Messiah Lutheran Church:

Dear friends:

It was one of those big extended family reunions. Lots of adults gathered around picnic tables talking. Lots of kids running and playing, laughing and screaming. One table of adults was watching the children at play, just enjoying their youthful energy and vitality. As one of those kids came careening by, one adult asked him "And who do you belong to?" He wanted to know what family the child was a part of. Without hesitation, the young boy pointed to his father and said "That’s my dad." He knew. He was sure that man was his father.

Do we always have that same assurance when it comes to our family? Not our earthly family, but our spiritual family. Today the Lord reassures us that "WE ARE GOD’S FAMILY." We have the Spirit’s testimony, the Father’s ear and the Son’s inheritance.

How can you be sure that you are a member of your family? What kind of testimony can you refer to? Well, you could check out your birth certificate. You could ask your parents or your aunts or uncles. You could look in the mirror and see family resemblances. Most of us don’t question whether we are a member of our family. We’ve lived with them for so long that we are sure we are members of our particular family.

How can you be sure you are a member of God’s family? What gives you the certainty, the assurance? Or, should I say who gives you the assurance that you are a child of God? The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit assures us that we are part of God’s family in three ways.

First, He points us to our faith. The Holy Spirit gave us a saving faith. He causes us to believe that Jesus is our Savior. He points us to our faith and testifies that if we believe, we are a child of God. Our faith in Christ is one way that the Holy Spirit assures us we are God’s family.

Second, He reminds us we are God’s family by how we live. As we believe in the Triune God and live our lives according to His will, we act like God’s children. Verse 14 states "because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." The Holy Spirit gently leads us to love our neighbor and praise our Lord. We joyfully look for ways to praise the Lord because we are God’s family.

Third, the Spirit assures us through the Word of God. Oh, it’s nice that our faith and our actions assure us that we are God’s children. But there are times when our faith is weak. There are times when our lives don’t show our love of God. Those are the times we need something solid, dependable and absolutely objective. That’s the Word of God. It never changes. God’s Word tells us time and time again that we are His children. Verse 16 says "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children." He testifies through the Word. It’s the Word that validates our personal faith and life. That’s much more dependable than feelings, right?

If you ever find yourself wondering if you are a child of God, turn to the Word. You may find yourself caught in a particularly shameful sin. You may find yourself feeling alone and abandoned. You may think that God doesn’t want you to be a part of His family anymore. When that happens, go to the Word and the Holy Spirit will testify that you are part of God’s family.

You’ll also find out that you have the Father’s ear, as well.

In some cultures, the father of the family is a distant dictator. He tells the family what to do and his word is never questioned. He sets the standards of your life. If you disobey or mess up, you will be punished. If you wanted something from dad, you ask mom and mom carries your request to dad. In such cultures, you never just sit and talk with dad about life. He’s too busy.

That’s not the kind of relationship we have with our heavenly Father. Our relationship with our heavenly Father is not based on fear or the threat of punishment. Oh, it may have been before we were given the gift of a saving faith. Before we became members of God’s family, we looked at God’s Law and thought we’d have to live up to His standards to gain His love. Before we became members of God’s family, we weren’t sure that He cared about us. He was a distant God to us.

But Christ’s sacrifice broke down the barriers of sin. Christ’s sacrifice re-established a loving relationship with our heavenly Father. Jesus’ blood washes us clean so we can approach God. Jesus’ righteousness clothes us with a perfection that is pleasing to our perfect Lord. Our faith opens our eyes to see the Father’s love. "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son." Christ’s sacrifice opens us up to a whole new relationship with the Father.

If there was one word that describes the relationship that believers have with God, it is love. Listen again to verses 15 and 16: "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry ‘Abba, Father.’" We know He will always listen to us. We have His ear. We know that He will always do what is best for us. We know that His love and concern for us never changes.

So, go ahead and talk to your Father! Let Him know what you’re thinking and feeling. Let Him know your concerns and your hurts. You know He cares about you. You know He will answer your prayers. He’s your heavenly Father. We are God’s family, and we know we have full and free access to Him.

Oh, and don’t forget to lean on Him for strength as you live in this world. So often we think we can do it all by ourselves. We’re like Tom. Tom was bound and determined to get through college all on his own. He didn’t want any help whatsoever from his dad, so he got a couple of part time jobs, took out loans, and launched into school all by himself. Dad had said he would help financially, but Tom said "I’m going to do it myself." Halfway through his sophomore year, he came down with bronchitis and then pneumonia. He lost his jobs, failed his semester finals and had to move back home to recuperate. His dad took over paying his bills, and Tom wasn’t happy at all. "Dad, I told you I didn’t want your help," Tom said. "Son," his dad replied, "I love you and want to help you. Please, let me." That’s the kind of love that our heavenly Father has for you. He wants to give you the strength you need as you battle sin in your life. Don’t rely on your own strength. Let your Father help.

That’s the kind of relationship we have with our Father. It will never end, because we have the Son’s inheritance.

When we think of inheritance, we usually think of cash, stocks and bonds, real estate and family heirlooms. None of those things are in God’s will for us. These things are just not good enough for His children. Instead, He gives us the best thing He can possibly think of. He gives us the glory of heaven. Our inheritance is a spot in the perfect peace, the perfect joy and the perfect life of eternity. He gives us a personal spot before His throne. He gives us a full and completely joyful relationship with the King of kings and Lord of lords.

"Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ." Christ won our inheritance with His suffering and death. God gives this inheritance to us. He added our names to the beneficiary list. We didn’t scrawl our names on the document. He added our names to it even before this world was created.

The Son’s inheritance is given to us. It’s not earned by us. Some people look at verse 17 and think that we suffer to earn the glory of heaven. No. This is a transitional verse. Paul will talk about sufferings in the verses that follow today’s section of Scripture.

It’s true. Christians will suffer. Not to earn eternal life, but simply because we are members of God’s family. Satan hates every member of God’s household, every soul that believes in Him. We are attacked because of our faith. Yet, we endure because we know what’s coming. We know that it is guaranteed.

Our inheritance is guaranteed by God’s promise. The will is already written. It’s a living trust, binding now and ready to be executed on the last day. It’s backed by Christ’s work. All the fees have been paid. It’s ours, because we are members of God’s family.

Soon, there will be a big reunion in heaven. Soon, we’ll see every member of our extended spiritual family. What a joyful day that will be, when together, before the throne of our God, we can joyfully say "WE ARE GOD’S FAMILY!"

AMEN