“The Advent Time!” (Galatians 4:4-5)

S-1400 3MIA/A 12/18/2013 Hymns: (O) #15; (S) #99; (C) #92

Texts: Psalm 31:14-20; Genesis 18:9-15; Galatians 4:1-7; Matthew 11:25-30

Theme: “The Advent Time!” (Galatians 4:4-5)

Question: “How do you fill your time?” Armour, SD 3^rd in sermon series on: “The Three T’s of Advent”

Faithful followers of the Savior, Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! The text for our 3^rd Midweek is from the Epistle lesson: “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, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5).

INTRODUCTION: In Nomine Iesu.

Precious and beloved children of God time is a precious commodity. Yet, as precious as this gift from God is, our reaction to it never seems to be neutral. We either love it or hate it. We either think it is going too fast or too slow. There are moments when time seems to drag by like molasses in January and at other moments; it flies by like a supersonic jet plane! It seems we are never satisfied with time. But God ordained time to give us proper means by which we can rest, worship, work, study and play.

Leonardo da Vinci, one of the greatest geniuses and painters of the Middle Ages, would often just stand and stare for a long time at the canvas, before he would pick up his brush to paint a scene. He was waiting for the right time for the image to be formed in his mind before he transformed it on the canvas.

In a similar way, the Almighty God, the Author of Time, created in the same way. At just the right moment, our Lord spoke everything into existence. After our first parents corrupted that perfect creation, our Lord did not cease to work “at just the right time.” Staring at the timeline of history, our Lord chose just the right time to make and keep His promise to Adam and Eve and every one of their descendants. At just the right time, the Lord of Hosts fulfilled a promise originally made to a fallen couple who lived without hope and without a future.

The message of God through Paul is this. “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, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”God was saying “It’s Advent Time! It’s time to remove the burden of the Law. It’s Time to carry out the plans God shared with father Abraham to bless all the nations of the world through his son. It’s Time to fulfill the promise of sending a Redeemer to buy humanity back. It was time to save mankind from sin, and death; and from the punishment of hell and the jaws of the devil.” PAUSE.

From the day God made the promise of long ago to send a REDEEMER, people in every age waited with great anticipation for God’s timing to be carried out. They waited for hope in their hopeless condition; they waited for help in their helpless state. And many thought that God had forgotten about them. Even, David the Psalter, whose heart was after God and put his trust in God alone, cried out saying: “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, ‘I have prevailed over him,’ lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken” (Psalm 13:1-4).

People have cried for God to deliver them. Many thought He abandoned them. It may appear that way, however, Peter, the disciple’s spokesperson put it this way: “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8). God’s timing is not like our time. He doesn’t function by the clock but by love. As this is the case, is it any wonder that we struggle with God’s timing in our lives? Yet, we do find great comfort in the fact that at just the right time, God acted.

Therefore, when the clock of salvation struck noon, God in mercy sent His only begotten Son, to redeem, save, cheer, comfort and remove the burden of the law from their hearts. God’s love carried out this mission in a most unique and blessed way. He placed His eternal Son into a Virgin’s womb and dressed him with human cells, blood and skin. He did this so that His holy, innocent and perfect Heaven’s messenger could be under the law’s requirements and sin’s burdens. What sinful man couldn’t and wouldn’t do, God did in the sending of His Son to accomplish our redemption and salvation.

With His perfect life, the Babe of Bethlehem, the heaven-sent Savior—fulfilled every one of God’s commandments. With His innocent death, Jesus the Holy Lamb of God, paid for every sin of every human being. With His great love for you, Jesus the eternal God who came in time into our sin-infected and sin-infested world has covered our filthy lives with His holiness and purity.

Because Christ entered our world at the proper Advent Time, He shouts the shout of victory saying, I have completed the work God gave me to do. At the proper time Christ, liberated us from the burden of the law and all of its requirements. By His grace alone, He declares us holy and innocent to stand in the presence of God forever and ever as His sons and daughters. PAUSE.

But at times we don’t feel we are truly God’s children. We don’t feel that God even cares. We don’t trust that all of our sins have been forgiven. And just like David we cry out to God. O God how long before You look upon me—the sinner, help me, answer me and deliver me. O God, why not come to my aid and rescue me NOW!?

If you are one of those people who is asking this and other questions like it, then let the Apostle Paul by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit speak to your hearts tonight. Hear him as he taught the Galatians and us saying, “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…” and know that the work of Christ on your behalf has been completed.

In the fullness of time, God entered our time for the sake of the world. This world, the cosmos, is the world apart from God, and that world was founded when Adam and Eve sinned. When sin entered into God’s creation, given God’s purpose for mankind to be made into His image, it was necessary that there be a method of reconciliation between man and God. This reconciliation was only possible through the perfect sacrifice of Christ on the cross of Calvary for you and for me. PAUSE.

Children of the heavenly Father, on November 30, 1835, Mark Twain was born in Florida, Missouri. If you were to visit that little town, you will find in a park close to a two-room shack where he was born and a marker saying: “In this village Mark Twain was born. He cheered and comforted a tired world.”

Christ was born to do more than to bring cheer and comfort to a tired world. Christ in Advent Time brought about salvation, forgiveness of sins and life eternal. And because of His gracious work, we can know the joy of being comforted in God’s Christmas gift of His Son to a broken and sin-filled world. For in that perfect time we have a blessed consolation that knows no end because God sent a Redeemer to redeem me and give me hope in my hopelessness, help in my helplessness and peace forever in my sorrow. He does this on HIS time. That is why we call it HIS-story. The story of His time becoming our eternity!

Today, we give thanks to God for coming into our world, and someday, we will be going into His eternal world. In the name of our Advent King and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Now the peace of God…

SOLI DEO GLORIA

“I AM God’s Son!” (Galatians 3:25-27)

S-1370-5SAP/C 6/23/2013 Hymns: (O) #299; (S) #594 LSB; L.S. #377; #354(C) #648

Texts: Isaiah 65:1-9; Galatians 3:23-4:7; Luke 8:26-39

Theme: “I AM God’s Son!” (Galatians 3:25-27)

Question: “Do you know anyone who is adopted?” Armour, SD

Faithful followers of the Savior, Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia! The text is from the Epistle lesson: “But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:25-27).

INTRODUCTION: In Nomine Iesu.

He grew up in a very loving home with an older brother and sister. But situations forced the hands of his parents to give him up. They tried to keep him but couldn’t. Finally at 3 months old they gave him up for adoption. He was adopted by a very wealthy woman and became her son. He had the finest money could buy, servants to wait on him hand and foot and he grew up to be someone special. When he talked people listened. When he walked by people turned their heads. He became prominent and had a good future ahead of him and would have been the next leader of his country. But something stirred within his heart and he gave it all up. You know him well, he is the son of Hebrew parents and his name is Moses.

Even though Moses was adopted by Pharos’ daughter and had the world’s power and prestige at his disposal; yet, he chose to let go of all that he had to be an adopted son of a greater person—God Himself.

Paul speaks of another group of people who have been adopted like Moses had been. He was talking about the Christians in Galatia. They were once slaves under a master. But this Master was not the Pharoah. This Master was the Law. It held them captive as a Pedagogue until faith came. Once Jesus who is faith in the Flesh came, these Galatians were set free! They became heirs of God in the adoptive act of Holy Baptism.

Paul teaches us about the culture of his day. At a certain age the status of the child changed from that of a minor to an adult. From being nobody to becoming somebody; all because in the Roman world the father had discretion in setting the date of his son’s coming of age. This usually took place between the ages of fifteen and eighteen.

As Paul states in the text, “a child is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father” (4:2). At this event (among the Romans it occurred during the spring festival of Liberalia) the child was officially adopted by the father and was formally recognized as the son and received full inheritance rights to the family’s estate.

In like measure, this status has changed for the Christian as well. The loving heavenly Father has set a date for the coming of age of His people, and “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, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God” Indeed in the fullness of time, this took place through the incarnation, (active obedience), redeeming death, and resurrection of His preeminent Son, Jesus Christ (4:4–5).

The result of this wonderful act of love and mercy is that we receive adoption as God’s sons and become heirs of His kingdom (4:5–7). We should also remember that when we say sons, it refers to legal status and not gender. Similarly, when Scripture speaks of “Sons of Israel” this includes the whole nation of Israel. We have all become sons through the waters of Baptism.

On that day, you were no longer under the guardian or manager (The Law/Torah) but under grace. When faith came, that is when Jesus came our lot in life has been transformed to being sons of God and heirs of His grace. PAUSE.

Beloved in the Lord, today, happens to be my Baptismal birthday. 57 years ago Khairiah and Subhi Nour brought me to the Font at the Latin Parish in Haifa, Israel; and the priest spoke these words over me, “Nabil (‘Gabriel’ my baptismal name) I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” On that day I was given the robe of Christ’s righteousness that covered all of my sins. On that day, I was claimed by the heavenly Father as His very own child for time and for eternity.

You may not have been baptized today, but that doesn’t take away the joy that fills your heart as being God’s son. The text states: “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” You, too, have become sons of God with all of its blessings and joys.

Now, a word to the ladies of this congregation: Don’t be slighted about being called sons of God. To the contrary—cherish this wording big time. In our Western culture, we want to be identified as an individual. Some women want liberation. We don’t want to be like men. But to be called a “son of God” means God doesn’t make any difference between you and the men. You will be blessed just as every man is. You will receive the blessings of God on account of Christ. Oh, and by the way, you ladies are “sons of God” and we men are “the Bride of Christ.” Our gracious God honors who we are, and at the same time, goes beyond the male/female distinction as He says in Galatians 3:28, “neither male nor female, but one in Christ Jesus!”

As God’s Sons, you and I are privileged to receive a glorious inheritance that will not fade away or spoil but reserved in heaven for us because of the most excellent of Sons, the True Son of the Father, Jesus’ death and resurrection. We are heirs of our Father and His gracious fullness!

It is absolutely true, because of Christ (4:4–5), and “in Christ” (3:26–28), those who trust Christ’s saving work and are baptized, experience new freedom and the status of being heirs of God’s kingdom. “So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God” (4:7). This is what it truly means to be “Abraham’s offspring” (3:29).

What marvelous news we receive today. By God’s grace we have all become sons of God. We are all recipients of His grace and mercy. We are all blessed beyond our expectations. Sin no longer clings to us, the Law no longer damns us, and death no longer holds us. PAUSE.

By the power of the Holy Spirit, Moses understood what it means to be a child of God and left his adopted family with all of its wealth and power. But today, you and I who were strangers, slaves of sin and held captives under the prison of the Law until Christ came, have received the freedom to call our heavenly Father “Abba!” that is Hebrew for “Daddy”, and because He is your Father, you all have become His sons. And one day, you will leave this poor tent you live in and live with Him in the Palace of heaven which He has prepared for you.

All of this is yours on account of Christ who called you in the waters of baptism to be His very own. Amen and Amen.

Now the peace…

SOLI DEO GLORIA

“Preach Him!!!” (Galatians 1:15-16)

S-1193 2SAP/3C Hymns 6/06/10, (O) #489; S #483; (C) #487

Texts: 1 Kings 17:17-24; Galatians 1:11-24; Luke 7:11-17

Theme: “Preach Him!!!” (Galatians 1:15-16)

Question: “How often do you preach?”

SOLI DEO GLORIA, Armour, SD

Faithful followers of the Savior, Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia! The text for our meditation is from the Epistle lesson: “But when He [God] who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son to me, in order that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;’” (Galatians 1:15-16).

Introduction: In Nomine IESU

People of God, chosen and beloved, Paul a former Pharisee and persecutor of the Church was called by God on the road to Damascus to be His chosen instrument to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the text before us today, we are told by this great preacher that God called him and set him apart before he was born to take the message of the cross to all people. In his 13 epistles we hear him again and again preaching and pointing to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Often he spoke of the importance of preaching Christ and His Gospel. Here are few examples: “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power” (1 Cor. 1:17). Again, we hear him say, “but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles” (1 Corinthians 1:23), and again, “To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8).

Pastor Paul, in this portion of his letter to the Galatians talks about the importance of preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is what Paul lived and died for. He wanted through his preaching of the Gospel to proclaim Jesus Christ the God/Man, the Rabi from Nazareth AS truly the ONLY Savior from sin, death, and hell. Indeed, Paul paid for this preaching privilege with his own life—he was beheaded for being a faithful missionary of the cross of Christ.

Three times in this portion of the Word, we hear Paul speak about preaching. Not just any preaching, but preaching Christ’s cross, salvation by faith alone, and the hope of glory that is found in Jesus Christ alone. The reason it is three times because of the importance of getting the Gospel out to all people. Without the Gospel there is no life and no salvation no matter how nice people may be. PAUSE.

In the Middle Ages a monk by the name of Francis of Assisi said: “In everything you do, preach a sermon. If you have to, use words.” YES, in everything PREACH HIM!

As His beloved and redeemed children, this is our joy, honor and privilege to preach Him to the world in word and deed. But sometimes the devil makes us feel like we can’t do so. Sometimes we think we don’t have the right words. At other times, we believe we need to be trained in proper eloquence or oratory to say something. But you don’t have to speak to preach. You can preach without using words. The hymn writer said it well: If you cannot speak like angels, If you cannot preach like Paul, You can tell the love of Jesus, You can say He died for all. If you cannot rouse the wicked With the Judgment’s dread alarms, You can lead the little children To the Savior’s waiting arms. (Hark! The Voice of Jesus Crying vs. 2).

My beloved and His beloved, not only does your pastor have a pulpit from which to preach Christ. So do you, and you, and you (point out). Your pulpit is called DAILY LIFE. Your vocation is where you preach. Attending school is where you preach. At home is where you preach. At the grocery store is where you preach. At the Post Office preach Him. At the Basketball game preach Him. At the gas station preach Him. Everywhere preach Him!

A story is told of a Grey hound bus driver who was a faithful advertiser. Every noon the cross-country Greyhound bus stopped in the same town for a 45-minute lunch break. Forbidden by company policy to single out any restaurant, the bus driver would say, “If anyone wants me, I’ll be enjoying a delicious meal at Tony’s first-class, spotlessly clean diner directly across the street.” And his indirect adver­tising filled Tony’s diner with hungry travelers.

Wherever God has placed you saints in Christ, you His blood-bought and baptized children can advertise Christ and His cross. Some­times this involves words, witnessing about the only Savior to people you know and people you don’t. Always it involves your daily life. By the way you talk and walk, dress and deal with others, the way you treat your spouse, train your children, and in a thousand other ways, like Paul, you can work for Christ and preach Christ to a world that is lost in darkness and sin. Your walk is heavenward, but on the way there’s work for you and me to do—and what is our work? To preach Christ and Him crucified.

We can be bold and brave like Paul. We can be preachers of the Gospel. We can give a glorious testimony to the love of Jesus that He revealed to the entire world to see on the canvas of human history—His all availing sacrifice on the gory cross of Calvary.

But a time came when Pastor Paul could no longer plant new mission con­gregations and prepare more mission workers. But he could still talk about Jesus. And he did. While in jail in Rome waiting for his beheading, he used the opportunities God laid before him. Every six to eight hours another guard would come to relieve the guard to whom Paul was chained. How many guards did Paul tell about the Savior during his two years in custody at Rome? (Some where over 2000 guards). Satan thought chaining Paul up would curtail his preaching of Christ. Instead, Paul used it as another opportunity to work for Christ.

Paul, in his own estimation, was not a philosopher, not a moralist, not one of the world’s wise men, but simply Christ’s herald, messenger and preacher. His royal master Jesus had given him a message to proclaim; his whole business was to deliver that message with exact and studious faithfulness, adding nothing, altering nothing, and omitting nothing. And he was to deliver it not as another of people’s bright ideas, needing to be beautified with the cosmetics and high heels of fashionable learning in order to make people look at it, but as a Word from God spoken in Christ’s name, carrying Christ’s authority and authenticated in the hearers by the convincing power of Christ’s Spirit (1 Cor. 2:1-5). PAUSE.

How about us? Are we willing to use the gifts the Lord has given us to preach Him to the world? Are we being faithful to proclaim Him to NOT a politically correct society that denies that He is the Only Way to the Father? Are we willing to be faithful witnesses of His mighty miracles, message, and method of death? Are we willing to let others hear our sermon without fear or shame? I PRAY SO. I pray that we do. I pray that our lives, words and deeds tell the world that we believe in Christ and preach Him joyfully and faithfully.

Do you know O’ Christian you’re a sermon in shoes?

Do you know O’ Christian you’re a sermon in shoes?

Jesus wants to help you, spread the gospel news.

So live it and give it

Tell it and spell it

A sermon in shoes!

You may be the only sermon a person “hears.”

Like Francis of Assisi said: “In everything you do, preach a sermon. If you have to, use words.” YES, in everything PREACH HIM! If necessary use words. Amen

Let us pray:

Lord, Jesus Christ, You called Your servant Paul to be a Preacher and a herald of the Good News. Make us we pray, faithful witnesses to Your death and resurrection, to the empty tomb, to the forgiveness You won for us on the cross and the ONLY Savior of the world, so that others may walk with us to heaven. Amen.

Now the peace of God…

“His Time” Gal. 4:4-7

S-1101 2/25/09 Ash Wednesday/3B Hymns: (S) #342; (L.S.) #145; (C) # 92

Texts Joel 2:1-12, 12-17; 2 Corinthians 5:20b -6:10; Matthew 6:1-6; 16-21

Theme: “His Time” (1^st sermon series in Lent on HIStory, Galatians 4:4-7).

Question: “Have you ever said, ‘this is my time?’”

SOLI DEO GLORIA

Saints in Christ, I remember the day as if it was yesterday. We were expecting our first child. We had come back late from some friend’s house and had gone to bed. Early Saturday morning @ 1:10 my wife jabs me on the side and says, “It’s time!” My response was “go to bed, I am tired”. Few more minutes had gone by and again she jabbed me and said, “It’s time!” In a grumpy voice, I said, “Time for what?” “It’s time for the baby to be born,” was her response. I jumped out of bed so fast and started getting ready while still removing the sand out my eyes.

“Its time!” Those were wonderful words to hear on that Saturday morning December 13, of 1979, because the Lord was about to bless us with a gift of a child—Tony. The time had finally come after nine months of growing in the womb. It’s Time to greet the world and be loved by his parents.

Today by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit the Apostle Paul speaks these words: “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, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

God was saying “It’s time! Time to fulfill the promise made to our first parents in the Garden. Time to carry out the plans God shared with father Abraham to bless all the nations of the world through his son. It was time to save mankind from sin, and death; and to redeem them from the punishment of hell and the jaws of the devil.”

God the Father determined when the time was right for His Son to come to earth, as man and God. Revelation 13:8 says that the Lamb (Christ) was slain “from the foundation of the world.” This world, the cosmos, is the world apart from God, and that world was founded when Adam and Eve sinned. When sin entered into God’s creation, given God’s purpose for mankind to be made into His image, it was necessary that there be a method of reconciliation between man and God. This reconciliation was only possible through the perfect sacrifice of Christ.

We must keep in mind that God is not a procrastinator, He may seem delayed in His time but He is never late. Just at the right time God set in motion the plan of redemption. God began to carry out that which all of creation has been longing for—deliverance from the bondage of slavery under the tyranny of sin and death and hell.

Study the Gospel of John and you will notice that in the 1^st 12 chapters, the comments are “it is not His time yet.” Here are few examples: “When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what does this have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come’” (Jh. 2:3-4), “So they were seeking to arrest Him, but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come” (7:20), “These words He spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; but no one arrested Him, because His hour had not yet come” (Jh. 8:30). And then the pendulum swings the other way, that the time had are arrived. Here are few examples: “Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end” (Jh. 13:1), “Father, the time has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You. For You granted Him authority over all people that He might give eternal life to all those You have given Him” (Jh. 17:2).

In the fullness of time Christ began to march to the drumbeat of God’s will. In the fullness of time Christ began to look at Jerusalem with intentional mission. It in the fullness of time Christ was heading to Jerusalem to fulfill the deliverance of man. In the fullness of time, Christ was willing to give His life for you and me by dying our death and receiving our punishment.

Paul is clear here; when the time had fully come Christ came into the world in flesh and blood. What Paul is saying is this: When the best possible moment in history for the advent of Christ into the world, He arrived on the scene of human history. He came during the Pax Romana (the peace of Rome). The economy was good and they had peace in the land, but morality was bad. And it was at this time that Jesus came. And by His arrival into the world, and His mighty deeds on the cross of Calvary, we become the recipients of all that He accomplished for us through the empty tomb.

One of my colleagues asked, “What is the best Ash Wednesday present you have ever received? Most all of us will agree, I think, that we don’t usually receive AW gifts. That is true. By the grace of God we can start a new tradition, but these are the best gifts we’ll ever receive—forgiveness of sin, becoming children of God, calling God “Abba”, and heirs with Christ.

This text is often used for Christmas day. But I am using it for Ash Wednesday to remind us of God’s great goodness to us in the sending of His Son. During this time of the year there are no reminders in the stores of how many days are left to shop. There are no trees or tinsel to draw our attention. There are no radio announcements to get to the stores to buy that gift.

During this night we are privileged to open, no correction, to re-open God’s most precious gift to us—the gift of His Son, to be our Savior and Lord. And what a gift! It is by that gift are we truly blessed indeed. So blessed that we can’t fathom what it is that God has accomplished through the sending of His Son.

What does this really mean for us: We are heirs with Christ. Do you understand what that means? You as a child of God receive all of the blessings from God, life, forgiveness, peace and eternal life. PAUSE.

A very wealthy man had planned well for his family’s future. He had opened accounts for His children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The inheritance would come to them at the specific time when they reach the age of 30. Now these children and grandchildren grew in their homes knowing that they have a lot of money coming, but couldn’t use it until the right time. But when they reached that age, that money was all theirs. Now having grown under the watchful eyes of their grandfather, they appreciated the gift. Just think overnight these people became Millionaires.

We as the children of God are millionaires. Not in dollars and cents, but in grace. Overnight we became saints because of the shed blood of Christ on the cross of Calvary. On this Ash Wednesday when we mark our brows with ashes we are reminded that we are dust and to dust we will return. But the cross on our foreheads reminds us that death is no longer our master, but our means by which we receive all of God’s blessings on account of Christ.

It was time for my son to be born my wife told me. Tonight the Apostle Paul reminds us that on account of Christ, it is our time to be included as the saints of God rather than excluded as the children of the devil. Jesus took upon Himself that curse to redeem those who were already under the curse What He did on the cross was to complete the forgiving of our sins which means that we are no longer held accountable for any of our sins, of word or deed. Jesus, the heaven-sent Savior, at the right time took the punishment upon Himself with the words, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Beloved in the Lord, remember that time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you. We master our minutes, or we become slaves to them; we use time, or time uses us. By the grace of God we can use our time for His glory as we feed at His table in His house. By the mercy of God, we are invited to His house to view again and again what it that our Savior has accomplished for us on the cross of Calvary—our redemption; our salvation; our adoptions as sons.

Tonight, we begin our journey to Calvary and we reflect on HIStory and how HIStory shaped ours. And we can be thankful for His time in our lives. Time spent on the cross to save us. May we cherish this time as we spend it with Him throughout the next 40 days and beyond. Amen.

Now the peace…

“This Child is the SON OF MAN!” (Galatians 4:4-5)

S-1013 2nd MIA/3A 12/12/07 Hymns: #55 different verses; (S) LW#61; (C) #66
Texts: Psalm 72; Deuteronomy 18:14-18; Hebrews 2:14-18; Mark 10:35-45
Theme: “This Child is the SON OF MAN!” (Galatians 4:4-5)
Armour, (second in the sermon series: “What Child Is This?”).

Faithful followers of the Savior, Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed! The words which engage us this evening are from St. Galatians 4: “But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons” (Galatians 4:4-5)

Introduction
Saints in Christ, tonight we continue on our journey deep into the canyon of the Word to behold with the eyes of faith, the precious truth, treasures and timely words that will lead us to know full well who is this Child called Jesus; and the role He plays in our lives.

C. S. Lewis has written many wonderful books from a Christian perspective. In the classic Narnia series, one book is called “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” In this book, the author addresses the dilemma that faces the Daughters of Eve and the Sons of Adam as they embark on the journey to this land called Narnia. Lucy was the first to enter. Upon entering this place she meets a Faun named Tumnus, who begins speaking with her: “Good evening, good evening,” said the faun. “Excuse me—I don’t want to be inquisitive—but should I be right in thinking you are a Daughter of Eve?” “My name’s Lucy,” said she, not quite understanding him. “But you are—forgive me—you are what they call a girl?” asked the Faun. “Of course I’m a girl,” said Lucy. “You are in fact Human?” “O course I’m human” said Lucy, still a little puzzled (pp 11-12)….a little further into the book the Faun attempts to figure a way to release Lucy from his kidnapping attempt: With tears in his eyes, he speaks thus: “I’m crying because I’m such a bad Faun.”… “But what have you done?” asked Lucy…“Taken service under the White Witch.” “The White Witch? Who is she?” “Why, it is she that has got all Narnia under her thumb. It’s she that makes it always winter. Always winter and never Christmas; think of that!” “How awful” said Lucy. (pp14-16).

In this story, C.S. Lewis describes the events of the Daughters of Eve and the Sons of Adam who have been taken captives by the White Witch and kept frozen in the courtyard. And they remained that way until the right time when the Lion “Aslan” comes to Narnia and with his life frees the captives from the dominion of the White Witch.

You need not be a theologian to understand the meaning of this book by C.S. Lewis. He was describing how the devil takes hold of man—the offspring’s of Adam and Eve and holds them captive, freezing their lives in the prison of sin and bind them without ever being able to escape.

This is your story and mine and the world. On account of Adam and Eve, our world was frozen over. Sin was the fruit of that disobedience in the garden. Death was the result of that fruit. And there was no escaping it by our own efforts no matter how we try to escape WE CAN’T.
In the Garden, God promised a Seed to Eve who would come and bring deliverance. Eve thought Cain was going to be the Savior. But Cain was not very Abel. Nevertheless Eve thought (Gen 4:1) it would be a Son of Man who would be the Savior of the world. In both Genealogies in the New Testament one who is related to David would come to be the Savior—A Son of Man.

This promised Seed of Eve, David, Mary and Joseph came at the right time to redeem man from the burden and bondage of sin. At the right time He came to free us from the clutches of death. At the appointed time, He arrived at the Scene.

The apostle Paul tells us in our text this evening: “But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.” Just at the right time. Not before, but in the plan of God at the right time, the Son of Man came to free man. The Son of Man came to give His life as a ransom to the world.

Jesus is the only Savior as Aslan is the only one who can be the “savior”. Aslan's purpose was to give his life so others might live and live again. In the same way Christ came as a babe in Bethlehem, but “nails, spear, shall pierce Him through, the cross be borne for me, for you.”

As we ask this question “What Child Is This?” We must come to the clear conclusion that the answer, is the Son of Man. The Son of Man born of Mary, and laid in the straw of the manger. The Son of Man humbled Himself for our sakes.

As we get deeper into the canyon of the Word, it becomes clear that at times we don’t know how bad our lives are. We don’t know what terrible fate awaits us. We don’t even know the hold that satan has over us.

Look at our situation. We are in desperate need. We are constantly harassed and harried. The enemies are all around us. There are more enemies than we can count. First there are those who would kill us because we are a follower of the Triune God. Then there are the unseen forces of economic downturn, medical crisis and natural disaster that would paralyze us with fear. Then there is the enemy that the classic Pogo cartoon would point out to us. “I have seen the enemy, and it is us!” We are our own worst enemy at times. We set out on journeys in life without consulting God or even caring what He wants for us. We cut off our nose to spite our face. We thumb our nose at God.

This is where God finds us. We are in constant combat. Day by day we are at war. We need to be rescued from this death. And what does God send us? A child. When we need a warrior, God sent His Son, born of a Woman, born under Law, to redeem those of us under the Law! When we were at war, God sent us a baby. This baby, all wrapped in swaddling clothes, one who is not even able to care for Himself, is the One that is supposed to deliver us? You have got to be kidding! A warrior in diapers is no warrior at all. We are lost.

But this is no ordinary child. This One is not just the Son of Man. This One is the Son of God. Like us, this One will grow. Like us, He will face temptation. But He will overcome it. Like us, He will face satan; But unlike us, He will defeat him. Like us, He will face death. But He will be victorious over it! This is no ordinary baby. What Child is this? He is the One God sent at just the right time, to just the right place, for just the right purpose, for the right people—you and me. He has come so that we might by His grace alone become the Sons and daughter of God.

What comfort it is for us as we travel into the canyon of the Word, that we would learn the truth of Holy Scripture. For Scripture teaches us saying: “If we are children, then we are also heirs...” heirs of heaven, of life with Him forever because God always acts at the right time. His sent this heaven-sent child so that we might become the children of God.
WHAT CHILD IS THIS? He is the One promised to the virgin, who will be called Immanuel. (Is. 7:14)
WHAT CHILD IS THIS? For unto us a Child is born...and His name shall be Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, Prince of Peace, Everlasting Father, and of His kingdom there shall be no ending?” (Is 9:6-7).
WHAT CHILD IS THIS? He is the One who will bring a new heaven and new earth where the bear and lion shall pasture, the lamb and wolf lay down together, and little children will have no fear of vipers, cobras, and other animals that threatened us today. (Is. 11:6-9)
WHAT CHILD IS THIS? It is the Child who grew up to be the Suffering Servant who would die for the sins of mankind, suffer in our stead, and rise from the dead bringing life, love, light, and salvation? (Is. 53)
WHAT CHILD IS THIS? Why He is the Son of Man Your Savior and God. Amen.

Now the peace of God…