Adopted of God
Intimacy with the Father
Inheritance from the Father
NCBC, 4/25/04, Romans 8:15-17
In the Alaska Native Culture that surrounds us is an amazing example of God’s idea of adoption. Many times the younger siblings or their parents will be allowed to adopt their firstborn.
To Westerners this is confusing because often these adopted youth will call their biological Mothers and Fathers…sister or brother. The uncle or aunt becomes their mother or father and to anyone observing the family dynamics this is without question.
This is exactly the way that God takes this adoption when we “truly” accept Jesus Christ, our adoption into God’s family is without question.
Are you showing your family resemblance?
Intimacy with the Father
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. 8:15].
The Spirit delivers man from a terrible spirit and family—“the spirit and family of bondage.”
Bondage is: fear. Man is gripped by the bondage of fear, usually experiencing apprehension, anxiety, tension, dread, alarm, danger, terror.
Man apart from God usually senses subjection, and enslavement to some form of fear. The one spirit with which we all are familiar is the spirit of fear.
Men are enslaved and held in bondage by fear.
What causes fear?
Nearly everything…
suffering
disease
unemployment
loss of livelihood
not measuring up
failure
disapproval
blame
Yet when we are adopted by God, HE through the Holy Spirit delivers us from the bondage of fear.
How?
By adoption, by actually adopting the believer as a son of God.
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12).
“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” (Romans 8:15).
“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Cor. 6:17-18).
“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (Galatians 4:4-6).
Through the Spirit we have access into God’s presence.
We have this access to God because we have been adopted as a son of God.
Notice here that the Spirit is called “the Spirit of adoption.” Adoption into God’s family is that important.
We actually receive the “Spirit of adoption” and the sense—the consciousness, awareness, and knowledge—that we are a child of God.
We are children with all the benefits and privileges of being a blessed child of our Creator and God. The privilege of access is granted—of entering God’s presence anytime and anyplace.
It is this wonderful privilege that enables us to break the bondage of fear and to conquer the spirit of fear.
No matter what we face, we are able...
• to enter the presence of God.
• to lay our fear before God.
• to cry out, “Father, Father—help me!”
• to know that God will help us because God loves us as HIS adopted child.
“I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture” (John 10:9).
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1-2).
“For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father” (Ephes. 2:18).
“In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him” (Ephes. 3:12).
Remember "Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear" – it’s not there anymore…there is not the spirit of fear within you, wondering about your spiritual condition, unhappy, and despondent.
Instead, we are to be filled with joy because you are HIS child. And the Spirit of God wells up within you, saying, "Abba, Father."
The word Abba is an untranslated Aramaic word. The translators of the first English Bibles, who had great reverence for the Word of God, who believed it was indeed the Word of God, would not translate it. Abba is a very personal word that could be translated "My Daddy." We don’t use this word in reference to God because of the danger of becoming overly familiar with HIM. But it expresses a heart cry, especially in times of trouble.
Inheritance from the Father
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God [Rom. 8:16].
How does the Spirit bear witness to our adoption?
The Holy Spirit bears witness that we are the children of God. Making known in our hearts the perfect knowledge and the complete confidence that we are children of God.
The Spirit sheds abroad the love of God in our hearts. He spreads the knowledge that God loves us and spreads it all through our being.
“And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” (Romans 5:5).
The Spirit is the earnest/guarantee that we are children of God.
“Who hath also sealed us, and give the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts” (2 Cor. 1:22).
“Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit” (2 Cor. 5:5).
The Spirit is the seal or the guarantee that we are children of God.
“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise” (Ephes. 1:13).
“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption” (Ephes. 4:30).
The Holy Spirit bears witness that we are conquerors over suffering.
The suffering being spoken of here is that suffering for the Kingdom of God and HIS righteousness that is the point of the Scripture.
If we suffer with Christ in the great cause of God and His righteousness, then we will be glorified with HIM eternally.
The point is clearly seen. The person who is a true follower of Christ proclaims and stands for Christ; therefore, we freely suffer the persecution of the world even as Christ did. And because we suffer with Christ, we will share in the glory of Christ as well.
“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake” (Matthew 5:11).
“And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 10:22).
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 [Rom. 8:17].
What are we heirs of?
The Holy Spirit bears witness that we are the heirs of God. If God is our Father, then we inherit what HE possesses.
We are heirs of eternal life.
“That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:7).
We are heirs of salvation.
“Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14).
We are heirs of the promises made to Abraham, that is, the promises to inherit the world and to become the citizens of a great nation of people. The heirs of God shall inherit a great kingdom, that is, the new heavens and earth.
“For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith” (Romans 4:13).
“And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29).
We are heirs of glory.
“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” (Romans 8:17).
“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints” (Ephes. 1:18).
“Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light” (Col. 1:12).
We are heirs of righteousness.
“By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith” (Hebrews 11:7).
We are heirs of the grace of life.
“Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered” (1 Peter 3:7).
The Holy Spirit bears witness that we are joint-heirs with Christ
"If so be" assures us of the fact that the child of God will suffer with HIM. It should be translated "since we suffer with Him."
Dearest Friend, what are you enduring for HIM today?
Whatever it may be, Paul makes it clear that it is just a light thing we are going through now.
But there is a weighty thing, an "eternal weight of glory" that is coming someday.
In eternity we may well wish that we had suffered a little more for HIM when we look around us and see who are not there.
You see, we who are Christ’s are willing to be schooled and trained. "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth" (Heb. 12:6).
But to come to a point that you are chastened, you must first seek to become a child of Christ, do you wish to do so today?
We start by admitting to God that we are sinners. The bible tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.
So if we recognize that we are sinners, God calls us to repentance for “While we were yet sinners God sent HIS only begotten son to die for all who believe and call on Jesus’ name.”
Is God leading you to come today?
Do you want to be an adopted child of our awesome and loving God and Father?
If so, we ask you to come forward?
We would love to pray with you today, to help you become one with Christ, so that you may begin to walk in newness of life.
Then you can start to walk with your new family, day by day, faith by faith growing and working out your sure salvation in the ways that God leads.
If you have any prayer needs or concerns we would love to pray for you. We will continue to lift up the leaders of the United States and all of the allies that are aligned against the nations of terror. We will also lift up our men and women in uniform and those loved ones while they are out doing the will of God.
Closing Prayer.
Bruce P. Landry
Nome Community Baptist Church
Ranger1401@hotmail.com
