The Adoption Sermon in a Nutshell | Clip from Salvation in Full Color: Adoption

And actually, the sermon is extremely precise. We were joking before the podcast that he never met a sub-point he didn't like because some of the points have 10 sub-points and the sub-points have sub-points.

And so it's very Puritan-esque in that way, you know, kind of drawing together into a sermon from all of the scripture and life's experiences, anything that is, you know, can be included in this topic.

So, you know, good and bad in that, but certainly a lot of truth here for us. We'll put the outline in the show notes so you can see that it's pretty extensive. So we're actually, even in our overview of this sermon, we're not going to hit every single point, but I want to run through the major points, and then Chuck and I will back up and just talk about a few things that we think are most important.

So he opens the sermon with kind of an introduction on what the basic parts of this doctrine are. And so he gives a number of points here. Number one, it is a great and honorable gift when God adopts.

And he talks about being a forensic gift, that's legal. And it's a gift that's openly declared, not a secret gift, and he really does a good job of calling attention to that, that that's so much sweeter for the Christian to have God declare to your own conscience, but ultimately to all the universe, that you are His.

And it's a gift that's freely bestowed or the purest form of grace. It is also a gift given by God, and he spends some time on the nature of the donor, the giver, the recipients. He goes over those. Well, the believer alone, those who we could describe them from the human perspective, those who have embraced Christ by faith, or from the divine perspective, those who have been called.

And then he talks about the cause of this action, God's love, a benevolent, beneficent love, a love of complacency. And there's so much there. We want to come back to a few of those. But let me go to the main parts of the sermon now.

After those points of introduction, he gives particulars, and he gives three particular kind of main points in the sermon, followed by a fourth point that he calls improvements. And so that's kind of the old world way of saying, here are some applications or some further explanation.

And then he's going to have what he calls directives, and that's applications. And so let me just kind of run through those. The three main points of the sermon are, number one, he wants to show the nature and the kinds of adoption.

Now he gives 10 specifics here, and I'm going to just read through some of those now. And this is under the first point. So adoption is a declaration. Adoption is a declaration, number two, of God. Number three, adoption is a merciful and gracious declaration.

Number four, the efficient cause of adoption is the Holy Spirit. He's the one that actually causes it to occur. Number five, the instrumental cause, the tool that the Spirit uses in adoption is the Word of God.

Number six, the final cause. What's the purpose of adoption? That's the glory of God. Number seven, the object of this divine adopting declaration is poor, sinful man. Number eight, the manner of our adoption.

And he talks about union with Christ and even includes their regeneration. And we're going to come back to that. Number nine, the terms of our adoption. And number 10, there are two kinds of adoption.

He says there are human, you know, there's the human adoption and then there's divine.

Adoption.

And he contrasts those and pulls out some helpful points there. Then he goes on to the second main point, the prerogatives or the privileges that the adopted children of God have. And there are a number of those.

Let me just list a few. We receive an honorable name. We have a share in the ownership of all creation. All things are our father's. And so if we are in Christ, then all these things are ours. Number three, he says there is conformity to the image of Christ, to the son of God.

So we can think of a family likeness that is accomplished. Number four, there's a real freedom. Unlike a servant in a home that receives many privileges, the adopted child is free. And he gives the spiritual application there.

Free from the guilt of sin, we're justified. Free from the dominion of sin, we're freed from its constant rule. Romans chapter six, free from the condemnation of the moral law. That is, Christ has set us free from the curse of the law by being made a curse for us.

Free from the yoke of ceremonial law and human traditions. You know, legalism, being brought into the family of the king. We are no longer under any sense of obligation to try to, you know, earn his love by going through all these forms and religious traditions.

The third major point in the sermon, the exceeding display of God's love. And he basically shows that in four ways. He contrasts the God that adopts and the people that are adopted. But he also talks about the impulse or the cause of that.

He says it's the pure and incomprehensible and eternal love of God. And then the price we are bought with the death of the son of God, the only begotten, the unique son of God, gives us life that we might be adopted children of God.

Now, under the improvements, he gives a couple of things. First of all, he says we ought to admire God because of this great gift. And I want to read just a quick quote from that. He says this, from what to what has God brought believers?

From what a deep degree of extreme misery. To what a height of dignity and glory. Oh, let us call to the admiration of our souls and to all that is within us. This blessed love, this free and undeserved love, this enriching and everlasting love.

Did the angels wonder when they brought the happy tidings of this love to our world? Did they look with admiration into these things and will not our souls? So, great reminder. First use of this, first way to improve this doctrine in our lives, admire him.

Second, he says, it's a good use. It's a good thing, a tool in the hands for self-examination. How do we know we're children of God? Third use, he says, these realities ought to comfort every true child of God when really lived on daily.

And fourth, they ought to strike terror into the heart. If anyone who could hear of these things and still hold Christ at arm's length. Well, he closes the sermon. And as we said, there are just so many points.

He closes the sermon with two main directions, two final applications. One to the person who's a child of God, but often finds that they lack assurance or their assurance is weak. And so there's a lot of doubt.

And he gives some very practical advice. Avoid these things and do these things. And finally, if you are assured of your adoption, he says, he gives certain things that just are appropriate for that life.

Like honoring God as a father, submitting to his authority and our obedience, confiding in him, you know, going to him as a dad, trusting him and loving those who are his children. Well, that's a pretty full survey.

But the sermon, like we said, has a lot of sub points. So that's the overview. So maybe we can kind of pull up a few of the key points, Chuck, and just go back over them. We really do appreciate being able to interact with you through the comments.

So if you have questions or just comments you'd like to leave, leave them below and we'll get back to them as we have a chance.