What Does it Mean to be a Child of God (Rom 8:13–17)

Romans chapter 8. We're going to take a break from the book of Hebrews this week. I I felt

I needed a little more time on the sermon for Romans 8 and so I thought it would be good to talk about what it means to be a child of God in Romans 8. And so I want to read to Romans, chapter 8, verses 1 to 17 by way of introduction.

There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, for the law of the spirit of life, has set you free in Christ Jesus. From the law of sin and death for God is done with the law, we can do by the flesh. Could not do by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful, flesh and force. In he condemned sin in the flesh. In order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not according to the flesh, but, according to the spirit, For those who live according to the flesh, set their minds on the things of the flesh. But those who live, according to the spirit set their minds on the things of the spirit for the set, the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the spirit is life in peace, for the mind is set on. The flash is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law. Indeed it can. Those two are in the flesh. Cannot please God, you however, are not in the flesh. But in the spirit, if in fact, the spirit of God dwells in you, anyone who does not have the spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin. The spirit is life because of righteousness. And if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who dwells in you. Hallelujah. Isn't that a great promise? So, then brothers, were not dead orders, not to the flesh to live, according to the flesh 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 for all who are led by the spirit of God are sons of God for you, did not receive the spirit of Slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption is Sons by whom we cry, Abba Father In the spirit himself. Bears witness, with our spirit that we are children of God. 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. We're going to be just in verses 14 to 17 and, you know, there's a great joy in being with people that I've known a long time. I have some dear friends that I've known since I was in preschool. And to get together with them and to share stories about life growing up. It's it's wonderful. I had a recent informal class reunions because one of my high school classmates wrote a book. And so we all gathered together and met and retold stories about high school and how much fun it was Hogan High. Go Hogan. Nobody yet. I got laughs. Yeah. Okay. I got it. I got a Hogan back there. Good. I also love it when there's a family atmosphere, like we've tried to, to Foster here at Trinity Church since we began. There's a great joy in knowing that were part of the family of God, that that work, we call each other brothers and sisters in Christ. And we mean it to be more than just like saying, bro, in California, it's something deeper than that. We mean it to say that because we're in, Jesus were a family and the question I want to ask from the text today is what does it mean to be a child of God, a Son of God? And as Christians, you know, we've been United to Jesus, we talked about that a lot and this Union with Jesus is through the ministry of the holy spirit in regeneration and now we're adopted as Sons and Daughters of God, the father, or I would spend some time just digging into this. And I thought it was appropriate, considering were doing a baby dedication today and talking about children while all of us are children and if we believe in Jesus, if we're United to him, we're a child of God. It's one of the greatest privileges that we have. J.i. packer in his book knowing god, it's a classic work on the attributes of God. I don't know, maybe a lot of you've read it but it's it's one of my favorites and he has a chapter on justification by faith alone. And Paul, in the Book of Romans, he's been talkin about justification by faith alone that were declared righteous before God. Not because of our works. But because of what Jesus did and that we receive it by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone. And that this doctrine of justification is a wonderful glorious Doctrine. Why? Because we know we're sisters, we know we disobeyed God and yet, there's a way by which we can stand in the presence of God and he looks at us and he calls us righteous But why is that? Because of the Cross, he took our sin and nailed it to Jesus, and Jesus became a curse for us. So, we might become the righteousness of God in him and Jada, Packer says that doctrine of justification is glorious and we preach it and we rejoice in it. But he says, there's a privilege that's even greater than justification. The next chapter is the chapter on adoption that. We are called sons of God, from The Book of Romans that Paul moves from justification to adoption. And wants us to know that this privilege is higher, he had said in 8:1, there's no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, that's justification. But now he says all Hoover's 14 are led by the spirit of God. Sons of God. All who are led by the spirit of God are sons of God. Why are we obedient to God? Will the only explanation is that we're being led by the spirit of God? What does Paul mean by this that we're being led by The Spirit? Well, we have to look at the, the greater context of Romans it. We know for sure. It doesn't mean we're simply Guided by the spirits. It doesn't mean that the spirit is a tool or weapon that we wield in our hands. What it means according to Paul in Romans is that our whole life and mind and emotions are determined by the spirit. he had said earlier in chapter 6 that because we are in the spirit, Versa 8, we have died with Christ. We believe that we will live with him. The death, he died verse 10. Once were all, but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God. Then he goes on to say, Chapter.

Eat verse to the law of the spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus. From the law of sin and death. And then he says that those who live verse five, according to the spirit set their minds on the things of the spirit, this is like what happens in regeneration is like if you're blind and you're given sight, if you're deaf and all the sudden you can hear or is Paul says in Ephesians you were dead and now you're alive. Is he the holy spirit is a person, the third person of the Trinity and we're in his hands. He's not in ours. It's not that we manipulator wield the spirit. But what the spirit is doing is we are in his hands and he is conforming us into the image of Jesus. He's renewing the image of God in us. The spirit. Is the one who's working in us and through us to kill sin in our lives. That's what it. It said in verse 13. If, by the spirit you put to death, the Deeds of the body, you will live, the spirit leading us into war with sin. Is that remarkable. Before I was a Christian before you were Christian, we didn't battle send much. We enjoyed it. It was a war there was no fight. There was no. Yes. Sometimes we would feel disgusted and ashamed of things we did, but by and large, we were not at war with sin, but when we put our faith in Jesus, and God gave us his Spirit. Now there's a battle isn't there? Now there's war. Now, there's regret their sorrow over sin. In fact one of the marks of a Christian is that not that they you know it that they can't send. But rather when they do send their sorry for it, they have great sorrow for their desire to glorify God. And notice it what it says. In verse 14, not some who are led by the spirit, all who were led by the spirit are sons of God. And this makes sense, if we think about the metaphor of a being a son, Children of God hate sin because God, the Father hates sin, children of God, have the values and priorities and preferences and taste of their father. In other words, they begin to look like their father in Heaven. I don't know if you know it, but I look a little bit like my dad. If you're doubting it, he's standing out there somewhere. And the older I get the more I begin to look like him. All the features good and bad.

Why? Because that's my dad. That's my father in. I look like him. Well, when we become Christians, we begin to look like our father in Heaven. It makes sense. In other words, we don't only belong to the family. We act like we're part of the family, because we are part of the family. And pulse purpose here is not to make you feel guilty. In fact, he says, he's not given us a spirit of slavery, leading to fear. He's given us the spirit of adoption. I'll talk more about that in the moment, but Paul wants to encourage you that the reason you're at war with sending your life is because it's an evidence that the spirit of God is leading you to go to war. It's an in your life, to put it to death to kill it, and it's evidence that you're a Son of God, a child of God,

This should give you great hope in the midst of your fears and anxieties. One of Satan's greatest lies is to get you to believe that somehow God's going to kick you out of the family. Somehow, with whatever sent it is, or whatever week Faith, you have or whatever circumstances you're in that, you're not part of the family. Maybe you're just, you know, maybe you don't feel like you're totally kicked out, but you're, you know, you're going to be that part of the family that gets the, the back bedroom with its own door out to the backyard so that nobody has to see you. Walk through the front door. No, this is not what it's like in God's family. All who are led by the spirit of God are sons of God. And I want to lean into that weird Sons for a moment. He doesn't say technique children in the Greek. He says, we are sons, and I know I've explained this to you before, but that word, son means you are first born heirs in the family. You are the are in the family. That's what Paul is emphasizing. He could have used the word technia, like John does in 1st John and said, we're all children of God. Which is a true statement. But what he's getting at is that, if your led by the spirit of God, you're the firstborn are, how do I know that? Because he's going to go on to say if he didn't spare his own son, how will he not with him freely? Give us all things. We're going to inherit all things, because work sons of God and ladies. Don't be bothered by this. You're a Son of God were called the bride of Christ. The metaphor is meant to bring great joy and hope to us. Not that that were, you know, being some sort of patriarchal, utterly masculine know, you are a first born are. That's what he's getting at. Just like in the metaphor of the bride of Christ, we are married to Jesus in a covenant that will never be broken. He's never going to leave us. He's never going to forsake us. He's never going to abandon us, isn't it? Glorious? That is good news. So being led by the spirit is being moved to kill sin by trusting in his Superior worth of the Father's Love. That's the whole point Paul's getting at is that the reason you kill sit in your life is the spirit is leading you to do so because you're a Son of God and you are of Great Value to the father His goal is to bring joy to your heart. Not just your head. How do I know that verse 15? You did not receive the spirit of Slavery to fall back into fear. You've received the spirit of adoption as Sons by whom we cry Abba Father. So, the spirit of God is not a spirit of slavery. He is not a spirit that lead you into fear and slavery. Now, there's lots of teaching out there that leads us into fear and slavery, isn't there? Plenty of pressure to have the babies. Some of you are under the greatest attack that what you feed your kids, how you dress your kids, what kind of diapers you put on your kids? How much time you either ignore or spend with your kids you ladies are under some of the greatest attack and that's told that you're either a Godly mom or an ungodly mom based upon what you do or don't do with those children. That's the spirit of slavery, leading to fear. See the Holy Spirit. He's the spirit of adoption by which we cry out, Abba. Father, We are already truly adopted were not yet recipients of our inheritance, but when we understand we have the spirit of God dwelling inside of us, and we're sons of God. And we had, this inheritance is first born heirs, what it does is the spirit of God stirs up family. Affections so that we cry out. What Abba Father. This means we should live in the fear of a slave but with the affection of a son and a daughter. And if you're living your Christian Life in slavish, fear toward God thinking that God, the father is just one step away from backhanding. You spiritually, you're misunderstanding your father in Heaven. He wants you to understand that you should have confident peaceful happy affection for God as your father, and he's giving you the Holy Spirit who confirms and makes this real to your heart that you can come to him and you can cry out Abba Father. I noticed it's the word cry. It's not just intellectual, it's not just a rational conclusion. It's not just belief in an external testimony. This is something that's deeply. Felt an intensely experienced Abba Father so what the spirit is doing according to vs16 is he is bearing witness with our spirit that we are in fact children of God He brings God's fatherly, affections to us back in. Romans 5:5. Look at what the spirit does there. Hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured into our hearts. Through the Holy Spirit, who's given to us. What's the spirit doing? He's taking the love of the father and he's pouring it into our hearts. In fact that you might have in your translation. He's shed abroad in our hearts. The reason is because the word in the Greek has a preposition on the front of it. So it means poured out abundantly one of my mentors, Phil Howard from Valley Bible Church. Some of you know him he was an old Okie, not really he was from Richmond but he would always say he was an Okie cuz his parents were from Oklahoma. But he said of that verse God, the spirit of God kicks over a bucket of love into our hearts. so that we know that the father really loves us Isn't that amazing that the father isn't stingy in his love? How do I know that he's giving you his son? And he's giving you his Spirit he's giving you the greatest gift he can give you. He's giving you himself in the sun and the spirit and if he hasn't spared his son, Romans 8 is going to say, how will he not with him freely? Give you all things and the father, gives the son and give us a spirit for one main purpose, that you would know that he loves you.

Why don't we believe it very often? We don't have a healthy picture of a father. Perhaps your own Earthly father was cold or detached perhaps he was angry or abusive. God, the father is not a father like that, he's a perfect father. The father you've always longed for and desired for. That's the kind of father God the father is your perfect idea of a father who is stable and always giving wise counsel and always showing happy affection and always doing what's best for you. Who's never selfish. Who's never stain. That's the father. What the father has done is, he's giving you his Spirit and the spirit stirs up family, affection, so that we cry out, Abba Father. This is the word by the way, Abba that Jesus used of the father. This means when the father adopts says he doesn't take half-measures, he's given us a status that's comparable to that of Jesus Christ himself. Jesus taught us to pray Our Father in heaven. The word that Jesus used when he prayed of drawing near to the father was Abba in the garden when he knelt and he poured out his Christ to the father, he said, Abba Father, all things are possible for. You remove this cup from me yet, not what I will. But what you will and the incredible thing is that the father's will to crush the son and have him drink that cup of Wrath. This was not from a Stern lawgiver who is threatening Vengeance. This wasn't an impersonal force of Faith from whom. There's no alternative the father that Jesus is addressing in the garden is the one that Jesus is known as whole life to be. Just abundant in his provision, reliable in his promises faithful in his love and Jesus obeys that will that sends them to a cross because he knows this is the will of ABBA whose love has been so prove. They can be trusted so fully and it can be obeyed. So completely and so he even says on the cross father into your hands, I commit my spirit. I really want you to get this at the deepest part of Who You Are. because when were pressed by the cares of life, How we respond reveals? What we're believing about this? Do we run from God or do we run to God? Do we say? Oh no, I've messed up. I've blown it. My dad's going to kill me. Or do we say? I've messed up. I got to call my dad. He's the only one who can bail me out of this. He's the only one who can help me. He is the only one with the resources and wisdom to tell me what to do. See, we don't infer logically the fatherhood of God. We enjoy emotionally the fatherhood of God by the testimony of the spirits. This is what Paul is saying that the spirit of God causes us to cry out of a father. Any bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, verse 16 and if children then heirs Heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, in other words as Sons we have a glorious inheritance and I don't think we even get that idea because an Earthly level. We have to fight to be in the will you know, I was worried. I was losing my leverage. I used to have the most grandchildren, you know, but then you know some have outpaced me my siblings and in-laws keep having kids. I got a I got a grandkid now, so both Grandpa's have their great grandson. So now I feel like I have a little more leverage to get a little more portion of that inheritance. But that's the way we think is that the inheritance has to be cut up and diced up and there's only so much to go around after all. That's an Earthly inheritance. But with God, there are no partial inheritance has. We are Heirs of God, verse 17 and fellow heirs with Christ. Now, that is staggering. Not only are we are's, we're co-heirs with Jesus. We've been seated in the Heavenly Realms with him. That is glorious.

I have a Spurgeon quote, I wasn't sure. I have time. I think I have time for it. We always have time for Spurgeon, quote, I think. So. Listen to what he says about this passage. Oh, what rich is? If we can say this morning. All the stars belong to us. If we could turn the telescope to the most remote of the fixed stars and say, with pride of possession that star thousand times bigger than the Sun is mine, I'm the king of that inheritance and without me, that's not a dog move his tongue. I'm not sure what that means. Maybe. Like dog doesn't wag his tail unless I say so maybe I don't know if I've lost that. Let me move on, sorry if we could, then sweep the telescope across the Milky Way and see the millions upon millions of stars that like clustered together there and could cry. All these are mine. Yeah, these possessions were, but a speck compared with that, which is in the texts are of God, he to whom all these things are. But as nothing gives himself up to the inheritance of his people, it's when a man does marry his possession. She'll be shared by his spouse. And when Christ took his church unto himself, he endowed her with all his Goods. Both temporal and eternal. He gives us his raiment and we stand a raid, his righteousness, becomes our Beauty, he gave us his person. It's become our meat and drink. We eat his flesh and drink his blood. He gave to us, his inmost heart. He loved us, even to death, he gave it to us, his crown, he gave to us his throne, he gave us his Heaven, he gave to us his full list of Joy. I repeat, there is nothing in the highest Heaven, which Christ has reserved unto himself for all things are yours and you are Christ's and Christ is God's. Hallelujah. How we need to hear that. Now you've heard me say this before, I stole it from Frank Griffith, the Eternal Sun became the incarnates son, so that we might become adopted Sons and Daughters of God. That's what Spurgeon is getting at see, where sons of God by virtue of belonging to the Son of God. And we're errors of God because of our Union, to the one who is the heir of all of God's promises were echoaires with Christ. I want to end with this last little bit provided we suffer with him in order that we may be glorified with him. See all of this is glorious. All of this is wonderful. This is an easy sermon to preach the doctrine of adoption is one of the greatest doctrines in the world and it gives us great hope and Assurance. But it's also a doctrine that is utterly realistic. Our inheritance that's waiting for us reserved imperishable undefiled reserved in heaven where thieves break in and steal and Moss can trust and destroy. We get it through suffering. It's always the cross before the crown always. Those who desire to live Godly in Christ. Jesus will suffer persecution. Peter tells us it's a reality. Then we shouldn't be surprised James says of these diverse trials that come among us because they test our faith and they proved it to be precious refined like gold and it it shows for to the glory of God and Jesus suffered. So it shouldn't be a surprise that we suffer.

Pulse point is to remind us that we've been so United to Jesus by the Holy Spirit of adoption that were also one with him in his sufferings. And just as we're one with his sufferings will be one with him in his glory. Do brothers and sisters. I know some of you were suffering. I know some of you experienced great suffering this year. we're going through it, you know, that Jennifer is going through as she wanted to be here today and couldn't make it Marcos C. Had a procedure on Thursday, on his back. I think an injection of some sort and he could barely walk. And so he's not here today.

It shouldn't surprise us the devil would love to take those sufferings and Stacy. It proves you're not a child of God. See, if you were a child of God, you wouldn't suffer. That's a lie from the devil back with the text tells us is we're still United to Jesus that were a child of God. We shouldn't be surprised that we suffer. The cross always precedes the crown suffering, always precedes the glory. So, which should lead to another encouragement? Because what it means is that God is with you, in your suffering, he's not abandon you, he's not forsaken you, how do I know this? Because Jesus is seated at the right hand of the father interceding for you, and you've been not been left as orphans but the spirit of God's been given to you and he's the spirit of adoption who stirs up family, affections and remind you that the father loves you in the midst of that suffering. He is with you and he's for you and he is good and he does good. It's for your good and His glory. so, when you doubt, That you'll be one with him in his glory. Remember every trial you're facing now is a witness by the spirit that you're going to share in the glory of the inheritance of the Son of God, that you're a child of the father and that he loves you.

Think about that Prodigal Son? Luke 15. Prodigal Son. He said came to his senses. After spending all of his inheritance, He says, you know what, I don't deserve to be a son anymore. But I know slaves are treated better than I'm living. So I'd be happy just to be slave. Turn over there to Luke, we got a moment's week, maybe don't, but we're going to take a moment.

Is incredible.

Verse 19. I no longer worthy to be called your son treat me as one of your hired servants and he arose. And he came to his father, but while he was still a long way off his father, saw him and felt compassion and ran and embraced him and kissed. Him in the son said to him, father, I have sinned against heaven and before you are no longer worthy to be called your son, but the father said to his servants bring quickly, the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet. Why he wanted his son to know you're still my son. The ring is the family ring. If signifies you're my son the best robe signifies that you have a place in the family, the shoes mean you're welcome. You're here. Bring the fatted calf and kill it and let us eat and celebrate this. My son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found and they began to celebrate. Jesus told this Parable to teach us what the father's like. When you're in the midst of, even your sin and your rebellion and you saying, I don't want anything to do with you father, I just want to go live my life and you make a mess of it and haven't we done that. Father says, I love you. And I'm going to, I'm going to run when you're a long way off and I'm going to wipe every tear from your eye and I'm going to welcome you home, and we're going to throw a party.

And of course, we don't deserve it because Jesus is also teaching what Grace is all about. Started spent his inheritance. There was no more inheritance that he deserved as a son and so instead he gets Grace he gets a party. That is not what he deserved. It's not part of his inheritance, it is simply the father showing love and affection and that's what we've received. Uso. One last thought. when Jesus returns and all things are made new revelation 21 says The person to the one who overcomes will inherit all these things, the new Heavens in the new Earth and I will be his God and he will be. My son has an incredible, that's the end, at the end of the story. So take great hope beloved take great, hope that whatever you're going through, whatever your face. See, you are a child of God and you are loved. And you've been given Jesus. And you've been given the spirit. You're not abandoned, you're not alone, you're not forsaken.

Father, thank you for this word. Thank you for this great hope. I, I pray for my brothers and sisters and their trials. I'm thinking of specific people and I just don't want to embarrass them, but I know what they're going through. And I pray. Father, you would Minister Your Grace by your spirit. Remind them that you love them.

I pray for these moms and dads that we dedicated to you, that you would drive this reality deep into their hearts. That's the years. Come in their children grow, May it be an example of their own parenting that they would love their children, like you love them that you would be their model of what it means to be a parent. And that your grace would always be on display, your love. And that they would take great hope and would you save these kids by your grace? Would you save these children? You save them young and your mercy. You keep them from sins with deep regret.

Your God who loves to save you deleted it. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.

That was his mission and he saved us. This we turn to the table. Now, we want to celebrate that and rejoice, that we are forgiven and were accepted in Jesus. We have a place at the table were part of the family. We love you in Jesus name, amen.