Romans 8:14-17

Daddy.

Daddy.

Daddy is a powerful word.

It has power for good.

It has power to bring up painful memories.

For some of us, it is a word with rich, warm, wonderful connotations of home and safety and security.

And for others, it does not.

I remember my dad.

He passed away in 2004.

He was not always the most affectionate, coming from a stodgy New England family where children were to be seen, not heard.

And so, but he was always a cheerleader.

He provided well.

At his funeral, I shared about perhaps the most poignant image that I have of my father.

And that is this.

When we were kids, we would often have vociferous and boisterous conversation at our dinner table.

I don't know if your dinner table is like that or not.

But we would get into loud conversations.

And surprisingly, maybe to some of you, I was the quiet one.

And I would try to insinuate my thoughts or opinions into the conversation.

And often find myself increasingly frustrated as I was talked over, dominated, shut out, denied.

And at times I would just lose it.

And in frustration and tears, I would slam my chair back from the table and run away to my room.

My dad would be the one who would come to get me.

Mom was probably more the one I would process my everyday trials with.

But my dad would always come to get me.

Not a lot of discussion, not a lot of words.

He would say, hey, why don't you come back?

Why don't you come back to the table?

What's your relationship with your father like?

What have you experienced?

You know, one of the things that I think is often true is that we project our human earthly relationships with our father

onto our understanding of God as father as well.

For some of you, your earthly relationships have been full of pain or fear or trauma.

And so when you hear the word God the father, it doesn't seem like a good thing to you.

Maybe some of you, it does.

My hope is that this morning, as we continue in our series in the book of Romans,

and as we look at a glorious passage about God and his relationship to us,

as he is our Abba Father and we are his children,

that God will redeem and renew and restore and refresh in you a sense of awe and wonder

at God as our father.

So if you want to turn with me in your Bibles,

if you're looking in the Pew Bibles, it's page 944.

Therefore, we're in the book of Romans.

We're going to be looking at verses 14 through 17 this morning,

but I'm going to read the passage leading up to it so that we get a bit of the context.

So let's read together Romans chapter 8.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do,

by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin.

He condemns sin in the flesh.

In order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not according to the flesh,

but according to the Spirit.

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh.

But those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

To set the mind on the flesh is death.

But to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law.

Indeed, it cannot.

Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.

Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him.

But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,

He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

So then, brothers, we are debtors not to the flesh to live according to the flesh.

For if you live according to the flesh, you will die.

But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

For you did not receive the Spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,

but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry,

Abba, Father.

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

And if children, then heirs.

Heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ,

provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.

Let's pray together.

Lord, we thank You for this glorious word and this glorious truth.

And Lord, we ask for Your help this morning.

Lord, for we acknowledge that it touches us deeply,

and for some of us that will be a painful place for us to go.

But Lord, we pray that You would bring a healing and restoring.

Lord, and bring awe and wonder.

Lord, bring a sense of security and belonging,

of hope and of love to our hearts.

Lord, I pray for Your help this morning.

Lord, that I might preach Your word clearly,

and that You might, through me, speak to all of us.

Lord, we pray these things in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Well, as we're looking at verses 14 through 17 this morning,

there is only one big idea.

And that is this.

That we are sons of God if we are in Christ Jesus.

Paul, in leading up to this, he's been talking about,

if you were here last week,

Pastor Greg talked about this incredible thing that God has done.

He has made us now debtors,

not to the flesh,

not to our sinful nature,

to continue living in rebellion against God,

and in the ways that lead to death in our lives.

But instead, God has given us His Spirit,

so that now we might actually live a new way

in His power,

by putting to death those deadly things in our lives,

and instead living the life that God has won for us

in His Son, Jesus Christ.

And so Paul says,

for all who are led by the Spirit of God,

and part of what he means by that is,

all who are now putting to death the deeds of the flesh,

all who are walking in this new identity,

this new pattern of life that we have.

It's partly why I read 1 through 12,

as well as the passage that we're looking at this morning,

because I wanted you to see,

Paul is building this argument.

You are now in Christ.

There is no condemnation.

God has set you free from the law of sin and death.

God has now done what you could not do,

so that you can now do what God calls you to.

He has given you a life,

and a life in His Spirit,

free from condemnation,

regenerated with a new life.

And now,

for all who are in Christ,

for all who have placed their faith in Christ,

He gives this incredible word.

Lord,

you are sons of God.

This is a remarkable thing.

But we maybe need to clear the brush a little bit,

because some of you are sitting here thinking,

I'm not a son.

I'm a daughter.

Can't make it there.

Can't get to the son thing.

How do we do that?

And this is important for us to think through,

because Paul,

as you see further on,

he goes to children.

Verse 16,

he changes the image from son to children,

and he could have done that from the very beginning.

Why did he not do it?

Well,

because

he is pulling on

a first century vision

of what it meant to be a son

that was contextualized in the era.

If you were a son,

you were,

then,

the carrier of the family line.

You held all the privilege,

all the position,

and,

particularly if you were the first son,

all of the inheritance,

maybe not all,

but the lion's share of the inheritance

would actually come to you

as the son.

And what Paul is referring to here

is not a gendered position,

but a social position.

The ESV helpfully puts in,

this word could be translated,

sons and daughters.

It is clearly inclusive

of all people,

but he uses sonship

because a son has a particular position

in the first century

of all of this privilege.

privilege.

And here's the remarkable thing.

What Paul is saying,

given the flow of this argument,

is if you are in Christ,

if you've been set free

from the law of sin and death,

if the Spirit of God dwells in you,

if you are led by the Spirit of God,

then all of you,

men and women,

are sons of God.

Did you see the all in verse 14?

Look at it again.

All of you are sons of God.

He's saying all of you are able

to step into this privileged position.

What a wonderful thing this is.

And Paul is saying this is true.

This is true of all men and all women,

which was revolutionary at that time.

He's saying it is true

for those who are slaves

and those who are free.

You are all members of God's family.

When the social divisions of the day

would have separated those out

and said, no, they have to be kept

differentiated.

And even religiously,

Jews and Gentiles,

you are all brought in

to God's family

and able to be sons of God.

When for those from the Jewish background

in that time,

they would have seen those outside

as unable to be brought in

unless they actually became Jewish.

So Paul is saying something revolutionary here

as he says,

you are all in Christ

sons of God.

Then he spends the next three verses

explaining that

and unpacking that more.

And that's what we're gonna look at

for the next couple of minutes together.

First of all,

look with me at verse 15.

You do not receive the spirit of slavery

to fall back into fear,

but you have received the spirit of adoption

as sons

by whom we cry,

Abba, Father.

So the first thing Paul wants to do

is to clarify,

for some,

sonship before God

might be this fearsome thing.

Right?

To approach a holy God

to say that you are his son

and to be a part of his family,

that might be terrifying

because he might destroy you.

You know that God is a righteous judge.

You know that God is a holy God

who cannot tolerate evil in his presence.

Paul says,

no,

becoming a son

doesn't come

with that kind of fear.

It doesn't come

with the slavery

of trying to please God

and the despair

of knowing that you're unable to do that.

It doesn't come

from the fear of rejection.

What if I blow it?

Is God gonna throw me out

of his family?

In Romans 6,

Paul has already said

that when we were slaves to sin,

we were unable

to do what is right before God.

And if we are in that state,

what a fearsome thing it is then

to be called part of God's family.

We're just gonna be constantly in time out

the whole life.

But the Christian life

is not a dutiful one

because there is now,

therefore,

no condemnation

for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Because Christ has done for us

what we could not do

so that we might be accepted.

And so,

Paul spins his own

and said,

this is not,

sonship does not have this fear

that God is going to continue

to command us to perform

and therefore justify ourselves

by our perfection.

He says,

no,

you have now

received a spirit

of adoption.

Adoption

as sons.

And he says this amazing

and incredible thing

as he does this.

Because as we've talked about,

being adopted as a son

means that we have

all the rights

and privileges

of sonship

in a family

that we do not,

by nature,

belong to.

In the Roman culture

in the first century,

a person who didn't have

an actual son

might adopt a servant,

a slave,

an orphan,

to bring him in

and say,

you are now my son

and you are going

to take this role

with all of the rights

and the privileges

and the responsibilities

of sonship.

And Paul is saying,

that's what God

has done for us.

And as that son

is adopted

into a Roman family,

all the past debts

would have been paid out.

All the past

outstanding requirements

would have been solved.

And that son now

is brought in

and he gets a new identity.

He gets a new name.

He gets a new standing

in society.

He has a new inheritance

of things that

were not his

before.

And friends,

this is what adoption

does for us.

It brings us

from a place

of alienation

to a place

of belonging

in God's family.

adoption

brings us

from lostness

and loneliness

to being

in a place

of being loved

by the creator

of the world.

But friends,

it's more than that

because it's not

just being made right

and it's not just

being put

in a good standing.

But he finishes

by saying,

by whom we cry,

Abba,

Father.

Father.

Daddy.

The first word

is Aramaic.

The second one

is Greek.

They mean the same

thing.

Paul repeats it

so that we get it.

Friends,

God has described

as many things

throughout the scripture.

He is the sovereign

creator

of the whole world.

He is the ruler

and the king

over all things.

He is the judge

to whom all

are accountable.

But remarkably,

in the New Testament,

Father becomes

the most important,

maybe,

certainly the most central

image

of how we relate

to God.

God.

What a wonderful

thing this is.

This is why

when Jesus

teaches his disciples

to pray,

he begins

not with,

O great God

or O sovereign,

but Father,

our Father.

Holy be your name.

And so forth.

So as J.I. Packer

reads,

by the way,

J.I. Packer

in his book

Knowing God

has a beautiful

chapter on adoption,

being adopted

as God's child.

If you

are looking

for more reading,

I highly recommend it.

In Knowing God,

he writes this,

Adoption is a family

idea conceived

in terms of love

and viewing God

as Father.

In adoption,

God takes us

into his family

and fellowship.

He establishes us

as his children

and heirs.

Looseness,

affection,

and generosity

are at the heart

of this relationship.

To be right

with God

the judge

is a great thing,

but to be loved

and cared for

by God

the Father

is even

greater.

And so friends,

this says

for all who

are in Christ

Jesus,

we now have

a relationship

with God

that includes

both

intimacy

and authority.

We have

a relationship

with a God

who is at once

imminent

and transcendent.

He is both

sovereign over all

and yet

he is

the one

that we can

run to

when we fall

and skin our knee

and need to be held.

He is the holy

one who cannot

tolerate evil

and yet

also he is

the God

of love.

Behold

how great

the Father's love

that we should be

called children

of God.

Friends,

think about this.

if you'll

excuse me

I want to

translate it

out of the

human realm

for a minute.

If you had a dog

who had a master

and every time

he did something

wrong

he was beaten

he was starved

he was deprived

when that man

walked through the door

at the end of the day

what do you think

the dog would do?

run

hide

cower

at best

not care

and stay away.

But if that master

is a loving

master

who showers

his dog

not only with

provision

of a safe place

to live

and food

and exercise

but showers

that dog

with affection

and love

and companionship.

I grew up

with golden retrievers

I know what they do.

They jump on you

they turn around

in circles

they chase their tail

they slobber

all over you

but they rejoice

and they come

running to you.

Friends,

if this is true

of a dog

how much more

is it true?

in our human

relationships

we have a heavenly

father

who loves us

so much

and we are able

to come to him

and cry

Abba Father

to him.

Friends,

Paul goes on

not only do we have

this intimacy

rather than slavery

but verse 16

being a child

of God

is an experiential

as well as

a positional

relationship

with God.

Let me explain

those terms

so you understand.

A positional

relationship

is what we are

declared.

This happens

whenever an adoption

happens.

There is a day

when the papers

are signed

and that child

becomes

legally

and relationally

connected

to the adopted

parents

in a positional

way.

They are now

parent and child

father and son

mother,

daughter.

They are now

brought into that

family.

There is a position

that is true.

Verse 16

says

there is more

than just position.

the spirit

himself

bears witness

with our spirit

that we

are children

of God.

Commentators

argue a little

about what

exactly this

means

but

in my

understanding

the most

clear way

that this

makes sense

is that God

has given us

his Holy Spirit

to live

within us

so that the

Holy Spirit

might remind

us

that is

bear witness

or testify

to our own

spirits

about

who we

now are

as children

of God.

The British

preacher

Martin Lloyd

Jones

quotes an

old Puritan

from a couple

of centuries

ago

named Thomas

Goodwin

explaining it

in this way.

Picture

a man

walking along

the road

with his

little boy

holding hands

father and

son,

son and

father.

The boy

knows that

the man

is his

father

and that

his father

loves him

but all

of a sudden

the man

sweeps

the boy

up into

his arms

embraces

him and

kisses him.

Now the

boy is

actually no

more of a

son when

he is being

embraced and

kissed than

he was

before.

The father's

action has

not changed

the status

of the

son but

oh the

difference in

the enjoyment

of the

status.

That son

walking along

next to

his father

knows he's

a son but

when his

father scoops

him up and

showers him

with that

love and

affection it

becomes not

just a

positional

relationship but

an experiential

one.

And friends

what Paul

tells us is

that for all

who are in

Christ Jesus

if you are

truly a son

of God

then the

Holy Spirit

is now

telling you

and reminding

you on a

daily basis

that you

are

loved by

God

accepted

by him

welcomed

by him

embraced

by him.

Friends this

is the tragic

end of the

parable

of the

prodigal son.

The prodigal

son goes away

abandons his

father

lives his

own selfish

life

finally

realizes

how foolish

he's been

comes back

knowing he

has no

right to

reclaim

a position

of sonship.

Yet when

the father

sees him

coming down

the road

he runs

in a most

undignified

manner he

runs

to embrace

his son

and he

gives

them

all

he

restores

to him

all the

full

privileges

of the

robe

and the

ring

and the

sandals

and he

throws

the party

for that

son to

know how

much he

is loved

and yet

the son

who's been

there the

whole time

is out

in the

fields

bitter

and angry

and won't

come in

to the

party

and to

the

father

because he's

not experiencing

this

because he

doesn't know

this

his position

friends the

holy spirit

for all who are

in christ

jesus is

nudging

and reminding

and whispering

and maybe

shouting

to your

hurting

stubborn

hard

heart

i love

you

you

are my

child

this is the

most wonderful

thing about

adoption

isn't it

when we're

born into a

family you feel

like yeah

nobody got to

pick me

i just

just happened

for good or

for bad

but when

you're adopted

someone looks

at you and

they say i

choose you

and god

looks at his

children he

says i chose

you and

you and

you and

you and

you i

chose you

to be

mine

not because

you are

worthy not

because you

have to

perform to

keep it

up not

because of

any of

those things

but because

i loved

you

friends i

wonder this

morning if

you were

listening to

the spirit

i wonder if

some of you

are here this

morning and

you haven't

put your

faith in

christ if

you haven't

experienced the

father's love

for you if

if you're

still wondering

whether god

could accept

you

well friends

this is what

the good news

of the gospel

is all about

that in

jesus god

has done

everything

necessary for

you to be

accepted by

him and

his call for

you is to

turn from

all your

other ways

of trying to

be right

before god

on your

own to

say i

can't do

it i'm a

sinner and

a failure

to acknowledge

your helplessness

and then throw

your trust on

god and as

he calls you

to do that

he will meet

you and

embrace you

and then you

will know the

whispering of

the holy spirit

saying you are

my child and i

love you

not only does

being a child

of god

mean

intimacy

rather than

slavery

not only does

it mean an

experiential as

well as a

positional

relationship

but verse 17

it means we

are joined with

christ in all

things

look with me

at verse 17

again i want

you to look for

the preposition

with

if the spirit

nope that's a

wrong verse i'm

looking here

verse 17

if children

then heirs

heirs of god

and fellow

heirs with

christ

provided we

suffer with

him

in order that

we may also

be glorified

with

him

so friends

this is the

most amazing

thing of all

we are now

heirs with god

we've talked

about this

already

this is part

of the

the reality

is that

when god

brings us

into his

family he

brings us

into the

family of

god who

owns and

rules everything

and specifically

then he says

in hebrews 1

2 that

he has made

god

or made

christ

jesus christ

the heir

of all

things

and so we

are now

brought into

a family

where we

have

everything

everything

in god's

kingdom

everything

in the

world

is

is

going to

be ours

one day

we are

brought

into

this

incredible

privilege

and this

incredible

position

all the

riches of

knowing god

and being

found in

him

all the

wealth

of participating

in his

perfect

kingdom

all the

benefit

of living

under

his

loving

rule

and one

day

ruling

with him

over

a redeemed

creation

where there

will be

no more

sin

and no

more

sorrow

no more

sickness

and no

more

death

there will

be no

more

strife

because the

victory

will have

been won

and we

will

be with

him

and just

like the

pevensees

experience

the fullness

of life

in Narnia

as kings

and queens

as sons

and daughters

of Adam

redeemed

by Aslan

we too

will experience

that richness

and that

fullness

all the

love

all the

privilege

all the

status

and all

the wealth

that our

hearts

truly yearn

for

not the

passing

fleeting

treasures

of this

world

but the

things that

our hearts

truly long

for

we have

all of

that

in Christ

we have

all we

ever need

and what

we will

find

in eternity

is that

the thing

we most

need

is God

himself

and when

we have

him

it almost

doesn't

matter

everything

else

will fade

because we

have

God

himself

as our

father

and we

are living

with him

as he

reigns over

his new

creation

and that

will be

enough

for us

friends I

wonder though

if you

hear that

and you

think well

that sounds

really nice

but that's

not life

right now

is it

Paul knows

that

that's

exactly

what the

rest of

this verse

tells us

see this

is the

interesting

thing

of what

Paul is

telling us

is that

when we

are joined

with Christ

we are joined

with Christ

in all

of who

Christ is

and what

he's doing

we are not

called to be

the redeemer

in the same

way that he

is but we

are called

to live in

the pattern

of his

life and

being joined

with him

in this

incredible

position

as joint

heirs

with him

we then

walk

the road

that he

walked

for us

as we

follow him

and so

we have

this

surprising

thing

because

I

think

that

maybe

you

have

experienced

this

to hear

the message

you are

beloved

child of

God

and he

has given

you

everything

that you

need

you have

this

incredible

identity

and position

and inheritance

and God

is looking

out for you

and you

think

then why

is my

life

so hard

if my

life is

this hard

how could

it be

that God

actually

loves me

and is my

heavenly

father

because

wouldn't

a father

stop

these

things

from

happening

and Paul

says no

Paul says

that a

loving

father

loves us

so much

that he

wants us

to walk

the path

that Christ

walked

and to

know what

that means

because

if by

our logic

God

would

prevent

those

things

from

happening

do you

know

what

would

have

happened

to us

Christ

never

would

have

died

on the

cross

the

injustice

and the

suffering

that he

experienced

for us

never

would have

happened

if he

had been

a heavenly

father

like that

but in

fact his

love was

so great

for us

that he

allowed

those things

to happen

in fact he

planned for

them to

happen

for our

redemption

Jesus

who did

not count

equality

with God

something to

be grasped

but humbled

himself

took on

the form

of a

servant

suffered

in his

incarnate

form

tiredness

and hunger

but more

than that

as he

identified

with us

he then

went to

the cross

and took

upon

himself

our

sin

and the

wrath

of God

against

that

evil

that

dwells

in the

hearts

of all

of us

apart

from

God

Jesus

walked

this

incredible

path

of

suffering

and he

did it

for our

redemption

so that

by dying

in our

place

and rising

again

to new

life

he would

be able

to defeat

sin

and death

and so

to capture

us up

with him

in glory

for he

has been

exalted

to the

right hand

of the

father

he has

a name

which is

greater than

any name

in heaven

or earth

and the

Christian life

now is

not one

that does

not suffer

but one

that in

suffering

finds

fellowship

with the

one who

suffered

for our

redemption

and in

walking

through that

believing

that God

is doing

a greater

work of

redemption

in our

lives

in the

lives of

those around

us and

in this

world

than we

could ever

imagine

and as we

are identified

with Christ

and being a

son of the

father

we know

that this

will be a

part of

what our

lives will

look like

but friends

we know

it is all

worth it

because as

we hang

on through

those hard

things and

as God

gives us

the patient

endurance

in our

fight against

sin

in our

fight

as we

experience

injustice

and fallenness

in the

world

it will all

be worth it

because not

only are we

going to be

with Christ

in our

sufferings

but we

will be

with him

in glory

we will

be raised

with him

to a new

and eternal

life

where there

will be

no more

sickness

and sorrow

and death

and no more

suffering

we will be

raised with him

to this

exalted

position

where we

will sit

and reign

with him

and we

will know

the father's

love

without pain

without

trial

our sin

will be

done away

with

perfectly

and what

a glorious

glorious

thing

it is

and so

in fact

friends

what Paul

is telling

us here

is not

only is

that the

path

but in

fact it

is a

sign

if you

are a

child of

God

if you

are a

son of

God

you will

suffer

it is

an unpleasant

truth

to our

ears

and yet

it is

a consistent

witness

of the

scriptures

we will

suffer

in this

world

but it

is in

fact

a sign

that we

are

sons

of

God

when we

suffer

with

Christ

and so

anticipate

and look

forward

to the

glory

that will

be

with

him

and so

we say

with

Paul

we count

all things

as lost

for the

sake of

knowing

Christ

that we

may know

him

and the

power of

his

resurrection

that we

may share

in his

sufferings

becoming

like him

in his

death

so that

by any

means

possible

we might

attain

resurrection

from the

dead

and glory

and this

is our

greatest

hope

that our

sonship

that our

being a

child of

God

is not

just for

this life

but it

is for

eternity

that we

will be

with him

Lord what a

great hope

this is

for some

of you

this message

this morning

is a

reminder

a needed

reminder

of something

maybe you've

lost sight

of

about who

God is

and who

you are

in relationship

to him

for some

of you

this may

be a

revolutionary

revelation

I've never

heard of

this before

God could

really be

like that

to me

for some

of you

it may

still feel

like a

fairy tale

too good

to be

true

my prayer

is that you

may know

the love

of God

the Father

today

that you

may know

his calling

on all

in Christ

to be

his sons

and daughters

his children

let's pray

behold what

manner of

love the

Father has

bestowed on

us that we

should be

called

children of

God

Lord may

by your

spirit

you

help us

this morning

to know

these things

are true

Lord to

convict our

hearts when

we are

doubtful

when we

find ourselves

rejecting

these truths

Lord will

you help

us when

we find

that this

is painful

and we

need your

help and

your healing

to consider

you as

our Father

Lord will

you

affirm

and deepen

our

understanding

of these

things

for your

glory we

pray

in Jesus

name

Amen

Amen

to

the

a

manure