Preparing for Christmas Advent Devotional 6

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Galatians 4
Sons and Heirs

4 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave,[a] though he is the owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. 3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles[b] of the world. 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Paul's Concern for the Galatians

8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. 9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? 10 You observe days and months and seasons and years! 11 I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

12 Brothers,[c] I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. 13 You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, 14 and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. 15 What then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?[d] 17 They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. 18 It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, 19 my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! 20 I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

Example of Hagar and Sarah

21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. 23 But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. 24 Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia;[e] she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written,

“Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear;
break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor!
For the children of the desolate one will be more
than those of the one who has a husband.”

28 Now you,[f] brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” 31 So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.

 

TANSTAFL

Pastor Phil Somers

Galatians 4:4-5 "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."

Are you familiar with TANSTAFL? It stands for There Ain't No Such Thing As Free Lunch. The fuller explanation is that everything costs something. If you got it for free, someone else paid for it. In the case of our salvation, we get it for free but it was very expensive. It cost our Savior a cruel death on a cross and leading up to that event God had to prepare the people and circumstances of this earth.

Galatians 4 asserts that when the time was ripe - when it was full - when all the preparations had been made - when everything was ready - when all the people involved were in place - at exactly the right moment, God sent His Son. The birth of jesus had been foretold by the prophets and his lineage was specified. Angels had appeared to Zachariah and Elizabeth and the forerunner was on his way. Angels had appeared to Mary and to Joseph and Jesus was on His way. Rome was ruling much of the then known world and a spiderweb of roads had been built over the earth. Greek had become the trade language of many lands and was ready to be used to spread the news of this marvelous event. The fullness of time had come.

So "God sent forth His Son." He was the Son of God and in Him dwelt all the fullness of God. He was deity. And he was "born of a woman" so He was fully man. To save us He had to be both God and man. Jesus was indeed. He was sent. He existed before He was born! We each had a beginning here on earth as our parents came together but this God-man was part of the eternal Trinity before He was born of Mary on earth. The Creator of the earth was about to become the Savior of the people of this earth.

He was sent to redeem the people who were under the Law - that's all of us. We are subject to God's law whether or not we believe it or think so. There is coming a day when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is indeed Lord of all. Those who choose to believe on Him are made adopted sons of God - actually joint heirs of Jesus Christ. I made that choice at seven years of age and believed that God sent Him to be my Savior, my Redeemer. Have you made that choice?

 

  1. Can you think of a time that you were waiting for the Lord? What was it like? What are some things that you can look back on to see that God was doing in your waiting?
  2. What was God orchestrating in the world to prepare for the first coming of Christ?
  3. What are the beauties of adoption that come to us through Christ? 

 

Lord, please help me to wait on your timing. Help me to trust you even when I don't know how things are going to turn out. Thank you for adopting me and bringing me into your family as an heir, so that I can cry out, "Abba, Father"!  Amen.