Adoption’s Promise, Reality, and Hope
Notes
Transcript
Learning to Live In the Spirit of Christ
Learning to Live In the Spirit of Christ
Is all about what it means to come from death to life. It means living out the gift of grace by the Spirit of Christ and finding out what it means to not be the “walking dead” but to be those who walk with the Spirit of Christ, which is also called the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit of Holiness in the Bible.
Romans 6:23 “23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Death began for us when we sinned. Life begins for us when we accept the gift of God’s Grace in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Recognizing we are sinners in need of a Savior;
Confessing our sin as an affront to God
Asking forgiveness because of what Christ has done for us and not because we deserve it.
Receiving the gift of Grace
Receiving the Spirit of Christ
Resetting our Sinful Selves
This middle part of Romans 8 is a description of our new life, and promise and reminds us of what we are becoming as the Spirit of Christ fits us to heaven.
Romans 8:12 reminds us of our debt, and that. . .
We Are Obligated to God
We Are Obligated to God
Which is true before we met Christ, for we have always had an obligation to honor our creator, to know that he is God and we are not, to recognize that compared to His holiness, we are dust.
Our lives and best deeds compare to the holy character of God kind of like the astronomical creation clock of the universe.
IF you compare all of human history, from the earliest evidence we find on earth, to the geological age of the earth, you find out we aren’t the end-all and be-all we think we are.
[Our occupation of earth] dates back approximately 300 thousand years..., which … seems a long time ago, but represents only 0.007% of the entire history of the planet (4.5 billion years)! We don’t always like those numbers, because they are way more than we can even begin to understand. After all, at 71 years old, my life has nearly reached the average lifespan that I was taught in high school, and it is only .00023667% of human history. That’s a little more than 2 ten-thousands of the amount of time humanity has been around. I’m not going to try to put all those numbers together for you, but it means, roughly, that you can write a 0 with a decimal point, then 6 more zeros, then a 2.
0.0000002%
0.0000002%
And that number would still be bigger than my time in earth’s history.
Compare it the the astronomical age of the universe, and my contribution is even smaller:
0.000000056%
0.000000056%
and either one of those numbers is still way, way bigger than the percentage of holiness in my life compared to the Holy God.
12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
to kill the sin
to live led by the Spirit
The Promise of Our Adoption by God
The Promise of Our Adoption by God
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
The Reality of Adoption’s Seeds in Us
The Reality of Adoption’s Seeds in Us
16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
Our Adoption is Incomplete
Our Adoption is Incomplete
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.
Bondage Can’t Destroy Hope
Bondage Can’t Destroy Hope
20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
The Hope of Our Final Adoption
The Hope of Our Final Adoption
22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
Live as the Children of God While you Wait
Live as the Children of God While you Wait
24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.