WEBVTT 00:00:01.760 --> 00:00:02.640 Good morning. 00:00:04.160 --> 00:00:09.599 Today, uh, Pastor Brian is going to be reading and preaching from Galatians. 00:00:09.919 --> 00:00:12.400 Galatians 4, if you guys would like to follow along. 00:00:12.720 --> 00:00:15.519 We have a short passage today, but it is profound. 00:00:15.839 --> 00:00:18.719 Galatians 4, 4 through 7. 00:00:22.160 --> 00:00:34.799 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 of sons. 00:00:35.359 --> 00:00:45.520 Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father, therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son. 00:00:45.759 --> 00:00:49.200 And if a son, then an heir through God. 00:00:49.840 --> 00:00:51.679 This is the word of the Lord. 00:01:03.759 --> 00:01:06.000 So good to know these truths, isn't it? 00:01:06.400 --> 00:01:07.599 What a joy. 00:01:07.920 --> 00:01:12.879 Let's go to the Lord one more time in prayer as we dive in to his word. 00:01:16.239 --> 00:01:19.920 Father, we thank you for the privilege, gift it is to be here. 00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:23.359 I thank you, Father, for your word to us again. 00:01:23.680 --> 00:01:26.799 But ultimately, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ. 00:01:27.040 --> 00:01:31.359 We thank you for the humiliation of taking on human flesh. 00:01:31.599 --> 00:01:39.920 We thank you for the humiliation of being subject and submitting to death, even death on a cross. 00:01:40.480 --> 00:01:44.319 Father, we thank you that we have hope. 00:01:45.680 --> 00:01:47.120 That we have the gift of hope. 00:01:48.799 --> 00:02:00.959 Remind us of this day by day, Father, as we look to Christ, especially as Christmas approaches and we look to the manger scene, Father, help us to remember the beauty and the truth behind that. 00:02:01.519 --> 00:02:05.280 The eternal mystery revealed in Christ. 00:02:07.200 --> 00:02:08.560 Lead us and guide us. 00:02:08.719 --> 00:02:11.360 For your glory, we pray in Christ's name. 00:02:11.680 --> 00:02:12.319 Amen. 00:02:15.520 --> 00:02:24.719 Well, as we dive into the book of Galatians in this passage here, I want to ask you a question that you know the answer to. 00:02:25.039 --> 00:02:26.560 What is hope? 00:02:27.439 --> 00:02:33.680 If you look at the definitions listed out in most modern dictionaries, you get something like this. 00:02:34.400 --> 00:02:41.199 Hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. 00:02:41.840 --> 00:02:45.439 This definition is a good one if we're thinking in terms of human hope, right? 00:02:45.680 --> 00:02:54.159 I mean, think about, for example, the the child sitting in the windowsill in their home as early evening approaches, staring out the window. 00:02:54.639 --> 00:02:55.919 You know where I'm going with this. 00:02:56.319 --> 00:03:00.960 For a glimpse of dad's car to come around the corner as he arrives home from work. 00:03:01.199 --> 00:03:05.039 There is a hope in this kid that his dad's gonna be home soon. 00:03:06.240 --> 00:03:11.280 There's the hope for the unemployed person that applies for a job hoping they're gonna get it. 00:03:11.439 --> 00:03:21.199 He sits by the phone, waits for a call, or I guess maybe in our day and age he waits for that very professional text message to come across to indicate whether or not he got the job. 00:03:21.599 --> 00:03:26.159 We hope that our car is gonna make it over the pass when the snow flies. 00:03:26.879 --> 00:03:30.400 We hope that our roof shingles will hold out in the rain. 00:03:31.039 --> 00:03:34.479 We hope that we don't get the flu this time of year. 00:03:35.360 --> 00:03:38.159 Maybe we hope that we're gonna make the team. 00:03:39.680 --> 00:03:47.599 Some of us may hope that the snow flies in the form of an absolute blizzard when that certain family member approach or family time approaches. 00:03:52.080 --> 00:03:53.199 Maybe not. 00:03:53.520 --> 00:04:00.000 But as Christians, we we hope and we pray that we're gonna have an opportunity to share Christ with our loved ones in those times, right? 00:04:00.560 --> 00:04:11.120 And we hope that we're gonna stay faithful as a church in both our witness and our doctrine, no matter what winds of change come to us socially or politically in our country. 00:04:11.520 --> 00:04:14.240 Point is, is we're almost, I mean, we could go down the list, right? 00:04:14.319 --> 00:04:18.240 We're almost constantly hoping for something in this life. 00:04:20.480 --> 00:04:25.040 We may not always use the word when thinking this way, but we hope a lot. 00:04:25.279 --> 00:04:27.040 Which is good much of the time. 00:04:27.199 --> 00:04:30.480 Most of what I listed out aren't bad things to hope for. 00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:36.319 But is that the kind of hope we primarily see in the Bible? 00:04:39.680 --> 00:04:41.600 Is that what we see? 00:04:42.399 --> 00:04:43.360 Somewhat. 00:04:43.519 --> 00:04:45.759 Yeah, we see that here and there. 00:04:46.000 --> 00:05:00.000 But I would say the primary use of hope in the scriptures, the distinctive use, the important use, is different than those common and accepted definitions that our culture uses. 00:05:00.879 --> 00:05:07.120 The biblical definition of hope for the most part simply centers around a person. 00:05:08.399 --> 00:05:12.399 The biblical definition of hope may sound something like this, very short. 00:05:12.639 --> 00:05:15.920 It is a confident expectation of things to come. 00:05:17.439 --> 00:05:28.160 Yes, it's a desire, as the previous definition proposes, but it is a desire that is linked to confidence, confident expectation. 00:05:28.399 --> 00:05:31.680 Not just wishing without the guarantee part. 00:05:32.160 --> 00:05:36.399 It's certainty, certainty of mind that is a joy. 00:05:37.759 --> 00:05:44.240 One example of hope that we have in the scriptures is the return of our Savior Jesus Christ. 00:05:44.720 --> 00:05:46.000 He's coming. 00:05:47.040 --> 00:05:48.560 There's no doubt. 00:05:49.360 --> 00:05:55.600 And he will come at precisely the perfect timing, and it will be absolutely glorious. 00:05:56.959 --> 00:05:58.800 That's one example. 00:05:59.279 --> 00:06:12.240 And so, as we study today one of the gifts of Christmas in this season, I never want us to forget the great expectancy that we cling to in Christ as we think of this ultimate gift. 00:06:12.480 --> 00:06:20.000 And so, without on your minds, as we dive into this passage in Galatians, we're going to look at it in two parts to see the hope. 00:06:20.319 --> 00:06:25.040 And one, we're going to look at the foundation of our hope in a few parts. 00:06:25.279 --> 00:06:29.439 And then, second, we're going to look at the certainty of our hope. 00:06:29.680 --> 00:06:31.439 So the foundation and the certainty. 00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:33.680 So let's first look at the foundation of our hope. 00:06:34.000 --> 00:06:35.839 Or the background, if you will. 00:06:36.720 --> 00:06:47.519 To begin, uh to look into this, I think it's important for us to just get a little snippet of what the context is as Paul is writing this, as he says, to the churches in Galatia. 00:06:47.680 --> 00:06:55.120 Right off the bat in this book, Paul begins by addressing and really calling out those who have begun to receive a false gospel in those churches. 00:06:55.279 --> 00:07:03.279 Paul rebukes them for this and says, hey guys, if any other gospel comes your way, I don't care if an angel is proclaiming it. 00:07:03.439 --> 00:07:11.839 If there's any other gospel from the one that I told you, it is a curse upon your eternal soul if you receive that and follow that. 00:07:12.399 --> 00:07:14.800 Any other one but the one of Christ. 00:07:15.600 --> 00:07:20.480 Again, in the beginning of the chapter three, right after he speaks those famous words at the end of chapter two. 00:07:20.800 --> 00:07:26.160 Remember those famous words that we should all try to memorize, where he says, I have been crucified with Christ. 00:07:26.240 --> 00:07:28.879 It is no longer I who live, Christ who lives in me. 00:07:28.959 --> 00:07:29.839 And he goes on from there. 00:07:29.920 --> 00:07:36.399 Right after that, in chapter three, Paul says, You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you? 00:07:37.519 --> 00:07:45.759 Paul becomes stunned by their lack of faith in the gospel if they have reverted back to clinging to the works of the flesh to save themselves. 00:07:47.360 --> 00:08:01.360 So then he spends the rest of the third chapter and even into the fourth, just explaining that while the law is good and in that it was meant to show us what holy living looks like and it's necessary, it's yet a curse to us because we cannot follow and fulfill it. 00:08:01.600 --> 00:08:03.839 We needed somebody to do that on our behalf. 00:08:04.000 --> 00:08:06.560 We needed Jesus. 00:08:06.959 --> 00:08:09.199 We needed Jesus, the Son of God, to come. 00:08:09.360 --> 00:08:22.319 And he goes even a little further here early on in the beginning of the fourth chapter by saying that we tend to follow after that which is elemental, that which is of the world or worldly systems, those basic things. 00:08:22.720 --> 00:08:35.360 To the Jews, that meant they followed the traditions of men over and above the Word of God, or created their own version, which of course made them slaves to the world, as we looked at from Titus III last time. 00:08:36.159 --> 00:08:38.639 But they were slaves to elemental things, Paul is saying. 00:08:38.799 --> 00:08:48.559 They were seeking to follow the law by their own efforts, for their own gain, not out of an attitude of just faithful obedience, because of who God is and what he's accomplished. 00:08:48.799 --> 00:08:57.120 No, they were nursing, if you will, on the elementary things of the world, and in doing so, just forsaking the law and what the law pointed to. 00:08:57.600 --> 00:09:02.799 For the Gentile, Paul is relating these elemental weak and worthless things of their pagan worship. 00:09:02.960 --> 00:09:11.519 In verse 9, Paul uses the same word to describe their elementary understandings of the divine and wants them to see the beauty of looking into the deep things of God instead. 00:09:11.679 --> 00:09:16.080 Either way, both Jew and Gentile are acting as children, he's saying. 00:09:16.720 --> 00:09:20.159 Slaves to those elementary things, those insignificant things. 00:09:20.320 --> 00:09:25.600 And Paul is just trying to lead them away from that, lead them to the truth, to heavenly things. 00:09:26.480 --> 00:09:31.919 He's fervently trying to teach them and remind them of the real and eternally good news. 00:09:32.080 --> 00:09:34.799 The gospel of Jesus Christ, the only gospel. 00:09:36.080 --> 00:09:37.279 And how does he do that? 00:09:37.440 --> 00:09:39.679 How does he get to that point? 00:09:41.519 --> 00:09:44.799 Well, now we enter into the foundation of our hope. 00:09:45.120 --> 00:09:48.000 Enter into the foundation of our inheritance as children of God. 00:09:48.159 --> 00:09:49.519 Look again at verse 4. 00:09:51.360 --> 00:09:53.039 Look again at verse 4. 00:09:55.440 --> 00:10:02.159 As we break down this verse, as we see this incredible gift of hope, I want us to see it in four parts. 00:10:02.480 --> 00:10:10.799 But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law. 00:10:11.759 --> 00:10:15.440 First Paul says, when the fullness of time came, what does he mean by that? 00:10:15.679 --> 00:10:20.879 Well, I think Mark 1.15 helps us when it says, the time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand. 00:10:21.039 --> 00:10:22.720 Repent and believe in the gospel. 00:10:22.879 --> 00:10:23.519 That's it. 00:10:23.759 --> 00:10:25.039 The time is fulfilled. 00:10:25.279 --> 00:10:27.759 It is now time to look to Christ. 00:10:28.720 --> 00:10:30.480 Here's your Messiah. 00:10:31.120 --> 00:10:37.759 When Jesus came, it revealed to all of creation that the time of God is fulfilled for this event. 00:10:38.320 --> 00:10:43.919 His perfect timing has now come to pass for this majestic event to take place. 00:10:45.279 --> 00:10:47.039 And what event was that? 00:10:48.799 --> 00:10:49.759 Christmas. 00:10:50.240 --> 00:10:54.000 The word became flesh, John tells us. 00:10:54.559 --> 00:10:58.080 That the incarnate Son of God would come down to us. 00:10:58.320 --> 00:11:02.480 God's precise and perfect timing is now in that sense. 00:11:02.639 --> 00:11:03.440 It happened. 00:11:03.600 --> 00:11:06.559 It was right according to his divine will. 00:11:07.360 --> 00:11:11.200 And in God's sovereign providence, we see some neat things in that regard. 00:11:11.600 --> 00:11:16.480 Even some earthly, if you will, or temporary reasons as to part of the timing. 00:11:17.360 --> 00:11:27.039 You've got to remember at that time, because of the great influence of the Greeks, there was for really a first time a common language known by most in the modern area. 00:11:27.759 --> 00:11:32.480 This is going to be important because if you have a common language, what do you get to proclaim? 00:11:32.960 --> 00:11:36.799 The news of Jesus Christ and the Christ child in the gospel. 00:11:37.360 --> 00:11:40.799 Another significant factor was the Roman infrastructure that came. 00:11:40.960 --> 00:11:53.440 Rome, who had taken over after the Greeks and who were present at the time of Christ when he came as conquering empire, they had created this vast road system complete with highways, if you will, not like ours. 00:11:53.679 --> 00:11:57.200 Highways for the transportation of soldiers, goods, other things. 00:11:57.360 --> 00:12:00.559 And one of those things that would be taken on the road was what? 00:12:01.039 --> 00:12:03.200 Good news of Jesus Christ. 00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:16.000 There's so many political, social, economic, and even religious reasons that we can now look back through history that are all possibly a part of the fullness of time as we look with our limited scope and knowledge. 00:12:16.240 --> 00:12:22.080 But ultimately, again, it is God's prerogative in his perfect timing that this was to be accomplished. 00:12:22.159 --> 00:12:29.279 And so for thousands of years, as we read the Old Testament, the prophets had foretold of this one who was coming. 00:12:30.159 --> 00:12:34.879 This one who would come and rescue and redeem and ransom a people for himself. 00:12:35.200 --> 00:12:39.360 That's the point of the Old Testament, ultimately, is look to Christ. 00:12:40.639 --> 00:12:58.080 Whether that's specific prophecies, like some in Psalm 22 or Isaiah 53, for example, that speak of Christ, or maybe it's types of Christ, as we understand Moses, Joseph, Isaac, even the Israelite people, they're all types of Christ in a sense. 00:12:58.159 --> 00:13:00.159 And that's another study for another time. 00:13:00.320 --> 00:13:06.559 But the point is it all points to his coming, his life, his death, his resurrection, his kingdom. 00:13:07.519 --> 00:13:12.000 And since it is pointing to this central figure, Paul says, the time has come. 00:13:13.840 --> 00:13:15.200 The time was fulfilled. 00:13:15.279 --> 00:13:19.679 It was the right time, the ripe time, according to the Father's will. 00:13:19.840 --> 00:13:26.080 This is yet another one of those beautiful times in Scripture where we see, in a sense, but God. 00:13:26.240 --> 00:13:27.519 We talked about that last time too. 00:13:27.679 --> 00:13:31.600 It doesn't use those two words here specifically, but that's what Paul's getting at. 00:13:31.759 --> 00:13:40.080 You see, as they were focusing on elementary things, he says, the fullness of time came. 00:13:40.559 --> 00:13:45.120 You're over here, and the fullness of time came for you, for you to know and believe. 00:13:45.279 --> 00:13:47.919 Remember, it wasn't that long after that Paul wrote this. 00:13:48.879 --> 00:13:54.639 And so what we find is Paul says this is he's not just saying, hey, that happened, and just moving on. 00:13:54.799 --> 00:13:57.519 He's saying, hope came just at the right time. 00:13:58.159 --> 00:13:59.360 Perfectly. 00:14:01.519 --> 00:14:04.559 So just a quick point of application, I think, is important. 00:14:05.440 --> 00:14:13.600 Brothers and sisters, no matter what's going on in your life right now, everything God does is just at the right time. 00:14:14.559 --> 00:14:15.679 You may not like it. 00:14:15.919 --> 00:14:17.360 It may be a tough season. 00:14:17.679 --> 00:14:19.679 Maybe it's the best season in your life you've ever had. 00:14:19.840 --> 00:14:20.720 Either way. 00:14:21.519 --> 00:14:23.519 It's always at the right time. 00:14:24.080 --> 00:14:25.279 In his way. 00:14:26.879 --> 00:14:29.360 Especially in the sending of his son. 00:14:30.320 --> 00:14:32.480 Nothing is accidental in God's economy. 00:14:32.639 --> 00:14:34.320 Nothing is coincidental. 00:14:35.200 --> 00:14:38.000 Nothing is outside of his sovereign will and decree. 00:14:38.240 --> 00:14:40.240 Brothers and sisters, we praise God for that. 00:14:40.559 --> 00:14:45.919 Could you imagine the chaos that would ensue if God wasn't sovereign over everything? 00:14:47.120 --> 00:14:49.759 Just the right time, he came. 00:14:51.840 --> 00:14:56.879 Leads us to the second part of this incredible gift of our foundational hope. 00:14:57.759 --> 00:15:01.440 So it says, but when the fullness of time came, what happened? 00:15:01.759 --> 00:15:03.919 God sent forth his son. 00:15:05.600 --> 00:15:06.240 Wow. 00:15:07.679 --> 00:15:10.320 You ever just marvel and reflect on that for a moment? 00:15:10.639 --> 00:15:13.759 I mean, we say that all the time throughout the year, especially at Christmas. 00:15:13.919 --> 00:15:14.720 God sent his son. 00:15:14.960 --> 00:15:15.519 Yeah. 00:15:15.919 --> 00:15:18.240 Do you ever just reflect on that? 00:15:19.360 --> 00:15:24.159 I mean, that is wonderful, essential, and really mind-boggling, isn't it? 00:15:26.080 --> 00:15:32.159 Ultimately, I would say what this statement does, what Paul is doing, is declaring Jesus' divinity in one way. 00:15:33.440 --> 00:15:37.840 Because the fact that God sent forth his son does two things for us. 00:15:38.240 --> 00:15:46.879 It declares Jesus' eternality as God, and at the same time, it assures us that there is such a thing as hope, real hope. 00:15:47.759 --> 00:15:52.799 Again, if Jesus isn't God, our sins are not forgiven. 00:15:53.200 --> 00:15:56.639 He would never have been able to endure the temptations nor the cross. 00:15:56.960 --> 00:15:59.519 His eternality, therefore, is supremely important. 00:15:59.600 --> 00:16:00.879 It tells us he's God. 00:16:01.039 --> 00:16:01.600 Think about it. 00:16:01.759 --> 00:16:05.360 It says here he was sent by the Father. 00:16:06.399 --> 00:16:09.039 It doesn't say created, does it? 00:16:09.600 --> 00:16:12.639 It says sent forth, not just born. 00:16:13.919 --> 00:16:19.679 We'll talk about his birth in a moment, but before we do that, we need to know and understand Jesus is divine. 00:16:19.919 --> 00:16:24.799 He is God who came in the flesh, not just a creation of the Father. 00:16:25.039 --> 00:16:29.759 John 1.1 tells us that in the beginning he was with God and he was God. 00:16:29.919 --> 00:16:34.720 Many false religions will try to tell you that Jesus is the first and greatest created being. 00:16:35.039 --> 00:16:36.639 That's not true. 00:16:37.200 --> 00:16:42.240 It sounds nice to us because we can grasp that a little bit better in our small minds. 00:16:42.480 --> 00:16:46.240 But actually, what is true is just far superior to that. 00:16:46.879 --> 00:16:48.960 And actually makes sense. 00:16:49.279 --> 00:16:51.840 Jesus is literally God who came in the flesh. 00:16:52.000 --> 00:16:56.080 He has always existed as God and will always exist as God. 00:16:56.240 --> 00:16:58.720 The point is that Jesus is God. 00:16:59.120 --> 00:17:00.399 God sent forth his son. 00:17:00.639 --> 00:17:05.039 God sent forth the other member of the Trinity, one of the other. 00:17:07.279 --> 00:17:11.200 Jesus is God in essence, nature, substance, power. 00:17:11.440 --> 00:17:21.200 Therefore, in the incarnation, we see that he willingly submitted to the Father in that glorious role of Son, the one who receives the inheritance, namely his church. 00:17:21.359 --> 00:17:26.160 And at no time on earth did Jesus ever give up one ounce of his divine nature. 00:17:26.400 --> 00:17:27.279 Not one. 00:17:28.400 --> 00:17:30.720 He was God, is God, and will always be God. 00:17:30.799 --> 00:17:35.519 And what this means ultimately for us is now we can have hope. 00:17:38.480 --> 00:17:41.119 Because of this, because of Jesus coming. 00:17:41.359 --> 00:17:55.279 There is immense hope in this because we see that our triune God chose to bless us with his presence, and through the incarnation, the result ends up being salvation for lost and wayward sinners such as myself. 00:17:56.960 --> 00:17:58.880 God came down. 00:18:01.680 --> 00:18:04.160 Ah, brothers and sisters, is Christmas a time. 00:18:04.480 --> 00:18:08.000 I mean, truly a time to reflect on hope. 00:18:10.640 --> 00:18:11.440 Think about that again. 00:18:11.599 --> 00:18:15.200 The eternal Son of God was sent to save. 00:18:17.119 --> 00:18:26.000 Not just sit on a royal chamber and rule, but to die and to save sinners. 00:18:27.599 --> 00:18:31.839 Okay, so we've established that he is God who came forth, was sent forth. 00:18:32.000 --> 00:18:35.680 Now, let's look at this third portion of the foundational hope. 00:18:35.920 --> 00:18:37.039 He is born of a woman. 00:18:37.119 --> 00:18:38.559 Again, verse 4. 00:18:39.680 --> 00:18:45.359 Okay, so I've already said it's essential that Jesus is God, that it takes a divine nature to be able to save us. 00:18:45.599 --> 00:18:50.000 Well, on the flip side of the coin, it also requires him being human to do this. 00:18:50.079 --> 00:18:52.400 He had to be born of a woman. 00:18:52.640 --> 00:18:55.359 Notice it doesn't say born of Adam, born of man. 00:18:55.599 --> 00:18:57.119 He could not be Adam's seed. 00:18:57.200 --> 00:19:01.119 In fact, he came to be the better and truer Adam, Paul tells us. 00:19:01.440 --> 00:19:04.400 So he had to be born of a virgin, conceived by the Holy Spirit. 00:19:04.559 --> 00:19:07.200 That's essential to Christmas, isn't it? 00:19:08.480 --> 00:19:14.079 And in this way, he came to save us and destroy the works of the devil, the Bible says. 00:19:15.519 --> 00:19:20.880 Really, there's no other reason for Jesus to take on human flesh than to save humans and glorify the Father. 00:19:21.119 --> 00:19:25.519 It doesn't do anything to further his deity, as we talked about this morning in Sunday school. 00:19:25.680 --> 00:19:30.640 It only adds pain, toil, suffering, hunger, thirst, sorrow. 00:19:31.039 --> 00:19:33.200 It didn't benefit him in that way. 00:19:33.440 --> 00:19:40.160 The only additions that came with the human flesh was now he's a sin bearer, along with decay. 00:19:40.799 --> 00:19:42.079 That's the only additions. 00:19:42.240 --> 00:19:46.160 The only benefit is he came to glorify the Father and save the people. 00:19:49.759 --> 00:19:56.079 I want you to listen to what a great Puritan Stephen Charnock said about this when he speaks of the two natures of Christ. 00:19:56.160 --> 00:20:00.880 And I know we're getting deep, but this is really important for us to understand Christianity. 00:20:01.440 --> 00:20:02.880 Christ had two natures. 00:20:03.039 --> 00:20:12.319 He says this what a wonder that two natures infinitely distant should be more intimately united than anything in the world. 00:20:12.720 --> 00:20:22.160 That the same person should have both a glory and a grief, an infinite joy in the deity, and an inexpressible sorrow in the humanity. 00:20:22.400 --> 00:20:26.000 That a god upon a throne should be an infant in a cradle. 00:20:26.799 --> 00:20:31.519 The thundering creator be a weeping babe and a suffering man. 00:20:32.720 --> 00:20:37.359 The incarnation astonishes men upon the earth and angels in heaven. 00:20:38.400 --> 00:20:39.440 End quote. 00:20:41.359 --> 00:20:43.440 It should boggle our minds. 00:20:44.319 --> 00:20:48.319 The fact that Jesus is born of the woman is really one of the essentials of our faith. 00:20:48.480 --> 00:20:51.119 If that's not true, we don't have faith. 00:20:51.759 --> 00:20:53.200 Our faith is in nothing. 00:20:54.160 --> 00:20:57.839 Not just because he came down, but how he condescended to us. 00:20:58.240 --> 00:21:02.640 He chose to be born of a woman because this is how we are saved. 00:21:05.519 --> 00:21:08.559 Christmas is so wonderful for so many reasons. 00:21:08.960 --> 00:21:19.119 But to think that Jesus came and voluntarily became born of a woman produces just universe-altering truth and hope for us. 00:21:20.799 --> 00:21:31.519 Because once we realize that if he wasn't human, Jesus could no longer or could never know nor experience all the temptations and frailties humanity has. 00:21:32.480 --> 00:21:34.640 God could never be tempted to sin. 00:21:35.119 --> 00:21:36.240 He's perfectly holy. 00:21:36.400 --> 00:21:44.079 Jesus therefore had to be human so that he could know all of what it means to be human by experience, even to know the sting of death for a time. 00:21:45.119 --> 00:21:46.799 And that's God's plan. 00:21:48.240 --> 00:21:54.880 And it's the only way for him to be the atoning sacrifice to satisfy what needs to be satisfied. 00:21:54.960 --> 00:21:58.480 And that is, of course, the just wrath of the Father. 00:21:58.799 --> 00:21:59.599 And so our hope is. 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:04.960 Infinitely and eternally linked to the two natures of Christ. 00:22:05.119 --> 00:22:07.440 The theologians call this the hypostatic union. 00:22:07.599 --> 00:22:09.759 100% man, 100% God. 00:22:10.160 --> 00:22:11.920 Truly God, truly man. 00:22:12.240 --> 00:22:13.680 Perfectly both. 00:22:17.440 --> 00:22:21.599 This truth of the Savior, in and of itself, is worthy of praise. 00:22:23.519 --> 00:22:27.440 To think that the eternally perfect one took on flesh for our benefit. 00:22:28.720 --> 00:22:32.240 Remember that when you say Merry Christmas to your family members. 00:22:34.960 --> 00:22:41.440 Fourth part of this foundation of our hope is that we see that Jesus is born under the law. 00:22:41.680 --> 00:22:44.799 Now you may say, why does that matter? 00:22:46.240 --> 00:22:47.359 Well, we'll get to that. 00:22:47.440 --> 00:22:50.160 In Matthew chapter 1, we read of the lineage of Jesus. 00:22:50.319 --> 00:22:56.880 We see that Jesus is legally the heir of Abraham, tribe of Judah, seed of David, meaning he's a Jew. 00:22:57.119 --> 00:23:02.319 On his mother's side, recorded in the book of Luke, we see the same thing. 00:23:02.480 --> 00:23:05.440 Even through Mary's lineage, we think that's Mary's lineage. 00:23:05.759 --> 00:23:07.119 He's of the tribe of Judah. 00:23:07.359 --> 00:23:09.200 So Jesus is thoroughly a Jew. 00:23:09.359 --> 00:23:11.440 He's a Jewish man through and through. 00:23:11.519 --> 00:23:17.440 And what this means is that as Paul points out, he's born under the law, subject to the law. 00:23:18.000 --> 00:23:20.240 He's required to fulfill the law. 00:23:20.559 --> 00:23:23.279 Guess what happens if Jesus doesn't? 00:23:24.480 --> 00:23:26.000 We're still in our sin. 00:23:26.319 --> 00:23:28.319 No salvation, no hope. 00:23:28.880 --> 00:23:32.880 And so that's why it's really important that he says, born under the law. 00:23:34.960 --> 00:23:43.200 As Jesus is born in that manger in Bethlehem, just as the prophet Micah spoke of in the fifth chapter of his book, he's born under the law of Moses. 00:23:44.400 --> 00:23:54.160 And up until that time, no one, not Elijah, not Jeremiah, not Isaiah, David, John the Baptist, not even Moses himself was able to follow that law perfectly, were they? 00:23:54.880 --> 00:23:56.400 How about you and I? 00:23:57.519 --> 00:23:58.720 Not so much. 00:24:00.400 --> 00:24:28.240 But when that baby came forth in the manger, when Jesus took on flesh, those who were there were looking at someone who would be tempted, who would have the flaming arrows of the full quiver of the evil one flung at him, who would be assassination attempted upon him within his first two years, who would know suffering beyond any human ever born, and yet he would not sin. 00:24:28.640 --> 00:24:31.599 He would not fall into temptation as we so easily do. 00:24:31.839 --> 00:24:42.240 He lived the obedient life, the perfect sinless life that, by the way, you and I are all supposed to live, but could never after the fall. 00:24:42.480 --> 00:24:46.400 I mean, think about it this way: Jesus never once lusted after a woman. 00:24:46.720 --> 00:24:48.880 He never once stole from anybody. 00:24:49.119 --> 00:24:51.599 He never once hated his fellow man sinfully. 00:24:51.759 --> 00:24:54.319 He never once told a why, not even the white lie. 00:24:55.119 --> 00:24:59.519 He never once gossiped, for prayer, of course. 00:25:00.319 --> 00:25:03.920 He never ever denied the truth. 00:25:04.160 --> 00:25:06.160 He only told the truth in love. 00:25:07.200 --> 00:25:11.200 But more importantly, he never failed to worship his father. 00:25:12.720 --> 00:25:16.079 He never took his own name or the father's name in vain. 00:25:16.160 --> 00:25:17.920 He never created a false God to worship. 00:25:18.000 --> 00:25:21.759 And the devil gave him opportunity, didn't he, in the temptation in the wilderness. 00:25:24.079 --> 00:25:30.240 And he never spent one minute of any day deviating from the plan. 00:25:31.680 --> 00:25:39.440 What I'm saying is he is faithful, obedient, and he wholeheartedly obeyed the law and loved his heavenly father in it. 00:25:39.759 --> 00:25:43.279 He fulfilled the law, every jot and tittle, we say. 00:25:43.599 --> 00:25:46.400 In summation, he always did the Father's will. 00:25:47.839 --> 00:25:49.599 He's the better Adam. 00:25:51.359 --> 00:25:52.799 Born without sin. 00:25:53.039 --> 00:25:54.640 Lived a life without sin. 00:25:54.880 --> 00:25:56.319 God in the flesh. 00:25:58.240 --> 00:26:07.359 Not only this, but on the flip side of this, born under the law apart, what we find is that meant that he would therefore be killed under the law. 00:26:08.799 --> 00:26:10.640 On our behalf, in our place. 00:26:11.599 --> 00:26:18.079 Because we are condemned based on our sin by the rightness of the law. 00:26:18.720 --> 00:26:20.000 You understand that? 00:26:21.119 --> 00:26:24.240 And that's why the law is so good and yet a curse for us. 00:26:25.519 --> 00:26:32.240 But Jesus, who's born under the law, therefore condemned under the law inasmuch as he took our place. 00:26:32.400 --> 00:26:35.599 The law's demands were satisfied in him. 00:26:36.559 --> 00:26:39.599 Even the demand that there be death for lawbreakers. 00:26:40.960 --> 00:26:44.160 This produces something for us that is extremely important. 00:26:45.440 --> 00:26:47.599 Back to that hope piece. 00:26:48.240 --> 00:26:52.720 A confidence, an assurance, an expectation. 00:26:53.519 --> 00:26:56.160 It produces the gift of hope. 00:26:56.559 --> 00:27:03.359 The law's righteous demands were then satisfied in the incarnate Son of God because he's born under the law. 00:27:03.599 --> 00:27:05.680 So don't just read over that, born under the law. 00:27:05.759 --> 00:27:07.519 Okay, yeah, yeah, they're all born under the law of the time. 00:27:07.839 --> 00:27:10.480 There is something behind that, and it's huge. 00:27:12.640 --> 00:27:15.599 It's foundational for Christmas. 00:27:16.799 --> 00:27:21.839 Now we can say Jesus is the reason for the season and plant the thing in our yard. 00:27:22.240 --> 00:27:25.920 But when you're reading this passage, it expands it all the more. 00:27:26.079 --> 00:27:33.519 Now I'm not saying to list out 507 things about Jesus coming and put those all in your yard. 00:27:33.599 --> 00:27:35.200 That's going to be obnoxious. 00:27:35.440 --> 00:27:42.799 But to understand it in our minds, to be able to say, yeah, there's a reason I have this sign in my yard, the bumper sticker or whatever. 00:27:42.960 --> 00:27:44.640 There's a reason behind it. 00:27:44.880 --> 00:27:48.960 And let me tell you the specifics where we proclaim that. 00:27:49.119 --> 00:27:52.480 There's foundational truth to Christmas. 00:27:53.680 --> 00:27:59.440 So let's now look at the second part, the one that produces even more joy and hope. 00:27:59.599 --> 00:28:02.000 And that's the certainty that comes. 00:28:03.599 --> 00:28:06.240 There is certainty in your hope if you're in Christ. 00:28:06.400 --> 00:28:07.519 Do you understand that? 00:28:08.799 --> 00:28:11.759 He did come, he does save, he's coming again. 00:28:12.000 --> 00:28:14.240 What more certainty do we need? 00:28:15.119 --> 00:28:17.279 What a joy we carry with us. 00:28:17.680 --> 00:28:21.839 I want us to see three immensely important aspects of our hope as we look into this. 00:28:22.079 --> 00:28:24.160 Look at verse 5 with me again. 00:28:24.480 --> 00:28:25.200 Verse 5. 00:28:25.359 --> 00:28:28.720 He came to redeem those who are under the law. 00:28:28.960 --> 00:28:31.119 Remember what we just talked about with the law piece? 00:28:31.279 --> 00:28:38.400 It's important to Paul and it should be important to us because while we don't live under the Mosaic Law in its fullness, we live under the Ten Commandments, don't we? 00:28:38.559 --> 00:28:41.759 We live under the truth of how to worship, how to interact with one another. 00:28:42.000 --> 00:28:46.160 We live under the law of God, what he has established. 00:28:46.400 --> 00:28:55.279 And so for us to understand what Paul's getting at, we need to understand first, though, that what the word redeems, what the word redeem means here. 00:28:58.079 --> 00:29:00.400 And think about it in Paul's context. 00:29:01.599 --> 00:29:06.079 Really, what the word redeem means that's put in here is to buy back. 00:29:07.119 --> 00:29:10.400 Okay, to purchase for a price, kind of like ransom. 00:29:11.359 --> 00:29:15.440 In the ancient Roman world, we've got to remember, about half the population were slaves. 00:29:15.680 --> 00:29:18.799 So this would have been easily understood by them. 00:29:19.039 --> 00:29:23.920 You could literally go buy a slave if you wanted to every day. 00:29:24.240 --> 00:29:29.200 If you're willing to pay the price, then you could buy them and set them free if that's your prerogative. 00:29:29.839 --> 00:29:31.519 But you had to give up quite a bit of money. 00:29:31.680 --> 00:29:32.960 Slaves weren't cheap. 00:29:33.200 --> 00:29:36.880 So the man with enough money could do that as his ministry, if you will. 00:29:37.119 --> 00:29:41.599 Go redeem a slave if he bought them and sent them on their way. 00:29:43.759 --> 00:29:49.680 Now, that would have been a cultural context for them that we don't really have right here. 00:29:50.559 --> 00:29:55.759 But if you're in Christ, minimally, this is what Christ did for you. 00:29:56.000 --> 00:29:58.400 But it's so much more, of course. 00:29:58.720 --> 00:30:01.039 It's one of the reasons he came to the earth to begin with. 00:30:01.119 --> 00:30:03.599 You were a slave to the things of this world. 00:30:03.680 --> 00:30:05.759 You were a slave to the law, a slave to sin. 00:30:05.920 --> 00:30:13.839 And Jesus looked at us and he chose to come down, he chose to suffer, he chose to die in our place, and he chose to purchase us, and the cost was huge. 00:30:14.160 --> 00:30:21.440 The cost was not measurable with gold or silver, it was not measurable with anything that could be mined or traded from this earth. 00:30:21.759 --> 00:30:23.519 It was his own blood. 00:30:24.720 --> 00:30:27.119 The cost was the blood of the Son of God. 00:30:28.880 --> 00:30:41.519 And so the hope that comes in the incarnation during Christmas includes the hope of our purchasing out of the bondage of slavery by the death that this baby will one day endure in our place. 00:30:44.960 --> 00:30:50.480 The baby in the manger was born for one purpose, and that's to die. 00:30:50.799 --> 00:30:53.279 Now, I know we're all gonna die someday. 00:30:53.599 --> 00:30:55.920 No matter how much kale we eat. 00:30:57.119 --> 00:31:04.160 But Jesus came to die 33 or so years into his life, and he knew from the start this is my mission. 00:31:04.240 --> 00:31:05.440 He knew the date. 00:31:05.680 --> 00:31:08.000 Redemption would be his mission. 00:31:10.720 --> 00:31:14.480 I said earlier that the Father sent his son, proving his divinity. 00:31:14.799 --> 00:31:18.799 Well, we've got to understand and remember the father is not naive to what's gonna happen to his son. 00:31:18.960 --> 00:31:21.039 He doesn't send him, he's kind of hopeful. 00:31:21.680 --> 00:31:25.680 He knows what's coming from before the foundations of the world. 00:31:26.319 --> 00:31:37.200 But as he looked on our condition, it was outside of relationship with him, he looked on us, again, from before the foundations of the world with compassion and decided to send his son to death. 00:31:38.880 --> 00:31:45.039 You see, Christ redeemed us from the curse of not being able to follow the law like he could and did. 00:31:45.920 --> 00:31:52.319 His law following gave us hope, the hope of eternal life, so that he might redeem those under the law. 00:31:53.039 --> 00:32:01.440 What this means is that Christ's followers now have forgiveness, peace with God, freedom from the bondage of sin, the promise of eternal life. 00:32:01.599 --> 00:32:06.880 I mean, the list goes on and on, but it also includes something else absolutely amazing. 00:32:07.200 --> 00:32:17.279 That redemption includes something that Paul goes on to say after this that is mind-boggling and awesome. 00:32:18.079 --> 00:32:19.920 He goes on to use a word. 00:32:20.720 --> 00:32:27.519 Look at verse 5 again, so that he might redeem those who are under the law, that we might receive adoption. 00:32:28.720 --> 00:32:29.599 Adoption. 00:32:42.559 --> 00:32:44.640 Into the depths of your soul. 00:32:46.000 --> 00:32:49.599 This is a soul-changing event to even grasp this. 00:32:50.799 --> 00:32:58.799 God did not just free us from the law and our slavery through redemption and then just send us on our way if that's not amazing enough. 00:32:59.039 --> 00:33:00.720 No, he even goes on to adopt us. 00:33:00.799 --> 00:33:07.680 And he signs our adoption papers after covering the immense cost, and he signs it, you could say, with his own blood. 00:33:09.119 --> 00:33:18.000 He doesn't just easily write on adoption papers, hand over a little bit of money, you know, and people depict that he hands over money to the devil and gets us back, right? 00:33:18.079 --> 00:33:19.599 No, not at all. 00:33:20.240 --> 00:33:22.720 First of all, it costs him far more than that. 00:33:22.880 --> 00:33:26.640