Abba, Father!
You Weren't Redeemed to Stay a Stranger
SCRIPTURE:
Galatians 4:6-7 (NKJV) - 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.
OBSERVATION:
In God’s kingdom (because of the work of Jesus), Galatians 3:28 NKJV - 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. We who were formerly Gentiles and slaves are now called Sons and Heirs in Christ.
Galatians 4:4-5 NKJV - But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
In Greek culture, an adopted son received the same inheritance as the natural-born son… Hence, they became an heir, not by birth but by adoption. But these verses go farther… Even the natural-born son became an heir to God’s promise through Jesus' redemption. The law was fulfilled, and we receive the benefits of God’s Son redeeming us from the law.
Now, because we are sons, God sent His Spirit into our hearts:
This means we have the promise of final redemption, and the Spirit cries out, Daddy… Yes, it is a name used in a close, intimate family. God did not redeem us to set us aside for later but wants to know us as children and for us to know Him as Daddy… It then becomes personal, not just legal… We are part of His family, and as members of His family, we receive His unending love! How can the Law compete with this? We did not earn the right to call Him Daddy; we were given that right through Jesus. Why would we ever go back?
Galatians 4:6-7 (NKJV) - 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.
OBSERVATION:
In God’s kingdom (because of the work of Jesus), Galatians 3:28 NKJV - 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. We who were formerly Gentiles and slaves are now called Sons and Heirs in Christ.
Galatians 4:4-5 NKJV - But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
In Greek culture, an adopted son received the same inheritance as the natural-born son… Hence, they became an heir, not by birth but by adoption. But these verses go farther… Even the natural-born son became an heir to God’s promise through Jesus' redemption. The law was fulfilled, and we receive the benefits of God’s Son redeeming us from the law.
Now, because we are sons, God sent His Spirit into our hearts:
- To seal us until the day of redemption (Eph 4:30).
- The Spirit cries out, “Abba Father.”
This means we have the promise of final redemption, and the Spirit cries out, Daddy… Yes, it is a name used in a close, intimate family. God did not redeem us to set us aside for later but wants to know us as children and for us to know Him as Daddy… It then becomes personal, not just legal… We are part of His family, and as members of His family, we receive His unending love! How can the Law compete with this? We did not earn the right to call Him Daddy; we were given that right through Jesus. Why would we ever go back?
APPLICATION:
We don’t whisper “Daddy” as if we were hesitant to speak so affectionately. Instead, we cry it out. – David Guzik.
Let the Law, sin, and the devil cry out against us until their outcry fills heaven and earth. The Spirit of God outcries them all. Our feeble groans, ‘Abba, Father,’ will be heard of God sooner than the combined racket of hell, sin, and the Law. – Martin Luther.
Let the Law, sin, and the devil cry out against us until their outcry fills heaven and earth. The Spirit of God outcries them all. Our feeble groans, ‘Abba, Father,’ will be heard of God sooner than the combined racket of hell, sin, and the Law. – Martin Luther.
Cry out to Abba Father today… Let your relationship not be one of legality but of a personal nature… Our flesh and sin nature resist the idea of calling Him Daddy… But our Spirit cries out… Should we not do so with our own mouths?
Take time today, in a quiet moment, to cry out to Daddy… Notice how your heart will change as you begin to understand that He is not just GOD but Daddy.
Take time today, in a quiet moment, to cry out to Daddy… Notice how your heart will change as you begin to understand that He is not just GOD but Daddy.
We have access to the same intimacy with God the Father that God the Son, Jesus Christ, had. Jesus addressed God the Father as “Daddy” when He prayed, “Abba, Father,” as recorded in Mark 14:36 NKJV - And He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will." – David Guzik.
PRAYER:
Abba, I desire to know You the way my children called me Daddy (or Dad). They found comfort, direction, love, and even discipline. But they will always know that I love them. I have to admit, it feels so foreign to call You DAD. Help me understand my SONSHIP and what it truly means.
Abba, I desire to know You the way my children called me Daddy (or Dad). They found comfort, direction, love, and even discipline. But they will always know that I love them. I have to admit, it feels so foreign to call You DAD. Help me understand my SONSHIP and what it truly means.
God didn't adopt you to keep you at a distance — He sent His Spirit into your heart so you could cry out "Daddy" with the same intimacy Jesus did.
Posted in 09 - Galatians
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