Written ~ 09-17-2024
Read Galatians Chapter Four
Galatians 4
Before we begin our chapter for today, let’s go back and review the last few verses of chapter three…
Galatians 3:23-29…
23 Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed.
24 Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. 25 And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.
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.
The law was given to protect us before Jesus came to earth and died for our sins. When we put our faith in Jesus, we become a child of God and a full heir to His Kingdom. The law pointed out our sin and sin caused death and separation from God. If it weren’t for Jesus sacrificing Himself for us, we would still be slaves under the pressure of the law. But thank goodness for Jesus! As believers we are now one with Him! We belong to the Lord!
Paul continues this thought as we begin chapter four… the illustration he gives will hopefully make this whole concept of having the law as a guardian and what it means to be an heir much easier to understand…
Galatians 4:1-7…
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.”
WOW~ That should make you excited! Have you placed your faith in Jesus Christ? Have you accepted Him as your Lord and Savior? Well, then these verses apply to you! You are a child of the Almighty God! We are brothers and sisters in Christ! God has made us His heir!
So, how are we to live our lives? We are to live on this earth knowing we have a Kingdom has our final home. We are here on earth for such a short time. All of the pain and suffering we might have to go through while we are here is nothing compared to the joy and the peace we will experience once we get to Heaven.
If you are a believer and follower of the Lord Jesus Christ… I really want you to think about this… Examine your heart…
Do you search for the Lord in everything you do and say? Do you yearn for His presence in your life more and more each day? Do you read your Bible so you can draw yourself into a closer relationship with your Savior? Do you pray that the Holy Spirit would fill your heart and mind before you climb out of your bed each day?
Or do you go about your day with a half-hearted prayer, then proceed to do “life” all on your own, in your own strength?
The next set of verses is a concern Paul has for believers, it should be a growing concern for every believer if they find themselves relating to the things that Paul is going to point out. Open your heart for real change.
Galatians 4:8-12a…
8 “Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist. 9 So now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world? 10 You are trying to earn favor with God by observing certain days or months or seasons or years. 11 I fear for you. Perhaps all my hard work with you was for nothing. 12a Dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to live as I do in freedom from these things, for I have become like you Gentiles – free from those laws.”
Maybe you don’t remember what it was like when you came to Christ. Or maybe it’s fresh in your mind. But you choose to live still without the fullness of joy given to you by the Holy Spirit. When you have known the freedom and peace of God’s presence in your life, why would you insist on living as though He were not dwelling inside of you?
There needs to be a change. If you are not doing everything you can to grow in your knowledge of the Word of God, if you are not allowing the Holy Spirit to fill you to capacity each and every day and you aren’t placing ALL of your faith and trust in your Lord and Savior… Why Not? There needs to be a change.
The Holy Spirit is waiting for you to let Him in and give you life! He’s waiting to explode the joy bottled up within you! He is waiting to fill your heart and mind with the knowledge and wisdom gained from Scripture! It’s up to you!
Maybe you’re not sure where to begin… Maybe you are out of practice giving part of your day to the worship and praise of your Heavenly Father. Oh… He is so Worthy of your praise. Maybe you have sin in your life that you need to confess. Do It. Maybe you feel like your prayers just hit the ceiling and bounce off. Let me assure you, Jesus is there. He is weeping for the soul who needs His presence and isn’t reaching out. The first step is lifting your hands, lifting your eyes towards Heaven and cry out “ABBA, FATHER!” He will meet you right where you are.
Paul’s concern over the believers in Galatia allowing their lives to be consumed with the things of the world is a huge concern for me as well! My heart yearns for my family and friends to know the Lord more fully than they ever have before!
Paul’s heart for the believers in Galatia was quite evident in his warning to them in the next set of verses…
Galatians 4:17-20…
17 “Those false teachers are so eager to win your favor, but their intentions are not good. They are trying to shut you off from me so that you will pay attention only to them. 18 If someone is eager to do good things for you, that’s all right; but let them do it all the time, not just when I’m with you.
19 Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives. 20 I wish I were with you right now so I could change my tone. But at this distance I don’t know how else to help you.”
Boy… sometimes Paul’s heart mirrors my own. When you see the lives of your loved ones finding their solace in the world and its falsities, and not in the Lord, it is heartbreaking.
My prayer has been that each and every person opening the Word of God or perhaps by even reading these humble words of mine that the Holy Spirit would speak directly to that heart and bring forth change.
I have the same burden as Paul did for these Galatian believers, “…the labor pains will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives…”
For those of you who are living for Christ in all its fullness, I praise God for you!
Live with the freedom and the joy and the peace found only in Jesus Christ!
~AMEN~