CHILDREN OF GOD

CHILDREN OF GOD

TEXT: John 1:12-13

March 26, 2017

ERBC

Introduction

Who is a Child of God?

Pope Francis quote: "Many think differently, feel differently, seeking God or meeting God in different ways. In this crowd, in this range of religions, there is only one certainty we have for all: we are all children of God."

Problem:

-If all believe they are the children of God already why place their faith in Christ who sacrificed himself for our salvation.

-Why should we share our faith if everyone is already saved!

-Why should we care about others eternal destiny if everyone is going to heaven!

Who is a true Child of God? READ TEXT. John 1:12-13.

Power to adopt us into the family of God - Spiritual Family!

How may we become Children of God?

1. Repent

2. Believe and receive Jesus

3. Be Born Again (John 3:5-7) 5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'

How are we related as Children of God?

(Romans 8:15) 15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."

Adopted Children

Galatians 4:4-6

4 But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5 to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. 6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

Access AS CHILDREN OF GOD

(Ephesians 2:18)

18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. 19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household,

Affected AS Children of God?

(Romans 8:16-17)

16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 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.

A New Name

No longer called: Wicked, Evil, Of the Devil, Condemned, Child of Wrath

Called: Blessed, Beloved, Redeemed, Children of God.

New Clothes

The adopted children of God, those He has caused to be born again to a living hope, are no longer clothed in the filthy garments of sin (Romans 13:14), but are clothed in the righteousness of Christ (Romans 4:1-25; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:8-11).

A New Home

The adopted children of God, …are no longer citizens of this world

…no longer bound for hell.

They’re new home is heaven, with Christ.

Conclusion

ADOPTION ILL:

"When my wife Maria and I at long last received the call that the legal process was over, and we returned to Russia to pick up our new sons, we found that their transition from orphanage to family was more difficult than we had supposed. We dressed the boys in outfits our parents had bought for them. We nodded our thanks to the orphanage personnel and walked out into the sunlight, to the terror of the two boys.

They'd never seen the sun, and they'd never felt the wind. They had never heard the sound of a car door slamming or had the sensation of being carried along at highway speeds down a road. I noticed that they were shaking, and reaching back to the orphanage in the distance.

I whispered to Sergei, now Timothy, "That place is a pit! If only you knew what's waiting for you: a home with a Mommy and a Daddy who love you, grandparents and great-grandparents and cousins and playmates and McDonald's Happy Meals!"

But all they knew was the orphanage. It was a filty mess, but they had no other reference point. It was home.

We knew the boys had acclimated to our home, that they trusted us, when they stopped hiding food in their high-chairs. They knew there would be another meal coming, and they wouldn't have to fight for the scraps. This was the new normal.

They are now thoroughly Americanized, perhaps too much so, able to recognize the sound of a microwave ding from forty yards away. I still remember, though, those little hands reaching back for the orphanage.

APP:

Likewise, our heavenly Father whispers to us, "This place is a pit! If only you knew what's waiting for you: an eternal home in the presence of a God who loves you and gave His life for you, awe inspiring angels, countless brothers and sisters in Christ who can't wait to meet you, and a seat at the longest dinner table you've ever seen!

"All you know is this squalid world, but I offer you something so much better; a place way beyond your ability to even imagine. Don't be afraid. Don't reach back for what's familiar. Reach forward in faith."

READ TEXT AGAIN: John 1:12-13