Galatians 4:8-11
Think of yourself as living in an apartment house.
You live there under a landlord who has made your
life miserable. He charges you exorbitant rent.
When you can’t pay, he loans you money at a
fearful rate of interest to get you even further into
his debt. He barges into your apartment at all hours
of the day and night, wrecks and dirties the place
up, then charges you extra for not maintaining the
premises. Your life is miserable.
Then comes Someone who says, “I’ve taken over
this apartment house. I’ve purchased it. You can
live here as long as you like, free. The rent is paid
up. I am going to be living here with you, in the
manager’s apartment.” What a joy! You are saved!
You are delivered out of the clutches of the old
landlord!
But what happens? You hardly have time to rejoice
in your new-found freedom, when a knock comes at
the door. And there he is—the old landlord! Mean,
glowering, and demanding as ever. He has come for
the rent, he says. What do you do? Do you pay him?
Of course you don’t! Do you go out and pop him on
the nose? No—he’s bigger than you are!
You confidently tell him, “You’ll have to take that
up with the new Landlord.” He may bellow,
threaten, wheedle, and cajole. You just quietly tell
him, “Take it up with the new Landlord.” If he
comes back a dozen times, with all sorts of threats
and arguments, waving legal-looking documents in
your face, you simply tell him yet once again, “Take
it up with the new Landlord.” ln the end, he has to.
He knows it, too. He just hopes that he can bluff
and threaten and deceive you into doubting that
the new Landlord will really take care of things.
This morning we are going to continue looking at the 4th
chapter of Galatians. Today we will be studying verses
8-12.
For context, Paul is defending against the Judaizers who
have been teaching the Galatians that they need to
become Jews in order to truly be saved.
Paul has demolished their argument by explaining that
we are all one in Christ when it comes to salvation. Christ
has completed all the work; salvation is by grace through
faith, not by works so that no one can boast.
Would you join me in prayer as we ask God to speak to
us through His word this morning as He does so
graciously every time we open it?
Galatians 4:8-12
Life Before Christ
Paul starts off by taking the Galatians on a trip down
memory lane. All the way back to the point before they
had even heard the name of Jesus.
He takes them back to when they didn’t know God, and
they worshiped the pagan gods, Zeus and Hermes.
These are little g gods.
They were made up by man or even made by the hands
of me
In order to get a better idea of their life before Christ,
Paul also describes the spiritual state of the Gentiles in
Ephesians 2:12 “remember that you were at that
time separated from Christ, alienated from the
commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the
covenants of promise, having no hope and without
God in the world.”
This describes all of our lives before receiving Christ.
Separated from Christ
Alienated
Having no hope and without God in the world.
How sad is that? No hope and without God!!!
Paul also wrote about this in his letter to Titus.
Titus 3:3 “For we ourselves were once foolish,
disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions
and pleasures, passing our days in malice and
envy, hated by others and hating one another.”
Once again, what a picture of our sad state before our
salvation.
Disobedient
Led astray
Malic
Envy
Hating one another
It’s the opposite of what Jesus tells us to do.
We are supposed to love God and love one another.
In verse 9 Paul reminds them that they are no longer
without God. He reminds them that they know God.
Knowing and Being Known by God
The word know doesn’t merely mean to have head
knowledge of something. It refers to an intimate
relationship.
Paul introduced the Galatians to the one true living God.
The God who spoke the world into existence.
The God who loves us and wants us to call out to Him
with confidence and He will give us mercy and grace in
our time of need. Cf Hebrews 4:16
Let’s go back to Ephesians 2 where Paul describes what
happens when we receive the good news.
Ephesians 2:13-15 “But now in Christ Jesus you
who once were far off have been brought near by
the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace,
who has made us both one and has broken down in
his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing
the law of commandments expressed in ordinances,
that he might create in himself one new man in
place of the two, so making peace,”
The blood of Jesus brings us near to God.
It breaks down the dividing wall of hostility
In just a few minutes we are going to be observing the
Lord’s Supper. We will remember the shed blood of Jesus
that helps reconcile us to the Father. We will remember
His body that was pierced for our transgressions.
Even better than the Galatians knowing God, Paul
continues that they are known by God.
Isn’t it incredible that we are known by God?
He made the tallest mountain and the deepest ocean.
He made the entire galaxy.
He even made the smallest atom and things we can’t
see.
And He still wants to know us.
Listen to what Paul wrote to the church at Corinth.
I Corinthians 8:3 “But if anyone loves God, he is
known by God.”
Also, I Corinthians 13:12 “For now we see in a
mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in
part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been
fully known.”
God knows us because He created us. He knew us before
we were formed in our mother’s womb.
He even knows the number of hairs on our head.
Since we know Him and He knows us, we are able to
hear His voice when He speaks to us.
Sheep know the voice of the shepherd. They won’t come
to anyone but the one who knows them and loves them.
Jesus is our shepherd. He knows us and we know Him.
Why Turn Back?
Paul continues by asking the Galatians a serious
question.
Knowing and being known by God, how then can you turn
back to the elementary principles of the world?
It’s an interesting question, but one that we may all ask
ourselves.
Have you ever caught yourself saying, I wish I could go
back to the good ol’ days?
In Christ, there is no going back. There is only going
forward.
[Verse 1]
I have decided to follow Jesus
I have decided to follow Jesus
I have decided to follow Jesus
No turning back, no turning back
[Verse 2]
Though none go with me, I still will follow
Though none go with me, I still will follow
Though none go with me, I still will follow
No turning back, no turning back
[Verse 3]
My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus
My cross I’ll carry till I see Jesus
My cross I’ll carry till I see Jesus
No turning back, no turning back
[Verse 4]
The world behind me, the cross before me
The world behind me, the cross before me
The world behind me, the cross before me
No turning back, no turning back
But this isn’t the first time we have seen something like
this happen.
After God rescued Israel out of slavery to Egypt, they
longed to go back to the way things were.
Warren Wiersbe writes, “They were giving up the
power of the Gospel for the weakness of Law, and
the wealth of the Gospel for the poverty of Law.
The Law never made anybody rich or powerful; on
the contrary, the Law could only reveal man’s
weakness and spiritual bankruptcy.”
In verse 10 Paul calls the Galatians out for observing
days and months and seasons and years. What he is
referring to is the Jewish festivals and holy days. The
Galatians have been observing them out of obedience to
the Judaizers.
This is not being what God had planned for them.
Notice how Paul is at his wits end with them in verse 11.
He is afraid he labored over them in vain.
Did he waste his time with them?
Is it a waste of time to spread the gospel if people are
going to go back to the way they lived before Christ? Of
course not.
Paul merely wants the Galatians to live the way he taught
them.
We will see that in verse 12, but we will have to save that
until next week.
APPLICATION
Our application this morning is to
Remember Who Our Landlord Is
He knows you and wants to be known by you.
We are no longer slaves to sin,
We have freedom in Christ.