Adopted By God

Question 39: Adoption is the gracious act of God in which He makes us members of His family with all of the rights, privileges, and inheritance of being His child.

Romans 8:15-17

Lessons for Disciples – The Kingdom, Disciples, and the Little Children

Unlike the kingdoms of this world, the Kingdom of God does not give preference to the powerful or wealthy but is open to everyone who will receive it like a little child by recognizing their helplessness and great need that only Jesus can meet.

Mark 10:13-16

The Blessing of God

God calls His people, and especially leaders, to bless brothers and sisters in Christ, passing on the covenant blessings God has promised to His people

Numbers 6:22-27

God’s Heart for the Nations

The entire Bible reveals God’s heart for the nations to come to Him, and His people are called to love all nations and cultures and labor to take the Gospel to them.

Genesis 12:1-3

The Love of God

Our triune God serves because love is the foundational feature of His identity, and blessing flows when we receive His love and share it with others.

John 13: 1-17

Blessed to be a Blessing

It is the responsibility of each individual member of the body of Christ to exercise the grace and faith given them by God with sound judgment, for the benefit of the body, and in meaningful community with the people of God.

Romans 12:3-8 (ESV)

The Blessed Community of Prayer

God commands a blessing upon His people who live in unity through gathered worship and shared lives.

Psalm 133

Our Eternal Lord

Ezekiel was a priest who spoke God’s Word to God’s people who were exiles in Babylon, and he told of the Messiah as an eternal Lord Who will rule His people, bless His people and dwell with His people forever.

Ezekiel 37:24-28 (ESV)

Thriving In the Land of Our Exile

To thrive in our exile, we must labor to see others experience shalom, remember that our God is the Living, Eternal God, that the kingdoms of this world pass away but that God’s Kingdom endures forever, and that God rescues and saves His people into His kingdom.

Daniel 6:25-28

Purity in an Impure Age

The world is constantly working to press us into its mold. Jesus promises the blessing of seeing God if, in humility, we allow Him to purify our hearts through single-mindedly focusing on Him.

Matthew 5:8 ESV

The Way – Walking By the Spirit

The Spirit enables us to walk in the way of righteousness, enabling us to overcome the flesh in a way the law never could, so that we can become more like Christ.

Galatians 5:16-26

The Way – Meditating on God’s Instruction

Those who walk the way of Jesus Christ embrace God’s Instruction, meditating on His Word day and night so they understand and obey it, knowing this is for their own good.

Psalm 1

Authentic Blessing

God gives the blessing of grace, mercy, and peace to His people, the Church, through Jesus Christ.

2 John 1:1-3

Blessed to be a Blessing

All Christians are blessed by God to be a blessing to others.

Luke 5:1-11

The Beautiful Community – Mission

The Church is the beautiful community of those blessed by the Trinity and sent forth to spread the blessing of God throughout the earth.

John 20:21–23

Embracing The Covenant Promise By Faith

God’s Covenant is given in order to confirm His promises so that we might embrace them by faith.

Genesis 15

The Covenant of Promise

God promised to bless Abram and his seed abundantly, and He called Abram and His seed to be a blessing to the whole world.

Genesis 12:1-7

Sit – Our Position in Christ

Every Christian is seated with Christ in heaven at God’s right hand and this reality is the basis and power for the whole Christian life.

Ephesians 1:15-23; 2:4-7 (ESV)

Watching Your Words

Words have powerful consequences for individuals and the whole community, so the wise person controls their tongue.

Proverbs 12:18

The Blessing

God calls leaders to bless those under their care, passing on the covenant blessings God has promised to His people.

Numbers 6:22-27

Jubilee

Jubilee was a year of freedom of sins forgiven, slaves set free, and restoration of inheritance, and it finds its fulfillment in Jesus.

Leviticus 25:8-12

The Question of Hypocrisy

Every human sins and fails to live up to God’s righteous standards, but the Gospel offers forgiveness to those who confront this fact and openly confess and repent of sin.

Matthew 23:1-13