Christmas Eve 2010

Well, good evening. Merry Christmas. Well, I have the pleasure this evening to talk about the Lord Jesus' coming, and we're going to look at it from this perspective. God sending forth his Son in the fullness of time, and in a manner and a purpose that was his plan from all eternity past. We're first going to look at the Old Testament in this verse in just a second here, and then I'm going to talk about the fullness of time, and then Mike's going to continue on with the birth of Christ and the redemption aspect of that. So in the Old Testament, there are many Old Testament prophecies concerning the Lord Jesus and promises about that. And this is one in Genesis 22. Basically, the angel of the Lord spoke to Abraham in this passage.

It said, I will greatly bless you and greatly multiply your seed. And actually, if you look carefully, that really should be rendered descendants or seeds plural, as the stars of the heavens and as the sands is on the seashore. And your seed or descendants shall possess the gates of your enemies. And in your seed, and this case is actually singular, all nations of the earth will be blessed because you have obeyed my voice.

So Abraham, there's two parts to this when the angel Lord spoke to Abraham. One is for his physical descendants, the nation of Israel. There was a blessing involved in that. And then part two is in verse 18, it talks about this seed, this singular seed. And the way we know that this kind of connects up is there a passage in Galatians chapter 16 that says, now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed, he does not say, seeds, plural, as referring to many, but rather to one. And to you and to your seed, that is Christ. So this singular seed that would be the blessing of the whole world is the Lord Jesus Christ. And then in Deuteronomy 18, we have another passage.

It says, the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen. You shall listen to him. I will raise up, and then jump down to verse 18, I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak all that I commanded him. So he's going to be a prophet like Moses. He's going to be from his countrymen, it says, twice there in that passage. So he's going to be an Israelite. So this coming person, who we know from the New Testament will be the Lord Jesus, is going to be an Israelite. And he's going to speak God's words.

And if you remember what Christ said here on Earth, he said, I do nothing. There's nothing I do that's outside what the Father tells me. I'm in communion with the Father. Everything I say, I don't deviate one iota from what the Father tells me. We're in communion with one another. So that prophecy was fulfilled when Christ was here on Earth.

And then in Isaiah, it says, a voice is calling. Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness. make smooth in the desert a highway for your God. Let every valley be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low. And let the rough ground become a plain, and the rugged terrain a broad valley. And then in verse 5 it says, Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. So this glory of the Lord was present in the Lord Jesus. And Mount of Transfiguration, man actually saw that. And it was astounding. They couldn't stand to be there. And there's one other passage I didn't have on the overhead.

It's a very familiar passage, Isaiah 714. Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. And a virgin, and actually the best translations are, the virgin will be with child and bear a son. And she will call his name Immanuel. which is God is with us. So God is with us. And when the Lord Jesus came, God is with us in human form. So now we're going to kind of focus on the passage for this evening in Galatians chapter 4 verses 1 through 5. Let me just read that, and then we'll kind of focus in on verses 4 and 5 for the rest of the evening.

Now I say, as long as an heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave, although he is owner of everything. but he is under guardian and managers until the date set forth by the father. So also, while we were children, we were held in bondage under the elemental things of the world.

But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law, so that he might redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons." So you know there in verse 2, God is a God of order. And he has a timeline, in a sense, a timeline for his son coming. In verse 2, it talks about, as human fathers, if you look at our society, we've determined that 18, maybe 21, is the age of an adult. When a person becomes 18 or 21, they're considered an adult, depending upon the situations. Well, in like sense, I think verse 2 is saying, God the Father, he determined at a chosen time for his son to come.

And it was the precisely right time. And we're going to see in a little bit here what that means. So it was precisely the right time. So now let's jump down to verses four and five here. I'll just go. So the first part of that says, but in the fullness of time God sent forth his son. So I want to focus in on that.

And then Mike's going to talk about born of a woman, born under the law. He was the God-man. He had a physical birth like every human being here on Earth. He was a fully man, a fully God. And then there's a redemption aspect in verse 5, so that he might redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. So it's a twofold purpose, redemption, in terms of not being under the law, and we might receive the adoption of sons.

So we actually see there's timing in the first part of verse 4, 4a, if you will. 4b, there's a mode. He came as a man, a man or a mode. And then 3, there's a purpose. So let's look at this timeliness aspect. This word, sent forth, in verse 4, it says, sent forth in the fullness of time is to send away. This is kind of a cool word. He was sent away, sent out of a place where one is. Think about this. Christ, for all eternity, was with the Father. And he was sent out on a mission to come to Earth to pay for the sins of the world. And he did that. He was sent forth from the Father. And so what was the time aspect of that? That's this idea of fullness of time. And fullness of time has the idea of the end of an appointed period. There was an appointed period that God had in mind. And the period was a period of the law.

And this is really, if you've been into the Galatians class, this is really cool. And actually, on Sunday, if you want more of this, please come and listen to that. We're going to talk about the law a little bit more. But anyway, I'm digressing here.

In Galatians 3.19, it says, the law was added until the seed singular, Christ, would come.

When the seed Christ was sent forth, this completed the appointed period of the law. We see that in Romans where it says Christ is the end of the law, the completion of the law. If you think about that, the law ended and now grace starts. Not immediately, like a transition period, but the law ends and grace is in view.

And a last thought here is that God is really incredible. If you think about this, Christ came in the fullness of time. At the precise time, Christ died for the ungodly at the right time. I thought that was kind of interesting. And Romans 5 talks about that. It says, for while we were still sinners, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.

Thank you. Now we have each family. This is going to sing for us. Bethlehem, tiny, tiny town, and hope in the world. Bethlehem, tiny, tiny town, Chosen of God is night. O'er you brightly shines a star, angels awake the sight. For in you a Savior will soon be born, a great and mighty King. He will save his people from their sin, new hope his life will bring. Bethlehem, tiny, tiny town Shepherds in haste will come From afar, wise men will be led To the birthplace of God's Son Bethlehem, tiny, tiny town, how will you welcome Him? As He comes, His glory to you, how will your praise begin?

No palace room, no special place No royal welcome here Just a lonely manger bed of hay For this holy night so dear Bethlehem, tiny, tiny town Lowest in all the earth In His plan, God hath chosen you As the place of Jesus' birth Picture a stable Empty and bare Picture a mother Kneeling in prayer Picture a baby slumbering Look at the shepherds tending their sheep All through the night their vigil they keep While there is danger they will not sleep Now you are seeing Love in the world Angels above Proclaiming the birth Joy in the heavens Peace upon earth Picture a time When war is unknown No one is hungry No one's alone If you imagine all I have shown Then you are seeing hope in the world.

So Roger's talking about Galatians 4 and 5. But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth his son, an adult son, born of a woman born under the law, so that he might redeem those who were under the law, and that they might receive the adoptions of sons. So God sent his son, and having come from a woman, having come under a law system, He came to His own, His own were the Jews, those who were His own did not receive Him.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. Now that Word became flesh. is an interesting Greek word that means to come into a brand new state of being. There was not this kind of man before on the earth. So the Lord Jesus didn't come and be made something that he wasn't. He became flesh which was something he wasn't before. And the second part of what Grace talked about was that he dwelt among us.

This is God, the full expression of who God is. He adapted by taking man's own nature and to all that is in man to meet every human need. He who was with God and who was God was made flesh and identified with man. For of His fullness we all have received and grace upon grace. So Christ's presence brings an awful lot out.

In Ephesians 4.21, the word says, indeed you have heard him and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus.

In Colossians 2.3, we read that in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. So in this, what appears to be a little baby, in him are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

And he who was beheld on earth had the glory of the only begotten Son of the Father. All was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time, only the begotten God, who is the bosom of the Father, he has declared.

So we have an interesting situation here. When you read, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ, that same word, ginomai, is there again. That means that grace came through Jesus Christ. There wasn't grace here before. God acted graciously towards man, but it wasn't the system under which man was now to live. Grace came into being as an operating system to replace law. So what did he bring that was new? He brought, obviously, grace. He brought truth. He didn't just declare it. He didn't just declare truth. He revealed God's love towards sinners. And he did it without the law. He did it under grace.

What the truth does, though, is it shows man's relationship to God and their departure from that relationship. It's a groundwork of truth. It shows what God is. It also shows what perfect man is in Christ. At the same time, though, it demonstrates what sinful man is, and what the world is, and what the world's prince is.

So, it says that we have all received his fullness, and that is described as grace on top of grace. Although born under a lost system, he brought with him an entirely new system that we call grace. The unlimited, unmerited blessings from God based on the work that he came to do. And where did he come from? He came from the bosom of the Father.

The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. So John declares, John the Baptist declares that God has supplied his own lamb. So when Christ comes to do the work of the father, he is the lamb. And what the work is that he's been sent to do by the father. We're going to have special music now by Jacqueline. Therefore, when Jesus received the sour wine, he said, It is finished. And he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. So now the work of Christ is finished and he announces that it's over. He is not here, but he has risen.

Remember how he spoke to you while he was still in Galilee? saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered His words, and returned to the tomb, and reported all these things to the eleven, and to all the rest. Now he said to them, These are my words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, Thus it is written, that Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead on the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

You are witnesses of these things. So we are all witnesses of these things by faith. We are now, as sons, the ones that our Father has determined should be the witnesses of this grace and this truth that now has come to be. The rest of the Beach family, Brad is going to sing for us, my Redeemer.

There is a Redeemer, Jesus, God's own Son, Precious Lamb of God, Messiah, Holy One. Thank you, O my Father, for giving us your Son and leaving your Spirit here till the work on earth is done. Jesus, my Redeemer, Name above all names, precious Lamb of God, Messiah, all for sinners slain. Thank you, O my Father, for giving us your Son, and leaving your Spirit till the work on earth is done. When I stand in glory, I will see His face. There I'll serve my Lord forever in that holy place. Thank you, O my Father, for giving us Your Son and leaving Your Spirit till The work on earth is done.

So the verse I wanted to focus in on is Galatians chapter 4, verse 5. Interesting that he came so that he might redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. The word redemption is a really interesting word The root word is agorazo, which means to just do business in the marketplace, to go down and buy and sell. This word, though, in Greek has an ex in front of it.

That means that he came and he bought us out of the marketplace. So especially to purchase a slave. And a slave that was purchased out of the marketplace wouldn't ever be sold back there. So every one of us, by the work of the Lord Jesus Christ has been purchased out of this marketplace of bondage to sin, never ever to return there. All men were under this condemnation. Every single human being that's born on this planet.

Romans 5.18 says that therefore, as through one man's offense, judgment came upon all men. All have sinned. Every single one of us had sinned. which is not just doing a bunch of bad things. It puts us in bondage. It puts us under the dominion and the control of sin. So there has to be an event that would cause us to be purchased out of this bondage.

And the event is, in Romans 3.24, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that's in Christ Jesus.

The purchase was made. Matthew 20, 28 says, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but he came to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. So what was this thing that was so valuable that could buy us out of this bondage? 1 Corinthians 6, 20 says, for you were bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and your spirit, which are God's. Ephesians 1, 7 says, in him, We have redemption through his blood. There's the price. There's the thing of value. It's the blood of Christ. The forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.

1 Peter 1.18, Peter says, knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver and gold, but from your aimless conduct received by traditions from your fathers. but with the precious blood of Christ as a lamb without blemish and without spot.

It's interesting, a redeemer, and Roger referred to this a little bit, in order to be a redeemer in ancient times, there were some qualifications that you had to meet. One was you must be a near kinsman. In other words, you must be like the one to be redeemed. And that's why Jesus became a man. He took upon himself humanity and he entered the race of humanity in order that he might be a redeemer.

And he must be able to redeem. In other words, he must be able to give the price. Whatever was demanded for the purchase, he must be able and capable of doing that. And he must be willing to do it. He might be capable, he might be a kinsman, but he might not want to do it.

And he must be free from the reasons why redemption was necessary. In other words, Christ could not be a sinner. In order for him to be a redeemer, he couldn't be a sinner. So he comes, he spills his blood, and his blood is the cost or the price of my redemption.

But once I'm redeemed, I just don't walk out of the marketplace and just wander around. The next part of this verse says that I am adopted. Let's look at adoption. In general use today, adoption just means that you take someone who's not a blood relative and you make them part of your family. But the biblical definition of adoption is a little bit different.

It means to place as a son. a placing of a son, and it's an adult son. This word for son here, there are two basic words in the Bible for son. One is just a born one, which is the Greek word teknon. The other one is the word wios, which means an adult son. So every person, the second that they are saved, God considers them to be an adult son and to be adopted.

So in Romans 8.15, Paul says, we have, for you have not received the spirit of slavery again, leading to fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption as sons, weos, adult sons, by which you cry, Abba Father. The spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are the children of God. And if children, we are heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him. that we may also be glorified together.

So this sun-placing idea from ancient times especially came from Roman law. And Paul, because he was born in a Roman town and raised in the Roman culture, understood the Roman law pretty well. And so he can use this as a good example to explain to believers what it meant to be adopted by God. So what did the Roman law teach?

Adoption means that you were taken out of the relationship you were in and put in an entirely new relationship with a new father. All adoptees' debts were canceled, all of them. A totally new life began. The father had the same control over the adoptee as did his natural father. which means that God the Father controls all of our relationships. A new father owned all of the adoptee's property. The new father had full rights over the adoptee for discipline.

So it's interesting. When this adoption ceremony took place, At that point, the adopted son not only was considered part of the family, but he at that point was entitled to all the property of the father. He was considered to have the same wealth and same status in society as the father did. If you were a wealthy person in Rome, in order to complete this adoption ceremony, there had to be a a resolution passed by the Roman Senate to get you adopted. But once that took place, that's the way it was for the rest of your life.

So, the price of this adoption, like I said before, was the blood of Christ. All former debts were canceled. Every single debt that you had before God because of your sin has been canceled. Colossians 2.14 says, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which were hostile to us, he has taken them out of the way, having nailed them to the cross.

In Ephesians 1.5, he says about us that we were predestined to the adoption as sons, adult sons, through Jesus Christ to himself according to the kind intention of his will.

Back to Romans 8.15, he says, we have not received the spirit of slavery. We have not received an attitude of slavery anymore that leads to fear. But we have received this spirit of adoption as sons.

And that's what causes us to cry, Abba, Father. Abba, Father is an interesting two words. Abba is a word of affection. Father is a word of standing. If I'm adopted or you're adopted, God is your father, but Abba means he's also Papa. He loves me and I love him.

So if you have never known that by believing in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ that you may become a son of God, now would be a good time to think about that and to exercise faith in the person and work of Christ. If you're a believer, And you didn't realize the extent to which you are fully adopted as a son. Now is the time for you to rest in the provision that God has given you. Merry Christmas.

Now, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, In the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, where is he that is born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.

And they said unto him in Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet, and thou, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah art not the least among the princes of Judah, for out of thee shall come a governor and shall rule my people Israel. Ryan Henderson is going to sing about these wise men.

We three kings of orient are, Bearing gifts we traverse afar, Field and fountain, moor and mountain, Following yonder star. Oh, star of wonder, star of night, Star with royal beauty bright, Westward leading, still proceeding, Guide us to thy perfect light. Glorious now, behold Him arise, King and God and sacrifice, Alleluia, Alleluia, Sound through the earth and skies. Star of wonder, star of night, Star with royal light, As we're leaning still proceed Guide us to thy perfect light Let's pray.

Father, we thank you so much for this important and truly wonderful story. And at this time of year, we just ask that you would just show yourself to us as we go our way and that we would share this truth with others. And we just thank you so much for your son and all that he has done. In Jesus name. Amen. Have a Merry Christmas.