La Gracia Cambia Todo, Noviembre 30, 2025

["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] Good morning, Fellowship Español. Buenos días, Fellowship Español. Wow, that was bad. ¡Ay, qué mal! Good morning, Fellowship Español. Buenos días. It's so good to be here with you all this morning. Qué bueno estar aquí con vosotros esta mañana. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Espero que todos tuvieran un buen Actión de Gracias. We have so much to be thankful for. Sí que tenemos tanto por lo cual ser agradecidos. I'm most thankful for God's grace, to be sure. Estoy más agradecido por la gracia de Dios para estar seguros. But I'm also thankful to God for my Fellowship Español family. Pero también estoy muy agradecido con Dios por mi familia de Fellowship Español. And I'm thankful every time we can gather together around the Word. Y estoy muy agradecido cada vez que nos podemos juntar juntos alrededor de su palabra. So if you have your Bible, go ahead and turn to Galatians 3. We'll start in verse 26. But before we start, let me pray for us. Father, thank you. Thank you for your grace. Thank you for your mercy. Thank you for your love. Thank you for your Word. Lord, please bless the reading and teaching of your Word this morning. I pray that as we're reading your Word, our hearts will be filled with thankfulness to you.

And that out of gratitude to Christ, we'll serve you faithfully. As we enjoy your grace. I ask these things in your name, Jesus. Amen. So last Sunday, we studied verses 15 through 25. And Paul argues that the law is not an alternate way of salvation. He emphasizes that salvation has always been by faith in God and His promises. So what was the purpose of the law? Paul said in verse 19, the law was added because of transgressions. The law was given to restrain evil. And it was given to reveal our need for a Savior. The law was not given as a way to earn favor with God. Paul says the law was our guardian. In other words, it showed us our sin. And it taught us to turn to Christ in repentance and faith. And what's the promise for all who put their faith in Christ alone? We're going to see this morning. They're redeemed from the curse of the law. They're clothed in the blood of Christ. They're redeemed from the curse of the law. They're clothed in the righteousness of Christ. And they become the adopted children of God. This is the reality for all believers. We are children of God. We're children of God. Look at verses 26 and 27. 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. This is such a beautiful passage. This is such a beautiful passage. We are sons of God through faith.

We were slaves. We were enemies of God. We were sons of disobedience. We were, by nature, children of wrath. But God is so gracious and merciful, and by His grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, we're freed from slavery. We're friends of God. And we're given the honor of becoming sons of God. Praise God. Remember the words of Jesus Himself. John chapter 1, verse 12. This is a familiar verse. You know this one. To all who received Him, who believed in His name, say it with me. He gave the right to become children of God. That's our status now. That's who we are. We are children of the Almighty God. And it's not because we've done anything to earn it. We're children of God by His grace, through faith. And guess what? We're all equally and perfectly loved by God as His children. There are no favorites in the family of God. He doesn't love one son more than the other. Parents, look at verses 28 and 29. There is neither Jew nor Greek. There's neither slave nor free. There's no male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise. It's important to understand that Paul's not completely ignoring these distinctions.

God made us different. We're different. I mean, just look around. We're all different. Some of you are Hispanic. Some of you are white. Some of you are black. Some of you are male. Some of you are female. We even speak different languages. We don't ignore these distinctions. But none of these things determine our status before God. None of these things earn us a place in God's family. And none of these things should divide us. We're all sinners, and we're all redeemed by the same Savior. We're all one in Christ. John 17, verse 21. Listen to this. Jesus is praying to the Father. He's praying for his disciples, which includes you and me. Listen to what he prays for. That they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you. That they may also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. Jesus pray for. He prays for our visible unity. He prays for us to be one and reflect the unity between Him and the Father. Because our unity in Him is a visible sign that He was sent by the Father. It's not the color of our skin that unites us. It's not language that unites us. It's not the culture that unites us.

These things don't unite us and they don't determine our status before God. Our unity is rooted in the gospel of grace. By grace through faith, we become children of Abraham and heirs of God's promise, regardless of our background. Look at chapter four, verses one through three. I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything. But he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way, we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. So Paul's expanding on what he said in chapter three. He's saying that all human beings are spiritual slaves before coming to Christ. Before Christ, Jews and Gentiles were children enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. For the Jews, this would have been the law and their Jewish rituals. For the Gentiles, this would have been their pagan religious systems. Both groups were enslaved to systems that focused on their own works and performance. So any believers who returned to those systems would be returning to slavery. The Galatians were told they needed to be circumcised. But that would mean returning to slavery and rejecting their freedom in Christ. It would mean rejecting His grace and forgetting their position in Christ. And we all have the tendency to do this, don't we? Like Pastor Cody said in the video, we can find ourselves trying to do more in order to earn God's acceptance. We can find ourselves trying to make God proud instead of resting in His grace. This is why we must keep our eyes on the cross. We must keep our eyes on Jesus. We must remember what He has done for us. The work is finished. There's nothing more to do.

We can't do anything to earn His favor. All we can do is rest in His support. Sufficient grace. Lo único que podemos hacer es descansar en su gracia suficiente. Rest in what he has accomplished for us. Descansar en lo que él ya cumplió por nosotros. And rest in our position as children of God. Y descansar en nuestra posición como hijos de Dios. Because the Father sent the Son to make us his children. Porque el Padre mandó al Hijo para hacernos sus hijos. Look at verses four and five. Miremos los versículos cuatro y cinco. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law. Pero cuando vino la plenitud del tiempo, Dios envió a su Hijo, nacido de mujer, nacido bajo la ley. To redeem those who are under the law so that we might receive adoption as sons. A fin de que redimiera a los que estaban bajo la ley para que recibiéramos la adopción de hijos. This is a summary of the Gospel of Grace. Esto es un resumen del Evangelio de Gracia. Someone says, what's the Gospel? Alguien te dice, ¿qué es el Evangelio? Just read that. Solo lees esto.

When the fullness of time had come. Cuando vino la plenitud del tiempo. In God's perfect timing. En el tiempo perfecto de Dios. He didn't send Jesus to earth as a grown man. No le mandó Dios a su Hijo aquí a la tierra como un hombre ya crecido. Jesus didn't come to the earth and go immediately to the cross. Jesús no llegó de repente a la tierra y subió a la cruz. How did he come? ¿Cómo vino? He came into the world just like you and me. Vino al mundo tal como tú y como yo. He was born of a woman. Nació de mujer. And this was prophesied in Isaiah. Y esto fue algo que se profetizó en Isaías. The virgin will give birth to a son. La virgen dará luz a un hijo. And you shall call him Emmanuel, which means God with us. Y será llamado Emmanuel, que significa Dios con nosotros. This is what Christmas is all about. Y de esto es de lo que se trata la Navidad. Niños, listening in the room. This is what Christmas is all about. De esto se trata la Navidad. This is the greatest gift to us. Este es el regalo más grande para nosotros.

The birth of our Lord and Savior. El nacimiento de nuestro Señor y Salvador. He was born under the law. Nació bajo la ley. Why is that important? ¿Y por qué es esto importante? Because he had to redeem us who were under the law. Porque nos tenía que redimir a nosotros que estábamos bajo la ley. We were under the curse of the law. Nosotros estábamos bajo la mandición de la ley. Because we're all born sinners incapable of keeping the law perfectly. Porque todos hemos nacido pecadores incapaces de cumplir la ley perfectamente. God demands perfect obedience to his law. Pero Dios demanda obediencia perfecta a su ley. And this is why all who trust in their own obedience to the law are under a curse. Y por eso todo el que confía en su propia obediencia hacia la ley están bajo maldición. Jesus was born under the law and he obeyed the law perfectly. Jesús nació bajo la ley y él sí obedeció la ley perfectamente. He lived a life of perfect obedience on our behalf. Vivió una vida de obediencia perfecta por nuestra parte. And then he willingly went to the cross as our perfect substitute. Y luego de ahí voluntariamente fue a la cruz

como nuestro sustituto perfecto. He redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. Y él nos redimió de la maldición de la ley al convertirse en maldición por nosotros. He took our place. Él tomó nuestro lugar. He was pierced for our transgressions. Fue clavado por nuestras transgresiones. He was crushed for our iniquities. Fue molido por nuestras iniquidades. All our sin was laid on him. Toda nuestro pecado fue echado sobre él. He paid our sin debt in full. Él pagó nuestra deuda por nuestro pecado al completo. And he canceled the record of debt that stood against us. Y canceló el record de esa deuda que estaba en contra nuestra. Jesus was our perfect substitute in life and death. Jesús fue nuestro sustituto perfecto tanto en vida como en muerte. This is what the Father sent him to do. Para esto le mandó el Padre. Because he loves us. Porque nos ama. For God so loved the world. Porque de tal manera amó al mundo. That he gave his only son. Que dio a su único hijo. So that whoever believes in him will not perish.

Para que todo el que crea en él no se pierda. But have eternal life. Tenga vida eterna. The moment we repent and believe. El momento que nos arrepentimos y creemos. All our sins are forgiven. Todos nuestros pecados son perdonados. Because he paid our sin debt in full. Porque él pagó nuestra deuda de pecado al completo. But we're not just forgiven. forgiven. We're also clothed in the righteousness of Jesus. His righteousness is credited to us, and we are justified and declared righteous in the sight of God. But it gets even better. We're not just declared righteous in the sight of a holy God. We're also embraced by him as his beloved children. Think about that. We're adopted into his family. We are his sons and daughters. And we enjoy all the liberties and privileges that come with being children of God. This is the result of his grace. We've done nothing to deserve it. We can't add to it. And there's nothing that can change this. No one gets kicked out of the family of God. We will live with him forever. We will always have a room in his house. And we will always have a place at his table. Who's familiar with the story of David and Mephibosheth? A little Bible trivia for you. I saw one hand raised. It's okay. Go ahead. Who is Mephibosheth? Yes. Well, he was Jonathan's son. Yes, he was Jonathan's son and the grandson of Saul. And Jonathan and David were close friends. David made a covenant with Jonathan. He promised to show kindness to Jonathan's family. He promised that he would not wipe out the family of Saul. So what happened after Saul and Jonathan died in battle? You can read about this in 2 Samuel 9. But David searched for anyone in the house of Saul that he could show kindness to

for Jonathan's sake. And David was made aware that Mephibosheth was alive. Mephibosheth was crippled because he was dropped by the woman who cared for him after the death of his father. So Mephibosheth is brought before David. It says he fell on his face before David. He was afraid David was about to kill him because the custom was to kill the remaining family members in order to prevent any descendants from taking the throne. Does David kill him? No. What does David do? It says this. Listen to this. It says that David called him by name. I love this. David says, Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth looks at David. And here's what David said to him. Do not fear. Do not fear. I will show you kindness for the sake of your father. I will restore to you all the land of Saul. And listen to this. You shall eat at my table always. David kept his promise to Jonathan. Was it because of anything Mephibosheth did? No. He didn't do anything. He didn't have anything to offer David. David did everything. He loved Mephibosheth. He was gracious and kind to Mephibosheth. All Mephibosheth could do is receive David's kindness to him.

And because of David's kindness, he was not punished for being Saul's grandson. He was welcomed into the royal family. And he was treated as one of David's own sons. He enjoyed all the blessings and benefits of being a king's son. Jesus is the better King David. We were fatherless, and we were under the penalty of sin. But the Father demonstrates his love for us. He sent his Son, and Jesus did everything to make our adoption possible. By grace through faith, we are free from any and all punishment for our sins. We're welcomed into the royal family. He treats us as his beloved children, and we will forever enjoy all the blessings and benefits of being his children. Amen. I love 1 John 3, verse 1. Listen to this. See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God, and so we are. We are his children. That's who we are. It's all because of the love of the Father. We are his children because he first loved us. Okay, verses 6 and 7. And because you are sons, God 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. The Spirit confirms that we are his children. That's the third point. The Spirit assures us that we belong to him. Without the Spirit, we can't become children of God. The Father sent the Son. The Son accomplished everything necessary for our adoption, but the Spirit convicts

us of sin. The Spirit draws us to Christ. The Spirit regenerates us. The Spirit applies all the work of Christ to us. And the Spirit confirms to our hearts that we are children. God has poured his love into our hearts through the Spirit. And the Spirit enables our hearts to cry, Abba, Father. We can approach him with confidence and call him Father. Because we're no longer slaves. We're his sons. And if we're sons, then we're also heirs. What do we inherit as sons? Everything. Todo. Everything. Todo. to Jesus will belong to us. Jesus is the heir of all things. And we've been united to Him through faith. We're co-heirs with Christ. So we'll share in the inheritance of Christ. We will enjoy all the eternal treasures and blessings that come with being a child of God. But the best part of it all is that we will enjoy God Himself forever. We get Him. And that's why we were created, to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever. Think about this for just a minute. The holy God of the universe, the one who spoke the universe into existence, the one who knows every star by name, the one who makes the sun rise and the sun set, the one who controls the winds and the waves, the one who tells lightning where to strike. He loves us. He loves us. And He's graciously brought us into His family. We've given the right to become His children. And we will enjoy Him forever. This is amazing grace. It's all the result of the Father's love for us. We can't add to His love for us, guys. And we can't do anything to make Him love us less. He loves us perfectly. And His love for us is unchanging. I'm going to ask the worship team to go ahead and come up. We must rest in His grace. We must rest in our unchanging status as children. And out of gratitude to Christ.

Empowered by the Spirit of Christ, we should begin to bear the family resemblance. We should begin to look more and more like our elder brother, Jesus. So here's an important question. Are you looking more and more like Jesus? Are you beginning to bear the family resemblance? If you're here this morning and you're not a child of God, Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him. There is no other way. You must turn from your sin and trust in Christ alone. Only those who embrace the Son will be embraced by the Father. It's like the prodigal son. The rebellious son repents. He returns home. Does the Father punish him? No. The Father doesn't punish him. The Father embraces him and kisses him. He puts a clean robe on him. He puts a ring on his finger. He puts shoes on his feet and he gives him a seat at the table. That's what happens when a repentant sinner comes to Christ. They won't be turned away. Jesus will never turn away a repentant sinner. He welcomes all who come to him. He receives them. And they're adopted into the heavenly family. And they're embraced as children by the Father. And they'll enjoy him forever. Let's pray. Father, thank you. Thank you for your grace. We're so undeserving, Lord. We know we've done nothing to earn your love. But you love us. You demonstrate your love for us by sending your Son to die for us so that we may be redeemed from the curse of the law. We may be adopted into your family forever. And we can enjoy you forever. Thank you, Lord. We praise you for your glorious grace.

Please help us serve you out of gratitude. We know we can't earn your love, can't do anything to add to it. Please help us serve you out of gratitude to what you have done for us. Help us make much of you, Jesus, to the praise of your glorious grace. In your name we pray.