Sons and Daughters of God

Good morning.

Congrats to our Nevada Tiger Football team on a wonderful season

I want to welcome each of you here this morning to CCC. Those watching online or later on Rightnow media or youtube welcome to you as well. We pray we may worship together in person very soon

Let’s Pray

START OBS

I am very excited for this morning. This section of scripture is just beautiful. Not that what we just looked at isn’t exciting or beautiful because even though it was Jesus preparing us for persecution and telling us the true cost of being a Christian

son vs father

daughters vs mothers

parents vs children

brother vs brother

Following Jesus is an all in type of thing and it will cost you personally because you must die to you

die to sin

die to the world

That is exciting and beautiful as well

Why

1 Jesus paid your price

2 Jesus has overcome the world

3 If you are saved, you are good spiritually…

blood bought

sealed with Holy Spirit

heaven bound regardless of earthly…wordly circumstances or situations!!!!

That is exciting and beautiful!

When I read I John 3 I was giddy. I had a joy come over me....an excitement that I had not felt in sometime

Which was needed because I had been allowing the world to define my worth and not God

I struggle with that and as humans if you are honest you probably do as well

Praise God for His Word!

1 John 3:1–3

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“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”

I wanted to slow down in this series.

God reminded me the destination is secure so enjoy the journey.

The 1st 10 verses of Chapter 3 are a thought and I thought about going through all of them this morning but again felt God say slow down

A call to return to verse by verse preaching

I want, as I always want, for God’s Word to do the preaching

1 John 3:1

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“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.”

This is an important truth to not only understand but apply to your life through the Holy Spirit

Behold is from a Greek verb…an action word....so many look at behold as not an action but just looking…it is an action word…requires action on your part....means recognize…stare at..discern clearly…to experience

This word is used 59 times in the New Testament

51 as see

5 as take heed

1 perceive

1 behold

This is like saying pay attention this is very important......you have to understand and apply what follows

What then are you to behold?

“What manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us...”

What manner is from Greek adjective of what possible sort

Love of course is agape

Hath bestowed from Greek verb…action word…bring forth, commit, deliver, give, grant

What manner of love are we to behold.....

What has God brought forth

What has God committed

What has God delivered to us

We should be called sons of God

Maybe you didn’t hear God there

YOU and I should be called sons of God

The creator of the universe just said he commits to, delivers to you the promise that you will be a son or daughter of God

That should move you to shout AMEN

Amen simply means you agree

If you don’t agree that God is making you a son or daughter of Him you miss the entire point of being saved! I want us to see and understand from Scripture why this is important

John 1:12–13

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“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

This is powerful stuff here

As many as received Him are given the power to become sons and daughters of God

If you are a true Christian this morning then you are a son or daughter of God

Praise the Lord

Look at how Jesus defines the relationship....born…not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor the will of man....Nothing to do with physical

Nothing to do with you or me or flesh or man or society or the world

Nothing but God Himself

This is why Jesus says to follow Him you must take up your cross daily and

die to self

die to sin

die to the world

You are no longer a physical being but a spiritual son or daughter of God

This is powerful church

It is also why there is conflict between sons and daughters of God and the lost…the world

“Therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not”

The lost

The world do not know God

They are born of blood

They are born of the will of the flesh

They are born of the will of man

They are not sons and daughters of God

They do not know Jesus and as sons and daughters of God they do not know or understand you

We desperately want them to know God and join us as sons and daughters of God but until they accept Jesus they do not know God or us

Pray for them

Live and love like Jesus but understand they do not know you or Him

One way you can live and love like Jesus is to live life without offense or being offended

This is big

living without offense

We discussed this again at our Wednesday night men’s discipleship group

Not this exactly but this truth....it was in a discussion about road rage

When you get behind a slow driver or someone cuts you off and you get really angry and upset or maybe you are the slow driver or cut someone off and the other person acts out at you and you get angry and upset......

the real reason for that anger and being upset is you were offended

your timing

your schedule

your safety

all got threatened or messed up

Your pride caused you to be offended and that caused you to be angry and upset

As Christians being offended is no longer something you can be.

John 16:1–4

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“These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.”

Jesus starts by saying

I’m telling you this so you don’t get offended

They will kick you out of church because of me

They will kill you because of me

Why

Because they don’t know the Father or Jesus

3. Jesus tells you so you will remember when the time comes

Church a day is coming..that you and I....Christians who live in America will face these things

Don’t be offended but remember Jesus told you they would come

I want to ask you a question and I want you to think about it

If someone does something that infringes on you, wastes your time, hurts you emotionally, maybe even hurts you physically but they had no idea their actions would result in injury or inconvenience to you how would you react?

Most would say that is okay, you really didn’t know.

Look at Jesus example, “that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service”

They think they are doing the service of God but they don’t know Him

Church you cannot be offended.......well you can be but you sin when you do

Who are you to be offended

You saved yourself.......nope

You secured your home in heaven........nope

You built your mansion.......nope

You were born a sinner

You lived in sin

You deserve to die a spiritual death because of your sin

You are nothing but a wretch

Yet Jesus died in your place

Jesus says the only good in you is God and they only way to know God is Jesus

So who are you to be offended again?

You are a son or daughter of God if you are a Christian which means you are sealed with the Holy Spirit so again you die to you and you die to offense!

I want to look at the last part of vs 1 in I John 3 “therefore the world knoweth us not because it knew Him not”

John 17:25–26

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“O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

This is a very real eternal line in the sand

You are on one side or the other

You know God because you are saved or you don’t know God because you are lost

Only two sides

No middle ground

No being partially in

All in

or

All out

Know

or Don’t know

Saved

or

Lost

Period End of story

1 John 3:2–3

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“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”

This is so exciting

this is pointing to the fact that as Christians we are not yet as we shall one day be

You and I as Christians are sons and daughters of God but we do not appear as we will when we see Jesus

The more my body hurts the more exciting verses and truths like this become

This is not it

These fragile

frail

broken

fleshly bodies are not our permanent..eternal home

You bet that deserves an Amen or praise God!!!!!

You and I get caught up in the temporary

We get lost in today

our challenges

our failures

our hurts

our successes

our families

our jobs

our hobbies

We get so focused on trying to “save” these temporary, dying physical bodies that we miss the spiritual happening in and around us

At this point I have a knee that pretty much hurts constantly

Sometimes I get focused on that but life is so much more than a hurting knee

This life....this world....this temporary physical body is not it

no way

we Christians…sons and daughters of God will be like Jesus one day when we see Him

Praise the Lord!!!

Our eternal bodies will be perfect just like Jesus!

Come Lord Jesus Come!!!!!!

Look at verse 3 “And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure”

You and I

Christians

Sons and daughters of God

Because we will see Jesus and when we see Jesus we will be like Him

Because of that we purifieth ourselves now in preparation and obedience

There is a reason for this

One day you will be like Jesus

100% pure

Between now and then you are to work to purify yourself

This is done through Jesus and the Holy Spirit and God Himself

How

New person in Christ

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Corinthians tells us old things are passed way behold all things are new in terms of salvation and the transformation that follows

Philippians 3:20–21

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“For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”

Heaven is now your home

You are just passing through this temporary world

Galatians 3:26–29

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“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

This also points to the fact that you are in Christ

That now your identity....is Christ

Children of God by faith in Christ Jesus

I love the imagery here

baptized believers put on Christ

There is no denying when you put on or take off clothes

They are on or off and the whole world can see if they are on or off

You put on Christ just like a shirt or jacket or clothes

When you put on Christ the whole world will see you are Christ’s

The whole world will see that Christ is your identity

In fact it goes beyond outward appearance

You are changed.......

Now I believe we should support our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world who are in wars and conflicts

There is a lot being made out of Isreal and the war there…again war is terrible and we should be against the loss of innocent life no matter who is involved

The loss of innocent life is always something we must fight against…war…murder…abortion…doesn’t matter the cause

I believe, however, just supporting Israel because you believe that they are God’s chosen people stands against this scripture

Again Christians are family and must be supported but the country created in 1947 by the United Nations is not the Israel of the Bible

Old Testament Israel was a physical bloodline…they were a nation created by God…chosen by God to be His holy people

The people rejected God and when God sent Jesus to die on the cross He opened salvation to everyone

Look at this truth in Galatians

No Jew

No Gentile

No Bond

No Free

No male

No female

All one in Christ because it is now a spiritual blood line.....don’t take my word for it but Gods

“And if ye be Christ’s, then ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise”

In the Old Testament the only way to be of Abraham’s seed was to physically be born into that bloodline!

Since the cross however things have changed!

All one in Christ

All one bloodline which is now spiritual

How awesome is that

The world wants to divide us but in Christ we are perfectly unified.

So how are we unified.....

putting on Christ

Dying to self

perfect unity

purifying yourself

How does all of this happen

1. Salvation

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Galatians 4:3–7

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“Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”

Through Christ

That is first and foremost

God sent Jesus to be born of a woman..fully flesh

yet fully God as the same time as she conceived via the Holy Spirit

He was made and lived under the law

So he could be the perfect sacrifice but beyond that He felt every temptation you feel yet He was perfect and never fell into that temptation

Jesus knows the powerful pull of addiction because He felt your addictions and the addictions of the whole world on the cross

Jesus knows the pain and shame and guilt that lustful eyes and thoughts and lifestyles bring because he felt every lustful eye, every lustful thought and every lustful lifestyle on the cross

Jesus became your sin

He knows you sin better than you know your sin

He truly gets you because He was you

He created you

He relates to you!

2. Sanctification

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Process of purifying oneself

James 4:7–10

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“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”

Submit

Humble

Realize He is God and you are not

If you do not submit yourself to God the devil will never flee you

Why

the devil is not scared of you

There is an old saying that goes something like this

The devil trembles with a prayed up Christians feet hit the floor

Maybe but it has nothing to do with the physical Christian but everything to do with Christ in the Christian

The devil is not scared of you but he is scared of Christ Jesus

If you do not submit to God then the devil knows he won

He knows he has you

Why

Because God is where your power to defeat the devil lies and if you are not submitted to God you are standing on your own and look like a free buffet to the devil

Draw close to God

seek Him

Seek Him in His Word

Seek Him in Prayer

Seek Him in obedience

Seek God

Draw nigh to God and God draws nigh to you

If you are nigh to God the devil is far from you because he is far from God

Purity comes through submitting to God

Obedience comes through submitting to God

Double-minded…saying saved yet not purifying your hearts

Saying your saved and living in sin

You can’t be both

saved

and

willingly living in sin

Church willingly living in sin will be one of the major reasons so many will hear away from me I never knew you when they meet Jesus face to face

The world says you can do what you want, with whomever you want, however you want to do it

God gives you free will and if you love that sinful lifestyle and therefore hate God....He allows you to do just that

Church we must return to putting God first in every aspect of life

Our time

Our families

Our jobs

Our schools

Our homes

Our checkbooks

But all that starts by making Jesus Lord and Savior of YOU and your lifestyle

Humility

Humble yourself

Some of you here today and listening online have issues you refuse to submit to God

Maybe it is living with your girlfriend or boyfriend before marriage

Maybe you are having pre-marital sex

Maybe you are underage and partaking in alcohol

Maybe you are of age and live a party lifestyle

Maybe you are turning to cigarettes, vapes, chew or drugs or alcohol instead of turning to God

Maybe you live for the god of materialism and things and wealth

Maybe you have idols that you put before God

Maybe you are confused about your gender or choose to live a homosexual lifestyle

I don’t know what it is but I know this until you submit and humble yourself you are far from God

Humility

Humble yourself

Lay down your life by taking up your cross daily

die to self

die to the world

die to sin

die to this idea you have some sort of control or say in your life

lose your life and find it in Jesus!

Love others

Lay your life down for others

Take up your cross and follow Jesus

Do you live with a joy and expectation of seeing Jesus?

Does the world see you have put on Jesus?

Are you a son or daughter of God?

Is that what truly defines your identity?

Time to be a doer of the Word not just a hearer

STOP OBS

Invitation

You Say