Thank you, AJ. Let's pray together.
Father, we're asking this morning that you would get some convincing done.
Lord, would you convince your children in this room
that they are in fact your sons and daughters.
God, for those of your children who came into this building this morning
more aware of their failures,
more aware of coming to you in fear,
God, would you impress upon them this morning
that you love them as much as you have ever loved them.
That you've given them the full right of sonship.
And that you've secured a loving relationship with them
through the death of Jesus.
God, we pray for the Bickles Grand Adorena.
God, would you pour out your mercy on her
as she's pulled out of a coma today or tomorrow.
God, would you save her.
God, we do pray as well for Second Baptist Church.
We thank you for our brothers and sisters
in that congregation who are 100 years old today
and celebrating that.
God, we rejoice with them.
We pray that, God, you would pour out your spirit on Demetrius,
the lead pastor there.
And we ask that you would bless that church's ministry.
That you would gather for yourself
more and more followers of Jesus.
That, God, you would use that church
to bring gospel blessing to this city.
God, we thank you so much
that we have so much in common
with so many brothers and sisters in this city
who you have called to be your own.
Now, Father, would you pour out your spirit afresh upon us.
Give us eyes to see and ears to hear
and hearts to cry out to you.
Abba, Father, in Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
You may be seated.
Children, you may go to your Sunday school class
with God's blessing.
If you'd open up to your Bibles to Galatians chapter 4.
Thank you again, AJ, for reading.
That was a joy.
Now, imagine with me,
my wife, Jenny, who wasn't able to be here this morning.
Let's just pretend that we adopt a little boy
from Venezuela.
His name is Victor.
And Victor's five years old,
and we bring him home,
and we've paid all the expenses for this adoption.
We have gone through all of the complicated paperwork
in order for him to release his Venezuelan citizenship,
to become a U.S. citizen,
and to become a legal son of Mike and Jenny Salvati.
We put him in our will.
He's going to receive an inheritance.
We love him.
We love this Victor.
And his fellow brothers and sisters,
they love him too.
But let's say this Victor,
when he turns six years old,
he approaches me,
and he says,
you know, Mr. Salvati,
he doesn't call me dad.
He doesn't call me pops.
Mr. Salvati,
I really appreciate you welcoming into your family.
I'll keep mowing the lawn.
I'll keep making my bed.
I'll try to make you proud of me
for the good grades I get at school.
Whatever I do,
I'll do it out of respect for you.
Just don't kick me out of your family.
At that point,
if you were in on that conversation,
I'd probably be kind of looking at him
and thinking,
hmm,
Victor,
I think,
I think you're failing
to understand something.
In fact,
I'm concerned for you, son.
I'm concerned you don't understand
that you are rightfully
my son.
And I love you.
It's a similar concern
that Paul is writing
for these Galatian Christians
in the first century.
You pick up on this concern
in verse 11.
I'm afraid I may have labored
over you in vain.
Why?
Verse 10.
You observe days and months
and seasons and years.
These Christians in Galatia
who became Christians
in the first century,
Paul had been there,
preached the gospel,
and left,
and then these false teachers
came in and began teaching them
that in order for them
to be good with God,
they needed to not only
believe in Jesus,
but they also needed
to be circumcised.
They needed to take up
kind of Jewish
dietary regulations,
so no more pork for you.
And then,
they needed to start
observing the Jewish calendar.
That's the reference
in verse 10.
You observe days, months,
seasons, and years.
Paul gets wind
of all this stuff,
and he's like,
I don't think you guys
are getting it.
You don't need
to do any of this anymore.
None of this observance
is going to get you
into God's family
or keep you
in God's family.
I'm afraid
that you missed it.
I'm concerned
that you don't understand
what the gospel is.
For many people
in this room,
we approach God
not as calling him
our loving father,
but in our hearts,
we approach it
more like this.
Oh, dear Mr. God.
Oh, dear Mr. Jehovah.
Oh, dear Mr. Judge of all.
You're really nice.
You're very powerful.
Thank you so much
for showing me
your kindness.
But I promise
I'll not sin
like that again.
Just don't kick me
out of your family.
And when we pray
like that,
you know what it reveals?
It reveals
that we think
somehow
God's love for us
is dependent
on our obedience
to him.
Somehow we
have this
power
by obedience
to keep ourselves
into his family.
It's a soft form
of what's called
legalism.
When you import
your obedience
into your standing
with God.
And so this morning,
I believe that God
through his word
wants to convince
those of us
who are in Christ
of this truth.
God wants to convince
you that you are
no longer a slave
living in fear,
praying Mr. God,
Mr. Judge prayers.
You're no longer
a slave,
but you,
by his grace,
are his son
and with confidence
you can call him
father.
So this morning,
if I were to sum up
this whole sermon,
this whole passage,
I'd say it like this.
In Christ,
you're no longer
a slave,
you are a son.
You have been given
the right
of sonship.
So here's how
we're going to proceed
this morning.
We've got this
passage,
verses 1-11
in chapter 4.
I'm going to focus
in on verses 3-7,
but I will be
making reference
to verses 1-2
and 8-11.
Just,
I won't be spending
too much time there
because the gospel
action is in
verses 3-7.
And what we're
going to see
is this before
and after situation.
A then and now
with this game-changer
event in between.
Has anybody seen
the show
Extreme Makeover?
Home Edition?
With Ty Pennington?
I see that hand.
I see that one hand.
I see two hands.
Three hands.
Well, here's the idea.
There's this family
in need in a dumpy house.
Ty Pennington and his crew
get word of it.
They show up.
He and his designers
and super carpenters,
they kick that family out
and for a week
they make this house
into something spectacular
and then they bring
this family back.
They put them in front
of a big bus.
They say,
move that bus.
Bus moves.
They see this new home
and they're like,
that is amazing.
And then some banker
comes up and say,
we paid the mortgage.
Here's the key.
And it's,
woo!
Here we have
in Galatians 4,
1 through 11,
an extreme makeover,
gospel style.
You go from being
a slave living in fear
to being a son
living in confidence.
And the change
is the glorious gospel
of Jesus Christ.
Christ.
You guys ready?
Let's dig in.
If you're in Christ,
you're not a slave anymore.
You've been given
the right of sonship.
So in verse 3,
we're going to see
the before.
And we read in verse 3,
we start reading
and we relate,
in the same way,
we also.
And immediately,
you feel like you've
just walked into
someone's family room
into a conversation.
You're like,
what is going on here?
When Paul says,
in the same way also,
he is making a comparison,
comparison to what
he's just written
in verses 1 and 2,
and he's going to compare it
to what he is about
to write in verses 3 through 7.
So in the same way also.
And the comparison
he's making,
in verse 1 and 2,
is that of a first century
Roman heir of an inheritance.
Let's just say
he's going to get $250,000.
And the point that Paul
is making is,
this heir of $250,000,
before a certain time is set,
he's a miner.
And he doesn't have access
to that $250,000.
So in one sense,
he's loaded,
but in another sense,
he has no access to it.
And so he's like everybody else
that doesn't have $250,000.
In Paul's word,
the heir is like a slave.
That's the before.
And then we get to
the after.
And we see that in verse 2,
where Paul says,
but he is under
guardians and managers
until the date set
by his father.
Until the date set
by his father.
On that date,
where the master,
who the giver
of the inheritance
says,
at this date,
my son can have
that $250,000.
Until then,
he's under managers
and guardians.
He's under the estate lawyers.
He's keeping him
from accessing
that $250,000.
But when that date comes,
that heir is no longer
under those estate attorneys,
but he's got free
and full access
to the inheritance.
And the game changer
is that word until.
Until the date set
by the father.
At that time,
at that precise moment,
that heir who's like a slave
gets access
to the full inheritance
and he's free.
So what we see going on
in 1 and 2
is we have a before
and we have an after
and there's this game changer
time event in between.
And so when Paul says
in verse 3,
in the same way also,
he's referring back to that.
It's getting a time frame
in our minds.
And what Paul says
in verse 3 is,
in the same way also,
when we were children,
when we were like that heir
who was more like a slave,
when we were children,
look what he says.
When we were children,
we were enslaved.
But what Paul's about to say
is we weren't enslaved
to a tax estate,
an estate attorney.
We were enslaved
to the elementary principles
of the world,
which is a mouthful,
which thousands of scholars
have written millions of pages
to explain what this is.
So let me take a stab.
What does it mean
to be enslaved
to the elementary principles
of the world?
Well, what you need
to understand
is Paul is talking
in the past tense.
He's talking about
what was true of us
before we were converted
unto Christ.
We were enslaved
to the elementary principles
of the world.
Some say this is a reference
to demons.
Others say this is a reference
to the essential building blocks
of planet Earth.
Other people argue
that these are ideas,
worldly ideas of being.
I tend to think
with others
that it's kind of
a compilation of it all.
It'd be akin to,
if you flip over to
Ephesians chapter 2,
verse 1 and 2,
and you were dead
in the trespasses and sins
in which you once walked,
following the course
of this world,
following the prince
of the power of the air,
the spirit that is now at work
in the sons of disobedience.
Here's what I think,
generally speaking,
Paul is getting at.
being enslaved
to the elementary principles
of this world.
It's a worldly approach
to life.
It's a basic default position
of one's heart
on life.
The elementary principles
of this world.
It's kind of like this.
when we boil it down to it,
it boils down to
who are you trusting
to rescue yourself?
And the elementary principle
of the world
is to say
you need to trust yourself
to rescue yourself.
Self-made saviors.
So whether that's
a religious context,
whether it's Judaism
or whether it's Islam
or whether it's Confucianism
or Buddhism,
or what's some kind
of paganism
or some kind
of secularism,
what they all have
in common
is this humanism,
this man at the center,
this man-mediated salvation,
whether it's religious
or secular,
what they have
all in common
is that it all
depends on me.
And if you look forward
to verse 9,
Paul says something
very interesting
about this,
these elementary principles
of the world.
He's saying to these Gentiles,
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?
Weak
and that they are
powerless to save
and worthless
because they are
powerless to save.
They have no value.
So any system
that is promoting
a dependence
on oneself
oneself
to get saved
or stay saved
falls into this
elementary principle
of the world.
This is worldly
way of thinking.
And the world
classically defined
is all of humanity
in opposition to God
living for anything
but the one true God.
So this is any approach
to life
that makes human beings
their own saviors.
And it's our default position.
Does anybody have
a computer
and when they go to print
they have a default printer set?
It drives me nuts.
I bring my computer home.
I want to print something out.
I go to print it.
I print it.
Nothing happens.
I go into the settings.
Oh, it's on the wrong printer.
I adjust it
and then it prints.
All of us
came out of our mamas
with a default setting
in our hearts
for salvation.
Sinfully set on ourselves.
And so what
Christians are called to do
is to remember
we have a new
Savior
Jesus.
And if you're like me
I've got to go
into the settings
every day
to remind myself
of that.
And that's essentially
what Paul is doing here
for these
Galatian Christians.
You see Jews
were seeking
to earn God's blessing
by the observance
to the Old Testament law.
and Gentiles
were seeking
to earn standing
with whatever
their pagan God was
by obedience
and sacrifice.
And what they have
in common
is both
are trying
to earn
their salvation
in the eyes
of whatever God
they are seeking
to serve.
What they have
in common
are self-made
saviors.
And I think
that's getting
at the very
principle
the sense
of these elementary
principles of the world.
and it's complicated
because there's
demonic activity
involved.
It's complicated
because there's
things built
into our systems
and cultures
that work
against this.
But at its heart
it's this posture
of an unbelieving
heart
to trust in themselves
to get right
with God.
Both
are legalism.
Man-centered
salvation.
And what I want
to impress upon you
is that they are
weak and worthless.
They cannot save
and because they
cannot save
they are
of no value.
In fact
there's no blessing
in it.
God doesn't
bless that.
That provokes
God's curse
because instead
of trusting God
as the one
and only Savior
you're turning
to other
saviors
and it's grievous
in God's sight.
This was our
state slavery
beforehand.
We were trying
to live
for ourselves.
But that all
changed
because God
did something
that was a
gospel
game changer.
And so we've
gone from
beforehand
verse 3
we were enslaved
to this
self-made
Savior
complex
and now
we go into
the gospel
game changer.
We see that
in verses 4
and 5.
These are
some of the
most lovely
verses
for you
to see.
We read
but when the
fullness of time
had come
God sent forth
his son
born of a woman
born under the law
to redeem those
who were under the law
so that we might
receive adoption
as sons.
Remember in verse 2
Paul talked about
hey in this
illustration
opening illustration
he talked about
you're under
these managers
this heir
until the time
set by the father.
This is Paul's
use of that
illustration.
The time set
by the father.
Verse 4
but when the
fullness of time
had come
the fullness of time
is talking about
a specific moment
that God had been
planning on.
Now if you are
a pregnant woman
in the room
you understand
the concept
of fullness of time
more than anybody
because if you're
three months pregnant
you're like
no the fullness
of time hasn't come.
If you're six months
pregnant you're like
I'm closer to the
fullness of time
but not the fullness
of time has come
and when you're
nine months pregnant
and you're ready
to pop
the fullness of time
has come.
This baby is
coming.
So when we read
about the fullness
of time has come
look back
in verse 23
now before faith
came
we were held
captive under the law
imprisoned until
the coming
faith
would be revealed
so then the law
was our guardian
until Christ
came
in order that
we might be
justified by faith
but now that
faith has come
we are no longer
under a guardian.
God
has been
orchestrating
all of history
all of time
for a particular
moment.
God
the father
the first person
of the trinity
he's not ruled
by time
he rules
time
and he is
orchestrating
historic events
and times
for his glorious
purpose
and we see it
right here
but when the
fullness of time
had come
what did God
in his sovereignty
do?
God sent forth
his son
the second person
of the trinity
this son
is of course
Jesus Christ
and what you
need to understand
in this
sending forth
of the son
is that
Jesus didn't
come into
existence
when
he was sent
by the father
because the
second person
of the trinity
has eternally
existed
with the first
person of the
trinity
and the third
person of the
trinity
for eternity
past
so the
sending
of the
second person
of the trinity
was the
sending
of
God
so
in the
fullness of
time
God was
orchestrating
time
human history
all the actors
on the stage
just
in
time
at the right
time
to send
Jesus
the second
person of the
trinity
to earth
remember
John 3
16
for God
so loved
the world
that he
gave
he sent
his one
and only
son
that whoever
believes
in him
shall not
perish
but have
eternal
life
in love
God
sent his
son
at just
the right
time
perfect
timing
in the
sending
of the
son
God
in the
flesh
notice
Paul is
very specific
he wants
us to
understand
a couple
things
about
this
son
Jesus
he's
born
of a
woman
which
means
this
he's
fully
man
it
could
be a
reference
way
back
to
the
earliest
proclaiming
of the
gospel
in
Genesis
3
where
the
offspring
of
Eve
would
be
born
to
crush
the
head
of
the
serpent
it
could
be
that
but
most
likely
the
emphasis
is
on
Jesus
humanity
he was
fully
man
born
of
a
woman
he
is
the
second
person
of
the
trinity
fully
God
but
he's
fully
man
and
then
we
learn
as well
that
he's
born
under
the
law
here's
what that
means
just
as
all
of
us
in
one
sense
are
under
the
law
imprisoned
by
the
law
Jesus
was
born
under
the
Mosaic
law
all
613
commandments
he was
born
under
them
and
Jesus
did
what
none
of
us
can
do
you
know
who
Simone
Bales
is
the
gymnast
she's
won
more
gold
medals
than
anybody
else
have
you
seen
her
stick
something
she's
like
bop
bing
stuck
ten
Jesus
every
day
of his
life
stuck
tens
and
his
attitude
and
his
actions
and
his
feelings
he
fulfilled
all
513
613
commandments
of the
Mosaic
law
every
day
of his
life
24
7
365
110
after
another
stick
perfect
fulfilling
on all
God's
commands
in
attitude
and
action
and
feeling
he
did
what
none
of
us
can
do
because
we've
already
learned
from
Galatians
3
that
we've
been
imprisoned
by
the
scriptures
the
law
is
a
jailer
to
us
it
exposes
how
much
we
fail
we
don't
hit
10
after
10
after
10
we
hit
1.2
0.7
all
of us
come up
short
all the
time
and
the
law
exposes
that
but
what
the
law
reveals
in
the
coming
of
the
son
is
Jesus
fulfilled
it
all
so
let
me
kind
of
sew
this
together
in
this
sense
do
you
know
why
Paul
wants
you
to
know
that
Jesus
the
second
person
of
the
trinity
was
born
of
a
woman
and
born
under
the
law
do
you
know
what
that
makes
Jesus
it
makes
him
the
perfect
substitute
makes
him
the
perfect
substitute
for
those
under
the
curse
of
the
law
and
so
in
verse
five
we
read
this
to
redeem
those
under
the
law
so
that
excuse
me
born
of
a
woman
born
under
the
law
to
redeem
those
who
are
under
the
law
so
that
we
might
receive
the
adoption
as
sons
those
are
two
purpose
clauses
the
perfectly
timed
sending
of
this
perfect
substitute
was
on
purpose
to
redeem
us
to
redeem
those
who
were
under
the
law
for
those
of
us
who
have
been
exposed
by
God's
law
exposed
we
know
we
come
up
short
there's
nothing
that
we
can
do
it
imprisons
us
and
we
are
just
hearing
guilty
condemned
by
the
law
Jesus
was
sent
by the
father
in order
to
redeem
us
from
the
law
that
word
redeem
is a
great
word
it
means
to
purchase
out
of
slavery
to
ransom
someone
from
the
power
of
another
and
Jesus
came
and he
gave
his
life
as a
ransom
for
all
who
would
believe
in
order
to
pull
us
rescue
us
from
the
curse
of
law
by
becoming
a
curse
for
us
he
came
to
redeem
us
you
know
when
you've
got
a
pocket
full
of
coal's
cash
and
you
go
to
coal's
and
you're
like
hey
I'm
redeeming
this
I'm
buying
those
jeans
with
this
coal
cash
Jesus
came
to
earth
to
redeem
us
not
with
coal's
cash
with
his
blood
on
the
cross
and
by
the
way
Jesus
just
didn't
redeem
us
from
the
penalty
of
our
sins
he
came
to
rescue
us
from
the
slavery
to
self
made
saviors
this
enslavement
to
these
elementary
principles
of the
world
that we
default
to
he
came
to
save
us
from
that
so
he
has
come
he
was
sent
as
a
liberator
to
redeem
us
from
the
whole
cocktail
of
sin
of
under
the
law
of
under
and
enslaved
to
these
elementary
principles
of the
world
but it
wasn't
just
to
redeem
us
he
came
for
more
he
came
to
grant
you
a
right
the
second
purpose
clause
so that
we
might
receive
adoption
as
sons
not
only
to
rescue
us
from
sin
and
slavery
he
came
so that
we
might
receive
literally
translated
sonship
the
right
of
sonship
to
be
made
sons
of
God
if
you're
in
Christ
you're
no
longer
a
slave
you're
a
son
that's
what the
father sent
the son
for
in
first
century
greco-roman
culture
wealth
was
passed
on
from
a
father
to
a
son
and
so
if
a
father
didn't
have
a
son
do
you
know
what
he
would
do
he
would
adopt
a
full
grown
man
he
would
give
him
the
right
of
sonship
so
that
he
could
pass
all
of
his
wealth
on
to
this
man
and
keep
that
wealth
in
his
family
which
means
this
sonship
doesn't
travel
down
DNA
the
point
that
Paul
is
making
is
this
right
of
sonship
of
becoming
an
heir
of
God
comes
all
by
God's
grace
by
his
declaration
you
don't
need
to
become
a
Jew
in
order
to
receive
the
blessing
of
Abraham
you
got
to
be
in
Christ
to
receive
the
right
of
sonship
so
when
God
sent
his
son
he
sent
with
him
the
right
of
sonship
for
all
who
would
believe
in
Christ
this
right
is
based
on
sealed
with
the
finished
work
of
Jesus
Christ
so
when
you
trust
Jesus
and
you're
given
the
right
of
sonship
it
is
irrevocable
because
Christ
earned
it
for
you
in
other
words
there's
nothing
that we
can
do
in
and
of
ourselves
to
earn
or
obey
our
way
into
the
right
of
sonship
it's
received
by
faith
because
it's
given
by
grace
so
do you
know
why
you're
no
longer
a
slave
to
the
law
a
slave
to
these
elementary
principles
of
the
world
it's
because
if
you're
in
Christ
you
have
received
the
full
right
of
sonship
and
it
is
a
gospel
game
changer
and
now
we
go
to
after
before
we
were
slaves
there
was
the
gospel
game
changer
God
sent
his
son
to
redeem
and
to
give
the
right
of
sonship
and
now
after
what
happens
what's
true
of
us
we
find
that
out
in
verses
6
and
7
Paul
says
and
because
you
are
sons
God
has
sent
the
spirit
of
his
son
into
our
hearts
crying
Abba
Father
so
you're
no
longer
a
slave
but
a
son
and
if
a
son
then
an
heir
through
God
we've
got
another
sending
the
first
sending
was
the
first
person
of
the
Trinity
the
father
sending
the
second
person
of
the
Trinity
the
son
and
now
in
verse
6
we
have
the
first
person
of
the
Trinity
sending
the
third
person
of
the
Trinity
right
into
your
heart
it's
another
sending
God
so
loves
you
child
of
God
the
triune
God
of
the
universe
loves
you
so
much
he
has
gone
to
great
lengths
to
call
you
as
his
own
and
to
secure
you
in
a
relationship
with
him
the
moment
you
believe
the
moment
you're
converted
the
moment
you
say
yes
to
Jesus
I
can't
do
it
on
my
own
Jesus
I'll
take
what
you
have
to
give
at
that
moment
you
believe
the
Holy
Spirit
comes
and
indwells
you
God
sent
him
to
you
this
is
the
fulfillment
of
Jeremiah
31
and
Ezekiel
36
it's
the
hallmark
of
the
new
covenant
God
sending
his
spirit
to
make
stony
hearts
flesh
hearts
so
that
they
would
obey
God
want
to
obey
him
you
see
God
the
father
sent
God
the
son
so
that
when
you
believe
in
that
and
you're
given
the
right
of
sonship
the
spirit
is
sent
in
order
to
validate
your
sonship
changing
your
heart
from
wanting
to
live
for
me
to
wanting
Abba
father
you've
given a
whole new
heart
by the
spirit
it's a
new
heart
cry
it is
something
that happens
inside of
you by
the
holy
spirit
in which
you
want
your
father
you cry
out
to
your
father
if
you're
in the
room
and you
have been
raised
in a
context
where
your
father
was
anything
but
loving
or
anything
but
presence
this
may
be
hard
for
you
to
swallow
but
think
about
it
the
third
person
of
the
trinity
he
is
wanting
to
do
a
work
in
you
in
which
you
cry
out
to
God
the
father
who
is
all
loving
all
trust
worthy
always
working
for
your
good
you
never
have
to
question
his
motives
you
don't
need
to
fear
his
wrath
because
it
was
all
poured
out
on
Jesus
the
son
and
he
will
never
leave
you
nor
forsake
you
to
that
father
the
spirit
is
working
in
your
heart
to
say
father
there
is
some
teaching
out
there
that
says
this
in
order
to
demonstrate
that
you're
a
Christian
the
moment
you
believe
you
should
speak
in
tongues
of
the
Holy
Spirit
it
validates
the
work
of
God
in
you
well
it's
just
not
true
but
you
know
what
is
true
it's
a
different
spirit
language
when
you
are
converted
and
you
trust
Christ
the
spirit
comes
and
lives
inside
of
you
and
cries
out
through
your
heart
Abba
father
it's
a
spirit
language
it's
a new
heart
this
is
the
same
wording
in
Romans
8
15
where
Paul
is
writing
the
Romans
these
Roman
Christians
and
saying
the
spirit
bears
witness
that
you
are
sons
of
God
crying
out
Abba
father
do
you
know
why
it's
Abba
father
Abba
is a
term
of
intimacy
but
that's
not
the
real
reason
why
if
you
flip
back
in
your
Bible
to
Mark
chapter
14
verse
36
Jesus
is in
the
garden
of
Gethsemane
do
you
know
who
he
addresses
his
God
Abba
father
the
spirit
of
the
son
is
doing
a
work
in
your
heart
to
call
out
with
Christ
Abba
father
validating
that
you
are
in
fact
a
legitimate
son
of
God
so
I
have
a
quick
question
for
you
here
when
you
call
out
to
God
when
you
pray
is
your
heart
crying
out
to
God
your
father
from
a
deep
down
sense
that
you
belong
to
him
because
of
what
Christ
has
done
are
you
calling
out
from
a
secure
loving
relationship
to
God
the
father
or
when
you
pray
to
God
are
you
praying
the
bargaining
prayers
the
Mr.
God
Mr.
Jehovah
Mr.
Judge
of
all
prayers
you're
not
addressing
him
as
father
you're
praying
with
a
certain
degree
of
fear
and
wincing
and
saying
things
like
well
I
promise
I'll
never
do
that
again
God
just
don't
kick
me
out
of
your
people
if
it's
the
former
there's
a
work
of
God
going
on
in
you
and
rejoice
if
it's
the
latter
you
know
what
you
need
to
do
you
need
to
call
out
to
God
the
father
and
say
oh
God
would
you
pour
your
spirit
out
on
me
show
me
what
Christ
has
done
for
me
and
I'm
confident
that
soon
thereafter
you
will
find
yourself
a
work
inside
of
you
which
you
know
is
not
of
yourself
by
which
you're
calling
God
as
your
own
father
the
difference
is
confidence
of a
son
and the
fear
of a
slave
if
you're
in
Christ
you're
no
longer
a
slave
you're
a
son
you've
been
given
the
right
of
sonship
so
let
me
scoot
to
verse
seven
we
read
so
you're
no
longer
a
slave
but
a
son
and
if
a
son
then
an
heir
through
God
so
what
we've
seen
so
far
is
before
we
were
slaves
to
the
elementary
principles
of the
world
and
then
we
saw
the
gospel
game
changer
Jesus
was
sent
by
God
the
father
to
redeem
and
for
us
to
receive
sonship
and
then
so
far
the
result
is
the
spirit
has
come
to
dwell
in
us
validating
our
sonship
and
in
verse
seven
we
see
a
very
interesting
phrase
so
you
are
no
longer
a
slave
but
a
son
and
if
a
son
then
an
heir
through
God
an
heir
a
recipient
of
the
inheritance
all
that
God
promised
to
Abraham
is
yours
in
Christ
and
it's
through
God
when
I'm
traveling
with my
family
and I'm
driving
it's
not
unusual
for this
to
happen
driving
along
everybody's
in
back
Jenny's
in
the
side
they're
doing
their
thing
I'll
be
driving
like
did
you
see
that
did
you
see
the
giant
musky
statue
most
people
most
of
my
family
missed
it
we're
driving
by
O'Hare
did
you
see
that
747
missed
it
we've
been
making
our
way
through
this
text
and
I'm
going
to
ask
you
the
question
did
you
see
it
did
you
see
the
trinity
did
you
see
the
God
the
triune
God
working
for
the
good
of
his
sons
and
daughters
in
verse
4
God
the
father
ordained
our
sonship
verse
5
verse
4
and 5
God
the
son
accomplished
our
sonship
in
verse
6
God
the
spirit
applied
sonship
to
us
Abba
father
what
we
see
here
is
this
status
as
being
God's
son
being
heirs
to
the
promise
it
comes
through
God
he's
already
done
it
it's
all
by
his
grace
so
when
we
read
in
verses
8
through
11
Paul
says
hey
when
you
didn't
know
God
beforehand
before
you
were
converted
you
were
enslaved
to
those
pagan
gods
then
you
didn't
know
any
better
but
now
that
you
have
come
to
know
God
or
rather
be
adopted
by
the
father
being
given
the
right
of
sonship
how
can
you
then
turn
back
again
to
those
powerless
and
valueless
elementary
principles
of the
world
that are
just
trying
to
save
yourself
by
observing
religious
calendars
eating
the right
things
getting
circumcised
that doesn't
save you
none of
that
what we
see
is that
our
sonship
has been
secured
by the
triune
God
the father
ordained it
the son
accomplished
it
in the
spirit
applied
it
so
maybe
this
morning
you
came
into
here
praying
those
kind
of
prayers
where
you're
not
calling
on
your
father
as
father
but
you're
calling
on
him
as
Mr.
God
if
you're
in
Christ
you don't
need
to do
that
anymore
you're
no longer
a slave
you're
a son
I
started
off
this
sermon
with
an
illustration
about
Victor
what
would
you
say
to
Victor
what
would
you
say
to
Victor
if
you
heard
him
saying
to
me
his
adoptive
father
Mr.
Salvati
I'll
do
I'll
mow
the
lawn
I'll
make
my
bed
just
don't
kick
me
out
of
your
family
you
know
what
I'd
say
to
him
Victor
I
don't
think
you
get
it
there's
nothing
that
you
need
to
do
in
order
to
get
or
stay
in
our
family
I've
done
everything
you
need
so
that
you
are
in
our
family
and
I
love
you
and
for
many
of
you
this
morning
you
need
to
hear
this
there's
nothing
that
you
need
to
do
in
order
to
stay
in
the
family
of
God
because
God
the
triune
God
has
done
everything
to
make
you
a
son
and
daughter
you're
no
longer
a
slave
if
you're
in
Christ
you
are
a
son
let's
pray
God
thank you
so much
for this
section
of
scripture
would you
press it
into
our
hearts
would you
help
us
to
live
in
the
freedom
of
being
your
sons
and
not
in
the
fear
of
being
slaves
you've
delivered
us
from
that
by
the
power
of
the
gospel
of
Jesus
Christ
spirit
of
God
would
you
bear
witness
to
our
spirits
that
we
are
in
fact
your
children