Sons and Daughters by adoption crying Abba, Father. (Quality: Very good)

[0:00] the spirit of his son into your hearts crying Abba Father the sons and daughters of God have their names written in heaven from eternity and God knows who they are before they are born knows who they are when they are born but there is a time for such to be manifested that they are sons and daughters of the most high God by best adoption now the words of our text this evening and because ye are sons because ye are sons

[1:09] God looks down upon his children he looks down upon them and recognizes them as such even before they themselves are aware that God is their father how do they become sons from another aspect but when the fullness of time was come God sent forth his son made of a woman made under the law to redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons if we shall see then the stability of these first few words and because ye are sons in the father's eternal election we shall also see the establishment of this same blessed truth as they are redeemed by Jesus Christ from being under the law now everyone is born under the law and everyone is subject to the law it will be a blessing when it is manifested ye are not under the law but under grace therefore sin shall not have dominion over you and because ye are sons is because ye are redeemed from being under the law we look at it in relation to

[3:06] Christ's work of redemption have we ever connected it with blessed adoption the work of Christ in his redemption was to pay the penalty pay the price that the law demanded in order that those that were held by it might go free and going free they might become heirs of eternal salvation so then because ye are sons the result of Christ's life and Christ's death both of which were prevailing both of which were overcoming both of which produced all the needed satisfaction that was required in heaven to redeem those that were under the law from the law that means redeeming them from all the penalties of it and redeeming them from the condemnation of it redeeming them from all things that would have been instrumental in casting them into everlasting burnings but because the our sons is traceable to

[4:46] Christ's redemption now here is stability we may consider it is good that we should our relationship with God our relationship with the Father that we should be truly the children of God how blessed to consider this point that by reason of the redemption of Christ redeeming us from under the law and the power of the law we had an evidence which could never be destroyed or expunged an evidence of being children of God and because they are sons in due time these sons are manifested the two points to which we have referred may be said to be in the eternal secret of God nevertheless it is written the secret of the

[6:01] Lord is with them that fear him and he will show them his covenant we may bring this point forward and because you are sons he will show you his covenant this therefore may be considered to be the work of the spirit of God now it is the office of the spirit of God the holy spirit the eternal spirit to take of these hidden things of God and make them known they are knowable the word of God surely encourages us to believe that we may know whether we are sons of God whether we are elect vessels of mercy whether we are redeemed from under the law and this knowledge will be conveyed to us by the teaching of the spirit of

[7:13] God and you see the foundation that it now lays sons now if we look at it from shall we put it God's point of view there is no shadow of turning or question in his mind we read in the epistle of James concerning the father of lights with whom is no variableness neither shadow of turning and because of this that is immovable as well as unmovable in God we are able to read and because ye are sons and

[8:15] God will convey to us this truth because ye are sons may all perhaps this word may be brought powerfully to us sometimes as we go along in life's journey and certain things may happen to us and we may wonder why it will be a revelation if the Lord the spirit whispers in our ear because ye are sons if we should come under the chastisement of God it will be sufficient for us to hear these words because ye are sons and if we should find ourselves in deep affliction or in a painful situation our very faith will be restored and revived if we should hear these words because ye are sons so many evidences being given to us that we are sons and daughters of the most high

[9:31] God we are subjected to many fears and questionings it is for us if our faith is to be stabilized to look to the covenant when all is said and done our standing is in Christ the words attributed to Rutherford are beautiful I stand upon his merit I have no other stand and if that should be your confession it will be because ye are sons otherwise you will never confess wholly and solely that you stand upon his merit the merits of his life the merits of his death the merits of his intercession the merits of his sin atoning blood the merits of his very person

[10:53] I stand upon his merit and in standing there I feel the ground under me is firm and I shall not and cannot feel the ground firm anywhere else and if that is our concession it is because ye are sons because ye are chosen of God the father because he has set his love upon you eternal love a love which will never diminish love which will never change through the changing scenes of time our feelings fluctuate very much and sometimes because of it we well understand

[11:58] John Newton's words if I have not loved before help me to begin today and I have understood that John Newton was not a young man when he wrote those words love the Lord over many years and that he came to the point if he had made a mistake if he had been deceived if he had been loving with a natural love when he should have been loving with a spiritual love here's our point a point I long to know if I have not loved before help me to begin today because ye are sons there is an inquiry a right inquiry a spirit inspired inquiry that we might have that assurance that we are born again of the spirit the spirit of god will settle our mind in these things maybe by confirming us that he has loved us with an everlasting love or maybe by opening our eyes to understand these words to redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons we deduce from these words that whilst the person is under the law they cannot rightly expect to receive the adoption of sons this does not mean to say that they are not sons of

[13:59] God it does not mean to say that they are not in the covenant but they need to be free men and women before they can receive the knowledge of blessed adoption because your sons God has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts here we have the underlying distinction between the children of God truly and all that may profess to be such it is not for us to be judges of men it is not possible for us to judge the heart God look at the heart we can only judge by appearances nevertheless we can judge our own selves and no one can fault us on this point no one can quibble if we question our own selves as to our standing in

[15:22] Christ as to whether God hath sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts crying Abba Father Father now this brings us to consider closely the life of Jesus Christ how we should be continually examining the life of Jesus Christ I do not say that you should read the reports of the evangelists to the exclusion of other parts of the word of God but may it be that our own experience will again and again lead us to consider the life of Jesus Christ and in that life the spirit with which he was imbued you see it is the spirit that will honor

[16:34] God it is possible for people to engage in all sorts of things that are on the face of things right but the spirit is wrong and you say why is the spirit wrong how can we know if the spirit is right God has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts crying Abba father glory to God thanks be unto God even the father we look at the words of our Lord Jesus Jesus the very first recorded words that he spoke and these were they wist ye not that

[17:41] I must be about my father's business loving food and he was then twelve years of age but he was concerned about as well as devoted to his father's business it is not necessary for us to relate any age as men understand age in respect to our own spiritual experiences but maybe we can consider this point as to whether God hath sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts crying Abba Father by this escaping our lips in so many words when others gracious people may misunderstand us wist ye not that I must be about my father's business and his father's business directed him to and occupied him in listening to the lawyers and asking them questions and they were amazed at his understanding the spirit of his son we notice therefore that he was teachable is this not astonishing that the son of God should be so willing to humble himself to ask questions and to answer questions we find the spirit in man which would be which is sometimes much offended especially if we were asked questions and we might be ready to say why should I answer such a question well now here well now here is the spirit of his son made manifest he was willing to ask questions and he was willing to answer questions he had no need to do either because he was the eternal son of God all knowledge was in him but he humbled himself are we not called upon to humble ourselves and sometimes to ask questions and sometimes to answer questions if the Lord was not above it then should we be above it we may ask questions of God and we may listen to answers which God gives the words of God are clear and yet they are only understood by the revelation of God now this is a deep which needs to be clarified even this which respects adoption

[21:44] God has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts crying Abba Father shall we therefore ask questions of God and shall we be ready to listen to replies from God or shall we try and find out the truth with the dint and diligence diligence and limitations of our own intelligence now may I say at this point that it is all God's work all God's work I may perhaps just mention how I came to know this truth reading one evening as our normal reading

[22:46] I came across these words in the epistle of Peter where we read blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and I remember on that occasion having this raised up in my mind what does this mean blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ amen the next evening or the evening after reading again this time from Ephesians the first chapter the same words more or less were read blessed be the

[24:02] God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ now I would have to confess my ignorance that I did not understand the meaning of these things and by the Spirit of God an exercise unto prayer was given and a day or two after whilst in prayer at the footstool of mercy the Lord shone revealing the truth when these words came carefully upon me I ascend unto my Father and your Father unto my God and your God God and I knew what it was at that time to know the Spirit of adoption because he are sons

[25:11] God have sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts whereby a crying Abba Father the Spirit of his Son how wonderful that he should identify himself with the poor creatures of the earth speaking to Mary Magdalene wretched as she was and say and say to her go and tell my disciples what a messenger I ascend unto my Father and your Father unto my God and your God to have the

[26:11] Lord Jesus Christ in his humiliation as the Son of man is a wonderful revelation indeed his humility his willingness to come down to the level of poor sinners wretched and undone and to raise them up unto the same level I ascend unto my Father and your Father no difference same Father though Jesus Christ was the only begotten of the Father the others are sons by blessed adoption but it was the same Father and the Lord Jesus

[27:11] Christ who was in the bosom of the Father manifested himself to Mary Magdalene and gave her an instruction to go and tell his disciples who had all forsaken him who had all fled I ascend unto my Father and your Father unto my God and your God notice the spirit of his son now because ye are sons God hath sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts crying Abba father now the point arises as to whether that same spirit of

[28:17] Christ has been given and communicated to us so that we shall not lift ourselves above another rather shall we feel deeply humbled that the Lord Jesus Christ is not ashamed to call us brethren and furthermore that the same father is his and ours now the spirit of his son coming into the hearts of the children of God may be manifested in a well known incident in the life of Jesus Christ and that is when he was in the garden of Gethsemane and he said father if it be possible let this cup pass from me nevertheless not my will but thine be done we may expect certainly at some time in our lives to be called upon to drink bitter cups it is under some such circumstances sometimes that the spirit of his son is given to us and despite the ignominy and the shame and the scorn and the spitting we are willing to say father thy will be done how can we do this under these circumstances honestly and truly without the spirit of his son being conveyed into our hearts crying abba father there is much to be considered in the lord's words nevertheless not my will but thine be done it shows us jesus christ the eternal son of god the son of man in his humanity never lost sight of the holiness of god even his father his trust in him was implicit what can we say is our trust in our god the god and father of our lord jesus christ implicit so that we are able to say he cannot do but what is just and must be righteous still and how that is worked out in gethsemane's god he cannot do but what is just here we find his only begotten son agonizing in his soul backwards and forward thrice he ran as if to seek some help from man have we been demented sometimes going hither and thither maybe going to those that are close to us in spiritual things and to our utter dismay we find them sleeping instead of watching instead of praying what is said concerning the lord god he that keep it israel neither slumbers nor sleeps it was an agonizing time he sweat as it were great drops of blood falling to the ground he was submitting to his heavenly father's will having that full confidence that if it had been possible he would have removed his cup this cup from him because your sons god hath sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts here we see the seat of everything into your hearts the center of our feelings and our emotions that which reflects in our whole being not to be regarded as the deceitful heart which is desperately wicked the heart here indicating the center of our feeling and god has sent forth sent forth from himself we are reminded of the lord's words in the 14th chapter of john where he says if a man love me he will keep my words and my father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him he that loveth me not keep it not my sayings and the word which he hear is not mine but the father's which sent me these things have

[34:54] I spoken unto you being yet present with you and then he follows with this but the comforter which is the holy ghost whom the father will send in my name he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you sending forth the spirit of his son into your hearts one of the remarkable characteristics of our Lord Jesus Christ was his meekness as well as his lowliness meekness now this will identify us as to whether we are sons because ye are sons

[35:55] God has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts crying Abba Father now what is meekness there are those people that regard meekness as weakness but meekness is discoverable in the life of the Lord Jesus when he answered not a word but from your experience can you conceive what he did well was he not praying unto his father we remember in this connection that when the Lord Jesus answered not a word though he was the son of God he stood before these people as the son of man as a man a man whom they could twist round their finger as they thought a man to whom they could speak with all the dishonor that they could accumulate and not feel embarrassed or abashed and this man answered not a word but we have much evidence in the scripture that he was a man of constant prayer he did not have to wait until the mountains and the midnight air should witness the fervor of his prayers doubtless there were many times when jesus crying unto his father unto his god stood in the same place as nehemiah when he prayed unto the lord it was the spirit of his son the i that emanated from the human soul of our Lord Jesus Christ as he was a man depending upon God for everything though as the Son of God he depended upon God for nothing.

[38:51] Because ye are sons God hath sent forth the spirit of his Son into your hearts. Now what a mercy to have this evidence of being sons daughters of God by being granted meekness.

[39:13] Now perhaps you may be ready to say I don't think I know much about that. Nevertheless God works meekness.

[39:26] Do you fight your own battles? Do you wage your arguments with carnal weapons? Or do you engage in that which the meekness of Christ engaged in?

[39:46] Committing your cause unto God listening to what he has to say from his precious word vengeance is mine I will repay every arm was lifted against Jesus Christ.

[40:05] We may have many enemies but they don't compare with the enemies of Jesus Christ. Christ's friends. We have few friends but they don't compare with the fewness of Christ's friends.

[40:25] He had no friends surely though they would be shocked to hear such a speech when they all forsook him and fled he stood alone.

[40:39] How graphic are those words of the hymn when friends all depart and foes all unite.

[40:53] It was on such an occasion as that that we see the meekness of the Lord Jesus Christ crying unto his Father and saying if it be possible let this cup pass from me nevertheless not my will but thine be done.

[41:16] Now then we come to consider his lowliness. When you think of it he made himself of no reputation and if you read through Matthew, Mark, Luke and John you will find constantly he had no desire to make himself of any reputation.

[41:44] You may recall the occasion when they were determined to make him king but he can fade himself away. The reason my kingdom is not of this world else would my soldiers fight.

[42:03] lowliness willing to be obscure willing to condescend to men of low estate.

[42:18] Have we then the evidence of being sons of God because God has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts whereby you're willing to condescend to men of low estate.

[42:37] Do you find that comfortable company to be with those who are amongst the mourners in Zion?

[42:54] Amongst those that need to have beauty for ashes and the oil of joy for mourning and the spirit of praise for the garment of heaviness because you are sons.

[43:09] God hath sent forth the spirit of his son into your heart whereby it is not amongst the high and mighty but amongst the lowly those that mourn those that are poor those that are hungering and thirsting after righteousness those that are reviled those that are counted as the obscuring of the earth those that are considered to be nothing at all shall we associate ourselves with these those that are publicans and sinners that is wretched and undone people shall we descend to these people why not because they are low not because they are poor not because they are mourners but because they love the Lord Jesus Christ in verity and in truth because they are sons

[44:17] God hath sent forth the spirit of his son what's a testimony from God has God then and only you can judge it has God sent forth the spirit of his son into your heart the word of God tells us he that believeth hath the witness in himself and we're not left there because the spirit beareth witness with our hearts about what he beareth witness with our hearts that we are the children of God and in the presence of two or three witnesses says every word shall be established so if God has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts into our hearts it will be when we shall cry

[45:28] Abba Father now there was another occasion and that is the spirit of his son from time to time spoke forth praise and there was a time when Jesus rejoiced in spirit and he said I thank thee oh Father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes even so Father for so it seemed good in thy sight Abba Father viewing the perfection of the Father's pleasure and of the Father's will conveying his truth to babes babes that is those that are made to feel their dependence upon

[46:40] God need to be carried carried when they're young I will carry them in my bosom as lambs and when they're old even to all hairs will I carry you babes still freed from independence willing to be dependent upon one that is only too willing to carry because your sons God has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts crying Abba Father now this will not be an expression which is mechanically uttered these last two words Abba Father will be uttered

[47:42] I believe with real desire and real feeling and real pleasure viewing the excellency of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ now we should bear this point in mind that the glory of God is seen in the face of Jesus Christ and by prophecy Jesus Christ is referred to as the everlasting Father we go back to the testimony of the Lord himself when he said I and my father are one and again whoso hath seen me hath seen my father also thus is set before us the absolute unity existing in the

[48:45] Trinity in the Godhead now God hath sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts crying Abba Father the spirit of his son will be the spirit of worship worshipping God they that worship God must worship him in spirit and in truth what spirit can this be but the spirit he had declared the spirit of his son for he is the spirit of life he is also the spirit of truth when we read these words of our text surely we must consider that which is alive and that which is lively because you are sons that is living sons blessed with eternal life

[49:46] God has sent forth the spirit that is the spirit of life of his son who is life who has eternal life abiding in him and communicates it to every one of his adopted sons there is a crying Abba Father now have we worshipped God the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and yet at the same time have felt a sweet persuasion that this is our Father many use the words of what we call the Lord's prayer without much thought this will not prevent the children of God because ye are sons saying with feeling and desire our

[50:50] Father which art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debt as we forgive our debtors and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory can we not be assured that when the Lord Jesus taught his disciples the prey he taught them in words what was truly the essence of the spirit of his son in respect to true prayer and all those things that were uttered in that well known composition are all in connection with the glory of

[51:53] God we shall be well satisfied we shall be richly blessed if God answers what is commonly known as the Lord's prayer prayer this we shall look to this we shall desire not only sometimes to pray but also to look for the answer and all because ye are sons and God hath sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts crying Abba Father Amen