(Its about time I posted. And this is long. But I think you will like it.

)
I love how kids are unafraid to
ask the simplest questions of life that adults are sometimes too proud or too smart to
ask. In the !"! (!hildrens "quipping !enter)# as I was tea$hing a $lass on the Apostoli$
prayers in the %ew &estament# a seven'year'old boy named (pen$er raised his hand and
asked the question# )h# why do we pray* I sought to answer that question in the $lass
this +riday morning. I started by drawing a simple diagram on the board.
,ere is reality a$$ording to the Bible (see diagram I put together based off a diagram
from my friend# -ohn ,arrigan).
Be$ause the !hur$h (those people $ir$led in the diagram. sealed with ,oly (pirit# or
,( /"ph. 0.01'02# 3 !or. 0.334# and $hosen to inherit the 5ingdom /6t. 37.12# 0 !or.
8.9'00# :al. 7.30# -ames 3.7# ;ev. 30.<4) lives in this present evil age# saved in hope
for the 6essiani$ age (:al. 0.1'7# &itus 3.03'01# ;om. =.32'37)# as wheat among the
tares (6t. 01.18'21# 0 >et. 3.03ff)# it $ondu$ts itself as a so?ourning nation (0 >et. 3.9'
03)# waiting# praying for# and preparing for the $oming of the 6essiah and ,is 5ingdom
(6t. 8.0@# Auke 0=.0'=# 0 >et. 0.01# 0 !or. 0.<# >hil. 1.3@'30# 0 &hess. 0.9'0@# &itus
3.01# -ames 7.<'0@# -ude 3@'30# ;ev. 09.<). &he tool that keeps us in this posture of
repentant faith# so that we may inherit the promises of the age to $ome (,eb. 0@.18'00.8)#
is the power# or gra$e# of :od. As 0 >et. 0.2'7 says# to obtain an inheritance which is
imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you who are
protected by the power (grace) of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed
in the last time.
&he gra$e of :od through the ,oly (pirit is given to the !hur$h to strengthen us not only
in our so?ourning# but also in our witness (A$ts 0.=) of :ods absolute sovereignty over
the ,eavens and the "arth. ,is absolute sovereignty is eBpressed presently in amnesti$
patien$e toward the wi$ked (Auke 8.17'18# ;om. 3.2ff) and subsequently in re$ompense
when the Cay of the Aord is eBe$uted at the hands of the 6essiah (6t. 08.3<# ;om. 3.2ff#
3 &hess. 0.2'0@# ;ev. 33.03). &he ,oly (pirit is given as a gift (A$ts 0.2) and a
helper (-n. 02.08)# that the !hur$h might remain faithful and perseverant in her $alling.
I then gave two mental pi$tures of our relationship to the Aord a$$ording to the Bible.
0. A Betrothed Bride
for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to hrist I might present
you as a pure virgin !" or. ##$"
As I was tea$hing the kids the basi$ $ontours of this age and the age to $ome and how we
need the power of :od to prepare us for that Cay# the pi$ture of an engagement ring $ame
to mind. Ive seen three of my sisters get engaged and then married. Dat$hing the daily
emotions and preparations that go into that transition is truly eB$iting. +or a betrothed
bride# or fian$Ee# her role is simply to keep herself in love (see -ude 30). &he ring says
its going to happen# but she ?ust has to wait and get ready. Dhat a tragedy it would be
for a bride to get to her wedding day ill'a$quainted with and indifferent to her groom as
everyone realiFes that she had spent her whole engagement period flirting with other
men# totally un$on$erned with this most important day of her life. As a betrothed bride#
we should get up everyday# look at our finger# and $on$ern ourselves with the most
important day of our lives. &he ,oly (pirit is our pledge (3 !or. 0.33# "ph. 0.02)# our
ring# so to speak# who daily reminds us of our Bridegrooms faithfulness as ,e pours
out ,is love within our hearts (;om. 7.7'00)# glorifying -esus by reminding us of ,is
words (-n. 02.38# 08.01'02)# so that on that day# ,is bride has made herself ready (;ev.
09.<). &he metaphor of bride is $hosen in ;ev. 33.0< to des$ribe the (pirits
preparative work in produ$ing longing love for the Bridegroom in the !hur$hG&he
(pirit and the Bride say H!ome . In this engagement period# when the Bridegroom is
taken away (6t. 9.07)# perseverant longing is required (6aranatha of 0 !or. 08.33'
31). If we dont order our life in this way# everything# even legitimate things# will $hoke
out the remembran$e of the words of our Beloved (his love letters) and distra$t us from
the simpli$ity of devotion to ,im (6t. 01.0='31# 3 !or. 00.3'1).
3. A >la$ed Irphan
%ou have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out,
&bba' (ather' )he *pirit +imself testifies with our spirit that we are
children of God having the first fruits of the *pirit, even we ourselves
groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the
redemption of our body. (or in hope we have been saved !,om. -$#.!
"/
A$$ording to ;omans =.31# we wait for our adoption# the redemption (or resurre$tion)
of our bodies. &hough the Bible emphati$ally de$lares# Beloved# %ID we are $hildren
of :od (0 -n. 1.0'3) and the (pirit testifies to this (;om. =.08)# there seems to be at
times an ambiguous distin$tion between our present $alling and its future realiFation.
Aike the pi$ture of an engagement unto a wedding# there is a pro$ess in adoption. I gave
this analogy to the kids to help solidify the often'etherealiFed fun$tion of the (pirit of
Adoption. 6y sister and brother'in'law# ;a$hel and 6ar$us 6eier# are in the pro$ess
adopting eight'year'old twin girls from "thiopia. In 6ar$h 10st# the girls will legally be
theirs. &hey would have had to fly out to "thiopia to do that legal transa$tion# but
thankfully they dont have to anymore (;egardless# what a pi$ture that is of the +irst
!oming of -esusJ Im getting ahead of myselfK). "ven though they will legally have the
girls on the 10st# they wont be able to fly over to "thiopia ((e$ond !oming in the
$loudsJ) to get the girls and a$tually have them for another four to siB weeks be$ause of
legal pro$essing. (o# there is this period of waiting and preparing (alreadyLnot yet).
+or a moment# imagine the eB$itement of these two girls. &hey are getting adoptedJ &hey
found out someone wants them# and they have a new family. &hey may be thinking
things like# Dow# they are Ameri$ans# so I will be$ome an Ameri$an. I want to live like
an Ameri$an now. I wonder what my new parents like to do# what food they like to eat#
what their house looks like. Dhat will my bedroom look like* %ow imagine this. upon
6ar$us and ;a$hels first visit for the legal transfer# they give these twins a telephone so
that the girls $an talk to them during the waiting period. &he girls are tired of the
loneliness of orphanhood. &hey want to live in the family now. &hey like their new
parents and they want to talk to their new family everyday.
6ar$us and ;a$hel then $all the girls on the phone and tell them# De are so eB$ited to
wel$ome you into our homeJ De have your room ready. Mou are going to have a sweet
bunk bed. De painted it for you. Dere going to give you this and this and thisK &he
girls eBpress their gratitude and even $all ;a$hel 6om and 6ar$us Cad. &hen they
ask questions about the family. 6ar$us replies# Dell# Isaiah# Nion# ;ees# ,udson# they
are all so eB$ited too. %ow# in our home# the family loves ea$h other and shares with ea$h
other. Aove and sharing in the home is something thats rewarded. Mou $an get ready by
pra$ti$ing sharing with ea$h other# be$ause those are the laws of this home. I know you
may not be rewarded for those things in the "thiopian orphanage# but you will here. Mou
$an get ready now so that it will be a smooth transition and entran$e into our home. And
if you show long'suffering love towards one another now# we will give you spe$ial
privileges in the home# ?ust like Isaiah has. &he girls resolve to share with ea$h other
right there on the phone and then end the $onversation asking their new parents to $ome
to "thiopia soon. &hey repeat the $onversation ea$h day as anBious eBpe$tation grows for
their new home and new family.
A$$ording to ;omans =.01'37# &he ,oly (pirit (of Adoption) presently works four
things in us. ,e.
0. Irders our life to imitate our new +atherO we are now under obligation to live
a$$ording to ,im /vs. 014 and follow ,is lead /vs. 024.
3. &estifies with our spirits to the a$$eptan$e of our new +ather by $rying out# AbbaJ
+atherJ /vs. 07'084 ,e pours out the love of the :od in our hearts# testifying to the
present pea$e and re$on$iliation we have with the +ather /7.0'004.
1. &estifies to the impli$ations of our sonship# the future glory of being revealed as a $o'
heir with !hrist on a restored earth /vs. 0<'334.
2. >rodu$es a groaning longing for that day of our adoption /vs. 31'374# when we get to
be with ,im# see ,im# and freely re$eive all the things /looking to vs. 134 ,es prepared
for us in our new home# that is# the restored home of the earth /see $limaB of ;ev. 30.0'
<4.
Aike the imagery of a telephone# the ,oly (pirit is dialogi$al. ,e is a person. As ,e
fellowships with me and I talk to ,im in prayer and worship# I re$eive gra$e and strength
in my inner man ("ph. 1.08) to persevere in the present age unto the day of my adoption
and wedding. &he gra$e that is imparted through the ,oly (pirit ((pirit of gra$e ,eb.
0@.39) is what preserves me unto the Cay of !hrist (0 !or. 0.1'9). &herefore# talking with
,im and re$eiving gra$e from ,im is my primary fun$tion in this age. &his is why I pray.