Who? - The Father

Who are you in the Father?

Please stand for the reading of God’s word.

English Standard Version (Chapter 8)

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!” 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.

This is the word of the Lord.

Audience: Thanks be to God.

You may be seated.

Being a father is one of the greatest joys of my life, and I am so thankful for this blessing. I apologize if that seems like all I talk about. It’s because it is so true. There is no more incredible feeling than coming home after being away at work and this little barely 2ft human being, or as those in Sunday school call, a person of short stature, looking up and screaming Dada! At the top of his lungs, with a massive smile on his face. I could have the worst day ever, and that moment heals everything. Luca is one of my favorite human beings, and I love him so much. I am so thankful that God has allowed me to be his father. And for all of those in the room, I hope that if kids, is something you want one day, you will feel the same joy that I do. He is my son, he is my boy, he is Luca the Lion, and I hope he never forgets that.

But you want to know what is very different than being a father? Being a son.

Being a son is not a choice I got to make. It wasn’t something I signed up for. In fact, I didn’t even choose who my parents were, when I was born, or what I wanted to be called. Those were all things that I did not have control over. They were given to me. Life was given to me.

In fact, as a baby, I had no control over my body. My mind. My bowels. It all just happened to me. I could do nothing to earn my parents’ love; they just did it because I was their son. They changed my diaper, they fed me, they clothed me, they comforted me, not because I was doing anything to earn it. They just loved me, for me.

I don’t know about you, but there is something in me that I have a hard time understanding that truth. That they love me, for me.

And when I really think about it know that I feel the same way about God. I have difficulty understanding that God loves me for being me without me doing anything for him. The way that I was taught in the church growing up is that sin=bad. And if you do, then you should go to hell, and God will send you to hell unless you repent and say you believe in Jesus because he was perfect and he died for your sins—end of the story, which is the story, but only kind of. There is some gospel truth in there, but not the whole truth. But that kind of Gospel preached that way doesn’t necessarily give me a sense of identity. It doesn’t tell me who I am other than a nasty, broken sinner who should go to hell. Which..if I am being honest, yeah, sure, I 1000% deserve to go to hell, but that’s not the whole story. It doesn’t help me know that God loves me. It just tells me how angry God is and how close I was to going for a thing I didn’t have control over. It doesn’t tell me who I am.

Maybe you grew up thinking the same thing. Perhaps you grew up kind of thinking that you weren’t good enough. That sin was just too powerful, and you just kept sinning, and you didn’t know what to do about it. And I mean, let’s be honest, sometimes it’s just easier to sin. It’s easier not to do the right thing. More often than not, doing the right thing is a counter-cultural; it divides you from you and your friends, and might even ostracize you at school. You are looked at as the weird kid if you haven't had sex yet, smoked a vape, or gone to a party and drank alcohol. So, instead of trying to fight it, you give in to the rushing stream of death and destruction.

So when you hear someone say that you are a child of God, what is supposed to be a beautiful and freeing thing actually makes you feel worse. You feel embarrassed, you feel guilty, and you feel like you don’t deserve it. You keep saying, “You know, I try to read my Bible and pray, but it’s just hard. I try to be more like Jesus, but honestly, it’s a lot easier to not.” Maybe hearing that you are a son or a daughter of God makes you feel weird or uncomfortable. Perhaps it makes you feel like you are getting something you don’t deserve, or maybe you even feel unworthy. You feel like you need to clean up your act before you can be called a child of his. Because you are too tainted by sin. You aren’t holy enough. You are clean enough. You aren’t good enough. I think we have forgotten who we are.

We started this semester with a series called “What?” where we focused on the Nicene Creed, an ancient document that clearly explains what we, as Christians, believe in. Because I have been saying repeatedly, and you guys didn’t remember it in front of my mentor (no worries, it only slightly hurt my feelings), What we believe in makes us who we are, and who we are determines how we live. So, we focused on what we believed for the first five weeks of this semester. So, can you guess what we will focus on for the next four? That’s right. Who we are! (or wrong if no one says anything and can’t understand basic context clues.) For the next four weeks, we will walk through the same structure we walked through in the first series. We will discuss who we are in the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and the Church.

When I say we don’t know who we are, there is a lot behind that statement. But I think that we can clearly see that this is a problem now, not just for us as Christians in 2024 but for humanity since the beginning of creation. Since the beginning, when the serpent used his cunning lies to convince us to eat the fruit, he did so by making us question who we were. He said, “Does God really have your best intentions in mind? Can you really trust him? Who are you to him that he would keep something like the knowledge of good and evil away from you? Don’t you want to define it yourself? You could be like him.”

The insane part is that we were already like him! Genesis 1:27 says this, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female, he created them.”

We were already like God! We were created in his image, in his likeness. Not in fullness, we weren’t designed to be God but to be like God. There is a Latin term for this, and it is called “Imago Dei.” According to Christianity Today, this biblical passage does not imply that God is in human form but that humans are in the image of God in their moral, spiritual, and intellectual essence. Thus, humans reflect God's divine nature in their ability to achieve the unique characteristics with which they have been given. These unique qualities make humans different than all other creatures: rational understanding, creative liberty, the capacity for self-actualization, and the potential for self-transcendence.

I am saying there is a clear difference between who we are and what a dog is. There is a clear difference between us and a frog, a rock, or the sea. We are God’s creation, but we have a conscious mind like him. We can make decisions not based on instinct; we can have emotions and create and build things. We are like God; we are made in his image. We are imago Dei.

But our likeness stops being like him when we let sin into our lives. Whatever you have been taught, you need to understand this. Sin is not just a broken rule. It’s not just a no-no; it’s not just something you will get in trouble for; it is death. Every time you sin, it changes you into something you are not. Sin is death, and God is life. When we ate the fruit, it changed who we were. We went from being made in the image of God and life to a painting splattered with paint that wasn’t supposed to be there in the original design. It changed everything. Sin is a disease, a darkness, that changes us. It brings things into our lives that were never supposed to be there, like anxiety, fear, lust, the need to escape, unrighteous anger, and ultimately, death. Sin has corrupted every single part of our body, down to the cellular structure. It changes the way we think, the way we act, and the way that we treat others. Sin has made us less like God and more like Satan—selfish, narcissistic, paranoid, death-infested, blind, and asleep.

I have had most of my tattoos for a while now. And what’s weird is they have become a part of me. When I look down, I don’t necessarily see each individual tattoo; I see my arm. It’s a part of me. And I think we have done the same thing when it comes to sin. We have gotten so accustomed to the splattered paint on us that it ruined God’s image that he created. And some of us started thinking it had always been that way. That was precisely how it was supposed to be. But that’s not how God sees us. That’s not the way it was supposed to be. We have forgotten. We have forgotten who we are.

Paul, an apostle of the way, is a man of many words. Out of the 27 books in the New Testament, Paul wrote 13. Paul himself has an interesting story as a man who became so invested in sin and the judging of others that he almost missed out on who he was. Paul, for most of his life, was a high leader of a pharsistic group that chose not only to disagree with followers of the way but to kill those who professed Jesus as their Lord and Savior. He believed that only Jews were God’s chosen people and that Jesus himself was a heretic and a blasphemer. Until one day, on the road to Damascus, Jesus appeared to him in a vision and changed his life. Jesus reminded Paul of who he was and who the rest of humanity was as well. That God and his love were not just for the Jews but for all of humankind and all of creation.

In one of his letters, Paul writes to those in Rome. The book of Romans is one of the most theologically dense books from the entire New Testament. Every verse is packed deep with truth from the Lord, and one day, it might be good for us to read it as a whole. But the anchor text that we are reading tonight reminds us not only of Paul and the church of Rome, who they are, but also of us as Christians 2000 years later.

Romans 8:14 -17 says this: “ 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 as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 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 are jumping into the middle of a chapter with previous context, but we can see here that Paul doesn't hold any punches, even in this little slice of text. Right off the bat, Paul hits a home run, reminding us of who we are. He says, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”

All who are led by the Spirit, meaning all who the Holy Spirit leads, are children of God. We have been reading Revelation in Sunday School, and we have seen over and over again a clear differentiation between those who follow Satan and those who follow Christ, and ultimately, what happens to those who don’t repent of idolatry and turn to God. The beast, one of the three parts of the unholy parody of the trinity, causes those who worship him “both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.” Revelation 13:16-17 With this mark, it was clear who you serve—another tainting of God’s Imago Dei by making them worship the creation and not the creator.

“Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.” Revelation 14:1 Those who follow God have his name written on their foreheads as a seal of ownership and loyalty. They belong to someone; they are the sons (and daughters) of God. They have been claimed…but how?

How did we become children of God? Is it something we did? Is it something we earned? What do we need to do to become children of God?

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons,” Paul makes it clear which spirit we have received. He says, “You did not receive the spirit of slavery so that you could fall back into fear.” There is a clear identification of the spirit of the devil and death. The spirit of Satan is not one of family. You are taken in as a slave. You aren’t invited to family gatherings; you can’t eat at the table! In fact, you are the one working out in the field and preparing the food. You are in chains, and you are told what to do. There is no freedom. There is no goodness. You are full of anxiety and full of fear. You are afraid. Your life is in someone else’s hands, and this caregiver “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8. Satan doesn’t have your best intentions in mind. Only his own. He is not the creator, only a creation of the creator. He doesn’t have the power, but he will do everything he can to convince you that he is a good father and that God himself is not. Paul tells us as Christians; we did not receive this Spirit of slavery but a spirit of what? Adoption.

Now, I am not adopted. But I know a few kids who are. I don’t know if you know this, but Isaac and Ashlyn, our Creative Pastor here at this church, have adopted two kids. Roman and Halle. I won’t go into detail, but Halle and Roman had parents who fell back into the spirit of addiction. As far as I know, this was a pattern for generations in their families. Their parents were young and tried everything they could to get their kids back, but the curse of addiction was too powerful. They made some poor choices, ones that we could easily fall into, and that is why these cute little, tiny children who had no way to fend for themselves were adopted by Ashlyn and Isaac.

By God’s grace, Ashlyn and Isaac chose, out of the kindness of their hearts, to love these children. They were not theirs; they did not come from them biologically. They had other names written on their foreheads, but Ashlyn and Isaac did not care. They chose to pull them out of the generational curses they were in. They saw them as Imago Dei. These were human lives, made in the image of God, who needed to be taken care of, and they said yes to that. Isaac himself is a living testament to what God’s goodness can look like and how he can work through the broken to redeem his creation his parents divorced when he was very young, and his dad has been in and out of jail ever since. By God’s grace, he has broken generational curses of his own, and now he can do the same for Roman and Halle.

God chose to adopt us as his sons and daughters out of the kindness of his heart, not because he had to or because he couldn’t restart a whole new humanity. To remind us that we were his in the first place. Paul adds this phrase here that might seem silly, but something is behind it. Something pure and childlike. Paul says, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” Abba means daddy. It is a term only used by children to describe a father they love and trust. Luca calls me daddy. And it kills me every time he says it because there is so much joy and love behind it. He knows that I am his father and that I love him. Paul is saying here that because of the adoption that we have been made a part of, we can call God Abba! He is saying, the CREATOR of everything! The creator of the universe. Of everything that ever was and is, and will be, that God, as vast and powerful and magnificent and holy as he is, loves you as his child, and he is close enough, he is near enough, the relationship that is available to you is like that of one of a child and his abba. You are his child, and he is your abba.

But here is another difference between God the Father and Satan. As a follower of God and not idolatry of the creation, you are not a slave; you are a child. You are a part of God’s family and invited to eat at the table. Paul continues, “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.” The Holy Spirit intercedes on your behalf that you are a child of God. You have the Holy Spirit in you. God resides in you, and if that is true, you are his kingdom's heir. And God’s kingdom, as Revelation 21:3-4, says, will one day be here on earth. “ Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” That kingdom is the one we will one day be a part of as adopted children of God. We will, once again, be brought back to the original design, where there will be no more stains of death and sin on the painting that is our image.

Paul throws something in here at the end that we can’t miss. He says we will be “heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”

Do you know how we were invited to the table as a family? Do you know why we don’t have to do anything to be a child of God? Do you know why you even have the opportunity not to be a slave to sin and death? Why do you get to be an heir of the kingdom of God? Why is eternal life possible for you both here and now and forever after we die?

Because of a different table, where God himself offered bread and wine. “the Lord Jesus, on the night when he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, he also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 1 Corinthians 11:23-24. You were offered bread and wine at the table because Jesus paid the price to adopt you. And all God asks is that you remember the sacrifice he made for you to be his son and daughter again because he loves you for you. He loves you with no strings attached. You don’t have to do anything, you don’t have to be perfect, you don’t have to earn his love. It’s all grace. It’s all a gift that none of us deserve. It is freely given, but it was not free.

Have you ever seen The Lion King? It has been one of my favorite movies ever since I was a little kid. It is a powerful movie, and it has a lot of meaning in it. There is this scene that I want to show because it will help you understand what I am trying to say. Link to video (2:00-3:50)

Simba forgot who he was, but his father didn't. Tahigque, or whatever the heck the monkey’s name is, says something pretty profound; he says, “Look harder…he is in you.” And Mufasa, who is in the clouds, also says something even more profound. “Simba, Remember who you are.”

Friends, I am trying to tell you that you must remember who you are.

You are not an accident; you are not just a bunch of molecules stuck together, and by luck, placed in this time and place on a tiny planet in a massive universe with little to no importance. You are God’s son. You are God’s daughter. You are his, and he is your abba. And because of the sacrifice that Jesus Christ, the anointed one, made on the cross, by dying for all of our sins, for all of our blemishes, by dying for all of our idolatry of choosing creation and not the creator, we could become his children again. We have been adopted into his family. We have been given bread and wine to eat, not just to remember Jesus's sacrifice but also his resurrection and our future. Jesus didn’t just die on the cross; he rose from the grave three days later and defeated death so that you and I could conquer death, too. So that you and I could inherit the kingdom of God again. So that we could be adopted as his sons and daughters, we must Remember who we are.

We call Luca the Lion because we want him to be loud and proud about who he is. Luca means the bearer of light, and we want him to roar out like a lion where that light comes from. He is not the light, only the bearer of it. But how can you and me, and luca, remember who we are?

“provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”

This last verse in our text today points to the action point. Paul says, “provided that we suffer with him.” Let’s be clear here. We don’t earn our adoption but our suffering. It’s not like those who suffer the most are more able to be God’s adopted children. But it is through suffering, suffering for the sake of others, that we can become more like Christ. It is through suffering that we can look more and more like God. Through suffering for others because God is love, which means he sacrifices everything for the sake of others, we can start to look more and more like the original painting, like the original imago dei.

Do you want to remember who you are? Do something for someone else this week. Not because you have to because you want to. Not to gain something out of it, not to get paid, not to receive a thank you, but purely and simply for the sake of the other. I challenge you this week to find something you can do for someone else every day, and then tell us about it next week. Mow your neighbor’s lawn, make your bed without your mom having to make you do your chores, do the dishes, make dinner, give food to a homeless man, serve at the church, serve at the FSC, serve the poor and the broken. Talk to the weird kid at school, not just for a day. Make a relationship with him. Stop Gossiping, and start forgiving. Use the gifts that God has given you specifically. Sing in worship, design art in his name, work at an afterschool program helping animals, and work at the DA’s office on criminal cases. Do what you wish someone would have or could do for you. Be like Christ, and you will be reminded of who you are and were created to be.

Do you know what’s harder than being a father? Being a son. It is hard to receive things that I don’t feel like I deserve. It is hard to think that I am deserving of love. That someone out there loves me and is willing to die for me, and if fact, did. It is hard to believe that I have a father who wants to give me not just life but that he loves me so much that he wants to spend eternity with me. But I am. And so are you.

So remember who you are because you are the one he loves.