Pray Like You Have a Father (2)

Look at Romans 8:15 and, first of all, notice the “yous.”

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15)

Who is Paul talking to? Christians. What is a Christian? A Christian is someone who knows, sees and believes. A Christian is someone who knows the story, sees in Jesus what He claimed to be, and believes in Jesus in light of the story he knows and what he sees in Jesus.

What story does the Christian know? The story that the Christian knows is that Jesus, the Son of God, lived and died on a cross and rose again from the dead.

What claims of Jesus does the Christian see to be true? Jesus claimed to be God in the flesh and the way (to acceptance with God) and the truth (His word is final authority on reality) and the LIFE (source of true help and happiness). A Christian sees these things in Jesus.

How does a Christian believe in Jesus? He turns and trusts and obeys. He turns from sin. Sin includes idolatry (looking to created things for help and happiness instead of God), self-righteousness (the pride of depending on my own good works instead of God’s grace and mercy) and self-determination (trusting human reasoning and doing what I want to do instead of trusting God’s Word and living to do God’s will). He trusts in Jesus as the way (of acceptance with God), the truth (His Word as the final authority on reality) and the LIFE (as God, our true help and happiness). And relying on Jesus for acceptance and trusting God’s promises of help and happiness, He lives to obey God’s Word (to love).

A Christian knows the story, sees in Jesus what He claimed to be and believes in Jesus so that he turns from sin, trusts in Jesus for righteousness and LIFE and obeys God’s Word as the habit and practical goal of His life. This is a Christian by God’s grace and for His glory. This is the “you” in this verse that Paul is talking to.

Is that you?

(This is an excerpt from the message on Sunday, Praying Like You Have a Father, that can be found at www.coastcommunitychurch.com/resources/sermon/WS-795)