The second blessing is the blessing of adoption as sons.

                    We realize that we are set apart to be used by God for holy purposes and are blameless in his sight. 

                    The second blessing is the blessing of adoption as sons.

                    A few months ago, I described in a Sunday School Class the adoption practice and I would like to review that information here.  It is my hope that if we can see adoption as Paul saw it, we will appreciate in an even greater way the blessings we have in Jesus, and also find a point of reference to share with others who are seeking God.

                    Adoption would take place for several reasons.  The family might not have a male to act as priest.  Adoption might be used as a social or political maneuver.  A couple might adopt instead of raising biological children.  And some adoptions came to help the child.

                    On the other side, a family might adopt for the social or political benefit, but also to make money or perhaps to have money to pay for schooling, a girls dowry or other needs.

                    Adoption was a two-step process.  The child would be released from his natural family.  The adoptive family would assert their authority over the child.

                    Three people would be involved in this process:  the natural father, the adoptive father and an intermediary.

                The natural father sold his son to the intermediary three times (once if it was a daughter).  His rights were then considered broken. The adoptive father now laid claim to the child before the magistrate. If neither the father or intermediary objected, the child became part of the new family.  In the law, the adoptee was “born again.”

                The old life was gone and a new life had begun.  All rights in the old family were gone, all rights in the new family was his. 

                The son was an heir to his adopted father’s estate.  The adopted son was equal to all other sons.  Any debts the son owned in the old family were canceled.  He was truly a new man.

                Claudius, the emporer of Rome had a son named Britannicus.  Claudius adopted Nero as his son and then as his successor.  Nero killed Britannicus.  He then petitioned and received permission through special legislation to marry Octavia, his adopted sister, because the law considered them as brother and sister.

                We are adopted in God’s family.  Jesus is our intermediary who also paid the price for our adoption. 

                This is an upward move for us.  We are not born into God’s family, but we are adopted into it.  This is a move up.

                This is even a greater move for women.  For the legal status of son is given to both men and women.  All Christians have the title “his sons.”  Calling us simply “His children” does not do justice to the impact of what Paul is presenting to us.  We have in Christ the legal position of “son” in the heavenly places.

                John uses a different word than “son” in this passage.  He uses the word for “children.” 

                But this is the blessing.  The male sons receive inheritances, positions of prestige and really had all the benefits.  The women had little.

                But in Christ, men, women, boys and girls who are in Christ all receive the benefits that would be considered in Paul’s day to be for men only.   We are all ‘sons of God...” in the way Paul uses it.  As a technical legal term for the one who inherited the most, every Christian shares in this “sonship.”

                Why did God do this?  What did he see in you that made him want to adopt you into his family?

                In the Roman world, there was almost always a reason.  The adoption would bring two families closer together.  The adopted son might have been chosen because of his intellect or personality.  The Father might not have liked his own children.  Who would want to give their estate to kids who didn’t appreciate it!  So the new kid on the block might be there because of a defect in the person’s own children.

                What did God see in you that made him adopt you as his child?  Did he see a gift or talent that made you attractive?  Does he see hidden potential in you?  Does God adopt you because you can help make up for the deficiencies for his other children like me?

                Scripture is very clear on this.  The reason that you or I are adopted into God’s family is because he wanted to do it.  The verse tells us that “He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ in accordance with his pleasure and will…” What does it mean, “His pleasure and will”?  It means, “because he wanted to.”

                In other words, God decided to be nice to those who are in Christ.  It has nothing to do with us.  We are not worthy or better than anyone else or more gifted.  God just decided to be good to us and bring those who trust in Christ into His family.

                Do we deserve it?  No!  Do we appreciate it?  That is the real question.

                Paul starts this section with the words  “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” Ephesians 1:3, NIV.

                Now we find this same idea given here.  If God has made us holy and blameless, if God has adopted us into his family because he wanted to and not because we are deserving, the natural response would be to praise Him for the privilege of being His child.

                We should embrace the blessing and praise God.  Somewhere deep inside us, God wants us to be saying to ourselves, “It is a privilege that God has adopted me into His family!”

                Second, others will see our joy and praise God.  The angels in heaven are looking at what happens.  They are full of joy every time a sinner repents.  They cannot get over how good God is to people who don’t deserve his goodness and grace. 

                Don’t be ungrateful.  You are in the family because of Christ.  You are in the family because God said, “Anyone in Christ is adopted into my family.”  He didn’t have to give us this blessing, but he did.

                And he wants us to know it and embrace it.

                This week you will meet some people, and there may be people in the church this morning who will identify with what I am about ready to say.

                They don’t think that God cares much about them.  They don’t feel worthy to even come to God because they have messed up their lives.  They don’t sense that they are in God’s family because there is nothing in their life that God would want.

                Surrounding these people is a veil.  It covers their eyes and ears.  They see inside the veil, but they don’t see how things really are in the spiritual world.  Why?  Because this veil is blinding them to the truth.

                What is the truth?  That God sent Jesus with a message.  His message was, “Believe in me.  Trust me.  Turn and follow me.”  When we confess with our mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead…” at that moment,  God plucks you out of the world and brings you into his family.  Things do have to change in our lives when this happens, but the change takes place when we come into the family.

                Some of us are like the patient who, when told he had cancer, said, “I need to get rid of my cancer before I visit the doctor again.”  No, when we recognize we have cancer that is when we go to the doctor for help.

                So many people feel they need to get their life right before they can come to God.  But God says, “No, trust in Jesus.  He died to forgive your sins, was buried and rose again the third day to give you life.  Come to Jesus and when you do, he will bring you into the family.  And in the family, we have water that will clean the dirt, food that will fill and satisfy, protection from the natural elements outside the home, and love that passes all understanding.