Sons and Daughters

Introduction

I feel like as we have gone through Romans 8 piece by piece, it is easy to lose sight of how they connect to one another. It would be impossible to deal with the entire chapter in one message and yet something is lost when we miss the big picture here. If you remember, when I spoke about the main theme of the chapter, I said it was the security of the believer. Verse number one began with a promise that the believer is not condemned. This security is based on the fundamental assumption that every believer has the holy Spirit living within them. So the rest of the chapter is a description of the work that the Holy Spirit does in our lives. So far we have covered:

He freed us from bondage to the law vs 2

He empowers us to fulfill the law’s requirements vs 4

He directs our minds and hearts vs 5-7

He lives in us vs 9

He gives us eternal life vs 10

He will someday raise our bodies from the dead vs 11

His indwelling obliges us to live a certain way vs 12

He empowers us to mortify the deeds of the flesh vs 13

He leads us vs 14

He adopts us vs 15

He bears witness with out Spirits that we are saved vs 16

He is the first fruits of our inheritance vs 17

This morning we are going to look at four other things that the Spirit does in the life of a believer. I don’t think we often times think about how special a gift it is to have the holy Spirit living within us.

Have you ever bought a gift for someone and had to explain what it does? Levi has a very analytical mind. He is amazingly quick at math for his age and likes to tear things apart and figure out how they work; so I have tried to buy him presents that encourage that mind. Hobby Lobby sells these solar paneled robots that you can put together. You have to put a motor together and then attach the solar panel and you can make different shapes. The last one I bought for Levi was a scorpian but there was one extra feature. It had a hydrolic pump to make the tail move when it walked. Now if I were to just give Levi the box without any explanation he might not realize how cool a present that is because its just a box of plastic pieces. He might give up because he doesn’t know what to do; so it takes a little bit of explanation to get him excited about it.

The Holy Spirit is one of those gifts that we often pay little attention to and I think its because we do not realize how important he is to our Christianity. He is in fact the essence of Christianity because God is not just on our side, nor is he just with us; rather God Himself dwells in us through the Holy Spirit. So let me today spend some time explaining a little bit about why He is so important to our lives. We are going to look at four more things the Holy Spirit does in our life.

Led by the Spirit

Romans 8:14 “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”

Those who are sons of God here are God’s children, the people of God. This is going to tie in with the verses to follow in more detail, but Paul is again reminding us that this priviledge belongs to every child of God. This truth is for the young children in children’s church who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ as well as the seasoned saint who has been walking with the Lord for 50 years. This truth is for the guy who just got saved last week as well as the mature Christian. There is not some select group of people in the church who have this inner tract with the Lord and you are just left out.

The specific role that the Spirit plays in the life of every believer is leading us. The leading of the Spirit- the influence of the Spirit in regulating thoughts, feelings and conduct. It is a summary of all the various ways that the Spirit interacts with us. Ezekiel 36:27 “And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

Have you ever felt lost, like you didn’t know what to do? You needed a guide or have you ever felt like you needed to do the right thing, but it seemed like you couldn’t figure out how to stop doing the wrong thing? At that moment, you needed someone to show you the way. We have a word for a person like that, they are called counselors.

John 14:16 “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;” references this role of the Spirit. Notice in this passage, the Holy Spirit is called a comforter, the literal meaning of the word is someone called alongside to help. Later on in vs 26, we see how he helps: he teaches and reminds us of truths we know. John 16:13 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”

In the context, guiding you and helping you make decisions isn’t the only meaning here. Leading us includes revealing sin in our lives and moving us to mortify the deeds of the flesh. Paul in this verse is essentially restating what he said in the previous verses. The leading of the Spirit is parallel to putting to death the deeds of the flesh. It is one of the ways he leads us. Notice the word for at the beginning of the verse. That word indicates that this verse is further explanation of what he has just stated. Those who are children of God will be led by the Spirit to mortify the deeds of the flesh.

Adopted by the Spirit

The leading of the Spirit is something every son and daughter possesses. But the Spirit has a role in how we even became children of God. The reason we experience the leading of the Spirit is because we have received the Spirit of adoption. Let’s look at

Romans 8:15 “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”

The Spirit of bondage- Paul goes on to describe this Spirit that we are led by. He is not as the text says the spirit of bondage. The Holy Spirit is not a Spirit of slavery. I think sometimes we feel restricted by our Christianity as if our faith just won’t let us do the things we want. That feeling of being stuck or restricted doesn’t come from the Spirit rather it comes from legalism. The Spirit will drive you to not do certain things and encourage you to do the right things, but he doesn’t do it in a way that brings bondage. Paul makes this clear in a parallel passage in Galatians. In Galatians, Paul fleshes out this very problem and in many ways says the same things as Romans 8 but with more personal application.

Let’s turn over to Galatians 5:18 “But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.”Notice how similar this phrase is to our passage. Those who are led by the Spirit are not under the law. In Galatians, there are two things that bind us. The first is the law. Not because the law was evil, but because it was impossible to keep. Going back to a lifestyle of law keeping brings that same spirit of bondage into our lives. but there is another bondage spoken of in Galatians:

Galatians 4:3 “Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:” This bondage is the sin, the thinking, the patterns of behavior of your life before you became a Christian. Before you got saved, you were a slave to sin; but Jesus Christ has liberated you so that now you don’t have to do those things. You can choose to do what is right. So the Holy Spirit liberates us to be holy.

to fear- those who are in bondage are liable to fear. When you live life in bondage to sin or the law, you are always looking over your shoulder thinking God is going to come down on you. Judgement is around the corner. May I remind you of vs 1. Jesus has born the condemnation. God may deal with you sin but only to grow you; not to condemn you.

2. The Spirit of adoption- so if he isn’t the spirit of bondage what kind of spirit is he? He is called the spirit of adoption. The Holy Spirit is the seal of our adoption into the family of God. I said we would explain how we became sons and daughters of God because we were not born that way. We were born in the family of Satan; so something had to change. The answer is we were adopted. Adoption is an amazing thing. I look at Adam and Sierra and marvel at what God has done bringing them into Kerry’s life, but American adoption is not quite the same as adoption in Bible times. FF Bruce describes what adoption was like.

The Message of Romans d. The Witness of the Spirit (14–17)

in the Roman world of the first century AD an adopted son was a son deliberately chosen by his adoptive father to perpetuate his name and inherit his estate; he was no whit [sc. not in the smallest degree] inferior in status to a son born in the ordinary course of nature, and might well enjoy the father’s affection more fully and reproduce the father’s character more worthily ~FF Bruce

Adoption in Romans times meant being chosen as it does today. I was wanted, sought out and often a price was paid. But in Romans adoption there was a purpose. I would bear my father’s name and inherit his estate. I receive all the rights and privileges of a son. I am inferior in know way when it comes to my standing with my Father. We will talk about that inheritance towards the end. But here there is a closeness of relationship between me and my Father. I wasn’t his child but now I can come to Him with my needs.

The Spirit of adoption allows us to be able to call God Abba Father- this term was not traditionally used by Jews in prayer and yet Jesus used it all the time. It was a familial term. It was not so informal that Daddy would be a good translation, but it does include a sense of intimacy to where you could translate it dear father. We can legitimately call God our father because we are adopted sons with all the rights and privileges of our position.

In Romans 8, we see that this adoption is another of those now and not yet doctrines. I currently enjoy the rights and privileges. I am secure knowing that I am a son of God, but down in vs 23 we await the full blessing of the adoption. waiting for the adoption- the redemption of our bodies. There is more coming.

(Possibly consider breaking this message into two at this point)

ALT Conclusion: We have only covered the first two of the privileges we have in the Spirit from this passage. I hope by seeing them they make you appreciate the Holy Spirit more in your life, but there is an application of these points to our lives. Something we can do because of what is found here:

Those who are saved are led by the Spirit. Are you seeking to let God’s spirit lead you each step of the way. The steps of a good man are ordered or directed by the Lord. That means God has a will for each step and will lead you where to place you foot. Decision by Decision. He doesn’t promise a vision of the future, but he will guide today.

We have the Spirit of adoption not the Spirit of bondage. Is your Christianity one of bondage and fear? The Spirit sets you free from addiction to sin or the unbearable restraints of the law. He frees you so you can please God in a way the law never could. So are you in bondage today?

Witnessed to by the Spirit

There is a third blessing of being indwelt by the Spirit in this text: assurance of salvation. I have met many Christians in my life who doubted their salvation. My dad was often one of those men. I do have to say that there came a point in my life where God revived my heart and I really haven’t doubted my salvation since that time. But I know good, godly men who still struggle with assurance. They can tell you the gospel forwards and backwards. God has used them to do great things and they clearly show fruit of saving faith in their life; but circumstances in their life changed. Maybe they can’t serve God in all the ways they used to or they are going through trials and so now they doubt.

Often times I find that some who doubt, do so because they are not walking with the Lord. They aren’t as close to Him as they used to be and now they don’t hear his voice as clearly. One of the works of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to confirm that we are the children of God. The Holy Spirit is not only part of the process by which we become children of God, but he is also what makes us aware that we are children of God.

Romans 8:16 “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:”

The Spirit bears witness- he gives testimony in support of our relationship with our Father. I believe there are two ways in which he does this in our text.

The first way that the Spirit bear witness is by his very presence. As we saw in vs 9, every Christian has the Holy Spirit and at the beginning of this message we laid out 12 things the Holy Spirit does in our lives. His very presence can be seen in the things he does. When you get mice in your house, how do you now you have mice? Often times you may not see the mouse, just like we can’t see the Spirit; but there will be evidences left behind. The mouse will leave droppings all over the place or he will chew through things, but you will know he is there because of what he does. We will know the holy Spirit lives within us because he causes us to be spiritually minded, he mortifies the deeds of the flesh, he leads us and draws us closer to our Father. These are objective proofs that we are the sons and daughters of God.

But there is a second way the Holy Spirit bears witness to our salvation. The verse says he bears witness with our spirit- the witness is both from the Holy Spirit and our spirit. The Holy Spirit can give us a subjective assurance of our salvation. There is something in our hearts that feels we are saved. This isn’t always easy to put our fingers on and that voice can be crowded out by sin or business or pain. By any voice that is louder than it is.

So there are two witnesses to our salvation. Perhaps this is because of the requirement for two witness in Deuteronomy 19:15 “One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.” Some preachers try to make it an either or scenario. They say stop expecting a feeling and they are right to stop expecting only a feeling; but our spirit does witness to our salvation. Others are so feelings oriented that they cannot rest in the truth of what God has done. John said in 1 John 3:20 “For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.” Sometimes you feelings won’t match us with your reality; it is at those times that we trust God. Douglass Moo warns about becoming extreme one way or the other:

The Epistle to the Romans 2. The Spirit of Adoption (8:14–17)

If some Christians err in basing their assurance of salvation on feelings alone, many others err in basing it on facts and arguments alone. Indeed, what Paul says here calls into question whether one can have a genuine experience of God’s Spirit of adoption without its affecting the emotions.

Joint-heirs by the Spirit

The fourth benefit of being indwelt by the Spirit is that we are heirs of God.

Romans 8:17 “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”

Paul says that if we are children then we are also heirs. That means we all receive this inheritance. I have heard it preached that there will be some who rule and reign with Christ while others just serve to polish door knobs in heaven. I cannot find it in myself or in passages like these to believe such a doctrine. My inheritance is not based on my performance. I have become an heir because I have been adopted into the family of God by the Spirit that lives within me. It is only based on the righteousness of Jesus Christ; so how can one Christian inherit more than another. This is our common possession.

Paul says we are heirs of God- I have to admit that commentaries are divided on what this means. Some say that this just means you are an heir of what God has to give you. In Greek grammar it is a Genitive of source. We receive all the things God has to give us. Others say that this means we inherit God Himself. Personally, I lean towards the first interpretation but the second is a truth found in this text as well. Down in vs 23, The Spirit is the first fruits of our inheritance. The first fruits are the first of the crop to be harvested. The first piece of our inheritance is the Holy Spirit Himself. So what does that mean. If the Holy Spirit is God, God has given us Himself. So I take both interpretations to be true to the text.

fellow heirs with Christ- We receive the same inheritance as Jesus Christ. All the promises of God in Christ are yes. 2 Corinthians 1:20 “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” Because of the work of Christ, I can expect God to fulfill all those promises he made to me. I have been doing a year long study on the promises of God because I so often fail to rest in the inheritance I have as a child of God.

One of those promises, part of that inheritance is glorification.

Glorification is being made like Christ in all his glory.

We know that glorification is something I will fully and finally experience when I get to heaven and see Jesus Christ, but I experience bits and pieces of it now through sanctification. Interestingly, Paul does make our present experience of glorification condition. Notice the phrase if so be that we suffer with him- There is a path to glorification and that path involves suffering. Our suffering is a refining fire that we pass through if we want to come our as pure gold.

1 Peter 1:6–7 “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:”

2 Timothy 2:11–12 “It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:”

Paul is not saying in these verses that only some will experience these blessings. Rather he is telling us the path we all must travel. Philippians 1:29 “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;” Douglass Moo again clarifies:

The Epistle to the Romans 2. The Spirit of Adoption (8:14–17)

the suffering Paul speaks of here refers to the daily anxieties, tensions, and persecutions that are the lot of those who follow the one who was “reckoned with the transgressors.”

It costs something to be a follower of Jesus Christ, but even though sometimes it is hard. We can hold on to the hope of our final inheritance. This hope is where Paul is going to turn in the next few verses. While it is every Christians lot to inherit, it is also every Christians lot to suffer for Christ. It may be big or it may be small, but it is there. That suffering just purifies us more and sooner as we await the full purification from remaining sin in our lives.

Conclusion

After having taken out the gift of the Spirit and having explained what it does, does it help you appreciate that gift a little bit more? I think the more we think about the Holy Spirit the more we will value and treasure Him. Having gone through all of this there are a couple applications I want to make:

Maybe you are like many Christians who doubt their salvation from time to time. When you stop and think about it there is clear evidence that you are saved. You know how you got saved and you have seen God do a work in your life, but still those feelings of doubt persist. One of the roles of the Spirit in your life is to bring that assurance. I would recommend meditation on the truths of your salvation and scripture. But often those feelings come because we have wandered away from God in some way. It isn’t a sign that you aren’t saved, but that something has gotten between you and God. It may help to search your heart and if nothing is there then renew your passion to draw closer to God. Get so close you can hear that still small voice.

Child of God, you have an amazing privilege as a son and daughter of God. Are you aware of what things are in your inheritance? You can’t take advantage of things you don’t know are there. I would encourage a study of the promises of God. Spurgeon’s Checkquebook of Faith devotional might be a good start. There is an updated version of it called The Promises of God put out by Crossway. Spend sometime meditating on what God has given you as his child and what your privileges are.

Are you suffering today, Jesus promises that your suffering is not in vain. It is the path to glory. He has a purpose for it and will use it to mold you into his image if you will let him. So what should we do with that pain? We receive it and don’t resist what God is doing in your life.