Sons and Daughters of God

This message was preached at Manningham.

The sermon delves into the profound concept of adoption into God's family. It emphasizes God’s great love for humanity and His amazing, wonderful, and deliberate plan for our redemption through Jesus Christ.

Read: Ephesians 1:4-14; Romans 8:14-16; Galatians 4:4-6; 3:26; John 1:12.

The story of a baby girl abandoned in a hospital in Sydney in the 1960’s highlights the universal need that each of us has - to belong to a family, and to be connected into a loving community.

1. How does the story of the abandoned baby girl resonate with you in terms of our need for belonging and family? 
2. Why do you think the concept of family is important in both physical and spiritual contexts?

Understanding the Fatherhood of God: 
Read 1 John 3:1 – The apostle John highlights God's lavish love for those who are called the ‘children of God!’ Take note of the tone of this passage.

Have you heard of the phrase ‘apostolic astonishment’ (R.C. Sproul)? There is a sense of ‘apostolic astonishment’ (a sense of awe, wonder) in the way the apostle John has recorded the passage. Why might this be? Well, today, we usually take for granted the statement ‘we are the children of God,’ but the apostolic (early) church never did!

It is generally accepted that God is the Creator of all, but many people today presume that God is the Father of all! This belief emerged out of 19th C Theological Liberalism. Amongst others, Adolph von Harnack (‘The Essence of Christianity’ (translated into the English as ‘What is Christianity?) made the argument that common to other world religions, a shared aspect of the Christian faith was the universal Fatherhood of God. This is a secular notion, and not a biblical truth.

In the OT, God was never referred to as a personal Father. The people were instructed to use appropriate titles to address God in prayer (LORD, I AM, YHWH, Sovereign Lord, Ruler, Creator, Father of the Nation).
In the NT, however, the ‘personal’ Fatherhood of God is a radically new concept! Jesus introduced this, and it changed everything! Not only did He refer to God as His ‘Father’ (165+ times in the four Gospels, and widely present in the Epistles), Jesus INVITED all those who believe in Him into that same privilege when He taught us how to pray (Matt. 6:9-13; Luke 11:2 – The Lord’s Prayer … ‘Father, …).

1. Why do you think the apostles were astonished by this concept?
2. Who are those who can call God, ‘Father’?
3. What does it mean to you to be called a child of God? 
4. How does the concept of God as our Father change your perception of Him? 

Understanding Spiritual Adoption:
There is a difference between justification and adoption.

‘Justification has to do with our change in standing. Adoption has to do with our change in position.’ (Greg Laurie)
Justification in Christ speaks about God’s MERCY for humanity. Adoption into His family speaks about God’s LOVE for humanity.
It’s one thing to be saved! It’s quite another to know that God has ALWAYS wanted us to be redeemed and spiritually adopted into His eternal family!

1. How does understanding the difference between justification and adoption impact your understanding of God's love? 
2. Why do you think it's essential to recognize both aspects of our salvation? 

Spiritual Adoption into God’s Family:
Adoption into God’s family: 
• the PLAN (God chose us), 
• the PATHWAY (God made a way for us), and 
• the PROMISE (God reassures us)!

God's Plan of Adoption—
Ephesians 1:4 tells us that even before Creation, God loved us and chose a people who would be holy before Him – blameless, redeemed in Christ- so that at the final judgement (Col 1:22) (and this is what Paul is alluding to here) we would enter as new creations into the fullness and freedom of the Messianic age.

1. How does knowing that God chose us before the creation of the world impact your view of yourself?
2. In what ways does understanding God's plan for adoption affect our perspective on our relationship with Him?

God’s Pathway to Adoption—
Ephesians 1:5-8 emphasizes that faith in Christ is the pathway to adoption into God’s family! The Greek word for ‘adoption to sonship’ is a legal term, referring to the full legal standing and right of inheritance of the adopted ‘heir’ (into a Roman household). Paul is reminding us here that this is exactly the way God sees us when we are adopted into His family through Jesus Christ. God is generous beyond measure, He invites us into His family, but our participation is required!

1. How does faith in Christ play a role in our adoption into God's family?
2. What steps can we take to strengthen our faith in Christ? 

God’s Promise of Adoption—
The wonderful assurance of our adoption and the role of the Holy Spirit as a guarantee are explained through Ephesians 1:13-14 and Romans 8:14-16.

The Holy Spirit living within us gives constant testimony to our divine adoption – it is through His leading, guiding, correcting, and inspiring, that we can and WANT to draw closer to our heavenly Father. HE bears witness with our spirit that we are a son or a daughter of God!

1. How does the indwelling Holy Spirit reassure us of our identity as children of God? 
2. What practical implications does the promise of adoption have on our daily lives as believers? 

The story of that abandoned little baby girl has a wonderful ‘ending’ – she was adopted into a loving family! Her name? Christine Caine. Today, she is a woman who passionately loves Jesus, has been serving Him for over 30 years, and is a powerful advocate for God’s Kingdom (speaker, author, and anti-human trafficking activist).

Christine found out that through adoption, she was seen – wanted – known – given a name – and very much loved! God sees us this way! Adoption into God’s family is an invitation into relationship, through Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, into the eternal family of our Heavenly Father!

This is good news today!

Discussion Questions
1. How does Christine Caine's story resonate with your understanding of spiritual adoption?
2. What is your response to the invitation to be adopted into God's family?
3. What steps can we take to deepen our relationship with God as our Heavenly Father? 
4. How does accepting God's adoption impact our daily lives and interactions with others? 
5. How can we support and encourage one another in our journey as adopted children of God?