One of the guys I worked with we had nicked named "Orph" - because he was an orphan. Now, I know that at first that sounds pretty cruel. But the truth of it was that he really liked being called "orph."

At camp, the whole staff used to call him "orph." So that by the second day of camp the kids used to start asking, "Why do you call him orph?" And we had this whole routine worked out. When the kids would come up and ask us - we'd say something like, "Well, why don't you go and ask 'orph'."

So the kids would go over to the craft area - where "orph" was the instructor - and ask him, "Why do they call you 'orph'?" And my friend - who knew this was coming - would give them a terrible sob story. "They're so cruel. They hurt me so much. They make fun of me. I was an orphan."

And the kids would come back and yell at us. "You're so mean! I think you're terrible! How could you be so cruel!" And we'd just laugh. It would take the rest of the week to convince the kids that he really didn't mind.

My friend was part of a family of 5 kids - all of whom had been adopted by really loving Christian parents. He was a part of a great family - a great person - and a brother in Christ. And being an orphan was a reminder of his relationship with God. In fact calling him “orph” was really a compliment.

The Bible describes our lives apart from God as if we are orphans. And our coming to God - through Jesus - as being adopted by God. Our text for this morning is Galatians 4:1-7 - and I invite you to turn with me there. What does it mean to be adopted by God?

The Apostle Paul writes in verses 1 and 2: Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no better than a slave, through he is the owner of all the estate; But he is under guardians and trustees until the date set by the father.

In the Roman world fathers were not involved in the day-to-day raising of their children. There were highly educated slaves that raised the kids. So that the child - who would one day rule over the slaves as the master of the household - actually grew up under the authority of the slave. The slave would tell the young heir when to go to bed - when to get up - the slave would discipline him - instruct him. In a sense, there really wasn’t much of a difference between being the son of a slave - and being the heir of the household.

But, in the Roman culture there was date - set by the father - when a child was taken to the market place - and the father would declare before everyone, “This is my son” and the child was given a ring and all the privileges of an adult son. Paul writes in verse 3: So with us; when we were children, we were slaves to the elemental spirits of the universe. There is a time when we were like children - subject to the authority and teaching of this world.

Verse 4: But when the time had fully come, God - the Father - sent forth his Son, - Jesus - born of woman, born under the law, (5) to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. Imagine, God sends His natural Son - Jesus - to be born in a stable - to live here among us - to die on a cross - and to be resurrected - so that each of us - can receive our adoption certificate - can be declared sons of God.

And, it is not just that we are heirs in waiting. But once we were not even a part of the household of God - and now we are. The blood of Jesus pays for our adoption - out of the orphanage of this world into the household of God. Trust in Jesus as our Savior - and He becomes our certificate of adoption. This is what Paul writes earlier in Galatians 3:26 “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”

Verse 6: And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” (7) So through God you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then an heir.

Once we were alienated from God - orphans. But God - through Jesus - adopts us and makes us to be His sons and daughters.

What does it mean to be adopted by God? Two truths

1. OUR ADOPTION SHOWS US THE COMPASSION OF GOD

I once heard a story about a farmer who had some puppies for sale. He made a sign advertising the puppies and nailed it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was nailing the sign to the post, he felt a tug on his overalls. He looked down to see a little boy with a big grin and something in his hand.

The little boy said, “Mister, I want to buy one of your puppies.”

“Well,” said the farmer, “these puppies come from fine parents and cost a lot of money.”

The boy dropped his head for a moment, then looked back up at the farmer and said, “I’ve got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?”

“Sure,” said the farmer, and with that he whistled and called out, “Dolly. Here Dolly.” Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur.

Then out from the doghouse peeked another little ball; this one noticeably smaller. Down the ramp is slid and began hobbling in an unrewarded attempt to catch up with the others. The pup was clearly the runt of the litter.

The little boy pressed his face to the fence and cried out, “I want that one,” pointing to the runt.

The farmer knelt down and said, “Son, you don’t want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you the way you would like.”

With that the boy reached down and slowly pulled up one leg of his trousers. In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg attaching itself to a specially made shoe. Looking up at the farmer, he said, “You see, sir, I don’t run too well myself, and he will need someone who understands.”

Parents have a bottomless well of compassion for their children - an affinity - a unending sympathy. God is compassionate towards us. He knows our separation from Him. He understands first hand - the struggles and emptiness that we feel - the separation from Him. And God reaches to adopt us.

We are meant to to be sons of God - heirs of His promises - to stand on our feet and gaze at our Heavenly Father and cry out “Abba, Father.” To receive from Him His love and compassion - His healing - His forgiveness.

2. OUR ADOPTION IDENTIFIES US WITH GOD

One of the great tasks of childhood and growing up is trying to find one’s personal identity - a sense of who we are - where we belong - the purpose and value of our lives. As children growing up - our parents constantly helped us to explore and discover things - constantly shaping our identity.

When we become teenagers - what’s around us has a powerful influence. And our task becomes to determine who we are in the middle of all that’s going on around us. Even adults struggle with this - because we are constantly experiencing new situations which require adjustment and understanding.

Knowing who we are - where we belong - the purpose and value to our lives - is integral to our self-worth.

Whenever two Armenians meet there are always two questions that we ask each other. First, “What’s your family name?” Second, “Where are you from?” Not necessarily where we were born - but where our family was from. We’re a scattered people - homeless - orphaned in strange lands. And, our family name and ancestral villages and towns are a major part of our identity. They remind us of who we are.

The “i-a-n” on the end of our names is very important -"yean" or “son of” identifies us.

As Christians we are identified with Christ - who is the means of our adoption into the household of God. The word Christian - with its “i-a-n” ending literally means “little Christ.” It was originally a derogatory term. “Look a him. Who does he think he is, a little Christ?” But we are proud to identified with our Savior. We are Christians.

What identity does an orphan have? In the world in which we live - if we don’t know God - what purpose and value is there to our lives? But we have this great joy of knowing God - and being identified as His children.

I ran across this poem by Harriet Buell. Listen to what she writes about us.

My Father is rich in houses and lands,
He holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands!
Of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold,
His coffers are full, He has riches untold.
My Father’s own Son, the Savior of men,
Once wandered on earth as the poorest of them;
But now He is reigning forever on high,
And will give me a home in heaven by and by.
I once was an outcast, stranger on earth,
A sinner by choice, and an alien by birth;
But I’ve been adopted, my name’s written down,
An heir to a mansion, a robe and a crown.
I’m a child of the King, a child of the King;
With Jesus my Savior, I’m a child of the King.

Today is a good day to be reminded of God’s compassion towards us and the tremendous identity we have as His children. Youth need to hear this message and all of us need this reminder. We are not orphans - we are not left alone - we are children of God.