The title of my message is “Adopted, into the family of God.”
Now the doctrine of believer’s adoption into God’s family is rich with assurance and commitment from our Heavenly Father. But until it hits home in a real way, it’s just not the same.
Thankfully, God knows what He’s doing and He has proven himself to me in many, many ways. And may I say to you that many of these ways were very painful. But as I look at the life of great men of the Bible for whom I don’t hold a candle to, I can relate in many ways.
For example Paul, a Christian killer turned Church Planter; Moses and David, also murders. The Bible is full of killers, adulterers, liars, thieves, etc. for which God changed and used for His Kingdom and His Glory.
But this morning I’m going to talk a little about me and my life so far.
My childhood was normal outside the house. I had friends, my brother and I would fight until someone picked on him then we were on the same side. My friends and I would sneak alcohol from the house once in a while, but for the most part, we were pretty good kids.
My childhood wasn’t normal inside the house. I’m sure we weren’t unique, but I knew it wasn’t right. A few examples… my mom would spend hours cooking a meal for my father and when he came home, if he didn’t like what she cooked, there was more than a few times that he would upset an entire table of food and plates and silverware onto the floor, then make my mom clean it up.
He would accuse her of crazy, stupid things and many times include me in the so called punishment.
Another example: there was not only physical abuse, there was emotional abuse. On Sunday mornings it was a treat to go to Sunday school because I knew my dad wouldn’t go, therefore we would have a few hours of peace. But he would wait until we got dressed up in our Sunday clothes and as soon as it was time to go out the door he would stand in front of it and not allow us to go. We would be told to go change our clothes because we weren’t going anywhere.
I always wondered and never knew why that I was many times called out when my dad would be mean to my mom.
Then one day the answer showed up…I was a senior in high school, Carole and I had had an argument and she claims that she thought I was going to raise my hand to her as she shouted out “you don’t have to be like him, he’s not even your father!”
Everything stopped! I was stunned! Wow, the best kept secret ever. Later I found out that even my brother knew and never told me. I was devastated. I felt a little better knowing that my mom is my real mom, but even the “mean father” made more sense than no father. I was so sick about it that I was even afraid to go talk to my mom about it, so I kept that inside for quite a while.
Fast forward through the years…Panic attacks come fairly regular. I have a pretty good job, I married the girl of my dreams, we have three beautiful children, we flirt with church once in a while, but still…the panic attacks just keep coming and according to my wife, I was becoming too hard to live with.
Then …the year of severe training was about to begin. One of my best friends had just left a bar, slid on the gravel around a curve at a high rate of speed and wrapped his car around a tree, dying instantly, as Carole and I come upon him only 10 or 15 minutes later. The person to show up right before us was his sister. We all screamed with unbelief at what we were seeing.
Then only 2 weeks later, February 13th 1986, the digger boom truck that I was operating malfunctioned and the auger broke out of the stow and crushed my arm. A doctor was flown into Suburban General Hospital to perform emergency surgery as I was scared to death that I would bleed to death or loose my arm. And at the same time on the same day my dad was breaking the news to the family that he was just diagnosed with small cell carcinoma – acute, fast growing lung cancer that without treatment he would live for 6 weeks and with treatment he would live for 6 months.
So there we are, Neal in the hospital in Bethesda MD getting surgery and dad, the only dad I every knew, in Saltillo informing the family that he was dying. My wife is beside herself, my sister is screaming at my dad to get saved. Everyone is a mess.
I gave my testimony in Saltillo about 35 years ago. It was my first time ever, so I was very emotional and I said a lot more than I am going to say today, but I think you’ll get the message.
Now to tell you how God is Love. Now to tell you how God is good. Now to tell you how God works all things out for the good to those who love him. You see, God knew I would love Him before I knew I would love Him.
I came home from the hospital, still having the panic attacks. I open a Bible and I start to read. I don’t only start to read, I begin to study. I not only begin to study, I begin to pray. I not only begin to pray, I begin to believe.
God gave me 6 months at home, training me for my future.
God Broke My Arm! Then one afternoon, in the middle of a panic attack, on my living room floor, I fell to my knees and cried out to God for healing and salvation. And in that cry I made a promise, a covenant with God, that if He would heal me of my panic attacks, pull my family back together, I would serve Him for ever!
Friends, I was healed. The panic attacks stopped. Jesus came into my life and took up residence in me. And He is here to stay.
But the Lord didn’t only heal me like I asked Him to do. He threw in some extra stuff. He not only healed me… He healed the relationship between me and my father. You see, my dad was saved to. On April 1st, 1986 my dad gave his life to Christ, and for the next few months we had the relationship I had longed for all my life. And those next few months were enough for me to forgive him for a lifetime.
That isn’t all…my dad came to know what it means to be adopted.
Not physically…but spiritually, just like me. My dad died near the end of August that year. But the end goal that God saw for us was staggering to say the least. My father was healed of not only cancer, but more importantly, of the demons that tormented and affected him almost all his life; The demons of hatred, demons of jealousy, demons of envy, demons of guilt, and demons of suppression and control. I saw more tears on his cheeks the last few months than I had my whole life. Seeing and knowing that was gone was a heavy weight lifted from us all.
But in just 2 short years later, my brother-in-law, my sister’s husband, a fabulous person and a child of God, was taken from us by an incident in the woods with a fallen tree. That event was hard to understand from a Christian perspective, but God worked through that. You see Steve taught Sunday school in my church and he wasn’t there anymore.
The last thing to ever cross my mind was for me to teach Sunday school. But after having dinner with another couple we broke out the Bible trivia game.
My first question was this: “How many clean animals did Noah bring onto the Ark?”
I said that’s easy, seven! The comment back to me was “huh, you mean two, right?” I said no, seven; 2 to propagate and 5 to sacrifice. That was the correct answer. Then the next question posed to me was, “Why aren’t you teaching Sunday school?” So I gave it a try, and fell in love with sharing God’s Word.
Today I want you to ask yourself; Am I adopted by God? Am I in the True Family? True family? (not biological)
If you aren’t sure you’re saved and you want to be, there are a few requirements for becoming a Christian. Remember, God will never force you to follow Him. It is your decision. (did ask to be born – just reborn)
First, you ask Jesus Christ into your heart to be your Lord and Savior.
Then, you repent of your sins, meaning to be sorry of your sins and turn from your old worldly ways.
After this, you obey the commands, statutes, and beatitudes of Christ. ( remember, nobody keeps them all, all the time )
Once you’ve become a Christian, your next step is baptism. Acts 2:38 says,”Repent and be baptized everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
It is the shed blood, the atonement of Christ that saves you. Baptism is a public confession of your decision to follow Christ. It’s as if you are saying “I have been adopted by God. He is Abba, Father from this point forward.” I am buried to self and resurrected a new creation in Christ”
Romans 8:17 – And since we are His children, we will share in His treasures – for all God gives to His Son Jesus is now ours too. But if we are to share in His glory, we are to share in His suffering as well.
Once you join the family of God, your position with God will change.
1. You will be delivered from the penalty of the law. Gal 4:4-7.
Gal 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
Gal 4:5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Gal 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
Gal 4:7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
2. You will receive the power of the Holy Spirit as a pledge of our inheritance. Eph 1:3-7
Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.
3. We are placed into a spiritual family that is over and above any physical family.
1Jn 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
1Jn 3:3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
4. You will now have an intimate Father-Child relationship with God. Romans 8:15.
Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
Beloved I will close so we can move on to this wonderful baptism service. So let me finish with this.
Every day may be our last, for we know not what tomorrow holds.
Be sure of your eternity today.
If there is anyone here this morning that needs Christ and you recognize that today, we are going to help you get started.
When Jesus called sinners to salvation, He called them publicly. Baptism is a public confession that Jesus is your Lord. …But first, He must be your Lord…
My dad’s salvation came about through his traumatic and painful death; yours doesn’t have to…
Please all rise…
As many of us reaffirm our salvation this morning, some of you may now confirm their salvation.
So let us all pray out loud this prayer…
Dear Heavenly Father
In Jesus name I accept you as my Lord and Savior
Forgive me of my sins
Cleanse me of my unrighteousness,
Heal me of my selfishness
Come into my heart
And adopt me as your child.
Thank you, Heavenly Father, for saving my soul
and securing my eternal home.
Now use me as an instrument of your peace,
And a witness of your faithfulness.
in Jesus name. Amen
For those of you who sincerely prayed that prayer for the first time, according to the Holy Scriptures, our Baptist doctrine, and the Holy Spirit, you’ve just been born again.
Give God Praise this morning!
