WEBVTT

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four. We were unable to meet last week because

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of the snow. It's amazing how much how quickly

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the weather changes around here. Sixty what five

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on Christmas Day and last week you know single

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digits in the snow. So we're going to look what

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I had prepared for last week. And what I was

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trying to do throughout this Advent season is

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to preach according to the themes, and we'll

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look at this in just a moment, but last week

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would have been the theme of joy. And so we're

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going to look at that this morning. So Galatians

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chapter four is our text, but really beginning

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at verse four, but we'll pick the text up in

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verse one. Paul writing to the church said, now

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I say that the air As long as he is a child,

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does not differ at all from a slave, though he

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is master of all. But he is under guardians and

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stewards until the time appointed by the Father.

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Even so, we, when we were children, we were in

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bondage under the elements of the world. And

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this is our principle text. But when the fullness

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of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born

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of a woman, born under the law. to redeem those

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who are under the law, that we might receive

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the adoption as sons. And because you are sons,

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God has sent forth the Spirit of the Son into

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your hearts, crying out, Abba, Father. Therefore,

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you are no longer a slave, but a son. And if

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a son, then an heir of God through Christ. Let's

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pray. Oh, Father, that's astounding, Lord. Your

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word, what hope, what sustenance, what life it

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gives. If we are a son, then we are an heir,

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an heir of God through Christ. Lord, when the

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fullness of time had come, you sent Him, our

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Savior. Lord, I pray now that you might send

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your Spirit, Lord. Illuminate the text, open

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our eyes. Lord, let us see. the mysteries and

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understand and grow deeper in our relationship

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with you, Father. God, we need you this morning.

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You tell us to ask for the help of the Holy Spirit,

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and so we do, believing that Lord God, you will

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help us this morning to worship your right. It's

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in the name of Jesus, our Lord, we pray. Amen.

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There's a verse in Proverbs 13, verse 12. Hope

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deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire

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comes, it's a tree of life. And I'm sure most

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of you have had this experience, but have you

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ever had to wait for something that you deeply

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desire? I'm not talking about waiting in a checkout

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line or waiting in traffic, but you were put

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on hold. There was something that you deeply

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desired and it was not coming. I mean, that waiting,

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that time of waiting can be torturous. Often

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we become discouraged or downcast, even spiritually

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weak. Because unfulfilled expectations, they

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do take an emotional toll on you. That's what

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the Bible said. Hope deferred, hope that is not

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coming, makes the heart sick. And there are many

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situations this applies to. It could be a medical

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situation, you're waiting for some test results,

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and that waiting seems like an eternity. But

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when the answer finally comes, and the answer

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that you were actually hoping for, Ah, what joy.

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You're elated. There's relief at the good news.

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That answer to prayer brings a vitality, though

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it's as though you were eating a fruit from the

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tree of life. Proverbs 13 -12. The problem's

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not just medical. It could be professionally

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related. Some have had to go without work for

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so long and the bills kept piling up. You don't

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know what you're going to do. You don't know

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what's going to happen. you're praying, hope

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is being deferred. And then suddenly the prayers

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have been answered and you get the call that

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you received the job you were hoping for. Again,

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what joy, celebration, a feeling of relief. Sandy

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and I experienced this firsthand. When we got

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married, we were hoping for children right away.

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In fact, we had talked and our desire was that

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even she would get pregnant on the honeymoon.

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Yet the Lord had other plans. He had us to wait.

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And really, I can say at the first we were okay

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waiting, that we didn't immediately get pregnant,

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that was fine. But days turned to weeks. Then

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the weeks turned to months. And those months

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turned to years. And I remember those years.

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It was a hard trial. It was hard because we had

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desperately hoped for children and the Lord was

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not granting our request. Our hearts were sick,

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as Proverbs says, because hope... was deferred.

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Countless pregnancy tests taken, countless negative

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results given. Sandy called me one day while

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I was working here at the office and she had

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taken a new medication, wasn't feeling quite

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well. And so the doctor said, hey, if this doesn't

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sit well with you, call. So I called the nurse

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there and just said, hey, this medication is

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not sitting well with Sandy. And the nurse said,

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well, that's That's not typical side effects

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of that medication. She said, that actually sounds

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like side effects or not side effects. That sounds

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like just, I can't think of the word, pregnancy,

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you all get the idea. Whatever that word would

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be, that's what it sounds like, okay? Side effects

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would be the wrong words. Pregnancy is not a

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disease, so I don't know her medicine. But anyway,

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so I called Sandy and I remember telling her,

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I said, Sandy, don't get too excited. I said,

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but the nurse said she, sign, that's it. She

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thinks this might be a sign of pregnancy. rather

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than the medicine causing this. And so on the

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way home, I remember I stopped at Dollar General

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and I picked up a bunch of different pregnancy

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tests of different brands, because they say they're

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99 % accurate, but let's just make sure. And

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then I remember, and I remember this very well,

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October of 2017, Sandy took that first pregnancy

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test and then instantly showed positive. The

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desire had come. There were tears, and there

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were prayers, and there were praises to God.

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That moment in our lives, in our marriage, it

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was if we had eaten fruit from the tree of life.

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Hope was no longer deferred. The desire had come.

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See, when hope is fulfilled, our souls are refreshed

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and joy, joy is the theme of our lives. This

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I had planned to preach last Sunday, but God

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in His providence had me to wait till today.

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So last Sunday, the theme of Advent is on joy.

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So if you look at week one of Advent, that is

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on hope. Week two, I looked at a few weeks ago,

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peace. Last week should have been joy. And my

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plan was today to preach on love. But the joy

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that is referred to here comes because the arrival

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of Jesus and the salvation that he brought. It

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is a joy that light, the light, has invaded our

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darkness and the life has overcome death. There

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is joy because we are no longer estranged from

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God and we no longer are without hope in this

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world. But friends, hope had been deferred for

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quite a long time because Christ did not immediately

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arrive. It is not as though Adam sinned in the

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garden and then Jesus immediately shows up to

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die for sinners. That's not how it went. Instead,

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there were centuries, even millennia, about four

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millennia by the way, of waiting after Adam had

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sinned. Now we know that a promise was given

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immediately there, that there would be, what,

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a serpent -crushing deliverer who would come.

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Yeah, his heel would be bruised, but he would

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stomp on Satan's head. Genesis 3 .15. And I will

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put enmity between you and the woman, and between

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your seed and her seed. He that deliver shall

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bruise your head." And that means crush. And

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you will bruise his heel. So God promised a Savior

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immediately when Adam sinned. But 4 ,000 years

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passed between the time God gave the promise

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and the time the promise was actually fulfilled.

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Hope was deferred for 4 ,000 years, and the people,

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what were they doing? Waiting. Waiting expectantly.

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for the arrival of the Messiah. Now we come to

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the text in Galatians 4, verse 4. But when the

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fullness of time had come, God sent forth His

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Son, born of a woman, born under the law. Why?

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Verse 5. To redeem those who are under the law,

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that we might receive the adoption as sons. The

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fullness of time was come at just the right time

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in history. See, under ancient law the father,

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you can go to the next slide guys, the father

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chose the date when his son would receive the

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inheritance. He chose the date. That was at the

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father's discretion. In like manner, God the

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father chose the time when his son would come

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and procure the inheritance for his children.

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The timing was not rushed, but neither was the

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timing delayed. Instead, at the perfect time,

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at the perfect moment when the fullness of time

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had come, then enters Christ into human history.

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Now, why was the time right? It was right for

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various reasons. First, you think about the law

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itself. The law of Moses had completed its preparatory

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role. God's people had been under the law all

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the way until the time Christ came. But the law

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in that time had done its work. It had prepared

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the people. It was like a schoolmaster, a tutor.

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It had prepared the people for the preparation

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to receive the Messiah. Second, religiously,

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it was really the right time. Israel had been

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judged for her idolatry. She had endured the

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70 years of captivity in Babylon. She had been

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judged during that time. So after returning from

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exile, Israel was no longer worshipping false

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gods. no longer worshipping idols. But it's also

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during that time in exile that the Jews developed

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synagogues. Those were places, what, to serve

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as places of worship, places of education. They

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also served as a court. That was all taking place

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during the exile. They also completed the canon

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of the Old Testament, primarily with Ezra being

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the scribe. All that had been done. And that's

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going to help proclaim the Messiah when he comes.

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Third, culturally, it was the right time because

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now there was a common language. You have to

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understand, Alexander the Great had spread what

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Greek culture, the Hellenization of the ancient

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world. Yet Greek culture and Greek language was

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now known throughout the world. There's a common

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language there. And this would ensure, this common

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language of Greek, Koine Greek, would ensure

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that the news of the gospel would spread easily.

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Fourth, it was correct, because politically,

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the right time had come because Rome, that was

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the world superpower at that time, had instituted

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the Pax Romana, the time of peace. And that gave

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what? Political stability. It gave economic stability.

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And Rome had developed that great system of roads.

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So now, not only was there common language Greek,

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there was now a great road system on which they

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could travel, spreading the gospel message. And

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that's what you see in the Book of Acts. The

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apostles and early leaders, they traveled freely

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and relatively safely throughout the empire because

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Rome had built that impressive system of roads

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that was just new at that time in history. So

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it's for all these reasons that it was the right

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time in history. And Galatians tells us at this

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perfect time, when the fullness of time, when

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the time was right, God sent forth His Son. Now

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friends, that's in itself really worth looking

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at. We just look and say, yeah, God sent His

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Son. No, no. God sent His Son. The fact that

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His Son was sent shows that the Son existed prior

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to His birth in Bethlehem. Christ's existence

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did not begin with a manger in Bethlehem. Jesus

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is the eternal Son. Christ being sent from heaven

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reveals to us something about the nature of that

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child that was born. It's not just an ordinary

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child, we know that from his conception, but

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his nature is divine. He is God the Son, fully

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equal to the Father in both glory and essence.

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In fact, what we would say is he's the second

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person of the Blessed Trinity. He is the eternal

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and only begotten Son of the Father. And Galatians

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tells us, when the time was ripe, God the Son

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came down from heaven and entered into human

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history. God sent him. But then it says he was

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born of a woman. Okay, now he's born. So God,

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eternal, is being born. This reveals to us his

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humanity. He was born like all other men were

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born. Now his conception was different. He was

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conceived in the virgin's womb. She had never

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known a man. That was miraculous. We call it

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the virgin birth, and that's true. It ought to

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be called the virgin conception. So, but his

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birth was a normal human birth like anyone else

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would have experienced. Mary would have experienced

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pain in the birth of Jesus. You know, we sing

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away in a manger and that line in the church,

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no crying he made. It's not true. He was, have

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you ever known a baby not to cry? If you know

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a baby not to cry, it's not a baby. Because babies

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are really good at a few things, dirtying diapers

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and crying. They've mastered it really well.

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And by the way, Jesus would have done both, and

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that's no disrespect. Because when we take away

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that, we're taking away his humanity. He is truly

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human. So he was sent. He's the divine one. But

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he was born. He is human. Isaiah hinted at this

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in Isaiah 9 -6, for unto us a child is born,

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unto us a son is given. Notice, child is born,

00:15:13.259 --> 00:15:18.960
humanity. Son was given, deity. Jesus is the

00:15:18.960 --> 00:15:22.639
God -man. It's what we call the hypostatic union.

00:15:22.940 --> 00:15:28.000
He is both truly God, no less, not a demigod,

00:15:28.299 --> 00:15:31.519
not half man, half God. He is truly God and truly

00:15:31.519 --> 00:15:36.470
man. One person, two natures. His birth, though,

00:15:36.950 --> 00:15:38.990
that's what we celebrate in this Advent season.

00:15:40.529 --> 00:15:46.269
What is it? God became man. Kyle and I were talking

00:15:46.269 --> 00:15:48.570
before we came up here. We meet together to pray

00:15:48.570 --> 00:15:51.330
before the service starts, and we're talking

00:15:51.330 --> 00:15:53.629
about this. I'm like, if we would just stop to

00:15:53.629 --> 00:15:59.210
pause and think about that statement. God, Almighty

00:15:59.210 --> 00:16:03.759
Creator, He becomes man. with all the limitations

00:16:03.759 --> 00:16:07.919
of humanity. Why? Well, he had to be fully man

00:16:07.919 --> 00:16:10.440
to take on man's penalty, for it was man, it

00:16:10.440 --> 00:16:13.899
was Adam who would send. Jesus would serve as

00:16:13.899 --> 00:16:16.659
a representative of humanity just as Adam had

00:16:16.659 --> 00:16:23.179
done. So as God, he could be our savior. As man,

00:16:23.620 --> 00:16:27.000
he could be our substitute. And that's one of

00:16:27.000 --> 00:16:30.600
the mysteries of the incarnation. Martin Luther

00:16:30.600 --> 00:16:34.009
says this, Christianity does not begin at the

00:16:34.009 --> 00:16:36.870
top, as all other religions do. It begins at

00:16:36.870 --> 00:16:40.289
the bottom. You must run directly to the manger

00:16:40.289 --> 00:16:44.149
and the mother's womb, embrace this infant and

00:16:44.149 --> 00:16:48.330
virgin child in your arms, and look at him. Born,

00:16:49.090 --> 00:16:52.809
being nursed, growing up, going about in human

00:16:52.809 --> 00:16:55.789
society, all normal things, right? Teaching,

00:16:56.830 --> 00:16:59.330
dying. Now here's where the normal things end.

00:16:59.769 --> 00:17:02.799
Rising again. ascending above all the heavens

00:17:02.799 --> 00:17:07.920
and having authority over all things. See friends,

00:17:08.420 --> 00:17:10.819
Christmas is the wonder. It's the celebration

00:17:10.819 --> 00:17:14.700
at the condescension of God. And if something

00:17:14.700 --> 00:17:17.039
is oxymoronic about that statement is that there

00:17:17.039 --> 00:17:20.539
should be no condescension of God. God should

00:17:20.539 --> 00:17:24.799
never condescend, but he did. And we remember

00:17:24.799 --> 00:17:27.319
that and we celebrate this mystery that, yes,

00:17:27.519 --> 00:17:30.500
there's God incarnate. God becomes man. And this

00:17:30.500 --> 00:17:35.220
is a sublime show of humility. God the Son, the

00:17:35.220 --> 00:17:38.259
eternal Son, with all the glory of heaven, took

00:17:38.259 --> 00:17:43.039
on human nature, our nature, with all its temptations

00:17:43.039 --> 00:17:47.500
and with all its limitations. He now is subject

00:17:47.500 --> 00:17:51.680
to hunger and thirst and being cold and being

00:17:51.680 --> 00:17:54.920
tired. But the Bible says something else in Galatians

00:17:54.920 --> 00:17:59.440
4. Paul says Christ is born under the law. Jesus

00:17:59.440 --> 00:18:03.099
is born a Jew. He's subject to the totality of

00:18:03.099 --> 00:18:05.700
God's law. See, he was under the obligation,

00:18:05.839 --> 00:18:08.839
Jesus was under the obligation to obey the law

00:18:08.839 --> 00:18:13.359
or else be judged by the law. See, his birth

00:18:13.359 --> 00:18:16.819
into Judaism meant that he was required, as all

00:18:16.819 --> 00:18:20.000
other Jews, to perfectly keep the law of Moses.

00:18:21.150 --> 00:18:25.710
Yet, unlike every other Jew, Jesus completely

00:18:25.710 --> 00:18:29.210
obeyed and fulfilled it. And that's why He was

00:18:29.210 --> 00:18:32.930
qualified to be able to redeem us from the curse

00:18:32.930 --> 00:18:36.450
of that law. Look in the New Testament. Jesus,

00:18:36.450 --> 00:18:39.750
you see, He circumcised on the eighth day. He

00:18:39.750 --> 00:18:41.869
obeyed the Decalogue, the Ten Commandments, perfectly

00:18:41.869 --> 00:18:44.569
obeyed them, kept every one of them. You find

00:18:44.569 --> 00:18:47.390
Him at Passover, keeping Passover. All the other

00:18:47.390 --> 00:18:50.349
required feast days, Jesus was present. He did

00:18:50.349 --> 00:18:54.230
every single thing the law required, every jot,

00:18:54.390 --> 00:18:57.150
every tittle. He dotted every I, crossed every

00:18:57.150 --> 00:19:00.490
T, if you want to say it that way, but even died

00:19:00.490 --> 00:19:03.509
under the law. In Galatians chapter 3, the chapter

00:19:03.509 --> 00:19:07.190
before, verse 13, Christ has redeemed us from

00:19:07.190 --> 00:19:11.130
the curse of the law, having become a curse for

00:19:11.130 --> 00:19:14.130
us. For it's written, cursed is everyone who

00:19:14.130 --> 00:19:18.400
hangs on a tree. Christ became a man. so that

00:19:18.400 --> 00:19:21.019
he could obey the whole law, that he could also

00:19:21.019 --> 00:19:25.579
suffer the punishment that was due us for having

00:19:25.579 --> 00:19:29.559
broken it. Two things, he had to obey it, and

00:19:29.559 --> 00:19:31.519
then he would die as one who had broken it, although

00:19:31.519 --> 00:19:35.519
he did not. The Lord Jesus willingly accepted

00:19:35.519 --> 00:19:38.059
this sentence of death in himself. Why? Because

00:19:38.059 --> 00:19:40.809
that's what his people deserved. He's going to

00:19:40.809 --> 00:19:42.750
redeem us. He's going to buy us back. He's going

00:19:42.750 --> 00:19:44.829
to serve as our substitute. What did we deserve?

00:19:44.950 --> 00:19:47.609
Death. What did he submit to? Death. He became

00:19:47.609 --> 00:19:51.390
a curse for us so that you and I would not die

00:19:51.390 --> 00:19:57.509
accursed from God. That's grace. Verse 5, to

00:19:57.509 --> 00:20:00.809
redeem, to redeem them that were under the law,

00:20:01.789 --> 00:20:05.220
that we might receive the adoption of sons. Now,

00:20:05.220 --> 00:20:07.259
to redeem, Paul's speaking here of Christ's atonement.

00:20:07.519 --> 00:20:09.000
In fact, if you want to look at the letter, we

00:20:09.000 --> 00:20:11.559
don't have time to do so. He opened this particular

00:20:11.559 --> 00:20:13.759
book, the letter to the Galatians, speaking of

00:20:13.759 --> 00:20:16.940
Christ's atonement. Chapter 1, verse 3, grace

00:20:16.940 --> 00:20:18.980
to you, peace from God the Father and our Lord

00:20:18.980 --> 00:20:21.900
Jesus Christ. Standard greeting of Paul, verse

00:20:21.900 --> 00:20:26.380
4, who gave himself for our sins. Christ gave

00:20:26.380 --> 00:20:30.299
himself in order to redeem his sinful people.

00:20:31.440 --> 00:20:35.380
What does it mean to redeem? To buy back. It

00:20:35.380 --> 00:20:38.259
was used or referred to the buying back of slaves.

00:20:39.420 --> 00:20:41.599
So slaves, after they were purchased and after

00:20:41.599 --> 00:20:43.859
the redemption price had been paid, they were

00:20:43.859 --> 00:20:46.779
emancipated. They were set free. And the Bible

00:20:46.779 --> 00:20:51.880
says Jesus redeemed us in order to free us from

00:20:51.880 --> 00:20:55.839
what? Our slavery. Our slavery was not a physical

00:20:55.839 --> 00:20:58.319
slavery. Our slavery was a moral slavery. We

00:20:58.319 --> 00:21:02.039
were enslaved to sin. But there had to be a redemption

00:21:02.039 --> 00:21:05.609
price. Slaves had to be redeemed, a price had

00:21:05.609 --> 00:21:09.569
to be paid, and death was the price because that

00:21:09.569 --> 00:21:12.269
was the penalty that was attached to anyone who

00:21:12.269 --> 00:21:15.450
broke God's law. The wages, the payment of sin,

00:21:16.210 --> 00:21:20.130
is death. To break the law made you a covenant

00:21:20.130 --> 00:21:22.930
breaker. And if you were a covenant breaker,

00:21:23.089 --> 00:21:27.549
you were deserving of death. Now God loved us.

00:21:27.970 --> 00:21:30.230
He didn't start loving us after Jesus died. He

00:21:30.230 --> 00:21:32.400
loved us even while we were yet sinners. Because

00:21:32.400 --> 00:21:35.200
that's when Christ died for us. God loved us,

00:21:35.339 --> 00:21:38.059
but in order to bring us back in full status

00:21:38.059 --> 00:21:41.059
as the Son of God, His justice must be satisfied.

00:21:41.980 --> 00:21:44.019
Because God's not going to deny justice, because

00:21:44.019 --> 00:21:46.980
He's a just, a morally upright and perfect God.

00:21:47.819 --> 00:21:51.480
So what did His justice demand? Well, for anyone

00:21:51.480 --> 00:21:55.099
who broke the law, there must be death. The person

00:21:55.099 --> 00:22:00.700
who broke had to die, or a sacrifice had to be

00:22:00.700 --> 00:22:03.700
given in its place. That's what the whole Levitical

00:22:03.700 --> 00:22:07.059
sacrificial system represented, right? And the

00:22:07.059 --> 00:22:11.319
Bible says Jesus gave Himself. He gave Himself

00:22:11.319 --> 00:22:16.319
as that sacrifice. He is the Lamb of God that

00:22:16.319 --> 00:22:19.079
takes away the sin of the world. Now, how could

00:22:19.079 --> 00:22:22.380
He offer Himself in our place? Because He's one

00:22:22.380 --> 00:22:27.940
of us. He was a man. And as a man, He could serve

00:22:27.940 --> 00:22:31.400
as our substitute. In his commentary, Govett

00:22:31.400 --> 00:22:34.559
says, Christ by nature, the Son of God became

00:22:34.559 --> 00:22:39.039
Son of Man, that we by nature, Sons of Man, might

00:22:39.039 --> 00:22:43.019
become Sons of God. But John's thought, he said,

00:22:43.079 --> 00:22:46.380
so the divinity of Christ, the humanity of Christ,

00:22:46.720 --> 00:22:49.779
and the righteousness of Christ uniquely qualified

00:22:49.779 --> 00:22:53.059
him to be man's Redeemer. If he had not been

00:22:53.059 --> 00:22:55.200
man, he could not have redeemed unrighteous men.

00:22:55.579 --> 00:22:58.359
And if he had not been God's son, he could not

00:22:58.359 --> 00:23:02.000
have redeemed men for God or made them sons of

00:23:02.000 --> 00:23:05.319
God. So do you see what we're saying is you must

00:23:05.319 --> 00:23:09.079
believe in this incarnation and understand the

00:23:09.079 --> 00:23:12.240
nature of Christ that he is the God -man. You

00:23:12.240 --> 00:23:14.339
can't have one with the other or you lose salvation.

00:23:16.180 --> 00:23:18.980
He's the God -man. As God, as his savior. As

00:23:18.980 --> 00:23:21.500
man, he's our substitute. But why? And it tells

00:23:21.500 --> 00:23:24.519
us so that we might receive the adoption. of

00:23:24.519 --> 00:23:28.279
sons. So yes, you're saying Christ came to atone

00:23:28.279 --> 00:23:30.980
for our sins. Yes, Christ came for our atonement,

00:23:31.180 --> 00:23:35.799
but He also came for our adoption. God sent His

00:23:35.799 --> 00:23:39.900
Son to make us sons. Now to understand Paul's

00:23:39.900 --> 00:23:42.180
point here in Galatians 4, you have to understand

00:23:42.180 --> 00:23:44.619
something about adoption in ancient Rome. It

00:23:44.619 --> 00:23:47.559
is not like it is today. In the Roman world,

00:23:47.680 --> 00:23:49.980
there might have been a few exceptions. If a

00:23:49.980 --> 00:23:52.460
man was going to pass on his wealth, it had to

00:23:52.460 --> 00:23:55.180
be to his sons, not daughters here. That's why

00:23:55.180 --> 00:23:57.700
the Bible uses the term sons. It's not been sexist.

00:23:57.880 --> 00:24:00.880
It's picking up on this point here. All the wealth

00:24:00.880 --> 00:24:04.039
and land inheritance all went to men. In Rome,

00:24:04.240 --> 00:24:05.940
under Judaism, you could give it to a daughter

00:24:05.940 --> 00:24:09.259
occasionally. Now, if a man had no sons, or he

00:24:09.259 --> 00:24:12.140
felt that one of his sons was not worthy or noble

00:24:12.140 --> 00:24:14.259
enough to take care of the wealth, or he wouldn't

00:24:14.259 --> 00:24:17.059
manage it correctly, he then, now look, this

00:24:17.059 --> 00:24:19.660
is what happened, he would adopt another man.

00:24:20.339 --> 00:24:24.819
and make him a worthy son. Now when we think

00:24:24.819 --> 00:24:26.940
of adoption, we often think of children adopting

00:24:26.940 --> 00:24:30.140
infants. That's very common today. But that's

00:24:30.140 --> 00:24:33.180
not how it happened in ancient Rome. Older boys

00:24:33.180 --> 00:24:36.099
or even adult men were the ones normally adopted.

00:24:37.019 --> 00:24:39.400
So when the adoption, once it was legally approved,

00:24:40.140 --> 00:24:42.759
the adoptee then would have all his debts canceled

00:24:42.759 --> 00:24:45.980
and he would actually receive a new name. He

00:24:45.980 --> 00:24:51.740
would be the legal son with legal rights of his

00:24:51.740 --> 00:24:55.480
adopted father, meaning he was now entitled to

00:24:55.480 --> 00:24:58.619
all the rights and all the benefits of being

00:24:58.619 --> 00:25:01.500
a son of that father who had now adopted him.

00:25:02.339 --> 00:25:06.000
So now in ancient Rome, a father could disown

00:25:06.000 --> 00:25:09.819
a natural son, but once adoption took place,

00:25:09.900 --> 00:25:13.079
it was irreversible. Now do you see what Paul's

00:25:13.079 --> 00:25:16.289
picking up on? Paul's analogies, he's writing

00:25:16.289 --> 00:25:19.470
to people that understood the Roman culture.

00:25:20.509 --> 00:25:22.430
Christians, you and I are born slaves, we're

00:25:22.430 --> 00:25:25.549
enslaved to sin. Jesus paid the redemption price,

00:25:25.869 --> 00:25:28.809
redeemed us out of our slavery. But we're not

00:25:28.809 --> 00:25:32.589
just freed, we're not just emancipated. Rather,

00:25:33.130 --> 00:25:37.170
we have been adopted by God the Father. Well,

00:25:37.170 --> 00:25:40.569
how do you know that? He gave us God the Holy

00:25:40.569 --> 00:25:46.880
Spirit. As sons of God, then, we become heirs,

00:25:47.579 --> 00:25:52.380
heirs to God's inheritance. Now friends, listen,

00:25:52.619 --> 00:25:55.460
you can be an heir of Jeff Bezos, you can be

00:25:55.460 --> 00:25:57.700
an heir of Bill Gates, you can be an heir of

00:25:57.700 --> 00:25:59.359
some of these wealthy men, and you might stand

00:25:59.359 --> 00:26:02.019
and inherit a lot, but it pales in comparison

00:26:02.019 --> 00:26:05.599
if you're an heir of God. You get that inheritance,

00:26:05.680 --> 00:26:08.799
all right? Now Christ is the only begotten Son

00:26:08.799 --> 00:26:12.039
of God, meaning Christ is the only Son by nature.

00:26:12.349 --> 00:26:16.150
You and I are sons by adoption. Now, it would

00:26:16.150 --> 00:26:17.950
have been amazing enough. This would have been

00:26:17.950 --> 00:26:22.190
grace had Christ came and freed us from our bondage.

00:26:22.609 --> 00:26:25.130
That would have been amazing. But the story doesn't

00:26:25.130 --> 00:26:28.329
end there. He didn't redeem us to leave us as

00:26:28.329 --> 00:26:34.150
his servants. He redeemed us to make us his sons.

00:26:35.329 --> 00:26:38.450
Then he might adopt us. See, our redemption was

00:26:38.450 --> 00:26:43.250
not the end. Sonship was always the goal. And

00:26:43.250 --> 00:26:46.950
when we placed our faith in Christ, we came into

00:26:46.950 --> 00:26:49.329
the family of God. And when you come into the

00:26:49.329 --> 00:26:52.569
family of God, you have all the rights and privileges

00:26:52.569 --> 00:26:57.049
of being a son. This is why John said, in 1 John,

00:26:57.109 --> 00:27:00.170
he said, behold, what manner of love the Father

00:27:00.170 --> 00:27:03.369
has bestowed upon us. Listen, behold, take notice

00:27:03.369 --> 00:27:07.329
that we, that you and I, should be called the

00:27:07.329 --> 00:27:10.210
sons of God. Now, modern translations will use

00:27:10.210 --> 00:27:12.529
children, but it's important towards son. because

00:27:12.529 --> 00:27:15.569
that's the heir. He says, listen, think about

00:27:15.569 --> 00:27:18.730
the love that God the Father bestowed on you

00:27:18.730 --> 00:27:23.890
that we might be called the sons of God. In Christ,

00:27:24.170 --> 00:27:27.089
we have all the freedom, the privilege, and responsibilities

00:27:27.089 --> 00:27:31.069
of being a son of God. Paul said in Romans 8

00:27:31.069 --> 00:27:35.000
-17, if children, then heirs. heirs of God, but

00:27:35.000 --> 00:27:37.240
notice what he said, joint heirs with Christ.

00:27:37.619 --> 00:27:41.440
Friends, that's incredible as well. You and I

00:27:41.440 --> 00:27:44.059
stand to inherit all that the Lord Jesus Christ

00:27:44.059 --> 00:27:47.900
will inherit. We write in on his coat tails,

00:27:48.220 --> 00:27:53.140
we are heirs of God and co -heirs, not sub -heirs,

00:27:53.519 --> 00:27:59.160
co -heirs with Christ. He's the true son and

00:27:59.160 --> 00:28:01.579
we're made sons, but we get everything he gets.

00:28:02.890 --> 00:28:07.869
You know what that's called? Grace. God turned

00:28:07.869 --> 00:28:11.970
slaves into sons. And the theme is on joy. Tell

00:28:11.970 --> 00:28:15.049
me, what could be more joyous than this? Now,

00:28:15.049 --> 00:28:16.849
there's one glaring difference between Roman

00:28:16.849 --> 00:28:21.730
adoption and what God did. Christians are not

00:28:21.730 --> 00:28:23.910
adopted because God thinks we will make worthy

00:28:23.910 --> 00:28:27.210
heirs. That's what the Roman father would look

00:28:27.210 --> 00:28:28.710
at. Someone's going to take care of the estate

00:28:28.710 --> 00:28:33.690
after he passes away. Rather... This, in a surprising

00:28:33.690 --> 00:28:37.430
turn of events, God adopts people who are completely

00:28:37.430 --> 00:28:42.470
unworthy, and He adopts us on the basis of His

00:28:42.470 --> 00:28:46.690
grace and makes us worthy. What's the result

00:28:46.690 --> 00:28:50.529
of our adoption? Verse 6 in Galatians 4, and

00:28:50.529 --> 00:28:53.309
because you're sons, God has sent forth the Spirit

00:28:53.309 --> 00:28:58.809
of the Son into your hearts, crying out Abba,

00:28:58.930 --> 00:29:02.220
Father. Therefore, you are no longer a slave.

00:29:02.700 --> 00:29:04.400
Friends, you're no longer a slave, but a son.

00:29:05.519 --> 00:29:08.720
And if a son, then an heir. An heir of God through

00:29:08.720 --> 00:29:14.460
Christ. The father sent the son who died, was

00:29:14.460 --> 00:29:17.920
buried, and rose again to redeem us. And then

00:29:17.920 --> 00:29:23.559
the father sent his spirit. to make that real

00:29:23.559 --> 00:29:26.279
in our lives and to assure us of this. So the

00:29:26.279 --> 00:29:29.460
Father adopted us, the Son redeemed us, and the

00:29:29.460 --> 00:29:32.380
Spirit assures us, or the Spirit applies redemption,

00:29:32.400 --> 00:29:35.200
you could say that. So all of the blessed Trinity

00:29:35.200 --> 00:29:38.660
is involved in our salvation. And this is the

00:29:38.660 --> 00:29:40.440
thing, guys, listen, at this Christmas, don't

00:29:40.440 --> 00:29:43.240
miss this point. God wants you, every single

00:29:43.240 --> 00:29:46.059
person in here that knows Christ, to rest in

00:29:46.059 --> 00:29:50.799
His fatherly love. He wants you to know and enjoy

00:29:50.799 --> 00:29:53.859
the assurance that you have as a child of His

00:29:53.859 --> 00:29:57.380
who has been adopted into His eternal family.

00:29:58.359 --> 00:30:01.000
He wants all of His children to know and enjoy

00:30:01.000 --> 00:30:03.759
the fact that they belong to Him and are beloved

00:30:03.759 --> 00:30:09.839
by Him. God loves you. And the gift of the Holy

00:30:09.839 --> 00:30:15.000
Spirit is our adoption papers. The Spirit of

00:30:15.000 --> 00:30:20.599
God is the seal that we belong to God. He's the

00:30:20.599 --> 00:30:24.559
one who helps us to recognize our position as

00:30:24.559 --> 00:30:27.380
sons. He comes into our heart and testifies to

00:30:27.380 --> 00:30:30.119
that. So God sends a son to make us his children,

00:30:30.339 --> 00:30:32.099
and then God sends a spirit to let us know that

00:30:32.099 --> 00:30:34.259
we truly are his children. Man, God really wants

00:30:34.259 --> 00:30:38.039
us to know this, doesn't he? The spirit who dwells

00:30:38.039 --> 00:30:40.839
within us allows us to confidently cry out to

00:30:40.839 --> 00:30:43.880
God, the Almighty, creator of heaven and earth,

00:30:45.220 --> 00:30:48.400
Yahweh. The covenant -keeping God. God the Spirit

00:30:48.400 --> 00:30:51.500
allows us to cry out to him with this title,

00:30:52.599 --> 00:30:57.400
Abba. Father. Abba is an Aramaic term. It's in

00:30:57.400 --> 00:31:00.000
the diminutive. So, you know, like we have dad

00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:02.400
and we have daddy. This is the diminutive. It's

00:31:02.400 --> 00:31:06.400
more like daddy. It's an Aramaic. So it connotes

00:31:06.400 --> 00:31:09.839
or denotes intimacy. It also denotes relationship.

00:31:10.220 --> 00:31:13.119
So you could say this, Abba is like, dear father,

00:31:14.099 --> 00:31:18.059
dear dad. Are you comfortable calling God that

00:31:18.059 --> 00:31:21.599
dear dad? The spirit says he's going to make

00:31:21.599 --> 00:31:25.019
you pray like that. FF Bruce in his commentary

00:31:25.019 --> 00:31:28.539
said ABBA is the voice of Jesus on the lips of

00:31:28.539 --> 00:31:31.819
his people and I love that. The voice of Jesus

00:31:31.819 --> 00:31:33.519
on the lips of his people is when we cry out

00:31:33.519 --> 00:31:39.319
to God ABBA. Daddy dad. Sometimes we cry out

00:31:39.319 --> 00:31:42.430
to dad help. Sometimes we're just praising Him,

00:31:42.549 --> 00:31:43.950
sometimes just talking to Him, but we're always

00:31:43.950 --> 00:31:46.369
crying out to Him. See, you and I have this incredible

00:31:46.369 --> 00:31:48.670
privilege of addressing God in the same way that

00:31:48.670 --> 00:31:51.690
Jesus addressed Him. No slave could ever call

00:31:51.690 --> 00:31:55.309
their master Abba, but that's what you have with

00:31:55.309 --> 00:31:58.190
the Almighty. God, creator of heaven and earth,

00:31:58.329 --> 00:32:00.269
is our Abba. See, you know what I would tell

00:32:00.269 --> 00:32:02.470
you today? Rejoice! Rejoice, dear Christian!

00:32:02.829 --> 00:32:06.130
Lift up your voice and rejoice. This is the joy

00:32:06.130 --> 00:32:09.250
of Christmas. This is the joy of Advent. Christ

00:32:09.250 --> 00:32:11.950
was born a child so that God could make us His

00:32:11.950 --> 00:32:16.849
children. Warren Wiersby poignantly points out

00:32:16.849 --> 00:32:18.730
some of the differences between slaves and sons.

00:32:18.789 --> 00:32:22.049
I'll mention three quickly. The son has a father

00:32:22.049 --> 00:32:24.829
while the slave has a master. As I said earlier,

00:32:24.910 --> 00:32:27.730
no slave ever got to call the master Abba. You

00:32:27.730 --> 00:32:30.190
didn't get to say father to him. So when the

00:32:30.190 --> 00:32:33.109
sinner trusts Christ, he receives that Holy Spirit,

00:32:33.369 --> 00:32:35.789
and the Spirit tells him, you are a child of

00:32:35.789 --> 00:32:39.650
the Father. Secondly, the son obeys out of love,

00:32:39.690 --> 00:32:41.309
because he's confident in this relationship.

00:32:41.549 --> 00:32:44.730
But the slave obeys out of fear, a slavish fear,

00:32:44.910 --> 00:32:48.750
right? But not a son. And the Spirit of God works

00:32:48.750 --> 00:32:51.569
in the heart of his people to increase our love

00:32:51.569 --> 00:32:54.069
for God, and to awaken in us this understanding

00:32:54.069 --> 00:32:58.630
that we are his sons. Third, the son is rich.

00:32:59.399 --> 00:33:04.240
The slave will always be poor. We are sons and

00:33:04.240 --> 00:33:07.799
we are heirs because we've been adopted. And

00:33:07.799 --> 00:33:09.559
you can start drawing on your inheritance right

00:33:09.559 --> 00:33:12.880
now. Part of that rich inheritance is to call

00:33:12.880 --> 00:33:20.619
God Abba. In Christ, friends, God has given to

00:33:20.619 --> 00:33:24.480
us the riches of His grace, the riches of His

00:33:24.480 --> 00:33:27.920
glory, the riches of His goodness, and the riches

00:33:27.920 --> 00:33:30.349
of His wisdom. You know what that means this

00:33:30.349 --> 00:33:32.150
Christmas season? You might not have a gift under

00:33:32.150 --> 00:33:35.569
the tree, but if you know Christ, you've been

00:33:35.569 --> 00:33:38.269
enriched in all things. You have everything.

00:33:39.569 --> 00:33:43.410
What joy, the joy of Advent, is there because

00:33:43.410 --> 00:33:48.029
we've been rescued from sin and adopted into

00:33:48.029 --> 00:33:51.410
the eternal family of God. And I close with this.

00:33:52.670 --> 00:33:57.960
For whom is this joy? For whom is it? Now when

00:33:57.960 --> 00:34:00.720
the angels in Luke 2 announce Christ's birth,

00:34:01.319 --> 00:34:05.180
they said, I bring you good news of great joy

00:34:05.180 --> 00:34:07.519
which will be to all people. For it is born this

00:34:07.519 --> 00:34:10.679
day in the city of David, a Savior which is Christ

00:34:10.679 --> 00:34:13.260
the Lord. It was born for you this day in the

00:34:13.260 --> 00:34:16.039
city of David, a Savior. Who first received that

00:34:16.039 --> 00:34:19.219
announcement? You'll see it tonight if you come

00:34:19.219 --> 00:34:23.159
back to see the children. The shepherds. It was

00:34:23.159 --> 00:34:26.820
not first given to kings, nor to priests. nor

00:34:26.820 --> 00:34:29.500
to the powerful ruling class, rather it was first

00:34:29.500 --> 00:34:31.159
announced to those who are on the margins of

00:34:31.159 --> 00:34:34.280
life." The outsiders. We think of shepherds cute.

00:34:34.360 --> 00:34:36.840
Shepherds were not an esteemed occupation in

00:34:36.840 --> 00:34:40.300
first century Palestine. Salvation was first

00:34:40.300 --> 00:34:43.380
announced to those who were overlooked by the

00:34:43.380 --> 00:34:48.659
world, yet seen by God. Praise God. And that's

00:34:48.659 --> 00:34:52.320
the joy, friends. The joy of the incarnation.

00:34:53.130 --> 00:34:56.789
is that Christ was born for all people, especially

00:34:56.789 --> 00:35:01.909
for those who assume it's not for me. Christ

00:35:01.909 --> 00:35:05.969
was born for you. If you recognize that you are

00:35:05.969 --> 00:35:09.650
a sinner, you can't get into God's favor on your

00:35:09.650 --> 00:35:13.230
own. If you will repent of your sins, you recognize

00:35:13.230 --> 00:35:16.630
that you have fallen and broken God's law. And

00:35:16.630 --> 00:35:20.769
if you will come to His sent Son in faith, then

00:35:20.769 --> 00:35:24.900
this message of good news and great joy. It's

00:35:24.900 --> 00:35:28.719
for you, for all those who are pender their sins

00:35:28.719 --> 00:35:31.880
and trust in Christ alone for salvation. This

00:35:31.880 --> 00:35:35.719
is the joy of Christmas. What are with four days

00:35:35.719 --> 00:35:38.139
from now, friends, you'll gather with family.

00:35:38.179 --> 00:35:39.840
Some of you on Christmas Eve, some on Christmas.

00:35:41.000 --> 00:35:42.900
Some you may be stressful. Some there may be

00:35:42.900 --> 00:35:45.440
some division and strife because families tend

00:35:45.440 --> 00:35:48.849
to do that broken relationships. But in the midst

00:35:48.849 --> 00:35:52.409
of all this, there can be joy. I want to say

00:35:52.409 --> 00:35:54.730
tangible, but joy is etherealism. It's not tangible.

00:35:55.369 --> 00:36:00.250
Real, deep, abiding joy. Christ has come. Christ

00:36:00.250 --> 00:36:03.650
has died. Christ has risen. Christ is for you.

00:36:04.250 --> 00:36:06.630
Celebrate that, friends. Let's do something.

00:36:06.670 --> 00:36:09.210
Let's commune with this Christ, the living one,

00:36:09.429 --> 00:36:11.929
who says, come to me. Come to me and I'll receive

00:36:11.929 --> 00:36:15.309
you. And he says that we get to commune with

00:36:15.309 --> 00:36:18.159
him. and the way he prescribed. Let's prepare

00:36:18.159 --> 00:36:19.920
our hearts for communion at this time. Let's

00:36:19.920 --> 00:36:22.820
pray. Father, thank you, Lord, for your precious,

00:36:23.079 --> 00:36:25.619
glorious, almighty work. Lord, it is so good.

00:36:25.900 --> 00:36:29.039
It is so rich. It is so deep. It is so satisfying,

00:36:29.039 --> 00:36:32.980
and it is so necessary. God, help us, Lord, by

00:36:32.980 --> 00:36:35.860
your spirit to comprehend with all the saints

00:36:35.860 --> 00:36:38.059
what is the length and breadth and height and

00:36:38.059 --> 00:36:41.019
depth to know the love of Christ, which passes

00:36:41.019 --> 00:36:44.920
all understanding. Oh God, guard our minds and

00:36:44.920 --> 00:36:47.579
our hearts, keep us in this awareness. Father,

00:36:47.599 --> 00:36:49.920
there may be some here today who are on the peripheral,

00:36:49.940 --> 00:36:51.920
they're on the outside, but not because, Lord,

00:36:51.920 --> 00:36:53.539
you're keeping them on the outside, but Lord

00:36:53.539 --> 00:36:56.019
God, they have never bowed the knee to Christ.

00:36:56.900 --> 00:36:58.579
They're on the outside of the family of God,

00:36:58.619 --> 00:37:01.159
and tonight or this morning, Lord, I would ask

00:37:01.159 --> 00:37:04.260
God that you might awaken in them a desire for

00:37:04.260 --> 00:37:06.900
your salvation, that they would see their sin

00:37:06.900 --> 00:37:10.000
and the heinousness of it. Lord, you would draw

00:37:10.000 --> 00:37:13.079
them, causing them to repent of their sin. and

00:37:13.079 --> 00:37:16.460
trust in your son. God, do that. And Father,

00:37:16.460 --> 00:37:18.179
for the saints who have gathered to worship you

00:37:18.179 --> 00:37:21.960
this morning, Lord, expand our minds and our

00:37:21.960 --> 00:37:23.820
hearts, Lord. Let us grow in our affection for

00:37:23.820 --> 00:37:26.619
you and all that you have done. You are a very

00:37:26.619 --> 00:37:31.719
good God, extraordinarily good, Lord. You are

00:37:31.719 --> 00:37:36.219
our Abba, our dear dad, our dear dad in heaven.

00:37:37.079 --> 00:37:40.320
God, thank you for this. And today, as sons,

00:37:41.159 --> 00:37:45.840
adopted. We come to the table of the Lord And

00:37:45.840 --> 00:37:48.780
we commune with Christ on high in the way that

00:37:48.780 --> 00:37:51.500
he prescribed Meet us here. We pray in Jesus

00:37:51.500 --> 00:37:54.880
name. Amen Deacons, if you'd come prepare the

00:37:54.880 --> 00:37:57.139
table as the children walk in they will be seated

00:37:57.139 --> 00:37:59.119
with the children You come in just make your

00:37:59.119 --> 00:38:00.139
way back to the parents, please