Victory for Adoption
All Hallows Eve • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Transcript
Announcements
Good evening. Welcome to Southern Hills Baptist Church. Thank you for joining us tonight for our special All Hallows Eve service.
Some of you might wonder why we are holding a worship service on what many people consider to be a night of evil. But the date October 31st has long held significance in the church. It is both “Reformation Day,” as well as “All Hallows Eve.”
Reformation Day refers back to October 31, 1517, when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the Castle Church door in Wittenberg. For protestants, this was the beginning of the Reformation and led to the recovery of the original biblical text.
But Luther chose that day for a reason. That night, he knew that the church would be filled with parishioners who would come for the All Hallows Eve vigil. You see, since the 8th century, the Western church recognized November 1 as All Saints Day. It was the day each year that church members would come together to remember those believers over church history who had been killed for their faith.
And so, the night before All Saints Day, the church would come together to hold a vigil, or a watch party, where they would worship God together until midnight. This was the meaning of All Hallows Eve, and this is where we get the word Halloween—It is a contraction of All Hallows Eve. It is a hallowed evening as the church prepares for All Saints Day.
In medieval times of worship, All Hallows’ Eve became marked by masquerades and pageants that mocked death. Townspeople would wear costumes and dance around before marching to the church at the center of town to engage in the vigil. Those who wore masks of demons and skeletons and monsters would cast them aside on the steps of the church as they entered. There they would be trampled on by the living saints as they went in to celebrate Jesus’ victory over sin and death.
And even though church traditions like these are not commanded in scripture, they are helpful for the church to keep all things in perspective. It is easy for us to get caught up in our culture and the materialism around us, but the truth is that the church has been called to war against the powers of darkness. We need days like today to remember that, for the last 2000 years, the enemies of God have tried to destroy the church and her saints. And while many of our brothers and sisters have been slaughtered for the Name of Christ, these enemies have no hold over us for we have been adopted as children of God and built into His church. Christ has won the victory over sin and death on the cross and His church will prevail. We will kick in the gates of hell and ransack Satan’s lair of its prize of human souls.
At Southern Hills Baptist Church, we are reclaiming this heritage—not only to engage with our community and offer kids a safe alternative to trick-or-treating, but to come together in this time of remembrance and celebration. We stand together tonight and proclaim to the world the truth of the gospel—that Jesus has won the battle. He has openly put God’s enemies to shame and He now stands as the victor.
Matthew 28:18 says that “Jesus came and said to [the disciples], “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
The truth is that Jesus is both conquerer and rightful king over all of creation.
That is what we celebrate tonight. And so, if you are a guest this evening, we invite you to join us in that endeavor.
If you would, please stand as I read our Call to Worship.
Call To Worship
The Lord is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
Glad songs of salvation
are in the tents of the righteous:
“The right hand of the Lord does valiantly,
the right hand of the Lord exalts,
the right hand of the Lord does valiantly!”
I shall not die, but I shall live,
and recount the deeds of the Lord…
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Opening Song
Song #2
Scripture & Prayer: Dennis Gallagher Ephesians 1:3-14
Song #3 (All Hail King Jesus)
Pastoral Prayer
Introduction
If you have your Bibles with you, please turn with me to the book of Romans, chapter 8.
We have already spoken about Jesus’ victory over sin and death. Most of you know of that already from your time in and around the church. But what is the point of His victory over the enemies of God?
Tonight, we will examine that point.
Christ has stepped down from His glory in the heavens to live as a human. He showed us how to live as a human in the way that God designed for us to live. And then He died in our place.
He died for us.
His victory over sin and death are for our benefit, that we might be reconciled to God and restored in relationship with Him.
And ultimately, as we will see in our passage, the victory that Christ has given us is for our adoption as sons of God.
Look with me to Romans chapter 8. We will be reading verses 12-17:
[MAIN PASSAGE SLIDE x4]
So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (/) For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption 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.
Followers of Jesus have been freed from their slavery to sin. His sinless death has broken the shackles. He has carried our sins into the grave and dropped them off at the doorstep of hell.
Praise God that we don’t have to be a slave to our sin anymore, nor do we need to pay the penalty for them. For Christ has taken the punishment for us.
As we respond to His grace and mercy, our job is to believe this truth and to submit our lives to King Jesus. And in that moment of belief and repentance—in the moment when we admit our sin and agree with God that we have transgressed against His holiness and are deserving of death, He extends to us forgiveness. And not just forgiveness, but an invitation to be part of His family.
(beat)
I don’t know if you have any experience with adoption, but the adoption process is difficult. There are so many legal hoops to jump through and it can be really discouraging. But it is also really expensive. The average cost for a private adoption of a child in the United States today is over $30,000.
(beat)
But, for a moment, imagine what your sin against a holy God cost. Think of the cost of even your smallest of failures and how it contaminates God’s perfectness. It is a cost that cannot be counted.
And yet, Jesus paid that cost—your cost and my cost—with His life.
He gave up His life that you and I might live.
He paid so that we could be adopted by the holy judge Himself.
Paul begins to explain this in our passage. He says that followers of Jesus were once worldly people, but now they have learned to seek after the Spirit of God.
[POINT 1 SLIDE]
Seek the Spirit (vv 12-13)
Paul lays this out for us. Look back with me at verses 12 and 13:
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
Paul says that we are debtors. Most of us have been in debt before, usually to a bank. Whether we bought a house, or a car, or a sofa—we truly do not own it until we pay it off. We are slowly buying it from the bank.
But the Bible says in Proverbs 22:7 that “The rich [rule] over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.”
As debtors, we are thus slaves. What are we debtors to?
Paul says that it used to be the flesh—the sinful human nature that we were born with. That, ultimately, we had borrowed sin from Satan, the father of sin, and were now indebted to him. We then, being born with a sin nature, are naturally sons of disobedience who are enslaved to sin by that nature.
But Paul says that when we put the sins of our flesh to death and seek after the Spirit of God, we will live.
So, how does that work?
(beat)
Those who believe in Christ and repent of their sin are given a new nature. The debt of the sin nature is paid for by Jesus and we exchange our indebtedness from the father of sin to the Father of Life.
Think about Debt Agencies. This is not a perfect analogy, but go with me for a moment.
When someone is in serious financial trouble from debt, they often cannot make payments to their lenders. Debt Agencies come in and buy that debt from the lenders and then try to collect from the debtor in any way possible.
Imagine for a moment that you owe a great financial debt to the Bank of Sin. But Jesus has come and purchased everyone’s debt from that bank. The Bank of Sin has now written off that debt. You no longer owe them anything. But you owe it all to Jesus who has saved you from your debt. You are now indebted to Him alone.
Believing in Jesus, repenting of your sin, and following Him is merely accepting His gift and responding to Him in thankfulness.
But those who refuse His gift are like people who rather stay a lifetime debtor of the Bank of Sin. They stand in line and wait to make a payment for something that has already been paid for. And, in the end, they will give their life refusing the gift of forgiveness.
But those who have accepted the gift have traded one master for another. They have moved from being a slave to sin to being a slave to righteousness. We have bowed the knee to King Jesus and have given our lives into His service. He is not a harsh master, but a loving one. He not only cares for us, but He invites us into the house of God, where we learn to be part of His family.
[POINT 2 SLIDE]
Adopted as Sons (vv 14-15)
And not just some random second-cousin, but God actually adopts us as His own children. Paul continues in verse 14:
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
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!”
Paul says that we are adopted as sons of God. Now, ladies, don’t get hung up on this “sons” idea. This is a good thing. If you are a follower of Christ, you have been adopted as a son, regardless of whether you are male or female. This is inheritance language.
In the ancient world, only sons could typically receive and inheritance from their father. Firstborn sons would receive a double share of inheritance, while the rest was distributed amongst all of the other sons. This was true whether the son was natural born or adopted. By God adopting you as a “son,” He has given you a full share of inheritance.
And what is that inheritance? It is the kingdom of God. Jesus, as the first-born son, has been given all authority over creation. That is, He has been made King. But, as His redeemed people—His spiritual brothers—we become part of the royal family.
In his book Knowing God, J.I. Packer describes sonship to God as the highest “gift of grace.” He explains that adoption by God is an even greater gift than our justification—it is even more remarkable than God forgiving our sin by the blood of Jesus. It is truly awesome and wonderful that He adopts us as His own.
We’re not let into His house and told to stay in the servant quarters, but we are invited to enjoy an intimate relationship with the God of all creation. Paul says that we can come to Him and cry, “Abba!”—or “Daddy” in Hebrew.
Packer goes on to say that “Adoption, by its very nature, is an art of free kindness to the person adopted.”
God owes humankind nothing. And yet, He desires to live with us—to bring us back into a close relationship with Him. All because of His love for us, He desires to welcome us back home like the Prodigal Son. Paul tells the Galatians, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”
Believer, you have been adopted by God as a royal son or daughter, and He has set aside an inheritance for you.
[POINT 3 SLIDE]
Heirs with Christ (vv 16-17)
For while Jesus receives the kingdom, we also share in His inheritance and His reign. Paul closes out this passage in verses 16 and 17:
[PASSAGE SLIDE x2]
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.
Paul says that those who live by the Spirit have been adopted as children of God. And, if we are His children, then we are heirs to the promise of the Kingdom, which we will help Christ to rule.
In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were created to rule. They were given dominion over creation and told to continue to bring it into order. But in their disobedience, they failed to be worthy rulers.
Jesus has come and restored His church to their God. And He has taught us how to rule well—how to care for creation and bring it into order.
The only question is: will we follow Him?
Will we be willing to “suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him”?
(beat)
In this statement, Paul clarifies that one of the consequences of following Christ is suffering in the here and now. Are we willing to follow Jesus even if it means temporary pain and hardship?
Many are unwilling to follow a Lord who promises that suffering will come. But for those who are willing, God offers adoption and an eternal inheritance alongside our Savior. Paul reminds his disciple Timothy of this, when he says that “if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us”.
(beat)
Jesus—God in the flesh—has come and has paid for our sins so that we might become children of God.
He has achieved victory over death so that we might have eternal life through adoption.
May we honor our Father by fighting against the darkness and helping others come to know Christ.
As we go tonight, let us remember that the darkness still has sway, but they have no authority. They are still fighting, but there is only one King.
[PREVIEW SLIDE]
Invitation
If you are here tonight and you are not following Jesus, I invite you to do that tonight. He has paid for your sin. You don’t have to pay it yourself. Come and find what it is to have a good master. Come and see what it is to sit in the presence of a loving Father.
If you are interested, I would love to talk with you more about that after we close.
CLOSE IN PRAYER
CLOSING HYMN
CONGREGATIONAL BLESSING
