The Lutheran Hour
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"Whose Child Are You?"
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Text: Galatians 3:26-4:7
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We turn to the New Testament today, the Book of Galatians, one of the letters of the Apostle Paul to first century Christians.
Let’s pray as we go to God’s Word. Dear Heavenly Father, Your Word is a powerful and awesome thing. In the beginning You spoke and the universe leapt into existence. You sent Your Son into this sin-sick world. As the disciple Peter recognized, Your Son Jesus the Christ had the words of eternal life. Now we come before You and ask You to speak a word of hope and healing, a word of mercy and forgiveness, a word of grace and encouragement into our hearts and into our lives. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
They couldn’t let it go. It quickly became an obsession. Day after day turned into week after week. Every news outlet was providing round-the-clock coverage of this all-consuming story. This news item seemed to eclipse everything else that was going on in the world in those days. It was about a baby. Stories about babies always attract a level of attention. This was a story about a baby whose mother had died. The primary focus of media attention had to do with who the father of this baby was. In a perfect world this rather basic information would readily be known. In this case several men claimed to be this baby’s father. Finally, after a wearisome two-month media feeding frenzy, the moment of truth came as a result of DNA testing. On April 10, 2007, the whole world discovered who the father of Dannielynn was. We already knew the mother was the late Anna Nicole Smith.
Here’s my question: Whose child are you? Most of us have a birth certificate we can refer to, but there are those who don’t. I worked with a young man who was adopted when he was a baby and does not know who his biological parents are and doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to find out. I counseled a woman who, from little on, had an older brother who repeatedly told her that she was adopted and that she really didn’t belong in the family. His words troubled her and created a level of doubt, so much so, that when she was older she went to her parents and pressed them for the truth about her lineage. His words have had a lingering impact on her sense of identity and family belonging.
“Whose child are you?” is an important question, the answer to which establishes our place in the world, where we fit in, where we came from. But there are those who have had to make it through this life without knowing much, if anything about their parents. Many of them not only survive, but thrive. Take Dave Thomas, for example, the founder of the Wendy’s restaurant chain. He was adopted at six weeks of age and never knew his birth parents. Making a bigger impact than his restaurants is the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, an organization that seeks to find permanent, loving homes for children in foster care. That is a work that is near the heart of God and represents what James, the brother of our Lord, calls religion that is pure and faultless (see James 1:27).
But there is a deeper level we need to go with this question, “Whose child are you?” The Bible speaks to this important question. The Apostle Paul answered this question for the Christians in Galatia when he wrote, “You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:26-27). You are a child of earthly parents whether you know them or not, but the question with eternal significance is this: are you a child of God through faith in Christ Jesus? Paul says that if you belong to Christ, if you’ve been baptized into Christ, then you are a descendent of Abraham. Paul says if you trust in Christ then you are in line for an inheritance. I knew that word would get your attention. He says this inheritance is tied to the promise. Notice he didn’t say a promise, but the promise.
How long does it usually take you to keep a promise? I am sure you would say: Well, that it depends on the promise. If you promise to meet someone for lunch tomorrow, you’ll have that taken care of within 24 hours or so. If you promise your banker that you will pay off your mortgage, well that may take 15, 20, or 30 years, depending on the terms of your loan. When you stand at the altar, join your right hands and exchange some solemn words with that person who is becoming your husband or your wife, you are promising your faithfulness to that person until death parts you. You and I make promises every day. Some we keep, some we break. Some take seconds or minutes to fulfill, others take a lifetime.
The promise Paul talks about in our reading from Galatians is the promise God made to Abraham. This promise had three parts. You can read about it in Genesis chapter 12. God promised Abraham land and descendents. That’s music to the ears of a wandering nomad who didn’t have any children and was too old to have children. But the third part of God’s promise was the most intriguing, that through Abraham all the nations of the earth would be blessed. That promise of God almost has a riddle-like quality to it. How could the whole world be blessed through one man?
Muslims, Jews, and Christians all claim Abraham as their father. Muslims and Jews see him as their father according to earthly ancestry while Christians view him as their spiritual father. That idea is clearly stated by Paul in this third chapter of Galatians. He said, “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendents” (Galatians 3:29). If you have faith in Jesus as your Savior, as your Lord, then you have a kinship with Abraham. Abraham was a believer. Abraham trusted God. The Bible says of Abraham that he believed God and his faith was “credited to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). Abraham was declared righteous or holy before God and by God not because he was perfect and never sinned, but because he trusted God and His promises. Remember how he passed God’s test when he was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac?
Have you ever said or maybe thought, “I won’t live long enough to see that happen”? Abraham did live long enough to see with his own eyes the fulfillment of some of God’s promises. He entered and lived in the land God promised to him. He lived to see his children born. He lived to the ripe old age of 175 years, but he would have had to live 2,000 years to see the fulfillment of God’s ultimate promise, although he saw it from a distance through the eyes of faith. That’s a long time to wait!
When I think about waiting, I think about Christmas. How are you about waiting for Christmas? When I was a kid I could hardly stand it. My birthday is right before Christmas, so that was a helpful, annual diversion. But the halls weren’t being decked for my birthday, but for Jesus’ birthday. I loved all of it: the trees, the lights, the meals, the special services at church, the anticipation, and, yes, the presents. Waiting is hard. Waiting can be frustrating. Waiting can give birth to doubt. Like when I was in the doctor’s office the other day with my daughter. It was an hour and ten minutes past our appointment time. I finally approached the counter to gently inquire if there was yet hope that we might have an audience with the good doctor. The receptionist picked up her phone. A call was placed. I think it was handled by the good folks at NORAD deep within Cheyenne Mountain near Colorado Springs, Colorado. Not long after that call was placed, the door to the waiting room opened. A nurse with a clipboard poked her head out. But we weren’t getting our hopes up. We had witnessed all of this before. We had seen a steady stream of other patients summoned to their appointments and then leave the office. Had there been a mix up? Was my daughter really on their list? What if she isn’t? Are we even in the right office? What if the doctor is still in surgery at a hospital halfway across town? What if we run out of magazines to read before it’s our turn? But against all hope, this time it was my daughter’s name that was called. Anticipation was over. Fulfillment of expectations emerged.
Abraham would have been in the waiting room for some 2,000 years before the Great Physician, Jesus, finally came. Here’s how Paul describes his coming to the Galatians: “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). By sending His Son, God kept His promise to Abraham that through him all the nations of the earth would be blessed. While Jesus was God’s Son, He was also Abraham’s descendent. Listen to the first verse of Matthew’s Gospel. It says there: “A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1). Jesus had a loving and intimate relationship with His heavenly Father. In fact, He said and He and the Father are one. Jesus also had an intimate knowledge of His human ancestry going all the way back to father Abraham.
Whose child are you? Do you have an intimate relationship with your heavenly Father, the God who gave you life and breath and sustains your life from day to day? Whether you know it or not, whether you believe it or not, at just the right time, in the fullness of time, God sent His Son for you. At the time of Abraham there was still 2,000 years of waiting. Now in our day 2,000 years have passed since Jesus’ coming at the crossroads of human history. Abraham looked forward in faith. You and I look back at the facts. At just the right time, God sent His Son, born of a woman. We know the woman’s name was Mary. We know this was no ordinary conception. The child she carried was no ordinary child. She and her fiancé Joseph did not conceive this child. This child was the result of Divine intervention. In this child God took on human flesh and blood. Concerning this child, the Apostle John wrote in the opening chapter of the Gospel that bears his name, “The Word [Jesus] became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). But why did He come? Paul tells us why.
“God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might be adopted as God’s children.” You and I needed redeeming. Jesus came to redeem us. Do you know what redemption is? Have you seen the movie, Man On Fire, starring Denzel Washington? Washington plays a former government operative who reluctantly takes a job protecting a wealthy American family in Mexico City. To make a long story short, he voluntarily exchanges his life for the life of the young girl in this family who he was charged to protect. She had been kidnapped and held hostage. The most poignant scene in the movie was after the exchange had taken place and he was obviously going to his death and the little girl was being set free and reunited with her mother. I’ll warn you, the movie is not rated G; it is not for the faint of heart. It is not for children, although there is a child in the middle of this story. It is violent. There is bloodshed and killing, and there is strong language in this story of redemption.
That description sounds like another movie that depicted a story of redemption. Maybe you’ve seen it, The Passion of the Christ. Man On Fire is fiction, conceived and produced to entertain. The Passion of the Christ is non-fiction, originally conceived by God and acted out in real life, in real time, and in a real place; to save you and me from our sins and to buy us back, to redeem us from the grip of death and hell.
The story of our redemption was messy, it was violent, it was bloody; the language was profane and vulgar. It wasn’t rated G. God wants you to take His story personally. A life had to be exchanged for your life. Somebody had to pay with their blood for your sins. Someone had to pay with their life for you to be set free, to be redeemed. Jesus was that someone. He went to the cross voluntarily with you in mind. He went willingly. He went silently. He died there at the place of the skull outside the walls of Jerusalem so that you could be reunited with your Father, your heavenly Father. You see, your relationship with God was broken by sin… your sin, your disobedience. With His death and with His resurrection, Jesus makes possible your adoption into God’s family. Your adoption papers have been signed in blood, His blood.
Whose child are you? Are you feeling like an orphan, alone in the world, with no place to call home? God wants you to be His child through His Son, Jesus. Do you know Him? Have you received Him as your Redeemer, your Savior? Confess your sins to Him. Trust Him. Welcome to the family! Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for June 24, 2007
TOPIC: The LawANNOUNCER: Now, Pastor Ken Klaus answers questions from listeners. I’m Mark Eischer. Today’s question is sort of a follow-up from an earlier discussion. It comes to us from an informed young man who wants to know: Which of the Old Testament laws given to the people of Israel should we as Christians be following? He also wants to know why we should follow some and perhaps not others.
KLAUS: Good questions. Let’s see what we can do with them. First, many of our listeners might not know that God gave different kinds of laws in the Bible.
I remember hearing some time ago, about a lady who was asked to name one of the Ten Commandments. She said, “Thou shalt not do… anything.” Well, she’s not quite right. Actually, she’s not right at all. Jesus came into this world to give us true freedom, not to shackle us into a miserable life.
But, to get back to the questions: although it is simplifying things quite a bit, for the purpose of this Question and Answer segment we can say God gave two groups of laws, the first of which is the Decalogue.
ANNOUNCER: Decalogue… that means the Ten Commandments.
KLAUS: Right… Commandments like “Thou shalt have no other Gods before Me… Honor thy father and thy mother…. Thou shalt not steal… Thou shalt not commit adultery… and the like. Those are the laws which the Lord has written in people’s hearts. Which means, almost anywhere, anytime, every culture will say those things are wrong.
ANNOUNCER: Those are also the laws pretty familiar to most people. But you said there were two sets of laws.
KLAUS: Yes, I did say that, Mark… but if you don’t mind, I’d like to change what I said and make it three sets of laws. The second group of laws are the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament. Those are the laws which were directed to the Children of Israel. Those laws are things like: Don’t or do eat this meat… On this day, this is the kind of sacrifice you should bring to God… This is how you are to deal with someone who has a disease… This is how you are to treat the widow of someone who dies childless.
ANNOUNCER: Those laws aren’t perhaps as well known to us today.
KLAUS: Right. That’s because those laws aren’t universally written in the hearts of humankind. But they are also the laws which the Christian church no longer follows.
ANNOUNCER: That is what our listener is asking: Why is that?
KLAUS: There’s a number of reasons. The most important is that those ceremonial laws usually pointed to Jesus, the Savior, who had been promised to come. Sacrifices on an altar are no longer necessary because Jesus is the sacrifice for our sins. Foods which were once unclean are now allowed.
ANNOUNCER: How do we know that?
KLAUS: Look at Acts 10 and you will read of the vision in which Peter was told to kill and eat animals which were unclean. When he objected, God said, “Peter don’t call anything unclean which God has made clean.” We also know the early church took a stand against trying to retrofit the old laws into the new faith in a crucified and risen Lord.
ANNOUNCER: And because Jesus perfectly fulfilled all of the ceremonial laws, that leaves us now with the Ten Commandments.
KLAUS: Right, Mark. Christians who are forgiven by Jesus now, in a life of thanksgiving for the Savior having done for them what they could never have done for themselves, gladly and voluntarily do their best to do what the heavenly Father calls them to do.
ANNOUNCER: And He has laid that out for us in the Ten Commandments.
KLAUS: Which He has laid out for us in the Ten Commandments. Now, these Commandments act as a curb to help discipline and keep decency among God’s people in the world; they act as mirrors which show us what is sinful; and they help us to do God-pleasing deeds.
ANNOUNCER: And you said there were three types of laws.
KLAUS: I did, Mark. The third set is the religious laws that men make up… and not God.
ANNOUNCER: I believe the Pharisees did that quite a bit.
KLAUS: They did, and people still do. Now, while it may be good and proper for nations, individuals, and churches to follow these rules… we dare not ever pass off human rules as being God’s rules.
ANNOUNCER: So you’re saying that those rules, let’s say like when a church meets for worship, or which hymnal they use, or what color they make the carpet, or whether they floss after ever meal; these are helpful rules, but they’re not God’s rules.
KLAUS: Exactly. It’s something the Pharisees forgot.
ANNOUNCER: It’s something Jesus thoroughly and roundly condemned.
KLAUS: Right… we can have those rules, as long as we do not consider them to have the same level of authority as do the Ten Commandments.
ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Pastor Klaus. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.
Music selections for this program:
“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by John Leavitt. Concordia Publishing House/SESAC
“Baptized into Your Name Most Holy” arranged by Henry Gerike. Used by permission
“God’s Own Child, I Gladly Say It” by E. Neumeister & J.C. Bachofen, tr. Robert E. Voelker. From With High Delight by the Children’s Choirs of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Ft. Wayne (© 2002 St. Paul’s Lutheran Church) Text © 1991 Robert E. Voelker
“Children of the Heavenly Father” arr. Paul J. Christiansen. From Hymns We Love to Sing by the National Lutheran Choir (© 2005 Thrivent Financial for Lutherans) Music © Paul and Elinor Christiansen, LLC
“Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier” by J.S. Bach. From Charles Callahan Plays the Organ of the Church of the Holy Family by Charles Callahan (© 1997 Charles Callahan
“These Are the Holy Ten Commandments” by J.S. Bach. From Organist Frederick Hohman & Johann Sebastian Bach by Frederick Hohman (© 1988 Pro Organo)