Galatians 4:1-6

Once upon a time there were two boys. Although these two boys were the same age, in their early teens, they could not have been more different.  The first boy’s name was Rich and he was.  Or rather, his father was. He had grown up with all the privileges of being his father’s son.  He had servants to serve his every need. He had a closet full of clothes and all the toys and gadgets and gizmos and basically everything he wanted. He went to the best schools and had the very best education money can buy.  He was a good looking kid and basically a good kid.  As you may guess, Rich was on the spoiled side, a good kid, but still a touch spoiled. 

The other boy’s name was Nicholas.  Nicholas had lived the opposite life of Richey.  He too was an only child; but he never even knew his father.  His mother actually worked for Richey’s dad.  She was his housekeeper. All the time Nicholas was growing up he went with his mom to help around their mansion.  He and Richey happened to be together quite a bit, as kids because Nicholas’s mom was also a babysitter to both the boys.  They played together, but Nicholas always knew there was a difference.  Richey was the SON and he was just a kid of the hired help.  Even though they got along well enough, they were never really the same. 

But Nicholas had something that Richey never had.  He had the gift of song.  Often as he helped his mom clean around the house and work in the yard and be in the mansion he sang.  And everyone loved to listen to him sing, so he sang even more.  It was the singing that first caught Richey’s dad’s attention.  Richey’s dad was old, from Nicholas’ perspective he was really old.  So, when the old man would invite him to sing for him, he would always do his very best.  Nicholas’ singing became the highlight of the old man’s day.  The old man loved the purity, and the honesty, and the simpleness of Nicholas’ singing. 

So, one day, as our story goes, the two young teenage boys were busy doing what teenage boys do around the house, when the old man invited them into his study.  Both the boys knew something important was going on.  Not only were both their mothers sitting in the huge office, but there was the old man’s lawyer and another important looking man stood in the back.  Neither of the boys knew who he was.  As the boys looked around the huge office they couldn’t help but notice a variety of different emotions across all the faces. The lawyer’s face was blank, as often lawyers faces are.  Richey’s mom’s face appeared conflicted with annoyance, but resignation.  Nicholas’ mom was glowing with pride and excitement. The man they did not know in the back was plain old grim, like he was the barer of really bad news.  Richey’s father was determined and excited but there appeared to a weakness behind his eyes.  The two boys were invited to come in and sit down in two massive oak chairs in front of the old man’s desk. 

Both the boys were frightened and didn’t have a clue what was going on.  This was the first time they both had ever been together at such an obviously important meeting.  Mr. Joshua, that was the family’s last name and all that Nicholas had ever called the old man; Mr. Joshua began to speak.  “Boys, I have invited you both here this morning to tell you some important news.  I have made a decision that is going to affect both of you a great deal.  Rich, you are my son.  I love you and what I am about to tell you does not change that in the least.  You still are my precious son.”

Then Mr. Joshua turned to Nicholas and his voice was suddenly filled with emotion and he had a hard time starting, “Nicholas, he paused, I have an offer to make to you.  I have talked to your mother, and she has agreed to let me speak to you about this offer. Nicholas, would you consider allowing me to… adopt you?  Over the years I have grown to love you deeply and I want you to be my son.  I know this is sudden, but would you think about becoming my son?  While you think about this, I have some more news I want to tell you both.” 

Mr. Joshua then turned to the man in the corner that neither of the boys knew and spoke to him.  “Doctor, will you tell the boys my… diagnosis?”

The doctor then spoke up, “Boys, Mr. Joshua has cancer.  It is pretty far advanced and he only has a short time to live.  We have done all that we can do and really, there is nothing more we can do for him, medically.”

Then the lawyer spoke up for the first time, “That is why we have decided to meet with you boys today.  Nicholas, if you decide to accept Mr. Joshua’s offer of adoption then on your 18th birthday you and Richard will both share in the inheritance of the Joshua estate.  You both will be treated exactly the same and share in all of the assets and privileges of being Mr. Joshua’s heirs.  Until your 18th birthday you will still be under the guardianship of your mothers and nothing much will change for you.  But on your 18th birthdays we will meet again and you will receive your inheritance.” 

Mr. Joshua spoke again, “I know that is a lot for both of you to absorb.  I will give you both all the time you need to think about what has been said and I will talk to both of you when you are ready.”  The meeting was over and both the stunned boys were escorted out of the room.”

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I told you this allegory, not a metaphor, but an allegory, because it is the same illustration which Paul uses in the beginning verses of Galatians 4.  Listen to Paul’s version of this story.

Galatians 4:1-5  What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father.  So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world.  But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.

What an amazing illustration. Our story about Rich and Nicholas is exactly what Paul is talking about.  Watch as I unpack the allegory:
-There are two heirs in Paul’s story. 
-Richey represents the Jews.  The Jews had been a part of God’s special family for 1500 years.  They had been under the paidagogos of the Law of Moses.  They were minors being taken care of by guardians and trustees, circumcision and the Law. all down through the ages to keep them separate from the world.   They were heirs, but were yet to receive the inheritance.
-Nicholas represents the Gentiles.  They were not part of the original family.  They lived their own lives under the basic principles of the world. They were not part of the Jewish heritage, but God still loved them.  He loved them because they sang, symbolically, of his image God had placed in them.  God loved them no less than he had loved his Jewish children.
-Mr. Joshua is obviously God, but also Jesus.  He set the time for the inheritance.  He sent Jesus to be born of a woman and die upon the cross and rise on the third day in order to redeem those under the law; Richey and to offer adoption to Nicholas.  He had to die before the boys could be redeemed and inherit the promise! 

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Now after telling this made up story and exploring Paul’s illustration, I have a burning question that needs to be asked.  If you were Nicholas or even Nicholas’ mother it would be a question that you would want to know.  It would be “The” question that you would be anxious to know on your 18th birthday, when you were called in by Mr. Joshua’s lawyer.  The question is…  How much is Mr. Joshua worth? What do I get?  What is my inheritance?  Don’t you think that question might be one you would ask? 

I have great news this morning.  Richard and Nicholas received a spectacular inheritance.  Which are you, Richard or Nicholas?  It doesn’t matter the both get the same thing.  And that is actually the overarching point that Paul is making in this paragraph.  Both Richey and Nicholas receive the same thing. Watch the flow of the argument through chapter 3 all the way through our passage this morning. 

Galatians 3:6-9 Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you."  So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Paul argues the Gentiles, as well as the Jews, are to receive the promise.  All who have Christ/faith receive the blessing that was promised to Abraham.  The Gentiles by their Christ/faith are blessed along with the Jews!  Both Richey and Nicholas are going to get the promise; the inheritance

Galatians 3:13-14  Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."  He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise…

The Jews who were under the Law of Moses, but could not keep all of it, are redeemed as well as the Gentiles so that all who have Christ/faith get the promise! 

Galatians 3:17-18 What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise.  For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.

It is not by keeping the Law that makes you an heir of the promise.  Rather, it is the grace of God given to Abraham, for all; that is our inheritance.

Galatians 3:23-29  Before this 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 supervision of the law. You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Gentiles, slaves, and women are no longer excluded from the inheritance because all who have Christ/faith are baptized into Christ and are clothed with Christ and become sons of God and Abraham’s kids and heirs of the promise.  Nicholas and Richey have reached their 18th birthday and now get the inheritance.

Here is the point Paul is making through this section and the whole letter of Galatians; Nicholas doesn’t have to become Richey in order to be an heir.   Mr. Joshua did not require Nicholas to be just like Richard.  Nicholas was adopted as a full blown son of Mr. Joshua.  Gentiles don’t have to be circumcised or follow the Law of Moses in order to get the inheritance.  That is a main point of our passage this morning.  God loves us and by Christ/faith we are all sons and, as we said last week, there should be unity, and fellowship and family because we are all his precious children by our faith in Christ. 

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Now, we still haven’t answered the burning question on all of our minds.  Which is…  What do we inherit?   There have been clues all through Galatians already. (whisper) In fact it is the 5th step in our freedom.  Listen to what we get.  Let’s go back to our allegory and be Nicholas on our 18th birthday.  And we are back in the big study and the lawyer is reading Mr. Joshua’s will.  Here is what he says:

Galatians 4:6  “Because you are sons, (he looks and Richard and us; we are Nicholas)  God (Mr. Joshua) sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,”

What?  The inheritance we get is the Holy Spirit in our hearts! There is a pause in the room.  Nicholas and Richard look at each other.  What they received is not, perhaps, what we were expecting: 
-Perhaps we were expecting the eternal Big, Big House. Perhaps we were ready to be told that we could live forever in the Big, Big House.  
-Maybe they, and we, expected our inheritance to be a rose garden.  To misquote the country singer Lynn Anderson, “God never promised us a rose garden.” 
-Perhaps, we were expecting a life of no more sin.  If I have Christ/faith I should never be tempted again.  “No, life is full of tough choices, itn’t it?”  To quote… Ursula the Sea Witch, from Little Mermaid.  No, we will face temptation. 

But wait a second, the Spirit is our gurantee that we get the Big, Big house, and the Spirit guides us through the tough times of life and the Spirit makes us more like Jesus and less sinners.  Wait, we get all of that when we get the Spirit in our hearts!

Here is the coolest part.  I didn’t read the end of Galatians 4:6.

Galatians 4:6  Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father."

We through the Spirit in our hearts, get to call Jehovah God, the Creator of all the Universe, the eternal God who lives in unapproachable light, the Almighty; Abba, Father.  Wow.  Remember Jesus in the Garden, how did he address God? 

Mark 14:35-36  Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him.   "Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."

That is our inheritance; the Abba’s Spirit is alive in our hearts.  We will talk much more about this in the rest of our study of Galatians. And there is lots of good stuff about how the Spirit works within our hearts to free of from sin and make us more like Jesus our sibling.  But for now know this: those who have Christ/faith receive the Spirit in their hearts!  That is a spectacular inheritance! 

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To close, I want to go back in to our allegory.  I want to skip back in time to that day in Mr. Joshua’s office when he asked Nicholas to become his son.  We never heard Nicholas’ answer.  He was given a choice.  That same choice each of us is given.  Mr. Joshua did not force Nicholas to accept.  It was completely up to Nicholas.  He could have turned him down.  “Are you crazy? Nobody would ever turn down such an offer.”  Lots of people do.  Lots of people turn down God’s offer to become his son, his heir, his Spirit.  Lots of people refuse to have Christ/faith.  Lots of people refuse being baptized into Christ.  Lots of people reject the inheritance of the Spirit in their hearts.  So, I guess the end of our story depends upon you.  Does Nicholas say yes?  

Los Alamos Church of Christ
May 17, 2009