May 15, 2025 • 24 mins
What does it really mean to be adopted into God's family? Far more than a mere religious status, adoption transforms our very identity and reshapes our relationship with the Creator of the universe.
Diving deep into Romans 8:14-17, Pastors Jim and Lee explore the radical concept of spiritual adoption. Unlike human adoption processes where worthiness is often measured, God's adoption policy is astonishingly inclusive. He doesn't scrutinize our past failures or ongoing struggles before welcoming us into His family. This profound truth shatters the misconception that we must earn our place in God's household.
The discussion takes a fascinating turn when examining the historical context of Roman adoption practices. Unlike today, Romans often adopted older boys or even adult men who demonstrated worthiness to inherit their estates. Most remarkably, while Roman fathers could disown biological children, adoptions were irreversible – once someone received the family name, they kept it for life. This historical backdrop illuminates God's commitment to us as His adopted children.
But adoption isn't merely about gaining a new family name. As adopted children, we become heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ Himself! This inheritance includes eternal life, glory, and the fulfillment of all God's promises. Yet Paul balances this glorious promise with a sobering reality – sharing in Christ's inheritance means also sharing in His sufferings. Following Jesus isn't a path to a pain-free life, but a journey toward ultimate glory.
Through intimate language like "Abba, Father" – comparable to a child calling "Daddy" – we glimpse the deeply personal relationship God desires with each of us. This isn't a distant, formal arrangement but a close, nurturing bond where we find our true identity and purpose.
Ready to discover what it truly means to be a child of God? Listen now and experience the transformative power of understanding your place in God's family.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Beyond Sunday, the podcast that takes
you deeper into the Word of Godthroughout your week with your
hosts, pastors Lee and Jim.
It's time to inspire, upliftand dig deeper.
Beyond Sunday starts now.
Hey, good morning everybody.
(00:25):
It is Pastor Jim here withPastor Lee and, as always, we
are here to bring the word fromthe Beyond Sunday podcast.
I'm so glad that you're herewith us today and that you
continue to be.
For those who have beenlistening to us from the
beginning, we thank you.
We're going to be digging into apassage today that I'm pretty
pumped about.
Last week, we alluded to itwhen we talked about the
adoption being adopted andgrafted into the family of God,
(00:49):
and so, really, what today isgoing to be is this idea of hope
, and we're going to find someidentity in the text.
We're going to be reading fromRomans, chapter 8, 14 through 17
, and I'm telling you, thisthing is going to feel like a
hug from God Himself.
So I'm excited about readingthe Scripture, I'm excited about
sharing some thoughts andunpacking what it means to me,
(01:12):
what it means to Pastor Lee andwhat it means to all of the
listeners here today.
So, pastor Lee, are you ready?
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Yeah, absolutely.
Hello, everybody, we're goingto be coming, as Pastor Jim
referenced from Romans, chapter8, verses 14 through 17.
Grab your Bibles, get them,open to the text and here we go.
For all who are led by theSpirit of God are sons of God,
for you did not receive thespirit of slavery to fall back
(01:38):
into fear, but you have receivedthe spirit of adoption as sons
by whom we cry Abba, father.
The Spirit himself bearswitness, with our spirit, that
we are children of God, and ifchildren, then heirs.
Heirs of God and fellow heirswith Christ, provided we suffer
(01:59):
with him in order that we mayalso be glorified with him.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
I love this passage and you want to talk about some
rich text.
This thing is almost toooverwhelming for me.
Paul is laying out thisincredible truth about who we
are as believers, and it allstarts in the very beginning of
this text with led by the Spirit.
You see, that's important andwe can't just get past that,
because that is the mark ofbeing a child of God.
(02:29):
It's not about following achecklist, it's not about
earning your way, whilefollowing a checklist, if you
will, is important.
Obviously, there's things thatthe Bible is going to teach us
as Christians how we should act.
That's not the mark of being achild of God.
It's about the Holy Spiritguiding us, shaping us and
moving us closer to God's heart.
It's about seeking God's facein every moment of our day and
(02:53):
when we're being led by theSpirit.
We're not just a servant, we'rea follower, we're sons or we're
daughters, and that's huge.
And what really, really grabsme here is that there's this
shift Paul talks about.
He says we didn't get a spiritof slavery that drags us back
into fear.
Think about that.
Before Christ, we were stuck,we were slaves to sin.
(03:15):
We were taught to fear and wedid fear.
We were trying to measure up.
But now we've been grafted orwe've got the spirit of adoption
and that's huge.
It's not just being let intothe family, it's being chosen by
God, it's being wanted by God,it's being brought in to God's
(03:37):
own and because of that we cancry out as the Scripture says
out.
As the scripture says Abba,father.
And that word Abba is sointimate and I believe the truth
is this.
I've heard this said before andI'm going to say it here on the
podcast, but I want you to hearmy heart.
I wouldn't go around callingGod Daddy because I believe
(03:59):
that's not reverent and I alwayswant to reverent and honor and
be respectful to my Father.
Not reverent, and I always wantto reverent and honor and be
respectful to my Father.
But I want you to understandthat this word Abba is so
intimate that it would be like achild calling to their daddy.
It's that intimate of a wordand what I want to teach is that
it's personal, which means Godis close to us and we are close
(04:22):
to God, and when we get to thatplace, we understand that we are
safe in the adopted family ofGod.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Amen, pastor Jim, you know this whole topic of
adoption.
It struck a chord within me.
It reminded me of a book that Iread last year.
Within the book it was a truestory of a man and his wife and
they wanted to adopt a child.
Again, this is a true storythat I'm about to share.
The man and his wife.
(04:50):
They contact an adoption agencyand they had to go through the
process of adoption and a bunchof numerous meetings, phone
calls, paperwork to fill out.
And one thing they had to do inthe very beginning of this
adoption process, pastor Jim,was they had to fill out a
questionnaire form.
And in this questionnaire formthey had to let the agency know
(05:10):
were they willing to adoptchildren with disabilities or
did they just want to adopt achild that did not have any
disabilities?
And if they were willing toadopt a child with a disability,
then there was anotherdrop-down box that they had to
go through.
How far were they willing to gowith a child with disabilities?
Would they be willing to adopta child that could not feed or
(05:32):
take care of himself?
Or even, as they grew older,situations could get worse
within the home?
The man said the husband saidthat while filling out the form,
it hit him how many of thesechildren would be denied because
of their physical or even theirmental situations?
And then he said this.
(05:53):
He said I'm so thankful thatGod does not look at me, or you
like, that God does not say Iwill not accept you into my
family, I will not adopt youinto my family because you have
XYZ going against you in yourlife right now.
I'm not going to accept youbecause you struggle with porn.
(06:13):
I'm not going to accept youbecause you're an alcoholic.
I'm not going to accept youbecause you don't treat your
children or your spouse right.
That's not what God does.
Okay, god does not say I'm notgoing to accept you because you
have fallen to adultery oridolatry at one point in your
life, so we're not going to gothere.
I'm not going to accept youinto the family.
(06:34):
No, that's not what God says.
God loves each of us and iswilling to accept us, just like
in that adoption process thatthat man was sharing the
experience that he and his wifehad.
He's willing to accept us inthe adoption process of being
born again and becoming, justlike his only begotten son,
jesus Christ, regardless of ourpast.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Man.
And doesn't that speak to, asChristians, how we are supposed
to look at one another and tothe lost through the lens of God
?
That way we're not judgy, andthat way we're not looking at
somebody who can't take care ofthemselves and turning a nose up
to them.
We're being accepting, we'rebeing loving, and all of that
(07:17):
comes from the fruit of theSpirit.
Right, that's what we're calledto be as Christians.
And so if we move along intothe text here, paul's going to
begin to talk a little bit aboutbearing witness and that,
because we're children of God,that makes us heirs to the
things of God.
And right, so he says InGalatians 4, 6, paul writes
(07:41):
because you are sons, god hassent a spirit of his son into
our hearts, crying Abba, father.
So he's repeating what he saidhere in Romans.
But then watch this he says youare no longer a slave but a son
, and if a son, then an heirthrough God.
So it's the same vibe as inRomans, but he's adding on here
(08:02):
and he's going to talk a littlebit about being an heir through
God.
He's not keeping us at arm'slength.
This is the idea of him pullingus completely into his family,
giving us his Spirit.
He's made us family throughthis adoption process.
And I don't know about you, butthat melts me.
To just think about that, I cancall the creator of the
(08:25):
universe, abba, father, and hehears me and to me when I think
about that.
That's just this next level oflove.
And so a lot of times I thinkwe can look at stepchildren or
we can look at the adoptedchildren into a family and
wonder are they as loved as theauthentic real deal?
(08:45):
And I think that that clears itup pretty well right here that,
in speaking of spiritual termsin the heavenly spaces, god is
not treating us as stepchildren,god is not treating us as
adopted.
He is fully committed tobringing us into His family.
And again, that's next levellove.
And now Paul is going to take iteven further when he talks
(09:08):
about where he says the SpiritHimself bears witness with our
spirit, that we are God'schildren.
So it's like this Holy Spirit,or it's like the Holy Spirit is
whispering to our hearts hey,you belong, you are His.
And that's not just this feelingof I'm at arm's length with God
(09:28):
, no, it's a deep assurance, theHoly Spirit constantly
whispering to us that you belonghere, you are in the family of
God and if we are children andwe are heirs, we're heirs of God
, right Fellow heirs with Christ, which means we're going to
inherit what Jesus inheritseternal life, glory, the
fullness of God's promise.
(09:49):
And I can't, even in my simplemind right now, wrap my head
around what all of that means,because I deserve none of it,
right?
I'm just down here trying toscrape by and all of a sudden
I'm reading the Word and I'mbeing taught because I'm
choosing Christ and not becauseof anything that.
I'm just down here trying toscrape by and all of a sudden
I'm reading the Word and I'mbeing taught because I'm
choosing Christ and not becauseof anything that I'm doing.
His Holy Spirit drew me herewho, through His work on the
(10:10):
cross, I'm being taught.
I'm co-heirs with the King ofKings, that's so good?
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Yeah, you know, because we're adopted into the
family of God.
As you mentioned, the text sayswe have now become heirs.
If I were to adopt a child intothe family of God as you
mentioned, the text says we havenow become heirs If I were to
adopt a child into my family,that child, I would like to say,
would be given just as muchinheritance as my other two
children.
Yes, simply because I wouldraise all three the same.
They would be loved the same,they would be taught the same
(10:38):
belief that we believe here inour home.
They would be disciplined thesame.
Therefore, each of them, when Ipassed away, would receive the
exact same amount of inheritanceas the other one did.
So let me just say this yourpast does not disqualify you
from entering into the family ofGod right now, today.
(10:59):
Actually, our past proves to usjust how badly we need God in
our lives, amen.
And so, as you just madereference to, the 17th verse of
Romans, chapter 8 says not onlyare we heirs of God, we are
fellow heirs with Jesus Christ.
I mean, how cool is that thatwe get to experience glory, we
(11:21):
receive the blessings of God, weget the promises of God because
we have trusted God and haverelationship with Jesus Christ
as our Lord and Savior.
2 Corinthians 1.20 says for allthe promises of God find their
yes in Christ.
So while we live this life onthis earth, we cannot focus on
(11:42):
just the inheritance.
And so I want to throw thatlittle piece out there, because
we are talking about being heirsof God and co-heirs with Christ
.
While we're down here on thisearth, we cannot just focus on
the inheritance, and I want tokind of give an example of why
we shouldn't.
I've seen people in real lifesituations.
They get lazy because they knowmom and dad are going to leave
(12:04):
them a pile of money or they'regoing to hand over a successful
business, and therefore thatparticular person chooses to go
through life not working hardbecause they knew everything was
going to be handed over to them, it's going to be handed down
to them.
So they end up lacking realsolid work ethic and as
Christians, let me just say thisit's okay to think about what's
(12:28):
to come, no doubt about that.
Like I rejoice in what's coming, I rejoice in my inheritance in
heaven.
It's okay to think about thosethings.
But what we cannot do is sofocus on what's coming, that we
do not pay attention to what'shappening right here during this
race, that we're running forChrist right here and, yes, one
(12:48):
day we will fully walk into theinheritance that God has
promised us.
But we'll get that, pastor Jim,when we cross the finish line.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
And Paul is going to continue on here and he's not
going to sugar coat anything.
He may tell us that, hey, we'reheirs with Jesus Christ and
we're going to inherit the samethings as him.
But what he says next is areally tough pill to swallow.
If you think that you're justgoing to walk through life
waiting for the inheritance,right, because he's going to tie
(13:18):
all of that to suffering, right.
Saying that we're heirs, thensaying, provided that we suffer
with him so that we can beglorified with him, that's real
talk, right.
Following Jesus' plan orfollowing Jesus' footstep
doesn't mean a pain-free life.
It means sharing in hissufferings, facing his trials,
(13:38):
facing his rejection, right, orstruggles because of our faith.
But the promise is that thesuffering is not the end, it is
the path to the glory.
And that makes me think of 2Corinthians 4.17,.
Paul says it like this for thislight, momentary affliction is
preparing us for an eternalweight of glory beyond all
(13:59):
comparison.
So what he's saying is whateverwe face now is temporary, but
it is leading to something muchbigger.
But we have to remember that weare going to share in the
suffering of Christ, as Pauljust taught.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
Yeah, there was a time in my life.
Well, let me just set it up bysaying this Right now, in 2025,
May 13th, in 2025, May 13th,this is the day we're recording
this podcast.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
I am not a runner.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
You know, I just thought about that, as you
mentioned having to suffer, andI would like to encourage the
listeners because there was atime in my life when I was
running.
I was running every day.
We even went on vacation andevery day of the vacation I went
out and I ran.
It took a while to get my bodyinto the position, into the
(14:48):
place where I actually enjoyedrunning.
And I think sometimes, asChristians, we begin to run this
race and we don't understandthat we're going to have to
endure some hardship.
We're going to have to enduresome hardship, we're going to
have to endure some pain.
But, just like physically, themore we run, the easier running
becomes and we get into what youand I talked about, I believe,
(15:09):
just yesterday, that runner'shigh, as the more we run, the
more runner will receive whatthey call a runner's high and
they want more of it, just can'tget enough of it and they're in
stride and they're just goingand they're really enjoying
running the race.
I think, as Christians, thefarther we run and the closer we
(15:29):
walk in relationship with Jesus.
Even what we have to endure,even what we have to suffer,
it's almost like that weight,that burden, isn't what it would
have been when we first startedrunning the race.
Does that make sense what I'msaying?
Speaker 1 (15:44):
Yeah, and the Bible teaches us it's for those who
endure to the end, and I think alot of people look at that and,
you know, have this concept ofwell, once I'm saved, that's it.
But he goes on to say for thosewho endure to the end.
And so, as I'm reading thispassage, it really has began to
(16:06):
redefine my identity.
Because the truth is is I'm notdefined by my mistakes, I'm not
defined by my fears or what theworld says about me.
I am a child of God.
I'm adopted, I'm loved, I'msecure, and that truly should
change.
Everyone who understands that.
That should change.
And it does change how I live.
If I'm being led by the Spirit,I got to ask am I listening to
(16:28):
Him?
Am I trusting Him enough tofollow where he leads me, even
if it's going to be hard?
And when I'm struggling, do Iremember I'm not a slave to fear
anymore.
I'm a son, I'm an heir right.
My Father has me anymore.
I'm a son, I'm an heir right,my father has me.
And so this passage also makesme think about how I treat
others.
If we're all children of Godthrough faith, then my brothers
(16:51):
and sisters in Christ are myfamily.
Do I love them like that, do Ipray for them like that, do I
support them like that, even ifwe don't see eye to eye right?
And these are just somequestions that I'm chewing on.
Maybe you can chew on them ifyou're listening where you're at
right now, but it really is anopportunity for self-reflection.
I'd love to hear, pastor Lee,what really is stirring up in
(17:14):
your mind as you read this textand how it hits you specifically
.
Because on me, you know, Ithink about when I read the Word
.
I always want to do aself-reflection and say, okay,
lord, what can I learn from this, which we talked about on this
podcast?
Now, how can I apply it to mylife and where am I missing it
in my own life?
I want to make sure that I'mdoing the things that God is
(17:34):
calling me to do, by learningand seeking His face in the Word
.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
So that's a great point, like, for me, one thing
that really hits down likethey're truly brothers and
sisters.
It's so easy to just like usethat title and just kind of
sling it around, right, Becausewe see it in scripture Well,
we're brothers and sisters inChrist, yes, but are we, are we
looking like we are, or are wejust looking like we're?
(17:59):
You know, younger siblings thatare just going around fighting
over space in the bedroom.
If we shared a bedroom growingup with a sibling, you know,
like how quick do we, how quickdo we just like get into verbal
disagreements or even mentalfights, right, we don't even let
somebody else know we got badfeelings about them, but but
we're really hating on them orhating on something that that
they're doing Right, and so itoccupies this real estate in our
(18:22):
, in our headspace that it nevershould be, it never should be
there.
Rather than, rather than havingthese feelings of contention,
it should be feelings offorgiveness and love, you know.
So are we really treating oneanother like true brothers and
sisters, or are we treating oneanother like a stepbrother,
stepsister?
We should be so close that thatword step is non-existent.
You know we are truly brothersand sisters, and to just kind of
(18:45):
give a little history lesson toour listeners.
As I studied this topic, pastorJim, in the Roman world back
then adoption was commonpractice and when I studied this
thing, man, it just like reallyflipped my lid.
It was really good, the husbandhe would just like today.
He would leave the wealth tohis children.
(19:06):
But what was different was hewould leave the wealth
specifically to the sons, so notthe daughters, just the sons.
And if that man did not have anysons, or and this is what's
really interesting if he did nothave any sons or if he felt
that his sons were incapable orunworthy of managing his wealth,
(19:27):
that man was then able to adoptsomeone who he thought would
make a worthy son.
What's really interesting isthat older boys and adult men
were normally adopted because hehad to know that these people
were worthy to handle his wealthand what he was leaving behind.
(19:48):
So if this man was close topassing and he said you know
what?
My boys aren't going to handlethe money right, they haven't
earned it he would go find boysold enough that he already seen
their character, or he wouldfind men old enough to where he
knew how they would handle thewealth.
And he could also find andadopt a man older than he was.
(20:12):
Now think about that.
He could adopt into his lineagea man that was older than him,
give him his name simply becausehe could trust this man to
receive his inheritance.
Now, this sounds crazy, but afather could actually disown his
natural-born son.
All right, but here's theamazing piece An adoption was
(20:37):
irreversible.
So once you got adopted, youcould not take your name back
from that person that you boughtin.
So, as Christians, our debtsare canceled, we're given a new
name, we're given all the rightsthat heirs of God possess
co-heirs with Christ.
And, unlike Roman adoption,christians are not adopted
(21:01):
because God thinks they willmake worthy heirs.
God has chosen to adopt apeople, right.
God has chosen to adopt apeople who are completely
unworthy, which means God adoptsnot on merit, but he adopts on
the basis of his grace.
Wow.
Speaker 1 (21:20):
Wow, that is good man .
That is a lesson for me.
I did not know that.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Isn't that good bro?
I didn't either, until Istudied it.
It just flipped my lid, man, itjust blew my mind it was such a
blessing.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
Yeah, and while you were talking about it, it
actually made me think ofsomething else.
I'm also grateful that I'm anheir to God, who I know is
faithful, and that the rewardand treasure as spoken about in
the Bible is good.
Sometimes I go to my dad'shouse and, just to be funny,
(21:51):
I'll walk around and look at allhis stuff and he'll ask me what
I'm doing, and I'll just remindhim that I'm looking at all my
things, your future and and uh,he'll say to me well, boy, I'm
sorry, but I'm going to break itto you like this, all you're
getting is my debt.
And I think about thatsometimes and I'm like that's
okay, because I'm going toinherit glory, because I'm an
(22:14):
heir to the King of Kings.
I'm an heir to God and that iswhat it's truly, truly all about
.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
Yeah, the thing that struck me was is that once a
Roman adopted someone, theycould never remove the name off
of that individual.
He carried that for the rest ofhis life.
Yeah, and that's powerful.
Once we come to jesus, therethere's no devil, there's no
demon strong enough that canundo the agreement, that can
(22:42):
undo the agreement, that canundo the finished work that
christ has done for us on thecross.
And as long as we continue tolive faithfully, as long as we
continue to walk with the lordum, as long as we continue to
believe in God and trust inJesus and rely on the power of
his Holy Spirit, there's nothingout there that can take from us
the title that we are sons anddaughters of God.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
Most High, amen.
Father, we thank you that youhave adopted us in Lord.
We are so thankful that whatyou have set into motion can
nobody else take away.
Amen, no one can take away what, father, you have promised and
purposed us for, and we aregrateful for that.
Lord, we just are also gratefulfor your Word.
(23:27):
We're grateful for opportunityto share it with one another,
we're grateful for anopportunity to grow and learn
and, god, I ask that your HolySpirit would just help us to
apply this word to our heartstoday and to our lives, lord,
and as we go out throughout ourday, we remember what we have in
Jesus and because of Jesus'sacrifice on the cross, as
(23:48):
adopted family members into yourkingdom.
We love you and we praise youin Jesus' name.
Everybody said amen.
Well, I want to thank you guysfor hanging out with us today,
as always.
We will be back next week, lordwilling.
We'll see you there or in theair, god bless.
Welcome to Beyond Sunday, the podcast that takes
you deeper into the Word of Godthroughout your week with your
hosts, pastors Lee and Jim.
It's time to inspire, upliftand dig deeper.
Beyond Sunday starts now.
Hey, good morning everybody.
(00:25):
It is Pastor Jim here withPastor Lee and, as always, we
are here to bring the word fromthe Beyond Sunday podcast.
I'm so glad that you're herewith us today and that you
continue to be.
For those who have beenlistening to us from the
beginning, we thank you.
We're going to be digging into apassage today that I'm pretty
pumped about.
Last week, we alluded to itwhen we talked about the
adoption being adopted andgrafted into the family of God,
(00:49):
and so, really, what today isgoing to be is this idea of hope
, and we're going to find someidentity in the text.
We're going to be reading fromRomans, chapter 8, 14 through 17
, and I'm telling you, thisthing is going to feel like a
hug from God Himself.
So I'm excited about readingthe Scripture, I'm excited about
sharing some thoughts andunpacking what it means to me,
(01:12):
what it means to Pastor Lee andwhat it means to all of the
listeners here today.
So, pastor Lee, are you ready?
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Yeah, absolutely.
Hello, everybody, we're goingto be coming, as Pastor Jim
referenced from Romans, chapter8, verses 14 through 17.
Grab your Bibles, get them,open to the text and here we go.
For all who are led by theSpirit of God are sons of God,
for you did not receive thespirit of slavery to fall back
(01:38):
into fear, but you have receivedthe spirit of adoption as sons
by whom we cry Abba, father.
The Spirit himself bearswitness, with our spirit, that
we are children of God, and ifchildren, then heirs.
Heirs of God and fellow heirswith Christ, provided we suffer
(01:59):
with him in order that we mayalso be glorified with him.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
I love this passage and you want to talk about some
rich text.
This thing is almost toooverwhelming for me.
Paul is laying out thisincredible truth about who we
are as believers, and it allstarts in the very beginning of
this text with led by the Spirit.
You see, that's important andwe can't just get past that,
because that is the mark ofbeing a child of God.
(02:29):
It's not about following achecklist, it's not about
earning your way, whilefollowing a checklist, if you
will, is important.
Obviously, there's things thatthe Bible is going to teach us
as Christians how we should act.
That's not the mark of being achild of God.
It's about the Holy Spiritguiding us, shaping us and
moving us closer to God's heart.
It's about seeking God's facein every moment of our day and
(02:53):
when we're being led by theSpirit.
We're not just a servant, we'rea follower, we're sons or we're
daughters, and that's huge.
And what really, really grabsme here is that there's this
shift Paul talks about.
He says we didn't get a spiritof slavery that drags us back
into fear.
Think about that.
Before Christ, we were stuck,we were slaves to sin.
(03:15):
We were taught to fear and wedid fear.
We were trying to measure up.
But now we've been grafted orwe've got the spirit of adoption
and that's huge.
It's not just being let intothe family, it's being chosen by
God, it's being wanted by God,it's being brought in to God's
(03:37):
own and because of that we cancry out as the Scripture says
out.
As the scripture says Abba,father.
And that word Abba is sointimate and I believe the truth
is this.
I've heard this said before andI'm going to say it here on the
podcast, but I want you to hearmy heart.
I wouldn't go around callingGod Daddy because I believe
(03:59):
that's not reverent and I alwayswant to reverent and honor and
be respectful to my Father.
Not reverent, and I always wantto reverent and honor and be
respectful to my Father.
But I want you to understandthat this word Abba is so
intimate that it would be like achild calling to their daddy.
It's that intimate of a wordand what I want to teach is that
it's personal, which means Godis close to us and we are close
(04:22):
to God, and when we get to thatplace, we understand that we are
safe in the adopted family ofGod.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Amen, pastor Jim, you know this whole topic of
adoption.
It struck a chord within me.
It reminded me of a book that Iread last year.
Within the book it was a truestory of a man and his wife and
they wanted to adopt a child.
Again, this is a true storythat I'm about to share.
The man and his wife.
(04:50):
They contact an adoption agencyand they had to go through the
process of adoption and a bunchof numerous meetings, phone
calls, paperwork to fill out.
And one thing they had to do inthe very beginning of this
adoption process, pastor Jim,was they had to fill out a
questionnaire form.
And in this questionnaire formthey had to let the agency know
(05:10):
were they willing to adoptchildren with disabilities or
did they just want to adopt achild that did not have any
disabilities?
And if they were willing toadopt a child with a disability,
then there was anotherdrop-down box that they had to
go through.
How far were they willing to gowith a child with disabilities?
Would they be willing to adopta child that could not feed or
(05:32):
take care of himself?
Or even, as they grew older,situations could get worse
within the home?
The man said the husband saidthat while filling out the form,
it hit him how many of thesechildren would be denied because
of their physical or even theirmental situations?
And then he said this.
(05:53):
He said I'm so thankful thatGod does not look at me, or you
like, that God does not say Iwill not accept you into my
family, I will not adopt youinto my family because you have
XYZ going against you in yourlife right now.
I'm not going to accept youbecause you struggle with porn.
(06:13):
I'm not going to accept youbecause you're an alcoholic.
I'm not going to accept youbecause you don't treat your
children or your spouse right.
That's not what God does.
Okay, god does not say I'm notgoing to accept you because you
have fallen to adultery oridolatry at one point in your
life, so we're not going to gothere.
I'm not going to accept youinto the family.
(06:34):
No, that's not what God says.
God loves each of us and iswilling to accept us, just like
in that adoption process thatthat man was sharing the
experience that he and his wifehad.
He's willing to accept us inthe adoption process of being
born again and becoming, justlike his only begotten son,
jesus Christ, regardless of ourpast.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Man.
And doesn't that speak to, asChristians, how we are supposed
to look at one another and tothe lost through the lens of God
?
That way we're not judgy, andthat way we're not looking at
somebody who can't take care ofthemselves and turning a nose up
to them.
We're being accepting, we'rebeing loving, and all of that
(07:17):
comes from the fruit of theSpirit.
Right, that's what we're calledto be as Christians.
And so if we move along intothe text here, paul's going to
begin to talk a little bit aboutbearing witness and that,
because we're children of God,that makes us heirs to the
things of God.
And right, so he says InGalatians 4, 6, paul writes
(07:41):
because you are sons, god hassent a spirit of his son into
our hearts, crying Abba, father.
So he's repeating what he saidhere in Romans.
But then watch this he says youare no longer a slave but a son
, and if a son, then an heirthrough God.
So it's the same vibe as inRomans, but he's adding on here
(08:02):
and he's going to talk a littlebit about being an heir through
God.
He's not keeping us at arm'slength.
This is the idea of him pullingus completely into his family,
giving us his Spirit.
He's made us family throughthis adoption process.
And I don't know about you, butthat melts me.
To just think about that, I cancall the creator of the
(08:25):
universe, abba, father, and hehears me and to me when I think
about that.
That's just this next level oflove.
And so a lot of times I thinkwe can look at stepchildren or
we can look at the adoptedchildren into a family and
wonder are they as loved as theauthentic real deal?
(08:45):
And I think that that clears itup pretty well right here that,
in speaking of spiritual termsin the heavenly spaces, god is
not treating us as stepchildren,god is not treating us as
adopted.
He is fully committed tobringing us into His family.
And again, that's next levellove.
And now Paul is going to take iteven further when he talks
(09:08):
about where he says the SpiritHimself bears witness with our
spirit, that we are God'schildren.
So it's like this Holy Spirit,or it's like the Holy Spirit is
whispering to our hearts hey,you belong, you are His.
And that's not just this feelingof I'm at arm's length with God
(09:28):
, no, it's a deep assurance, theHoly Spirit constantly
whispering to us that you belonghere, you are in the family of
God and if we are children andwe are heirs, we're heirs of God
, right Fellow heirs with Christ, which means we're going to
inherit what Jesus inheritseternal life, glory, the
fullness of God's promise.
(09:49):
And I can't, even in my simplemind right now, wrap my head
around what all of that means,because I deserve none of it,
right?
I'm just down here trying toscrape by and all of a sudden
I'm reading the Word and I'mbeing taught because I'm
choosing Christ and not becauseof anything that.
I'm just down here trying toscrape by and all of a sudden
I'm reading the Word and I'mbeing taught because I'm
choosing Christ and not becauseof anything that I'm doing.
His Holy Spirit drew me herewho, through His work on the
(10:10):
cross, I'm being taught.
I'm co-heirs with the King ofKings, that's so good?
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Yeah, you know, because we're adopted into the
family of God.
As you mentioned, the text sayswe have now become heirs.
If I were to adopt a child intothe family of God as you
mentioned, the text says we havenow become heirs If I were to
adopt a child into my family,that child, I would like to say,
would be given just as muchinheritance as my other two
children.
Yes, simply because I wouldraise all three the same.
They would be loved the same,they would be taught the same
(10:38):
belief that we believe here inour home.
They would be disciplined thesame.
Therefore, each of them, when Ipassed away, would receive the
exact same amount of inheritanceas the other one did.
So let me just say this yourpast does not disqualify you
from entering into the family ofGod right now, today.
(10:59):
Actually, our past proves to usjust how badly we need God in
our lives, amen.
And so, as you just madereference to, the 17th verse of
Romans, chapter 8 says not onlyare we heirs of God, we are
fellow heirs with Jesus Christ.
I mean, how cool is that thatwe get to experience glory, we
(11:21):
receive the blessings of God, weget the promises of God because
we have trusted God and haverelationship with Jesus Christ
as our Lord and Savior.
2 Corinthians 1.20 says for allthe promises of God find their
yes in Christ.
So while we live this life onthis earth, we cannot focus on
(11:42):
just the inheritance.
And so I want to throw thatlittle piece out there, because
we are talking about being heirsof God and co-heirs with Christ
.
While we're down here on thisearth, we cannot just focus on
the inheritance, and I want tokind of give an example of why
we shouldn't.
I've seen people in real lifesituations.
They get lazy because they knowmom and dad are going to leave
(12:04):
them a pile of money or they'regoing to hand over a successful
business, and therefore thatparticular person chooses to go
through life not working hardbecause they knew everything was
going to be handed over to them, it's going to be handed down
to them.
So they end up lacking realsolid work ethic and as
Christians, let me just say thisit's okay to think about what's
(12:28):
to come, no doubt about that.
Like I rejoice in what's coming, I rejoice in my inheritance in
heaven.
It's okay to think about thosethings.
But what we cannot do is sofocus on what's coming, that we
do not pay attention to what'shappening right here during this
race, that we're running forChrist right here and, yes, one
(12:48):
day we will fully walk into theinheritance that God has
promised us.
But we'll get that, pastor Jim,when we cross the finish line.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
And Paul is going to continue on here and he's not
going to sugar coat anything.
He may tell us that, hey, we'reheirs with Jesus Christ and
we're going to inherit the samethings as him.
But what he says next is areally tough pill to swallow.
If you think that you're justgoing to walk through life
waiting for the inheritance,right, because he's going to tie
(13:18):
all of that to suffering, right.
Saying that we're heirs, thensaying, provided that we suffer
with him so that we can beglorified with him, that's real
talk, right.
Following Jesus' plan orfollowing Jesus' footstep
doesn't mean a pain-free life.
It means sharing in hissufferings, facing his trials,
(13:38):
facing his rejection, right, orstruggles because of our faith.
But the promise is that thesuffering is not the end, it is
the path to the glory.
And that makes me think of 2Corinthians 4.17,.
Paul says it like this for thislight, momentary affliction is
preparing us for an eternalweight of glory beyond all
(13:59):
comparison.
So what he's saying is whateverwe face now is temporary, but
it is leading to something muchbigger.
But we have to remember that weare going to share in the
suffering of Christ, as Pauljust taught.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
Yeah, there was a time in my life.
Well, let me just set it up bysaying this Right now, in 2025,
May 13th, in 2025, May 13th,this is the day we're recording
this podcast.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
I am not a runner.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
You know, I just thought about that, as you
mentioned having to suffer, andI would like to encourage the
listeners because there was atime in my life when I was
running.
I was running every day.
We even went on vacation andevery day of the vacation I went
out and I ran.
It took a while to get my bodyinto the position, into the
(14:48):
place where I actually enjoyedrunning.
And I think sometimes, asChristians, we begin to run this
race and we don't understandthat we're going to have to
endure some hardship.
We're going to have to enduresome hardship, we're going to
have to endure some pain.
But, just like physically, themore we run, the easier running
becomes and we get into what youand I talked about, I believe,
(15:09):
just yesterday, that runner'shigh, as the more we run, the
more runner will receive whatthey call a runner's high and
they want more of it, just can'tget enough of it and they're in
stride and they're just goingand they're really enjoying
running the race.
I think, as Christians, thefarther we run and the closer we
(15:29):
walk in relationship with Jesus.
Even what we have to endure,even what we have to suffer,
it's almost like that weight,that burden, isn't what it would
have been when we first startedrunning the race.
Does that make sense what I'msaying?
Speaker 1 (15:44):
Yeah, and the Bible teaches us it's for those who
endure to the end, and I think alot of people look at that and,
you know, have this concept ofwell, once I'm saved, that's it.
But he goes on to say for thosewho endure to the end.
And so, as I'm reading thispassage, it really has began to
(16:06):
redefine my identity.
Because the truth is is I'm notdefined by my mistakes, I'm not
defined by my fears or what theworld says about me.
I am a child of God.
I'm adopted, I'm loved, I'msecure, and that truly should
change.
Everyone who understands that.
That should change.
And it does change how I live.
If I'm being led by the Spirit,I got to ask am I listening to
(16:28):
Him?
Am I trusting Him enough tofollow where he leads me, even
if it's going to be hard?
And when I'm struggling, do Iremember I'm not a slave to fear
anymore.
I'm a son, I'm an heir right.
My Father has me anymore.
I'm a son, I'm an heir right,my father has me.
And so this passage also makesme think about how I treat
others.
If we're all children of Godthrough faith, then my brothers
(16:51):
and sisters in Christ are myfamily.
Do I love them like that, do Ipray for them like that, do I
support them like that, even ifwe don't see eye to eye right?
And these are just somequestions that I'm chewing on.
Maybe you can chew on them ifyou're listening where you're at
right now, but it really is anopportunity for self-reflection.
I'd love to hear, pastor Lee,what really is stirring up in
(17:14):
your mind as you read this textand how it hits you specifically
.
Because on me, you know, Ithink about when I read the Word
.
I always want to do aself-reflection and say, okay,
lord, what can I learn from this, which we talked about on this
podcast?
Now, how can I apply it to mylife and where am I missing it
in my own life?
I want to make sure that I'mdoing the things that God is
(17:34):
calling me to do, by learningand seeking His face in the Word
.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
So that's a great point, like, for me, one thing
that really hits down likethey're truly brothers and
sisters.
It's so easy to just like usethat title and just kind of
sling it around, right, Becausewe see it in scripture Well,
we're brothers and sisters inChrist, yes, but are we, are we
looking like we are, or are wejust looking like we're?
(17:59):
You know, younger siblings thatare just going around fighting
over space in the bedroom.
If we shared a bedroom growingup with a sibling, you know,
like how quick do we, how quickdo we just like get into verbal
disagreements or even mentalfights, right, we don't even let
somebody else know we got badfeelings about them, but but
we're really hating on them orhating on something that that
they're doing Right, and so itoccupies this real estate in our
(18:22):
, in our headspace that it nevershould be, it never should be
there.
Rather than, rather than havingthese feelings of contention,
it should be feelings offorgiveness and love, you know.
So are we really treating oneanother like true brothers and
sisters, or are we treating oneanother like a stepbrother,
stepsister?
We should be so close that thatword step is non-existent.
You know we are truly brothersand sisters, and to just kind of
(18:45):
give a little history lesson toour listeners.
As I studied this topic, pastorJim, in the Roman world back
then adoption was commonpractice and when I studied this
thing, man, it just like reallyflipped my lid.
It was really good, the husbandhe would just like today.
He would leave the wealth tohis children.
(19:06):
But what was different was hewould leave the wealth
specifically to the sons, so notthe daughters, just the sons.
And if that man did not have anysons, or and this is what's
really interesting if he did nothave any sons or if he felt
that his sons were incapable orunworthy of managing his wealth,
(19:27):
that man was then able to adoptsomeone who he thought would
make a worthy son.
What's really interesting isthat older boys and adult men
were normally adopted because hehad to know that these people
were worthy to handle his wealthand what he was leaving behind.
(19:48):
So if this man was close topassing and he said you know
what?
My boys aren't going to handlethe money right, they haven't
earned it he would go find boysold enough that he already seen
their character, or he wouldfind men old enough to where he
knew how they would handle thewealth.
And he could also find andadopt a man older than he was.
(20:12):
Now think about that.
He could adopt into his lineagea man that was older than him,
give him his name simply becausehe could trust this man to
receive his inheritance.
Now, this sounds crazy, but afather could actually disown his
natural-born son.
All right, but here's theamazing piece An adoption was
(20:37):
irreversible.
So once you got adopted, youcould not take your name back
from that person that you boughtin.
So, as Christians, our debtsare canceled, we're given a new
name, we're given all the rightsthat heirs of God possess
co-heirs with Christ.
And, unlike Roman adoption,christians are not adopted
(21:01):
because God thinks they willmake worthy heirs.
God has chosen to adopt apeople, right.
God has chosen to adopt apeople who are completely
unworthy, which means God adoptsnot on merit, but he adopts on
the basis of his grace.
Wow.
Speaker 1 (21:20):
Wow, that is good man .
That is a lesson for me.
I did not know that.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Isn't that good bro?
I didn't either, until Istudied it.
It just flipped my lid, man, itjust blew my mind it was such a
blessing.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
Yeah, and while you were talking about it, it
actually made me think ofsomething else.
I'm also grateful that I'm anheir to God, who I know is
faithful, and that the rewardand treasure as spoken about in
the Bible is good.
Sometimes I go to my dad'shouse and, just to be funny,
(21:51):
I'll walk around and look at allhis stuff and he'll ask me what
I'm doing, and I'll just remindhim that I'm looking at all my
things, your future and and uh,he'll say to me well, boy, I'm
sorry, but I'm going to break itto you like this, all you're
getting is my debt.
And I think about thatsometimes and I'm like that's
okay, because I'm going toinherit glory, because I'm an
(22:14):
heir to the King of Kings.
I'm an heir to God and that iswhat it's truly, truly all about
.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
Yeah, the thing that struck me was is that once a
Roman adopted someone, theycould never remove the name off
of that individual.
He carried that for the rest ofhis life.
Yeah, and that's powerful.
Once we come to jesus, therethere's no devil, there's no
demon strong enough that canundo the agreement, that can
(22:42):
undo the agreement, that canundo the finished work that
christ has done for us on thecross.
And as long as we continue tolive faithfully, as long as we
continue to walk with the lordum, as long as we continue to
believe in God and trust inJesus and rely on the power of
his Holy Spirit, there's nothingout there that can take from us
the title that we are sons anddaughters of God.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
Most High, amen.
Father, we thank you that youhave adopted us in Lord.
We are so thankful that whatyou have set into motion can
nobody else take away.
Amen, no one can take away what, father, you have promised and
purposed us for, and we aregrateful for that.
Lord, we just are also gratefulfor your Word.
(23:27):
We're grateful for opportunityto share it with one another,
we're grateful for anopportunity to grow and learn
and, god, I ask that your HolySpirit would just help us to
apply this word to our heartstoday and to our lives, lord,
and as we go out throughout ourday, we remember what we have in
Jesus and because of Jesus'sacrifice on the cross, as
(23:48):
adopted family members into yourkingdom.
We love you and we praise youin Jesus' name.
Everybody said amen.
Well, I want to thank you guysfor hanging out with us today,
as always.
We will be back next week, lordwilling.
We'll see you there or in theair, god bless.
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