Servant of God: More Than Servanthood

August 9, 2015

Servant of God

More than Servanthood

Galatians 4:1-7

(Advance Slide #1)

Introduction

One writer tells of a family that sat down for dinner.

• The mother asked the youngest little boy to say the prayer.
• He bowed his head, folded his hands and said, “I love you Daddy...Amen!”
• Who was he praying to?
• It was his earthly father, but why?
• To this little boy his father was the world and the most powerful person he knew.
• Now, his theology was all messed up, but in his childlike mistake he said on something truthful.

(Advance Slide #2)

When we become Christians God becomes our Father!

• Believe it or not this all has a lot to do with our servanthood too.

(Advance Slide #3)

Text

1 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. 3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. Galatians 4:1-7

Notice what Paul has written here:

• Three things jump out at me
• “that we might receive adoption as sons”
• full rights as born children!

(Advance Slide #4)

• “because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
• “no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir”

This is not a new theme in the NT.

• Romans 8:14-16 “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,”
• 1 John 3:1 “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”

(Advance Slide #5)

This is a unique relationship that God has given us!

• The people of the OT were in a special relationship but they weren’t called “children of God.”
• In contrast God has declared us, “sons of the living God”...a phrase never before used in scripture.
• We have this privilege because God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law to redeem those under the law.

Lesson

As Christians..we have been adopted!

• Think about what that means.

(Advance Slide #6)

Free from the Law

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law...”

• “under the law” - those under the Mosaic law lived under strict rules and penalties of that Law
• According to Romans 3 we learn that all have sinned and not lived up to God’s glory.
• Since we have broken the Law we are subject to its penalty.

(Advance Slide #7)

• “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” - Romans 6:23
• God is the one who hands out the penalties and any grace.

(Advance Slide #8)

How do we escape the penalty of the Law?

• Because we are related to the Lawgiver...we are His children.
• Now, this does not mean that we disregard the law.
• It means that we have been spared from its penalty.

(Advance Slide #9)

• but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” - Romans 6:23
• It’s through Jesus we have been spared.

(Advance Slide #10)

Servants Not Slaves

What does this have to do with servanthood?

1. When we call Jesus Lord, He is our Master and owns us.
2. Since I am His servant Jesus expects me to work.
3. He wants me to be a useful servant.

So, I’m a servant of God but I’m also a child of God...how does that work?

• We are servants not slaves.
• Slaves do not have a choice...we do and have made our choice.
• We are adopted as children.
• So we live as those who have gone beyond servanthood.

(Advance Slide #11)

Scripture teaches that we are to honor our parents. - Ex. 20:12

• If we are good children of God, or a good servant of God we will show it in the honor we give to our Heavenly Father.
• How do you honor Him in your life?
• We will honor Him by striving to do the right things that we know will please Him.
• We should serve God with such a spirit of joy and excitement that the world sits up and takes notice.

(Advance Slide #12)

As children of God our lives should go beyond servanthood!

(Advance Slide #13)

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16

Conclusion

Story - The Farm Hand

(Advance Slide #14)

A farm hand lived with a man and woman.

• Over the years their farm began to look shabby.
• The barn needed painting; the fences had holes; the roof on the farmhouse needed replacing.
• Everytime he noticed it he’d say to himself, “What’s it to me...it’s not my place.”
• One night he was asked to dinner and they told him that since they had not children it would all be his one day.
• The next day he noticed the barn, the fence, and the roof.
• Over the next few weeks he began fixing all of these things!

Why would he do this? What changed his attitude?

• He was now their heir!
• Thus, he treated unlike he ever had before!

The same can be said for us.

(Advance Slide #15)

• We are heirs to the kingdom of God.
• Since we are heirs, our attitudes towards the work of the kingdom of God should change.
• We experience the joy of what we do because of the awesome gift of salvation