9/20/2026 - Adoption - The Gospel of Jesus Christ - EveryCity Church

Sep 21, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When Doubt Meets the Wounds of Grace

Thomas stood face-to-face with resurrection life yet demanded proof. Jesus didn’t dismiss his skepticism but invited him to touch the scars that secured salvation. This moment reveals a God who meets doubt not with shame but with tangible evidence of His love. Faith isn’t blind—it rests on the historical reality of Christ’s sacrifice and the Spirit’s witness. Even when questions linger, grace anchors us in the wounds that bought our freedom. [00:58]

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:27-28, ESV)

Reflection: What doubt or struggle have you hesitated to bring to Jesus? How might His scars remind you He welcomes even your hardest questions?

Day 2: Chosen from the Orphanage of Darkness

Adoption begins in a spiritual orphanage—a place of rebellion, striving, and empty promises. The Father didn’t wait for good behavior to rescue us; He sent His Son into the mess to redeem those who couldn’t earn love. Like children unaware of their starvation, we once settled for lesser gods. But grace interrupts, not because we deserved it, but because He declared, “I want you.” [19:03]

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. (Galatians 4:4-5, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you still act like an orphan—striving to prove your worth or hiding in shame? How does being chosen redefine your identity?

Day 3: Predestined for the Father’s Table

Adoption isn’t an afterthought. Before time, the Father inscribed our names in His family ledger, not because we stood out, but because He delighted to share His inheritance. Like Israel, we’re grafted in by divine choice, not human merit. This truth humbles pride and silences fear: if He predestined us, no enemy can revoke our seat at His table. [25:50]

He predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will. (Ephesians 1:5, ESV)

Reflection: How does knowing God chose you before you could “perform” for Him shift your view of His love? What burdens does this lift?

Day 4: The Spirit’s Cry: “Abba, Father!”

Adoption changes our vocabulary. The Spirit within us gasps “Abba”—not a stiff “Father” but a child’s intimate cry. This isn’t earned reverence; it’s the birthright of those who’ve been brought home. Every prayer, every ache, every whispered need now carries the DNA of heaven. The orphanage’s echoes fade as we learn to speak the language of belonging. [44:19]

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. (Romans 8:15-16, ESV)

Reflection: When has fear silenced your voice as God’s child? How might you practice crying “Abba” in your current struggle?

Day 5: Killing Orphan Habits with Resurrection Power

Adoption isn’t a title—it’s a war. The Spirit empowers us to starve old orphan patterns: self-reliance, people-pleasing, shame. Sanctification isn’t self-improvement; it’s the Spirit applying Christ’s victory to our daily battles. Each act of repentance is a declaration: “I’m no longer who I was. My Father’s breath is in my lungs.” [43:54]

For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. (Romans 8:13-14, ESV)

Reflection: What “orphan habit” have you tolerated that the Spirit wants to confront? How can you rely on His power, not willpower, to walk free?

Sermon Summary

Adoption is the highest privilege flowing out of justification. Justification moves the believer from the courtroom to the living room: Christ changes the legal status of the guilty, and the Father brings the justified person into His own family. Adoption is not earned by good works, cleaned-up behavior, or proving personal value. The Father sets His love on children who do not deserve it, signs the covenant by grace, and takes them home.

Israel stands as the first big picture of this reality. God chose Israel from among the nations, not because Israel had it all together, but because God freely put His love on them. The adoption, glory, covenants, law, worship, promises, and patriarchs all pointed beyond the flesh to Christ. Jesus came to His own, and many did not receive Him; yet all who receive Him and believe in His name receive the right to become children of God.

The orphanage image shows the darkness from which Christ saves. The children under the father of darkness cannot earn love by behaving well, and they cannot escape their wickedness by doing whatever they want. Righteousness means doing the right thing, the right way, for the right reason, namely the glory of God. Sinful children lack that righteousness, yet God sent forth His Son in the fullness of time to redeem those under the law so that they might receive adoption as sons.

Predestination makes adoption a matter of the Father’s will, not human deserving. God remains holy, loving, and perfect even where human hearts resist Him and stumble in disobedience. Mercy produces gratitude, not pride. The adopted child asks, “Who am I that the Maker would set His eyes on me?” and then looks toward those still in the orphanage with Paul’s kind of love, longing that they too would be brought home.

Romans 8 shows the life of the adopted family. Christ paid with His blood to bring children out of sin and death, so their past in the orphanage no longer defines them. The Spirit of adoption does not create slaves who fall back into fear; the Spirit teaches children to cry, “Abba, Father.” Sanctification is not behavioral modification. Repentance and faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ sanctify the children of God as they walk in step with the Spirit and put to death the deeds of the flesh. The invitation remains plain: see the Son, believe, and cry out, “Lord, save me.”

Key Takeaways

1. Adoption is grace, not achievement Adoption begins with the Father’s love, not the child’s performance. Good behavior cannot purchase a place at God’s table, because the deepest problem is not merely bad actions but a heart unable to love God rightly. Grace does not wait for worthiness; grace creates a new family and gives a new name. [08:48]
2. Christ brings orphans home Christ entered the darkness of the orphanage in flesh, under the law, to redeem those trapped under sin and death. His blood was the price of freedom, meaning adoption is costly love rather than sentimental acceptance. The Son does not merely improve life in the old home; He brings His people to the Father. [38:43]
3. The Spirit replaces fear with Abba The Spirit of adoption gives children of God bold access to the Father. Fear says that failure will return the believer to slavery, but adoption says that Christ’s finished work has settled the matter. Crying “Abba, Father” becomes the language of dependence in temptation, suffering, repentance, and prayer. [43:54]
4. Repentance is not behavior management Sanctification grows through repentance and faith in Christ’s finished work, not through self-powered attempts to look better. True repentance hates the sin itself, not merely the consequences that sin brings. The Spirit then gives real power to put to death lust, pride, anger, isolation, and every deed of the flesh. [40:19]
5. Adopted children live with gratitude Gratitude is the fitting response when the Father sets His love on undeserving sinners. Adoption removes boasting because no child can claim to have earned the Father’s choice. The riches of this grace become visible as God’s children live in freedom, joy, community, and love for those still outside the family.

## [34:44]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:16] - Resurrection Hope and Thomas
[03:39] - The Privilege of Adoption
[06:26] - From Courtroom to Living Room
[09:42] - Israel as God’s Adopted Son
[15:47] - Receiving the Right to Be God’s Children
[17:24] - The Orphanage of Sin
[21:35] - The Father Sends the Son to Redeem
[25:02] - Predestined for Adoption
[29:15] - Mercy, Justice, and God’s Purpose
[34:44] - Gratitude and Love of the Adopted
[36:15] - No Condemnation in Christ
[39:50] - Repentance and Faith Sanctify
[42:35] - The Spirit of Adoption Cries Abba
[45:23] - Cry Out, Lord Save Me

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Romans 8:14–17
“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” [43:54]

Galatians 4:4–7
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” [19:13]

John 1:12–13
“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” [15:47]

Observation questions

According to Romans 8:14–17, what are the contrasts between a spirit of slavery and fear and the Spirit of adoption?
In Galatians 4:4–7, what actions does God take to bring people from slavery into sonship?
What does John 1:12–13 say people do in response to Christ, and what does it say is not the source of their new birth? [24:29]
In the orphanage picture, what are the two different ways people try to deal with their condition: trying to earn acceptance through good behavior or doing whatever they want? [18:22]

Interpretation questions

Galatians says that God sent His Son “to redeem” people so that they might receive adoption. What does this show about why adoption is more than God simply overlooking sin? [38:43]
Romans 8 says believers are children and heirs, yet it also speaks of suffering with Christ. How can someone be fully accepted by the Father while still walking through hardship in this life?
John 1 says those who receive Christ and believe in His name are given the right to become children of God. How does this keep a person from trusting in family background, good behavior, or religious effort?
If adoption is rooted in the Father’s grace and will rather than human deserving, why should the response be gratitude and love for those still outside the family rather than pride? [34:44]

Application questions

Where are you most tempted to act as though God’s acceptance depends on your performance—perhaps after failure, during a difficult season, or when you compare yourself with others? What would it look like to remember that Christ has brought you into the Father’s family? [43:28]
Romans 8 says the Spirit of adoption leads God’s children to cry, “Abba! Father!” In what specific situation this week do you need to come to God as a dependent child instead of facing fear, temptation, or suffering alone? [44:06]
Is there a sin pattern—such as anger, lust, pride, isolation, jealousy, or anxiety—that you have mainly tried to manage outwardly? How might repentance and faith in Christ’s finished work lead to a deeper response than behavior modification? [40:56]
The past life of the orphanage does not define those who are in Christ. Are there past failures, labels, or accusations that still shape how you see yourself? How does “no condemnation” in Christ speak into that specific burden? [36:32]
Adoption makes believers part of one family. What is one practical way you could pursue greater honesty, confession, encouragement, or care within the church family this week? [37:48]
The adopted child looks at those still outside the family with compassion rather than superiority. Who in your life needs patient, humble gospel love, and what could it look like to pray for or move toward that person this week? [35:07]

Sermon Clips

30s

#AdoptedByGrace

“the response of the adopted is gratitude. The response of the adopted is praise. Why do we come here on Sundays and worship and sing? Because we've been adopted into his family. And if you have not received the gift of this adoption, the invitation is to see the sun and believe. To see the sun and to those who believed you have been given the gift to be the the right to be called children of. God.”

44s

#GraceAdoption

“Okay? Let let me let me unpack that When a father goes to adopt a child or parents go to adopt a child, the parents aren't like, man, you gotta be you gotta take a shower You gotta act well You gotta behave And it's only then that I'm gonna adopt you You have to prove yourself valuable You have to prove yourself worthy, and then I'm gonna adopt you It's not the way that people that children are adopted Children are adopted by grace by grace The father sets his eyes on his children, and he says, I want you to come into my family”

51s

#RepentanceAndRenewal

“in other words, when I sin, guess what? You're all gonna sin. Yep. You're gonna sin. When I sin, the response is, Lord, I I see that I've sinned and I agree that I've sinned against man and you, God. And I am not repenting right now because of the consequences that I'm facing, but I'm repenting right now because I hate the sin in me. I hate the sin in me. I hate this darkness in me. I hate this wickedness in me. I hate this lust in me. I hate this anger in me. I hate this loneliness and this isolation in me. I hate this part of me and I'm repenting and in repentance and and looking at the finished work of Jesus, he's sanctifying you. He's making you more into his image. Let's keep reading.”

49s

#JustifiedByFaith

“Now here's here's what I mean by that. When we talked about last week, justification, the son justifies us. The son, the work of the son justifies us. And he justifies us, and he changes our legal status. He changes our legal status from one who is exiled, one who deserves punishment, one who deserves death, to one who now gets to enjoy freedom. Now we're gonna move from the courtroom to the living room. We're gonna move from in front of the lawyer and the judge, and we're gonna look at the father and the fact that the father chose us.”

62s

#WalkInTheSpirit

“have been given the authority and the power to put to death the deeds of the flesh. Because you're you get to have the holy spirit in you and you get to walk in in this in the in in step with the spirit. I want you to breathe easy. You don't have to work your way to God. You don't have to earn adoption. father sets his love on you, and you now have the holy spirit who lets you walk in the authority to put to death the deeds of the flesh. Are we putting to death the deeds of the flesh? Are we putting death to death the deeds of the flesh by walking in line with the spirit? Because if you are, you are there's that's evidence. That's evidence that you are sons of God.”

36s

#RedeemedAndAdopted

“All they see is the brokenness in this orphanage. All they get to experience is the loneliness here. All they get to experience is the depravity here. All they get to experience is the darkness here. All they get to experience is is just anger and frustration. And when they don't measure up, they feel the the depression of it. And in the fullness of time, the father sent his son to redeem, to save, to adopt those in this this dark, wicked home.”

33s

#GratefulForGrace

“If you're it's your first time here, this a tough sermon to listen to. But I just wanna tell you, man, god is so gracious. is so gracious. And the response of these three that get to be adopted is nothing but gratitude. The response of these three is that who am I? Who am I that the maker would set his eyes on me? Who am I that the father would set his love on me? Who am I that God would save me?”

49s

#ChosenByGod

“The fact that the father chose us, we did not choose him. Let me let me ask you a question. When you go to adopt, does the or or or or in adoption, in the picture of adoption, does the adopted child get to choose their father or parents? It's the same way. You did not get to choose your father. Rather, the father has chosen The father has set his eyes on you. The father has set his love on you and said, hey. I've adopted. I wanna adopt each one of you into this family.”

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