Papa

Behold what kind of love the father is given to us that we should be called children of God.

And so we are the reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children nail and what we will be has not yet appeared but we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

Everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself, as he is pure with me in prayer.

Heavenly father, we come before you tonight praising you and thanking you for your goodness. Thanking you, Lord, to the privileges you've given us to come here tonight on this beautiful rainy evening that we might worship you. We thank you Lord for the beautiful rain is given us today. We needed it so desperately pray for our brother Eugene and Bruce as they are in Kenya and will start just a few hours. Lord, preaching and teaching the college students and and those preachers in that area. The word of God. We pray father that their time. They are weak extremely spiritually productive that Lord Christ would be glorified and that those preachers would be built up in their faith that they might do the work that you called in the do in a more efficient manner. Heavenly father, we do continue to pray for Linda my Catherine as she is still struggling. We pray father you would have mercy on her and help her to a complete recovery. Pray father that she is so weak that you would just be with her in great power and bring healing to her body, or take the word of God tonight that we are looking at just drive it into our souls help us Lord, that we might become more like Jesus. As result of the things that we get from your word this evening and it's in your holy wonderful and precious thing we pray. Amen. You have receded.

Tonight we got a look at one of the greatest truths in Scripture, the subject of adoption and it starts off with a a great word that's an attention getter, and it's the word behold I was reading from the ESV most of you are and it doesn't start out that way. It just says see, that's a bad translation. It should be. Behold, as you go through the Scriptures is amazing how often the Lord will use that word in a very very important text. For example, in Genesis chapter 3 verse 22.

After Adam and Eve. It sinned against God and eaten the forbidden fruit. The Scripture says and this is the Lord speaking, behold, the man has become like one of us knowing both good and evil. When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming down to the river to be baptized. John just stopped all that he was doing and said, behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. When Jesus had been flogged by the cat of nine tails whip and I took him put a purple robe on his shoulders like took the crown of thorns that crushed it down his brow. They brownie before Pilate, and Poppa said, behold, the man so that word is an attention getter.

It is a word that says lip listen carefully.

Pay attention. Don't let this get by. You and that's what he saying to start this passage behold what manner of love the father has given him to us that what we might be called the children of God this evening. What I want us to do is hone in on this subject of adoption is an aspect of God's love that I think we too often neglected. If we don't neglect it all completely. We just don't meditate on it nearly as enough as we should. How important is adoption.

Let me say it this way. How would you answer the question what is a Christian, I think you could define a Christian, this way a Christian is one who has God as father. Contrary to popular belief, God is not the father of every human being. God is the creator of every human being, but he is only the father of those who know Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior Scriptures tell us that there are two seeds there's a seed of the serpent in the seed of the woman seed of the serpent is is Satan and all those who follow him and reject Christ the seed of the woman is Christ in all those who are in Christ Jesus add to the religious leaders of his day.

You are of your father the devil, those who are of the have their father is God are those who are in Christ and those who belong to him. I've come to believe that the option is one of the most important doctrines in all of Scripture. The Scripture says in John chapter 1 verse 12 for as many as received him, to them gave he or God, even to those who believe on his name to the process of adoption. We become legal heirs of God our father, three trays that I want to consider as we look at these three verses tonight.

Number one is adoption teaches us God's love John begins verse one this way behold what manner of love the thought given him that we might be called the children of God. Scott Starcher's here with us tonight is Elder here Grayson. He told me a story years ago that just brings tears to my eyes every time I think about it in the witness in upstate South Carolina. I know that's God's country and about. He's got a friend up there and about once a month is free and goes to visit orphanages near Clemson and when he goes to that orphanage. He goes kind of as a big brother and he spends kids just playing with women and just helping them to have a good time. One Saturday morning he walked the end and when he walked in a salsa a little strange.

There was a little boy about 1011 years old and he had his schoolbooks, his textbooks, all I had on the table just spread all of the table and he was studying furiously and Scott's friend walked over to Him on the shoulder son what you doing in here since Saturday morning got to be out playing ball and run and jump and having a good time what you know in your study like this little boy looked up at him. He said I'm in a study as hard as I can because he said maybe if I study as hard as I can. I make all A's and somebody will want to adopt me kids who don't have parents have a hole in their life.

Kids who don't have parents have an emptiness and I won't that anchor, they won't.

That stabilizing factor in their life. They want someone to protect them someone to care about them someone to that they can follow someone to look up to someone who will truly love them. They won't a mom and dad. That's what children need in brothers and sisters. That's what we need from God. JI Packer's book entitled knowing God is a whole chapter that's devoted to the doctrine of adoption and he says that adoption is the highest privilege that the gospel offers and when I read that for the first time I had to think about that for a while. I'm not just a preacher I'm a reformed preacher and that reform people have always looked to two of the doctrine of justification as our great doctrine. Doctrine address justification is so important is a doctrine that God used in the life of Martin Luther to open his eyes and bring him from religion to Christ as he gave him the verse Romans chapter 1 and verse 17.

This is the just shall live by faith what is justification is the legal judicial decree of God where God through the blood of Jesus Christ declares us legally forgiven of all of our sins past, present and future and imputes to us the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

That was the rally cry of the Reformation.

We are not saved by works, not by a going to church, not by giving our time, not by buying indulgences, not by anything we are saved by grace through faith plus nothing now, brothers and sisters. That's enough to. Cheryl that's glorious.

I mean, what can be better then justification be forgiven me table can be better adoption and adoption.

We become part of God's family, he becomes my father I become his son. How big a deal is that glorious, glorious because it it says that God forgives, but adoption says that I become a legal error of God not had people in my life to do me wrong and just treat me unjustly and in times God has given me the grace to forgive those people and and when I forgive those people. I can just kinda move on with life and being that person are still things okay but you know what I forgiven that person not. I've never asked one of them to be part of my family.

I've never said I want to give you my name and yet that's exactly what adoption does. That's why the apostle John says behold what manner of love the father has given him to us that what we might be called the children of God, he took you into his family you belong. John Piper and his wife. No whale adopted a little black girl into their family. When she was about two weeks old.

They named her Talitha. Her last name is Piper and we sing. I went to a Piper conference probably 16 years ago tells that at times about seven and I can remember watching her like her mama. No whale, and she would dress like no whale. She carried her Bible like no whale. She taught like no whale and she was right there at her feet. I mean, she did not get away from her. There were about a thousand old ugly preachers that were there. She's probably scared to death but but she would not get away from her.

I been reading John Piper's books and listening to sermons for about 40 years and since he is adopted Talitha and his family, his stance on racism has greatly changed. But before he hated racism because it was a stench in the nostrils of a holy God, and it was a blight a cancer on society, but he hates it a whole lot more nail with.

He sees the potential of what racism could do to his daughter Talitha is not a friend in passing to John Piper. She's a used to rock to sleep at night. She's the one who taught the prey into read the Scriptures. She's a little seven-year-old girl who who set sat in his lap during that time and kissed him before he went to bed at night. Racism used to be a sin against society but to John Piper at this point in his life. Racism is a sin against family that makes the issue deeper. That makes the issue personal know what you think about this and think about it deeply God the father loves God the son with the love that is so wonderful and powerful, so deep that nothing can alter it. And if your true Christian, you're in Christ, and God loves you with the same love that he loves his son. I don't know about you, that blows my mind. I can understand God the father, love, and his son how God the father could love me in that same way blows my mind is what we call it amazing Grace. Secondly, not only does adoption teach us God's love, but it also solidified our position. John said that we should be called children of God. Ephesians 1335 says this Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him in love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will. I'm not just a forgiven sinner, child of God.

I bear his name. I'm in his family and this is what blows my mind that before Adam and Eve were even created the need that I was going the field then and rebellious and you are still be headed and stubborn and he saved me and adopted me and made me part of this family and it was done for Jesus Christ sake I was adopted into God's family you is a Christian were adopted into God's family, not just to keep you out of hail but that your life might glorify Christ, and that you might know God's love several decades ago there was a nine-year-old boy who was an accident car accident with his mom and dad's mom and dad were in the front seat is mom and dad were both killed in that accident. He miraculously lived through it. They wanted a lonely road and he looked he saw that his mom and dad were both dead. He didn't have any other family outside of them. He did not want to go to an orphanage. He did not want to go to some reform school or something like that so he ran. He took off he lived out on the streets got a job as a as a nine-year-old boy delivering newspapers, one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in all Chicago. One day was carrying his papers and he saw a bunch of kids playing up on the front yard of this big house and he wondered to himself I wonder what that would lot be like to live in a place like that and so he he walked him down a little further and there was a big house. They are knew that there was a no children in that home, just a man and his wife and so you wondered, I wonder if they would consider me a Whitney knocked on the door and man came to the door and he looked at this little dirty boy and a centering will son what can I do for you and the little boy said was sorry he said I see you got this big house here in just you and your wife and I wondered if you might want a kid and the 8 May & Sunday you have one in mind and he said yes sir me and any said will I'm sure that your mom and dad probably would like that is in my mom and dad are dead so you probably live your aunt or your uncle and know you said I live under the bridge down the road here and about that time the man's wife was walking through the room and he called rover he said honey do you want a child, and she said what and he explain the story they decided that day to adopt that little boy they brought him in for lunch and he had luncheon and they told him to go up and in the bathroom and take a good bath and they took them out. They bought volume several different outfits of close and burn the close that he had and then they took him to a sports store bought him a baseball bat baseball glove in a ball and they came back and they began to to play ball with the whole rest the day plan ball withing at night and got ready to go to bed showed in his new bedroom set will be right down the hall as is our bedroom.

If you need us were down there will they went to sleep during the time that they were sleep and all of a sudden the man was we had to wake up because he heard some noise in his bedroom and he looked over and he saw the little boy that was reaching up on is that the Chester drawers were kept his billfold a thought. I'll know it's not stealing Izzy and he flipped the light on the little boy just froze. He said sorry stealing my money and the little boy. The mother had had looked up on the Chester drawers and she saw this pollen. She looked up to see what it was was 36 pennies and he had taken 36 pennies and he put them up on the top of the Chester drawers and she said what is this and he said that's all the money that I've got and she said that for said I just wanted to pay you for being my mom and dad said you don't need to ever do that you can't pay us all we want you to do is to love us, you know that boy grew up to be one of the, the, the great doctors and in the Midwest. The suite we need to look at our adoption in that same way we can earn it.

We can't pay it back. All we can do is to love and honor God.

That's what he wants us to do on read your statement to JI Packer made on our covenant position as children of God. Packer said this. I love this statement. He said God receives us as sons and loves us with the same steadfast affection with which he internally loves his beloved only begotten there are no distinctions of affection in the divine family. We are all love just as fully as Jesus's love is like a fairytale, the reigning monarch, a Dobbs wastes adopts waifs and strays to make princes of them. Praise God is not a fairy story is a hard and solid fact founded on the bedrock of free and sovereign grace. I thoroughly adoption fills us with hope. Verse two and three. Beloved, we are God's children now and what we will be has not yet appeared but we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is in everyone who thus hopes in him peers of five, purifies himself, as he is pure. That what hope is he talking about here he is saying this if I'm a child of God, adopted into the family of Jesus that I know I will not stay in this old aging sinful body. But one day I will be changed and I will be like Jesus.

Why because I'm his child because I'm his child.

The word hope in the New Testament is the Greek word Elvis and our English word hope is not like it at all. When we say hope we use it synonymous with which like I hope it doesn't rain.

That means it might rain it might not rain. I just wish it wouldn't. That's not the word that she's tear, it's the word here is is not like our English word, which is that if the expectation the word hope here is a certain reality like check Titus chapter 2 verse 13 as is looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ, and in other words, that passage tells us that Jesus is coming back and we can put that in the bank. Listen to what Paul says in Romans 815 to 17 for you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry, Abba, father the Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God and of children than Ayers heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we also make be glorified with him. And what does that mean that means that we're going to share with Christ in his glory will get to be with him in heaven.

We are going to receive new glorified bodies were going to be with our brothers and sisters in Christ, for ever and ever. Adoption promises us hope, which is a certain reality in the Roman government and the Roman environment back in the in Paul's day, they had a rule that if family adopted a child, then there cannot be a dissolution between the father. The family and that child they could not disown that child.

If it had been adept if they had a natural born child. They could discern it, but if it was an adopted child. It was an unconditional covenant and they that was their child matter what brothers and sisters. That's the way it is with us.

We are unconditionally adopted into God's family and he will never leave us nor forsake us position of a child of God is settled for ever. Everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself, just as he is pure adoption is I think one of the greatest motivations for correct Christian conduct. If God is truly our heavenly father and we are to be acting like him. We ought to be pleasing him and honoring him with our lives. The Lord blessed me with the wonderful dad. He was a role model to me is a great example to me is my best friend and always just loved and greatly. But when I was in college before I came to Christ. I was partying and pretty much make a fool of myself in one night during the Christmas vacation when I come back home from school got together some of my older high school chums and and so we were.

We went out party, and one that Nitin and one of my friends was driving the car pulled up in in the one of our neighbors front yards and it was raining he got stuck and he was spinning his wheels make a mess of the man's yard man came out and he saw us out there except Tama saw what was going on and I mean he was hot and he should have been at any looked over their million. He said hey said Archie Doug I Dutch Agnew son and I say yes or is it was funny because you sure don't act like our there's like a dagger went through my heart. I love my dad and I was Dragon his name through the mud. I didn't get saved until a year later limitation of that. I cleaned up my act in that neighborhood. Dad had labored for years to build a good reputation and I did not want to besmirch his name. I found the same thing to be true in my relationship with God when I contemplate on who I am that I'm a child of God that I bear Jesus's name. That should affect how I live, the doctrine of the of the adoption militates against anti-no unionism that anti-no me and says that oh I Chi I can become a Christian, just by making a quick little decision by making it a quick little profession of faith as that's all that's necessary so as to then I can make this profession of faith I can shake a preacher's hand. I can walk down the aisle and and that's all this say that I can live like the devil because I got a ticket to heaven a license to sin no my adoption will not allow that as Christians we strive to be obedient as a means of pleasing our father, brothers and sisters. That's not legalism will do that a duty we don't do that out of obligation. We don't do that because we have to. We do that because we loving and because it's a privilege.

Jesus said if you love me, keep my commandments. Adoption puts law keeping on you flitting as children of God we acknowledge the law's authority is a rule for our lives because we know that this is what our father wants from us. Adoption purifies the heart. Look at verse three. One more time, and everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. Once again, what is the hope. The hope is this day is coming when I get to meet Jesus face-to-face on the see the love in his eyes on the see the holiness of purity in his countenance.

I'm see the nail prints in his hands. Now when Isaiah saw his vision of the Lord on his throne in Isaiah saw the Lord on his throne in all of his glory, and all of his Majesty and all this power he actually called him a curse upon himself. It scared him so bad at any said I am an unclean man who Lee is in the midst of people of unclean lips, and he said I'm an emotional wreck. I'm totally undone. How can I stand with holy admission of nippers that immutable God. How can I do that. Here's how you do it. Isaiah S the truth of adoption that that sovereign potentate on that throne is your father he's your father the king he loves me not because I deserve to be love.

Not because I'm good enough to be loved because I belong to him as his child. That's the hope that purifies me. That's the hope that drives me to up to a more godly conduct, I bear the name of Christ God Almighty. My father and when I see him face-to-face. I will have to just fall down and tremble like Isaiah did I should be able to run to him and to embrace him.

Why cry out to him. Abba father because I belong to him and he belongs to me, that's my hope.

That's my hope and that hope is settled in the Trinity this to what the writer of Hebrews said he was for 14 to 16 seeing that we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin.

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need you here with me and said they are. I don't have to walk on egg before the throne of grace because the blood of Jesus has purchased my friendship. Jesus paid for my adoption. Scott Nancy Starcher went to the main a few years ago and several years now.

They went to an orphanage. There was little two-year-old girl blonde headed girl's name was Knox, when they walked in the front door of that orphanage that little girl came running up to Scott jumped up in his arms and said one word pop up pop they had opportunity to pick from. A lot of those kids that were there that day and they didn't have much of a decision to make that that one word pave the way for them and they knew exactly who they needed to bring home. I'll never forget watching Scott Nancy Keira is a shared that story and what a glorious story.

It was people I may be wrong but I don't think so. I believe the heart of God is moved in much the same way as we address our God is Abba father term of honor, love, respect and affection that that's bull along to meet what we will be the great judge of all things, but he will also be my father spray heavenly father, we praise you and we thank you today that you have given us the privilege of calling you possible I will father, help us heavenly father that we might never forget that father that that might be the truth that motivates us to live for you that we won't try to be good, just out of a sense of legalism or duty or obligation. But Lord, we would desire to be obedient to you because you're our father God, and directors Lord and what we do. My allies bring you honor and glory. May we live with that constant reminder in our ear day by day that your are possible. We love you, praise you and thank you for loving us.

We, as his prayer in Jesus precious name. Amen