Nature and Legal Privileges

Introduction: Review of Adoption Distinctions and Sermon Plan

0:00 We begin again this morning by hearing the Word of God from the pen of the Apostle John, 1 John chapter 3, verses 1 through 3.

0:16 Behold, stand back, gaze with wonder, look with intelligent perception. Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God. And we are, for this cause the world does not know us, because it knew him not. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be.

0:54 We know that if he... He shall be manifested, we shall be like him, for we shall see him even as he is.

1:06 And every one, every one that has this hope in him purifies himself even as he is pure.

1:25 Yesterday morning I sought to set before you... What I called some necessary introductory issues related to the study of the amazing privilege of redemptive grace called adoption.

1:42 I began with what I designated as a necessary pastoral entreaty. And the essence of that entreaty was that we must never allow the doctrine of adoption in all of its wonder and glory...

1:59 Come a Jonah's whale that swallows up other equally important truths of the word of God. And then I moved secondly to set before you three necessary biblical and theological distinctions that are critical to a responsible handling and an accurate understanding of the biblical teaching on adoption. I stated that...

2:29 Adoption is a blessing of redemptive grace distinct from, although based upon, justification. In justification we are brought into a present and irreversible acceptance by God as the world's judge. Whereas in adoption we are brought into a present and irreversible intimacy with God as our heavenly father. And the second distinction was this, that adoption is a blessing of redemptive grace distinct from, but never divorced, from regeneration.

3:10 God brings us into his family in two ways. He brings us in by birth and he brings us in by adoption. And then the third distinction, God's adoptive fatherhood is a distinct blessing of new covenant redemptive grace. Distinct from all the other fatherhoods of God.

3:34 Distinct from inter-trinitarian fatherhood. Distinct from creative fatherhood. Distinct from theocratic fatherhood. Now, this morning, it's my plan to set before you the nature of adoption and some of the objective or legal privileges of adoption.

3:59 God willing, tomorrow morning, should the Lord delay his coming and spare us, should he do both things, we will take up together the experiential blessings of adoption. Those blessings that we experience internally in our own life as the people of God. And then in the final message on Friday morning, God's adoptive fatherhood. With respect to the responsibilities of the adopted.

The Nature of Adoption: A Greco-Roman Legal Concept Applied to Christian Sonship

4:35 So this morning, I want to take up with you the nature of adoption and the objective or legal privileges of adoption. First of all, then, the nature of adoption. When the scriptures inform us that we have been predestined unto adoption as sons, Ephesians 1.5, or that God sent forth his son to redeem us in order that we might receive the adoption of sons, Galatians 4.5, what precisely are we being told by these statements? Well, the word used in these two passages was the word used to describe a reality of the Greco-Roman world of the first century.

5:28 In which the apostle lived and in the context of which he wrote to the various churches. And in Sinclair Ferguson's most helpful book, Children of the Living God, we have a very, very helpful section seeking to identify what that word would have meant to someone whose thought had been shaped by the linguistic patterns and usages of that Greco-Roman world. And Sinclair writes, and I call him that, he is a personal friend, that's not name dropping. I should say Dr. Ferguson writes, Biblical scholars have long researched the source of this idea of adoption in Paul's writings. Many of them have concluded that the Old Testament does not really employ the concept of adoption and it was unnecessary because of the family structures. On the other hand, the Hellenistic world, the Greek world, in which Paul moved, governed by Roman law, did have such a concept. So it has been argued that the background to what Paul means when he speaks about Christians as God's adopted children is to be found in the Roman legal system.

6:50 And here's an important point, and you must take this to heart. Paul did not shape the gospel to suit. Paul did not shape the secular world of his time. It would be mistaken, therefore, to think that he took the Roman legal concept and molded the message of the gospel into it.

7:11 Rather, he saw that the Roman concept of adoption does provide a valuable way of describing the Christian sonship. You see the distinction he's making? Paul did not say, oh, here's a concept. Let me squeeze the gospel into the Roman concept.

7:29 No. The concept was revealed by God in the activity of redemptive grace. And as the apostle understood it by the illuminating work of the Spirit, he saw some echoes of it in the Roman concept and therefore reached in and took a word that would be familiar to them in order to demonstrate certain facets of the blessing of God's adoptive grace. As Professor Lyell said, Professor Lyell has written, The profound truth of Roman adoption was that the adoptee was taken out of his previous state and was placed in a new relationship of son to his new father.

8:13 His new pater familias, that is, the male head of a household, was called the pater familias. All his old debts are canceled. And in effect, the adoptee started a new life. As part of his new family.

8:31 From that time on, the pater familias had the same control over his new child as he had over his natural offspring. He owned all the property and acquisitions of the adoptee, controlled his personal relationships, and had rights of discipline. On the other hand, the father was liable for the acquisition, but not the based on the and�� perish as an individual. , with him in the birthplace of the child for He was to be, for all creepy panic of parents, and so that his feelings you have just a wife, his Як bri. donné the me. his father, and , his mother, Roman colonies. It's found twice in the book of Romans, once in Galatians, and once in Ephesians.

9:36 So that gives you some idea of what lies behind the concept of adoption. We have been predestined unto adoption as sons. What does that mean? What would have registered in the minds of the Ephesians when those words were read in their gathered assemblies? They would have seen something in the Roman practice of adoption as described by Professor Lyle and quoted by Dr. Ferguson. Perhaps it's much easier to grasp it going back to our old standby, the shorter catechism. The question is, what is adoption? And the answer is, adoption is an act of God's free grace

Adoption as an Act of God's Free Grace: From Alien Family to God's Family

10:21 whereby he gives us the ability to adopt. And the answer is, adoption is an act of God's free grace whereby he gives us the ability to adopt. And the answer is, adoption is an act of God's free grace whereby we are received into the number and have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God. An act of God's free grace whereby we are received into the number and have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God. Like justification, it is a legal transaction external to us and carried on in the future. The court of heaven, not the civil court where justification occurs, but in the family court. Hence the language of John 1.12, as many as received him, to them gave he the right, the authority to become the children of God, even to them that believe on his name. Before our adoption, we were in an alien family.

11:22 Before our adoption, we were in an alien family. Before our adoption, we were in an alien family. One into which we entered because of the sin of our first father. Jesus refers to this when he said in John 8.44 to the Jewish leaders of his day, You are of your father, the devil, and the lusts or the desires of your father it is your will to do. In this very epistle, chapter 3 of 1 John and verse 10, the apostle divides all humanity, In this very epistle, chapter 3 of 1 John and verse 10, the apostle divides all humanity, into one of two families related to one of two fatherhoods. In this, the children of God are manifest and the children of the devil, two families. God's family comprised of children of God brought into the family by birth and by adoption.

12:14 And the children of the devil brought into that family because of our solidarity in Adam and our own personal birth into individual personal existence. And the mark of those who are in that alien family, Jesus said, is the lusts, the desires of your father, it is your will to do. And here I want to inject something that was not in my notes when I sat in my study at 25 Meadowbrook Lane in Cedar Grove, New Jersey. As I sat somewhere in this congregation last night, I saw some very distressing things that lead me to believe that not a few of you are still in the alien. The devil has no respect for the word of God. I saw blatant disrespect for the word of God being preached by the servant of God in this pulpit. A cavalier preening of the hair, a snuggling up to boyfriends, a scratching of boyfriends' backs.

13:26 I saw a deliberate attempt of some to go to sleep, others with wandering eyes. It's one of the reasons why I always sit on the front row when I go to church if I have any choice in it. I don't want to be distracted, but I said, Lord, could it be that I was providentially placed where I was placed that I might this morning seek to drive home to the consciences of some of you? It is evident what family you belong to.

13:52 You belong to that alien family into which you were born. By virtue of your family, you belong to that alien family into which you were born. By virtue of your family, you belong to that alien family into which you were born. your solidarity in Adam, and it just oozes from your very demeanor and your very disposition and attitude under the sacred preaching of God's holy word. The lust, the desires of your true father, it is your will to do. It was evident that some of you sat here willfully, deliberately shutting out the word of God. You show that you still belong to that alien family. You manifest all the marks of your father, the devil, who has no respect for God and his Christ and his word and his truth and his servants. Well, adoption, you see, is a marvelous act of God, whereby he

14:44 takes us out of that alien family and brings us into his family. But as we've already seen, though adoption is distinct from regeneration, he never, by the legal act, transforms us from the alien family. family into his family without regenerating us and giving us the disposition that is essential to everyone in his family, which is respect and love for the father and for his word and for his servants, for his truth, for his ways, for his worship. He gives to us the status of sons and he gives to us the disposition of sons. That's the essence of God's marvelous act of redemptive grace that we call adoption. It is taking us out of this alien family and placing us into the family of God by a legal transaction in the court of heaven. Well, then, having briefly considered the nature of adoption, let us begin to examine the privileges, of adoption. And we'll divide them, as I've already intimated, into two categories, the legal or

Distinguishing Legal/Objective and Experiential/Subjective Privileges of Adoption

16:05 objective privileges, and then, God willing, tomorrow, the subjective or experiential privileges. And let me try to illustrate that distinction in human life. One or two of you who have adopted children have already spoken to me concerning your delight in the handling of this subject and your anticipation of it that is peculiar to you. And I'm going to try to illustrate that to you, because it's peculiarly poignant to you, because you have adopted children. Well, imagine a family that has gone through all of the previous legal tangled essential to the adoption of a child in our society, and the day has come when they go into the court where the judge is going to now make public and official and final all of that previous paperwork and everything that goes with it, and the And the pronouncement is then made, declared legally binding, that this little child is now your child. You've not changed his diapers yet. You've not had him puke on your shoulder yet.

17:17 You've not had a sleepless night yet. You've not had all of the other experiential dimensions of parenthood. But should that little child, God forbid, but should that little child have a heart attack in the courtroom, you would be legally responsible to care for him, to bury him, and bury him with your name. You see, the legal act in the courtroom constitutes that.

17:52 That child, your child, and you are his father, his mother, even though neither of you have entered into any of the experiential dimensions of the newly constituted relationship. So you see the distinction in human experience? Well, in a similar way, when God adopts us into his family, there are certain things that God does that are limited to the courtroom. They are what I am calling the legal aspects of adoptive privilege.

18:30 And then there are other things that he does in us, in our own souls, in the sphere of our own redeemed humanity, that constitute the experiential, the personally experienced dimensions of adoption. So this morning what I propose to do is to focus on the individual and the personal aspects, the personal aspects. What I propose is to focus on the experience and the belief that God has in us, and the feelings of our own lives and our own lives. What I propose is to focus on the individual and the feelings of our own lives.

Legal Privilege 1: Irreversible Status as Sons and Daughters of God

18:52 our attention upon these legal or objective privileges of adoption, and that under two heads, disproportionate heads. The first will take most of the time. Their identity and then their basis. The identity of the legal privileges of adoption, and then secondly, the basis of those legal privileges of adoption. First of all, then, the identity of those privileges, and we will examine three of them. Number one, we are given an irreversible. I originally had the word inviolable. I like that much better, but it's not in the working vocabulary of most of you, so I'll stick with irreversible. But inviolable, to me, just has got more vigor to it, but that

19:42 just may be a Martinism. So if you're taking notes, you can write, we are given an irreversible status as sons and daughters of the living God. The first and foundational legal aspect of our privilege as the adopted sons and daughters of God is that we are given an irreversible status as sons and daughters of the living God. According to John 1.12, upon receiving Christ, which is a synonym, for believing on his name, according to that text, we are given the right to become the children of God. And when that right is conferred, it can never be negated. Once the right of sonship is conferred, it is an irreversible declaration of the court of heaven. When God, in the context of the preaching of the gospel, affects in us that sovereign work of divine begetting, referred to in verse 13, and out of that impulse of the divine begetting in the context

20:57 of the preaching of the gospel, there is an embrace of faith, embrace of Christ, a receiving of Christ, we are given the right and title of adopted sons and daughters. By divine begetting, the new birth brings us into the new life. And when we are given the right to become the children of the living God, we are given the right to become the children of the living God. And when we are given the right to become the children of the living God, we are given the right to become the children of the family, verse 13, by divine authority of right, we are now legally placed in the family of God.

21:26 And this status as sons of God, as with all the other blessings of redemptive grace in Christ, is indeed irreversible and inviolable. That's why John can write in the text I read last, yesterday morning and again this morning, John has no doubt that all of, whom he can say, we are the children of God, yes, we really are, and we know that every one of us, when he shall be manifested, we shall be like him. Our sonship shall come to its fullest experiential expression once there has been the legal declaration that we are indeed the sons and the daughters of God. Although at times, we may act like spoiled, sulking brats, God never puts us out of the house and disowns us. We are his children. He never puts us back into the alien family. It would be such a reproach

22:35 to the power of his saving grace and purpose. Could there be anything in our conduct that would cause the court of heaven to reverse its declaration that we are the adopted sons and daughters of the living God? And with this new status, we have the right, the privilege, and the duty to think of and to address the living God as our Father who is in heaven. So in identifying the legal or objective acts or blessings, I'm sorry, of adoption, we are taught, in scripture, that along with this irreversible status as sons and daughters, secondly, we are given the unspeakable privilege of becoming brothers and sisters of our elder brother, the Lord Jesus Christ. There's a family that has three children, a firstborn, a middle, and the tail end. They adopt a fourth child. The moment the court declares that child legally adopted, he immediately becomes the fourth

Legal Privilege 2: Brothers and Sisters of Our Elder Brother, Jesus Christ

23:53 sibling, immediately inherits an elder brother. That firstborn son becomes elder brother of the adopted one, and should they adopt ten, he will yet be the elder brother of each one brought into the family circle and into that brotherhood of that particular family. And in the purposes of redemptive grace, God is not only establishing a new humanity, one new and living temple. He is not only gathering a bride for his son. These are all the images of what the people of God are in their aggregate. He is not only establishing a new humanity, one new living temple, a bride for his son. He is also establishing a new family. He is not only establishing a new family. He is also establishing a brotherhood with Christ as the elder brother and the moral and

24:53 physical pattern for all of his siblings. This is one of the most glorious provisions of redemptive grace. I want you to turn to Romans 8 and verse 29. Romans 8 and verse 29. For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained. To be conformed to the image of his son. To what end? There could be many things said about God's purpose that in marking out the great end of his redemptive work in those upon whom he set his love, whom he has foreknown, that is, loved beforehand, he has purposed that they be conformed to the image of his son.

25:45 Why? That he, Jesus, might be conformed to the image of his son. Why? That he, Jesus, might be conformed to the image of his son. Why? That he, Jesus, might be the firstborn among many brethren. This text clearly establishes that with the matter of adoption, God is determined that we, the adopted ones, shall be constituted the brothers and sisters of our elder brother, the Lord Jesus Christ. And the word used for firstborn is the word that means the one who has the chief place, the chief honor, the one who has that unique place within the family. But, but, God's purpose is that we should be with the Lord Jesus as the firstborn. We should be his brotherhood.

26:42 That's the purpose of God. Whom he foreknew, he predestined to be conformed to the image of his son. That he might be the firstborn, not over, but among. The little preposition end. That he might be firstborn among his many brethren.

27:05 Hebrews 2, 10 to 12, points in the same direction. Hebrews 2, verses 10 to 12. For it became him, that is, Jesus, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the author or captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifies and they that are sanctified are all of one, and that's a difficult phrase to know precisely what was in the mind of the writer, for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, and now quoting, from Psalm 22, as the fruit of his own sufferings, I will declare thy name unto my brothers in the midst of the congregation, I will sing your praise. Now, I think most of us would acknowledge that for us to think in terms of calling Christ our elder brother seems a bit cheeky. He's our Lord. He's our master. He's our glorious, exalted prophet, priest.

28:26 He's our distant king, exercising all of these offices, not only in the estate of his humiliation, but his exaltation. But we have every right to call him our brother, brother Jesus. How's that sound to you? Queasy, don't you?

28:45 He calls you brother John, brother Pete, sister Mary, sister Margaret. Even if you've got a name like Lucretia, he's not ashamed to call you part of his family. There was a Lucretia in high school. That's why that popped into my head.

29:04 I haven't thought of Lucretia. I never had a crush on her, but her name was one that stuck.

29:11 He is not ashamed. He's not ashamed to say that's one of my siblings.

29:21 He's not ashamed to do it. Not ashamed at all. Because he's washed you in his own precious blood. He has given the basis for God the Father to say of you before the court of heaven in the light of law, every transgression that deserves damnation, I paid for by the pouring out of my life under the wrath of my father upon Golgotha.

29:49 And furthermore, from my conception in Mary's womb until I breathed my last, I fully kept my father's law as representative of all of the family I would gather. Every thought, every word, every motive, every disposition of soul, from conception to ascension, I fully kept my father's law so that in the court of heaven they are not only forgiven for all of their sins, they are credited with a positive righteousness. Why should I be ashamed to call them my brothers, my sisters? And furthermore, my father has placed his spirit within him, as we shall see God willing tomorrow, because they are sons and have been adopted. They have been adopted into the family legally. The spirit has been placed within them, and the spirit is within them, among other things, as araban, down payment, as pledge, that all the redemptive purposes in which the triune God has shared will be accomplished, and one day they're going to be fully conformed to my likeness in body as well as spirit. Why should I be ashamed to call them?

31:07 Brother John? Sister Mary? What a privilege to be brought into the family with such an elder brother. That's why Jesus gave adumbrations, a good old Puritan word.

31:24 He gave little foreshadowings of this in his earthly ministry. You remember the incident recorded in Mark chapter 3? The Lord Jesus has a great crowd around him, pressing in upon him. And we read these.

31:39 We read these words in Mark 3, 31. And there come his mother and his brothers, and standing without, they send unto him, calling him. They thought, if we send a messenger, and they're saying, Hey, Mama's out here with all your siblings. Jesus, they've got some claim on you.

31:56 The woman in whose womb you were formed. Your siblings who shared the same womb. I mean, that's pretty high claims, isn't it? All this bunch gathered around him.

32:07 They couldn't claim to have shared Mary's womb. That's pretty strong stuff. How does Jesus respond? A multitude was sitting about him.

32:16 And they say, Behold, your mother and your brothers are without seeking for you. And he answered them and said, Who is my mother and my brothers? And looking round on them that sat around about him. Think of it.

32:32 Do you read your Bible with imagination? When the Holy Ghost is looking round, Jesus didn't shoot back a one-liner. He started looking around. Now, if I stopped talking and just stood here and looking around, wouldn't you be saying, What's he thinking?

32:51 There's anticipation. And into that anticipation, Jesus says this, Who is my mother and my brothers? What do you mean, Lord, who is? They're out there.

33:04 Messengers have just come in and said, Your mother's out there. Your siblings are out there. He said, Who is my mother and my brothers? Looking round on them that sat round about.

33:15 And he said, Behold, my mother and my brethren and preacher friends. Do you think he said it with his hands in his pockets? You say, He didn't have a pocket with the kind of clothes he had on. All right, the folds of his robe.

33:32 Do you think he said it that way? Of course not. Of course not. You say, Well, where does that say that?

33:39 Well, I'll give you a lecture in general revelation.

33:43 And the intimate connection between the thought of the mind, the words of the mouth, and the actions of the body, I cannot imagine perfect, perfect eloquence saying, Here, here, here, behold, my mother and my brothers, without the hands going out and say, Here they are. What's he saying? He said, I'm gathering a family. I'm gathering a family who love the law of the family, who love to think like the new humanity, the new family is supposed to think.

34:18 And I'm instructing them about the family perspectives and the family goals and the family standards of life and the family hopes and aspirations and the family privileges. That's why you're still in the devil's family when you can sit in this place when the family laws and privileges are opened up and deliberately try to put yourself to sleep and snuggle up to your boyfriend and have no concern to give attention to the word of God. If that's the pattern of your life, you are not in the family. Last night may have been an exceptional time of backsliding for some of you, granted.

34:58 But prove you've got the real thing by getting your act together tonight.

35:04 Here's my family, those who hear the word of God. And not only hear it, but they do it. They do it. They hear with a view.

35:17 It's in a parallel passage, those who hear the word. This says, This says, I'm sorry, I quoted from the parallel passage and didn't keep my eye on this one. So if you're in God's family, you are not only given an irreversible status as a son or a daughter of the living God, you are given the unspeakable privilege of becoming brothers and sisters of our elder brother, the Lord Jesus Christ. And without any sympathy with the sentimental, cross-less, propitiation-less, atonement-less, no-resurrection religion of liberalism that likes to spout mushy language about Jesus as our brother, still, in the highest, most holy sense, he is our elder brother. Because, now listen carefully, we both have the...

36:21 ...same father.

36:24 And here I want you to turn to John chapter 20.

36:29 John chapter 20.

36:33 One of his post-resurrection interactions with his disciples. Verse 17. Jesus said to her, Do not touch me, for I am not yet ascended unto thee, Father. Now notice, thee, Father.

36:53 One Father. But go unto my brethren and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father. And your Father. And my God.

37:05 And your God.

37:09 Here our Lord says, There is one God, the Father. I have not yet ascended unto the Father. However, though there is but one Father. And he is my Father.

37:24 And your Father. We are related to him in similar but not identical ways. And because there are unique ways. In which he is my Father and not yours.

37:36 He has been my Father from all eternity. In the inter-Trinitarian life of the Godhead. I ascend unto my Father. With all the unique dimensions of his fatherhood to me.

37:51 And to your Father with all of the distinct privileges of your adoptive state. My God in all the uniqueness of my relationship to him. And your God with all the distinct privileges of your relationship to him. It's a beautiful text showing.

38:09 But it's not a different God. And a different Father. Though there are distinct dimensions of relationship. When people have the same Father.

38:22 We call them brothers and sisters in the same family. And the Lord Jesus beautifully underscores. Several profound theological realities in these very simple words. I'm going to the Father.

38:41 My Father. Your Father. My God. And your God.

38:48 And we must not allow the cheap, tawdry use of the concept of Christ as our brother. That finds expression in so many circles today. To rob us. To rob us of saying without embarrassment.

39:05 Without any sense that we're being cheeky or irreverent. Thank you Lord Jesus for being my elder brother.

39:16 Because that's one of your legal adoptive privileges. But then thirdly. It gets better. It gets better.

Legal Privilege 3: Shared Heirship with Our Lord Jesus Christ

39:26 It gets better. The third legal adoptive privilege. Not only given the irreverence. The irreversible status of sons and daughters.

39:35 The unspeakable privilege of becoming brothers and sisters of our elder brother. The Lord Jesus. But thirdly we are given a shared airship. Not A-I-R-S-H-I-P.

39:49 But H-E-I-R. A shared airship with our Lord Jesus Christ. And here I ask you to turn to Romans chapter 8 with me. Romans chapter 8.

40:02 In this marvelous chapter replete with instruction on how all the justified are brought into the realm of life in the spirit. No way to experience life in the spirit without being a justified pardoned sinner. But all who are justified are brought into the realm of life in the spirit. And the apostle establishes that in the early verses of this chapter.

40:35 And now we come. We come to verse 14. But are for as many as are led by the spirit of God. These are the sons of God.

40:47 For you receive not the spirit of bondage again unto fear. But you receive the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba, Father. The spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God. And if children.

41:05 Then heirs heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ if so be that we suffer with him that we may also be glorified with him in verse 14 the apostle says the validation of sonship is a spirit led ongoing mortification of sin. Do you see that as many as are led by the spirit of God. These are the sons of God and in the context what is being led of the spirit verse 13 if you live after the flesh you must die but if by the spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body you shall live for for as many as are led by the spirit of God these are the sons of God the validation of our sonship is found in a spirit led ongoing mortification of sin. And then he goes on to say that the source of this.

42:05 Spirit dominated ethical lifestyle is the gift of the spirit that validates that we are sons for you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear but you receive the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father the spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are the children of God God willing we'll look at that tomorrow as one of the experiential privileges of sonship. And of adoption but here he says that as surely as the validation of sonship is a spirit led ongoing mortification of sin from the ethical perspective from the internal experiential perspective there is this witness of our spirit and with that the witness of the Holy Spirit attesting to our identity as the sons of God.

43:05 Now then he says in verse 17 the inevitable accompaniment of this well attested sonship attested ethically by ongoing mortification of sin in the power of the spirit attested internally and experientially or you may want to use the term mystically by the internal conjoint witness of the Holy Spirit sonship attested ethically internally and experientially. Experientially there is an inevitable accompaniment of this sonship this well attested sonship and what is it look at it and if children verse 17 then heirs we are heirs if children God has no children without airship none have airship if they are not children if children then heirs heirs of what heirs of God.

44:05 And in what sense and what is the inheritance heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ now the word for air is the standard word in the New Testament for a legally constituted recipient of property or possessions Matthew 21 38 come let us take the air and kill him the one who is the lead. To the recipient. Of this property Galatians 4 1 and 2 where Paul is speaking of God's diversity of covenantal administrations and he says that under the old covenant God's people were like people who are the proper heirs but they are not yet come to age when they could receive their inheritance so they're treated like servants so what is an heir an heir is the legally constituted recipient of property.

45:05 Or possessions well as heirs what is our inheritance the text says we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ and there's a debate as to what does it mean heirs of God objective or subjective genitive is God our inheritance well that may well be so what did he say to Abraham I am thy exceeding. Great reward and when God winds it all up what's the language he uses he did overcome if I will be his God and he shall be my son think of it your inheritance is the living God himself but not only is God your inheritance God the author of it God himself the substance of it but when he says joint heirs with Christ one of Paul's favorite linguistics.

46:06 He takes a word and he adds the prefix that means together with and he says we are not only heirs of God but we are heirs of God in conjunction with being joint heirs with Christ when the elder brother to whom the inheritance belongs at least in double measure were brought into the family he says I'll not be satisfied that I receive double and you receive a lesser amount. I will draft a deed of full share in my inheritance joint heirs with and what is Christ inheritance Hebrews chapter 1 and verse 2 begins to give us the answer Hebrews chapter 1 and verse 2 God having of old times spoken unto the fathers in the prophets many different portions and manners has at the end of these days spoken unto the fathers in the prophets.

47:08 He has spoken unto us in the son whom he appointed heir of all things heir of all as the reward of his obedience as the suffering servant in the accomplishment of our redemption he has been constituted the heir of all things the new heavens the new earth he is the heir apparent. He is the heir designated and in redemptive grace particularly the redemptive privilege of adoption he says if I take you in my family it's share and share alike joint heirs with Christ even as I said the part of my brain saying you stupid old man what are you talking about but it's there joint heirs with Christ.

48:10 Heirs of all things revelation 21 and verse 7 look at the text revelation 21 and verse 7 as we have this beautiful description of the reconstitution of all things he that overcometh shall inherit these things what things verse 21 chapter 21 verse 1 I saw new heaven and the new earth for the first heaven in the first earth. We're past. The way and John sees in vision Eden restored and augmented to glory far beyond anything known in pristine original Eden and now God says you want all that overcome overcome in union with my son as a true believer as one attached to him faithful even unto death he that overcometh shall inherit all things and I will be his God and he should be his God. be my son well i thought we were adopted when we believe yes but he's saying now he will be my son in the actual full possession of all that has been purchased and won for him by the elder brother

49:27 one for him by the elder brother what was lost in adam restored in a whole reconciled universe colossians 1 20 baffled me for years where christ's work points to the fact that he's reconciled all things to himself in heaven and earth and under the earth his great work of redemption reconstituting reclaiming all for god and he says when i take you in my family you're going to be co-heir with me of all things co-heir with me of all things now again when we stand before truths like these we say who is sufficient not just to preach them but who's sufficient to even begin to grasp them this aspect of legal privilege connected with adoption boggles the mind battles our understanding stretches our faith but the divine testimony is clear and if such a privilege was one for you and me in the arena of the bloody sweat of gethsemane

50:50 the shameful abuse of gabbatha and in the gory baptism and horrible darkness of golgotha do we not dishonor our savior when we refuse to believe what he's won for us at so great a price you see it's not humility that says oh lord this is all too good i don't it has nothing to do with what you deserve it has nothing to do with what you think you are worthy of i don't feel like an heir i'm not worthy of such a position has nothing to do with what you feel it has to do with what god has done in christ and if by the spirit he has brought you to own your wretchedness in adam your undone this your lostness, your hell deservingness, and has brought you to cast yourself upon Christ as he is so freely, fully offered to us in the gospel. These things are yours in Christ because of what Christ has done, not because of what you are or have done or may hope to do even by the power of the spirit and out of love to Christ. This is the legal dimension of the grace and privilege of adoption. So then, here are three of the legal or objective blessings, privileges of adoption,

The Basis of Conferral: God's Love and Christ's Redemptive Work

52:16 an irreversible status as sons and daughters to the living God, this unspeakable privilege of becoming brothers and sisters to our older brother, the Lord Jesus, a shared heirship, with our Lord Jesus. Now, having sought to focus on the identity of the legal privileges, just a word in closing about the basis of their conferral, the basis of their conferral. On what basis can God give such amazingly gracious things to such horrible, wretched sons and daughters of Adam? Well, his love is obviously the ultimate fountainhead of this redemptive provision. Go to Ephesians 1 with me, if you will, again briefly, Ephesians chapter 1. His love, free, sovereign, amazing love, the fountainhead out of which it flows, verse 5, having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself. Why? In love, taking the words in love as a

53:30 covenant. He is attached to verse 5 in love, having foreordained us. Yes, his love is the fountainhead out of which it flows. May I say it reverently? All the love of the infinite heart of God could not justly confer such blessings as naked love, because God's love does not negate his justice, nor his righteousness, nor his commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. He does not pepper up our sins. He does not pick upérie on the prec snatches of the Atonement of this propersion, and yet he does say true things so well that God speaks from his heart at each step of the way. And so it is given to us at the tahsic, which is a supreme reason for being those who love,ollesome, siete 1 to God, in the informed love of Jesus Christ to the friendlies of God. Now remember, that is what gives us theOOM for the 我삼迊

54:31 in this. See what the basis is, having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ. Through Jesus Christ. It is on the basis of what Jesus as Messiah has accomplished through Jesus Christ.

54:56 And therefore, Paul can say, as we saw yesterday in Galatians 4, 5, that in the fullness of the time, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law. To what end? That He might redeem them that were under the law, in order that we might receive adoption as sons. Redemption is essential to adoption.

55:20 And so we are brought back, as we were in the previous hour, to that great and foundational truth, that every single legal deed of adoption, that has ever been given to a hell-deserving son or daughter of that alien family of the devil, every document has been signed with blood.

55:45 The blood of incarnate deity. And without that blood being the signatory, there'd be no adoption. But because the Father is committed in covenantal integrity to His Son, and has promised, not only to uphold Him in the work of redemption, but that He should see of the travail of His soul and be satisfied, the Father must, in the integrity of covenantal commitment to His Son, give to His Son this whole family of His brothers and sisters, a shared heirship, an irreversible status as sons and daughters, because that's what He wanted for us. Because that's what He wanted for us. By His bloodletting upon the cross. That's the basis.

56:39 So we are brought back, you see. Every blessing is in Christ, and through Christ, and because of Christ. And therefore, as we contemplate the wonder of our privileges as adopted sons and daughters, it should bring us to say afresh with the Apostle, God forbid, that I should glorify Him. That I should glorify Him in all His glory, save in the cross of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Pastoral Exhortation: Choose God's Family Over the Alien Family

57:09 And you, to whom I have spoken rather pointedly in this hour, I exhort you, I exhort you. Consider, why in the world do you want to remain in that alien family? Why would you want to remain in the alien family? Well, that's where all my buddies are.

57:27 Oh yeah? Your buddies, your girlfriends. And what are they living for? To please themselves.

57:33 right and when you get people all together with themselves at the center of their universe there's no trust there's constant clashing self-interest crawls up the back of self-interest you want to have those kind of people as your family now and you want to have them in eternity and be part of the chorus of the damned and you'll sing alto in the weeping in the wailing and they'll sing soprano and you think you're going to find comfort in your harmony it's utter folly my friend don't remain in that alien family with the horrible horrible prospects of what awaits you when jesus christ in the gospel says come to me and i will bring you into the family i'm gathering as the fruit of my sufferings and i will be your elder brother and i will be your elder brother and i will be your elder brother and i will be your elder brother And I will share all of my inheritance with you, all because of my grace. May God grant, may God grant, that God the Holy Spirit will break through the blindness, the moral madness of remaining in your sins in a context like this.

Prayer for Understanding and Living Out Adoptive Privileges

58:56 God have mercy for your good and for his glory. Let's pray. Our Father, we confess that we feel so utterly shriveled and pygmy-like in our hearts and in our minds when we try to just take at face value what you have said in your word is ours in Christ and because of Christ. O Lord, we understand a little more why the apostle prayed and bowed his knees to you, the Father, from whom every family in heaven...

59:39 ...that he would grant us to be strengthened with might, with power by the Spirit in the inner man, that we might begin to grasp all that is ours in Christ.

59:53 O God, send your Spirit upon our hearts, enlarge them, make them more tender, make them more believing, that as your people who have such privileges, we may begin not only to grasp them with new understanding, and stronger faith, but live out the reality of them in the power of your Holy Spirit. Thank you for all that you are to us. Thank you for all you have been to us through these morning hours. Receive our praise and continue with us through the hours of this day and gather us together tonight with eagerness to hear the voice of our Lord Jesus speaking through the word and by means of your Spirit. We ask in Jesus' worthy name. Amen.