Podcasts about romans 8:14-17

 Hey, y'all! Welcome to the Gary Church Podcast . . . from Gary Church, here in Wheaton, IL. We would love to have you worship with us! You may find more information about our next worship service at www.garychurch.org. This is the scripture and sermon from September 17, 2023, Confirmation Sunday!!!  Our scripture is read by Vickie Austin (00:05) and the sermon by Rev. Dr. Chris Pierson is entitled “Children of God, Followers of Christ” (01:52). At Gary Church our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world! Romans 8:14-17Matthew 16:24-27Revised Common Lectionary

Day of Pentecost (Year C, 2021-2022)Scripture Readings: Acts 2:1-21, Psalm 104:24-34, 35b, Romans 8:14-17, John 14:8-17, (25-27)

Sunday Morning 4/18/2021

How we see ourselves plays a large role in how we live our lives. This week we will see how understanding our position in Christ helps to answer why we are here.

Day of Pentecost (Year C)Acts 2:1-21, Psalm 104:24-34, 35b, Romans 8:14-17, John 14:8-17, (25-27)

The body of Christ is unified through the truth of the Gospel and the Holy Spirit. Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith.

I. The Highest Honor of the Gospel If you would, take your Bibles and open to Romans chapter 8, a magnificent passage of Scripture. We're looking this morning at verses 14-17, but in a little bit of a different way. Last week, we went through the verses, verse by verse, and we tried to understand the privilege, and what it means to be called a child of God, and specifically, in one sense: How do we know if we are children of God? And we drew out five questions, and we applied those to ourselves, that we might understand and know, whether we, ourselves, are children of God. Nothing could be more important than that. There is no inquiry more significant than to determine, are we children of God? Am I a child of God? "I believe the reason why so many poor souls," it says, William Gurnall said, "The reason why so many poor souls have so little joy in their hearts, is that they have so little light of Gospel knowledge in their minds. The further a soul stands from the light of truth, the further he must needs be from the heat of comfort." I guess, in a way, I'm inviting all of us to come into the cottage and sit right by the fire. Get right close to the Scripture truth, that we might be warmed by it, that we might understand the light and the heat that come from the promises of God. Because the fact of the matter is, we don't experience, in our physical world, in our physical lives, all the blessings of being a child of God. Most of them are deferred, aren't they? And we're not going to experience them all, until we die, and go to Heaven. And so, we actually have to read, constantly, the Scriptures, and renew, again, our minds in them, that we might understand the privileges of the child of God. I'm hoping that joy will enter your heart this morning. I'm going to be going over a list of privileges of being a child of God. I'm hoping that, as you read each one, the promise, the lavish promise that comes to you, as a child of God, might bring joy into your hearts. Thomas Watson said this, "Here, in this world, joy enters into the saints, but in Heaven, the saints enter into joy." Here, we just get a little foretaste, don't we? We get a little drink, and hopefully, it'll be enough for you, as you face all of the trials, and the things that you're going to face this week. But think, someday, perhaps, even soon, for some of you that are listening to me, joy won't enter into you, you're going to dive into an ocean of joy. As Jesus said, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You've been faithful in a few things. Now, I'll put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your Master." What kind of joy does God have? Well, it's an ocean of joy, and someday, as a child of God, you're going to dive in. But today, I'm praying that just joy will enter into you, as you consider the blessing of being a child of God. I believe that when we first come to faith in Christ, all of these things are given to us in totality. They're all ours. They're part of our inheritances, as a child of God. They're given to us in lump sum, and then time, the purpose of time, among other things, is to unfold each of those blessings, as we walk along, as children of God. We're going to unfold them a little bit this morning. Thomas Watson said this, "God is ever giving to His children, yet, has nonetheless forgiving. His riches are imparted, they are not impaired. And so, as God doles out these privileges, these riches of the Gospel, He doesn't have any less to give." We're looking, this morning, in terms of adoption, and the fact that we are adopted children of God, at what I think is the highest, the most surprising honor and blessing of the Gospel. Now, Romans chapter 8, as a whole, is given to us, to give us assurance of salvation. The very first sentence in Romans 8, namely, verse 1, gives us a sense of that assurance. Look, again, at it. It says, "There is, therefore, now, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." What an incredible promise that is. But realize that, even there, it's delimited. It's stated very clearly who gets that blessing, "Those who are in Christ Jesus." For them, there is no condemnation. And so, all the way through to the end, in Romans chapter 8, at the very end it says that, nothing, "neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God, that is in Christ Jesus." From the beginning to the end of Romans 8, from 'no condemnation' all the way through to 'no separation,' there are incredible blessings given to us, but all of them come to those that are in Christ Jesus. Or, to zero in the way we've been looking, last week, and this week, to those that are adopted children of God. All the blessings of the Gospel are given to those that are children of God. II. Am I a Child of God? Those Who Receive Christ by Faith Now, last week, we zeroed in on that question, the central question of your existence. We could put it this way, "Am I or am I not a child of God?" We looked at five questions. A child of God are those who have received Christ by faith, so have you received Christ by faith? In John 1:12, it says, Those who are justified by faith are children of God. They're adopted by faith into the family. Simply by receiving Christ, by trusting in Him, that He is God in the flesh, that He died on the Cross for you, that He rose from the dead, that His death was your death, the death you deserve, that His resurrection from the grave is really your resurrection, spiritually now, physically later, that there is a union between you and Christ. Have you received Jesus as your Lord and Savior? If so, you're a child of God. Those Who Are Led by His Spirit Secondly, the text says that, "Those who are led by His Spirit are children of God." Look at verse 14, it says, "All who are being led by," is a good translation, "All who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God." Now, we saw last week, that that meant, specifically, if you look back, if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die, but if by the Spirit, you are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you put it all together, basically, you are a child of God, if you are daily putting sin to death by the power of the Holy Spirit. That's the second test and the second way you can know, whether you're a child of God. Those Who Cry “Abba, Father” by His Spirit Thirdly, children of God are those who cry, "Abba Father," by the Spirit. As we began our prayer time today, as I stepped up here, I had the privilege of addressing God as Abba Father, daddy. A sense of intimacy, a sense of love. We're going to talk more about that this morning, but those who have the Spirit moving us to cry up to God, "Abba Father," those are the children of God. It says in verse 15, "You have not received a Spirit of slavery leading to fear, again, but you have received a Spirit of adoption, as sons, by which we cry out, 'Abba Father.'" Those Who Receive the Internal Witness by His Spirit And then fourthly, those who receive the internal testimony of the Spirit, that you're a child of God, those are the children of God. Look at verse 16, "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit, that we are children of God." If you're a child of God, the Holy Spirit's going to be telling you so. Over and over, He's going to be speaking to you. He's going to be addressing your spirit. He's going to be talking to you and saying, "Child of God. You're a child of God." It's like a homing beacon. "A child of God." He's just speaking and communicating to you, "You're a child of God," the indwelling Holy Spirit. Those Who Suffer With Christ by His Spirit And then, fifthly, we said, those who suffer with Christ, by His Spirit, these are children of God. Look at verse 17, "And if we are children, then we are heirs also, heirs of God, and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, in order that we may also be glorified with Him." In other words, you boil that verse down, "No suffering, no Kingdom." If you don't suffer with Christ, by the Spirit, you will not go to Heaven and reign with Christ. It's a clear teaching from Scripture. Well, what kind of suffering? Again, we talked about that last week, but I think there are two specific kinds of suffering that are in mind here. Suffering from temptation, as we resist sin and say, "No," and suffering persecution from a world that cannot understand Christ. These are the types of suffering, I think, that are in view here. Those are the questions that we have to ask, to determine, am I a child of God? We did that last week. But I think it's still good for us to review it. III. What Are My Privileges As a Child of God? Now, what I'd like to ask, secondly, this week is, what are, specifically, my privileges, if I am a child of God? Boy, isn't this joyful? What a joy to go through a list like this. I've written out 11 privileges. You might wonder, "Why didn't I squeeze it out and get 12?" I didn't count them, until this morning. I guess I might've worked at it and we could've found more. I'm not saying these are all the privileges there are for a child of God, but these are some that we can find most naturally in the New Testament. And here, we're going to digress a little bit from my ordinary method. Usually, I'm just going verse by verse, word by word, looking through, but I have to tell you, that the New Testament is so filled with rich teaching on the idea of us as children of God, that it's really quite a delight to go through the New Testament, to try to understand the privileges, and also the responsibilities, of being a child of God. Eternal Life Well, the first privilege that I'd like to bring to your attention, as a child of God, is that of life, mainly eternal life. Look what it says, again, in verses 13-14, "If you live according to the sinful nature, you will die. But if by the Spirit, you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live." That's the life that we're talking about. Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly." There's an abundant rich, spiritual life that Christ has come to give. Now, the opposite of that life is spiritual death, and the confirmation of both of those, is either condemnation in hell, or a rich welcome into Heaven. The life that we're talking about is the life of a child of God, namely, an intimate love relationship with God. We're going to talk more about that in a minute, but a life that can never be snuffed out. Children of God cannot die. Therefore, we have eternal life. That's the first privilege of being a child of God. Title The second is a title. Now, in America, we've kind of turned our back on titles and privileges, haven't we? We left all that behind in the Revolutionary War. We're a free and open society, and we don't think much of Dukes, and Duchesses, and Lords, and Ladies, and all of that. That's part of the old world. But I think there is still a sense of a title being significant, that we should be called by the title 'children of God.' Isn't that incredible? And what an honor and a privilege it is. It says in 1 John 3:1, "Behold, how great is the love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God." There's a sense of a delight, in just having the title 'child of God,' that we could be called 'children of God.' It's incredible. And it's an honor, isn't it? It's not something we deserve. We can't say, "This is my birthright as a created being." No, not at all. We've already said, in John 1:12, "As many has received Him, to them, He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name." It's a privilege to be called a child of God. It's not for anyone, but for those who have faith in Christ, and they received this privilege. Hebrews 2:11, it says, "Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy, are of the same family, so Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers." What an incredible verse. He's not ashamed to own you as a brother or a sister. We've been meeting on Thursdays, and discussing Hebrews in a Bible study, and we've turned the whole thing around, saying, "Jesus is not ashamed to call you a brother. Are you ever ashamed of Jesus?" Isn't that a stinging question? We should never be ashamed of Christ, or of this Gospel that gives such blessings. Paul says, "I'm not ashamed of the Gospel," not at all, but sometimes, I think the world wants to make us feel ashamed of Christ. Well, let me tell you something, on Judgment Day, if you're a child of God, he is going to own you as a brother or a sister. He's going to say, "She's mine. He's mine. I've paid with my blood for them." 'Child of God,' it's a title that's bestowed and it's an honored title. Love Relationship with the Father Thirdly, there is a precious and a special, an intimate love relationship with the Father. God could've sat as a Judge and with his robes on there, just merely justified us very coldly, "Based on the blood of Jesus Christ, I absolve you of all of your sins. You're free." But there's no relationship there, is there? That's why I think adoption's the most incredible thing in the Gospel. He hasn't just sat there with his black robes on and discharged justice, but rather, He has adopted us into His own family. And so, we have a love relationship with the Father. Verse 15, again, "You received the Spirit of adoption, and by Him, we cry out, 'Abba Father.'" Romans 5:5, "God has poured out His love into our hearts, by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us." There's a sense of God just taking a huge cistern, and a pitcher, and just pouring love into you, because of His love for you in Christ. He loves you in the same way that He loves His own Son. "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you." That's the way that Jesus loves you. There's a lavish love here, isn't there? A love relationship with the Father. "How great is the love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God!" Can I ask, just for a moment, are you taking advantage of that? Do you have a sense of the richness of your relationship with the Father, that He has loved you? It says in Jeremiah 31:3, "With an everlasting love." He set on you a love which cannot be broken. We're going to talk more about that at the end of Romans 8, but there's no enemy that can come, that can separate you from the love of Christ, nothing. Oh, you should be filled with joy, filled with a sense of security, a sense that, "I belong to the family of God," a sense of protection in that love relationship. Free Access to the Throne Well, along with that, fourthly, we have free access to the throne. Your Father runs the universe, isn't that incredible? You ever hear a little son or daughter boast about what his or her dad does? "Well, my dad's this. My dad's that." Well, your Heavenly Father runs the universe, runs the universe. I remember a story, Christy Wilson, one of my heroes, a missionary in Afghanistan, and he trained me and many others, in terms of missionary theory. But one of the best things about him, was he was a great storyteller, phenomenal storyteller, just from experiences. And he was there in Kabul, that very same place we've been thinking a lot about, and it's bombed out now, and we're praying. He was the one that enjoined on President Eisenhower, that a church building be built there, and it was. He was a great man of faith and a great man of prayer. Anyway, they had a hospital for the blind, and it was very renowned in that whole area, and people would come from all over to come to this hospital for the blind. And it was very difficult to get in, because there were so many people. And one poor person, who was losing her sight, came to Christy Wilson, and said, "I need to get in there. I need to be able to get in." Now, Dr. Wilson had nothing to do with the hospital. He prayed for them and knew the people who ran it, but he had nothing to do with it. He said, "Well, I want you to know that I know the person who's in charge of this hospital. Why don't we ask him, if you can get in?" And then he stopped, and prayed. And he interceded with God, that this individual would be able to get in, and she did, that very same day. Now, he had no power over the queue, and the line, and where people were, but an opening worked out, and so she was able to get in, and her eyesight was restored. You should have that same attitude toward anything, "I know the CEO of that company." "I know who's running that country." "Oh, I know who's in charge of that particular wing of the government." It is God, your Heavenly Father, and you have access, right to the very throne room of God in prayer. If you're a child of the King, you can just go right into His presence with a holy boldness and ask Him for anything. Listen to what it says in Ephesians 3:12, "In Him and through faith in Him, we may approach God with freedom and confidence." Do you approach God with freedom and confidence? Do you have a sense of the freedom of access, right into the very throne room of God? You should, if you're a child of God. It says in Hebrews 4:16, "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy, and find grace to help us in time of need." You have free access to the one who runs all things. Discipline Now, the fifth one, you may say, "What? What is that? Discipline is a privilege of the child of God? Well, first of all, let's understand discipline properly. Discipline, in this case, would be a holy spanking when you do wrong. And that's a privilege from a child of God? The Bible thinks so. The Bible speaks of it that way. If you're a royal prince or princess, you're trained from an early age, how you are to behave, and there is a training program, isn't there? And so, also, for the children of God. Deuteronomy 8:5 says this, "Know then, in your heart, that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord, your God, disciplines you." "As a man disciplines his son, so…God disciplines you." And then, of course, Hebrews 12:7-8 says, "Endure hardship as discipline. God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his Father? If you are not disciplined, and everyone undergoes discipline, then you are illegitimate children, and not true sons." In other words, if you're walking along in your life and start to stray from God, start to sin, start to disobey, expect a response soon from your Heavenly Father. It is a privilege of the child of God, and why? Because He loves you. He's not going to let you stray. He's not going to let you roam or wander. He's going to discipline you. You're a child of God. Provision Sixthly, He's also going to provide for you. If you're a child of God, it's His job to take care of you, isn't that right? If you're a slave, it's the master's job to care for the slave. If you're a servant, the master's job to provide for all the needs. It's a servant and slave's job to just do what the master wants. We are also servants of God or slaves of God, it says in Scripture. And so it's up to God to provide for all our needs. Why then do we be anxious about these things? Now, fess up, have you been anxious at all about material needs this week, about money, about taxes? I don't know. It's coming up. Sorry to remind you. I saw that pained look on some faces. It's true. Are you concerned about these things? Are you anxious over them? Your Father has promised to provide for you. He's promised to provide for you. Psalm 37:25, "I was young, and now I'm old, and I have never seen the righteous forsaken, or their children begging bread, never." Royal children get to eat from the royal table, don't they? There's a story about David adopting Mephibosheth, Jonathan's son, into his own family, and he got to sit at the King's table every day. What does that mean? No more worries. You don't have to worry anymore about where your next meal's coming from. "I get to sit at the King's table." Isn't it that exact way of thinking, that Jesus uses in Matthew 6, to banish anxiety forever? Why do you worry about your life, what you'll eat, or your body, what you'll wear? Your Father's going to take care of you. He's going to meet all your needs. Seek first, the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you as well. He also said in Matthew Seven, "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or, if you ask for fish, he'll give him a snake? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him?" He knows how to take care of His children, and so provision, rich provision is part of being a child of God. Protection So also, protection. Royal children are the apple of the King's eye. "You better not touch him, because if you touch him, you're going to rue the day." And anyone who wants to get to you has to go through God first. Do you realize that? Is that not one of the many lessons of the Book of Job? Remember, Satan’s frustration in front of God? "I can't touch him. You've got this hedge around him all the time, and I just can't get at him. Would you just give me a chance, to just get a pop at him?" And he said, "Yeah, I'll give you a chance, but this far, and no farther may you go." Remember, how it worked? God controls all of these things. And so you have protection. Now, you might say, "How does that line up with the sufferings we have in this world?" We're going to talk about that, God willing, next time. There is suffering in this world, physical suffering. But what God is protecting you from, ultimately, is ultimate spiritual ruin, do you understand that? He's protecting your faith, that it may not fail. He's protecting your spirit, that you may not be attacked and go down, but rather, that you may stand firm in the midst of your temptation and your struggle. Jesus, in praying the high priestly prayer in John 17 says to the Father, "I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world." Do you know what that means? They're in a place of danger. Everything of this world system hates your faith. You're in a dangerous place. Jesus said, "I'm sending you out like sheep among wolves, but don't worry about it, because I'm Sovereign and I will protect you. I will keep you safe." He says, "Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name… While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe, by that name you gave me. None has been lost." Do you understand how Jesus is thinking about protection? "Protect them by your name, Father, that none may be lost." And so also, God will protect you. If you're a child of God, you're not going to drop out of the family, He's going to keep you safe. Fellowship with the Royal Family Well, along with that comes fellowship with the Royal Family. Now, again, you're going to say, just like the discipline, "That's not always such great shakes." But to be honest with you, it really is one of the richest blessings in this world, isn't it? Fellowship with the children of God. As a matter of fact, the more that we go on in this world, and if our culture continues to go non-Christian, who do you think are going to be the most precious people in the world to you? True believers in Jesus Christ. Isn't that what David said in Psalm 16:3? "As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones and whom is all my delight." I love being with them. I love to be with true children of God, who love the Word and who love Christ, and who are growing in their faith, don't you? Isn't that precious? But not only that, we get fellowship with dead people too. Now, don't misunderstand me. I'm not talking about seances or anything weird. Those things are cut out from Scripture. But what I'm saying to you, specifically, is that we are part of one family of God, and many of them have already died, and gone on to be with the Lord. You're in rich fellowship with the same God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Someday, you'll meet them too. They still are Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob. They haven't lost their identity. We're not Hindus, who believe that the water drops into the ocean and loses its identity. There's still Abraham, there's still Isaac, still Jacob. They're still the same ones. David's up there, also Nehemiah, also all the saints of old. Aren't you looking forward to meeting them? And then all the ones from church history, from when the Bible ended on to our present day, 2,000 years of godly women and men, and they're waiting, rich fellowship, fellowship in the Royal Family. Freedom And ninth, freedom. You're free. If you're a royal son or daughter, you're free. There's a freedom that comes there. Freedom from what? Well, freedom from law. You don't have to obey the law anymore. Is that what I'm saying? Well, in one sense, yes. Think of what Jesus said in Matthew 17:25-26. You remember, there was the question about the taxes you had to pay to go into the temple? You remember that? And so they asked Peter, "Does your teacher, [Jesus] pay the temple tax?" "Yes, He does," Peter said. Then they go into the house, and Jesus sits Peter down, and said, "I want to teach you a lesson about what it means to be a child of God. From whom do the kings of the Earth collect duty and taxes, from their own sons or from others?" "From others," said Peter. "Then the sons are exempt," said Jesus. Did you hear that? Exempt from paying taxes. Now, don't misunderstand me. It says in Romans 13 that you need to pay your taxes to the secular government, but the point is, you have freedom in this matter of spiritual access to God. Why should you have to pay to go into the house of your Father? In one sense, we are free from the law. Why is that? Because law is given to transgressors, not to sons. What do we get instead? We get the Spirit from within. We're not under the law anymore, but rather, under the Spirit. We're free also, therefore, from sin. Romans 6:18, "You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness." You're free from fear of condemnation. Isn't that wonderful? Look, again, at Verse 15, "You did not receive a Spirit that makes you a slave, again, to fear." You don't need to be afraid anymore of condemnation. You don't have to be afraid of death. It says in Hebrews 2 that by faith you should be free forever from the fear of death. You're free from these things. You're free, also, from fear of earthly catastrophe. Now, understand what I said. You're free from fear of earthly catastrophe. I did not say you'd be free from earthly catastrophe. You're free from fear of earthly catastrophe. Listen to this. This is from Robert Leighton. He was a Puritan. He said this, "How can you make a child of God afraid? Bring him word that his estate has been ruined and he'll say, 'Yet, my true inheritance is safe.' " Did you hear that? "Bring him word that his wife, or child, or dear friend has died, 'Yet, my Heavenly Father still lives.' " Do you hear the response? "Tell him you, yourself, will soon die. He will answer, 'Well, then, I go home to my Father and to my eternal inheritance.' " Do you see that? There's an attitude. You're free from fear of these things, because they have no ultimate harm for you. Immense Inheritance Also, as a child of God, you have an immense inheritance. Look at verse 17, "Now, if we are children, then we are heirs, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. If indeed we share in His sufferings, in order that we may also share in His glory." And Revelation 21:7 says, "He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his Father, and he will be my son." And so we have this incredible inheritance. Well, what are you going to get? What do we get as children of God? Well, you get the Kingdom. You get the Kingdom itself, and you get to rule on the Kingdom. You will sit down and rule with Jesus. Listen to this one, Revelation 3:21, "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on His throne." John Piper gets this image of lap, and lap, and lap. Father on His throne, Jesus on the Father's throne. We're on Jesus' throne, ruling with Him. What is that going to mean? I don't know. But, boy, is that rich? And an inheritance of your own possessions. Jesus said, "If you're not faithful with worldly mammon, who's going to give you true riches? If you're not faithful with little things that belong to somebody else, who's going to give you," listen, "Possessions of your own?" The Book of Hebrew says that, they were willing to not even worry about their houses being destroyed, because they had their own lasting possessions. You're going to get an inheritance in the Kingdom of God, if you're a child of God. Well, those are all the joys that come from being a child of God, and they culminate in the greatest, and that is in glory. Look at 17-18, "Now, if we are children, then we are heirs, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. If indeed, we share in His sufferings, in order that we may also share in His glory." Glory And then, again, verse 18, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." Someday, you're going to be glorious. You're going to, it says in Matthew 13, "Shine like the sun in the Kingdom of your Father." You're going to be like Jesus, and you're going to radiate with a brightness that can't even be measured. Well, 11 privileges of the child of God. Maybe to make it a round 12, just like the number of the tribes of Israel or the apostles, you could find another one today, but this is a rich inheritance, isn't it? But along with that, comes some responsibilities. IV. What Are My Responsibilities As a Child of God? Look at verse 12, it says, "Therefore, my brothers, we have an obligation." We are debtors, aren't we? We have an obligation. There's a story that James Baldwin tells about King Alfred, King of England, and the Cakes. I read this, this morning. I found it interesting. He was King of the West Saxons in England during the ninth century. He was called King Alfred the Great, because he was able to defeat the Danes in battle, and drive them out of England. He also was a very enlightened ruler, and that he taught common people how to read, and so was an early advocate of public education. Well, the Danes had invaded England and they were winning one battle after another. After one particularly fierce battle, his own army was defeated, and he had to flee for his life. He put on a shepherd's outfit, and managed to escape, and was fleeing through the woods and the bogs, and he went that way for a long time. He was hungry, and tired, and came to a little clearing in the woods, and there was a cottage there. Just being in need, he went up and knocked on the door of the cottage. It was a woodcutter's cottage. His wife opened the door, and she looked at him, and said, "What can I do for you?" And he said, "I'm very hungry. Is it possible for me to have a morsel of bread, and maybe warm myself by your fire?" She was a kindly woman and said, "Well, I'm cooking some hearth cakes now. If you'll sit down, and tend the cakes, and watch them, care for them, I'm going to go out, and milk the cow, and we'll share what we have with you." Well, he agreed to do that. And he sat down, and started to tend the cakes. She went out to milk the cow, and he just, through fatigue, and through his concern and worry for England, didn't pay attention to his work, and let the cakes burn. Well, she comes back in, and smells the smoke, and looks down, and they're burned to a crisp. And she loses her temper, she said, "You lazy, good-for-nothing fellow, I left you with a simple task to do, taking care of cakes, and now, none of us has anything to eat, because of you. I couldn't entrust you with a simple task." And he just quietly hung his head in shame. Well, at that moment, the woodcutter comes in, and immediately recognizes who he is. And he had caught the tail end of his wife's rebuke, and said, "Do you realize who this man is? This is the king." She was immediately afraid for her life. And he said, "Don't worry, you were right to scold me. I told you I would watch the cakes, and then I let them burn. I deserve what you said. Anyone who accepts a duty, no matter how small the duty or how great the person, should perform that duty faithfully. I have failed this time, but I shall not fail again. Now, I must leave. My duties as King await me." Now, I've given you a list of 11 privileges. How could it be then, that you are called on to do something as humble as sweep a floor, or wash the feet of a brother or sister in Christ, or some humble task, if you're this exalted child of God? Well, God has given you many tasks to do, and just like King Alfred The Great, with this great task, and this great inheritance and responsibility, sometimes called on to do simple tasks. And Jesus said, "He who is faithful in little will be faithful in much." He wants us to be faithful, both in little and much, and He's given us some responsibilities, and we need to be faithful to them. Imitating the Father’s Nature The first responsibility of a child of God, is that we need to imitate the Father's nature. The basic principle in the New Testament, as in the Old is, "Like the Father, like the Son." Whatever the Father is, that's what we must be in this world. We must imitate our Father. It says in 1 Peter 1, "As obedient children, do not conform any longer to the desires you had while you lived in ignorance, but just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, for it is written, 'Be holy, because I am holy.'" Do you hear that? "Imitate me. Be like me." He's calling on us to imitate Him. That includes love. It says, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in Heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect." Do you see that printed in your outline? "Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect." Is that not a challenge? Well, that's the responsibility of a child of God. Bearing the Father’s Name Along with that, secondly, we bear the Father's name, don't we? We carry the Father's name. Do you know one of the Ten Commandments says, "You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain?" What do you think of when you think of that? Isn't it a sense of not letting a word slip out of your mouth? Don't say 'God' or 'Jesus,' unless you're praying or meaning to address God. But I think it means more than that. We are, in effect, carrying or taking the name of our God everywhere we go. Do you hear that? Everywhere we go, we're taking His reputation with us. Don't bear His name in vain. Do you hear that? Everywhere you go, His reputation goes with you. It says in Jeremiah 15:16, "When your words came, I ate them. They were my joy and my heart's delight. [Listen] For I bear your name, O God." Obeying the Father’s Commands Thirdly, along with that, we need to obey our Father's commands. First John 5:3-4 says, "This is love for God, to obey His commands, and His commands are not burdensome. For everyone born of God overcomes the world." If you're born of God, if you're a child of God, you're going to obey His commands. You're going to do the things that He's told you to do. You can't tell your Father, "I love you," and then you don't do what He says. Jesus said the Kingdom of God is like a father who had two sons. He went to the first son and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard.' And he said, 'I will,' but he didn't go. And then he goes to the other son, and says, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard.' He says, 'I won't,' but he later changes his mind and goes. And He says, "Which of the two did what his father wanted?" The point is, we need to obey our Father's command. Doing the Father’s Work Along with that, we need to do the Father's work. Jesus lived constantly to do the will of the Father. He said, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and finish His work." We also should be doing the Father's work. We should be about the Father's business. 1 Peter, it says we should live such good lives among the Pagans, that though they may accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and, do what? "Praise your Father in Heaven." As you're doing good deeds, serving God, obeying Him, doing His work, they're going to think about God, they're going to understand Him differently. Well, what kind of work are we going to do? How many of you read Henry Blackaby's book, "Experiencing God?" He talks about being where the Father's at work, working where the Father's working. Jesus put it this way, "The Son can do nothing by Himself. He can only do what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the Father does, the Son also does." Facing the Father’s Enemies And the fifth responsibility, is we need to be willing to face our Father's enemies. We need to be willing to face our Father's enemies. A child of God has to bear the reproach and scorn of a world that hates Him. If you're going to carry His name, you are going to be reviled and persecuted. Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus, who wants to carry the name of God into a world in rebellion against Him, will face that persecution. Jesus said in Romans 15:3, it says, "For even Christ did not please Himself, but as it is written, the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me." "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me." And Jesus put it this way, "If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how do you think they're going to treat the members of the household?" If you're in His household and He's your Father, be willing to bear the reproach that Jesus bore. V. Summary Now, the last two weeks, we've asked three questions concerning being a child of God. The first is the most important of all. All of you have heard me talk about the privileges and the responsibilities this morning, of being a child of God, but none of it means anything to you, if you are not, in fact, a child of God today. The first and most important question I want to ask you is, are you a child of God? Have you come to personal faith in Christ? Are you, moment by moment, step by step, following the Holy Spirit, to put sin to death in your life? Do you have the internal welling up of the Holy Spirit, to cry out, "Abba Father," from your heart? Is He speaking to you and testifying to you, that you are a child of God? Or is He actually convicting you right now, that you are not a child of God, and that you need to become one? These are the questions you have to ask. Are you, in fact, a child of God? If you are, do you understand your privileges? Do you know all the things that you get as a child of God? Eternal life, a title, love relationship with the Father, free access to the throne, discipline from a loving Father, provision and protection, fellowship within the Royal Family, freedom, immense inheritance and glory. Do you understand these things? And finally, are you fulfilling your responsibilities as a child of God? Imitating the Father's nature in holiness and in love, bearing the Father's name, obeying the Father's command, doing the Father's work, and being willing to face the Father's enemies? As we close in prayer, I'd like to ask any, who you feel like the Lord is convicting you, that you are not a child of God, please come and speak to me. Don't let today go by, without knowing, for sure, that these things are yours. And if you are a child of God, look over this list of privileges, and thank God, and look over, again, the responsibilities, and ask to be faithful.

The Lavish Love of Adoption Please, if you would, take your Bibles and look with me at Romans Chapter 8. We're going to be zeroing in this morning at verses 14-17, which testifies to us with joy that we are adopted children of God. Isn't that incredible, that we are adopted children of God. Now, it being Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, I think it's important for us to give thanks to God for His providence that this is exactly where we are in Romans, and the confluence of Biblical truth and the current events is just so beautiful. Our God is a sovereign God. There was a time earlier in my Christian life that I was involved actively in the pro-life movement up in Boston. There are many people up there who do not understand our position on this. They are not in favor of what we teach and I would go down every Saturday morning with other Christian men and women, and our purpose was only to engage them in discussion to try to change minds and hearts. We wanted to bring the truth of God there. We knew that if you didn't win the mind and the heart, you hadn't accomplished anything. And so, we desired to be there and to talk. And one of the things that struck me more than anything was despite all of the pro-choice rhetoric of those that opposed us, so many of the women in that situation spoke of having no choice. Isn't that remarkable? With all the pro-choice rhetoric, they speak of having no choice. And when you're speaking of having no choice, you're really speaking the language of hopelessness. You feel like there is absolutely nowhere you can turn. You feel that there are no resources big enough to meet the life situation that you're in. It's a language of hopelessness. I was reading recently a book entitled Adoption Nation. It was in light of this truth that we're going to learn this morning about being adopted children of God. It's a secular book, but it talks a lot about adoption and it speaks about this woman, Donna. And many people are in the situation that Donna found herself in. She was lying on a surgical table at an abortion clinic in 1986 when she realized that adoption was the only alternative that she could live with. She could barely believe she'd walked into this place to begin with. Just a few years earlier, after all, she had been president of a Right to Life Chapter at her high school. "I was on my back there for what seemed to be the longest time talking to God out loud, asking Him, What am I doing here?" She recalls. When the doctor finally approached her, Donna bolted upright and raised her voice and said, "You will not touch me." Donna had fallen in love with Mr. Wonderful while she was a 20-year-old junior at the University of Kentucky, two months later she was pregnant, he was gone, and her sister persuaded her to temporarily move in with her in Nashville, so that she would have some support while considering what to do. And after she left the abortion clinic that day, Donna began to learn about adoption. The thing about adoption is that it is a ray of hope into the midst of two hopeless situations, isn't it? The hopeless situation of the young woman who finds herself with no answers, and then of a possibly of an infertile couple that's been praying for a child forever and nothing is coming. And so, they turn to adoption. And so, in the midst of two hopeless situations, all of a sudden adoption speaks God's hope. And that's what Christians are meant to do in this world. We're meant to be hope bearers to hopeless people. And no greater word of hope could ever be spoken than the word of the Gospel that gives us an eternal hope that can never be shaken, no matter what we face in this world. We're supposed to be the messengers of that hope, that word of hope in this world. But I feel the church has retreated from that. II. Adoption: The Highest Honor of the Gospel I'm going to urge us today to step back up to it and do it. That we would be messengers of hope into hopeless situations. And I would like you to bring the truth of Romans Chapter 8 when you go. That you speak of a hope that is unseen, but it's true hope that is an anchor for the soul that can never be moved, no matter what the circumstances. And I believe the truth of adoption, to be the very child of God, may be the highest, most stunning blessing of the Gospel. Now, the Gospel has many blessings, doesn't it? There's a whole treasure trove of blessings in the Gospel. And in a way, I feel somewhat week after week, especially in Romans 8, that we're just taking out all of these diamonds and rubies and goblets, and just looking at them one after the other. But this one, I think, shines the most brightly. It's stunning to me that the holy God would adopt people like us into His own family. Isn't that incredible? And that's the truth we get to look at. The adoption, the highest honor of the Gospel. Now, the Gospel promises us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms is given to us in Christ Jesus. Now, we've been talking for a long time about one of those blessings, namely, justification. That because of faith in Jesus Christ, we need fear no condemnation on Judgment Day. Look again at verse 1 of this chapter, Romans 8:1. It says in Romans 8:1, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, no fear any longer of Judgment Day if you're in Christ Jesus," but then it continues, of course, and describes who that person is. For those who are in Christ Jesus, who in Verses 2-4, "Walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." They don't live like they used to. They don't live like the world. There's been a transformation in their lives. And so, basically, I feel like the rest of the Chapter is describing the kind of life that is true of those for whom there is no condemnation, so that you might have assurance that it's true of you. It wouldn't be good to know that there was a banquet, a feast out there and know that you didn't have a place at the table. What good is that? You want to know, do I have a place? Am I invited, can I sit at that banquet? Is there a place for me in Heaven? Well, Romans 8 testifies to how you can know, it's an assurance chapter. Verse after verse describes the kind of life lived by those who are not Christians, who are still under condemnation. Contrast it with the kind of life lived by those who are Christians, who are born again, and the center of it all, I believe, in Romans 8 is the ministry of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has been given by God to bring assurance right to you as a child of God. And He does that in a variety of ways. But we're speaking of the blessings of the Gospel, and this may be the greatest of them all. I think John thought so. In 1 John 3:1 and following, he says, "Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us that we should be called Children of God. And that is what we are… Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known, but we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as he is." Isn't that beautiful? He almost can't get over it, that we, we should be called children of God, can it really be? And I almost want to stress that. Who is the "we" that we're talking about? Have we not met ourselves in the Book of Romans, so we understand who we truly are? Haven't we had some law work done on us so that we can really understand who we are, apart from Christ? I know it's unpleasant, but it's true. It says in Romans 3:10 and following, "There is no one righteous. No, not one. There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God, all have turned away. They've together become worthless. There is no one who does good. No, not one. Their throats are open graves, their tongues practice deceit, the poison of vipers is on their lips. Ruin and misery mark their ways. Their feet are swift to shed blood. There is no fear of God before their eyes." Now, if you're a Christian, you look in that mirror and say, "That's me, apart from Christ. That's who I was, apart from Christ." It's true. That's who I was. And yet, and yet God has adopted me into His own family. How great is the love the Father has given to us that we, even we, should be called Children of God. Now, I believe God could've justified us, could've brought us to Heaven as His slaves, and we would've been honoring, amazing, we would still sing Amazing Grace, because we didn't deserve it. We are rescued from hell, from eternity and condemnation, and we would not have to suffer it. And just to be there, just to see it, just to hear the songs and not even to be allowed to participate would've been grace. Amen. Just to be there, but how much more that we should be adopted children of God. Incredible that God should do that for us. Liberal Theology: A Misunderstanding on the Doctrine of the Fatherhood of God Now, I think there has been a misunderstanding of this doctrine of the fatherhood of God, to be a child of God, what it means. Over 100 years ago, there was something in vogue called the Social Gospel. Liberal theology brought it to us, and the basic idea is the fatherhood of God, the brotherhood of man. You know what I'm talking about, that God is the father of everyone and that we're all brothers in God, brothers and sisters, all of us. And there were good things that came out of that movement. Good things. There was a lot of social work that was done, a lot of ministering to people's bodies. Soup kitchens were set up, agencies for the poor and the needy were set up. The widow and orphan were looked after greatly. There was an awful lot of ministry done to the body, but of course, there was no need for a ministry to the soul in particular, because if we're all children of God, then there's no danger of hell, is there? And so, we don't really need the Gospel message, we just need our physical needs met. That was the Social Gospel. And I think that that is a false understanding of Christianity. It's part of it. Didn't Jesus minister to the body? Did He not feed the 5,000? Did He not cure diseases? Of course he did. He ministered to the body, but I think it's interesting, make a note of this. Mark 6:34, right before Jesus fed the 5,000 it says, "When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So He began teaching them many things." How did Jesus show His compassion for the needy? He taught them the Gospel, He taught them many things, and then He fed them. Of course, the next day they showed up for another meal, you know how it is. They were on the other side, and they bumped into Him, and they said, "Oh, when did you get here?" And He said, "I'll tell you the truth, you're not looking for me because you saw a miraculous sign, because you ate a meal and you've never had such a bread as that." There was never such fresh bread as those barley loaves that they ate that day. "Oh, it was delicious. Give us another meal." And Jesus said, "Don't work for the food that spoils, but for the food that lasts to eternal life, which I have come into the world to give you." They said, "What must we do to do the works of God?" He said, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." And so, Jesus was always lifting them up off their concern for their stomach and their bodies, to their concern for their soul. And this is exactly where the Social Gospel fell apart. Now, the Gospel talks of the fact that we are children of God as an immense privilege, isn't it? And it is not true of every single human being on the face of the earth. Now, it is true that every single human being is created in the image of God, that is true. We are special creations of God. That is true, but not in this sense, in Romans 8 and in John 1, the sense of being an adopted child of God, that is not true of all. So therefore, with this immense privilege, the incredible promises, the great responsibilities of being a child of God with all of the whole status before God of eternity laying before you, does it not become obvious? III. Am I a Child of God? The most central, most important question of your existence is this, "Am I a child of God or not? Am I a child of God? Have I been adopted into God's family? The Bible teaches that all of humanity is divided into two groups, children of the Devil and children of God. There's no third group, no third category. Jesus said to the Pharisees who sought to kill Him, John 8:44, He said, "You are of your father the Devil and you want to do the desires of your father, he was a murderer from the beginning." 1 John 3:10, "By this, the children of God and the children of the Devil are obvious. Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God nor is the one who does not love his brother." So you see John and Jesus both divided the human race into these two categories, children of the Devil and children of God. The amazing thing is that all of us at one point belonged to the Devil's family. We were natural born sons of the devil. That's what it says, we were born into that. Ephesians 2:1-3 and I think the NASB has it a little better here. Ephesians 2:1-3 it says, "And you were dead in your transgressions and sins in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working, listen, in the sons of disobedience." Verse 3, Ephesians 2:3, "Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind and we were, by nature, children of wrath just as the rest." So, we're children of disobedience, children of wrath. We are children of the Devil naturally. And God rescued us and transferred us into His own family. He adopted us into His own family by simple faith in Jesus Christ. John 1:12-13, "As many as received them. To them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God." Those Who Receive Christ by Faith Note, the right, the privilege to become a child of God is given to you simply by faith. So, what are we going to do with Romans 8:14-17? We are going to take two weeks on it. Today, we're going to look simply at one question. How can you tell? How do you know whether you are a child of God? Romans 8 is given for that reason, 14-17. How can I tell? And we're going to look at five things. Five ways to know whether you're a child of God. Next week, God willing, we're going to look at the privileges and the responsibilities that come to you if you're a child of God, that's next week. But let's zero in on the first one, and that is the question, am I a child of God? And first, the answer to the question is, you are a child of God if and only if you have received Jesus Christ by faith. I'm going to read John 1:12-13 again. It says, "As many has received Him to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor the will of the flesh nor the will of man but of God." So simply by faith, you become a child of God. Now, there's no clearer statement of this in Romans, but the whole Book of Romans has been teaching the same thing, hasn't it? Romans has said that, "We are justified simply by faith." Paul says in Romans 3:28, "We maintain that a man is justified by faith, apart from observing the law." Romans 4:3, "What does the scripture say?" By the way, that's always a great question to ask. I know I'm taking it out of context, but you should always ask, Romans 4:3, "What does the scripture say?" Moving along, I know I want to keep to the point, but we've got to ask, what does the scripture say and what does it say concerning our justification? "Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness." Romans 5:1, "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." So it teaches that we are made right, we are justified with God by faith alone, but Paul says it more directly in Galatians 3:26, "You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus." Did you hear that? You are a son or a daughter, a child of God simply by faith in Jesus Christ. So, how do you know whether you're a child of God? Well, have you accepted Jesus Christ by faith, by simple faith? Do you believe that He's God in the flesh? That He lived a normal human life doing miracles and free from sin. That He was a physical human being on earth, did miracles, walked on this earth, never sinned, died in your place on the cross, suffering the death, the condemnation, the wrath that you deserve? He died a physical death. On the third day, He rose again, bodily raised from the dead, ascended to heaven. That one and that one only is your savior. Have you received Him by faith? And if so, you're a child of God. Those Who Are Led by His Spirit Secondly, the Bible says that those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. And now we get right into Romans Chapter 8, those who are led... Look at Verse 13-14. It says, "If you live according to the sinful nature, you will die." That means go to hell. "But if, by the Spirit, you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live," that means go to heaven. It means far more than that, but it does mean that. Now, what is the first word of verse 14? "Because," or "for," that is an unbelievably important word, because here he's going to explain who the children of God are. What does it mean to be a child of God? It means that you are led by the Spirit. Well, what does it mean to be led by the spirit? Look backward. That's what the word "because" or "for" means, look backward to verse 13. What does it mean to be led by the spirit? It means to put sin to death. Do you see that? "Because those who are led by the spirit of God…" Go back to 13. To put to death the deeds of the body, those are the children of God. Do you see what I'm saying? And so therefore, if you are not led by the Spirit of God in the way that it means in verse 14, you're not a child of God. Those who are led by the Spirit of God, are children of God. You see that. And so, the word "because" or "for," tells us what the leadership's about, and it's about a holy life. It's about putting sin to death. It's about never waving the white flag before sin at all. Where you say instead, "I will fight sin to the day I die. I'm going to battle, I'm going to struggle, I may stumble and fall." We all stumble in many ways. It says in the Book of James. It's not about sinless perfection, but it's about a war, isn't it? And we are never going to give in. And that's what it means to be led by the Spirit of God. And if you're not led by the Spirit of God in this way, you're not a child of God. You haven't been adopted. For or because all who are being led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. Now let's talk about this leadership, the leading of the indwelling Holy Spirit. We know the Holy Spirit comes in, He dwells within us, He lives within us if we're children of God. But what is this leading about? Well, I want to put some scenarios in front of you to help explain it. Suppose that you were in the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11th. You were on the fifth floor, let's say. And let's say the aircraft hits it, the lights go out, there's screaming, there's darkness, the emergency lights are going on and off and you're trying to make your way to a stairwell to get down, and you don't know where you are and there's all kinds of frenzy. Then suddenly, in the middle of all the smell and the smoke and the darkness and all of that, you see a uniformed New York fireman standing there. And he grabs you by the arm and says, "Follow me, I'm going to lead you to safety." Would you follow him? Oh, you'd better believe you will. And when you get out and you're on the sidewalk when that building implodes, you will thank him for your life. He saved your life. And that is some aspect, I think at least, of the leadership of the Holy Spirit. He comes and leads you down the five flights of stairs and out of the dangerous place. What is the dangerous place? Is there a dangerous place for us as Christians? Yeah, it's called Vanity Fair, it's called the world. You're still there. You're living here now. Do you need leadership through the world? Oh, absolutely you do. And He has been sent by God to lead you through this world until you come home, like that fireman who will lead you to safety. Or another analogy, a military one. General Washington, one of the heroes of American history, December 26, 1776, he crossed the icy Delaware River to attack the Hessians at Trenton to win a minor victory, but major in terms of the morale of that army. They were falling apart. And he prepared the battle plan, figured it all out, figured what they would do, when they would do it. He trained his men, he motivated them, he told them what they were going to accomplish and then he got in the boat and led them to do it. And so also the Holy Spirit leads us in holiness. And He leads us into battle. He's not leaving you to sit back at home, He's leading you into battle with sin. He's going to say, "We've got to fight sin. And so we've got to cross this icy river, and we've got to fight at night, and we've got to do what's necessary." And so, He is General Washington to us. He's leading us. And not only that, but we're going to go on to Princeton a week later and we're going to fight there too. And He keeps moving, He keeps saying, "I'm the commanding officer, I'm the General. We're moving out, we're not going to take this lying down. We're going to fight sin." And so He leads us. Those who are led by the Spirit of God to put sin to death, those are children of God. How Does the Spirit Lead Us? Now, how does He lead us? Well, there's a highway of holiness, isn't there? It says in Isaiah 35:8, "A highway will be there. It will be called the way of holiness. The unclean will not journey on it. It will be for those who walk in that way. Wicked fools will not go about on it." And then Isaiah 20:21-22, "You will hear a voice behind you. Whether you turn to the right or left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, this is the way, walk in it." That's the leadership of the Holy Spirit. There's a way of holiness, isn't there? Or there's a way to live through this world. It's a way of wisdom, a way of righteousness. He gets you on the path and He says, "This is the way, now walk in it." And so we're called to live by the Spirit. Galatians 5:16 and 25, "So I say live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature." "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." Let us stick with Him as He marches. We're going to march too, we're going to stay with Him on the way of holiness. Now, how does He lead? Well, the same Greek word is used in Matthew 21:2, in which it says, "Jesus said to His disciples, 'Go into the village ahead of you and at once you will find a donkey tied there with her colt by her. Untie them and lead them to me.'" Is that how He leads us? Absolutely not. It's the same Greek word, but there's a different sense of the leadership of the Holy Spirit. We know that because it says in Psalm 32:8-9, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will counsel you and watch over you. Do not be like the horse or mule which have no understanding, but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you." Don't be like that. It's a leadership of understanding of wisdom, so that we see that sin is evil and terrible and we need to get rid of it, and that wisdom is beautiful and delightful and we need to walk in it. It's a way of understanding. He leads by a way of understanding. He instructs you and teaches you in the way you should go. Psalm 23 says, "He leads us by paths of righteousness," what? "For His name's sake." He's leading us to live a certain kind of life. He leads by wisdom, by truth, by teaching you step by step. He also leads you and entices you by love and by goodness. There's a personal aspect now, isn't there? It's not just the law written on these stone tablets external to us anymore. There's now very much a person there all the time. And that has a tremendous influence. It says in Hosea 11:4, "I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them." Imagine, if you would, just by way of illustration, that you are in a room and you see somewhere a door and it looks interesting to you, and there's a big sign on the door, it says, "Do not Enter." That's called law. And immediately, you're wondering, what? I wonder what's behind the door? And so there's a struggle, back and forth. And gee, "Do not enter, you'll see all the things behind this door what you must not see." Oh, boy, this is getting worse, the more the law goes, the more you want it. But suppose your best friend stood there and said, "Please don't enter that door." And kept standing there. Which of those two is harder to disobey? The personal one, isn't it? The person standing right there, it's not an affront against something printed on a page. It's an affront against a person. And the indwelling Spirit makes sin very personal, doesn't He? He makes it hurt. You get a sense of betrayal. Jesus is wounded by the sin, it hurts. And so, He's grieved by it and He includes you in His grief. You're going to feel what He feels when you sin. Conversely, speaking positively, you're going to feel a joy and satisfaction when you do right and put sin to death. It becomes very personal. And so He leads you that way. Those Who Cry “Abba, Father” by His Spirit Thirdly, those who cry, "Abba, Father" by His spirit are children of God. Look at verse 15, it says, "You have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you'll receive a spirit of adoption as sons, by which we cry out Abba, Father." So we have the indwelling Holy Spirit and He is crying out from within us, "Daddy, daddy, Abba, Father." There was a time a number of years ago, I don't remember exactly what church it was, but I went to pick up one of my children. And when you're at a strange church and they don't know you, procedures are important at that door. They're not going to just hand over a child to just anybody. Well, as I went to that door and started doing the procedure, the child looked at me and said, "Daddy," with her arms out. And it's hard to beat that as evidence. This came so naturally from within, but I still did the cards and we did all that, but there was no question in the heart of the workers there, who were doing their job, rightly so, that I was that child's father. And so that's what the Holy Spirit does within us. There's a testimony, a crying out that God is our daddy. He's our Father, it's the Aramaic word for daddy. It's not a spirit of slavery. We're going to talk next week more about this, so I'm not going to leave it alone, we're going to go back to the freedom of fear that we have. But we've got this beacon within us that just keeps crying to God, "Daddy, Daddy, I want to be with you. I love you." And it just keeps beaconing again and again, the indwelling Spirit saying, "Heaven is my home. God is My Father, I want to be there." And He never stops that work in us. And so, if you've got that indwelling Holy Spirit crying out, "Abba, Father," then you're a child of God. Those Who Receive the Internal Witness by His Spirit Fourthly, those who receive the internal witness by His Spirit. Not only does the Spirit cry out through us, "Abba, Father," but He cries to us and testifies to us that we are children of God. Look in verse 16, it says, "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God." This is a testimony from the indwelling Spirit. You are a child of God, and He speaks to your spirit. Now, what does it mean that He speaks to your spirit? Well, you have a new creation spirit. You have a new entity within you. "If anyone is in Christ, he's a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come," 2 Corinthians 5:17. So you have a new creation entity within you, a spiritual entity. He speaks to that and says, "You are a child of God. You're a child of God." He testifies to your spirit and He testifies with your spirit because your conscience is bearing witness also that you're a child of God. A change has happened in your life. You are a child of God, but you know there's no limit to this testimony. Some of you may remember, a while ago when we were looking at Romans 5:5 that the love of God is poured out into our hearts by His Holy Spirit whom He has given us. He's just pouring out His love. And so I talked about that. Remember? I talked about the 'whoosh,' how the Holy Spirit can just take you somewhat into the Heavenly realms. There's no limit to what He can do. And testifying that you're a child of God. 2 Corinthians 12, Paul talked about this, "I know a man in Christ who 14 years ago was caught up to the third Heaven, whether it was in the body or out of the body, I do not know. God knows. And I know that this man, whether in the body or apart from the body, I do not know, but God knows, was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to talk about." Wow! Remember what we said at that time? Inexpressible things that people are not permitted to talk about. You can't put it in words and you're not allowed to try. Wow! And the Spirit can just bring that kind of a testimony directly to your heart, if He chooses. Remember I talked about the Puritan Thomas Goodwin who described this very thing. He described, remember? I'm going to tell the story again, because it's so effective, so powerful. A man and his child walking down through the woods in a path. And they're hand in hand and the little child knows that he's the son of the father. The father loves the child. There's a good relationship. There's no problems, they're enjoying the walk together, when all of a sudden, moved by some kind of hidden impulse, the father, swoops that child up into his arms, kisses him, hugs him, just gives him love, sets him back down. And they continue to walk hand in hand. Is there a difference before and after in the experience of that child? You better believe there is. Have you had God do that to you? Just whoosh you, pick you up and just assure you that you are a child of God, maybe not like Paul. Caught up to third Heaven in paradise and all that, that's up to God if He wants to do something like that, He can do it. Blaise Pascal had an experience like that, Jonathan Edwards had one, DL Moody had one, many people from history have experienced this. If you haven't. Maybe you didn't ask for it. You don't have because you don't ask God. Ask Him for it. If you who are parents, you know how to give your children good things. How much more will your Heavenly Father give something like that to people who ask and ask and ask and ask and ask, He's going to give it to you. He's going to lavish blessing and love, and it will be different. Everybody's different, but He gives you an internal witness that you are a child of God. Those Who Suffer With Christ by His Spirit The fifth proof or evidence that you're a child of God is suffering. Not just suffering, but a special kind of suffering. Look at verse 17, it says, "If we are children then we are heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ. If indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him." Suffering is required. There's no getting away from it, there's no escaping it. If you don't suffer with Christ you will not inherit with Christ, that's what the verse says. If indeed we share in His sufferings, in order that we may also share in His glory. Now, what kind of suffering is this? Well, there are sufferings common to all people, aren't there? Wrestling with the cursed ground every day to get thorns and thistles out of it, that's called holding down a job. And that's common to all of us. Suffering from decaying bodies and from physical sickness is common to everyone. Suffering from death of loved ones and friends is common to all of us, we all suffer that. Suffering from financial trials and from relational difficulties and from the myriad trials of everyday life, power outages, car trouble, floods, fire, famine, all of those things that are insured. All of those things, they're part of this world, but I don't believe that that's the kind of suffering that's in view here. That's common to everybody and we'll talk about that later in 8:18-25. This is a special kind of suffering, a suffering that only Christians go through, and I think it's of two kinds. Christian suffer things the world does not suffer in the way that the Christian suffers it. We suffer when we are tempted, and we suffer persecution. These are two things that Christians suffer that the worldlings don't suffer. They don't suffer temptation the way we do. Now, yeah, I know they fight sin, they try to give up smoking or give up drinking, or a certain habit, but they do not fight sin the way we do. They don't wake up every day with the burden of you must be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect. That's one of the responsibilities of being a child of God, imitating God's nature, and that leads you to suffering, doesn't it? You resist temptation all the time if you're a child of God. Hebrews 2:18 says, "That Jesus because He Himself suffered when He was tempted He is able to help those who are being tempted." There is a suffering in temptation, isn't there? Now, how do we avoid that suffering? Two ways. Number one, we persevere in it in holiness and eventually we resist the devil and he does what? He flees from us, but that may take a while. What's the other way to get out of that suffering in the middle of temptation? Sin, sin, and then, guess what? Temptation is over, but now you got other problems. So we have to bear up under, we have to be willing to suffer temptation. We also suffer persecution from the world. John 15, 18 and 19, Jesus said, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belong to the world it will love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, that is why the world hates you." The world hates you. Don't expect a friendly, cozy, comfortable relationship with America. Don't expect it. 2 Timothy 3:12, "Everyone who wants to live a Godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." "Dear friends," 1 Peter 4, "Do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering as though something strange were happening to you, but rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed. If you were insulted because of the name of Christ you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you." And so we've come full circle. We started talking about the abortion question, and in my prayer I prayed that the church would wake up. I prayed that the church would wake up and be willing to bear the reproach of Jesus Christ outside the walls. Hebrews 13. And pay the price necessary to win the struggle. This is a Christian magazine entitled World. A little baby, isn't he cute, she cute? I can't tell. A little child, a little infant, obviously a new born in somebody's hand. Look at that, isn't that beautiful? It's incredible. The church is called to protect the weak, when the strong threaten the weak. Religion that our God and Father accepts as pure and faultless is this; to look after orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. Early Roman Christians used to go along the river and scoop up abandoned babies and raise them. They adopted them. They took them into their families. They literally adopted them, so that they might be adopted by their Heavenly Father. And the tragedy here, it says, "Row v. Wade at 29," it's 29 years, and then the sub-title says, "The silent stalemate." That just pierced my heart. Is this really a stalemate or are we losing? Which is it? See, a stalemate is two equal forces, let's say, on a chessboard, and they can't get anywhere. They're equally strong and they can't get anywhere and there's no victory for anybody. Isn't that the case that we are losing this battle day after day, week after week, year after year because the laws haven't changed? And because we're not ministering to the needy the way we need to. I would urge you to be willing to bear the reproach of Jesus Christ, be willing to suffer the way He suffered. Not just the internal suffering of temptation, but the external rejection of the world, and you'll get it, believe me, if you're willing to speak up for Jesus Christ. I just want to close by asking you a question. Are you a child of God? Are you a child of God? Have you by faith received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Was there a time that you accepted Him? Are you led by the Spirit daily to put sin to death, keeping in step with Him, moment by moment? Do you have that indwelling Spirit crying out from within you, Abba, Father? And is He testifying to you, that you're a child of God? And are you suffering with Jesus Christ, what He suffered? If you don't think that you're a child of God, please come and talk to me after the service. I'm going to be standing down here. Come and say to me, "You know, I don't think I'm a Christian. I'm afraid for my soul. I want to know eternal life. I want to know Jesus Christ." Come and talk to me. Don't leave this place without an absolute certainty that you are a child of God. It's free to anyone who asks for it. Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened, this is for you. But if you are a child of God, ask, "Are you willing to stand outside with Jesus and bear the reproach, the suffering that He bore by upholding righteousness in our land?"