The Gospel & Adoption

The Lion & the Lamb

WELCOME

Welcome! (in-person/online)

Volunteers for NextGen & Welcome Team

Men’s Group Up—2/27 at 8AM

Leaving tomorrow

Thank you church!

Pray for those who will stand in the gap

Mike K, Mike L, John

Cliff, Sandra, Sterling, Jason

Sam, Jake, Jason, Josh

Pray while they stand

Thank you for them!

Fill them with Your Spirit

Encourage them

Use them

Amen (be seated)

Now turn in your Bibles to Ephesians 1:3 as Kelly Watkins comes to read for us.

Scripture Reading (Ephesians 1:3-14)

Prayer of Praise (Kelly Watkins)

Yet Not I But Through Christ

Prayer of Confession (Bubba Jones)

Christ Is Enough

NEW CITY CATECHISM #7

Pastoral Prayer (Mike Klaassen)

SERMON

This time tomorrow, Lord willing, we will be on our way to Bogota to finalize the adoption of our little boy.

This will be my longest absence from the pulpit since I’ve been your pastor.

Want to talk to you about adoption.

J.I. Packer—“Adoption is . . . the highest privilege that the gospel offers . . . In adoption, God takes us into his family and fellowship—he establishes us as his children and heirs. Closeness, affection and generosity are at the heart of the relationship. To be right with God the Judge [justification] is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the Father [adoption] is a greater.” (Knowing God, 206-207)

Adoption is more than just an activity for some Christians, it’s the identity of all Christians.

Turn to Ephesians 1:3

It’s been about 30 years since Jesus ascended into heaven, and the Apostle Paul is under house arrest in Rome.

And yet, Paul’s mind is not on his present circumstances. He’s thinking about his dear brothers and sisters 1000 miles away at a local church in Ephesus. So he gathers some parchment and a quill and pens a beautiful letter to encourage the Ephesian Christians to become who they are, to live out their new identity in Christ.

After a few opening remarks, Paul dives headfirst into a prayer of praise for the amazing things God has done.

And in that prayer, which is really just one massive run-on sentence, Paul makes it clear that adoption isn’t an activity for some Christians, it’s the identity of all Christians.

10x refers to Christians being “in Christ” and in each of those references we learn something about the doctrine of adoption.

Ten Glorious Truths about what it means to be adopted in Christ

TEN?!? I told you, I’m not going to get to preach for awhile so I’ve got to get it all out of my system.

1) In Christ We Are BLESSED (v. 3)

At the heart of adoption is not an attempt to complete a family, but to bless a child.

Show picture of the little boy our family will bless

CANNOT be shown on YouTube

v. 3—Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us IN CHRIST with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

Do you think of God this way? Eager to bless?

Dane Ortlund—"If we are to follow closely and yield fully to Scripture’s testimony, we are walked into the breathtaking claim that . . . there are some things that pour out of God more naturally than others. God is unswervingly just. But what is his disposition? What is he on the edge of his seat eager to do? if you catch me off guard, what will leap out of me before I have time to regain composure will likely be grouchiness. If you catch God off guard, what leaps out most freely is blessing. The impulse to do good. The desire to swallow us up in joy.” (Gentle and Lowly, 140-141)

Blessing may not always feel like blessing!

If you’re adopted in Christ, you are blessed.

But I don’t feel blessed. My life hurts right now. It’s hard. I’ve messed things up pretty bad. How can I be sure I’m adopted in Christ?

2) In Christ We Are CHOSEN (vv. 4-5)

Every single adoption story involves a choice.

Technically speaking, our adoption story began about 12 years ago

Holly and I wanted children, but we were unable to conceive. So we began filling out paperwork at an adoption agency in Memphis, TN where we lived at the time.

9 months later, we welcomed our first son into our family, only not by adoption.

2 years later came one girl, then another, then another

As the noise in our bustling household increased with each child, the call to adopt became harder to hear. But it didn’t go away entirely.

It was April 2016, and Holly and I were celebrating our anniversary with a short getaway in the Windy City.

We had a lot on our minds. My email inbox was filled with correspondence to and from a guy named Mike Lindell about a senior pastor position at some church in Poquoson, Virginia.

We decided to spend the weekend praying, thinking, and investing in one another. Part of that included listening to a little book called You and Me Forever: Marriage in Light of Eternity by Francis and Lisa Chan.

As we were driving up I-65 just north of Lafayette, Indiana, looking out the windows at the dozens of white wind turbines dotting the landscape, we heard these words that would change our lives forever:

“Sometimes people are paralyzed by fear of failure. They are so afraid that they might do the wrong thing that they do nothing. We need to learn to err on the side of action, because we tend to default to negligence. Why not default to action until you hear a voice from heaven telling you to wait? For example: Why not assume you should adopt kids unless you hear a voice telling you not to? Wouldn’t that seem more biblical since God has told us that true religion is to care for the widows and orphans (James 1:27)?” (Francis and Lisa Chan, You and Me Forever: Marriage in Light of Eternity, 16)

Or to put it another way, instead of asking why? start asking why not?

The rest, you could say, is history.

Within a few months we had decided to plant our family here, partly because we knew that this was a place that would allow us to obey the Lord’s calling on our lives to adopt.

Within a month of moving to Hampton Roads we made the choice to begin the application process with our adoption agency

Two years before our son was even born, we made a choice that would lead us to adopt him

vv. 4-5—even as he chose us IN HIM before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

Before the first sunrise, before the first flower bloomed, before the first bee buzzed, before the first planet spun into orbit, before the first dog barked, before it all God chose to love you.

It wasn’t because of anything you did!!!!

Charles Spurgeon—“I believe in the doctrine of election, because I am quite certain that, if God had not chosen me, I should never have chosen Him; and I am sure He chose me before I was born, or else He never would have chosen me afterwards; and He must have elected me for reasons unknown to me, for I never could find any reason in myself why He should have looked upon me with special love.”

If you’re adopted in Christ, you are chosen.

But why would he choose me? Surely there must be some reason!

3) In Christ We Are LOVED (v. 6)

D.A. Carson tells the story of his friends Perry and Sandy Downs who agreed to be foster parents for twin eighteen-month-old boys until they found a forever family. The first night in their home, the boys were put to bed and not a peep came from their bedroom. Perry was curious so he crept into the room to check on them a half hour later. He found both boys wide awake, their pillows wet with tears, but neither was making a sound. He later learned that these boys were beaten for crying in several of the homes where they had been placed before coming to Perry and Sandy’s. (Praying With Paul, 173)

Sadly there are millions of little boys and girls who (like these twins) do not know the love of a father.

Maybe that includes some of you in this room or watching online.

If you’re in Christ, that’s not true for you. In Christ you are loved.

Already read. . .

In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ

But there’s more. . .

6—to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us IN THE BELOVED.

The Beloved is Christ! Therefore, we are blessed in Christ

Different word for blessed, same root as the Greek word for grace

To be “in the Beloved” is to be loved with the same love that the Father has for the Son

If you’re adopted in Christ, you are loved.

But how can I be sure He’ll keep loving me? How can I be sure He won’t let me go?

4) In Christ We Are REDEEMED (vv. 7-8)

Every adoption costs something. Time. Money. Effort. Comfort. It takes a toll on you emotionally, financially, physically, mentally, and more

No adoption has ever cost more than the price that was paid by the Son to adopt every Christian

vv. 7-8 —IN HIM we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight

A 19th century Presbyterian pastor named Benjamin Grosvenor put it this way: “If you meet that poor wretch that thrust the spear into my side, tell him there is another way, a better way, of coming at my heart, if he will repent, and look upon whom he has pierced and will mourn. I will cherish him in that very bosom he has wounded; he shall find the blood he shed an ample atonement for the sin of shedding it. And tell him from me, he will put me to more pain and displeasure by refusing this offer of my blood, than when he drew it forth.” (As quoted by Dane Ortlund , Gentle and Lowly, 38).

If you’re adopted in Christ, you are redeemed.

Understanding the price paid to redeem you should help you to understand also that . . .

5) In Christ We Have PURPOSE (vv. 9-10)

According to the National Foster Youth Institute,

After reaching the age of 18, 20% of the children who were in foster care will become instantly homeless.

Only 1 out of every 2 foster kids who age out of the system will have some form of gainful employment by the age of 24.

There is less than a 3% chance for children who have aged out of foster care to earn a college degree at any point in their life.

7 out of 10 girls who age out of the foster care system will become pregnant before the age of 21.

https://nfyi.org/51-useful-aging-out-of-foster-care-statistics-social-race-media/

Often our sense of meaning, value, and purpose is instilled by the love we receive in a family

As the family breaks down in our culture, so too does our sense of purpose

You know how it feels to have no purpose—you wake up, brush your teeth, take a shower, eat a few meals, play a few games, scroll through social media, go to work, scroll through social media again, watch some television, then brush your teeth, and go to bed. Rinse and repeat.

vv. 9-10—making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth IN CHRIST as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth.

God has a purpose for the universe and He’s invited you to join Him

What’s the plan? To exalt Christ! Your purpose is to know Him and make Him known! To glorify Him and enjoy Him forever!!!

If you’re adopted in Christ, you have purpose.

This is too hard! You’re not alone. . .

6) In Christ We Are FAMILY (v. 10)

Ezekiel is getting a family

Picture of Boutot kids

Also getting a church family!

You supported us and prayed for us for two years as we patiently waited to adopt a child from Haiti

You comforted us when God closed the door for us to adopt from Haiti and opened a door to Colombia

You prayed for us, helped us make decisions about medical conditions, helped us translate forms, helped us raise money, helped us ask the right questions, helped us in more ways than I could begin to express

It’s impossible to tell the whole story about our adoption without this church.

v. 10—as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things IN HIM, things in heaven and things on earth.

Paul is talking about more than just a family, but it includes a family.

Notice what Paul says when he talks about unity in Christ in chapter 2. . .

Ephesians 2:12-19—Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.

If you’re adopted in Christ, we are family.

7) In Christ We Are HEIRS (vv. 11-12)

One of the questions we’re preparing for when we bring Zeke home is, "which ones are your real children?”

There’s probably already whispers when people see our kids (one brunette, two blondes, and a redhead)

But when our brown baby boy joins the family, those whispers may turn into actual questions

My answer will be: all of them

A child who comes into a family through adoption is really a child, truly a full heir

v. 11—IN HIM we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

Interesting that in verse 5, Paul says we were “predestined us for adoption to himself as sons”

Same language used in Galatians 4:4-7—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. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Paul isn’t pushing the patriarchy, he’s making it clear that every Christian—man or woman, boy or girl—has a full inheritance in Christ!

Thomas Watson—“God has a Son of His own and such a Son, how wonderful God’s love in adopting us! We needed a Father, but He did not need sons!”

If you’re adopted in Christ, you are an heir.

Will all this blessing lead to an arrogant self-confidence?

No because you’re not trusting in yourself

8) In Christ We Have HOPE (v. 12)

v. 12—so that we who were the first to hope IN CHRIST might be to the praise of his glory.

Our hope is in Him!!!

C.H. Spurgeon -- "Christ did not love you for your good works. They were not the cause of His beginning to love you. So, He does not love you for your good works even now. They are not the cause of His continuing to love you. He loves you because He loves you."

This passage is gloriously God-centered!

Verse 6—to the praise of his glorious grace

Verse 12—to the praise of his glory.

Verse 14—to the praise of his glory.

If you’re adopted in Christ, you have hope.

Hope is great, but sometimes hope disappoints. . .

9) In Christ We Are SECURE (vv. 13-14)

Adopting from Haiti (visit, wait a year, then the “gotcha” trip)

How could a child in that condition know for sure he’s being adopted?

Parallel with our condition as believers

v. 13-14—IN HIM you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Seal — hot wax on a document then impressed with a signet ring. This document is official. It’s guaranteed. You can trust me, I’m going to do what I say because it has my seal.

The Holy Spirit is the seal on our lives. We know we’re His because the Spirit is our guarantee. The Spirit is God’s mark saying, “she’s mine. He’s mine.”

If you’re adopted in Christ, you are secure.

This isn’t true for everybody. It’s true for those who believe.

10) In Christ We BELIEVE (v. 13)

v. 13—when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed IN HIM

THREE WAYS TO RESPOND:

Unbeliever: repent and believe!!!

John 1:12—“But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”

Do you believe?

John Wesley’s story

Born in 1703

Honor graduate of Oxford University

An ordained pastor in the Church of England

Strong in theology, active in practical good works

Regularly visited the inmates of prisons and workhouses in London, helped distribute food and clothing to slum children and orphans, studied the Bible diligently, attended numerous Sunday services as well as various other services during the week, generously gave offerings to the church and alms to the poor, prayed, fasted, lived an exemplary moral life and even spent several years as a missionary to American Indians in what was then the British colony of Georgia.

Yet upon returning to England after all of that, he wrote in his journal, “I, who went to America to convert others was never myself converted to God.” He did all these things, but then he wrote, “I had the faith of a servant, though not that of a son.”

Believer: live like a son, not a slave

Romans 8:14-15—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!”

Slave—feels guilty and condemned

Son—feels loved and accepted

Slave—works hard to earn God’s love

Son—works hard because he is loved

Slave—feels like suffering is punishment for not measuring up

Son—knows that suffering is one of the tools God uses to transform you into the image of Jesus

Slave—may believe in God, but doesn’t have a vibrant relationship with Him

Son—has daily intimacy with God through Scripture and prayer

Slave—needs to be in control

Son—trust God’s control

Believer: love like this because you’re loved like this

James 1:26-27—If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Prayer—“I will do whatever you call me to do to care for needy and vulnerable children.”

Many of you have been doing that by helping our family for the past 4 years. Don’t stop!

I believe God may be calling some of you to adopt or foster

Adoption isn’t an activity for some Christians, it’s the identity of all Christians. If you believe in Christ, you have been adopted in Christ.

Bow heads (music team come to the stage). . .

Do you believe?

Are you living like a slave or a son?

Will you love like this because you’ve been loved like this?

Grace Greater Than our Sin

Benediction (Mike Klaassen)