Adopted for Glory

We are going through Romans 8 with the overall theme of assurance of salvation in Christ.

So two weeks ago, David Coylewood spoke on reason number one for the assurance of our salvation.

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

because Christ has taken the condemnation on the cross.

And last week, Rob Patterson spoke on reason number two, the Holy Spirit has come to give life.

The law of the spirit of life supersedes the law of sin and death.

It is like the law of aerodynamics supersedes the law of gravity.

When the law of the spirit of life is at work in us,

the law of sin and death no longer has anything to do with us.

This week, I would like to speak on reason number three,

that is how the Holy Spirit helps us to live like children of God.

And Rob has been very helpful in explaining the term of Abba Father.

And then Marty gave us a very good illustration in terms of being adopted by God.

All right, before we start, shall we pray?

Father God, we thank you for the fact that we could call your Father,

even as we come before you, the Holy God.

And it is such a privilege for us to come before you as our Father,

no longer fearing any condemnation.

Oh, Father, we know that you want us to have more, more than no condemnation,

but a life that is worthy of your calling,

a life that is totally out of our own expectation.

For you have prepared for those who love you,

things that we have never thought of, never seen, never heard before.

Oh, Father, help us to see you clearer this morning as we come into your word.

Thank you, Father. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

For this sermon, there will be quite a number of verses that I will be going through.

I'm sorry, it will be a bit rushed, I thought.

But I'll put those verses on the screen.

Hopefully Marty can follow.

So we start with Romans 8.12.

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

We are debtors.

We can understand that many of the adults in Australia are debtors to the banks,

but are we all debtors?

We are debtors in the sense that we will,

we all have needs that we cannot supply ourselves.

Needs like happiness and recognition.

Our flesh tells us that it can give us happiness and recognition

if we live according to its ways.

We try the way of the flesh,

and it just seems to get what we want,

and so we became debtors to the flesh.

So to illustrate this point,

I will go to the Old Testament.

The books of Exodus and Numbers

tells us about the Israelites

spending 40 years wandering in the wilderness

before they were ready to enter God's promised land.

So one of the problems they faced was the supply of food,

and so they became hungry.

To satisfy their hunger quickly and easily,

the way of the flesh was to grumble.

They grumbled against Moses and against God

for bringing them out of Egypt

and now starving them to death in the desert, in the wilderness.

Despite their grumbling,

God sent them food from heaven.

So they seemed to get what they wanted by grumbling.

They did not realize that,

or they did not know that God would have given them food

if they asked for it humbly.

So after some time,

so they haven't learned their lesson,

they haven't changed.

After some time, they grumbled again

because the food they ate was the same every day.

They wanted more variety.

And so the character just remained the same

throughout those 40 years.

So God was preparing them to live in the promised land

where there would be plenty of food for them to enjoy,

but they would spoil the enjoyment of such food

if such enjoyment had become more important

than the enjoyment of God.

So God was taking time to prepare the Israelites for the promised land.

However, the Israelites lived according to the flesh.

They were impatient.

They could not see the bigger glory that is to come.

They just wanted to enjoy the small things there and then.

The flesh is short-sighted

because it knows that it does not have forever to live.

It wants to enjoy quickly and easily.

When we are debtors to the flesh,

we satisfy the desires of the flesh

by the deeds of our bodies.

The deeds of the body are mentioned in Romans 1,

Romans 1:18–32

verses 18 to 32.

So they include idolatry, sexual immorality,

covetousness, malaise, gossips,

and disobedience to parents.

Such deeds are designed to get what the flesh wants

quickly and easily.

All right, we go to Romans 8, 13.

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.

The Israelites who grumble against God all died

before they could enter the promised land.

I do not know what they all died from,

but I know that at least some of them

did die from the effect of overeating

because God gave them food

and they ate so much that they died.

It is a scary thing when God gives us

what our flesh wants.

Romans 1 again mentioned three times

about God gave people

according to what they wanted.

Number one, according to the lust of their hearts,

in verse 24.

Number two, according to the dishonorable passions,

in verse 26.

And number three, according to their debased mind,

verse 28.

We know that instant noodles are tasty,

quick, and easy to make.

However, if we eat instant noodles every day,

we will certainly die young.

Eating just instant noodles every day

is not only harmful to our bodies,

it is also harmful to our characters.

So, you see, preparing food,

cooking, presenting food

are all part of training for patients

and for servanthood,

for hospitality.

And amazingly,

as we spend time to prepare

and cook and present food,

we become able to taste an enjoyment

that we never tasted before.

If by the spirit we put to death

the dish of the flesh,

we will live.

We will suddenly find that

the things we enjoyed before

were dishonorable,

debased, or silly.

And far glorious things

have come to be part of our life.

So do you know that

there is a kind of love,

a kind of joy,

a kind of glory

you can only have

if only you would listen to God,

trust him,

and put to death

the dish of your body.

How do we put to death

the dish of the body?

The first step is to

crucify ourselves with Jesus.

So we read from Romans 6,

Romans 6:6–8

verses 6 to 8.

We know that our old self

was crucified with him

in order that the body of sin

might be brought to nothing

so that we would no longer

be enslaved to sin.

For one who has died

has been set free from sin.

Now if we have died with Christ,

we believe that

we will also live with him.

So now if we have died with Christ,

we will also live with him.

We no longer live as

debtors to the flesh.

Once we are free from the flesh,

the Holy Spirit can then

help us to remove

the dish of the body.

Does it mean that

we now become debtors to God

instead of debtors to the flesh?

Yes, in a way, it does.

In fact, we are always

debtors to God

because God created us

and everything else.

Now that God has redeemed us

in Christ,

we have become twice

indebted to him.

There is a debt

called the debt of gratitude

in many cultures.

This is very common

in Asian countries

because of the big gap

between the rich

and the poor.

So for example,

if I'm very poor

and I got a medical bill

that I couldn't pay

and that's very common

in the Philippines

and my boss

or friend,

whoever,

who I'm rich,

helped me to pay

the medical bill,

so under the practice

of the debt

of gratitude,

I will be forever

indebted to my boss.

He can always tell me

to do something for him,

expect me to

comply to his wishes.

It is a debt

that I could never

finish repaying.

While it is proper

for us to be thankful

to God's grace

and mercy,

God does not have

the debt of gratitude

in mind when he saves us

because in Matthew 11,

28-30,

Jesus said,

Come to me,

all who labor

and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you

and learn from me,

for I am gentle

and lowly in heart,

and you will find rest

for your souls.

For my yoke is easy

and my burden is light.

The yoke of the flesh

is heavy

because it is a debt

that we could

never finish repaying.

The yoke of Christ

is light,

even though it is also

a debt that we could

not repay

because we have,

it is light

because we have been

adopted as sons of God

and fellow as with Christ.

We note that

while Romans 8-12

says that

we are debtors

not to the flesh,

it does not

continue to say

that we are debtors

to the Spirit.

So in Romans 8-14,

it says,

For all who are led

by the Spirit of God

are sons of God.

So Romans 8-14

says that

we are a lot more

than debtors

to the Spirit.

The Spirit is making us

into sons

of God.

We are not

only redeemed

by our Master,

we are also adopted

as sons of our Father.

Sons are all those

who will receive

the inheritance

and have all the

privilege at home.

So in the sense

of inheritance,

it does not matter

if we are male

or female,

we are all sons

in Christ.

If Christ

died to just

secure the forgiveness

of our sins,

we will always

live in fear

because we do not

know how

or when

we could

fully repay Christ.

But Christ

died also

to secure

our adoption

as sons of God.

I owe my Father

a lot,

but such debt

is different

to the debt

to my rich boss.

I know that

my Father

delighted in giving

me everything,

even his own life.

I would

sadden my Father

if I tell him

that I want

to repay

all that he has

done for me.

However,

I will also

sadden my Father

if I decide

to live a life

unworthy of his name.

That is why

it is only those

who are led

by the Spirit

are sons of God.

As the Son

of God,

Jesus was led

by the Spirit

to spend 40 days

in the wilderness

to be tempted

by the devil.

The devil's strategy

was to appeal

to the flesh

of Jesus.

He said,

if you are

the Son of God,

you should have

the power

and privilege

to satisfy

yourself

instantly

and easily.

So in Matthew

4,

3-4,

we read,

And the tempter

came and

said to him,

If you are

the Son of God,

command these

stones to become

loaves of bread.

But Jesus

answered,

It is written,

Men shall not

live by bread

alone,

but by every

word that

comes from

the mouth

of God.

Jesus was

telling the devil

that it was

exactly because

I am the Son

of God,

I will not

grumble

when I am

hungry.

My Father

tells me to

fast for 40

days,

and I will

gladly live

by his word.

Jesus

showed us

what it is

like to be led

by the Spirit

to live

like a child

of God.

He delighted

in God's

word.

He obeyed God

not out of fear,

but out of joy.

So we go to

Romans 8.15,

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.

For many of us

who grow up in

Christian families

under the case

of loving fathers,

we may not

appreciate the

full impact of

calling God

Abba,

Father.

And if we have

a chance to

visit the orphanage,

we might start

to understand

what a privilege

to have someone

for us to call

Abba,

Father.

Many children

there would

long to be

accepted as

someone's children.

But for

many of us

who are adults

who have been

living independently

from God,

either

rebelliously

or religiously,

God

tends to become

a stranger

and we have

no interest

in knowing

him

intimately.

many.

But when

the spirit

of life

comes to

us,

our hearts

are drawn

to God

and a miracle

happens

as we start

to taste

the love

and sweetness

of calling

God

Abba,

Father.

The sweetness

of no longer

living like

an orphan,

we are love

and we belong.

Romans 8,

16-17,

the spirit

himself bears

witness with

our spirit

and 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.

In the

Gospels,

we see

Jesus calling

God as

his father

very laterally.

If we are

not used to

calling God

Father,

we may feel

a bit uncertain

calling God

as our father,

especially in

front of other

people,

we may feel

we are being

presumptuous to

address God

as our

father.

The Holy

Spirit himself

helps us to

be sure of

our status

as God's

children,

reminds us

God's promises,

he helps us

to delight in

God's word,

he helps us

to pray,

especially when

we pray,

we just

suddenly feel

so lateral

to call God

as our

father,

and he

helps us

to sing

songs of

worship to

God.

He moved

us to

care for

God's

other

children,

so calling

God as

our

father also

means that

we would

care for

others in

the same

family.

So all

these things

bear witness

that we

are children

of God.

It is

difficult for

us to

comprehend

what being

heirs of

God and

fellow heirs

with Christ

means.

We are

more than

privileged to

be accepted

by God,

but God

wants to

give us

more.

We shall

come to

this point

a bit

more when

we get

to Romans

8.32,

which says,

He who

did not

spare his

own son,

but gave

him up

for us

all,

how will

he not

also with

him graciously

give us

all things?

In

Christ,

we have

the equal

status as

heirs of

God as

Christ.

God wants

to give

us all

things.

God wants

us to know

life as

life should

be,

full of

truth,

love,

full of

beauty,

full of

joy,

and full

of

righteousness.

However,

verse 17

sounds like

a fine

print in

the contract.

It says,

Provided you

suffer with

him in

order that

you may

also be

glorified with

him.

But verse 17

is not a

fine print,

it is just

a repeat of

what has

been front

and center

of Romans.

So in

Romans 5,

Romans 5:1–5

verses 1 to

5,

we read,

Therefore,

since we

have been

justified by

faith,

we have

peace with

God through

our Lord

Jesus Christ.

Through

him we

have also

obtained

access by

faith into

his grace

in which

we stand,

and we

rejoice in

the hope of

the glory

of God.

More than

that,

we rejoice

in our

sufferings,

knowing that

suffering

produces

endurance,

endurance

produces

character,

and character

produces

hope,

and hope

does not

put us

to shame,

because God's

love has

been poured

into our

hearts through

the Holy

Spirit,

whom has

been given

to us.

So the

Holy Spirit

has been

given to

us,

and the

Holy Spirit

changes our

longings.

In the

past,

we seek

greatest

enjoyment

from this

world

before we

die,

and therefore

we tend

to grumble

when things

don't happen

according to

what we

like it

to be.

Now,

with the

Holy Spirit

in us,

we long

for something

far greater,

the glory

of God.

We are

waiting for

the time

when God

appears in

all his

glory,

and we

share in

this glory.

Such a

longing is

so strong

that we

want to

prepare for

this.

We rejoice

in suffering

because we

know suffering

produces

endurance,

and endurance

produces

proven

character.

it would

be a

great thing

when we

can rejoice

in our

suffering

with Christ

as evangelists

or missionaries.

However,

before we

get there,

we can

start with

more mundane

sufferings,

sufferings that

we go through

day by day,

such as

injuring our

knees in

soccer games,

needing to

get up

every day,

every morning,

very early,

to go to

work,

doing

ministries or

laundries for

20 years

before getting

much appreciation.

So all

these things

that we

meet every

day,

and see

what's our

attitude,

we go

through them.

Do we

grumble and

say,

God,

why do you

let me

go through

this?

Or do we

learn to

rejoice in

it,

knowing that

suffering

produces

endurance,

and endurance

proves our

character that

has been

changed by

the Holy

Spirit.

So when

we can

rejoice in

such mundane

suffering,

we will

look back

with amazement

that we

have the

patience to

go through

them without

grumbling.

So just like

preparing the

Israelites for

the promised

land,

God is

preparing us

for the

land of

glory.

Suffering is

necessary to

put to

death the

deeds of

the body.

Suffering is

necessary to

build our

character.

Such

character,

at least the

beginning of

such character,

is necessary for

us to enjoy

and appreciate

the glory of

God.

So through

the redeeming

word of

Christ,

through the

transforming

word of

the Holy

Spirit,

through the

adopting

word of

God,

we can be

free from

the foolish

and short

sighted ways

of the

flesh,

and we

have the

hope of

glory.

So I

would like

to sum

up with

three points.

Point one,

we are

debtors.

We are

debtors,

however,

we sometimes

live more

like creditors.

Creditors are

people who

think they

are entitled,

to everything.

They

grumble when

they do

not get

what they

want instantly.

The story

of the

prodigal

son tells

us about

a young

man who

wanted to

enjoy his

inheritance

instantly.

When he

used up

his money

and suffered,

he came

to his

sins and

remembered

his father's

kindness and

wanted to

return to

his father

as a

slave,

but his

father welcomed

him as

a son.

A few

days ago,

it was

requested

by an

elderly

woman to

do a

home

visit

for her.

When I

went to

the house,

it was a

very run-down

house,

one of the

worst

houses I

have ever

seen.

The

woman

had oxygen

all the

time.

He's very

thin because

he's

difficult

breathing.

He's only

very thin

clothing on

and there's

no heating

in the

living room.

after the

consultation,

this patient

insisted on

paying me,

which is

very,

very surprising

because I've

done my

home visits.

Hardly

anyone ever

even asked

me whether

they should

pay me

anything.

They just

expected that

it's all

free and

provided.

I'm very

surprised that

this woman

would ask.

I said,

no, you don't

need to pay.

She insisted

on paying

me.

I said,

no, you

just call

the practice

and the

next day

they will

settle that.

When she

called the

practice,

the girls

would look

at the

account and

say,

it's been

paid.

But the

fact that

she's

living in

such a

poor

condition

and wanted

to pay

me,

it just

shows the

character

of someone

who's

suffering.

But she

also

considers

other

people.

And that

moved me.

In Matthew

5, 3,

Jesus said,

blessed are

the poor

in spirit,

for theirs

is the

kingdom of

heaven.

God is

not holding

us to the

depth of

gratitude.

However,

God would

be delighted

if we

show him

our

gratitude

of

depth

when we

let our

request

be

known to

him

with

thanksgiving.

Point

number

two,

be a

children

of God.

We

are

children

of God,

however,

we

sometimes

live more

like

orphans

of God.

Orphans

of God

are people

who know

God

but live

by their

own strength,

unlike

children of

the world.

Children of

the world

are people

who don't

know God

and live

by their

own strength.

Orphans

of God

are people

who know

God

and then

live

by their

own strength.

Orphans

of God

worry about

many things.

They rely

on their

performance

to gain

validation.

They envy

people

who get

more

recognition.

They try

their best

to appear

strong in

front of

people.

Suffering

breaks their

heart and

draws them

closer to

God's

heart.

Suffering

frees us

from being

orphans

of God

and transforms

us into

children of

God.

In 2 Corinthians

12, 9-10,

God told

Paul,

my grace

is sufficient

for you

for my

power is

made perfect

in weakness.

Therefore,

and then

Paul said,

therefore I

will boast

all the more

gladly of

my weaknesses

so that

the power

of Christ

may rest

on me

for the

sake of

Christ

and I

am content

with

weaknesses

in

some

hardships,

persecutions

and calamities.

For when

I am weak,

I am strong.

point number

three,

adopted for

glory or

adopted for

a true

life.

Many

times when

we are

suffering,

we start

to wonder

what we

did to

deserve

such

hardship.

You may

think that

God was

still punishing

us.

In times

like this,

maybe remember

the fact that

we have been

adopted for

glory.

The Holy

Spirit is

leading us

to the

land of

glory.

the present

suffering is

not only

not worth

comparing with

the glory

that is to

come.

That is

going to

be the

next week's

sermon.

So the

present

suffering is

not only

not worth

comparing with

the glory

that is to

come.

It is also

necessary to

mold us into

the children

of God.

As we

move towards

the land

of glory

with the

help of

the Holy

Spirit,

we put to

death the

deeds of the

body.

we learn

to relate

to God

as our

father.

We rejoice

in

sufferings.

I will

end with

a testimony

from John

Anderson.

This

testimony

was forwarded

to me by

David

Coderwood,

written by

a great

foreign

auditor of

the

Australian,

appeared

in an

article

on the

Weekend

Australian

magazine

May 11,

this last

month.

the

article,

the

article

says,

Anderson's

youngest

son,

Andrew,

was born

when

Anderson

was a

BC

cabinet

minister.

For

those of

you who

don't

know,

John

Anderson

was the

deputy

prime

minister

of

Australia

about

15

years

ago.

At

that

time,

the

youngest

son was

born,

called

Andrew.

Andrew

was profoundly

disabled.

He lived

only a

few

short

months

and was

constantly

in and

out

hospital.

Julia,

his wife,

wrote an

essay

recalling

that the

couple

they were

considered

an

abortion,

but in

fact gave

thanks for

Andrew's

life.

So in

his

urology

for his

son,

delivered

on

August

19,

1998,

Anderson

said,

Andrew's

life often

saw us

wondering

what we

have done

to

deserve

so much

difficulty.

His

passing

sees us

wondering

what we

did to

deserve

so rich

a blessing.

This

little

fellow

was

quite

defenseless,

yet he

totally

and utterly

disarmed

us.

God

taught us

something

we have

heard about

but not

really

understood,

that his

grace is

sufficient for

us,

for his

power is

made perfect

in

weakness.

Let us

pray.

Father,

we have

heard so

many promises

in your

word.

Father,

may you

make them

realities

in our

lives.

thank you,

Lord.

We want

to be

your

children

and live

out

that

life

they

intend

us to

have.

For we

ask in

Jesus'

name.

Amen.