Larry C. Brincefield
larkayb@earthlink.net
Title: What We Believe...About Adoption
Text: Romans 8:15-17; Galatians 4:4-7
Introduction
We have been studying the Articles of Faith of the Church of the Nazarene. Article 9 contains 3 things that happen simultaneously when we get saved.
Justification--The divine exchange, whereby Jesus makes us "just as if we had never sinned" by taking our sins upon Him and putting His righteousness upon us.
Regeneration--Where God takes our old, dirty, sinful, lives; and makes us brand new!
And tonight we will study the 3rd thing that happens when we get saved--Adoption.
The Manual states, "We believe that adoption is that gracious act of God by which the justified and regenerated believer is constituted a son of God. We believe that justification, regeneration, and adoption are simultaneous in the experience of seekers after God and are obtained upon the condition of faith, preceded by repentance; and that to this work and state of grace the Holy Spirit bears witness." —Nazarene Manual 2001-2005
Read Text: Romans 8:15-17; Galatians 4:4-7
Body
1. Slaves to Fear
Paul says, "you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear" Romans 8:15 (NIV)
There are many people who are slaves to fear.
5-year old Johnny was in the kitchen as his mother made supper.
She asked him to go into the pantry and get her a can of tomato soup,
but he didn’t want to go in alone.
"It’s dark in there and I’m scared."
She asked again, and again he said he was scared.
Finally she said, "It’s OK--Jesus will be in there with you."
Johnny walked carefully to the door and opened it real slow.
He peeked inside and saw it was dark,
he turned to leave
when all at once an idea came to him
he said: "Jesus, if you’re in there, would you hand me that can of tomato soup?"
Charles Allen, Victory in the Valleys.
I’m sure we have all been afraid one time or another.
But I don’t think this passage of Scripture is talking about the occasional fearful feeling that might hit us from time to time.
Romans 8:15 talks about being a SLAVE to fear.
Paul seems to be talking about more than just fear.
He is talking about sin.
He says, "you did not receive a spirit (small s) that makes you a slave AGAIN to fear"
When we get saved, and we are adopted,
we don’t go back to our old life of fear and sin.
We leave that life that USED to enslave us in fear and sin...
and we are set free...
2. by the Spirit of Sonship (or "daughtership")
That’s Spirit, with a big "S", which refers to the Holy Spirit.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can become God’s children
But we aren’t natural born children...we are adopted.
Barclay shares some interesting facts about early Roman adoption.
And these would have been very much in Paul’s mind; scholar that he was.
Adoptions weren’t just done haphazardly.
They were taken quite seriously.
Let me share with you 4 interesting things about Roman adoption
First of all, the adopted person lost all rights in his/her old family
and gained all the rights of a legitimate child in his/her new family.
The adopted child got a new father.
it was legally binding...
performed before a Roman Official
Secondly, the adopted child became an heir to his new father’s estate.
Even if there were natural-born children in the family;
it did not affect his rights.
He was an absolute co-heir with them.
The third interesting thing about Roman adoption, the old life of the adopted person was completely wiped out;
for example, all debts were wiped out.
He/she was regarded as a new person entering into a new life
and his or her past had basically nothing to do with them now.
And Forth, in the eyes of Roman law, the adopted child was absolutely the son of his new father.
—Barclay’s Daily Study Bible (NT)
Compare that to us when we get saved...we are adopted into a new family.
When we are adopted, our "old family" of sin no longer has any hold on us.
When we are adopted, we have a new Father!!
When we are adopted, we become an heir to our Father’s estate
When we are adopted, our text says, that we become "heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ," Romans 8:17 (NIV)
That makes Jesus our Brother!
It also says, in Galatians 4:5 that we "receive the full rights of sons."
That means that we receive a new inheritance!
Instead of our old inheritance; which because of our sin, means that our inheritance was death and hell.
But because of our NEW inheritance, that means our inheritance is a new vibrant life (in this life)
and eternal life in the next!!
Think about it!
When we get saved, we actually become God’s children!
When we say, "Our Father, who art in heaven"...
that’s really true!
God becomes our Father!!
We’ve been adopted into our new family!
3. Abba, Father (Daddy, God)
The word "Abba" is only found 3 times in the Bible, two of which are in the 2 texts that we read.
Galatians 4:6 says, "because you are sons (and daughters), God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out "Abba, Father".
Romans 8:15 says, "you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."
I remember about 15 years ago hearing a preacher say that this term "Abba"...
that it is a term of endearment...
for us, something comparable might be our word "daddy".
"Daddy" has a ring of familiarity about it.
children, when they are young, might call their father "daddy".
When they get older, they might shorten it to the more grown-up sounding "dad"
But there is just something special about Daddy...
Daddy is fun...
Daddy loves me...
If I am hurt & crying , I can run to Daddy, and He will kiss my boo-boo.
Daddy cares.
I can come to Daddy whenever I want...
If I have a problem, I can go to Daddy, and He will help me.
Daddy.
That’s the kind of relationship that we can have with God!
He is our "Daddy, God"
When we think of calling God, "Daddy", that may seem almost disrespectful...
to refer to God in such common and familiar language.
We tend to be more comfortable with the more formal, "Our Father"
But I think God would love to have the kind of relationship with His children;
that His kids would be so close, so real, that we could call Him Daddy!
In the same way that children can run to their earthly father,
so we can run to our heavenly Father.
In the same way that our earthly father cares about our boo-boos,
so does our heavenly Father.
In the same way that our earthly father hurts when we hurt,
so does our heavenly Father.
Conclusion
When our children are growing up, many times people will say things like...
"he looks just like his father"
or "she’s the spittin’ image of her mother" (I’m not sure what a "spitting image" is, but the connotation sure is interesting)
But when a child is adopted, there isn’t any genetics that predisposes that person to look like his/her parents.
But in the spiritual realm,
when we get saved,
when we have invited Jesus into our hearts...
when we become adopted into God’s family...
people should be able to tell that we "look like" our new Father.
people should be able to see the family resemblance.
people should be able to see some common traits in our family...
love one for another...
peace and contentment in this life, even in the face of difficult circumstances...
they should be able to see the generosity...
the honesty...
and the joy that we have in Jesus
And when they see us,
we should be such an accurate reflection of God...
that people should be able to see Jesus in us...
and in our behavior,
and in our actions,
and in the things that we say.
They should be able to see the family resemblance.
Have you been adopted?
#361 "A Child of the King"
