Episode #12
August 23, 2026 - Bible in a Year - Week 48
In this week’s message, we explore why Jesus entered the world at precisely the right moment—the “fullness of time”—and how His coming transformed our relationship with God. Through Paul’s words in Galatians and Jesus’ call to repentance, we discover that we are no longer held under the law as a guardian, but have been welcomed as sons and daughters of God, filled with the Holy Spirit and invited to see and live in the world differently because the kingdom of heaven has come near. Bible Verses Referenced The sermon focuses primarily on two passages: Galatians 3: 19–4: 7 — This is the major Scripture passage of the sermon. Paul explains that the Law served as a guardian until Christ came. Through faith and baptism, believers are now children of God, “clothed” with Christ, and distinctions such as Jew and Gentile, slave and free, male and female no longer determine our standing before God. Paul then describes the “fullness of time,” when God sent His Son so that we might receive adoption as His children and the Spirit who cries, “Abba, Father.” Matthew 4: 17 — Jesus begins His public ministry proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Pastor Scott emphasizes that repentance means more than feeling sorry for sin; it involves changing direction and learning to see the world differently because God’s kingdom has arrived. There is one outside teaching source mentioned: Stephen Mackey , whose parenting framework Pastor Scott encountered at a parenting class in Birmingham. Mackey describes the changing role of a parent as caregiver → cop → coach → consultant . Pastor Scott adapts this framework to help explain Paul’s description of the Law as Israel’s temporary guardian until Christ came.
