I’m So Glad I’m a Part of the Family of God
Gal 3:26-4:7
26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus,
27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
1 What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate.
2 He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father.
3 So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world.
4 But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law,
5 to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.
6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father."
7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.
Illus.: “Adopted by Christ”
John was born into a family of 12 children. They were very poor. He was the youngest. He never remembered his father eating a meal with the rest of the family. He had to work long hours to feed his family. One day his father ran off with another woman, leaving his mother to care for all 12 children. At age 6, his mother told him through tears that she was going to put him up for adoption along with 3 of his sisters. She told him she had no choice. If she didn’t take this step they would likely starve.
She placed an ad in a newspaper of a nearby town and within 3 days a couple responded. When the day finally came for John to leave, he said it was the worst day of his life. They were at the train station, ready to say their last good-byes. He said, “When the conductor reached down to take me from my mother’s arms I felt something die on the inside of me.
His new family was very loving and kind but it was just not the same. John lived with the constant fear that one day they would give him away too. He grew into adulthood and finally went out on his own. He spent year after year absorbed in his work, trying to bury the deep hurt in his soul
One day something beautiful happened. In a moment of great discouragement, he visited a church, hoping he would hear a word that would boost his spirits. Little did he know that his life would be changed forever. The preacher talked about how God loves to adopt people into his forever family. At the end of the sermon he asked if anyone would like to join God’s family. John raised his hand and then went to the altar. At last, the ache in his heart was healed. Jesus told him He would never abandon him, never send him away. After years of turmoil and hate, John felt loved and accepted. He now had a security he never dreamed possible. He felt the Lord saying to him, “John, I know about that day at the train station. I know how you felt and I’ve been waiting all these years to adopt you into my family.”
There is never a single, horrible memory but what God plans to eclipse it with a better one. Like green grass sprouting to recolor a burned-over field, so God brings along beauty for ashes.
THE GREEK WORD TRANSLATED “ADOPTION” literally means “placing one as a son.” Throughout the Greek and Roman world the wealthy and influential practiced adoption. Sometimes just a simple declaration in the marketplace turned a slave into a son. It was a remedy used when a marriage failed to produce a male heir. No change in name resulted, but the adopted son immediately became heir to the entire wealth and position of his adoptive family (as in the film, “Ben Hur”).
Conversely, the adopted son also assumed responsibility for the parents in their time of need. Adoption in the Greek and Roman cultures of New Testament times was a beautiful picture. No concept is more meaningful to a believer. Adoption deposits everything that God owns to the accounts of His sons and daughters. Adoption is all about position and privilege.
To take a hopeless sinner and elevate him to become a hopeful child requires a miracle—a miracle which the apostle Paul calls ADOPTION!
Actually, adoption has 3 phases in its meaning:
1. It Refers to a Past Event
In Romans 9:4, we find Paul reaching back across the years to remind us that God “adopted” the nation of Israel. In Exodus 4:22 the Lord declared Israel to be His son.
But we can go back even further if we pay heed to Ephesians 1:4,5:
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will--
2. Adoption Refers to a Present Event
It describes the tie which binds believers to their Lord. At the time of our conversion, God gives us the Holy Spirit who kindles the fire of assurance in our souls. He lets us know that we have been adopted as God’s children. In John 14:17-18, Jesus promised that this would happen: the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
Romans 8:15: “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’” This is the same name that Christ used when He spoke to His Father in the Garden of Gethsemane Mark 14:36: "Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."
The Message Bible: “Papa, Father…”
John 1:11-13
11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--
13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
Illus.: “Billy Finds a Home”
It happened many years ago, in a small town in one of our southern states. One evening, during an electrical storm, a bolt of lightning struck a house, setting it on fire. The fire spread quickly and burned the house to the ground. A man and his wife perished but their child, an 8-year-old son, Billy, survived. They had no relatives, so the boy was placed in an orphanage. Those were hard years for Billy—years of loneliness and rejection. Many times people would stop by looking for just the right boy to adopt, but Billy was passed over again and again. Finally, after 4 years when he was 12, a couple came to the orphanage and interviewed 3 boys, all about the same age. Billy was among them. The head of the orphanage said, “Well, which one do you prefer?” “Oh, we would like all three,” was the reply. “Well, let me talk to them and see what their response is.” Two of the boys said that they wanted to stay at the home. They had been there so long that the outside world threatened them. Bit Billy wanted to go. And so, for the first time, Billy belonged to a family again. His new parents treated him as though he was always a part of that home. He had two brothers that were natural children to his adopted parents. However, as time passed, it was said that most folks thought Billy was their natural child as well. Because he loved them so much, he began to take on their characteristics. One day he told a friend, “I have two brothers who were born naturally to my parents, but they chose me and I know that I am special to them.
3. Adoption Refers to a Future Event
Romans 8:23: And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us. (NLT)
Christians are not at home in this world. The Holy Spirit has borne fruit in their lives and they cannot wait to get home to glory.
It is then that adoption will take on added meaning—a new body and a new name.
In the ancient world adoption had two stages:
(1) The declaration itself---a public ceremony with 7 witnesses
(2) The inheritance at the death of the father—this made the adoption complete.
So it is with a Christian. At conversion God adopts us and shares His wealth and position with us. We receive His Spirit into our lives, His peace, His power, His joy. In short, we become partakers of the divine nature. But we don’t have everything we’re going to have because at the time of our death God is going to give us a new body and a new home. NOW THAT IS SOME ADOPTION!
I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God! I have a new name, a new family, a new purpose, and a new destiny.
I John 3:1: “Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the children of God.”
A NEW RESPONSIBILITY
(1) To live up to that name—to behave like a Christian.
Illus.: “Billy Graham and the Trooper”
When Billy Graham went to a southern city for meetings, the governor of the state assigned a state trooper to drive him around for 3 weeks. The trooper was so impressed that he went forward during the crusade, received Christ, dedicated his life, and later joined Graham’s team as personal secretary (p.135, Come Alive With Illustrations, Flynn).
(2) To love others in my family and show them the respect they
deserve.
(3) To live out my purpose (mission) which is really His purpose.
(4) To fulfill my destiny: maturity, heaven
Illus.: “Whoever Takes the Son Gets It All”
A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art. When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son. About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood in the doorway with a large package in his hands. He said, “Sir, you don’t know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. The young man held out the package. “I know this isn’t much. I’m not really much of an artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.” The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by this young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up in tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. “Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It’s a gift.” The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected. The man died a few months later and there was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing this collection and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. “We will start the bidding of the son. Who will bid for this picture?” There was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted. “We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one.” But the auctioneer persisted. “Will someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?” Another voice shouted angrily, “We didn’t come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Gohs, the Rembrants. Get on with the real bids!” But still the auctioneer continued. “The son! The son! Who’ll take the son?” Finally, the voice of the gardener of the man and his son was heard. “I’ll give $10 for the painting.” It was all he could afford. The auctioneer called out, “I hear $10. Who will make it $20? The crowd was silent. “Going once, going twice, SOLD for $10.” A man sitting on the second row shouted, “Now let’s get on with the collection!” The auctioneer laid down his gavel. I’m sorry, the auction is over.” “What about the paintings?” the crowd shouted. “I’m sorry, when I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. THE MAN WHO TOOK THE SON GETS IT ALL!”
