In April 1998, a series of tornadoes ripped through the southern part of the United States. A day after one of the Storms had hit the NPR program All Things Considered aired a story about a congregation called the Church of the Open Door. Their church had been destroyed the day previous. Terrified children had been in a choir rehearsal at the time of the storm. When the pastor saw the storm coming, he quickly gathered all the children in the churches main hallway. There they huddled together as the winds ripped the church apart. In an effort to calm the children’s fears, the pastor had led them in singing, “Jesus loves the little children.” Although some of the children were hurt, miraculously no one was killed. The most penetrating part of the broadcast was the report of a little girl who said, “While we were singing, I saw angels holding up the hallway. But the winds were so strong that the angels shouted, “We need help!” and some more angels came to help.” That little girl will never forget what she saw, and she knows that angels are watching over the little children, and that they are precious in Jesus sight.
Matthew 18:1-4 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
2He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
In an exhibit hall in Cannes Hundreds of Picasso’s paintings were in chronological display from what he had painted as an adolescent all the way up to his experiments as an 85 year old master. During the exhibit one lady approached Picasso and told him, “She did not understand, his beginning works were so mature, serious and solemn and then his later paintings are so free, different, and irrepressible. It seems like the dates should be reversed. How do you explain this? Easily replied Picasso, “It takes a long time to become young.”
Biologically we must all accept the aging of our bodies, we wear out and grow old physically, but our inner nature (our spirit) is constantly being renewed and refreshed.
The pure faith of a child can show us our own need for refreshment. A few weeks I sat down with three 6 year old girls to ask them about their faith. When I asked them What it meant to be a Christian they said, “It means that Jesus died for them, and God loves them. When I asked them why they wanted to get baptized they said, “because that is what a Christian does, and Jesus tells us to.” That is the faith of a child, and the faith we need. When was the last time we did something just because Jesus told us to do it.
So how do we become young, like little children? How do strip away the fear and doubt, the pain and hurt that run our lives, and focus on being loved by Jesus and following him?
My seventh grade year I brought 6 non Christian friends to church camp. By the end of the week we had ended the career of a great counselor and he has never counseled again. Seventh grade kids at church camp are not suppose to draw a picture of person on the door and throw home made Chinese stars at it. They are not suppose to Blow up Urinals with M 80’s, they are not suppose dump urine on other kids sleeping bags. Yet all of these kids went forward to accept Jesus, Wow, that is amazing, but why did they go? Because they were scared out of there minds not to. Who wants to live in eternity where there is weeping a gnashing of teeth? None of them raised their hands either. Who wants to live in Heaven with Jesus. Then pray for him to forgive the sins your sins, and keep praying because you are really bad. They inherited a spirit of fear, and if they were slaves to sin before, which they were, now they slaves to the fear of hell. They did not know how to be God’s Children, they were running out of a burning building.
This is an extreme case, but my friends now avoid church because the fear wore off and they don’t want to come back to have it brought back again. Sometimes I think if only they could know the God who calls them his children. Who gives us a spirit of adoption. If they could understand that God loves them so much more then their earthly fathers. Then they would fall into his arms.
Romans 8
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" 16 it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
You will find the same idea in Galatians 4:6 and 7
Here we see a contrast between a Spirit of Slavery to fear, and a spirit of adoption in which your hearts cry out Abba. This Aramaic term Abba is maintained here because it means more then Father, it is more intimate. You could think of Dad or Daddy, but those aren’t a perfect fit either. As we read the Gospels we find that Jesus’ relationship to the father is more intimate then anyone who has walked the earth before him. He is in constant communication with his Abba. Therefore as Christians if our Goal is to be like Jesus, which I hope it is. Then we must seek to have an intimate relationship with God. Not a relationship of Slavery to fear.
We are adopted into God’s family just like Roger was adopted. His learned behaviors did not immediately change, but now he has a family who loves him and expects different things of him. Yes he receives disciple and correction, but he has the spirit of adoption where he now has a father who loves him and because of love he shows him a better way to live.
Do you feel like an adopted child or are you living like slave who should hide his or her face, who should always fear the wipe of the master, who is abused and neglected and only sees the cold hand of the master.
A young boy he was playing in a church of which his Dad was a pastor. As he was playing a fire started and quickly spread in the church. He did not know the church was on fire until smoke began to pour into the basement. He tried to find his way up stairs but almost immediately he could not see where he was going, and he began to become disorientated. At this point he just drop to the ground and started crying for help. Meanwhile his dad is looking for him among all the people now gather on the street outside the church. He then begins to yell for his son. A fireman on the scene sees the anxious pastor and takes a step inside the church door to hear the now faint cries of the boy. In a great act of heroism he makes a dash down stairs and by God’s grace finds the boys and brings him out of the burning building. Form that point on the boy’s mother always reminds him that it was a miracle that he was saved and that he would one day do great things for God. This along with a great personal drive creates one of the most spiritually disciplined men to ever walk the face of the earth. As he went through school he would rise at 4:00 in the morning to read his Bible and pray until it was time to go to school. I sure most of us do the same thing. He then went to college to be a minister. At college he started a club that would challenge each other to be living in line with the Bible, they would focus critically on their spiritual lives. Then he started journaling and this is not like a dear diary kind of thing. Everyday he would write pages and pages about his spiritual life and then he would write out his prayers. This guy is like commando Christian. So after graduating he heads out on a missionary journey, but he fails so badly that he decides that the best thing to do is just turn around and go home. Once he gets home he hooks up with this successful evangelist and travels around with him for a year. He is still a super disciplined guy and he is meeting with another group who holds each other to the highest Biblical standards, but he has had no real success in Ministry. Then one night he is walking home and he hears a service going on in a little church and decides to go in. As he listens to a preacher read Martin Luther’s comments on Romans the man becomes filled with the Holy Spirit in a way he had never experienced before. He had an assurance in his heart, and he felt like a child of God for the first time. In that moment a change took place and the man began to see the needs of others. Filled with love for those around him he began preaching any place he could gather a crowd. He focused on the poor and organized them in groups to help each other with their physical and spiritual needs. He was a different man and in his journal from that time on he referred back to the way he was before the night the Spirit came into his life as before he was a Christian.
Do we know who this man is? [John Wesley]
A few weeks ago Pastor Kay talked about how he wished we had more Joy, and how he sees more Joy in African America churches. Now I would like to make a little suggestion. When Slavery and fear are a visible part of your life, if you are offered Adoption as Children of God and receive the spirit of adoption, you Know what you have and fight this tendency to fall into fear.
Our problem is that we are Slaves to fear, but we need to recognize and name our fear before we can have victory over it. We like to act as if we have it all together. So we may not look like slaves on the outside, but we do not have freedom and joy either.
I want to ask you some questions.
Do we feel that if we do not succeed in our career that God will not love us?
Do we feel that if we do not read our Bibles enough God is ready to kick us out the door?
Do we feel that if we beat ourselves up for our sin that will make God happy?
Are we in slavery to guilt? Do we feel guilty about a broken love relationship?
About a parenting decision?
Maybe we are holding onto it hurts, but to let it go would be even scarier
Maybe we did not receive love from our Dad, only hurt? What could stop us from project that on God.
The question is do you have a spirit of slavery and fear or a spirit of adoption by a loving heavenly Father. Children have faith and follow God like the perfect Father that he is. Because they are not filled with fear and doubt because of hurt, betrayal, abuse, and the pressure to succeed.
Who would not want to be a Son or Daughter of God?
Brennan Manning who was at the First Nazarene church last weekend was holding a Spiritual retreat for 7,000 people. Each night after he spoke he would meet with people and pray their emotional healing. Near the end of the conference he had prayed with people until Midnight and fell into his bed from exhaustion. At 3 in the morning he hears a knock on his door and a small voice calling his name. So he throws some water on his face, and opens the door. A little old nun of 60 years is standing in his door. He invites her to come in and sit down. She begins to sob uncontrollably and after she had cleared away some of the tears Brenna asks her if she can share. She says when, I was six years old my father would crawl into my bed with no clothes on and he would touch me here and tell me to touch him their, he told me it was what their family doctor had told him to do. By the time I was 13 I knew about every sexual perversion possible. I despise myself, I hate my father, and God (I cannot pray to God as a Father). After she was done sharing and Brenna prayed with her he offered her one bit of advice. He asked her to find a place to sit each day and with arms open pray simply Abba, I belong to you. This is a breathe prayer. On the inhale you pray Abba and then as you exhale you pray I belong to you. The purpose of the prayer is to match it with your breathing and move the prayer from your head to your heart. The reason he uses Abba is because this was that intimate reference Jesus used with his Father that could not find adequate expression in either the Greek or English, and this is why in our Bible we still see reverences to God as Abba. Brenna asked this poor little nun to pray this prayer everyday. A month later Brenna received a letter from the Nun, it said simply. Brenna thank you for your help. I have found the strength to like myself and forgive my father as a child of Abba,
Signed Daddy’s little Girl
We are here this morning, and maybe it is because we know we are God’s children. Our Spirit cries out to the heavenly Father and we love being in his presence. But maybe there are some of us who are here because we to scared not to be. Trying to claw our way to heaven, trying to find relief from the guilt that drives us, trying to find relief from the pain of hurtful people. That’s OK to, because God is calling you into his arms.
Go to prayer
God we want to give you the space you need to work. Feel free to come to altar, Kneel at you seat. Open up your heart to God. Lord seek us and know us. I pray that you would take us by the hand a lead us from slavery to childhood. Release us from the slavery of performance, from guilt. Some of us have learned to be fearful and shameful from our earthly fathers. Begin a healing work today. Reveal yourself as the perfect Father. I pray that you would bring healing and forgiveness to your children.
God bring us into this intimate relationship with you.
Imagine yourself as a child taking the hand of your heavenly father. Now he turns to you and tells you that he loves you and forgives you. Now imagine the person in your life who has hurt you most, imagine the hand of the Father taking theirs and telling them that he loves them and forgives them.
