What God Does: God Adopts

Manuscript Template

Title:  What God Does: God Adopts

Focus Statement:  

God could have forgiven us and remained our Judge. Instead, through Jesus, He forgave us, welcomed us, and invited us to call Him "Father."

Function Statement:  

Tweetable Phrase:  

Main Text:  Galatians 3:23-4:7

Supporting Text:  

Adoption: Intentional: Ephesians 1:4-5

Adoption: New Identity: Romans 8:15

Adoption: Old Debts Settled: Colossians 2:13-14

Adoption: Full Inheritance Rights: Romans 8:17

Adoptions: New Responsibilities: Ephesians 5:1

Adoption: New Future: Galatians 4:4-7

Redemptive Closure (point to Jesus):  John 1:1-13

Memory Verse: 1 John 3:1

Benediction:  Romans 8:14-17

WELCOME

Good morning!!! My name is Ryan Hanson, and I have the honor of serving here at The Light KC as the lead pastor. I’m so glad you’re here with us.

‌Welcome to those joining us online. We hope you're doing well and hope to see you in person in the coming weeks.

And a special welcome to those joining us for the first time. We’re so glad you chose to be here.

Baptism

Grace, in keeping with the example of Jesus, you have presented yourself this day that you might receive the sacrament of baptism.

Grace, Baptism is not itself the door to salvation, that happened when you put your faith in Jesus as your LORD and SAVIOR and we prayed asking Jesus into your heart.

Rather, baptism is an outward sign of the new birth which God has worked in your heart.

It proclaims to all the world that you have taken Christ Jesus as the Lord of your life, and that you intend to obey His teaching.

Grace, it is at this time that we would love to hear your testimony.

Before I baptize you, I need to ask you a few questions so we know that you understand the significance of what you’re doing.

Do you believe in God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit?

That Jesus Christ the Son suffered in your place on the cross, that He died but rose again, that He now sits at the Father’s right hand until He returns to judge all people at the last day?

And do you believe in the Holy Scriptures as the inspired Word of God?

That by the grace of God every person has the ability and responsibility to choose between right and wrong, and that those who repent of their sin and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ are justified by faith?

Answer: All this I steadfastly believe.

And finally...

Do you intend for your baptism to testify to all the world that you are a Christian and that you will be a loyal follower of Christ?

Answer: I do.

[walk over to baptismal]

Grace, it has been amazing watching God work in your life over the last 5 years.

I’ve seen God create in your such a helpful spirit.

I can’t wait to see how God continues to use you to help those in need.

Grace Hanson, it is my honor to baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Congregation...Luke 15:10 states

Luke 15:10 “10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.””

Let’s Join the Angels in celebrating the decision Grace has made today. [clapping, cheering, etc]

To honor the step of faith of everyone who received the sacrament of Baptism moving forward, we’re going to have everyone who is baptized sign a water drop with their name and date of their baptism and hang it from the baptismal.

[Grace hang his water droplet and take picture]

My prayer is that The Light KC can be a church that lives out Luke 19:10 seeking and to saving the lost, and very soon we can cover this baptismal in reminders of the amazing work God has done in our community.

Let’s give Grace one more round of applause for the decision he’s made today. [clapping, cheering, etc]

MEMORY VERSE

Before we get started...

...who took on the challenge of memorizing our Bible verse this week.

Please join me.

1 John 4:9–10

“9 This is how God showed his love among us:

He sent his one and only Son into the world

that we might live through him.

10 This is love:

not that we loved God,

but that he loved us

and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

Great job.

ME/INTRO - Tension

I want to start today with a number

7,192

That number, from the Kansas Department for Children and Families, is the number of children currently in Foster Care in Kansas.

And in a state of just under 3 million people, that number, upon initial inspection, feels pretty low.

But...

The reality of the situation hit me when I dug a little bit deeper.

[Image: Kansas Adoption Infographic]

3,998 of those kids are living in foster homes with foster parents - being taken care of and hopefully loved, regularly meeting with their biological parents, while the biological parents are working at doing what they need to do to ensure safety for their children so they can move back home

2,335 of those kids are living with relatives - again being taken care of and hopefully loved, regularly meeting with their biological parents, while the biological parents are working at doing what they need to do to ensure safety for their children so they can move back home

207 of those kids are living with foster parents who are working through the process of adopting them because the biological parent’s could not provide a safe place for the kids to live and their rights have been terminated

513 of those kids are living in group homes because there aren’t any foster homes willing to take care of them

139 of those kids were removed from the care of their biological parents because it was unsafe for them to be there and they ran away, and are currently unaccounted for

I don’t know what you think when you hear those numbers, but the reality that in a state of almost 3 million people:

There aren’t even 7,192 homes with people willing to take in a hurting child, grieves me.

That 513 kids are living in a group home, without parents to take care of them, love them, and help them become everything that God created them to be, breaks my heart.

And that 139 kids would rather run away and live on the streets than live within the foster care system, says a lot about how collectively we are all failing these children.

Right now in Kansas there are 652 kids that don’t have a place to belong

[short pause]

Many of you may know that Andrea and I, walked the path of foster care and adoption while in Michigan.

We heard similar statistics while sitting in a church ~14 years ago and felt God calling us to act.

We fostered a Honduran Refugee for a few months while he got settled

We fostered an 8 year old boy for over a year before he was placed with the family that was going to adopt him and his brother

And 5-years ago we fostered and eventually adopted Wyatt and Grace.

We went into the process, very naive.

We felt God calling us to help these children, but really didn’t know what we were doing.

We’d only been married a year when we took in our first child, who was 12 years old.

Not something I’d recommend to any newly wed couple.

But over the years, we learned that the problem was so much worse that just making sure there were enough houses for these kids to live in.

Going back to Kansas statistics.

Every year between 350-400 kids age out of the foster care system in Kansas

Around 20,000 kids age out of the foster care system per year throughout the entire United States

And when a kid age out of the system without being adopted the struggles they face are significant

40% end up homeless

only 25% earn a high school degree

only 46% ever earn a GED

less than 3% complete college, even though for them it is free, paid for by the state

only 50% secure steady employment by age 24

70% of girls end up pregnant before they turn 21

50% struggle with substance abuse

and 16% are incarcerated within 2 years of leaving care (that is 1 in 6)

When someone

doesn’t receive love,

doesn’t know that they are wanted,

and doesn’t have a support system to help them when they need it,

life is extremely hard.

And by the numbers, it would not be a stretch to say that as a country we are failing these 20,000 kids per year that age out of the foster care system.

WE - Tension

Now, you may be thinking, “That’s sad, but I don’t see what that has to do with me.”

And on the surface, you may be right.

God may not be calling you to open your house to a foster child.

From personal experience it is not something one should do based on emotionally heavy statistics.

But, I bet at some point or another in our lives, we have all felt like those 350-400 kids (per year in Kansas) who age out of foster care and don’t have a place:

Where we didn’t feel wanted.

Where we didn’t have people who loved and cared for us

Where we didn’t have a support system to help us when we needed it

I bet at some point each of us have been in a place where we wanted nothing more than to feel like someone cared about us.

Where we had a place where we felt like we belonged.

And the truth that we’re going to talk about today is that...

...We serve a God that not only forgives us of our sins through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, but welcomes us into His family as our Heavenly Father, and shapes us as His children.

This is week 9 of our Summer Series titled our “Verses to Live By: Truth for the Road Ahead”

Throughout the summer we’re looking at a different bible verse each week in an attempt to answer three questions that I think we all need answers to

WHO IS GOD

WHAT DOES GOD DO

WHAT DOES GOD CALL US TO DO IN RESPONSE

Each week, we’re also going to have a memory verse (with accompanying memorization aid) so that together we can be intentional about putting scripture deep in our heart and allowing the Holy Spirit to

transform our thinking

guide our decisions

deepen our faith

You can get the verse of the week memorization aid at the info desk after service.

We have already wrapped up the first 1/3 of our series on “WHO GOD IS”

If you missed the previous messages, please feel free go to our website, TheLightKC.org, to catch up.

We are now in the 2nd 1/3 of the series focusing on WHAT GOD DOES

We saw that

God Creates

God Provides

God Sacrifices and Saves

This week, we’re going to look at another aspect of What God Does: God Adopts

If you missed the previous messages, please feel free go to our website, TheLightKC.org, to catch up.

As we begin, please turn with me to [Galatians 3:23: Sanctuary Bible Page # 944]

We’ll have the scripture on the screen, but if you have a Bible with you, or Bible app on your phone, I’d encourage you to turn to the passage and follow along. There is nothing that replaces having God’s word in your hand.

AND... if you don’t have a Bible, we have Bibles under the seats. If you don’t have a bible and would like one, please come see me after the service and I’ll get you one you can keep.

Let's dive in.

GOD - Text - HEAD

I want to start with a quick background on the book of Galatians.

Paul planted a church in Galatia during one of his missionary journeys with Barnabas.

After the church was planted a group of Jewish Christians came and started teaching that to TRULY be saved they not only had to believe in Jesus, but they had to be circumcised and strictly follow all the Old Testament laws of the Torah (the First 5 Books of the Bible known as the Law).

The Letter that Paul wrote to the Galatians was a direct contradiction to the teachings of these Jewish Christians.

The Letter of Galatians was Paul’s rebuttal, teaching that no matter how strictly you adhere to the Old Testament Law you cannot be saved by the law.

Paul argued that a person can only be saved through faith in Jesus alone.

Paul argued that the Galatians could not, and the truth is that we can not, earn our salvation through adherence to the law.

The section of Galatians we’re going to look at today summarized Paul’s argument and gives us a clear image of what being a follower of Jesus Christ looks like.

That...

When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we are ADOPTED as sons and daughters God.

Paul’s argument is simple. He only has three points.

The Old Testament Law serves a preparatory function

We become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ alone

We become children of God because God adopts us into His family

Preparatory function of the law

First, the Old Testament Law serves to prepare us for the reality that we need Jesus to save us from our sins.

Galatians 3:23–25

“23 Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.”

The law was our guardian, and intended to prepare us for the time when Jesus was to come

The law served as a reminder that we cannot be good enough to earn Salvation.

No matter how hard we try, we cannot follow it perfectly.

We all fall short.

We need a Savior.

Someone fully human who experiences every temptation the world has to offer

Yet fully God, who being fully divine, can resist those temptation, live a life without sin, and be a worthy / final sacrifice atoning for the sins of the entire world.

Only one person has ever been able to keep the law, and break the curse of sin,

and that person is Jesus Christ.

We can only be justified and saved from the consequences of our sin through faith in Jesus, who He is, and what He did.

Children and heirs by faith

Second, we become children of God and receive salvation through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

Galatians 3:26–29

“26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

Paul, was writing to a Roman audience.

When Paul writes clothe yourselves, he is referencing a common Roman right of passage

Roman society used clothes to delineate the social order.

Boys wore a white toga with purple, showing they had a protected status, that they were not yet old enough to be held responsible for their choices.

[Image: Roman Child Toga]

When a boy showed his father that he was responsible enough to be a man, the father would cloth him in the Toga Virilis the Toga of Manhood.

[Image: Roman Toga Virilis]

It was a solid white toga, with the purple border removed.

The boy was now legally and socially responsible for his own actions

This is the equivalent image that we have for baptism.

Roman’s put on a new toga to represent a boy’s entrance into manhood.

As we witnessed today, when someone puts their faith in Jesus and accepts the gift of salvation that He offers,

baptism is that right of passage, the ceremony that makes a person’s faith public, and seeks the community of the church to hold them accountable for the choices they make.

Just like the Roman right of passage for boys...

Baptism is a Christian’s right of passage.

The moment we choose to follow Jesus is the moment that are forgiven of our sins, justified in God’s eyes, and welcomed into the family of God as His child.

Baptism is where we publicly declare that choice and invite the church to help us as we start taking responsibility for living the life that Jesus calls us to live.

Heirs by Adoption

But Paul takes it one step further.

Paul’s third point is that we are not just children of God through faith, we are adopted by God into His family.

Galatians 4:4–7

“4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. 6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.”

And the term adoption carried a huge amount of weight within the Roman world.

Adoption was considerably different within Roman society than it is now.

Paul know what adoption meant within the Roman society and wanted to use the analogy of a Roman Citizen adopting a son to demonstrate the love that God has for us.

So I want to quickly walk through what a Roman adoption entailed so we can fully understand what Paul was trying to communicate to the Galatians about God’s love for us and what it means for us to be adopted into God’s family as a child of God.

1st CENTURY ADOPTION

Roman adoption had six defining aspects.

Intentional

First, a Roman adoption was intentional.

When a Roman citizen of standing did not have an heir,

they would search for and choose someone that they found suitable to carry on their family’s legacy,

and adopt them as their heir.

God does the same thing.

Ephesians 1:4–5

“4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—”

Andrea and I experience this when we walked the foster care and adoption path.

We had Wyatt and Grace in our house for 2 years before they asked if we wanted to adopt them.

It was our choice.

We could have said, “NO”, but we loved them, and couldn’t image our family without them.

In the same way...

God intentionally chooses you.

He loves you.

And He can’t image His family without you.

New Identity

Second, a Roman adoption gave the person being adopted a new identity

In Roman Society, an adopted son legally left his old family and became a full member of his adopted family.

Roman adoption was such a big deal that it required approval from a special commission in Rome, which dissolved the adoptee’s original family entirely.

The adopted child was a permanent part of the family

Parents could not disown a child they adopted.

Which is of note because within Roman society parents could disown biological children

When we put our faith in Jesus, God does the same for us.

2 Corinthians 5:17

“17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

When we adopted Wyatt and Grace, they asked us if we wanted to change their names.

We spoke to the kids and gave them the choice.

They both wanted to take on our last name.

Wyatt wanted to keep his first name because it meant “strong warrior” and that is who he is

Grace had a different name, but she wanted a fresh start and chose the name Grace because it not only meant “an undeserved gift” which is what she has been to our family, but in the baby names book Grace means “a good person who is kind to and helps everyone” and that is the new person that she wanted to be.

In Revelation 2:17, God says that he will give us a white stone with a new name on it.

God doesn't simply improve your old life.

He gives you a completely new one.

In God’s eyes, your old life is gone, and you are free to live a new life as His son or daughter.

Old Debts Settled

Third, in a Roman adoption all old debts are settled.

Legally, the adopted person's obligations to the old household are cancelled.

They enter into a new legal standing within the adoptive family.

They start their new life with a clean slate.

God cancels our debts as well, when we put our faith in Jesus.

Colossians 2:13–14

“13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.”

Grace and Wyatt didn’t have any debts when we got them, but when we went to the court room and sat before the judge, they became our children.

They were no longer foster kids.

They were legally our children, starting life with a clean slate.

The same is true for you...

Your past no longer has the final word.

God’s Grace doesn't erase your story, but it rewrites your future.

God frees you of the consequences of your past sins, to free you to become everything that you were created to be in Christ.

Any debt you owed because of your past sins was erased when you put your faith in the Jesus and the work He did on the cross.

Granted Full Inheritance Rights

Forth, a Roman adoption grants the adoptee full inheritance rights.

Within a Roman adoption, the adopted children had the same inheritance rights as biological children.

They were considered full members of the family.

The same is true when we’re adopted into God’s family.

Romans 8:17

“17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

Sometimes Grace and Wyatt make comments about not being biological children.

They know Ellie is and they aren’t.

But the truth is, Andrea and I don’t see any difference.

All three are our children, and we do our best to treat them equally

I don’t know if there will be anything for them to inherit, but the will is written that if there is they’re all going to have to split it equally.

God’s family works the same way.

God family doesn't have second-class members.

In God's family there are no stepchildren.

Everyone who puts their faith in Jesus is a co-heir with Christ.

New Responsibility

Fifth, a person who is adopted into a Roman family takes on new responsibilities.

Being adopted into a prominent Roman household meant representing that family's name and values.

Remember, adoption in Roman society was a tool to ensure your legacy was maintained and you had a suitable successor.

An adopted person had full rights within the family to carry on business and make decisions on behalf of the family.

When we choose to join God’s family we are given new responsibilities as well.

Paul writes it this way.

Colossians 3:12–14

“12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

Jesus is a little more direct.

John 13:34–35

“34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.””

I don’t know how you run your families, but in mine everyone has the same rules.

They all do chores.

They all read 30 minutes per day.

They all do their homework before any TV or fun is had.

Being part of the family means that you contribute and everyone (biological or adopted) contributes as they’re able.

Don’t mishear me...

We don't have to do anything to earn God's love.

We obey God’s commands and respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit because we belong to God’s family.

But, as a member of God’s family, God asks us to pitch in and join Him in His work.

I think it is a huge honor and a privilege to get to join God in the work of reconciliation that He is doing.

Changed a Person’s Future

Finally, a Roman adoption changed a person’s future.

Adoption wasn't only about the present; it opened doors to a completely different future.

Galatians 4:4–7

“4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. 6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.”

I don’t know why God called us to adopt Wyatt and Grace

I hope that He can use Andrea and I to positively affect their futures

We are doing all we can to help them discover and become everything that God calls them to be

When God adopts us, we are no longer slaves to sin but His sons and daughters.

Salvation changes not only the destination when we die but our destiny here on Earth.

God doesn't just rescue us from our past; He gives us a future within His family

YOU - Takeaway - HEART

I want to take a second and let these truths sit with you.

God intentionally chose you

God doesn’t define you by your past, but wants to give you a new identity

God wants to free you of the debt that you owe Him due to your sin and free you to be everything He created you to be

God wants to make you a co-heir with Christ, giving you full inheritance rights in His Kingdom

God wants to partner with you, giving you responsibility to partner with Him in His work of redemption and reconciliation

and no matter what you past, God wants to open the door for you to have a new future within His family

WE / JESUS - Redemptive Close - Call to Action - HANDS

But the last detail about Roman Adoption that we didn’t discuss is that...

Roman Adoption was Costly

A Roman adoption was costly

Roman adoption involved legal proceedings and carried real obligations for the adoptive father.

A Roman adoption had to be approved the the local magistrate and a special commission within Rome had to be convened that dissolved the adoptee’s family.

All of which was not cheap.

Adoption in Kansas aren’t cheap either, depending on the type of adoption you pursue

Free: if you adopt an older child out of the foster care system

~$15,000 if you adopt a baby through an agency within the United States

>$50,000+ for international adoptions

Your adoption into God’s family was costly as well.

1 Corinthians 6:20

“20 you were bought at a price.”

And that price was prophesied by Isaiah more than 500 years before Jesus paid it.

Isaiah 53:4–6

“4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

Jesus’ death on the cross purchased our place in God's family.

Your adoption papers were signed with the blood of Christ.

God didn’t just save you from your sins, God adopted you into His family

And to remember this truth, our memory verse for the week is

Let’s all read it together.

1 John 3:1

“1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”

PRAYER 

Will you join me in prayer...

SONG 

As we enter into our final song, I want to open the steps up front as an altar to anyone who feels God calling them to respond to today’s message.

Maybe as you think about ...the Old Testament Law’s serving the purpose of preparing our hearts for the truth that we need a savior in Jesus, you need to come up and pray to God, seeking forgiveness for all the ways you’ve tried to earn your way to heaven by following the rules, instead of turning to God and accepting His Grace

Maybe as you think about … the Roman Adoption Practices you need to come up and pray, thanking God for choosing you, forgiving your past sins, adopting you into His family, and giving you a new future with new responsibilities.

Maybe as you think about ...being a Child of God you need to come up and reflect on the cost that God willingly paid for you to join His family. The blood that Jesus spilled so you could be called a son or daughter of God.

Or maybe, you heard this message and you haven’t yet put your faith in Jesus as your LORD and SAVIOR. Maybe you need to pray to God

Admitting that you are a sinner and need forgiveness

Verbalizing your Belief in Jesus as the Son of God, who died on the cross paying the penalty for your sins, and rose from the dead on the third day giving your hope of an eternal life with God in Heaven.

Confessing that Jesus is your LORD and SAVIOR

If today is the day that you put your faith in Jesus, please come see me afterword. I’d love to walk with you as you start your new life in Christ.

‌

You may feel a hand on your shoulder as I or one of the elders join you in prayer.

BENEDICTION 

Romans 8:14–17

“14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

This week...

Let’s stop trying to earn our way to Heaven by following the rules

Let’s humbly accept that we can never be good enough for that to work

Let’s instead accept the invitation that Jesus offers to be a son or daughter of God; to be adopted into His family

Let’s confidently enter into that role knowing that

God chose us

God has given us a new identity in Christ

God settled our past sin debt

God has given us a full inheritance in His family and His Kingdom

God has called us to join Him in His work and accept New Responsibilities within His family

with God our past doesn’t have to determine our future; God makes us a new creation with a new future

Let’s live as children of God, no longer slaves to sin

Quick reminder...

Habitat for Humanity - August 15th - you need to sign up today at the info desk

Water Wednesday - August 5th at my house - everyone welcome

If you’re new, please fill out the card in the seat back and stop by our info desk, or see me. We’d love to say “hi” and get you know you a bit better.

If you’d like to get more information about taking your next step of faith, fill out the card in the seat back and give it to me or turn it in to the info desk.

I hope you have a great week.

Go in peace.

You are dismissed.

DISCIPLESHIP QUESTIONS (download into APP)

In what ways can you actively reflect your identity as a child of God in your daily life?

How does understanding your adoption into God’s family influence your relationships with others?

What are practical steps you can take to embrace the responsibilities that come with being a member of God's family?

How can you help others who feel lost or unwanted, similar to the children in the foster care system?

What does it mean to you personally to be ‘co-heirs with Christ’?

How can you show love and support to someone who feels like they don’t belong?

What does it mean to you to call God 'Father' and how does it affect your view of identity?

Can you think of a time when you felt like you didn’t belong? How did that experience shape you?

What does it look like to live out your faith in a way that reflects your adoption into God’s family?

In what ways can your friendship group operate as a support system for each other in faith?