Welcome to Refinery Life Australia.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
As we head into Christmas we are starting a new series titled, Come let us adore Him.
Today we are talking about The Time of Christmas.
Prayer
Father, most of us are busy these days, but we do not want to fail You.
Time is a precious gift.
Help us t realise that You gave us time.
May we also realise that You appointed all time and all events.
We praise You for what You have done for us all.
We ask You to guide our lives in the precious moments of the present time.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
Text
Galatians 4:4 NKJV
4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
Scripture Reading
Galatians 4:1-7 NKJV
Sons and Heirs Through Christ
1 Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all,
2 but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father.
3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world.
4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Introduction
As Paul reflected from a theological viewpoint on the birth of Christ, he said that until Christ came we were like children in a wealthy home.
The child was the heir, but the child did not receive his inheritance.
He was no different than a slave.
He was under slave tutors who taught Him.
He was obedient to his father just as a slave would be obedient to his father, but he had a hope.
He had a promise.
The promise of those people Old Testament times was the promise that the Messiah would come, so Paul, looking back on that event, which had happened just a short time before, said in Galatians 4:5-7, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Abba is translated as Father, but it really means my Father.
The significance of the birth of Christ cannot be fully known until Christ lives in your heart.
It is interesting that the evangelistic messages of the apostles recorded in Acts do not mention the birth of Jesus.
Instead, they focus on His death and resurrection.
Years later, however, under the Spirit of God, the apostles recorded the whole story of salvation.
They wrote about the miraculous birth of Jesus.
They told of the one born of a virgin, born beyond the comprehension of human understanding.
They told of God stepping into humanity to say to all people everywhere, “I am your Christ.”
They told of an angel choir, a shining star, a lowly manger, and shepherds who came to adore Him, the humblest of all being the first to praise the King of Kings.
They told of wise men from afar, educated men, who had come to praise Him.
- The fullness of the times.
There is historical significance.
The religion of the Greeks was dead.
The religion of the Romans was already relegated to mythology.
The religion of the Persians. Though still in its ascendancy, had never satisfied the hearts of the people.
So, suddenly, when the people were in despair, when people were searching for reality, at that moment, God sent His Son.
There is also spiritual significance.
Paul was suggesting that Christ came in the flesh to be God with us.
Paul surely knew the story of the virgin birth.
Doubtless he had heard of the wise men.
He knew that Joseph had been told that Jesus was to be God with us.
When he said that Jesus was born to redeem, he believed that Christ had entered the world by God’s miracle to deal with humankind’s spiritual need.
The greatest need humanity has is forgiveness of sins.
2. The spirit of the time.
We don’t need decorations, we need salvation.
If Christmas is only a time for decoration and festivity, its significance is lost.
Jesus came to be the Christ.
If He is the power of heaven living in your heart, if He is God alive in you, then He is the Christ.
The Bible says in Romans 3:23, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
And Romans 3:10-12 tells us, As it is written:
“There is none righteous, no, not one;
There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.”
That describes us naturally.
We are not good people, we are sinners.
We are not searchers for God, we retreat from Him constantly.
We are hopeless, but Jesus came to bring hope.
Paul said in Romans 5:8, But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Because nothing else could pay the price of our guilt, the Son paid it.
We don’t need despair we need love.
Often people speak of the spirit of Christmas as though it is something to be caught while shopping.
Have you noticed the Christmas shopping crowds?
If that’s the Christmas spirit, we are in trouble.
I think what most people mean when they say they want to catch the Christmas spirit is that they want to feel love.
They want to feel love for others and from others.
This is the kind of Spirit that comes from God.
3. God’s gift for the time.
God’s gift to us.
The real spirit of Christmas begins when we accept the best gift of all, the gift who was born in a manger, the Son of God.
When we accept the gift of Jesus Christ, we accept the gift of salvation, the gift of forgiveness.
But that is not all.
We also receive the precious gift of the Holy Spirit, who comes to live within us and guide our steps.
Our gift to God.
God wants us to give ourselves to Him.
How do we give ourselves to God?
We must be willing to abandon self and let God use us in any way He chooses.
Our service to God may simply be done by showing that the Holy Spirit is alive within us.
Because of this, we will serve God by serving our brothers and sisters.
Look at what Matthew 20:26-28 says, Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Conclusion.
If you really want the Spirit of Christ to live within you, and therefore the spirit of Christmas, you must be His servant, and you are His servant by giving yourself in service to others.
Look again!
Galatians 4:4-6 NKJV
4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
Where?
In your hearts, so that out of your hearts you cry, “My Father,” because He lives within you.
If Christ is merely a nativity scene on your coffee table, He is dead.
If the star of Christmas is only an ornament on top of your tree, it has nothing to say.
But if Christ lives in your heart, He has everything to say, because from your heart the living Christ causes you to cry our, “My Father!”
Until next time
Stay in the Blessings
Giving
I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.
When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.
Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!
You’re important to God, and you’re important to us at www.refinerylife.org
When it comes to prayer, we believe that God wants to meet your needs and reveal His promises to you.
So whatever you’re concerned about and need prayer for we want to be here for you! Or even if you just want to say Hi, you can contact us
2021 IS A YEAR OF REFORMATION
© www.refinerylife.org 2021 All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968, no part of this Article may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission.
Visit us at
@PastorGaryHoban
@RefineryLifeGC
@PastorGaryHoban
@RefineryLifeChurch
@gary_hoban
@refinerylifechurch
YouTube
Gary Hoban
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxvrTCsjg98vGjMTObxJhtQ
Refinery Life Church Australia
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkvD9z50SuKWxhSw0TPQkgQ
