KW Redeemer

THE GIFT OF ADOPTION: (3:26-4:6) God’s children are empowered by grace to desire the wisdom of His law: living with our nature in harmony with His, is what we were made for.

THE SOUL CRUSHING PROBLEM OF LEGALISM: (4:9,21) The belief that God’s acceptance hinges on our obedience to His law makes us, not Christ, our saviour. This leads to a life of anxious religious activity because we are never doing ‘enough’. The gospel of grace is the power that leads to liberty & produces maturity. (Rom 1:16, Titus 2:11-14)

THE LIBERATION OF LIVING INTO THE GOSPEL NARRATIVE: (4:21-31)

Sarah & Hagar are used symbolically to illustrate God’s two covenants: law & grace.

Abraham’s two sons represent two narratives from which the church must choose to live into:

Ishmael - symbolic of the futility of trusting in our work to contribute or secure salvation

Isaac - symbolic of the Son of Promise whose sacrificial work single-handedly secured salvation.

THE HEART OF THE GOSPEL

How we get right with God

“...we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” (vv.15-16)

How we live rightly before God

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (v.20)

THE NATURE OF THE GOSPEL IS WHY THE GOOD NEWS IS “GOOD”

We are saved and welcomed by the grace of God by believing in Christ’s substitution. (v3-5)

THE RELIGIOUS DISTORTION THEY ADDED TO THE GOSPEL ERASED IT

The insistence that obedience to God is a necessary contribution to receive His welcome is false. (v6-9) Christian obedience is from God’s love, belonging & blessing - not for it.

THE LIFE CHANGING RENEWAL IN THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL

Jesus gave himself for our sins to rescue us from “the present evil age” (v4)

“Age” αἰῶνος - an era characterized by a specific quality.

United to Christ by grace & faith, His Spirit increasingly renews us, and our souls flourish.

THE LOVE OF GOD calls us to be born of God where we are

invited to exchange our weariness for His rest

Matt 11:28 - Come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest

THE COMMANDS OF GOD are not for earning God’s acceptance,

they guide us to flourish as our true selves, from His acceptance

Matthew 11:28 - take My yoke upon you .. my yoke is easy and my burden light

1 JN 5:3 - the love of God is that you keep His commands, and they are not burdensome

THE POWER TO OVERCOME the restlessness of the world is on offer because the power that orders the world no longer orders you

1 JN 5:4 - the victory that overcomes: the faith that believes Jesus is the Son of God

GRACE & PEACE IS OURS … as we trust & abide in our “death proof Ruler”

4 Grace and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come… the firstborn of the dead

and the ruler of kings on earth.

A LIFE OF WHOLENESS, FULFILLMENT AND RESILIENCE IS OURS

… as we live free from idolatrous autonomy for flourishing community as ministers

5 To Him who loves us and freed us from our sins by His blood 6 and made us a kingdom of priests

THE GOSPEL OF JESUS … is not a basic “ABC’s” message that we move past, Jesus is the “A-Z” of creation & re-creation, our source of meaning and joy

8 “I am the Alpha and Omega,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty”