Nothing to say, yet
Transcription
The speaker discusses the topic of the Holy Spirit and how it is often misunderstood or overlooked by reform Christians. They reflect on the different perspectives of reform and charismatic Christians when it comes to the Holy Spirit's role in their lives. They then delve into the concept of the Trinity and highlight the distinct roles of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The speaker emphasizes the importance of comprehending, rather than fully apprehending, the nature of God. They discuss the work of the Holy Spirit, such as convicting of sin, illuminating scripture, and expelling sin. The speaker also explores the idea of the divine economy and how each member of the Trinity plays a specific role. They then focus on the Holy Spirit's role in adoption and how it is an ongoing process for believers. Finally, they discuss the meaning behind the term "Holy Spirit" and how it encompasses both cleanliness and separateness. We're continuing in our series on the Holy Spirit morning. And that is really an exciting thing for me. I think oftentimes reform folks we can have what I'm going to say is almost an allergy. When we think about the Holy Spirit or one other Christian start to talk about the Holy Spirit. I know certainly I have more charismatic friends will hold the Holy Spirit did this the other day or the Holy Spirit that and there's almost a reaction that I have to say, well, I don't know what that the Holy Spirit. We certainly believe that God in his providence works through all of human history and that he's involved in all parts of our lives. And so we as reform folks are very comfortable looking back at an event and saying that was an act of providence where I can see the providence in that moment. Or if you look back and see like, oh, I can tell how God had orchestrated those pieces, but our more charismatic brothers and sisters have a tendency to be looking forward and eagerly anticipating what is the Holy Spirit going to do next. So it's just an interesting dichotomy that we have a certain comfort knowing God's providence and sovereignty even more than typically would be the charismatic branch of Christianity. And yet at the same time we're not really comfortable with this idea of the Holy Spirit. As much as we are with the sovereignty of God, the Father, or as much as we are with the kingship of Christ. And yet we shouldn't be. So last week, Mark opened our series up looking at effectual calling and regeneration. Today I'm going to spend time looking at adoption. We're going to go through this list, but this broadly is something we call the order saluted. So just to even get us started this morning, who is the Holy Spirit? And this is the audience participation part. So we're going to get your juices flowing early. So third person of the Trinity. Yes. Other answers. He who proceeds from the father and the son. Very good. Very good. Right. The helper. Very good. Comfort does many things. Absolutely. So a great place to start when we're seeking to be orthodox and we're talking about aspects of God is looking back at our history and some of the places that we see in church history that there's discussion. What do we mean by this? The early councils, Nicaea, and even a further refinement. My favorite one of the creeds that we can think about the character and the nature of God is the actually the Athanasians creed. And so I'll just read a portion of this. So it begins that we confess that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in unity, neither blending the persons nor dividing their essence. So the person of the father is a distinct person. The person of the son is another and that of the Holy Spirit still another. But the divinity of the father, son and Holy Spirit is one. Their glory equal their majesty co-eternal. So this creed in particular pulls out to be very specific to say that the father is not the son and the son is not the father. And it goes through this very methodically. And I love that because when we talk about the Trinity, we're peering into something that we cannot possibly understand. This is not cannot possibly understand there's difference between comprehending something and apprehending it will never fully apprehend what God has expressed himself because he is entirely other from us. But we can begin to comprehend that which he condescends to us, that which he reveals to us about himself. So this creed in particular makes great pain to make distinction between the persons of the Godhead. And so as it continues long, because this is a lengthy confession, it goes and starts being very specific about various aspects of God. So it says the Holy Spirit is uncreated. And similarly, it will also say that the father is uncreated and the son is uncreated. The Holy Spirit is eternal. Again, it will also say that the father is eternal and the son is eternal. The Holy Spirit is almighty. The Holy Spirit is God. The Holy Spirit is Lord Justice. The father is Lord Justice. Jesus is Lord. The Holy Spirit was neither made nor created nor begotten, which is begotten. This is a characteristic of the son, but he proceeds from the father and the son. So it's that procession, which is the active work of the Holy Spirit, which is the portion that we're kind of focusing on today. So what do we mean? We say he proceeds. What does the Holy Spirit do? You had some answers already comforter, Brian. Convicts of our sin. Other things we think about the work of the Holy Spirit. Absolutely. Illuminate scripture, enlightens us to open our minds to the truth of God's word. Yeah. He said he's the strong man. And you're making reference to. Yep. Yep. Or even or even Jesus says, you know, if if there is a demon in a house and then that demon is expelled, if he comes back and finds it empty, then he'll bring seven more with it. He is the expulsive force to remove sin within us. He is the one who maintains and preserves us. So, so many things we see the spirit does. So what does he do? We're talking about things in our life. What does he do in relation to the other members of the Trinity? So this is the idea of the divine economy, which does not mean that God is dealing with himself in an economic sense that we would think of economic sense. We're not talking about God exchanging goods and services for himself. What we're talking about is the function of each member of the Trinity. So we principally think about God, the father ordaining that which comes to pass, that his will would be fulfilled. Christ being begotten of God, the father. Now, it is the acting agent which makes salvation readily available to us. The work of Christ, the obedience of Christ, the perfection of fulfilling God's law is that which Christ does. And then the Holy Spirit is the one that applies that to us. So we think about biblical epics, thinking about the chief time period. If we think about the Old Testament in particular, the desert wanderings, the calling of Abraham, all of these things, we have a tendency to think about as we read the Bible. The Old Testament is the period of time where God the father is at work. And that is certainly true. We think about the New Testament and the gospels. And typically this is all the work of Christ. And what area we are now in both the book of Acts and through the epistles where we are today, we are living in the biblical epic of the day of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is absolutely moving in amongst his people and accomplishing the work that God has ordained for us. So related to the children of God, I know we've kind of talked about these things. What does the Holy Spirit do in the lives of believers who are God's children today? This is the idea that we're going to focus on today. So the answer that obviously today's topic is adoption. So it is that adoption and the fulfillment of that adoption, not just a single momentary time, but the continual adoption of us as children. Not that we're not completely adopted when we are adopted, not that there is a moment of time, but there's kind of an already and a not yet within adoption. And we're going to get in a little bit of that today. So this is the work that he does related to God's children who are God's children. It's all mankind, the children of God, the elect. That's right. And so where do we see ideas of this, that there are those who are God's children and God who are not God's children in the Bible? You are nailing it this morning. Romans 8, 29. Yep. I won't dwell on that too much. Ian's got all the answers. If you say Jesus coming up, man. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So in the very beginning, the spirit of God, it was hovering over the face of the waters. We see the spirit absolutely, or even in the creation of mankind. God says, come, let us make man in our image. And so there's a plural case to that, that that God in the fullness of the Godhead is always been operating. Or we can say there's various examples of this, but we can say that there's theophanies in the Old Testament. Is this the appearance of Christ himself in a pre-incarnate state? So it is not true that only God the Father works in the Old Testament and we don't see any evidence of Jesus or that the Holy Spirit is not active in the Old Testament. And now this is another manifestation. So another reason that it's a good idea to go back and really study those creeds and be very cautious when we're talking about the Trinity, because we can get off the rails pretty quickly when we get some of these details wrong and they're important, but we're not going to peer that deeply into the mind of God as he exists and reveals himself to us today. We're gonna focus on the work of the spirit, but those are great things. Okay. So I was thinking about this week. Why is he called the Holy Spirit? Because he's in the Bible. That's right. Yes. Yes. The Pneumonia is indeed the Holy Spirit, but doesn't it seem to you that it's just a little bit redundant to call him the Holy Spirit. He's saying. God is holy by definition. God is he who is most holy, most wise, most perfect, most able to do all things. That's true. But when we say Holy Spirit, I'm saying, I'm going to propose to you that this is perhaps not best understood exclusively as an adjective. The Holy Spirit certainly is holy adjectively, but we don't say the Holy Father. If you were Catholic, you might say that or the Holy Jesus, because it's implied God the Father is holy. Jesus, of course, is holy. So what do we mean when we're getting into that? And what do you mean, Dan, when you say that this is not purely just an adjective? Well, we're talking about holiness. Holiness is really comprised of two things is both cleanliness, meaning that which is without sin and stain. And it's also separateness. So if you look at, for example, the tabernacle, there would be ceremonial cups, dishes that were included within temple worship in the tabernacle. And it's not been in the nation of Israel. There were certainly only one plate, but one plate was set aside for use in temple worship. One plate would hold the showbread. And it needed to be clean in order for it to be consecrated and set aside to be used properly in the worship of God. So holiness is comprised of both cleanliness, because God does not accept worship from impure substance, but it also needs to be set aside specifically for that purpose. Or even if you look at the ceremonial washings, the ephod, the tunic of the priest who would come in to offer the blood sacrifice over the Ark of the Covenant, he needed to be consecrated and set apart. He was serving particularly as a high priest and appointed by lot that year. So he was selected. But even prior to after his selection, he needed to be cleansed in order that he could work in that act of service. So the Holy Spirit we see in Galatians four and also Romans eight is the spirit of adoption who makes us cry of a father. So I'm saying also it's equally valid for us to think of him as the calling spirit as the saving spirit, the spirit of adoption, the sanctifying spirit and also the glorifying spirit. Ultimately, the Holy Spirit adverbially is the spirit who makes us holy, who sets apart God's people, who affectionately calls them and who applies the work of salvation that Christ accomplishes for us and cleanses us. He is the cleaning spirit and the separating spirit. So he calls, saves, adopts, sanctifies and glorifies us. So J.I. Packers Knowing God has an entire chapter on adoption, and I recommend the book to you without reservation completely wonderful, wonderful text, but particularly this chapter on adoption. It was this is where most of my material this week has come from, and I read it several times. Packers says our first point about adoption is that it is the highest privilege that the gospel offers, which is a bold claim in adoption. God takes us into his family and fellowship, and he established us as his children and heirs. Closeness, affection and generosity are the heart of the relationship to be right with God. The judge justification is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God, the father in adoption is greater. So a brief review of the things that Mark has covered from last week. As we're considering this order salutes or the application of the work of the Holy Spirit, union with Christ is central to all of us. This is the way that we are applied. All of these blessings is the way that we receive justification. This is the way that we are made and brought into new life and brought into the church. A factual calling means that God will make affect efficacious bring to fruition completely and fully do that which he has done. So those who God calls are absolutely justified. This is always to be understood as a thoroughly intended by God, the father again, that divine economy that the destination is that we're brought into Christ and that the Holy Spirit is the agent that makes that a reality. Mark used the term, the efficient agent. A factual calling is always a factual man is wholly passive in it. We take no part in it. It is not because of anything within us and that through the word, the spirit moves to bring the centers to life. The work of the spirit is mysterious, supernatural, sovereign, and does not depend on man. And there's a regeneration that we receive when we're brought to new life should make us fully dependent on the Holy Spirit, recognizing that our new status as believers, that our new status is made righteous before God is brought brought to us, derived, completely wholly dependent on the Holy Spirit. So that could if we're saved by the Holy Spirit unilaterally, we persist and continue to grow by the Holy Spirit. We are sanctified by the Holy Spirit unilaterally. If we are brought into salvation, we do not hold on to it on our own. This should give us confidence in the spirit's work from cradle to grave. Every day of our lives, we're dependent on the spirit to continue that work. It should make us desire to be more and more pulled away from the world and brought nearer to God. In evangelism and apologetics, we know that is not dependent upon our work or how we present things. It should give us confidence and give us an ability to speak boldly, depending on God to bring the harvest. And it gives us hope for the future that all things will be brought into God's kingdom, reborn, a recreation. So there's an eschatological reality on dependence on the Holy Spirit. So this graphic of Mark's, this is this idea of the ordo salutis, this union with Christ. And it begins with us being regenerated and that justification is applied to us. We are then adopted and progressively over lifetime sanctified and ultimately after death glorified. So there are many different looks at the ordo salutis. This is a slide that I use in the study in Philippians. And there are ways that we can peel this out and say, well, maybe this is concurrent with that or maybe this precedes that. It's important that we think about these things specifically and get them right. So one thing that I would point out is that predestination and election are that which have happened before you were even born. That God in his eternal plan does not look down the corridor of time and say, well, I know God doesn't pick winners. He doesn't go out to the racetrack and say, well, that horse is looking really good today or doesn't look back at the corridor of time. I know how this race is going to turn out. So the performance that this guy is going to do, that means I'm going to put my money on him. No, God chooses those whom he is going to save. But there is a moment in time where there's an outward call. Each of us hears the gospel and receives it and the word is not efficacious in our lives. This does not mean that we are yet saved. It's the outward call is general to the world that the gospel is freely offered. We don't know who God is going to save through that. There is an effectual call that's further applied. So there's a moment in time where you may, and this experientially may be true in your life, like I heard the gospel for years. I sat in church and then one day the call of God really came to me in a way that was different. And, you know, something changed. What happened? The Holy Spirit made that word efficacious in your life. At that moment, you receive saving faith. Saving faith is what enables us to have repentance and our repentance, justification and adoption happens in a moment. So there's some things which are eternally and there's some things that are temporal. There's some things that are not yet. Progressively, our sanctification happens more and more. And there's a ultimate not yet is that you are not completely delivered from this body of sin and death until glory. How is this arrived at? Thomas Boston says that this order salutes your Christ and all other privileges are derived and grafted upon this. Their justification, adoption, sanctification and glorification, all of these in this on this grow on this route and that this and where that is wanting. None of these can be all acceptable. Obedience comes from souls union with Christ. Hence, faith is the principle of grace uniting us to Christ. So we're dependent on faith. This is not a work that we can do on our own. Well, what if we get some of these orders wrong? Why is it? Why is it important that we care about this order? Solidus? God is doing this work when we change our theology. So orthodoxy, that which we are doing, which is correct in thought, should match our orthopraxy, the practice that we do afterwards. So, for example, Roman Catholicism believes in a synergistic justification God offers to the gospel and grace. And we have to grasp hold of that. And then we continue to work with God in order that we can make that a reality in our lives. So the synergism, not that God works independently, but man cooperates with God. Also leads us to a view of church mediated adoption that you're adopted so long as you abide and stay in the church. There's still a works righteousness that's included within that. And unfortunately for them, that also precludes the idea of assurance. So if you're staying in the church and your adoption to Christ is being won by you slowly by slowly, and there's grace that's infused in that in the Roman Catholic view, you can never really be sure of your salvation. Or our Arminian brothers, our election being contingent upon God's foreknowledge, God picking winners, meaning that your choice for salvation, they would say that, yes, it's completely by grace and it's not by works at all. But God knows when you're going to make that choice. At least the one choice that you've made that makes your salvation efficacious is your decision to accept Christ. But this opens up the possibility that you could reject the gospel, that God's call is not fully efficacious and that there is no perseverance guaranteed to us. And that puts us on shaky ground. Kind of a further walking down that road, not just Arminianism, but Wesleyanism. And Wesley certainly wasn't Armenian, but as his teaching was fully brought to maturation later on, Wesleyanism has an over-realized view of sanctification. So not only just your salvation, but Wesleyan perfectionism holds that you need to work toward, independently on your own actions, to sanctify yourself, further consecration, a works-based righteousness with the idea that, yes, I've had the fullness of salvation and I've received all of that. But at the same time, there's a way that I can work a little harder and I can make this true in my own life. So Phoebe Palmer is a Methodist evangelist. And she said that justification would have ended with me had I refused to be holy. The idea that if you are not cooperating, if you're not seeking out that holiness, then grace may be lost for you. So you can be in and out of grace and that state of flux. Methodists will have one of their principles, it's a simplified idea of their faith, is to do no harm, to do good, and to stay in love with God. Can any of us stay in love with God of our own power? Certainly not. It's because God has saved us monergistically, on his own accord, for his own glory, and we depend wholly upon him for all of that, and also to keep us, to maintain our standing. So earlier this year, we did this series on hymns. And we talked about a couple of hymns, one of those being Blessed Assurance. And Frances Havergill wrote that song, and she talks about perfect submission, perfect delight. So this is an outgrowth of even further on Wesleyan perfectionism, a theology called Keswickism, which focuses intensely on Christian perfectibility. And I have this quote of her talking about on Advent Sunday, she had the full blessedness of true consecration. So this is somebody who really believes that there's a higher way, that if you just fully surrender and fully submit, then you can achieve this level of consecration. You can achieve your sanctification, which feels like they're believing that they can have glory, glorification, prior to being fully delivered from this body of sin and death, which is not true. So all of these things lead us to, isn't this just a recapitulation of narcissism? When you have an emphasis on cooperative work with the Holy Spirit, where you're not dependent, where you're not receiving the blessing of the Holy Spirit, you're pushing toward, I can do it myself, which we can never achieve any of this on our own. And narcissism was this idea that, yeah, there's the gospel, but what you really need to do is still keep the law and do these other things. Well, yeah, Paul will teach you the gospel, but there's more. There's a secret knowledge, this gnosis, this deeper knowing that we can achieve. Paul actually spoke to that in 2 Corinthians when he's speaking to these super apostles that were teaching in Corinth, saying, yes, you can follow Paul, but then what you really need us to do is follow us also. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus that we preach, or if you receive a different spirit from the spirit that you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, put up with it easily enough. I do not think I am in the least inferior to these super apostles. I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge. I have made this perfectly clear to you in every way. For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising then that his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. And their end will be what their actions deserve. The same idea in Galatians, if anyone is preaching a gospel contrary to the one that you have received, let him be accursed. Paul has a very swift rebuke. People are trying to manufacture the works of the Spirit. This is in some ways like Simon the Sorcerer, who wanted to receive the Holy Spirit and pay for it. We should not be seeking to receive in our own work that which God alone gives to his church. So this is in some ways my critique of the modern charismatic bent toward the fruit of the Holy Spirit. We want to see what does the Holy Spirit have for us today? Isn't there a new word from the Holy Spirit? We pray, or church, I'm not accusing any of you of this, but there are those who go to their prayer closet and they ask God for a new word. And when they feel an emotive unction, they feel like, well, maybe this is my intuition telling me this has to be the Holy Spirit moving. And so we're so caught up, particularly in America today, that we want to see this new work of the Holy Spirit that we're not really content with the normal, ordinary work that the Holy Spirit does. In some ways, we would say that we have salvation and the application of the glory of the gospel. Yeah, that's that's that's good stuff. But we want the new things. We want the flashy stuff. This is Gnosticism. And so we reject that because the real glory of the Holy Spirit is that he is doing the simple things of bringing dead men to life. And if that does not. If that's not enough for you, then you don't understand the gospel. So, again, I said the justification is the primary blessing of the gospel, and it is our cheapest need. We need to be reconciled to God. But adoption is not the thing that we think of first and foremost in the gospel. We think about justification. But adoption is the pinnacle blessing of the gospel. It is the highest blessing of the gospel. Yes, justification is what we need most. But what we get is so much better than just what we need. So. Wouldn't be Presbyterian if we didn't at least make some kind of homage to the Westminster Confession. And so we're going to look at what Chapter 12 says on adoption. All those that are justified, God vouchsafe in and for his only son, Jesus Christ, to make partakers of the grace of adoption by which they are taken into the number and enjoy the liberties and privileges of the children of God, have his name put upon them, receive the spirit of adoption, have access to the throne of grace with boldness, are unable to cry Abba Father, are pitied, protected, provided for and chastened by him as fathers, yet never cast off but sealed to the day of redemption and inherit the promises as heirs of everlasting salvation. So we have these two components. There's justification, our primary need and adoption, which is our highest honor. It should be noted that those whom God justifies, he always adopts. We're never left as orphans. But these are really two parts of the same action. God is doing all of this at the same time. So we can think of justification as more of a forensic adoption. You stand before an adoption proceeding. You're going to take you and a child to the court and the judge will stand and declare at some moment this adoption is complete. But there's a second adoption that happens over time because that child goes home with you and grows in the full measure of the family. And that adoption takes time. So sanctification is the familial application of adoption, whereas justification is forensic. So God declares that it is done. And then more and more we're growing in grace and being dependent upon the Holy Spirit, who is our tutor and our guide to conform us to the image of Christ. So off of that list, off of Chapter 12, things to note that it is an act of free grace for Jesus Christ, that we are justified and received as his children. God puts his name upon us. We receive the spirit. We're now under his fatherly care and we have liberties and privileges which are conferred upon us. In addition to that, we are made heirs of all the promises and fellow heirs with Christ in glory. So what do we need for there to be adoption taking place? Well, a father, a parent and a child. You were made that child of the father in the adoption process. But when Paul is using this idea of adoption, one of the things we should consider is at the time, adoption is not typically an orphan in the way that we think about it today. Adoption today is typically done with juvenile children, not someone of age, but of the Roman era. Often it was because a man who did not have an heir to his estate would select a worthy person to be his heir thereafter so that his name could be conferred upon them and that his estate would have someone to take it over. So typically we're not thinking about children adoption, but actually at the time in Rome, in the Roman culture, this would be much more the typical case. But God is not seeking an heir because he doesn't have a legacy to continue on. He's not passing away. He's not giving us something so that somebody will take it over and manage it. He's not giving us. He's not selecting children because he has any lack compared to the adoptive paradigm you would think about in Roman times. He is the best father. So he is the most wise father. He knows all of the best things for his children. He knows how to provide for his children in the best way. He knows how to assess what they need. He's the most loving father. He lavishes grace upon us that is far beyond that which we are deserving of unilaterally and he's the most glorious father. I read a book that was an exposer in an exposition of the Lord's Prayer and the first 50 pages were on our father and it went in detail about like all of that. It was Thomas Goodwin of why God is the best father and comparing him to earthly fathers. So even in Packer in his book he says that there's some people who will shy away from comparing God to a father because we certainly have failed fathers in our own lives and any earthly father would be a an inferior image for us to consider. But that's according to Packer a little ridiculous because even say if you are going to be married and you know well my parents had a great marriage maybe you want to model your marriage after that or maybe you saw a broken home and you didn't have a great marriage. Well some people then seek the covenant of marriage because they want to do better than their parents before them. So it doesn't make sense for us to shy away from the idea of thinking about God as an adoptive father simply because there are bad fathers in the world. But we can see that because there is a problem we can see that there is a true source. The evidence of a counterfeit or a lesser image which implies that there is a perfect image for us to consider. So does anybody know Matthew 7 11. If you who are being evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your father in heaven. So God is the best father. He knows all of the best things that we need and provides for us. And as sons we are given promise of the benefits of being a child of God. God will continue to nurture us protect us love us and discipline us. The father who disciplines his son loves him. The father who does not discipline his son hates him. We see that all through Proverbs. But not only do we receive benefits as sons there is also expectation of a son. What are some of the expectations as a child that you are mandated. Obedience honoring your father mother. And one of the reasons that we do honor our father and mother is because we have a father in heaven who is worthy of honor that mirrors that in our lives. Paul. That's right. To not dishonor our family name. And if we are now conferred sonship by a father who is worth supremely worthy of that honor. How much more should we continue to strive after that. So I'm going to skip over this very very briefly but there is this idea of a full fourfold estate of man that Adam was created in innocence. He was able to sin and able not to sin. But through the fall he receives a new nature through the natural state of man where we all find ourselves outside of Christ. We are now not able to not sin. But by grace it is possible that we can not sin and leave lives pleasing to God. But we're still able to sin. We're not completely delivered from that. But yet in glory we'll be recreated given a new body in the new heaven and new earth which is both sinless. The work of Christ applied to us and then not able to sin. This is as Christ is. So if we consider what God has done for us we find ourselves in the natural state as enemies of God. And if we were to be only justified we would at best be strangers. So we were if we were to erase the debt that is what man has to God. We would not move any farther if God stopped there. It's just simply by forgiving us. We would not have earned anything but we have the rights of Christ imputed to us. We would find ourselves just strangers to God. But he doesn't just leave us to strangers as it would be righteous of him to say I have forgiven you much and so I'll leave you better than strangers. You can now be a slave. So you are indebted to me and you must work for me and do that which I command. But more than that you can think of in the hierarchy not just a slave who is owned and oppressed in some of our thinking of slavery but perhaps just a servant. Maybe we're being paid for what God is. Maybe maybe God blesses us because of what we do. But he doesn't leave us there. This is not that we are being paid. We're not given the blessing of fellowship with God because of our works. Maybe God just puts us in the category of a friend that he chooses to have fellowship with us. Although he's cleaned us up he just simply likes us. But no God doesn't leave us there either. He has a bond to us a commitment to us which is a blood bond. So we could be distant relatives but we're not just distant relatives. He brings us so near to us. He actually confers the title of son upon us. So this is the not just justification but adoption. This is the true blessing of adoption as though we should be God's enemies. He blesses us through Christ not only to leave us strangers slaves or servants but actually to be in his family and actually to be his sons and co-heirs with Christ. So if we think about all of the different places the Bible we can see this kind of thing. One of my favorite stories that kind of exemplifies that is the chef. And so I'm not going to read all of this. Actually I might read all of this and then I'm going to pull out some of the little parts. And David said is there anyone left in the house of Saul that I may show kindness to him for Jonathan's sake. Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Eva and they called him to David and David and the king said to him are you Ziva. And he said I am your servant. And the king said is there not anyone in the house of Saul that he may show kindness of God to him. And Eva said to the king there is still a son of Jonathan. He is crippled in his feet. And the king said to him where is he. And Eva said he is in the house of cure. And the M.E.L. at Lowe's bar. And King David sent and brought him from the house of cure. It's none of M.E.L. at Lowe's bar. And that's the chef the son of Jonathan the son of Saul came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said to the chef and he said behold I am your servant. David said to him do not fear for I will show kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan and I will restore to you all of the land. All of your all of the land of Saul your father and you shall eat always and you shall eat at my table always. And he paid homage and said what is your servant that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I. And then the king called Eva Saul's servant to him and said all that belong to Saul and to his house I have given to your master's grandson and you and your son and your servants shall till the land for him and she'll bring the produce that your grand master's grandson may eat of it and have bread. All right. So stop there and consider that we are of the race of Saul. We like Saul are full of hubris are naturally uncontrolled. We are wrathful. And Saul's end was that he was deposed of course and Christ is victorious over sin and Christ like David is God's true king who is marked by his humility. He's not uncontrolled but restraint. He is victorious and he shows mercy to his enemies. So pulling out these little things from Second Samuel David asks Is there someone whom I may show kindness. And there is Jonathan's grandson Saul who urged the chef the grandson of Jonathan who is crippled in his feet. Then David sent and brought him to the chef falls on his face and he's restored. So we have here a picture of we who are spiritually dead crippled in our feet unable to walk in righteousness on our own that unilaterally David calls and brings him here. So King David sent and brought him to the chef could not have come before David. He falls on his face. We see repentance and David restores give salvation to the chef. And not only is he restored and forgiven although David naturally in this moment would have killed off at the time the king would have eliminated any relative of the king that he took out. But he invites him to eat at his table always. And so at the end we see so much to the chef ate at David's table like one of the king's sons. And he lived in Jerusalem for he always ate at the king's table. Now he was lame in both the seat. So although he is forgiven and completely restored all of the assets and wealth of the kingdom he is not yet delivered into glory. So even in this Old Testament gospel presentation we see that he is still already and not yet completely delivered. All right. We're going to go back to the confession just a little bit and consider things in adoption. So just this first portion those that are justified. God has made us partakers in the grace of adoption. And we've seen already in March series on Ephesians and Ephesians 1 3 6. We are blessed. Blessed be God the Father our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in Christ and every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Even as he chose us before him chose us before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him in love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Christ Jesus. So when we say that we received every blessing in the heavenly places it's not just good feelings. It is not just right standing but Christ has made us or the Holy Spirit applies the work of Christ to make us co heirs with Jesus that God has ordained all of that for us not just to justify us but they are taken into the number and enjoy the liberties and privileges of the children of God. And Romans 8 says if and if if children then heirs and heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ provided we suffer with him in order that we may be also glorified with him. So when we say provided that we suffer with him the mark of that you truly have been adopted that the Holy Spirit is working in your life is that you will seek after this further sanctification. So it's not provided in the sense of well if we're working along with the Holy Spirit if we're doing our part. But this is the evidence it's not the cause but it is the effect of our being grafted into the into Christ by the Holy Spirit having conferred his name upon us. There is no other higher honor that we can receive and be given the name of the children of God. God says that I will be a father to you and you shall be sons and daughters to me says the Lord Almighty the one who conquers I will make him a pillar of my temple of the temple of my God. Neither shall he go out of it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God and the new Jerusalem which comes down from my God out of heaven and my own new name. So there's a promise of glory in heaven and are being part of God's family is what gives us the right to dwell with him forever in heaven. We've seen again we receive the spirit of adoption. This is the blessing we see in Romans 8 and also in Galatians 4 for you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Again we are not earning any way the sanctification we're not working towards glory. There's not a higher life there's not new exciting things that we can receive beyond that which is the most amazing gift that God has taken us into his family not to receive the spirit of slavery to fall back to fear but you receive the spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry Abba father. The other thing about being a son of God is that rather than we can see this through many Old Testament examples you see the king sitting in the throne room and if you enter through into the king of the throne it is by invitation and the king holds the power to cut you off entirely. I think of many examples where the king could just say well that's it done. If you don't have an invitation to come then this could cost you your life. But as sons we can approach the throne with boldness. There's nothing that a father will deny his son when they get a knock on the door at three o'clock in the morning even when your little ones are like I need a glass of water. I'm scared. There's nothing that's inconsequential to God that he does not care for his children enough to gladly invite them in. So we should have greater eagerness to bring all of our cares to God. We are pitied protected and provided for. So God shows compassion on his children and we have strong confidence in the fact that he is our refuge that he will protect us and care for us in a way that it is not just somebody who is far off but because we are loved. Matthew 6 says But if God so clothes the grass of the field which is today alive tomorrow is thrown in the oven will he not make much more clothes for you. You have little faith. Therefore do not be anxious in anything and say what we eat or what should we drink or what shall we wear for the Gentiles seek after these things and your father in heaven knows that you need knows that you need them all. God provides even for our daily provisions the things that enable us to go and live or considering the lilies of the field that Solomon in his glory was not dressed as well as these but God also cares and provides for us in the same way or the birds of the air. So many of the words of Christ and particularly the term of the mount we're guaranteed that he will never cast us off but we will be sealed for the day of redemption and inherit the promises of everlasting life. Lamentations 3 for the Lord will not cast off forever. Ephesians 4. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. So we can as children live in a way that pleases our parents. We can also live in a way that grieves our parents and the Holy Spirit disciplines us and rebukes us in subtle ways. You can feel in times when you walk with Christ that there is a warmth and gladness to your service and other times it can feel like absolute drudgery if we're all honest that obedience is not always a joy that God sometimes by his grace will remove that feeling of nearness and we feel like we are wandering but it is for a few purposes one to remind us of what it was like to be lost to to encourage us to further depend on the Holy Spirit to also discipline us to seek after living righteously so that we will please God the father that he will receive that will receive that blessing of his affection in it also. But we are sure that we are never even when we were walking in rebellion so far cast off that he will not ultimately care for us. So this familial adoption is us continually walking in grace and still dependent on the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit we often think of as reformed folks is yes that which applies salvation to our lives. But this familial adoption is the relationship that we walk in grace that is actually the ordinary amazing work the Holy Spirit does. And this is exactly what Christ promised us in John 14. Jesus says if you love me you will keep my commandments and I will ask the father to give you another helper to be with you forever even the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because they need this because it neither sees him or knows him but you know him for he dwells within you and will be with you. The Holy Spirit dwells within the hearts of each of us as believers and Jesus does not ever leave us as orphans but he sends the spirit to come and help us. So this should cause us to be dependent on the spirit. This should have us be desirous to pray by the power of the spirit in the name of Christ to our father. So what are some implications for the spirit and its work and calling. Outwardly we can depend on the spirit for the ordinary beings of grace to be effective in evangelism. You not need to create new and diverse ways and scheme of men. There's no higher thing that we can do. We're not conniving to to create an experience for someone so they can see some new sign and wonder we can work exclusively in the bounds of letting God's word be efficacious. We acknowledge our helplessness and salvation and we accept the assurance that God has given the spirit he will never take his blessing away from his true children. We should because we have a spirit of adoption recognize that when you are given this new name of a child of God there are ways that we are going to discipline and there are things that we should do. We few were born into an era into a monarchy of some kind and you are the heir to the throne. There will be special discipline and special training that would go into your education as a child. And so there are going to be things that which are commiserate and expected of us as children of God that we must behave in a certain way. And so we must grow and seek to live as becomes a child of a king. This will help us to keeping that in mind strive after holiness and thinking of the spirit as this glorifying spirit we should there be encouraged to further pray that God's kingdom would come in anticipation of the receipt of our full inheritance. John 1 3 says see what kind of love the father has given to us that we should be called children of God. And so we are. So that concludes this as we're continuing on next week. I believe Paul going to be talking about justification for further and we'll close in prayer and then we'll get ready to start our Lord's Day service for the rest. Father in heaven thank you so much that you have given us the Holy Spirit that you will not leave us alone as orphans or that even though our greatest need is right standing before you because of the sin that we all hold that you do not just simply leave us there as strangers but you bring us near to you as your children. And we're grateful for the work the spirit applies of the righteousness of Christ to us. We pray that our service this afternoon would be a blessing to you. We make much in the name of Jesus. We ask this in Jesus name. Amen.
