Grace Baptist Church, Nokomis, IL.

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As we celebrate Christmas, we’re reminded once again of why Christ was born. He didn’t come so that we might ooh and awe over another baby. We see babies all the time, yet we still want to hold and tickle every one we see. As cute as babies are, Jesus didn’t come down from Heaven so that we might cuddle Him. He came to save us from sin! He came to grow up and die on a cross. He came so that we might trust in Him and be changed forever. The Son of God came so that we might become sons of God.

Read Galatians 4:3-7

There’s a lie in our society that I’m afraid is taking over the minds of our young people. It tells them and all of us, ?Don’t ever change. You’re perfect the way you are.? It’s a lie. And I think we all know it’s a lie. And I think even the people who say it know it’s a lie. We all know there’s something deeply wrong with us. God created us perfect, but then we sinned. And we keep on sinning. And even when we desire to do good things, we fail. We’re slaves to sin (v. 3).

It’s interesting, though, what the Bible is referring to when it says, ?the elementary principles of the world? in this passage. It’s not talking about sin, but about God’s law (3:23). We’re enslaved by sin, but we’re also enslaved by commands to do good. It’s like when we were kids, and our parents told us not to do those things they always told us not to do but we did them anyway. You know what I’m talking about! ?Don’t hit your sister!? ?Don’t bite your fingernails!? ?Don’t play in the street!? ?Don’t stay out too late!? ?Don’t leave food on your plate!? ?Don’t use that tone with me!? It’s not that we liked doing those things all that much, but we just wanted to see if we could get away with them! We felt constricted because our parents’ rules, so we tried to break them every chance we got.

In the same way, God has given us a whole lot of rules. And they’re good rules! They keep us safe. They draw us nearer to God. They show us how we might have the greatest joy in life. But because of our sinful nature, we felt enslaved by all these rules. And we broke God’s law. The Jews couldn’t keep God’s law before Christ, and we can’t keep God’s rules today. We needed God Himself to rescue us from the law which He gave us to follow! And that’s exactly what He did (v. 4-5).

I want to point out three things about verse 4 that tell us much about God.

First, the Bible says God sent His Son ?when the fullness of time had come.? Whatever happens throughout time is no accident. God is in control. God knew exactly when Christ would come into the world. He had it planned. And God knows exactly what He’s doing in every moment of time today. Nothing catches Him off guard. So whatever you’re facing today, you can trust that God is working it out for your good if you love Him.

Second, notice that God ?sent forth His Son.? Jesus did not come into existence in the manger. The Son of God has existed with God from all eternity past. God sent forth His Son, as in, God’s Son was with God the Father, and the Father sent forth His Son into the world. The Gospel of John makes this very clear (John 1:1-2, 14). Once again, when we worship Christ on Christmas, we’re not worshiping a mere human baby, but the eternal God Himself, who took on flesh, because He was the only one who could save us from our sin.

Third, the Son of God was ?born of woman, born under the law.? You know, Jesus could have come down to earth in any way He wanted. He could have mysteriously appeared out of thin air. He could have appeared fully grown, gone straight to the cross, and finished His work on earth in less than 3 days. Yet He came as one of us, and lived as one of us, subjecting Himself to the same rules of life. And in everything He did, He did it perfectly. Never sinning, not even once. He did all this to take our place, living the righteous life that we failed to live, so that His death would not be for His own sins, because He had none, but for ours (v. 5).

Notice what happens at this point. If we trust in what Jesus did for us on the cross, we’re adopted as God’s sons! What an amazing thought! We become sons and daughters of God! It seems like in most tv shows and movies, adoption is portrayed as a shameful thing. Inevitably, the child finds out at some point that they were adopted, and they’re shocked, embarrassed, and try to hide this fact from their friends. But adoption is actually such a beautiful thing! It tells the child that they are loved. They are wanted. And it illustrates the gospel. Because without Christ, we’re all spiritual orphans. But with Christ, God adopts us as His own!

You know, Jesus was the unique Son of God, in that He is God Himself, and He is the promised Savior, but we become God’s children, too, when we trust in Christ. In fact, this is how we can know we are His children (v. 6). How can you know that you’re a Christian? The Holy Spirit in you causes you to love God as your Father! And as His child, you love Him not only with your heart, but with your life. You go on to serve Him. And you do it joyfully, not out of a burden because of rules or a law, but because you know Him as your great and Heavenly Father (v. 7).

Remember, when it says, ?You are no longer a slave,? it’s talking about how we’re no longer a slave to the rules that God laid out in the Old Testament.

Being a son of God means that we’re also heirs through God. We receive an inheritance from God. It’s something we look forward to, but it’s also something we receive today. Our inheritance is not primarily things, but Christ Himself. Sometimes we get so caught up with the rewards of the future that we miss out on the rewards of the present! Christ didn’t just save us so that we might look forward to Heaven. Christ saved us so that we might rejoice in Him today! We rejoice that Christ was born among us. We rejoice that Christ lived among us. We rejoice that Christ died for us, rose from the dead, and ascended to the right hand of the Father. And we rejoice that Christ sent His Spirit to live in our hearts today!

We received the promised Holy Spirit. Isn’t that part of our inheritance as sons of God? And isn’t His constant guidance part of that inheritance? We’re able to have a relationship with God the Father, because we are His sons! That’s not possible without Christ (v. 8). Pay close attention to this last point, because it’s something we all need to hear. Without Christ, we’re slaves not only to the law, but to idols.

People worship idols all the time. In our culture, they don’t usually come in the form of statues that you physically bow down to, but in the form of money, and of television, and accumulation of possessions, and anything else that we place in our lives as more important than God. And when we look to these things, we worship idols and become slaves to idols. But this ought not describe our lives if we trust Christ, but only ?Formerly, when you did not know God? (v. 8-9).

If you know Christ as Savior, why do you act as if you haven’t? Why do you turn back to the world, as if this life could fulfill you? Why do you make yourselves slaves to things that don’t honor God? Of course we all still sin, because we’re still sinners, and we haven’t been perfected yet, but are you satisfied with that lifestyle, or is it your aim to follow God in everything that you do? Are you living your life as a child of God, remembering the grace of God that you received by faith in Jesus Christ?

We have a greater hope, a greater joy, and a greater peace in Christ than anything this world offers, so trust in Him, and Him alone.