WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.140 Again, such a delight to have all of you with us. 00:00:03.500 --> 00:00:05.679 It's my pleasure to introduce our preacher this evening. 00:00:06.219 --> 00:00:07.700 Kevin Antlitz is his name. 00:00:08.060 --> 00:00:09.700 He and his wife Susan are visiting. 00:00:09.919 --> 00:00:13.939 They came to the latter half of our retreat out in Middleburg, 00:00:14.140 --> 00:00:19.140 and they spent the night last night out there getting to know some people in our parishes, 00:00:19.320 --> 00:00:23.280 and now they're here with us today, and we invited them to preach tonight. 00:00:23.699 --> 00:00:26.320 And then we'll be spending some time together tomorrow 00:00:26.320 --> 00:00:30.800 and just getting to know them a little better and letting them get to know us and our church a little better. 00:00:31.240 --> 00:00:34.100 For those of you who don't know, they're here as candidates. 00:00:34.420 --> 00:00:35.140 They're discerning. 00:00:35.140 --> 00:00:41.859 We're prayerfully discerning who the Lord might call to serve as an associate pastor here at Church of the Advent, 00:00:42.039 --> 00:00:43.600 and so we're very excited to have them with us. 00:00:44.079 --> 00:00:47.859 And they hail from Princeton, if anybody is from there. 00:00:47.920 --> 00:00:52.299 I know we have some Princeton folk here where they've been doing campus ministry for the last five years. 00:00:52.900 --> 00:00:55.600 And, Kevin, I'd love to invite you up to preach the word to us. 00:00:55.719 --> 00:00:55.960 Thanks. 00:00:56.320 --> 00:01:03.200 Good evening, everyone. 00:01:03.980 --> 00:01:05.599 It's great to be here with you. 00:01:05.719 --> 00:01:07.640 I see some faces that I saw at the retreat. 00:01:08.140 --> 00:01:12.340 I'm very impressed that you all have a Sunday service after a retreat. 00:01:12.460 --> 00:01:13.079 It's very hardcore. 00:01:13.379 --> 00:01:14.379 I like that about you. 00:01:14.659 --> 00:01:15.180 It's awesome. 00:01:16.099 --> 00:01:21.039 Well, it really is a privilege for my wife Susan and I to be here with you. 00:01:21.040 --> 00:01:28.760 It was great to be at the retreat to get to meet so many of you that are here and loads of people who I'm sure couldn't make it out tonight 00:01:28.760 --> 00:01:32.280 because they're all tuckered out because we had quite a good time. 00:01:32.980 --> 00:01:38.420 And it's really a great privilege for me to be up here to preach from God's word to you this evening. 00:01:38.420 --> 00:01:42.659 My sermon is called The Most Important Thing About You. 00:01:43.299 --> 00:01:48.420 And it's worth considering for a moment how you would answer the question, who am I? 00:01:48.420 --> 00:01:52.579 Think about how you self-identify when meeting somebody new. 00:01:52.840 --> 00:01:56.320 I thought a lot about this last night as I've met a lot of people for the first time. 00:01:57.099 --> 00:02:00.560 What are the sorts of things you say when you meet someone for the first time? 00:02:00.640 --> 00:02:03.879 What sorts of things are the most important for people to know about you? 00:02:03.879 --> 00:02:07.399 Or how about when you see yourself in the mirror? 00:02:08.159 --> 00:02:09.219 What do you notice? 00:02:09.799 --> 00:02:10.819 What do you see? 00:02:11.599 --> 00:02:16.120 Or think about when you're left to the quietness of your own heart and your own mind. 00:02:16.419 --> 00:02:17.560 How do you imagine yourself? 00:02:17.680 --> 00:02:19.379 What do you think about yourself? 00:02:20.139 --> 00:02:23.479 What would you say is the most important thing about you? 00:02:24.960 --> 00:02:28.079 Well, A.W. Tozer, he was a theologian in the 20th century. 00:02:28.180 --> 00:02:29.259 He famously said this. 00:02:29.300 --> 00:02:30.439 You've probably heard it before. 00:02:30.439 --> 00:02:36.539 What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about you. 00:02:36.840 --> 00:02:40.039 I'm sure that's been in probably one out of every ten sermons you've heard. 00:02:40.659 --> 00:02:43.359 It's a very famous passage, but I think it's wrong. 00:02:43.900 --> 00:02:46.479 And it's probably a hot take to say that he's wrong about it. 00:02:46.500 --> 00:02:50.379 But I'm going to appeal to C.S. Lewis to make my case for why I think he's wrong. 00:02:50.919 --> 00:02:54.259 I don't think what we think about God is the most important thing about us. 00:02:54.400 --> 00:02:57.599 The most important thing about us is what God thinks about us. 00:02:57.599 --> 00:03:01.439 C.S. Lewis says this in his sermon, The Weight of Glory. 00:03:02.239 --> 00:03:04.680 He said, and I think he's referring to Tozer. 00:03:05.139 --> 00:03:06.740 He said, C.S. Lewis said this, 00:03:06.740 --> 00:03:12.400 I read in a periodical the other day that the fundamental thing is how we think of God. 00:03:13.120 --> 00:03:14.740 By God himself, it is not. 00:03:15.320 --> 00:03:20.560 How God thinks of us is not only more important, but infinitely more important. 00:03:21.360 --> 00:03:28.580 Indeed, how we think of him is of no importance except insofar as it is related to how he thinks of us. 00:03:28.980 --> 00:03:29.900 And I think that's true. 00:03:30.360 --> 00:03:34.300 And so tonight I want to talk about the most important thing about you, which is what God thinks about you. 00:03:34.300 --> 00:03:38.640 So objectively, the most important thing about you is what God thinks of you. 00:03:38.820 --> 00:03:43.620 And subjectively, the most important thing about you is how you perceive God thinks about you. 00:03:43.960 --> 00:03:48.660 And my goal is for this sermon is to bring the objective, what God really thinks about you, 00:03:48.719 --> 00:03:52.280 what I'm going to tell you in a minute, and how you perceive he thinks about you in alignment. 00:03:53.439 --> 00:03:54.720 So that's the plan. 00:03:55.000 --> 00:03:56.220 And I'll let the cat out of the bag. 00:03:56.900 --> 00:03:58.160 This is what God thinks about you. 00:03:58.159 --> 00:04:08.300 If you know Jesus, if you love Jesus, if you trust Jesus, the most important thing about you is that you're a beloved son or daughter of God the Father. 00:04:09.099 --> 00:04:10.900 This is your central identity. 00:04:11.560 --> 00:04:16.519 It's the most important, most profound, and most consequential thing about you. 00:04:16.759 --> 00:04:22.540 And this identity, this belovedness, should regulate and govern every single aspect of your life. 00:04:22.600 --> 00:04:24.120 You're going out and you're coming in. 00:04:24.120 --> 00:04:28.120 And I realize that might not be new news to some of you. 00:04:28.259 --> 00:04:31.579 You've probably heard before that God loves you, that you're his beloved son or daughter. 00:04:31.980 --> 00:04:35.199 And as I was praying for the church and thinking about what I might say, 00:04:35.660 --> 00:04:40.500 and as the Lord brought this to mind to tell you that God loves you, 00:04:40.540 --> 00:04:42.379 that's what my sermon is essentially going to be about, 00:04:42.879 --> 00:04:47.060 I kept thinking about a scene from one of my favorite movies, Good Will Hunting. 00:04:47.459 --> 00:04:49.120 Some of you have probably seen it before. 00:04:49.120 --> 00:04:51.980 And this is sort of the iconic scene of the movie. 00:04:52.959 --> 00:04:55.420 Robin Williams, his name is Sean in the movie. 00:04:55.620 --> 00:04:59.060 He's talking to Matt Damon, who is Will, Will Hunting. 00:04:59.759 --> 00:05:03.000 And Will had a very traumatic childhood. 00:05:04.280 --> 00:05:05.500 He was abused. 00:05:05.819 --> 00:05:07.680 Lots of really terrible things happened to him. 00:05:07.759 --> 00:05:09.840 And Sean is his counselor, his shrink. 00:05:10.500 --> 00:05:14.319 And it's near the end of the movie, and you probably have seen it. 00:05:14.420 --> 00:05:15.579 Sean says to Will, 00:05:15.579 --> 00:05:17.019 Will, it's not your fault. 00:05:17.259 --> 00:05:19.240 And Will says, yeah, I know, I know, I know. 00:05:19.620 --> 00:05:21.519 And he says, no, it's not your fault. 00:05:21.939 --> 00:05:24.519 And Will says, he looks at him, he's like, you just said this. 00:05:24.659 --> 00:05:25.979 I know it's not my fault. 00:05:26.240 --> 00:05:27.680 And then he says it again, it's not your fault. 00:05:27.740 --> 00:05:29.839 And then Will just sort of breaks down and cries. 00:05:30.699 --> 00:05:34.879 I'm not hoping or expecting you to break down and cry by virtue of this sermon. 00:05:34.879 --> 00:05:39.120 But I do hope that even if you know cognitively that God loves you 00:05:39.120 --> 00:05:41.079 and that you're his beloved son and daughter, 00:05:41.379 --> 00:05:44.979 that through some of the things that we look at tonight in his scripture, 00:05:44.980 --> 00:05:48.660 that the Holy Spirit just impresses upon you that he really does love you 00:05:48.660 --> 00:05:52.420 and that it will change your life and how you live in it. 00:05:53.020 --> 00:05:56.140 So I'm going to reread our passage, 1 John 3, 1 through 3, 00:05:56.259 --> 00:05:59.000 and then I'll pray for us, and then we will dive in. 00:06:00.920 --> 00:06:03.620 Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us 00:06:03.620 --> 00:06:05.740 that we should be called children of God, 00:06:06.319 --> 00:06:07.980 and that is what we are. 00:06:08.860 --> 00:06:11.860 On account of this, the world does not know us 00:06:11.860 --> 00:06:13.439 because it did not know him. 00:06:13.540 --> 00:06:15.980 Beloved, we are already God's children, 00:06:16.180 --> 00:06:19.379 although what we will be has not yet been fully revealed. 00:06:20.040 --> 00:06:22.660 We know that when he is fully and finally revealed, 00:06:22.900 --> 00:06:26.920 we will be like him because we will see him as he is. 00:06:27.939 --> 00:06:30.360 And everyone who has this hope in him 00:06:30.360 --> 00:06:34.340 consistently purifies himself just as he is pure. 00:06:34.960 --> 00:06:35.639 Let's pray. 00:06:35.639 --> 00:06:42.139 Our Father, we are reminded of the privilege it is 00:06:42.139 --> 00:06:43.479 to be able to call you Father. 00:06:44.459 --> 00:06:46.699 So I pray for these, my brothers and sisters here, 00:06:46.939 --> 00:06:49.219 that you would, by your Spirit, 00:06:49.419 --> 00:06:51.180 reveal to them just how much you love them. 00:06:52.620 --> 00:06:53.599 I pray that you would do that. 00:06:54.300 --> 00:06:56.159 In Jesus' name, amen. 00:06:56.860 --> 00:06:58.360 So here's my plan for the evening. 00:06:58.919 --> 00:07:03.759 I'm going to look at this passage, 1 John 3, 1 through 3, 00:07:03.759 --> 00:07:05.019 in three moves. 00:07:05.120 --> 00:07:08.779 First, I'm going to unpack the biblical doctrine of adoption 00:07:08.779 --> 00:07:10.560 because this is what this passage is talking about. 00:07:10.639 --> 00:07:13.099 So I'm going to unpack adoption and why it's important. 00:07:13.639 --> 00:07:16.500 Secondly, I want to talk about what adoption means for us. 00:07:16.860 --> 00:07:18.639 And third and finally, I want to talk about 00:07:18.639 --> 00:07:20.920 what adoption requires of us. 00:07:21.620 --> 00:07:24.339 So first, unpacking the biblical doctrine of adoption. 00:07:24.459 --> 00:07:25.240 Why is this important? 00:07:26.019 --> 00:07:28.839 Well, J.I. Packer, in a really wonderful book 00:07:28.839 --> 00:07:30.439 called Knowing God, he has a whole chapter. 00:07:31.000 --> 00:07:33.159 And so if this sermon sort of piques your interest, 00:07:33.160 --> 00:07:36.439 I think it's chapter 19 in Knowing God, go there. 00:07:36.540 --> 00:07:37.120 It's amazing. 00:07:37.520 --> 00:07:38.640 He says this in this chapter, 00:07:39.360 --> 00:07:42.700 if you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, 00:07:43.720 --> 00:07:47.620 find out how much he makes of the thought of being God's child 00:07:47.620 --> 00:07:49.900 and having God as his father. 00:07:50.580 --> 00:07:51.540 And I love this line. 00:07:52.060 --> 00:07:55.400 Our understanding of Christianity cannot be better 00:07:55.400 --> 00:07:57.879 than our grasp of adoption. 00:07:58.379 --> 00:08:00.560 Our understanding of Christianity cannot be better 00:08:00.560 --> 00:08:01.560 than our grasp of adoption. 00:08:01.560 --> 00:08:03.959 So I want to help us grasp that a little bit more tonight. 00:08:04.720 --> 00:08:06.139 So picking up again in verse 1, 00:08:06.220 --> 00:08:08.680 behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, 00:08:08.759 --> 00:08:10.959 that we should be called children of God, 00:08:11.019 --> 00:08:11.780 and that is what we are. 00:08:11.860 --> 00:08:14.060 You see, verse 1 tells us to look at, 00:08:14.139 --> 00:08:16.560 to contemplate, to reflect on God's love, 00:08:16.920 --> 00:08:20.220 and it lifts adoption up as the object of wonder 00:08:20.220 --> 00:08:21.720 in terms of God's love. 00:08:21.840 --> 00:08:23.259 Look at how much God loves us. 00:08:23.300 --> 00:08:24.740 We can tell how much he loves us 00:08:24.740 --> 00:08:27.100 because he has called us his children. 00:08:27.220 --> 00:08:28.100 He's adopted us, 00:08:28.100 --> 00:08:29.800 and we are his children. 00:08:30.580 --> 00:08:31.600 You see, after the cross, 00:08:32.519 --> 00:08:36.180 adoption is the greatest display of God's love for us. 00:08:36.899 --> 00:08:38.680 And it's the greatest display of God's love for us 00:08:38.680 --> 00:08:39.220 for two reasons. 00:08:39.340 --> 00:08:41.800 First, because of the relationship that it creates. 00:08:41.840 --> 00:08:43.320 It creates a new relationship with God. 00:08:43.620 --> 00:08:46.519 And secondly, because it embodies the essence of grace. 00:08:46.680 --> 00:08:48.519 So first, we'll look at the relationship that it creates. 00:08:48.519 --> 00:08:51.980 And I want to argue and help convince you 00:08:51.980 --> 00:08:56.279 to elevate adoption as the most precious Christian doctrine 00:08:56.279 --> 00:08:58.000 that we have in the faith. 00:08:58.699 --> 00:08:59.960 And so first, we're going to look at it 00:08:59.960 --> 00:09:02.439 in terms of the relationship that it creates. 00:09:02.899 --> 00:09:04.860 I think it might be helpful to juxtapose 00:09:04.860 --> 00:09:07.360 adoption with justification. 00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:09.699 And I'm not saying justification isn't important. 00:09:09.939 --> 00:09:11.500 I'm not saying they're at odds with each other 00:09:11.500 --> 00:09:12.379 or anything like that. 00:09:12.899 --> 00:09:14.360 But it's helpful to juxtapose. 00:09:15.059 --> 00:09:16.919 Martin Luther famously said 00:09:16.919 --> 00:09:19.019 that justification is the doctrine 00:09:19.019 --> 00:09:21.399 upon which the church stands or falls. 00:09:22.159 --> 00:09:23.199 And in large part, 00:09:23.299 --> 00:09:25.899 because Luther's shadow looms large 00:09:25.899 --> 00:09:27.679 and much of that for good reason, 00:09:28.139 --> 00:09:31.379 I think churches rooted in the Protestant Reformation, 00:09:31.719 --> 00:09:32.779 great solid churches, 00:09:33.179 --> 00:09:35.459 have tended to, if I can say, 00:09:35.659 --> 00:09:37.199 overemphasize justification 00:09:37.199 --> 00:09:40.079 sometimes at the expense of adoption. 00:09:41.500 --> 00:09:43.079 And so what I want to say is 00:09:43.079 --> 00:09:43.959 it's not justification, 00:09:44.399 --> 00:09:46.899 but it's adoption that is the most precious 00:09:46.899 --> 00:09:48.240 Christian doctrine. 00:09:48.959 --> 00:09:50.179 And I love justification. 00:09:50.759 --> 00:09:52.799 Justification is the primary blessing 00:09:52.799 --> 00:09:54.539 in terms of, it's the first blessing. 00:09:54.620 --> 00:09:56.259 It's sort of what gets us into the door 00:09:56.259 --> 00:09:59.100 because it meets our primary spiritual need. 00:09:59.600 --> 00:10:02.179 Our primary spiritual need is being made right with God 00:10:02.179 --> 00:10:05.279 because apart from the atoning work of Jesus on the cross, 00:10:05.340 --> 00:10:08.319 we stand under the just condemnation of God. 00:10:09.000 --> 00:10:11.460 And justification meets that need for us. 00:10:11.659 --> 00:10:12.919 Because of what Jesus did, 00:10:12.939 --> 00:10:14.259 it declares us not guilty. 00:10:14.259 --> 00:10:17.580 But adoption is the highest blessing. 00:10:17.779 --> 00:10:19.159 If justification is the primary, 00:10:19.779 --> 00:10:21.080 adoption is the highest 00:10:21.080 --> 00:10:24.480 because of the richer relationship that it offers. 00:10:25.240 --> 00:10:28.179 The main way we are to imagine our relationship with God 00:10:28.179 --> 00:10:29.480 is not God as judge, 00:10:29.960 --> 00:10:31.419 but God as father. 00:10:31.700 --> 00:10:34.019 And so I'm not pitting justification against adoption. 00:10:34.120 --> 00:10:35.960 I'm saying we have to progress from one to the other. 00:10:36.379 --> 00:10:39.539 We progress from justification to adoption. 00:10:39.539 --> 00:10:42.759 Salvation is an amazing thing. 00:10:43.039 --> 00:10:44.620 It's so amazing that the New Testament 00:10:44.620 --> 00:10:46.299 has to use multiple metaphors 00:10:46.299 --> 00:10:48.679 to try to describe how amazing it is. 00:10:49.240 --> 00:10:52.019 Justification is a legal metaphor. 00:10:52.459 --> 00:10:55.559 And so it deals with these forensic categories. 00:10:55.699 --> 00:10:57.740 And the people involved are a judge 00:10:57.740 --> 00:10:59.919 and a defendant in the space of a courtroom. 00:11:00.519 --> 00:11:01.480 Whereas with adoption, 00:11:01.699 --> 00:11:03.199 it's a familial metaphor. 00:11:03.519 --> 00:11:06.519 The people involved are a parent and a child. 00:11:06.519 --> 00:11:07.860 And it's not the courtroom, 00:11:08.059 --> 00:11:09.419 but it's the kitchen table. 00:11:09.779 --> 00:11:10.399 It's the home. 00:11:10.919 --> 00:11:13.579 And so I think as we consider adoption 00:11:13.579 --> 00:11:14.699 as the most precious doctrine, 00:11:14.799 --> 00:11:17.100 I want us to move from the courtroom 00:11:17.100 --> 00:11:18.879 to the kitchen table is one way of putting it. 00:11:20.259 --> 00:11:21.279 And if you think about, 00:11:21.600 --> 00:11:22.779 I think Jesus knows this. 00:11:22.860 --> 00:11:23.899 He modeled this for us. 00:11:23.939 --> 00:11:25.039 When he teaches us to pray, 00:11:25.120 --> 00:11:27.779 he doesn't say our judge. 00:11:27.860 --> 00:11:30.439 He says, pray like this, our father. 00:11:31.960 --> 00:11:33.460 And as I was thinking about it, 00:11:33.480 --> 00:11:34.819 so my sister is adopted. 00:11:34.820 --> 00:11:36.200 She's from South Korea. 00:11:36.300 --> 00:11:38.500 We got her when she was a very little baby. 00:11:39.280 --> 00:11:40.220 And I was thinking about, 00:11:40.379 --> 00:11:43.120 what is it that makes my sister my sister? 00:11:44.300 --> 00:11:46.400 And in some sense, 00:11:46.480 --> 00:11:48.580 a judge somewhere signed a piece of paper 00:11:48.580 --> 00:11:51.180 that legally made Yoon Joo Wong, 00:11:51.240 --> 00:11:52.280 that was her Korean name, 00:11:52.560 --> 00:11:53.600 Kristen Annalise Antlitz. 00:11:53.800 --> 00:11:54.780 So in some way, 00:11:54.879 --> 00:11:56.600 a judge made her my sister, 00:11:57.100 --> 00:11:59.600 made her my parents' daughter. 00:11:59.780 --> 00:12:00.280 But really, 00:12:00.440 --> 00:12:02.440 the judge just kind of made her a legal guardian. 00:12:02.440 --> 00:12:04.420 What really made her my sister 00:12:04.420 --> 00:12:05.600 in a much fuller sense 00:12:05.600 --> 00:12:07.660 was my parents' love and affection 00:12:07.660 --> 00:12:08.940 and investment of time 00:12:08.940 --> 00:12:10.680 and resources into her. 00:12:12.940 --> 00:12:15.180 So I think we should think about adoption 00:12:15.180 --> 00:12:17.980 as the highest blessing, 00:12:18.120 --> 00:12:19.320 the most precious doctrine 00:12:19.320 --> 00:12:20.260 of the Christian faith 00:12:20.260 --> 00:12:21.720 because of the relationship. 00:12:21.860 --> 00:12:22.240 And secondly, 00:12:22.360 --> 00:12:24.440 I think the reason why 00:12:24.440 --> 00:12:26.200 we should esteem it very highly 00:12:26.200 --> 00:12:27.260 is because it embodies 00:12:27.260 --> 00:12:28.840 the essence of grace. 00:12:28.840 --> 00:12:30.460 I'm going to say something 00:12:30.460 --> 00:12:31.460 very obvious here. 00:12:31.980 --> 00:12:33.139 To be an adopted child 00:12:33.139 --> 00:12:34.180 means that you're not 00:12:34.180 --> 00:12:35.700 a biological child, right? 00:12:36.100 --> 00:12:36.759 Very straightforward. 00:12:36.960 --> 00:12:37.480 We know this. 00:12:38.660 --> 00:12:41.220 To be adopted means to be chosen, 00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:43.540 which is a beautiful, 00:12:43.759 --> 00:12:44.620 powerful thing. 00:12:45.600 --> 00:12:46.700 To be adopted means 00:12:46.700 --> 00:12:47.940 you're not a biological child. 00:12:48.019 --> 00:12:49.820 That means that nobody's born a Christian. 00:12:50.840 --> 00:12:52.660 Nobody is a biological son 00:12:52.660 --> 00:12:53.960 or daughter of God. 00:12:54.019 --> 00:12:55.200 We read that in our passage 00:12:55.200 --> 00:12:56.180 in the gospel. 00:12:56.179 --> 00:12:58.459 It is only those who received him 00:12:58.459 --> 00:13:00.379 to those who believed in his name 00:13:00.379 --> 00:13:01.120 he gave the right 00:13:01.120 --> 00:13:02.699 to become children of God. 00:13:03.299 --> 00:13:05.000 Children born not of natural descent 00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:06.000 nor of human decision 00:13:06.000 --> 00:13:06.879 or a husband's will, 00:13:06.979 --> 00:13:08.259 but born of God. 00:13:08.839 --> 00:13:10.179 To become a child of God 00:13:10.179 --> 00:13:10.899 you have to be born again. 00:13:11.019 --> 00:13:12.679 It's a supernatural birth. 00:13:13.620 --> 00:13:16.019 And so we only become children of God 00:13:16.019 --> 00:13:16.819 through adoption. 00:13:16.959 --> 00:13:18.679 So what does this tell us about grace? 00:13:18.739 --> 00:13:20.219 Well, it tells us that God chose us. 00:13:20.740 --> 00:13:22.719 And he chose us only out of his free grace. 00:13:22.759 --> 00:13:23.519 And I want to highlight 00:13:23.519 --> 00:13:25.559 just how amazing this is 00:13:25.559 --> 00:13:26.839 and how amazing the gospel 00:13:26.839 --> 00:13:28.739 that we read would have been 00:13:28.739 --> 00:13:30.059 to the original hearers 00:13:30.059 --> 00:13:33.559 by juxtaposing God's adoption for us 00:13:33.559 --> 00:13:36.059 to the standard practices of adoption 00:13:36.059 --> 00:13:38.619 in the Greco-Roman era. 00:13:39.419 --> 00:13:40.699 So how did people 00:13:40.699 --> 00:13:42.759 back in Jesus' day adopt? 00:13:43.139 --> 00:13:44.179 So people needed to adopt. 00:13:44.279 --> 00:13:45.199 They were either infertile 00:13:45.199 --> 00:13:47.119 or because of high infant 00:13:47.119 --> 00:13:48.239 or child mortality rates. 00:13:48.279 --> 00:13:49.139 They just didn't have kids. 00:13:49.139 --> 00:13:51.139 And they needed a male heir 00:13:51.139 --> 00:13:54.919 to pass on all of their property, 00:13:55.080 --> 00:13:55.639 their land. 00:13:56.120 --> 00:13:57.259 And so this is how they would do it. 00:13:57.299 --> 00:13:59.840 They would only adopt young men 00:13:59.840 --> 00:14:00.960 because men were the only ones 00:14:00.960 --> 00:14:02.159 who could own property. 00:14:02.980 --> 00:14:04.899 And they would choose people, right? 00:14:04.980 --> 00:14:06.720 They, whenever you adopt, you choose. 00:14:06.980 --> 00:14:08.220 And they would choose people 00:14:08.220 --> 00:14:10.819 based on their past track record of success. 00:14:11.500 --> 00:14:12.419 They would choose somebody 00:14:12.419 --> 00:14:13.759 who was of sound mind 00:14:13.759 --> 00:14:14.659 and sound body, 00:14:14.799 --> 00:14:16.519 who embodied the principles 00:14:16.519 --> 00:14:17.439 and the characteristics 00:14:17.439 --> 00:14:19.399 that would faithfully carry on 00:14:19.399 --> 00:14:20.319 the family name. 00:14:20.419 --> 00:14:21.299 So they would choose somebody 00:14:21.299 --> 00:14:23.419 based on their past performance. 00:14:24.159 --> 00:14:25.120 Is this person fit 00:14:25.120 --> 00:14:26.120 to receive the inheritance 00:14:26.120 --> 00:14:27.100 that I want to pass on? 00:14:27.139 --> 00:14:27.639 I want to make sure 00:14:27.639 --> 00:14:28.519 this is a safe bet. 00:14:28.579 --> 00:14:30.240 That's how they would adopt children. 00:14:31.699 --> 00:14:33.079 But God adopts us 00:14:33.079 --> 00:14:35.519 in a completely opposite way. 00:14:35.620 --> 00:14:37.240 He does it completely out of free grace. 00:14:37.319 --> 00:14:38.220 It has nothing to do 00:14:38.220 --> 00:14:39.220 with our past performance. 00:14:39.879 --> 00:14:40.679 It has nothing to do 00:14:40.679 --> 00:14:41.460 with our character. 00:14:41.720 --> 00:14:42.460 It has nothing to do 00:14:42.460 --> 00:14:43.699 with our future potential. 00:14:44.579 --> 00:14:45.639 J.I. Packer says this, 00:14:45.639 --> 00:14:47.220 we are not fit 00:14:47.220 --> 00:14:48.759 for a place in God's family. 00:14:49.759 --> 00:14:51.059 The idea of his loving 00:14:51.059 --> 00:14:52.340 and exalting us sinners 00:14:52.340 --> 00:14:53.740 as he loves 00:14:53.740 --> 00:14:55.259 and has exalted the Lord Jesus 00:14:55.259 --> 00:14:57.120 sounds ludicrous and wild. 00:14:57.860 --> 00:14:59.399 Yet that and nothing less than that 00:14:59.399 --> 00:15:01.019 is what adoption means. 00:15:01.580 --> 00:15:03.179 Adoption embodies free grace. 00:15:03.259 --> 00:15:04.580 It reminds me of Deuteronomy 7 00:15:04.580 --> 00:15:06.399 when God is telling the Israelites 00:15:06.399 --> 00:15:08.319 why he chose them as a nation. 00:15:08.860 --> 00:15:09.159 He says, 00:15:09.259 --> 00:15:09.899 I didn't choose you 00:15:09.899 --> 00:15:10.919 because you're a great number 00:15:10.919 --> 00:15:11.779 or because you were this 00:15:11.779 --> 00:15:13.740 massive imperial force. 00:15:13.740 --> 00:15:14.759 I love you 00:15:14.759 --> 00:15:15.700 because I love you. 00:15:16.560 --> 00:15:18.159 It doesn't make sense. 00:15:18.259 --> 00:15:19.480 It doesn't have to make sense. 00:15:19.600 --> 00:15:20.440 God just loves us 00:15:20.440 --> 00:15:21.299 because he loves us. 00:15:21.360 --> 00:15:22.600 It's out of his free grace. 00:15:22.680 --> 00:15:23.360 It's pure grace. 00:15:24.000 --> 00:15:25.200 And his adopting us 00:15:25.200 --> 00:15:25.840 as his children 00:15:25.840 --> 00:15:27.460 embodies the essence 00:15:27.460 --> 00:15:28.100 of this grace. 00:15:28.159 --> 00:15:29.560 It reminds me of Romans 5. 00:15:30.419 --> 00:15:32.980 For while we were still weak 00:15:32.980 --> 00:15:33.759 at the right time, 00:15:33.860 --> 00:15:35.399 Christ died for the ungodly. 00:15:36.220 --> 00:15:37.639 For one will scarcely die 00:15:37.639 --> 00:15:38.580 for a righteous person, 00:15:38.639 --> 00:15:39.960 though perhaps for a good person 00:15:39.960 --> 00:15:41.259 one would dare even to die. 00:15:41.259 --> 00:15:43.580 But God chose his love for us 00:15:43.580 --> 00:15:45.639 in that while we were still sinners, 00:15:45.779 --> 00:15:46.860 Christ died for us. 00:15:46.980 --> 00:15:47.700 He adopted us 00:15:47.700 --> 00:15:49.019 when we were the unlovable children 00:15:49.019 --> 00:15:50.939 and it embodies grace. 00:15:51.740 --> 00:15:53.120 So I think because of that, 00:15:53.319 --> 00:15:54.960 I wanted to unpack adoption 00:15:54.960 --> 00:15:55.439 a little bit 00:15:55.439 --> 00:15:56.179 to show that it's 00:15:56.179 --> 00:15:57.100 the greatest expression 00:15:57.100 --> 00:15:57.960 of his love 00:15:57.960 --> 00:15:59.580 because of the relationship 00:15:59.580 --> 00:16:00.360 that it creates 00:16:00.360 --> 00:16:02.139 and that it embodies God's grace. 00:16:03.019 --> 00:16:04.379 The next move I want to talk about 00:16:04.379 --> 00:16:06.139 is what adoption means 00:16:06.139 --> 00:16:07.720 for us as God's children. 00:16:07.899 --> 00:16:08.539 And very simply, 00:16:09.259 --> 00:16:10.360 what adoption means for us 00:16:10.360 --> 00:16:11.740 is that what is true about Jesus 00:16:11.740 --> 00:16:14.320 is true about us in Jesus. 00:16:15.220 --> 00:16:16.300 As God's children, 00:16:16.919 --> 00:16:18.960 our Father intends for our lives 00:16:18.960 --> 00:16:20.220 to be a reflection 00:16:20.220 --> 00:16:21.120 and reproduction 00:16:21.120 --> 00:16:22.440 of Jesus' relationship 00:16:22.440 --> 00:16:23.220 with the Father. 00:16:23.659 --> 00:16:24.980 We see that in the second half 00:16:24.980 --> 00:16:26.379 of verse one. 00:16:26.860 --> 00:16:27.539 And this is true 00:16:27.539 --> 00:16:28.519 in a negative sense. 00:16:29.019 --> 00:16:29.360 It says, 00:16:29.519 --> 00:16:30.279 on account of this, 00:16:30.360 --> 00:16:31.860 on account of being God's children, 00:16:32.360 --> 00:16:33.899 the world does not know us 00:16:33.899 --> 00:16:35.060 because it didn't know him. 00:16:35.580 --> 00:16:36.700 So we can expect, 00:16:37.139 --> 00:16:38.379 as God's children, 00:16:38.539 --> 00:16:39.360 Christians can expect 00:16:39.360 --> 00:16:40.279 the same struggles, 00:16:40.840 --> 00:16:41.639 the same rejection 00:16:41.639 --> 00:16:43.659 that Jesus faced. 00:16:44.440 --> 00:16:46.399 And much more could be said on this, 00:16:46.460 --> 00:16:47.820 but I want to focus our attention 00:16:47.820 --> 00:16:49.039 on verse two. 00:16:49.259 --> 00:16:50.919 The positive aspects 00:16:50.919 --> 00:16:52.680 of what was true about Jesus 00:16:52.680 --> 00:16:53.720 are true about us. 00:16:54.019 --> 00:16:54.680 So verse two, 00:16:54.740 --> 00:16:55.639 I'll read it again for us. 00:16:55.700 --> 00:16:56.060 Beloved, 00:16:56.580 --> 00:16:58.060 we are already God's children, 00:16:58.200 --> 00:16:59.460 although what we will be 00:16:59.460 --> 00:17:01.720 has not yet been fully revealed. 00:17:02.320 --> 00:17:03.740 We know that when he is fully 00:17:03.740 --> 00:17:04.779 and finally revealed, 00:17:05.220 --> 00:17:06.220 we will be like him 00:17:06.220 --> 00:17:07.420 because we will see him 00:17:07.420 --> 00:17:08.160 as he is. 00:17:08.900 --> 00:17:09.920 And I want to say a couple things 00:17:09.920 --> 00:17:10.820 about this verse. 00:17:11.340 --> 00:17:12.700 This is a really helpful verse 00:17:12.700 --> 00:17:13.660 for unpacking 00:17:13.660 --> 00:17:15.140 just a really useful 00:17:15.140 --> 00:17:16.340 theological category. 00:17:16.820 --> 00:17:17.600 Theologians call it 00:17:17.600 --> 00:17:18.980 inaugurated eschatology. 00:17:19.279 --> 00:17:20.060 Shorthand is called 00:17:20.060 --> 00:17:21.100 the already but not yet. 00:17:21.680 --> 00:17:22.779 And that's just throughout 00:17:22.779 --> 00:17:23.960 this entire verse. 00:17:24.779 --> 00:17:25.880 And the already but not yet 00:17:25.880 --> 00:17:26.640 is essentially this, 00:17:26.700 --> 00:17:27.640 that God's promises 00:17:27.640 --> 00:17:30.000 are already being fulfilled. 00:17:30.259 --> 00:17:31.320 They're already a reality 00:17:31.320 --> 00:17:31.960 in our lives. 00:17:32.019 --> 00:17:32.759 They're just not completely 00:17:32.759 --> 00:17:34.160 a reality in our lives. 00:17:34.160 --> 00:17:35.560 They're not yet fully 00:17:35.560 --> 00:17:36.900 and finally realized. 00:17:37.140 --> 00:17:38.019 But we trust 00:17:38.019 --> 00:17:38.820 and have confidence 00:17:38.820 --> 00:17:40.180 that God will finally 00:17:40.180 --> 00:17:41.600 make good on his promise. 00:17:42.240 --> 00:17:43.060 And this is what Christians 00:17:43.060 --> 00:17:43.759 call hope. 00:17:44.019 --> 00:17:45.180 And this will figure prominently 00:17:45.180 --> 00:17:46.080 in verse three. 00:17:46.600 --> 00:17:47.360 We have a foretaste 00:17:47.360 --> 00:17:48.259 of the things now, 00:17:48.360 --> 00:17:50.040 but the best is yet to be. 00:17:50.840 --> 00:17:52.040 So I want to point that out 00:17:52.040 --> 00:17:52.759 in this verse 00:17:52.759 --> 00:17:54.480 and we'll see how it plays out. 00:17:54.880 --> 00:17:55.840 The other thing I want to point out 00:17:55.840 --> 00:17:56.820 are the blessings. 00:17:57.019 --> 00:17:58.180 The blessings that are true 00:17:58.180 --> 00:17:59.100 of Jesus' life 00:17:59.100 --> 00:18:01.640 are also true of our lives 00:18:01.640 --> 00:18:03.200 because we have faith in Jesus. 00:18:03.200 --> 00:18:03.880 And the three things 00:18:03.880 --> 00:18:04.700 I want to highlight here 00:18:04.700 --> 00:18:05.799 are the blessing 00:18:05.799 --> 00:18:07.039 and the promise of resurrection. 00:18:07.860 --> 00:18:09.299 And because of resurrection, 00:18:09.660 --> 00:18:10.740 the intimacy and access 00:18:10.740 --> 00:18:11.860 that Jesus had to the Father, 00:18:12.059 --> 00:18:13.240 we also enjoy 00:18:13.240 --> 00:18:15.100 as well as an inheritance. 00:18:16.500 --> 00:18:17.279 So first, 00:18:17.380 --> 00:18:18.480 the promise of resurrection. 00:18:18.920 --> 00:18:20.000 This is maybe 00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:20.779 the understatement 00:18:20.779 --> 00:18:23.059 of the world. 00:18:23.420 --> 00:18:23.740 The resurrection 00:18:23.740 --> 00:18:25.100 is just a really big deal. 00:18:25.480 --> 00:18:26.340 And verse two 00:18:26.340 --> 00:18:28.240 is all about the resurrection. 00:18:29.100 --> 00:18:30.319 It's basically saying 00:18:30.319 --> 00:18:34.460 that when Jesus comes back, 00:18:35.139 --> 00:18:37.720 we are going to be raised 00:18:37.720 --> 00:18:39.119 to new life with Jesus. 00:18:39.819 --> 00:18:41.539 And all the things 00:18:41.539 --> 00:18:42.839 that he promised to us 00:18:42.839 --> 00:18:44.579 will come true. 00:18:45.259 --> 00:18:46.639 And the reason why 00:18:46.639 --> 00:18:48.480 resurrection is a really big deal 00:18:48.480 --> 00:18:50.099 as it relates to our sonship 00:18:50.099 --> 00:18:51.879 is because it was a really big deal 00:18:51.879 --> 00:18:53.700 as it related to Jesus' sonship. 00:18:54.339 --> 00:18:56.079 So if without the resurrection, 00:18:56.679 --> 00:18:57.879 Jesus was just another 00:18:57.879 --> 00:18:59.159 false messiah or criminal 00:18:59.159 --> 00:19:01.379 who died a terrible death 00:19:01.379 --> 00:19:02.839 at the hands of the Romans. 00:19:03.399 --> 00:19:04.319 The resurrection 00:19:04.319 --> 00:19:06.500 was the vindication of Jesus 00:19:06.500 --> 00:19:07.799 that all the things 00:19:07.799 --> 00:19:08.779 he said about himself 00:19:08.779 --> 00:19:10.079 and all the things 00:19:10.079 --> 00:19:11.059 he said about the Father 00:19:11.059 --> 00:19:12.079 were true. 00:19:12.759 --> 00:19:14.039 If he wasn't resurrected, 00:19:14.759 --> 00:19:15.460 Jesus was either 00:19:15.460 --> 00:19:16.379 a crazy person 00:19:16.379 --> 00:19:17.359 or he was a liar. 00:19:17.480 --> 00:19:18.419 He wasn't the Lord. 00:19:18.759 --> 00:19:19.879 And if he wasn't resurrected, 00:19:20.019 --> 00:19:21.179 we're still in our sins 00:19:21.179 --> 00:19:22.240 is what Paul says 00:19:22.240 --> 00:19:23.460 in 1 Corinthians 15. 00:19:23.460 --> 00:19:25.340 So the resurrection 00:19:25.340 --> 00:19:27.880 figures very prominently 00:19:27.880 --> 00:19:29.860 in establishing 00:19:29.860 --> 00:19:30.900 and solidifying 00:19:30.900 --> 00:19:32.120 Jesus' identity 00:19:32.120 --> 00:19:33.160 as the Son of God. 00:19:33.220 --> 00:19:33.799 This is what it says 00:19:33.799 --> 00:19:34.660 in Romans 4. 00:19:35.500 --> 00:19:36.700 Jesus was declared 00:19:36.700 --> 00:19:38.140 to be the Son of God 00:19:38.140 --> 00:19:38.740 in power 00:19:38.740 --> 00:19:40.299 according to the spirit 00:19:40.299 --> 00:19:40.799 of holiness 00:19:40.799 --> 00:19:42.220 by his resurrection 00:19:42.220 --> 00:19:43.160 from the dead, 00:19:43.700 --> 00:19:45.500 Jesus Christ our Lord. 00:19:46.319 --> 00:19:47.880 And so because we are convinced 00:19:47.880 --> 00:19:49.140 that Jesus was raised 00:19:49.140 --> 00:19:49.600 from the dead, 00:19:49.680 --> 00:19:50.920 we know that even if 00:19:50.920 --> 00:19:52.860 we go through 00:19:52.860 --> 00:19:53.640 the same struggles 00:19:53.640 --> 00:19:54.220 and hardships 00:19:54.220 --> 00:19:55.420 that Jesus went through, 00:19:56.060 --> 00:19:57.060 we are confident 00:19:57.060 --> 00:19:58.160 that just in the same way 00:19:58.160 --> 00:19:59.240 he was raised from the dead 00:19:59.240 --> 00:20:00.539 and ascended into heaven, 00:20:00.759 --> 00:20:01.700 he'll come back. 00:20:01.820 --> 00:20:02.660 And when he comes back, 00:20:02.740 --> 00:20:03.420 that's the language 00:20:03.420 --> 00:20:04.759 of fully and finally revealed, 00:20:04.820 --> 00:20:05.620 when he comes back 00:20:05.620 --> 00:20:06.600 the second advent, 00:20:07.200 --> 00:20:08.140 we'll be like him. 00:20:08.240 --> 00:20:08.940 We'll see him 00:20:08.940 --> 00:20:09.660 just as he is. 00:20:09.720 --> 00:20:10.259 We'll see him 00:20:10.259 --> 00:20:11.800 face to face. 00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:13.240 It won't be by faith 00:20:13.240 --> 00:20:13.720 any longer. 00:20:14.519 --> 00:20:15.560 We'll be like him. 00:20:16.180 --> 00:20:17.180 And baked into this, 00:20:17.300 --> 00:20:18.519 two other amazing blessings 00:20:18.519 --> 00:20:19.100 that we have 00:20:19.100 --> 00:20:20.660 by virtue of being in Christ. 00:20:21.180 --> 00:20:22.380 Our intimacy 00:20:22.380 --> 00:20:24.360 with and inheritance 00:20:24.360 --> 00:20:25.600 from the Father. 00:20:26.440 --> 00:20:27.140 We get to enjoy 00:20:27.140 --> 00:20:28.039 the same intimacy 00:20:28.039 --> 00:20:28.680 and access 00:20:28.680 --> 00:20:29.400 with the Father 00:20:29.400 --> 00:20:30.240 that Jesus had 00:20:30.240 --> 00:20:30.759 with the Father 00:20:30.759 --> 00:20:32.039 because of what he did 00:20:32.039 --> 00:20:32.640 for us. 00:20:33.259 --> 00:20:35.019 This is what Jesus says 00:20:35.019 --> 00:20:35.820 in John 16. 00:20:36.640 --> 00:20:37.820 He says this to his disciples, 00:20:38.039 --> 00:20:39.080 I have said these things 00:20:39.080 --> 00:20:40.480 to you in figures of speech. 00:20:41.039 --> 00:20:42.039 The hour is coming 00:20:42.039 --> 00:20:42.980 when I will no longer 00:20:42.980 --> 00:20:43.759 speak to you 00:20:43.759 --> 00:20:44.720 in figures of speech, 00:20:44.740 --> 00:20:45.640 but will tell you 00:20:45.640 --> 00:20:46.880 plainly about the Father. 00:20:47.840 --> 00:20:48.759 In that day, 00:20:48.860 --> 00:20:49.680 you will ask 00:20:49.680 --> 00:20:50.519 in my name 00:20:50.519 --> 00:20:52.059 and I do not say 00:20:52.059 --> 00:20:52.740 to you 00:20:52.740 --> 00:20:54.200 that I will ask 00:20:54.200 --> 00:20:54.660 the Father 00:20:54.660 --> 00:20:55.639 on your behalf 00:20:55.639 --> 00:20:57.200 for the Father himself 00:20:57.200 --> 00:20:57.819 loves you 00:20:57.819 --> 00:20:59.039 because you have loved me 00:20:59.039 --> 00:21:00.460 and have believed me 00:21:00.460 --> 00:21:02.039 that I came from the Father. 00:21:02.139 --> 00:21:03.180 So in the same way, 00:21:03.259 --> 00:21:04.779 the same sweet intimacy 00:21:04.779 --> 00:21:05.960 that Jesus had 00:21:05.960 --> 00:21:06.480 with the Father, 00:21:06.480 --> 00:21:07.559 we have with the Father 00:21:07.559 --> 00:21:09.039 because of Christ. 00:21:09.039 --> 00:21:11.579 And then Hebrews 4, 16 says, 00:21:12.119 --> 00:21:13.059 Let us then confess, 00:21:13.599 --> 00:21:15.139 let us then with confidence 00:21:15.139 --> 00:21:16.940 draw near to the throne of grace 00:21:16.940 --> 00:21:18.799 that we may receive mercy 00:21:18.799 --> 00:21:19.559 and find grace 00:21:19.559 --> 00:21:21.099 to help in time of need. 00:21:21.619 --> 00:21:22.480 I think sometimes 00:21:22.480 --> 00:21:24.259 as Christians, 00:21:24.259 --> 00:21:25.980 we take this sort of intimacy 00:21:25.980 --> 00:21:26.659 for granted. 00:21:27.680 --> 00:21:29.240 In the Old Testament times, 00:21:29.279 --> 00:21:30.759 not everyone had this sort of access 00:21:30.759 --> 00:21:31.599 to the Father. 00:21:31.720 --> 00:21:32.559 There was one person, 00:21:32.720 --> 00:21:33.619 the great high priest, 00:21:34.079 --> 00:21:34.899 who could go into 00:21:34.899 --> 00:21:36.119 the presence of God 00:21:36.119 --> 00:21:37.220 and that but once a year. 00:21:37.220 --> 00:21:38.120 And if he did it wrongly, 00:21:38.140 --> 00:21:38.839 there was a rope tied 00:21:38.839 --> 00:21:39.519 around his waist 00:21:39.519 --> 00:21:40.440 because he would be struck dead 00:21:40.440 --> 00:21:41.400 and they'd have to pull him out. 00:21:41.940 --> 00:21:43.539 And because of what Jesus did for us, 00:21:43.660 --> 00:21:45.160 we can go into God's presence 00:21:45.160 --> 00:21:46.259 freely with confidence 00:21:46.259 --> 00:21:49.059 to receive mercy 00:21:49.059 --> 00:21:50.140 and to find grace 00:21:50.140 --> 00:21:51.240 in our time of need. 00:21:52.299 --> 00:21:53.480 In addition to intimacy 00:21:53.480 --> 00:21:54.019 and access, 00:21:54.019 --> 00:21:55.720 we also have this great inheritance. 00:21:56.279 --> 00:21:58.819 We share the inheritance of Christ. 00:21:59.380 --> 00:22:00.519 This is an interesting thing 00:22:00.519 --> 00:22:01.380 in the book of Hebrews. 00:22:01.740 --> 00:22:03.339 I don't always imagine Jesus 00:22:03.339 --> 00:22:04.200 as my big brother, 00:22:04.339 --> 00:22:06.360 but that's how he's described to us. 00:22:06.359 --> 00:22:08.599 If Jesus is the eternally begotten 00:22:08.599 --> 00:22:09.219 Son of God 00:22:09.219 --> 00:22:10.559 and we're also God's children, 00:22:10.779 --> 00:22:11.919 you connect the dots. 00:22:12.159 --> 00:22:13.099 Jesus is our brother. 00:22:13.259 --> 00:22:14.079 He's our older brother. 00:22:14.539 --> 00:22:16.199 He is inheriting the entire kingdom 00:22:16.199 --> 00:22:17.599 and by virtue of being 00:22:17.599 --> 00:22:19.279 brothers with Christ, 00:22:19.399 --> 00:22:20.039 children of God, 00:22:20.099 --> 00:22:21.959 we inherit the same inheritance 00:22:21.959 --> 00:22:22.839 of Jesus. 00:22:23.139 --> 00:22:24.319 Paul says this in Galatians. 00:22:24.959 --> 00:22:26.479 But when the fullness of time had come, 00:22:26.639 --> 00:22:28.179 God sent forth his Son, 00:22:28.759 --> 00:22:29.439 born of woman, 00:22:29.579 --> 00:22:30.359 born under the law, 00:22:30.459 --> 00:22:31.519 to redeem those 00:22:31.519 --> 00:22:32.419 who were under the law 00:22:32.419 --> 00:22:34.199 so that we might receive 00:22:34.199 --> 00:22:35.839 adoption as sons. 00:22:36.659 --> 00:22:37.980 And because you are sons, 00:22:38.539 --> 00:22:40.000 God has sent the Spirit 00:22:40.000 --> 00:22:41.519 of his Son into our hearts, 00:22:41.619 --> 00:22:42.019 crying, 00:22:42.240 --> 00:22:42.619 Abba, 00:22:43.059 --> 00:22:43.419 Father, 00:22:43.519 --> 00:22:44.939 the same thing that Jesus 00:22:44.939 --> 00:22:45.699 prayed to the Father, 00:22:45.799 --> 00:22:47.319 we now pray by the Spirit. 00:22:47.839 --> 00:22:49.579 So you are no longer a slave, 00:22:49.699 --> 00:22:50.319 but a son, 00:22:50.379 --> 00:22:51.159 and if a son, 00:22:51.599 --> 00:22:53.279 then an heir through God. 00:22:53.679 --> 00:22:55.000 We inherit eternal life, 00:22:55.119 --> 00:22:56.480 an unmediated relationship 00:22:56.480 --> 00:22:57.279 with Jesus, 00:22:58.000 --> 00:22:59.319 dwelling with God forever 00:22:59.319 --> 00:23:00.699 in the world to come. 00:23:00.700 --> 00:23:03.279 So we're about to move 00:23:03.279 --> 00:23:04.700 onto the third move, 00:23:04.819 --> 00:23:06.059 but just in summary, 00:23:06.220 --> 00:23:07.380 we've unpacked adoption, 00:23:07.539 --> 00:23:08.559 why it's the most precious 00:23:08.559 --> 00:23:09.600 Christian doctrine, 00:23:09.600 --> 00:23:11.440 and what it means for us. 00:23:11.480 --> 00:23:12.519 It means that the blessings 00:23:12.519 --> 00:23:13.319 of Christ 00:23:13.319 --> 00:23:14.900 are also ours. 00:23:15.360 --> 00:23:16.340 And so I want to move on 00:23:16.340 --> 00:23:17.580 to our final point. 00:23:18.059 --> 00:23:18.900 What does adoption 00:23:18.900 --> 00:23:20.360 require of us? 00:23:21.080 --> 00:23:22.420 This is what John says 00:23:22.420 --> 00:23:23.120 in verse 3. 00:23:25.299 --> 00:23:26.340 Before that, 00:23:26.440 --> 00:23:27.200 this is essentially 00:23:27.200 --> 00:23:27.900 we're going to be talking about 00:23:27.900 --> 00:23:29.460 how then shall we live? 00:23:29.580 --> 00:23:30.640 What are we called to do? 00:23:30.740 --> 00:23:32.180 What is expected of us 00:23:32.180 --> 00:23:34.200 as God's beloved children? 00:23:35.000 --> 00:23:35.580 I'm going to read 00:23:35.580 --> 00:23:36.580 our whole passage for us 00:23:36.580 --> 00:23:37.759 just to give us context. 00:23:38.460 --> 00:23:38.720 Beloved, 00:23:38.800 --> 00:23:39.300 what manner, 00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:41.560 behold what manner of love 00:23:41.560 --> 00:23:43.120 the Father has given to us 00:23:43.120 --> 00:23:44.820 that we should be called 00:23:44.820 --> 00:23:45.800 children of God, 00:23:45.860 --> 00:23:47.300 and that is what we are. 00:23:48.060 --> 00:23:49.000 On account of this, 00:23:49.080 --> 00:23:51.080 the world does not know us 00:23:51.080 --> 00:23:52.940 because it did not know him. 00:23:53.519 --> 00:23:53.960 Beloved, 00:23:53.960 --> 00:23:55.980 we are already God's children, 00:23:56.120 --> 00:23:57.360 although what we will be 00:23:57.359 --> 00:23:59.939 has not yet been fully revealed. 00:24:00.799 --> 00:24:02.599 We know that when he is fully 00:24:02.599 --> 00:24:04.079 and finally revealed, 00:24:04.339 --> 00:24:05.599 we will be like him 00:24:05.599 --> 00:24:06.759 because we will see him 00:24:06.759 --> 00:24:07.659 as he is. 00:24:08.699 --> 00:24:09.719 And this is verse 3. 00:24:09.819 --> 00:24:11.719 And everyone who has this hope 00:24:11.719 --> 00:24:12.779 in him 00:24:12.779 --> 00:24:14.979 consistently purifies himself 00:24:14.979 --> 00:24:16.919 just as he is pure. 00:24:18.240 --> 00:24:20.299 So if you trust in Jesus Christ, 00:24:20.799 --> 00:24:22.639 you're a beloved child of God. 00:24:22.639 --> 00:24:24.339 You're a beloved son or daughter. 00:24:24.939 --> 00:24:26.359 And everything that is true 00:24:26.359 --> 00:24:27.119 about Jesus 00:24:27.119 --> 00:24:29.799 is already but not fully yet 00:24:29.799 --> 00:24:30.979 true about you. 00:24:31.659 --> 00:24:32.919 We did nothing to earn it. 00:24:33.419 --> 00:24:34.459 It's all grace. 00:24:35.299 --> 00:24:36.019 But that doesn't mean 00:24:36.019 --> 00:24:37.439 we don't have to do anything 00:24:37.439 --> 00:24:38.419 in response. 00:24:39.179 --> 00:24:40.339 As a child of God, 00:24:40.399 --> 00:24:42.019 there are certain expectations 00:24:42.019 --> 00:24:44.659 as to how you'll carry yourself. 00:24:45.339 --> 00:24:46.659 There are certain expectations 00:24:46.659 --> 00:24:47.219 when you're a part 00:24:47.219 --> 00:24:48.479 of the family of God. 00:24:48.819 --> 00:24:49.819 And this is true 00:24:49.819 --> 00:24:51.039 of every family 00:24:51.039 --> 00:24:51.879 that I've ever known. 00:24:52.279 --> 00:24:53.439 Think about your own family. 00:24:53.440 --> 00:24:55.360 Maybe it was 00:24:55.360 --> 00:24:57.120 having to do certain chores. 00:24:57.620 --> 00:24:58.380 Maybe it was 00:24:58.380 --> 00:24:59.460 having to perform 00:24:59.460 --> 00:25:00.519 a certain way in school 00:25:00.519 --> 00:25:02.059 or to play a certain instrument 00:25:02.059 --> 00:25:04.580 or cheer for a certain sports team. 00:25:04.660 --> 00:25:06.059 I don't know what it was for you. 00:25:06.559 --> 00:25:07.720 But for all of us, 00:25:07.740 --> 00:25:08.640 there were certain things 00:25:08.640 --> 00:25:09.779 that it meant to be 00:25:09.779 --> 00:25:11.460 whatever your last name is. 00:25:12.700 --> 00:25:14.559 An illustration in our life 00:25:14.559 --> 00:25:16.200 when we were having our first son, 00:25:17.299 --> 00:25:18.480 my version of nesting 00:25:18.480 --> 00:25:20.279 was to create a family crest. 00:25:20.279 --> 00:25:21.579 I was becoming a father 00:25:21.579 --> 00:25:22.420 for the first time 00:25:22.420 --> 00:25:22.879 and I was thinking, 00:25:23.000 --> 00:25:24.220 okay, what is it going to mean 00:25:24.220 --> 00:25:25.160 to be in antlets? 00:25:25.559 --> 00:25:26.480 So as Susan was doing 00:25:26.480 --> 00:25:27.359 the really important things 00:25:27.359 --> 00:25:28.440 of getting our house ready 00:25:28.440 --> 00:25:30.059 so that our kid 00:25:30.059 --> 00:25:31.500 wouldn't just die immediately 00:25:31.500 --> 00:25:32.740 when he walked into our house, 00:25:32.879 --> 00:25:34.339 I was thinking through 00:25:34.339 --> 00:25:36.339 the various virtues 00:25:36.339 --> 00:25:38.279 and the obligatory Latin phrases 00:25:38.279 --> 00:25:39.460 that would be on my crest. 00:25:40.099 --> 00:25:40.639 And one of them, 00:25:40.700 --> 00:25:41.299 this is one of the things 00:25:41.299 --> 00:25:42.500 that it means to be in antlets. 00:25:43.299 --> 00:25:44.500 They have to love beauty. 00:25:45.099 --> 00:25:46.299 And if my children 00:25:46.299 --> 00:25:46.940 don't love beauty, 00:25:47.079 --> 00:25:48.259 they're just not my children. 00:25:48.259 --> 00:25:50.099 And so we're starting to cultivate 00:25:50.099 --> 00:25:51.980 a love for beauty in music 00:25:51.980 --> 00:25:54.180 and going to museums 00:25:54.180 --> 00:25:55.700 and these sorts of things. 00:25:55.779 --> 00:25:56.740 So what does it mean 00:25:56.740 --> 00:25:57.379 to be in antlets? 00:25:57.440 --> 00:25:58.440 One of the things that it means 00:25:58.440 --> 00:26:00.500 is that you love beautiful things. 00:26:00.500 --> 00:26:02.480 You appreciate beautiful things. 00:26:03.160 --> 00:26:05.279 And I think what we see in verse three 00:26:05.279 --> 00:26:06.119 is something like 00:26:06.119 --> 00:26:07.299 the family expectations 00:26:07.299 --> 00:26:08.920 for being part of the family of God. 00:26:09.400 --> 00:26:10.640 As a child of God, 00:26:10.700 --> 00:26:12.019 this is what your loving father 00:26:12.019 --> 00:26:13.319 expects of you. 00:26:13.960 --> 00:26:14.980 This is what it means 00:26:14.980 --> 00:26:16.099 to act like a Christian. 00:26:16.099 --> 00:26:18.459 And as I was reflecting 00:26:18.459 --> 00:26:19.899 on this verse a little bit more 00:26:19.899 --> 00:26:21.199 and praying about it, 00:26:21.579 --> 00:26:22.519 it's actually, 00:26:22.579 --> 00:26:23.459 it was kind of surprising. 00:26:23.699 --> 00:26:25.559 It's not just an expectation. 00:26:26.279 --> 00:26:27.899 As verse three tells us, 00:26:28.319 --> 00:26:30.299 this is not just what God expects 00:26:30.299 --> 00:26:31.699 from his children. 00:26:32.000 --> 00:26:33.980 This is actually what characterizes 00:26:33.980 --> 00:26:35.000 his children. 00:26:35.959 --> 00:26:37.299 A loving relationship with our father 00:26:37.299 --> 00:26:39.740 does not lead to spiritual complacency, 00:26:40.259 --> 00:26:41.159 but the opposite. 00:26:41.539 --> 00:26:43.159 It leads to faithful action. 00:26:43.480 --> 00:26:44.219 We want to please 00:26:44.219 --> 00:26:45.059 and honor our father. 00:26:45.059 --> 00:26:46.399 And so if we're children of God, 00:26:47.059 --> 00:26:48.099 we purify ourselves. 00:26:48.659 --> 00:26:49.980 Everyone who has this hope, 00:26:50.119 --> 00:26:50.839 everyone who is hoping 00:26:50.839 --> 00:26:51.639 for the resurrection, 00:26:52.279 --> 00:26:52.899 that all the things 00:26:52.899 --> 00:26:53.659 that are true about Jesus 00:26:53.659 --> 00:26:54.819 will become true about us, 00:26:55.799 --> 00:26:58.079 consistently purifies himself 00:26:58.079 --> 00:27:00.019 just as he is pure. 00:27:01.039 --> 00:27:01.859 And I don't know about you, 00:27:01.899 --> 00:27:02.899 when I see purity language 00:27:02.899 --> 00:27:03.460 in the Bible, 00:27:03.460 --> 00:27:04.779 I get a little bit spooked 00:27:04.779 --> 00:27:07.000 because it's sacrificial language 00:27:07.000 --> 00:27:07.839 from the Old Testament. 00:27:08.139 --> 00:27:09.059 And purity language 00:27:09.059 --> 00:27:09.899 implies holiness. 00:27:10.299 --> 00:27:12.279 It implies being unblemished. 00:27:12.279 --> 00:27:14.460 It implies being without defect 00:27:14.460 --> 00:27:15.180 or impurity. 00:27:15.879 --> 00:27:17.339 So what does this purity language 00:27:17.339 --> 00:27:19.379 mean for us in this passage? 00:27:19.480 --> 00:27:22.420 Does God expect us to be sinless? 00:27:22.920 --> 00:27:24.920 The answer to that is by no means. 00:27:25.720 --> 00:27:28.799 Earlier in 1 John, 00:27:28.879 --> 00:27:29.960 this is what he writes. 00:27:29.960 --> 00:27:32.860 If we say we have no sin, 00:27:32.920 --> 00:27:34.640 and this is one of my most favorite verses. 00:27:34.819 --> 00:27:35.539 I love this verse. 00:27:35.620 --> 00:27:36.940 It's deeply encouraging to me. 00:27:37.779 --> 00:27:39.340 If we say we have no sin, 00:27:39.440 --> 00:27:40.500 we deceive ourselves, 00:27:40.500 --> 00:27:42.500 and the truth is not in us. 00:27:43.000 --> 00:27:44.440 But if we confess our sins, 00:27:44.500 --> 00:27:45.519 he is faithful and just 00:27:45.519 --> 00:27:46.640 to forgive us our sins 00:27:46.640 --> 00:27:47.539 and to cleanse us 00:27:47.539 --> 00:27:48.860 from all unrighteousness. 00:27:49.360 --> 00:27:51.220 If we say we have not sinned, 00:27:51.299 --> 00:27:52.420 we make him a liar, 00:27:52.519 --> 00:27:54.000 and his word is not in us. 00:27:54.740 --> 00:27:56.180 Note that it doesn't say, 00:27:56.299 --> 00:27:56.799 in verse 3, 00:27:56.799 --> 00:27:58.339 that everyone who has this hope 00:27:58.339 --> 00:27:59.399 is pure, 00:27:59.539 --> 00:28:00.399 as he is pure, 00:28:00.879 --> 00:28:02.440 but purifies himself. 00:28:02.559 --> 00:28:03.700 And it's important to point out 00:28:03.700 --> 00:28:04.680 that this is not 00:28:04.680 --> 00:28:05.740 a once and for all action, 00:28:06.000 --> 00:28:07.539 meaning you purify yourself 00:28:07.539 --> 00:28:08.399 when you became a Christian, 00:28:08.500 --> 00:28:09.359 you purified yourself 00:28:09.359 --> 00:28:10.019 as he is pure. 00:28:10.200 --> 00:28:11.319 This is an ongoing, 00:28:12.319 --> 00:28:13.139 every day, 00:28:13.639 --> 00:28:15.519 every week kind of action. 00:28:16.139 --> 00:28:17.440 We're to consistently 00:28:17.440 --> 00:28:18.619 purify ourselves. 00:28:19.440 --> 00:28:19.980 And it's interesting 00:28:19.980 --> 00:28:21.399 that this is what he chooses. 00:28:21.579 --> 00:28:22.440 This is the one thing 00:28:22.440 --> 00:28:22.960 that he says, 00:28:23.000 --> 00:28:24.099 if you have this hope in yourself, 00:28:24.180 --> 00:28:25.000 you are going to be 00:28:25.000 --> 00:28:26.460 consistently purifying yourself 00:28:26.460 --> 00:28:27.319 as he is pure. 00:28:27.799 --> 00:28:29.200 So why this one thing? 00:28:29.340 --> 00:28:30.840 Why is he highlighting this? 00:28:31.100 --> 00:28:32.460 Well, I think he's highlighting 00:28:32.460 --> 00:28:34.319 one essential aspect 00:28:34.319 --> 00:28:35.920 of the Christian life. 00:28:35.980 --> 00:28:36.620 In many ways, 00:28:37.039 --> 00:28:37.880 this is what it means 00:28:37.880 --> 00:28:38.480 to be a Christian. 00:28:38.620 --> 00:28:39.640 What is the Christian life? 00:28:40.160 --> 00:28:40.740 What does it mean 00:28:40.740 --> 00:28:41.779 to be a faithful son 00:28:41.779 --> 00:28:42.299 or daughter? 00:28:42.960 --> 00:28:43.880 It means to live 00:28:43.880 --> 00:28:44.720 a faithful life 00:28:44.720 --> 00:28:45.279 of repentance, 00:28:46.860 --> 00:28:48.360 a life of ongoing repentance. 00:28:48.500 --> 00:28:49.460 We keep short accounts 00:28:49.460 --> 00:28:50.000 with God. 00:28:50.860 --> 00:28:52.539 We have regular rhythm 00:28:52.539 --> 00:28:53.200 of repentance 00:28:53.200 --> 00:28:54.100 that's part of our lives. 00:28:54.160 --> 00:28:55.740 That's why we pray 00:28:55.740 --> 00:28:56.680 the prayer of confession 00:28:56.680 --> 00:28:57.539 every day, 00:28:57.819 --> 00:28:58.640 every Sunday. 00:28:59.579 --> 00:29:01.160 We're to live a life 00:29:01.160 --> 00:29:02.620 of ongoing purification. 00:29:03.380 --> 00:29:04.940 And I want to tell you, 00:29:05.039 --> 00:29:07.059 as I'm wrapping up, 00:29:07.140 --> 00:29:07.579 I want to give you 00:29:07.579 --> 00:29:08.640 a spiritual practice, 00:29:08.740 --> 00:29:09.599 a spiritual discipline 00:29:09.599 --> 00:29:11.539 for how you can embody this, 00:29:11.579 --> 00:29:12.960 how you can put this verse 00:29:12.960 --> 00:29:14.059 into action. 00:29:16.480 --> 00:29:17.680 Susan's grandfather, 00:29:17.900 --> 00:29:19.000 he passed away 00:29:19.000 --> 00:29:20.200 about a year ago. 00:29:20.660 --> 00:29:22.019 He was a great man of God. 00:29:22.079 --> 00:29:22.579 He was a missionary 00:29:22.579 --> 00:29:23.879 in West Africa 00:29:23.879 --> 00:29:25.319 for decades 00:29:25.319 --> 00:29:26.579 and then in Western Europe 00:29:26.579 --> 00:29:27.419 for a long time. 00:29:28.159 --> 00:29:31.619 And this practice 00:29:31.619 --> 00:29:32.159 I learned from him, 00:29:32.220 --> 00:29:33.139 it's called spiritual breathing. 00:29:33.799 --> 00:29:36.740 And he was very funny about it. 00:29:36.859 --> 00:29:37.919 The first time I met him, 00:29:37.939 --> 00:29:39.079 he talked about spiritual breathing. 00:29:39.279 --> 00:29:40.639 Anytime I saw him thereafter, 00:29:40.740 --> 00:29:41.960 he talked about spiritual breathing. 00:29:42.159 --> 00:29:43.220 He had these little cards, 00:29:43.319 --> 00:29:43.939 business cards, 00:29:44.460 --> 00:29:45.759 that said spiritual breathing 00:29:45.759 --> 00:29:46.899 and they had how to do 00:29:46.899 --> 00:29:47.539 spiritual breathing. 00:29:47.539 --> 00:29:48.399 So in many ways, 00:29:48.720 --> 00:29:49.420 what it means to be 00:29:49.420 --> 00:29:50.200 in Susan's family 00:29:50.200 --> 00:29:51.559 is to practice 00:29:51.559 --> 00:29:52.539 spiritual breathing. 00:29:53.299 --> 00:29:54.480 And it's just such a great, 00:29:54.839 --> 00:29:56.480 it's a bit cheesy probably, 00:29:56.619 --> 00:29:58.119 but it's such a helpful analogy, 00:29:58.680 --> 00:29:59.799 spiritual breathing 00:29:59.799 --> 00:30:02.139 for the spiritual life. 00:30:02.399 --> 00:30:03.200 The analogy is, 00:30:03.240 --> 00:30:03.879 it's very obvious, 00:30:03.980 --> 00:30:04.500 very clear. 00:30:04.980 --> 00:30:06.200 To be alive physically, 00:30:06.920 --> 00:30:08.000 you have to breathe, right? 00:30:08.519 --> 00:30:09.779 You have to exhale 00:30:09.779 --> 00:30:11.119 and get rid of the carbon dioxide, 00:30:11.420 --> 00:30:11.960 the toxins, 00:30:12.180 --> 00:30:13.139 and inhale oxygen. 00:30:13.619 --> 00:30:14.420 And so what it means 00:30:14.420 --> 00:30:15.159 to be alive, 00:30:15.160 --> 00:30:17.259 first and foremost, 00:30:17.800 --> 00:30:19.060 is to keep breathing. 00:30:19.700 --> 00:30:20.759 And spiritual breathing, 00:30:20.860 --> 00:30:21.600 the spiritual discipline, 00:30:21.720 --> 00:30:23.120 is basically the same thing, 00:30:23.240 --> 00:30:25.080 but with a spiritual analog. 00:30:25.279 --> 00:30:26.740 So this is basically what it is. 00:30:26.779 --> 00:30:28.300 This is sort of verbatim 00:30:28.300 --> 00:30:29.800 from Susan's grandfather's card. 00:30:30.519 --> 00:30:31.380 This is how you do 00:30:31.380 --> 00:30:32.160 spiritual breathing. 00:30:32.880 --> 00:30:34.640 First, you exhale. 00:30:34.900 --> 00:30:35.759 You get rid of the toxins. 00:30:35.960 --> 00:30:37.160 You confess your sins. 00:30:37.519 --> 00:30:38.400 To confess your sins, 00:30:38.460 --> 00:30:39.540 you're just agreeing with God 00:30:39.540 --> 00:30:40.620 about your wrong attitude 00:30:40.620 --> 00:30:42.360 or your wrong action, 00:30:42.360 --> 00:30:43.600 and you repent. 00:30:43.599 --> 00:30:45.799 You change your wrong attitude, 00:30:45.919 --> 00:30:47.459 your sinful attitude or action. 00:30:48.000 --> 00:30:49.419 You get rid of the junk 00:30:49.419 --> 00:30:50.879 that's preventing you 00:30:50.879 --> 00:30:53.319 from living a spirit-filled life. 00:30:53.679 --> 00:30:54.539 You breathe out. 00:30:54.699 --> 00:30:55.279 You confess. 00:30:55.500 --> 00:30:56.099 You repent. 00:30:56.959 --> 00:30:57.740 And then after that, 00:30:58.159 --> 00:30:59.279 what do we do when we breathe? 00:30:59.359 --> 00:30:59.879 We inhale. 00:31:00.939 --> 00:31:02.039 We surrender ourselves 00:31:02.039 --> 00:31:02.699 to the Lord again. 00:31:02.779 --> 00:31:03.879 We remember God's love 00:31:03.879 --> 00:31:05.079 and our true identity 00:31:05.079 --> 00:31:06.579 as God's beloved children. 00:31:07.439 --> 00:31:08.259 And we receive 00:31:08.259 --> 00:31:09.500 God's abundant forgiveness 00:31:09.500 --> 00:31:11.000 and a fresh filling 00:31:11.000 --> 00:31:11.819 of God's spirit. 00:31:11.819 --> 00:31:11.899 spirit. 00:31:12.519 --> 00:31:13.519 I think that's what it means 00:31:13.519 --> 00:31:15.480 to consistently purify ourselves, 00:31:15.599 --> 00:31:16.720 to do spiritual breathing. 00:31:17.359 --> 00:31:18.279 It's a bit cheesy, 00:31:18.439 --> 00:31:19.319 but I think it'll be something 00:31:19.319 --> 00:31:20.559 that'll be easy to remember. 00:31:21.099 --> 00:31:22.659 And it's just so helpful 00:31:22.659 --> 00:31:24.539 in my Christian life. 00:31:24.639 --> 00:31:25.240 This is a thing 00:31:25.240 --> 00:31:27.179 that I do every day. 00:31:27.639 --> 00:31:28.779 And it's in many ways 00:31:28.779 --> 00:31:29.319 just like breathing. 00:31:29.379 --> 00:31:30.279 I don't think about breathing. 00:31:30.599 --> 00:31:32.179 It's become this automatic process. 00:31:32.319 --> 00:31:33.339 It's just part and parcel 00:31:33.339 --> 00:31:34.399 of the Christian life. 00:31:34.439 --> 00:31:34.819 And I think 00:31:34.819 --> 00:31:37.220 that's what he's encouraging us to do, 00:31:37.259 --> 00:31:38.299 to purify ourselves 00:31:38.299 --> 00:31:38.960 as he is pure. 00:31:39.059 --> 00:31:39.980 That's how we can do it. 00:31:39.980 --> 00:31:41.240 And to wrap up, 00:31:41.279 --> 00:31:42.599 I want to read a quote 00:31:42.599 --> 00:31:45.099 from Mr. Rogers, 00:31:45.259 --> 00:31:45.880 Fred Rogers. 00:31:46.000 --> 00:31:46.539 I don't know if anyone 00:31:46.539 --> 00:31:47.319 has had the opportunity 00:31:47.319 --> 00:31:49.180 to see the recent documentary, 00:31:49.660 --> 00:31:50.400 Won't You Be My Neighbor? 00:31:50.980 --> 00:31:51.779 I saw it twice 00:31:51.779 --> 00:31:52.599 in movie theaters, 00:31:52.940 --> 00:31:53.779 and I cried my way 00:31:53.779 --> 00:31:54.680 through it both times. 00:31:55.240 --> 00:31:56.980 And I've learned a lot 00:31:56.980 --> 00:31:58.200 from Fred Rogers recently 00:31:58.200 --> 00:31:58.940 about what it means 00:31:58.940 --> 00:32:00.000 to be a child of God. 00:32:00.960 --> 00:32:03.180 And my boy Fred says this. 00:32:03.259 --> 00:32:05.000 It's this really powerful line 00:32:05.000 --> 00:32:06.079 near the beginning 00:32:06.079 --> 00:32:06.860 of the movie. 00:32:06.859 --> 00:32:08.519 He says, 00:32:09.159 --> 00:32:10.039 Love is at the root 00:32:10.039 --> 00:32:10.859 of everything. 00:32:11.579 --> 00:32:12.359 All learning, 00:32:12.919 --> 00:32:13.799 all relationships, 00:32:14.500 --> 00:32:15.740 and then just this haunting 00:32:15.740 --> 00:32:16.779 end of the line. 00:32:17.219 --> 00:32:18.539 Love or the lack of it. 00:32:19.199 --> 00:32:20.019 Love is the root 00:32:20.019 --> 00:32:20.699 of everything. 00:32:20.839 --> 00:32:21.339 All learning, 00:32:21.479 --> 00:32:22.159 all relationships, 00:32:23.000 --> 00:32:23.419 love, 00:32:23.779 --> 00:32:24.879 or the lack of it. 00:32:25.719 --> 00:32:26.019 You see, 00:32:26.079 --> 00:32:26.679 to be human 00:32:26.679 --> 00:32:28.339 is to be made 00:32:28.339 --> 00:32:29.059 for love, 00:32:29.379 --> 00:32:30.419 for receiving love, 00:32:30.879 --> 00:32:31.819 and for giving love. 00:32:32.359 --> 00:32:33.480 And the only love 00:32:33.480 --> 00:32:35.139 that can truly satisfy 00:32:35.139 --> 00:32:35.980 the human heart 00:32:35.980 --> 00:32:37.599 is the love from God, 00:32:37.939 --> 00:32:38.439 our Father. 00:32:39.480 --> 00:32:39.779 And so, 00:32:39.879 --> 00:32:40.259 may God, 00:32:40.319 --> 00:32:40.799 our Father, 00:32:41.559 --> 00:32:42.519 remind you 00:32:42.519 --> 00:32:44.079 of just how much 00:32:44.079 --> 00:32:44.980 He loves you, 00:32:45.200 --> 00:32:45.960 that you're His beloved 00:32:45.960 --> 00:32:46.720 son or daughter. 00:32:46.819 --> 00:32:47.740 May He remind you 00:32:47.740 --> 00:32:49.000 of the most important 00:32:49.000 --> 00:32:50.159 thing about you. 00:32:50.619 --> 00:32:51.079 Let's pray. 00:32:51.079 --> 00:32:51.139 Amen. 00:32:51.619 --> 00:32:52.079 Amen. 00:32:52.079 --> 00:32:52.399 Amen. 00:32:52.399 --> 00:32:52.579 Amen. 00:32:52.579 --> 00:32:52.960 Amen. 00:32:52.960 --> 00:32:53.079 Amen. 00:32:53.079 --> 00:32:53.139 Amen. 00:32:53.139 --> 00:32:53.599 Amen. 00:32:53.599 --> 00:32:53.859 Amen. 00:32:53.859 --> 00:32:54.200 Amen. 00:32:54.200 --> 00:32:54.259 Amen. 00:32:54.259 --> 00:32:55.019 Amen. 00:32:55.019 --> 00:32:55.179 Amen. 00:32:55.179 --> 00:32:56.000 Amen. 00:32:56.000 --> 00:32:56.139 Amen. 00:32:56.159 --> 00:32:56.379 Amen. 00:32:56.379 --> 00:32:56.819 Amen. 00:32:56.819 --> 00:32:57.159 Amen. 00:32:57.159 --> 00:32:57.279 Amen. 00:32:57.279 --> 00:32:58.099 Amen. 00:32:58.099 --> 00:32:58.599 Amen. 00:32:58.599 --> 00:32:58.879 Amen. 00:32:58.879 --> 00:32:59.179 Amen. 00:32:59.759 --> 00:33:00.039 Amen. 00:33:00.039 --> 00:33:01.139 Amen. 00:33:01.139 --> 00:33:01.220 Amen.