Beyond Sunday
Welcome to Beyond Sunday, the Podcast that takes you deeper into the Word of God throughout your week, with your Hosts Pastors' Lee and Jim.
It's Time to Inspire, Uplift, and dig deeper. Beyond Sunday starts now!
Beyond Sunday
Heirs with Christ: Understanding Our Place in God's Family
What does it really mean to be adopted into God's family? Far more than a mere religious status, adoption transforms our very identity and reshapes our relationship with the Creator of the universe.
Diving deep into Romans 8:14-17, Pastors Jim and Lee explore the radical concept of spiritual adoption. Unlike human adoption processes where worthiness is often measured, God's adoption policy is astonishingly inclusive. He doesn't scrutinize our past failures or ongoing struggles before welcoming us into His family. This profound truth shatters the misconception that we must earn our place in God's household.
The discussion takes a fascinating turn when examining the historical context of Roman adoption practices. Unlike today, Romans often adopted older boys or even adult men who demonstrated worthiness to inherit their estates. Most remarkably, while Roman fathers could disown biological children, adoptions were irreversible – once someone received the family name, they kept it for life. This historical backdrop illuminates God's commitment to us as His adopted children.
But adoption isn't merely about gaining a new family name. As adopted children, we become heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ Himself! This inheritance includes eternal life, glory, and the fulfillment of all God's promises. Yet Paul balances this glorious promise with a sobering reality – sharing in Christ's inheritance means also sharing in His sufferings. Following Jesus isn't a path to a pain-free life, but a journey toward ultimate glory.
Through intimate language like "Abba, Father" – comparable to a child calling "Daddy" – we glimpse the deeply personal relationship God desires with each of us. This isn't a distant, formal arrangement but a close, nurturing bond where we find our true identity and purpose.
Ready to discover what it truly means to be a child of God? Listen now and experience the transformative power of understanding your place in God's family.
Welcome to Beyond Sunday, the podcast that takes you deeper into the Word of God throughout your week with your hosts, pastors Lee and Jim. It's time to inspire, uplift and dig deeper. Beyond Sunday starts now. Hey, good morning everybody. It is Pastor Jim here with Pastor Lee and, as always, we are here to bring the word from the Beyond Sunday podcast. I'm so glad that you're here with us today and that you continue to be. For those who have been listening to us from the beginning, we thank you.
Speaker 1:We're going to be digging into a passage today that I'm pretty pumped about. Last week, we alluded to it when we talked about the adoption being adopted and grafted into the family of God, and so, really, what today is going to be is this idea of hope, and we're going to find some identity in the text. We're going to be reading from Romans, chapter 8, 14 through 17, and I'm telling you, this thing is going to feel like a hug from God Himself. So I'm excited about reading the Scripture, I'm excited about sharing some thoughts and unpacking what it means to me, what it means to Pastor Lee and what it means to all of the listeners here today. So, pastor Lee, are you ready?
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. Hello, everybody, we're going to be coming, as Pastor Jim referenced from Romans, chapter 8, verses 14 through 17. Grab your Bibles, get them, open to the text and here we go. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God, for you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry Abba, father. The Spirit himself bears witness, with our spirit, that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs. Heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
Speaker 1:I love this passage and you want to talk about some rich text. This thing is almost too overwhelming for me. Paul is laying out this incredible truth about who we are as believers, and it all starts in the very beginning of this text with led by the Spirit. You see, that's important and we can't just get past that, because that is the mark of being a child of God. It's not about following a checklist, it's not about earning your way, while following a checklist, if you will, is important. Obviously, there's things that the Bible is going to teach us as Christians how we should act. That's not the mark of being a child of God. It's about the Holy Spirit guiding us, shaping us and moving us closer to God's heart. It's about seeking God's face in every moment of our day and when we're being led by the Spirit. We're not just a servant, we're a follower, we're sons or we're daughters, and that's huge. And what really, really grabs me here is that there's this shift Paul talks about. He says we didn't get a spirit of slavery that drags us back into fear. Think about that. Before Christ, we were stuck, we were slaves to sin. We were taught to fear and we did fear. We were trying to measure up. But now we've been grafted or we've got the spirit of adoption and that's huge. It's not just being let into the family, it's being chosen by God, it's being wanted by God, it's being brought in to God's own and because of that we can cry out as the Scripture says out.
Speaker 1:As the scripture says Abba, father. And that word Abba is so intimate and I believe the truth is this. I've heard this said before and I'm going to say it here on the podcast, but I want you to hear my heart. I wouldn't go around calling God Daddy because I believe that's not reverent and I always want to reverent and honor and be respectful to my Father. Not reverent, and I always want to reverent and honor and be respectful to my Father. But I want you to understand that this word Abba is so intimate that it would be like a child calling to their daddy. It's that intimate of a word and what I want to teach is that it's personal, which means God is close to us and we are close to God, and when we get to that place, we understand that we are safe in the adopted family of God.
Speaker 2:Amen, pastor Jim, you know this whole topic of adoption. It struck a chord within me. It reminded me of a book that I read last year. Within the book it was a true story of a man and his wife and they wanted to adopt a child. Again, this is a true story that I'm about to share.
Speaker 2:The man and his wife. They contact an adoption agency and they had to go through the process of adoption and a bunch of numerous meetings, phone calls, paperwork to fill out. And one thing they had to do in the very beginning of this adoption process, pastor Jim, was they had to fill out a questionnaire form. And in this questionnaire form they had to let the agency know were they willing to adopt children with disabilities or did they just want to adopt a child that did not have any disabilities? And if they were willing to adopt a child with a disability, then there was another drop-down box that they had to go through. How far were they willing to go with a child with disabilities? Would they be willing to adopt a child that could not feed or take care of himself? Or even, as they grew older, situations could get worse within the home?
Speaker 2:The man said the husband said that while filling out the form, it hit him how many of these children would be denied because of their physical or even their mental situations? And then he said this. He said I'm so thankful that God does not look at me, or you like, that God does not say I will not accept you into my family, I will not adopt you into my family because you have XYZ going against you in your life right now. I'm not going to accept you because you struggle with porn. I'm not going to accept you because you're an alcoholic. I'm not going to accept you because you don't treat your children or your spouse right.
Speaker 2:That's not what God does. Okay, god does not say I'm not going to accept you because you have fallen to adultery or idolatry at one point in your life, so we're not going to go there. I'm not going to accept you into the family. No, that's not what God says. God loves each of us and is willing to accept us, just like in that adoption process that that man was sharing the experience that he and his wife had. He's willing to accept us in the adoption process of being born again and becoming, just like his only begotten son, jesus Christ, regardless of our past.
Speaker 1:Man. And doesn't that speak to, as Christians, how we are supposed to look at one another and to the lost through the lens of God? That way we're not judgy, and that way we're not looking at somebody who can't take care of themselves and turning a nose up to them. We're being accepting, we're being loving, and all of that comes from the fruit of the Spirit. Right, that's what we're called to be as Christians. And so if we move along into the text here, paul's going to begin to talk a little bit about bearing witness and that, because we're children of God, that makes us heirs to the things of God. And right, so he says In Galatians 4, 6, paul writes because you are sons, god has sent a spirit of his son into our hearts, crying Abba, father. So he's repeating what he said here in Romans. But then watch this he says you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. So it's the same vibe as in Romans, but he's adding on here and he's going to talk a little bit about being an heir through God. He's not keeping us at arm's length. This is the idea of him pulling us completely into his family, giving us his Spirit. He's made us family through this adoption process. And I don't know about you, but that melts me. To just think about that, I can call the creator of the universe, abba, father, and he hears me and to me when I think about that. That's just this next level of love. And so a lot of times I think we can look at stepchildren or we can look at the adopted children into a family and wonder are they as loved as the authentic real deal? And I think that that clears it up pretty well right here that, in speaking of spiritual terms in the heavenly spaces, god is not treating us as stepchildren, god is not treating us as adopted. He is fully committed to bringing us into His family. And again, that's next level love.
Speaker 1:And now Paul is going to take it even further when he talks about where he says the Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit, that we are God's children.
Speaker 1:So it's like this Holy Spirit, or it's like the Holy Spirit is whispering to our hearts hey, you belong, you are His.
Speaker 1:And that's not just this feeling of I'm at arm's length with God, no, it's a deep assurance, the Holy Spirit constantly whispering to us that you belong here, you are in the family of God and if we are children and we are heirs, we're heirs of God, right Fellow heirs with Christ, which means we're going to inherit what Jesus inherits eternal life, glory, the fullness of God's promise. And I can't, even in my simple mind right now, wrap my head around what all of that means, because I deserve none of it, right? I'm just down here trying to scrape by and all of a sudden I'm reading the Word and I'm being taught because I'm choosing Christ and not because of anything that. I'm just down here trying to scrape by and all of a sudden I'm reading the Word and I'm being taught because I'm choosing Christ and not because of anything that I'm doing. His Holy Spirit drew me here who, through His work on the cross, I'm being taught. I'm co-heirs with the King of Kings, that's so good?
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, because we're adopted into the family of God. As you mentioned, the text says we have now become heirs. If I were to adopt a child into the family of God as you mentioned, the text says we have now become heirs If I were to adopt a child into my family, that child, I would like to say, would be given just as much inheritance as my other two children. Yes, simply because I would raise all three the same. They would be loved the same, they would be taught the same belief that we believe here in our home. They would be disciplined the same. Therefore, each of them, when I passed away, would receive the exact same amount of inheritance as the other one did. So let me just say this your past does not disqualify you from entering into the family of God right now, today. Actually, our past proves to us just how badly we need God in our lives, amen. And so, as you just made reference to, the 17th verse of Romans, chapter 8 says not only are we heirs of God, we are fellow heirs with Jesus Christ. I mean, how cool is that that we get to experience glory, we receive the blessings of God, we get the promises of God because we have trusted God and have relationship with Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. 2 Corinthians 1.20 says for all the promises of God find their yes in Christ. So while we live this life on this earth, we cannot focus on just the inheritance. And so I want to throw that little piece out there, because we are talking about being heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.
Speaker 2:While we're down here on this earth, we cannot just focus on the inheritance, and I want to kind of give an example of why we shouldn't.
Speaker 2:I've seen people in real life situations. They get lazy because they know mom and dad are going to leave them a pile of money or they're going to hand over a successful business, and therefore that particular person chooses to go through life not working hard because they knew everything was going to be handed over to them, it's going to be handed down to them. So they end up lacking real solid work ethic and as Christians, let me just say this it's okay to think about what's to come, no doubt about that. Like I rejoice in what's coming, I rejoice in my inheritance in heaven. It's okay to think about those things. But what we cannot do is so focus on what's coming, that we do not pay attention to what's happening right here during this race, that we're running for Christ right here and, yes, one day we will fully walk into the inheritance that God has promised us. But we'll get that, pastor Jim, when we cross the finish line.
Speaker 1:And Paul is going to continue on here and he's not going to sugar coat anything. He may tell us that, hey, we're heirs with Jesus Christ and we're going to inherit the same things as him. But what he says next is a really tough pill to swallow. If you think that you're just going to walk through life waiting for the inheritance, right, because he's going to tie all of that to suffering, right. Saying that we're heirs, then saying, provided that we suffer with him so that we can be glorified with him, that's real talk, right.
Speaker 1:Following Jesus' plan or following Jesus' footstep doesn't mean a pain-free life. It means sharing in his sufferings, facing his trials, facing his rejection, right, or struggles because of our faith. But the promise is that the suffering is not the end, it is the path to the glory. And that makes me think of 2 Corinthians 4.17,. Paul says it like this for this light, momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. So what he's saying is whatever we face now is temporary, but it is leading to something much bigger. But we have to remember that we are going to share in the suffering of Christ, as Paul just taught.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there was a time in my life. Well, let me just set it up by saying this Right now, in 2025, May 13th, in 2025, May 13th, this is the day we're recording this podcast.
Speaker 1:I am not a runner.
Speaker 2:You know, I just thought about that, as you mentioned having to suffer, and I would like to encourage the listeners because there was a time in my life when I was running. I was running every day. We even went on vacation and every day of the vacation I went out and I ran. It took a while to get my body into the position, into the place where I actually enjoyed running.
Speaker 2:And I think sometimes, as Christians, we begin to run this race and we don't understand that we're going to have to endure some hardship. We're going to have to endure some hardship, we're going to have to endure some pain. But, just like physically, the more we run, the easier running becomes and we get into what you and I talked about, I believe, just yesterday, that runner's high, as the more we run, the more runner will receive what they call a runner's high and they want more of it, just can't get enough of it and they're in stride and they're just going and they're really enjoying running the race. I think, as Christians, the farther we run and the closer we walk in relationship with Jesus. Even what we have to endure, even what we have to suffer, it's almost like that weight, that burden, isn't what it would have been when we first started running the race. Does that make sense what I'm saying?
Speaker 1:Yeah, and the Bible teaches us it's for those who endure to the end, and I think a lot of people look at that and, you know, have this concept of well, once I'm saved, that's it. But he goes on to say for those who endure to the end. And so, as I'm reading this passage, it really has began to redefine my identity. Because the truth is is I'm not defined by my mistakes, I'm not defined by my fears or what the world says about me. I am a child of God. I'm adopted, I'm loved, I'm secure, and that truly should change. Everyone who understands that. That should change. And it does change how I live.
Speaker 1:If I'm being led by the Spirit, I got to ask am I listening to Him? Am I trusting Him enough to follow where he leads me, even if it's going to be hard? And when I'm struggling, do I remember I'm not a slave to fear anymore. I'm a son, I'm an heir right. My Father has me anymore. I'm a son, I'm an heir right, my father has me.
Speaker 1:And so this passage also makes me think about how I treat others. If we're all children of God through faith, then my brothers and sisters in Christ are my family. Do I love them like that, do I pray for them like that, do I support them like that, even if we don't see eye to eye right? And these are just some questions that I'm chewing on. Maybe you can chew on them if you're listening where you're at right now, but it really is an opportunity for self-reflection. I'd love to hear, pastor Lee, what really is stirring up in your mind as you read this text and how it hits you specifically. Because on me, you know, I think about when I read the Word. I always want to do a self-reflection and say, okay, lord, what can I learn from this, which we talked about on this podcast? Now, how can I apply it to my life and where am I missing it in my own life? I want to make sure that I'm doing the things that God is calling me to do, by learning and seeking His face in the Word.
Speaker 2:So that's a great point, like, for me, one thing that really hits down like they're truly brothers and sisters. It's so easy to just like use that title and just kind of sling it around, right, Because we see it in scripture Well, we're brothers and sisters in Christ, yes, but are we, are we looking like we are, or are we just looking like we're? You know, younger siblings that are just going around fighting over space in the bedroom. If we shared a bedroom growing up with a sibling, you know, like how quick do we, how quick do we just like get into verbal disagreements or even mental fights, right, we don't even let somebody else know we got bad feelings about them, but but we're really hating on them or hating on something that that they're doing Right, and so it occupies this real estate in our, in our headspace that it never should be, it never should be there. Rather than, rather than having these feelings of contention, it should be feelings of forgiveness and love, you know. So are we really treating one another like true brothers and sisters, or are we treating one another like a stepbrother, stepsister? We should be so close that that word step is non-existent. You know we are truly brothers and sisters, and to just kind of give a little history lesson to our listeners.
Speaker 2:As I studied this topic, pastor Jim, in the Roman world back then adoption was common practice and when I studied this thing, man, it just like really flipped my lid. It was really good, the husband he would just like today. He would leave the wealth to his children. But what was different was he would leave the wealth specifically to the sons, so not the daughters, just the sons.
Speaker 2:And if that man did not have any sons, or and this is what's really interesting if he did not have any sons or if he felt that his sons were incapable or unworthy of managing his wealth, that man was then able to adopt someone who he thought would make a worthy son. What's really interesting is that older boys and adult men were normally adopted because he had to know that these people were worthy to handle his wealth and what he was leaving behind. So if this man was close to passing and he said you know what? My boys aren't going to handle the money right, they haven't earned it he would go find boys old enough that he already seen their character, or he would find men old enough to where he knew how they would handle the wealth. And he could also find and adopt a man older than he was. Now think about that. He could adopt into his lineage a man that was older than him, give him his name simply because he could trust this man to receive his inheritance. Now, this sounds crazy, but a father could actually disown his natural-born son. All right, but here's the amazing piece An adoption was irreversible.
Speaker 2:So once you got adopted, you could not take your name back from that person that you bought in. So, as Christians, our debts are canceled, we're given a new name, we're given all the rights that heirs of God possess co-heirs with Christ. And, unlike Roman adoption, christians are not adopted because God thinks they will make worthy heirs. God has chosen to adopt a people, right. God has chosen to adopt a people who are completely unworthy, which means God adopts not on merit, but he adopts on the basis of his grace. Wow.
Speaker 1:Wow, that is good man. That is a lesson for me. I did not know that.
Speaker 2:Isn't that good bro? I didn't either, until I studied it. It just flipped my lid, man, it just blew my mind it was such a blessing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and while you were talking about it, it actually made me think of something else. I'm also grateful that I'm an heir to God, who I know is faithful, and that the reward and treasure as spoken about in the Bible is good. Sometimes I go to my dad's house and, just to be funny, I'll walk around and look at all his stuff and he'll ask me what I'm doing, and I'll just remind him that I'm looking at all my things, your future and and uh, he'll say to me well, boy, I'm sorry, but I'm going to break it to you like this, all you're getting is my debt. And I think about that sometimes and I'm like that's okay, because I'm going to inherit glory, because I'm an heir to the King of Kings. I'm an heir to God and that is what it's truly, truly all about.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the thing that struck me was is that once a Roman adopted someone, they could never remove the name off of that individual. He carried that for the rest of his life. Yeah, and that's powerful. Once we come to jesus, there there's no devil, there's no demon strong enough that can undo the agreement, that can undo the agreement, that can undo the finished work that christ has done for us on the cross. And as long as we continue to live faithfully, as long as we continue to walk with the lord um, as long as we continue to believe in God and trust in Jesus and rely on the power of his Holy Spirit, there's nothing out there that can take from us the title that we are sons and daughters of God.
Speaker 1:Most High, amen. Father, we thank you that you have adopted us in Lord. We are so thankful that what you have set into motion can nobody else take away. Amen, no one can take away what, father, you have promised and purposed us for, and we are grateful for that. Lord, we just are also grateful for your Word. We're grateful for opportunity to share it with one another, we're grateful for an opportunity to grow and learn and, god, I ask that your Holy Spirit would just help us to apply this word to our hearts today and to our lives, lord, and as we go out throughout our day, we remember what we have in Jesus and because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, as adopted family members into your kingdom. We love you and we praise you in Jesus' name. Everybody said amen. Well, I want to thank you guys for hanging out with us today, as always. We will be back next week, lord willing. We'll see you there or in the air, god bless.
