Six Spiritual Blessings: Adoptions
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Intro
Intro
Common knowledge:
Common knowledge:
Sometimes life is hard for everyone at times
Envy for people with money (looks easier on the outside)
Envy for people with more free time
Envy for people with less troubles
As a kid, I had friends who preferred to be at my house not their own because life at their house was so much more difficult than at mine — for any number of reasons.
It’s nice for them to get some escape, but at some point they have to go home.
We were designed to live in God’s house, but by nature we don’t.
We look on God’s house and all the blessings promised in the scriptures, but we don’t get to live there because we are not born as God’s children.
But, we can become God’s children...2nd spiritual blessing: Adoption
2nd spiritual blessing: Adoption
We are not children of God by nature because humanity has been…
PODCAST:
He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.
We are not children of God by nature because humanity has been…
PODCAST
PODCAST
The original sons of God
Adam
son of Enos, son of Seth, son of Adam, son of God.
Estranged from God
Estranged from God
the divine beings (cf. Deu 32, ) that lived in the garden
God’s family was supposed to live in harmony in the garden and humanity was supposed to multiply
Estranged from God
Estranged from God
Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?”
The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden.
But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.’ ”
“No! You will not die,” the serpent said to the woman.
“In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
So the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
And he said, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.”
Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
The man replied, “The woman you gave to be with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate.”
So the Lord God asked the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
So the Lord God said to the serpent: Because you have done this, you are cursed more than any livestock and more than any wild animal. You will move on your belly and eat dust all the days of your life.
I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.
He said to the woman: I will intensify your labor pains; you will bear children with painful effort. Your desire will be for your husband, yet he will rule over you.
And he said to the man, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘Do not eat from it’: The ground is cursed because of you. You will eat from it by means of painful labor all the days of your life.
It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.
You will eat bread by the sweat of your brow until you return to the ground, since you were taken from it. For you are dust, and you will return to dust.”
The man named his wife Eve because she was the mother of all the living.
The Lord God made clothing from skins for the man and his wife, and he clothed them.
The Lord God said, “Since the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil, he must not reach out, take from the tree of life, eat, and live forever.”
So the Lord God sent him away from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.
He drove the man out and stationed the cherubim and the flaming, whirling sword east of the garden of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life.
(the fall)
God’s first human son (Adam and his wife Eve)
They lived in God’s house on earth (the Garden)
They walked and talked with God in the garden
When they sinned they were banished from the Garden, kicked out (estranged) of God’s house.
Ever since then, humankind has been separated from God our Father.
What about me? I didn’t eat the fruit? Why should I have to suffer because of Adam’s sin?
Simple genealogy — Adam was no longer God’s son so Adam’s children are not God’s children
Adam was 130 years old when he fathered a son in his likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth.
Adam was made in God’s image and the image of God was taken from him at the fall.
To be born in the likeness of Adam, according to the image of Adam, meant to be born a sinner estranged from God.
We like to say everyone is a child of God…
Paul on estrangement
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you previously lived according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also.
We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also.
We lived among the rulers of the power of the air, the spirit working in the disobedient — Satan, the Devil, the ancient serpent of the Garden, etc.
Because of this we carried out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts—our sinful desires.
Therefore we were children under God’s wrath.
ILL: Fire—probably not literal, but a demonstration of the horror of God’s wrath, being separated from God for eternity.
Ephesians
The Apostle John says,
You are of your father the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies.
We think we are born neutral, but we aren’t. Because of Adam’s sin, all are children of the devil.
But, praise be to God that although we have been estranged from God, we can be…
Adopted through Christ
Adopted through Christ
definitions
…
“the action or fact of legally taking another's child and bringing it up as one's own, or the fact of being adopted.”
He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
God’s adoption of us
"she gave up her children for adoption"
Utilitarian: “the action or fact of choosing to take up, follow, or use something.”
ex. “We adopted a new teaching curriculum in our school.”
God’s adoption of us
God wants a family and He is adopting His own estranged children.
It’s not as though God failed in some other plan, however, and that’s why he decided to adopt us back:
It’s not as though God failed in some other plan, however:
He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ ()
He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ ()
He predestined…this was always God’s design and purpose, to rescue sinners from wrath and adopt us as sons.
Let’s talk about the, ‘through Jesus’ part.
ILL: Adoption is expensive and it always has been.
How did Jesus purchase our adoption?
(CSB)
On the cross (children of wrath requires wrath to be dealt with) he reset the sins of Adam so that we could Come Home.
Our Father Adam was estranged from the family of God, but God is calling us home through Christ’s work on the cross.
See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children—and we are! ()
We are adopted as God’s children not just because of His mercy, but more so because of God’s love for the children He created.
Implications:
ILL: CT Article—the adopted boys didn’t call him Mr. Neft anymore, but Daddy.
And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!”
And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!” ()
Abba = Daddy
The intimacy of Abba speaks to real and authentic sonship.
Abba requires intimacy — True fatherly intimacy with the Father comes by the sending of God’s Spirit into our hearts and thus intimacy with the Father is evidence of authentic faith. — You can’t say, ‘I don’t worship that way, I don’t see God that way, etc.’
God is not just King and Lord, but Abba, Father.
Goes back to familial, utilitarian discussion
Some Christians are more comfortable seeing God as Lord or King
God is not just King and Lord, but Father.
What do I do and what do I get?
following the rules
receiving kingdom benefits—now and eternally
Other Christians are more comfortable with seeing God as Abba, Father
How do I relate to God
feeling the presence of God
having a sense of belonging
having a sense of purpose
God is both Abba, Father and King and Lord.
It’s been said that God is a Father to the fatherless.
But, no one is fatherless; we are children of wrath, whose father is the devil.
That’s not a good thing. And everyone knows it.
God is calling you to leave the broken, destitute, and abusive house of your earthly father, the devil, and to COME HOME to Him; to no longer be estranged, but to be adopted as real and authentic sons in God our Father’s house.
We have been adopted as sons through Christ, and we have been…
See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children—and we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn’t know him.
—spiritual rebirth
Abba
Adopted for Christ
Adopted for Christ
Jesus did the work to purchase our adoption.
But, we were adopted, but just because of Christ, but for Christ.
John Stott, God Himself gave Himself to save us from Himself.
Not that I should add to the words of John Stott, but I’m going to take liberty and say…
God Himself gave Himself to save us from Himself, for Himself.
He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace… ()
We were saved for God’s purposes and pleasure.
He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace… ()
We were adopted for the pleasure of the will of Jesus Christ.
For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
That means that Jesus is pleased when we carry out his purposes.
The problem is, that by nature, we don’t want to carry out his purposes.
We are predisposed to sin not righteousness
We have our own wills and purposes that are contrary to God’s will. — that is, we have different goals for our lives than Christ does.
ILL: There is a period of adjustment after an adoption
The older the kid is when he is adopted, the more difficult the adjustment is.
Same in the church.
Not against older people coming to Christ, rather, this means that the more experience you have with the ways of the world, the more you will have to adjust to living in God’s house.
Here’s the process of adjustment laid out pretty clearly:
How should sons live?
Discipline
Discipline
(CSB)
Not returning to your old life
…My son, do not take the Lord’s discipline lightly or lose heart when you are reproved by him, for the Lord disciplines the one he loves and punishes every son he receives.
Too often people profess Jesus because they want the benefits of living in God’s house without the obedience to God’s purposes that ought to follow.
My son, do not take the Lord’s discipline lightly
ILL: We want fridge privileges and pool-house privileges, but not chores and curfews.
or lose heart when you are reproved by him,
6 for the Lord disciplines the one he loves
When we are adopted as sons, we are adopted as full sons.
That means there is the glory of living in God’s house and all the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit that is promised.
and punishes every son he receives.,
But, it also means that we submit to the pattern of living in God’s house as well.
A topic we don’t often address is the discipline of God our Father.
The author of Hebrews, quoting the book of Proverbs, says not to take the Lord’s discipline lightly.
Princess Bride, Wesley, “Life is pain, highness. Anyone who tells you differently is selling something.”
There’s a measure of truth to this. Life does hurt.
But, there’s also an excuse not to engage our suffering in life and to just accept it as reality.
But, the author of Hebrews goes on to say:
Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline?
Our pain in life is discipline, designed by God to mold and shape you into the person you were designed to be.
Father’s discipline their sons and you can see your discipline because it takes the form of pains in this life.
That means you ought to consider what it is that God wants to teach you through the pain.
Don’t merely accept it.
Pray over it.
Study the scriptures to find the root of it.
Learn humility and perseverance and joy from within the pain of this life.
That’s why God has allowed you this pain
Endure suffering as discipline and learn from that discipline.
God is dealing with you as sons.
WRAP UP—How is this a spiritual blessing? — sanctification
PRAYER FOCUS
Adoration
Confession
Thanksgiving
Supplication
Allow us to grow from the pain we experience in life
Humility
Perseverance
Joy