John Lloyd - God's Children

Free in Christ: Study of Galatians

Being God’s Beloved Children Brings Freedom

Galatians 3:26-4:7

November 18, 2018

One of the most beautiful sights to see is a treasured child. In a world often

filled with fear, class, gender and race comparisons, followers of Christ find

freedom from these barriers by understanding they are a beloved child of

God. “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith.” We do

not have to live in fear because we are treasured by God.

Passage: Galatians 3:26-4:7 26  For you are all children of God through faith

in Christ Jesus. 27  And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have

put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. 28  There is no longer Jew or

Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.

29  And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham.

You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you. 4:1 Think

of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young

children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow

up, even though they actually own everything their father had. 2  They have

to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set. 3  And

that’s the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we

were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world. 4  But when the

right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.

5  God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he

could adopt us as his very own children. 6  And because we are his children,

God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out,

“Abba, Father.” 7  Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And

since you are his child, God has made you his heir.

Big Idea: Jesus secured our sonship. The Holy Spirit makes sonship real

to us! Live as a beloved child of God!

I. Faith in Jesus begins the experience of beloved _____________.

Galatians 3:26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith

A. Our sonship reaches ______________: we are Sons of our Creator.

Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put

on Christ.

He who puts on Christ becomes partaker of his salvation. The imagery is

not pagan but that of the Old Testament. To put on Christ is to receive

justification: “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my

God; for he hath clothed me in the garments of salvation, he hath covered

me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with

ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with here jewels. Lenski

Isaiah 61:10 “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my

God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;  he has covered

me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a

priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her

jewels. (Luke 15:22)

B. Our sonship spans the _________: we are united with every Christian

around the world.

Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor

free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

“All the Galatians are not a lot of sons of God with many differences in their

sonship but a unit person. Whichever you take, the sonship is identical.

Paul loves to end with a focal unit idea beyond which thought cannot go.”

Lenski

C. Our sonship looks back through ________________: We are heirs of

the promises made to Abraham.

Galatians 3:29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring,

heirs according to promise.

Romans 8:17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with

Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified

with him.

Jesus Christ did everything needed to secure your sonship!

II. Our sonship frees us from our __________.

Galatians 4: 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 of the world.

A. Sonship means you can ____________ God to manage your life.

Galatians 4:1 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different

from a slave, though he is the owner of everything. (Matthew 6:30-32)

B. Sonship means you have received a new ___________ and status.

Galatians 4:4 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.

Our acceptability to God. When God looks at us, He sees us as His sons

because He sees his Son. The Lord Jesus has given us His

righteousness, His perfection, to wear. Keller

C. Our Sonship becomes experiential through the ______ __________.

Galatians 4:6 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.

The son’s purpose was to secure for us the legal status of our sonship. By

contrast, the Spirit’s purpose is to secure the actual experience of it.

Timothy Keller

Abba Father- Very strong word that means a rending, loud cry. It refers to

deep and profound passion and feeling. Romans 8:15-16, 8:35,

Reflective Questions: Am I acting like a slave afraid of God or like a child

assured of their Father’s love?

Prayer: Lord, Thank you for securing my sonship because of the work of

your Son, Jesus Christ. Help me experience your Sonship everyday

through your Holy Spirit! May I live like a dearly loved child of God!

Spiritual Growth Questions for November 18th

Opener: What makes adoption into God’s family so beautiful? Share a

story of adoption that has blessed you.

1. Read Galatians 3:26-4:7. Describe in your own words what is

happening here. Why do you think it is important?

2. Read Galatians 3:26-29. How do we become adopted by God? Paul

picks on the three barriers that usually divide people: the cultural

barrier “Neither Jew nor Greek”, the class barrier “Neither slave nor

free,” and finally the gender barrier “Neither male nor female,” What

barriers divide people in our area? How are those broken down with

work of Jesus? How can you help people to see this? “I am a Christian

before I am anyone or anything else.”

3. Read Isaiah 61:10. How do you feel about being an adopted son of

God? In which area of your life do you struggle to remember that you’re

clothed with Christ? How can the words of Isaiah help you with this

struggle?

4. Read Galatians 4:1-3. What old relationships did Jesus free the

Galatians from? What old approaches to God has Jesus freed you?

5. Read Galatians 4:4-5, 3:13-14. Discuss the two transfers (our sins to

Jesus, but also His rights and privileges as Son to us) that Jesus

accomplishes for every believer. “Our inheritance is not a prize to be

won. It is a gift from Christ.” Which part of the transfer is the hardest for

you to experience? Why?

6. Read Galatians 4:6-7, Romans 8:16-17. “The Son’s purpose was to

secure for us the legal status of our sonship. By contrast, the Spirit’s

purpose is to secure the actual experience of it.” Is adoption something

you experience as well as understand? How can you meditate on the

Son’s work more and ask the Spirit to work on your affections more?

7. Am I acting like a slave who is afraid of God, or like a child who is

assured of my Father’s love?