Participants: Chris Holland
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC201614A
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00:00 Star Wars #4-The Birth of the King
00:05 Star Wars #4-The Birth of the King 00:10 Star Wars #4-The Birth of the King 00:15 Star Wars #4-The Birth of the King 00:21 Star Wars #4-The Birth of the King 00:25 Star Wars #4-The Birth of the King 00:32 Star Wars #4-The Birth of the King 00:37 Star Wars #4-The Birth of the King 00:42 Star Wars #4-The Birth of the King 00:46 Star Wars #4-The Birth of the King 01:31 >>Announcer: It has stood the test of time. 01:35 God's book, The Bible 01:38 Still relevant in today's complex world. 01:44 It Is Written. 01:46 Sharing messages of hope around the world. 01:59 According to online sources the 5 worst Christmas gifts received are hand lotion, a door mat, a 02:08 glowing toliet seat, pencils and the number one worst gift.an ugly sweater. While the top 02:18 selling or best gifts of all time are the iPod touch, Elmo Live, the Nook Reader, the iPad 02:26 and the number one gift.Tickle me Elmo. Gifts, we always love to receive them, many of us love 02:37 giving them. Yet over the years it becomes more and more difficult to buy gifts for 02:44 people. Most of us have more than we need. Sometimes we find a unique something for someone. 02:55 But the Bible speaks of the greatest gift of all. Better than that is that there is no 03:03 price on it. It's free. What is this gift? Today, we continue with the fourth part of our 03:14 series, Star Wars. Last week we studied how Satan, even with the guarantee of his defeat looming 03:22 over him, took revenge on God's people by attacking them. Yet hope rose with the promise of 03:30 the coming Messiah. For four hundred years God's people were in bondage in Egypt, a terrible 03:39 time of disobedience in the wilderness, a kingdom that was divided after the reign of 03:49 Solomon, constant attacks from their neighbors the Philistines, Amorites, Ammonites and 03:55 Jebusites - just to name a few. Persecution under the Babylonians, Medo-Persians, 04:04 Greeks and now the Romans. To many it would seem that all hope was lost. Many of the Israelite 04:20 people wondered, would the promised deliverer come in their lifetime? Where was promised one 04:32 of Israel? Where was the one who would retake the throne of David? In the classic book on 04:42 the life of Christ, The Desire of Ages, it says, 05:25 And it is this history that Paul utilizes as the background for the passage we study today. 05:35 Galatians 4:1-7 says this, 06:53 Paul wrote to a group of believers in the region called Galatia. It would seem that this 06:57 letter was not intended for one church, but rather a group of churches in the region. Somehow 07:04 apostasy had slipped into the church. Teachers had entered that were particularly trying to 07:15 "Judaize" the group. This group was erasing the gospel principle of being saved by grace through 07:23 faith alone and replacing it with a more works oriented gospel. They were reinstating 07:31 things such as circumcision as a means of salvation. Paul, here, is trying to fend off the 07:40 erroneous idea that that a man can earn his own salvation by a rigorous adherence to the law. 07:50 And so it is here where we join Paul in the midst of his argument. Paul begins in verses 07:59 1-3, 08:22 Paul wanted to address the Galatian people where they were in their understanding of the 08:28 gospel message. They believed because they were descendants of Abraham and adherents to the 08:34 letter of the law that they had earned their inheritance as children of God. Yet Paul 08:42 plucked apart such an argument piece by piece. First he met the group head on by simply making 08:50 the assumtion that they are in fact heirs. Yet he deflates their puffed up egos by saying 08:58 "as long as he is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave" The Greek word for child 09:04 in this instance literally means a minor or small child not much more than 3-4 years in age. Paul 09:13 says, yes, a child of 3 or 4 is an heir, however at that age he is no different than the slave 09:20 or servant. The parents are still in control of this child, therefore just as a servant or 09:26 slave, the child is not free. Paul further emphasizes his position of reasoning by saying, 09:44 Yes someday this small child will be the master of all, but for now he is under guardians 09:51 and stewards. Quite literally he is under a teacher and supervisor. This child who is 09:57 the heir, who indeed will be the master of all things, right now is under the tutelege of teacher 10:04 and a supervisor until a time appointed by the father. It was Middle Eastern custom to have a 10:13 tutor and supervisor watch over an heir so that the heir would not squander away his 10:22 inheritance. There was a time, however, that was appointed when the child would enter into full 10:29 enjoyment of the inheritance and would have the freedom to choose. Paul continued by 10:39 adding, 10:47 The word elements, here in the Greek, means the very basics, the beginnings of the alphabet, 10:52 the very rudiments of knowledge. Paul points out that even as a child and being under the 11:00 tutelage of a teacher and supervisor that a child is limited to the very basic 11:07 rudiments of knowledge. They do not yet have the information in life to make good decisions on 11:14 their own. So the tutor and supervisor point them in the right direction and gives them 11:20 guidance in decision making. Quite eloquently Paul has metaphorically discussed the 11:31 history of Israel and their understanding or experience of the promises of God. The Hebrew 11:41 people were the chosen of God. Heirs according to the promise given to Abraham. Yet their 11:50 experience was a very limited experience. They were still toddlers in a spiritual sense. 11:56 They were only enjoying a very limited aspect of the covenant promises of God. They were given 12:02 a great number of symbols of the grace and mercy of God: They were given the symbol of 12:08 circumcision They were given the Ten Commandments They were given the ceremonial law They were 12:13 given the civil laws Yet in all of this, they were still yet babes. All of these symbols 12:22 acted as guardians and tutors or supervisors. They educated and pointed to one very important 12:34 thing. They pointed beyond themselves, they pointed to the time of the Messiah. Yet, these 12:47 symbols only give us a basic and very rudimentary understanding of the reality of who God really 12:57 is. And it is here where Paul pauses and he uses a very small word, the word but - moreover, 13:11 on the contrary. He makes a distinctive pause to inform us that he is about to give us a 13:18 very powerful exposition on the plan of salvation, he is about to give us a new hope. And here 13:30 in verse four he provides that hope, 14:05 Here Paul says, "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son." The Bible 14:12 does not state, when an emergency came and all was thought to be lost - God sent 14:20 His son. No, it says when the fullness of time had come. The word fullness in Greek literally 14:31 means that which has been brought to completion. The Bible states that when time came to 14:40 its fulfillment and when it had been completed, God sent forth His Son. What was the indication 14:48 of this fulfillment? God had sent messages of hope through His prophets over the centuries. 15:01 Through the prophet Micah, He says in Micah 5:2 - NKJ Micah 5:2 15:21 The fullness of time had come that this small city would bring forth the Chosen One. The 490 15:32 years of Daniel 9:25,26 was given so that that the time had come that the Messiah would be 15:46 anointed as the specified time. The prophet Isaiah would be given many messages speaking to 16:00 the coming Messiah. Isaiah 7:14 - NKJ Isaiah 7:14 16:47 Each of these verses speaking to the fact that the fullness of time had come so that all might 16:59 be fulfilled. Each of them fulfilled in One Man Jesus Christ. His birth was foretold 17:07 by the ancients. This Son wasn't just thrown into the mix. But He was born into the Jewish 17:16 community "under" the law. Paul had just talked about this situation metaphorically. They 17:24 lived under the tutelage and supervision of the law it pointed forward to the coming of 17:30 God's Son. So, He was born into this community. But He was also born as a part of this 17:39 community. He was born of a woman. There need be no doubt on the full humanity of Christ. He 17:48 was born from a woman. And yet the text states that He is God's son so we need not question His 17:59 full divinity. And it is here in these final three verses that Paul gives us the reason for the 18:12 birth of the King. In the Christmas season where we celebrate the birth of Christ in 18:20 gift giving, family visiting, mall shopping, and sharing meals together. Paul calls our 18:31 attention to the ultimate gift. Listen to why God sent His son, 19:01 Notice clearly the two principles that Paul outlines for the reason for the birth of 19:08 the king. One, To redeem those who were under the law. Second, To initiate our adoption into 19:20 God's family. Paul's speaking of redeeming those who are under the law is simply understood, 19:29 God's Son, Jesus Christ, was to pay the price for our freedom under the law. Notice it did not 19:38 and does not say He came to destroy the law, but rather it says His Son came to set them 19:46 free. No longer do we need to be tutored or be instructed on the first coming of Christ. No 19:53 longer do we need to sacrifice different animals to point forward to the true sacrifice 20:01 for our sins, no longer do we need to be shown symbolically what the love of God is all 20:06 about. Why not? Because Jesus came. Paul is asking them, why are you doing all this 20:18 ceremonial stuff? These items are merely a shadow to the reality. Jesus is here. Does His 20:29 coming negate the moral law? No, but now it serves its more complete purpose in the person 20:38 of Jesus Christ. Yet, not only does Paul speak about our redemption, but he also points 20:47 to our adoption. In the Greek the word for adoption is huiothesia. From the Lou-Nida 20:59 lexicon it literally means, "to formally and legally declare that someone who is not one's 21:10 own child is henceforth to be treated and cared for as one's own child, including complete 21:17 rights of inheritance" So God sent His Son that there might be a formal and legal declaration 21:29 that we are to become sons and daughters of God. We legally become heirs according to the 21:36 promise. The covenant finds its completeness in the first coming of Christ and the birth of the 21:47 king. No longer are we to concern ourselves with any identity issues, because we find 21:56 it in our adoption by God. And it is because of this adoption that the Spirit of Christ has 22:05 breathed within us the desire to cry out Abba, Father. The word Abba, being the endearing Hebrew 22:14 word for father - in today's words it would be the word Papa By this adoption we are to 22:22 experience the closest of relationships with the Father. And because of that adoption 22:29 friend, as the last verse states, we are no longer slaves to law. We are no longer 22:35 children without a full understanding or full experience of the blessings of God, but 22:40 rather we are now sons and daughters of God truly His rightful heirs. Friends, because 22:52 Jesus Christ came to this earth we have become legally adopted children of God. It is with this 23:01 adoption that we realize a more fulfilling and special life with God. Jesus came that we might 23:08 be redeemed and that we might be adopted as sons and daughters of God. Friend, has something been 23:17 missing in your relationship with Christ? Has your relationship been very basic and 23:24 rudimentary? Are you not truly experiencing the full blessings of a relationship with Him? 23:31 Today, Jesus Christ calls out to you, through the writings of Paul, He calls out to you and 23:40 says, "you cannot work your way into heaven, you cannot redeem yourself, you can only 23:52 experience hope and fulfillment through coming and experiencing my adoption. Friends, Jesus 24:06 calls out to you to experience further hope in Him, to experience the full blessings of 24:13 His promise. Today, won't you receive that blessing? Won't you receive your redemption and 24:31 adoption. Won't you accept the ultimate gift offered in these great star wars? He offers this 24:43 gift to you for free. Heavenly Father, we are so grateful that You sent Your Son Jesus that we 24:56 might be adopted as sons and daughters. Some of us today have lived a life, some of us have 25:04 struggled in our lives, with very difficult circumstances and situations. Today, as we see our 25:12 adoption is possible through Jesus Your Son, we come, hearts broken, and we say we want to be 25:22 Your son, we want to be Your daughter. Maybe somebody's been watching today that has always 25:28 sensed that they were a son or daughter, but today, has a renewed sense of that. I pray, 25:34 dear God, that all, everyone that is watching and hearing these words today, would cry 25:40 out, "Abba, Father," and through the adoption in Jesus, enjoy a fruitful relationship with Him. 25:50 We pray this in Jesus' name, amen. 26:00 Dear friends, what a thrilling promise. God desires 26:05 us to be His son, to be His daughter. Would you like to learn what it means to become 26:13 that son, to become that daughter, to accept this adoption? For today's offer, I 26:18 want to give you the little booklet Three Steps to Heaven. This thrilling journey walks 26:25 step by step on how you might fully realize that adoption with Jesus Christ. The chapters 26:34 include "What is repentance?" "What does it mean to repent?" "How do I repent?" And "Why 26:42 should we confess our sins?" "Why should we confess?" "Is there any need to?" And the book 26:49 will instruct us on how we can. And then lastly, "Claiming the victory." This little booklet 26:56 will talk to us about victory and Jesus and what it means to walk with Him as a son and a 27:02 daughter, to experience the full joy of our adoption in Him. Here's the information you need 27:10 to receive today's offer. 28:07 The promise to become a son or daughter of God. It is a serious promise. It is a serious 28:14 proposition. It is a wonderful invitation. Do you want to accept that invitation today? I 28:21 want to invite you to go to our website, itiswrittencanada.ca, and there you'll find resources 28:27 on how you can grow and develop in your relationship with Jesus. There on the website, you can 28:34 sign up for free Bible studies, you can find archives of our past programs, and you can find 28:40 other wonderful resources to help you on that joy with Jesus. I want to also encourage you to 28:47 like our Facebook page so you can keep up with the ministry and what's happening and receive 28:52 the promises of God. You can also follow us on Twitter. You can follow me on Twitter, 28:58 @PastorHolland. To be a son or daughter of God is an experience of joy with Jesus. Some of us 29:09 may have grown up in a troubled home and we don't know what it's like to have a real father. But 29:15 Jesus is the best Father of all. He'll never let us down. He'll never leave us nor will He 29:22 forsake us. In fact, Joshua 1:9 says that God will be with us wherever we go. He'll be right 29:33 there at our side. He'll take us by the hand. He'll walk us along the way. Today Jesus invites you 29:40 to enter into that type of a relationship with Him. I hope you make that choice today. I 29:47 hope you join us again next week. Until then, remember, it is written: "Man shall not live 29:53 by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." |
Revised 2017-01-11