SaveOne Adoption

Well good morning everyone. What a glorious day it is today. We are by in large over the Easter drag, I think Easter Monday is a real thing and we should have that day off as well. especially if you are in any type of ministry position.

This Sunday we are also finishing up the series on SaveOne. The talk that you just heard from Jey about Compassion Experience fits right in with today’s message. Today’s message is all about adoption. It is a word and a truth rarely discussed in the church but of huge importance to us. Itis exclusively used by Paul but a word he uses 5 times. 1 for the past

Romans 9:4 NKJV

who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises;

One for the future

Romans 8:23 NKJV

Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

And then there are three for the present.

Romans 8:15 NKJV

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

Galatians 4:4–5 NKJV

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

Galatians

Ephesians 1:5 NKJV

having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,

Ephesians

Now we must define adoption in order for us to get the complete picture. Because there is a sense of adoption that we understand but then there is a point that our understanding stops and we don’t grasp the entirety of the picture.

The word adoption means placing as a son. In today’s society we take an outsider and adopt them in. In the spiritual, it is as though you always were. There is no difference. You at the moment of regeneration are immediately thrust into maturity and responsibility of a son.

So today I want to discuss three main points of adoption.

The grace of god in adoption

The privileges adoption brings

My responsibility because of adoption

So lets get into it.

Adoption is that act of God whereby men and women, who were by nature the children of wrath and were of the lost and ruined family of Adam, are from no reason in themselves, but entirely of the pure grace of God, translated out of the evil and black family of Satan, and brought actually and virtually into the family of God. They take His name, share the privileges, and they are to all intents and purposes the actual offspring and children of God!

This is entirely the process initiated and fulfilled by God. No man has the right to be adopted. I mean we see that even in the natural world. There are children all over this country and others that are not adopted. They stay in the system. They grow up never having earthly parents. It is a sad thing but the truth of the matter is, being allowed into someones family only happens if they allow it. It is the same with god. You cannot earn your way into the family.

Even if a man kept the law perfectly, I mean Adam himself had he never sinned still would have been no more than a servant. He would have no right to adoption. Above all contradiction and controversy, becoming a part of the family of God is nothing less than a pure act of Grace. To make it even more pure, had God picked out of the best families it would have been sovereign grace but he doesn’t pick out of the best he picks out of the worst rebels. We were born of a thief who stole from the garden, a rebel guilty of the highest treason against God and yet He still put us in His family. Then even think of your own life.

When a husband and wife go to adopt a child there is usually some merit in the child. The child is too cute, the child has some intelligence, or even the child is in need of some great pity right? But when God looked at all of your darkness, all of your sin, there was no sign of remorse, no tear in your eye until he put it there.

Even to creation. There was no “reason” other than the fact that God wanted to express His perfect love in grace, for Him to create us. Ad after that creation we lie in a field filthy, frightful, rebellious, and ugly in which He could have said be cursed forever. But instead, he picked us up and covered us in our brother’s robe.

That’s the grace.

Imagine if you would a rebellious wicked man standing before a judge. The judge declares you are guilty. But then He says, I have found out a way whereby I can forgive your rebellions—man, you are pardoned!” There is a flush of joy upon his cheeks. “Man, you are made rich; see, there is wealth!” Another smile passes over the countenance. “Man, you are made so strong that you shall be able to resist all your enemies!” He rejoices again. “Man,” says the judge at last, “you are made a prince! You are adopted into the royal family, and you shall one day wear a crown! You are now as much the son of God, as you are the son of your own father.”

Don’t doubt it. Don’t allow the enemy to persuade you in any way. but also don’t allow yourself to fall into the trap that some do as though there was something in them that God liked or that made them special. Faith is a gift of God. Good works come because of our faith. Therefore even your good works are attributed to God’s Grace.

2 The PRIVILEGES of adoption.

Now here is what I am going to do. I will talk about these privileges as they come to us via the west Minister Confession of Faith. If you do not know what this is, you might want to check it out. It is a really cool thing that I don’t really want to get into the history of it for sake of time. It was a confession of the church in 1646 affirming biblically the view on scripture, on the trinity, on numerous things. It is an amazing document on the stance of the church. One of those is article 12 about adoption. It reads as such.

All those that are justified, God vouchsafe, in and for His only Son Jesus Christ, to make partakers of the grace of adoption:(a) by which they are taken into the number, and enjoy the liberties and privileges of the children of God,(b) have His name put upon them,(c) receive the spirit of adoption,(d) have access to the throne of grace with boldness,(e) are enabled to cry, Abba, Father,(f) are pitied,(g) protected,(h) provided for,(i) and chastened by Him as by a Father;(k) yet never cast off,(l) but sealed to the day of redemption,(m) and inherit the promises,(n) as heirs of everlasting salvation.(o)

(a) . (b) , ; ; . (c) ; ; . (d) . (e) ; . (f) . (g) . (h) . (i) , ; . (k) . (l) . (m) . (n) . (o) , ; .

Now let’s talk about the privileges. The first one i want to talk about is one that actually isn’t mentioned and should be. It is this..

You cannot be in two families.

Why is that a privilege. Because when you join the family of God you are no longer a part of the family of the enemy and are no longer subject to it. I am not the son of satan. I am not a child of wrath. Though he may be the father of lies, I am not one of them. I don’t have to slum in the pigpen, I can come home. It is like the queen of England condemning me. She can condemn me all she wants, I am not under her jurisdiction.

I follow the law as a rule but the law is not a ruler over me.

Now back to the confession, one of the great blessings are we are given His name. The book of revelation tells us so. We are no longer just men and women, we are men and women of God.

The next thing is that

His spirit is given to us.

He puts upon us, no in us his spirit. We take upon ourselves the spirit of a child. Which is so valuable. When we were created we were created in his what? Image. Which means the looks begin to be the same. but looks of a person don’t really mean anything. When you are saved you take on his nature. See look at my son back there. For those of you that don’t know. He is adopted. I adopted him at 4 years old when I married his mother and it became official when he was 11. yes it took that long. But he looks like me. Right. Build, scruffy face big round head. But you know my blood doesn’t run through him. On the inside we are in no way the same. Now for the record as far as I am concerned and I know he knows this, that doesn't matter to me, he is my son. Period. But when we accept the fathers call into his family, his blood runs through us. The transformation is complete. If i were to adopted a fool headed kid, he would remain a fool headed kid. There is nothing inside of him to change that. But what God does is from the inside out give us the very nature of His son.

Come on we are going somewhere. The next blessing is that

We get to come to the throne room BOLDLY.

You get to walk right into the throne room. Without an invitation. You know the wife can’t do that. You remember Esther. She was told by Mordecai that you need to go to the king. She replied he has not summoned me and if I go he might kill me. Then of course the famous line you were born for such a time as this and she goes in and saves the whole tribe of Israel. Woohoo. That’s not the point. The point is she was supposed to wait to be summoned. So when she went into the room she did not do so boldly but very timidly. Like a servant would But you are not a servant. You are a son. There is no angel to stop you at the gate and ask you what is your business. You stroll right on passed. What up Gabriel. How you doin? He says hey sir. How are you? Cuz see even Gabriel is beneath the son. Do you believe that? Then why are you afraid to pray? Why do you go to your prayer time, and say things like oh Jesus it is but your humble servant servant. The scum of the universe that I am. I am not worthy to be the gum on your shoe. Stop that junk. Nah you go into the throne room and say Daddy. Can i just say something. Again a bit of honesty transparency here. Some people get offended when I say things about God like call him daddy. But you know that’s how I grew up. My daddy was daddy. Sometimes he would be daddy’o. My father was never offended when I called him daddy. I don’t believe my heavenly father was either. I got away from calling him that because I didn’t want to offend people. But i think we sometimes put the false pretense of honor up so as not to get close because we don’t thing that we can get close. he is God. But you know He is God and I don’t at all take anything from that I revere it. But when I became a son, he became daddy. You can use Father if you want and probably publicly I will too but I will not allow the opinions of others to dictate how I speak to my dad.

You are a son. you are a daughter. Start acting like it. I was paid for your right to do that with blood.

Because of time I won’t go into detail of all of these. But look

He PROTECTS you

He PROVIDES for you

There is so much more but I don’t think that I can say it any better than Paul himself

Romans 8:17 NKJV

and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

Joint heirs.

Sot hen now comes

Our RESPONSIBILITIES of adoption

First responsibility: OBEY

Do we not expect our easthly children to obey their parents. Then why would ewe expect anything less from our posisiont as a heavenly child. Does He say seek His kingdom. Then seek it. Does he give you a command to go or to stay. Then do it. Is the command to be perfect as God is perfect? Then seek perfection. DOn’t slink it off as some suggestion of a peer. This is your father talking. Does he say love another. Then love what are you wating for. Doesn’t he warn of partaking of sexual sin? Stop it. It doesn’t matter your feelings on it. If He says don’t hide in darkness but expose in the light then be light. Are you required to give to the poor and take care of widows and orphans. than do it.

Obey not the law on tablets of stone but what has been written on the fleshly tablets of your heart.

Second responsibility: Do not take His name in vain

When you think about this warning does it now take on a different meaning than just speaking his name as a curse word. It is more along the lines of what our elder brother spoke when He said...

Luke 14:28 NKJV

For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—

Count the cost. If you are to take this name as His son there will be cost. Be willing to pay it. Don’t take the name and you have no intention of being responsible to it. That is what this commandment means. It’s that moment in the grocery store with the parents and the child who may be a bit spoiled and wants that particular thing. They say know and the child has learned if I throw a big enough fit, I will get what I want. So the child throws the fit, butthe child knows better right. What do the parents say. This is not how we act. You know better than this. My kids will tell you, I hae told them many of times. YOu are a Wiley. Wiley’s doint act like that. We don’t lay down and cry about something. We don’t give up without a fight. Wiley’s are tough. Wiley’s have tenacity. If you lay down, you didn’t learn that from me. Becaue I didn’t learn that form my father when I took his nae. We behave better. Don’t take his name in vain. If you do not intened to act becomeing of the name Jesus, don’t take the name.

Final responsibility: TRUST in your Father

If He is your Father and you His child, you are bound to trust Him. When you know that He is your Father, will you ever doubt Him? I may doubt any man in this world, but I do not doubt my father. If he says a thing, if he promises a thing—I know if it is in his power, he will do it. And if he states a fact to me, I cannot doubt his word. And yet, O child of God, how often do you mistrust your heavenly Father? Do so no more! Let Him be true; let every man be a liar—still doubt not your Father.

Could He tell you a lie? Would He cheat you? No, your Father, when He speaks, means what He says. Can you not trust His love? What? Will He let you sink while He is able to keep you afloat? Will He let you starve while His pantries are full? Will He let you die of thirst when His vats burst with new wine? Are the cattle upon a thousand hills His, and will He let you lack a meat? Is the earth the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, and will He let you go away empty and poor, and miserable? Oh, surely not! Is all grace His, and will He keep it back from you? No, He says to us today, “Son, you are always with Me, and all that I have is yours. Take what you will, it is all your own.”