Sermon:

God Your Daddy

Romans 8:15-17

INTRODUCTION: Fred Craddock, who while lecturing at Yale University, told of going back one
summer to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, to take a short vacation with his wife. One night they found
a quiet little restaurant where they looked forward to a private meal--just the two of them.
While they were waiting for their meal they noticed a distinguished looking, white-haired man
moving from table to table, visiting guests. Craddock whispered to his wife, "I hope he doesnt
come over here." He didnt want the man to intrude on their privacy. But the man did come by
his table. "Where you folks from?" he asked amicably. "Oklahoma." "Splendid state, I hear,
although Ive never been there. What do you do for a living? Fred Craddock welcomed that
question, for whenever a stranger found out he was a preacher, theyd often excuse
themselves shortly thereafter. "I teach homiletics at the graduate seminary of Phillips
University." "Oh, so you teach preachers, do you. Well, Ive got a story I want to tell you." And
with that he pulled up a chair and sat down at the table with Craddock and his wife.
Dr. Craddock groaned inwardly: Oh no, here comes another preacher story. It seems everyone
has one. The man stuck out his hand. "Im Ben Hooper. I was born not far from here across the
mountains. My mother wasnt married when I was born so I had a hard time. When I started to
school my classmates had a name for me, and it wasnt a very nice name. I used to go off by
myself at recess and during lunchtime because the taunts of my playmates cut so deeply.
"What was worse was going downtown on Saturday afternoon and feeling every eye burning a
hole through you. They were all wondering just who my real father was.
"When I was about 12 years old a new preacher came to our church. I would always go in late
and slip out early. But one day the preacher said the benediction so fast I got caught and had
to walk out with the crowd. I could feel every eye in church on me. Just about the time I got to
the door I felt a big hand on my shoulder. I looked up and the preacher was looking right at
me.
"Who are you, son? Whose boy are you? I felt the old weight come on me. It was like a big
black cloud. Even the preacher was putting me down. But as he looked down at me, studying
my face, he began to smile a big smile of recognition. "Wait a minute," he said, "I know who
you are. I see the family resemblance. You are a son of God. God is your Daddy" With that he
slapped me across the back and said, "Boy youve got a great inheritance. Go and claim it!"
The old man looked across the table at Fred Craddock and said, "That was the most important
single sentence ever said to me." With that he smiled, shook the hands of Craddock and his
wife, and moved on to another table to greet old friends. Suddenly, Fred Craddock
remembered that on two occasions the people of Tennessee had elected an illegitimate to be
their governor. One of them was Ben Hooper.

>>That truth changed Ben Hoopers life. If you are a Christ follower, you are a child of God your
Heavenly Father. But more than just God THE Father, if you are in Christ, God is YOUR Father.
And more than just your Father, God is your Daddy. [READ Romans 8:15-17]

BIG IDEA: In Christ, we have been adopted as children of God. If you are in Christ, meaning if
youve trusted him to be your life leader, then God is your Daddy!

>>And if God is your Daddy, that has huge implications for your identityfor who you are:

I. If God is your daddy, you are no longer a slave (15a)

A. ILLUSTRATION: Joey is a young boy who had been horribly abused by his mother,
Teresa. He said when she was mad, she would kick me across the room. When he was 3,
sometimes she would lock him in his room or in the garage for hours at at time as punishment
for crying. Finally, a few years later, he was taken from his mother and placed with an adoptive
family. They loved him well and nurtured him, but he never bonded with them. He was always
saying he wanted to go live with Teresa. His behavior became more and more disruptive. He
would destroy property, hurt the cat, punch and bite his siblings. His adoptive parents asked
him,
Why are you doing this? I dont want to live here anymore,
How do we treat you in this family? Good.
And how did Teresa treat you? Bad.
What did she do to you? She hit me.
What else did she do to you? She kicked me.
And what else? She didnt take care of me.
How did it feel to live with her? It was scary.
So where do you want to live? With Teresa.
The sadness of Joeys story is that even though this child has been rescued from a horrible life
and brought into a wonderful family, he wont allow himself to be embraced by their love
because of his earlier experiences. He is a prisoner of his early traumas. He is a slave.

B. But if you are in Christ, you are no longer a slave. Gods purpose was both to redeem
and to adoptnot only to save us from slavery, but to make slaves into sons & daughters. He
achieved this by the curse-bearing death and life-giving resurrection of Jesus Christ.

C. APPLICATION: Think of your own life experiencewhat are you a slave to?
1. No longer slave to guilt of past failures
2. No longer slave to bitterness over past wrongs
3. No longer slave to sin
4. No longer slave to fear of death or Gods wrath
a. I pastor a church for people who dont like church
b. I have to constantly tell them God is not angry at you

II. If God is your daddy, you are His child (15b-16)

A. This is hard for many of us to relate to, because we are the most fatherless generation
in American history.
1. STAT: 19699% of births out of wedlock. 199933% out of wedlock
2. QUOTE: College student: My father left us when I was three. I thought it was normal.
Neither of my best friends had a father, either.
3. Many of you can relate to that. And for many more, even if our fathers were home,
they werent always there, emotionally or spiritually. And the consequence of that is we hear
the word father and we picture someone distant, uninvolved, uncaring.

B. But God isnt just our Father in title or office, Hes our Daddy!
1. Abba is the Aramaic term for father used here.
a. It was the first word a Jewish baby learned
b. It invokes intimacy, trust, respect, and love
c. It can legitimately be translated, Daddy
2. ILLUSTRATION: When I come home, my two sons run to meet me at the door and they
yell, "Daddy, Daddy!" How do I respond to them? Why, I slap em upside the head and yell "I
am the Reverend David A. Ward and I will not be treated in such a manner!" No, no, no! I
reach down and hug them and kiss them and ask them to tell me about their day!
3. APPLICATION: prayer = God wants to hug you & hear how youre doing. No other
gymnastics or qualifications needed.
a. Heb. 4:16 Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God
b. We have high speed, wireless access to our Heavenly Daddy.
4. ILLUSTRATION: My father is a physician. If you go to visit him, youll have to sign your
name and wait in a waiting room, then wait in another waiting room, then get undressed in an
examination room and wait some more until he comes to see you. But when I go to my dads
office, I can just walk right in, and see him immediately. Why? Because hes my dad!
5. No other world religion knows God as daddy! Only in Christ can anyone claim that.

III. If God is your daddy, you are His heir (17)

In the first-century world, adoption was generally the privilege of the childless rich. The reason
for adopting was specifically to have an heir to whom you could bequeath your goods.
Likewise, Gods adoption of us makes us His heirs, and guarantees our inheritance with Christ.

A. Gods heirs must share Christs sufferings
1. Once you give your life to Christ, you become an adopted child of God.
2. Following Christ will involve suffering at some level, because you no longer exist for
your own comfort and security. You submit your agenda to his agenda for your life:
a. Make difficult decisions with your money & time
b. Risk rejection by others who dont share your faith
3. QUOTE: Roger Staubach: If youre not playing hurt, youre not playing football

B. Gods heirs will share in Christs glory
1. Making Christ your life leader guarantees your inheritance from a loving, heavenly
Father. We have absolute eternal security from Him.
2. We exchange earthly comfort for eternal reward.
3. ILLUSTRATION: In the movie "The Princess Diaries" a high school girl, bored with her
life, discovers she is a really princess, heir to a great inheritance.
C. APPLICATION: Dont squander your inheritance!
1. If you are in Christ, God has given you many wonderful things
a. Spiritual gifts
b. Spiritual relationships
c. Spiritual opportunities
2. If you dont yet know Christ, God offers Himself to you, to be your Daddy.

CONCLUSION: Yesterday morning I was walking with Taylor to the bus stop. And while he was
running down our street, he tripped and fell and skinned his knee. He started crying, and I
scooped him up and checked where he was hurtnot a serious injury, but I knew it had to
sting. I sat down and held him while he cried and since I didnt have a band aid, I blotted some
of the blood with my shirt. I dont want to go to Kindergarten he sobbed on my shoulder. I
said, Taylor, I know it hurts, but youre gonna be alright. We sat there for a minute, before
he moved his head to look at me, and a line of snot connected my shoulder to his nose. You
know, thats usinside were wounded, were afraid, and were gross. But as I wiped his nose
with my shirt, and looked into his teary eyes, I realized how very much I love him. Because Im
his Daddy. And thats the way God loves me and loves you. God loves you deeply and wants
you to call to Him, "Abba, Father, Daddy."