Adoption.

The message of the New Testament is "sonship through propitiation".
- a Christians is someone who has God for his Father.

• Not all people are the children of God - only believers.
  • in the Old Testament God is only the Father of Abraham's seed. Exodus 4 vs 22, Hosea 11 vs 1.
  • in the New Testament God is only the Father of those who repent of their sins and turn to Christ as sin-bearer and master, thus becoming Abraham's spiritual seed. Gal 3 vs 26, 28b-29, John 1 vs 12, 14 vs 6.
  • this sonship is not natural. It is a gift of grace - and adoptive sonship. Gal 4 vs 4-7, Rom 8 vs 14-17, Eph 1 vs 4, 1 John 3 vs 1-3.
• Some important things to know about this adoption.
  • it is the highest privilege which the Gospel offers.
  • your sonship is to be the controlling thought in every point of your Christian life:-
    • when you think what a disciple is. Mk 3 vs 35, Matt 28 vs 9-10, John 20 vs 17-18, Heb 2 vs 11-13.
    • when you want to know how to behave. Matt 5 vs 43-45a,48, 5 vs 16, 6 vs 1-18.
    • when you pray. Matt 6 vs 17 - 18, 7 vs 7-11.
    • when you worry about material things. Matt 6 vs 25-32.

• The moment you forget you are God's child, you will not be able to live your Christian life so as to please God.

• Some things which happen to a Christian who constantly remembers his adoption.
  • He is overcome by the greatness of God's grace. 1 John 3 vs 1-3. Luke 15 vs 18. John 17 vs 23.
  • He longs for heaven.
  • Adoption means being a 'chosen heir'! He cannot help thinking of what awaits him. Gal 4 vs 7, Romans 8 vs 14-19.
  • He stops seeking second experiences.
  • For he is well aware that the basic ministry of the Spirit is not to give us power etc., but to be to us the Spirit of adoption! Romans 8 vs 15, Gal 4 vs 6.
  • He longs for personal holiness.
  • He can see what it is - family likeness.
  • He has a motive for seeking it - to avoid shaming his Father.
  • He knows how it will come about - instruction and discipline.

How badly we need to recover the truth that Christians are sons!

It is one of the choicest jewels in the treasure-box of God's Word - and one of the most neglected.