Rom 9-Children of the Living God

| Children of the Living God! Romans 9:25-29

August 26, 2007  (NIV) 25As he says in Hosea: “I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people; and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,” 26and, “It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’” 27Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved. 28For the Lord will carry out his sentence on earth with speed and finality.” 29It is just as Isaiah said previously: “Unless the Lord Almighty had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah.” PRAY Scripture Memory:Romans 9:20 (NIV) – Who are you, O man, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?  Intro: How many of you are from big families? How many of you have families that are close to each other?Have you ever noticed how different our relationships are with family than they are with ANYONE else?1. We are loved by God! (v. 25)2. We are family. (v. 26)3. We are a truly blended family (v. 26) 1. We are loved by God! (v. 25)(NIV) 25As he says in Hosea:  “I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people; and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,” Hosea’s daughter: Lo-Ruhamah – Not loved (Hos. 1:6)The context of Hosea…The context of Paul – Romans 9 – Ø     the Jews and the Gentiles (vv. 1-5) Ø     Natural vs. SUPERnatural children (vv. 6-9) Ø     Those God hates and those He loves (vv. 10-21) Ø     Those who are objects of wrath and those who are objects of mercy (vv. 22-24) – Two groups of people – those who are loved by God and those who are not, those who are objects of wrath and those who are objects of mercyPaul was Jewish…Two definitions: the children by natural means and the children by supernatural means…By nature we are children of wrath…Though we are not lovable….By GRACE aloneWe are called by grace aloneWe are sustained by grace aloneWe will, one day, be received into glory by grace alone1 Tim. 2:11-1311Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; 12if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; 13if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself. Only those whose love for God and whose confidence in His love for them is bound up in His AMAZING grace, are loved by Him as His own.The Gospel…The question: are we living as true sons and daughters or as orphans?The orphan is anxious over “felt needs”: friends, money, etc. They feel as though they are alone.The son/daughter trusts the Father and as has a growing confidence in His loving care.The orphan lives on a success/fail basis; he/she needs to look good; performance oriented—often doubts his/her salvation because of their sense of unworthiness and failure.The son/daughter lives by grace; he/she is open to criticism, is willing to be misunderstood or to fail because he/she stands in Christ’s perfection, not his/her own. He/she has no record to boast in, protect or defend.The orphan tends to be critical of others because of their performance orientation.The son/daughter is able to be patient and forbearing with others because of their conscious awareness of their own ongoing need for grace.The orphan tends to be ungrateful and complaining The son/daughter is thankful and appreciative of God and others.The orphan tends to compare him/herself with others—leading either to pride of depression (depending on how bad or good others look).The son/daughter sees no need to compare him/herself with others because their only goodness is bound up in their standing as sons/daughters of God.For the orphan prayer is a last resort. If all else fails…. Prayer is much neglected in practice, even though he/she may “share many prayer requests” (usually for someone else’s health needs)For the son/daughter prayer is a first resort: “I’m going to ask my Daddy first.” “Daddy, Father!” 2. We are family. (v. 26)(NIV) 26“It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’” Hosea’s son: Lo-Ammi – Not my peopleHosea 1:9 – Then the Lord said, “Call him Lo-Ammi, for you are not my people, and I am not your God.” 1 Peter 2:9-10 (NIV)9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. In Romans 11 Paul talks about how God grafts branches into the vine…We who were once NOT a people are now the people of God! We who were once not a family now are family of God! We who were once a bunch of individuals isolated from each other, are now one body with Christ as the head.Think about it. People who are family are in a totally different category than those who are not. Friends come and go, but family is always family.Question: do you view your Christian brothers and sisters as family, or merely as friends or aquaintances?☞     We have the same FatherThe amazing privilege we have to call God, Father... (Rom. 8:15-16)1 John 3:1 (NKJV) – Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!  ☞     We are co-heirs (with Christ)Romans 8:17 – Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.Ø    This means that that other Christian who you find so difficult is also a child of God. |   | Ø    It means that you have no reason to feel insecure or to lack self-esteem. If you are, indeed, a child of God, what higher position could you have?!?Ø    It means that you are being trained to, one day, rule with Christ over all of creation. You are in officers’ training school. Do you take this responsibility seriously? Are you accepting the loving discipline of God in your life as a means to that end? 3. We are a truly blended family (v. 26)(NIV) 26“It will happen that in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’”  We who were once NOT a people… (1 Peter 2:10)We who were once not GOD’s people…The blended family…John 13:34-35 (NIV) – 34“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  35By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” ☞     True Christian love testifies to the fact that we are Christ’s disciples.Pastor and former army chaplain, C.S. Lovett:“The world cannot recognize disciples by their doctrines or denominations—particularly today when there are so many, but Christian love is unique among all men. None but Christians forgive and bless even their enemies. The world exacts an ‘eye for and eye’ Among the early records of pagan observers, it is said again and again of the first century Christians, ‘behold how they love one another.’ The degree to which Christians manifest this love toward each other is the degree to which the world may recognize the disciples of Jesus.”Chuck Swindoll: This type of love “essentially means to seek the highest good of another. This type of love refuses to reject, refuses to demand conditions, and refuses to nitpick the lint of someone’s soul.”This love is “the badge Christian citizenship.” Men are proud to wear the badges and insignias of famous orders, societies, etc. to which they may belong. The loyal soldier is not ashamed of his uniform, etc…. But the true mark of Christian discipleship is mutual love…. Just as the members of the society recognize each other by a sign or word, etc., so members of the society of believers recognize each other, or should do so by this mark of mutual love. Frank Scott This love proves and shows our love to our God. 1 John 4:7-8 7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ☞     True Christian love testifies to the love of God on the cross.They say that blood is thicker than water… Chuck Swindoll: “When Jesus says, ‘as I have loved you,’ He sets Himself up as the standard by which they are to forever measure their love for one another. He is telling them, ‘I left the splendors and comforts of heaven because I love you. I called you to be mine, knowing full well your faults. I taught you even when you were stubborn and closed-minded. I corrected you when you stepped out of line. I washed your feet on the way to My death. All this was for your highest good.” ☞     True Christian love testifies to the power of God in our hearts.It is Supernatural, not Natural Love Simon Peter’s vow to love Christ…Ø   This kind of love will only come through God. It is not of ourselves.Ø   This kind of love is a derivative love.1 John 4:19 (NIV) – We love because He first loved us – derivative loveØ   This kind of love will only come with humility and brokenness.Ø   This kind of love is visible, not merely spoken.Like the child or young adult who says he/she would give their life for their mother, yet they won’t rake the leaves or clean up their room.Ø   This kind of love is attaches no conditions in order to be bestowed.No “ifs”, no threats, no demands… - Do people feel like they need to live up to certain standards in your eyes in order to be accepted? John 17:20-2320“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.C.S. Lewis: “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket—safe, dark, motionless, airless—it will change. It will not be broken. It will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.”Phil. 1:9-119And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. Summary / Review:We are loved by God! We are His family! – Are you resting secure in that love here this morning? Do you know His love as a true son/daughter, or are you really more of an orphan who hopes to prove yourself?We a truly blended family! – Are you truly a member of this new family? And if so, are you committed to truly loving your brothers and sisters, to sticking with them through thick and thin? Does your love for God’s children testify to the truth of the gospel, or does it deny it? A Truth to Remember: If you have embraced Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior then you are truly a son/daughter of God with the all the rights and privileges associated with that. A Challenge to Consider:Does your life testify to your part in the family of God through your love for His children and through your faith in Him? Or does it tend to contradict what you profess? One thing I heard this morning was…      |