Adoption 2025

Well, good morning everyone. I’m very excited to be here with you this morning. My name is Zach Honnen if we haven’t met, I would love to meet you.

Well, I’m sure for each of us. It’s a bit early. We’re a bit tired. If you haven’t noticed I’ve been fighting sickness all week.

And I’m sure you’ve had your own struggles this week as well it’s been a lot, but I believe God is still good

And I believe this morning, God has something for us and wants to share something with us

So what I’m gonna ask you is for the next 25 minutes. Let’s lean forward. Sit up straight and be ready to hear what God has to say.

And I promise when we get on our bus tomorrow, we can sleep for as long as we want and recover

But today we’re at camp, so let’s see what God has to say

If you have your Bibles with you this morning, please go ahead turn to Roman’s chapter 8

And while you turn there, I have a question for you…

Where do you believe you belong?

PAUSE!!!!

Not where do you think you belong?

Not where have you been told you belong?

But… Where… DO YOU… Believe you Belong?

PAUSE

Belonging is a human need each, and every one of us desire to belong and each, and every one of us have different beliefs about where we belong…

To belong is to be at home is to be in community. It’s to be with family To be with your people. It’s not just a physical thing, but it’s a state of being…

So where do you BELIEVE you belong??

Maybe you believe you belong on the basketball court, Football field, Or in the classroom.

Maybe you believe that you belong at college and when you get there, you will feel like you belong

Or maybe you believe that when you get married or find that job or career, you will finally belong

Or maybe you’re in this room and you don’t believe you belong anywhere…

And don’t miss this… Where you believe you belong will affect how you behave

And where you believe you belong doesn’t always match with the truth of where you belong

And in our text, Paul will talk about where we belong… Paul will present us with truth of what it means to belong to God…

With all of that said let’s jump into a text:

Romans 8:12–16 ESV

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. 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,

Prayer:

“Lord, I ask, you would open Our hearts and our minds please remove distraction. Please remove any hindrance for us hearing from you Lord if there’s anything in this room that needs to be removed I pray that you’re Lord. I pray if anyone in this room doesn’t know you that they would know you today I pray if anyone in this room does know you that they would be challenged today and got asked that you would use me as a disposable vessel to bring forth truth that is invaluable in your holy son’s Name amen.

Amen

So then, brother, We are debtors not to the flesh…

Now I don’t know how many of you have social media I I would assume a good amount of you

And maybe I’m just old but I social media tends to be this bold old guy called Dave Ramsey yelling at me to get out of Debt

To when Paul mentioned, we’re not in debtors to the flash he’s saying the flesh does not own us

According to scripture, the borrower is slaved to the lender

If we borrow money for your obligated to obey the lender…

and in the NIV Translation says this:

Romans 8:12 NIV

12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.

So Paul is saying that we have no obligation to obey the desires of our flesh

And I wanna give you an illustration of what it means to be obligated to something to be under debt

Debt illustration:

I remember when I was a kid I bought my first car for 900 bucks and 200 of that was from my parents

And one day I was out playing volleyball with some friends we were about to go on the boat and hang out. It was gonna be awesome and then my mom yelled at me on the phone and said you need to come home.

And I was feeling froggy. I was 17 years old. I said no I’m not coming home and then she said that’s not your car until you pay it off. Come home now.

So I went home very fast and grabbed $200 as fast as I could give it to my mom so that I owned the car

The borrower is slaved the lender, and you and I as believers are not slave to sin anymore because our debt has been paid

If we have a relationship with Jesus, we no longer have to serve sin as our master

So if you have a relationship with Jesus, you are no longer obligated to sin…

Your debt has been paid for you no longer have to answer the collection calls of the devil

You no longer have to look over your shoulder, wondering if you’re gonna be strong, armed, into falling and sinning

So recapping verse 12 and jumping into verse 13

Romans 8:12 ESV

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.

So you and I, if we are believers, we no longer live bound by the controlling demands of the flesh

We no longer live by every whim and desire that we have… once again when I owed my parents money on my car, they had a claim to my car

They had a claim to demand how I lived and act and used that car

So if we are believers, if we have a relationship with Jesus, we are no longer bound and controlled by the demands of sin and flesh

Because when we become a Christian, we become a new creation the old has passed away. The new has come.

But looking at verse 13 in this room, I have to ask: Do you live according to the flash or according to the spirit??

Pause

Looking at the way, you think talk and act do you live as though you’re a slave to sin or to Jesus???

Because we’re no longer debtors if you’ve given your life to Christ, sin has no claim on you, but do you live as if sin has a claim on you?

Are you looking at things that you should not look at?

Whether it’s movies, social media Internet… And I’m not just talking to guys I’m talking to all of you…

Are you reading things you should not Read?

Are you gossiping? Are you tearing people down with your words?

Are you tearing yourself down with your thoughts and your words?

Pause

If these things are, what characterized you, if these things are who you are at the core That is Living according to the flesh

Are you living as if you still belong to SIN?

Are you living as if it still has a claim over you?

Again, I’m talking to the believers in the room. Do you live submitting yourself to SIN?

Because let me tell you when I paid off that car I no longer lived as though my parents owned the car

I no longer lived as though they had a claim on that car

And then when I moved out, it became even more so that my parents no longer dictated what I did with my life

How weird would it be if one of you guys said hey Zak can we talk and get some coffee sometime? Let me ask my mom.

If Pastor Ryan came to me and said Zak, let’s go get dinner. Let me see if it’s OK with my dad.

That’s weird why would I submit myself under the authority of something that has no claim to me

And my question for you is, are you doing this with Sin

Do you live as those sin is still in charge of your life?

Because if you have a relationship with Jesus and he has forgiven you and paid the penalty for your sin, cleared your debt

If you are not walking in freedom, I wanna urge you to walk in the spirit , I’m gonna ask you to change that today

Because Christ has freed you, but you have to choose to walk in the spirit

You have to choose to live the Christian life…He has given you the tools

He has given you the Holy Spirit You have to live Each day by his strength…

Because it says by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you put to death, the desire Of the flesh…

The desires of:

Lying

Stealing

Gossiping

Lusting

And so on and so forth…

It’s not by your strength, but it is by his strength

So where are you at? Do you live by the spirit or do you live by the flesh?

To live by the spirit is to have a lifestyle of a habit of:

reading God’s word

Spending time in prayer

Spending time and study

Spending time in worship and in fellowship With other believers?

Are these the things that you are characterized by?

Because if so, these are the tools in our tool belt. These are the things that we can pursue in order to put the death the flash.

To be a Christian is to have given your life to Christ and live as though he’s your new master because he is…

we begin to see god as our father

And this brings me back where do you believe you belong?

Do you believe that you still belong to sin OR do you believe that you now have a new father, a new master in heaven?

Because Roman’s 8:14 continues on and says this

Romans 8:14–15 ESV

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!”

Do you believe that you are lead by the spirit? Do you believe that you are now a son A daughter of God?

Because all of us in the beginning at our birth are by nature, children of wrath

All of us have Sinned and fallen short from God’s perfect standard

But if you have confessed Christ as your savior, if you have given your life to him, and you are living by the spirit, you are no longer a child of wrath, but a child of God

Do you believe that… do you believe that you have been made New… do you believe that you have been forgiven?

Or do you believe that you are always one mistake away from God changing his mind… Pause!!

Do you believe that any moment God could change his mind about you and that you’ve done too much you failed too much and that he will turn his back

Do you believe that?

Pause…

Because for a long time in my relationship with God, I believe that… I believed that I was always one sin… one mistake away from God Changing his mind about me…

I wasn’t sure if I truly belonged, so I wanna ask you do you believe that you belong with God?

Because what Paul is trying to communicate in verse 15 is that you haven’t been given a spirit of slavery…

You are not under the power of sin and death anymore. You are now adopted as a son And daughters of God.

You are not called to live in fear. You HAVE NOT been given a spirit of fear.

You are not meant to look over your shoulder, wondering is today the day God changes his mind about me.

Is the day the day that I messed up too much???

Is this what you believe???

because what you believe matters!

Belief illustration:

In high school I played basketball and in basketball you would shoot free throws after you were fouled

This ment you had 2 free shots no Defense just you and the hoop.

And i would step up to the line and say to myself

“Don’t Miss…Don’t Miss…Don’t Miss…Don’t Miss…”

Then I would bounce the basketball a couple times get set and shoot a shot… Pause!!! and I would miss the shot…

And my coach asked me what do you believe when you’re standing at that line? What do you say to yourself?

I said well I tell myself “Don’t Miss…Don’t Miss…Don’t Miss… Don’t Miss”

And then he told me something I won’t forget:

“Your actions follow your belief… If you believe you will miss… you most likely will… BUT If you believe you will make it you just might make it”

Pause

Your actions will follow your beliefs…

Do you believe your child of God do you believe that you have been adopted by by God through the sacrifice of Jesus?

Because it’s one thing to know Romans 10:9

Point to head!

but its another to believe it…

then Point to heart…

ITS ANOTHER THING for it to be truly your rock, your foundation, your cornerstone… Because you can know something And yet not have a strong belief or faith in it

And we see this illustrated when Peter walked on water…

Matthew 14:28–31 ESV

28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

you may say Peter didn’t have enough faith… That his faith was too small or wasn’t sufficient… but thats not true

But what is being said here is that His belief His faith was short-lived… For a moment He trusted, HE believed And He, walked… but his faith his belief was short-lived…

Maybe you are here and you believed that you are a child of God you believed that you are adopted… But then the wind have gone crazy and now you dont know what you belive and you are sinking…

And i’m here to tell you It’s not enough to know (Point) you’re a child of God you have to believe (Point) it

you must build your life on it…

you must be unashamed of it…

Are you unashamed to be a child of God?

DO we Unapologetically live for Jesus? Do we live as if we are free from sin? Do we live as if we are children of God?

Do you live unashamed of Christ?

And what that means is that in every moment in every day and every hour you pursue HIM

Whether you’re at basketball practice school, college or work, You choose him over everything

To be unashamed of Christ means that we walk in his victory Without fear of our history…

There is no fear of what other people think or say there’s no fear that SIN will take us over again, but there is faith and belief that he will protect us

If we are his children, we are his responsibility… And a good father protects carries for strengthens and defense, his children…

And a good father is who God is… And we are not born into his family, But we are chosen…

we are adopted AND To be adopted is to be chosen to be a part of a family

and adoption is permanent…

We no longer live in fear that God would change his mind about us Even if everyone else has,

BUT we live in Faith that what HE chooses he follows through with, and if HE has chosen us, we have no reason to live in fear

But so much reason to live in Faith

So where do you believe you belong??

Because for me growing up, I had no idea where I belong

Story of me trying to belong…

when i was 12 i had no clue where i belonged… I was into pokemon, weird tv shows Minecraft and i was uncoordinated and a little chub ball.

mike if you want you can throw up the photo…

But once i got Intro HS I started playing backeball and then i Got a lot taller and better and worked hard and thought “I finally belong”

Because all of a sudden I wasn’t an uncoordinated chubby little boy, but I was someone who people wanted to hang out with

All of a sudden, I had attention and respect from different people, and I was loved and liked

I thought I had arrived. I was gonna go play college and just continue this high.

But then no college offers came that way and Covid took out any chance of me making it to camp or tryouts

It was over and I no longer knew where I belonged…

Story Conclusion

And when I was empty and broken lost, and alone, that is when God became real to me… That is when God said you are my child and you belong to me

By reading his word, I came to the conclusion that i belonged with Him… that Jesus is where i belonged…

And THAT WAS MY my BUT God moment:

Ephesians 2:4–5 ESV

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

It is by Grace that I was saved… It is by the mercy of God that I was saved and adopted into his family…

And this morning, I wanna ask you do you believe you have been adopted do you believe that you belong with God?

Because if not, this is your chance this is your opportunity to find out where you belong to give your life to Christ and allow him to lead and guide you for the rest of your life

Gospel conclusion:

All you have to do is repent and believe

All you have to do is say God I am broken. I am sinful and I know Apart from you I don’t belong anywhere…

But God, I also know that you want me… But you’ve offered me the opportunity to be adopted as a child

And God I want that adoption… God I want to be in your family God I want to be your child.

Lord, please forgive me and Be my savior today…

the Bible says all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved

This morning There are adoption papers on the table…

God has already signed it with his own blood, paying the penalty for sins

And all that required of us is repentance and belief a change of mind

Let’s go ahead Bauer heads enclosure, your eyes

If you were in this room and you want to give your life to Christ, this is your opportunity…

I’m not gonna ask you to stand up to shake your hands to walk around. I’m gonna ask you to go to God in this moment.

And accept him as your savior ask him to be your father and sign those adoption papers

And if you’re in this room and you have a relationship with Christ, pray for your neighbor pray for this you have not

And in a moment, I will close us with prayer…

Prayer