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[2276.12 --> 2282.24] Messiah still and all alone.
[2282.24 --> 2293.72] Oh, praise the name of the Lord our God.
[2293.72 --> 2299.72] Oh, praise his name forevermore.
[2299.72 --> 2306.20] For endless days we will sing your praise.
[2306.20 --> 2312.20] Oh, Lord, oh, Lord our God.
[2312.20 --> 2316.68] Oh, praise the name of the Lord our God.
[2316.68 --> 2329.02] Then on the third, at break of dawn, the Son of Heaven rose again.
[2329.02 --> 2335.50] Oh, trampled death, where is your sting?
[2335.50 --> 2343.50] The angels roar for Christ the King.
[2343.50 --> 2352.50] Oh, praise the name of the Lord our God.
[2352.50 --> 2358.98] Oh, praise his name forevermore.
[2358.98 --> 2365.98] For endless days we will sing your praise.
[2365.98 --> 2374.98] Oh, Lord, oh, Lord our God.
[2374.98 --> 2380.98] When Christ shall come, his world to claim,
[2380.98 --> 2388.46] Rulers shall bow at his great name.
[2388.46 --> 2394.46] All tears shall end, all darkness cease,
[2394.46 --> 2402.46] And he shall reign, our Prince of Peace.
[2402.46 --> 2412.94] O praise the name of the Lord our God.
[2412.94 --> 2418.94] O praise his name forevermore.
[2418.94 --> 2424.94] For endless days we will sing your praise.
[2424.94 --> 2430.42] O Lord, oh, Lord our God.
[2430.42 --> 2437.42] O praise the name of the Lord our God.
[2437.42 --> 2444.42] O praise his name forevermore.
[2444.42 --> 2450.90] For endless days we will sing your praise.
[2450.90 --> 2456.90] O Lord, oh, Lord our God.
[2456.90 --> 2463.90] O Lord, oh, Lord our God.
[2463.90 --> 2468.38] O praise the name of the Lord our God.
[2468.38 --> 2470.38] You may be seated.
[2470.38 --> 2473.38] Kids age three to grade three are invited to Sunday school,
[2473.38 --> 2486.86] and we have launched today as well.
[2486.86 --> 2501.74] Good afternoon, Hope.
[2501.74 --> 2509.22] I just can't help but smile at this point.
[2509.22 --> 2510.22] Yeah.
[2510.22 --> 2515.22] It's just a wonderful display where we get to welcome,
[2515.22 --> 2519.22] and we get to reflect on what it means to be the family of God.
[2519.22 --> 2521.22] And we're rooted in God's word.
[2521.22 --> 2529.22] We're the family of God because God's word, Jesus Christ, and his Holy Spirit have guided us into this family.
[2529.22 --> 2539.70] And so I will try my best to go and witness faithfully to the word that we have today, which is from Galatians 4.
[2539.70 --> 2548.70] And so thinking about the family of God, it's really hard to follow up such a beautiful image of how we welcome new members into our family,
[2548.70 --> 2553.22] how we get to journey together, and we are called children of God.
[2553.22 --> 2558.70] And I just want you to ponder on that idea for a moment.
[2558.70 --> 2564.70] What does it mean to be a true child of somebody?
[2564.70 --> 2567.70] You are a child of your parents.
[2567.70 --> 2570.14] You are a child in your family.
[2570.14 --> 2571.18] And what does that mean?
[2571.18 --> 2577.70] And so thinking about what it means to be family and thinking about our identity as children of God, it occurred to me this past week.
[2577.70 --> 2579.02] I had a thought.
[2579.02 --> 2582.50] When I was younger, I had a friend come over to our house.
[2582.50 --> 2584.74] This friend, I'll call him Dallas.
[2584.74 --> 2586.90] This friend was very extroverted.
[2586.90 --> 2590.42] He was actually a really silly, funny kid, made everyone laugh at school.
[2590.42 --> 2594.78] But then we have him over, and he's acting all shy and awkward.
[2594.78 --> 2600.08] And so when I was young, I remember thinking, Dallas, why are you acting all weird?
[2601.00 --> 2602.82] You are in my house.
[2603.46 --> 2605.00] You are my friend.
[2605.22 --> 2606.46] I invited you over.
[2606.72 --> 2608.72] You belong in this house.
[2609.24 --> 2611.86] Stop acting all shy and awkward.
[2612.16 --> 2614.24] That was the thought process that I had.
[2614.74 --> 2620.26] And it occurred to me, this sort of example, is sort of what Paul is saying to the Galatian church.
[2620.42 --> 2627.42] He's saying to us, you are God's children, free and loved by the Father.
[2628.34 --> 2636.76] So why, if you belong in God's family as His children, why do you want to go back to feeling all awkward in God's house?
[2637.66 --> 2640.62] And in His words, why do you want to go back to being a slave?
[2642.20 --> 2646.02] And so he's saying, through Jesus Christ, the gospel for us,
[2646.02 --> 2653.36] through Jesus Christ, we are called His children, fully privileged, fully free.
[2654.40 --> 2659.72] That's the gospel, not that plus something else in order to become God's children.
[2660.12 --> 2664.14] It is only by Christ and by His grace alone.
[2664.26 --> 2667.14] And so with that in mind, if you have your Bibles with you,
[2667.14 --> 2669.50] if you can turn with me to Galatians 4.
[2670.22 --> 2672.84] Galatians 4, and we'll start reading from the first verse.
[2675.64 --> 2677.72] Forgive me if I feel a little bit rushed.
[2678.28 --> 2679.52] I'll try to slow down.
[2681.34 --> 2683.58] Verse 1 from chapter 4.
[2683.58 --> 2688.94] What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage,
[2689.08 --> 2693.14] he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate.
[2693.96 --> 2699.70] The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father.
[2700.82 --> 2707.84] So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world.
[2707.84 --> 2713.44] But when the set time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman,
[2713.86 --> 2717.62] born under the law, to redeem those under the law,
[2718.20 --> 2720.70] that we might receive adoption to sonship.
[2721.44 --> 2726.88] Because you are His sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts,
[2727.30 --> 2729.78] the Spirit who calls out,
[2730.16 --> 2731.24] Appa, Father.
[2732.30 --> 2735.52] So you are no longer a slave, but God's child.
[2735.52 --> 2740.48] And since you are His child, God has made you also an heir.
[2741.52 --> 2741.88] Amen.
[2743.64 --> 2750.40] And since we were reminded of the whole backstory of God's mission through Abraham to all nations last week,
[2750.90 --> 2757.22] today I want to focus on what that plan means for our lives as children of God.
[2758.18 --> 2761.46] Because what Paul says at the beginning of the passage that we read,
[2761.46 --> 2767.92] he's simply illustrating what the Judaizers were trying to argue, their false gospel.
[2768.68 --> 2770.92] So in response to these false teachings,
[2771.46 --> 2775.66] Paul illustrates how being an underage heir, the way he puts it,
[2776.04 --> 2777.16] is like being a slave.
[2777.82 --> 2783.32] You don't have authority to exercise the rights and privileges of a true heir in a family.
[2783.32 --> 2789.10] And so with that image in mind, an underage heir is under the care of guardians and trustees.
[2789.64 --> 2794.64] The guardians and trustees is what Paul is illustrating as what the law was doing.
[2795.60 --> 2799.20] So for the Jews, the law was gifted to them.
[2799.48 --> 2801.66] The law is the good word of God.
[2802.06 --> 2806.70] But it was supposed to act as a guide until the set time.
[2807.64 --> 2808.88] Until the set time.