The Wonder of Adoption

If you have a Bible turn with me to Galatians chapter 4 Serena be just for a time tonight places for them will look back a little bit in chapter 3, but tonight is as if he Saul and looking up and was mentioned tonight to talk about adoption.

Adoption is something that I have known about for a large part of my life. I my peers did not adopt. I was not adopted but so might my parents best friends were had adopted and also had foster parents today which they were in charge of a foster parent home, they took care of of many children for several years so I understood adoption at an early age.

I'd I'd heard about it, understood it a little bit might my view of adoption is really grown over the years I is as was mentioned tonight with the go Monterey team. My first mission trip was to Nicaragua, Central America, and there we worked with some children who were in an orphanage and I still I have faces imprinted on my mind. I think forever of the amount of pain and suffering that they experience each day.

Not having the love of the father or the care of the mother never experiencing those things. They lost out of their parents and abandon them or had lost them through death and I member seeing that in my heart was broken. I just love them. I wanted to give them everything I had. But I went home I came home, back to my life. Again, these were during my years in college and my heart was stirring with it and thinking about this for a while and so then I went back again to this time to Haiti had the opportunity to go to Haiti and went to Haiti and they're just myself and another man.

We are working with an organization that was helping trying to get children adopted and getting them into an orphanage because they were there plenty of orphans, but there stuck on the street.

There was, not orphanages. There were places for them to go so there just fending for themselves on the street some addicted to different drugs and others just hoping to find food for the day and I'm in my heart just been so broken and so on this trip we were going and we were just identifying and trying to get background information on these orphans and so I began to learn more more about the need of the orphan and again I left and after that trip I knew I even before that relate to Nicaragua trip.

I knew that I would one day or willing if God allowed adopt and so I met my wife Amanda actually asked not long after that Nicaragua trip and she had gone to. We were in college and she had just gone to Bolivia and had met some boys and it's been his boys rescue home and so that's really how are our relationship began we start sharing stories about our trips to overseas to work with orphans and so early on in our relationship. Adoption was as kind of a heartbeat of ours.

We wanted to adopt God blessed us with two boys that are in here tonight and and we did know when we really do that but all of a sudden while recovery church two years ago we began, we officially began the process of adoption and we're excited about that. We also incredibly nervous and incredibly scared and so we began that journey and started it and all the paperwork all the money all the different things. It was overwhelming and scary but we knew this was God was calling us to do. And during those two years so in 2007 July 2017. As we began 2018 last year. July 1 is when we officially really I guess the second days when it was official July 2 officially adopted our daughter Gracelyn Brooke Sean Sue Hill and I say all of that. That's not really going to be the message tonight something I thought okay it's Pastor Eric. He loves adoption is talk about adoption. The whole time about his kids all time and is not what I want to do tonight.

I want us to quickly get that in the beginning and I want to get into our if you're a believer our adoption. The doctrine of adoption God has taught me so much the past two years about my state and his incredible love for me things I don't think I would've ever experienced. If I haven't would have gone through an earthly adoption God has shown me so much that these text like were to look at tonight are so rich and beautiful.

A lot of you probably read this book. It's by JI Packer skull knowing God, and JI Packer. In that book knowing God. He talks about some shipped in one of the chapters toward the end of the book the great book.

I encourage it.

We we encourage them pretty sure we sell it in the word room, but in that book it in that chapter. JI Packer explains it, really, really well. He puts it this way. He says this he says adoption is the highest privilege that the gospel offers. He says he goes so far to say this and this is where like our red flag sometimes may go up when you hear this but it's JI Packer's what I thought at first but he says this that is even higher than the doctrine of justification, we think of justification is this marvelous thing and it is believe me I talk about justification all the time that the fact that Jesus Christ has made it a way for us to be declared righteous before a holy God. We don't deserve it. We, there's nothing in us that deserves it. And yet Christ through Christ and in Christ we can be declared righteous. That's an amazing truth, but what it is though is a legal standing. It's kind of got a legal status to it that now before God before a holy God. I am legally declared innocent, and I'm declared righteous, not just isn't declared righteous and then this regeneration happens in the Holy Spirit, but there's something special and unique about this idea of adoption and spiritual adoption that is so wonderful because whereas justification is this legal fact. What's amazing about adoption and this doctrine of adoption is is this relationship that we get to have with God Almighty that he would look on us and call us sons and daughters. I mean, what amazing truth that the God of the universe could look on us and say you're a child of mine.

I want us to look at this passage this. It's all we always have to be careful just jumping in the middle of a book and even towards the end of the book in Galatians, but I want us to look at this passage and really were to jump in the middle a little bit of a conversation of the love of Paul explaining this idea that he's done in chapters 1 to 3 about justification you been declared righteous is God has freely given us salvation through Christ we see that throughout chapter 3.

It's this amazing truth, but is also getting onto the Galatian believers here. He's getting onto them and it's not the prettiest of words in the beginning he opens his book this way. He says he goes to them and he says Grace to you and peace. But then in verse six he says, I am astonished. In verse chapter 1. I'm astonished that you are so quickly deserting him and called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel in chapter 3, he goes on to say to the Galatian believers, he said, O foolish Galatians who has bewitched you it was before your eyes, that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. So in this book is really calling out these these individuals in these churches in Galatia and in this he sees counseling showing them like in Christ have been set free. You are free in Christ met this amazing freedom in Christ.

But I want us to start looking chapter 3 verse 26 and tonight really were to look at three changes that take place when adoption occurs in the life of a believer when Christ adopts those there's these there's more than these. I'm sure there's these three changes that we see in our passage tonight that take place when were adopted into God's family to look with me.

Chapter 3 will start in chapter 3. Actually there in verse 26 says this for in Christ Jesus you all you are all sons of God, how are we, sons of God, he says here it's through faith, resume, and any of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring and heirs according to promise.

He says in verse one of chapter 4, I mean that the air as long as he is a child is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father in the same way. We also when we were children were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world.

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law so that we might receive adoption as sons and because you are sons got sent the Spirit of his son into our hearts, crying, Abba father, so you are no longer a slave but a son son than an air through God's is a powerful passage of Scripture about Christ and his work in providing a way for us to be adopted into God's family. Did you notice that first change notice what he says you look at verse one again.

He says this in chapter 4 verse one.

In explaining this whole idea of being of going back to verse 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God's he goes on to say that this moment this idea of heirs and working to get to that. The second but he says this I mean that the air as long as he is a child is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father in the same way he says we also when we were children were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. So this first change that happens, and it's it's kind of an obvious one is this change in condition were change. This change happens in status and in condition that 10 slave now you're a son. I don't know if I don't think we would ever fully grasp that I'm pretty sure pretty confident. None of us have ever experienced slavery before and are alike in your own personal life were you were a slave you might've had to work really hard for someone or different things we do not know what it's like to be a slave. I don't know what it's like to be a slave. Most of us don't know it's like to not have parents. Most of us have grown up in homes with parents and we've never experienced what this is what this really means we not fully know what this is talking about but this reality of going from slave to son is incredible. It's not really that norm are normal in our culture, but in this in this cold, and in this culture, this time is crazy. What happened is this is in the New Testament time a Roman child or their children, who were heirs were under guardians. They were under these guardians until the age of about 14 years old and so when I became 14 then they would have come his right of almost like a rite of passage kind of thing idea of you know the toga you probably heard of that kind of stuff. So at the age age of 14, and even still under trustees and different things until about 25 to not until that time. Could the eldest son have complete control over the estate.

So what Paul is saying if you notice this look is it that it might be a little confusing at first, he says, I mean this he saying that the air as long as he is a child is no different from slave choice and the person who is the eldest son in a home in this moment.

Home growing up in this home is an air but he doesn't know it yet.

It's like it's not he knows it but hasn't he hasn't experienced it yet.

He says he's the same has the same rights in the same life almost as the servant or the slave's experience that he says though actually he's the owner of everything.

But he says, but rather here in verse two he is under a guardian and managers until the date set by his father. So the father since that date and then eventually the father says okay son. Now you get you get what is yours, the blessing, the air gets from the father but what we see in verse four is how is this accomplished.

How is this made possible.

Look at verse four. So while verse enslaved in verse three to the elementary principles of the world.

It says this but when the fullness of time had come when the father set the right time in history.

It wasn't like okay God was watching and waiting in a coke in the Roman Empire starting to build in okay now this is the right time, like he was reacting know God has set this time beforehand. He doesn't react and in the right time in the time that he has set out just like we see the father setting it out in verse two says God sends forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law.

He is under the law. He is to abide by the law. He lives perfectly sinless to redeem those who were under the law just yet redeeming work. The son dies, he redeems he purchase he brings he freeze he comes for us. He's our rescuer and he redeems those who were under the law so that we might receive adoption as sons. But here's the here's the problem.

This goes if you were here this morning and heard Pastor Khalil and is in the message this morning and about seeing our desperate need of a Savior and are desperately wicked in our need of a Savior we don't get this. I think in our culture, we don't. I think Lil is right in saying that we don't get this. A lot of times, most of us have not experienced this, we don't see ourselves as really enslaved to anything you most of us were born into America where you have all these freedoms and you heard the gospel. I heard the gospel, probably in the never ending. I grew up in the nursery I meet at church. I remember I became the youth pastor another church and in the and the lady was there tell me that she held me when I was a nurse change my diaper.

That's great. I grew up in the church. That's all I know is the gospel.

I've been told that my whole life and so really when I look at my life I wasn't that bad of a person you know. Often I get this when we we do we do applications and different things, and often I get an application asking like when did you come to know Christ. We get these two women with membership interviews I've always known Christ, having heard that an application I known Christ the life of grown up in a Christian home, let's great that's actually a very good privilege. But sometimes, a privilege can be a curse for us and so we don't recognize that were slaves. Look what Paul says in chapter in chapter 4 verse eight look down at verse eight he says this formally because he's going to further explain what he means by this enslavement that we are under these enslaved to these elementary principles.

He says in verse eight. Formally, when you did not know God, you are enslaved to those that by nature are not gods but now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God.

How can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world is slaves you want to be once more.

Was he saying here he saying, why, why would you ever want to go back to that life that you remember you were slaves to the idols of the of the day collations.

They were they were slaves to these pagan idols. They were idol worshipers and they were caught up in. There was slave to it for us in the spring we probably don't get that either were like okay why don't I never was worshiping an idol.

I didn't have a nicely carved image in my home that I bow down to every day I read to you from Ephesians Ephesians 2 with what God's word says about us in verses one through three. This is the state where we were slaves to and you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. You see who we were apart from Christ. We were dead in our sins. We were we were sons of disobedience. We were sinful, but again in our cultural Christianity.

We don't see that we don't we don't we don't understand the depth of our depravity. Romans five explains to us what Christ has done to us in verse six we know these verses there amazing versus amazing truth. We looked at Romans the past two years will remind you of this verse. Romans 56 as for while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for who he dies for the ungodly goes on to say, but God shows his love for us in verse eight. In that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us in verse 10 it says, for if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life to hear how we're described week ungodly sinners who are enemies of God. That's who we are and that's who Christ comes for two adopted his family. You go from slave ungodly week sinful person to being in Christ, taken immediately from death to life, from captive to free to not just free but actually a son of Almighty God DC what amazing things God has done for you through adoption. He is brought you into his family and he says you are now mine. But not only is there.

This change that happens that we see in these verses. This change of status and condition, but also there is this change in experience. Now I want to be careful heroes telling Pastor Jim Pyle this as well as her counseling guru is well here, church, and I want to be careful here because our culture is driven by experiences.

We want to have an experience we love experiences, we will make worship environments that are where you can have this amazing experience with God.

There's churches that they call their worship services worship experiences and so I will be really careful about this because the reality is is that our hearts are desperately wicked in our hearts can lead us astray and we can feel like it's amazing thing that's going on like we can feel like God's doing something in our life that may or may not be true because again our hearts are deceptive. But there is an amazing change that happens in adoption.

I want you to see this look at will look back with me.

Galatians chapter 4 Galatians 4 verse six in verse five in verse five he redeems those who are under the law so that we might receive adoption as sons verse six and because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his son into our hearts, crying, father GC would happen near to God and slickness parallel that happens, God sends the son to give us the legal right to be a child of God. You see, there was a point when when we went through this a year ago in July and July last year where we went to and we signed the legal documents to adopt our daughter and now she no Longer Was Way, Sean Sue.

Now she was Graceland Brooke Sean Sue Hill. She took my last name. She became my child. She was my daughter full rights of a daughter she was there was not like she was a second-class daughter. She's not just my adopted daughter. She's not. This isn't just my two biological sons.

And then here's my adopted daughter know she is my daughter she is just as if she was she came for my wife she is my child her status legally changed one day it changed her status went from orphan to no longer North and really a moment when I signed those papers and my wife sign those papers.

We did thumbprints and all these other documents that wouldn't but ultimately that day, July 2, she became our daughter that legal change happened.

So in the inner in the in the sense of the spiritual sense God sends his son to make us sons of God. So we get this son ship through Christ is legal. This legally happens. Christ makes that legally possible.

But what is he happens here is something else happens, and it's amazing truth that until you really grasp this.

JI Packer says also in that book, I encourage you to read it.

You don't fully experience what it's like to be a Christian until you understand this doctrine of adoption is.

Look what he says here God sends his son so that we can receive adoption as sons. But then, what is he do, he sends the Spirit of his son into our hearts, crying about father you see the spirit of God is causing us to cry out. You see, we don't we don't we don't expect one thing to be. I'm now a son of God. It's one thing to know that it really is another thing to experience it. I've heard explained this way, and I've experienced it this way.

Yesterday my daughter Graceland. We were at home and so there's been no tons of challenges I was spent time talking about that, but there's been tons of challenges is very difficult not something easy. It's been really hard and we and where it's like it's just a trial in our patient's justice parenting is in general but something that I've longed for and I've tried my best. I in China. I was very jealous.

I was very jealous of her. I was trying to win her love like that day I would get jealous of Polson when she would respond to Colson when she would respond to Amanda to Levi. I wanted her to respond to me like I'm her dad and so I was like I would be. I'm serious.

I was sure I was I was I just wanted her to love me. I wanted her to know that I loved her, and I wanted her to respond and say yes daddy I love you know you don't know English.

I wanted her to experience that. But she wasn't experiencing it. She was just looking. She we went on different places and she was absent-minded. I would to be honest she would sit with me.

She was really let me choose like I was only when he can hold it I was like 11 and every minute I was like you need I will and then start getting heavier and heavier like a Christmas can holder but but I wanted her to experience what it was like to be love my father. She had never experienced that for three and half years. Most of her life. She sat in a crib really wasting away. I'm thankful for that orphanage.

They gave her a place to live. I gave her food at least enough to survive. She had never experienced love of a father, and even when it was made on legal documents. She is now my daughter it didn't matter to her.

She didn't know any better. You see, with the with the spirit of God does. He says here's what he does.

It says this and says in her passage says. And because you are sons, God has sent this period of his son into our hearts and really what it does is it causes us to cry out a father like you recognize it and you want to call him father you desire and calling father because you start to see him as a heavenly father you might have experienced the very terrible father on earth.

But when Christ sends the Spirit of his son into your heart. You actually can ask Marian's life as a son and a daughter of the king of kings and Lord God sends his spirit in this amazing amazing truth of sending this grace into our lives and see and hear. I want you to experience life as a son of mine first John 131 says this see what kind of love the father has given to us that we should be called children of God weeks. We want we desire and I want you to understand you have been love by God. Though you are a slave to sin though you are enslaved in all of the mass of your life and you're saying I'm not did you not hear this morning were pretty sinful.

We are yet in Christ, he comes, he brings us into his family and then he sends his spirit into our hearts, causing us to well up with pride and joy and so all of a sudden we can go to the father were not held back were not were not were not like oh there's this great chasm.

This distance between my God and me now know he is my father and what father does not want to lavish himself on his children. What father does not want his children to come to them when they're crying out in fear. Yesterday I fly Beutler. It was one of the first days, it's really cool because I was I was. I said your helping me with an illustration should not talk about but yesterday she literally was all day, wanting to be with me. It was so much fun reminiscing a little jealous, so, so it always exciting when she does that yesterday when the first time she's like hold hold hold my hand hold my hand. Of course, you could have my hand out culture and no drain and I walked to British income run. I can hear her feet just pattern along right behind me wanting to be with me. She started to experience that she has father who cares for her, but to be honest that's not as far as I wanted to go you what I want for her more than anything than to experience an earthly father.

I want her to experience that she has a heavenly father who has adopted her spiritually will adopt her if she will respond in faith and so here's what he offers. He's offering us this and he's giving us this gift of his spirit to change us in this change that happens in experience. And finally, this is not on own and make sure I hit this is well and that such there's this change in privilege look at what happens here in verse seven and really this is really the biggest focus of this of this section because that's why starts in verse 26 and the beginning of chapter 4 about this idea of an air so finally this when this adoption happens there's a change in privilege, you noticed what's interesting about this passage, you might've picked up on it already. If you're a student here, he says. Notice he doesn't say that we are sons and daughters, or we are adopted as children of God elsewhere in Scripture does say children of God. John especially talks about in first John, also in the Gospel of John Lee doesn't say sons and daughters. He doesn't do children of God in the family of God.

He doesn't say those he specifically says son of God. You notice that look at verse 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all's chapter 3 verse 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, and then later on and and again he says in verse five in chapter 4, he says, to redeem those who were under the law so that we might receive adoption as sons will again. The air in that society was the eldest son he received the inheritance we don't really practice this anymore in our culture and our day-to-day society. But back then. This was common eldest son.

We know that we see that with the story of Jacob and Esau right Jacob and how he deceives to get the inheritance when the society, the eldest son and the son specifically was the one who would get the inheritance and so even in Rome what they would do is if you did not have a son. The Romans would they would then take their servant or an orphan or someone else who was a slave or whatever and they would adopt them when they were older they would adopt them into their family and they would become the sun and they would become the air so every literally taking a slave or a servant you can you imagine experience of that of going from that you are a just a Plano servant of your master and all of a sudden now you become the sun and not just any son, you become the air like the eldest son. That's what Paul's doing here in this passage he's trying to emphasize the importance of what God is doing is not just adopting you in his family he say I'm adopting you as the eldest son.

I am bringing you into the family and I am but a lavish you with the full inheritance.

That's for you. You become my error notice what he says verse seven, so you are no longer a slave but us son and heir through God.

What an amazing privilege that God lavishes on us that he says I'm in a bring you to my family and your to get all the benefits you're coheirs with Christ. That's not fair.

We try to blame God and say life isn't fair. This is unfair. Do you really think your adoption into God's family is fair is by grace through faith in Christ alone in this amazing privilege that God gives. He says you are now my chillout child and you are not just any child. You are an air of the promise. The promise specifically even of Abraham all the way back to in Genesis with Abraham, but also the full right and full privileges of the sun. I want to end with this quote when I when we were going to the adoption process are adoption agency has read several books. One of his books was called was Russell Moore's book called adopted for life very, very, very rough, highly recommend you to read but in that book, he gave this story and I want to read it to you and close with this.

He says this. Imagine for a moment that you're adopting a child as you meet with the social worker in the last stage of the process you told you're told that this 12-year-old has been in and out of psychotherapy since he was three he persistent burning things and attempting repeatedly to skin animals alive, he acts out sexually. The social worker says, although she doesn't really fill you in on all what that means.

She continues with the little family history this boy's father, grandfather, great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather all had histories of violence ranging from spousal abuse to serial murder. Each of them.

It ended their own lives. Think for a minute would you want this child. If you did adopt him when you watching nervously as he played with your other children when you watch him nervously as he looks at the knife on the kitchen table when you leave the room as he watched a movie on TV with your daughter with the lights out. Most of us would say I'm not signed up for that I would adopt a person's too risky. More goes on to say that's me that you received our cultural Christianity. We don't see how the depravity of our souls for sin nature in Christ comes at the right moment in history to redeem us and to adopt us into his family. All the risks, not a lot of that was Monday.

Our biggest fear in the adoption all the unknowns have no clue what her family history was like I don't know if her family was all these things that were mentioned scares me think about it, whom I am nothing question is who is Christ.

He is everything in Christ's chill. If you're a believer.

This room is chosen you into his family. He is adopted you into his family. What an amazing change that has taken place in your life. If that's true, here's the cool thing that hasn't happened in your life. It can verse 26 in chapter 3 says, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith so you and I all of us by faith can receive this son ship that's talked about in this passage we can be adopted into his family to listen if you don't know Christ maybe never experienced what it's like. Given you've you like, you know, I think I'm saved I believe them saved you to experience what life is with Christ and I pray that the spirit of God would stir your heart and draw you to himself, maybe I would be my joy, my privilege to share with you what a lot of relationship with Christ. Looks like for many of us, it's a pretty good person okay I'm not that bad but in Christ we need him apart from him nothing in amazing thing is the challenge and ask is this. Are you a son. Have you been adopted into God's family we pray heavenly father we think sometimes we take that so quickly and throw it out there. Heavenly father and don't realize what that actually means understand why you would adopt me into your family. I don't deserve it. There's nothing good about me. Why would you send your own son to pay the debt that I owe that I could never pay to redeem me doesn't make sense to wonderful.II just want to praise you would think you that you have. I pray for these. Those of us here tonight who you are walking with God for a long time but never really realized the magnitude of our adoption into God's family name may not like the Galatians, the Galatian churches were tempted to do to go back into a life of slavery and may we enjoy the benefits of being a child of God. May we enjoy the relationship through your spirit inside of our hearts, crying out from inside of us, father, we cry out to you were grateful and thankful that you allow us to do that. We pray that you will open our eyes to the beauty of Christ, the wonder and the mystery of the adoption that you call us your own. We thank you for this great truth. We ask this in Christ