100815

Click here to listen to the sermon. 21mins 

Psalm 45v10-17      The royal Bride a foreign princess.

Gal 3v26-4v7.        When the time had come God sent his Son to redeem those under the law.

Luke 1v46-55          The Magnificat.

THE PEOPLE COME OF AGE.

God would reveal himself to the world through one man and his family.

The OT law was part of God’s covenant relationship with Abraham’s family, the Hebrew people. Genesis 17v7-8.

God would reveal his glory to all the nations and peoples of the world through his faithfulness to this one man and his family, now a nation. They in turn would commit themselves to God and be faithful to him only.

The Law of Moses was given as the guide, instruction and the boundaries to that relationship with the newly formed nation coming out of Egypt.

They would be his people and he would be their God. Leviticus 26v12.

At the right time the legal requirements of the Mosaic law would be fulfilled, the nation would come of age (as if 21, or 12 in Hebrew society), and the people be free and mature enough to live in relationship with their God without the parent/guardian God overseeing every move the child makes. Rom 8v2-4.

Like the teenager who becomes an adult, we have to hope that what was taught in the early years will bear fruit in the adult life, and then we can let go of the teenager in order to build a mature relationship with the adult on new grounds.

That is what God has done! Says Paul. Gal 4v1-7.

The child matures and forms a new relationship with God as an adult.

God fulfils the covenant with the child through fulfilling the demands of the law. Genesis 22v8. The young adult is free to go and do his own thing or stay in relationship with his Father.  Mat 21v28-32.

The relationship becomes one of mutual love and commitment without the law. Rom 3v21-26.

The old requirements of the law are honoured voluntarily in love rather than in law. John 14v15-17a. 23-26. The law has effectively been written in their hearts. (Ezekiel 36v22-27).

They cease to be children and have become companions and heirs. Rom 8v14-17.  John 15v15.

Other children of other families of the world (Rom 1v1-6. 16v26. ) are also adopted into God’s family. Those who have learnt to live in relationship with the God of Abraham by faith, become part of the family along with those in Abraham’s family who choose to live in faith, within the law. Rom 2v9-16.  Eph 2v11-22.   

And so all the faithful children become children of Abraham and are legally adopted as sons and heirs. Eph 4v17ff.  

In contrast all the unfaithful children who choose to stray and turn their backs on their God, (Luke 14v16-24) go it alone and rebel, unless at some point, like the prodigal son, (Luke 15v11-32) they come to realise what they have lost and choose to return to their Father.  John 15. Rom 11v24.

God has demonstrated his faithfulness to the world through his relationship with one man and his family and now all the world is invited to live in faithful relationship with God as one family. John 3 v16-18.

By faith we are all God’s family, Jew and Gentile together, sons and heirs with Jesus Christ himself.          Ephesians 2v11-22. 3v6. Rom 15v9-12