1/ You were ‘made right with God’
2/ You were ‘set free from sin’
3/ You were given ‘new birth and a new life’
4/ You were ‘forgiven’
5/ You were ‘adopted’
Ephesians 1: 5 ‘God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure’.
Illustration: Did you see the movie ‘Lion’?
The movie is based on a true story
5 year old Indian boy called Sheru
He got separated from his family and ended up 1, 600 km’s away in Calcutta
He was taken into an orphanage then taken to Australia to be adopted by an Australian couple
About 25 years later Sheru went back to India to find his family
As Sheru grew up he received the privileges of being an adopted child in a new family
Growing up he also learned the responsibilities of being an adopted child in a new family
In this life, adoption is a wonderful blessing for a homeless child – but there is an even greater blessing for us when we are saved – we are adopted by God the father and become His children
When we are adopted by God we are given great privileges
Romans 8: 17 ‘And since we are His children, we are His heirs’
Heir = someone who receives an inheritance from a parent or close relative
As heirs of the Father we can be sure He will provide for us in this life and in the next
Matthew 6: 31-32 ‘So don’t worry about these things, saying, “What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?” 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs’
Philippians 4: 19 ‘And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus’
Titus 3: 7b ‘we will inherit eternal life’
When we are adopted by God we are also given great responsibilities
Firstly, to obey the Lord in every area of our Life
John 14: 15 ‘If you love me, obey my commandments’
Jesus is both Savior and Lord!
Romans 10: 9 ‘If you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved’
Galatians 2: 20 ‘The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me’.
Secondly, to serve your brothers and sisters in God’s family
Galatians 5: 13 ‘For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love’
Sometimes, as God’s adopted children, we forget who we belong to and we go back to our sinful ways.
If we do that, our Heavenly Father will correct us to bring us back to holy living that glorifies Him
Hebrews 12: 5-11
End of this Series
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