The True Meaning of Christmas Galatians 4:4-7
December 17, 2006
INTRODUCTION: A little boy drew a manger scene in his Sunday School class. When he was done he showed the teacher what he had drawn. There was Mary and Joseph, and baby Jesus, and the animals, and the shepherds, and a chubby boy sitting by the baby Jesus. The teacher asked, "who is this chubby boy in your manger scene?", He replied, "that’s round John Virgin". Just as the little boy had a distorted perception of that Christmas Hymn, many have a distorted view of Christmas. We live in what has been called by many theologians "the post Christian era". The influence of Christianity is rapidly being dilluted in our culture. Institutions and Holidays that were once sacred have now lost most if not all of their religious significance. The average person on the street in our major cities does not know the true origins of Christmas. The truth of the matter is, even those of us that do know the true meaning of Christmas tend to forget it amidst all of the shopping, and gift giving, and family,and meals. So this morning I want to remind us of what Christmas is really all about.
Galatians chapter 4:4-7 is a Christmas text. The Galatians also needed a reminder about the significance and meaning of Christmas. They were turning from the Gospel of the grace of God to the bondage of the law. Paul wrote these words to remind them of the significance of what Christ had done for them when he came to the earth.
What is Christmas really all about?
I. ITS ABOUT THE ADVENT OF A SAVIOUR (4)
Christmas is a celebration of the most important day in human history, The day that Christ came to earth. In this verse we see some very important things about Christ and his coming to earth.
a) First we see his Divine Origin---there was an event that took place before the birth of Christ in the manger, even before the conception of Christ in the womb of the virgin. It was the sending forth of Christ from God the Father. The bible says, "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son". You see Jesus had always existed with the Father. John says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God." As a man Jesus prayed to the Father, "glorify me with thine own self with the glory I had with thee before the World was." Jesus had always existed in perfect loving fellowship with God the Father. One day, God sent him forth.
The bible doesn’t describe this event except to demonstrate to us that Jesus made a conscious choice to be sent. In Philippians 2 it says, "he did not consider equality with God something to be grapsed, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant being made in human likeness." In love for humanity the Father sent the Son, in love for the Father and humanity Jesus willingly went.
When I was a young Father, my oldest boy was about a year old, Linda and I had been trying to make it. I was going to school full time making minimum wage. Something had to be done or we wouldn’t make it. I had to join the military. I’ll never forget the day that I was sent off, for the first time leaving my Son and my wife. I remember sitting on the curb outside of the Days Inn Motel in
We can only imagine what took place when Jesus was sent forth. He willingly and obediently and lovingly left a place of glory and sinlessness, and ceaseless worship, and perfection, and unbroken fellowship with the Father and entered into the womb of a teenage girl. He became a frail human, an embryo a fetus, and unborn babe. From the bossom of the Father to the womb of a teenage girl. I don’t believe it is possible for us to grasp this. Words fail here tremendously. All the fulness of the Godhead dwelling in a human embryo. Oh how Jesus limited himself to time and space. Oh how he condescended in love. This is his divine origin. Next we see
b)His full humanity---"made of a woman"--The previous statement "God sent forth His Son" could be said of no other man in the history of the world. The next statement, "made of a woman" is true of all men. While Jesus was fully divine in origin, he was likewise fully human. He entered the world just as you and I entered the world. He was born of a woman. He was a man. He was Mary’s son. He hungered, and thirsted, and ate, and drank, and worked, and played, and laughed, and wept, and hurt, and bled, and studied, and sang, and prayed, and lived, and died as a man.
Jesus’ most frequent title for himself was "Son of Man". Although he knew its messianic implications, I believe he also used it to stress his full humanity. After all, it was the seed of the woman, a man that would crush the head of the serpent, the devil. He became a man. Then we see from this verse:
c) His ethnicity--"made under the law". He was born a Jew. Like all Jews he placed himself under the Law of Moses. Although he was God’s son he subjected himself to God’s law. In fact, when he began to teach he made clear that he had not (contrary to popular belief) come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. And that he did perfectly. He fulfilled it, not only outwardly, but perfectly obeying God’s law from the heart. This could be said of no other man who has ever lived.
Christmas is about the advent of a Saviour. He lowered himself, he condescended, He went down, down, down to bring us up, up, up. In Eph. 4:8 Paul describes what we have just studied. "Wherefore he saith, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. Now that he ascended what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens that he might fill all things." Christmas is about the advent of a Saviour, and because of that advent its also about---
II. THE ACCEPTANCE OF SINNERS (5)
Verse 5 begins with the word "to". To do what? Paul is now going to tell us why Christmas came, why he was born, why he lived under the law. He tells us there is a two fold purpose, one building upon the other.
a)To redeem them that were under the law---To redeem means to set free, to purchase ones freedom. Who are "them that were under the law". Well, first this speaks of the Jewish people. "Unto them were committed the oracles of God". Christ came to set his own people free from the enslavement of the law. The law was given directly to them. However, all men are subject to and accountable to the law of God. Paul said of the gentiles, "For the gentiles which have not the law do by nature the things contained in the law, these having not the law are a law unto themselves, which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another." (Romans 2:14-15) All men are subject to God’s law Jew and Gentile alike.
Why must we be set free from God’s moral law? Because God’s moral law alone cannot make us righteous. Knowing the rules, and trying to keep the rules in our own power has always resulted in failure. We need something more than a written moral code. We need a change of heart.
We must also be set free from the law because the law carries with it a curse. Moses said in Duet. 27:26 "Cursed be he that confirmeth not ALL the words of this law to do them". ALL. We must completely fulfill the law of God perfectly or we are cursed by it. The curse is spiritual, phyisical, and eternal death. It only takes the breaking of one of God’s laws to bring a curse upon us. To do one thing immoral in thought, word, or deed, omission, or commission. Adam and Eve broke one law, one command, and they brought death not only to themselves but to all mankind. Imagine a man suspended from a cliff by a chain of 100 links. How many links of the chain must break to kill him. Just one out of one hundred. And so it is with the law of God. All men live under the curse of it.
Jesus came to set us free from the law and its curse of death and hell. How did he do it. Chapter three of this same book tells us, verse 13 "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree."
He freed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. Moses said in his law, "cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree." He descended as low as becoming a curse. "Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted." He removed our curse by taking our curse as he suffered, and bled, and died on the cross.
"Free from the law oh happy condition. Jesus hath bled and there is remission. Brused by the fall, and cursed by the law, but grace hath redeemed us once and for all." God’s curse has been once and for all removed, for all those that believe. Why did he remove our curse?
b) That we might recieve the adoption of sons---He set us free from the curse so that he could place us in his family, so that you and I could become adopted sons of God, bearing all rights and priviliges as natural sons and daughters. "Oh what manner of Love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God." From slavery to sonship.
The bible says that we are by our very nature’s "the children of wrath". Our sin is an offense to God. It is ugly. It is repulsive. One verse says, that God "cannot look upon sin".
I found an article that a woman named Mary Ann Byrd wrote. She said,
"I grew up knowing I was different, and I hated it. I was born with a cleft palate, and when I started school, my classmates made it clear to me how I looked to others, a little girl with a misshapen lip, crooked nose, lopsided teeth, and garbled speech.
When schoolmates aksed, "What happened to your lip?" I’d tell them I’d fallen and cut it on a piece of glass. Somehow it seemed more acceptable to have suffered an accident than to have been born different. I was convinced that no one outside my family could love me.
There was, however a teacher in the second grade whom we all adored,-Mrs. Leonard by name. She was short, round, happy-a sparkling lady.
Annually we had a hearing test...Mrs. Leonard gave the test to everyone in the class, and finally it was my turn. I knew from past years that as we stood against the door and covered one ear, the teacher sitting at her desk would whisper something, and we would have to repeat it back-things like "the sky is blue" or Do you have new shoes?" I waited there fore those words that God must have put into her mouth, those seven words that changed my life. Mrs. Leonard said in her whisper, "I wish you wer my little girl." God says to every person deformed by sin I wish you were my son or my daughter.
He made possible through his death for us to be accepted as his adopted sons. Christmas is about the Acceptance of Sinners. Lastly its about
III. THE ASSURANCE OF THE SPIRIT (7)
God sent forth Jesus to redeem us. God inhabited human flesh. All of that took place outside of us. Our redemption, our adoption,these are things we can know about and believe, but they all take place outside of us.
But God makes it real to us. He sends forth again. Once again the divine takes up residence in the human. "he sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your heart". God lives in our innermost being. A personal Christmas. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ making us alive, making us know that we are children of God for the Holy Spirit within us cries out "Abba Father".
The first words formed on the lips of a hebrew child, "Abba" or "daddy". A natural or shall I say a supernatural unreasoned affection and trust. Father means nurturer, protector, and provider. This is a reasoned expresson of confidence in God as Father.
This is the heartcry of the child of God. A cry of trust, a cry of closeness, a cry of kinship, a cry of worship and love. Is that your hearts cry this morning.
In our heart of hearts God is not distant, He’s not cruel, we are not terrified of Him. In our heart of hearts he’s Abba, Daddy. Has this been your experience? It can be. By the miracle of the new birth. It comes about when you turn from your old way of life and embrace Jesus by faith, Believing with all of your heart that he died for your sins to redeem you, that he rose from the dead, and invite him to send his Spirit into your heart. It will be the best Christmas you ever had. Listen to words of Oh Little Town of Bethlehem.
"Oh Holy Child of Bethlehem Descend in us we pray. Cast out our sin and enter in. Be born in us today. We hear the Christmas angels, the great glad tidings tell. Oh come to us, abide with us our Lord Immanuel."
Galatians 4:4 – The Time Came
(With a healthy dose of help from John Eldredge.)
“In the beginning.” It might just as well say, “Once upon a time.” It’s a wonderful phrase, full of legend and myth, promise and mystery. And it’s a sort of invitation, too. “Come here, let me show you something…”
Everybody loves a good story. Once upon a time there were a good king and queen who were very sad because they had no children. Once upon a time there was a beautiful maiden who lived with her wicked step-sisters. Once upon a time a heroic knight named Beowulf set off to avenge his brothers by slaying the troll Grendel. Once upon a time the gladiator Maximus fought hand to hand against the evil emperor Commodus. (Once upon a time an ogre and a donkey set off to find a beautiful princess trapped in a high tower.) Long long ago, in a galaxy far, far away. All of the really good stories start off that way.
But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5 to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. 6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.
Today’s text starts out with a very interesting phrase that caught my attention, “when the time had fully come.” It’s the “fully come” that I thought was neat. What does that mean? Fully come? It literally reads “the fullness of time had come.” It’s not just referring to the clock striking - but that all the chips were in place - everything was ready. God was measuring the circumstances, and now he determined that it was time for action.
There are several instances in the Bible where God talks about things coming to “full measure.” For instance, in Genesis 15 God said to Abraham that his descendants would return to
The Fullness of Time Has Come
Today’s text is fitting for the Christmas season because Paul is talking about the coming of Christ. The fullness of time had come for God to send His Son. Why was this so? Notice that Paul connects the coming of Christ with the fulfillment of the law. And so when we look at the context of this passage we can understand better what kind of “fullness” Paul is talking about. Therefore, let’s go through a short 101 course study of the book of Galatians. Paul had to explain to these Christians what the purpose of the law was, because some of them were being told that if they wanted to go to heaven they had to be circumcised like they were in the Old Testament. So Paul explained to them when and why God gave them the law.
The Law was introduced 430 years after God had given the promise of the Savior as a “paidagogos”. A paidagogos was the slave who accompanied a schoolboy to make sure that he didn’t get into trouble on the way to school and that he actually got there. As the Israelites lived, they began straying further and further away from God, so God sent the law through Moses, as a “big brother” type to look over the Israelites - to keep them in line. The law kept on condemning the Israelites, so they would look forward to a Savior. The law kept the Israelites separate, so they could have the Savior through their race. The law kept the Israelites from going too far astray from God. God ultimately wanted Israelite believers to be living in
The history of the Israelites shows that they went through a lot. The law did it’s job. When the Israelites broke the law, they went into captivity. They were punished. But finally after two different captivities under the Assyrians and the Babylonians, a remnant was left to survive under foreign rule in the
How would God send His Son? He wouldn’t just provide His Son with a fully grown human body from scratch, as he made Adam from dirt. No, first of all Paul says that God’s Son would be born of a woman. Notice he doesn’t say born of a woman and a man, but just born of a woman. This is the same as saying, born of a “virgin” then, because no man is mentioned. Of all the ways to come into the world - think about how difficult this kind of coming would be! Some people travel to different countries by packing themselves in baggage and trying to fly free of charge. But to sit in a woman’s womb for nine months? Wow.
If this wasn’t bad enough, Paul then said that His Son would also be, “born under the law.” Imagine how difficult it would be for you - as an adult having moved out of your home - to have to move back in with your parents and live by THEIR rules.
What would be worse is if they would treat you like a child - and tell you when to go to bed and when to eat, etc. Just think about how difficult it would be for us as parents to live under the rules we set for our own children - having to go to bed by a certain time, etc. But here Jesus - the one who made the universe and made the laws for man to live under, now had to be born under the law.
Why? To redeem those under the law. In the Old Testament, sometimes the Israelites would get into such great debt that they would become what we would call “indentured servants.” In other words, they made an agreement to work a certain number of years to pay off a debt. Sometimes their debt would be so great that they would end up working for people their entire lives, never to truly be free again. Jesus came to “redeem those under law” by being born “under the law.”
Do you understand the concept this brings out then? The laws of Moses had many demands. Don’t drink this, don’t eat that. Don’t covet your neighbor’s wife, even if she looks better than yours. Don’t covet your neighbor’s house, even if it’s better than yours. Don’t hate. Don’t lust. And if you do - you deserve to die and go to hell. That’s what the law had done to the Israelites - it had beat them down and enslaved them - kept them captive to their own sins. From a physical aspect, you could compare this then to putting blinders on a horse. The horse doesn’t like the blinders. Yet they keep him from going astray or being distracted. But then, once the horse reaches it’s destination, the blinders can be taken off.
But now it was time for a change! God’s people were ready - the political situation was right - everything was in place for the coming of God’s son. So Paul said that Jesus had to be “born under the law to redeem those under the law” - it means that Jesus had to buy us back from our slavery to the law. Jesus volunteered and said, “I’ll serve in their place! I’ll do their chores for them! I’ll take their punishment for them!” And the law said, “that’s fine - as long as the law gets kept and the payment is made, that’s all I’m concerned about.” But the only way Jesus could do this, would be if he became a perfect infant and LIVED that life in our place. He couldn’t have made up for the sins of our youth if he hadn’t become a baby first. So Jesus was born of a woman, under the law.
And what’s the result of this? that we might receive the full rights of sons. Our status has been changed from slaves to sons! An early church father once put it this way - “the Son of God became a Son of man so that sons of men would become sons of God.” The blinders have been put off. The first destination has been met. The time has fully come. Jesus has come and we are now God’s children!
II. For you to be God’s sons
But what does that mean? As long as you’re living under the same household, does it really matter if you’re a servant of a child? Some think it doesn’t. As long as the servant still gets food and drink and shelter, and as long as the children also have chores to do, what’s the difference? In the eyes of the world - there is no big difference. It doesn’t matter whether your Christian or Jewish or Buddhist, because we all enjoy God’s blessings on this earth. When the Buddhist Boy Scout can perform the same good works as the Christian Boy Scout, it doesn’t matter what you call yourself, as long as you follow some god and try to please him. “Just do your duty and you’ll be fine,” they think.
But to Paul it makes all the difference in the world! When the Judaizers were trying to get the Galatians to be circumcised, Paul said, “if that’s the gospel they’re preaching they can go to hell!” (1:8) Pretty strong words, huh? Why was he so harsh? Because God isn’t just concerned with the outward act. He is more concerned with the motivation than the action. Think of Cain and Abel. It wasn’t the different offering that impressed God about Abel. It was that fact that he gave it in faith. (Hebrews 11:4)
What does this mean? If you’re just going through the motions, God isn’t impressed. Think about it in modern day examples. There was once an employer of a TV station who had two men come to apply for the same job as news anchor. The first one came in and said, “I heard you are paying 70,000 a year! I really want that kind of money! I really don’t like talking in front of a camera, but I can do a great job at it. And I think I’d like the idea of being a popular TV star.” The second man then came in and said, “I’ve always liked your TV station. You run a very quality program. I love broadcasting. I’m not the greatest at it but I’m willing to learn. I don’t care what you pay me - I just feel like it would be a privilege to work for you!” Which one would you pick? The one who was in it for himself, or the one who wanted to serve? The two might do the exact same job - and one might actually do it “better” than the other. But attitude matters!
God has changed our status from slaves to sons! And it’s neat how He does it. Paul says that God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. Here you see the whole Trinity at work. The Son lives and dies for us. The Holy Spirit gives us faith in this. And then through faith worked in the Gospel the Holy Spirit establishes us and adopts us as God the Father’s children. A new relationship is formed. This is important! We aren’t just working in God’s household to pay off a debt. We aren’t there because we have to be. We aren’t there to get a paycheck and that’s all. We’re there because God made us a part of his household! And so Paul says, Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” There’s a whole new relationship here. God is no longer your slave master. Instead of calling him, “sir” or “master,” you can simply call him “father.” The picture God wants to draw for you is a loving and protective person who will take care of your every need. Someone who is willing to listen to your sighs and needs. Unfortunately, most of us don’t get this concept. Why? Because many children grow up without a father in their households.
And many who do have fathers think that they are doing their job if they teach their kids to be tough. They think they are doing their jobs as Christian fathers by forcing their kids to come to church and putting food on their plates. They are not role model fathers - ones who follow in the Father’s footsteps - as firm figure heads who are still there to listen and help - provide loving leadership. But God is different. He wants to listen to our cries. He wants to respond and help. He encourages us to come to Him because he is an approachable God! How can a holy God be approachable? Only through the sacrifice of Christ! As children of God, then we have the privilege and comfort in knowing that our God is not only a holy and righteous God but also a loving and forgiving Father! What a wonderful blessing!
But this isn’t the only blessing of being children of God! When God promised Abraham a son, he was going to have the promise of the Savior come through
But Abraham didn’t think that would work due to his and Sarah’s old age. So at first he said to God, “O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” Then the word of the LORD came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir.” God wouldn’t allow a slave to receive the inheritance. Abraham’s own SON had to. Even though the slave Eliezer may have been able to enjoy Abraham’s food and clothing - he would not be able to enjoy the inheritance. He would die a servant - with nothing of what Abraham had - and he had a lot!
What’s the point? Even though unbelievers may be able to enjoy the fruits of living “good” lives - by not going to prison and having job raises and receiving temporal benefits, they will not be able to take any of their fruits with them. Even if these people looked very impressive and appeared to be good workers for their church or their mosque - they will inherit nothing on Judgment Day except a nice fiery corner of hell. Why? Because Romans 4 says, It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. Jesus said that “no one comes to the Father except through ME.” Being a “son” makes all the difference in the world!
Therefore, Paul says another blessing of Christmas is the fact that since you are a son, God has made you also an heir. Right now you have an eternal inheritance in your hands. Through faith in Christ you are going to live forever. Your soul will never die, your body will live again. Paul told the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 3:20 All things are yours, 22 whether . . . the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God. You already own the world - because God uses all things to your good! And not only is this so, but God says you will inherit a special place to live in heaven as well. What a blessing!
Isn’t it sad then, that so many of us as Christians are not completely joyful? Some kids were probably sad that they didn’t get a gift they wanted for Christmas. Some adults may have been sad that they couldn’t see their grandchildren for Christmas. We mope around as if God had taken the oxygen from the air and the hope from faith. We talk as if our true time of happiness is off in the future when “our ship comes in.” We complain that our Father has deprived us of life’s greatest riches and left us to starve, when it reality He has given us all things - even His own Son and his Holy Spirit.
Remember Paul’s words to you this morning! Open your ears and eyes to the wonderful gifts around you. You are not a slave - not a slave of greed, a slave of sex, a slave of the law, a slave of anything. Jesus’ blood has changed your status to a son. The Father has lavished all righteousness and holiness upon you. He has given you His Holy Spirit which cries from within you - and recognizes that the Father is not a blood thirsty evil tyrant, but a loving and kind Father who wants nothing but the best for you! How do we know this? Because that’s what the Gospel promises. God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under the law.
When the fullness of time had come, God sent His Son. When Jesus came the first time, amazing things happened! We were set free from sin! We were given eternal life. Now the clock has been set again - and it’s counting down for Jesus’ second coming. But it’s not full yet. God is still waiting for more martyrs to sacrifice their lives (Rev. 6:10), more people to be brought to faith (Romans ). When this time fully comes, you can look forward to greater things! Complete freedom from sin, Satan, and the world! A rich inheritance of eternal joy in heaven! Things that are impossible to describe with words! All “when the fullness of time has come!” Amen.
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