An Heir Of God Through Christ

12-28-25

Hoonah-Hadley

Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7

Call to Worship Psalm 147:13-21

Daily Verse Galatians 4:7

An Heir Of God Through Christ

“Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” (NKJV) There are times when scripture is gender specific and times when it is all encompassing or inclusive. The New Living Translation uses the word “child” in place of “son”. Chapter 3:28 clears it up, “There is neither Jew nor Greek…slave or free…male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Linus in Charlie Browns Christmas tells the truth with his reading from Luke 2:10 “Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.’” Furthermore, 2 Corinthians 5:15 “And He died for all…” There is a boat load of scriptures to further this cause but we want you to know regardless of your age, color, race, gender, “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved…For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:9,13) As the world labels things and people, we’ll one up them with our own label. If you confess with your mouth, if you call upon the name of the Lord, if you are chosen, elected, predestined, if your name is in “The Book of Life”, here’s your label, you are a “Child of God”, an “Heir of God through Christ.” Before the world, medicine, psychology or the school counselor labels you, God knew you before you were formed, “your days were written before there was yet one of them.” (Psalm 139) Before you were born, God labeled you, He said you are His child. He loves you, forgives you, saves you, you’re an heir of His through Christ.

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Heir in its simplicity, one who inherits the estate of another…one who receives.

The whole idea behind Linus’s reading from Luke chapter 2, all the wonderful Christmas hymns, the Grinch, Cindy Lou Who, “It’s A Wonderful Life” with Jimmy Steward, the lighting of the Advent candles, the wise men, angels, Joseph, Mary and yard ornaments, is, that you are a child of God, an heir of His through His Son, that He so loved you that He gave His Son a ransom for you. At the end of the day, there is only one thing that will matter, not who your parents are, not how much money you made or didn’t make, what you did or didn’t do, but that you are an “heir of God through Christ.” Galatians 3:23-29 “Before faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the…law…If you belong to Christ…you are…heirs according to the promise.” Romans 6:14 “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are no longer under the law but under grace.” John 1:14,17 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” This Christmas celebration with all its pomp and circumstance, the glazed ham, the cranberry sauce, the perfect tree topped with an angel, the tonka toys, barbie dolls, the shepherds in the field, the wise men, this birth, this child, this miracle, this gift, this promise, the sole purpose of it all, to change our identity from slave to heir.  When you walk out these doors today, let this song pour forth from your heart, “I’m no longer a slave to sin, I am a child of God.” What child is this who laid to rest, on Mary’s lap is sleeping? This, this is Christ the King, He changes everything.

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Galatians 4:1-5 “Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave…but is under guardians and stewards until the appointed time by the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. 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, that we might receive the adoption as His children.” The penman of our lesson is making a comparison here. Basically what he is saying is that when we were children we had babysitters, it didn’t matter whether we were daddy’s kid or a slave, we had to eat everything on our plate before we could go play in the creek, and by all means, we had to be in by dark, except on weekends. What we want to focus on here for a minute is vs. 4, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son…” God “sets” the time in His historical work, period. Mark 1:15 “…The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Acts 1:7 “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.” Ephesians 1:9-10 “…having  made known to us the mystery of His will…which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ…” Time, all fixed and set by the Father. The time we are concerned with in our lesson is the time “God sent forth His Son.” There are many that are “sent”, but only one that was “sent forth”. John 6:38 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” 1 John 4:9-10 “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.” God “sent forth” His Son, the greatest act in human history. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” 

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Why did God send forth His Son? Vs. 5 “to redeem those who were under the law, that He could adopt us as His very own children.”  Two things here, “redeem” and “adopt”. Redeem is to rescue or ransom. To regain possession of by payment of a specific amount. To pay off. Redemption is salvation from sin through Christ’s sacrifice. Galatians 3:13-14 “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us…that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”  We are currently living in the fullness of time, in the presence of Christs’ finished work, He “has redeemed us…” Romans 8:2-3 “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do…through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son.” 1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God…” Christ did what we couldn’t do, He rescued us, He paid our ransom that we could never afford or deserve. Job 19:25 “I know that my Redeemer lives.” Adoption: To take into one’s family and raise as one’s own child. Ephesians 1:4-7 “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world…having predestined us to adoption…by Jesus Christ to Himself…In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins…” He chose us, adopted us, redeemed us. We are no longer a slave to sin. Father, Son, Holy Spirit, all at work in our adoption, it is decisive, effective and complete, we are children of God, part of His family. To be adopted by God is a breathtaking reality. Vs. 6 “…God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts…” This is a supernatural experience. We are united with Him, His cry becomes our cry, “Abba, Father!” Vs. 7 “Therefore, you are no longer a slave but a child…an heir of God through Christ.” Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. All that is His is ours. Amen.