Romans 8:14-17
THE DELIGHTS OF THE SPIRIT LIFE
Intro: Imagine being born into a family that was poverty
stricken. A family that was dysfunctional and doomed.
A family with no hope or prospects for the future. A
family that was dying and that didn't even care for you
at all. Now imagine that along comes a kind, gentle,
and wealthy man. This man tells you that he loves you
and offers to take you in as his own child. This man
offers you everything your natural family could never
give you and he offers it to you free of charge. All you
have to do is come with him and consent to be his child.
Sounds far-fetched, doesn't it? However, that is exactly
what happens to every person who places their faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ!
As Paul moves deeper in this eighth chapter of
Romans, he is continuing to illustrate the superiority of
the Spirit life. He has already spoken of the deliverance
of the Spirit life and the differences of the Spirit life.
Now, in these verses, he speaks of The Delights Of The
Spirit Life.
He tells us that every saved person has been
brought into the family of God and enjoys all the rights
and privileges of natural born children. Let's look at
these verses tonight and talk for a few minutes about
The Delights Of The Spirit Life.
I. V. 14-15 THE DELIGHT OF OUR ADOPTION
A. V. 14 We Have A New Family - According to
Paul, when we believed, we became the "sons of
God." That is, we were removed from the family
of Adam and were transplanted into the family of
God. We are literally His children, 1 John 3:1-3.
John's verses tell us that we are His children
now, and that one day, we will be just like our
new Father.
(Ill. Notice what the first part of verse 14 says. It
says that "As man as are led by the Spirit of
God, they are the sons of God." What this
means is that those who are in the family begin
to act like the family. For instance, there are
certain people in this church who sound and act
like their parents. Sometimes, on the phone I
cannot tell you apart. You phrase things like
your parents and even sound like your parents.
We all develop traits that are similar to the family
to which we belong.
The same hold true in the life of the believer.
If A person is saved, they will develop traits that
are like the Father's family. The primary trait
being that they will be led by the Spirit of God!
You see, every child of God has the Holy Spirit
living within him, Rom. 8:9. And, if the Spirit is
in residence, He will make His presence known!
He will change the life He inhabits.)
(Ill. By the way, this is a tremendous means of
gaining assurance of salvation. You see, God's
children are "led by the Spirit". Does the Spirit
of God ever lead you to do anything? If not, you
should check up!)
B. V. 15 We Have A New Father - Verse 15 tells
us that we have been delivered from the
bondage of fear and that we have been adopted
into the family of God. In our society, adopted
children often feel, and are perceived to be,
second class members of the family. That is
sad, but true for many. They are forever
reminded of the fact that they were not born in to
the adoptive family.
However, in ancient Rome, things were vastly
different. To be adopted was considered a great
privilege.
(Ill. Adoption - The word "adoption" (huiothesia)
means to place as a son. The picture of adoption
is a beautiful picture of what God does for the
Christian. In the ancient world the family was
based on a Roman law called "patria potestas,"
the father's power. The law gave the father
absolute authority over his children so long as
the father lived. He could work, enslave, sell, and
if he wished, he could pronounce the death
penalty. Regardless of the child's adult age, the
father held all power over personal and property
rights.
Therefore, adoption was a serious matter.
Yet, it was a common practice to ensure that a
family would not become extinct by having no
male children. And when a child was adopted,
three legal steps were taken.
1. The adopted son was adopted
permanently. He could not be adopted
today and disinherited tomorrow. He
became a son of the father--forever. He
was eternally secure as a son.
2. The adopted son immediately had all the
rights of a legitimate son in the new
family.
3. The adopted son completely lost all rights
in his old family. The adopted son was
looked upon as a new person -- so new
that old debts and obligations connected
with his former family were cancelled out
and abolished as if they never existed.)
(Ill. When we came to Jesus, we were taken out
of Adam and adopted into Jesus. We have a
new Father!)
C. 14-15 We Have A New Freedom - These verses tell us that as children of God, we have
been delivered from the power and influence of
the flesh. We are no longer led about by Satan
and the whims of the flesh. Now, we are led by
the Spirit of God. Not only have we been
delivered from our old leadership, we have been
delivered from the life of fear that we used to live
while we were in our old family. Now, in Jesus,
we are bought into a close relationship with our
new Heavenly Father. A relationship so close
that we are permitted to address Him as "Abba"
or "Daddy."
(Ill. The idea is that we are brought into such an
intimate relationship with God that we assume
the place of small children who lift their voices to
God as a hurting, helpless child would who cries
out to its father. There is the idea of intimacy
and dependence, but of a complete lack of fear.
Of course, there is respect and reverence, but
there is the sense that our Father will not harm
us, but that if He loved us enough to die for us,
He will certainly care for us as we walk with
Him.)
I. The Delight Of Our Adoption
II. V. 16 THE DELIGHT OF OUR ASSURANCE
(Ill. Not only have we been adopted into the family of
God, but we are given priceless assurance of that
fact in our hearts day by day.
A. Our Communion With The Spirit - The child of
God has a blessed communion with the Holy
Spirit of God. It was this relationship that was
predicted by the Lord Jesus Himself, John
14:16-18; John 16:7-15. The Spirit of God
spends time with the redeemed and this is a
truth that the saint of God must not take for
granted. He leads us and teaches us all we
need to know about how to live for the glory of
God in this world.
B. Our Confidence In The Spirit - The Spirit of
God has fellowship with those who are saved by
grace and that is one of the surest ways to know
that you have been born again! If you are
genuinely saved, you will know it because the
Spirit of God will hold communion with you.
He will speak to your heart. He will tell you
things. He will guide you. He will warn you. He
will lead you. He will feed you. He will comfort
you. He will teach you the truth. If the Spirit of
God never speaks to your heart, then you need
to examine yourself. It may be that you have
never really been saved!
Like a mother who wraps her arms around
that insecure child everyday and expresses her
undying love, the Spirit of God does the same
things for the redeemed child of the Lord. He is
the Divine lover of our soul!
I. The Delight Of Our Adoption
II. The Delight Of Our Assurance
III. V. 17 THE DELIGHT OF OUR AFFLUENCE
(Not only are we adopted into the family and
assured of that fact everyday of our lives, we are
also wealthy beyond measure. Notice what this
verse teaches us about our new standing.)
A. Our Privilege - This verse teaches us that we
are the heirs of God. May I remind you that our
Heavenly Father is wealthy beyond measure?
The Bible teaches this truth, Psa. 50:10-12. We
have the privilege of sharing in the vast wealth of
our heavenly Father. That is why Phil. 4:19
means so much to us. He is able to meet our
needs no matter how great they may appear.
What He has belongs to us right now, Luke
12:32!
(Ill. The hymn - A Child Of The King - Majesty
book Page 645.)
B. Our Portion - Not only are we the heirs of God,
but we have been made joint-heirs with Jesus.
Literally, we are given an equal share in the
wealth of our Father. Under Jewish Law, the
eldest son would be given a double portion of
the father's wealth. However, under Roman
Law, all sons were treated equally.
(Ill. When I think about this, it isn't the idea of
getting things that amazes me. I am amazed
when I come to understand that I have been
placed o nthe same footing with Jesus. Please
do not misunderstand me, but you and I that are
saved have been declared to be the sons of God
and we are given the same standing before God
as is His Son Jesus Christ! We will never be
Him, but we have been made like Him in the
Father's eyes! Hallelujah!)
C. Our Promise - As we pass through this life, we
will go through difficult times and we will face
many trials. There will be many times when we
will feel like God has forsaken us and is not
meeting our needs like we think He should.
However, we need to remember that we are
"pilgrims and strangers" in this present world.
The fulness of our inheritance will not be realized
until we arrive at home in our Father's House.
When we get to Heaven, then we will see just
how rich we are and were. One look around will
tell the tale forever, Rev. 21:1-22:5.
Conc: There is no comparison between what we have
now in the Spirit and what we endured in the flesh. God
has encouraged me afresh as His child through this
passage.
There may be those here tonight who are struggling
with this matter of assurance. If so, the Holy Spirit can
help you get your sonship settled. Others may be
dealing with a need in their lives. Why not bring that
need to the One Who owns it all and let Him meet it for
you? Some may just want to come before the Lord and
thank Him for adopting you into His family. We are a
blessed people and we need to be grateful. Whatever
the need of your heart may be this evening, there is
help in the presence of God.
