Sermon Tone Analysis

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS GIVEN TO HELP US IN OUR FIGHT AGAINST SIN BY INDWELLING OUR LIVES, CHANGING OUR IDENTITY AND SECURING OUR INHERITANCE.

IDENTITY: ADOPTION CHANGES OUR STATUS (v.14-15)

Like justification, adoption refers to a legal transaction that results in a change of status.

Leon Morris (The Epistle to the Romans [Apollos/Eerdmans], p. 315) says, “It signifies being granted the full rights and privileges of sonship in a family to which one does not belong by nature.”

We Have A New Family (v.14)

According to Paul, when we believed, we became the "sons of God."

That is, we were removed from the family of Adam and were transplanted into the family of God.

We are literally His children,

John's verses tell us that we are His children now, and that one day, we will be just like our new Father.

Notice what the first part of verse 14 says.

This means is that those who are in the family begin to act like the family.

If A person is saved, they will develop traits that are like the Father's family.

The primary trait being that they will be led by the Spirit of God!

You see, every child of God has the Holy Spirit living within him,

And, if the Spirit is in residence, He will make His presence known!

He will change the life He inhabits.

We Have A New Father (v.15)

According to a report in "Fathers and Their Impact on Children's Well-Being":

Even from birth, children who have an involved father are more likely to be emotionally secure, be confident to explore their surroundings, and, as they grow older, have better social connections.

The way that fathers play with their children also has an important impact on a child's emotional and social development.

Fathers spend a higher percentage of their one-to-one interactions with infants and preschoolers in stimulating, playful activity than do mothers.

From these interactions, children learn how to regulate their feelings and behavior.

Children with involved, caring fathers also have better educational outcomes.

The influence of a father's involvement extends into adolescence and young adulthood.

Numerous studies find that an active and nurturing style of fathering is associated with better verbal skills, intellectual functioning, and academic achievement among adolescents.

There is no question that fathers do play an important part in their children's lives: the majority of studies affirm that an involved father can play a crucial role, particularly in the cognitive, behavioral, and general health and well-being areas of a child's life; having a positive male role model helps an adolescent boy develop positive gender-role characteristics; adolescent girls are more likely to form positive opinions of men and are better able to relate to them when parented by an involved father; it is generally accepted, under most circumstances, that a father's presence and involvement can be as crucial to a child's healthy development as a mother's; and experiencing validation of their importance in the general parenting literature has made fathers much more conscious of their value, which, in turn, leads to their greater desire to be involved.

In a wonderful chapter in Knowing God (“Sons of God” [IVP], pp.

181-208), J. I. Packer says (p. 187) that adoption is the highest privilege that the gospel offers, even higher than the blessing of justification, because it brings us into a richer relationship with God as our loving Father.

He goes on to say (p.

190, italics his) that “the entire Christian life has to be understood in terms of it” [adoption].

He illustrates from the Sermon on the Mount (pp.

190-193) how adoption is the basis of Christian conduct, as we imitate the Father.

It’s at the root of glorifying the Father, as people see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven.

It’s at the heart of pleasing the Father, who sees our hearts, rather than being hypocrites who practice our righteousness before men.

Adoption is the basis of Christian prayer, since Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father who is in heaven.”

Adoption is also the basis of a life of faith, as we trust the Father to provide for our needs.

Then (pp.

194-207) Packer elaborates on how adoption gives us the deepest insights into five other matters: (1) It shows us the greatness of God’s grace and love; (2) the glory of the Christian hope; (3) the ministry of the Holy Spirit; (4) the meaning and motives of what the Puritans called “gospel holiness”; and, (5) the clue we need to see our way through the problem of assurance.

Does the doctrine of God’s gracious adoption of you as His child make your heart well up with thanksgiving and joy as you realize what the Father has done for you?

He picked you out of the gutter of sin, cleaned you up, clothed you with the perfect righteousness of Christ, and lovingly brought you into His family as His child, where you enjoy the inexhaustible riches of His grace, both now and for all eternity!

Meditate on that truth every day and it will give you strength to resist sin and grace to endure trials.

In our society, adopted children often feel, and are perceived to be, second class members of the family.

That is sad, but true for many.

They are forever reminded of the fact that they were not born in to the adoptive family.

However, in ancient Rome, things were vastly different.

To be adopted was considered a great privilege.

The picture of adoption is a beautiful picture of what God does for the Christian.

In the ancient world the family was based on a Roman law that gave father’s absolute authority over their children so long as he lived.

He could work, enslave, sell, and if he wished, he could pronounce the death penalty.

Regardless of the child's adult age, the father held all power over personal and property rights.

Therefore, adoption was a serious matter.

Yet, it was a common practice to ensure that a family would not become extinct by having no male children.

And when a child was adopted, three legal steps were taken.

1.

The adopted son was adopted permanently.

He could not be adopted today and disinherited tomorrow.

He became a son of the father--forever.

He was eternally secure as a son.

2. The adopted son immediately had all the rights of a legitimate son in the new family.

3. The adopted son completely lost all rights in his old family.

The adopted son was looked upon as a new person -- so new that old debts and obligations connected with his former family were cancelled out and abolished as if they never existed.)

When we came to Jesus, we were taken out of Adam and adopted into Jesus.

We have a new Father!

We Have A New Freedom (v.14-15)

These verses tell us that as children of God, we have been delivered from the power and influence of the flesh.

We are no longer led about by Satan and the whims of the flesh.

Now, we are led by the Spirit of God.

This does not refer to the Spirit’s leading us in matters of guidance about life’s choices, but rather to the Spirit’s leading us to kill our sin.

If the Holy Spirit is prompting and enabling you to fight against and kill your sin, it’s an evidence that should assure you that you are a child of God.Not only have we been delivered from our old leadership, we have been delivered from the life of fear that we used to live while we were in our old family.

Now, in Jesus, we are bought into a close relationship with our new Heavenly Father.

A relationship so close that we are permitted to address Him as "Abba" or "Daddy."

The idea is that we are brought into such an intimate relationship with God that we assume the place of small children who lift their voices to God as a hurting, helpless child would who cries out to its father.

There is the idea of intimacy and dependence, but of a complete lack of fear.

Of course, there is respect and reverence, but there is the sense that our Father will not harm us, but that if He loved us enough to die for us, He will certainly care for us as we walk with Him.

INDWELLING: ASSURANCE CHANGES OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH SIN (v.16)

Not only have we been adopted into the family of God, but we are given priceless assurance of that fact in our hearts day by day.

Our Communion With The Spirit

The child of God has communion with the Holy Spirit of God.

It was this relationship that was predicted by the Lord Jesus Himself,

The Spirit of God spends time with the redeemed and this is a truth that the saint of God must not take for granted.

He leads us and teaches us all we need to know about how to live for the glory of God in this world.

Our Confidence In The Spirit

The Spirit of God has fellowship with those who are saved by grace and that is one of the surest ways to know that you have been born again!

If you are genuinely saved, you will know it because the Spirit of God will hold communion with you.

He will guide you.

He will warn you.

He will lead you.

He will feed you.

He will comfort you.

He will teach you the truth.

If the Spirit of God never speaks to your heart, then you need to examine yourself.

It may be that you have never really been saved.

Like a mother who wraps her arms around that insecure child everyday and expresses her undying love, the Spirit of God does the same things for the redeemed child of the Lord.

He is the Divine lover of our soul!

INHERITANCE: AFFLUENCE CHANGES OUR REALITY WITH SIN (v.17)

Not only are we adopted into the family and assured of that fact everyday of our lives, we are also wealthy beyond measure.

Notice what this verse teaches us about our new standing.

Our Privilege

If we are co-heirs with Christ, our inheritance is secure because there is absolutely no doubt that Jesus will inherit all that the Father has ordained to give Him.

In Psalm 2, the nations rage against God and seek to throw off the lordship of His anointed king.

But God, who sits in the heavens, scoffs at these proud earthly kings.