Children of God – Part 2

John 1:12-13 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Let’s pick up where we left off, on Pastor JJ’s Sunday Sermon series “Identity Theft” – being Children of God.

(2) Paying attention. 1 Corinthians 6:19 “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” God points out godly ways to God, led by the Holy Spirit in a direction that is guided, not lost; always teaching for living rightly, not misguided and eaten away by sin. The Scriptures open and speak the truth from our Father in Heaven. He loves you and I too much to allow us to wonder and wander. John 14:16-17 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.”

(3) Access to the Father. With our identity to the Most High God, the children have direct access to Father God, as sons and daughters of the Sovereign, not subjects. Think of God’s commandments, decrees, laws and statutes not as rules and regulations, but actually as the chains of slavery coming off. John 8:31-32 + 34 To the people who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Romans 6:6 ”For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.”  Not condemned, but saved. No bewilderment, no confusion, and no uncertainty, but free to see in relationship. 1 Corinthians 14:33 “God is not a God of confusion but of peace.” Not living in a constant state of fear, waiting for God to “zap” us, but able to approach our Heavenly Father with respect as “Abba” (Daddy) and be embraced in His loving arms. To hear a child say “Daddy” is exactly what God wants from us as we share our life with Him. Know Father God in deep intimacy. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross gave us that right and privilege.

(4) The Spirit testifies with our spirit. Our sins give us a “bad” name, but God gives us a “new” name and identity, so we are clothed anew in this life. A redressing: buried with Christ, raised as children of God and we are no longer defined by our past. Let Christ into your life. Acts 17:28-29 “For in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’ Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man. He has made us His.

5) Our future is changed. We have an inheritance shared with Jesus. And once changed, it doesn’t change – we’ll be in heaven for eternity. We shall hear: “Welcome home child”, and we get all this now … the moment we first believe. “Well done, my faithful child” as we live now, and it doesn’t stop here. Look forward to coming before our Heavenly Father today and tomorrow in eternity.  1 John 3:1-2 “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.  Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.”

Do you see yourself as adopted sons and daughters of God? Is that a reality for you and I, or is something else our reality? Relationship based in our identity as children of God is a reality in every part of our being.

Galatians 3:26 “For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”

In Christ, Brian