1 00:00:00,720 --> 00:00:03,640 As we look at our scripture here, you can remain standing, 2 00:00:03,640 --> 00:00:07,680 but I want to say 1 brief thing while you're still standing. 3 00:00:07,840 --> 00:00:13,360 Sam's prayer prompted me to say there's some amazing things 4 00:00:13,360 --> 00:00:17,960 happening in this in this church and God is on the move globally 5 00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:23,280 using many of you, but we need to hear your stories. 6 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:27,080 But Sam prayed about some of those things, but we just want 7 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:31,160 to say it is incredible little stories. 8 00:00:31,160 --> 00:00:34,200 What people might think is just a little little thing turns out 9 00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:37,760 to be something significant for the Kingdom. 10 00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:41,040 So e-mail us your stories, tell us what God is doing in your 11 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:43,960 life. Let us know and we're going to 12 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:46,240 try to figure out 1000 different ways to let you know. 13 00:00:46,560 --> 00:00:50,840 But it's happening and great things are happening and we need 14 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:53,640 that encouragement. So with that, we'll be 15 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:57,760 significantly encouraged by Ephesians chapter 1. 16 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:00,960 We're looking at verses 5 through 7. 17 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:07,720 In love, He predestined us for adoption to himself as sons 18 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:14,320 through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to 19 00:01:14,320 --> 00:01:21,400 the praise of his glorious grace with which He has blessed us in 20 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:25,440 the beloved. In Him we have redemption 21 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:30,280 through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses 22 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:32,680 according to the riches of His grace. 23 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:36,800 This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God you may be 24 00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:42,560 seated. Let us pray. 25 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:53,520 Holy Spirit, you have called us and awakened us and allowed us 26 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:56,040 to be here at this 8:00 AM service. 27 00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:02,320 So will you let the messenger be seated and let the message go 28 00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:08,000 forth by the power of your Holy Spirit, only you're an errant. 29 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:13,400 Holy Word matters. So will you do whatever it takes 30 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:20,600 to encourage our souls and to challenge us and to remind us 31 00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:25,640 that we are your beloved adopted sons and daughters and we pray 32 00:02:25,640 --> 00:02:33,040 this in your name, Jesus, Amen. There is a spectacular book and 33 00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:34,760 I hope that many of you have read this. 34 00:02:34,760 --> 00:02:41,240 This is called gentle and lowly. It is phenomenal and this book 35 00:02:41,240 --> 00:02:47,320 has is has rich. It is it is got the word of God 36 00:02:47,320 --> 00:02:51,600 and it just squeeze all into it and it is a powerful book. 37 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:57,920 Dane Orton has is the author of this book and he has this very 38 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:02,280 provocative chapter that fits perfectly. 39 00:03:02,640 --> 00:03:05,600 He he reminds us there's two ways that you can live in a 40 00:03:05,600 --> 00:03:09,040 Christian life. You can live for the heart of 41 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:11,960 Christ or from the heart of Christ. 42 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:17,360 You can live for the smile of God or from the smile of God. 43 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:23,680 You can live for a new identity or from your new identity in 44 00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:26,400 Christ. The battle of our Christian life 45 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:30,280 is to bring our own hearts into the alignment by the power of 46 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:33,360 the Holy Spirit into Christ's heart. 47 00:03:33,920 --> 00:03:37,600 So that means every morning we start over, we have to get up 48 00:03:38,320 --> 00:03:43,200 and we have to take our orphan thinking our natural mindset 49 00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:46,440 that's about earning and performing in order to gain love 50 00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:52,360 and let it be baptized by a complete transformation of the 51 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:56,280 Holy Spirit to remind us of our full and free adoption in the 52 00:03:56,280 --> 00:03:58,160 family of God through the work of Christ. 53 00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:02,960 And it this becomes something we all deal with right? 54 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:08,240 Even on Sunday mornings. Then he uses a just a little 55 00:04:08,240 --> 00:04:14,880 story to remind us of how this is still true and no matter how 56 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:16,640 long you've walked with the Lord. 57 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:21,000 He talks about a a little 12 year old boy that grew up in a 58 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:24,760 healthy, loving family with parents very attentive to him 59 00:04:25,680 --> 00:04:28,200 and this this boy had a wonderful family. 60 00:04:28,440 --> 00:04:35,840 But one year he decided I'm going to do all I can to earn my 61 00:04:35,840 --> 00:04:39,720 place in this family. How can I guarantee that I will 62 00:04:39,960 --> 00:04:42,160 not be removed from this family and stay in there? 63 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:46,960 So he works on a birth certificate and and documents he 64 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:50,640 makes in his room. He determines the next week to 65 00:04:50,640 --> 00:04:56,520 scrub every single part of the kitchen and make it spotless and 66 00:04:56,520 --> 00:05:00,960 and every dish and every aspect of that kitchen clean. 67 00:05:01,120 --> 00:05:03,560 Then he says I'm going to do whatever I can do to imitate my 68 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:06,360 dad and help my dad. So he goes and does that for a 69 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:10,360 whole week. Finally the parents go, what is 70 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:12,400 going on? What are you doing? 71 00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:16,600 This is way too much. What is happening son? 72 00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:21,000 And the son replies, hey mom, hey dad, I'm just doing all I 73 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:23,520 can to secure my place in the family. 74 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:27,120 That's all I'm doing guys. And his parents were like, oh 75 00:05:27,760 --> 00:05:33,760 stop, stop. You had nothing to do. 76 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:36,840 You could not have earned anything to come into our 77 00:05:36,840 --> 00:05:39,160 family. And you can't not lose it, 78 00:05:39,520 --> 00:05:41,600 period. You are ours. 79 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:46,600 And that settles it. And though it is interesting, 80 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:49,920 funny little story, it does kind of go to the heart of how we 81 00:05:49,920 --> 00:05:55,920 often, as we live our lives in this tension of living in a 82 00:05:55,920 --> 00:06:00,360 world where we're having to prove it all the time, earn it 83 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:05,200 in order to have our keep and constantly being tested. 84 00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:09,960 And yet, and yet, as we drill down on this amazing passage in 85 00:06:09,960 --> 00:06:13,320 Ephesians, we are stunned the fact that we cannot earn our 86 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:16,120 adoption in Christ, though we would love to. 87 00:06:16,120 --> 00:06:21,600 We know it is impossible and that our tendency is to always 88 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:27,040 want to be working, always wanting to live in order to to 89 00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:32,320 earn it and, and pursue it and and achieve it as if we could do 90 00:06:32,320 --> 00:06:35,640 something we cannot, right. We know this, we all that the 91 00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:43,160 etiquette crowd knows this and you know that we are in awe of 92 00:06:43,160 --> 00:06:48,080 what the Lord is doing in all of our lives, especially in this. 93 00:06:48,080 --> 00:06:52,560 We're going to focus specifically on our adoption. 94 00:06:52,640 --> 00:06:56,440 And yet there are times when we act like that 12 year old boy 95 00:06:57,080 --> 00:07:00,760 trying to continue to earn it. But this Scripture, these two 96 00:07:00,760 --> 00:07:06,480 little verses is actually part of a larger profound passage, 97 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:09,920 verses 3 through 14. This is 1 long sentence in 98 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:13,000 Greek. It's one staggering, amazing 99 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:15,800 sentence. And in in this, there's no 100 00:07:15,800 --> 00:07:18,480 periods, it's just runs straight through. 101 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:23,360 And there's 202 Greek words in this one sentence between verse 102 00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:27,480 3 and verse 14. And it is like a firework show 103 00:07:27,480 --> 00:07:31,520 of God's grace and glory. It rolls through things like 104 00:07:31,640 --> 00:07:34,960 election, predestination, redemption, forgiveness, our 105 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:38,240 inheritance, the sealing of the Holy Spirit, lions and tigers 106 00:07:38,240 --> 00:07:39,280 and bears. Oh my. 107 00:07:39,560 --> 00:07:45,720 It is loaded with a profound insight and every one of the 108 00:07:45,720 --> 00:07:50,080 words we could spend months on. That's why we're doing two weeks 109 00:07:50,080 --> 00:07:51,760 on adoption. You notice that. 110 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:56,000 And so why are we doing that? Because we're trying to really 111 00:07:56,000 --> 00:08:01,080 slow it down and really understand and metabolize the 112 00:08:01,680 --> 00:08:05,840 these profound theological words that are real, that are true. 113 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:09,920 It's all pointing back to the Christ, to the beloved. 114 00:08:09,920 --> 00:08:14,360 It is not a it's, it's way more than a logical flow. 115 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:19,280 It's a doxology flow. It is, it is all to praise and 116 00:08:19,280 --> 00:08:24,400 it always leads to the praise of His glory that God gives us in 117 00:08:24,400 --> 00:08:29,080 Ephesians 3 through 14, a spectacular run through of all 118 00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:33,919 the privileges we have in Christ, given by God, secured by 119 00:08:33,919 --> 00:08:38,280 Christ, applied by the Holy Spirit to you and to me who are 120 00:08:38,280 --> 00:08:42,280 in Christ. And so as we look at adoption in 121 00:08:42,280 --> 00:08:48,720 particular, we, we are amazed how this one little word can 122 00:08:48,720 --> 00:08:52,840 stump us if we're not careful. Because everything in this, in 123 00:08:52,840 --> 00:08:56,880 this passage here, particularly these two verses, all goes back 124 00:08:56,880 --> 00:09:00,440 to the praise of his glory in Christ, in Christ. 125 00:09:00,680 --> 00:09:06,400 In fact, that little phrase in Christ is 11 times in this one 126 00:09:06,400 --> 00:09:10,800 passage, 11 times. That is how they looked at 127 00:09:10,800 --> 00:09:12,600 themselves. You they did not use the word 128 00:09:12,600 --> 00:09:15,800 Christian very rarely. Instead, they just view 129 00:09:15,800 --> 00:09:21,160 themselves for those who are in Christ really speaking to our 130 00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:25,400 union. And so as we look at this, we 131 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:29,640 see many things Here we go as the Father planned it, then the 132 00:09:29,640 --> 00:09:32,080 Son accomplished it and the Spirit applied it. 133 00:09:32,840 --> 00:09:36,880 And so when you think about this passage in Ephesians, do you 134 00:09:36,880 --> 00:09:41,480 remember the very first sermon that Mark preached? 135 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:47,000 He asked a very a very challenging, provocative 136 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:51,840 question and he actually allowed us to have silence to answer. 137 00:09:51,920 --> 00:09:56,040 It was it was from the Puritan legend himself, John Owen. 138 00:09:56,640 --> 00:10:03,040 Here was the question he's he asked this John Owen made a 139 00:10:03,040 --> 00:10:07,240 statement that our greatest hindrance in the Christian life 140 00:10:07,400 --> 00:10:13,520 is what fill in the blank. And hopefully you had that 141 00:10:13,520 --> 00:10:15,360 opportunity to kind of wrestle with that. 142 00:10:16,680 --> 00:10:20,360 Maybe today, maybe you missed that, but when he did that, he 143 00:10:20,360 --> 00:10:23,360 gave everyone silence and they had to fill in the bike. 144 00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:26,000 What would you fill in? What would you say? 145 00:10:27,400 --> 00:10:31,400 I'm going to read it again. Our greatest hindrance in the 146 00:10:31,400 --> 00:10:37,080 Christian life is what? And so here is the answer. 147 00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:45,120 Not our lack of effort, but our lack of acquaintance with all of 148 00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:48,360 our privileges. These are the privileges we have 149 00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:51,440 in Christ. And so that is what John Owen 150 00:10:51,440 --> 00:10:54,280 says is our greatest hindrance in the Christian life. 151 00:10:55,360 --> 00:11:01,040 And may we, as we study Ephesians, find it not so 152 00:11:01,040 --> 00:11:07,520 hindering anymore as we marinate in the profound reality that and 153 00:11:07,520 --> 00:11:11,440 as we we become acquainted with our privileges. 154 00:11:12,520 --> 00:11:16,280 The privileges are staggering that we have here and it's just 155 00:11:16,280 --> 00:11:19,880 overflowing in there. In fact, I want you to think 156 00:11:19,880 --> 00:11:24,160 about this as we are in this, this first week of Lent. 157 00:11:25,480 --> 00:11:29,680 What if you flip the script or a thought outside the box in 158 00:11:29,680 --> 00:11:34,120 these, in this season of Lent as we prepare and go all the way to 159 00:11:34,120 --> 00:11:38,040 Easter? And maybe instead of giving up 160 00:11:38,040 --> 00:11:40,760 something or denying yourself something, you can do that if 161 00:11:40,760 --> 00:11:44,720 you want to. But what if you marinated and 162 00:11:44,720 --> 00:11:49,320 wrestled and studied with the privileges that you have in 163 00:11:49,320 --> 00:11:52,480 Christ? What if you went on to the 164 00:11:52,480 --> 00:11:57,680 positive side of things and let the Lord reveal the staggering 165 00:11:57,800 --> 00:12:05,480 privileges to be well acquainted with those as you walk all the 166 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:09,520 way through Lent into Easter? Because our adoption and our 167 00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:13,440 union with Christ is a profound, profound reality. 168 00:12:14,160 --> 00:12:17,080 There's no better place really for us to kind of summarize that 169 00:12:17,960 --> 00:12:20,400 we can't outdo the Westminster Confession of Faith. 170 00:12:20,680 --> 00:12:24,640 This was actually our profession of faith last week, if you 171 00:12:24,640 --> 00:12:29,600 remember, it says this. This is helping us define 172 00:12:29,600 --> 00:12:35,240 adoption. All those who are justified, all 173 00:12:35,240 --> 00:12:38,920 those who are justified, God graciously guarantees to make 174 00:12:38,920 --> 00:12:44,080 partakers of the grace of adoption in and for His only 175 00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:48,000 Son, Jesus Christ. By this act, they are taken into 176 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:51,880 the number of God's children and enjoy the liberties and 177 00:12:51,880 --> 00:12:57,920 privileges of that relationship. We are given His name, we 178 00:12:57,920 --> 00:13:02,560 receive the spirit of adoption, we have access to the throne of 179 00:13:02,560 --> 00:13:07,800 grace with boldness, and we're enabled to cry out ABBA Father 180 00:13:09,240 --> 00:13:12,360 like a Father. He has compassion on us to 181 00:13:12,360 --> 00:13:17,880 protect, provide, and to chasten, and yet never, never, 182 00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:22,520 never to be cast off. But we are sealed to the day of 183 00:13:22,520 --> 00:13:27,880 redemption and will inherit the promises as heirs of everlasting 184 00:13:28,320 --> 00:13:33,480 salvation. It is worth another look for 185 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:37,720 sure because each phrase is loaded with hundreds of of 186 00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:43,120 passages of Scripture anchored to this and if you if we dare. 187 00:13:43,120 --> 00:13:46,600 It's really challenging, but I I try to how would you define it? 188 00:13:46,600 --> 00:13:50,600 How would you boil it down even even more specifically if you 189 00:13:50,600 --> 00:13:53,440 could. One scholar said this adoption 190 00:13:53,440 --> 00:13:58,560 is the act of God whereby he makes us members of his family 191 00:14:00,120 --> 00:14:05,400 and if you think about how profound that is compared to 192 00:14:05,400 --> 00:14:10,440 what we were. If you are in Christ now, then 193 00:14:10,440 --> 00:14:14,360 we can rejoice that we are members of His family, but we 194 00:14:14,360 --> 00:14:18,800 were not that we were actually children of wrath prior to that, 195 00:14:19,760 --> 00:14:24,720 as Galatians 4 says that we were not members and actually doomed 196 00:14:24,720 --> 00:14:27,840 to hell. Galatians 4 says we were in 197 00:14:27,840 --> 00:14:33,600 slavery in the elemental, elemental spiritual forces of 198 00:14:33,600 --> 00:14:38,480 the world, but when the time had come fully, God sent a son born 199 00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:43,160 of a woman born under the law to redeem those under the law, that 200 00:14:43,160 --> 00:14:49,040 we might receive adoption, sonship, because you are His 201 00:14:49,040 --> 00:14:52,360 sons. God sent the Spirit into His Son 202 00:14:52,360 --> 00:14:55,440 into our hearts. The Spirit cries out, ABBA 203 00:14:55,480 --> 00:15:01,440 Father, so you are no longer slaves, but God's children, and 204 00:15:01,440 --> 00:15:07,200 since you are His child, God has made you an heir. 205 00:15:07,960 --> 00:15:09,920 The contrast is staggering, is it not? 206 00:15:09,920 --> 00:15:14,760 It's so good for each of us to to think again what we were and 207 00:15:14,760 --> 00:15:18,520 what we are. If you have trusted in Christ, 208 00:15:19,120 --> 00:15:24,560 then you have been transformed from from a child of wrath into 209 00:15:24,560 --> 00:15:30,320 an adopted beloved child. Amen and Amen. 210 00:15:30,520 --> 00:15:34,920 It is, it is, it is staggering when you think about that. 211 00:15:35,520 --> 00:15:39,960 I hope at times I do this and I think we all do this. 212 00:15:39,960 --> 00:15:41,920 We kind of hear things, we kind of let them roll off. 213 00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:45,360 But this is actually what is eternally true right now. 214 00:15:45,440 --> 00:15:48,080 It happened the moment of salvation for us. 215 00:15:49,400 --> 00:15:52,280 And so, you know, to really kind of help us kind of wrangle in it 216 00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:54,480 and think through. And I really want you to think 217 00:15:54,480 --> 00:15:59,560 at the end of this sermon or later, I want you to try to 218 00:15:59,560 --> 00:16:03,280 communicate to someone that you love who's who slept in and 219 00:16:03,320 --> 00:16:06,800 didn't come to church today. And, and have I want you to 220 00:16:06,800 --> 00:16:10,920 think, how would I define it and help explain adoption to them? 221 00:16:11,280 --> 00:16:15,640 Biblical adoption as the scripture has revealed it to us. 222 00:16:16,360 --> 00:16:20,240 It's helped, it's helpful to see how adoption, union with Christ, 223 00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:23,760 our regeneration and justification all come in. 224 00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:27,440 This is the, the kind of confluence of all of these 225 00:16:27,440 --> 00:16:33,320 profound theological realities. They're they are names that we 226 00:16:33,320 --> 00:16:35,560 give to the profound work of God. 227 00:16:36,280 --> 00:16:39,480 And all of these, particularly justification and regeneration, 228 00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:45,920 all come together in adoption. Hang with me on this, OK. 229 00:16:46,800 --> 00:16:49,280 And and I want you to think with me on this. 230 00:16:50,360 --> 00:16:56,200 So the wonder of the gospel is in our new identity of Christ is 231 00:16:56,200 --> 00:17:00,120 really revealed in how you kind of put all these two together. 232 00:17:00,760 --> 00:17:04,240 This is what Wayne Grudem says in regeneration. 233 00:17:04,520 --> 00:17:08,760 We are made spiritually alive, able to relate to God in prayer 234 00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:11,599 and worship, and able to hear his word and receive it with 235 00:17:11,599 --> 00:17:16,400 receptive hearts. But it is possible. 236 00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:19,200 Just think about this. He's kind of thinking about what 237 00:17:19,200 --> 00:17:25,119 if that God could have created creatures, men and women who are 238 00:17:25,119 --> 00:17:30,040 spiritually alive and yet not members of his family, not 239 00:17:30,040 --> 00:17:33,880 sharing in the family privileges as adopted children. 240 00:17:34,360 --> 00:17:37,280 In other words, he could have justified us and regenerated us, 241 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:41,120 but not adopted us. And so there's a little bit of a 242 00:17:41,120 --> 00:17:43,040 nuance. There's a splitting of that. 243 00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:45,600 And that is basically what the angels are, right? 244 00:17:46,520 --> 00:17:49,040 You know, they are not, they have not been adopted into the 245 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:53,680 family of God like we have. And so these created creatures 246 00:17:54,040 --> 00:17:59,880 have a separate identity apart from that adoption. 247 00:18:00,600 --> 00:18:05,920 And so it is possible then that you could, that the Lord and his 248 00:18:05,920 --> 00:18:08,880 Providence could have regenerated us without adopting 249 00:18:08,880 --> 00:18:11,320 us with their privileges. But he did not. 250 00:18:12,080 --> 00:18:15,600 He did adopt us and he could have, he could have justified 251 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:18,760 us. He could have justified us and 252 00:18:18,760 --> 00:18:25,520 set us and and wiped the slate clean and yet not making us 253 00:18:25,520 --> 00:18:27,880 children as well. So just think about how all 254 00:18:27,880 --> 00:18:30,040 those come together. They have all different aspects 255 00:18:30,040 --> 00:18:34,360 of it. But notice it's like he did. 256 00:18:34,760 --> 00:18:38,480 He justified us, regenerated us and adopted us. 257 00:18:38,720 --> 00:18:41,160 All those things coming at us at the same time. 258 00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:45,560 That is unbelievable when you think about that, because he 259 00:18:45,560 --> 00:18:47,520 could have done it so many different ways. 260 00:18:48,120 --> 00:18:50,480 He could have. You know, regeneration is how 261 00:18:50,480 --> 00:18:53,960 God makes those who are spiritually dead come alive. 262 00:18:54,520 --> 00:18:58,160 He makes dead men live. Justification has to do with our 263 00:18:58,160 --> 00:19:01,760 standing before God, our legal declaration by the judge, our 264 00:19:01,760 --> 00:19:06,200 God, that sinners are declared righteous not because they are, 265 00:19:06,400 --> 00:19:10,880 but because He declares them righteous and credits or imputes 266 00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:14,640 to them. But adoption is unique in the 267 00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:18,440 relationship. That's right in the relationship 268 00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:21,560 because it is that intimacy in that relationship. 269 00:19:21,560 --> 00:19:28,200 He folds us into this family and and in our family, we have now 270 00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:34,240 been a part at the minute of our salvation into adopted family 271 00:19:34,400 --> 00:19:38,240 for all of eternity. And we don't deserve any of 272 00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:40,800 this. So there's a lot of ways the 273 00:19:40,800 --> 00:19:44,400 Lord and his prophets could have taken this, But instead he 274 00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:49,240 bundles them together in a staggering in our union with 275 00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:53,880 Christ and puts it all for us. And and Ephesians is reminding 276 00:19:53,880 --> 00:19:58,360 us of this in this one incredibly long, spectacular 277 00:19:58,560 --> 00:20:02,480 sentence. It's the longest sentence in the 278 00:20:02,480 --> 00:20:06,200 New Testament. So as we look and understand our 279 00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:09,640 adoptions, we think through how much he loves us as he we think 280 00:20:09,640 --> 00:20:12,920 through we have been set free and given access to the throne 281 00:20:12,920 --> 00:20:17,040 of grace, all because we have the past like we're with Christ, 282 00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:20,960 we're we're with him. We have special access because 283 00:20:20,960 --> 00:20:26,600 the blood of the covenant for us has been shed and therefore we 284 00:20:26,640 --> 00:20:30,320 have peace with God and our beloved adopted. 285 00:20:30,920 --> 00:20:33,920 And so as Romans 8 says, we did not receive the spirit of 286 00:20:33,920 --> 00:20:37,840 slavery leading us back to fear, but we have received the spirit 287 00:20:37,840 --> 00:20:40,440 of adoption as sons and daughters with crowd ABBA 288 00:20:40,440 --> 00:20:45,680 Father, the spirit bears witness to to us with our spirit that we 289 00:20:45,680 --> 00:20:48,640 are children of God and if we're children, heirs and if we're 290 00:20:48,640 --> 00:20:53,080 heirs, fellow heirs, provided we suffer with him in order that we 291 00:20:53,080 --> 00:20:58,480 may be glorified with him this week. 292 00:20:58,720 --> 00:21:05,880 Think about you are Co heirs with Christ and receive an 293 00:21:05,880 --> 00:21:10,880 inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled. 294 00:21:12,200 --> 00:21:16,720 No one can touch it. That is a staggering gift. 295 00:21:18,720 --> 00:21:21,320 I don't think there's any good comparison on earth. 296 00:21:22,480 --> 00:21:25,080 No matter what you would say, nothing matters. 297 00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:32,400 This far outweighs anything that earthly examples or comparisons. 298 00:21:32,800 --> 00:21:36,880 And that's why Ji Packer says adoption is the crowning 299 00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:41,440 blessing to which justification? Justification clears the way. 300 00:21:43,240 --> 00:21:47,240 That is amazing. That's a lot better than being 301 00:21:47,240 --> 00:21:52,240 adopted by Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk or any rich mega 302 00:21:52,240 --> 00:21:54,840 billionaire, right? They can't offer in it. 303 00:21:54,840 --> 00:21:59,600 No human can offer this even if they pour all their billions on 304 00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:02,320 us. No one could receive the 305 00:22:02,320 --> 00:22:05,680 inheritance of Co heirs with Christ. 306 00:22:06,800 --> 00:22:10,120 No one. This is spectacular. 307 00:22:10,680 --> 00:22:13,320 But the Father plan the Son accomplished in the Spirit 308 00:22:13,560 --> 00:22:18,560 applies and secures to us all for the praise of His glory. 309 00:22:19,080 --> 00:22:23,920 So in the last few minutes here, I want you to be honest and 310 00:22:23,920 --> 00:22:31,400 think through how is it this is true in my head that my heart 311 00:22:31,840 --> 00:22:34,840 drifts. Prone to wander, prone to lead 312 00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:39,800 the God we love, prone to start over every day and go. 313 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:45,760 My orphan mindset is creeped back in as we start our day. 314 00:22:47,080 --> 00:22:50,360 It is a longest journey right from our head to our heart. 315 00:22:50,760 --> 00:22:54,800 And we know this, if we're honest, and I hope you are, this 316 00:22:54,800 --> 00:22:59,320 goes so deep into our identity as who we are and whose we are. 317 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:03,240 Again, we can either live for the heart of Christ or from the 318 00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:05,920 heart of Christ. We can either live for the smile 319 00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:10,840 of God or from it. How how do we do this? 320 00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:15,480 How do we sort of beat it into our hearts? 321 00:23:15,480 --> 00:23:17,760 This is true. This is true. 322 00:23:18,920 --> 00:23:22,840 There's this an amazing archaeological find and all 323 00:23:22,840 --> 00:23:25,120 throughout Israel and really all over the Middle East. 324 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:28,280 It's alive. They're finding new things every 325 00:23:28,280 --> 00:23:29,720 day, sometimes in the middle of war. 326 00:23:30,360 --> 00:23:34,160 And you may go there 10 years. You may have been Israel maybe 327 00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:36,360 20 years ago. If you go there now, they'll be 328 00:23:36,480 --> 00:23:38,880 stunning new discoveries and archaeological digs. 329 00:23:39,240 --> 00:23:45,840 They found a fascinating place in northern Jordan near the 330 00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:49,720 Syrian border several years ago. They found an underground church 331 00:23:50,040 --> 00:23:55,320 underneath an existing church. And so it it's a Saint George's 332 00:23:55,320 --> 00:24:01,480 church, dates about 2:30 AD And somehow they dug underneath that 333 00:24:01,480 --> 00:24:05,880 and they found yet another church, what they think is an 334 00:24:05,880 --> 00:24:09,560 original meeting spot, because it was hidden, it was in sort of 335 00:24:09,560 --> 00:24:14,320 underground, submerged, and it would kept them from being 336 00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:17,920 persecuted. And they found this mosaic in 337 00:24:17,920 --> 00:24:20,400 there. And on the mosaic it was 338 00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:29,720 written, it was the 70 beloved by God, that their identity was 339 00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:32,000 encapsulated. And like, who am I? 340 00:24:32,120 --> 00:24:38,000 I am 1, beloved by God. And that's who for all of us, I 341 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:43,680 hope we can say, yes, Lord, that is my new identity. 342 00:24:43,680 --> 00:24:48,960 And I embrace it as an heir with you as one beloved by God. 343 00:24:50,440 --> 00:24:54,600 So think about your how your identity is changed and how you 344 00:24:54,600 --> 00:24:56,880 think about yourself and push it. 345 00:24:56,880 --> 00:24:59,640 How do we push it down into our fickle hearts? 346 00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:07,880 So what I would love to do I cannot do right now, which is I 347 00:25:07,880 --> 00:25:11,400 would love after this worship service is over with or even 348 00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:17,280 after communion is to have a a small group, OK, a little small 349 00:25:17,280 --> 00:25:19,560 group study right. And it'd be very confidential. 350 00:25:19,560 --> 00:25:22,200 Just a few of you. And then we could all do this 351 00:25:22,560 --> 00:25:28,400 and we could all talk about honestly, do I really believe 352 00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:32,680 that I'm adopted beloved Co heir with Christ? 353 00:25:33,320 --> 00:25:38,720 And if I don't, how can sharing with one another, encouraging 354 00:25:38,720 --> 00:25:41,600 when they're sharpening one another help us get to that 355 00:25:41,600 --> 00:25:47,320 place because it is if we really embraced it, we might live very 356 00:25:47,320 --> 00:25:50,040 differently. Now there might be several of 357 00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:54,320 you and I wouldn't be surprised that you do embrace it and you 358 00:25:54,320 --> 00:25:58,000 love it and you walk with the Lord and I say amazing Amen. 359 00:25:58,280 --> 00:26:01,520 And now you can lead a small group to help the rest of us 360 00:26:02,080 --> 00:26:06,520 understand and process. How is it sometimes these 361 00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:10,800 profound truths can only be really pushed from our head down 362 00:26:10,800 --> 00:26:14,880 to our heart by our awareness that we don't actually believe 363 00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:17,080 it. We struggle with it and our 364 00:26:17,080 --> 00:26:23,280 awareness to say I need help, I need, I need wisdom, I need time 365 00:26:23,680 --> 00:26:28,320 and safety to admit the gap in my own heart. 366 00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:34,680 Or is adoption and our struggle to embrace adoption actually 367 00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:39,560 have something to do with something even more hidden or 368 00:26:39,560 --> 00:26:42,440 nefarious, which is maybe there's something in our family 369 00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:46,480 of origin or the way we relate to our father or the way in our 370 00:26:46,480 --> 00:26:49,320 family brokenness. It's hard to build trust. 371 00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:53,720 This is actually true. If you're like me, if you've had 372 00:26:54,600 --> 00:26:58,160 a really kind of broken family situation, you did not have a 373 00:26:58,280 --> 00:27:01,840 good father or something terrible happened, it's harder 374 00:27:01,840 --> 00:27:05,800 to embrace these truths because you have fortified your own soul 375 00:27:06,200 --> 00:27:08,000 to kind of guard against being hurt. 376 00:27:08,920 --> 00:27:13,440 That's a very simplistic way to say this, but basically the 377 00:27:13,440 --> 00:27:16,560 brokenness of our family of origins sometimes makes it very 378 00:27:16,560 --> 00:27:21,760 difficult to embrace the truth of this gospel, especially in 379 00:27:21,760 --> 00:27:25,880 familial ways, ways where God our Father and we're the adopted 380 00:27:25,880 --> 00:27:30,040 son or daughter. And so if if that is happening, 381 00:27:30,640 --> 00:27:33,160 that is worth going to counseling, that is worth going 382 00:27:33,160 --> 00:27:38,200 to process where, why does the gap exist? 383 00:27:39,600 --> 00:27:43,800 Like mind the gap. Think about where you really are 384 00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:47,040 with the Lord. Be honest, name it and bring it 385 00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:49,800 out. The Lord knows He's not shocked 386 00:27:49,920 --> 00:27:52,880 about anything. The deepest worst part of you, 387 00:27:53,080 --> 00:27:56,480 He knows he's just waiting for you to come bring it and name it 388 00:27:56,480 --> 00:28:00,720 and reveal it to him and work with him in the power of the 389 00:28:00,720 --> 00:28:05,360 Holy Spirit for healing. You might be thinking, if I'm 390 00:28:05,360 --> 00:28:07,120 God's child, then why don't I feel like it? 391 00:28:07,120 --> 00:28:11,560 If I'm adopted then why do does God seem so far away from me? 392 00:28:12,200 --> 00:28:16,640 I, I believe God, I know he does, but I feel like he just 393 00:28:16,640 --> 00:28:21,120 tolerates me or just like this is what he should do versus me 394 00:28:21,120 --> 00:28:24,040 as an individual. The particularity of him 395 00:28:24,040 --> 00:28:27,880 choosing each of us is no mistake. 396 00:28:28,480 --> 00:28:34,000 It is His direct personal invitation to us for the 397 00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:36,120 foundations of the world, says Ephesians. 398 00:28:37,200 --> 00:28:43,600 And he designates and ordains us to be his children, adopted 399 00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:47,920 children of God. Do not let anything, the world, 400 00:28:47,920 --> 00:28:51,760 the flesh, the devil, Satan or shame or your broken families, 401 00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:55,920 the origin, anything, get in the way of embracing all of it 402 00:28:56,760 --> 00:29:02,880 because this is what we need. So until we have our small 403 00:29:02,880 --> 00:29:07,240 group, until we process honestly, confidentially, will 404 00:29:07,240 --> 00:29:12,680 you take up that challenge and go, OK, I'm just going to be 405 00:29:12,680 --> 00:29:15,520 honest and I'm going to tell somebody and I'm going to work 406 00:29:15,520 --> 00:29:17,800 on this. And I really want you to think 407 00:29:17,800 --> 00:29:21,960 and and meditate on this passage, this three through 14, 408 00:29:22,120 --> 00:29:28,280 memorize it, digest it, let it metabolize in your soul so that 409 00:29:28,520 --> 00:29:35,520 when Easter comes along, you are embracing deeper the wonder of 410 00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:38,400 being adopted by our Lord and Savior. 411 00:29:39,080 --> 00:29:44,000 Let's pray, Father God, if we have nothing on our own, so 412 00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:48,120 we're asking you to come and do something miraculous. 413 00:29:49,040 --> 00:29:54,720 Oh, Lord, remind us again this free grace that has come to us, 414 00:29:55,640 --> 00:30:00,520 where you put your name on us, that you give us the spirit of 415 00:30:00,520 --> 00:30:05,040 adoption that cries out ABBA Father, and you make us heirs of 416 00:30:05,080 --> 00:30:07,600 all these promises. How can it be? 417 00:30:07,600 --> 00:30:11,520 Oh Lord, how can it be? Help us to understand it and 418 00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:14,720 embrace it and fall in love with you. 419 00:30:15,720 --> 00:30:18,880 Oh Father, have your way with us. 420 00:30:18,880 --> 00:30:23,200 We pray in the name of Jesus, Amen.