Calvary Bible Church
Sunday, November 30
  • Good morning, church.
    We are in that unique week of the year. The turkey has been eaten, the leftovers are probably gone, and we are standing on the threshold of December. The world around us has already flipped the switch to Christmas. The lights are up, the music is playing, and there is a sense of anticipation in the air.
    But before we rush to the manger, before we sing "Silent Night," I want us to pause. I want us to step back and ask a question that is rarely asked but is fundamental to our faith: Why then?
    Why did Jesus come when He did?
    Think about the timeline of the Bible. Adam and Eve sin in the Garden. The world is plunged into darkness. Why didn't God send His Son immediately? Why didn't He send Him to Noah? Why didn't Jesus arrive during the glory days of King David, or the prophetic days of Isaiah? Why did God wait thousands of years, watching humanity suffer under the weight of sin, death, and silence, before finally intervening?
    And perhaps more personally for us today: Why does God make us wait? If you are praying for a prodigal child, for a healing, for a breakthrough, and the heavens seem silent, you know the ache of waiting. You know the temptation to ask, "God, have you forgotten? Are you paying attention? Is my calendar broken, or is Yours?"
    Today, we are going to look at one of the most profound verses in the entire Bible. It’s a verse that pulls back the curtain on God's timeline. It is Galatians chapter 4, verses 4 and 5.
    Galatians 4:4–5 KJV 1900
    But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
    "When the fullness of time had come."
    The Greek word there is pleroma. It’s a rich word. It means "filled to the brim." It’s used of a ship that is fully manned with sailors and cargo, ready to sail. It’s used of a net that is full of fish.
    "Fullness of time" (Pleroma) means filled to the brim.
    Think of a glass of water under a dripping faucet. Drip... drip... drip. For centuries, God was adding drops to the glass of human history. To the human eye, it just looked like time passing—empires rising and falling, wars, famine, silence. But God was watching the water level rise. And finally, when the surface tension could hold not one more drop—when the geopolitical, cultural, and spiritual situation was absolutely perfect—God acted. The glass overflowed.
    Today, I want to take you on a journey through history. We are going to become students of history for the next hour. We are going to look at the "400 Years of Silence" between the Old and New Testaments. We are going to see how God moved armies, built empires, and shifted languages to build the nursery for His Son. And in seeing His sovereignty over the macro-history of the world, we will find the strength to trust His sovereignty over the micro-history of our lives.

    I. The Deafening Silence

    To understand the "fullness," we first have to feel the weight of the emptiness that came before it.
    If you open your Bible to the book of Malachi, the very last book of the Old Testament, you find a people in a state of waiting. The remnant has returned from Babylon. They have rebuilt the Temple (though it’s small and unimpressive). And God speaks through Malachi with a blazing promise: "The Sun of Righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings." They are on the edge of their seats. They are expecting the Messiah to show up next Tuesday.
    But then... silence.
    You turn the page from Malachi to Matthew. In your Bible, it is one single, thin piece of onion-skin paper. It takes you less than a second to flip it. But historically, that single page represents 400 years.
    Between Malachi and Matthew, there were 400 years of silence.
    Four centuries. Let that sink in. Think about 400 years ago from today—that’s 1625. That is before the United States existed. That is before the Industrial Revolution. That is before electricity, cars, airplanes, or the internet. That is a massive expanse of time.
    And during those 400 years in Israel, the heavens were like brass.
    No prophets. No one stood up and said, "Thus says the Lord."
    No scripture. The canon was closed.
    No angelic visitations.
    No miracles.
    Generations were born, lived, grew old, and died without ever hearing a fresh word from God. Imagine the crisis of faith. Grandfathers told grandsons, "God used to speak to us. He used to split Red Seas. He used to send fire from heaven." And the grandsons would look around at the dusty hills of Judea and ask, "Where is He now? Has the covenant failed? Did we sin too much? Is He really in control?"
    But here is the main point I want you to get today: While God was silent, He was not still.
    He was working. He was shifting the tectonic plates of history. He was preparing the world in three specific ways: Politically, Culturally, and Spiritually. If Jesus had come any sooner, the Gospel would have been stuck in a corner. If He had come any later, the door might have closed. The timing was laser-precise.

    II. The Preparation of the World

    Let’s look at the three major players God used to set the stage. He used three distinct cultures: The Romans, The Greeks, and the Jews. As one historian put it: "The Romans built the roads, the Greeks provided the language, and the Jews provided the heart."

    A. The Romans: Political Preparation

    First, God used the Romans. Now, the Jews hated the Romans. They were brutal occupiers. They were the "Iron Beast" that Daniel saw in his vision (Daniel 7)—a kingdom with iron teeth that devoured and crushed.
    But unknowingly, Caesar was working for God. By the time Jesus was born, the Roman Empire had achieved something the world had never seen before or since.
    1. The Pax Romana (The Roman Peace)For centuries, the ancient world was a fractured mess of warring tribes. You couldn't travel fifty miles without hitting a border, a war zone, or a band of pirates. But Rome smashed the borders. They established the Pax Romana. They united the entire Mediterranean world—from England to Africa, from Spain to Syria—under one flag, one law, and one currency.
    This meant that for the first time in history, the borders were gone. A missionary like Paul could travel from Jerusalem to Rome across three continents without a passport, without a visa, and without crossing a battle line. The world was open.
    2. The Roman Roads
    Look at this map. The Romans were master engineers. They built over 50,000 miles of paved, concrete roads. They cut through mountains. They bridged rivers. These roads were so well built that many of them are still used today in Europe.
    Now, why did Rome build them? Did they build them for Jesus? No. They built them for their armies. They built them to move tanks (chariots) and legions quickly to crush rebellions. They built them for efficient taxation and control.
    But God looked at those roads and said, "Perfect. I’ll use those." When the early Christians scattered in Acts 8, they didn't have to hack through jungles. They didn't have to navigate trackless deserts. They walked on Roman highways. The very infrastructure built by a pagan empire to oppress the world became the arteries through which the lifeblood of the Gospel flowed to the ends of the earth.
    3. The Lex Romana (Roman Law)Rome was a nation of law. While it was often brutal, it was orderly. This legal system actually protected the early church. In the book of Acts, how many times was Paul saved from a mob because he was a Roman citizen? The Roman legal system provided a shield of stability that allowed the infant church to grow before the great persecutions began.
    God used the iron fist of Rome to hold the world steady while He performed open-heart surgery on humanity.
    The Romans (Political): God used the Pax Romana (Roman Peace) and the roads to facilitate the spread of the Gospel.

    B. The Greeks: Cultural Preparation

    But roads aren't enough. You can travel to a new country, but if you can't speak to the people there, the message dies. That brings us to the Greeks.
    1. Alexander the Great (The Daniel Connection)About 330 years before Jesus, a young Macedonian king named Alexander swept across the world. You remember our study in Daniel? In Daniel 8, he saw a vision of a goat with a single horn moving so fast its feet didn't touch the ground. That was Alexander. He conquered the known world in roughly 10 years.
    But Alexander didn't just want to conquer land; he wanted to conquer minds. He loved Greek culture. He believed Greek philosophy, art, and language were superior to everything else. So everywhere he went, he forced "Hellenization." He taught the world to think Greek and speak Greek.
    2. Koine Greek: The Universal Language Before Alexander, if you traveled from Judea to Egypt to Turkey, you would encounter a dozen different languages. Communication was fragmented. But after Alexander, the entire civilized world spoke a common second language: Koine Greek.
    This was the "English" of the ancient world. It was the language of commerce, the language of the street.
    Think about the timing. If Jesus had come 300 years earlier, the Gospels would have been written in Hebrew. Who speaks Hebrew? Only the Jews. The Gospel would have been locked in a linguistic box. But because He came in the fullness of time, the New Testament was written in Koine Greek. It could be immediately read, copied, and understood by almost everyone in the Roman Empire. The language barrier was smashed just before the Word became flesh.
    3. The Septuagint (LXX)There is one more crucial piece. About 250 years before Christ, the Jewish leaders realized that many Jews scattered around the world no longer spoke Hebrew; they spoke Greek. So, they translated the Old Testament into Greek. This translation is called the Septuagint.
    Why does this matter? Because when Paul the Apostle went into a pagan city like Corinth or Ephesus, he didn't have to start from zero. He didn't have to teach them Hebrew. The Gentiles already had access to the Jewish scriptures in their own language. They could read Isaiah 53. They could read the prophecies. God had put the textbook in their hands before the Teacher arrived.
    The Greeks (Cultural): God used the universal Greek language (Koine) and the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) to make the message understandable.

    C. The Jews: Spiritual Preparation

    So we have Roman roads for travel. We have the Greek language for communication. But we still need a prepared heart. That brings us to God's covenant people, the Jews.
    During these 400 years of silence, the Jews went through the grinder. They were conquered by Persians, then Greeks, then Egyptians, then Syrians, and finally Romans.
    1. The Diaspora (The Scattering) Because of these conquests, the Jews were scattered. This is called the Diaspora. By the time of Jesus, there were Jewish communities in every major city—Rome, Alexandria, Antioch, Thessalonica.
    2. The Rise of the Synagogue Because these scattered Jews were far from the Temple in Jerusalem, they couldn't offer sacrifices. So, they invented a new institution: the Synagogue. The synagogue wasn't for sacrifice; it was for the reading and teaching of the Law.
    This was strategic genius. When Paul entered a new city on his missionary journeys, where did he go first? Acts tells us every time: "He went to the synagogue." He didn't have to stand on a street corner and shout to strangers. He had a pre-built platform, a pulpit, and an audience that already knew the Law and the Prophets. The synagogue was the beachhead for the Gospel invasion.
    3. The Rise of the Sects (The Theological Context)It was also during this "silence" that the groups we see in the Gospels emerged.
    The Pharisees: They emerged as a reaction to Greek culture. They wanted to build a "fence around the Torah" to keep Israel pure. They represent the longing for holiness.
    The Sadducees: They were the aristocrats who compromised with Rome to keep their power. They represent the danger of pragmatism.
    The Zealots: They remembered the Maccabean Revolt (about 160 BC), where the Jews temporarily threw off their oppressors. They were waiting for a military Messiah to do it again.
    This pressure cooker of oppression created an intense Messianic Hope. If Jesus had come during the time of Solomon, when Israel was rich and powerful, they might have said, "We don't need a Savior. We're doing fine." But under the crushing boot of Rome, they were desperate. They were looking at the sky. They were longing for the Consolation of Israel. The pressure of history had prepared their hearts to look for a Savior.
    The Jews (Spiritual): The Diaspora (scattering), the Synagogue system, and the rise of the Sects (Pharisees/Sadducees) prepared the hearts of the people.
    Summary: Do you see the picture? God used a pagan warlord (Alexander), a brutal empire (Rome), and the tragic suffering of His own people (the Diaspora) to prepare the world. He wasn't silent. He was busy. He was sovereignly arranging the chessboard of history so that when the baby cried in Bethlehem, the world was ready to hear Him.

    III. The Presentation of the Son

    So the stage is set. The nursery is ready. And then, the clock strikes midnight. Galatians 4:4 says,
    Galatians 4:4 KJV 1900
    But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
    Paul uses three phrases to describe this arrival. Each one is packed with theological dynamite.

    1. "Sent Forth" (His Divinity)

    This implies pre-existence. You cannot "send" someone who does not exist. I sent my son to college, but I had to have a son before I could send him.
    Jesus did not begin His existence in Mary's womb. He is the eternal Word, the Logos, the second person of the Trinity. He was with God in the beginning. He came from the Father, into the world. This is the miracle of the Incarnation. God didn't send an angel. He didn't send a prophet. He sent Himself.
    Sent Forth: Implies His Divinity (Pre-existence).

    2. "Born of Woman" (His Humanity)

    He is fully God ("sent forth"), but He is also fully man ("born of woman"). He didn't arrive as a fully grown warrior descending on a cloud with a sword of fire. That’s how the Zealots wanted Him to come.
    Instead, He entered the way we all enter—through the birth canal, red-faced, crying, and dependent. He took on fragile human flesh. He knew hunger. He knew thirst. He knew exhaustion.
    Why? As the theologian Gregory of Nazianzus said, "That which He has not assumed He has not healed." If He is to save humans, He must be human. He had to be "born of woman" to be our Kinsman-Redeemer, one of us, able to stand in our place. He is the bridge—touching God because He is God, touching man because He is man.
    Born of Woman: Implies His Humanity (Hypostatic Union).

    3. "Born Under the Law" (His Solidarity)

    This is the part we often miss. He was born "under the law."
    From His very first breath, Jesus was subject to the Mosaic Law. He was circumcised on the eighth day. He was presented at the Temple. He kept the feasts. He obeyed every jot and tittle of the moral, civil, and ceremonial law.
    Why? This is the doctrine of Active Obedience. You see, we have two problems.
    We have done things we shouldn't have (Sin).
    We haven't done the things we should have (Righteousness).
    If Jesus only died on the cross, He would wipe away our negative debt. We would be back to zero. But we need positive righteousness to enter heaven. We need a perfect scorecard.
    Israel had failed. We have failed. No human being had ever kept the Law perfectly. We were all law-breakers, under the curse. Jesus came to live the life we couldn't live. He bore the burden of the Law perfectly, never stumbling, never sinning, for 33 years. He earned the A+ so that He could take our F, and give us His grade.
    Born Under the Law: Implies His Solidarity (Active Obedience).

    IV. The Purpose of the Coming

    God prepared the world (Rome, Greece, Israel). He sent the Son (God, Man, Obedient). But why? What was the goal of this massive historical operation? Why go to all this trouble?
    Verse 5 gives us the two-fold purpose:
    Galatians 4:5 KJV 1900
    To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

    1. To Redeem (From Slavery)

    The word "redeem" (exagorazo) is a marketplace term. It means to go into the slave market and pay the full price to buy a slave out of bondage, taking them off the market forever.
    Before Christ, Paul says we were slaves.
    Slaves to the Law—trying to earn God's favor and failing, crushed by guilt.
    Slaves to Sin—unable to stop doing what destroys us.
    Slaves to Fear—terrified of death and judgment.
    Jesus came into the slave market. He looked at us, chained to our sin. He asked the price. The price was death. The wages of sin is death. And He didn't pay it with silver or gold (like Hezekiah tried to do with the Assyrians!). He paid it with His own blood. He took the currency of His own life and slammed it down on the counter of justice and said, "Paid in full. Let them go."
    To Redeem (buy out of slavery).

    2. To Adopt (Into Sonship)

    But redemption is just the negative side—getting us out of slavery. If a wealthy man buys a slave and sets him free, that man is free, but he is homeless. He has no family, no name, no inheritance.
    God wanted to do more. He wanted to bring us into something. He wanted "adoption as sons."
    In the Roman world—remember, we are in the Roman Empire—adoption was a powerful legal act. A wealthy man, a Senator or a Caesar, could look at a young man—even a slave—and adopt him. And the moment that adoption was finalized, three legally binding things happened:
    All past debts were cancelled. The old life was gone. The ledger was wiped clean.
    A new name was given. He took the father's name.
    He became a full heir. He had the same rights to the inheritance as a natural-born son.
    This is what God has done for us. He didn't just free us from the dungeon and say, "Good luck out there!" He brought us into the throne room. He put a ring on our finger and a robe on our back. He said, "Welcome home, son. Welcome home, daughter."
    To Adopt (place as a son with full rights).
    Verse 6 gives us the proof:
    Galatians 4:6 KJV 1900
    And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
    "Abba" is an Aramaic term of endearment. It’s the word a little child uses for "Daddy." Slaves don't speak to their masters like that. Slaves say, "Yes, sir." Slaves tremble. Slaves worry about getting fired. But sons? Sons say "Dad." Sons rest. Sons have access.
    Because we are sons, the Spirit cries out "Abba! Father!"
    The entire movement of history—from Alexander the Great marching his armies, to Caesar paving the roads, to the silence of the prophets—was all heading toward this one moment: God making a way for slaves to become sons.

    V. Conclusion: Trusting the Fullness of Time

    So, what does this mean for us, right now, in this gap between Thanksgiving and Christmas?
    It means that God is worthy of your trust.
    If God could orchestrate the rise and fall of empires, the paving of roads, and the movement of languages over 400 years just to prepare the perfect moment for your salvation... do you think He has lost control of your life?
    Some of you are in a "400 years of silence" right now.
    You are waiting for a spouse, and the years are ticking by.
    You are waiting for a job, and the bank account is draining.
    You are waiting for a child to come home, and the phone doesn't ring.
    You are waiting for God to fix a mess that seems unfixable.
    And the silence is deafening. You feel like the Jews in Malachi’s day. "God, where are you?"
    But the lesson of Galatians 4 is this: God is never early, God is never late, and God is never silent. He is always working. In the silence, He is building the roads. He is preparing the language. He is setting the stage.
    Just as He prepared the world for the first coming of Christ, He is preparing all things for His second coming, and He is preparing you for His purposes.
    So today, stop living like a slave, anxious and afraid, checking your watch, wondering if the Master has forgotten you. Live like a son. Live like a daughter. Trust the Father who holds the clock of history in His hand.
    The fullness of time came once. And it will come again.
    Let's pray.

      • Galatians 4:4–5KJV1900

      • Galatians 4:4–5KJV1900

      • Galatians 4:4KJV1900

      • Galatians 4:5KJV1900

      • Galatians 4:6KJV1900

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