THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
Most people on planet earth will work their entire lives and never make a million dollars. But Prince George Alexander Louis was worth millions the day he was born.
Prince George is part of the British royal family. As the son of Prince William and Kate Middleton, he’s currently third in line to the throne. His great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, is reportedly worth more than $450 million; as the nation’s reigning monarch, receives an annual payment close to $13 million. Prince George is in line for all this wealth and privilege.
When we hear stories like this, our tendency is to roll our eyes and think: Who deserves that kind of privilege and wealth? He hasn’t earned a single dime of what he’s been given!
That may be true—but the same could be said of any who follow Jesus. When we come to Christ, we’re given an incredible inheritance! And, as we’ll see in this session, we’ve done absolutely nothing to earn it or deserve it.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Galatians 4:1-3
1 Now I say that as long as the heir is a child, he differs in no way from a slave, though he is the owner of everything. 2 Instead, he is under guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. 3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were in slavery under the elements of the world.
At the time Paul wrote his Letter to the Galatians, he was living in a world where it was common for wealthier families to have servants in their home. When the master’s wife had a baby boy, the servants would take care of that child, tending to the master’s son along with their own children. The master’s child was expected to obey the servants and follow their instructions just like the other children.
In contrast to Jewish custom, people in the Roman culture didn’t consider a boy to be a man at a specific age. Even though a young boy was a master’s son, he didn’t receive the same perks as his father until his father decided the boy was ready to be a man. Only then would the child gain the full position of sonship and be treated as a full part of the family. But this step never happened until the father initiated it.
The same is true for us as we relate to God: “In the same way we also, when we were children, were in slavery under the elements of the world.” Speaking to his fellow Jews, Paul used “the elements” to describe the basics tenets of the law. The children of Israel were living their lives with no greater purpose than to follow the rules and regulations they were told to follow. Living under the law was like living as underage sons who had yet to be brought into their full rights as members of God’s family.
At one time, none of us knew what full-blown sonship with God looked like. Before Christ made it possible for humanity to have a fully developed relationship with the Father, we were all on the outside looking in. But we now have the opportunity in Christ to step into complete sonship and experience abundant life.
What milestones helped you realize you
were no longer a child?
Galatians 4:4-5
4 When the time came to completion, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
I called it the “Man-Up Challenge.” If my 10-year-old son completed several challenges, he would receive his own “Man Card.” That card would entitle him to several new privileges: 1) an additional hour before he had to go to bed; 2) thirty additional minutes each day when he could play video games; 3) the right to spend the night at his friend’s house; and 4) one “no shower” pass per week. (I’m pretty sure the last one was his favorite.)
My son wanted the benefits right away, but he had to complete certain things first. He memorized 1 Corinthians 13:11: “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put aside childish things.” We did daily Bible studies together, which included journaling and him explaining to me what God was teaching him. He went through physical, mental, and spiritual challenges. After about a month, I knew it was time to give my son his very own personalized Man Card.
When God the Father decided it was time, He made it possible for us to take off our slave clothes, leave the nursery, and step into fullblown sonship as part of His family. It was in that moment that “God sent his Son.” He did so for two reasons:
- To redeem those under the law. The law had not made anyone a son of God. Following rules and regulations might have made some Israelites more pious, but it never made them a part of God’s family—it never could.
- To adopt us into His family. The word translated “adoption” might have described the Roman custom of bringing a young boy into the new level of sonship, but it generally referred to bringing someone outside the family into the family.
So, when Paul wrote that believers are adopted into sonship, he was saying we’ve been placed into the family of God—and that the only thing that made it possible was the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God. It’s only because of Jesus that we can be placed in the family of God.
What are the implications of being adopted
into God’s family?
Don’t miss the truth that God has always wanted us to be a part of His family. “He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will” (Eph. 1:5). A time never existed when God didn’t want us in His family. He’s loved us from the beginning, and it brings Him great pleasure each and every time He welcomes home a new son or a new daughter.
Galatians 4:6-7
6 And because you are sons, God 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 God has made you an heir.
Benefits come with being in a family. My dad was a pastor, and growing up in a pastor’s home did carry some challenges. But I also experienced a lot of blessings and benefits.
If you’re a child of God and have been adopted into His family, you receive many benefits. The greatest benefit is the gift of the Holy Spirit in our lives: “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba, Father!’” God Himself lives in us!
What are the benefits we enjoy
as part of God’s family?
Paul wrote this same truth to the church in Rome: “You did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’ The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children” (Rom. 8:15-16).
If you’ve been saved by Christ, you’ve also been empowered by God. He’s given you the Holy Spirit and He says the Holy Spirit will lead you to cry out, “Abba, Father!” That word Abba conveys an intimate relationship; it’s similar to what a child today expresses when he calls his father “Daddy!”
If a small child is alone and falls and skins his knee, he may cry, but he’ll do what he can to cope with the pain on his own. He’ll have to rely on his own willpower and strength to get up, dust himself off, and start playing again.
But if the child’s father is present, he typically will respond quite differently. In that moment, his first reaction as tears fall from his face is to put his hands in the air and cry out, “Daddy! Pick me up!” He knows he has a father who loves him and is ready to help. The father’s actions and presence comfort the child and give him the strength to get up and move on from the incident.
The Holy Spirit gives us that assurance in every part of our lives. He is ever-present in the lives of His children. He tells us we’re no longer slaves. Since we’ve been adopted into the family of God, He entitles us to privileges and blessings we didn’t have before.
As Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians: “In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory” (Eph. 1:13-14).
Children of God: rejoice! We are members of God’s family. We’ve been blessed with God’s own Spirit. And we live with the promise of an inheritance that is far greater than anything we can imagine.
How can we more fully rely on the Holy Spirit’s
influence in our lives? In our group?
LIVE IT OUT
Consider taking one or more of these steps this week as a response to your inclusion in God’s family:
- Pray as a child. As you pray this week, recognize that God is a loving Father who is ever-present in your life. Thank Him for demonstrating that love through Jesus and making it possible for you to be adopted into His family.
- Memorize. Memorize Galatians 4:7: “So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then God has made you an heir.”
- Share. Ask the Lord to put you in front of someone this week who needs to be encouraged by the truth in this passage. Many people attempt to get to God on their own; they need someone to tell them about the hope (and adoption) made possible by Jesus.
You may not be a prince or a princess in the eyes of our world—not officially, anyway. But if you know Jesus as your Savior, you’ve been adopted into His family. You’re a child of the King.
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Teacher Notes
“Whose boy, are you?”
The poor young boy dreaded hearing that question from the various people he encountered in his community. The person asking the question didn’t mean any harm, but the question pierced the boy’s heart nonetheless. The truth was, he didn’t know his father or his mother. His father abandoned him years before and his mother died when he was a baby. He was raised by relatives.
The boy began attending a little church and professed his faith in Christ. The preacher presented him to the congregation, declaring that the boy was now part of God’s family and a child of the King.
The boy held his head high as he walked out of the building that Sunday morning. He said to himself, “I now know whose boy I am. I am a child of the King!”
What a difference it made in his life. He grew up to become an outstanding leader in his state.
Lesson Point: Jesus makes us full members of His family.
I am a child of the King. Galatians 4:1-7
Galatians 4:1-7
1 Now I say that as long as the heir is a child, he differs in no way from a slave, though he is the owner of everything. 2 Instead, he is under guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. 3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were in slavery under the elements of the world. 4 When the time came to completion, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God 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 God has made you an heir.
What is Paul trying to explain to us here in this passage?
At the time Paul wrote his Letter to the Galatians, he was living in a world where it was common for wealthier families to have servants in their home. When the master’s wife had a baby boy, the servants would take care of that child, tending to the master’s son along with their own children. The master’s child was expected to obey the servants and follow their instructions just like the other children. The same is true for us as we relate to God: “In the same way we also, when we were children, were in slavery under the elements of the world.” Speaking to his fellow Jews, Paul used “the elements” to describe the basics tenets of the law. The children of Israel were living their lives with no greater purpose than to follow the rules and regulations they were told to follow. Living under the law was like living as underage sons who had yet to be brought into their full rights as members of God’s family. When God the Father decided it was time, He made it possible for us to take off our slave clothes, leave the nursery, and step into full blown sonship as part of His family. It was in that moment that “God sent his Son.” He did so for two reasons: To redeem those under the law. The law had not made anyone a son of God. Following rules and regulations might have made some Israelites more pious, but it never made them a part of God’s family—it never could. And, To adopt us into His family. The word translated “adoption” might have described the Roman custom of bringing a young boy into the new level of sonship, but it generally referred to bringing someone outside the family into the family. Don’t miss the truth that God has always wanted us to be a part of His family. “He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will” (Eph. 1:5). A time never existed when God didn’t want us in His family. He’s loved us from the beginning, and it brings Him great pleasure each and every time He welcomes home a new son or a new daughter. If you’re a child of God and have been adopted into His family, you receive many benefits. The greatest benefit is the gift of the Holy Spirit in our lives: “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba, Father!’” God Himself lives in us! The Holy Spirit gives us that assurance in every part of our lives. He is ever-present in the lives of His children. He tells us we’re no longer slaves. Since we’ve been adopted into the family of God, He entitles us to privileges and blessings we didn’t have before.
Points:
- In Christ, we are God’s children – now!
- God gives His Spirit to seal our salvation and to give us assurance of our relationship with Him.
- Because of Christ and through the indwelling of His Spirit, we can cry out to God as our loving Father.
- We are no longer slaves to sin or the things of this world, but are children of God, heirs to His promises.
Chapter 4 is a continuation of Paul's teaching on the abolition of the Law of Moses and the replacement of the entire system by Christianity.
1. He compared the Law to the conditions governing a person not yet come of age, as something sure to be replaced by another arrangement later on (Galatians 4:1-7).
2. He pointed out the restrictive and onerous nature of the Law itself, comparing it to slavery or bondage (Galatians 4:8-11). Next, he reminded them of the circumstances of their conversion, their love for him, and warned them against the evil men who were seducing them away from the faith (Galatians 4:12-20); and finally,
3. He appealed to an allegory based upon the life of Abraham, which was climaxed by "Cast out the handmaiden and her son," meaning, in the analogy, "Christianity and Judaism are not compatible, or reconcilable; and it is the Law of Moses that has to go." (Galatians 4:21-31).
No child of whatever culture is to be trusted with an inheritance until the age of responsibility.
What comes to mind when you hear the word “Royalty”?
Most people on planet earth will work their entire lives and never make a million dollars. But Prince George Alexander Louis was worth millions the day he was born. Prince George is part of the British royal family. As the son of Prince William and Kate Middleton, he’s currently third in line to the throne. His great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, is reportedly worth more than $450 million; as the nation’s reigning monarch, receives an annual payment close to $13 million. Prince George is in line for all this wealth and privilege.
You may think: Who deserves that kind of privilege and wealth?
- He hasn’t earned a single dime of what he’s been given!
The same could be said of any who follow Jesus.
- When we come to Christ, we’re given an incredible inheritance! And, we’ve done absolutely nothing to earn it or deserve it.
Why don’t we see ourselves as Royalty?
YOU ARE ROYALTY
You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. - 1 Peter 2:9
The image of royalty, taken directly from 1 Peter, is supposed to remind us of our identities as sons and daughters of God; that we are heirs to Jesus’ reward and have been given authority to issue decrees in the Kingdom and to do God’s business on the earth like Jesus did. This is reminder is especially important for those of us who grew up in religious communities where we were trained to think of ourselves more like God’s slaves than God’s sons. For me “You are royalty” has come to mean “You’re powerful because of God in you!”
What it would look like if we, as the body of Christ, truly saw ourselves as the royal sons or daughters of God.
In Romans 8:15-17a, it says, “So, you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call Him, “Abba, Father.” For His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are His children, we are His heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory.
How do we inherit like Royalty?
Inheriting like Royalty: At first, I didn’t like the metaphor of being royalty. Maybe it’s because I’m American and was raised by my Dad who could be a poster boy for the American dream: born into a trailer park home, couldn’t have shoes when he needed them as a kid, saved, worked hard, put himself through community college and started a successful real estate business. I was raised with a glorified view of starting with nothing, having no inheritance and making it on merit. By comparison, I associated royalty, heirs and heiress as spoiled, good-for-nothings who never do anything except spend lavishly and laze around their castles wasting all their parents’ (or government’s) money. Some do I’m sure, but I think my stereotype of the fat, lazy king is not actually the norm for someone born into royalty. Especially not if they feel loved and cherished and are taught what their role is to be from a young age. I have to be careful to not see all the world through those “American dream glasses” because God’s kingdom is not a meritocracy.
- None of us get to heaven by our merit.
- Neither do we receive victory, blessings, love or sonship by merit.
We would all fall short of deserving anything. Instead, we are invited to freely receive the fruit of Christ’s merit. Because Christ is our brother, Romans 8 tells us we get to receive everything He has, like heirs and heiresses; like royalty. How is that fair? It’s not fair, it’s grace! God’s definition of fair sometimes differs from ours.
- Receiving freely and not “pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps” is God’s desire for us in the Kingdom and part of how we walk out our royalty.
- Knowing we can ask our Dad in heaven for everything and then letting Him bring what you’ve asked for, rather than trying to push down doors or “make it on our own.” Living out royalty in this way can translate to our careers, our finances and even with our ministry or personal development. I’m not saying we don’t play a part in those things, but our main role is to make good choices as choices are presented to us, and to follow the path laid before us with peace and not anxiety.
Are you asking and receiving things like a royal heir, or are you pushing like a pauper trying to make it to the top?
How do we think like Royalty?
Thinking Like Royalty: The other day, I was in a room of mostly strangers, most likely all non-Christians, not my most comfortable place to be. For a second, I felt self-aware and a bit awkward, and then that phrase popped into my head, “You are royalty.” I started thinking about what that would look like if I fully believed it. For example, if I were Prince William.
Around non-royals:
- I’d be very aware of my behavior on many levels. How does it reflect on the royal family? (Are you aware of how your behavior make God, Christianity and other Christians look?)
- I would be distinctly aware of my unique position to influence others by my behavior and words. Knowing that everything I say will be scrutinized, I’d be conscientious of my words making sure people I came into contact with felt loved, cherished, valued and special.
- And being so secure in who I am and where my identity comes from, I’d be able to give away that kind of love and affirmation to people I come into contact with without needing any in return.
This might sound crazy, but that’s exactly what we get to do as daughters and sons of the Most High God. I’ve learned this year that when we know we are royal, other people seem to know it too. Even if they can’t explain what it is, people will begin to want your time, attention, words of affirmation and eventually your opinions on things when you start to believe and walk out the truth that you are royal!
How do we allocate time like Royalty?
Time Allocation Like Royalty: Prince William spends almost all his public time at charity events, blessing others, bringing joy, finances and a good name to the royal family. The other large chunk of his life is spent enjoying life and family. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not encouraging you to quit your jobs and hire a butler, but I do want to pose a challenge here:
If we truly believed we are heirs to heaven, would we spend so much time worrying about little things like finances, our future careers, or what someone thinks about us?
- No! Knowing how secure our place is, how loved we are, how provided for we are, we would feel freer to use our time to expand the kingdom.
- We might be doing the same things we’re doing now, but the motivation and strategy would change and therefore, so would the fruit.
- No longer would we be striving for more money, more power, more followers, more honor or to be “the best.” Instead we’d be conscious of modeling “Kingdom Living” by pursuing excellence in our work and ministries, by putting people before money, by loving well, forgiving well, taking criticism with grace and setting examples with how we love and raise our families.
What percentage of your time is spent being motivated by expanding the kingdom or modeling kingdom life? What percentage of your time is consumed in worry?
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matt 6:33)
Everyone is craving intimacy with God whether they know it or not, and an encounter with you is a taste of that for them. All it requires for this to manifest in your life is your agreement with who God says you are. Believe Him when He says, “YOU ARE ROYALTY.”
"What does it mean that God is our Abba Father?"
In Scripture there are many different names used to describe God. While all the names of God are important in many ways, the name “Abba Father” is one of the most significant names of God in understanding how He relates to people. The word Abba is an Aramaic word that would most closely be translated as “Daddy.” It was a common term that young children would use to address their fathers. It signifies the close, intimate relationship of a father to his child, as well as the childlike trust that a young child puts in his “daddy.”
While most people, at least those who do not irrationally deny the existence of God, would claim that all are “children of God,” the Bible reveals quite a different truth. We are all His creations and under His authority and Lordship and will all be judged by Him, but being a child of God and having the right to truly call Him “Abba Father” is something that only born-again Christians are able to do (John 1:12-13).
Understanding that not all people are children of God and that becoming a child of God only happens when you are adopted by God through faith in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26) is important for understanding how and why God deals with people differently. If we are born again (John 1:12, 3:1-8), we have been adopted into the family of God, redeemed from the curse of sin and are “joint-heirs with Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:17; also Galatians 4:7). Part of that new relationship is that God now deals with us differently, which includes His chastisement when we sin (Hebrews 12:3-11). Because of that new relationship, Christians may sin, but they cannot be comfortable or content living a life of habitual, ongoing sin. If people are living a life enslaved to sin and are comfortable in that sin and without the chastisement of God upon them, then we know they are “illegitimate and not sons” (Hebrews 12:8). In other words, they are unbelievers.
Are all people children of God and can call Him “Abba Father”?
The misguided but popular concept that all people are children of God and can truthfully call Him “Abba Father” is simply not true. Just as children do not choose to be adopted or choose who will adopt them, neither do Christians choose to become children of God. Instead, God chooses them. He predestines them “to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will” (Ephesians 1:5), having been chosen by God from “before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4). It is life-changing to understand the full force of what it means to be able to call the one true God our “Daddy” and what it means to be joint-heirs with Christ.
Because of our relationship with God, we know He no longer deals with us as enemies; instead, we can approach a holy God as our heavenly Father with “boldness” (Hebrews 10:19) and “full assurance of faith” (Hebrews 10:22). We have that confidence because of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit who “bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” (Romans 8:16-17). The benefits of being adopted children of God are many.
- Becoming a child of God is the highest privilege and honor that can be imagined. Because of it we have a new relationship with God and a new standing before Him.
- He deals with His children differently than He deals with the rest of the world.
- Being a child of God, adopted “through faith in Christ Jesus” is the source for our hope, the security of our future and the motivation to “walk worthy of the calling with which you were called” (Ephesians 4:1).
- Being children of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords calls us to a higher standard, a different way of life and a greater hope.
- As we come to understand the true nature of God as revealed in the Bible we should be amazed that He not only allows us, but even encourages us, to call Him “Abba Father.” It is amazing that a holy and righteous God, who created and sustains all things, who is the only all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present God, would allow sinful humans to call Him “Daddy.” As we come to understand who God really is and how sinful we are, the privilege of being able to call Him “Abba Father” will take on a whole new meaning for us and help us understand God’s amazing grace.
Hope to see you this Sunday!
In His Love,
David & Susan
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