May 9, 2010 Pastor Tim Pusey

THE FAMILY BLESSING
Romans 8:14-17
May 9, 2010
Fifth in Series: “Are You Filled?”

It’s Mother’s Day, and my mind quickly turns to think of a lady who’s been known, when asked her name, to smile this bright, winsome smile and say, “My name’s Lucy Pusey.” And while that’s the name she’s had for nearly 60 years now, I’ve just always preferred to call her “Mom.” A long time ago I saw a card that said something like, “My dad would give you the shirt off his back, and my mom would iron it for you!” That pretty well paints the picture of my parents—and the older I get the more blessed I have come to realize that I am to have parents like that.

And while I know it isn’t the case with every family, I can tell you that I have never seriously questioned my sense of belonging within our family. Never have I had to question whether my parents loved me. I don’t think I can qualify in any responsible sense of how they fostered within me that sense of belonging, but I can certainly tell you that they did. I haven’t lived at their home for 37 years now—I went to college at the age of 17 and never had occasion to live at home thereafter for any longer than weeks at a time. But if I were to step into their house in Elizabethtown, Kentucky this afternoon, I can tell you that I’d feel at home—because I belong! They’ve made my wife and my children feel at home—and in a couple of months they’ll welcome my grandchildren too! There’s just this sense that we’re family—and when you’re family, you belong.

We’re knee-deep in a sermon series I’ve called, “Are You Filled?”—focusing on the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Today we’re going to look at a passage in Romans, chapter 8—and the fact that it’s a family day like Mother’s Day just helps to make the point better, because what this passage tells us is that the Holy Spirit confirms our role in God’s family as His sons and daughters. Just as my parents affirmed me for my role in the family as a cherished son, so the Holy Spirit affirms for every child of God our role in His family. It’s a significant role of the Holy Spirit—and something that becomes incredibly significant to each of us—to know that we belong in God’s family.

Look with me at Romans 8:14—
[Read Romans 8:14-17, TNIV]

The Holy Spirit confirms for the believer the reality of our position as a son or daughter of God—and it’s based on our adoption into the heavenly family. The Apostle Paul is speaking of us here as God’s children—sons and daughters of the Heavenly Father. He describes us as “heirs.” He encourages us to call out to our Heavenly Father in a familial way—“Abba, Father”—which translated into today’s English would be like us praying to God and calling Him “Daddy.” It’s clear that when Paul thinks of believers in Jesus Christ, he is thinking of the life of the believer in terms of the divine family relationship. God sees us as His children—His kids! And He wants us to enjoy being in His presence and He wants us to feel secure in His resources—just like a good parent wants their children to feel confident of their role in the family and secure that the parents will provide for them.

But this can all seem so abstract, can’t it? So unreal! So intangible! So mysterious! That’s exactly why our Heavenly Father comes to us through His Holy Spirit and reassures us of our role in His family. He knows how important it is for us to feel secure in that relationship. The Holy Spirit bears witness to our hearts that we are God’s children—it’s a significant role of the Holy Spirit in our lives! And like we talked about last week in regards to hearing the Spirit’s words of guidance and direction, it’s not often an audible voice we hear affirming our role in God’s family. It’s more of an inner witness—heart to heart.

Paul says we’ve been adopted into God’s family. That’s kind of an interesting way to put it, isn’t it? I suppose when we honestly consider our sinful selves, we can easily see that we don’t naturally bear a family resemblance to the Holy God! But according to Scripture, God has chosen to adopt us into His family—with all the rights and privileges and blessings of being natural-born children. When we accept the forgiveness that God offers to us, He cleanses us from our sins and makes us new creatures in Christ. Sometimes that’s been described as our lives being “redeemed.” Another way that it’s described is that we’re “adopted” into God’s family.

As the youngest of three boys, I remember times when my older brothers would tease me and try to convince me that I was adopted. I’m sure it was a matter that they looked in the mirror and looked at me and somehow knew that there could be no genetic connection between my stellar good looks and the likes of them! (Oh, you don’t think that’s how it was, huh?!) It probably had a lot more to do with the fact that they’re both more quiet and reserved and they weren’t always sure what to do with their loud-mouthed little brother!

But when I think back to that boyhood teasing, I have to admit that “adoption” had negative overtones to it—and I’ve come to see the real beauty in adoption. There were a few families in our congregation in Kansas City who lived out a real passion for adopting orphaned children—and “bringing them home,” as they loved to say. It became a real ministry in that church—and we watched as several families embraced little ones from far corners of the world and enfolded them into the love and care of their homes. It was really a cool thing to see!

Some of you may have gotten to meet the couple who sang at Krista and Josh’s wedding last summer—Roger and Joy Allen. Roger was on our pastoral staff in Kansas City and he and his wife Joy and their kids have been treasured friends of ours. Roger and Joy have two very blond, fair-skinned girls and then a couple of years ago added to their family a very dark-haired, brown-skinned little guy from Viet Nam. And if you had a chance to watch them, it would be apparent that little Camdahn is every bit as loved as his big sisters! He may have been adopted, but he’s every bit as much a part of that family as Kaleigh and Emma!

God has embraced us with such a familial love. When He forgives our sins and redeems our lives, He fully adopts us into His love and care. There is absolutely no need and no reason for any one of us to ever feel somehow “second-class” in the eyes of God! And it doesn’t matter at all what we may have done before coming to Christ or how we had lived our lives! Once adopted, we’re His sons and daughters—and we’re to rest assured and to be confident in that relationship! And it’s the Holy Spirit that comes alongside us to give us that assurance.

And to be honest, I can’t adequately explain how the Holy Spirit accomplishes that any more than I can adequately explain how my parents have made me feel loved and secured within the context of my relationship to them as a son. But I can speak of it just as confidently! I am a child of God! I belong to Him! I am at home with Him!

I’m told that in the first century in which Paul wrote these words, the term “adoption” was actually reflective of a position of great status and privilege. It didn’t hint at all of a somehow inferior relational position! The one who was adopted was so honored because of the choice of the adopting parents—so that the adopted son or daughter didn’t feel inferior in any way, but saw themselves as highly privileged. Some adoptive parents have expressed this same dynamic to their adopted children in explaining that while their other children were born to them, they chose the adopted child.

I suppose that how this spiritual adoption process works and exactly how the Holy Spirit confirms our role as sons and daughters of God is a mystery we’ll never comprehend this side of heaven. But we dare not miss out on the wonder of the relationship just because the mechanics of it may be beyond our comprehension. I enjoy using my computer all the time—but those who know me well know that I understand precious little about what makes it work! We dare not discount the significance of our role as God’s children, adopted into His family, just because we can’t fully comprehend the mechanics of how that takes place!

In our brief passage from Romans this morning, the Apostle Paul used another analogy to help us understand the marvelous relationship every believer can enjoy with our Heavenly Father. This analogy is one of contrasts—making it clear that we are not slaves, but rather sons and daughters.

Slaves live in fear—it’s an awful thing, with dynamics we don’t ever want to experience…and it’s something we want all people to be free from! I saw a really disturbing movie awhile back which put the treatment of slaves back in the 1800’s in such a horrific light that I still shudder to think of it! It’s hard for me to even imagine the kind of fear with which they lived—especially when they were herded away from their families and their villages like animals and shipped across the ocean under such inhumane conditions. And once sold, many lived in fear of their masters for the rest of their lives.

Paul said,
The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15, TNIV)
“Abba, Father” is an affectionate expression—like us calling God, “Daddy,” as I said before. Jesus Himself used the word in His agonizing prayer to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane, as He anticipated His arrest and crucifixion. We certainly don’t question Jesus’ right to call His Heavenly Father by such a term, but Paul is saying that as children of the Heavenly Father, we can call out to Him in such a way too! We do not need to cower from our Heavenly Father! We can run to Him!

There is a big difference between the experience of the person who acts out of fear and the experience of the person who responds as a son who knows that he’s loved. Fear fosters all kinds of phobias and paranoia—let alone the anger it incites.

But in contrast, a son who embraces his role as a son dearly loved and cherished, does not need to live in fear! Because he’s loved and because of the relationship in which he is secure, he gladly accepts the role of a son—even the responsibilities that come with it and the submission to authority which is necessary in the parent/child relationship. You see, the truth is that there is great freedom for the son or daughter who understands fully that they are loved and cherished and are confident of their relationship with their Father. And part of the significance of that freedom is the freedom from fear! The son who is confident of his position in the family as a cherished son does not spend his days cowering in fear, but rather moves about freely, carrying out that role with a great sense of freedom.

I’ve always loved the words that Paul wrote to Timothy in his second letter to him—
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
(2 Timothy 1:7, NLT)
Paul didn’t specify in his letter to the Romans the fears to which they were susceptible, but they were no doubt similar to those which Timothy had experienced. Timothy’s natural inclination to timidity, his hesitancy to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ boldly, and his temptation to disassociate himself from Paul the prisoner were all products of his natural fears—which kept him bound by his own chains!—chains from which the Holy Spirit wanted to release Timothy! And, like us, Timothy was being forced to decide whether his life would be ruled by his fears or whether his fears would be overruled by his response to the Spirit’s leading. Clearly, the Holy Spirit wanted to set Timothy free in order that He might thrive in the ministry being entrusted to Him by the Heavenly Father.

One of the things about being adopted was the assurance of being in line for an inheritance. Paul describes us as God’s sons and daughters, “heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.” We’re in line to receive a full share of the heavenly inheritance—all the blessings that God has in store for His children!

Cindy and I are in the process of updating our wills. We were prompted to this by the Legacy workshops held here recently by Bob Crew, who is with the Church of the Nazarene Foundation. If you’ve not yet acted on this, I hope you’ll commit to doing so—it really is a matter of being faithful stewards of all God provides for us! I know that many don’t ever want to talk about such things, but the as Christians we don’t need to be afraid of death! And when you consider that 70% of people die without any kind of estate plan and that the resources they’ve gathered throughout their lives will be dispersed in a manner determined not by themselves but by the government, I would think that Christians would recognize that it’s just wise to take care of such things. And I’d sure be glad to put you in touch with someone who can help you get going on this if you’re interested.

Listen again to 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. (Romans 8:17, TNIV)
In redoing our will and our estate planning, Cindy and I have looked primarily at financial assets. My sense is that when Paul is speaking of us being heirs of God that He’s speaking of something far more significant. Peter, in 1 Peter 1:4, spoke of “an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.” It supercedes any kind of tangible inheritance we may leave our children or others. We are partakers now, to some degree, in all of the vast resources of our Heavenly Father—and when this life is over, we’ll receive the fullness of such blessings! It’s the kind of inheritance on which you cannot put a price tag!

While it’s true that earthly parents eventually die and may have resources to leave to their children, it’s certainly true that God will never die!—so there is some limit to the analogy Paul is using here. But I think he made his point well!

Someone asked me this week what it means that we are “co-heirs with Christ”—“joint heirs with Jesus,” as the gospel song put it. While we might struggle to understand how we are heirs to God, we don’t have as much confusion about how Jesus is an heir to the Heavenly Father. Scripture declares that Jesus will be clothed with the glory that was His before the worlds were created. And so if we’re “co-heirs,” it means that in some way we will not only see Christ’s glory but also share in it too—of course, not by our own merit, but by God’s grace! And isn’t that the reality of any inheritance—it’s not earned, but rather it’s a gift of sorts. And so it is with God’s marvelous grace!

How do we share in Christ’s sufferings? We know that throughout the ages, many Christians have been severely persecuted for their faith—and it’s happening in different corners of our world today. In some lesser ways, we experience it when we feel shunned by those who do not understand our faith or why we live the way we do. But there is no doubt resistance experienced out in our everyday world when we fully embrace Jesus Christ. It’s not our personal glory that’s the issue or the real irritator of the world—but rather the glory of Jesus Christ. And it might not be too far off to relate the dynamics to that of what is suddenly brought about in a seemingly average person’s life when they marry a famous celebrity—they find themselves under constant spotlight and scrutiny as well. But whatever the price we must pay, it is not without reward, for all of God’s blessings are poured out upon our lives—now and forevermore! It’s the promise He makes for every one of His sons and daughters!

I’m wondering this morning if the Holy Spirit has affirmed for you your role as a child of the Heavenly Father. I’m wondering if there might be those who need to hear it again today. I believe that He delights in ministering to us in this way—and I want to pray this morning that every believer in this room would have the assurance before you leave today that you belong to God’s family.