It’s all about relationships. You hear that often these days. Whether it’s raising funds or trying to get people to buy your product or leading a team of people at work or within the church—it’s all about relationships.
It’s all about relationships when it comes to our God as well. We see two relationships in this text. We have a Father who is God; and we have a God who is our Father. Let’s take a brief look at each of those. First, we have a Father who is God. Now that raises the idea of “Father knows best” to a rather high level does it not?—a divine level. Thus, we should not take lightly what our Father says. As we focus on adoption today during this National Adoption Month, we should be encouraged not to take lightly what our Father who is God says about life.
So, by way of encouragement, let me remind you what it’s all about. You can guess! It’s all about relationships. It’s not about being against what our culture is for when it comes to life. No, it’s all about our relationship with our Father who is God. It’s about being for what He is for. It’s not just about being against groups like Planned Parenthood. It’s all about our relationship with our Father who is God who says, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves” (Proverbs 31:8a NIV). It’s not just about holding picket signs or doing sidewalk counseling or holding prayer vigils. It’s all about our relationship with our Father who is God who says, “defend the rights of the poor and needy” (Proverbs 31:9b NIV). It’s not just about being kind to those who are vulnerable. It’s all about our relationship with our Father who is God who says, “as you did it to the one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40b). It’s not just about being against abortion or embryonic stem cell research or assisted suicide. It’s all about our relationship with our Father who is God who says, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). It’s not just about helping that pregnant teen or those women and men struggling after an abortion decision. It’s all about our relationship with our Father who is God who says, “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18b). It’s not just about visiting the homebound or those in nursing homes. It’s all about our relationship with our Father who is God who says, “Bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2). And “weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15b).
I pray you get the point. It’s all about relationships. It’s not just about being against what our culture of death is for. It is being for what our Father who is God is for. What we do is about following His will and being obedient to His commands. This should move our commitment and our convictions when it comes to the life arena to a higher, spiritual level.
A high school football coach used to tell his team, “Boys, we need to crank it up a notch!” We know we could all “crank it up a notch” and do better in our obedience to our Father who is God in so many ways, including upholding the God-given value of human life.
Oops! There’s a word that will take the wind out of our For Life sails—obedience. Obedience to our Father who is God, obedience to His holiness, His ways and will and commands concerning life—how’s that all working out for you? You earthly fathers perhaps can understand better than most God’s perspective as our Father. I mean, how does that “father-knows-best” mentality work out in your home? When’s the last time you cut short your teenager’s inquisition as to why she cannot go to that party with her friends by the famous parental line, “Because I said so!” When’s the last time you heard this response after using that line, “Oh, I see. Now I get it. Why didn’t you just say that in the first place? What’s for supper?” That is not a normal response. That’s because teenagers aren’t normal!
But, you see, none of us are. We are not by nature obedient children to our Father who is God. In fact, by nature, we are not children at all, but slaves, slaves to sin and rebellious toward God. By nature we do not want a relationship with God. By nature, we are no different than the culture of death in which we live. “Love my neighbor as myself? Sure God, I’ll get right on that. Pray for those who persecute me and for my enemies? Sure God, got a list right here, pray for them all the time. Put the needs of others before my own needs? Yep, doing that constantly. Love my spouse? I tell you I’m the “lovingest” spouse on the planet. I am constantly doing the right thing. Just ask my spouse.” Those are not normal answers. That’s because we are not normal. By nature, we are slaves to disobedience. “Enslaved to the elementary principles of the world” our text says, or, as Paul puts it in Ephesians 2:3, we are “by nature children of wrath.” Even though God creates us with His hands, He works through a flawed biological process that passes sinfulness from one generation to the next. “Children of God” is never used in the Scripture to describe our relationship to God as our Creator. It is only used to describe our relationship to God as our Redeemer who adopts us in Christ.
That’s where the other relationship in our text comes in. We not only have a Father who is God, we have a God we can call Father! Listen to Paul. ”But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Galatians 4:4-6)
“Abba” is Aramaic and was a term of endearment, a more intimate term often used by children in the home. Our term “dad” would be comparable. The idea that we finite, reprobate creatures could call the infinite, holy God “dad” seems incomprehensible and blasphemous. So it would be—as it certainly would have for the Jews of Jesus’ day—were it not for our “adoption as sons.” It’s all about relationships. The Son of the Father took our place under the law and bore the curse of the law so that we might be called sons of the Father. The sacrifice for our adoption was given by Jesus. The price for our adoption was paid by Jesus. Cleansed by His blood, declared holy by His Father, filled with His Spirit, our inheritance guaranteed, the relationship is changed. We are no longer slaves but sons, sons by adoption but never referred to as adopted sons—sons and we can dare utter in this new relationship, “Abba! Father! Dad!”
Now a note to you ladies present, you should not be offended by the use of “sons” here. In fact, you should be elated. In Jewish culture, only sons had the right of inheritance. So what this is saying is that there is no longer that distinction. In Christ, we all get the inheritance of eternal life. We are all His children through adoption. We all have a God we can call Father! Dad!”
It’s all about relationships! Adopted in Christ—it is this relationship of having a God we can call Father, that moves us to be obedient to our Father who is God. Adopted in Christ—it is this relationship of having a God we can call Father that moves us not to just be against what our culture of death is for, but to be for what our Father who is God is for. We are motivated to be voices For Life not by a culture of death that has so many wrongs to point out, not even by the commands of our Father who is God. It’s all about relationships. The relationship that God who is our Father established in Christ through adoption motivates us to be bold voices in the life arena. Neither our successes nor failures as His voices For Life have anything to do with attaining or maintaining our relationship with God as His children. He has taken care of that. We live, in the midst of our victories, in the midst of our defeats, in the midst of our frustrations assured of His love, His forgiveness, and eternal life. Do we make mistakes? Sure. Do we grow weary and faint hearted? Sure. Do any of these exclude us from our Father’s love or break His relationship with us? No.
Many of you undoubtedly have something that your children have made you that you keep in a special place on your desk or magnetized to your refrigerator. Such items are never crafted to perfection—lots of flaws, stray crayon marks, and the like. But you accept and love such gifts not based upon the gift but upon the giver. You love the gift because you love the one who gives it. God adopted you in Christ. You have a God who is your father. That is the assurance of His love for you and that He accepts what you offer to Him.
So, what have we learned? It’s all about relationships. We have a Father who is God. Therefore, what He says about the value of human life and our responsibility to uphold this God-given value needs to be listened to and put into practice. He knows what He’s talking about! We can all leave here today saying, “I’m going to crank it up a notch.” Especially during National Adoption Month we can pray for those dealing with an unplanned pregnancy that they would seriously consider the loving option of adoption. We can pray for those seeking to adopt that God would break down roadblocks and open up opportunities for them. We can educate ourselves more about the positive aspects of adoption that flow from our adoption in Christ. We can raise funds for those who are in the adoption process because it can be very, very expensive. [Add here any appropriate situations that may exist in your congregation.]
So, what have we learned? It’s all about relationships. We not only have a Father who is God, we have a God we can call Father. He adopted us in Christ and has given us all the full rights as sons. That means all of us, sons and daughters, live under our Father’s love and forgiveness. We do not live striving for His love, trying to earn His love or be worthy of His love. We do not live striving for His forgiveness, trying to earn it or make up for past mistakes. We live in His love and forgiveness! Everything we do is touched by it and cleansed by it. So don’t leave today feeling guilty about what you shouldn’t have done or about what you should have done or about what you should be doing. You have a Father who loves you with an unconditional and eternal love. You have a Father who is God, but because of Jesus Christ and through His Spirit, well, you can call Him, Dad. It’s all about THAT relationship. Amen.