Galatians 4:1-7 St. Matthew 1:18-25

Sons and Heirs of God

In the 1st English Prayer Book of 1549, the Gospel reading for the 1st 
Sunday after Christmas Day included the whole of the 1st chapter of the 
Gospel according to St. Matthew. Now, the purpose of the genealogy of Christ 
is not, contrary to popular opinion, to aid those of us who suffer from 
insomnia, but rather to show that Jesus is both the Son of Abraham and the 
Son of David. As such, two Old Testament promises were fulfilled in Him, 
firstly, the promise made to Abraham that in his Seed all the families of 
the earth would be blessed and secondly, the promise made to David that 
there would always be one of his descendants upon the throne.

But the 1st chapter of St. Matthew goes much further than this. The Apostle 
wrote that what was born on Christmas Day was far greater than a Son of 
Abraham or a Son of David. To Joseph it was revealed that what was conceived 
in the womb of his betrothed was no less than the Son of God. Here the two 
promises meet in the one Divine Person: Jesus, Who took our nature upon Him 
and was born of a pure virgin so that He might save His people from their 
sins and Immanuel, Who lives and reigns as God with us. As Man, His death 
paid the penalty for sin and, as God, His life ushered in the new creation.

Thus the Babe of Bethlehem made it possible for us to share in His 
privileges. Through Him, we too can be restored to the position of sons of 
God and, consequently, heirs of all that was promised Him. By the event of 
the incarnation.the entrance of the Son of God into the world of men.we are 
graciously adopted by God the Father.

In our Epistle passage for today, St. Paul rehearsed five points pertaining 
to this glorious invasion.

Firstly, the privilege of becoming sons is granted to us by God's grace. The 
Scriptures tell us that before the foundation of the world - in the eternal 
counsel of the Godhead - it was determined to make these blessings ours. The 
Lamb of God, sent forth at Christmas as a Son, fulfilled this eternal 
determination at Easter, thereby claiming His divine global inheritance - 
the ends of the earth for His possession. We are that inheritance, dearest 
brethren, and we owe it all to our Father's Sovereign grace.

Secondly, the eternal determination of God was fulfilled in space and 
time.at the fullness of time. This implies that the Older Testament was a 
period of preparation.a time during which the guilt of man was filled up to 
the brim of God's Cup of wrath to be poured out upon the Son as He took upon 
Himself the curse that was ours. The Law of God repeatedly demonstrated 
mankind's need for a Saviour - as such, it was a tutor and a guardian, ever 
pointing forward to this great incarnational event until the time appointed 
by the Father - at the fullness of the time. This indicates that God has a 
time table that He follows according to His wise and infallible counsel in 
which He determines the time and manner in which His blessings are to be 
received. Still today, there are times of preparation which serve to make 
ready those who do not yet know the Lord Jesus to receive Him as Saviour.and 
there are times of preparation for us who do know the Lord Jesus, but who 
still need to be conformed ever more to His image.

Thirdly, the eternal determination of God was fulfilled by sending His Son 
as a Man - born of a woman, born under the Law, to redeem those who were 
under the Law. The writer to the Hebrews wrote that: "Inasmuch then as the 
children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the 
same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, 
that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all 
their lifetime subject to bondage." Only Man could pay Man's penalty, and 
thus our Lord took upon Himself our nature - living "an earthly life under 
the same divinely-ordered discipline of law as His fellow-men, without 
Himself becoming a transgressor" (Stibbs) - and dying a sinless death in our 
place. It is through His redeeming work that we receive the adoption as 
sons.

Fourthly, the eternal determination of God is confirmed by the sending forth 
of the Spirit of His Son into our hearts. He is the Guarantee of our 
inheritance in Christ as it is through His ministry that we are regenerated 
unto life - through Him we are born again, not as sons of men, but as sons 
of God - and thus we have the assurance and freedom to approach God as our 
Father. Because of His indwelling presence, we cry, "Abba" - an intimate 
Aramaic word equivalent to our word "Daddy" - "Father".

And then finally, the fulfilment of the eternal determination of God is 
revealed as the work of all three Persons of the Trinity. It is their common 
purpose to grant to us the status, nature and inheritance of sons of God. 
(Stibbs) But then, through the operation of the Holy Spirit and the willing 
co-operation of ourselves in the fulfilment of our Lord's command to make 
disciples of al nations, we are made joint-heirs with Christ of His 
possession. We are seated together with Him in Heavenly places and we reign 
with Him, even now, over the world which is doubly His - by creation and 
redemption - and He has called us to share in His work of reconciliation.

In the proper preface for this Christmastide, we rehearse the fulfilment of 
this eternal determination of God: "Because Thou didst give Jesus Christ 
Thine only Son to be born as at this time for us; Who by the operation of 
the Holy Ghost was made very Man of the substance of the Virgin Mary His 
mother." Then, in response to our remembrance of this event of the 
Incarnation, the Son Himself presides over His Table, coming to us once 
more, not as a lowly Babe in a manger in Bethlehem, but as the exalted King 
of the Universe.and yet, He stoops once more as He shares Himself with us 
again in the elements of Bread and Wine. "Thus our status as sons, into 
which we entered at our baptism, is hereby renewed. God sends forth the 
Spirit of His Son into our hearts (once more) crying, 'Abba, Father'" 
(Fuller).

Dearest Brethren, this Christmastide we are reminded by the Apostle Paul 
that we are no longer slaves in bondage under the elements of this world, 
but we are sons who have received the eternal determination of God by grace 
through the work of His Son and the ministry of the Holy Ghost. And if we 
are sons, then we are co-heirs with Christ, a reality communicated to us 
through our participation in the Holy Eucharist. As the Prayer of 
Thanksgiving expresses it: "Thou dost vouchsafe to feed us, who have duly 
received these holy mysteries, with the spiritual food of the most precious 
Body and Blood of Thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ; and dost assure us 
thereby of Thy favour and goodness towards us; and that we are very members 
incorporate in the mystical Body of Thy Son, which is the blessed company of 
all faithful people; and are also heirs through hope of Thine everlasting 
kingdom, by the merits of the most precious death and passion of Thy dear 
Son."

And thus, as we hear the final blessing at the end of the service, "Go in 
peace to love and serve our Lord", let us, like the Son, be sent forth by 
the Father in the power of the Holy Ghost into His world to live the life of 
sons and heirs of God.

© Johann W. Vanderbijl III 2004


The Rev. Fr. Johann W. Vanderbijl III, Rector
The Anglican Church of St. George the Martyr, R.E.
427 Batesville Road
Simpsonville, SC 29681
cranmer@...
www.stgeorge-re.org