Praise God - Hallelujah!

In our text for this weekend’s message is a phrase, “in the fullness of time.” That phrase, in Greek, stresses the idea that this could not have happened sooner or later. God has set up a particular rigid time frame where all components were in place. The selection of God’s people and the tribe to which Christ would be born was handpicked by God. The area of the world where the Messiah (Christ in Greek) would appear was already determined: Bethlehem.

And he would also be called a Branch or “Nazar”. This came to completion when His parents returned from Egypt and settled in “Branch-town” or Nazareth.

But there are many other details that are listed which had to be perfect for this fullness of time to erupt on the scene. The Romans had to have their amazing roads for good travel. The lingua franca was now Greek and that would serve well both at their time and ours. There was relative peace in the land because of the menacing Roman soldiers who demanded order.

God created this “fullness of time” and orchestrated it. But why?

That’s the greatest part of this Galatians text (4:4-7). God did this so that Jesus, God’s Son, could accomplish salvation AND put us solidly into the family of God. Let that sink in! God put His dearly loved Son into a very difficult situation BECAUSE He wanted to secure our eternal place in His family. That must make God the Father’s love for us . . . amazing, glorious, brilliant. We might need a few more adjectives to adequately explain this love He has for us. Wow!

Wow! Thanks for loving us so much that Jesus would be placed under the Law, to fulfill every aspect of the law, so that we would have an “A+” on morality. God did this and now we are adopted as His sons.

Praise to the Eternal God who went the distance and perfectly planned out this salvation of our souls . . . and the exact placement of our eternal reputation: safely in His hands. Or maybe we should say, “safely in the hands of His Son, whose hands and feet would be pierced on a Roman Cross.” And that was also perfectly planned out by God; He wanted that extreme death instrument used because it would display how big of a debt God Himself paid for us to be in His family.

Praise God - Hallelujah!