How Jesus Saves … Jesus and Adoption
On Sunday, March 24, 2024, Pastor Dan preached about How Jesus Saves, focusing on the word Reconciliation and scriptures from Romans 5 and Galatians 4.
Reconciliation in Greek is ketallassó, meaning “to return someone back into right with you” or “to reconcile“. According to R.C. Sproul, the definition of reconciliation is “bringing people together in peace — people who were once estranged (broken) from each other.”
The Point of this messsage is “Sin’s bond was broken. Adoption’s bond can’t break.”
“Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. — Romans 5:9-11 (NIV)
Breakdown of Reconciliation
- God, the “offended” (he was offended by our sin), initiates.
- We are no longer “estranged” from God.
Jesus made Reconciliation for you!
“But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father”, (Abba is the same as “Daddy”, which is an intimate term). So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir. — Galations 4:4-7 (NIV)
God, in his love, in the greatness of his mercy, in the greatness of his grace initiated reconciliation with us. We have peace with Him — attained friendship, which wasn’t enough for Him. He wanted us to be family!
Adoption
Reconciliation is the legal act of the relationship.
Adoption is the personal act.
Benefits of Adoption
- Acceptance into a family
- Access to God the Father
- Acquire family benefits
- Authorized as heirs
- Attaining permanent security
Things to Think About
- The reconciled are ambassadors. — Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. — 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 (NIV)
Viral marketing used to, (and sometimes still does), approach a celebrity and ask them to try a product. Then the celebrity tells their followers and friends online and on social media all about the product and how good it is. These celebrities are “ambassadors”. That is what we, as God’s “ambassadors”, are supposed to do — tell others of our experience with Jesus Christ who saved us to reconcile us with God.
2. Our choices represent our family. — For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household. — Ephesians 2:18-19 (NIV)
3. Family can’t stop being family. — The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. — Romans 8:16 (NIV)
This is why communion is something we ALWAYS do as a family.