which is what the book of Galatia is most notable noted for, that within the church itself, heresy began to spring up in order to destroy the gospel, to deny the true gospel. And the apostle Paul had to write to the churches in Galatia under his apostolic authority in which he sets at the beginning of the book. He sets the tone of his, of his apostolic authority in order to make sure that they understood the seriousness of what they were doing and departing from the true gospel. As these heresies grew up and gained foothold within the church, most of the time the heresy is referred to as those delivered by the Judaizers, those people who would come in and say, well, Christ is fine, but as long as you add circumcision to the gospel, then you have the true gospel. Christ plus something else. Well even though the common knowledge is that circumcision certainly was an emphasis that these Judaizers tried to get these professing Christians to be involved in in order to secure their salvation. I honestly think as you read through the book of Galatians that it was just one component. of their deception. Look, if you will, in chapter 4 of Galatians. Beginning in verse 8, Paul mentions one aspect of this false teaching where he says, But then indeed when you did not know God, you serve those which by nature are not God's. But now after you have known God or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements to which you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and seasons and years I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain. So in that particular context, he's pointing out the fact that they were reverting back not only to circumcision as a component of the gospel, but they were also reverting, reverting back to ceremonies and, and, and, and types of Jewish rituals added to the gospel in order to, in their, in their belief, in order to be saved. The reality is that nothing can be added to the gospel. The gospel is so central and so critical to the thinking of the apostle that he reminded his listeners that he did not receive this gospel that he delivered to them, that he did not receive this gospel from other apostles. He did not receive it from other churchmen, as an example, but the Apostle Paul received the truth of the gospel from none other than Christ himself. Christ taught the Apostle Paul what the gospel was. And he uses that example, he uses the fact that he did not learn it from men, but he learned it from Christ to emphasize his authority to speak on what he's talking about when he is talking about the gospel and veering away from the gospel. So Paul, with all of his authority and all of his strength and the strength of his calling, he addresses this false teaching. He uses very, very strong language, language of condemnation, which would be putting it lightly. If anyone were to preach or teach any other gospel other than what he has preached, whether it is an angel from heaven or whoever it might be, that person is to be anathema. He is to be condemned because he is preaching a false gospel. He was amazed. And you can see it if you read the book just from cover to cover. You can see the Apostle Paul in his reaction to what's going on in Galatia, in the churches of Galatia. He was amazed, he was astounded. He called them, oh foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you? Who has tricked you into following this false gospel? So he addresses this false teaching very firmly. He is amazed at how soon they turned away from the gospel, and he called them, even though, oh, you foolish Galatians. But there is some hope in this if you turn to chapter five. In this letter of rebuke, chapter five, beginning in verse seven, we read these words. You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion does not come from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind, but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is. So even in his letter of rebuke and his exhortation to be committed to the true gospel that the apostles had preached to them, he reminds them that he does still have confidence in them, in the Lord, that they would have no other mind, but that the ones who are troubling them would bear their judgment, whoever that person is. So here we have a book in which there's some confusion about, because there's a mixture in cultures, there's a confusion on doctrinal, critical doctrinal issues. And right here in the center of the book of Galatians, the Apostle Paul begins a part of his writing to this letter, to this church. He begins by bringing up the fact that they are heirs of Christ. and not only heirs of Christ, but they have been adopted by Christ. So as we look at very specifically at these few verses in chapters three and four, let me just point out three very basic truths and considering the adoption of God and the grace of adoption. The first, is to consider what this text teaches us about adoption's grace. What does it teach us about the grace of adoption? Well, at the end of chapter three, again, we read these words beginning in verse 26. For you are all sons of God. You are all sons of God. Through faith in Christ Jesus, For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus, and if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. There are several things that are mentioned in these verses here at the end of chapter 3 that remind us of God's grace in the adoption of his children. We are told, first of all, that it is through faith, it is through faith in Christ that this adoption occurs. It is not based upon anything that we do. It's not based on anything that we have done or will do. It is an adoption that is through faith in Christ and through Christ alone. It also teaches us that not only is this grace of adoption provided through faith alone in Christ alone, but it is also accompanied by union with Christ. We are joined to Christ. He says in verse 29, just as another reminder, and if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. That the means of faith, the means of faith in Christ and in Christ alone and in Christ plus nothing, that means that avenue not only brings about our adoption to Christ or with Christ, but accompanied with it is union to him and being joined to Christ himself. The results of which is being an heir with Christ before God. But probably the most distinctive component within these few verses at the end of chapter three is not just the grace that comes when someone believes in Christ and is adopted into the family of God. Accompanied with that is union with Christ The result of that also being an heir, an inheritance, being observed, kept for us. But it's also very clear at the end of chapter three that there is no distinction in persons. There is no distinction in persons in this adoption. Now what do I mean by that? What I mean is, that anyone who responds to the gospel in faith automatically by faith alone in Christ alone receives the adoption and becomes a child of God. Adoption is not based upon our skin color. It is not based upon our gender. It is not based upon how much money we have in our wallets or in our bank accounts. It's not based on the color of our hair, how we speak, what languages we know. It's not based on any moral activity that we think we might do to please God or to make ourselves right with God. This grace of adoption is a free grace of adoption. There is no distinction. There is no distinction or favoritism on God's part. He says that you are all sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ and for as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. So there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female for you are all one in Christ Jesus. United to him by faith and united to Christ and adopted by Christ based on his grace and his grace alone. We can be even more specific than this because we know from Ephesians chapter 1 that the foundation of our adoption is God's own predestination. That we are predestined unto adoption according to Paul as he wrote to the Ephesians. So the adoption is or so the doctrine of adoption reminds us that it is a gracious adoption. Second Adoption is also within this context, adoption is illustrated and it is secured. The doctrine of adoption is illustrated and is secured. And he draws an illustration from the common life of the people of the day and of the area. Look beginning in chapter four, verse one. Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave. An heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is a master of all." Because he's a child, he's an heir. So he doesn't differ from a slave. In what way doesn't he differ from a slave? He goes on to tell us in what way he doesn't differ from a slave, even though he is master of all. What does Paul tell us here? Though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. So in this illustration from common life, you have this child, who is the master of all because he is a true heir. But because he is a child, he is not given the responsibilities of an heir. He doesn't have the right to exercise the authority that he has by birth. And so we are brought, this illustration is brought to the forefront so that we could compare this cultural illustration with what happens when someone becomes a child of God. Because he goes on to say in verse three, even so we. So just like this illustration, There are certain truths that pertain to adoption that Paul is getting ready to write about. Even so we, when we were children, we were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. So we see here this parallel, this comparison. The illustration shows one who is under guardians and tutors, under that kind of bondage, being under guardians and tutors, even though he or she might have full rights as an heir. And he is in that bondage, and he is under that guardianship, until what time? until the time appointed by the father. And when the father sees that the child is now ready to use the authority that he has because he is an heir, then the father decides it is now time. Well, just like that that happens in the secular world, he goes on to say that even so, we, when we were children, We were in bondage under the elements of the world. There's some difference in opinion on what that exactly means, that we were in bondage under the elements of the world. My first reaction in reading that phrase was maybe something like your first reaction when you read that phrase, that the elements of the world is talking about being under bondage to sin. because we live in an ungodly and a fallen world. So when we were children, we were under bondage because the world is under bondage. There are some commentators and some very credible commentators that teach that these elements of the world is talking about or referring to elements of religious instruction. that when we were children, even if we were in the Jewish community, the children of a Jew was also under a type of bondage. They were under a type of tutelage. And that tutelage was the law of God. And as they were under these elements of the world, as they were under this teaching as children, We are told that when the fullness of time had come, then God sent forth his son. So in order to answer the problem of a child who is in bondage, then what God does, just like a father does at the appointed time, what God does in the fullness of time, at the right time, at the perfect time, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law, Why? To redeem those who were under the law that we might receive the adoption as sons. In this illustration and in the application to God's adopting his own children, it is clear we are clearly taught the cost of becoming a child of God. Not our cost, but the cost of Christ. Redemption had to happen. Justification had to happen. The blood of Christ, the perfect and spotless lamb of God, had to be spilt in order for redemption to take place. The resurrection had to happen. God sent forth his son, born under the law, born of a woman, in order to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. So in God's time, the son was sent to redeem us, not only to justify us through his redemption, but also to make us his own, to make us his children, so that we can be called by adoption, we can be called sons and daughters of God. And finally, We not only have the adoption as a gracious act of God, adoption illustrated for us and secured in this teaching that it is a secure adoption because it is God's plan and God's adoption of us in Christ. But finally, in chapter 4, verses 6 and 7, we see adoption realized. We see that adoption is realized. Let's just read verses 6 and 7 one more time. And because you are sons, and you can connect this to the previous statement, because you have received the adoption as sons, and therefore you are sons. Because you are sons, God sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts, crying out, Abba, father. Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son. And if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. Adoption realized. the third person of the Holy Trinity sent to us, sent to us to bear witness in our hearts that we are the children of God. We see not only an emphasis of the person of the Holy Spirit, where he says, because you are sons of God, God has sent forth the Spirit, capital S, God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts. We're not only pointed to the person of the Holy Spirit, but we're also pointed to his work. Not only what he was, not only what he is, but what he has done. And what is it that he did in this particular case for those whom God had adopted? He sent his Holy Spirit into our hearts, crying out, Abba, Father. Abba, Father. Now there's, I've heard sermons on this text. I've read books on this text, even preparing for tonight. What is this? What is the true meaning of this phrase, Abba, Father? What is Paul trying to tell us? What is he teaching us? Some would say that it is sort of an expression of a child, something similar to dad or daddy. The more I think about it and the more that I read commentators and others on this particular phrase, Abba Father, I think it's not an expression so much of an infant child reaching out to his dad, As it is an expression of intimacy. That we know we are God's children. And because we are God's children, he is not far from us. He has made us his own by adoption. He has purchased us as his own by the blood of Christ. And therefore the Holy Spirit has been sent into our hearts, into the hearts of the Christian. to cry out to God, my Father, my Father. The very opening of the Lord's Prayer. Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be your name. So it is an expression of, it's new in a sense that before someone became a Christian, they did not know God in this manner. But the Holy Spirit himself has been sent into our hearts and to the heart of every Christian to cry out, Abba, Father. Therefore, you are no longer a slave, but a son. And if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. So this adoption realized is realized because of the person of the Holy Spirit, because of the work of the Holy Spirit, and because of the work that God has done in the souls of his children. In closing, I just want to share one other quote from Sinclair Ferguson on his, it's actually a quote about John Owen by Sinclair Ferguson in his book on John Owen and the Christian life. And this is such an excellent, true comment on the text that we have been looking at, but also on the doctrine of adoption overall. I think and hope and pray that it will encourage you as I read about two paragraphs. The Christian finally enjoys communion with Christ and the privileges of grace. The highest of these is adoption. The highest of these privileges is adoption. Christians are the sons of God. Adoption is the authoritative translation of a believer by Jesus Christ from the family of the world and Satan into the family of God with his investiture and all the privileges and advantages of that family. It might be thought that any treatment of adoption should really be reserved under the heading of communion with the father. But Owen is concerned to emphasize that the grace of adoption is only possible through Christ. The grace of adoption is only possible through Christ. So there are five things that are required for adoption, and he lists the five things. The five things in and of themselves would have been a great sermon outline, but he mentions these five things that are required for adoption of sinners. Number one, That that person who is adopted must first belong to another family. That person who is adopted must first belong to another family. Two, that there is a family to which he has no right to belong. There is a family in which he has no right to belong. Three, that there is an authoritative legal translation from one family to another. There is an authoritative and legal translation from one family to another. And number four is that the adopted person is freed from all the legal obligations of the family from which he came. The adopted person is free from all the legal obligations of the family from which he came. And then fifth, and that by virtue of this translation, he is invested with all the rights, privileges, and advantages of the new family. What a wonderful picture of adoption. All of this is exemplified in the divine adoption. And thus in John chapter one in verse 12, he describes the legal aspect of spiritual adoption where we have the right or the authority to become children of God. Colossians 1.12, the public proclamation of it to angels who are also sons of God, proclamation of it to Satan to whom it is denounced and to the person adopted through whose conscience the spirit of God bears witness to his sonship. In other words, the adoption is announced to all and even to the conscience of the adopted. God's spirit comes and bears witness with us that we are children of God. In closing, let me just ask a very simple question. Who is your father? To whose family do you belong? We all have earthly fathers to which we give respect and honor and love and do. But the word tells us that we can have a heavenly father that would translate us from one family into another family in which we have no right to enter. But in God's grace, he has provided that way for sinners to become children of the living God through faith in Christ and Christ alone. So let's pray. Father, we ask you that you would bless your word. We pray that you would work through any and all distractions this evening, that you would tear away anything that is a hindrance, Lord, to the hearing of your word, and that you would apply your word effectually. to each and every heart. Lord, give us grace to hear. We pray in Jesus name. Amen.