Spiritual Adoption

Intro.

When we prayed about what we would share with our partners during our furlough it became increasingly clear to us that God was teaching us some important practical lessons within our family life that also applies to our spiritual lives and ministry.

The lesson comes from the process of adopting our newest daughter Joy. If you have been receiving our news letters or viewing our web page you will know the ups and downs of the journey that God brought us through during the last year or so.

I won't go into all the details this morning. But I would like to give God thanks for how He lead us from the beginning and directed us every step of the way. It was a year filled with anticipation and legal work, culminating in excitement and joy when we picked her up in Taiwan this past Fathers day.

God has been teaching me principles about adoption for many years. I was adopted myself when I was very young so I have always been impressed by the many scriptures that speak about "spiritual adoption" and how we as Gentile outsiders can enter into God's family.

One of my favorite passages is found in Rom 8:14-16

"Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children."

The implications of receiving the Spirit of Sonship or Spirit of Adoption is our topic for this morning. I would like to do this by briefly touching on three aspects of Spiritual adoption.

1. The first aspect is Legal - after all the word "adoption" is a legal term.

2. Secondly I would like to describe some of the benefits of becoming an adopted child of God.

3. Lastly we can look at some of the responsibilities we have of being and adopted child of God.

LEGAL

We know from scriptures, mans broken relationship with God and how the relationship can be restored. To refresh our memories I will walk down the "Romans Road"

We are born sinners, separated from God. Romans 3:23 & 3:10 Says "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," "As it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one;" So legally we have no right or ability to initiate the spiritual adoption process.

We also know God's law demands punishment for our rebellion against his perfection and holiness. Romans 6:23 says "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." We know that the penalty for doing wrong is spiritual death.

We also know that God in his infinite love provided a way of paying for our spiritual, legal sin debt. Romans 5:8 says "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Only a perfect sacrifice could fulfill God's law perfectly, that is why Jesus, God's only son went to the cross to die in our place.

The offering that Jesus made to pay the sin debt is available to everyone. However, it is only an offering - people must take the responsibility to receive the offering and then the offering becomes a "gift" - The Gift of eternal life. Romans 10:9 and 13 says "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. . . 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'

What happens at this point in time? In the spiritual legal sense, when a person repents of sin and "calls on the name of the Lord" and asks for forgiveness he has a new position with regards to God. It is a break from their past life and they now have a new life with a new name, benefits and responsibilities.

Illustration #1 - When we stood before the Judge and we signed the papers for Joys adoption, a final, formal, legal decision was made. This illustrates a point in time where the process leading up to the adoption was completed. It is the same with spiritual adoption - there is a process leading to salvation, but there is a given point in time when you "sign the papers" and you become part of the family of God.

John 1: 12-13 States it very clearly. . .

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. NIV

A new believer is thereby adopted into the family of God, because in God's Law they have the Legal right to do so.

And also 1 John 3:1 says, "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him."

This verse explains the "who" and the "why" of spiritual adoption.

Who is adopting? - God the Father

Why is he adopting? - Only because of great love.

How does God adopt?

From Galations 4:5-7 we can see that it is by the work of the Holy Spirit that God adopts. It Says; "But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir." NIV

Finally the last legal question is What is the result of the adoption?

Rom 8:17 clearly shows that we receive an inheritance . . . all the blessings of the kingdom of God.

"Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." NIV

Illustration #2 -A very good illustration of spiritual adoption is written by Dorman Followwill, a former college pastor of Peninsula Bible Church. (used with Permission)

*Read illustration

Dorman Followwill, a former college pastor of Peninsula Bible Church (palo Alto, CA) writes about an experience that he had while traveling in Asia. . . .

"Some years ago, I took a ten-day journey to Indonesia to teach a pastors' conference. The man I stayed with on my visit was a famous pastor in West Timor, named Pastor Eli. He and his wife were highly respected leaders on that island: she was related to Indonesian royalty, and he had been a famous boxer before he came to Christ, and a dynamic visionary since, establishing numerous churches on his own island and several nearby islands as well.

About ten years before I was in Indonesia, there was a large-scale civil war on the island of Timor. East Timor, which was largely communist, was battling against West Timor, which was more westernized, more democratic. During the civil war on Timor, Pastor Eli had joined up with the West Timor army as a chaplain. One day during the height of the war, Pastor Eli was visiting some troops stationed in East Timor when he went into a small East Timorese village. Off to the side of the road, he spied a starving, half-clothed two-year-old child laying in the grass. He stopped his jeep and went over to her. He gently gathered her tiny figure in his powerful arms, the muscled arms of a former boxer. He inquired about her in the village. He discovered that her parents had both been killed. She was an orphan, left for dead. Moved by a great compassion, he took this half-dead child back with him to his home in West Timor. He and his wife nursed her back to health in their own home.

Later, once she was on her feet, they adopted her into their family. By the time I visited them in 1988, I saw before me this amazingly gracious and beautiful young girl named Etta. Her smile is one of the most beautiful smiles I have ever seen: a bright row of white teeth. It is a winning smile, a carefree smile, a joyous smile. I will never forget how Pastor Eli adored that child. I couldn't tell who beamed brightest when she was gathered into his lap: joyous daughter or proud father. There was something awesome about this child: snatched from death, gathered up by a strong and compassionate father, healed, fed, cherished, and finally adopted into a position of honor in a famous family. I wish I could describe how much she was loved and accepted by her new father. The glory of Etta's adoption will shine in my memory for the rest of my life. In fact, I think she is the best living illustration I've ever seen of what Paul proclaims to us today in Rom. 8:14, 15: how we believers are placed into God's family as adult sons, children with great honor and respect. We are not orphans doomed to die, but beloved children gathered into the strong arms of a Father who will never let us go, who accepts us unconditionally as His beloved, who gives us His great Name. May our God open our eyes to receive and bathe in the love of such a remarkable Father. "

The Second area that I would like to touch on concerning our Spiritual Adoption are some of the spiritual blessings we receive as heirs to the kingdom of God.

1. We have a new status and dignity - a new life

2 Corinthians 5:17 says; "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" NIV

A person's newly adopted position in Christ is an amazing thing. Not only do they receive a new hope and eternal salvation, they also receive a new purpose and help in present day life. Jesus said in John 10:10 "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

Like Etta's past that was a starving, half-clothed little girl without a family changed to living with a family that loved her and provided her with Love and acceptance.

2. Your spiritually adopted father will provide for your needs.

In Matthew 6:25-34 Jesus tells about how God provides for the needs of all living things including His children. Verse 32 says "So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them."

3. We receive Love and Discipline.

Hebrews 12:5-11 Sums it up;

"And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:

"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." NIV

4. Privledge of Prayer and access to God the Father

Hebrews 4:15,16 says "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. ⁶ Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

Lastly, lets look at some of the responsibilities we have of being and adopted child of God.

Every Child has responsibilities in their household, without them there would be no shared in the families goals accomplishments and every day activities. Through responsibilities children learn to grow and become contributing citizens to society.

The same is true in the family of God.

As adopted Children of God, we are given spiritual gifts that are to serve the body of Christ. (1Cor Chapter 12)

One of my favorite verses that clearly tells us who we are in the family of God and what our specific responsibility is 1 Peter 2:9-10

which says; "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." NIV

This verse states that after the spiritual adoption you belong to God and have the privilege and responsibility to Serve each other in the family of God and to tell others about God and what He has done for you. - we are to "declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness (what you were before adoption) into his wonderful light (what you are after your adoption)"

Jesus' command in Mark 16:15 is even more specific He said to "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." NIV

So, if we are all commanded to bring spiritually lost children to God the Father for adoption, then we in a sense are Christian social workers.

And the organization that Called us to work with (Trans World Radio) is functioning as a spiritual adoption agency. We use radio signals and communication technology to bring the lost in Asia together with their Heavenly Father. What about you?

The Bible is clear, the message is sound - what is your spiritual position?

1. Are you adopted into the family of God?

2. Do you have a spiritual inheritance, including eternal life?

3. If you have delayed in this important decision - do it now. Regret is terrible thing - and eternal regret is something I hope no-one here will ever have to face.

4. If you have experienced spiritual adoption, are your serving in the family of God, are you fulfilling your responsibilities as a Christian to tell others about the Gift that God has given us?

Lets pray . . .