GALATIANS 3-42005 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Galatians 3-4

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2005. As we begin Galatians chapter 3, to get the context, let's jump back a few verses. Verse 24, it says this, Therefore, the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

Two weeks ago, we studied this portion of Scripture. It was the conclusion of our time together as we looked at verses 15 through 25. We learned in that portion and in that time that the law is powerless, but it is not pointless. It's powerless in bringing us into right relationship with God and helping us in our relationship with God. We're not able to be right standing before God by the law. It's powerless in that effect.

But it is not pointless in that it points us to Jesus Christ. And there in Jesus Christ, we find Jesus.

All of those things. We find our righteousness that comes from Him. That we're justified by faith. That we have relationship with God. And that's what Paul has been talking about here in the book of Galatians. The law, the previous things, it was temporary. It was until Christ came. But now we are justified by faith and not by keeping the law. Which means that we come to Him on the basis of what He has done for us.

and not on what we do for Him. That's the gospel of grace. Simply believing in Christ's work on the cross for us, we are forgiven and have eternal life. It's the simple gospel, the gospel of grace, that Paul has been sharing and demonstrating to us over and over again. In verse 26, Paul goes on to tell us that you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

We're sons of God. Now, looking at the past few chapters, in chapter 2, we learned that we are justified by faith. Which, of course, means that we have a right standing with God. The slate has been wiped clean. We

It's just as if I had never sinned before God by faith in Him. In chapter 3, verses 1-14, we learn that we receive the Spirit by faith. The Spirit is given to us and indwells us as believers by our faith in Jesus Christ.

And then in chapter 3, verses 15 through 25, which we looked at two weeks ago, we learned that we receive blessings by faith. So we're justified by faith. We receive the Spirit by faith. We receive blessing by faith. And this morning, Paul will share with us that we also become sons and daughters. We become children of God by faith.

By faith. Our faith in Jesus Christ does so many wonderful things for us. It's really what we need more than anything else. Faith in Jesus Christ. And it's by that that God gives us everything else that He has in store for us. How do we become sons of God, children of God?

Well, it's by faith, Paul says. It's not by our works, not by our actions, not by how obedient we are. It's not by the law. It's not by religion or anything else. We are his sons by faith in him. We are saved by our faith in Jesus Christ. And that is the gospel of grace. Turn with me for a moment to John chapter 1. The book of John chapter 1. It's the fourth book of the New Testament. John chapter 1.

Here in John chapter 1, John has been talking about Jesus Christ, referring to Him as the Word, but speaking about the Son of God that came and died on the cross for our sins. In verse 12 of John chapter 1,

John says, but as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Here, John tells us something similar to what Paul is saying. Paul says, we're sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And here in John, chapter 1, verses 12 and 13, John says, as many as received him, to them he gave the right.

To be a child of God. Who has the right to be called a child of God? Well, it's as many as receive Him. And then he goes on to qualify that a little bit more. What does it mean to receive Him? Well, he says, to those who believe on His name. Those who receive Him. Those who believe on His name. And then verse 13 clarifies it even more that it's those who receive Him that have believed on His name that are born again. Originally,

You and I were born. That's how we began this existence. We were born of flesh and blood. If you prick me, do I not bleed? Yes, because I'm of flesh and blood. Our body is alive, but our spirit, when we were born, was dead.

But those who believe in Jesus' name and the work that He did for us, they're born again by God. It's a spiritual birth and we become the children of God. Originally, we were born of flesh and blood. We were born by the will of the flesh or the will of man.

That's what began our conception, the will of flesh or the will of man. But this birth that takes place as a result of our believing in Jesus is not that way. It's a spiritual birth and it's not a birth of flesh and blood, but it's a birth that was from the will of God. It was God's will and it's a spiritual birth and it's how we become children of God. This is amazing to me.

Because as you understand this picture, God's given to us this picture of a child-parent relationship. Not just for the fun of it, not just so that we could say, okay, yes, I'm a child of God, but to indicate even further the position that we have now with God. The position that He's granted to us of a child. It speaks very deeply of our relationship with God.

and the relationship that God desires to have with us. He gives us this picture that we could get a glimpse of the relationship that Jesus desires to have with you and I. Back in Galatians chapter 3, you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And then verse 27, for as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. So by faith in Christ Jesus, your sons, you're able to be called a child of God

And he goes on in verse 27 and he says, for as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Now, when we talk about baptism, water baptism, it's often mentioned and it's very accurate. We talk about baptism being an outward expression of an inward change. It's an outward expression of something that's taken place within or behind the scenes. Now, when Paul says, as many of you as were baptized into Christ,

He is not referring to water baptism, which is simply the outward expression of what has gone on. He's talking about the inward change that's taken place. He's talking about what takes place spiritually when we become a part of the body of Christ. What happens is we were dead spiritually and were baptized into the body of Christ. And that's why we're baptized physically spiritually.

We immerse completely because it's the picture of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Symbolically, in baptism, we're saying, I was included with him. That's what the Bible says. That's what my faith in him says. I was included with him there at the cross, in his death, in his burial, and in his resurrection. So now I have new life in Christ. Behold, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. God does a new work, a spiritual birth.

When we are converted, when we put our faith in Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 12, verse 13, Paul tells us that by one spirit we were all baptized into one body, the body of Christ. And that's what Paul is talking about here in this passage.

Talking about being baptized into Christ, not the physical water baptism. That's the outward sign. But the inward thing that has actually occurred, the spiritual thing that takes place is we're becoming a part of the body of Christ. That word baptized, it means to immerse, to completely submerge.

That's why we immerse when we baptize. If you are baptized with one of our services, then you'll be completely submerged under water. You go all the way under, and then we bring you back up, signifying and again symbolizing the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. Now, some just sprinkle, and that's okay too, because it's not that act that is

Or that causes us to be saved. That's just the outward expression of it. What's really taking place at conversion is a complete immersion into the body of Christ. And that's where you cannot just sprinkle. On the outward, yeah, it's the outward. It's not so big a deal. But the inward, this is where it's important. That you can't just sprinkle if you want to be a child of God. And yet, that's the attitude of some Christians, of some people.

I just want a little bit of Christ. I was listening to, I think it was Greg Laurie this last week, and he was talking about how many people approach Christianity like you would a salad... What's it called? A salad bar, a salad buffet, where you come and go, okay, I want a little bit of this, a little bit of that, but I don't want everything. And so they come as...

people wanting to come to God, okay, I want salvation for sure, got to have that, and give me some grace and some mercy, I'm on a guilt-free diet, you can hold that, keep that on the plate over there, I don't need that, I just need a sprinkle here, a sprinkle there, and that's what I'm looking for.

But Jesus taught something that was completely different from that mentality and something that we need to pay attention to. I would encourage you to read on your own Luke chapter 14, verses 25 through 33, where Jesus says very clearly, he warns us to count the cost.

Consider what you are committing to, he says, when you commit to Jesus Christ. You will have to die to yourself. You will have to take up your cross and you will have to follow Jesus. It's not an easy life. It's a difficult life. It's what God has called you to. And so Jesus says, count the cost. It's not a sprinkle here, a sprinkle there where it's convenient or comfortable. No, no, no. Fully immerse yourself, but count the cost first and realize what you are committing to.

Paul says, as many as were fully immersed into Christ have put on Christ. It's a full commitment. My life is his. He consumes me inside, outside, through and through. Immerse. Again, it means to completely submerge, to fill every nook and cranny, every crevice, every inch flooded with Christ, with the things of God. This is how we need to be as Christians today.

as many have been fully immersed, have put on Christ. Now, keeping it in the context of what Paul has been saying, I could sum it up this way. We no longer need the law as our tutor because we have become sons of God by fully immersing ourselves into Christ. Does that describe you? Does that describe your life and your relationship with God? Fully immersed, every aspect, every detail of your life

filled with, consumed by, submerged in the things of God, the body of Christ. There's not just a sprinkle here, a sprinkle there, but a complete, complete filling with the things of God. Those are the ones, Paul says, that are sons of God. Those are the ones that receive and are able to say, I'm a child of God. Verse 28 says,

There is neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free. There is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. What is Paul saying here? Again, keeping it in the context, understanding that all the things that he's been talking about is our relationship with God. Paul is basically saying this. Nobody has any advantage when it comes to approaching God.

Now, we need to have the understanding because the mentality of that day, especially for Jewish people. In fact, a Jewish man would pray this in the morning. He would pray, Lord, thank you that you did not make me a Gentile, that you did not make me a slave, and that you did not make me a woman. They had this idea, this mentality. Because under the law, it mattered. Under the law, which they were governed by, it mattered. The Gentiles could not come in to the court of the temple.

They could not come in. They could not get as close to the temple as the Jewish man could. Now, the priest could go into the sanctuary. The high priest could go into the holiest place once a year. But...

The most people outside of the priest, they could not enter. If you were a Jewish male and you wanted to worship God, you could not go into the sanctuary, could not go into the holy place, and definitely could not go into the most holy place. But you could go into the outer court where they did the sacrifices. You could bring your offerings. You could worship the Lord in that way.

But that was it. There was limited access based on who you were and what your background was and what your nationality was. Under Judaism, it mattered what gender you were. You had limited access to the temple and service of God. But Paul is saying this. It's not that way in Christ Jesus. It's not so in Christ. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. We all have the same access to God.

Now, that's one of the things that we looked at at the retreat last weekend. And so, guys, this should be very familiar to you. What type of access do we have to God, guys?

We have full access to God, complete access to God. The veil has been torn. We can go into the holiest of all. And while that might not mean a whole lot to us because we don't have the temple out here in our parking lot that we can understand what's going on and what that's talking about, we haven't grown up in that system. What it means is this. We have full and complete access to come in to the presence of God anytime, anywhere, because He has opened the veil. He has opened the veil.

Signifying to us

The relationship that He wants to have with you and I. He invites us in through the completed work of Jesus Christ. No longer is there sacrifices that need to be offered, works that need to be completed, things that need to be fulfilled in order for us to come to God. But we can approach Him based on what Jesus Christ did for us. We have full access to God. Our race, our gender, our occupation, background, none of it matters. You have the right to be a child of God.

What Paul says is fully immerse yourself in Christ and put on the nature and character of Christ because we all have the same right. We're all on the same ground. We can be a child of God. We can come into the kingdom of God. There's no limitations. Verse 29. And if you are Christ, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. Now, we talked about this two weeks ago in Galatians 3.16.

Paul says that to Abraham and to his seed were the promises made. He does not say, and to seeds, as of many, but as of one, and to your seed, who is Christ. Here's what Paul is saying. Since we are one in Christ, we were included with him in his death and resurrection when we were baptized into the body of Christ. We were included in Christ by our faith, and therefore, we're Abraham's seed.

Why? Well, because that's what Jesus was. Christ was Abraham's seed. He was Abraham's descendant. Now, this seed that Paul is referring to is the one to whom the promises were made. Back in Genesis chapter 12, it says that God gave these promises to Abraham and his seed, specifically one descendant, not many, but one specific descendant, which of course is Jesus Christ.

We, by faith, were included with him, and therefore we are Abraham's seed. The promises are to us because we are in Christ Jesus. Since we're included in Christ, they're to us as well. We're heirs, Paul says, according to the promise. Again, we were included with Christ. And so according to the promise also,

that all nations would be blessed by Him, we, we have the fullness of God in us, in our lives, as believers, as Christians. We, as an heir, inherit the promises of God, which is the work of the Spirit in our lives.

Now, I don't really have time to get into that too much, but Genesis chapter 12, where God gives the promises to Abraham, he says, look, I'm going to give this land to you, which was the land of Canaan, the promised land, as it's often referred to. And as we look at

the symbols and the things that God speaks to us in the pictures and the types here in scripture, we understand the promised land is a picture of what God wants to do in our lives in the area of victorious Christian living, where he takes us in by the power of his spirit and he wins the battles on our behalf. And he, and he,

Helps us to fulfill all that He has for us. He gives us the fullness of the blessings that He has in store for us. That's the promised land, the life lived by the power of the Spirit. That was promised to Abraham and to his seed. And Paul is saying, we're his seed because we were included with Christ. We fully immersed ourselves in Him when we believed in Him and received Him as our Lord and Savior.

So we have this promise. We're an heir. We get to inherit the promised land, the victorious Christian life that God has given to us. Not only that, but we also receive eternal life with God, which is far greater than what we could understand or have in this life.

So we're heirs. We're included with Christ. Now, Paul goes on here in chapter 4, verse 1 and 2, and he says, Now I say that an heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the Father. So Paul has drawn us to this conclusion. Okay, in Christ Jesus, by faith in him, I'm a son and I'm an heir.

I get to receive the promises, the inheritance of the promise that God gave. Now, to help us understand this a little bit better, he gives us an example. He talks about an heir. What is an heir? It's someone who is due to receive some type of inheritance. To have passed on to them the family monies or finances or material things. An heir.

Now, when an heir is a child, Paul says, he's not really any different than a slave or a servant. Because even though he will have one day all of these things, all of these possessions and all access to these things, he's still under guardians and stewards. He's not free to do whatever he wants with those things, but instead he must do what he's told, just like a regular child. Even though he's an heir, and one day it will all be his.

Think about it this way. Bill Gates, wealthiest man in the world. The 2005 approximate net worth is $50.1 billion for this guy. Amazing, incredible. Now, as you think about him and understand that he has three children. One's nine, one's six, and one's three. Their dad is the wealthiest man alive. $50.1 billion, just to get that number out there again, for 2005. Now,

They are heirs to the fortune. They're heirs to this. But that does not mean that they have the full rights to it yet. They're nine years old and six years old and three years old. They're told what to do. They can't spend the money however they want. They can't just go buy houses or sell things or sell the company or do anything else like that. No, no, they can't do that. Why not? Well, they're still under the authority and the bondage of stewards and guardians.

They have not received it yet. Think about it this way. A monarchy. The heir to the throne is known as a prince. He's not the king, he's the prince. He's the heir to come, he will one day have the throne. But as long as the prince is the prince and not the king, he cannot use the power and authority of a king. Did you catch that? As long as a prince...

is a prince and not the king, he cannot use the power and authority of a king. He's not the king yet. He can't make laws. He can't do whatever he wants with the kingdom. He's a prince. He's still under guardians. He's still under stewards. And that's what Paul is saying to give us a picture. He says an heir, even though, yes, they're to receive all these things when they're a child.

They're no different than a slave. Now, that word child, it means one who is not yet able to speak plainly. It's an infant child.

A toddler. When they're a child, they're not able even to speak plainly yet. They don't have the full rights. They haven't yet received the kingdom, the throne, the inheritance. They're under guardians and stewards. The family fortune is theirs, but until they're mature, it's not theirs yet. They don't get to act like it yet. They don't get to act upon it yet.

And so in verse 3, Paul drives it home for us. He says, So here's the parallel. Paul says, God has promises for us.

He has blessings for us. He has callings for us and in our lives. He has eternal life in store for us. But until we are sons and not just children, we do not actually have those things. We're like children under guardians and under stewards.

Who's our guardians? Who's our stewards? Well, Paul says the elements of the world in which he's referring to the law. And we'll see that more in detail next week as we finish off or continue on in Galatians chapter 4. But he's talking about the law. We were in bondage to the law, held captive by it. Even if we did not follow the law or endeavor to follow the law, we were held captive by it because outside of Christ, we will be judged by the law.

We will be judged by the law. And of course, we've all broken the law and therefore we're all condemned. But the law was our guardian until we became mature. Just like a legal guardian. It was our guardian to keep us there until we had received or attained complete maturity. So when does maturity come? When is the time set by the Father for us to receive the fullness of what He has for us? Verses 4 and 5 give us that answer. He says...

Paul gives us the gospel message here. Here's the basic message he's sharing.

Now, this speaks...

very clearly to us about Jesus Christ. God sent his son. But more than just making a reference to Jesus, it also tells us that he already existed. And Jesus did not begin to exist at his birth like you and I did. He has always existed because he is God. God sent his son. He was already his son before he was born. Jesus Christ, of course, has always existed because he is God.

He also tells us, not only did God send His Son, but He was born of woman. Specifically, born of a virgin. Jesus Christ, this indicates to us, reminds us, Jesus Christ became a man. Yes, He was God. God sent His Son. But He also became a man. He was born of woman. He was fully God and fully man. But not only that, He was born under the law, Paul says.

Why was he born under the law? Well, in order to fulfill it for us, to receive the judgment from the law that you and I deserved. And so he was born under the law to redeem us, to purchase us back with his blood. Why? Well, that we might receive the adoption, that we might become sons and daughters of God.

So the time that's set by the Father for us to receive the fullness of what He has for us is when we receive Jesus. When we're born again and have become His sons and daughters. That's the fullness of the time. That's the time that God has set. You want to receive. God has all these blessings and the callings in your life. He has wonderful things in store for you and I.

But until we come to maturity, until we come to this time where we receive this gospel message that I cannot come to God on my terms. I cannot come to God in my works or in my goodness because I'm not good enough. And so I received the son that he sent, who is God that was born of a woman who died and received the judgment.

That I might have faith in Him and receive the adoption and become a child of God. And that is when I am then able as an heir to receive or to inherit the promises that God has given. The fullness of what God has in store for my life. Verse 6, And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, Abba, Father.

So now that we've received Jesus and become his sons, we're heirs to the fullness of Christ. Now God has also sent forth his spirit into our hearts. Sent his spirit into our hearts. Now this is the fulfillment of what God wants to do in our lives. The spirit is the fulfillment of God's promises to us. In Acts chapter 2, where the Holy Spirit came in power upon the church there in Jerusalem.

Peter stands up and as a crowd is gathered, he preaches a message and there's many there. And they're touched by what Peter says. He shares with them the gospel message, much like we just looked at a few verses earlier. He shared with them about Jesus Christ and what he did in dying on the cross for our sins. And Peter, as he's sharing this message, people are touched and they say, Wow, what do we need to do? Because we've done this. How do we inherit the promises? How do we become children of God?

And Peter in Acts chapter 2 verse 38 says, And then verse 39 says, Who's the promise to? It's to all those that the Lord will call, whether near or far. But what is the promise?

The Holy Spirit. Receiving the Spirit. The Spirit of promise, as Paul makes reference to it later. By the Holy Spirit, we have relationship with God. By the Spirit, we live in victory. Walking in God's plan for us. By the Spirit, we receive the blessings that God has in store for us. And by the Spirit, most important of all, Paul tells us here, we can cry out, Abba, Abba. It means Daddy, Papa, Papa.

speaks to us of the relationship that God gives to us. And that we can have a relationship with God like a child does with a parent. He gives us this picture again, parent-child relationship on purpose so that we can see a glimpse of the relationship that God wants with us and has granted to us. Abba Father. We can call out to Him and cry out to Him. As many as received Him, to them He gave the right.

to be called children of God. In Luke chapter 18, verse 17, his parents were looking to bring their children to Jesus and the disciples decided that's not a good thing. We better keep them away. And Jesus rebukes him and says, no, let them come to me. And then in verse 17, he tells the disciples, assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter into it. And

God often uses this picture for us of a father-child relationship. He says, now you must receive the kingdom of God as a little child. What does that mean, to receive the kingdom of God as a little child? I ran across this article, and I'm sure that you've probably heard it before. It was found in Ann Lander's column on Father's Day back in 1999.

But it's entitled, My Daddy When I Was Four. And it goes through different years and the stages and mentality of a child in relation to their father. At four years old, my daddy can do anything. That's the mentality. That's the understanding. My dad can do anything. At five years old, my daddy, he knows a whole lot. Six years old, my daddy is smarter than your daddy. Eight years old,

My dad doesn't exactly know everything. Ten years old. In the olden days, when my dad grew up, things were sure different. Remember thinking that? Twelve years old. Well, naturally, dad doesn't know anything about that. He's too old to remember his childhood. And I remember thinking that for sure. Probably about twelve years old was the time. Fourteen years old. Don't pay any attention to my dad. He's so old-fashioned. Twenty-one years old. Him?

He's hopelessly out of date. 25 years old. Dad knows about it, but then he should because, you know, he's been around so long. 30 years old. Maybe we should ask Dad what he thinks. After all, he's had a lot of experience. 35 years old. I'm not doing a single thing until I talk to Dad. And I know my dad's waiting for that moment for me too. 40 years old. I wonder how Dad would have handled it. He was so wise. And then 50 years old. I'd give anything.

If dad were here now so I could talk this over with him. Too bad I didn't appreciate how smart he was. I could have learned a lot from him. I'm sure that you can relate to those times in your life. Those stages that we go through in our relationship with our parents. At younger years, dad's incredible. Dad's amazing. I remember, you know, when I was young, I always thought my dad was invincible. It never occurred to me that he might not be invincible.

bigger or stronger than everyone else. I never even considered it. I had no concept of it. And I remember the day that that idea in my head was completely shattered. And it devastated my life. In fact, if you know me a little bit, you know that I have a really bad memory and I don't remember much at all. But I remember this day as clear as yesterday. Or maybe clearer than yesterday, okay? But I remember this day. It stands out. I've been...

I've always looked back on this day and this is the day that I knew that my dad's not invincible. Well, it happened because we were at a friend's house.

And it was a friend that we would always go to. We were great friends. We would be at their house several times a week. And during the summer, they had a doughboy pool that they would set up. It was just above ground, probably 20 feet in diameter, not very big, 4 feet high. And we would always swim in there. Well, one day as we're all there together, there's a bunch of families together, and all the dads decide they're going to get in the pool. So they kick all the kids out. And so there's these five or six guys in this doughboy pool. Now,

You know how it is, men. There's something within us. Everything's a competition, right? Everything's a contest. And so it didn't take very long before all these guys are just suddenly in an all-out wrestling match. And it's not one-on-one here and there, but it's, you know, king of the water. Who's, you know, going to be the one that's not gasping for breath and not being held under the water? It's just everybody against everybody, king of the water.

And so here they go, and they're off. And I remember, I remember watching in horror because I'd never considered, now these guys were big guys, but my dad's stronger, my dad's invincible, my dad's the greatest. But then that began to subside, that began to be shattered.

As I saw him being held under the water. And now I'm becoming to be terrified. My dad's going to die. I mean, he can't even get up. And these guys are holding him, pushing him down again and again. It was a horrible, horrible, one of the scariest days of my life. So dads, watch out what you do in front of your kids, man. It freaks us out. I had no idea before that my dad wasn't invincible. And then from that day on, that's when I knew. My dad's not the biggest and the strongest. I can't even believe it.

But as a child, oh, my dad is the greatest. He can do everything. That's the type of faith that we're to have in Him. Jesus says, Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter into it. With a childlike faith,

Trust. My dad can do anything. And when you're talking about your Heavenly Father, it's absolutely true. You have no worries about that thought being shattered because He is all-powerful. And He loves you. And He loves me. And He has this world in the palm of His hand. And everything's under His control. And so I can put my complete childlike faith and trust in Him. He's got it all in control. But not only does it speak to me of childlike faith,

but it speaks to me of childlike relationship. Because not only can I trust Him completely with everything in me and not have to worry, but I can come to Him at any time, anywhere, with any problem. Even if there is no problem, but just to be with Him and to hear from Him and to be encouraged by Him. Just like a little child has no problem walking into his own home or walking in to where his parents are or climbing up on his parents' lap.

I'm sure that you can relate. Relationships in your life. A child has no problem at all. That is the relationship that God has given to us. To be called a child of God. He's given us this right. It's more than just a title. Okay, great. Now you can be called a child of God. No, no, no. It's more than just a title. It's a position that God has granted to you and to me. The position is this. You, like a child, have full access to your Father.

We have full access to God. And so in verse 7, it says, Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son. And if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. This is what God has done for us. When we believe in Jesus Christ and His work there on the cross. Remember in verse 26, we're sons of God through our faith in Jesus Christ. Believe this. Receive this. And then act like it.

Child-like faith. Child-like relationship. We have full access, constant fellowship with God. We're not a slave any longer. We're not in bondage to the law, to the things of this world. We have full access. We can approach God because of what He's done for us. He's given us the position. And He said, child, I'm all-powerful. I'm all-knowing. I'm all-loving. I want what's best for you.

I've got a great plan for your life and blessings in store for you. I've got all these promises, this great inheritance stored up for you. Be my child. Fully immerse yourself into me, to the things of me, and receive the fullness of what I have for you. That's what I want to encourage you with this morning as we close. Live in constant fellowship and relationship with God.

Understand the position that He's given to you. You're His child and He loves you so dearly that He sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross for you. And so you now can come to Him at any time, anywhere, with any problem, any situation. You can crawl up into His lap. You can feel His embrace. You can hear what He has to say.

And you can receive all that God has in store for you. Look to Him. Ask His advice and counsel. Let Him be your Father. Spend time with Him. Immerse yourself in Him and receive all that He has for you. Christian brothers and sisters, this is what we need more than anything else, to immerse ourselves in the things of God.

And to understand the relationship that He's given to us and He desires to have. It's not a distant relationship, a distant relative, a distant... No, no, no. He wants closeness. Fully immersed. That in every aspect of our life, it's about our relationship with God. Wherever we're at. He wants us to draw close to Him. James tells us that when we draw close to Him, He draws close to us. That's His desire. To have relationship with us. We stumble...

And we fall. We rebel. Our hearts are wicked and are prone to wander. Yet, God says, hey, confess your sins. I'm faithful and just to forgive those. I already paid for those at the cross. Our tendency is to stumble and fall, to feel guilty, to feel bad and say, I just can't be close to God right now. I've got to...

work with this or deal with this or whatever. No, no, God says, don't do that, don't do that. Just come as a child. Just come simply into my presence. Crawl up into my lap. Let me speak to you. Let me share my heart with you. Let me encourage you. Let me embrace you. Let me love you. Oh, I have great things in store for you, child. Wonderful blessings. A tremendous plan for your life because you're my child and I love you. And we receive it by our faith in Jesus Christ.

And by immersing ourselves in the things of God. Now this morning, you might have walked away from the Lord. You might have been trying to live the sprinkle, sprinkle life instead of the complete submersion, immersion. Come back. Immerse yourself. Fill your life with the things of God. Fill your heart. Fill your soul. Fill your mind with the things of God. Come into His presence. He invites you. He beckons you. He begs you. He longs so much to have a relationship with you.

And if you've never received Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, His arms are open to you as well. You're an heir. The time hasn't come yet. You haven't been matured. You don't get to receive and experience the blessings and the wonderful things that God has for your life until you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Say, yes, I believe that He died on the cross for my sins and I receive His work in my life and I immerse myself into His body, identified with Him

And I'll fill my life with the things of God. Count the cost, Jesus says. Understand what you're committing to. But understand as well the blessings. Understand the promises. Understand the inheritance that is waiting for us. If we will simply trust in Him and fill ourselves with the things of Him. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, Lord, I do lift up those who are listening to this and have never put their faith and trust in You.

God, I ask that you would continue to reveal yourself to them. Lord, that they would know and understand what you did for them there at the cross. And dying for our sins and receiving the penalty that we deserve because we've broken your law. But Lord, you poured out all your judgments on him that you could show mercy to us. And give to us this position, more than just a title, more than just an idea, but a reality.

a position of having full access relationship with you, just like a child does with their parent. God, we thank you so much for your work. We don't deserve it, God. We don't deserve it at all. We can't even come close. But Lord, we thank you that you love us so much that you did it all for us. God, I ask that you would help us to immerse ourselves in you, to give to you our hearts completely and wholly, to give you our lives to be filled to overflowing.

Lord, that everything we do would be about You, that You would be glorified in our lives. Lord, You have great things in store for us, a wonderful inheritance promised to us, which we receive and have access to as we put our faith and trust in You. So, Lord, this morning we proclaim, yes, we believe in You, Jesus. We believe in the work that You've done. And so we repent from all the things that, Lord, we already know in our hearts that they're wrong. And we ask, Lord,

that you would fill us with yourself, consume us with you, and help us to walk in the fullness of what you have for us, in the power of the Spirit, the life of victory. Lord, that you would be glorified as we make our way towards eternity, storing up treasures in heaven, and by the opportunities that you give us here on this earth. Thank you, Lord, for making us your children. Help us to draw close to you. In Jesus' name I pray.

We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.